2017年12月英語(yǔ)四級(jí)考試真題及答案5（第2套）

Passage Two

Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

For the past several decades,it seems there's been a general consensus on how to get ahead in America:Get a college education,find a reliable job,and buy your own home.But do Americans still believe in that path,and if they do,is it attainable?

The most recent National Journal poll asked respondents about the American dream,what it takes to achieve their goals,and whether or not they felt a significant amount of control over their ability to be successful.Overwhelmingly,the results show that today，the idea of the American dream—and what it takes to achieve it—looks quite different than it did in the late 20th century.

By and large,people felt that their actions and hard work—not outside forces—were the deciding factor in how their lives turned out.But respondents had decidedly mixed feelings about what actions make for a better life in the current economy.

In the last seven years,Americans have grown more pessimistic about the power of education to lead to success.Even though they see going to college as a fairly achievable goal,a majority—52 percent—think that young people do not need a four-year college education in order to be successful.

Miguel Maeda,42,who has a master's degree and works in public health,was the first in his family to go to college,which has allowed him to achieve a sense of financial stability his parents and grandparents never did.

While some,like Maeda,emphasized the value of the degree rather than the education itself,others still see college as a way to gain new perspectives and life experiences.Sixty-year-old Will Fendley,who had a successful career in the military and never earned a college degree,thinks"personal drive"is far more important than just going to college.To Fendley,a sense of drive and purpose,as well as an effective high-school education,and basic life skills,like balancing a checkbook,are the necessary ingredients for a successful life in America.

51．It used to be commonly acknowledged that to succeed in America,one had to have.

A．a(chǎn)n advanced academic degree

B．a(chǎn)n ambition to get ahead

C．a(chǎn) firm belief in their dream

D．a(chǎn) sense of drive and purpose

52．What is the finding of the latest National Journal poll concerning the American dream?

A．More and more Americans are finding it hard to realize.

B．It remains alive among the majority of American people.

C．Americans'idea of it has changed over the past few decades.

D．An increasing number of young Americans are abandoning it.

53．What do Americans now think of the role of college education in achieving success?

A．It still remains open to debate.

B．It has proved to be beyond doubt.

C．It is no longer as important as it used to be.

D．It is much better understood now than ever.

54．How do some people view college education these days?

A．It promotes gender equality.

B．It needs to be strengthened.

C．It adds to cultural diversity.

D．It helps broaden their minds.

55．What is one factor essential to success in America,according to Will Fendley?

A．A desire to learn and to adapt.

B．A strong sense of responsibility.

C．A willingness to commit oneself.

D．A clear aim and high motivation.

【參考答案】

51-55：ACCDD

【參考譯文】

在過(guò)去的幾十年里，對(duì)于如何在美國(guó)出人頭地似乎有一個(gè)普遍的共識(shí):接受大學(xué)教育，找到一份可靠的工作，買(mǎi)一套自己的房子。但美國(guó)人仍然相信這條路嗎?如果他們相信，這條路能實(shí)現(xiàn)嗎?

《雜志》(National Journal)最近的一項(xiàng)民意調(diào)查詢問(wèn)了受訪者有關(guān)美國(guó)夢(mèng)、實(shí)現(xiàn)目標(biāo)的條件以及他們是否覺(jué)得自己在很大程度上可以控制自己的成功能力。壓倒性的,結(jié)果表明:今天,美國(guó)——的想法如何實(shí)現(xiàn)它看起來(lái)完全不同的比20世紀(jì)后期。

總的來(lái)說(shuō)，人們覺(jué)得他們的行為和努力工作——而不是外界的力量——是決定他們生活的決定因素。但受訪者對(duì)于在當(dāng)前經(jīng)濟(jì)形勢(shì)下采取何種行動(dòng)才能讓生活更美好，顯然有著復(fù)雜的感受。

在過(guò)去的七年里，美國(guó)人對(duì)教育能否帶來(lái)成功越來(lái)越悲觀。盡管他們認(rèn)為上大學(xué)是一個(gè)相當(dāng)容易實(shí)現(xiàn)的目標(biāo)，但有52%的人認(rèn)為年輕人不需要接受四年的大學(xué)教育就能獲得成功。

42歲的米格爾·前田(Miguel Maeda)擁有碩士學(xué)位，從事公共衛(wèi)生工作。他是家里第一個(gè)上大學(xué)的人，這讓他有了一種經(jīng)濟(jì)穩(wěn)定的感覺(jué)，而他的父母和祖父母卻從未有過(guò)這種感覺(jué)。

雖然一些人，比如前田，強(qiáng)調(diào)學(xué)位的價(jià)值而不是教育本身，但其他人仍然認(rèn)為大學(xué)是獲得新視角和生活體驗(yàn)的一種方式?，F(xiàn)年60歲的威爾·范德利(Will Fendley)在軍隊(duì)中有著成功的職業(yè)生涯，但從未獲得過(guò)大學(xué)學(xué)位。他認(rèn)為，“個(gè)人動(dòng)力”遠(yuǎn)比上大學(xué)重要得多。對(duì)Fendley來(lái)說(shuō)，動(dòng)力和目標(biāo)感，以及有效的高中教育，以及基本的生活技能，比如平衡支票簿，都是美國(guó)成功生活的必要因素。

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2017年12月英語(yǔ)四級(jí)考試真題及答案匯總（第2套）