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merrick2020年9月英语四级真题及参考答案完整版

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2021-01-12 02:53
tags:英语四级真题, 参考答案, 英语考试

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2021年1月12日发(作者:桑桐)
2020年9月英语四级真题及参考答案【完整版】
四六级试卷采用多题多卷形式,大家核对答案时,请找具体选项内容,忽略套数。
无忧考网搜集整理了各个版本(有文字也有图片),仅供大家参考。
【网络综合版】
听力:
Section A
News Report 1
A NASA satellite orbiting over Portugal took photographs that reveal the
effects of pollution from ships. One of the photos shows a thin film of clouds
above the brilliant blue of the North Atlantic, cut by white lines of thicker
clouds that look like scars.
NASA officials explained those thicker clouds are signs of ship traffic
below. 【Q1】When ships power their ways through the ocean, they pump exhaust
into the atmosphere, just as cars do. And those massive amounts of particles
can cause clouds to form.
Get enough of those particles in one place, as from the exhaust of a ship,
and they can lead to the creation of new clouds easily visible from space.
“These clouds can be huge, some of them stretch hundreds of kilometers from
end to end”, NSAS officials said.
【Q2】It’s likely that these sorts of clouds are having some effect on
the global climate, according to NASA officials. But scientists aren’t yet
sure what effect it has.
Q1: What has caused the thick clouds in the photos taken by a NASA satellite?
Q2: What do NASA officials think about the thick clouds?
Section A
New Report 2
Staff at a suburban supermarket in Melbourne say they feel unsafe at work
after security guards were removed. This came after a series of physical attacks
and verbal abuse by customers. More than 50 workers at the store have signed
a letter calling for a permanent security guard following a series of incidents,

including a customer threatening to attack a supervisor with a knife.
security worker had guarded the store each night from 7pm until 12am, but that
had stopped suddenly on Monday,” employees said. One worker said an angry
customer had thrown a chicken at his head after complaining about how long she
had waited to be served. Another worker said the lack of protection at the store
made her feel uncomfortable at work. However, the spokesman of the supermarket
said the store had taken strong action in response to incidents, have found
very few instances of bad customer behavior at our store in the past year. In
the rare cases we have seen bad behavior, we have taken strong action in response,
including banning a customer from the store.
Q3: For what purpose, did the staff at the supermarket in Melbourne sign
a letter?
Q4: What did the spokesman of the supermarket say, regarding the employees'
demand?
News report three
s on their way to the polish capital of Warsaw on Wednesday morning
found the road blocked by an unusual obstacle. Tons of liquid chocolate that
spilled onto the motorway, 6.a truck carrying the sweet load hit a road barrier
and overturned, blocking two lanes. The cracked tank spilled a pool of rapidly
hardening chocolate, which quickly covered the width of the road, while the
driver was taken to hospital with a broken arm, firefighters struggled to remove
a reported 12 tons of solid chocolate from the road. 7.A representative for
the firefighters told the local TV that removing the chocolate was worse than
dealing with snow. After contacting the chocolate manufacturer, the
firefighters resorted to spraying hot, pressurized water to get rid of the
sticky substance. The local TV also noted that the cleanup spanned more than
a mile, because drivers simply drove through the chocolate after the crash,
leaving a long chocolate trail. But despite the sticky situation, firefighters
and police attending to the cleanup were reportedly cheerful about the long
task ahead. After all, who could be mad about 12 tons of chocolate?
Q5 What did drivers on the motorway to Warsaw find?

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Q6 What does the report say about the accident?
Q7 What are the firefighters representative tell the local TV?
Section B
Conversation 1
Man: Lisa, why did you pay for you meal with cash instead of the payment
apps on your phone?
Woman: Well, I’ve gone back to cash. I’m only using payment apps if that’
s the only option. 【Q8】I’m trying to save money for a new phone, and I find
that using cash rather than payment apps helps me to save.
Man: But how? Money is money, isn’t it? 【Q11】I don’t think it matters
whether you take it out to the bank and put it into wallet, or simply transfer
from your bank account to the sellers’ bank account using an app.
Woman: No, I believe it does matter. It’s a psychological phenomenon. 【Q9】
I believe we have less connection with a value of our money, when we just tap
the approve buttons on our phones.
Man: You might have a point, since I stop carrying cash around, and start
to using my phone apps to pay, I may have developed a tendency to buy 【Q10】
more small or non-essential items.
Woman: That’s highly possible, think about the amount of time we spend
with our phones in our hands, and all the things we do with our phones. It
sometimes seems that our phone is buying the product for us, not ourselves.
Man: So, cash is the payment affects our ability to budget?
Woman: I believe so. If we spend a hundred Yuan in cash, we realize that
we don’t have that hundred Yuan to spend on something else. But if we spend
in electronically, we’re less likely to make that mental calculation.
Man: I stopped using my credit card because I’m fond of spending excessively.
Perhaps I should take the same approach of paying using my phone.
Woman: It’s worth considering.

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Q8: Why did the woman decide to go back to cash for payment?
Q9: what happens when people use apps for payment according to the woman?
Q10: what might the man tend to buy with payment apps?
Q11: what does the man think of electronic payment?
Section B
Conversation 2 售后服务退换货
W: Hello Mr. Brown. I was expecting your call. My secretary told me you
were having some problems with the wooden table, is that right?
M: No, no, the table is fine. 【Q12】The problem is the chairs.
W: Oh, the chairs, so, what exactly is the issue?
M: Well, put simply, 【Q12】these are not the chairs my wife and I selected
in your store last week. There must be some confusion with our order.
W: Oh, I see. I’m looking through my files now. And I see that the delivery
was this morning. Is that correct?
M: Yes.
W: 【Q13】Do you mind describing the chairs that were delivered to your
apartment, Mr. Brown?
M: Sure. These have a flat back with a round top and are very heavy. They
are light brown and look kind of cheap. The ones we ordered were dark brown
to match the table.
W: Right. Of course. It says here you purchased the Arlington table and
four Milano chairs. As you said. There must be some confusion with the order.
I’m terribly sorry.【Q14】We’ll send a van to collect those four and replace
them with the Milano you purchased. Will tomorrow 9 a.m. be OK Mr. Brown?
M: Yes. That would be great. Thank you.
W: Good. Did everything else you ordered from us arrive OK?

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M: Yes. I think so. Let me check. The mirror and two paintings are here.
The two coffee tables are also here. And the sofa. Yes. We haven’t noticed
anything else wrong or missing. But if we do, we’ll certainly let you know.
W: OK. Great. Once again. 【Q15】I’m sorry for the confusion and trouble
caused.
Q12: Why did the man call the woman?
Q13: What did the woman ask the man to do?
Q14: What did the woman promise to do for the man?
Q15: What did the woman do at the end of the conversation? – The woman
apologized again.
Section B
Passage 1
Do you have too much stuff? Are you dare we say it “untidy”? Say hello
to a TV show called “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo”. A home improvement show
based on her widely popular book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. In the
show, Marie Kondo acts as a tiny garbage fairy for messy people, visiting their
houses to share the wisdom of the
theory but can be endlessly complex in practice. You divide all the stuff in
your house – all of it – into several categories, and then examine each item
-- all of them – to see if it sparks joy. If it does, you keep it. If it doesn't,
you thank it, and neatly discard it.
So, is the TV show inspiring people to tidy up? Firsthand accounts seem
to indicate a small wave of people bringing piles of donation bags to used good
stores. One store received thousands of bags of used possessions in one day.
January is usually the store’s slow season for donations, because it's cold
and people don't want to bother. But not this January. People seemed determined
to clean up their homes. One used bookstore received a month's worth of books
in donations in a week when a man gave over 50 boxes of books from his home.
It seems Marie’s TV show is having a big impact after all.
Q16. What is Maire Kondo’s TV show about?

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Q17. What things can be kept in one’s home, according to Maire Kondo?
Q18. What do we learn about one used bookstore this January?
Section C
Passage 2
At just twelve years old, Mike Hannon is making a difference in his
community — one lunch at a time. “Mike’s Lunches of Love” has fed more
than 2,000 of the town’s most vulnerable residents. Mike delivers meals to
the homeless. “It’s like a way to give people joy, maybe spark something in
them that can change them,” Mike told WBZ-TV. The mayor of Mike’s town feels
that Mike is a great community leader, especially in such times of so much
negative news. While his father commented on how proud he was of his son, yet
Mike isn’t looking for praise, but kindness in return. He hopes his active
charity will influence others to spread positive actions in their own towns.
Mike includes a handwritten message of joy on each bag. His message and star
power has spread all over the country. To date, his online page to raise funds
has brought in more than 44,000 dollars and counting, raising more than 17,000
dollars in just one day, with the hope of many famous actors and others. People
from all over the county are sending special handcraft bags to help the young
man with his mission to help those in need. Many are hoping the simple active
kindness spreads. Mike is seemed as the hope for the future of the town, the
country and the world.
Q19: What does Mike Hannon do to help people in his town?
Q20: What does Mike hope others will do?
Q21: How are people all over the country responding to what Mike is doing?
Section C
Passage 3
In a recent study carried out by psychologists on the disruptive effects
of smart phones, two groups of college students were given word-search puzzles.
The first group was told to complete the puzzles with its participants' smart
phones in their line of sight. The second group, however, was told that the

6

phones would interfere with the equipment in the experiment and would need be
moved away from the testing area. Midway through the second group's solving
of the puzzles, the experiment called one of the phones and let it ring for
a while before hanging up. Many of the students in that group were unable to
focus from then on, becoming anxious and performing more poorly than the first
group.
Use of electronics has also been known to lead to a decline in human
interactions. Rather than having real-life conversations, many express
emotions and engage in deep conversations through social media sites. Many
students use their phones and computers during class for non-academic
activities, which leads to poor grades. Perhaps the most dramatic impact is
the reduction in amount of sleep, which lead to poor health and weight gain.
Technology is a great tool. However, it's important to recognize its
downsides. Lack of sleep, reduction of productivity, and weight gain are only
a few. If we are not careful about all these mind problems right now, the effect
on the future generation is going to be much bigger.
Q22 What were the college students in both groups required to do in the
study?
Q23 What do we learn about many of the students in the second test group
after the phone ring?
Q24 According to the passage, what is the most dramatic impact of smart
phone use?
Q25 What does the speaker suggest people do?
参考答案第一套:
1.A) Warm currents in the ocean
B) Ship traffic in the Atlantic
C) Particles emitted by power plants
D) Exhaust from cars in Europe


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2.A) They need to be taken seriously
B) They have a huge effect on fishery
C) They may be affecting the world’s climate
D) They might be causing trouble to air flights

Questions 3 to 4 are based on the new report you have just heard。

3.A) To appeal for higher wages
B) To demand better health care
C) To dismiss the bad-tempered supervisor
D) To call for a permanent security guard

4.A) It was seeking help from the police.
B) It would put customers’ needs first
C) It had already taken strong action
D) It would take their appeal seriously

Questions 5 to 7 are based on the new report you have just heard.
5.A) The road was blocked
B) The road was flooded
C) The road was frozen with snow
D) The road was covered with spilled gas

6.A) A truck hit a barrier and overturned
B) The truck driver dozed off while driving
C) The heavy snow made driving very difficult
D) A truck plunged into a pool of liquid chocolate


8


7. A) It was fortunate that no passenger got injured
B) It was a hard task to remove the spilled substance
C) It was a long time before the cleanup was finished
D) It was difficult to contact the manufacturer.

Section B
Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
8.A) She found it much safer to use cash
B) She could enjoy discounts with cash
C) She wanted to save for a new phone
D) She bad been cheated using phone

9.A) They derive greater pleasure from buying things.
B) They are less aware of the value of their money.
C) They find it less difficult to make purchases.
D) They can save a lot more time and trouble.

10.A) More valuable items.
B) Electronic devices.
C) Everyday necessities.
D) More non-essential things

11.A) It may lead to excessive spending.
B) It is altering the way of shopping.
C) It can improve shopping efficiency.
D) It appeals more to younger people.


9


Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
12.A) He wanted the furniture store to give him a refund.
B) He had a problem with the furniture delivered.
C) He had to change the furniture delivery time.
D) He wanted to order some wooden furniture.

13.A) Send the furniture back to the store.
B) Buy another brand of furniture.
C) Collect the furniture he ordered.
D) Describe the furniture he received.

14.A) Improve their service
B) Apologize to his wife
C) Correct their mistake
D) Give the money back

15.A) She recommended a new style
B) She decided all the items with the man
C) She offered some gift to the man
D) She apologized to the man once more

Section C
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.
16.A) Tidying up one’s home
B) Reading books of wisdom
C) Donating to charity
D) Sharing with others
17.A) Things that occupy little space

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B) Things that are becoming rare
C) Things that make one happy
D) Things that cost a lot of money
18.A) It did little business because of the unusual cold weather
B) It received an incredibly large number of donated books
C) It sold as many as fifty boxes of books
D) It joined the city’s clean-up campaign
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.
19.A) Give free meals to the homeless
B) Provide shelter for the homeless
C) Call for change in the local government
D) Help the vulnerable to cook lunches

20.A) Promote understanding
B) Strengthen co-operation
C) Follow his example
D) Win national support

21.A) Spreading news of his deeds
B) Sending him hand-made bags
C) Following the example he sets
D) Writing him thank-you notes

Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.
22.A) To install some audio equipment in a lab
B) To test their eyesight using a phone app
C) To send smartphone messages
D) To solve word search puzzles


11

23.A) They could no longer concentrate on their task
B) They could not go on until the ringing stopped
C) They grabbed the phone and called back right away
D) They asked their experimenter to hung up the phone

24.A) A decline in sports activities
B) A rise in emotional problems
C) A decline in academic performance
D) A reduction in the amount of sleep

25.A) Ensure they have sufficient sleep every day
B) Realize the disruptive effects of technology
C) Take effective measures to raise productivity
D) Protect the eyesight of the younger generation

参考答案第二套:
1. A) Ship traffic in the Atlantic.
2. D) They may be affecting the world’s climate.
3. C) To call for a permanent security guard.
4. A) It had already taken strong action.
5. B) The road was blocked
6. D) A track hit a barrier and overturned
7. B) It was a hard task to removing the spilled substance.

8. A) She wanted to save for a new phone.
9. D) They are less aware of the value of their money.
10. B) More non- essential things.
11. C) It may lead to excessive spending.

12

12. C) He had a problem with the furniture delivered.
13. B) Describe the furniture he received.
14. A) Correct their mistake.
15. C) She apologized to the man once more.
16. B) Tidying up one’s home.
17. A) Things that make one happy.
18. C) It received an incredibly large number of donated books.
19. A) Give free meals to the homeless.
20. D) Follow his example.
21. C) Sending him had-made bags.
22. A) To solve word search puzzles.
23. B) They could no longer concentrate on their task.
24. C) A reduction in the amount of sleep.
25. C) Realize the disruptive effects of technology.
阅读
阅读试题选词填空源文
Opinion
The three types of financial stress
By Paul Benson
November 7, 2018 - 12.00am
There are three main types of financial stress that I come across on a
regular basis. The first is inherited, the second is debt, and the third is
longevity.
Inherited financial stress is the most common and debilitating. It is
experienced by those who have grown up in households where their parents

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regularly argued and fought about money. Money therefore becomes a stressful
topic, and so the thought of sitting down and planning is about as attractive
as volunteering to have a root canal done by a trainee dentist.
Financial stress can make you broke, like a vicious
:Shutterstock
Those suffering inherited financial stress tend to follow one of two
patterns. Either they put their head in the sand - they don't open their
superannuation statements, don't budget, and certainly don't discuss financial
matters with their loved ones.
Alternatively they go to the other extreme, and micro-analyse everything,
to the point of complete paralysis. They're convinced that whatever decision
they make, it will be the wrong one.
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The next common type of financial stress is that caused by debt. In 99 out
of 100 cases of debt-induced financial stress, credit cards will be a central
element. And yes, that is intentionally plural - there's never just one. Often
there'll be a car loan and perhaps a mortgage, but credit cards certainly seem
to be the gateway drug to debt- related financial stress.
The final form of financial stress, that I see, I've somewhat imperfectly
termed longevity. This manifests itself in being stressed about the normal ups
and downs of investment markets - actually not so much the ups, but definitely
the downs.

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So what can you do to prevent financial stress from holding you back?
The first thing to do is have a separate bank account for your bills and
regular expenses, and have an automatic transfer from your everyday account
every time you get paid, to top it up.
With this system up and running, you will know that whenever a bill comes
in, you have the money sitting there waiting to pay it. This means, a) no more
stress, and b) no need to hit the credit card.
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Related Article

Opinion
Household debt
The pressure of living under the weight of debt
The next thing is to clear your unproductive debts. Determine which debt
is the most expensive and focus all your attention on getting rid of it. Again,
use automatic transfers as much as possible to avoid the risk of weakened
willpower.
Another useful way to alleviate financial stress is to have some
projections done, so you have a good sense what the long-term outlook is. You'll
find your super fund website will have a projection tool so you can get an
estimate of where your retirement savings will end, and sites like the
government's Money Smart has some good calculators for this purpose too.

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Worst-case planning is another great way to reduce worry. This is where
you list out the biggest worries you have, and then determine what action you'd
take if those things occurred. The actions may not always be pleasant, but just
knowing you have a plan can remove that dark cloud floating around in the back
of your brain.
Finally, don't be afraid to talk about your finances with your partner or
other loved ones. Especially for couples; you're a team, and chances are if
you're worried about your finances but are too afraid to discuss it, so is your
partner. Don't pass your inherited financial stress down to your kids.
仔细阅读1源文
Does thinking you look fat affect how much money you earn?
Two things people often think about are money and their appearance. Past
research has shown that there is a correlation between the two: People
subjectively considered attractive earn more.
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Sunday, July 15, 2018 - 12:45 PM
Patricia Smith and Jay L. Zagorsky
Two things people often think about are money and their appearance. Past
research has shown that there is a correlation between the two: People
subjectively considered attractive earn more.

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And body weight plays a major role in attractiveness. A person's body mass
index - which adjusts a person's weight for their height - and their success
in the workplace are linked. Put simply, thin people, especially women, are
rewarded more than their larger colleagues. But those studies only considered
how other people perceive you.
In new research, we looked at the flip side: Does our own perception of
our bodies, even when incorrect, make a difference? In other words, does
thinking you look fat or skinny affect your wages?
Knowing if a worker's own perception of his or her weight makes a difference
- rather than only the employer's - could help determine the best way to mitigate
the impact of weight discrimination on earnings. In addition, a better
understanding of gender differences in weight perception might help explain
the persistent gender wage gap.
Plus size model.
Pressure to 'look good'
Americans spend billions of dollars each year on making minor changes to
their appearance with makeup, hair dye and other cosmetics. We also spend
billions trying to change our weight with diets, gym memberships and plastic
surgery.
Trying to live up to the pervasive images of
heroes has a dark side: body-shaming, anxiety and depression, as well as
unhealthy strategies for weight loss or muscle gain. For example, anorexia

17

nervosa involves the extreme over-perception of weight and claims the lives
of roughly 10 percent of its victims. It also has a financial cost. Having an
eating disorder boosts annual health care costs by nearly US$$2,000 per person.
Why is there both external and internal pressure to look
reason is that society rewards people who are thin and healthy looking.
Researchers have shown that body mass index is related to wages and income.
Especially for women, there is a clear penalty at work for being overweight
or obese. Some studies have also found an impact for men, though a less
noticeable one.
Americans spend millions of dollars to change their appearances with hair
dye, make up and plastic surgery.
Does weight perception matter?
While the research literature is clear that labor market success is partly
based on how employers and customers perceive your body image, no one had
explored the other side of question. Does a person's own perception of body
image matter to earnings and other indicators of success in the workplace?
In simple terms, does it change your wages if you think of yourself as
overweight when you are not? Or if you think of yourself as skinny, when in
reality you are not, does this misperception affect your ability to find and
keep a job?
We were interested in answering these questions because it is often easier
to fix your own view of yourself than to fix the entire world's.

18

Our recently published study answered this question by tracking a large
national random sample of the first wave of U.S. millennials, born in the early
1980s. We followed about 9,000 of them starting in 1997 when they were teenagers
and ending 15 years later when the oldest was 31. Our research followed these
respondents over a critical time period when bodies change from teenage shape
into adult form and when people build their identities.
The survey asked respondents to report their actual weight and height. It
also asked each to classify themselves each year as overweight,
the right weight,underweightor
e each person's clinically defined BMI
category, such as being underweight, with his or her perception.
As in other research, women in our sample tend to over-perceive weight -
they think they're heavier than they are - while men tend to under- perceive
theirs.
Americans spend billions on gym memberships every year.
What other people think matters more
While self- perceived weight, especially when incorrect, can influence
self-esteem, mental health and health behaviors, we found no relationship
between the average person's self-perception of weight and labor market
outcomes like wages, weeks worked and the number of jobs.
In other words, it's not what you think about your appearance that matters
in the workplace, it's just what other people think. Worrying if eating another

19

cookie will make you look fat may harm your self-esteem, but thinking you're
overweight likely will not affect your earnings.
Because we find that women earn lower wages than men do even when accounting
for weight perception differences, it appears the well-known gender pay gap
is not due to differences in self-perceived weight.
While the continued gender penalty in the labor market is frustrating, our
finding that misperceived weight does not harm workers is more heartening.
Weight misperception is common, but thinking you're heavier or lighter than
you are doesn't dampen earnings.
At the same time, it's important to remember that although self-perceived
weight doesn't appear to affect wages, it still takes a toll on mental and
physical health.
Passing over heavier workers to hire or promote less productive but thinner
workers is inefficient and unfair. Our results indicate that expanding efforts
to reduce discrimination on the basis of body weight in the workplace is
important.
Since employers' perception of weight is what matters in the labor market,
policies to reduce the social stigmatization of body weight, such as curbing
body-shaming, make sense. Changing discrimination laws to include body type
as a category would also help. For example, Michigan is the only state that
prohibits discrimination on the basis of weight and height.
We believe expanding such protections would make the labour market more

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efficient and fair.
仔细阅读2源文
Pocket worthyStories to fuel your mind.
We Need to Stop Striving for Work-Life Balance. Here's Why.
Work-life balance makes us set our sights too low, according to this
sociologist.
Fast Company
Tracy Brower
Recently, I received a question from a contact on LinkedIn. She asked me
whether I thought work-life balance was dead. My answer: I hope so!
To be clear, I'm not advocating that you should give up your quest to have
a fulfilling career and a thriving personal life, and I am definitely not saying
that you have to give up one to have the other. I also acknowledge that we have
a work- life problem, but I'm arguing that the concept of balance has never been
helpful, because it's too limiting.
You see, our language makes a difference, and how we refer to things matters
because it affects our thinking and therefore our actions. My son is learning
about linguistic determinism in school. (Yes, it sounds fancy, and it is.) The
idea is that that the words we use shapes how we think. Inuit people have 50
different words for snow, and the Sami, who live in Norway, Sweden, and northern
Finland have 1,000 different words for reindeer. Their needs to know, survive,
and understand the environment shapes their language. The way they speak and

21

express ideas affect their thinking and actions.
You might be wondering, what's wrong with the word And what are
these alternatives that supposedly help us frame the work-life problem better?
Here are three compelling reasons.
1. Work-Life Balance Artificially Separates Work and Life
At the minimum, most of us work because we want to be able to support
ourselves, our families, and the people around us. In the ideal world, we're
all doing work that we're proud of and that provides meaning and purpose to
us. But even if your job doesn't give you shivers of joy with each new day,
working is a part of what each of us does and the contribution we make to society.
When you separate work and life, it's a little bit harder to make that
connection. But when you think of work as part of a full life and a holistic
experience, it becomes easier to see that success in one aspect often supports
another.
2. Work-Life Balance Suggests a Precariousness That Isn't Helpful
Losing your balance and falling isn't pleasant. A goal to balance suggests
that things are hanging in the balance-or could quickly get off balance, and
that causes terrible outcomes.
It's more constructive to think of solutions that continue to evolve over
shifts in life and work. Rather than falling or failing, you may have good days
or better days or not-so-good days. These variations are normal, and it's more
useful to think of life as an always evolving and changing from day-to-day or

22

year-to-year, rather than a high-risk enterprise where things could go wrong
with one misstep.
The thing is, most days probably won't look like an equilibrium. You might
have to stay late at work and grab dinner on the way home one day or skip your
work retreat this year because it coincides with your parents being in town.
And there is nothing wrong with either of those choices.
3. Work-Life Balance Doesn't Allow Us to Think Big Enough
Lastly, I think that everyone deserves more than just balance. Balance is
a limiting concept, and if we set the bar too low, we won't demand enough of
ourselves, our leaders, and our companies. Right now, too many companies are
still operating in an either/or mentality (though thankfully, it's starting
to change). That's why there are still workplaces that penalizes parents who
choose to take parental leave or assume that employees who don't put in as much

I always like the mantra that
There are seasons of life where you'll have less time for yourself and will
devote more to school or family or work. This is part of the normal ebb and
flow of life. When you think big and expect that you can have a positive
experience with all that work and life have to offer, you'll be more likely
to make that happen.
How we talk to ourselves matters, and how we talk about issues makes a
difference. This is a linguistic determinism. Let's bury

23

and think bigger and better about work-life fulfillment to do a little less
balancing and a lot more living.
长篇阅读源文
Doctor's orders:
Let children just play
Whether it's rough-and- tumble physical play, outdoor play, or social or
pretend play, kids derive important lessons from the chance to make things up
as they go, a pediatrician said. (Beatrice de Gea/Los Angeles Times )
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By Melissa Healy
Los Angeles Times
Imagine a drug that could enhance a child's creativity, critical thinking
and resilience. Imagine that this drug were simple to make, safe to take and
could be had for free.
The nation's leading pediatricians say this miracle compound exists. In
a new clinical report, they are urging doctors to prescribe it liberally to
the children in their care.
What is this wonder drug? Play.
may seem old-fashioned, but there are skills to be learned when kids
aren't told what to do,

24

pediatrician who led the drafting of the call to arms. Whether it's
rough-and-tumble physical play, outdoor play, or social or pretend play, kids
derive important lessons from the chance to make things up as they go, he said.
The advice, issued in August by the American Academy of Pediatrics, may
come as a shock to some parents. After spending years fretting over which toys
to buy, which apps to download and which skill- building programs to send their
kids to after school, letting them simply play - or better yet, playing with
them - could seem like a step backward.
The pediatricians insist that it's not. The academy's guidance does not
include specific recommendations for the dosing of play. Instead, it asks
doctors to advise parents before their babies turn 2 that play is essential
to healthy development. It also advocates for the restoration of play in schools.
is not frivolous,the academy's report declares. It nurtures
children's ingenuity, cooperation and problem-solving skills - all of which
are critical for a 21st-century workforce. It lays the neural groundwork that
helps us
When parents engage in play with their children, it deepens relationships
and builds a bulwark against the toxic effects of all kinds of stress, including
poverty, the academy says.
In the pediatricians' view, essentially every life skill valued in adults
can be built up with play.
negotiation, conflict resolution, self-advocacy,

25

decision- making, a sense of agency, creativity, leadership, and increased
physical activity are just some of the skills and benefits children gain through
play,
The pediatricians' appeal comes as American kids are being squeezed by
escalating academic demands at school, the relentless encroachment of digital
media and parents who either load up their schedules with organized activities
or who are themselves too busy or stressed to play.
The trends have been a long time coming. Between 1981 and 1997, detailed
time-use studies showed that the time children spent at play declined by 25
percent. Since the adoption of sweeping education reforms in 2001, public
schools have steadily increased the amount of time devoted to preparing for
standardized tests.
The focus on academic
other time for free play.
By 2009, a study of Los Angeles kindergarten classrooms found that
5-year-olds were so burdened with academic requirements that they were down
to an average of just 19 minutes per day of
permitted to play freely with blocks, toys or other children. One in 4 Los
Angeles teachers reported there was no time at all for
Increased academic pressures have left 30 percent of U.S. kindergarten
classes without any recess. Such findings prompted the American Academy of
Pediatrics to issue a policy statement in 2013 on the

26

in school.
Pediatricians aren't the only ones who have noticed.
In a report titled in the Kindergarten,a consortium of educators,
health professionals and child advocates called the loss of play in early
childhood
world.
reading and other intellectual skills, and they are more likely to become
well-adjusted healthy people,
Indeed, new research demonstrates why playing with blocks might have been
time better spent, Yogman said. The trial assessed the effectiveness of an early
mathematics intervention aimed at preschoolers. The results showed almost no
gains in math achievement.
Another playtime thief: the proportion of kids' time spent in front of
screens and digital devices, even among preschoolers.
Last year, Common Sense Media reported that children up through age 8 spent
an average of two hours and 19 minutes in front of screens each day, including
an average of 42 minutes a day for those under 2.
This escalation of digital use comes with rising risks of obesity, sleep
deprivation and cognitive, language and social-emotional delays, the American
Academy of Pediatrics warned in 2016.
Yogman acknowledged that many screen- based activities can nurture some of
the same areas that kids get through free play: problem- solving, spatial skills

27

and persistence.
But in young kids, especially, they are often crowding out games of
make- believe, not to mention face-to-face time with peers and parents, Yogman
said.

iPhone,
too passive. And kids really learn better when they're actively engaged and
have to really discover things.
The decline of play is a special hazard for the roughly 1 in 5 children
in the U.S. who live in poverty. These 14 million children most urgently need
to develop the resilience that is nurtured with play. Instead, Yogman said,
they are disproportionately affected by some of the trends that are making play
scarce: academic pressures at schools that need to improve test scores, outside
play areas that are limited or unsafe, and parents who lack the time or energy
to share in playtime.
not the only species that plays,said Temple University
psychologist Kathy Hirsh-Pasek. cats, monkeys, whales and even
octopuses play, and when you have something that prevalent in the animal kingdom,
it probably has a purpose.
Yogman also worries about the pressures that squeeze playtime for more
affluent kids.
of their time is not doing them a great service,

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