四级真题2024年12月第一套 Passage One
四级真题2024年12月第一套 Passage One


①　The weakening of the human connection to nature might be good for economic growth but is bad for people. A tipping point was reached in 2020 when human-made materials—such as steel, concrete and plastic—were found to weigh more than all life on Earth. Continuing to grow concrete forests rather than real ones is shortsighted. Simply being in the nearest wood has such health benefits that the Woodland Trust successfully lobbied for it to be prescribed by doctors.

②　Yet slipping from popular culture is the wonder and beauty of the natural world. For every three nature-related words in hit songs of the 1950s, researchers found, there was only slightly more than one 50 years later. It is not a moment too soon that teenagers will be able to take a natural history test, given that for decades children have been able to name more video game characters than wildlife species.
③　Part of remedying this social disease would be for parliament to pass a “right to grow” law, allowing anyone to turn underused public spaces into vegetable and fruit gardens. The idea is for people to get back in touch with the soil—while producing food sustainably.
④　Vegetable planting has a respectable tradition. In April 1649, locals responded to high prices and food shortages by cultivating vegetables on common land in Southern England. The practice of throwing seed bombs to turn vacant plots of land green took off in 1970s New York, and has been revived (使复活) by green-thumbed (有园艺才能的) social media influencers who defy local US regulations in a war on ugly spots in cities.
⑤　Apart from the urgent task of providing more healthy nutrients to those who increasingly can’t afford them, publicly accessible fruit and vegetable gardens connect what we eat to where it comes from—the means of production, if you will. They can make unlovely spaces lovely, and marry use and beauty as well as help promote a sense of community. Plants are also, of course, our first defence against species loss and climate change. Such planting is a small step for humanity—in the right direction.

1.1. What does the author want to emphasise in the first paragraph?

A The year 2020 was a big turning point in human history.

B Economic growth benefits people little in the long run.

C It is unwise to weaken the human connection to nature.

D It is harmful to mankind to use human-made materials.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。文章第一段指出，人类与自然联系的弱化可能有利于经济增长，但对人类不利。接着提到，2020年，人造材料的总重量超过了地球上所有生物的重量，这凸显了环境问题的严重性。第一段围绕着人类与自然的联系弱化这一现象及其不良后果展开，强调了削弱人类与自然的联系是不明智的。选项C与原文意思一致.故为答案。其他三项与原文内容不符，可排除。

2.2. What did researchers find about popular culture?

A It is increasingly detached from the natural world.

B It is filled with all kinds of video game characters.

C It is especially appealing to the taste of teenagers.

D It is still impacted by the hit songs of the 1950s.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。第二段首句指出，自然界的神奇与美丽却在大众文化中逐渐消失，随后对比了20世纪50年代热门歌曲中与自然相关的词汇和50年后的情况，以及孩子们能说出更多电子游戏角色而非野生动物物种的名字，这些都体现出流行文化与自然界的脱节。选项A与原文意思一致，故为答案。文章中只提到孩子们能说出更多游戏角色的名字，并非说流行文化充满游戏角色，可排除B。选项C的内容文中未提及，可排除。选项D是利用文中片面信息杜撰的错误选项，可排除。

3.3. What does the author propose people do?

A Take measures to ensure sustainable food development.

B Reconnect with nature through the right to grow.

C Stand by the parliament in fighting social diseases.

D Cover public spaces with fruit trees and vegetable plants.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。第三段指出，议会应该通过一项“种植权”的法律，允许任何人将未充分利用的公共空间变成蔬果园，而这一想法的目的是让人们重新与土地建立联系，同时可持续地生产食物。选项B是对该段内容的概括总结，符合题意，故为答案。选项A、C、D的说法在文中没有依据，可排除。

4.4. What do we learn from the passage about vegetable planting?

A It all started in 1649 in Southern England.

B It is protected by US government regulations.

C It has long been used to increase food supply and improve urban landscape.

D It has been popularised worldwide with the increasing influence of social media.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。第四段首先举出1649年英格兰南部居民通过种菜应对食物短缺的例子，然后提到20世纪70年代纽约用投掷种子炸弹的方式来绿化空地的做法，现在这种做法又被有园艺才能的社交媒体影响人士复兴，可见蔬菜种植长期以来被用于增加食物供给以及改善城市景观。选项C是对原文内容的概括总结，故为答案。其他三项均与原文不符，可排除。

5.5. What can publicly accessible fruit and vegetable gardens do apart from their practical functions?

A Raise people’s environmental awareness.

B Add to the great variety of plant species.

C Act as the first defence against natural disasters.

D Enhance people’s community spirit.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。最后一段第二句提到公众可使用的蔬果园可以让不可爱的空间变得可爱，将使用和美观结合起来，并有助于增强社区意识。选项D中communityspirit是原文asense ofcommunity的同义转述，故选D。选项A和B文中未提及，可排除。本段第三句提到植物是应对物种损失和气候变化的第一道防线，而非公众可使用的蔬果园可以作为抵御自然灾害的第一道防线，C项与原文不符，可排除。