2018年12月大学英语六级真题(第二套)

2018年12月大学英语六级考试真题（第1套）Part I Writing(30minutes)Directions:For this part,you are allowed30minutes to write an essay on how to balance work and leisure.You should write at least150words but no more than200words.___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________Part II Listening Comprehension(30minutes)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 Sheet1with a single line through the centre.Questions1to4are based on the conversation you have just heard.1.A)It can benefit professionals and non-professionals alike.B)It lists the various challenges physicists are confronting.C)It describes how some mysteries of physics were solved.D)It is one of the most fascinating physics books ever written.2.A)Physicists’contribution to humanity.B)Stories about some female physicists.C)Historical evolution of modern physics.D)Women’s changing attitudes to physics.3.A)By exposing a lot of myths in physics.B)By describing her own life experiences.C)By including lots of fascinating knowledge.D)By telling anecdotes about famous professors.4.A)It avoids detailing abstract concepts of physics.B)It contains a lot of thought-provoking questions.C)It demonstrates how they can become physicists.D)It provides experiments they can do themselves.Questions5to8are based on the conversation you have just heard.5.A)He is too busy to finish his assignment in time.B)He does not know what kind of topic to write on.C)He does not understand the professor’s instructions.D)He has no idea how to proceed with his dissertation.6.A)It is too broad.B)It is a bit outdated.C)It is challenging.D)It is interesting.7.A)Biography.B)Nature.C)Philosophy.D)Beauty.8.A)Improve his cumulative grade.B)Develop his reading ability.C)Stick to the topic assigned.D)List the parameters first.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 Sheet1with a single line through the centre.Questions9to11are based on the passage you have just heard.9.A)The unprecedented high temperature in Greenland.B)The collapse of ice on the northern tip of Greenland.C)The unusual cold spell in the Arctic area in October.D)The rapid change of Arctic temperature within a day.10.A)It has created a totally new climate pattern.B)It will pose a serious threat to many species.C)It typically appears about once every ten years.D)It has puzzled the climate scientists for decades.11.A)Extinction of Arctic wildlife.B)Iceless summers in the Arctic.C)Emigration of indigenous people.D)Better understanding of ecosystems.Questions12to15are based on the passage you have just heard.12.A)A good start.B)A detailed plan.C)A strong determination.D)A scientific approach.13.A)Most people get energized after a sufficient rest.B)Most people tend to have a finite source of energy.C)It is vital to take breaks between demanding mental tasks.D)It is most important to have confidence in one’s willpower.14.A)They could keep on working longer.B)They could do more challenging tasks.C)They found it easier to focus on work at hand.D)They held more positive attitudes toward life.15.A)They are part of their nature.B)They are subject to change.C)They are related to culture.D)They are beyond control.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 Sheet1with a single line through the centre. Questions16to18are based on the recording you have just heard.16.A)About half of current jobs might be automated.B)The jobs of doctors and lawyers would be threatened.C)The job market is becoming somewhat unpredictable.D)Machine learning would prove disruptive by2013.17.A)They are widely applicable for massive open online courses.B)They are now being used by numerous high school teachers.C)They could read as many as10,000essays in a single minute.D)They could grade high-school essays just like human teachers.18.A)It needs instructions throughout the process.B)It does poorly on frequent,high-volume tasks.C)It has to rely on huge amounts of previous data.D)It is slow when it comes to tracking novel things.Questions19to21are based on the recording you have just heard.19.A)The engineering problems with solar power.B)The generation of steam with the latest technology.C)The importance of exploring new energy sources.D)The theoretical aspects of sustainable energy.20.A)Drive trains with solar energy.B)Upgrade the city’s train facilities.C)Build a new ten-kilometre railway line.D)Cut down the city’s energy consumption.21.A)Build a thank for keeping calcium oxide.B)Find a new material for storing energy.C)Recover super-heated steam.D)Collect carbon dioxide gas.Questions22to25are based on the recording you have just heard.22.A)The lack of supervision by both the national and local governments.B)The impact of the current economic crisis at home and abroad.C)The poor management of day centres and home help services.D)The poor relation between national health and social care services.23.A)It was mainly provided by voluntary services.B)It mainly caters to the needs of the privileged.C)It called for a sufficient number of volunteers.D)It has deteriorated over the past sixty years.24.A)Their longer lifespans.B)Fewer home helpers available.C)Their preference for private services.D)More of them suffering serious illnesses.25.A)They are unable to pay for health services.B)They have long been discriminated against.C)They are vulnerable to illnesses and diseases.D)They have contributed a great deal to society.Part III Reading Comprehension(40minutes)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 Sheet2 with a single line through the centre.You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Questions26to35are based on the following passage.Just off the coast of Southern California sits Santa Cruz Island,where a magical creature called the island fox26.A decade ago,this island’s ecosystem was in27.Wild pigs attracted golden eagles from the mainland,and those flying28crashed the fox population.So the Nature Conservancy launched a29war against the pigs,complete with helicopters and sharp shooters.And it worked.Today,federal agencies are pulling the island fox from the Endangered Species List.It’s the fastest-ever recovery of a mammal,joining peers like the Louisiana black bear as glowing successes in the history of the Endangered Species Act.But the recovery of Santa Cruz Island isn’t just about the fox.The Nature Conservancy has30war on a multitudeof invasive species here,from sheep to plants to the31Argentine ant.“Our philosophy with the island has always been,‘OK,32the threats and let the island go back to what it was,’”says ecologist Christina Boser.And it appears to be working.Native plants are coming back,and the fox once again bounds about carefree.But keeping those foxes from harm will occupy Boser and her colleagues for years to come.You see,humans are still allowed on Santa Cruz Island,and they bring dogs.So Boser has to vaccinate her foxes against various diseases.“We’re obligated to keep a pulse on the population for at least five years after the foxes are delisted,”says Boser.That includes tagging the foxes and33their numbers to ensure nothing goes wrong.This is the story of the little fox that has come back,and the people who have34their lives to protecting it.This is the story of wildlife conservation in the age of mass35.A)aggressive I）hindersB)chaos J)mammalC)configuration K)monitoringD)declared L）predatorsE)dedicated M）removeF)dwells N)temptG)extinction O）underlyingH)fierceSection 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 Sheet2.Do Parents Invade Children’s Privacy When They Post Photos Online?[A]When Katlyn Burbidge’s son was6years old,he was performing some ridiculous song and dance typical of afirst-grader.But after she snapped a photo and started using her phone,he asked her a serious question:“Are you going to post that online?”She laughed and answered,“Yes,I think I will.”What he said next stopped her.“Can you not?”[B]That’s when it dawned on her:She had been posting photos of him online without asking his permission.“We’re big advocates of bodily autonomy and not forcing him to hug or kiss people unless he wants to,but it never occurred to me that I should ask his permission to post photos of him online,”says Burbidge,a mom of two in Wakefield,Massachusetts.“Now when I post a photo of him online,I show him the photo and get his okay.”[C]When her8-month-old is3or4years old,she plans to start asking him in an age-appropriate way,“Do you want other people to see this?”That’s precisely the approach that two researchers advocated before a room of pediatricians(儿科医生)last week at the American Academy of Pediatrics meeting,when they discussed the21st century challenge of “sharenting,”a new term for parents’online sharing about their children.“As advocates of children’s rights,we believe that children should have a voice about what information is shared about them if possible,”says Stacey Steinberg,a legal skills professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law in Gainesville.[D]Whether it’s ensuring that your child isn’t bullied over something you post,that their identity isn’t digitally “kidnapped”,or that their photos don’t end up on a half dozen child pornography(色情)sites,as one Australian mom discovered,parents and pediatricians are increasingly aware of the importance of protecting children’s digital presence. Steinberg and Bahareh Keith,an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine,say most children will likely never experience problems related to what their parents share,but a tension still exists between parents’rights to share their experiences and their children’s rights to privacy.[E]“We’re in no way trying to silence parents’voices,”Steinberg says.“At the same time,we recognize that children might have an interest in entering adulthood free to create their own digital footprint.”They cited a study presented earlier this year of249pairs of parents and their children in which twice as many children as parents wanted rules on what parents could share.“The parents said,‘We don’t need rules—we’re fine,’and the children said,‘Our parents need rules,’”Keithsays.“The children wanted autonomy about this issue and were worried about their parents sharing information about them.”[F]Although the American Academy of Pediatrics offers guidelines recommending that parents model appropriate social media use for their children,it does not explicitly discuss oversharing by parents.“I think this is a very legitimate concern,and I appreciate their drawing our attention to it,”David Hill,a father of five,says.He sees a role for pediatricians to talk with parents about this,but believes the messaging must extend far beyond pediatricians’offices.“I look forward to seeing researchers expand our understanding of the issue so we can translate it into effective education and policy,”he says.[G]There’s been little research on the topic,Steinberg wrote in a law article about this issue.While states could pass laws related to sharing information about children online,Steinberg feels parents themselves are generally best suited to make these decisions for their families.“While we didn’t want to create any unnecessary panic,we did find some concerns that were troublesome,and we thought that parents or at least physicians should be aware of those potential risks,”Steinberg says.They include photos repurposed for inappropriate or illegal means,identity theft,embarrassment,bullying by peers or digital kidnapping.[H]But that’s the negative side,with risks that must be balanced against the benefits of sharing.Steinberg pointed out that parental sharing on social media helps build communities,connect spread-out families,provide support and raise awareness around important social issues for which parents might be their children’s only voice.[I]A C.S.Mott survey found among the56percent of mothers and34percent of fathers who discussed parenting on social media,72percent of them said sharing made them feel less alone,and nearly as many said sharing helped them worry less and gave them advice from other parents.The most common topics they discussed included kids’sleep,nutrition, discipline,behavior problems and day care and preschool.[J]“There’s this peer-to-peer nature of health care these days with a profound opportunity for parents to learn helpful tips,safety and prevention efforts,pro-vaccine messages and all kinds of other messages from other parents in their social communities,”says Wendy Sue Swanson,a pediatrician and executive director of digital health at Seattle Children’s Hospital,where she blogs about her own parenting journey to help other parents.“They’re getting nurtured by people they’ve already selected that they trust,”she says.[K]“How do we weigh the risks,how do we think about the benefits,and how do we alleviate the risks?”she says.“Those are the questions we need to ask ourselves,and everyone can have a different answer.”[L]Some parents find the best route for them is not to share at all.Bridget O’Hanlon and her husband,who live in Cleveland,decided before their daughter was born that they would not post her photos online.When a few family members did post pictures,O’Hanlon and her husband made their wishes clear.“It’s been hard not to share pictures of her because people always want to know how babies and toddlers(学走路的孩子)are doing and to see pictures,but we made the decision to have social media while she did not,”O’Hanlon said.Similarly,Alison Jamison of New York decided with her husband that their child had a right to their own online identity.They did use an invitation-only photo sharing platform so that friends and family,including those far away,could see the photos,but they stood firm,simply refusing to put their child’s photos on other social media platforms.[M]“For most families,it’s a journey.Sometimes it goes wrong,but most of the time it doesn’t,”says Swanson,who recommends starting to ask children permission to post narratives or photos around ages6to8.“We’ll learn more and more what our tolerance is.We can ask our kids to help us learn as a society what’s okay and what’s not.”[N]Indeed,that learning process goes both ways.Bria Dunham,a mother in Somerville,Massachusetts,was so excited to watch a moment of brotherly bonding while her first-grader and baby took a bath together that she snapped a few photos. But when she considered posting them online,she took the perspective of her son:How would he feel if his classmates’parents saw photos of him chest-up in the bathtub?“It made me think about how I’m teaching him to have ownership of his own body and how what is shared today endures into the future,”Dunham says.“So I kept the pictures to myself and accepted this as one more step in supporting his increasing autonomy.”36.Steinberg argued parental sharing online can be beneficial.37.According to an expert,when children reach school age,they can help their parents learn what can and cannot bedone.38.One mother refrained from posting her son’s photos online when she considered the matter from her son’sperspective.39.According to a study,more children than parents think there should be rules on parents’sharing.40.Katlyn Burbidge had never realized she had to ask her son’s approval to put his photos online.41.A mother decided not to post her son’s photo online when he asked her not to.42.A woman pediatrician tries to help other parents by sharing her own parenting experience.43.There are people who decide simply not to share their children’s photos online.44.Parents and physicians should realize sharing information online about children may involve risks.45.Parents who share their parenting experiences may find themselves intruding into their children’s privacy.Section CDirections:T here are2passages in this section.Each passage is followed by some question 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 Sheet2with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions46to50are based on the following passage.Perhaps it is time for farmers to put their feet up now that robots are used to inspect crops,dig up weeds,and even have become shepherds,mercial growing fields are astronomically huge and take thousands of man-hours to operate. One prime example is one of Australia’s most isolated cattle stations,Suplejack Downs in the Northern Territory,extending across4,000square kilometers,taking over13hours to reach by car from the nearest major town—Alice Springs.The extreme isolation of these massive farms leaves them often unattended,and monitored only once or twice a year, which means if the livestock falls ill or requires assistance,it can be a long time for farmers to discover.However,robots are coming to the rescue.Robots are currently under a two-year trial in Wales which will train“farmbots”to herd,monitor the health of livestock, and make sure there is enough pasture for them to graze on.The robots are equipped with many sensors to identify conditions of the environment,cattle and food,using thermal and vision sensors that detect changes in body temperature.“You’ve also got color,texture and shape sensors looking down at the ground to check pasture quality,”says Salah Sukkarieh of the University of Sydney,who will carry out trials on several farms in central New South Wales.During the trials,the robot algorithms(算法)and mechanics will be fine-tuned to make it better suited to ailing livestock and ensure it safely navigates around potential hazards including trees,mud,swamps,and hills.“We want to improve the quality of animal health and make it easier for farmers to maintain large landscapes where animals roam free,”says Sukkarieh.The robots are not limited to herding and monitoring livestock.They have been created to count individual fruit, inspect crops,and even pull weeds.Many robots are equipped with high-tech sensors and complex learning algorithms to avoid injuring humans as they work side by side.The robots also learn the most efficient and safest passages,and allow engineers and farmers to analyze and better optimize the attributes and tasks of the robot,as well as provide a live stream giving real-time feedback on exactly what is happening on the farms.Of course,some worry lies in replacing agricultural workers.However,it is farmers that are pushing for the advancements due to ever-increasing labor vacancies,making it difficult to maintain large-scale operations.The robots have provided major benefits to farmers in various ways,from hunting and pulling weeds to monitoring the condition of every single fruit.Future farms will likely experience a greater deal of autonomy as robots take up more and more farm work efficiently.46.What may farmers be able to do with robots appearing on the farming scene?A)Upgrade farm produceB)Enjoy more leisure hours.C)Modify the genes of crops.D)Cut down farming costs.47.What will“farmbots”be expected to do?A)Take up many of the farmers’routines.B)Provide medical treatments for livestock.C)Lead the trend in farming the world over.D)Improve the quality of pastures for grazing.48.What can robots do when equipped with high-tech sensors and complex learning algorithms?A)Help farmers choose the most efficient and safest passages.B)Help farmers simplify their farming tasks and management.C)Allow farmers to learn instantly what is occurring on the farm.D)Allow farmers to give them real-time instructions on what to do.49.Why are farmers pressing for robotic farming?A)Farming costs are fast increasing.B)Robotics technology is maturing.C)Robotic farming is the trend.D)Labor short is worsening50.What does the author think future farms will be like?A)More and more automated.B)More and more productive.C)Larger and larger in scale.D)Better and better in condition.Passage TwoQuestions51to55are based on the following passageThe public must be able to understand the basics of science to make informed decisions.Perhaps the most dramatic example of the negative consequences of poor communication between scientists and the public is the issue of climate change,where a variety of factors,not the least of which is a breakdown in the transmission of fundamental climate data to the general public,has contributed to widespread mistrust and misunderstanding of scientists and their research.The issue of climate change also illustrates how the public acceptance and understanding of science(or the lack of it) can influence governmental decision-making with regard to regulation,science policy and research funding.However,the importance of effective communication with a general audience is not limited to hot issues like climate change.It is also critical for socially charged neuroscience issues such as the genetic basis for a particular behavior,the therapeutic potential of stem cell therapy for neurodegenerative diseases,or the use of animal models,areas where the public understanding of science can also influence policy and funding decisions.Furthermore,with continuing advances in individual genome(基因组)sequencing and the advent of personalized medicine,more non-scientists will need to be comfortable analyzing complex scientific information to make decisions that directly affect their quality of life.Science journalism is the main channel for the popularization of scientific information among the public.Much has been written about how the relationship between scientists and the media can shape the efficient transmission of scientific advances to the public.Good science journalists are specialists in making complex topics accessible to a general audience, while adhering to scientific accuracy.Unfortunately,pieces of science journalism can also oversimplify and generalize their subject material to the point that the basic information conveyed is obscured or at worst,obviously wrong.The impact of a basic discovery on human health can be exaggerated so that the public thinks a miraculous cure is a few months to years away when in reality the significance of the study is far more limited.Even though scientists play a part in transmitting information to journalists and ultimately the public,too often the blame for ineffective communication is placed on the side of the journalists.We believe that at least part of the problem lies in places other than the interaction between scientists and members of the media,and exists because for one thing we underestimate how difficult it is for scientists to communicate effectively with a diversity of audiences,and for another most scientists do not receive formal training in science communication.51.What does the example of climate change serve to show?A)The importance of climate data is increasingly recognized.B)Adequate government funding is vital to scientific research.C)Government regulation helps the public understand science.D)Common folks’scientific knowledge can sway policy making.52.What should non-scientists do to ensure their quality of life?A)Seek personalized medical assistance from doctors.B)Acquire a basic understanding of medical science.C)Have their individual genome sequenced.D)Make informed use of animal models.53.Why is it important for scientists to build a good relationship with the media?A)It helps them to effectively popularize new scientific information.B)It enables the public to develop a positive attitude toward science.C)It helps them to establish a more positive public image.D)It enables them to apply their findings to public health.54.What does the author say is the problem with science journalism?A)It is keen on transmitting sensational information.B)It tends to oversimplify people’s health problems.C)It may give inaccurate or distorted information to the public.D)It may provide information open to different interpretations.55.What should scientists do to impart their latest findings to the public more effectively?A)Give training to science journalists.B)Stimulate public interest in science.C)Seek timely assistance from the media.D)Improve their communication skills.Part IV Translation(30minutes)Directions:For this part,you are allowed30minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English.You should write your answer on Answer Sheet2.近年来，中国越来越多的博物馆免费向公众开放。

2018年12月六级考试真题（第二套）为了让大家更好地模拟真实考场，文都网校四六级完全按照真题卷面顺序排版了本套真题，Part I写作部分被放在了试卷的最后一页，与听力部分完全隔开，请大家在备考过程中提早适应卷面顺序！Part II Listening Comprehension(30minutes)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.Afteryou 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 Sheet1with a single line through thecentre.Questions1to4are based on the conversation you have just heard.1.A)It is one of the most fascinating physics books ever written.B)It describes how some mysteries of physics were solved.C)It lists the various challenges physicists are confronting.D)It can benefit professionals and non-professionals alike.2.A)Stories about some female physicists.B)Physicists’contribution to humanity.C)Historical evolution of modern physics.D)Women’s changing attitudes to physics.3.A)By telling anecdotes about famous professors.B)By including lots of fascinating knowledge.C)By describing her own life experiences.D)By exposing a lot of myths in physics.4.A)It avoids detailing abstract concepts of physics.B)It contains a lot of thought-provoking questions.C)It provides experiments they can do themselves.D)It demonstrates how they can become physicists.Questions5to8are based on the conversation you have just heard.5.A)He has no idea how to proceed with his dissertation.B)He does not understand the professor’s instructions.C)He does not know what kind of topic to write on.D)He is too busy to finish his assignment in time.6.A)It is challenging.C)It is too broad.B)It is interesting.D)It is a bit outdated.7.A)Biography.C)Beauty.B)Philosophy.D)Nature.8.A)List the parameters first.C)Develop his reading ability.B)Stick to the topic assigned.D)Improve his cumulative grade.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 passages and the questions will be spoken only once.After you heara question,you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A),B),C)and D).Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet1with a single line through the centre. Questions9to11are based on the passage you have just heard.9.A)The unprecedented high temperature in Greenland.B)The unusual cold spell in the Arctic area in October.C)The collapse of ice on the northern tip of Greenland.D)The rapid change of Arctic temperature within a day.10.A)It has puzzled the climate scientists for decades.B)It typically appears about once every ten years.C)It will pose a serious threat to many species.D)It has created a totally new climate pattern.11.A)Extinction of Arctic wildlife.C)Iceless summers in the Arctic.B)Emigration of indigenous people.D)Better understanding of ecosystems. Questions12to15are based on the passage you have just heard.12.A)A good start.C)A scientific approach.B)A detailed plan.D)A strong determination.13.A)Most people get energized after a sufficient test.B)It is vital to take breaks between demanding mental tasks.C)It is most important to have confidence in one’s willpower.D)Most people tend to have a finite source of energy.14.A)They found it easier to focus on work at hand.B)They held more positive attitudes toward life.C)They could do more challenging tasks.D)They could keep on working longer.15.A)They are subject to change.C)They are related to culture.B)They are beyond control.D)They are part of their nature.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 mustchoose the best answer from the four choices marked A),B),C)and D).Then mark thecorresponding letter on Answer Sheet1with a single line through the centre. Questions16to18are based on the recording you have just heard.16.A)The job market is becoming somewhat unpredictable.B)The jobs of doctors and lawyers would be threatened.C)Machine learning would prove disruptive by2013.D)About half of current jobs might be automated.17.A)They could grade high-school essays just like human teachers.B)They could read as many as10,000essays in a single minute.C)They are widely applicable for massive open online courses.D)They are now being used by numerous high school teachers.18.A)It is slow when it comes to tracking novel things.B)It has to rely on huge amounts of previous data.C)It does poorly on frequent,high-volume tasks.D)It needs instructions throughout the process.Questions19to21are based on the recording you have just heard.19.A)The generation of steam with the latest technology.B)The importance of exploring new energy sources.C)The theoretical aspects of sustainable energy.D)The engineering problems with solar power.20.A)Cut down the city’s energy consumption.B)Build a new ten-kilometre railway line.C)Upgrade the city’s train facilities.D)Drive trains with solar energy.21.A)Collect carbon dioxide gas.C)Find a new material for storing energy.B)Recover super-heated steam.D)Build a tank for keeping calcium oxide. Questions22to25are based on the recording you have just heard.22.A)The lack of supervision by both the national and local governments.B)The poor relation between national health and social care services.C)The impact of the current economic crisis at home and abroad.D)The poor management of day centres and home help services.23.A)It was mainly provided by voluntary services.B)It called for a sufficient number of volunteers.C)It mainly caters to the needs of the privileged.D)It has deteriorated over the past sixty years.24.A)More of them suffering serious illnesses.C)Fewer home helpers available.B)Their preference for private services.D)Their longer lifespans.25.A)They have contributed a great deal to society.B)They are vulnerable to illnesses and diseases.C)They have long been discriminated against.D)They are unable to pay for health services.Part III Reading Comprehension(40minutes) 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 passagethrough 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 sheet2with a single linethrough the centre.You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Just off the coast of Southern California sits Santa Cruz Island,where a magical creature called the island fox26.A decade ago,this island’s ecosystem was in27.Wild pigs attracted golden eagles from the mainland,and those flying28crashed the fox population.So the Nature Conservancy launched a29war against the pigs,complete with helicopters and sharp shooters.And it worked.Today,federal agencies are pulling the island fox from the Endangered Species List.It’s the fastest-ever recovery of a mammal,joining peers like the Louisiana black bear as glowing successes in the history of the Endangered Species Act.But the recovery of Santa Cruz Island isn’t just about the fox.The Nature Conservancy has30war on a multitude of invasive species here,from sheep to plants to the31Argentine ant.“Our philosophy with the island has always been,‘OK,32the threats and let the island go back to what it was,’”says ecologist Christina Boser.And it appears to be working.Native plants are coming back,and the fox once again bounds about carefree.But keeping those foxes from harm will occupy Boser and her colleagues for years to come.You see, humans are still allowed on Santa Cruz Island,and they bring dogs.So Boser has to vaccinate her foxes against various diseases.“We’re obligated to keep a pulse on the population for at least five years after theI)hinders J)mammal K)monitoring L)predators M)remove N)tempt O)underlyingA)aggressiveB)chaosC)configurationD)declaredE)dedicatedF)dwellsG)extinctionH)fierce foxes are delisted,”says Boser.That includes tagging the foxes and 33their numbers to ensure nothing goes wrong.This is the story of the little fox that has come back,and the people who have 34their lives to protecting it.This is the story of wildlife conservation in the age of mass 35.Section BDirections:In this section,you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it.Each state-ment contains information given in one of the paragraphs.Identify the paragraph from whichthe information is derived.You may choose a paragraph more than once.Each paragraph ismarked with a letter.Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answersheet 2.Do Parents Invade Children’s Privacy When They Post Photos Online?[A]When Katlyn Burbidge’s son was 6years old,he was performing some ridiculous song and dancetypical of a first-grader.But after she snapped a photo and started using her phone,he asked her a serious question:“Are you going to post that online?”She laughed and answered,“Yes,I think I will.”What he said next stopped her.“Can you not?”[B]That’s when it dawned on her:She had been posting photos of him online without asking his permission.“We’re big advocates of bodily autonomy and not forcing him to hug or kiss people unless he wants to,but it never occurred to me that I should ask his permission to post photos of him online,”says Burbidge,a mom of two in Wakefield,Massachusetts,“Now when I post a photo of him online,I show him the photo and get his okay.”[C]When her 8-month-old is 3or 4years old,she plans to start asking him in an age-appropriate way,“Doyou want other people to see this?”That’s precisely the approach that two researchers advocated before a room of pediatrician （儿科医生）last week at the American Academy of Pediatrics meeting,when they discussed the 21st century challenge of “sharenting,”a new term for parents’online sharing about their children.“As advocates of children’s rights,we believe that children should have a voice about what information is shared about them if possible,”says Stacey Steinberg,a legal skills professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law in Gainesville.[D]Whether it’s ensuring that your child isn’t bullied over something you post,that their identity isn’tdigitally “kidnapped”,or that their photos don’t end up on a half dozen child pornography （色情）sites,as one Australian mom discovered,parents and pediatricians are increasingly aware of the importance of protecting children’s digital presence.Steinberg and Bahareh Keith,an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine,say most children will likely never experience problems related to what their parents share,but a tension still exists between parents’rights to share theirexperiences and their children’s rights to privacy.[E]“We’re in no way trying to silence parents’voices,”Steinberg says.“At the same time,we recognize thatchildren might have an interest in entering adulthood free to create their own digital footprint.”They cited a study presented earlier this year of249pairs of parents and their children in which twice as many children as parents wanted rules on what parents could share.“The parents said,‘We don’t need rules—we’re fine,’and the children said,‘Our parents need rules,’”Keith says.“The children wanted autonomy about this issue and were worried about their parents sharing information about them.”[F]Although the American Academy of Pediatrics offers guidelines recommending that parents model appro-priate social media use for their children,it does not explicitly discuss oversharing by parents.“I think this is a very legitimate concern,and I appreciate their drawing our attention to it,”David Hill,a father of five,says.He sees a role for pediatricians to talk with parents about this,but believes the messaging must extend far beyond pediatricians’offices.“I look forward to seeing researchers expand our understanding of the issue so we can translate it into effective education and policy,”he says.[G]There’s been little research on the topic,Steinberg wrote in a law article about this issue.While statescould pass laws related to sharing information about children online,Steinberg feels parents themselves are generally best suited to make these decisions for their families.“While we didn’t want to create any unnecessary panic,we did find some concerns that were troublesome,and we thought that parents or at least physicians should be aware of those potential risks,”Steinberg says.They include photosrepurposed for inappropriate or illegal means,identity theft,embarrassment,bullying by peers or digital kidnapping.[H]But that’s the negative side,with risks that must be balanced against the benefits of sharing.Steinbergpointed out that parental sharing on social media helps build communities,connect spread-out families, provide support and raise awareness around important social issues for which parents might be their children’s only voice.[I]A C.S.Mott survey found among the56percent of mothers and34percent of fathers who discussedparenting on social media,72percent of them said sharing made them feel less alone,and nearly as many said sharing helped them worry less and gave them advice from other parents.The most common topics they discussed included kids’sleep,nutrition,discipline,behavior problems and day care and preschool. [J]“There’s this peer-to-peer nature of health care these days with a profound opportunity for parents to learn helpful tips,safety and prevention efforts,pro-vaccine messages and all kinds of other messages from other parents in their social communities,”says Wendy Sue Swanson,a pediatrician and executive director of digital health at Seattle Children’s Hospital,where she blogs about her own parenting journey to help other parents.“They’re getting nurtured by people they’ve already selected that they trust,”she says.[K]“How do we weigh the risks,how do we think about the benefits,and how do we alleviate the risks?”she says.“Those are the questions we need to ask ourselves,and everyone can have a different answer.”[L]Some parents find the best route for them is not to share at all.Bridget O’Hanlon and her husband,who live in Cleveland,decided before their daughter was born that they would not post her photos online.When a few family members did post pictures,O’Hanlon and her husband made their wishes clear.“It’s been hard not to share pictures of her because people always want to know how babies and toddlers（学走路的孩子）are doing and to see pictures,but we made the decision to have social media while she didnot,”O’Hanlon said.Similarly,Alison Jamison of New York decided with her husband that their child had a right to their own online identity.They did use an invitation-only photo sharing platform so that friends and family,including those far away,could see the photos,but they stood firm,simply refusing to put their child’s photos on other social media platforms.[M]“For most families,it’s a journey.Sometimes it goes wrong,but most of the time it doesn’t,”says Swanson,who recommends starting to ask children permission to post narratives or photos around ages6 to8.“We’ll learn more and more what our tolerance is.We can ask our kids to help us learn as a society what’s okay and what’s not.”[N]Indeed,that learning process goes both ways.Bria Dunham,a mother in Somerville,Massachusetts,was so excited to watch a moment of brotherly bonding while her first-grader and baby took a bath together that she snapped a few photos.But when she considered posting them online,she took the perspective of her son:How would he feel if his classmates’parents saw photos of him chest-up in the bathtub?“Itmade me think about how I’m teaching him to have ownership of his own body and how what is shared today endures into the future,”Dunham says.“So I kept the pictures to myself and accepted this as one more step in supporting his increasing autonomy.”36.Steinberg argued parental sharing online can be beneficial.37.According to an expert,when children reach school age,they can help their parents learn what can andcannot be done.38.One mother refrained from posting her son’s photos online when she considered the matter from her son’sperspective.39.According to a study,more children than parents think there should be rules on parents’sharing.40.Katlyn Burbidge had never realized she had to ask her son’s approval to put his photos online.41.A mother decided not to post her son’s photo online when he asked her not to.42.A woman pediatrician tries to help other parents by sharing her own parenting experience.43.There are people who decide simply not to share their children’s photos online.44.Parents and physicians should realize sharing information online about children may involve risks.45.Parents who share their parenting experiences may find themselves intruding into their children’sprivacy.Section CDirections:There are2passages 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 Sheet2with a singleline through the centre.Passage OneQuestions46to50are based on the following passage.Perhaps it is time for farmers to put their feet up now that robots are used to inspect crops,dig up weeds, and even have become shepherds,mercial growing fields are astronomically huge and take thousands of man-hours to operate.One prime example is one of Australia’s most isolated cattle stations, Suplejack Downs in the Northern Territory,extending across4,000square kilometers,taking over13hours to reach by car from the nearest major town—Alice Springs.The extreme isolation of these massive farms leaves them often unattended,and monitored only once or twice a year,which means if the livestock falls ill or requires assistance,it can be a long time for farmers to discover.However,robots are coming to the rescue.Robots are currently under a two-year trial in Wales which will train‘farmbots’to herd,monitor the health of livestock,and make sure there is enough pasture for them to graze on.The robots are equipped with many sensors to identify conditions of the environment,cattle and food,using thermal and vision sensors that detect changes in body temperature.“You’ve also got color,texture and shape sensors looking down at the ground to check pasture quality,”says Salah Sukkarieh of the University of Sydney,who will carry out trials on several farms in central New South Wales.During the trials,the robot algorithms（算法）and mechanics will be fine-tuned to make it better suited to ailing livestock and ensure it safely navigates around potential hazards including trees,mud,swamps,and hills.“We want to improve the quality of animal health and make it easier for farmers to maintain large landscapes where animals roam free,”says Sukkarieh.The robots are not limited to herding and monitoring livestock.They have been created to count individual fruit,inspect crops,and even pull weeds.Many robots are equipped with high-tech sensors and complex learning algorithms to avoid injuring humans as they work side by side.The robots also learn the most efficient and safest passages,and allow engineers and farmers to analyze and better optimize the attributes and tasks of the robot,as well as provide a live stream giving real-time feedback on exactly what is happening on the farms.Of course,some worry lies in replacing agricultural workers.However,it is farmers that are pushing for the advancements due to ever-increasing labor vacancies,making it difficult to maintain large-scale operations.The robots have provided major benefits to farmers in various ways,from hunting and pulling weeds to monitoring the condition of every single fruit.Future farms will likely experience a greater deal of autonomy as robots take up more and more farm work efficiently.46.What may farmers be able to do with robots appearing on the farming scene?A)Upgrade farm produce.C)Modify the genes of crops.B)Enjoy more leisure hours.D)Cut down farming costs.47.What will‘farmbots’be expected to do?A)Take up many of the farmers’routines.B)Provide medical treatments for livestock.C)Lead the trend in farming the world over.D)Improve the quality of pastures for grazing.48.What can robots do when equipped with high-tech sensors and complex learning algorithms?A)Help farmers choose the most efficient and safest passages.B)Help farmers simplify their farming tasks and management.C)Allow farmers to learn instantly what is occurring on the farm.D)Allow farmers to give them real-time instructions on what to do.49.Why are farmers pressing for robotic farming?A)Farming costs are fast increasing.C)Robotic farming is the trend.B)Robotics technology is maturing.D)Labor shortage is worsening.50.What does the author think future farms will be like?A)More and more automated.C)Larger and larger in scale.B)More and more productive.D)Better and better in condition.Passage TwoQuestions51to55are based on the following passage.The public must be able to understand the basics of science to make informed decisions.Perhaps the most dramatic example of the negative consequences of poor communication between scientists and the public is the issue of climate change,where a variety of factors,not the least of which is a breakdown in the transmission of fundamental climate data to the general public has contributed to widespread mistrust and misunderstanding of scientists and their research.The issue of climate change also illustrates how the public acceptance and understanding of science (or the lack of it)can influence governmental decision-making with regard to regulation,science policy and research funding.However,the importance of effective communication with a general audience is not limited to hot issues like climate change.It is also critical for socially charged neuroscience issues such as the genetic basis for a particular behavior,the therapeutic potential of stem cell therapy for neurodegenerative diseases,or the use of animal models,areas where the public understanding of science can also influence policy and funding decisions.Furthermore,with continuing advances in individual genome（基因组）sequencing and the advent of personalized medicine,more non-scientists will need to be comfortable analyzing complex scientific information to make decisions that directly affect their quality of life.Science journalism is the main channel for the popularization of scientific information among the public.Much has been written about how the relationship between scientists and the media can shape the efficient transmission of scientific advances to the public.Good science journalists are specialists in making complex topics accessible to a general audience,while adhering to scientific accuracy.Unfortunately,pieces of science journalism can also oversimplify and generalize their subject material to the point that the basic information conveyed is obscured or at worst,obviously wrong.The impact of a basic discovery on human health can be exaggerated so that the public thinks a miraculous cure is a few months to years away when in reality the significance of the study is far more limited.Even though scientists play a part in transmitting information to journalists and ultimately the public, too often the blame for ineffective communication is placed on the side of the journalists.We believe that atleast part of the problem lies in places other than the interaction between scientists and members of the media, and exists because for one thing we underestimate how difficult it is for scientists to communicate effectively with a diversity of audiences,and for another most scientists do not receive formal training in science communication.51.What does the example of climate change serve to show?A)The importance of climate data is increasingly recognized.B)Adequate government funding is vital to scientific research.C)Government regulation helps the public understand science.D)Common folks’scientific knowledge can sway policy making.52.What should non-scientists do to ensure their quality of life?A)Seek personalized medical assistance from doctors.B)Acquire a basic understanding of medical science.C)Have their individual genome sequenced.D)Make informed use of animal models.53.Why is it important for scientists to build a good relationship with the media?A)It helps them to effectively popularize new scientific information.B)It enables the public to develop a positive attitude toward science.C)It helps them to establish a more positive public image.D)It enables them to apply their findings to public health.54.What does the author say is the problem with science journalism?A)It is keen on transmitting sensational information.B)It tends to oversimplify people’s health problems.C)It may give inaccurate or distorted information to the public.D)It may provide information open to different interpretations.55.What should scientists do to impart their latest findings to the public more effectively?A)Give training to science journalists.C)Seek timely assistance from the media.B)Stimulate public interest in science.D)Improve their communication skills.Part IV Translation(30minutes) Directions:For this part,you are allowed30minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English.You should write your answer on Answer Sheet2.近年来，中国政府进一步加大体育馆建设投资，以更好地满足人们快速增长的健身需求。

Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the importance of writing ability and how to develop it. 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) 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) Annoyed.B) Scared.C) Confused.D) Offended.2. A) It crawled over the woman's hands.B) It wound up on the steering wheel.C) It was killed by the police on the spot.D) It was covered with large scales.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3. A) A study of the fast-food service.B) Fast food customer satisfaction.C) McDonald's new business strategies.D) Competition in the fast-food industry.4. A) Customers' higher demands.B) The inefficiency of employees.C) Increased variety of products.D) The rising number of customers.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5. A) International treaties regarding space travel programs.B) Legal issues involved in commercial space exploration.C) U.S. government's approval of private space missions.D) Competition among public and private space companies.6. A) Deliver scientific equipment to the moon.B) Approve a new mission to travel into outer space.C) Work with federal agencies on space programs.D) Launch a manned spacecraft to Mars.7. A) It is significant.B) It is promising.C) It is unpredictable.D) It is unprofitable.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the endof 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) Visiting her family in Thailand.B) Showing friends around Phuket.C) Swimming around a Thai island.D) Lying in the sun on a Thai beach.9. A) She visited a Thai orphanage.B) She met a Thai girl's parents.C) She learned some Thai words.D) She sunbathed on a Thai beach.10. A) His class will start in a minute.B) He has got an incoming phone call.C) Someone is knocking at his door.D) His phone is running out of power.11. A) He is interested in Thai artworks.B) He is going to open a souvenir shop.C) He collects things from different countries.D) He wants to know more about Thai culture.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) Buying some fitness equipment for the new gym.B) Opening a gym and becoming personal trainers.C) Signing up for a weight-loss course.D) Trying out a new gym in town.13. A) Professional personal training.B) Free exercise for the first week.C) A discount for a half-year membership.D) Additional benefits for young couples.14. A) The safety of weight-lifting.B) The high membership fee.C) The renewal of his membership.D) The operation of fitness equipment.15. A) She wants her invitation renewed.B) She used to do 200 sit-ups every day.C) She knows the basics of weight-lifting.D) She used to be the gym's personal trainer.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 tend to be nervous during interviews.B) They often apply for a number of positions.C) They worry about the results of their applications.D) They search extensively for employers' information.17. A) Get better organized.B) Edit their references.C) Find better-paid jobs.D) Analyze the searching process.18. A) Provide their data in detail.B) Personalize each application.C) Make use of better search engines.D) Apply for more promising positions.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A) If kids did not like school, real learning would not take place.B) If not forced to go to school, kids would be out in the streets.C) If schools stayed the way they are, parents were sure to protest.D) If teaching failed to improve, kids would stay away from school.20. A) Allow them to play interesting games in class.B) Try to stir up their interest in lab experiments.C) Let them stay home and learn from their parents.D) Design activities they now enjoy doing on holidays.21. A) Allow kids to learn at their own pace.B) Encourage kids to learn from each other.C) Organize kids into various interest groups.D) Take kids out of school to learn at first hand.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A) It is especially popular in Florida and Alaska.B) It is a major social activity among the young.C) It is seen almost anywhere and on any occasion.D) It is even more expressive than the written word.23. A) It is located in a big city in Iowa.B) It is really marvelous to look at.C) It offers free dance classes to seniors.D) It offers people a chance to socialize.24. A) Their state of mind improved.B) They became better dancers.C) They enjoyed better health.D) Their relationship strengthened.25. A) It is fun.B) It is life.C) It is exhausting.D) It is rhythmical.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 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.Since the 1940s, southern California has had a reputation for smog. Things are not as bad as they once were but, according to the American Lung Association, Los Angeles is still the worst city in the United States for levelsof 26 . Gazing down on the city from the Getty Center, an art museum in the Santa Monica Mountains, one would find the view of the Pacific Ocean blurred by the haze (霾). Nor is the state's bad air 27 to its south. Fresno, in the central valley, comes top of the list in America for year-round pollution. Residents' hearts and lungs are affected as a 28 . All of which, combined with California's reputation as the home of technological 29 , makes the place ideal for developing and testing systems designed to monitor pollution in 30 . And that is just what Aclima, a new firm in San Francisco, has been doing over the past few months. It has been trying out monitoring stations that are 31 to yield minute-to-minute maps of 32 air pollution. Such stations will also be able to keep an eye on what is happening inside buildings, including offices. To this end, Aclima has been 33 with Google's Street View system. Davida Herzl, Aclima's boss, says they have revealed pollution highs on days when San Francisco's transit workers went on strike and the city's 34 were forcedto use their cars. Conversely, "cycle to work" days have done their jobby 35 pollution lows.A) assisted B) collaborating C) consequence D) consumers E) creating F) detail G) domestic H) frequently I) inhabitants J) innovation K) intended L) outdoor M) pollutants N) restricted O) sumSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with tenstatements 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.As Tourists Crowd Out Locals, Venice Faces 'Endangered' ListA) On a recent fall morning, a large crowd blocked the steps at one of Venice's main tourist sites, the Rialto Bridge. The Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal. It is the oldest bridge across the canal, and was the dividing line between the districts of San Marco and San Polo. But on this day, there was a twist: it was filled with Venetians, not tourists.B) "People are cheering and holding their carts in the air," says Giovanni Giorgio, who helped organize the march with a grass-roots organization called Generazione '90. The carts he refers to are small shopping carts—the symbol of a true Venetian. "It started as a joke," he says with a laugh. "The idea was to put blades on the wheels! You know? Like Ben Hur. Precisely like that, you just go around and run people down."C) Venice is one of the hottest tourist destinations in the world. But that's a problem. Up to 90,000 tourists crowd its streets and canals every day—far outnumbering the 55,000 permanent residents. The tourist increase is one key reason the city's population is down from 175,000 in the 1950s. The outnumbered Venetians have been steadily fleeing. And those who stick around are tired of living in a place where they can't even get to the market without swimming through a sea of picture-snapping tourists. Imagine, navigating through 50,000 people while on the way to school or to work.D) Laura Chigi, a grandmother at the march, says the local and national governments have failed to do anything about the crowds for decades, because they're only interested in tourism—the primary industry in Venice, worth more than $3 billion in 2015. "Venice is a cash cow," she says, "and everyone wants a piece."E) Just beyond St. Mark's Square, a cruise ship passes, one of hundreds every year that appear over their medieval (中世纪的) surroundings. Their massive wake creates waves at the bottom of the sea, weakening the foundations of the centuries-old buildings themselves. "Every time I see a cruise ship, I feel sad," Chigi says. "You see the mud it drags; the destruction it leaves in its wake? That hurts the ancient wooden poles holding up the city underwater. One day we'll see Venice break down."F) For a time, UNESCO, the cultural wing of the United Nations, seemed to agree. Two years ago, it put Italy on notice, saying the government was not protecting Venice. UNESCO considers the entire city a World Heritage Site, a great honor that means Venice, at the cultural level, belongs to all of the world's people. In 2014, UNESCO gave Italy two years to manage Venice's flourishing tourism or the city would be placed on another list—WorldHeritage In Danger, joining such sites as Aleppo and Palmyra, destroyed by the war in Syria.G) Venice's deadline passed with barely a murmur (嘟哝) this summer, just as UNESCO was meeting in Istanbul. Only one representative, Jad T abet from Lebanon, tried to raise the issue. "For several years, the situation of heritage in Venice has been worsening, and it has now reached a dramatic situation," Tabet told UNESCO. "We have to act quickly—there is not a moment to waste."H) But UNESCO didn't even hold a vote. "It's been postponed until 2017," says Anna Somers, the founder and CEO of The Art Newspaper and the former head of Venice in Peril, a group devoted to restoring Venetian art. She says the main reason the U.N. cultural organization didn't vote to declare Venice a World Heritage Site In Danger is because UNESCO has become "intensely politicized. There would have been some back-room negotiations."I) Italy boasts more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any other country in the world, granting it considerable power and influence within the organization. The former head of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, which oversees heritage sites, is Francesco Bandarin, a Venetian who now serves as UNESCO's assistant director-general for culture.J) Earlier this year, Italy signed an accord with UNESCO to establish a task force of police art detectives and archaeologists (考古学家) to protect cultural heritage from natural disasters and terror groups, such as ISIS. The accord underlined Italy's global reputation as a good steward of art and culture.K) But adding Venice to the UNESCO endangered list—which is dominated by sites in developing and conflict-ridden countries—would be an international embarrassment, and could even hurt Italy's profitable tourism industry. The Italian Culture Ministry says it is unaware of any government efforts to pressure UNESCO. As for the organization itself, it declined a request for an interview.L) The city's current mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, has ridiculed UNESCO and told it to mind its own business, while continuing to support the cruise ship industry, which employs 5,000 Venice residents.M) As for Venetians, they're beyond frustrated and hoping for a solution soon. "It's a nightmare for me. Some situations are really difficult with tourists around," says Giorgio as he navigates around a swelling crowd at the Rialto Bridge. "There are just so many of them. They never know where they are going, and do not walk in an orderly manner. Navigating the streets can be exhausting."N) Then it hits him: This crowd isn't made up of tourists. They're Venetians. Giorgio says he's never experienced the Rialto Bridge this way in all his 22 years. "For once, we are the ones who are blocking the traffic," he says delightedly. "It feels unreal. It feels like we're some form of endangered species. It's just nice. The feeling is just pure." But, he worries, if tourismisn't managed and his fellow locals continue to move to the mainland, hisgeneration might be the last who can call themselves native Venetians.36. The passing cruise ships will undermine the foundations of the ancient buildings in Venice.37. The Italian government has just reached an agreement with UNESCO to take measures to protect its cultural heritage.38. The heritage situation in Venice has been deteriorating in the past few years.39. The decrease in the number of permanent residents in Venice is mainly due to the increase of tourists.40. If tourism gets out of control, native Venetians may desert the city altogether one day.41. UNESCO urged the Italian government to undertake its responsibility to protect Venice.42. The participants in the Venetian march used shopping carts to show they were 100% local residents.43. Ignoring UNESCO's warning, the mayor of Venice maintains his support of the city's tourism industry.44. One woman says that for decades the Italian government and local authorities have only focused on the revenues from tourism.45. UNESCO has not yet decided to put Venice on the list of World Heritage Sites In Danger.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 and 50 are based on the following passage.Living in an urban area with green spaces has a long-lasting positive impact on people's mental well-being, a study has suggested. UK researchers found moving to a green space had a sustained positive effect, unlike pay rises or promotions, which only provided a short-term boost. Co-author Mathew White, from the University of Exeter, UK, explained that the study showed people living in greener urban areas were displaying fewer signs of depression or anxiety. "There could be a number of reasons," he said, "for example, people do many things to make themselves happier: they strive for promotion or pay rises, or they get married. But the trouble with those things is that within six months to a year, people are back to their original baseline levels of well-being. So, these things are not sustainable; they don't make us happy in the long term. We found that for some lottery (彩票) winners who had won more than ￡500,000 the positive effect was definitely there, but after six months to a year, they were back to the baseline."Dr. White said his team wanted to see whether living in greener urban areashad a lasting positive effect on people's sense of well-being or whether the effect also disappeared after a period of time. To do this, the team used data from the British Household Panel Survey compiled by the University of Essex. Explaining what the data revealed, he said: "What you see is that even after three years, mental health is still better, which is unlike many other things that we think will make us happy." He observed that people living in green spaces were less stressed, and less stressed people made more sensible decisions and communicated better.With a growing body of evidence establishing a link between urban green spaces and a positive impact on human well-being, Dr. White said, "There's growing interest among public policy officials, but the trouble is who funds it. What we really need at a policy level is to decide where the money will come from to help support good quality local green spaces."46. According to one study, what do green spaces do to people?A) Improve their work efficiency.B) Add to their sustained happiness.C) Help them build a positive attitude towards life.D) Lessen their concerns about material well-being.47. What does Dr. White say people usually do to make themselves happier?A) Earn more money.B) Settle in an urban area.C) Gain fame and popularity.D) Live in a green environment.48. What does Dr. White try to find out about living in a greener urban area?A) How it affects different people.B) How strong its positive effect is.C) How long its positive effect lasts.D) How it benefits people physically.49. What did Dr. White's research reveal about people living in a green environment?A) Their stress was more apparent than real.B) Their decisions required less deliberation.C) Their memories were greatly strengthened.D) Their communication with others improved.50. According to Dr. White, what should the government do to build more green spaces in cities?A) Find financial support.B) Improve urban planning.C) Involve local residents in the effort.D) Raise public awareness of the issue.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.You probably know about the Titanic, but it was actually just one of three state-of-the-art (先进的) ocean ships back in the day. The Olympic class shipswere built by the Harland & Wolff ship makers in Northern Ireland for the White Star Line company. The Olympic class included the Olympic, the Britannic and the Titanic. What you may not know is that the Titanic wasn't even the flagship of this class. All in all, the Olympic class ships were marvels of sea engineering, but they seemed cursed to suffer disastrous fates.The Olympic launched first in 1910, followed by the Titanic in 1911, and lastly the Britannic in 1914. The ships had nine decks, and White Star Line decided to focus on making them the most luxurious ships on the water.Stretching 269.13 meters, the Olympic class ships were wonders of naval technology, and everyone thought that they would continue to be so for quite some time. However, all suffered terrible accidents on the open seas. The Olympic got wrecked before the Titanic did, but it was the only one to survive and maintain a successful career of 24 years. The Titanic was the first to sink after famously hitting a huge iceberg in 1912. Following this disaster, the Britannic hit a naval mine in 1916 and subsequently sank as well.Each ship was coal-powered by several boilers constantly kept running by exhausted crews below deck. Most recognizable of the ship designs are the ship's smoke stacks, but the fourth stack was actually just artistic in nature and served no functional purpose. While two of these ships sank, they were all designed with double hulls (船体) believed to make them "unsinkable", perhaps a mistaken idea that led to the Titanic's and the Britannic's tragic end.The Olympic suffered two crashes with other ships and went on to serve as a hospital ship and troop transport in World War I. Eventually, she was taken out of service in 1935, ending the era of the luxurious Olympic class ocean liners.51. What does the passage say about the three Olympic class ships?A) They performed marvellously on the sea.B) They could all break the ice in their way.C) They all experienced terrible misfortunes.D) They were models of modern engineering.52. What did White Star Line have in mind when it purchased the three ships?A) Their capacity of sailing across all waters.B) The utmost comfort passengers could enjoy.C) Their ability to survive disasters of any kind.D) The long voyages they were able to undertake.53. What is said about the fourth stack of the ships?A) It was a mere piece of decoration.B) It was the work of a famous artist.C) It was designed to let out extra smoke.D) It was easily identifiable from afar.54. What might have led to the tragic end of the Titanic and the Britannic?A) Their unscientific designs.B) Their captains' misjudgment.C) The assumption that they were built with the latest technology.D) The belief that they could never sink with a double-layer body.55. What happened to the ship Olympic in the end?A) She was used to carry troops.B) She was sunk in World War I.C) She was converted into a hospital ship.D) She was retired after her naval service.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. 公交车曾是中国人出行的主要交通工具。

一．作文For this part， you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on how to balance work and leisure. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.第一段：描述工作和业余很难平衡的一个社会现象。

第二段：进行观点的阐述。

第三段：得出结论。

Along with the development of society， more and more problems are brought to our attention; one of the most serious problems is how to reach the balance between work and leisure。

People have different attitudes towards the problem。

It is generally agreed that work has been playing an increasingly important role in our life， because we need to work to earn money for life。

But if people put too much time on work， their health conditions will be damaged and suffer from kinds of diseases。

The sub health among workers has attracted extensive attention of the society， which can be found in TV programs， newspapers， university classes and many aspect of our everyday life。

2019年12月大学英语六级考试真题(第2套) Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on the importance of having a sense of family responsibility.You shouldwrite at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.Part II 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 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.1.A) Magazine reporter.B) Fashion designer.C) Website designer.D) Features editors.2.A) Designing sports clothing.B) Consulting fashion experts.C) Answering daily emails.D) Interview job-seekers.3.A) It is challenging.B) It is fascinating.C) It is tiresome.D) It is fashionable.4.A) Her persistence.B) Her experience.C) Her competence.D) Her confidence.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.5.A) It is enjoyable.B) It is educational.C) It is divorced from real life.D) It is adapted from a drama.6.A) All the roles are played by famous actors and actresses.B) It is based on the real-life experiences of some celebrities.C) Its plots and events reveal a lot about Frankie’s actual life.D) It is written, directed, edited and produced by Frankie himself.7.A) Go to the theater and enjoy it.B) Recommend it to her friends.C) Watch it with the man.D) Download and watch it.8.A) It has drawn criticisms from scientists.B) It has been showing for over a decade.C) It is a ridiculous piece of satire.D) It is against common sense.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 willbe spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the bestanswer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark thecorresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through thecentre.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.9.A) They are likely to get hurt when moving too fast.B) They believe in team spirit.C) They need to keep moving to avoid getting hurt.D) They have to learn how to avoid body contact.10.A) They do not have many years to live after retirement.B) They tend to live longer with early retirement.C) They do not start enjoying life until full retirement.D) They keep themselves busy even after retirement.11.A) It prevents us from worrying.B) It slows down our aging process.C) It enables us to accomplish in life.D) It provides us with more chances to learn.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.12.A) It tends to dwell upon their joyous experiences.B) It wanders for almost half of their waking time.C) It has trouble concentrating after a brain injury.D) It tends to be affected by their negative feelings.13.A) To find how happiness relates to daydreaming.B) To observe how one’s mind affects one’s behavior.C) To see why daydreaming impacts what one is doing.D) To study the relation between health and daydreaming.14.A) It helps them make good decisions.B) It helps them tap their potentials.C) It contributes to their creativity.D) It contributes to their thinking.15.A) Subjects with clear goals in mind outperformed those without clear goals.B) The difference in performance between the two groups was insignificant.C) Non-daydreamers were more confused on their tasks than daydreamers.D) Daydreamers did better than non-daydreamers in task performance.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. Afteryou hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choicesmarked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet I with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.16.A) They are the oldest buildings in Europe.B) They are part of the Christian tradition.C) They are renovated to attract tourists.D) They are in worsening condition.17.A) They have a history of 14 centuries.B) They are 40 metres tall on average.C) They are without foundations.D) They consist of several storeys.18.A) Wood has harmonious with nature.B) Wooden buildings kept the cold out.C) Timber was abundant in Scandinavia.D) The Vikings liked wooden structures.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.19.A) Similarities between human babies and baby animals.B) Cognitive features of different newly born mammals.C) Adults’ influence on children.D) Abilities of human babies.20.A) They can distinguish a happy tune from a sad one.B) They love happy melodies more than sad ones.C) They fall asleep easily while listening to music.D) They are already sensitive to beats and rhythms.21.A) Infants’ facial expressions.B) Babies’ emotions.C) Babies’ interaction with adult.D) Infants’ behaviors.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.22.A) It may harm the culture of today’s workplace.B) It may hinder individual career development.C) It may result in unwillingness to take risks.D) It may put too much pressure on team members.23.A) They can hardly give expression to their original views.B) They can become less motivated to do projects of their own.C) They may find it hard to get their contributions recognized.D) They may eventually lose their confidence and creativity.24.A) They can enlarge their professional circle.B) They can get chances to engage in research.C) They can make the best use of their expertise.D) They can complete the project more easily.25.A) It may cause lots of arguments in a team.B) It may prevent making a timely decision.C) It may give rise to a lot of unnecessary expense.D) It may deprive a team of business opportunities.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 bankfollowing the passage. Read the passage through carefully before makingyour choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please markthe corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single linethrough the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more thanonce.When considering risk factors associated with serious chronic diseases, we often think about health indicators such as cholesterol, blood pressure, and body weight. But poor diet and physical inactivity also each increase the risk of heart disease and have a role to play in the development of some cancers. Perhaps worse, the 26 effects of an unhealthy diet and insufficient exercise are not limited to your body. Recent research has also shown that 27 in a high-fat and high-sugar diet may have negative effects on your brain, causing learning and memory 28 .Studies have found obesity is associated with impairments in cognitive functioning, as 29 by a range of learning and memory tests, such as the ability to remember a list of words presented some minutes or hours earlier. There is also a growing body of evidence that diet-induced cognitive impairments can emerge 30 - within weeks or even days. For example, one study found healthy adults 31 to a high-fat diet for five days showed impaired attention, memory, and mood compared with a low-fat diet control group. Another study also found eating a high-fat andhigh-sugar breakfast each day for as little as four days resulted in problems with learning and memory 32 to those observed in overweight and obese individuals.Body weight was not hugely different between the groups eating a healthy diet and those on high fat and sugar diets. So this shows negative 33 of poor dietary intake can occur even when body weight has not changed 34 . Thus, body weight is not always the best indicator of health and a thin person still needs to eat well and exercise 35 .A)assessedB)assignedC)consequencesD)conspicuouslyE)deficitsF)designatedG)detrimentalH)digestionI)excellingJ)indulgingK)loopholesL)rapidlyM)redundantN)regularlyO)similarSection 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 theparagraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived.You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is markedwith a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter onAnswer Sheet 2.Increased Screen Time and Wellbeing Decline in Youth[A] Have young people never had it so good? Or do they face more challenge than any previousgeneration? Our current era in the west is one of high wealth. This means minors enjoy material benefits and legal protections that would have been the envy of those living in the past. But there is an increasing suspicion that all is not well for our youth. And one of the most popular explanations, among some experts and the popular media, is that excessive “screen time” is to blame. (This refers to all the attention young people devote to their phones, tablets and laptops). However, this is a contentious theory and such claims have been treated skeptically by some scholars based on their reading of the relevant data.[B] Now a new study has provided another contribution to the debate, uncovering strongevidence that adolescent wellbeing in the United States really is experiencing a decline and arguing that the most likely cause is the electronic riches we have given them. The background to this is that from the 1960s into the early 2000s，measures of averagewellbeing went up in the US. This was especially true for younger people. It reflected the fact that these decades saw a climb in general standards of living and avoidance of mass societal traumas like full-scale war or economic deprivation. However, the “screen time”hypothesis, advanced by researchers such as Jean Twenge, is that electronic devices and excessive time spent online may have reversed these trends in recent years, causing problems for young people's psychological health[C] To investigate, Twenge and her colleagues dived into the “Monitoring the Future” datasetbased on annual surveys of American school students from grades 8, 10, and 12 that started in 1991. In total, 1.1 million young people answered various questions related to their wellbeing. Twenge’s team’s analysis of the answers confirmed the earlier, well-established wellbeing climb, with scores rising across the 1990s, and into the later 2000s. This was found across measures like self-esteem, life satisfaction, happiness and satisfaction with individual domains like job, neighborhood, or friends. But around 2012 these measures started to decline. This continued through 2016, the most recent year for which data is available.[D] Twenge and her colleagues wanted to understand why this change in average wellbeingoccurred. However, it is very hard to demonstrate causes using non-experimental data such as this. In fact, when Twenge previously used this data to suggest a screen time effect, some commentators were quick to raise this problem. They argued that her causal-sounding claims rested on correlational data, and that she had not adequately account for other potential causal factors. This time around, Twenge and her team make a point of saying that they are not trying to establish causes as such, but that they are assessing the plausibility of potential causes.[E] First, they explain that if a given variable is playing a role in affecting wellbeing, then weshould expect any change in that variable to correlate with the observed changes in wellbeing. If not, it is not plausible that the variable is a causal factor. So the researchers looked at time spent in a number of activities that could plausibly be driving the wellbeing decline. Less sport, and fewer meetings with peers correlated with lower wellbeing, as did less time reading print media (newspapers) and, surprisingly, less time doing homework.(This last finding would appear to contradict another popular hypothesis that it is our burdening of students with assignments that is causing all the problems). In addition, more TV watching and more electronic communication both correlated with lower wellbeing.All these effects held true for measures of happiness, life satisfaction and self-esteem, with the effects stronger in the 8th and 10th-graders[F] Next, Twenge’s team dug a little deeper into the data on screen time. They found thatadolescents who spent a very small amount of time on digital devices-a couple of hours a week-had the highest wellbeing. Their wellbeing was even higher than those who never used such devices. However, higher doses of screen time were clearly associated with lower happiness. Those spending 10-19 hours per week on their devices were 41 percent more likely to be unhappy than lower-frequency users. Those who used such devices 40 hours a week or more (one in ten of teenagers) were twice as likely to be unhappy. The data was slightly complicated by the fact that there was a tendency for kids who were social in the real world to also use more online communication, but by bracketing out different cases it became clear that the real-world sociality component correlated with greater wellbeing,whereas greater time on screens or online only correlated with poorer wellbeing.[G] So far, so plausible. But the next question is, are the drops in average wellbeing happeningat the same time as trends toward increased electronic device usage? It looks likes it-after all, 2012 was the tipping point when more than half of Americans began owning smartphones. Twenge and her colleagues also found that across the key years of 2013-16, wellbeing was indeed lowest in years where adolescents spent more time online, on social media, and reading news online, and when more youth in the United States had smartphones. And in a second analysis, they found that where technology went, dips in wellbeing followed. For instance, years with a larger increase in online usage were followed by years with lower wellbeing, rather than the other way around. This does not prove causality, but is consistent with it. Meanwhile, TV use did not show this tracking.TV might make you less happy, but this is not what seems to be driving the recent declines in young people’s average happiness.[H] A similar but reversed pattern was found for the activities associated with greater wellbeing.For example, years when people spent more time with friends were better years for wellbeing (and followed by better years). Sadly, the data also showed face-to-face socializing and sports activity had declined over the period covered by the survey.[I] There is another explanation that Twenge and her colleagues wanted to address: the impactof the great recession of 2007-2009, which hit a great number of American families and might be affecting adolescents. The dataset they used did not include economic data, so instead the researchers looked at whether the 2013-16 wellbeing decline was tracking economic indicators. They found some evidence that some crude measures, like income inequality, correlated with changes in wellbeing, but economic measures with a more direct impact, like family income and unemployment rates (which put families into difficulties) , had no relationship with wellbeing. The researchers also note that the recession hit some years before we see the beginning of the wellbeing drop, and before the steepest wellbeing decline, which occurred in 2013.J) The researchers conclude that electronic communication was the only adolescent activity that increased at the same time psychological wellbeing declined. I suspect that some experts in the field will be keen to address alternative explanations, such as unassessed variables playing a role in the wellbeing decline. But the new work does go further than previous research and suggests that screen time should still be considered a potential barrier to young people’s flourishing36. The year when most Americans began using smartphones was identified as a turning pointin young Americans’ level of happiness.37. Scores in various wellbeing measures began to go downward among young Americans inrecent years.38. Unfortunately, activities involving direct contact with people, which contributed to betterwellbeing, were found to be on the decline.39. In response to past critics, Twenge and her co-researchers stress they are not trying to provethat the use of digital devices reduces young people’s wellbeing40. In the last few decades of the 20th century, living standards went up and economicdepressions were largely averted in the US.4l. Contrary to popular belief, doing homework might add to students’ wellbeing.42. The author believes the researchers’ new study has gone a step further regarding the impactof screen time wellbeing.43. The researchers found that extended screen time makes young people less happy.44. Data reveals that economic inequality rather than family income might affect people’swellbeing.45. Too much screen time is widely believed to be the cause of unhappiness among today’syoung people.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.“The dangerous thing about lying is people don’t understand how the act changes us,” says Dan Ariely, behavioural psychologist at Duke University. Psychologists have documented children lying as early as the age of two. Some experts even consider lying a developmental milestone, like crawling and walking, because it requires sophisticated planning, attention and the ability to see a situation from someone else’s perspective to manipulate them. But, for most people, lying gets limited as we develop a sense of morality and the ability to self-regulate.Harvard cognitive neuroscientist Joshua Greene says, for most of us, lying takes work. In studies, he gave subjects a chance to deceive for monetary gain while examining their brains in a functional MRI machine, which maps blood flow to active parts of the brain. Some people told the truth instantly and instinctively. But others opted to lie, and they showed increased activity in their frontal parietal (颅腔壁的) control network, which is involved in difficult or complex thinking. This suggests that they were deciding between truth and dishonesty-and ultimately opting for the latter. For a follow-up analysis, he found that people whose neural(神经的) reward centers were more active when they won money were also more likely to be among the group of liars-suggesting that lying may have to do with the inability to resist temptation.External conditions also matter in terms of when and how often we lie. We are more likely to lie, research shows when we are able to rationalise it, when we are stressed and fatigued or see others being dishonest. And we are less likely to lie when we have moral reminders or when we think others are watching. “We as a society need to understand that, when we don’t punish lying, we increase the probability it will happen again,” Ariely said.In a 2016 study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, Ariely and colleagues showed how dishonesty alters people’s brains, making it easier to tell lies in the future. When people uttered a falsehood, the scientists noticed a burst of activity in their amygdala. The amygdala is a crucial part of the brain that produces fear, anxiety and emotional responses-including that sinking, guilty feeling you get when you lie. But when scientists had their subjects play a game in which they won money by deceiving their partner, they noticed the negative signals from the amygdala began to decrease. Not only that, but when people faced no consequences for dishonesty, their falsehoods tended to get even more sensational. This means that if you give people multiple opportunities tolie for their own benefit, they start with little lies which get bigger over time.46. Why do some experts consider lying a milestone in a child’s development?A) It shows they have the ability to view complex situations from different angles.B) It indicates they have an ability more remarkable than crawling and walking.C) It represents their ability to actively interact with people around them.D) It involves the coordination of both their mental and physical abilities47. Why does the Harvard neuroscientist say that lying takes work?A) It is hard to choose from several options.B) It is difficult to sound natural or plausible.C) It requires speedy blood flow into one’s brain.D) It involves lots of sophisticated mental activity.48. Under what circumstances do people tend to lie?A) When they become too emotional.B) When they face too much peer pressure.C) When the temptation is too strong.D) When the consequences are not imminent49. When are people less likely to lie?A) When they’re worn out and stressed.B) When they are under watchful eyes.C) When they think in a rational way.D) When they have a clear conscience.50. What does the author say will happen when a liar does not get punished?A) They may feel justified.B) They will tell bigger lies.C) They will become complacent.D) They may mix lies and truths.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.Here’s how the Pacific Northwest is preparing for “The Big One”. It’s the mother of all disaster drills for what could be the worst disaster in American history. California has spent years preparing for “The Big One”- the inevitable earthquake that will undoubtedly unleash all kinds of havoc along the famous San Andreas fault(断层). But what if the fault that runs along the Pacific Northwest delivers a gigantic earthquake of its own? If the people of the Cascadia region have anything to do with it, they won’t be caught unawares.The region is engaged in a multi-day earthquake-and-tsunami (海啸) drill involving around 20,000 people. The Cascadia Rising drill gives area residents and emergency responders a chance to practice what to do in case of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami along one of the nation’s dangerous-and underestimated-faults.The Cascadia Earthquake Zone is big enough to compete with San Andreas (it’s been called the most dangerous fault in America), but it’s much lesser known than its California cousin. Nearly 700 miles long, the earthquake zone is located by the North American Plate off the coast of Pacific British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Northern California.Cascadia is what’s known as a “megathrust” fault. Megathrust are created in earthquake zones-land plate boundaries where two plates converge. In the areas where one plate is beneath another, stress builds up over time. During a megathrust event, all of that stress releases and some of the world’s most powerful earthquakes occur. Remember the 9.1 earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean off Sumatra in 2004? It was caused by a megathrust event as the India plate moved beneath the Burma micro-plate.The last time a major earthquake occurred along the Cascadia fault was in 1700, so officials worry that another event could occur any time. To prevent that event from becoming a catastrophe, first responders will join members of the public in rehearsals that involve communication, evacuation, search and rescue, and other scenarios.Thousands of casualties are expected if a 9.0 earthquake were to occur. First, the earthquake would shake metropolitan areas including Seattle and Portland. This could trigger a tsunami that would create havoc along the coast. Not all casualties can necessarily be prevented-but by coordinating across local, state, and even national borders, officials hope that the worst-case scenario can be averted. On the exercise’s website, officials explain that the report they prepare during this rehearsal will inform disaster management for years to come.For hundreds of thousands of Cascadia residents, “The Big One” isn’t a question of if, only when. And it’s never too early to get ready for the inevitable.51. What does “The Big One” refer to?A) A gigantic geological fault.B) A large-scale exercise to prepare for disasters.C) A massive natural catastrophe.D) A huge tsunami on the California coast.52. What is the purpose of the Cascadia Rising drill?A) To prepare people for a major earthquake and tsunami.B) To increase residents’ awareness of imminent disasters.C) To teach people how to adapt to post-disaster life.D) To cope with the aftermath of a possible earthquake.53. What happens in case of a megathrust earthquake according to the passage?A) Two plates merge into one.B) Boundaries blur between plates.C) A variety of forces converge.D) Enormous stress is released.54. What do the officials hope to achieve through the drills?A) Coordinating various disaster-relief efforts.B) Reducing casualties in the event of a disaster.C) Minimizing property loss caused by disasters.D) Establishing disaster and emergency management.55. What does the author say about “The Big One”?A) Whether it will occur remains to be seen.B) How it will arrive is too early to predict.C) Its occurrence is just a matter of time.D) It keeps haunting Cascadia residents.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.荷花(lotus flower)是中国的名花之一，深受人们喜爱。

2018年12月份大学英语六级仔细阅读译文及详细解析（卷二）Section CPassage One全文翻译及命题分析也许是时候让农场主们歇歇脚了，因为机器人正被用来监测庄稼生长、拔除杂草，甚至放牧。

商业种植面积及其广袤，需要数千工时来耕作。

澳大利亚最偏远的苏坡杰克·唐斯（Suplejack Downs）牛场就是一个典型的例子。

它位于北部地区，绵延4000平方公里，距离最近的主要城市艾丽丝泉（Alice Springs）逾13个小时车程。

这些大规模农场极度偏远，往往无人照料，每年只能监测一两次，这意味着如果牲畜生病或需要援助，农场主可能需要很长时间才能发现。

然而，机器人正前来救援。

机器人目前正在威尔士进行为期两年的试验，该试验将训练“农场机器人”放牧，监测牲畜的健康，并确保有足够的牧场供它们放牧。

这些机器人配备了许多传感器来识别环境、牛群以及食物的状况，使用热传感器和视觉传感器来探测体温的变化。

悉尼大学的萨拉·苏卡黎(Salah Sukarieh)将在新南威尔士州中部的几个农场进行试验，他说：“你还可以用颜色、质地和形状传感器检测地面上的牧草质量。

”在试验期间，将对机器人的算法和技术性细节进行微调，使其更适合生病的牲畜，并确保它能够安全地绕过树木、淤泥、沼泽和丘陵等潜在障碍区。

苏卡黎说:“我们希望改善牲畜的健康品质，并让农场主更容易维护牲畜在广阔的草场上信步由缰的壮观景象。

”机器人并不局限于放牧和监控牲畜，他们还被用来统计单果数量，检查农作物，甚至拔除杂草。

许多机器人配备有高科技传感器和复杂的学习算法，以避免它们在与人类并肩工作时伤害人类。

机器人还知晓最高效、最安全的通行方式，使工程师和农场主能够分析和更好地优化机器人的属性和任务，并提供现场直播，实时反馈农场上正在发生的事情。

当然，农业工人担心其岗位被取代。

然而，由于劳动力空缺的不断加剧，大规模生产难以维持，正是农场主们在力推技术进步。

2018年12月大学英语六级真题试卷（二）(题后含答案及解析)题型有：1. Writing 2. Listening Comprehension 3. Reading Comprehension 4. TranslationPart I Writing1．For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on how to balance job responsibilities and personal interests. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.正确答案：How to Balance Job Responsibilities and Personal Interests When it comes to the issue of how to balance job responsibilities and personal interests, the majority of people will be confused. Since both of them have a significant impact on our life, then how to strike a balance between the two. Here are my views. On the one hand, we should attach primary importance to job responsibilities, as our job can provide us regular income with which we can live the life we like. Besides, now that we’ve taken this job, we should regard it as our mission and be conscientious about it. On the other hand, important as it is, job is not everything of our life. It’ s also necessary for us to spend due time on our personal interests, so that we can take a rest from work. What’ s more, whether we can develop our personal interests also has a great effect on our life quality. All in all, it is high time that we placed great emphasis on the balance of job responsibilities and personal interests. We are supposed to ensure the time to develop our interests on the condition of finishing our job.解析：这是一篇议论文写作，话题是如何平衡工作责任与个人兴趣。

2018年12月英语六级真题及答案三套完整版2018年12月英语六级考试真题试卷附答案(完整版第1套)Part I Writing(30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an e ssay on how to balance workand leisure. You should write at least 1 50 words but no more than 200 words.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How to Balance Work and LeisureJust as the old saying goes, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy", which illustrates the importance and necessity of keeping a balance between work and leisure. However, in today's fast-paced work culture, it's difficult for most people to successfully maintain a good balance between the two.As for me, some tips can contribute to achieving the balance. First of all, you should develop efficient working habits, because only in this way can you squeeze out some leisure time. It requires you to devote your full attention to the task at hand and complete daily work efficiently. Second, in order to relieve the fatigue and stress, it's vital to schedule one thing that you are interested in each day and set aside some time for relaxation. Last but not least, for those workaholics, please keep in mind that if you work hard, you shouldn't feel guilty when you spend time on personal leisure, for entertainment is also a part of life.To conclude, work and leisure complement each other, so when you get tired and bored with your daily grind, try to take some time off work to relax yourself.Part II 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 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.1. A) It can benefit professionals and non-professionals alike.B) It lists the various challenges physicists arc confronting.C) It describes how some mysteries of physics were solved.D) It is one of the most fascinating physics books ever written.2. A）physicists' contribution to humanity.B) Stories about some female physicists.C) Historical evolution of modern physics.D) Women's changing attitudes to physics.3. A) By exposing a lot of myths in physics.B) By describing her own life experiences.C) By including lots of fascinating knowledge.D) By telling anecdotes about famous professors.4. A) It avoids detailing abstract concepts of physics.B) It contains a lot of thought-provoking questions.C) It demonstrates how they can become physicists.D) It provides experiments they can do themselves.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.5. A) He is too busy to finish his assignment in time.B) He does not know what kind of topic to write on.C) He does not understand the professor's instructions.D) He has no idea how to proceed with his dissertation论文、专题、学术演讲.6. A) It is too broad宽的、宽阔的.B) It is a bit outdated过时的、落伍的.C) It is challenging.D) It is interesting.7. A) Biography传记、档案.B) Nature.C) Philosophy哲学.D)Beauty.8. A)Improve his cumulative grade.B) Develop his reading ability.C) Stick to坚持、忠于、信守 the topic assigned.D) List the parameters first.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 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.9. A) The unprecedented空前的、史无前例的 high temperature高温 in Greenland.B) The collapse of ice on the northern tip of Greenland.C) The unusual cold spell in the Arctic area in October.D) The rapid change of Arctic temperature within a day.10. A) It has created a totally new climate pattern.B) It will pose a serious threat to many species.C) It typically appears about once every ten years.D) It has puzzled the climate scientists for decades.11. A) Extinction of Arctic wildlife.B) Iceless summers in the Arctic.C) Emigration of indigenous people.D) Better understanding of ecosystems.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.12. A) A good start.B) A detailed plan.C) A strong determination.D) A scientific approach.13. A) Most people get energized after a sufficient rest.B) Most people tend to have a finite source of energy.C) It is vital to take breaks between demanding mental tasks.D) It is most important to have confidence in one's willpower意志力、毅力.14. A) They could keep on继续、连续不断 working longer.B) They could do more challenging tasks.C) They found it easier to focus on work at hand.D) They held more positive attitudes toward life.15. A) They are part of their nature.B) They are subject to受制于、服从 change.C) They are related to culture.D) They are beyond control.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) About half of current jobs might be automated.B) The jobs of doctors and lawyers would be threatened.C) The job market is becoming somewhat unpredictable.D) Machine learning would prove disruptive by 2013.17. A) They are widely applicable for massive open online courses.B) They are now being used by numerous high school teachers.C) They could read as many as 10, 000 essays in a single minute.D) They could grade评级、评分 high-school essays just like human teachers18. A) It needs instructions throughout the process.B) It does poorly on frequent, high-volume tasks.C) It has to rely on huge amounts of previous以前的、先前的 data.D) It is slow when it comes to tracking novel things.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.19. A) The engineering problems with solar power.B) The generation of steam with the latest technology.C) The importance of exploring new energy sources.D) The theoretical aspects of sustainable energy可持续能源、可再生能源.20. A) Drive trains with solar energy太阳能.B) Upgrade the city's train facilities.C) Build a new ten-kilometre railway line.D) Cut down the city's energy consumption21. A) Build a tank for keeping calcium oxide.B) Find a new material for storing储存、存储 energy.C) Recover super-heated steam.D) Collect carbon dioxide gas.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.22. A) The lack of supervision by both the national and local governments.B) The impact of the current economic crisis at home and abroad.C) The poor management of day centres and home help services.D) The poor relation between national health and social care services.23. A) It was mainly provided by voluntary services.B) It mainly caters to the needs of the privileged.C) It called for a sufficient number of volunteers.D) It has deteriorated over the past sixty years.24. A) Their longer lifespans.B) Fewer home helpers available.C) Their preference for private services.D) More of them suffering serious illnesses.25. A) They are unable to pay for health services.B) They have long been discriminated辨别 against.C) They are vulnerable to illnesses and diseases.D) They have contributed a great deal to society.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 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.Just off the coast of Southern California sits Santa Cruz Island, where a magical creature called the island fox _F_26_dwells_. A decade ago, this island's ecosystem 生态系统 was in _B_27_chaos混乱的_ Wild pigs attracted golden eagles from the mainland, and those flying _L_28_predators捕食者、食肉动物_ crashed the fox population. So the Nature Conservancy launched a _H_29_fierce凶猛、凶狠_ war against the pigs, complete with helicopters直升机 and sharp shooters.And it worked. Today, federal agencies are pulling the island fox from the Endangered Species List. It's the fastest-ever recovery of a mammal哺乳动物, joining peers 同龄人、同事 like the Louisiana black bear as glowing successes in the history of the Endangered濒临灭绝的 Species Act.But the recovery of Santa Cruz Island isn't just about the fox. The Nature Conservancy 保护、管理 has _D_30_declared_ war on a multitude of大量、一大批 invasive入侵的、侵略性的 species here, from sheep to plants to the _A_31_aggressive侵略性的、好斗的、有进取心的_ Argentine ant阿根廷蚂蚁."Our philosophy with the island has always been, 'OK, _M_32_remove _ the threats and let the island go back to what it was," says ecologist Christina Boser. And it appears to be working. Native plants are coining back, and the fox once again bounds about carefree.But keeping those foxes from harm will occupy Boser and her colleagues for years to come. You see, humans are still allowed on Santa Cruz Island, and they bring dogs. So Boser has to vaccinate her foxes against various diseases. "We're obligated to keep a pulse on the population for at least five years after the foxes are delisted," says Boser. That includes tagging标记、标签 the foxes and _K_33_monitoring监视、监测_ their numbers to ensure nothing goes wrong.This is the story of the little fox that has come back, and the people who have _E_34_dedicated奉献_ their lives to protecting it. This is the story of wildlife 野生动植物 conservation保护、保存、保持 in the age of mass _G_35_extinction灭绝、消灭_.A) aggressive B) chaos C) configuration D) declared E) dedicated F) dwells G) extinction H) fierce I) hinders J) mammal K) monitoring L) predators M) remove N) tempt O) underlyingSection 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.Do Parents Invade Children's Privacy When They Post Photos Online?A) When Katlyn Burbidge's son was 6 years old, he was performing some ridiculous song and dance typical of a first-grader. But after she snapped a photo and started using her phone, he asked her a serious question: "Are you going to post that online?"She laughed and answered, "Yes, I think I will." What he said next stopped her. "Can you not?"B) That's when it dawned on her: She had been posting photos of him online without asking his permission. "We're big advocates of bodily autonomy and not forcing him to hug or kiss people unless he wants to, but it never occurred to me that I should ask his permission to post photos of him online," says Burbidge, a mom of two in Wakefield, Massachusetts. "Now when I post a photo of him online, I show him the photo and get his okay. "C) When her 8-month-old is 3 or 4 years old, she plans to start asking him in an age-appropriate way, "Do you want other people to see this?" That’s precisely the approach that two researchers advocated before a room of pediatricians （儿科医生）last week at the American Academy of Pediatrics meeting, when they discussed the 21st century challenge of "sharenting", a new term for parents' online sharing about their children. "As advocates of children's rights, we believe that children should have a voice about what information is shared about them if possible", says Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law in Gainesville.D) Whether it's ensuring that your child isn't bullied over something you post, that their identity isn't digitally "kidnapped", or that their photos don't end up on a half dozen child pornography (色情） sites, as one Australian mom discovered, parents and pediatricians are increasingly aware of the importance of protecting children's digital presence. Steinberg and Bahareh Keith, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine, say most children will likely never experience problems related to what their parents share, but a tension still exists between parents' rights to share their experiences and their children's rights to privacy.E) "We're in no way trying to silence parents, voices," Steinberg says. "At the same time, we recognize that children might have an interest in entering adulthood free to create their own digital footprint. "They cited a study presented earlier this year of 249 pairs of parents and their children in which twice as many children as parents wanted rules on what par ents could share. "The parents said, ‘We don't need rules-we're fine,’ and the children said, ‘Our parents need rules,’ Keith says. "The children wanted autonomy about this issue and were worried about their parents sharing information about them. "F) Although the American Academy of Pediatrics offers guidelines recommending that parents model appropriate social media use for their children, it does not explicitly discuss oversharing by parents. "I think this is a very legitimate concern, and I appreciate their drawing our attention to it", David Hill, a father of five, says. He sees a role for pediatricians to talk with parents about this，but believes the messaging must extend far beyond pediatricians, offices. "I look forward to seeing researchers expand our understanding of the issue so we can translate it into effective education and policy," he says.。

Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the importance of writing ability and how to develop it. 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) 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) Annoyed.B) Scared.C) Confused.D) Offended.2. A) It crawled over the woman's hands.B) It wound up on the steering wheel.C) It was killed by the police on the spot.D) It was covered with large scales.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3. A) A study of the fast-food service.B) Fast food customer satisfaction.C) McDonald's new business strategies.D) Competition in the fast-food industry.4. A) Customers' higher demands.B) The inefficiency of employees.C) Increased variety of products.D) The rising number of customers.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5. A) International treaties regarding space travel programs.B) Legal issues involved in commercial space exploration.C) U.S. government's approval of private space missions.D) Competition among public and private space companies.6. A) Deliver scientific equipment to the moon.B) Approve a new mission to travel into outer space.C) Work with federal agencies on space programs.D) Launch a manned spacecraft to Mars.7. A) It is significant.B) It is promising.C) It is unpredictable.D) It is unprofitable.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) Visiting her family in Thailand.B) Showing friends around Phuket.C) Swimming around a Thai island.D) Lying in the sun on a Thai beach.9. A) She visited a Thai orphanage.B) She met a Thai girl's parents.C) She learned some Thai words.D) She sunbathed on a Thai beach.10. A) His class will start in a minute.B) He has got an incoming phone call.C) Someone is knocking at his door.D) His phone is running out of power.11. A) He is interested in Thai artworks.B) He is going to open a souvenir shop.C) He collects things from different countries.D) He wants to know more about Thai culture.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) Buying some fitness equipment for the new gym.B) Opening a gym and becoming personal trainers.C) Signing up for a weight-loss course.D) Trying out a new gym in town.13. A) Professional personal training.B) Free exercise for the first week.C) A discount for a half-year membership.D) Additional benefits for young couples.14. A) The safety of weight-lifting.B) The high membership fee.C) The renewal of his membership.D) The operation of fitness equipment.15. A) She wants her invitation renewed.B) She used to do 200 sit-ups every day.C) She knows the basics of weight-lifting.D) She used to be the gym's personal trainer.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 tend to be nervous during interviews.B) They often apply for a number of positions.C) They worry about the results of their applications.D) They search extensively for employers' information.17. A) Get better organized.B) Edit their references.C) Find better-paid jobs.D) Analyze the searching process.18. A) Provide their data in detail.B) Personalize each application.C) Make use of better search engines.D) Apply for more promising positions.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A) If kids did not like school, real learning would not take place.B) If not forced to go to school, kids would be out in the streets.C) If schools stayed the way they are, parents were sure to protest.D) If teaching failed to improve, kids would stay away from school.20. A) Allow them to play interesting games in class.B) Try to stir up their interest in lab experiments.C) Let them stay home and learn from their parents.D) Design activities they now enjoy doing on holidays.21. A) Allow kids to learn at their own pace.B) Encourage kids to learn from each other.C) Organize kids into various interest groups.D) Take kids out of school to learn at first hand.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A) It is especially popular in Florida and Alaska.B) It is a major social activity among the young.C) It is seen almost anywhere and on any occasion.D) It is even more expressive than the written word.23. A) It is located in a big city in Iowa.B) It is really marvelous to look at.C) It offers free dance classes to seniors.D) It offers people a chance to socialize.24. A) Their state of mind improved.B) They became better dancers.C) They enjoyed better health.D) Their relationship strengthened.25. A) It is fun.B) It is life.C) It is exhausting.D) It is rhythmical.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.Since the 1940s, southern California has had a reputation for smog. Things are not as bad as they once were but, according to the American Lung Association, Los Angeles is still the worst city in the United States for levelsof 26 . Gazing down on the city from the Getty Center, an art museum in the Santa Monica Mountains, one would find the view of the Pacific Ocean blurred by the haze (霾). Nor is the state's bad air 27 to its south. Fresno, in the central valley, comes top of the list in America for year-round pollution. Residents' hearts and lungs are affected as a 28 . All of which, combined with California's reputation as the home of technological 29 , makes the place ideal for developing and testing systems designed to monitor pollution in 30 . And that is just what Aclima, a new firm in San Francisco, has been doing over the past few months. It has been trying out monitoring stations that are 31 to yield minute-to-minute maps of 32 air pollution. Such stations will also be able to keep an eye on what is happening inside buildings, including offices. To this end, Aclima has been 33 with Google's Street View system. Davida Herzl, Aclima's boss, says they have revealed pollution highs on days when San Francisco's transit workers went on strike and the city's 34 were forcedto use their cars. Conversely, "cycle to work" days have done their jobby 35 pollution lows.A) assisted B) collaborating C) consequence D) consumers E) creating F) detail G) domestic H) frequently I) inhabitants J) innovation K) intended L) outdoor M) pollutants N) restricted O) sumSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with tenstatements 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.As Tourists Crowd Out Locals, Venice Faces 'Endangered' ListA) On a recent fall morning, a large crowd blocked the steps at one of Venice's main tourist sites, the Rialto Bridge. The Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal. It is the oldest bridge across the canal, and was the dividing line between the districts of San Marco and San Polo. But on this day, there was a twist: it was filled with Venetians, not tourists.B) "People are cheering and holding their carts in the air," says Giovanni Giorgio, who helped organize the march with a grass-roots organization called Generazione '90. The carts he refers to are small shopping carts—the symbol of a true Venetian. "It started as a joke," he says with a laugh. "The idea was to put blades on the wheels! You know? Like Ben Hur. Precisely like that, you just go around and run people down."C) Venice is one of the hottest tourist destinations in the world. But that's a problem. Up to 90,000 tourists crowd its streets and canals every day—far outnumbering the 55,000 permanent residents. The tourist increase is one key reason the city's population is down from 175,000 in the 1950s. The outnumbered Venetians have been steadily fleeing. And those who stick around are tired of living in a place where they can't even get to the market without swimming through a sea of picture-snapping tourists. Imagine, navigating through 50,000 people while on the way to school or to work.D) Laura Chigi, a grandmother at the march, says the local and national governments have failed to do anything about the crowds for decades, because they're only interested in tourism—the primary industry in Venice, worth more than $3 billion in 2015. "Venice is a cash cow," she says, "and everyone wants a piece."E) Just beyond St. Mark's Square, a cruise ship passes, one of hundreds every year that appear over their medieval (中世纪的) surroundings. Their massive wake creates waves at the bottom of the sea, weakening the foundations of the centuries-old buildings themselves. "Every time I see a cruise ship, I feel sad," Chigi says. "You see the mud it drags; the destruction it leaves in its wake? That hurts the ancient wooden poles holding up the city underwater. One day we'll see Venice break down."F) For a time, UNESCO, the cultural wing of the United Nations, seemed to agree. Two years ago, it put Italy on notice, saying the government was not protecting Venice. UNESCO considers the entire city a World Heritage Site, a great honor that means Venice, at the cultural level, belongs to all of the world's people. In 2014, UNESCO gave Italy two years to manage Venice's flourishing tourism or the city would be placed on another list—WorldHeritage In Danger, joining such sites as Aleppo and Palmyra, destroyed by the war in Syria.G) Venice's deadline passed with barely a murmur (嘟哝) this summer, just as UNESCO was meeting in Istanbul. Only one representative, Jad Tabet from Lebanon, tried to raise the issue. "For several years, the situation of heritage in Venice has been worsening, and it has now reached a dramatic situation," Tabet told UNESCO. "We have to act quickly—there is not a moment to waste."H) But UNESCO didn't even hold a vote. "It's been postponed until 2017," says Anna Somers, the founder and CEO of The Art Newspaper and the former head of Venice in Peril, a group devoted to restoring Venetian art. She says the main reason the U.N. cultural organization didn't vote to declare Venice a World Heritage Site In Danger is because UNESCO has become "intensely politicized. There would have been some back-room negotiations."I) Italy boasts more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any other country in the world, granting it considerable power and influence within the organization. The former head of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, which oversees heritage sites, is Francesco Bandarin, a Venetian who now serves as UNESCO's assistant director-general for culture.J) Earlier this year, Italy signed an accord with UNESCO to establish a task force of police art detectives and archaeologists (考古学家) to protect cultural heritage from natural disasters and terror groups, such as ISIS. The accord underlined Italy's global reputation as a good steward of art and culture.K) But adding Venice to the UNESCO endangered list—which is dominated by sites in developing and conflict-ridden countries—would be an international embarrassment, and could even hurt Italy's profitable tourism industry. The Italian Culture Ministry says it is unaware of any government efforts to pressure UNESCO. As for the organization itself, it declined a request for an interview.L) The city's current mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, has ridiculed UNESCO and told it to mind its own business, while continuing to support the cruise ship industry, which employs 5,000 Venice residents.M) As for Venetians, they're beyond frustrated and hoping for a solution soon. "It's a nightmare for me. Some situations are really difficult with tourists around," says Giorgio as he navigates around a swelling crowd at the Rialto Bridge. "There are just so many of them. They never know where they are going, and do not walk in an orderly manner. Navigating the streets can be exhausting."N) Then it hits him: This crowd isn't made up of tourists. They're Venetians. Giorgio says he's never experienced the Rialto Bridge this way in all his 22 years. "For once, we are the ones who are blocking the traffic," he says delightedly. "It feels unreal. It feels like we're some form of endangered species. It's just nice. The feeling is just pure." But, he worries, if tourismisn't managed and his fellow locals continue to move to the mainland, hisgeneration might be the last who can call themselves native Venetians.36. The passing cruise ships will undermine the foundations of the ancient buildings in Venice.37. The Italian government has just reached an agreement with UNESCO to take measures to protect its cultural heritage.38. The heritage situation in Venice has been deteriorating in the past few years.39. The decrease in the number of permanent residents in Venice is mainly due to the increase of tourists.40. If tourism gets out of control, native Venetians may desert the city altogether one day.41. UNESCO urged the Italian government to undertake its responsibility to protect Venice.42. The participants in the Venetian march used shopping carts to show they were 100% local residents.43. Ignoring UNESCO's warning, the mayor of Venice maintains his support of the city's tourism industry.44. One woman says that for decades the Italian government and local authorities have only focused on the revenues from tourism.45. UNESCO has not yet decided to put Venice on the list of World Heritage Sites In Danger.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 and 50 are based on the following passage.Living in an urban area with green spaces has a long-lasting positive impact on people's mental well-being, a study has suggested. UK researchers found moving to a green space had a sustained positive effect, unlike pay rises or promotions, which only provided a short-term boost. Co-author Mathew White, from the University of Exeter, UK, explained that the study showed people living in greener urban areas were displaying fewer signs of depression or anxiety. "There could be a number of reasons," he said, "for example, people do many things to make themselves happier: they strive for promotion or pay rises, or they get married. But the trouble with those things is that within six months to a year, people are back to their original baseline levels of well-being. So, these things are not sustainable; they don't make us happy in the long term. We found that for some lottery (彩票) winners who had won more than ￡500,000 the positive effect was definitely there, but after six months to a year, they were back to the baseline."Dr. White said his team wanted to see whether living in greener urban areashad a lasting positive effect on people's sense of well-being or whether the effect also disappeared after a period of time. To do this, the team used data from the British Household Panel Survey compiled by the University of Essex. Explaining what the data revealed, he said: "What you see is that even after three years, mental health is still better, which is unlike many other things that we think will make us happy." He observed that people living in green spaces were less stressed, and less stressed people made more sensible decisions and communicated better.With a growing body of evidence establishing a link between urban green spaces and a positive impact on human well-being, Dr. White said, "There's growing interest among public policy officials, but the trouble is who funds it. What we really need at a policy level is to decide where the money will come from to help support good quality local green spaces."46. According to one study, what do green spaces do to people?A) Improve their work efficiency.B) Add to their sustained happiness.C) Help them build a positive attitude towards life.D) Lessen their concerns about material well-being.47. What does Dr. White say people usually do to make themselves happier?A) Earn more money.B) Settle in an urban area.C) Gain fame and popularity.D) Live in a green environment.48. What does Dr. White try to find out about living in a greener urban area?A) How it affects different people.B) How strong its positive effect is.C) How long its positive effect lasts.D) How it benefits people physically.49. What did Dr. White's research reveal about people living in a green environment?A) Their stress was more apparent than real.B) Their decisions required less deliberation.C) Their memories were greatly strengthened.D) Their communication with others improved.50. According to Dr. White, what should the government do to build more green spaces in cities?A) Find financial support.B) Improve urban planning.C) Involve local residents in the effort.D) Raise public awareness of the issue.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.You probably know about the Titanic, but it was actually just one of three state-of-the-art (先进的) ocean ships back in the day. The Olympic class shipswere built by the Harland & Wolff ship makers in Northern Ireland for the White Star Line company. The Olympic class included the Olympic, the Britannic and the Titanic. What you may not know is that the Titanic wasn't even the flagship of this class. All in all, the Olympic class ships were marvels of sea engineering, but they seemed cursed to suffer disastrous fates.The Olympic launched first in 1910, followed by the Titanic in 1911, and lastly the Britannic in 1914. The ships had nine decks, and White Star Line decided to focus on making them the most luxurious ships on the water.Stretching 269.13 meters, the Olympic class ships were wonders of naval technology, and everyone thought that they would continue to be so for quite some time. However, all suffered terrible accidents on the open seas. The Olympic got wrecked before the Titanic did, but it was the only one to survive and maintain a successful career of 24 years. The Titanic was the first to sink after famously hitting a huge iceberg in 1912. Following this disaster, the Britannic hit a naval mine in 1916 and subsequently sank as well.Each ship was coal-powered by several boilers constantly kept running by exhausted crews below deck. Most recognizable of the ship designs are the ship's smoke stacks, but the fourth stack was actually just artistic in nature and served no functional purpose. While two of these ships sank, they were all designed with double hulls (船体) believed to make them "unsinkable", perhaps a mistaken idea that led to the Titanic's and the Britannic's tragic end.The Olympic suffered two crashes with other ships and went on to serve as a hospital ship and troop transport in World War I. Eventually, she was taken out of service in 1935, ending the era of the luxurious Olympic class ocean liners.51. What does the passage say about the three Olympic class ships?A) They performed marvellously on the sea.B) They could all break the ice in their way.C) They all experienced terrible misfortunes.D) They were models of modern engineering.52. What did White Star Line have in mind when it purchased the three ships?A) Their capacity of sailing across all waters.B) The utmost comfort passengers could enjoy.C) Their ability to survive disasters of any kind.D) The long voyages they were able to undertake.53. What is said about the fourth stack of the ships?A) It was a mere piece of decoration.B) It was the work of a famous artist.C) It was designed to let out extra smoke.D) It was easily identifiable from afar.54. What might have led to the tragic end of the Titanic and the Britannic?A) Their unscientific designs.B) Their captains' misjudgment.C) The assumption that they were built with the latest technology.D) The belief that they could never sink with a double-layer body.55. What happened to the ship Olympic in the end?A) She was used to carry troops.B) She was sunk in World War I.C) She was converted into a hospital ship.D) She was retired after her naval service.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. 公交车曾是中国人出行的主要交通工具。

2018年12月大学英语六级真题试卷(CET6)及答案(第三套)Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an a short easy on how to balance academic study and extracurricular activities.You can cite examples to illustrate your views. you should 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 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) Stop worrying about him. C) Take a picture of him.B) Keep away from the statue. D) Put on a smile for the photo.2. A) Gaining great fame on the Internet.B) Publishing a collection of his photos.C) Collecting the best photos in the world.D) Becoming a professional photographer.3. A) Surfing various websites and collecting photos.B) Editing his pictures and posting them online.C) Following similar accounts to compare notes.D) Studying the pictures in popular social media.4. A) They are far from satisfactory.B) They are mostly taken by her mom.C) They make an impressive album.D) They record her fond memories.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.5. A) A journal reporting the latest progress in physics.B) An introductory course of modem physics.C) An occasion for physicists to exchange ideas.D) A series of interviews with outstanding physicists.6. A) The future of the physical world.B) The origin of the universe.C) Sources of radiation.D) Particle theory.7. A) How matter collides with anti-matter.B) Whether the universe will turn barren.C) Why there exists anti-matter.D) Why there is a universe at all.8. A) Matter and anti-matter are opposites of each other.B) Anti-matter allowed humans to come into existence.C) The universe formed due to a sufficient amount of matter.D) Anti-matter exists in very high-temperature environments.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 1with a single line through the centre.Questions9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.9. A) She found herself speaking a foreign language.B) She woke up speaking with a different accent.C) She found some symptoms of her illness gone.D) She woke up finding herself in another country.10. A) It is usually caused by a stroke or brain injury.B) It has not yet found any effective treatment.C) It leaves the patient with a distorted memory.D) It often happens to people with speech defects.11. A)British. C)Russian.B)Irish. D) Australian.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.12. A) Water sports. C) Stories about women swimmers.B) Racing in rivers. D) Books about swimming.13. A) She succeeded in swimming across the English Channel.B) She published a guide to London's best swimming spots.C) She told her story of adventures to some young swimmers.D) She wrote a book about the history of swimwear in the UK.14. A) They loved vacationing on the seashore.B) They had a unique notion of modesty.C) They were prohibited from swimming.D) They were fully dressed when swimming.15. A) She designed lots of appropriate swimwear for women.B) She once successfully competed against men in swimming.C) She was the first woman to swim across the English Channel.D) She was an advocate of women's right to swim in public pools.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 onAnswer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.16. A) Build a machine that can detect lies.B) Develop a magnetic brain scanner.C) Test the credibility of court evidence.D) Win people's complete trust in them.17. A) They are optimistic about its potential.B) They are sceptical of its reliability.C) They think it is but business promotion.D) They celebrate it with great enthusiasm.18. A)It is not to be trusted at all.B) It does not sound economical.C) It may intrude into people's privacy.D) It may lead to overuse in court trials.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.19. A) Most of its residents speak several languages.B) Some of its indigenous languages are dying out.C) Each village there speaks a totally different language.D) Its languages have interested researchers the world over.20. A) They are spread randomly across the world.B) Some are more difficult to learn than others.C) More are found in tropical regions than in the mild zones.D) They enrich and impact each other in more ways than one.21. A) They used different methods to collect and analyze data.B) They identified distinct patterns of language distribution.C) Their conclusions do not correspond to their original hypotheses.D) There is no conclusive account for the cause of language diversity.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.22. A) Its middle-class is disappearing.B) Its wealth is rationally distributed.C) Its population is rapidly growing.D) Its cherished dream is coming true.23. A) Success was but a dream without conscientious effort.B) They could realize their dreams through hard work.C) A few dollars could go a long way.D) Wealth was shared by all citizens.24. A) Better working conditions.B) Better-paying jobs.C) High social status.D) Full employment.25. A) Reduce the administrative costs.B) Adopt effective business models.C) Hire part-time employees only.D) Make use of the latest technology.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.In what's probably the craziest headline I've ever written, I've reported that (26)_______ in livestock protection are happening with scientists painting eyes on the butts of cows. The experiment is based upon the idea that farmers who're protecting their herd from lions would shoot and kill lions in an effort to protect their livestock. While this makes a lot of sense, it results in many lion deaths that (27)_______ would have been unnecessary. Researchers in Australia have been (28)_______ and testing a method of trickery to make lions think they are being watched by the painted eyes on cow butts.This idea is based on the principle that lions and other (29)_______ are far less likely to attack when they feel they are being watched. As conservation areas become smaller, lions are increasingly coming into contact with human populations, which are expanding to the (30)_______ of these protected areas.Efforts like painting eyes on cow butts may seem crazy at first, but they could make actual headway in the fight for conservation. “If the method works, it could provide farmers in Botswana —and (31)_______ —with a low-cost, sustainable tool to protect their livestock, and a way to keep lions safe from being killed.”Lions are (32)_______ ambush (埋伏）hunters, so when they feel their prey has (33)_______ them, they usually give up on the hunt. Researchers are (34)_______ testing their idea on a select herd of cattle. They have painted half of the cows with eyes and left the other half as normal. Through satellite tracking of both the herd and the lions in the area, they will be able to (35)_______ if their psychological trickery will work to help keep farmers from shooting lions.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.Resilience Is About How You Recharge, Not How You Endure[A] As constant travelers and parents of a 2-year-old, we sometimes fantasize about how much work we can do when one of us gets on a plane, undistracted by phones, friends, or movies. We race to get all our ground work done: packing, going through security, doing a last-minute work call, calling each other, then boarding the plane. Then, when we try to have that amazing work session in flight, we get nothing done. Even worse, after refreshing our email or reading the same studies over and over, we are too exhausted when we land to soldier on with (继续处理）the emails that have inevitably still piled up. [B] Why should flying deplete us? We're just sitting there doing nothing. Why can't we be tougher —more resilient (有复原力的）and determined in our work so we can accomplish all of the goals we set for ourselves? Based on our current research, we have come to realize that the problem is not our hectic schedule or the plane travel itself; the problem comes from a misconception of what it means to be resilient, and the resulting impact of overworking.[C] We often take a militaristic, “tough”approach to resilience and determination like a Marine pulling himself through the mud, a boxer going one more round, or a football player picking himself up off the ground for one more play. We believe that the longer we tough it out, the tougher we are, and therefore the more successful we will be. However, this entire conception is scientifically inaccurate.[D] The very lack of a recovery period is dramatically holding back our collective ability to beresilient and successful. Research has found that there is a direct correlation between lack of recovery and increased incidence of health and safety problems. And lack of recovery —whether by disrupting sleep with thoughts of work or having continuous cognitive arousal by watching our phones —is costing our companies $ 62 billion a year in lost productivity.[E] And just because work stops, it doesn't mean we are recovering. We “stop”work sometimes at 5pm,but then we spend the night wrestling with solutions to work problems, talking about our work over dinner, and falling asleep thinking about how much work we'll do tomorrow. In a study just released, researchers from Norway found that 7.8% of Norwegians have become workaholics(工作狂）.The scientists cite a definition of workaholism ”as “being overly concerned about work, driven by an uncontrollable work motivation, and investing so much time and effort in work that it impairs other important life areas.”[F] We believe that the number of people who fit that definition includes the majority of American workers, which prompted us to begin a study of workaholism in the U.S. Our study will use a large corporate dataset from a major medical company to examine how technology extends our working hours and thus interferes with necessary cognitive recovery, resulting in huge health care costs and turnover costs for employers.[G] The misconception of resilience is often bred from an early age. Parents trying to teach their children resilience might celebrate a high school student staying up until 3am to finish a science fair project. What a distortion of resilience! A resilient child is a well-rested one. When an exhausted student goes to school, he risks hurting everyone on the road with his impaired driving; he doesn't have the cognitive resources to do well on his English test; he has lower self-control with his friends; and at home, he is moody with his parents. Overwork and exhaustion are the opposite of resilience and the bad habits we acquire when we're young only magnify when we hit the workforce.[H] As Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz have written, if you have too much time in the performance zone, you need more time in the recovery zone, otherwise you risk burnout. Gathering your resources to “try hard”requires burning energy in order to overcome your currently low arousal level. It also worsens exhaustion. Thus the more imbalanced we become due to overworking, the more value there is in activities that allow us to return to a state of balance. The value of a recovery period rises in proportion to the amount of work required of us.[I] So how do we recover and build resilience? Most people assume that if you stop doing a task like answering emails or writing a paper, your brain will naturally recover, so that when you start again later in the day or the next morning, you'll have your energy back. But surely everyone reading this has had times when you lie in bed for hours, unable to fall asleep because your brain is thinking about work. If you lie in bed for eight hours, you may have rested, but you can still feel exhausted the next day. That's because rest and recovery are not the same thing.[J] If you're trying to build resilience at work, you need adequate internal and external recovery periods. As researchers ZijIstra, Cropley and Rydstedt write in their 2014 paper: “Internal recovery refers to the shorter periods of relaxation that take place within the frames of the work day or the work setting in the form of short scheduled or unscheduled breaks, by shifting attention or changing to other work tasks when the mental or physical resources required for the initial task are temporarily depleted or exhausted. External recovery refers to actions that take place outside of work—e.g. in the free time between the work days, and during weekends, holidays or vacations.”If after work you lie around on your bed and get irritated by political commentary on your phone or get stressed thinking about decisions about how to renovate your home, your brain has not received a break from high mental arousal states. Our brains need a rest as much as our bodies do.[K] If you really want to build resilience, you can start by strategically stopping. Give yourself the resources to be tough by creating internal and external recovery periods. Amy Blankson describes how to strategically stop during the day by using technology to control overworking. She suggests downloading the Instant or Moment apps to see how many times you turn on your phone each day. You can also use apps like Offtime or Unplugged to create tech free zones by strategically scheduling automatic airplane modes. The average person turns on their phone 150 times every day. If every distraction took only 1 minute, that would account for 25 hours a day.[L] In addition, you can take a cognitive break every 90 minutes to charge your batteries. Try to not have lunch at your desk, but instead spend time outside or with your friends —not talking about work. Take all of your paid time off, which not only gives you recovery periods, but raises your productivity and likelihood of promotion.[M] As for us, we've started using our plane time as a work-free zone, and thus time to dip into the recovery phase. The results have been fantastic. We are usually tired already by the time we get on a plane, and the crowded space and unstable internet connection make work more challenging. Now, instead of swimming upstream, we relax, sleep, watch movies, or listen to music. And when we get off the plane, instead of being depleted, we feel recovered and ready to return to the performance zone.36. It has been found that inadequate recovery often leads to poor health and accidents.37. Mental relaxation is much needed, just as physical relaxation is.38. Adequate rest not only helps one recover, but also increases one's work efficiency.39. The author always has a hectic time before taking a flight.40. Recovery may not take place even if one seems to have stopped working.41. It is advised that technology be used to prevent people from overworking.42. Contrary to popular belief, rest does not equal recovery.43. The author has come to see that this problem results from a misunderstanding of the meaning of resilience.44. People's distorted view about resilience may have developed from their upbringing.45. People tend to think the more determined they are, the greater their success will be.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.Children with attention problems in early childhood were 40% less likely to graduate from high school, says a new study from Duke University.The study included 386 kindergarteners from schools in the Fast Track Project, a multi-site clinical trial in the U.S. that in 1991 began tracking how children developed across their lives.With this study, researchers examined early academic attention and socio-emotional skills and how each contributed to academic success into young adulthood.They found that early attention skills were the most consistent predictor of academic success, and that likability by peers also had a modest effect on academic performance.By fifth grade, children with early attention difficulties had lower grades and reading achievement scores than their peers. As fifth-graders, children with early attention problems obtained average reading scores at least 3% lower than their contemporaries' and grades at least 8% lower than those of their peers. This was after controlling for IQ, socio-economic status and academic skills at school entry.Although these may not seem like large effects, the impact of early attention problems continued throughout the children's academic careers. Lower reading achievement scores and grades in fifth grade contributed to reduced grades in middle school and thereby contributed to a 40% lower high school graduation rate.“The children we identified as having attention difficulties were not diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (注意力缺乏多动症）（ADHD), although some may have had the disorder. Our findings suggest that even more modest attention difficulties can increase the risk of negative academic outcomes,”said David Rabiner, an associate dean of Duke's Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, whose research has focused on ADHD and interventions to improve academic performance in children with attention difficulties.Social acceptance by peers in early childhood also predicted grades in fifth grade, Children not as liked by their first-grade peers had slightly lower grades in fifth grade, while those with higher social acceptance had higher grades.“This study shows the importance of so-called ‘non-cognitive ' or soft skills in contributing to children's positive peer relationships, which, in turn, contribute to their academic success，”said Kenneth Dodge, director of the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy.The results highlight the need to develop effective early interventions to help those with attention problems stay on track academically and for educators to encourage positive peer relationships, the researchers said.“We're learning that student success requires a more comprehensive approach, one that incorporates not only academic skills but also social, self-regulatory and attention skills,”Dodge said. “If we neglect any of these areas, the child's development lags. If we attend to these areas, a child's success may reinforce itself with positive feedback loops.”46. What is the focus of the new study from Duke University?A) The contributors to children's early attention.B) The predictors of children's academic success.C) The factors that affect children's emotional well-being.D) The determinants of children's development of social skills.47. How did the researchers ensure that their findings are valid?A) By attaching equal importance to all possible variables examined.B) By collecting as many typical samples as were necessary.C) By preventing them from being affected by factors not under study.D) By focusing on the family background of the children being studied.48. What do we learn from the findings of the Duke study?A) Modest students are generally more attentive than their contemporaries.B) There are more children with attention difficulties than previously thought.C) Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder accounts for most academic failures.D) Children's academic performance may suffer from even slight inattention.49. What does the Duke study find about children better accepted by peers?A) They do better academically. C) They are teachers' favorites.B) They are easy to get on with. D) They care less about grades.50. What can we conclude from the Duke study?A) Children's success is related to their learning environment.B) School curriculum should cover a greater variety of subjects.C) Social skills are playing a key role in children's development.D) An all-round approach should be adopted in school education.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.On Jan. 9,2007, Steve Jobs formally announced Apple's “revolutionary mobile phone”—a device that combined the functionality of an iPod, phone and Internet communication into a single unit,navigated by touch.It was a huge milestone in the development of smartphones, which are now owned by a majority of American adults and are increasingly common across the globe.As smartphones have multiplied, so have questions about their impact on how we live and how we work. Often the advantages of convenient, mobile technology are both obvious and taken for granted, leaving more subtle topics for concerned discussion: Are smartphones disturbing children's sleep? Is an inability to get away from work having a negative impact on health? And what are the implications for privacy?But today, on the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, let's take a moment to consider a less obvious advantage: the potential for smartphone technology to revolutionize behavioral science. That's because, for the first time in human history, a large proportion of the species is in continuous contact with technology that can record key features of an individual's behavior and environment.Researchers have already begun to use smartphones in social scientific research, either to query people regularly as they engage in their normal lives or to record activity using the device's built-in sensors. These studies are confirming, challenging and extending what's been found using more traditional approaches, in which people report how they behaved in real life or participate in relatively short and artificial laboratory-based tasks.Such studies are just first steps. As more data are collected and methods for analysis improve, researchers will be in a better position to identify how different experiences, behaviors and environments relate to each other and evolve over time, with the potential to improve people's productivity and wellbeing in a variety of domains. Beyond revealing population-wide patterns, the right combination of data and analysis can also help individuals identify unique characteristics of their own behavior, including conditions that could indicate the need for some form of intervention—such as an unusual increase in behaviors that signal a period of depression.Smartphone-based data collection comes at an appropriate time in the evolution of psychological science. Today, the field is in transition, moving away from a focus on laboratory studies with undergraduate participants towards more complex, real-world situations studied with more diverse groups of people. Smartphones offer new tools for achieving these ambitions, providing rich data about everyday behaviors in a variety of contexts.So here's another way in which smartphones might transform the way we live and work: by offering insights into human psychology and behavior and, thus, supporting smarter social science.51. What does the author say about the negative impact of smartphones?A) It has been overshadowed by the positive impact.B) It has more often than not been taken for granted.C) It is not so obvious but has caused some concern.D) It is subtle but should by no means be overstated.52. What is considered a less obvious advantage of smartphone technology?A) It systematically records real human interactions.B) It helps people benefit from technological advances.C) It brings people into closer contact with each other.D) It greatly improves research on human behavior.53. What characterizes traditional psychological research?A) It is based on huge amounts of carefully collected data.B) It relies on lab observations and participants' reports.C) It makes use of the questionnaire method.D) It is often expensive and time-consuming.54. How will future psychological studies benefit individuals?A) By helping them pin down their unusual behaviors.B) By helping them maintain a positive state of mind.C) By helping them live their lives in a unique way.D) By helping them cope with abnormal situations.55. What do we learn about current psychological studies?A) They are going through a period of painful transition.B) They are increasingly focused on real-life situations.C) They are conducted in a more rigorous manner.D) They are mainly targeted towards undergraduates.P art 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.近年来，中国政府进一步加大体育馆建设投资，以更好地满足人们快速增长的健身需求。