Section A: Banked Cloze

Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.

Public perception of success in the U.S. might be totally misguided. While 92% of people believe others care most about fame and (26) ______, fewer than 10% factor those qualities into their own success. This is according to the newly (27) ______ study by Harvard Graduate School of Education professor Todd Smith. Smith says he was (28) ______ by how past studies on success “assumed what people will care about.” In this study, his team “went the (29) ______ direction” by spending years carrying out individual interviews and group surveys to see what people really talk about when they talk about success.

As a scientist, Smith (30) ______ studied individuality for a living, and even he was surprised to find younger respondents cared more about having a (31) ______ in life. Those between the ages of 18 and 34 prioritized it most, and that prioritization dropped off as respondents' ages went up. Perhaps this is because older people had fewer options when they were starting their careers, at a time when values focused more on stable incomes than (32) ______ personal missions.

Other trends included an emphasis on the importance of parenting. Being a parent (33) ______ very high across the priorities of all study participants. Ultimately, Smith hopes institutions will take note of these insights (34) ______.

Higher education institutions tend to focus on preparing students for high-paying jobs. For such institutions, from universities to workplaces, to better (35) ______ people in the U.S., they'll need to understand “what the American public highly prioritizes,” Smith says.

Word Bank

A) accommodate

B) accordingly

C) acquiring

D) bothered

E) fortune

F) fulfilling

G) identify

H) literally

I) opposite

J) profession

K) purpose

L) ranked

M) released

N) similarly

O) wrong

Answers & Explanations

26. E (fortune)。解析：空格前是 `fame and`，需填名词与其构成并列关系。`fame and fortune`（名与利）是英语中极度常见的固定搭配，意为“名声与财富”。

27. M (released)。解析：空格位于副词 `newly` 和名词 `study` 之间，需要填入一个过去分词作定语修饰 study。`newly released study` 意为“最新发布的研究”。

28. D (bothered)。解析：空格位于系动词 `was` 和介词 `by` 之间，需要填入过去分词构成被动语态，且表达某种情绪。结合句意，Smith 教授对过去研究中武断假设人们在乎什么感到“困扰/反感 (bothered)”。

29. I (opposite)。解析：位于定冠词 `the` 和名词 `direction` 之间，需填形容词。前文提到过去的研究靠主观假设，而他的团队实打实地去访谈，所以是走向了“相反的 (opposite)”方向。

30. H (literally)。解析：句子主谓完整 (Smith studied...)，空格修饰动词 studied，需填副词。`literally` 意为“确实地、不折不扣地”，强调他本人就是以研究个体差异为生的。

31. K (purpose)。解析：位于 `having a` 之后，需要填入单数可数名词。`have a purpose in life` 意为“拥有人生的目标/意义”，符合年轻受访者不再只看重名利的语境。

32. F (fulfilling)。解析：句型结构为 `focused more on [名词] than [动名词+宾语]`，前后需要对称。前文是 stable incomes，than 之后搭配 personal missions (个人使命)，需填入动名词 `fulfilling`，意为“实现个人使命”。

33. L (ranked)。解析：句子主语是 `Being a parent`，缺少谓语动词。根据句意，做父母在所有参与者的优先事项中“排名 (ranked)”非常高。

34. B (accordingly)。解析：句子结构已完整，空格位于句末，需填入副词作状语。Smith 希望各个机构能注意到这些见解，并“相应地 (accordingly)”采取行动或做出改变。

35. A (accommodate)。解析：位于不定式 `to better` 之后，需填动词原形。为了更好地“迎合/适应/满足 (accommodate)”美国人的需求，机构需要了解公众真正优先考虑的是什么。

核心搭配与高分句型

【核心搭配与高频短语】

• fame and fortune：名利，名声与财富（care most about fame and fortune）
• factor into：把...因素包括进去，计入（factor those qualities into their own success）
• carry out：执行，开展（carrying out individual interviews）
• for a living：以...为生，谋生（studied individuality for a living）
• drop off：减少，下降（prioritization dropped off as respondents' ages went up）
• take note of：注意到，留意（take note of these insights）
• tend to do sth.：倾向于做某事（tend to focus on preparing students）

【亮点句型解析】

• While 引导的让步/对比状语从句：
  "While 92% of people believe others care most about fame and fortune, fewer than 10% factor those qualities into their own success."
  （虽然 92% 的人认为别人最在乎名利，但将这些特质计入自己成功标准的人却不到 10%。）`While` 放在句首表示“虽然/尽管”，极好地对比了“公众对别人的看法”与“公众对自己的真实看法”之间的巨大反差。在四级作文中进行数据对比时，这是一个绝佳的模板句型。
• "what" 引导的宾语从句：
  "...they'll need to understand 'what the American public highly prioritizes,' Smith says."
  （史密斯说，他们需要了解“美国公众高度优先考虑的是什么”。）`what` 在这里不仅充当引导词，还充当从句中 `prioritizes` 的宾语。这种结构言简意赅，是表达“...的事物”的标准高分用法。