2021年06月英语四级考试真题与答案解析：完整版

2021年06月英语四级考试真题与答案解析：完整版————————————————————————————————————————听力NEWS1

Andfinallyintonight'snews,anine-year-oldboynamedJoetoldnottodrawinclasswinsajobdecoratingarestaurantwithhisdrawingsratherthanshuttingdownthehabitofdrawinginhisschool'sworkbook.

(1)Joe'sparentsdecidedtoencouragehiscreativitybysendingtheirsontoanafter-schoolartclass.

HisteacherrecognizedJoe'stalentandpostedallhisworkonline,whichledtosomethingprettywonderful.

(2)ArestaurantnamedNumber4inNewcastlecontactedJoe'steacherstoaskifthenine-year-oldcouldcomeanddecoratedthediningroomwithhisdrawings.

Everydayafterschool,Joe'sdaddriveshimtotheOYrestaurant,sohecanputhisideasstraightonthewall.

Oncehe'salldone,theworkwillremaintherepermanently.Joe'sdadsays,Joeisareallytalentedlittleboy.He'sexcellentatschool.He'sgreatatfootball,butdrawingisdefinitelywhatheismostpassionateabout.

Q1.WhatdidJoe'sparentsdecidetodo?Q2.whatdidtherestaurant,Number4,do?

NEWS2ChristineMarshall,a-34-year-oldmumofonepostedatearfulvideoonsocialmedia,Wednesday,beggingforthesafereturnofherbelovedpetdog.Aftercombingthroughthesecurityvideooutsideaglobal’sshop,(3)

Christinehasnowpostedanimageofamansuspectedofstealingthedog.Theimageappearstoshowamancarryingthedoginhisarms.Christinealsobelievesthevideoobtainedfromtheshopshowsthedogbeingstolenbyamanbeforedrivingoffinacar,whichhadbeenwaitingnearby.(4)

Thefamilyisnowofferinga5,000poundrewardforthesafereturnofthedogafterlaunchingasocialmediacampaigntofindthethief,thedogissixandahalfyearsoldandwaslastseenwearingaredcollar.Christinesaid“Wewillpaythattoanyonewhobringshimhome,aslongastheyarenotresponsibleforhisdisappearance,pleaseoninvestigatingtheincident”.

Q3

WhatisChristineMarshalltryingtodo?Q4

WhatdoesthenewsreportsayaboutChristineMarshall'sfamily?

NEWS3

London'seggsandbreadcafeoffersaboiledeggs,toast,jam,andbacon,aswellastea,coffee,andorangejuice.Butattheendofthemeal,customersdon'thavetoworryaboutthebill.Hungrycustomerscanpaywhateveramounttheycanaffordtoeatatthecafeornothingatall.(5)

OwnerGuyWilsonsayshiscafeaimstobuildcommunityratherthanprofits.HewantstoprovideabridgeforpeopletoconnectWANGYIinanareathathasbeendividedbyclassandwealth,byprovidingaffordablebreakfast.(6)

Thecafeisopeninthemorningseverydayoftheyear.Andhastwomembersofstafforsupervisorsonshifteveryday.Thecafedoesn'tusevolunteers,butpaysitsstafftoensureconsistencyinitsservice.Itdoesn'ttakedonationsanddoesn'twanttobeseenasacharity.Mr.Wilsonsayswhenpeoplestarttoknowotherpeoplearoundthem,(7)

theyrealizethey'renotthatdifferentandwhatevertheirfinancialbackgroundortheireducationalbackground,mostpeoplewillhavesomethingincommonwitheachother.Hesaysit'simportantthathiscafecanofferhiscustomerssecurityandpermanence

Q5

WhatdoesGuyWilsonsayhiscafeaimstodo?Q6

Whatdoesthenewsreportsayabouteggsandbreadcafe?Q7

WhathappenswhenpeoplestarttoknoweachotheraccordingtoGuyWilson?

CONVERSATION1M:SowhattimedoyouthinkweshouldhavethepartyonSaturday?W:Howaboutinvitingpeopletocomeat6:00PMthenwe'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?Q9.Whydoesthewomansayitisagoodideatoservefoodsthatguestscanhelpthemselvestoo?Q10.Whatdoesthewomansayaboutthenewsupermarket?

CONVERSATION2

W:I’mthinkingofbuyingacar.Iwouldn'tneedtouseiteveryday,butIthinkitwouldbeveryconvenienttohaveonefortheweekends.

M:That'sexciting.Wouldthisbeyourfirstcar?

W:Nope.

M:IactuallyownedacarforalittlewhilewhenIlivedinMiami.Yousee,inAmerica,manycitiesdon'thavegoodpublictransport.SomostpeopleneedtheirownOYcartogetaround.

W:Isee.

M:Sohaveyougotyourmindsetonaspecificmodel?

W:No,notreally.

(13)I'veheardthatGermancarsareveryreliable,

butIhaven'tdecidedonaspecificmodelyet.

I'dalsolikeittobesmallsothatit'seasytodriveinthecity.

M:Ihaveafriendwhosellssecondhandcars.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.

Q13.WhatdoesthewomansayaboutGermancars?Q14.Whatdoesthemanrecommendthewomando?Q15.WhatdowelearnabouttheLoinbo'sfriendfromtheconversation?

PASSAGE1

Passageone.

PigsarenotnativetonorthAmerica.TheywerefirstintroducedtoCaliforniabySpanishandRussianexplorersandsettlersmanycenturiesago.Intheearlytimes,pigswereallowedtowanderfreelyandsearchafood.Thispracticealsoallowedmanypigstoescapefromfarmsandliveinthewild,whichbecameaproblem.

Infact,asoneofthemostdamaginginvasivespeciesonthecontinent,wildpigscausedmillionsofdollarsincropdamageyearly.TheyOYalsoharboreddozensofdiseasesthatthreatenbothhumansandfarmanimals.Forestpatcheswithwildpigshavebeenfoundtohaveconsiderablyreducedplantandanimaldiversity.

Inadditiontoeithereatingotheranimalsortheirfoodsupply,wildpigsdamagednativehabitatsbyreachingupcrossesandrubbingontrees.Theiractivitiesmayalsocreateopportunitiesforinvasiveplantstocolonizetheseareas.Wildpigswilleatalmostanythingcontainingcalories.Mice,deer,birds,snakesandfrogsareamongtheirvictims.

Theycanalsoharmotherwildspeciesthroughindirectcompetitionratherthaneatingthemorshrinkingtheirfoodsupply.OnoneparticularUnitedStatesisland,wildpigsthemselvesbecameanattractivefoodsourceforaspeciesofmainlandeagle.Eaglesbeganbreedingontheislandandalsofeedingonaspeciesofnativefox.Thefoxeswerealmostwipedoutcompletely.

Q16.WhatdowelearnaboutearlypigsinnorthAmerica?

Q17.Whyarewildpigsathreattohumans?

Q18.WhatdoesthepassagesayaboutthenativefoxesonaU.S.island?PASSAGE2

(19)

Apairofentrepreneursareplanningtobuildandlaunchaspacecraftthatwouldcarryandroastcoffeebeansinouterspace.Thecraftwillusetheheatofre-entrytoroastcoffeebeans,astheyfloatinsideitinapressurizedtank.Theeffectwouldbetoroastthebeansalloverandproduceperfectcoffee.(20)

Thebusinessmensaythatonearth,beanscaneasilybreakapartandgetburnedintheroaster.Butifgravityisremoved,thebeansfloataroundandheatedoven,received360degreesofevenlydistributedheatandroasttonearperfection.Thespacecraftwillreachaheightofaround200kilometers.ThebeanswouldWANGYI

thenberoastedandtheheatgeneratedbythecrafts20minutere-entryintoearth'satmosphere.Temperaturesandthepressurizedtankwillbekepttoaround200degreesCelsius.Oncebackonearth,theplanet'sfirstspaceroastedbeanswouldbeusedtomakecoffeethatwouldbesoldforthefirsttimeinDubai.ThisiswherethePairscompanyisbased.Itisnotclearhowmuchtheywouldchargeforacup.Surprisingly,thespaceroasterconceptshoulditgoaheadwillnotbethefirstattempttotakecoffeeintospace.(21)

In2015,twoItaliancompaniescollaboratedontheconstructionofasimilartypeofspacecraft,whichwasthefirstcoffeemachinedesignedforuseinspace.

Q19.

Whatareapairofentrepreneursplanningtodo?Q20

.

Whatdoesthepassagesayaboutcoffeebeansroastedonearth?Q21.WhatdidthetwoItaliancompaniesdoin2015?

PASSAGE3

PassagethreeIncoldandsnowyAlaska,there’savillagecalledTakotna.Ithasapopulationofamere49adults.EachMarch,thistinyvillageswellsupinnumbersbecauseitislocatedinthemiddleofaracethattakesplaceeveryyear.Itisaseven-dayracecalled“TheIditarodTrail”.AndparticipantsstopatTakotnafortheobligatory24hourrest.

Luckyforthem,TakotnaisfamousOYforitsdeliciousfruitpies.Weeksbeforethecompetitorsarrive,theresidentsofTakotnastartpreparingwhatiswithoutquestiontheirbiggesteventoftheyear.

Thewholevillagechipsintohelp,includingthekids,whoendupdevelopingtheirbakingskillsatanearlyage.Exhaustedandhungryracersaregreetedwithdelightfulpiesofallkinds,suchasapple,orange,lemon,orbanana.

Theyconsumethepiesand

astomachwarmingracefuel.Thetoughnessoftheraceallowsforracerstoeatprettymuchwhatevertheywant.Themorecalories,thebetter.Takotnahasgainedareputationforitsdessert-basedhospitalitysincethe1970s.It

startedwithoneperson,JaneNewton.JanemovedfromIditarodwithherhusbandin1972andopenedarestaurant.Arichandfillingfruitpiesquicklygottheracesattention,andthevillagegainedsomefameasaresult.ProudresidentsthenstartedtorefertoJaneasqueenofTakotna.

Questions22to25,orbasedonthepassage,youhavejustheard

Q22.WhydoalotofpeoplecometothevillageofTakotnaeveryMarch?

Q23.WhatisthevillageofTakotnafamousfor?

Q24.Whocomestohelpwiththeeventoftheyear?

Q25.WhatdoesthepassagesayaboutJaneNewton?第一套答案：SectionA1.C)Sendhimtoanafter-schoolartclass.2.D)ContactedJoetodecorateitsdining-room.3.A)Getherpetdogback.4.B)Itisofferingabigrewardtoanyonewhohelps.5.D)Helppeopleconnectwitheachother.6.B)Itdoesnotusevolunteers7.A)TheywillfindtheyhavesomethingincommonSectionB8.D)PreparationsforSaturday'sget-together.9.A)Itenablesgueststowalkaroundandchatfreely.10.B)Itofferssomebigdiscounts.11.D)Bringhiscomputerandspeakers12.C)Forconvenienceatweekends.13.B)Theyarereliable.14.C)Seekadvicefromhisfriend15.A)Hecanbetrusted.SectionC16.D)Manyescapedfromfarmsandbecamewild.17.A)Theycarryagreatmanydiseases.18.B)Theyfellvictimtoeagles.19.C)Roastcoffeebeansinouterspace.20.A)Theycaneasilygetburned.21.B)Theycollaboratedonbuildingthefirstspacecoffeemachine.22.C)Aracepassesthroughitannually.23.D)It’stastyfruitpies.24.A)Theentirevillage.25.C)Shehelpedthevillagetobecomefamous.第二套答案SectionA1.A)SeethePope.2.D)Heendedupinthewrongplace.3.C)GlasgowhaspledgedtotaketheleadinreducingcarbonemissionsintheUK.4.A)Glasgowneedstoinvestinnewtechnologiestoreachitsgoal.5.B)Itpermitsemployeestobringcatsintotheiroffices.6.B)Rescuehomelesscats.7.C)Ithasletsomeothercompaniestofollowsuit.SectionB8.A)FindoutwhereisJimmy.9.B)HewasworkingonaprojectwithJimmy.10.C)Hewasinvolvedatrafficaccident.11.D)Hewantedtoconcealsomethingfromhisparents.12.B)Shoppingonline.13.D)Gettingone'scarparked.14.C)Thequalityoffoodproducts.15.A)ItsavesmoneySectionC16.D)Theyhavestrongnegativeemotionstowardsmath.17.B)Itaffectslowperformingchildrenonly.18.A)Mostofthemhaveaveragetostrongmathability.19.C)Addictiontocomputergamesisadisease.20.A)Theyprioritizetheirfavoredactivityoverwhattheyshoulddo.21.D)Thereisnotenoughevidencetoclassifyitasadisease.22.C)Theyareashadeofredborderingonbrown.23.D)Theymustfollowsomecommonstandards.24.B)Theylookmoreofficial.25.D)Forsecurity.​​​快速阅读1Whathappenswhenalanguagehasnowordsfornumbers?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]Numbersdonotexistinallcultures44.

[I]So,howdidweeverinvent"unnatural"numbersinthefirstplace?Theansweris,literally,atyourfingertips.45.

45.[F]Thisconclusionisechoedbyworkwithanumericchildreninindustrializedsocieties.快读阅读2Thestartofhighschooldoesn'thavetobestressful36.[E]

lnaddition,studiesfindthefirstyearofhighschooltypicallyshowsoneofthegreatestincreasesindepressionofanyyearoverthelifespan.37.[G]

lnonerecentstudy,weexamined360adolescents'beliefsaboutthenatureof"smartness"-thatis,theirfixedmindsetsaboutintelligence.38.[J]Thesefindingsleadtoseveralpossibilitiesthatweareinvestigatingfurther.39.[C]Inthenewglobaleconomy,studentswhofailtofinishtheninthgradewithpassinggradesincollegepreparatory

courseworkareveryunlikelytograduateontimeandgoontogetjobs.40.[H]Wealsoinvestigatedthesocialsideofthehighschooltransition.41.[E]naddition,studiesfindthefirstyearofhighschooltypicallyshowsoneofthegreatestincreasesindepressionofanyyearoverthelifespan.42.[D]Theconsequencesofdoingpoorlyintheninthgradecanimpactmorethanstudents'

abilitytofindagoodjob.43.[A]Thismonth,morethan4millionstudentsacrossthenationwillbeginhighschool.44.[I]Experimentresultsshowedthatstudentswhowerenottaughtthatpeoplecanchangeshowedpoorstressresponses.45.[F]Givenallthat'sridingonhavingasuccessfulninthgradeexperience,itpaystoexplorewhatcanbedonetomeettheacademic,socialandemotionalchallengesofthetransitiontohighschool.

快读阅读3Scienceofsetbacks:Howfailurecanimprovecareerprospects36.[G]Onestraightforwardreasoncloselosersmightoutper-formnarrowwinnersisthatthetwogroupshavecomparableability.37.[D]OthersintheUShavefoundsimilareffectswithNationalInstitutesofHealthearly-careerfellowshipslaunchingnarrowwinnersfaraheadofcloselosers.38.[K]lnsportsandmanyareasoflife,wethinkoffailuresasevidenceofsomethingwecouldhavedonebetter.39.[B]onewaysocialscientistshaveprobedtheeffectsofcareersetbacksistolookatscientistsofverysimilarqualifications.40.[I]HesaidthepeoplewhoshouldbepayingregardtotheWangpaperarethefundingagentswhodistributegovernmentgrantmoney.41.[F]InastudypublishedinNatureCommunications,North-westernUniversitysociologistDashunWangtrackedmorethan1,100scientistswhowereontheborderbetweengettingagrantandmissingoutbetween1990and2005.42.[J]Forhispart,Wangsaidthatinhisownexperience,losingdidlightamotivatingfire.43.[C]A2018studypublishedintheProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciences,forexample,followedresearchersintheNetherlands.44.[I]HesaidthepeoplewhoshouldbepayingregardtotheWangpaperarethefundingagentswhodistributegovernmentgrantmoney.45.[E]Thisisbadnewsforthelosers.仔细阅读1-题源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.Ina2017book,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.

ThebirthofnumbersSo,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.

答案Educatorsandbusinessleadershavemoreincommonthanitmayseem46.C)Theyhelpstudentsacquiretheskillsneededfortheirfuturesuccess.47.A)Byblendingthemwithtraditional,stimulatingactivities.48.B)ByplayingwiththingstosolveproblemsontheirOwn.49.C)Encouragethemtomakethingswithhands.50.B)Developstudents′creativeskillswiththeresourcesavailable.Beinganinformationtechnology,orIT,workerisnotajobIenvy.51.B)Itdoesnotappealtohim.52.C)ManyemployeesaredeeplyfrustratedbyIT.53.D)Employeesbecomemoreconfidentintheirwork.54.D)Thinkaboutthepossibleeffectsontheiremployees.55.A)Bydesigningsystemsthatsuittheirneeds.仔细阅读2-题源Sugarshocked.ThatdescribesthereactionofmanyAmericansthisweekfollowingrevelationsthat,50yearsago,thesugarindustrypaidHarvardscientistsforresearchthatdownplayedsugar'sroleinheartdisease

—

andputthespotlightsquarelyondietaryfat.Whatmightsurpriseconsumersisjusthowmanypresent-daynutritionstudiesarestillfundedbythefoodindustry.NutritionscholarMarionNestleofNewYorkUniversityspentayearinformallytrackingindustry-fundedstudiesonfood."Roughly90%ofnearly170studiesfavoredthesponsor'sinterest,"Nestletellsusviaemail.Other,systematicreviewssupportherconclusions.Forinstance,studiesfundedbyWelchFoods

—

thebrandbehindWelch's100%GrapeJuice

—

foundthatdrinkingConcordgrapejuicedailymayboostbrainfunction.Another,fundedbyQuakerOats,concluded,asaDailyMailstoryputit,that"hotoatmealbreakfastkeepsyoufullforlonger."Whiletheseexamplesmightinducechuckles,thepastyearhasseenseveralexposesthathaveraisedseriousconcernsabouttheextentofindustry'sinfluenceonfoodandnutritionresearchoutcomes.Lastyear,TheNewYorkTimesrevealedhowCoca-Colawasfundinghigh-profilescientistsandorganizationspromotingamessagethat,inthebattleagainstweightgain,peopleshouldpaymoreattentiontoexerciseandlesstowhattheyeatanddrink.Intheaftermathofthatinvestigation,Coca-Colareleaseddatadetailingitsfundingofseveralmedicalinstitutionsandassociationsbetween2010and2015,fromtheAcademyofFamilyPhysicianstotheAmericanAcademyofPediatrics.Alltold,Coca-Colasaysitga