2019年12月大学英语四级真题（第2套）及答案解析

The British government has called for more men to consider a career in nursing. Figures show the number of male nurses has fallen in the last three years. Now, the number of men working in the nursing sector has reached a seven-year low. Numbers of male nurses increased between 2011 and 2014, and reached a peak of 7,168. This figure has dropped to only 6,924 in 2017. The UK Health Secretary said, "This is clearly a cultural problem, and probably one that exists in many parts of the world. But we can make efforts to change that now. We want to persuade males to think about career options of going into nursing. There is absolutely no reason why men can't go into this profession." The Health Secretary said that the government already has plans to attract a more varied workforce into nursing. She stated, "We are leading the way on workforce planning. We will become the first nation in Europe to publish a national health and care workforce plan." number of male nurses has fallen in the last three years.

A man from Libya was enjoying a walk along the sands at Southport Beach. When he was about half a mile out from the dock, he felt a bit tired. So he lay down and fell asleep. But the tide swept in quickly at the beach. And the man was shocked to wake up and find the tide had come in and completely surrounded him, cutting him off from the shore. Fortunately for him, the beach lifeguards were quickly on the scene to stop him from drowning. They acted professionally to ensure the man was comfortable until an ambulance arrived. He was then taken to hospital. He is now in a stable condition. When interviewed, Keith Porter of the Southport Beach said, "Our beach is so flat that it's very common for the tide to come around the back of people and cut them off from the beach. Thankfully the emergency services have again worked well together to ensure a positive outcome. And we wish the gentleman a speedy recovery." from drowning.

A raccoon, a small cat-like animal, climbed to the top of a 25-storey skyscraper early on Wednesday. It was captured after becoming an online star across the world. At a little before 3 a.m., the animal made it to the roof of the building after it took a long break on a 17th floor window edge. At the top of the building, animal control officers put cat food in traps and captured the raccoon. A private wildlife management company will release the animal into the wild. The raccoon's upward journey began on Monday. The brown animal was spotted stuck on a narrow window edge of the office tower. On Tuesday, the raccoon slowly climbed the building. It reached the 23rd floor, and its legend continued to grow on social media with every floor it climbed. As it went up, people gathered on the sidewalk below to take photos and cheer for its safety. Online office workers posted photos and videos of the raccoon resting on window edges and climbing up the building's concrete exterior. One online post said that the raccoon has succeeded in uniting the country the way no politician could.

W: I have really amazing news. I just got a text message from my bank, saying my salary has been deposited in my account. M: Getting paid is good. But I don't understand why you're so excited. It happens every month. W: Well, I've been working for a few years. In fact, I worked all through university, but I only had part-time jobs then. So this is the first time I've ever been paid for a month of full-time work. M: Wow, then you must feel great. I mean, it's been two decades, but I can still remember when I got my first real salary. I was happy for days. I felt like it was a small fortune, even though it wasn't. W: Yeah, I've never earned so much money before. And there're so many things I'd like to do with it. What did you do with your first pay? M: I bought a new suit for work and took my parents to a nice restaurant to celebrate. Maybe you could do the same. W: I have enough professional clothes. And my parents are across the country. So seeing them is impossible. But some people from the office are members of a gym I want to join. And my university classmates are arranging a trip to visit our old campus, and I'd love to go with them. But I can't afford both. M: If I were you, I'd join the gym, because it's a good way to stay healthy, and it might help you build a stronger relationship with your colleagues. And good relationships are key to a successful career. W: Hmm. You're right. Thanks for the advice. I'm taking it. ever been paid for a month of full-time work.

W: What's going on with you lately? You seem so distracted, like you aren't really listening to anything I say. M: I know. I'm sorry. I can't seem to focus on anything, because I still haven't decided if I should accept the offer for that PhD program in London, or if I should take the job offer in New York. W: Look, it's a tough decision. But you're running out of time, aren't you? I thought you said the company expected an answer by the end of the month. M: Actually, it's the beginning of next month for the job, but the university needs a decision by the end of the week. So I have to act quickly. W: You definitely need advice for an important decision like this. So who have you talked to about it? What does your family think? And your advisor for your master's program? M: I've asked their advice and that's part of the problem. My parents want me to get the degree, but my advisor thinks it's time for me to get more work experience. W: What do you mean by part of the problem? Oh, wait. It's your girlfriend, isn't it? You've been dating since your first year of university, so that's six years now. She must have an opinion about all this. I mean, isn't it time for you to think about getting married? M: Well, I do want to get married, but she thinks we need to wait until we've launched our careers. Plus, she's not sure what she'll be doing next year. She's considering a job in England and one in Australia. And her parents are pushing for the latter. for that PhD program in London, or if I should take the job offer in New York.

Analytical skills are our ability to understand and solve problems using information we have available. These skills are extremely important for our professional, social, and intellectual lives. What are the best ways to improve them? One way is to expand your world view. Unfortunately, this takes time. Ultimately, it will help you better evaluate information and analyze different ideas and outcomes. Traveling is a great way to expand your world view, although it can be expensive. An entertaining way of enhancing your analytical skills is to engage them by playing brain games. These are games that challenge you to think deeply and to develop your analytical skills. These games will get you used to thinking in a certain way. As a result, they will help improve your ability to think. However, opinions vary on whether video games are effective. The general consensus is that the best ones avoid mindless violence, and instead focus on strategy and challenge us to solve problems and achieve broad goals. Joining a debate or reading club or group is also a good idea. This provides people with the opportunity to come together and discuss ideas, literature and problems. Groups like these will help you refine your analytical skills and enable you to express yourself better. Any social group that encourages free exchange of ideas and pursuit of knowledge is beneficial. It helps you to actively develop your analytical skills. have available.

There's an endless amount of scientific data proving that dogs can develop strong bonds with their owners. People aren't kidding when they say they "love" their dog, or their dog "loves" them. But we're rather ignorant about the nature of the relationships that form between dogs. In an effort to understand the matter further, I spoke with Dr. Marc Bekoff, a researcher and former professor of animal behavior. The doctor's response to the question of whether or not dogs can fall in love like humans do was a straight "Of course." He went on to say that if love is defined as a long-term commitment—meaning dogs seek one another out when they're apart, they're happy when they're reunited, they protect one another, they feed one another, they raise their children together—then of course dogs love each other. Now our furry friends don't really experience "romantic" love like in the movies, but they can form deep and lasting bonds with their fellow dogs as well as humans. In fact, evidence shows that most dogs stay with one partner their whole lives. In actuality, love between dogs can be even more intimate than human relationships. When they interact, they aren't afraid to smell each other and will express themselves clearly and honestly. Once again, it seems we have a lot to learn from dogs.

A piece of history has been found thanks to a boy tripping on a rare, 1.2-million-year-old animal fossil. In November 2016, Jude Sparks, now 10, was on an outing with his family near their New Mexico home when he tripped over what he thought was a cow bone. Now, researchers at New Mexico State University are preserving this discovery, which was identified as an ancient elephant-like animal. Kyle Sparks, father of Jude, said he let his son decide what to do with the fossil. So Jude reached out to Peter Houde, a professor at New Mexico State University, who had experience with the same type of fossil in the past. The next day, Houde came out to see the fossil for himself. Houde told ABC News that he was quite excited about the find. "It was fortunate that the family didn't try to dig up the fossil because that could destroy the specimen. They did the right thing by calling someone who would know what to do. It's great for the community because now everybody can appreciate it," he added. Houde and his fellow faculty members dug up the fossil in late May. They hope to return to the site with geologists for an additional search as there could be more fossils near the site. Jude and his family had been invited by the researchers to see the fossil being preserved at the university. tripped over what he thought was a cow bone.