2017年12月英語四級考試真題及答案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】

在過去的幾十年里，對于如何在美國出人頭地似乎有一個普遍的共識:接受大學(xué)教育，找到一份可靠的工作，買一套自己的房子。但美國人仍然相信這條路嗎?如果他們相信，這條路能實現(xiàn)嗎?

《雜志》(National Journal)最近的一項民意調(diào)查詢問了受訪者有關(guān)美國夢、實現(xiàn)目標(biāo)的條件以及他們是否覺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——的想法如何實現(xiàn)它看起來完全不同的比20世紀(jì)后期。

總的來說，人們覺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。但受訪者對于在當(dāng)前經(jīng)濟(jì)形勢下采取何種行動才能讓生活更美好，顯然有著復(fù)雜的感受。

在過去的七年里，美國人對教育能否帶來成功越來越悲觀。盡管他們認(rèn)為上大學(xué)是一個相當(dāng)容易實現(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。他是家里第一個上大學(xué)的人，這讓他有了一種經(jīng)濟(jì)穩(wěn)定的感覺，而他的父母和祖父母卻從未有過這種感覺。

雖然一些人，比如前田，強調(diào)學(xué)位的價值而不是教育本身，但其他人仍然認(rèn)為大學(xué)是獲得新視角和生活體驗的一種方式?，F(xiàn)年60歲的威爾·范德利(Will Fendley)在軍隊中有著成功的職業(yè)生涯，但從未獲得過大學(xué)學(xué)位。他認(rèn)為，“個人動力”遠(yuǎn)比上大學(xué)重要得多。對Fendley來說，動力和目標(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，都是美國成功生活的必要因素。

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2017年12月英語四級考試真題及答案匯總（第2套）