2016年12月英语六级考试真题及答案详解和听力原文第二套

2016年12月英语六级（CET6）真题及答案（完整版））2016年12月CET6大学英语六级考试真题及答案解析【官方完整版】Part I 写作Writing (30 minutes)Directions: Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on innovation. Your essay should include the importance of innovation and measures to be taken to encourage innovation.You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.【参考范文】It is universally acknowledged that innovation refers to being creative, unique and different. In fact, today it is impossibly difficult for us to image a 21st century without innovation.We should place a high value on innovation firstly because innovative spirit can enable an individual to ameliorate himself, so he can be equipped with capacity to see what others cannot see, be qualified for future career promotion, and be ready for meeting the forthcoming challenges. What’s more, we ought to attach importance to the role played by innovation in economic advancement. Put it another way, in this ever-changing world, innovation to economic growth is what water is to fish. To sum up, if innovation misses our attention in any possible way, we will suffer a great loss beyond imagination.In order to encourage innovation, it is wise for us to take some feasible measures. For example, mass media should greatly publicize the significance of creative spirit and encourage the public to cultivate awareness of innovation. Besides, those who manage to innovate should be awarded generous prize. Though there is a long way ahead to go, I am firmly certain that theshared efforts will be paid off.【参考译文】众所周知创新意味着有创造力，独一无二和不同。

2016年12月大学英语六级考试真题（第2套）参考答案Part IV TranslationThe number of Chinese language learners undergoes a dramatic rise as China’s economy surges, which has turned Chinese into one of the most popular language among language learners across the world. In recent years, Chinese universities are moving up significantly in the world university rankings. Owing to the great advances in its educational system, China now ranks unsurprisingly as one of the most favored destinations for overseas students. In 2015, there were around 400,000 overseas students flocking to China to pursue their studies. They no longer restrict their interest to Chinese language and culture, instead, branching out into other subjects including science and engineering. Although the United States and the United Kingdom are still dominant in the global education market, China is catching up at a fast pace with them.Part II Listening Comprehension听力原文Section AQuestions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.M: Guess what? The worst food I ever had was in France.W: Really? That's odd. I thought the French were all good cooks.M: Yes, that's right. I suppose it's really like anywhere else, though. You know, some places are good, some bad. But it's really all our own fault.W: What do you mean?M: Well, it was the first time I'd been to France. This was years ago when I was at school. I went there with my parents' friends, from my father's school. They’d hired a coach to take them to Switzerland.W: A school trip?M: Right. Most of them had never been abroad before. We'd crossed the English Channel at night and we set off through France and breakfast time arrived, and the coach driver had arranged for us to stop at this little café. There we all were tired and hungry and then we made a great discovery. W: What was that?M: Bacon and eggs.W: Fantastic! The real English breakfast.M: Yes, anyway we didn't know any better--- so we had it, and ugh...!W: What was it like? Disgusting?M: Ah, it was incredible. They just got a bowl and put some fat in it. And then they put some bacon in the fat, broke an egg over the top and put the whole lot in the oven for about ten minutes. W: In the oven? You're joking. You can't cook bacon and eggs in the oven!M: Well, they must have done it that way. It was hot, but it wasn't cooked. There was just this egg floating about in gallons of fat and raw bacon.W: Did you actually eat it?M: No, nobody did. They all wanted to turn round and go home. You know, back to teabags and fish and chips. You can't blame them really. Anyway, the next night we were all given another foreign specialty.W: What was that?M: Snails--that really finished them off. Lovely holiday that was!1. What did the woman think of the French?2. Who did the man travel with on his first trip to Switzerland?3. What does the man say about the breakfast at the little French café?4. What did the man think of his holiday in France?Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.M: You say your shop has been doing well. Could you give me some idea of what “doing well” means in facts and figures?W: Well, “doing well” means averaging 1,200 pounds or more a week for about 7 years, making almost a quarter of a million pounds. And “doing well” means your earnings are rising. Last year we did slightly over 50,000 and this year we hope to do more than 60,000. So that's good if we continue to rise.M: Now that's growth on earnings, I assume. What about your expenses?W: Yes, that's growth. The expenses of course go up steadily. And since we've moved to this new shop, the expenses have increased greatly because it's a much bigger shop. So I couldn't say exactly what our expenses are. There's something in the region of 6 or 7 thousand pounds a year, which is not high---commercially speaking, it's very low. And we try to keep our expenses as low as we can.M: And your prices are much lower than the same goods in shops round about. How do the local shopkeepers feel about having a shop doing so well in their midst?W: Perhaps a lot of them don't realize how well we're doing because we don't make a point of publicizing. That was a lesson we learned very early on. We were very friendly with all local shopkeepers and we have been to mention to a local shopkeeper how much we have made that week. He was very unhappy and never as friendly again. So we make a point of never publicizing the amount of the money we make. But we're on very good terms with all the shops; none of them have ever complained that we're putting them out of business or anything like that. I think it's a nice funny relationship. Maybe if they did know what we made, perhaps they wouldn't be so friendly.5. What are the speakers mainly talking about?6. What does the woman say her shop tries to do?7. What do we learn about goods sold at the woman's shop?8. Why doesn't the woman want to make known their earnings anymore?Section BQuestions 9 to 12 are based on the passage you have just heard.Birds are famous for carrying things around. Some, like homing pigeons, can be trained to deliver messages and packages. Other birds unknowingly carry seeds that cling to them for the ride. Canadian scientists have found a worrisome, new example of the power that birds have to spread stuff around. Way up north in the Canadian Arctic, seabirds are picking up dangerous chemicals in the ocean and delivering them to ponds near where the birds live.Some 10,000 pairs of the birds, called fulmars, a kind of Arctic seabird, make their nests on Devon Island, north of the Arctic Circle. The fulmars travel some 400 kilometers over the sea to find food. When they return home, their droppings end up all around their nesting sites, including in nearby ponds.Previously, scientists noticed pollutants arriving in the Arctic with the wind. Salmon also carry dangerous chemicals, as the fish migrate between rivers and the sea. The bodies of fish and other meat-eaters can build up high levels of the chemicals.To test the polluting power of fulmars, researchers collected samples of deposits from 11 ponds on Devon Island. In ponds closest to the colony, the results showed that there were far more pollutants than in ponds less affected by the birds. The pollutants in the ponds appear to come from fish that fulmars eat when they're out on the ocean. People who live, hunt, or fish near bird colonies need to be careful, the researchers say. The birds don't mean to cause harm, but the chemicals they carry can cause major problems.9. What have Canadian scientists found about some seabirds?10. What does the speaker say about the seabirds called fulmars?11. What did scientists previously notice about pollutants in the Arctic?12. What does the speaker warn about at the end of the talk?Questions 13 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.In recent years, the death rate among American centenarians -- people who have lived to age 100 or older--has decreased, dropping 14 percent for women and 20 percent for men from 2008 to 2014. The leading causes of death in this age group are also changing. In 2000, the top five causes of death for centenarians were heart disease, stroke, flu, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. But by 2014, the death rate from Alzheimer's disease for this age group had more than doubled--increasing from 3.8 percent to 8.5 percent --making the progressive brain disease the second leading cause of death for centenarians. One reason for the rise in deaths from Alzheimer's disease in this group may be that developing this condition remains possible even after people beat the odds of dying from other diseases such as cancer.People physically fit enough to survive over 100 years ultimately give in to diseases such as Alzheimer's which effects the mind and cognitive function. In other words, it appears their minds give out before their bodies do. On the other hand, the death rate from flu dropped from 7.4 percent in 2000 to 4.1 percent in 2014. That pushed flu from the third leading cause of death to the fifth.Overall, the total number of centenarians is going up. In 2014, there were 72,197 centenarians, compared to 50,281 in 2000. But because this population is getting larger, the number of deaths in this group is also increasing --18,434 centenarians died in 2000, whereas 25,914 died in 2014.13. What does the speaker say about the risk of dying for American centenarians in recent years?14. What does the speaker say about Alzheimer's disease?15. What is characteristic of people who live up to 100 years and beyond?Section CQuestions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.Okay. So let's get started. And to start things off I think what we need to do is consider a definition. I'm going to define what love is but then most of the experiments I'm going to talk about are really focused more on attraction than love. And I'm going to pick a definition from a former colleague, Robert Sternberg, who is now the dean at Tufts University but was here on our faculty at Yale for nearly thirty years. And he has a theory of love that argues that it's made up of three components: intimacy, passion, and commitment, or what is sometimes called decision commitment. And these are relatively straightforward. He argued that you don't have love if you don't have all three of these elements.Intimacy is the feeling of closeness, of connectedness with someone, of bonding. Operationally, you could think of intimacy as you share secrets, you share information with this person that you don't share with anybody else. Okay. That's really what intimacy is, the bond that comes from sharing information that isn't shared with other people. The second element is passion. Passion is the drive that leads to romance. You can think of it as physical attraction. And Sternberg argues that this is a required component of a love relationship. The third element of love in Sternberg's theory is what he calls decision commitment, the decision that one is in a love relationship, the willingness to label it as such, and a commitment to maintain that relationship at least for some period of time. Sternberg would argue it's not love if you don't call it love and if you don't have some desire to maintain the relationship. So if you have all three of these, intimacy, passion and commitment, in Sternberg's theory you have love. Now what's interesting about the theory is what do you have if you only have one out of three or two out of three? What do you have and how is it different if you have a different two out of three? What's interesting about this kind of theorizing is it gives rise to many different combinations that can be quite interesting when you break them down and start to look at them carefully. So what I've done is I've taken Sternberg's three elements of love, intimacy, passion and commitment, and I've listed out the different kinds of relationships you would have if you had zero, one, two or three out of the three elements.16. What does the speaker say about most of the experiments mentioned in his talk?17. What does Robert Sternberg argue about love?18. What question does the speaker think is interesting about Sternberg's three elements of love?Questions 19 to 22 are based on the recording you have just heard.Hi, I'm Elizabeth Hoffler, Master of Social Work. I'm a social worker, a lobbyist and a special assistant to the Executive Director at the National Association of Social Workers. Today we are going to be talking about becoming a social worker. Social work is the helping profession. Its primary mission is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic needs of all people, with a particular focus on those who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. We often deal with complex human needs. Social work is different from other professions, because we focus on the person and environment. We deal with the external factors that impact a person's situation and outlook. And we create opportunity for assessment and intervention to help clients and communities cope effectively with their reality and change that reality when necessary.In thousands of ways social workers help other people --people from every age, every background, across the country. Wherever needed, social workers come to help. The most well-known aspect of the profession is that of a social safety net. We help guide people to critical resources and counsel them on life-changing decisions. There are more than six hundred thousand professional social workers in the country, and we all either have a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, or a PhD in social work. There are more clinically-trained social workers than clinically-trained psychiatrists, psychologists and psychiatric nurses combined.Throughout this series, you will learn more about the profession, the necessary steps to get a social work degree, the rich history of social work and many ways that social workers help others.Later in this series, you'll hear from Stacy Collins and Mel Wilson, fellow social workers at the National Association of Social Workers. Stacy is going to walk you through the step-by-step process of becoming a social worker, and Mel will tell you about the range of options you have once you get your social work degree, as well as the high standards of responsibility that social workers must adhere to.The National Association of Social Workers represents nearly 145,000 social workers across the country. Our mission is to promote, protect and advance the social work profession. We hope you enjoy this series about how you can make a difference by becoming a social worker. Next, we are going to talk about choosing social work.19. What does the speaker mainly talk about?20. What do social workers mainly do?21. What do professional social workers have in common according to the speaker?22. What is Mell Wilson going to talk about in the series?Questions 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.Today, I'd like to talk about what happens when celebrity role models get behind healthy habits but at the same time promote junk food? Currently, there is mounting criticism of Michelle Obama's “Let's Move!” campaign, which fights childhood obesity by encouraging youngsters to become more physically active, and has signed on singer Beyoncé, and basketball player Shaquille O'Neal, both of whom also endorse sodas, which are a major contributor to the obesity epidemic. Now there's a lot more evidence of how powerful a celebrity -- especially a professional athlete --can be in influencing children's behavior.In a report published by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, researchers studied 100 professional athletes and their endorsement contracts. The team focused on athletes since they are theoretically the best role models for active, healthy lifestyles for children. After sorting the deals by category, they determined that among the 512 brands associated with the athletes, most involved sporting goods, followed closely by food and beverage brands.Sports drinks, which are often high in sugar and calories, made up most of the food and drink deals, with soft drinks and fast food filling out the remainder. Of the 46 beverages endorsed by professional athletes, 93% relied exclusively on sugar for all of their calories.It's no surprise that high profile athletes can influence children's eating behaviors, but the scientists were able to quantify how prevalent these endorsements are in the children's environment. Advertisements featuring professional athletes and their endorsed products tend to get impressive exposure, on TV, radio, in print and online. And in 2010, the researchers reported that children ages 12 to 17 saw more athlete-endorsed food and beverage brand commercials than adults.One reason any campaign wants a popular celebrity spokesperson is because kids are attracted to them no matter what they are doing. We can't expect kids to turn off that admiration when the same person is selling sugar. At best, kids might be confused. At worst, they'll think themessages about soda are the same as the messages about water. But those two beverages aren't the same.If children are turning to athletes as role models, it's in their best interest if their idols are consistent. Consistent messaging of positive behaviors will show healthier lifestyles for kids to follow.23. What is the aim of Michelle Obama's campaign?24. What does research find about advertisements featuring professional athletes?25. What does the speaker think kids' idols should do?This is the end of Listening Comprehension.。

2016年12月大学英语六级考试真题（第二套）Part III Reading Comprehension （40 minutes）Section ADirections: 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 carefullybefore making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark thecorresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You maynot use any of the words in the bank more than once.The tree people in the Lord of the Rings—the Ents—can get around by walking. But for real trees, it’s harder to uproot. Because they’re literally rooted into the ground, they are unable to leave and go 26 .When a tree first starts growing in a certain area, it’s likely that the 27 envelope-the temperature, humidity, rainfall patterns and so on-suits it. Otherwise, it would be unable to grow from a seedling. But as it 28 , these conditions may change and the area around it may no longer be suitable for its 29 .When that happens, many trees like walnuts, oaks and pines, rely 30 on so-called “scatter hoarders”, such as birds, to move their seeds to new localities. Many birds like to store food for the winter, which they 31 retrieve. When the birds forget to retrieve their food-and they do sometimes-a seedling has a chance to grow. The bird Clark’s nutcracker, for example, hides up to 100,000 seeds per year, up to 30 kilometers away from the seed source, and has a very close symbiotic（共生的）relationship with several pine species, most 32 the white bark pine.As trees outgrow their ideal 33 in the face of climate change, these flying ecosystem engineers could be a big help in 34 trees. It’s a solution for us-getting birds to do the work is cheap and effective-and it could give 35 oaks and pines the option to truly “make like a tree and leave”.Section BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which theinformation is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked witha letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.The American Workplace Is Broken. Here’s How We Can Start Fixing It.[A]Americans are working longer and harder hours than ever before. 83% of workers say they’re stressed about their jobs, nearly 50% say work-related stress is interfering with their sleep, and 60% use their smartphones to check in with work outside of normal working hours. No wonder only 13% of employees worldwide feel engaged in their occupation.[B]Glimmers（少许）of hope, however, are beginning to emerge in this bruising environment: Americans are becoming aware of the toll their jobs take on them, and employers are exploring ways to alleviate the harmful effects of stress and overwork. Yet much more work remains to be done. To call stress an epidemic isn’t exaggeration. The 83% of American employees who are stressed about their jobs-up from 73% just a year before-say that poor compensation and an unreasonable workload are their number-one sources of stress. And if you suspected that the workplace had gotten more stressful than it was just a few decades ago, you’re right. Stress levels increased 18% for women and 24% for men from 1983 to 2009. Stress is also starting e arlier in life, with some data suggesting that today’s teens are even more stressed than adults.[C]Stress is taking a significant toll on our health, and the collective public health cost may be enormous. Occupational stress increases the risk of heart attack and diabetes, accelerates the aging process, decreases longevity, and contributes to depression and anxiety, among numerous other negative health outcomes. Overall, stress-related health problems account for up to 90% of hospital visits, many of the m preventable. Your job is “literally killing you”, as The Washington Post put it. It’s also hurting our relationships. Working parents say they feel stressed, tired, rushed and short on quality time with their children, friends and partners.[D]Seven in 10 workers say they struggle to maintain work-life balance. As technology（and with it, work emails）seeps（渗入）into every aspect of our lives, work-life balance has become an almost meaningless term. Add a rapidly changing economy and an uncertain future to this 24/7 connectivity, and you’ve got a recipe for overwork, according to Phyllis Moen. “There’s rising work demand coupled with the insecurity of mergers, takeovers, downsizing and other factors,” Moen said. “Part of the work-life issue has to talk about uncertainty about the future.”[E] These factors have converged to create an increasingly impossible situation with many employees overworking to the point of burnout. It’s not only unsustainable for workers, but also for the companies that employ them. Science has shown a clear correlation between high stress levels in workers and absenteeism（旷工）, reduced productivity, disengagement and high turnover. Too many workplace policies effectively prohibit employees from developing ahealthy work-life balance by barring them from taking time off, even when they need it most.[F]The U.S. trails far behind every wealthy nation and many developing ones that have family-friendly work policies including paid parental leave, paid sick days and breast-feeding support. According to a 2007 study, the U.S. is also the only advanced economy that does not guarantee workers paid vacation time, and it’s one of only two countries in the world that does not offer guaranteed paid maternity leave. But even when employees are given paid time off, workplace norms and expectations that pressure them to overwork often prevent them from taking it. Fulltime employees who do have paid vacation days only use half of them on average.[G]Our modern workplaces also operate based on outdated time constraints. The practice of clocking in for an eight-hour workday is a leftover from the days of the Industrial Revolution, as reflected in the then-popular saying, “Eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest”.[H] We’ve held on t o this workday structure—but thanks to our digital devices, many employees never really clock out. Today, the average American spends 8.8 hours at work daily, and the majority of working professionals spend additional hours checking in with work during eve nings, weekends and even vacations. The problem isn’t the technology itself, but that the technology is being used to create more flexibility for the employer rather than the employee. In a competitive work environment, employers are able to use technology to demand more from their employees rather than motivating workers with flexibility that benefits them.[I]In a study published last year, psychologists coined the term “workplace telepressure” to describe an employee’s urge to immediately respond to em ails and engage in obsessive thoughts about returning an email to one’s boss, colleagues or clients. The researchers found that telepressure is a major cause of stress at work, which over time contributes to physical and mental burnout. Of the 300 employees participating in the study, those who experienced high levels of telepressure were more likely to agree with statements assessing burnout, like “I’ve no energy for going to work in the morning”, and to report feeling fatigued and unfocused. Telepressure was also correlated with sleeping poorly and missing work.[J]Harvard Business School professor Leslie Perlow explains that when people feel the pressure to be always “on”, they find ways to accommodate that pressure, including altering their schedules, work habits and interactions with family and friends. Perlow calls this vicious cycle the “cycle of responsiveness”: Once bosses and colleagues experience an employee’s increased responsiveness, they increase their demands on the employee’s time. And becau se a failure to accept these increased demands indicates a lack of commitment to one’s work, the employee complies.[K] To address skyrocketing employee stress levels, many companies have implemented workplace wellness programs, partnering with health care providers that have created programs to promote employee health and well-being. Some research does suggest that these programs hold promise. A study of employees at health insuranceprovider Aetna revealed that roughly one quarter of those taking in-office yoga and mindfulness classes reported a 28% reduction in their stress levels and a 20% improvement in sleep quality. These less-stressed workers gained an average of 62 minutes per week of productivity. While yoga and meditation（静思）are scientifically proven to reduce stress levels, these programs do little to target the root causes of burnout and disengagement. The conditions creating the stress are long hours, unrealistic demands and deadlines, and work-life conflict.[L]Moen and her colleagues may have found the solution. In a 2011 study, she investigated the effects of implementing a Results Only Work Environment（ROWE）on the productivity and well-being of employees atBest Buy’s corporate headquarters.[M]For the study, 325 employees spent six months taking part in ROWE, while a control group of 334 employees continued with their normal workflow. The ROWE participants were allowed to freely determine when, where and how they worked—the only thing that mattered was that they got the job done. The results were striking. After six months, the employees who participated in ROWE reported reduced work-family conflict and a better sense of control of their time, and they were getting a full hour of extra sleep each night. The employees were less likely to leave their jobs, resulting in reduced turnover. It’s important to note that the increased flexibility didn’t encourage them to work around the clock. “They didn’t work anywhere and all the time—they were better able to manage their work,” Moen said. “Flexibility and control is key,” she continued.36. Workplace norms pressure employees to overwork, deterring them from taking paid time off.37. The overwhelming majority of employees attribute their stress mainly to low pay and an excessive workload.38. According to Moen, flexibility gives employees better control over their work and time.39. Flexibility resulting from the use of digital devices benefits employers instead of employees.40. Research finds that if employees suffer from high stress, they will be less motivated, less productive and morelikely to quit.41. In-office wellness programs may help reduce stress levels, but they are hardly an ultimate solution to the problem.42. Health problems caused by stress in the workplace result in huge public health expenses.43. If employees respond quickly to their job assignments, the employer is likely to demand more from them.44. With technology everywhere in our life, it has become virtually impossible for most workers to keep a balancebetween work and life.45. In America today, even teenagers suffer from stress, and their problem is even more serious than grown-ups’.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide onthe best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through thecentre.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.Dr. Donald Sadoway at MIT started his own battery company with the hope of changing the world’s energy future. It’s a dramatic endorsement for a technology most people think about only when their smartphone goes dark. But Sadoway isn’t alone in trumpeting energy storage as a missing link to a cleaner, more efficient, and more equitable energy future.Scientists and engineers have long believed in the promise of batteries to change the world. Advanced batteries are moving out of specialized markets and creeping into the mainstream, signaling a tipping point for forward-looking technologies such as electric cars and rooftop solar panels.The ubiquitous（无所不在的）battery has already come a long way, of course. For better or worse, batteries make possible our mobile-first lifestyles, our screen culture, our increasingly globalized world. Still, as impressive as all this is, it may be trivial compared with what comes next. Having already enabled a communications revolution, the battery is now poised to transform just about everything else.The wireless age is expanding to include not just our phones, tablets, and laptops, but also our cars, homes, and even whole communities. In emerging economies, rural communities are bypassing the wires and wooden poles that spread power. Instead, some in Africa and Asia are seeing their first light bulbs illuminated by the power of sunlight stored in batteries.Today, energy storage is a $33 billion global industry that generates nearly 100 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year. By the end of the decade, it’s expected to be worth over $50 billion and generate 160 gigawatt-hours, enough to attract the attention of major companies that might not otherwise be interested in a decidedly pedestrian technology. Even utility companies, which have long viewed batteries and alternative forms of energy as a threat, are learning to embrace the technologies as enabling rather than disrupting.Today’s battery breakthroughs come as the world looks to expand modern energy access to the billion or so people without it, while also cutting back on fuels that warm the planet. Those simultaneous challenges appear less overwhelming with increasingly better answers to a centuries-old question: how to make power portable.To be sure, the battery still has a long way to go before the nightly recharge completely replaces the weekly trip to the gas station. A battery-powered world comes with its own risks, too. What happens to the centralized electric grid, which took decades and billions of do llars to build, as more and more people become “prosumers”, who produce and consume their own energy onsite?No one knows which—if any—battery technology will ultimately dominate, but one thing remains clear. The future of energy is in how we store it.46. What does Dr. Sadoway think of energy storage?A）It involves the application of sophisticated technology.B）It is the direction energy development should follow.C）It will prove to be a profitable business.D）It is a technology benefiting everyone.47. What is most likely to happen when advanced batteries become widely used?A）Mobile-first lifestyles will become popular.B）The globalization process will be accelerated.C）Communications will take more diverse forms.D）The world will undergo revolutionary changes.48. In some rural communities of emerging economies, people have begun to __________.A）find digital devices simply indispensableB）communicate primarily by mobile phoneC）light their homes with stored solar energyD）distribute power with wires and wooden poles49. Utility companies have begun to realize that battery technologies __________.A）benefit their businessB）transmit power fasterC）promote innovationD）encourage competition50. What does the author imply about the centralized electric grid?A）It might become a thing of the past.B）It might turn out to be a “prosumer”.C）It will be easier to operate and maintain.D）It will have to be completely transformed.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.More than 100 years ago, American sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois was concerned that race was being used as a biological explanation for what he understood to be social and cultural differences between different populations of people. He spoke out against the idea of “white” and “black” as distinct groups, claiming that these distinctions ignored the scope of human diversity.Science would favor Du Bois. Today, the mainstream belief among scientists is that race is a social construct without biological meaning. In an article published in the journal Science, four scholars say racial categories need to be phased out.“Essentially, I could not agree more with the authors,” said Svante Pääbo, a biologist and director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany. In one example that demonstrated genetic differences were not fixed along racial lines, the full genomes（基因组）of James Watson and Craig Venter, two famous American scientists of European ancestry, were compared to that of a Korean scientist, Seong-Jin Kim. It turned out that Watson and Venter shared fewer variations in their genetic sequences than they each shared with Kim.Michael Yudell, a professor of public health at Drexel University in Philadelphia, said that modern genetics research is operating in a paradox: on the one hand, race is understood to be a useful tool to illuminate human genetic diversity, but on the other hand, race is also understood to be a poorly defined marker of that diversity.Assumptions about genetic differences between people of different races could be particularly dangerous in a medical setting. “If you make clinical predictions based on somebody’s race, you’re going to be wrong a good chunk of the time,” Yudell told Live Science. In the paper, he and his colleagues used the example of cystic fibrosis, which is underdiagnosed in people of African ancestry because it is thought of as a “white” disease.So what other variables could be used if the racial concept is thrown out? Yudell said scientists need to get more spec ific with their language, perhaps using terms like “ancestry” or “population” that might more precisely reflect the relationship between humans and their genes, on both the individual and population level. The researchers also acknowledged that there are a few areas where race as a construct might still be useful in scientific research: as a political and social, but not biological, variable.“While we argue phasing out racial terminology（术语）in the biological sciences, we also acknowledge thatusing race as a political or social category to study racism, although filled with lots of challenges, remains necessary given our need to understand how structural inequities and discrimination produce health disparities（差异）between groups.” Yudell said.51. Du Bois was opposed to the use of race as ________.A）a basis for explaining human genetic diversityB）an aid to understanding different populationsC）an explanation for social and cultural differencesD）a term to describe individual human characteristics52. The study by Svante Pääbo served as an example to show ________.A）modern genetics research is likely to fuel racial conflictsB）race is a poorly defined marker of human genetic diversityC）race as a biological term can explain human genetic diversityD）genetics research should consider social and cultural variables53. The example of the disease cystic fibrosis underdiagnosed in people of African ancestry demonstrates that _____.A）it is absolutely necessary to put race aside in making diagnosisB）it is important to include social variables in genetics researchC）racial categories for genetic diversity could lead to wrong clinical predictionsD）discrimination against black people may cause negligence in clinical treatment54. What is Yudell’s sugges tion to scientists?A）They be more precise with the language they use.B）They refrain from using politically sensitive terms.C）They throw out irrelevant concepts in their research.D）They examine all possible variables in their research.55. What c an be inferred from Yudell’s remark in the last paragraph?A）Clinging to racism prolongs inequity and discrimination.B）Physiological disparities are quite striking among races.C）Doing away with racial discrimination is challenging.D）Racial terms are still useful in certain fields of study.Part VI Translation （30 minutes）Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.随着中国经济的蓬勃发展，学汉语的人数迅速增加，使汉语成了世界上人们最爱学的语言之一。

2016年12月大学英语六级考试（第2套）Part ⅠWriting (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on creation. Your essay should include the importance of creation and measures to be taken to encourage creation. You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear three news reports. At the end of each news report, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.1. A. They were proud of their cuisine.B. They were particular about food.C. They were all good at cooking.D. They were fond of bacon and eggs.2. A. His parents.B. His friends.C. His parents' friends.D. His schoolmates.3. A. No one of the group ate it.B. It was a little overcooked.C. No tea was served with the meal.D. It was the real English breakfast.4. A. It was full of excitement.B. It was rather disappointing.C. It was a risky experience.D. It was really extraordinary.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.5. A. The woman's earnings over the years.B. The key to running a shop at a low cost.C. The business success of the woman's shop.D. The woman's relationship with other shops.6. A. Keep down its expenses.B. Expand its business scale.C. Improve its customer service.D. Upgrade the goods it sells.7. A. They are in great demand.B. They are delivered free of charge.C. They are very-popular with the local residents.D. They are sold at lower prices than in other shops.8. A. To maintain friendly relationships with other shops.B. To avoid being put out of business in competition.C. To attract more customers in the neighborhood.D. To follow the custom of the local shopkeepers.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 9 to 12 are based on the passage you have just heard.9. A. They are on the verge of extinction because of pollution.B. They carry plant seeds and spread them to faraway places.C. They deliver pollutants from the ocean to their nesting sites.D. They can be used to deliver messages in times of emergency.10. A. They originate from Devon Island in the Arctic area.B. They migrate to the Arctic Circle during the summer.C. They have the ability to survive in extreme weathers.D. They travel as far as 400 kilometers in search of food.11. A. They had become more poisonous.B. They were carried by the wind.C. They poisoned some of the fulmars.D. They were less than on the continent.12. A. The effects of the changing climate on Arctic seabirds.B. The harm Arctic seabirds may cause to humans.C. The diminishing colonies for Arctic seabirds.D. The threats humans pose to Arctic seabirds.Questions 13 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.13. A. It has remained basically the same.B. It has become better understood.C. It has been exaggerated.D. It has decreased.14. A. It is now the second leading cause of death for centenarians.B. It develops more easily in centenarians not actively engaged.C. It calls for more intensive research.D. It has had no effective cure so far.15. A. They cherish their life more than ever.B. Their minds fall before their bodies do.C. Their quality of life deteriorates rapidly.D. They care more about their physical health.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.16. A. They form the basis on which he builds his theory of love.B. They were carried out over a period of some thirty years.C. They were done by his former colleague at Yale.D. They are focused more on attraction than love.17. A. The relationship cannot last long if no passion is involved.B. It is not love if you don't wish to maintain the relationship.C. Romance is just impossible without mutual understanding.D. Intimacy is essential but not absolutely indispensable to love.18. A. Whether it is true love without commitment.B. Which of them is considered most important.C. How the relationship is to be defined if any one is missing.D. When the absence of any one doesn't affect the relationship.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the recording you have just heard.19. A. The history of social work.B. Social work as a profession.C. Academic degrees required of social work applicants.D. The aim of the National Association of Social Workers.20. A. They try to change people's social behavior.B. They raise people's awareness of the environment.C. They create a lot of opportunities for the unemployed.D. They help enhance the well-being of the underprivileged.21. A. They have all made a difference through their work.B. They are all members of the National Association.C. They all have an academic degree in social work.D. They have all received strict clinical training.22. A. Social workers' job options and responsibilities.B. Ways for social workers to meet people's needs.C. The importance of training for social workers.D. The promotion of social workers' social status.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.23. A. To fight childhood obesity.B. To help disadvantaged kids.C. To urge kids to follow their role models.D. To encourage kids to play more sports.24. A. They are most effective when appearing on TV.B. They best boost product sales when put online.C. They are becoming more and more prevalent.D. They impress kids more than they do adults.25. A. Do what they advocate in public.B. Always place kids' interest first.C. Pay attention to their image before children.D. Message positive behaviors at all times.Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select out one word for each blank from a lot 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 itemon Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Small communities, with their distinctive character—where life is stable and intensely human—are disappearing. Some have __26____ from the face of the earth, others are dying slowly, but all have ___27___ changes as they have come into contact with an ___28___ machine civilization. The merging of diverse peoples into a common mass has produced tension among members of the minorities and the majority alike.The Old Order Amish, who arrived on American shores in colonial times, have ___29___ in the modern world in distinctive, small communities. They have resisted the homogenization ___30___ more successfully than others. In planting and harvest times one can see their bearded men working the fields with horses and their women hanging out the laundry in neat rows to dry. Many American people have seen Amish families with the men wearing broad-brimmed black hats and the women in long dresses. In railway or bus ___31___.Although the Amish have lived with ___32___ America for over two and a half centuries. They have moderated its influence on their personal lives, their families, communities, and their values.The Amish are often ___33___ by other Americans to be relics of the past who live a simple, inflexible life dedicated to inconvenient out-dated customs. They are seen as abandoning both modem ___34___ and the American dream of success and progress, But most people have no quarrel with the Amish for doing things the old-fashioned way. Their conscientious objection was tolerated in wartime. For after all. They are good farmers who ___35___ the virtues of work and thrift.A)accessing I)progressB)conveniences J)respectiveC)destined K)survivedD)expanding L)terminalsE)industrialized M)undergoneF)perceived N)universalG)practice O)vanishedH)processSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Countries Rush for Upper Hand in AntarcticaA) On a glacier-filled island with fjords（峡湾）and elephant seals, Russia has built Antarctica’s first Orthodox church on a bill overlooking its research base. Less than an hour away by snowmobile. Chinese laborers have updated the Great Wall Station, a vital part of China’s plan to operate five basses on Antarctica, complete with an indoor badminton court and sleeping quarters for 150 peop le. Not to be outdone, India’s futuristic new Bharathi base, built on stills（桩子）using 134 interlocking shipping containers, resembles a spaceship. Turkey and Iran have announced plans to build bases, too.B) More than a century has passed since explorers raced to plant their flags at the bottom of the world, and for decades to come this continent is supposed to be protected as a scientific preserve, shielded from intrusions like military activities and mining . But an array of countries are rushing to assert greater influence here, with an eye not just towards the day those protective treaties expire, but also for the strategic and commercial that already exist.C) The newer players are stepping into what they view as a treasure house of resources. Some of the ventures focus on the Antarctic resources that are already up for grabs, like abundant sea life. South Korea, which operates state-of–the-art bases here, is increasing its fishing of krill（磷虾），found in abundance in the Southern Ocean, while Russia recen tly frustrated efforts to create one of the world’s largest ocean sanctuaries here.D) Some scientists are examining the potential for harvesting icebergs form Antarctica, which is estimated to have the biggest reserves of fresh water on the planet. Nations are also pressing ahead with space research and satellite projects to expand their global navigation abilities.E) Building on a Soviet-era foothold, Russia is expanding its monitoring stations for Glonass, its version of the Global Positioning System(GPS). At least three Russian stations are already operating in Antarctica, part of its effort to challenge the dominance of the American GPS, and new stations are planned for sites like the Russian base, in the shadow of the Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity.F) Elsewhere in Antarctica, Russian researchers boast of their recent discovery of a freshwater reserve the size of Lake Ontario after drilling through miles of solid ice. “You can see that we’re here to stay,” said Vladimir Cheberdak, 57, chief of the Bellingshausen Station, as he sipped tea under a portrait of Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Russian Navy who explored the Antarctic coast in 1820.G) Antarctica’s mineral, oil and gas wealth are a longer-term prize. The treaty banning mining here, shielding coveted(令人垂诞的)reserves of iron ore, coal and chromium, comes up for review in 2048. Researchers recently found kimberlite(金伯利岩) deposits hinting at the existence of diamonds. And while assessments vary widely, geologists estimate that Antarctica holds at least 36 billion barrels of oil and natural gas.H) Beyond the Antarctic treaties, huge obstacles persist to tapping these resources, like drifting icebergs that could jeopardize offshore platforms. Then there is Antarctic’s remoteness, with some mineral deposits found in windswept locations on a continent that is larger the Europe and where winter temperatures hover around minus 55 degrees Celsius.I) But advances in technology might make Antarctica a lot more accessible three decades from now. And even before then, scholars warn, the demand for resources in an energy-hungry world could raise pressure to renegotiate Antarctica’s treaties, possibly allowing more commercial endeavours here well before the prohibit ions against them expire. The research stations on King George lsland offer a glimpse into the long game on this ice-blanketed continent as nations assert themselves, eroding the sway long held by countries like the United States, Britain. Australia and New Zealand.J) Being stationed in Antarctica involves adapting to life on the planet’s driest, windiest and coldest continent, yet each nation manages to make itself at home. Bearded Russian priests offer regular services at the Orthodox church for the 16 or so Russian speakers who spend the winter at the base, largely polar scientists in fields like glaciology and meteorology. Their number climbs to about 40 in the warmer summer months. China has arguably the fastest growing operations in Antarctica. It opened its fourth station last year and is pressing ahead with plans to build a fifth. It is building its second ice-breaking ship and setting up research drilling operations on an ice dome 13,422 feet above sea level that is one the planet’s coldest places. Chinese officials say the expansion in Antarctica prioritises scientific research. But they also acknowledge that concerns about “resource security” influence their moves.K) China’s newly renovated Great Wall Station on King George lsland makes the Russia n and Chilean bases here seem outdated. ”We do weather monitoring here and other research.” Ning Xu, 53, the chief of the Chinese base, said over tea during a fierce blizzard(暴风雪) in late November. The large base he leads resembles a snowed-in college campus on holiday break, with the capacity to sleep more than 10 times the 13 people who were staying on through the Antarctic winter. Yong Yu, a Chinese microbiologist, showed off the spacious building, with empty desks under an illustrated timeline detailing the rapid growth of China’s Antarctic operations since the 1980s “We now feel equipped to grow,” he said.L) As some countries expand operations in Antarctica, the United States maintains three year-round stations on the continent with more than 1,000 peo ple during the southern hemisphere’s summer, including those at the Amundsen Scott station, built in 1956 at an elevation of 9,301 feet on a plateau at the South Pole. But US researchers quietly complain about budget restraints and having far fewer icebreakers the Russia, limiting the reach of the United States in Antarctica.M) Scholars warn that Antarctica’s political drift could blur the distinction between military and civilian activities long before the continent’s treaties come up for renegotiation, e specially in parts of Antarctica that are ideal for intercepting(拦截) signals from satellites or retasking satellite systems, potentially enhancing global electronic intelligence operations.N) Some countries have had a hard time here, Brazil opened a research station in 1984, but it was largely destroyed by a fire that killed two members of the navy in 2012, the same year that a diesel-laden Brazilian barge sank near the base. As if that were not enough. a Brazilian C-130 Hercules military transport plane has remained stranded near the runway of Chile’s air base here since it crash-landed in 2014.O) However, Brazil’s stretch of misfortune has created opportunities for China, with a Chinese company winning the $100 million contract in 2015 to rebuild the Brazilian station.P) Amid all the changes, Antarctica maintains its allure. South Korea opened its second Antarctic research base in 2014, describing it as a way to test robots developed by Korean researchers for use in extreme conditions. With Russia’s help, Belarus is preparing to build this first Antarctic base. Colombia said this year that it planned to join other South American nations with bases in Antarctica.Q) “The old days of the Antarctic being dominated by the interests and wishes of white men fro m European. Australasian and North American states are over.” Said Klaus Dodds, a politics scholar at the University of London who specialises in Antarctica. “The reality is that Antarctica is geopolitically contested.”36. According to Chinese officials, their activities in Antarctica lay greater emphasis on scientific research.37. Efforts to create one of the world’s largest ocean sanctuaries failed because of Russia’s obstruction.38. With several monitoring stations operating in Antarctica, Russia is t rying hard to counter America’s dominance in the field of worldwide navigational facilities.39. According to geologists’ estimates. Antarctica has enormous reserves of oil and natural gas.40. It is estimated that Antarctica boasts of the richest reserves of fresh water on earth.41. The demand for energy resources may compel renegotiation of Antarctica’s treaties before their expiration.42. Many countries are racing against each other to increase their business and strategic influence on Antarctica.43. Antarctica’s harsh natural conditions constitute huge obstacles to the exploitation of its resources.44. With competition from many countries, Antarctica is no longer dominated by the traditional white nations.45. American scientists complain about lack of sufficient money and equipment for their expansion in Antarctica. Passage oneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.Any veteran nicotine addict will testify that fancy packaging plays no role in the decision to keep smoking. So, it is argued, stripping cartons of their branding will trigger no mass movement to quit.But that isn’t why the government—under pressure from cancer charities, health workers and the Labour party—has agreed to legislate for standardized packaging. The theory is that smoking should be stripped of any appeal to discourage new generations from starting in the first place. Plain packaging would be another step in the reclassification of cigarettes from inviting consumer products to narcotics（麻醉剂）.Naturally, the tobacco industry is violently opposed. No business likes to admit that it sells addictive poison as a lifestyle choice. That is why government has historically intervened, banning advertising, imposing health warnings and punitive(惩罚性的) duties. This approach has led over time to a fall in smoking with numbers having roughly halved since the 1970s. Evidence from Australia suggests plain packaging pushes society further along that road. Since tobacco as one of the biggest causes of premature death in the UK, a measure that tames the habit even by a fraction is worth trying.So why has it taken so long? The Department of Health declared its intention to consider the move in November 2010 and consulted through 2012. But the plan was suspended in July 2013. It did not escape notice that a lobbying firm set up by Lynton Crosby, David Cameron’s election campaign director, had previously acted for Philip Morris International. (The prime minister denied there was a connection between his news adviser’s outside interests and the change in legislative programme.) In November 2013, after an unnecessary round of additional consultation, health minister Jane Ellison said the government was minded to proceed after all. Now we are told Members of Parliament (MPs) will have a free voice before parliament is dissolved in March.Parliament has in fact already authorised the government to tame the tobacco trade. MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of Labour amendments to the children and families bill last February that included the power to regulate for plain packaging. With sufficient will in Downing Street this would have been done already. But strength of will is the missing ingredient where Mr. Cameron and public health are concerned. His attitude to state intervention has looked confused ever since his bizarre 2006lament(叹息) that chocolate oranges placed seductively at supermarket check-outs fueled obesity.The government has moved reluctantly into a sensible public health policy, but with such obvious over-cautiousness that any political credit due belongs to the opposition. Without sustained external pressure it seems certain Mr. Cameron would still be hooked on the interests of big tobacco companies.46. What do chain smokers think of cigarette packaging?A) Fancy packaging can help to engage new smokers.B) It has little to do with the quality or taste of cigarettes.C) Plain packaging discourages non-smokers from taking up smoking.D) It has little impact on their decision whether or not to quit smoking.47. What has the UK government agreed to do concerning tobacco packaging?A) Pass a law to standardise cigarette packaging.B) Rid cigarette cartons of all advertisements.C) Subsidise companies to adopt plain packaging.D) Reclassify cigarettes according to packaging.48. What has happened in Australia where plain packaging is implemented?A) Premature death rates resulting from smoking have declined.B) The number of smokers has dropped more sharply than in the UK.C) The sales of tobacco substitutes have increased considerably.D) Cigarette sales have been falling far more quickly than in the UK.49. Why it taken so long for the UK government to consider plain packaging?A) Prime Minister Cameron has been reluctant to take action.B) There is strong opposition from veteran nicotine addicts.C) Many Members of Parliament are addicted to smoking.D) Pressure from tobacco manufacturers remains strong.50. What did Cameron say about chocolate oranges at supermarket checkouts?A) They fueled a lot of controversy.B) They made more British people obese.C) They attracted a lot of smokers.D) They had certain ingredients missing.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.What a waste of money!In return for an averageof£44,000 of debt,students get an average of only 14 hours of lecture and tutorial time a week in Britain. Annual fees have risen from£1,000 to $9,000 in the last decade. But contact time at university has barely risen at all. And graduating doesn’t even provide any guarantee of a decent job:sixin ten graduates today are in non-graduate jobs.No wonder it has become fashionable to denounce many universities as little more that elaborate com-tricks(骗术). There’s a lotfor students to complain about the repayment threshold for paying back loans will be frozen for five years, meaning that lower-paid graduals have to start repaying their loans, and maintenance grants have been replaced by loans meaning that students from poorer backgrounds face higher debt than those with wealthier parents.Yet it still pa ys to go to university. If going to university doesn’t work out, students pay very little—if any—of their tuition fees back, you only start repaying when you are earning £21, 000 a year. Almost half of graduates—thosewho go on to earn less—will have a por tion of their debt written off. It’s not just the lectures and tutorials that are important. Education is the sum of what students teach each other in between lectures and seminars. Students do not merely benefit while at university, studies show they go on to be healthier and happier than non-graduates, and also far more likely to vote.Whatever your talents, it is extraordinarily difficult to get a leading job in most fields without having been to university. Recruiters circle elite universities like vulturous(兀鹰). Many top firms will not even look at applications from those who lack a 2.1, i.e., an upper-second class degree, from an elite university. Students at university also meet those likely to be in leading jobs in the future, forming contacts for life. This might not be right, but school-leavers who fail to acknowledge as much risk making the wrong decision about going to university.Perhaps the reason why so many universities offer their students so little is they know studying at a top university remains a brilliant investment even if you don’t learn anything.Studying at university will only become less attractive if employers shift their focus away from where someone went to university—and there is no sign of that happening anytime soon. School-leavers may moan, but they have little choice but to embrace university and the student debt that comes with it.51. What is the author’s opinion of going to university?A) It is worthwhile after all.B) It is simply a waste of time.C) It is hard to say whether it is good or bad.D) It is too expensive for most young people.52. What does the author say about the employment situation of British university graduates?A) Few of them are satisfied with the jobs they are offered.B) It usually takes a long time for them to find a decent job.C) Graduates from elite universities usually can get decent jobs.D) Most of them take jobs which don’t require a college degree.53. What does the author say is important for university students besides classroom instruction?A) Making sure to obtain an upper-second class degree.B) Practical skills they will need in their future careers.C) Interactions among themselves outside the classroom.D) Developing independent and creative thinking abilities.54. What is said to be an advantage of going to university?A) Learning how to take risks in an ever-changing world.B) Meeting people who will be helpful to you in the future.C) Having opportunities of playing a leading role in society.D) Gaining up-to-date knowledge in science and technology.55. What can we infer from the last paragraph?A) It is natural for students to make complaints about university education.B) Few students are willing to bear the burden of debt incurred at university.C) University education is becoming attractive to students who can afford it.D) The prestige of the university influences employers’ recruitment decisions.Part IV Translation (30minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.随着中国经济的蓬勃发展，学汉语的人数迅速增加，使汉语成了世界上人们最爱学的语言之一。

2016年12月大学英语六级考试真题(第1套)Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on invention. Your essay should include the importance of invention and measures to be taken to encourage invention. You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.Part H Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D.Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre. Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.1. A. It tries to predict the possible trends of global climate change.B. It studies the impacts of global climate change on people's lives.C. It links the science of climate change to economic and policy issues.D. It focuses on the efforts countries can make to deal with global warming.2. A. It will take a long time before a consensus is reached on its impact.B. It would be more costly to deal with its consequences than to avoid it.C. It is the most pressing issue confronting all countries.D. It is bound to cause endless disputes among nations.3. A. The transition to low-carbon energy systems.B. The cooperation among world major powers.C. The signing of a global agreement.D. The raising of people's awareness.4. A. Carry out more research on it.B. Cut down energy consumption.C. Plan well in advance.D. Adopt new technology.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.5. A. When luck plays a role.B. what determines success.C. Whether practice makes perfect.D. How important natural talent is.6. A. It knocks at your door only once in a while.B. It is something that no one can possibly create.C. It comes naturally out of one's self-confidence.D. It means being good at seizing opportunities.7. A. Luck rarely contributes to a person's success.B. One must have natural talent to be successful.C. One should always be ready to seize opportunities.D. Practice is essential to becoming good at something.8. A. Putting time and effort into fun things is profitable.B. People who love what they do care little about money.C. Being passionate about work can make one wealthy.D. People in need of money work hard automatically.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre. Questions 9 to 12 are based on the passage you have just heard.9. A. The stump of a giant tree.B. A huge piece of rock.C. The peak of a mountain.D. A tall chimney.10. A. Human activity.B. Wind and water.C. Chemical processes.D. Fire and fury.11. A. It is a historical monument.B. It was built in ancient times.C. It is Indians' sacred place for worship.D. It was created by supernatural powers.12. A. By sheltering them in a cave.B. By killing the attacking bears.C. By lifting them well above the ground.D. By taking them to the top of a mountain.Questions 13 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.13. A. They will buy something from the convenience stores.B. They will take advantage of the time to rest a while.C. They will have their vehicles washed or serviced.D. They will pick up some souvenirs or gift items.14. A. They can bring only temporary pleasures.B. They are meant for the extremely wealthy.C. They should be done away with altogether.D. They may eventually drive one to bankruptcy.15. A. A good way to socialize is to have daily lunch with one's colleagues.B. Retirement savings should come first in one's family budgeting.C. A vacation will be affordable if one saves 20 dollars a week.D. Small daily savings can make a big difference in one's life.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.16. A. They should be done away with.B. They are necessary in our lives.C. They enrich our experience.D. They are harmful to health.17. A. They feel stressed out even without any challenges in life.B. They feel too overwhelmed to deal with life's problems.C. They are anxious to free themselves from life's troubles.D. They are exhausted even without doing any heavy work. ~18. A. They expand our mind.B. They prolong our lives.C. They narrow our focus.D.They lessen our burdensQuestions 19 to 22 are based on the recording you have just heard.19. A. It is not easily breakable.B. It came from a 3D printer.C. It represents the latest style.D. It was made by a fashion designer.20. A. When she had just graduated from her college.B. When she attended a conference in New York.C. When she was studying at a fashion design school.D. When she attended a fashion show nine months ago.21. A. It was difficult to print.B. It was hard to come by.C. It was hard and breakable.D. It was extremely expensive.22. A. It is the latest model of a 3D printer.B. It is a plastic widely used in 3D printing.C. It gives fashion designers room for imagination.D. It marks a breakthrough in printing material.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.23. A. They arise from the advances in technology.B. They have not been examined in detail so far.C. They are easy to solve with modern technology.D. They can't be solved without government support.24. A. It is attractive to entrepreneurs.B. It demands huge investment.C. It focuses on new products.D. It is intensely competitive.25. A. Cooperation with big companies.B. Recruiting more qualified staff.C. In-service training of IT personnel.D. Sharing of costs with each other.Part ⅢReading Comprehension (40 minutes) Section ADirections: 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 on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passage.It is important that scientists be seen as normal people asking and answering important questions. Good, sound science depends on 26 , experiments and reasoned methodologies. It requires a willingness to ask new questions and try new approaches. It requires one to take risks and experience failures. But good science also requires 27 understanding,clear explanation and concise presentation.Our country needs more scientists who are willing to step out in the public 28 and offer their opinions on important matters. We need more scientists who can explain what they are doing in language that is 29 and understandable to the public. Those of us who are not scientists should also be prepared to support public engagement by scientists, and to 30 scientific knowledge into our public communications.Too many people in this country, including some among our elected leadership, still do not understand how science works or why robust, long-range investments in research vitally matter. In the 1960s, the United States 31 nearly 17% of discretionary (可酌情支配的) spending to research and development,32 decades of economic growth. By 2008, the figure had fallen into the single 33 This occurs at a time when other nations have made significant gains in their own research capabilities.At the University of California (UC), we 34 ourselves not only on the quality of our research, but also on its contribution to improving our world. To 35 the development of science from the lab bench to the market place, UC is investing our own money in our own good ideas.A. arenaB. contextualC. convincingD. devotedE. digitsF. hastenG. hypothesesH. impairingI. incorporateJ. indefiniteK. indulgeL. inertiaM. prideN. reapingO. warrant Section BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once.Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Are We in an Innovation Lull?[A] Scan the highlights of this year's Consumer Electronics Show ( CES ), and you may get a slight feeling of having seen them before. Many of the coolest gadgets this year are the same as the coolest gadgets last year--or the year before, even. The booths are still exciting, and the demos are still just as crazy. It is still easy to be dazzled by the display of drones (无人机),3D printers,virtual reality goggles ( 眼镜) and more "smart" devices than you could ever hope to catalog.Upon reflection, however, it is equally easy to feel like you have seen it all before. And it is hard not to think: Are we in an innovation lull ( 间歇期) ?[B] In some ways, the answer is yes. For years, smartphones, televisions, tablets, laptops and desktops have made up a huge part of the market and driven innovation. But now these segments are looking at slower growth curves--or shrinking markets in some cases--as consumers are not aseager to spend money on new gadgets. Meanwhile, emerging technologies--the drones,3D printers and smart-home devices of the world--now seem a bit too old to be called "the next big thing. " [C] Basically the tech industry seems to be in an awkward period now. "There is not any one-hit wonder, and there will not be one for years to come," said Gary Shapiro, president and chief executive of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). In his eyes, however, that doesn't necessarily mean that innovation has stopped. It has just grown up a little. "Many industries are going out of infancy and becoming adolescents," Shapiro said.[D] For instance, new technologies that are building upon existing technology have not found their footing well enough to appeal to a mass audience, because, in many cases, they need to work effectively with other devices to realize their full appeal. Take the evolution of the smart home,for example. Companies are pushing it hard but make it almost overwhelming even to dip a toe in the water for the average consumer, because there are so many compatibility issues to think about. No average person wants to figure out whether their favorite calendar software works with their fridge or whether their washing machine and tablet get along. Having to install a different app for each smart appliance in your home is annoying; it would be nicer if you could manage everything together. And while you may forgive your smartphone an occasional fault, you probably have less patience for error messages from your door lock.[E] Companies are promoting their own standards, and the market has not had time to choose a winner yet as this is still very new. Companies that have long focused on hardware now have to think of ecosystems instead to give consumers practical solutions to their everyday problems."The dialogue is changing from what is technologically possible to what is technologically meaningful," said economist Shawn DuBravac. DuBravac works for CTA--which puts on the show each year--and said that this shift to a search for solutions has been noticeable as he researched his predictions for 2016.[F] "So much of what CES has been about is the cool. It is about the flashiness and the gadgets," said John Curran, managing director of research at Accenture. "But over the last couple of years,and in this one in particular, we are starting to see companies shift from what is the largest screen size, the smallest form factor or the shiniest object and more into what all of these devices do that is practical in a consumer's life. " Even the technology press conferences, which have been high- profile in the past and reached a level of drama and theatrics fitting for a Las Vegas stage, have a different bent to them. Rather than just dazzling with a high cool factor, there is a focus on the practical. Fitbit, for example, released its first smartwatch Monday, selling with a clear purpose--to improve your fitness--and promoting it as a "tool, not a toy. " Not only that, it supports a number of platforms: Apple's iOS, Google's Android and Microsoft's Windows phone.[G] That seems to be what consumers are demanding, after all. Consumers are becoming increasingly bored with what companies have to offer: A survey of 28,000 consumers in 28 countries released by Accenture found consumers are not as excited about technology as they once were. For example, when asked whether they would buy a new smartphone this year, only 48 percent said yes--a six-point drop from 2015.[H] And when it comes to the hyper-connected super-smart world that technology firms are painting for us, it seems that consumers are growing more uneasy about handing over the massive amounts of consumer data needed to provide the personalized, customized solutions that companies need to improve their services. That could be another explanation for why companies seem to be strengthening their talk of the practicality of their devices.[I] Companies have already won part of the battle, having driven tech into every part of our lives, tracking our steps and our very heartbeats. Yet the persistent question of " Why do I need that?"--or, perhaps more tellingly, "Why do you need to know that?"--dogs the steps of many new ventures. Only 13 percent of respondents said that they were interested in buying a smartwatch in 2016, for example--an increase of just one percent from the previous year despite a year of high-profile launches. That is bad news for any firm that may hope that smartwatches can make up ground for maturing smartphone and tablet markets. And the survey found flat demand for fitness monitors, smart thermostats (恒温器) and connected home cameras, as well.[J] According to the survey, that lack of enthusiasm could stem from concerns about privacy and security. Even among people who have bought connected devices of some kind,37 percent said that they are going to be more cautions about using these devices and services in the future. A full 18 percent have even returned devices until they feel they can get safer guarantees against having their sensitive information hacked.[K] That, too, explains the heavy Washington presence at this year's show, as these new technologies intrude upon heavily regulated areas. In addition to many senior officials from the Federal Trade and Federal Communications commissions, this year's list of policy makers also includes appearances from Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, to talk about smart cities, and Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Michael Huerta, to talk about drones.[L] Curran, the Accenture analyst, said that increased government interest in the show makes sense as technology becomes a larger part of our lives. "There is an incompatibility in the rate at which these are advancing relative to the way we're digesting it," he said. "Technology is becoming bigger and more aspirational, and penetrating almost every aspect of our lives. We have to understand and think about the implications, and balance these great innovations with the potential downsides they naturally carry with them. "36. Consumers are often hesitant to try smart-home devices because they are worried about compatibility problems.37. This year's electronics show featured the presence of many officials from the federal government.38. The market demand for electronic devices is now either declining or not growing as fast as before.39. One analyst suggests it is necessary to accept both tlie positive and negative aspects of innovative products.40. The Consumer Electronics Show in recent years has begun to focus more on the practical value than the showiness of electronic devices.41. Fewer innovative products were found at this year's electronic products show.42. Consumers are becoming more worried about giving personal information to tech companies to get customized products and services.43. The Consumer Technology Association is the sponsor of the annual Consumer Electronics Show.44. Many consumers wonder about the necessity of having their fitness monitored.45. The electronic industry is maturing even though no wonder products hit the market.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You shoulddecide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.The Paris climate agreement finalised in December last year heralded a new era for climate action. For the first time, the world's nations agreed to keep global warming well below 2℃.This is vital for climate-vulnerable nations. Fewer than 4% of countries are responsible for more than half of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. In a study published in Nature Scientific Reports, we reveal just how deep this injustice runs.Developed nations such as Australia, the United States, Canada, and European countries are essentially climate "free-riders": causing the majority of the problems through high greenhouse gas emissions, while incurring few of the costs such as climate change's impact on food and water. In other words, a few countries are benefiting enormously from the consumption of fossil fuels, while at the same time contributing disproportionately to the global burden of climate change.On the flip side, there are many "forced riders", who are suffering from the climate change impacts despite having scarcely contributed to the problem. Many of the world's most climate vulnerable countries, the majority of which are African or small island states, produce a very small quantity of emissions. This is much like a non-smoker getting cancer from second-hand smoke, while the heavy smoker is fortunate enough to smoke in good health.The Paris agreement has been widely hailed as a positive step forward in addressing climate change for all, although the details on addressing "climate justice" can be best described as sketchy.The goal of keeping global temperature rise "well below" 2~C is commendable but the emissions-reduction pledges submitted by countries leading up to the Paris talks are very unlikely to deliver on this.More than $100 billion in funding has been put on the table for supporting developing nations to reduce emissions. However, the agreement specifies that there is no formal distinction between developed and developing nations in their responsibility to cut emissions, effectively ignoring historical emissions. There is also very little detail on who will provide the funds or, importantly, who is responsible for their provision. Securing these funds, and establishing who is responsible for raising them will also be vital for the future of climate-vulnerable countries.The most climate-vulnerable countries in the world have contributed very little to creating the global disease from which they now suffer the most. There must urgently be a meaningful mobilization of the policies outlined in the agreement if we are to achieve national emissions reductions while helping the most vulnerable countries adapt to climate change.And it is clearly up to the current generation of leaders from high-emitting nations to decide whether they want to be remembered as climate change tyrants or pioneers.46. The author is critical of the Paris climate agreement becauseA. it is unfair to those climate-vulnerable nationsB. it aims to keep temperature rise below 2℃ onlyC. it is beneficial to only fewer than 4% of countriesD. it burdens developed countries with the sole responsibility47. Why does the author call some developed countries climate "free-riders"?A. They needn't worry about the food and water they consume.B. They are better able to cope with the global climate change.C. They hardly pay anything for the problems they have caused.D. They are free from the greenhouse effects affecting "forced riders".48. Why does the author compare the "forced riders" to second-hand smokers?A. They have little responsibility for public health problems.B. They are vulnerable to unhealthy environmental conditions.C. They have to bear consequences they are not responsible for.D. They are unaware of the potential risks they are confronting.49. What does the author say about the $100 billion funding?A. It will motivate all nations to reduce carbon emissions.B. There is no final agreement on where it will come from.C. There is no clarification of how the money will be spent.D. It will effectively reduce greenhouse emissions worldwide.50. what urgent action must be taken to realise the Paris climate agreement?A. Encouraging high-emitting nations to take the initiative.B. Calling on all the nations concerned to make joint efforts.C. Pushing the current world leaders to come to a consensus.D. Putting in effect the policies in the agreement at once.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.Teenagers at risk of depression, anxiety and suicide often wear their troubles like a neon (霓虹灯)sign. Their risky behaviors--drinking too much alcohol, using illegal drugs, smoking cigarettes and skipping school--can alert parents and teachers that serious problems are brewing. But a new study finds that there's another group of adolescents who are in nearly as much danger of experiencing the same psychiatric symptoms: teens who use tons of media, don't get enough sleep and have a sedentary (不爱活动的) lifestyle.Of course, that may sound like a description of every teenager on the planet. But the study warns that it is teenagers who engage in all three of these practices in the extreme who are truly in jeopardy. Because their behaviors are not usually seen as a red flag, these young people have been dubbed the "invisible risk" group by the study's authors."In some ways they're at greater risk of falling through the cracks," says researcher Vladimir Carli. "While most parents, teachers and clinicians would react to an adolescent using drugs or getting drunk, they may easily overlook teenagers who are engaging in inconspicuous behaviors." The study's authors surveyed 12,395 students and analyzed nine risk behaviors, including excessive alcohol use, illegal drug use, heavy smoking, high media use and truancy (逃学). Their aim was to determine the relationship between these risk behaviors and mental health issues in teenagers.About 58% of the students demonstrated none or few of the risk behaviors. Some 13% scored high on all nine of the risk behaviors. And 29%, the "invisible risk" group, scored high on three in particular: They spent five hours a day or more on electronic devices. They slept six hours a night or less. And they neglected "other healthy activities."The group that scored high on all nine of the risk behaviors was most likely to show symptoms of depression; in all, nearly 15% of this group reported being depressed, compared with just 4% of the low-risk group. But the invisible group wasn't far behind the high-risk set, withmore than 13% of them exhibiting depression.The findings caught Carli off guard. "We were very surprised," he says. "The high-risk group and low-risk group are obvious. But this third group was not only unexpected, it was so distinct and so large--nearly one third of our sample--that it became a key finding of the study. "Carli says that one of the most significant things about his study is that it provides new early-warning signs for parents, teachers and mental health-care providers. And early identification, support and treatment for mental health issues, he says, are the best ways to keep them from turning into full-blown disorders.51. What does the author mean by saying "Teenagers at risk of depression, anxiety and suicide often wear their troubles like a neon sign" (Lines 1 - 2, Para.1 ) ?A. Mental problems can now be found in large numbers of teenagers.B. Teenagers' mental problems are getting more and more attention.C. Teenagers' mental problems are often too conspicuous not to be observed.D. Depression and anxiety are the most common symptoms of mental problems.52. What is the finding of the new study?A. Teenagers' lifestyles have changed greatly in recent years.B. Many teenagers resort to drugs or alcohol for mental relief.C. Teenagers experiencing psychological problems tend to use a lot of media.D. Many hitherto unobserved youngsters may have psychological problems.53. Why do the researchers refer to teens who use tons of media, don't get enough sleep and havea sedentary lifestyle as the "invisible risk" group?A. Their behaviors can be an invisible threat to society.B. Their behaviors do not constitute a warning signal.C. Their behaviors do not tend towards mental problems.D. Their behaviors can be found in almost all teenagers on earth.54. What does the new study find about the invisible group?A. They are almost as liable to depression as the high-risk group.B. They suffer from depression without showing any symptoms.C. They do not often demonstrate risky behaviors as their peers.D. They do not attract the media attention the high-risk group does.55. What is the significance of Vladimir Carli's study?A. It offers a new treatment for psychological problems among teenagers.B. It provides new early-warning signals for identifying teens in trouble.C. It may have found an ideal way to handle teenagers with behavioral problems.D. It sheds new light on how unhealthy behaviors trigger mental health problems.Part ⅣTranslation (30 minutes)Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.随着生活水平的提高，度假在中国人生活中的作用越来越重要。

2016年12月英语四级真题及答案详解和听力原文第二套2016年12月英语四级真题及答案详解和听力原文第二套2016年12月英语四级真题第二套Part I Writing (30minutes)(请于正式开考后半小时内完成该部分，之后将进行听力考试)For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay. Suppose you have two options upon graduation: one is to work in a state-owned business and the other in a joint venture. You are to make a choice between the two. Write an essay to explain the reasons for your choice. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.Part II Listening Comprehension （25 minutes )Section ADirections：In this section, you will hear three news reports. At the end of each news report, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C). Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer sheet1with a single line through the centre.Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just the heard .1. A) It was dangerous to live in.C) He could no longer pay the rent.B) It was going to be renovated. D) He had sold it to the royal family.2. A) A strike.B)A storm. C) A forest fire. D) A Terrorist attack.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard .3. A) They lost contact with the emergency department.B) They were trapped in an underground elevator.C) They were injured by suddenly falling rocks.D) They sent calls for help via a portable radio.4. A) They tried hard to repair the accident.B) They released the details of the accident.C) They sent supplies to keep the miners warm.D) They provided the miner with food and water.Question s 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard .5. A) Raise postage rates. C) Redesign delivery routes.B) Improve its services. D) Close some of its post offices.6. A) Shortening business hours. C) Stopping mail delivery on Saturdays.B) Closing offices on holidays. D) Computerizing mail sorting processes.7. A) Many post office staff will lose their jobs. C) Taxpayers will be very pleased.B) Many people will begin to complain. D) A lot of controversy will arise.Section BDirections：In this section，you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation，you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from four choice marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter an Answer sheet1 with a single line though the centre.Question s 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard .8. A) He will be kept from promotion.C) He will be given a warning.B) He will go through retraining. D) He will lose part of his pay.9. A) He is always on time. C) He is an experienced press operator.B) He is trustworthy guy. D) He is on good terms with his workmates.10. A) She is a trade union representative. C) She is a senior manager of the shop.B) She is in charge of public relation. D) She is better at handing such matters.11. A) He is skilled and experienced.C) He is always trying to stir up trouble.B) He is very close to the manager.D) He is always complaining about low wages.Question s 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard .12. A) Open.B) Friendly. C) Selfish.D)Reserved.13. A)They stay quiet.C) They talk about the weather.B) They read a book. D) They chat with fellow passengers.14. A) She was always treated as a foreigner.B) She was eager to visit an English castle.C) She was never invited to a colleague’s home.D) She was unwilling to make friends with workmates.15. A) House are much more quiet. C) They want to have more space.B) Houses provide more privacy. D) They want a garden of their own.Section CDirections：In this section，you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard .16.A) They don’t have much choice of jobs.B) They are likely to get much higher pay.C) They don’t have to go through job interviews.D) They will automatically be given hiring priority.17. A)Ask their professors for help. C) Visit the school careers services.B)Look at school bulletin boards. D) Go through campus newspapers.18. A)Helping students find the books and journals they need.B)Supervising study spaces to ensure a quiet atmosphere.C)Helping students arrange appointments with librarians.D)Providing students with information about the library.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard .19. A) It tastes better. C) It may be sold at a higher price.B) It is easier to grow.D) It can better survive extreme weathers.20. A) It is healthier than green tea.C) It will replace green tea one day.B) It can grow in drier soil. D) It is immune to various diseases.21. A)It has been well received by many tea drinkers.B) It does not bring the promised health benefits.C)It has made tea farmers’life easier.D) It does not have a stable market.。

2016年12，月大学英语四级，考试真题附答案，（第二套.）Part IWriting(30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay. Suppose you have twooptions upon graduation: one is to take a job in a company and the other to go to agraduate school. You are to make a choice between the two. Write an essay to explain thereasons for your choice. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180words.Part ⅡListening Comprehension(25 minutes )Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear three news reports. At the end of each newsreport, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report and thequestions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you mustchoose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D .Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single linethrough the centre.Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.1. A. To satisfy the curiosity of tourists.B. To replace two old stone bridges.C. To enable tourists to visit Goat Island.D. To improve utility services in the state.2. A. Countless tree limbs.B. A few skeletons.C. Lots of wrecked boats and ships.D. Millions of coins on the bottom.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3. A. It suspended diplomatic relations with Libya.B. It urged tourists to leave Tunisia immediately.C. It shut down two border crossings with Libya.D. It launched a fierce attack against Islamic State.4. A. Advise Tunisian civilians on how to take safety precautions.B. Track down the organization responsible for the terrorist attack.C. Train qualified security personnel for the Tunisian government.D. Devise a monitoring system on the Tunisian border with Libya.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5. A. An environment-friendly battery.B. An energy-saving mobile phone.C. A plant-powered mobile phone charger.D. A device to help plants absorb sunlight.6. A. While sitting in their school's courtyard.B. While playing games on their phones.C. While solving a mathematical problem.D. While doing a chemical experiment.7. A. It increases the applications of mobile phones.B. It speeds up the process of photosynthesis.C. It improves the reception of mobile phones.D. It collects the energy released by plants.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation,you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken onlyonce. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choicesmarked A, B, C and D. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1with a single line through the centre.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8. A. He visited the workshops in the Grimsby plant.B. He called the woman and left her a message.C. He used stand-ins as replacements on all lines.D. He asked a technician to fix the broken production line.9. A. It is the most modern production line.B. It assembles super-intelligent robots.C. It has stopped working completely.D. It is going to be upgraded soon.10. A. To seek her permission.B. To place an order for robots.C. To request her to return at once.D. To ask for Tom's phone number.11. A. She is on duty.B. She is having her day off.C. She is on sick leave.D. She is abroad on business.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A. He saved a baby boy's life.B. He wanted to be a superhero.C. He prevented a train crash.D. He was a witness to an accident.13. A. He has a 9-month-old boy.B. He is currently unemployed.C. He enjoys the interview.D. He commutes by subway.14. A. A rock on the tracks.B. A misplaced pushchair.C. A strong wind.D. A speeding car.15. A. She stood motionless in shock.B. She cried bitterly.C. She called the police at once.D. She shouted for help.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you will hearthree or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices markedA, B, C and D. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with asingle line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A. She inherited her family ice-cream business in Billings.B. She loved the ice-cream business more than teaching primary school.C. She started an ice-cream business to finance her daughter's education.D. She wanted to have an ice-cream truck when she was a little girl.17. A. To preserve a tradition.B. To amuse her daughter.C. To help local education.D. To make some extra money.18. A. To raise money for business expansion.B. To make her truck attractive to children.C. To allow poor kids to have ice-cream too.D. To teach kids the value of mutual support.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A. The reasons for imposing taxes.B. The various services money can buy.C. The various burdens on ordinary citizens.D. The function of money in the modem world.20. A. Educating and training citizens.B. Improving public transportation.C. Protecting people's life and property.D. Building hospitals and public libraries.21. A. By asking for donations.B. By selling public lands.C. By selling government bonds.D. By exploiting natural resources.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A. It is located at the center of the European continent.B. It relies on tourism as its chief source of revenues.C. It contains less than a square mile of land.D. It is surrounded by France on three sides.23. A. Its beauty is frequently mentioned in American media.B. Its ruler Prince Rainier married an American actress.C. It is where many American movies are shot.D. It is a favorite place Americans like to visit.24. A. Tobacco.B. Potatoes.C. Machinery.D. Clothing.25. A. European history.B. European geography.C. Small countries in Europe.D. Tourist attractions in Europe.Part ⅢReading Comprehension(40 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one wordfor each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read thepassage through carefully before making your choices.Each choice in the bank isidentified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on AnswerSheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in thebank more than once.Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passage.The ocean is heating up. That's the conclusion of a new study that finds that Earth's oceans now26heat at twice the rate they did 18 years ago. Around half of ocean heat intake since 1865 hastaken place since 1997, researchers report online in Nature Climate Change.Warming waters are known to27 to coral bleaching (珊瑚白化) and they take up more spacethan cooler waters, raising sea28While the top of the ocean is well studied, its depths are moredifficult to 29The researchers gathered 150 years of ocean temperature data in order to get abetter30 of heat absorption from surface to seabed. They gathered together temperature readingscollected by everything from a 19th century31 of British naval ships to modem automated oceanprobes. The extensive data sources,32 with computer simulations ( 计算机模拟), created atimeline of ocean temperature changes, including cooling from volcanic outbreaks and warming fromfossil fuel33About 35 percent of the heat taken in by the oceans during the industrial era now resides at a34 of more than 700 meters, the researchers found. They say they're35whether the deep-seawarming canceled out warming at the sea's surface.A. absorbB. CombinedC. ContributeD. depthE. emissionsF. excursionG. exploreH. floorI. heightsJ. indifferentK. levelsL. mixedM. pictureN. unsureO. voyageSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Eachstatement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraphfrom which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once.Each paragraph is marked with a letter.Answer the questions by marking thecorresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.The Secret to Raising Smart KidsA) I first began to investigate the basis of human motivation--and how people persevere aftersetbacks--as a psychology graduate student at Yale University in the 1960s. Animal experiments bypsychologists at the University of Pennsylvania had shown that after repeated failures, most animalsconclude that a situation is hopeless and beyond their control. After such an experience an animaloften remains passive even when it can effect change--a state they called learned helplessness.B) People can learn to be helpless, too. Why do some students give up when they encounter difficulty,whereas others who are no more skilled continue to strive and learn? One answer, I soondiscovered, lay in people's beliefs about why they had failed.C) In particular, attributing poor performance to a lack of ability depresses motivation more than doesthe belief that lack of effort is to blame. When I told a group of school children who displayedhelpless behavior that a lack of effort led to their mistakes in math, they learned to keep tryingwhen the problems got tough. Another group of helpless children who were simply rewarded fortheir success on easier problems did not improve their ability to solve hard math problems. Theseexperiments indicated that a focus on effort can help resolve helplessness and generate success.D) Later, I developed a broader theory of what separates the two general classes of learners--helplessversus mastery-oriented. I realized these different types of students not only explain their failuresdifferently, but they also hold different "theories" of intelligence.The helpless ones believeintelligence is a fixed characteristic: you have only a certain amount, and that's that. I call this a"fixed mind-set (思维模式). " Mistakes crack their self-confidence because they attribute errors toa lack of ability, which they feel powerless to change. They avoid challenges because challengesmake mistakes more likely. The mastery-oriented children, on the other hand, think intelligence isnot fixed and can be developed through education and hard work. Such children believe challengesare energizing rather than intimidating (令人生畏); they offer opportunities to learn. Studentswith such a growth mind-set were destined (注定) for greater academic success and were quitelikely to outperform their counterparts.E) We validated these expectations in a study in which two other psychologists andI monitored 373students for two years during the transition to junior high school, when the work gets more difficultand the grading more strict, to determine how their mind-sets might affect their math grades. At thebeginning of seventh grade, we assessed the students' mind-sets by asking them to agree or disagreewith statements such as "Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can't reallychange. " We then assessed their beliefs about other aspects of learning and looked to see whathappened to their grades.F) As predicted, the students with a growth mind-set felt that learning was a more important goal thangetting good grades. In addition, they held hard work in high regard. They understood that evengeniuses have to work hard. Confronted by a setback such as a disappointing test grade, studentswith a growth mind-set said they would study harder or try a different strategy. The students whoheld a fixed mind-set, however, were concerned about looking smart with less regard for learning.They had negative views of effort, believing that having to work hard was a sign of low ability.They thought that a person with talent or intelligence did not need to work hard to do well.Attributing a bad grade to their own lack of ability, those with a fixed mind-set said that they wouldstudy less in the future, try never to take that subject again and consider cheating on future tests.G) Such different outlooks had a dramatic impact on performance. At the start of junior high, the mathachievement test scores of the students with a growth mind-set were comparable to those ofstudents who displayed a fixed mind-set. But as the work became more difficult, the students witha growth mind-set showed greater persistence. As a result, their math grades overtook those of theother students by the end of the first semester--and the gap between the two groups continued towiden during the two years we followed them.H) A fixed mind-set can also hinder communication and progress in the workplace and discourage orignore constructive criticism and advice. Research shows that managers who have a fixed mind-setare less likely to seek or welcome feedback from their employees than are managers with a growthmind-set.I) How do we transmit a growth mind-set to our children? One way is by telling stories aboutachievements that result from hard work. For instance, talking about mathematical geniuses whowere more or less born that way puts students in a fixed mind-set, but descriptions of greatmathematicians who fell in love with math and developed amazing skills produce a growth mind-set.J) In addition, parents and teachers can help children by providing explicit instruction regarding themind as a learning machine. I designed an eight-session workshop for 91 students whose mathgrades were declining in their first year of junior high.Forty-eight of the students receivedinstruction in study skills only, whereas the others attended a combination of study skills sessionsand classes in which they learned about the growth mind-set and how to apply it to schoolwork. Inthe growth mind-set classes, students read and discussed an article entitled "You Can Grow YourBrain. " They were taught that the brain is like a muscle that gets stronger with use and thatlearning prompts the brain to grow new connections. From such instruction, many students beganto see themselves as agents of their own braindevelopment. Despite being unaware that there weretwo types of instruction, teachers reported significant motivational changes in 27% of the childrenin the growth mind-set workshop as compared with only 9% of students in the control group. K) Research is converging (汇聚) on the conclusion that great accomplishment and even genius istypically the result of years of passion and dedication and not something that flows naturally from agift.36. The author's experiment shows that students with a fixed mind-set believe having to work hard is an indication of low ability.37. Focusing on effort is effective in helping children overcome frustration and achieve success.38. We can cultivate a growth mind-set in children by telling success stories that emphasize hard work and love of learning.39. Students' belief about the cause of their failure explains their attitude toward setbacks.40. In the author's experiment, students with a growth mind-set showed greater perseverance in solving difficult math problems.41. The author conducted an experiment to find out about the influence of students' mind-sets on math learning.42. After failing again and again, most animals give up hope.43. Informing students about the brain as a learning machine is a good strategy to enhance their motivation for learning.44. People with a fixed mind-set believe that one's intelligence is unchangeable.45. In the workplace, feedback may not be so welcome to managers with a fixed mind-set.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions orunfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A., B., C. AndD . You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage."Sugar, alcohol and tobacco," economist Adam Smith once wrote," are commodities which arenowhere necessaries of life, which have become objects of almost universal consumption, and whichare, therefore, extremely popular subjects of taxation. " Two and a haft centuries on, most countries impose some sort of tax on alcohol and tobacco. Withsurging obesity levels putting increasing strain on public health systems, governments around the worldhave begun to toy with the idea of taxing sugar as well.Whether such taxes work is a matter of debate. A preliminary review of Mexico's taxation found afall in purchases of taxed drinks as well as a rise in sales of untaxed and healthier drinks. By contrast,a Danish tax on foods high in fats was abandoned a year after its introduction, amid claims thatconsumers were avoiding it by crossing the border to Germany to satisfy their desire for cheaper, fattierfare.The food industry has, in general, been firmly opposed to such direct governmentaction.Nonetheless, the renewed focus on waistlines means that industry groups are under pressure todemonstrate their products are healthy as well as tasty.Over the past three decades, the industry has made some efforts to improve the quality of itsofferings. For example, some drink manufacturers have cut the amount of sugar in their beverages.Many of the reductions over the past 30 years have been achieved either by reducing the amount ofsugar, salt or fat in a product, or by finding an alternative ingredient. More recently, however, somecompanies have been investing money in a more ambitious undertaking: learning how to adjust thefundamental make-up of the food they sell. For example, having salt on the outside, but none on theinside, reduces the salt content without changing the taste.While reformulating recipes ( 配方) is one way to improve public health, it should be part of amulti-sided approach. The key is to remember that there is not just one solution. To deal with obesity,a mixture of approaches--including reformulation, taxation and adjusting portion sizes--will beneeded. There is no silver bullet.46. What did Adam Smith say about sugar, alcohol and .tobacco?A. They were profitable to manufacture.B. They were in ever-increasing demand.C. They were subject to taxation almost everywhere.D. They were no longer considered necessities of life.47. Why have many countries started to consider taxing sugar?A. They are under growing pressure to balance their national budgets.B. They find it ever harder to cope with sugar-induced health problems.C. The practice of taxing alcohol and tobacco has proved both popular and profitable.D. The sugar industry is overtaking alcohol and tobacco business in generating profits.48. What do we learn about Danish taxation on fat-rich foods?A. It did not work out as well as was expected.B. It gave rise to a lot of problems on the border.C. It could not succeed without German cooperation.D. It met with firm opposition from the food industry.49. What is the more recent effort by food companies to make foods and drinks both healthy and tasty?A. Replacing sugar or salt with alternative ingredients.B. Setting a limit on the amount of sugar or salt in their products.C. Investing in research to find ways to adapt to consumers' needs.D. Adjusting the physical composition of their products.50. What does the author mean by saying, at the end of the passage, "There is no silver bullet" ( Line 4, Para.7)?A. There is no single easy quick solution to the problem.B. There is no hope of success without public cooperation.C. There is no hurry in finding ways to solve the obesity problem.D. There is no effective way to reduce people's sugar consumption.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.You may have heard some of the fashion industry horror stories: models eating tissues or cottonballs to hold off hunger, and models collapsing from hunger-induced heart attacks just seconds afterthey step off the runway.Excessively skinny models have been a point of controversy for decades, and two researchers saya model's body mass should be a workplace health and safety issue. In an editorial released Monday inthe American Journal of Public Health, Katherine Record and Bryn Austin made their case forgovernment regulation of the fashion industry.The average international runway model has a body mass index (BMI) under 16--low enough toindicate starvation by the World Health Organization's standard. And Record and Austin are worried notjust about the models themselves, but about the vast number of girls and women their images influence."Especially girls and teens," says Record. "Seventy percent of girls aged 10 to 18 report that theydefine perfect body image based on what they see in magazines. " That's especially worrying, she says,given that anorexia (厌食症) results in more deaths than does any other mental illness, according tothe National Institute of Mental Health.It's commonly known that certain diseases are linked with occupations like lung disease in coalminers. Professional fashion models are particularly vulnerable to eating disorders resulting fromoccupational demands to maintain extreme thinness. Record's suggestion is to prohibit agents from hiring models with a BMI below 18. In April, France passed a law setting lower limits for a model's weight. Agents and fashion houseswho hire models with a BMI under 18 could pay $ 82,000 in fines and spend up to 6 months in jail.Regulating the fashion industry in the United States won't be easy, Record says. But with the new rulesin France, U.S. support could make a difference. "A designer can't survive without participating inParis Fashion Week", she says, adding," Our argument is that the same would be true of New YorkFashion Week. "51. What do Record and Austin say about fashion models' body mass?A. It has caused needless controversy.B. It is but a matter of personal taste.C. It is the focus of the modeling business.D. It affects models' health and safety.52. What are Record and Austin advocating in the Monday editorial?A. A change in the public's view of female beauty.B. Government legislation about models' weight.C. Elimination of forced weight loss by models.D. Prohibition of models eating non-food stuff.53. Why are Record and Austin especially worried about the low body mass index of models?A. It contributes to many mental illnesses.B. It defines the future of the fashion industry.C. It has great influence on numerous girls and women.D. It keeps many otherwise qualified women off the runway.54. What do we learn about France's fashion industry?A. It has difficulty hiring models.B. It has now a new law to follow.C. It allows girls under 18 on the runway.D. It has overtaken that of the United States.55. What does Record expect of New York Fashion Week?A. It will create a completely new set of rules.B. It will do better than Paris Fashion Week.C. It will differ from Paris Fashion Week.D. It will have models with a higher BMI.Part ⅣTranslation( 30 minutes )Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese intoEnglish. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.在中国文化中，黄颜色是一种很重要的颜色，因为它具有独特的象征意义。

2016年12⽉六级真题2（含答案）姓名:________学号:_________班级:_________2016年12⽉⼤学英语六级真题2Part1writing(30minutes)160;For this part,you are allowed30minutes to write a short essay oninnovation.Your essay should include the importance of innovation and measures to be taken to encourage innovation.You are required to write at least150words but no more than200words.___________：M:Guess what?The worst food I′ve ever had was in France.W:Really?That′s odd.(1)I thought the French were all good cooks.M:Yes.That′s right.I suppose it′s really like anywhere else,though.You know,some places are good.Some bad.But it′s really all our own fault.W:What do you mean?M:Well,it was the first time I′d been to France.This was years ago when I was at school.(2)I went there with my parents′friends,from my father′s school.They′d hired a coach to take them to Switzerland.W:A school trip?M: Right.Most of them had never been abroad before.We′d crossed the English Channel at night,and we set off through France,and breakfast time arrived,and the coach driver had arranged for us to stop at this little cafe.There we all were,tired and hungry,and then we made the great discovery.W:What was that?M:Bacon and eggs.W:Fantastic! The real Englishbreakfast.M:Yes.Anyway,we didn′t know any better—so we had it,and ugh...!W:What was it like?Disgusting?M:Oh,it was incredible!They just got a bowl and put some fat in it.And then they put some bacon in the fat,broke an egg over thetop and put the whole lot in the oven for about ten minutes.W:In the oven!You′re joking.You can′t cook bacon and eggs in the oven!M:Well.They must have done it that way.It was hot,but it wasn′t cooked.There was just this egg floating about in gallonsof fat and raw bacon.W:(3-1)Did you actually eat it?M:(3-2)No!Nobody did.They all wanted to turn round and go home.You know,back to teabags and fish and chips.You can′t blame them really.Anyway,the next night we were all given another foreign speciality. W:What was that?M:(4)Snails.That really finished them off.Lovely holiday that was!PartⅡSection A Directions：In this section，you will hear8short conversations and2long conversations．At the end of each conversation，one or more questions will be asked about what was said．Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once．After each question there will be a pause．During the pause，you must read the four choices marked A)，B)，C)and D)，and decide which is the best answer．Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet1with a single line through the centre．点击此处播放1.A:They were all good at cooking.B:They were particular about food.C:They were proud of their cuisine.D:They were fond of bacon and eggs.2.A:His parents.B:His friends.C:His schoolmates.D:His parents′friends.3.A:No tea was served with the meal.B:It was the real English breakfast.C:No one of the group ate it.D:It was a little overcooked.4.A:It was full of excitement.B:It was really extraordinary.C:It was a risky experience.D:It was rather disappointing.M:(5)You say your shop has been doing well.Could you give me some idea of what"doing well"means in facts and figures? W:Well,"doing well"means averaging￡1,200or more a week for about7years,making almost a quarter of a million pounds.And"doing well" means your earnings are /doc/9d8930812.htmlst year,we did slightly over50,000and this year,we hope to do more than60,000.So,that′s good if we continue torise.M:Now,that′s gross earnings,I assume.What about your expenses?W:Yes,that′s gross.The expenses, of course,go up steadily.And since we′ve moved to this new shop,the expenses have increased greatly,because it′s a much bigger shop.So I couldn′t say exactly what ourexpenses are.They are something in the region of six or seven thousand pounds a year, which is not high.(6)Commercially speaking,it′s fairly low,and we try to keep our expenses as low as we can.M:(7)And your prices are much lower than the same goods in shops round about.How do the local shopkeepers feel about having a shop doing so wellin their midst?W:Perhaps a lot of them don′t realize how well we are doing,because we don′t make a point of publicizing.That was a lesson we learned very early on.(8)We were very friendly with all local shopkeepers and we happened to mention to a local shopkeeper how much we had made that week.He was very unhappy and never as friendly again.So we make a point of never publicizing the amount of money we make.But we are on very good terms with all the shops.None of them have ever complained that we areputting them out of business or anything like that.I think it′s a nice friendly relationship.Maybe if they did know what we made,perhaps they wouldn′t be sofriendly.点击此处播放5.A:The woman′s relationship with other shops.B:The business success of the woman′s shop.C:The key to running a shop at a low cost.D:The woman′s earnings over the years.6.A:Improve its customer service.B:Expand its business scale.C:Keep down its expenses.D:Upgrade the goods it sells.7.A:They are sold at lower prices than in other shops.B:They are very popular with the local residents.C:They are delivered free of charge.D:They are in great demand.8.A:To follow the custom of the local shopkeepers.B:To attract more customers in the neighborhood.C:To avoid being put out of business in competition.D:To maintain friendly relationships with other shops.Birds are famous for carrying things around.Some,like homing pigeons,can be trained to deliver messages and packages.Other birds unknowingly carry seeds that cling to them for the ride.(9)Canadian scientists have found a worrisome,new example of the power that birds have to spread stuff around.Way up north in the Canadian Arctic,seabirds are picking up dangerous chemicals in the ocean and delivering them to ponds near where the birds live.Some10,000pairs of the birds,called fulmars,a kind of Arctic seabird,make their nests on Devon Island,north of the Arctic Circle.(10)The fulmars travel some400kilometers over the sea to find food.When they return home,their droppings end up all around their nestingsites,including in nearbyponds.(11)Previously,scientists noticed pollutants arriving in the Arctic with the wind.Salmon also carry dangerous chemicals as the fish migrate between rivers and the sea.The bodies of fish and other meat-eaters can build up high levels of the chemicals.To test the polluting power of fulmars,researchers collected samples of deposit from11ponds on Devon Island.In ponds closest to the colony,the results showed there were far more pollutants than in ponds less affected by the birds.The pollutants in the ponds appear to come from fish that fulmars eat when they′re out on the ocean.(12)People who live,hunt,or fish near bird colonies need to be careful,the researchers say.The birds don′t mean to cause harm,but the chemicals they carry can cause major problems.点击此处播放9.A:They can be used to deliver messages in times of emergency.B:They deliver pollutants from the ocean to their nesting sites.C:They carry plant seeds and spread them to faraway places.D:They are on the verge of extinction because of pollution.10.A:They migrate to the Arctic Circle during the summer.B:They originate from Devon Island in the Arctic area.C:They travel as far as400kilometers in search of food.D:They have the ability to survive in extreme weathers.11.A:They were carried by the wind.B:They had become more poisonous.C:They were less than on the continent.D:They poisoned some of the fulmars.12.A:The threats humans pose to Arctic seabirds.B:The diminishing colonies for Arctic seabirds.C:The harm Arctic seabirds may cause to humans.D:The effects of the changing climate on Arctic seabirds.(13)In recent years,the death rate among American centenarians—people who have lived to age100or older—has decreased,dropping14percent for women and20percent for men from2008to2014.The leading causes of death in this age group are alsochanging.In2000,the top five causes of death for centenarians were heart disease, stroke,flu,cancer and Alzheimer′s disease.(14)But by2014,the death rate from Alzheimer′s disease for this age group had more than doubled—increasing from3.8 percent to8.5percent—making the progressive brain disease the second leading causeof death for centenarians.One reason for the rise in deaths from Alzheimer′s disease in this group may be that developing this condition remains possible even after people beat the odds of dying from other diseases such as cancer.(15)People physicallyfit enough to survive over100years ultimately give in to diseases such as Alzheimer′s which affects the mind and cognitive function.In other words,it appears that their minds give out before their bodies do.On the other hand,the death rate from flu dropped from7.4percent in2000to 4.1percent in2014.That pushed flu from the third leading cause of death to thefifth.Overall,the total number of centenarians is going up.In2014,there were72,197centenarians,comparedto50,281in2000.But because this population is getting larger,the number of deaths in this group is also increasing—18,434centenarians died in2000,whereas25,914died in2014.点击此处播放13.A:It has decreased.B:It has been exaggerated.C:It has become better understood.D:It has remained basically the same.14.A:It develops more easily in centenarians not actively engaged.B:It is now the second leading cause of death for centenarians.C:It has had no effective cure so far.D:It calls for more intensive research.15.A:They care more about their physical health.B:Their quality of life deteriorates rapidly.C:Their minds fail before their bodies do.D:They cherish their life more than ever.Okay.So let′s get started.And to start things off I think what we need to do is consider a definition.(16)I′m going to define what love is but then most of the experiments I′m going to talk about are really focused more on attraction than love.And I′m going to pick a definition from a former colleague,Robert Sternberg,who is now the dean at Tufts University but was here on our faculty at Yale for nearly thirty years.And he has a theory of love that argues that it′s made up of three components: intimacy,passion,and commitment,or what is sometimes called decision commitment.And these are relatively straightforward.He argued that you don′t have love if you don′t have all three of these elements.Intimacy is the feeling of closeness,of connectedness with someone,of bonding.Operationally,you could think of intimacy as you share secrets,you share information with this person that you don′t share with anybody else.Okay.That′s really what intimacy is,the bond that comes from sharing information that isn′t shared with other people.The second element is passion.Passionis the drive that leads to romance.You can think of it as physical attraction.And Sternberg argues that this is a required component of a love relationship.The third element of love in Sternberg′s theory is what he calls decision commitment,the decision that one is in a love relationship,the willingness to label it as such,and a commitment to maintain that relationship at least for some period of time.(17)Sternberg would argue it′s not love if you don′t call it love and if you don′t have some desire to maintain the relationship.So if you have all three of these,intimacy,passion and commitment,in Sternberg′s theory you have love.(18)Now what′s interesting about the theory is what do you have,if you only have one out of three or two out of three.What do you have and how is it different if you have a different two out of three?What′s interesting about this kind of theorizing is it gives rise to many differentcombinations that can be quite interesting when you break them down and start to look them carefully.So what I′ve done is I′ve taken Sternberg′s three elements of love, intimacy,passion and commitment,and I′ve listed out the different kinds of relationships you would have if you had zero,one,two or three out of the three elements.Section B Directions：In this section，you will hear3 shortpassages．At the end ofeachpassage，you will hear some questions．Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once．After you hear a question，you must choose the best answerfrom thefour choices marked A)，B)，C)and D)．Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet1with a single line throughthe centre．点击此处播放16.A:They are focused more on attraction than love.B:They were done by his former colleague at Yale.C:They were carried out over a period of some thirty years.D:They form the basis on which he builds his theory of love.17.A:The relationship cannot last long if ho passion is involved.B:Intimacy is essential but not absolutely indispensable to love.C:It is not love if you don′t wish to maintain the relationship.D:Romance is just impossible without mutual understanding.18.A:Which of them is considered most important.B:Whether it is true love without commitment.C:When the absence of any one doesn′t affect the relationship.D:How the relationship is to be defined if any one is missing.Hi!I am Elizabeth Hoffler,Master of Social Work.I am a social worker,a lobbyist,and a special assistant to the executive director at the National Association of SocialWorkers.(19)Today we are going to be talking about becoming a social worker.Social work is the helping profession.(20)Its primary mission is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic needs of all people,with a particular focus on those who are vulnerable,oppressed,and living in poverty.We often deal with complex humanneeds.Social work is different from other professions,because we focus on the person and environment.We deal with the external factors that impact a person′s situation and outlook.And we create opportunity for assessment and intervention,to help clients and communities cope effectively with their reality and change that reality when necessary.In thousands of ways social workers help other people,people from every age,every background,across the country.Wherever needed,social workers come to help.The most well-known aspect of the profession is that of a social safety net.We help guide people to critical resources and counsel them on life-changingdecisions.(21)There are more than600,000professional social workers in the country, and we all either have a bachelor′s degree,a master′s degree,or a PhD in Social Work.There are more clinically trained social workers than clinically trained psychiatrists,psychologists,and psychiatric nurses combined.Throughout this series you will learn more about the profession,the necessary steps to get a social work degree,the rich history of social work,and the many ways that social workers help /doc/9d8930812.htmlter in this series,you will hear from Stacy Collins and Mel Wilson, fellow social workers at the National Association of Social Workers.Stacy is going to walk you through the step-by-step process of becoming a social worker,and(22)Mel will tell you about the range of options you have once you get your social work degree,as well as the high standards of responsibility the social workers must adhere to.The National Association of Social Workers represents nearly145,000social workers across the country.Our mission is to promote,protect,and advance the social work profession.We hope you enjoy this series about how you can make a difference bybecoming a social worker.Next,we are going to talk about choosing social work.点击此处播放19.A:Social work as a profession.B:The history of social work.C:Academic degrees required of social work applicants.D:The aim of the National Association of Social Workers.20.A:They try to change people′s social behavior.B:They help enhance the well-being of the underprivileged.C:They raise people′s awareness of the environment.D:They create a lot of opportunities for the unemployed.21.A:They have all received strict clinical training.B:They all have an academic degree in social work.C:They are all members of the National Association.D:They have all made a difference through their work.22.A:The promotion of social workers′social status.B:The importance of training for social workers.C:Ways for social workers to meet people′s needs.D:Social workers′job options and responsibilities.Today,I′d like to talk about what happens when celebrity role models get behind healthy habits,but at the same time,promote junk food.(23)Currently,there′s mounting criticism of Michelle Obama′s"Let′s Move!"campaign,which fights childhood obesity by encouraging youngsters to become more physically active,and has signed on singer Beyonce and basketball player Shaquille O′Neal,both of whom also endorse sodas,which are a major contributor to the obesity epidemic.Now there′s a lot more evidence of how powerful a celebrity—especially a professional athlete—can be in influencingchildren′s behavior.In a report published by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University,researchers studied100professional athletes and their endorsement contracts.The team focused on athletes since they are theoretically the best role models for active,healthy lifestyles for children.After sorting the deals by category,they determined that among the512brands associated with the athletes,most involved sporting goods,followed closely by food and beveragebrands.Sports drinks,which are often high in sugar and calories made up most of the food and drink deals,with soft drinks and fast food filling out the remainder.Of the46beverages endorsed by professional athletes,93%relied exclusively on sugar for all of their calories.It′s no surprise that high-profile athletes can influence children′s eating behaviors,but the scientists were able to quantify how prevalent these endorsements are in the children′s environment.Advertisements featuring professional athletes and their endorsed products tend to get impressive exposure on TV,radio,in print and online.(24)And in2010,the researchers reported that children ages12to17 saw more athlete-endorsed food and beverage brand commercials than adults.One reason any campaign wants a popular celebrity spokesperson is because kids areattracted to them no matter what they are doing.We can′t expect kids to turn off thatadmiration when the same person is selling sugar.At best,kids might be confused.At worst,they′ll think the messages about soda are the same as the messages about water, but those two beverages aren′t the same.(25)If children are turning to athletes as role models,it′s in their best interest if their idols are consistent.Consistent messaging of positive behaviors will show healthier lifestyles for kids tofollow.点击此处播放23.A:To fight childhood obesity.B:To help disadvantaged kids.C:To encourage kids to play more sports.D:To urge kids to follow their role models.24.A:They best boost product sales when put online.B:They are most effective when appearing on TV.C:They are becoming more and more prevalent.D:They impress kids more than they do adults.25.A:Always place kids′interest first.B:Do what they advocate in public.C:Message positive behaviors at all times.D:Pay attention to their image before children.PartⅢReading Comprehension(40minutes)Section A Directions：In this section，there is a passage with ten blanks．You are required to select one word for each blankfrom 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 letterfor each item on Answer Sheet2with a single line through the centre You may not use any of the words in the bank m．9re than once．The tree people in the Lord of the Rings—the Ents—can get around by walking.But for real trees,it′s harder touproot.Because they′re literally rooted into the ground,they are unable to leave and go__26__.When a tree first starts growing in a certain area,it′s likely thatthe__27__envelope—:the temperature,humidity,rainfall patterns and so on—suitsit.Otherwise,it would be unable to grow from a seedling.But as it__28__,these conditions may change and the area around it may no longer be suitable for its__29__.When that happens,many trees like walnuts,oaks and pines,rely__30__on so-called "scatter hoarders,"such as birds,to move their seeds to new localities.Many birdslike to store food for the winter,which they__31__retrieve.When the birds forget to retrieve their food—and they do sometimes—a seedling has a chance to grow.The bird Clark′s nutcracker,for example,hides up to100,000seedsper year,up to30kilometers away from the seed source,and has a very closesymbiotic(共⽣的)relationship with several pine species,most__32__the whitebark pine.As trees outgrow their ideal__33__in the face of climate change,these flying ecosystem engineers could be a big helpin__34__trees.It′s a solution for us—getting birds to do the work is cheap and effective—and it could give__35__oaks and pines the option to truly"make like a tree and leave."A)ages I)legacyB)breathing J)notablyC)climatic K)offspringD)elsewhere L)replantingE)exclusively M)subsequentlyF)forever N)vulnerableG)fruitful O)withdrawsH)habitatsSection B Directions:In this section,you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it.Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs.Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived.You may choose a paragraph more than once.Each paragraph is marked with a letter.Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.The American Workplace Is Broken.Here′s How We Can Start Fixing It.[A]Americans are working longer and harder hours than ever before.83%of workers saythey′re stressed about their jobs,nearly50%say work-related stress is interferingwith their sleep,and60%use their smartphones to check in with work outside of normal working hours.No wonder only13%of employees worldwide feel engaged in their occupation.[B]Glimmers(少许)of hope,however,are beginning to emerge in this bruising environment: Americans are becoming aware of the toll their jobs take on them,and employers are exploring ways to alleviate the harmful effects of stress and overwork.Yet much more work remains to be done.To call stress an epidemic isn′t exaggeration.The83%of American employees who are stressed about their jobs—up from73%just a year before—say that poor compensation and an unreasonable workload are their number-one sources of stress.And if you suspected that the workplace had gotten more stressful than it was just a few decades ago,you′re right.Stress levels increased18%for women and24%for men from1983to2009.Stress is also starting earlier in life,with some data suggesting that today′s teens are even more stressed than adults.[C]Stress is taking a significant toll on our health,and the collective public health cost may be enormous.Occupational stress increases the risk of heart attack and diabetes,accelerates the aging process,decreases longevity,and contributes to depression and anxiety,among numerous other negative health outcomes.Overall,stress-related health problems account for up to90%of hospital visits,many of them preventable.Your job is"literally killing you,"as The Washington Post put it.It′s also hurting our relationships.Working parents say they feel stressed,tired,rushed and short on quality time with theirchildren,friends and partners.[D]Seven in10workers say they struggle to maintain work-life balance.Astechnology(and with it,work emails)seeps(渗⼊)into every aspect of our lives,work-life balance has become an almost meaningless term.Add a rapidly changing economy and an uncertain future to this24/7connectivity,and you′ve got a recipe for overwork, according to Phyllis Moen."There′s rising work demand coupled with the insecurity ofmergers,takeovers,downsizing and other factors,"Moen said."Part of the work-life issue has to talk about uncertainty about the future."[E]These factors have converged to create an increasingly impossible situation with many employees overworking to the point of burnout.It′s not only unsustainable for workers,but also for the companies that employ them.Science has shown a clear correlation between high stress levels in workers and absenteeism(旷⼯),reduced productivity,disengagement and high turnover.Too many workplace policies effectively prohibit employees from developing a healthy work-life balance by barring them from taking time off,even when they need it most.[F]The U.S.trails far behind every wealthy nation and many developing ones that have family-friendly work policies including paid parental leave,paid sick days and breast-feeding support,according to a2007study.The U.S.is also the only advanced economy that does not guarantee workers paid vacation time,and it′s one of only two countries in the world that does not offer guaranteed paid maternity leave.But even when employees are given paid time off,workplace norms and expectations that pressure them to overwork often prevent them from taking it.Fulltime employees who do have paid vacation days only use half of them on average.[G]Our modern workplaces also operate based on outdated time constraints.The practice of clocking in for an eight-hour workday is a leftover from the days of the Industrial Revolution,as reflected in the then-popular saying,"Eight hourslabor,eight hours recreation,eight hours rest."[H]We′ve held on to this workday structure—but thanks to our digital devices,many employees never really clockout.Today,the average American spends8.8hours at work daily,and the majority of working professionals spend additional hours checking in with work during evenings,weekends and even vacations.The problem isn′t the technology itself,but that the technology is being used to create more flexibility for theemployer rather than the employee.In a competitive work environment,employers are able to use technology to demand more from their employees rather than motivating workers with flexibility that benefits them.[I]In a study published last year,psychologists coined the term"workplace telepressure"to describe an employee′s urge to immediately respond to emails and engage in obsessive thoughts about returning an email to one′s boss,colleagues or clients.The researchers found that telepressure is a major cause of stress at work, which over time contributes to physical and mental burnout.Of the300employees participating in the study,those who experienced high levels of telepressure were more likely to agree with statements assessing burnout,like"I′ve no energy for going to work in the morning,"and to report feeling fatigued and unfocused.Telepressure was also correlated with sleeping poorly and missing work.[J]Harvard Business School professor Leslie Perlow explains that when people feel the pressure to be always"on,"they find ways to accommodate that pressure,including altering their schedules,work habits and interactions with family and friends.Perlow calls this vicious cycle the"cycle of responsiveness":Once bosses and colleagues experience an employee′s increased responsiveness,they increase their demands on the employee′s time.And because a failure to accept these increased demands indicates a lack of commitment to one′s work,the employee complies.[K]To address skyrocketing employee stress levels,many companies have implemented workplace wellnessprograms,partnering with health care providers that have created programs to promote employee health and well-being.Some research does suggest that these programs hold promise.A study of employees at health insurance provider Aetna revealed that roughly one quarter of those taking in-office yoga and mindfulness classes reported a28%reduction in their stress levels and a20%improvement in sleep quality.These less-stressed workers gained an average of62minutes per week of productivity.While yoga and meditation(静思)are scientifically proven to reduce stress levels,these programs do little to target the root causes of burnout and disengagement.The conditions creating the stress are long hours,unrealistic demands and deadlines,and work-life conflict.[L]Moen and her colleagues may have found the solution.In a2011study,sheinvestigated the effects of implementing a Results Only Work Environment(ROWE)on the productivity and well-being of employees at Best Buy′s corporate headquarters.[M]For the study,325employees spent six months taking part in ROWE,while a control group of334employees continued with their normal workflow.The ROWE participants were allowed to freely determine when,where and how they worked—the only thing that mattered was that they got the job done.The results were striking.After six months,the employees who participated in ROWE reported reduced work-family conflict and a better sense of control of their time,and they were getting a full hour of extra sleep each night.The employees were less likely to leave their jobs,resulting in reduced turnover.It′s important to note that the increased flexibility didn′t encourage them to work around the clock."They didn′t work anywhere and all the time—they were better able to manage their work,"Moen said."Flexibility and control is key,"she continued.36.Workplace norms pressure employees to overwork,deterring them from taking paid time off.___________37.The overwhelming majority of employees attribute their stress mainly to low pay and an excessive workload.__________38.According to Moen,flexibility gives employees better control over their work and time.____________39.Flexibility resulting from the use of digital devices benefits employers instead of employees.____________40.Research finds that if employees suffer from high stress,they will be less motivated,less productive and more likely to quit._______41.In-office wellness programs may help reduce stress levels,but they are hardly an ultimate solution to theproblem.__________42.Health problems caused by stress in the workplace result in huge public health expenses.____________43.If employees respond quickly to their job assignments,the employer is likely to demand more from them.__________44.With technology everywhere in our life,it has become virtually impossible for most workers to keep a balance between work and life.__________。

2016年12月四级真题（第二套）Part I WritingDirections: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay. Suppose you have two options upon graduation: one is to take a job in a company and the other to go to a graduate school. You are to make a choice between the two. Write an essay to explain the reasons for your choice. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.Part II Listening ComprehensionSection ADirections: In this section, you will hear three news reports. At the end of each news report, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.1.A) To satisfy the curiosity of tourists.B) To replace two old stone bridges.C) To enable tourists to visit Goat Island.D) To improve utility services in the state.2.A) Countless tree limbs.B) A few skeletons.C) Lots of wrecked boats and ships.D) Millions of coins on the bottom.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.A) It suspended diplomatic relations with Libya.B) It urged tourists to leave Tunisia immediately.C) It shut down two border crossings with Libya.D) It launched a fierce attack against Islamic State.4.A) Advise Tunisian civilians on how to take safety precautions.B) Track down the organization responsible for the terrorist attack.C) Train qualified security personnel for the Tunisian government.D) Devise a monitoring system on the Tunisian border with Libya.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5.A) An environment-friendly battery.B) An energy-saving mobile phone.C) A plant-powered mobile phone charger.D) A device to help plants absorb sunlight.6.A) While sitting in their school's courtyard.B) While playing games on their phones.C) While solving a mathematical problem.D) While doing a chemical experiment.7.A) It increases the applications of mobile phones.B) It speeds up the process of photosynthesis.C) It improves the reception of mobile phones.D) It collects the energy released by plants.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8.A) He visited the workshops in the Grimsby plant.B) He called the woman and left her a message.C) He used stand-ins as replacements on all lines.D) He asked a technician to fix the broken production line.9.A) It is the most modern production line.B) It assembles super-intelligent robots.C) It has stopped working completely.D) It is going to be upgraded soon.10.A) To seek her permission.B) To place an order for robots.C) To request her to return at once.D) To ask for Tom's phone number.11.A) She is on duty.B) She is having her day off.C) She is on sick leave.D) She is abroad on business.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12.A) He saved a baby boy's life.B) He wanted to be a superhero.C) He prevented a train crash.D) He was a witness to an accident.13.A) He has a 9-month-old boy.B) He is currently unemployed.C) He enjoys the interview.D) He commutes by subway.14.A) A rock on the tracks.B) A misplaced pushchair.C) A strong wind.D) A speeding car.15.A) She stood motionless in shock.B) She cried bitterly.C) She called the police at once.D) She shouted for help.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16.A) She inherited her family ice-cream business in Billings.B) She loved the ice-cream business more than teaching primary school.C) She started an ice-cream business to finance her daughter's education.D) She wanted to have an ice-cream truck when she was a little girl.A) To preserve a tradition.B) To amuse her daughter.C) To help local education.D) To make some extra money.18.A) To raise money for business expansion.B) To make her truck attractive to children.C) To allow poor kids to have ice-cream too.D) To teach kids the value of mutual support.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19.A) The reasons for imposing taxes.B) The various services money can buy.C) The various burdens on ordinary citizens.D) The function of money in the modern world.20.A) Educating and training citizens.B) Improving public transportation.C) Protecting people's life and property.D) Building hospitals and public libraries.21.A) By asking for donations.B) By selling public lands.C) By selling government bonds.D) By exploiting natural resources.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.A) It is located at the center of the European continent.B) It relies on tourism as its chief source of revenues.C) It contains less than a square mile of land.D) It is surrounded by France on three sides.23.A) Its beauty is frequently mentioned in American media.B) Its ruler Prince Rainier married an American actress.C) It is where many American movies are shot.D) It is a favorite place Americans like to visit.24.A) Tobacco.B) Potatoes.C) Machinery.D) Clothing.25.A) European history.B) European geography.C) Small countries in Europe.D) Tourist attractions in Europe.Part III Reading ComprehensionSection ADirections: 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 on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.The ocean is heating up. That's the conclusion of a new study that finds that Earth's oceans now 26 heat at twice the rate they did 18 years ago. Around half of ocean heat intake since 1865 has taken place since 1997, researchers report online in Nature Climate Change.Warming waters are known to 27 to coral bleaching (珊瑚白化) and they take up more space than cooler waters, raising sea 28 . While the top of the ocean is well studied, its depths are more difficult to 29 . The researchers gathered 150 years of ocean temperature data in order to get a better 30 of heat absorption from surface to seabed. They gathered together temperature readings collected by everything from a 19th century 31 of British naval ships to modern automated ocean probes. The extensive data sources, 32 with computer simulations (计算机模拟), created a timeline of ocean temperature changes, including cooling from volcanic outbreaks and warming from fossil fuel 33 .About 35 percent of the heat taken in by the oceans during the industrial era now resides at a 34 of more than 700 meters, the researchers found. They say they're 35 whether the deep-sea warming canceled out warming at the sea's surface.A) absorbB) combinedC) contributeD) depthE) emissionsF) excursionG) exploreH) floor I) heights J) indifferent K) levels L) mixed M) picture N) unsure O) voyageSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.The Secret to Raising Smart KidsA) I first began to investigate the basis of human motivation – and how people persevere after setbacks – as a psychology graduate student at Yale University in the 1960s. Animal experiments by psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania had shown that after repeated failures, most animals conclude that a situation is hopeless and beyond their control. After such an experience an animal often remains passive even when it can effect change – a state they called learned helplessness.B) People can learn to be helpless, too. Why do some students give up when they encounter difficulty, whereas others who are no more skilled continue to strive and learn? One answer, I soon discovered, lay in people's beliefs about why they had failed.C) In particular, attributing poor performance to a lack of ability depresses motivation more than does the belief that lack of effort is to blame. When I told a group of school children who displayed helpless behavior that a lack of effort led to their mistakes in math, they learned to keep trying when the problems got tough. Another group of helpless children who were simply rewarded for their success on easier problems did not improve their ability to solve hard math problems. These experiments indicated that a focus on effort can help resolve helplessness and generate success.D) Later, I developed a broader theory of what separates the two general classes of learners – helpless versus mastery-oriented. I realized these different types of students not only explain their failures differently, but they also hold different “theories” of intelligence. The helpless ones believe intelligence is a fixed characteristic: you have only a certain amount, and that's that. I call this a “fixed mind-set (思维模式).” Mistakes crack their self-confidence because they attribute errors to a lack of ability, which they feel powerless to change. They avoid challenges because challenges make mistakes more likely. The mastery-oriented children, on the other hand, think intelligence is not fixed and can be developed through education and hard work. Such children believe challenges are energizing rather than intimidating (令人生畏); they offer opportunities to learn. Students with such a growth mind-set were destined (注定) for greater academic success and were quite likely to outperform their counterparts.E) We validated these expectations in a study in which two other psychologists and I monitored 373 students for two years during the transition to junior high school, when the work gets more difficult and the grading more strict, to determine how their mind-sets might affect their math grades. At the beginning of seventh grade, we assessed the students' mind-sets by asking them to agree or disagree with statements such as “Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can't really change.” We then assessed their beliefs about other aspects of learning and looked to see what happened to their grades.F) As predicted, the students with a growth mind-set felt that learning was a more important goal than getting good grades. In addition, they held hard work in high regard. They understood that even geniuses have to work hard. Confronted by a setback such as a disappointing test grade, students with a growth mind-set said they would study harder or try a different strategy. The students who held a fixed mind-set, however, were concerned about looking smart with less regard for learning. They had negative views of effort, believing that having to work hard was a sign of low ability. They thought that a person with talent or intelligence did not need to work hard to do well. Attributing a bad grade to their own lack of ability,those with a fixed mind-set said that they would study less in the future, try never to take that subject again and consider cheating on future tests.G) Such different outlooks had a dramatic impact on performance. At the start of junior high, the math achievement test scores of the students with a growthmind-set were comparable to those of students who displayed a fixed mind-set. But as the work became more difficult, the students with a growth mind-set showed greater persistence. As a result, their math grades overtook those of the other students by the end of the first semester – and the gap between the two groups continued to widen during the two years we followed them.H) A fixed mind-set can also hinder communication and progress in the workplace and discourage or ignore constructive criticism and advice. Research shows that managers who have a fixed mind-set are less likely to seek or welcome feedback from their employees than are managers with a growth mind-set.I) How do we transmit a growth mind-set to our children? One way is by telling stories about achievements that result from hard work. For instance, talking about mathematical geniuses who were more or less born that way puts students in a fixed mind-set, but descriptions of great mathematicians who fell in love with math and developed amazing skills produce a growth mind-set.J) In addition, parents and teachers can help children by providing explicit instruction regarding the mind as a learning machine. I designed an eight-session workshop for 91 students whose math grades were declining in their first year of junior high. Forty-eight of the students received instruction in study skills only, whereas the others attended a combination of study skills sessions and classes in which they learned about the growth mind-set and how to apply it to schoolwork. In the growth mind-set classes, students read and discussed an article entitled “You Can Grow Your Brain.” They were taught that the brain is like a muscle that gets stronger with use and that learning prompts the brain to grow new connections. From such instruction, many students began to see themselves as agents of their own brain development. Despite being unaware that there were two types of instruction, teachers reported significant motivational changes in 27% of the children in the growth mind-set workshop as compared with only 9% of students in the control group.K) Research is converging (汇聚) on the conclusion that great accomplishment and even genius is typically the result of years of passion and dedication and not something that flows naturally from a gift.36. The author's experiment shows that students with a fixed mind-set believe having to work hard is an indication of low ability.37. Focusing on effort is effective in helping children overcome frustration and achieve success.38. We can cultivate a growth mind-set in children by telling success stories that emphasize hard work and love of learning.39. Students’ belief about the cause of their failure explains their attitude toward setbacks.40. In the author's experiment, students with a growth mind-set showed greater perseverance in solving difficult math problems.41. The author conducted an experiment to find out about the influence of students' mind-sets on math learning.42. After failing again and again, most animals give up hope.43. Informing students about the brain as a learning machine is a good strategy to enhance their motivation for learning.44. People with a fixed mind-set believe that one's intelligence is unchangeable.45. In the workplace, feedback may not be so welcome to managers with a fixed mind-set.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.“Sugar, alcohol and tobacco,” economist Adam Smith once wrote, “are commodities which are nowhere necessaries of life, which have become objects of almost universal consumption, and which are, therefore, extremely popular subjects of taxation.”Two and a half centuries on, most countries impose some sort of tax on alcohol and tobacco. With surging obesity levels putting increasing strain on public health systems, governments around the world have begun to toy with the idea of taxing sugar as well.Whether such taxes work is a matter of debate. A preliminary review of Mexico's taxation found a fall in purchases of taxed drinks as well as a rise in sales of untaxed and healthier drinks. By contrast, a Danish tax on foods high in fats was abandoned a year after its introduction, amid claims that consumers were avoiding it by crossing the border to Germany to satisfy their desire for cheaper, fattier fare.The food industry has, in general, been firmly opposed to such direct government action. Nonetheless, the renewed focus on waistlines means that industry groups are under pressure to demonstrate their products are healthy as well as tasty.Over the past three decades, the industry has made some efforts to improve the quality of its offerings. For example, some drink manufacturers have cut the amount of sugar in their beverages.Many of the reductions over the past 30 years have been achieved either by reducing the amount of sugar, salt or fat in a product, or by finding an alternative ingredient. More recently, however, some companies have been investing money in a more ambitious undertaking: learning how to adjust the fundamental make-up of the food they sell. For example, having salt on the outside, but none on the inside, reduces the salt content without changing the taste.While reformulating recipes (配方) is one way to improve public health, it should be part of a multi-sided approach. The key is to remember that there is not just one solution. To deal with obesity, a mixture of approaches – including reformulation, taxation and adjusting portion sizes – will be needed. There is no silver bullet.46. What did Adam Smith say about sugar, alcohol and tobacco?A) They were profitable to manufacture.B) They were in ever-increasing demand.C) They were subject to taxation almost everywhere.D) They were no longer considered necessities of life.47. Why have many countries started to consider taxing sugar?A) They are under growing pressure to balance their national budgets.B) They find it ever harder to cope with sugar-induced health problems.C) The practice of taxing alcohol and tobacco has proved both popular and profitable.D) The sugar industry is overtaking alcohol and tobacco business in generating profits.48. What do we learn about Danish taxation on fat-rich foods?A) It did not work out as well as was expected.B) It gave rise to a lot of problems on the border.C) It could not succeed without German cooperation.D) It met with firm opposition from the food industry.49. What is the more recent effort by food companies to make foods and drinks both healthy and tasty?A) Replacing sugar or salt with alternative ingredients.B) Setting a limit on the amount of sugar or salt in their products.C) Investing in research to find ways to adapt to consumers' needs.D) Adjusting the physical composition of their products.50. What does the author mean by saying, at the end of the passage, “There is no silver bullet” (Line 4, Para. 7)？A) There is no single easy quick solution to the problem.B) There is no hope of success without public cooperation.C) There is no hurry in finding ways to solve the obesity problem.D) There is no effective way to reduce people's sugar consumption.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.You may have heard some of the fashion industry horror stories: models eating tissues or cotton balls to hold off hunger, and models collapsing fromhunger-induced heart attacks just seconds after they step off the runway.Excessively skinny models have been a point of controversy for decades, and two researchers say a model's body mass should be a workplace health and safety issue. In an editorial released Monday in the American Journal of Public Health, Katherine Record and Bryn Austin made their case for government regulation of the fashion industry.The average international runway model has a body mass index (BMI) under 16 – low enough to indicate starvation by the World Health Organization's standard. And Record and Austin are worried not just about the models themselves, but about the vast number of girls and women their images influence.“Especially girls and teens,” says Record. “Seventy percent of girls aged 10 to 18 report that they define perfect body image based on what they see in magazines.” That's especially worrying, she says, given that anorexia (厌食症) results in more deaths than does any other mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.It's commonly known that certain diseases are linked with occupations like lung disease in coal miners. Professional fashion models are particularly vulnerable to eating disorders resulting from occupational demands to maintain extreme thinness.Record's suggestion is to prohibit agents from hiring models with a BMI below 18.In April, France passed a law setting lower limits for a model's weight. Agents and fashion houses who hire models with a BMI under 18 could pay $82,000 in fines and spend up to 6 months in jail. Regulating the fashion industry in the United States won't be easy, Record says. But with the new rules in France, U.S. support could make a difference. “A designer can't survive without participating in Paris Fashion Week”, she says, adding, “Our argument is that the same would be true of New York Fashion Week.”51. What do Record and Austin say about fashion models' body mass?A) It has caused needless controversy.B) It is but a matter of personal taste.C) It is the focus of the modeling business.D) It affects models' health and safety.52. What are Record and Austin advocating in the Monday editorial?A) A change in the public's view of female beauty.B) Government legislation about models' weight.C) Elimination of forced weight loss by models.D) Prohibition of models eating non-food stuff.53. Why are Record and Austin especially worried about the low body mass index of models?A) It contributes to many mental illnesses.B) It defines the future of the fashion industry.C) It has great influence on numerous girls and women.D) It keeps many otherwise qualified women off the runway.54. What do we learn about France's fashion industry?A) It has difficulty hiring models.B) It has now a new law to follow.C) It allows girls under 18 on the runway.D) It has overtaken that of the United States.55. What does Record expect of New York Fashion Week?A) It will create a completely new set of rules.B) It will do better than Paris Fashion Week.C) It will differ from Paris Fashion Week.D) It will have models with a higher BMI.Part IV TranslationDirections: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.在中国文化中，黄颜色是一种很重要的颜色，因为它具有独特的象征意义。

大学英语六级卷二真题2016年12月(总分：710.00，做题时间：120分钟)一、Part I Writing (30 minutes)(总题数：1，分数：106.50)1.Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on creation. Your essay should include the importance of creation and measures to be taken to encourage creation.You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.（分数：106.50）__________________________________________________________________________________________正确答案：(Throughout the ages, we have concluded a number of factors that contribute to success, among which is creation. Just as the saying goes, There is no doubt that creation is the most important human resource of all. Not only is creation the force driving economy and societyto advance, but it is also essential to the development of individuals.Those who often come upwith new ideas are more likely to achieve success, while a man who always sticks to habit and experience can hardly create new things. In terms of giving measures to encourage creation, Iwill list the following ones. On the one hand, the public are expected to realize the significanceof creation, so the social media should play its due role in advocating the value of innovationand encouraging the public to cultivate the awareness of creation. On the other hand, those whoare equipped with creative thinking deserve some kind of praise, both materially and spiritually. Creation has been a hot word for a long time and we cannot emphasize the importance of creationtoo much. Therefore, we should spare no effort to learn knowledge as much as possible to prepare ourselves for being creative people.)解析：论创新古往今来，我们已经总结出了走向成功的几个因素，其中之一就是创新。

2016年12月英语六级考试真题第二套Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on invention. Your essay should include the importance of invention and measures to be taken to encourage invention. You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.Part ⅡListening Comprehension (30 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D.Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.1. A. They were all good at cooking.B. They were particular about food.C. They were proud of their cuisine.D. They were fond of bacon and eggs.2. A. His parents. B. His friends. C. His schoolmates. D. His parents' friends.3. A. No tea was served with the meal.B. It was the real English breakfast.C. No one of the group ate it.D. It was a little overcooked.4. A. It was full of excitement. B. It was really extraordinary. C. It was a risky experience. D. It was rather disappointing.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.5. A. The woman's relationship with other shops.B. The business success of the woman's shop.C. The key to running a shop at a low cost.D. The woman's earnings over the years.6. A. Improve its customer service.B. Expand its business scale.C. Keep down its expenses.D. Upgrade the goods it sells.7. A. They are sold at lower prices than in other shops.B. They are very-popular with the local residents.C. They are delivered free of charge.D. They are in great demand.8. A. To follow the custom of the local shopkeepers.B. To attract more customers in the neighborhood.C. To avoid being put out of business in competition.D. To maintain friendly relationships with other shops.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 9 to 12 are based on the passage you have just heard.9. A. They can be used to deliver messages in times of emergency.B. They deliver pollutants from the ocean to their nesting sites.C. They carry plant seeds and spread them to faraway places.D. They are on the verge of extinction because of pollution.10. A. They migrate to the Arctic Circle during the summer.B. They originate from Devon Island in the Arctic area.C. They travel as far as 400 kilometers in search of food.D. They have the ability to survive in extreme weathers.11. A. They were carried by the wind.B. They had become more poisonous.C. They were less than on the continent.D. They poisoned some of the fulmars.12. A. The threats humans pose to Arctic seabirds,B. The diminishing colonies for Arctic seabirds.C. The harm Arctic seabirds may cause to humans.D. The effects of the changing climate on Arctic seabirds.Questions 13 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.13. A. It has decreased.B. It has been exaggerated.C. It has become better understood.D. It has remained basically the same.14. A. It develops more easily in centenarians not actively engaged.B. It is now the second leading cause of death for centenarians.C. It has had no effective cure so far.D. It calls for more intensive research.15. A. They care more about their physical health.B. Their quality of life deteriorates rapidly.C. Their minds fall before their bodies do.D. They cherish their life more than ever.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.16. A. They are focused more on attraction than love.B. They were done by his former colleague at Yale.C. They were carried out over a period of some thirty years.D. They form the basis on which he builds his theory of love.17. A. The relationship cannot last long if no passion is involved.B. Intimacy is essential but not absolutely indispensable to love.C. It is not love if you don't wish to maintain the relationship.D. Romance is just impossible without mutual understanding.18. A. Which of them is considered most important.B. Whether it is true love without commitment.C. When the absence of any one doesn't affect the relationship.D. How the relationship is to be defined if any one is missing.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the recording you have just heard.19. A. Social work as a profession.B. The history of social work.C. Academic degrees required of social work applicants.D. The aim of the National Association of Social Workers.20. A. They try to change people's social behavior.B. They help enhance the well-being of the underprivileged.C. They raise people's awareness of the environment.D. They create a lot of opportunities for the unemployed.21. A. They have all received strict clinical training.B. They all have an academic degree in social work.C. They are all members of the National Association.D. They have all made a difference through their work.22. A. The promotion of social workers' social status.B. The importance of training for social workers.C. Ways for social workers to meet people's needs.D. Social workers' job options and responsibilities.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.23. A. To fight childhood obesity.B. To help disadvantaged kids.C. To encourage kids to play more sports.D. To urge kids to follow their role models.24. A. They best boost product sales when put online.B. They are most effective when appearing on TV.C. They are becoming more and more prevalent.D. They impress kids more than they do adults.25. A. Always place kids' interest first.B. Do what they advocate in public.C. Message positive behaviors at all times.D. Pay attention to their image before children.Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section here 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 on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.It is important that scientists be seen as normal people asking and answering important questions. Good, sound science depends on 26._______ experiments and reasoned methodologies. It requires a willingness to ask new questions and try new approaches. It requires one to take risks and experience failures. But good science also requires 27. _______understanding, clear explanation and concise presentation.Our country needs more scientists who are willing to step out in the public28._______ and offer their opinions on important matters. We need more scientists who can explain what they are doing in language that is29. _______ and understandable to the public. Those of us who are not scientists should also be prepared to support public engagement by scientists, and to 30._______scientific knowledge into our public communications.Too many people in this country, including some among our elected leadership, still do not understand how science works or why robust, long-range investments in research vitally matter. In the 1960s, the United States 31._______nearly 17% of discretionary (可酌情支配的)spending to research and development, 32. _______decades of economic growth. By 2008，the figure had fallen into the single 33._______. This occurs at a time when other nations have made significant gains in their own research capabilities.At the University of California (UC), we 34._______ ourselves not only on the quality of our research, but also on its contribution to improving our world. To 35. _______the development of science from the lab bench to the market place, UC is investing our own money in our own good ideas.A) arenaB) contextualC) convincing D) devotedE) digitsF) hastenG) hypothesesH) impairingI) incorporateJ) indefiniteK) indulgeL) inertiaM) prideN) reapingO) warrantSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Are we in an Innovation Lull?[A]Scan the highlights of the year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), and you may get a slight feeling of having seen them before. Many of the coolest gadgets this year are the same as the coolest gadgets last year ---or the year before, even. The booths are still exciting, and the demos are still just as crazy. It is still easy to be dazzled by the display of drones (无人机), 3D printers, virtual reality goggles (眼镜)and more “smart”devices than you could ever hope to catalog. Upon reflection, however, it is equally easy to feel like you have seen it all before. And it is hard not to think: Are we in an innovation lull (间歇期)?[B] In some ways, the answer is yes. For years, Smartphones, televisions, tablets, laptops and desktops have made up a huge part of the market and driven innovation. But now these segments are looking at slower growth curves--- or shrinking markets in some cases—as consumers are not as eager to spend money on new gadgets. Meanwhile, emerging technologies---the drones, 3D printers and smart-home devices of the world--now seem a bit too old to be called “the next big thing”[C] Basically the tech industry seems to be in an awkward period now. “There is not any one-hit wonder, and there will not be one for years to come,” said Gary Shapiro, president and chief executive of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). In his eyes, however, that doesn’t necessarily mean that innovation has stopped. It has just grown up a little. “Many industries are going out of infancy and becoming adolescents,” Shapiro said.[D] For instance, new technologies that are building upon existing technology have not found their footing well enough to appeal to a mass audience, because, in many cases, they need to work effectively with other devices to realize their full appeal. Take the evolution of the smart home, for example. Companies are pushing it hard but make it almost overwhelming even to dip a toe in the water for the average consumer, because there are so many compatibility issues to think about. No average person wants to figure out whether their favorite calendar software works with their fridge or whether their washing machine and tablet get along. Having to install a different app for each smart appliance in your home is annoying; it would be nicer if you could manage everything together. And while you may forgive your smartphone an occasional fault, you probably have less patience for error messages from your door lock.[E] Companies are promoting their own standards, and the market has not had time to choose a winner yet as this is still very new. Companies that have long focused on hardware now have to think of ecosystems instead to give consumers practical solutions to their everyday problems. “The dialogue is changing from what is technologically possible to what is technologically meaningful, said economist Shawn DuBravac. DuBravac works for CTA—which puts on the show each year---and said that this shift to a search for solutions has been noticeable as he researched his predictions for 2016.[F] “So much of what CES has been about is the cool. It is about the flashiness and the gadgets,” s aid John Curran, managing director of research at Accenture. “But over the last couple of years, and in this one in particular, we are startin g to see companies shift from what is the largest screen size, the smallest form factor or the shiniest object and more into what all of these devices do that is practical in a consumer’s life.” Even the technology press conferences, which have been high-profile in the past and reached a level of drama and theatrics fitting for a Las Vegas stage, have a different bent to them. Rather than just dazzling with a high cool factor, there is a focus on the practical. Fit bit, for example, released its first smart watch Monday, selling with a clear purpose---to improve your fitness—and promoting it as a “tool, not a toy.” Not only that, it supports a number of platforms: Apple’s I OS, Google’s Android and Microsoft’s Windows phone.[G]That seems to be what consumers are demanding, after all. Consumers are becoming increasingly bored with what companies have to offer: A survey of 28,000 consumers in 28 countries released by Accenture found consumers are not as excited about technology as they once were. For example, when asked whether they would buy a new smart phone this year, only 48 percent said yes—a six-point drop from 2015.[H] And when it comes to the hyper-connected super-smart world that technology firms are painting for us, it seems that consumers are growing more uneasy about handing over the massive amounts of consumer data needed to provide the personalized, customized solutions that companies need to improve their services. That could be another explanation for why companies seem to be strengthening their talk of the practicality of their devices.[I] Companies have already won part of the battle, having driven tech into every part of our lives, tracking our steps and our very heartbeats. Yet the persistent question of “Why do I need that?”~or, perhaps more tellingly, “Why do you need to know that?” dogs the steps of many new ventures. Only 13 percent of respondents said that they were interested in buying a smart watch in 2016, for example—an increase of just one percent from the previous year despite a year of high-profile launches. That is bad news for any firm that may hope that smart watches can make up ground for maturing smart phone and tablet markets. And the survey found flat demand for fitness monitors, smart thermostats (恒温器)and connected home cameras, as well.[J] According to the survey, that lack of enthusiasm could stem from concerns about privacy and security. Even among people who have bought connected devices of some kind, 37 percent said that they are going to be more cautious about using these devices and services in the future. A full 18 percent have even returned devices until they feel they can get safer guarantees against having their sensitive information hacked.[K] That, too, explains the heavy Washington presence at this year’s show, as these new technologies intrude upon heavily regulated areas. In addition to many senior officials from the Federal Trade and Federal Communications commissions, this year’s list of policy makers also includes appearances from Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, to talk about smart cities, and Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Michael Huerta, to talk about drones.[L] Curran, the Accenture analyst, said that increased government interest in the show makes sense as technology becomes a larger part of our lives. “There is an incompatibility in the rate at which these are advancing relative to the way we，re digesting it,”he said. “Technology is becoming bigger and more aspirational，and penetrating almost every aspect of our lives. We have to understand and think about the implications, and balance these great innovations with the potential downsides they naturally carr y with them.”36. Consumers are often hesitant to try smart-home devices because they are worried about compatibility problems.37. This year’s electronics show featured the presence of many officials from the federal government.38. The market demand for electronic devices is now either declining or not growing as fast as before.39. One analyst suggests it is necessary to accept both the positive and negative aspects of innovative products.40. The Consumer Electronics Show in recent years has begun to focus more on the practical value than the showiness of electronic devices.41. Fewer innovative products were found at this year’s electronic products show.42. Consumers are becoming more worried about giving personal information to tech companies to get customized products and services.43. The Consumer Technology Association is the sponsor of the annual Consumer Electronics Show.44. Many consumers wonder about the necessity of having their fitness monitored.45. The electronic industry is maturing even though no wonder products hit the market.Section CDirections: There are two passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.The Paris climate agreement finalised in December last year heralded a new era for climate action. For the first time, the world’s nations agreed to keep global warming well below 2℃.This is vital for climate-vulnerable nations. Fewer than 4% of countries are responsible for more than half of the world’s greenhouse ga s emissions. In a study published in Nature Scientific Reports, we reveal just how deep this injustice runs.Developed nations such as Australia, the United States, Canada, and European countries are essentially climate “free-riders,” causing the majority of the problems through high greenhouse gas emissions, while incurring few of the costs such as climate change’s impact on food and water. In other words, a few countries are benefiting enormously from the consumption of fossil fuels, while at the same time contributing disproportionately to the global burden of climate change.On the flip side, there are many “forced riders,” who are suffering from the climate change impacts despite having scarcely contributed to the problem. Many of the world’s most clima te-vulnerable countries, the majority of which are African or small island states, produce a very small quantity of emissions. This is much like a non-smoker getting cancer from second-hand smoke, while the heavy smoker is fortunate enough to smoke in good health.The Pairs agreement has been widely hailed as a positive step forward in addressing climate change for all, although the details on addressing “climate justice” can be best described as sketchy.The goal of keeping global temperature rise “well below”2℃is commendable but the emissions-reduction pledges submitted by countries leading up to the Pairs talks are very unlikely to deliver on this.More than $100 billion in funding has been put on the table for supporting developing nations to reduce emissions. However, the agreement specifies that there is no formal distinction between developed and developing nations in will provide the funds or, importantly, who is responsible for their provision. Securing these funds, and establishing who is responsible for raising them will also be vital for the future of climate-vulnerable countries.The most climate-vulnerable countries in the world have contributed very little to creating the global disease from which they now suffer the most. There must urgently be a meaningful mobilisation of the policies outlined in the agreement if we are to achieve national emissions reductions while helping the most vulnerable countries adapt to climate change.And it is clearly up to the current generation of leaders from high-emitting nations to decide whether they want to be remembered as climate change tyrants or pioneers.46. The author is critical of the Paris climate agreement because .A) it is unfair to those climate-vulnerable nationsB) it aims to keep temperature rise below 2^ onlyC) it is beneficial to only fewer than 4% of countriesD) it burdens developed countries with the sole responsibility47. Why does the author call some developed countries climate “free-riders”?A) They needn’t worry about the food and wa ter they consume.B) They are better able to cope with the global climate change.C) They hardly pay anything for the problems they have caused.D) They are free from the greenhouse effects affecting “forced riders.”48. Why does the author compare the “forced riders” to second-hand smokers?A) They have little responsibility for public health problems.B) They are vulnerable to unhealthy environmental conditions.C) They have to bear consequences they are not responsible for.D) They are unaware of the potential risks they are confronting.49. What does the author say about the $ 100 billion funding?A) It will motivate all nations to reduce carbon emissions.B) There is no final agreement on where it will come from.C) There is no clarification of how the money will be spent.D) It will effectively reduce greenhouse emissions worldwide.50. What urgent action must be taken to realise the Paris climate agreement?A) Encouraging high-emitting nations to take the initiative.B) Calling on all the nations concerned to make joint efforts.C) Pushing the current world leaders to come to a consensus.D) Putting in effect the policies in the agreement at once.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.Teenagers at risk of depression, anxiety and suicide often wear their troubles like a neon (霓虹灯) sign. Their risky behaviors---drinking too much alcohol, using illegal drugs, smoking cigarettes and skipping school---can alert parents and teachers that serious problems are brewing.But a new study finds that there’s another group of adolescents who are in nearly as much danger of experiencing the same psychiatric symptoms: teens who use tons of media, don’t get enough sleep and have a sedentary (不爱活动的)lifestyle.Of course, that may sound like a description of every teenager on the planet. But the study warns that it is teenagers who engage in all three of these practices in the extreme who are truly in jeopardy. Because their behaviors are not usually seen as a red flag, these young people have bee n dubbed the “invisible risk” group by the study’s authors. “In some ways they’re at greater risk of falling through the cracks,” say researcher Vladimir Carli. “While most parents, teachers and clinicians would react to an adolescent using drugs or getting drunk, they may easily overlook teenagers who are engaging in inconspicuous behaviors.”The study’s authors surveyed 12,395 students and analyzed nine risk behaviors, including excessive alcohol use, illegal drug use, heavy smoking, high media use and truancy (逃学).Their aim was to determine the relationship between these risk behaviors and mental health issues in teenagers.About 58% of the students demonstrated none or few of the risk behaviors. Some 13% scored high on all nine of the risk behaviors. And 29%, the “invisible risk” group, scored high on three in particular: They spent five hours a day or more on electronic devices. They slept six hours a night or less. And they neglected “other healthy activities.”The group that scored high on all nine of the risk behaviors was most likely to show symptoms of depression; in all, nearly 15% of this group reported being depressed, compared with just 4% of the low-risk group. But the invisible group wasn’t far behind the high-risk set, with more than 13% of them exhibiting depression.The findings caught Carli off guard. “We were very surprised,” he says, “The high-risk group and low-risk group are obvious. But this third group was not only unexpected, it was so distinct and so large---nearly one third of our sample---that is became a key finding of the study.”Carli says that one of the most significant things about his study is that it provides new early-warning signs for parents, teachers and mental health-care providers. And early identification, support and treatment for mental health issues, he says, are the best ways to keep them from turning into full-blown disorders.51. What does the author mean by saying “Teenagers at risk of depression, anxiety and suicide often wear their troubles like a neon sign” (Line 1—2, Para 1)?A) Mental problems can now be found in large numbers of teenagers.B) Teenagers’ mental problems are getting more and more attention.C) Teenagers，mental problems are often too conspicuous not to be observed.D) Depression and anxiety are the most common symptoms of mental problems.52. What is the finding of the new study?A) Teenagers5 lifestyles have changed greatly in recent yearsB) Many teenagers resort to drugs or alcohol for mental relief.C) Teenagers experiencing psychological problems tend to use a lot of media.D) Many hitherto unobserved youngsters may have psychological problems.53. Why do the researchers refer to teens who use tons of media, don’t get enough sleep and have a sedentary lifestyle asthe “invisible risk” group?A) Their behaviors can be an invisible threat to society.B) Their behaviors do not constitute a warning signal.C) Their behaviors do not tend towards mental problems.D) Their behaviors can be found in almost all teenagers on earth.54. What does the new study find about the invisible group?A) They are almost as liable to depression as the high-risk group.B) They suffer from depression without showing any symptoms.C) They do not often demonstrate risky behaviors as their peers.D) They do not attract the media attention the high-risk group does.55. What is the significance of Vladimir Carli’s study?A) It offers a new treatment for psychological problems among teenagers.B) It provides new early-warning signals for identifying teens in trouble.C) It may have found an ideal way to handle teenagers with behavioral problems.D) It sheds new light on how unhealthy behaviors trigger mental health problems.Part IV Translation (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.随着中国经济的蓬勃发展，学汉语的人数迅速增加，使汉语成了世界上人们最爱学的语言之一。

2016年12月大学英语六级考试答案与解析(第2套）Part I Writing【范文】Throughout the ages, we have concluded a number of factors that contribute to success, among which is creation. Just as the saying goes, ^There i s no doubt that creation is the mostimportant human res ou rc e of all.”Not only is creation the force driving economy and society toadvance, but it is also essential to the development of individuals. Those w ho often come up with new i d e as often turn out to be easy to achieve success while a man who always sticks to h a b i t and e x p erie n c e can hardly c r e at e new t h in g s.In t er ms of g ivin g m e a s u r es to en c ou ra ge c reatio n, I w ill lis t t he f ollo w in g on e s. O n t he one hand, the public are expected to realize the significance of creation, so the social media should play its due role in ad v o catin g the value of innovation and encouraging the public to c ultivat e awareness of creation. On the other hand, those who are equipp ed with creative thinking d eserv e some kind of praise, both materially and s p irit u ally.Creation has been a hot word for a long ti me and we cannot emphasize the importance of creation too much. Therefore, we should spare no effort to learn knowledge as muc h as possible to prepare ourselves to be creative people.Pari II L iste n in g Comprehension1 〜5 : CCABC 6〜10 : ADACD 11 〜15 : BBDAB16〜20:DP)CBD 21〜25:CAADDSection AConversation OneM: Guess what? The worst food Ive ever had was in France.W: Really? That’s odd. (1) I thought the French were all good cooks.M: Yes. That’s right. I suppose it’s really like anywhere else，though You know, some places are good. Some bad. Put it’s r e ally all our own fault.W: What d o you mean?M: Well it was the first t ime Id been to France. This was years ago when I was at school. (2)I went there with my parents5friends, from my father’s school. They’d hired a coach totake them to Sw itzerla nd.W: A school trip?M: Right. Most of them had never been abroad before. We?d crossed the English Channel at night, and we set off through France, and breakfast time arrived, and the coach driverhad arranged for us to stop at thislitt l e cafe. There we all were tir ed and hungry, and then we made the great discovery. W: Wh a t was t h at?M: B ac on and e gg s .W ： Fantastic! The real English breakfast.M: Yes. Anyway ，we didn’t knowany better — so we had it, and ugh …！ W: What was it like? Disgusting? M: Oh ，it was incredible!They just got a bowlandput somefatin it. And then they put somebaconi n th e fat ，b ro ke an e gg o ve r t he t o p and p u t th e wh o l el o t i nth eo ve n f or a bo u tt e n m inute s.W: In the oven! You’re joking. You can’t cook bacon and eggs in the oven! M: Well. They must have done itthat way. It was hot ， butitwasn’tcooked.Therewas justt h i s egg floatin g about in gallons of fat and raw bacon. W: (3-1) Did you a ct u ally eat it?M: (3-2) No! Nobody d i d . They all wanted to turn round and go home. You know ，back to teabagsand fish and chips. You cant blame them really. Anyway ，the next night we were all given an ot h e r f orei gn speciality. W: Wh a t was t h at ?M: (4) Snails. That really finished them off. Lovely holiday that was! 1.答案 CWhat did the woman think of the French? A) They were proud of t h eir cuisine. B) They were p articula r about food. C)They were all good at cooking.D) They were fond of bacon and e gg s .解析：对话中男士提到他在法国吃到了自己吃过最糟糕的食物时，女士表示这很奇怪，并且说 她原本以为所有法国人都是好厨师。

Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on innovation. Your essay should include the importance of innovation and measures to be taken to encourage innovation. You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.PartⅡListening Comprehension (30 minutes)Section ADirections:In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A),B),C)and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.1.A) It tries to predict the possible trends of global climate change.B) It studies the impacts of global climate change on people’s lives.C) It links the science of climate change to economic and policy issues.D) It focuses on the efforts countries can make to deal with global warming.2.A) It will take a long time before a consensus is reached on its impact.B) It would be more costly to deal with its consequences than to avoid it.C) It is the most pressing issue confronting all countries.D) It is bound to cause endless disputes among nations.3.A) The transition to low-carbon energy systems.B) The cooperation among world major powers.C) The signing of a global agreement.D) The raising of people’s awareness.4.A) Carry out more research on it.B) Plan well in advance.C) Cut down energy consumption.D) Adopt new technology.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.5.A) When luck plays a role.B) What determines success.C) Whether practice makes perfect.D) How important natural talent is.6.A) It knocks at your door only once in a while.B) It is something that no one can possibly create.C) It comes naturally out of one’s self-confidence.D) It means being good at seizing opportunities.7.A) Luck rarely contributes to a person’s success.B) One must have natural talent to be successful.C) One should always be ready to seize opportunities.D) Practice is essential to becoming good at something.8.A) Putting time and effort into fun things is profitable.B) People who love what they do care little about money.C) Being passionate about work can make one wealthy.D) People in need of money work hard automatically.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 9 to 12 are based on the passage you have just heard.9.A) The stump of a giant tree.B) A huge piece of rock.C) The peak of a mountain.D) A tall chimney.10.A) Human activity.B) Wind and water.C) Chemical processes.D) Fire and fury.11.A) It is a historical monument.B) It was built in ancient times.C) It is Indians’sacred place for worship.D) It was created by supernatural powers.12.A) By sheltering them in a cave.B) By killing the attacking bears.C) By lifting them well above the ground.D) By taking them to the top of a mountain.Questions 13 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.13.A)They will buy something from the convenience stores.B) They will take advantage of the time to rest a while.C) They will have their vehicles washed or serviced.D) They will pick up some souvenirs or gift items.14.A) They can bring only temporary pleasures.B) They are meant for the extremely wealthy.C) They should be done away with altogether.D) They may eventually drive one to bankruptcy.15.A) A good way to socialize is to have daily lunch with one’s colleagues.B) Retirement savings should come first in one’s family budgeting.C) A vacation will be affordable if one saves 20 dollars a week.D) Small daily savings can make a big difference in one’s life.Section CDirections:In this section, you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.16.A) They should be done away with.B) They are necessary in our lives.C) They enrich our experience.D) They are harmful to health.17.A) They feel stressed out even without any challenges in life.B) They feel too overwhelmed to deal with life’s problems.C) They are anxious to free themselves from life’s troubles.D) They are exhausted even without doing any heavy work.18.A) They expand our mind.B) They prolong our lives.C) They narrow our focus.D) They lessen our burdens.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19.A) It is not easily breakable.B) It came from a 3D printer.C) It represents the latest style.D) It was made by a fashion designer.20.A) When she had just graduated from her college.B) When she attended a conference in New YorkC) When she was studying at a fashion design school.D) When she attended a fashion show nine months ago21.A) It was difficult to print.B) It was hard to come by.C) It was hard and breakable.D) It was extremely expensive.22.A)It is the latest model of a 3D printer.B)It is a plastic widely used in 3D printing.C)It gives fashion designers room for imagination.D)It marks a breakthrough in printing material.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.23.A)They arise from the advances in technology.B)They have not been examined in detail so far.C)They are easy to solve with modern technology.D)They can’t be solved without government support.24.A)It is attractive to entrepreneurs.B)It demands huge investment.C)It focuses on new products.D)It is intensely competitive.25.A)Cooperation with big companies.B)Recruiting more qualified staff.C)In-service training of IT personnel.D)Sharing of costs with each other.Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section ADirections:In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select out one word for each blank from a lot 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 on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Small communities, with their distinctive character—where life is stable and intensely human—are disappearing. Some have __26____ from the face of the earth, others are dying slowly, but all have ___27___ changes as they have come into contact with an ___28___ machine civilization. The merging of diverse peoples into a common mass has produced tension among members of the minorities and the majority alike.The Old Order Amish, who arrived on American shores in colonial times, have ___29___ in the modern world in distinctive, small communities. They have resisted the homogenization ___30___ more successfully than others. In planting and harvest times one can see their bearded men working the fields with horses and their women hanging out the laundry in neat rows to dry. Many American people have seen Amish families with the men wearing broad-brimmed black hats and the women in long dresses. In railway or bus ___31___.Although the Amish have lived with ___32___ America for over two and a half centuries. They have moderated its influence on their personal lives, their families, communities, and their values.The Amish are often ___33___ by other Americans to be relics of the past who live a simple, inflexible life dedicated to inconvenient out-dated customs. They are seen as abandoning both modem ___34___ and theAmerican dream of success and progress, But most people have no quarrel with the Amish for doing things the old-fashioned way. Their conscientious objection was tolerated in wartime. For after all. They are good farmers who ___35___ the virtues of work and thrift.A)accessing I)progressB)conveniences J)respectiveC)destined K)survivedD)expanding L)terminalsE)industrialized M)undergoneF)perceived N)universalG)practice O)vanishedH)processSection BDirections:In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Countries Rush for Upper Hand in AntarcticaA) On a glacier-filled island with fjords(峡湾)and elephant seals, Russia has built Antarctica’s first Orthodox church on a bill overlooking its research base. Less than an hour away by snowmobile. Chinese laborers have updated the Great Wall Station, a vital part of China’s plan to operate five basses on Antarctica, complete with an indoor badminton court and sleeping quarters for 150 people. Not to be outdone, India’s futuristic new Bharathi base, built on stills(桩子)using 134 interlocking shipping containers, resembles a spaceship. Turkey and Iran have announced plans to build bases, too.B) More than a century has passed since explorers raced to plant their flags at the bottom of the world, and for decades to come this continent is supposed to be protected as a scientific preserve, shielded from intrusions like military activities and mining . But an array of countries are rushing to assert greater influence here, with an eye not just towards the day those protective treaties expire, but also for the strategic and commercial that already exist.C) The newer players are stepping into what they view as a treasure house of resources. Some of the ventures focus on the Antarctic resources that are already up for grabs, like abundant sea life. South Korea, which operates state-of–the-art bases here, is increasing its fishing of krill(磷虾)，found in abundance in the Southern Ocean, while Russia recently frustrated efforts to create one of the world’s largest ocean sanctuaries here.D) Some scientists are examining the potential for harvesting icebergs form Antarctica, which is estimated to have the biggest reserves of fresh water on the planet. Nations are also pressing ahead with space research and satellite projects to expand their global navigation abilities.E) Building on a Soviet-era foothold, Russia is expanding its monitoring stations for Glonass, its version of the Global Positioning System(GPS). At least three Russian stations are already operating in Antarctica, part of its effort to challenge the dominance of the American GPS, and new stations are planned for sites like the Russian base, in the shadow of the Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity.F) Elsewhere in Antarctica, Russian researchers boast of their recent discovery of a freshwater reserve the size of Lake Ontario after drilling through miles of solid ice. “You can see that we’re here to stay,”said Vladimir Cheberdak, 57, chief of the Bellingshausen Station, as he sipped tea under a portrait of Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Russian Navy who explored the Antarctic coast in 1820.G) Antarctica’s mineral, oil and gas wealth are a longer-term prize. The treaty banning mining here, shielding coveted(令人垂诞的)reserves of iron ore, coal and chromium, comes up for review in 2048. Researchers recently found kimberlite(金伯利岩) deposits hinting at the existence of diamonds. And while assessments vary widely, geologists estimate that Antarctica holds at least 36 billion barrels of oil and natural gas.H) Beyond the Antarctic treaties, huge obstacles persist to tapping these resources, like drifting icebergsthat could jeopardize offshore platforms. Then there is Antarctic’s remoteness, with some mineral deposits found in windswept locations on a continent that is larger the Europe and where winter temperatures hover around minus 55 degrees Celsius.I) But advances in technology might make Antarctica a lot more accessible three decades from now. And even before then, scholars warn, the demand for resources in an energy-hungry world could raise pressure to renegotiate Antarctica’s treaties, possibly allowing more commercial endeavours here well before the prohibitions against them expire. The research stations on King George lsland offer a glimpse into the long game on this ice-blanketed continent as nations assert themselves, eroding the sway long held by countries like the United States, Britain. Australia and New Zealand.J) Being stationed in Antarctica involves adapting to life on the planet’s driest, windiest and coldest continent, yet each nation manages to make itself at home. Bearded Russian priests offer regular services at the Orthodox church for the 16 or so Russian speakers who spend the winter at the base, largely polar scientists in fields like glaciology and meteorology. Their number climbs to about 40 in the warmer summer months. China has arguably the fastest growing operations in Antarctica. It opened its fourth station last year and is pressing ahead with plans to build a fifth. It is building its second ice-breaking ship and setting up research drilling operations on an ice dome 13,422 feet above sea level that is one the planet’s coldest places. Chinese officials say the expansion in Antarctica prioritises scientific research. But they also acknowledge that concerns about “resource security”influence their moves.K) China’s newly renovated Great Wall Station on King George lsland makes the Russian and Chilean bases here seem outdated. ”We do weather monitoring here and other research.”NingXu, 53, the chief of the Chinese base, said over tea during a fierce blizzard(暴风雪) in late November. The large base he leads resembles a snowed-in college campus on holiday break, with the capacity to sleep more than 10 times the 13 people who were staying on through the Antarctic winter. Yong Yu, a Chinese microbiologist, showed off the spacious building, with empty desks under an illustrated timeline detailing the rapid growth of China’s Antarctic operations since the 1980s “We now feel equipped to grow,”he said.L) As some countries expand operations in Antarctica, the United States maintains three year-round stations on the continent with more than 1,000 people during the southern hemisphere’s summer, including those at the Amundsen Scott station, built in 1956 at an elevation of 9,301 feet on a plateau at the South Pole. But US researchers quietly complain about budget restraints and having far fewer icebreakers the Russia, limiting the reach of the United States in Antarctica.M) Scholars warn that Antarctica’s political drift could blur the distinction between military and civilian activities long before the continent’s treaties come up for renegotiation, especially in parts of Antarctica that are ideal for intercepting(拦截) signals from satellites or retasking satellite systems, potentially enhancing global electronic intelligence operations.N) Some countries have had a hard time here, Brazil opened a research station in 1984, but it was largely destroyed by a fire that killed two members of the navy in 2012, the same year that a diesel-laden Brazilian barge sank near the base. As if that were not enough. a Brazilian C-130 Hercules military transport plane has remained stranded near the runway of Chile’s air base here since it crash-landed in 2014.O) However, Brazil’s stretch of misfortune has created opportunities for China, with a Chinese company winning the $100 million contract in 2015 to rebuild the Brazilian station.P) Amid all the changes, Antarctica maintains its allure. South Korea opened its second Antarctic research base in 2014, describing it as a way to test robots developed by Korean researchers for use in extreme conditions. With Russia’s help, Belarus is preparing to build this first Antarctic base. Colombia said this year that it planned to join other South American nations with bases in Antarctica.Q) “The old days of the Antarctic being dominated by the interests and wishes of white men from European. Australasian and North American states are over.”Said Klaus Dodds, a politics scholar at the University of London who specialises in Antarctica. “The reality is that Antarctica is geopolitically contested.”36. According to Chinese officials, their activities in Antarctica lay greater emphasis on scientific research.37. Efforts to create one of the world’s largest ocean sanctuaries failed because of Russia’s obstruction.38. With several monitoring stations operating in Antarctica, Russia is trying hard to counter America’s dominance in the field of worldwide navigational facilities.39. According to geologists’estimates. Antarctica has enormous reserves of oil and natural gas.40. It is estimated that Antarctica boasts of the richest reserves of fresh water on earth.41. The demand for energy resources may compel renegotiation of Antarctica’s treaties before their expiration.42. Many countries are racing against each other to increase their business and strategic influence on Antarctica.43. Antarctica’s harsh natural conditions constitute huge obstacles to the exploitation of its resources.44. With competition from many countries, Antarctica is no longer dominated by the traditional white nations.45. American scientists complain about lack of sufficient money and equipment for their expansion in Antarctica.Section CDirections:There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A),B),C)and D).You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage oneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.Any veteran nicotine addict will testify that fancy packaging plays no role in the decision to keep smoking. So, it is argued, stripping cartons of their branding will trigger no mass movement to quit.But that isn’t why the government—under pressure from cancer charities, health workers and the Labour party—has agreed to legislate for standardized packaging. The theory is that smoking should be stripped of any appeal to discourage new generations from starting in the first place. Plain packaging would be another step in the reclassification of cigarettes from inviting consumer products to narcotics(麻醉剂).Naturally, the tobacco industry is violently opposed. No business likes to admit that it sells addictive poison as a lifestyle choice. That is why government has historically intervened, banning advertising, imposing health warnings and punitive (惩罚性的) duties. This approach has led over time to a fall in smoking with numbers having roughly halved since the 1970s. Evidence from Australia suggests plain packaging pushes society further along that road. Since tobacco as one of the biggest causes of premature death in the UK, a measure that tames the habit even by a fraction is worth trying.So why has it taken so long? The Department of Health declared its intention to consider the move in November 2010 and consulted through 2012. But the plan was suspended in July 2013. It did not escape notice that a lobbying firm set up by Lynton Crosby, David Cameron’s election campaign director, had previously acted for Philip Morris International. (The prime minister denied there was a connection between his news adviser’s outside interests and the change in legislative programme.) In November 2013, after an unnecessary round of additional consultation, health minister Jane Ellison said the government was minded to proceed after all. Now we are told Members of Parliament (MPs) will have a free voice before parliament is dissolved in March.Parliament has in fact already authorised the government to tame the tobacco trade. MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of Labour amendments to the children and families bill last February that included the power to regulate for plain packaging. With sufficient will in Downing Street this would have been done already. But strength of will is the missing ingredient where Mr. Cameron and public health are concerned. His attitude to state intervention has looked confused ever since his bizarre 2006lament (叹息) that chocolate oranges placed seductively at supermarket check-outs fueled obesity.The government has moved reluctantly into a sensible public health policy, but with such obvious over-cautiousness that any political credit due belongs to the opposition. Without sustained external pressure it seems certain Mr. Cameron would still be hooked on the interests of big tobacco companies.46. What do chain smokers think of cigarette packaging?A) Fancy packaging can help to engage new smokers.B) It has little to do with the quality or taste of cigarettes.C) Plain packaging discourages non-smokers from taking up smoking.D) It has little impact on their decision whether or not to quit smoking.47. What has the UK government agreed to do concerning tobacco packaging?A) Pass a law to standardise cigarette packaging.B) Rid cigarette cartons of all advertisements.C) Subsidise companies to adopt plain packaging.D) Reclassify cigarettes according to packaging.48. What has happened in Australia where plain packaging is implemented?A) Premature death rates resulting from smoking have declined.B) The number of smokers has dropped more sharply than in the UK.C) The sales of tobacco substitutes have increased considerably.D) Cigarette sales have been falling far more quickly than in the UK.49. Why it taken so long for the UK government to consider plain packaging?A) Prime Minister Cameron has been reluctant to take action.B) There is strong opposition from veteran nicotine addicts.C) Many Members of Parliament are addicted to smoking.D) Pressure from tobacco manufacturers remains strong.50. What did Cameron say about chocolate oranges at supermarket checkouts?A) They fueled a lot of controversy.B) They made more British people obese.C) They attracted a lot of smokers.D) They had certain ingredients missing.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.What a waste of money!In return for an averageof£44,000 of debt,students get an average of only 14 hours of lecture and tutorial time a week in Britain. Annual fees have risen from£1,000 to $9,000 in the last decade. But contact time at university has barely risen at all. And graduating doesn’t even provide any guarantee of a decent job:sixin ten graduates today are in non-graduate jobs.No wonder it has become fashionable to denounce many universities as little more that elaboratecom-tricks(骗术). There’s a lotfor students to complain about the repayment threshold for paying back loans will be frozen for five years, meaning that lower-paid graduals have to start repaying their loans, and maintenance grants have been replaced by loans meaning that students from poorer backgrounds face higher debt than those with wealthier parents.Yet it still pays to go to university. If going to university doesn’t work out, students pay very little—if any—of their tuition fees back, you only start repaying when you are earning £21, 000 a year. Almost half of graduates —those who go on to earn less—will have a portion of their debt written off. It’s not just the lectures and tutorials that are important. Education is the sum of what students teach each other in between lectures and seminars. Students do not merely benefit while at university, studies show they go on to be healthier and happier than non-graduates, and also far more likely to vote.Whatever your talents, it is extraordinarily difficult to get a leading job in most fields without having been to university. Recruiters circle elite universities like vulturous(兀鹰). Many top firms will not even look at applications from those who lack a 2.1, i.e., an upper-second class degree, from an elite university. Students at university also meet those likely to be in leading jobs in the future, forming contacts for life. This might not be right, but school-leavers who fail to acknowledge as much risk making the wrong decision about going to university.Perhaps the reason why so many universities offer their students so little is they know studying at a topuniversity remains a brilliant investment even if you don’t learn anything .Studying at university will only become less attractive if employers shift their focus away from where someone went to university—and there is no sign of that happening anytime soon. School-leavers may moan, but they have little choice but to embrace university and the student debt that comes with it.51. What is the author’s opinion of going to university?A) It is worthwhile after all.B) It is simply a waste of time.C) It is hard to say whether it is good or bad.D) It is too expensive for most young people.52. What does the author say about the employment situation of British university graduates?A) Few of them are satisfied with the jobs they are offered.B) It usually takes a long time for them to find a decent job.C) Graduates from elite universities usually can get decent jobs.D) Most of them take jobs which don’t require a college degree.53. What does the author say is important for university students besides classroom instruction?A) Making sure to obtain an upper-second class degree.B) Practical skills they will need in their future careers.C) Interactions among themselves outside the classroom.D) Developing independent and creative thinking abilities.54. What is said to be an advantage of going to university?A) Learning how to take risks in an ever-changing world.B) Meeting people who will be helpful to you in the future.C) Having opportunities of playing a leading role in society.D) Gaining up-to-date knowledge in science and technology.55. What can we infer from the last paragraph?A) It is natural for students to make complaints about university education.B) Few students are willing to bear the burden of debt incurred at university.C) University education is becoming attractive to students who can afford it.D) The prestige of the university influences employers’recruitment decisions.Part IV Translation (30minutes) Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.随着生活水平的提高，度假在中国人生活中的作用越来越重要。