4.【中文释义】这种占绝对主导地位的将对细节事实的强烈兴趣与对抽象概括的同样的专注结合的做法是我们当今社会的特点;在过去，这种结合最多只是零星地出现，并且显得是偶然出现的。
【解题分析】简化句结构即为：union is a hallmark of our present society; in the past, this union appeared sporadically. 一个常见的时间对比型。句子最为复杂的部分为union 后的介词短语，但这个介词短语的分隔纯属 ETS设置的陷阱，根本不需要理会。
【重点词条】devotion 1 a: religious fervor: piety b: an act of prayer or private worship——usu. used in pl. c: a religious exercise or practice other than the regular corporate worship of a con美国GREgation 2 a: the act of devoting b: the fact or state of being ardently dedicated and loyal (as to an idea or person) 3 obs: the object of one's devotion syn see fidelity
hallmark 1 a: an official mark stamped on gold and silver articles in England to attest their purity b: a mark or device placed or stamped on an article of trade to indicate origin, purity, or genuineness 2: a distinguishing characteristic, trait, or feature 2hallmark vt (1773): to stamp with a hallmark
cy.clic or cy.cli.cal adj (1794) 1 a: of, relating to, or being a cycle b: moving in cycles <~ time> c: of, relating to, or being a chemical compound containing a ring of atoms 2 cyclic: being a mathematical group that has an element such that every element of the group can be expressed as one of its powers —— cy.cli.cal.ly also cy.clic.ly adv