2019年12月大学英语四级真题（第1套）及答案解析

New York City police captured a cow on the loose in Prospect Park on Tuesday after the animal became an attraction for tourists while walking along the streets and enjoying the park facilities. The confused creature and camera-holding humans stared at each other through a fence for several minutes. At other times the cow wandered around the 526-acre park and the artificial grass field normally used for human sporting events. Officers used soccer goals to fence the animal in. However, the cow then moved through one of the nets, knocking down a police officer in the process. Police eventually trapped the cow between two vehicles parked on either side of a baseball field's bench area. An officer then shot an arrow to put it to sleep. Then officers waited for the drug to take effect. After it fell asleep, they loaded the cow into a horse trailer. It was not clear where the cow came from or how it got lost. Police turned it over to the animal control department after they caught it. animal became an attraction for tourists while walking along the streets and enjoying the park facilities.

Starting April 28th of this year, the National Museum of Natural History will begin renovating its fossil hall. The fossil hall, which displays some of the world's oldest and largest fossil specimens, receives more than 2 million visitors each year. It's one of the museum's most famous attractions. As a result, the museum plans to expand the hall as well as add to its ancient birds collection. Bird lovers, both young and old, have already responded with excitement at the news. The museum's social media account has been flooded with messages of support. In the meantime, the current collection will be closed. However, visitors will be compensated during the closure. The Museum's special exhibition area will now be free of charge. This week the resident exhibition is a display of ancient wall paintings on loan from Australia. They celebrate the cultural heritage of the country and will be available to view until Sunday. Next week the exhibition will be taken over by the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. The winner of this year's competition will be awarded a preview of the new fossil hall as well as a cash prize.

Six birds have just been trained to pick up rubbish at a French historical theme park. According to the park's manager, Mr. Villiers, the goal is not just to clear up the park. He says visitors are already good at keeping things clean. Instead, he wants to show that nature itself can teach us to take care of the environment. He says that rooks, the chosen birds, are considered to be particularly intelligent. In the right circumstances, they even like to communicate with humans and establish a relationship through play. The birds will be encouraged to clean the park through the use of a small box that delivers a small amount of bird food each time the rook deposits a cigarette end or a small piece of rubbish. So far, visitors to the theme park have been excited to see the birds in action. However, some parents are concerned that it encourages their children to drop litter so they can watch the birds pick it up. Villiers is not concerned about this criticism. He maintains most of the feedback he has received has been overwhelmingly positive. He hopes now to train more birds.

W: The name of the TV show we wish to produce is Science Nation. M: Please tell us more. What would Science Nation be about? W: It will be about science, all sorts of science. Each episode will focus on a different area of science, and tell us what we know, how we know it, and what we still don't know. The show will have one host only, and this will be Professor Susan Paul from Harvard University. She is a great public speaker. M: So, just be clear. Will the show's format be like that of a documentary? W: Kind of. It will be like a documentary in the sense that it will be non-fiction and fact-based. However, our idea is for it to be also fun and entertaining, something which traditional documentaries aren't so much. Please keep in mind this will be a new TV show like nothing ever done before. M: Okay, so it will be both educational and entertaining, and your audience will be anyone interested in science, right? W: That's correct. Yes. M: Right, thank you. So I think we're more or less clear what the show will be like. Could you please tell us now what exactly you want from us? W: Yes, of course. Basically what we need from you is financial support. In order to go ahead with this idea, we need two million dollars. This would cover the cost of making all 12 shows in the first season for the first year. If the show is a success, we can then look at making a second season for the following year. science, and tell us what we know, how we know it, and what we still don't know.

W: What's up with you? You don't look very happy. M: I feel like I'm a failure. I can't seem to do anything very well. W: I wouldn't say that. You do very well in a lot of things. That presentation you gave last week was excellent. M: Yes, but I have this urge to strive for perfection. I really want to push harder and progress further. W: Well, that's very admirable. But be careful. Over-concern with being perfect can damage our confidence if we never achieve it. M: Yes, I know. I feel awful whenever I make a mistake in whatever I'm trying to do. W: Well, think about it. You can't make progress without making mistakes and learning from them. Thomas Edison, the famous inventor, once said, "I've not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." M: You may well be right. I guess I should recognize my mistakes and learn the lesson they teach me and move forward. W: Also, remember a successful ending is not the only thing worthy of a celebration. You need to recognize each step of progress you take towards achieving your goals, and no matter how tiny it is, it's still good news. M: I always feel down when I see others accomplishing things, and I feel miserable about my own achievements. I'm always trying to be as good as others. But I never seem to get there. W: Listen, if you always compare yourself with others, you'll never feel good enough. You're the only person you should be comparing yourself with. When you compare your current status with the starting point, you'll find you've made progress, right? That's good enough. M: That's great advice. Thank you. I'm feeling better already. Unsure.

Single-sex education can have enormous benefits for female students. Numerous studies have shown that women who attend single-sex schools tend to have stronger self-confidence, better study habits and more ambitious career goals than women who attend coeducational schools. Girls who graduate from single-sex schools are three times more likely to become engineers than those who attend coeducational schools. The reason is that all-girls schools encourage women to enter fields traditionally dominated by men, such as science, technology and engineering. In coeducational schools, girls are often expected to succeed only in humanities or the arts. Research has also shown that in coeducational settings, teachers are more likely to praise and give in-depth responses to a boy's comments in class. In contrast, they might only respond to a girl's comments with a nod. They are also more likely to encourage boys to work through problems on their own, while they tend to step in and help girls who struggle with a problem. In an all-girls setting, girls are more likely to speak up frequently and make significant contributions to class than in a coeducational setting. Girls studying in a single-sex setting also earn higher scores on their College Board and Advanced Placement exams than girls who study in coeducational settings. All-girls schools tend to be smaller than coeducational schools, which means teachers will be able to tailor the materials to girl students' personal learning styles and interest. than those who attend coeducational schools.

Today I found out that Seattle doesn't really get that much rain compared with most US cities. In fact, Seattle ranks 44th among major US cities in average annual rainfall. Cities that get more rainfall than Seattle include Houston, Memphis, Nashville, and pretty much every major city on the eastern coast, such as New York, Boston and Miami. So why does everyone think of Seattle as a rainy city? The primary root of this misconception lies in that Seattle has a relatively large number of days per year with rainfall compared with New York and Boston, which get an average of about 16% more rain per year than Seattle, but also average between them about 36 fewer days a year of rainfall. So it rains a lot less in Seattle, and the rain is spread out over more days than those cities. This is why few locals in Seattle carry an umbrella generally. When it does rain, it tends to be a very light rain. That isn't troublesome. It almost never really rains as most people think. On top of that, it never really storms in Seattle, either. Seattle gets an average of a mere seven days a year with thunder. So in short, if you like sunny but not too hot summers, mild winters but with lots of cloudy days, Seattle's the place to be. Anyway, if you visit Seattle, don't bring an umbrella. People will look at you, thinking you're funny. It does not rain as much as people think. It often rains cats and dogs.

After a tough workout or a day full of physical activity, it's common to find your muscles aching. But where do these pains come from? According to a German professor, the soreness comes from straining your muscles in an uncommon way, for example, jumping on a bicycle for a ride, because you haven't ridden in a long time. Soreness occurs since your leg muscles aren't used to that movement. When muscles perform an activity they aren't regularly exposed to, the tiny fibres that are inside them are being torn apart. As muscle soreness develops, the body has to work to repair the muscle tears. But this doesn't happen immediately. First, the body must realise the muscles are damaged. When the body realises the muscles are hurt, the response is to increase blood flow to the area and increase body heat. Damaged cells are then cleaned up and the body sends cells specially designed to break down the large muscle fibre fragments. Healing can take place after this. It takes about a day until these cells make it to your aching muscles. That's why there is most often a delay associated with muscle soreness. Repair of damaged cells takes about two days, and afterwards the soreness disappears. Unfortunately, there is little that can be done to relieve muscle soreness. Pain-relieving creams don't work, but a hot shower or warm bath can provide some relief. uncommon way, for example, jumping on a bicycle for a ride, because you haven't ridden in a long time. German professor, the soreness comes from straining your muscles in an It comes from straining one's muscles in an unusual way.