2020 年 09 月大学英语四级考试真题（第 1 套）

There're three main types of financial stress people encounter. The first type is apparent in people being stressed about the __26__ ups and downs of investment markets—actually not so much the ups, but __27__ the downs. These people are usually unable or unprepared to endure the long haul.

The next common type of financial stress is that caused by debt. In a __28__ percentage of cases of debt-induced financial stress, credit cards and loans will be a central element. Often there'll be a car loan and perhaps a mortgage, but credit cards often seem to be the gateway to debt-related financial difficulties for many.

The third type of stress and __29__ the least known is inherited financial stress, which is the most destructive. It is experienced by those who have grown up in households where their parents regularly __30__ and fought about money. Money therefore becomes a stressful topic, and so the thought of sitting down and planning is an unattractive __31__.

Those suffering inherited financial anxiety __32__ to follow one of two patterns. Either they put their head in the sand: they would __33__ examining their financial statements, budgeting, and discussing financial matters with those closest to them. Alternatively, they would go to the other __34__, and micro-analyze everything, to the point of complete __35__. They're convinced that whatever decision they make will be the wrong one.

Americans spend billions of dollars each year trying to change their weight with diets, gym memberships and plastic surgery.

Trying to live up to the images of "perfect" models and movie heroes has a dark side: anxiety, depression, as well as unhealthy strategies for weight loss or muscle gain. 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 "perfect"? One 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.

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 the question. Does a person's own perception of body image matter to earnings and other indicators of success in the workplace?

Our recently published study answered this question by tracking a large national random sample of Americans over a critical time period when bodies change from teenage shape into adult form and when people build their identities.

As in other research, women in our sample tend to over-perceive their weight-they think they're heavier than they are-while men tend to under-perceive theirs.

We found no relationship between the average person's self-perception of weight and labor market outcomes, although self-perceived weight can influence self-esteem (自尊心), mental health and health behaviors.

While the continued gender penalty in the labor market is frustrating, our finding that misperceived weight does not harm workers is more heartening.

Since employers' perception of weight is what matters in the labor market, changing discrimination laws to include body type as a category would help. Michigan is the only state that prohibits discrimination on the basis of weight and height. We believe expanding such protections would make the labor market more fair and efficient.

The work-life balance is dead. By this, I'm not advocating that you should give up your pursuit of having a fulfilling career and a thriving personal life, and I'm 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.

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 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 complete experience, it becomes easier to see that success in one aspect often supports another.

Losing your balance and falling isn't pleasant. A goal to balance suggests that things 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 something that is ever evolving and changing, rather than a high-risk enterprise where things could go wrong with one misstep.

How we talk to ourselves matters, and how we talk about issues makes a difference. Let's bury "work-life balance" and think bigger and better about work-life fulfillment to do a little less balancing and a lot more living.