英语四级历年真题

2011年6月大学英语四级考试真题

PartIIReadingComprehension（SkimmingandScanning）（15minutes）

BritishCuisine:theBestofOldandNew

Britishcuisine（烹饪）hascomeofageinrecentyearsaschefs（厨师）combinethebestofold

andnew.

WhydoesBritishfoodhaveareputationforbeingsobad?Becauseitisbad!Thosearenot

themostencouragingwordstohearjustbeforeeatinglunchatoneofHongKong'ssmartest

Britishrestaurants,Alfie'sbyKEE,butheadchefNeilTomeshasmoretosay.

"Thepast15yearsorsohavebeenanoticeableperiodofimprovementforfoodinEngland,"

theEnglishchefsays,citingthetrendinBritishcuisineforbetteringredients,preparationand

cookingmethods,andmoreappealingpresentation.ChefssuchasDeliaSmith,NigelSlater,Jamie

OliverandGordonRamsaymadethepublicrealisethatcooking-andeating-didn'thavetobea

boringthing.Andnow,mostoftheBritishpublicisfamiliarevenwiththeextremesofHeston

BlumenthaPsmoleculargastronomy,aformofcookingthatemploysscientificmethodstocreate

theperfectdish.

"It*snolongerthecasethatthecommonmaninEnglandisembarrassedtoshowheknows

aboutfood,"Tomessays.

Therewasplentyofroomforimprovement.Theproblemswiththenation'scuisinecanbe

tracedbacktotheSecondWorldWar.BeforetheWar,muchofBritain*sfoodwasimportedand

whenGermanU-boatsbeganattackingshipsbringingfoodtothecountry,Britainwentonrations

（配给）.

“Asrationingcametoanendinthe1950s,technologypickedupandwasusedto

mass-producefood,"Tomessays."Andbythenpeoplewerejusthappytohaveadecentquantity

offoodintheirkitchens/'

Theyweren'tlookingforcuredmeats,organicproduceorbeautifulpresentation;theywere

lookingforwhatevertheycouldgettheirhandson,andthisprioritisationofquantityoverquality

prevailedfordecades,meaningagenerationwasbroughtupwithfoodthatcouldn'tcompetewith

neighbouringFrance,Italy,BelgiumorSpain.

BeforestarchefssuchasOliverbeganmakingcookingfashionable,itwashardtofinda

restaurantinLondonthatwasopenafter9pm.Butinrecentyearsthecapital'sculinary（烹饪的）

scenehasdevelopedtothepointthatitisnowconfidentofitsabilitytopleasethetastesofany

internationalvisitor.

WiththeopeningofAlfie'sinApril,andotherssuchasThePawn,twoyearsago,modern

BritishfoodhasmadeitswaytoHongKong."WithBritishfood,IthinkthatHongKong

restaurantsarekeepingup,"saysDavidTamlyn,theWelshexecutivechefatThePawninWan

Chai."HongKongdinersareextremelyresponsivetonewideasorpresentations,whichisgood

newsfornewdishes.1'

ChefsagreethatdinersinHongKongareembracingthemodernBritishtrend.Some

restau-irantsaremodifyingtherecipes（菜谱）ofBritishdishestobreathenewlifeintotheclassics,

whileothersareusingbetterqualityingredientsbutremainingtruetoBritishtraditionsandtastes.

Tamlynisinthesecondcamp,"Weselectourfoodveryparticularly.WeuseUSbeef,New

Zealandlambandforourcustards（牛奶蛋糊）weuseBird'sCustardPowder,"Tamlynsays.

"Somerestaurantsgoforcustardmadefreshwitheggs,sugarandcream,butBritishcustardis

different,andwestaytruetothat.”

MatthewHill,seniormanageratthetwo-year-oldSoHorestaurantYorkshirePudding,also

usesbetteringredientsasameansofimprovingdishes."Therearealotofexistingperceptions

aboutBritishfoodandsowecan'talterthesetoomuch.We'reatraditionalBritishrestaurantso

therearesomestaples(主菜)thatwillremainessentiallyunchanged."

Thesetraditionaldishesincludefishandchips,steakandkidneypieandlargepiecesof

roastedmeats.AtAlfie's,thenewestoftheBritishrestaurantsintownandperhapsthemost

gentlemen^club-likeindesign,NeilTomesexplainshispassionforprovenance(原产地).

"Britainhasstartedtobecomereallyproudofthefoodit'sproducing.Ithasexcellentorganic

farms,beautifullycraftedcheeses,high-qualitymeats.n

However,theBritishdon'thaveahistoryofexportingtheirfoodstuffs,whichmakesit

difficultforrestaurantsinHongKongtosourceauthenticingredients.

"WecangetalotofouringredientsonceaweekfromtheUK,“Tamlynexplains."Butthere

isalsopressuretobuylocalandsaveonfoodmiles,whichmeanswetakeourvegetablesfromthe

localmarkets,andtherearealotthatworkwellwithBritishstaples/*

ThePhoenix,inMid-Levels,offersthewidestinterpretationof"Britishcuisine",whilestill

tryingtomaintainitssoul.Thegastro-pubhasexistedinvariouslocationsinHongKongsince

2002.SingaporeanheadchefTommyTehKumChaioffersdailyspecialsonablackboard,rather

thanstickingtoamenu.ThisenableshimtoreinterpretBritishcuisinedependingonwhatis

avaiHableinthelocalmarkets.

"Weusealotofingredientsthatpeoplewouldn*tperhapsassociateasBritish,butare

pre-isentedinaBritishway.Bellpeppersstuffedwithcouscous,alongsideratatouille,isavery

populardish."

Althoughtheingredientsmaynotstrikedinersasbeingtraditional,theycanbefoundin

dishesacrossBritain.

Eventhetraditionalchefsareawareoftheneedtoadapttolocaltastesandcustoms,while

maintainingtheBritishnessoftheircuisine.

AtYorkshirePudding,Hillsaysthathisstaffasksdinerswhethertheywouldliketoshare

theirmeals.Smalldishes,sharedmealsand"mixingitup"isnotsomethingcommonlydonein

Britain,butYorkshirePuddingwillbringfulldishestothetableandofferindividualplatesfor

eachdiner."Thatway,peoplestillgetthepresentationofthedishesastheyweredesigned,butcan

carvethemuphowevertheylike,"Hillsays.

ThispracticeisalsopopularatThePawn,althoughlargelyforrotisseries(烤肉馆)，Tamlyn

says."SometableswillarriveonaSunday,orderawholechickenandashoulderoflambora

babypig,andjuststayforhoursenjoyingeverythingwebringoutforthem.'1

SomeBritishtraditionsaretoosacred(神圣的)tomesswith,however,Tomessays.Td

neverchangeafullEnglishbreakfast."

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

1.WhatisBritishfoodgenerallyknownfor?

A)Itsuniqueflavour.B)Itsbadtaste.C)Itsspecialcookingmethods.

D)Itsorganicingredients.

2.TheSecondWorldWarledtoinBritain.

A)aninadequatesupplyoffoodC)anincreaseinfoodimport

B)adecreaseofgrainproductionD)achangeinpeople'seatinghabits

3.Whycouldn'tBritaincompetewithsomeofitsneighbouringcountriesintermsoffoodin

thepost-wardecades?

A)Itsfoodlackedvariety.C)Itwasshortofwell-trainedchefs.

B)Itspeoplecaredmoreforquantity.D)Itdidn'thaveflavourfulfoodingredients.

4.Withculinaryimprovementinrecentyears,London'srestaurantsarenowabletoappealto

thetastesof.

A)mostyoungpeopleC)allkindsofoverseasvisitors

B)elderlyBritishdinersD)upper-classcustomers

5.WhatdoHongKongdinerswelcome,accordingtoWelshexecutivechefDavidTamlyn?

A)Authenticclassiccuisine.C)Newideasandpresentations.

B)Locallyproducedingredients.D)Thereturnofhome-styledishes.

6.Whileusingqualityingredients,DavidTamlyninsiststhatthedishesshould.

A)benefitpeople'shealthC)beofferedatreasonableprices

B)lookbeautifulandinvitingD)maintainBritishtraditionaltastes

7.WhydoesNeilTomessayhelovesfoodingredientsfromBritain?

A)Theyappealtopeoplefromallovertheworld.

B)Theyareproducedonexcellentorganicfarms.

C)Theyareprocessedinascientificway.

D)Theycomeinagreatvariety.

8.TamlynsaysthatbesidesimportingingredientsfromBritainonceaweek,hisrestaurant

alsobuysvegetablesfrom.

9.ThePhoenixinMid-LevelsmaynotuseBritishingredients,butpresentsitsdishes.

10.YorkshirePuddingisarestaurantwhichwillbringfulldishestothetablebutofferplates

tothosedinerswhowouldliketo.

PartIVReadingComprehension(ReadinginDepth)(25minutes)

SectionA

Questions47to56arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Thepopularnotionthatolderpeopleneedlesssleepthanyoungeradultsisamyth,scientists

saidyesterday.

Whileelderlypeople_47_tosleepforfewerhoursthantheydidwhentheywereyounger,

thishasa(n)_48_effectontheirbrain'sperformanceandtheywouldbenefitfromgettingmore,

accordingtoresearch.

SeanDrummond,a.psychiatrist(心理医生)attheUniversityofCalifornia,SanDiego,said

olderpeoplearemorelikelytosufferfrombrokensleep,whileyoungerpeoplearebetterat

sleeping_49—straightthroughthenight.

Moresleepinoldage,however,is_50—withbetterhealth,andmostolderpeoplewould

feelbetterandmore_51_iftheysleptforlongerperiods,hesaid.

“Theabilitytosleepinonechunk(整块时间)overnightgoesdownasweagebutthe

amountofsleepweneedto_52_welldoesnotchange,“DrDrummondtoldtheAmerican

AssociationfortheAdvancementofScienceconferenceinSanDiego.

"It's_53_amyththatolderpeopleneedlesssleep.Themorehealthyanolderadultis,the

moretheysleepliketheydidwhentheywere_54—.Ourdatasuggeststhatolderadultswould

benefitfrom_55_togetasmuchsleepastheydidintheir30s.That's_56_frompersonto

person,buttheamountofsleepwehadat35isprobablythesameamountasweneedat75.”

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

A)alertI)formallyB)associatedJ)functionC)attractingK)mixedD)clingL)negative

E)continuingM)sufficientF)definitelyN)tendG)differentO)younger

SectionB

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestions

orunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).You

shoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2witha

singlelinethroughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions57to61arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Severalrecentstudieshavefoundthatbeingrandomly(随机地)assignedtoaroommateof

anotherracecanleadtoincreasedtolerancebutalsotoagreaterlikelihood(可能性)ofconflict.

Recentreportsfoundthatlodgingwithastudentofadifferentracemaydecreaseprejudice

andcompelstudentstoengageinmoreethnicallydiversefriendships.

AnOhioStateUniversitystudyalsofoundthatblackstudentslivingwithawhiteroommate

sawhigheracademicsuccessthroughouttheircollegecareers.Researchersbelievethismaybe

causedbysocialpressure.

InaNewYorkTimesarticle,SamBoakye-theonlyblackstudentonhisfreshmanyearfloor

-saidthat"ifyou'resurroundedbywhites,youhavesomethingtoprove."

Researchersalsoobservedproblemsresultingfrompairinginterracialstudentsinresidences.

Accordingtotworecentstudies,randomlyassignedroommatesofdifferentracesaremore

likelytoexperienceconflictssostrainedthatoneroommatewillmoveout.

AnIndianaUniversitystudyfoundthatinterracialroommateswerethreetimesaslikelyas

twowhiteroommatestonolongerlivetogetherbytheendofthesemester.

GraceKao,aprofessoratPennsaidshewasnotsurprisedbythefindings."Thismaybethe

firsttimethatsomeofthesestudentshaveinteracted,andlived,withsomeoneofadifferentrace,"

shesaid.

AtPenn,studentsarenotaskedtoindicateracewhenapplyingforhousing.

"Oneofthegreatthingsaboutfreshmanhousingisthat,withsomeexceptions,theprocess

throwsyoutogetherrandomly/'saidUndergraduateAssemblychairmanAlecWebley.nThisisthe

definitionofintegration."

"I'veexperiencedroommateconflictsbetweeninterracialstudentsthathavebothbroken

downstereotypesandreinforcedstereotypes,"saidonePennresidentadvisor(RA).TheRAof

twoyearsaddedthatwhilesomeconflicts"providedmoremulticulturalacceptanceandmelding

(融合)Jtherewerealso"jarringculturalconfrontations.'1

TheRAsaidthattheseconflictshavealsooccurredamongroommatesofthesamerace.

Kaosaidshecautionsagainstforminganygeneralizationsbasedonanyoneofthestudies,

notingthatmorebackgroundcharacteristicsofthestudentsneedtobestudiedandexplained.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

57.Whatcanwelearnfromsomerecentstudies?

A)Conflictsbetweenstudentsofdifferentracesareunavoidable.

B)Studentsofdifferentracesareprejudicedagainsteachother.

C)Interraciallodgingdoesmoreharmthangood.

D)Interraciallodgingmayhavediverseoutcomes.

58.WhatdoesSamBoakye'sremarkmean?

A)Whitestudentstendtolookdownupontheirblackpeers.

B)Blackstudentscancompetewiththeirwhitepeersacademically.

C)Blackstudentsfeelsomewhatembarrassedamongwhitepeersduringthefreshmanyear.

D)Beingsurroundedbywhitepeersmotivatesablackstudenttoworkhardertosucceed.

59.WhatdoestheIndianaUniversitystudyshow?

A)Interracialroommatesaremorelikelytofallout.

B)Fewwhitestudentslikesharingaroomwithablackpeer.

C)Roommatesofdifferentracesjustdon*tgetalong.

D)Assigningstudents'lodgingrandomlyisnotagoodpolicy.

60.WhatdoesAlecWebleyconsidertobethe''definitionofintegration1'?

A)Studentsofdifferentracesarerequiredtosharearoom.

B)Interraciallodgingisarrangedbytheschoolforfreshmen.

C)Lodgingisassignedtostudentsofdifferentraceswithoutexception.

D)Theschoolrandomlyassignsroommateswithoutregardtorace.

61.WhatdoesGraceKaosayaboutinterraciallodging?

A)Itisunscientifictomakegeneralizationsaboutitwithoutfurtherstudy.

B)Schoolsshouldbecautiouswhenmakingdecisionsaboutstudentlodging.

C)Students'racialbackgroundshouldbeconsideredbeforelodgingisassigned.

D)Experiencedresidentadvisorsshouldbeassignedtohandletheproblems.

PassageTwo

Questions62to66arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Globalwarmingiscausingmorethan300,000deathsandabout$125billionineconomic

losseseachyear,accordingtoareportbytheGlobalHumanitarianForum,anorganizationledby

Annan,theformerUnitedNationssecretarygeneral.

Thereport,tobereleasedFriday,analyzeddataandexistingstudiesofhealth,disaster,

populationandeconomictrends.Itfoundthathuman-influencedclimatechangewasraisingthe

globaldeathratesfromillnessesincludingmalnutrition(营养不良)andheat-relatedhealth

problems.

Butevenbeforeitsrelease,thereportdrewcriticismfromsomeexpertsonclimateandrisk,

whoquestioneditsmethodsandconclusions.

Alongwiththedeaths,thereportsaidthatthelivesof325millionpeople,primarilyinpoor

countries,werebeingseriouslyaffectedbyclimatechange.Itprojectedthatthenumberwould

doubleby2030.

RogerPielkeJr.,apoliticalscientistattheUniversityofColorado,Boulder,whostudies

disastertrends,saidtheForum'sreportwas"amethodologicalembarrassment0becausetherewas

nowaytodistinguishdeathsoreconomiclossesrelatedtohuman-drivenglobalwarmingamidthe

muchlargerlossesresultingfromthegrowthinpopulationsandeconomicdevelopmentin

vulnerable(易受伤害的)regions.Dr.Pielkesaidthatuclimatechangeisanimportantproblem

requiringourutmostattention."Butthereport,hesaid,"willharmthecauseforactiononboth

climatechangeanddisastersbecauseitissodeeplyflawed(有瑕疵的)

However,SorenAndreasen,asocialscientistatDalbergGlobalDevelopmentPartnerswho

supervisedthewritingofthereport,defendedit,sayingthatitwasclearthatthenumberswere

roughestimates.Hesaidthereportwasaimedatworldleaders,whowillmeetinCopenhagenin

Decembertonegotiateanewinternationalclimatetreaty.

Inapressreleasedescribingthereport,Mr.Annanstressedtheneedforthenegotiationsto

focusonincreasingtheflowofmoneyfromrichtopoorregionstohelpreducetheirvulnerability

toclimatehazardswhilestillcurbingtheemissionsoftheheat-trappinggases.Morethan90%of

thehumanandeconomiclossesfromclimatechangeareoccurringinpoorcountries,accordingto

thereport.

62.WhatisthefindingoftheGlobalHumanitarianForum?

A)Globaltemperaturesaffecttherateofeconomicdevelopment.

B)Ratesofdeathfromillnesseshaverisenduetoglobalwarming.

C)Malnutritionhascausedserioushealthproblemsinpoorcountries.

D)Economictrendshavetodowithpopulationandnaturaldisasters.

63.WhatdowelearnabouttheForum'sreportfromthepassage?

A)Itwaschallengedbysomeclimateandriskexperts.

B)Itarousedalotofinterestinthescientificcircles.

C)Itwaswarmlyreceivedbyenvironmentalists.

D)Itcausedabigstirindevelopingcountries.

64.WhatdoesDr.PielkesayabouttheForum'sreport?

A)ItsstatisticslookembaiTassing.C)Itdeservesourclosestattention.

B)Itisinvalidintermsofmethodology.D)Itsconclusionispurposelyexaggerated.

65.WhatisSorenAndreasen'sviewofthereport?

A)Itsconclusionsarebasedoncarefullycollecteddata.

B)Itisvulnerabletocriticismifthestatisticsarecloselyexamined.

C)ItwillgiverisetoheateddiscussionsattheCopenhagenconference.

D)Itsroughestimatesaremeanttodrawtheattentionofworldleaders.

66.WhatdoesKofiAnnansayshouldbethefocusoftheCopenhagenconference?

A)Howrichandpoorregionscanshareresponsibilityincurbingglobalwarming.

B)Howhumanandeconomiclossesfromclimatechangecanbereduced.

C)Howemissionsofheat-trappinggasescanbereducedonaglobalscale.

D)Howrichcountriescanbetterhelppoorregionsreduceclimatehazards.

PartVCloze(15minutes)

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

Whenitcomestoeatingsmartforyourheart,thinkingaboutshort-termfixesandsimplify

lifewithastraightforwardapproachthatwillserveyouwellforyearstocome.

Smarteatinggoesbeyondanalyzingeverybiteadyoulift_67—yourmouth.nInthepast

weusedtobelievethat_68_amountsofindividualnutrients(营养物)werethe_69_togood

health/LindaVanHorn,chairoftheAmericanHeartAssociation'sNutritionCommittee.nBut

nowwehavea_70_understandingofhealthyeatingandthekindsoffoodnecessaryto_71_

notonlyheartdiseasebutdisease_72_general,'1sheadds.

Scientistsnow_73_onthebroaderpictureofthebalanceoffoodeaten_74_several

daysoraweek_75—thanonthenumberofmilligrams(毫克)ofthisorthat_76—ateach

meal.

Fruits,vegetablesandwholegrains,forexample,providenutrientsandplant-based

compounds_77—forgoodhealth.uThemorewelearn,themore_78_wearebythewealth

ofessentialsubstancesthey_79—JVanHomcontinues,nandhowthey_80_witheachother

tokeepushealthy."

You'llautomaticallybe_81—therightheart-healthytrackifvegetables,fruitsandwhole

grainsmake_82_threequartersofthefoodonyourdinnerplate._83_intheremainingone

quarterwithleanmeatorchicken,fishoreggs.

Thefoodsyouchoosetoeataswellasthoseyouchooseto_84_clearlycontributetoyour

well-being.Withouta_85—,eachofthesmalldecisionsyoumakeinthisrealmcanmakeabig

_86_onyourhealthintheyearstocome.

67.A)betweenB)throughC)insideD)to

68.A)seriousB)splendidC)specificD)separate

69.A)keyB)pointC)leadD)center

70.A)strictB)differentC)typicalD)natural

71.A)rescueB)preventC)forbidD)offend

72.A)inB)uponC)forD)by

73.A)turnB)putC)focusD)carry

74.A)overB)alongC)withD)beyond

75.A)otherB)betterC)ratherD)sooner

76.A)conveyedB)consumedC)enteredD)exhausted

77A)vitalB)initialC)validD)radical

78.A)disturbedB)depressedC)amazedD)amused

79.A)retainB)containC)attainD)maintain

80.A)interfereB)interactC)reckonD)rest

81.A)atB)ofC)onD)within

82.A)outB)intoC)offD)up

83.A)EngageB)FillC)InsertD)Pack

84.A)deleteB)hinderC)avoidD)spoil

85.A)notionB)hesitationC)reasonD)doubt

86.A)outcomeB)functionC)impactD)commitment

PartVITranslation(5minutes)

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答，只需写出译文部分。

87.Theuniversityauthoritiesdidnotapprovetheregulation,(也

没有解释为什么).

88.Janeistiredofdealingwithcustomercomplaintsandwishesthatshe

(能被分配做另•项工作).

89.Johnrescuedthedrowningchild(冒着自己生命危险).

90.Georgecalledhisbossfromtheairportbutit(接电话的却是

他的助手).

91.Althoughhewasinterestedinphilosophy,(他的父亲说服他)

majoringinlaw.

2010年12月大学英语四级考试真题

PartIIReadingComprehension(SkimmingandScanning)(15minutes)

AGrassrootsRemedy

Mostofusspendourlivesseekingthenaturalworld.Tothisend,wewalkthedog,playgolf,

gofishing,sitinthegarden,drinkoutsideratherthaninsidethepub,haveapicnic,liveinthe

suburbs,gototheseaside,buyaweekendplaceinthecountry.Themostpopularleisureactivity

inBritainisgoingforawalk.Andwhenjoggers（慢跑者）jog,theydon'trunthestreets.Every

oneoftheminstinctivelyheadstotheparkortheriver.Itismyprofoundbeliefthatnotonlydo

weallneednature,butweallseeknature,whetherweknowwearedoingsoornot.

Butdespitethis,ourchildrenaregrowingupnature-deprived（丧失）.Ispentmyboyhood

climbingtreesonStreathamCommon,SouthLondon.Thesedays,childrenarerobbedofthese

ancientfreedoms,duetoproblemslikecrime,traffic,thelossoftheopenspacesandoddnew

perceptionsaboutwhatisbestforchildren,thatistosay,thingsthatcanbebought,ratherthan

thingsthatcanbefound.

Thetruthistobefoundelsewhere.AstudyintheUS:familieshadmovedtobetterhousing

andthechildrenwereassessedforADHD-attentiondeficithyperactivitydisorder（多动症）.

Thosewhoseaccommodationhadmorenaturalviewsshowedanimprovementof19%;thosewho

hadthesameimprovementinmaterialsurroundingsbutnoniceviewimprovedjust4%.

AstudyinSwedenindicatedthatkindergartenchildrenwhocouldplayinanatural

environmenthadlessillnessandgreaterphysicalabilitythanchildrenusedonlytoanormal

playground.AUSstudysuggestedthatwhenaschoolgavechildrenaccesstoanatural

environment,academiclevelswereraisedacrosstheentireschool.

Anotherstudyfoundthatchildrenplaydifferentlyinanaturalenvironment.Inplaygrounds,

childrencreateahierarchy（等级）basedonphysicalabilities,withthetoughonestakingthelead.

Butwhenagrassyareawasplantedwithbushes,thechildrengotmuchmoreintofantasyplay,

andthesocialhierarchywasnowbasedonimaginationandcreativity.

Mostbullying（恃强凌弱）isfoundinschoolswherethereisatarmac（柏油碎石）

playground;theleastbullyingisinanaturalareathatthechildrenareencouragedtoexplore.This

remindsmeunpleasantlyofSunnyhillSchoolinStreatham,withitsharshtarmac,whereIusedto

hangaboutincornersfantasisingaboutwildlife.

Butchildrenarefrequentlydiscouragedfrominvolvementwithnaturalspaces,forhealthand

safetyreasons,forfearthattheymightgetdirtyorthattheymightcausedamage.So,instead,the

damageisdonetothechildrenthemselves:nottotheirbodiesbuttotheirsouls.

OneofthegreatproblemsofmodernchildhoodisADHD,nowincreasinglyandexpensively

treatedwithdrugs.Yetonestudyafteranotherindicatesthatcontactwithnaturegiveshuge

benefitstoADHDchildren.However,wespendmoneyondrugsratherthanongreenplaces.

Thelifeofoldpeopleismeasurablybetterwhentheyhaveaccesstonature.Theincreasing

emphasisforthegrowingpopulationofoldpeopleisinqualityratherthanquantityofyears.And

studyafterstudyfindsthatagardenisthesinglemostimportantthinginfindingthatquality.

Inwiderandmoredifficultareasoflife,thereisevidencetoindicatethatnatural

surroundingsimproveallkindsofthings.Evenproblemswithcrimeandaggressivebehaviourare

reducedwhenthereiscontactwiththenaturalworld.

DrWilliamBird,researcherfromtheRoyalSocietyfortheProtectionofBirds,statesinhis

study,“Anaturalenvironmentcanreduceviolentbehaviourbecauseitsrestorativeprocesshelps

reduceangerandimpulsivebehaviour.Wildplacesneedencouragingforthisreason,nomatter

howsmalltheircontribution.

Wetendtolookonnatureconservationassomekindoffavourthathumanbeingsare

grantingtothenaturalworld.Theerrorhereisfartoodeep:notonlydohumansneednaturefor

themselves,buttheveryideathathumanityandthenaturalworldareseparablethingsis

profoundlydamaging.

Humanbeingsareaspeciesofmammals（哺乳动物）.Forsevenmillionyearstheylivedon

theplanetaspartofnature.Ourancestralselvesmissthenaturalworldandlongforcontactwith

non-humanlife.Anyonewhohaspattedadog,strokedacat,satunderatreewithapintofbeer,

givenorreceivedabunchofflowersorchosentowalkthroughtheparkonaniceday,

understandsthat.

Weneedthewildworld.Itisessentialtoourwell-being,ourhealth,ourhappiness.Without

thewildworldwearenotmorebutlesscivilised.Withoutotherlivingthingsaroundusweare

lessthanhuman.

Fivewaystofindharmonywiththenaturalworld

Walk:Breaktherhythmofpermanentlybeingunderaroof.Getoffastopearlier,makea

circuitoftheparkatlunchtime,walkthechildtoandfromschool,getaclog,feelyourselfmoving

inmovingair,look,listen,absorb.

Sit:Takeamoment,