2021年12月英语四级考试真题-听力篇章（第一套）

　　【Section C】

　　Passage 1

(16) A new study carried out by the university of lincoln has found a link between the personalities of cat owners and the behavior and well being of their cats. The findings suggest that just as a parent's personality can affect the personality of a child, the same is true for a cat and its owner. Owners to find as individuals with high levels of anxiety, fear, anger, depression and loneliness were more likely to have cats with behavioral issues。 Such cats displayed more aggressive and anxious behavioral styles as well as more stress related sickness. They were also more likely to have an ongoing medical condition and be overweight. The research also found that mentally well adjusted owners had calmer, happier and healthier cats. The researchers explained that many owners regard their pets as a family member and form close social bonds with them. (17) The majority of owners want to provide the best care for their pets and is therefore possible that pets could be affected by the way their owners interact with and managed them.

The study highlights an important relationship between our personalities and the well being of our pets. (18) Further research is needed to investigate the causal nature of this relationship and to look at how owners personalities are directly influencing their pets behavior and well being. It is possible that the well being a pet is driven by the underlying nature of the owner, not simply by their conscious decisions and behaviors.

Question16. What do we learn from the new study by the university of Lincoln ?

本题考查开头主旨, 根据问题答案在第一句研究成果link between the personalities of cat owners and the behavior and well being of their cats.

Question17. What does the passage say most pet owners want to do？

本题考查细节对应, 提到owner对宠物的态度, The majority of owners want to provide the best care for their pets。

Question18. What does the passage say is still needed to understand the effects of owners personalities on their pets？

本题考查细节对应, 结尾处对研究进行了进一步说明 Further research is needed to investigate the causal nature of this relationship and to look at how owners personalities are directly influencing their pets behavior and well being.

Passage 2

(19) One sixty-minute run can add 7 hours to your life. This was a claim made by the Times last week. The claim was based on a new review of studies about the effects of running. The review concluded that on average，runners live 3 years longer than non-runners，and that running does more to extend life than any other form of exercise. But there's more to running than its health benefits. (20) Research published in recent years has shown that running changes your brain and mind in some fascinating ways from increasing your brain function to regulating your emotions.

However，the precise effects vary according to whether you engage in short，fast running or long distance running. For example，in one study，researchers compared participants ability to learn new words after several minutes of intense running and after 40 minutes of gentle running，participants were able to learn 20% faster after the intense running and they showed a superior memory when tested again a week later. In another study，researchers asked volunteers to jog for 30 minutes and then showed them clips from a sad movie. Participants who usually struggled to handle negative emotions were more intensely affected by the sad clips，just as you expect. (21) But crucially this was less so if they had completed the 30 minutes jog. The researchers said moderate exercise appears to have helped those participants to be less vulnerable to the impact of the sad movie.

Question 19. What did the new review of studies claim？

此题需要通过语义推理，难度较大。原文中提到One sixty-minute run can add 7 hours to your life.，通过这句表达，说明跑步可以增加一个人的寿命，可以得到答案。

Question 20. What is one effect that running has on people according to recent research？

此题考察同义替换，难度中等。increase=improve，可知跑步可以提高大脑的功能。

Question 21. What did another study find about the participants after they had a 30 minute jog？

此题考察同义替换，难度中等。vulnerable=affected，可知慢跑30分钟后的人，对于受悲伤电影的影响较小。

Passage 3

(22) Welcome to the tour of the hill house. This house built in 1904 is one of the most well known works of Charles Hill, the famous architect. It was designed and built for a local entrepreneur and his family.

Before starting the tour, let me give you a brief introduction about the design of this amazing building. (23) Prior to beginning his design，the architect spent some time in the client's old home，observing their life and studying their habits. This meant that he could design the house according to the needs of the family. (24) The client's main desire was to have a home with a unique design. So the architect was given complete freedom. The building style is radically different from what was the fashion of the period. At the time most large homes were constructed of timber and brick. This one，however, is made of concrete a novel construction material in those days. The interior of the house，including fittings and furniture was also designed by the same person. Most of the furniture you will see is original and in good condition. (25) However, those pieces in the children's bedrooms are copies built to the designs of the architect. Fortunately, all the blueprints for both the building and its contents have been preserved. So we've been able to replace badly damaged furniture. Let's begin our tour starting from the rooms.

Question22. What do we learn about the speaker？

考察语义推理，难度中等。询问说话人的职业，通过Welcome to the tour of the hill house可知说话人应该是导游。

Question23. What did the architect do before beginning his design？

考察原文复现，难度较小。询问建筑师在设计之前做的事，原文直接提到observing their life and studying their habits。

Question24. What did the architects client mainly want？

考察原文复现，难度较小。询问客户主要想要的是什么，原文直接提到a home with a unique design。

Question25. What do we learn about the pieces of furniture in the children's bedrooms？

考察原文复现，难度较小。询问关于孩子卧室的家具知道什么，原文直接提到copies built to the designs of the architect。