2019年12月六级第一套
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 family responsibility. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)
Section A
Directions: 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 editor.
2. A) Designing sports clothing. B) Consulting fashion experts.
C) Answering daily emails. D) Interviewing 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 conversations 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 actress.
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 B
Directions: 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 I with a single line through the center.
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 alter 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.
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 adults. 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 advancement.
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 expenses.
D) It may deprive a team of business opportunities.
Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item 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.
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 and high-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) assessed F) designated K) loopholes B) assigned G) detrimental L) rapidly C) consequences H) digestion M) redundant D) conspicuously I) excelling N) regularly E) deficits J) indulging O) similar |
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the question by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
Increased Screen Time and Wellbeing Decline in Youth
[A] Have young people never had it so good? Or do they face more challenges than any previous generation? 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 connection theory and such claims have been treated skeptically by some scholars based on their reading of the relevant data.
[B] Now a study in the journal Emotion has provided another contribution to the debate, uncovering strong evidence 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 average wellbeing 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” dataset based 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 wellbeing has occurred. However, it’s very hard to demonstrate causes in 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 accounted for other potential causal factors. This time around, Twenge and her team make a point of saying that 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 causal role in affecting wellbeing, then we should expect any change in that variable to correlate with the observed changes in wellbeing. If not, it isn’t 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 that adolescents who spent a very small amount of time on digital devices—a couple of hours—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 happening at the same time as trends toward increased electronic device usage? It looks like 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 US 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 didn’t 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 where 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 impact of the great recession of 2007-2009, which hit a great number of American families and might be affecting adolescents. The dataset didn’t 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 before and suggests that screen time should still be considered a potential barrier to young people’s flourishing.
36. The year when most Americans began using smartphones was identified as a turning point in young Americans’ level of happiness.
37. Scores in various wellbeing measures began to go downward among young Americans in recent years.
38. Unfortunately, activities involving direct contact with people, which contributed to better wellbeing, were found to be on the decline.
39. In response to past critics, Twenge and her co-researchers stress they are not trying to prove that the use of digital devices reduces young people’s wellbeing.
40. In the last few decades of the 20th century, living standards went up and economic depressions were largely averted in the US.
41. 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 impact of screen time on 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’s wellbeing.
45. Too much screen time is widely believed to be the cause of unhappiness among today’s young people.
Section C
Directions: 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 One
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
“The dangerous thing about lying is people don’t understand how the act changes us,” said Dan Ariely, behavioral 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 said, for most of us, lying takes work. In studies, he gave study 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 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 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 rationalize 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 to lie for their own benefit, they start with little lies and get bigger and 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 abilities.
47. Why does the Harvard neuroscientist say that lying takes work?
A) It is difficult to sound natural or plausible. B) It is hard to choose from several options.
C) It involves lots of sophisticated mental activity. D) It requires speedy blood flow into one’s brain.
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 imminent.
49. When are people less likely to lie?
A) When they are 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 Two
Questions 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. 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 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 Subduction 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. Megathrusts are created in subduction 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 of 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 at 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 deaths and other 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.
牡丹花色艳丽，形象高雅，象征这和平与繁荣，因而在中国被称为”花中之王”。中国许多地方都培育和种植牡丹。千百年来，创造了许多诗歌和绘画赞美牡丹。唐代时期，牡丹在皇家园林普遍种植并被誉为国花，因而特别风行。十世纪时，洛阳古城成为牡丹栽培中心，而且这一地位一直保持到今天。现在，成千上万的国内游客蜂拥到洛阳参加一年一度的牡丹节欣赏洛阳牡丹的独特之美，同时探索九朝古都的历史。
2019年12月六级第二套
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 social responsibility. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)
Section A
Directions: 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 focuses exclusively on jazz. B) It sponsors major jazz concerts.
C) It has several branches in London. D) It displays albums by new music talents.
2. A) It originated with cowboys. B) Its market has now shrunk.
C) Its listeners are mostly young people. D) It remains as widespread as hip hop music.
3. A) Its definition is varied and complicated. B) It is still going through experimentation.
C) It is frequently accompanied by singing. D) Its style has remained largely unchanged.
4. A) Learn to play them. B) Take music lessons.
C) Listen to them yourself. D) Consul jazz musicians.
Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
5. A) She paid her mortgage. B) She called on the man.
C) She made a business plan. D) She went to the bank.
6. A) Her previous debt hadn’t been cleared yet. B) Her credit history was considered poor.
C) She had apparently asked for too much. D) She didn’t pay her mortgage in time.
7. A) Pay a debt long overdue. B) Buy a piece of property.
C) Start her own business. D) Check her credit history.
8. A) Seek advice from an expert about fundraising. B) Ask for smaller loans from different lenders.
C) Build up her own finances step by step. D) Revise her business proposal carefully.
Section B
Directions: 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) It is profitable and environmentally friendly. B) It is well located and completely automated.
C) It is small and unconventional. D) It is fertile and productive.
10. A) Their urge to make farming more enjoyable. B) Their desire to improve farming equipment.
C) Their hope to revitalize traditional farming. D) Their wish to set a new farming standard.
11. A) It saves a lot of electricity. B) It needs little maintenance.
C) It causes hardly any pollution. D) It loosens soil while weeding.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
12. A) It has turned certain insects into a new food source.
B) It has started on expand business outside the UK.
C) It has imported some exotic foods from overseas.
D) It has joined hands with Sainsbury’s to sell pet insects.
13. A) It was really unforgettable. B) It was a pleasant surprise.
C) It hurts his throat slightly. D) It made him feel strange.
14. A) They are more tasty than beef, chicken or pork.
B) They are more nutritious than soups and salads.
C) They contain more protein than conventional meats.
D) They will soon gain popularity throughout the world.
15. A) It is environmentally friendly. B) It is a promising industry.
C) It requires new technology. D) It saves huge amount of labor.
Section C
Directions: 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) To categorize different types of learners.
B) To find out what students prefer to learn.
C) To understand the mechanism of the human brain.
D) To see if they are inherent traits affecting learning.
17. A) It was defective. B) It was misguided.
C) It was original in design. D) It was thought-provoking.
18. A) Auditory aids are as important as visual aids.
B) Visual aids are helpful to all types of learners.
C) Reading plain texts is more effective than viewing pictures.
D) Scientific concepts are hard to understand without visual aids.
Questions 19 to 22 are based on the recording you have just heard.
19. A) Not playing a role in a workplace revolution.
B) Not benefiting from free-market capitalism.
C) Not earning enough money to provide for the family.
D) Not spending enough time on family life and leisure.
20. A) People would be working only fifteen hours a week now.
B) The balance of power in the workplace would change.
C) Technological advances would create many new jobs.
D) Most workers could afford to have house of their own.
21. A) Loss of workers’ personal dignity. B) Deprivation of workers’ creativity.
C) Deterioration of workers’ mental health. D) Unequal distribution of working hours.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
22. A) It is the worst managed airport in German history.
B) It is now the biggest and busiest airport in Europe.
C) It has become something of a joke among Germans.
D) It has become a typical symbol of German efficiency.
23. A) The city’s airports are outdated. B) The city had just been reunified.
C) The city wanted to boost its economy. D) The city wanted to attract more tourists.
24. A) The municipal government kept changing hands.
B) The construction firm breached the contract.
C) Shortage of funding delayed its construction.
D) Problems of different kinds kept popping up.
25. A) Tourism industry in Berlin suffers. B) All kinds of equipment gets rusted.
C) Huge maintenance costs accumulate. D) Complaints by local residents increase.
Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
The persistent haze over many of our cities is a reminder of the polluted air that we breathe. Over 80% of the world’s urban population is breathing air that fails to meet World Health Organization guidelines, and an estimated 4.5 million people died 26 from outdoor air pollution in 2015.
Globally, urban populations are expected to double in the next 40 years. An extra 2 billion people will need new places to live, services and ways to move around their cities. What is more important, the decisions that we make now about the design of our cities will 27 the everyday lives and health of the coming generations. So what would the components of a smog-free, or at least low-pollution, city be like?
Traffic has become 28 with air pollution, and many countries intend to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the next two decades. But simply 29 to electric cars will not mean pollution-free cities. The level of emissions they cause will depend on how the electricity to run them is 30 , while brakes, tyres and roads all create tiny airborne 31 as they wear out.
Across the developed world, car use is in decline as more people move to city centers, while young people especially are 32 for other means of travel. Researchers are already asking if motor vehicle use has reached its 33 and will decline, but transport planners have yet to catch up with this 34 , instead laying new roads to tackle traffic jams. As users of London’s orbital M25 motorway will know, new roads rapidly fill with more traffic. In the US, studies have shown that doubling the size of a road can 35 double the traffic, taking us back to the starting point.
A) alternate F) merged K) prematurely B) crown G) miniatures L) simply C) determine H) opting M) switching D) generated I) particles N) synonymous E) locating J) peak O) trend |
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the question by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
How Much Protein Do You Really Need?
[A] The marketing is tempting: Get stronger muscles and healthier bodies with minimal effort by adding protein powder to your morning shake or juice drink. Or grab a protein bar at lunch or for a quick snack. Today, you can find protein supplements everywhere—online or at the pharmacy, grocery store or health food store. They come in powders, pills and bars. With more than $12 billion in sales this year, the industry is booming and, according to the market research company, Grand View Research, is on track to sell billions more by 2025. But do we really need all this supplemental protein? It depends. There are pros, cons and some ho-hums to consider.
[B] For starters, protein is critical for every cell in our body. It helps build nails, hair, bones and muscles. It can also help you feel fuller longer than eating foods without protein. And, unlike nutrients that are found only in a few foods, protein is present in all foods. “The typical American diet is a lot higher in protein than a lot of us think,” says registered dietitian Angela Pipitone. “It’s in foods many of us expect, such as beef, chicken and other types of meat and dairy. But it’s also in foods that may not come immediately to mind like vegetables, fruit, beans and grains.”
[C] The U.S. government’s recommended daily allowance (RDA) for the average adult is 50 to 60 grams of protein a day. This may sound like a lot, but Pipitone says: “We get bits of protein here and there and that really adds up throughout the day.” Take, for example, breakfast. If you ate two eggs topped with a little bit of cheese and an orange on the side, you already have 22 grams of protein. Each egg gives you 7 grams, the cheese gives you about 6 grams and the orange—about 2 grams. Add a lunch of chicken, rice and broccoli, and you are already over the recommended 50 grams. “You can get enough protein and meet the RDA before you even get to dinner,” says Pipitone.
[D] So if it’s so easy to get your protein in food, why add more in the form of powders, snack bars or a boost at your local juice bar? No need to, says Pipitone because, in fact, most of us already get enough protein in our diet. “Whole foods are always the best option rather than adding supplements,” she says, noting the FDA does not regulate supplements as rigorously as foods or drugs. So there could be less protein, more sugar and some additives you wouldn’t expect, such as caffeine.
[E] If you are considering a supplement, read the list of ingredients, she says, although this is not always reliable. “I’ve seen very expensive protein supplements that claim to be high quality but they might not really be beneficial for the average healthy adult,” she says. “It could just be a waste of money.”
[F] But there are certain situations that do warrant extra protein. “Anytime you’re repairing or building muscle,” Pipitone says, such as if you’re an extreme endurance athlete, training for a marathon, or you’re a body builder. If you’re moderately exercising for 150 minutes a week, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends, or less than that, you’re probably not an extreme athlete. Extreme athletes expend lots of energy breaking down and repairing and building muscles. Protein can give them the edge they need to speed that process.
[G] Vegans can benefit from protein supplements since they do not eat animal-based protein sources like meat, dairy or eggs. And, for someone always on-the-go who may not have time for a meal, a protein snack bar can be a good option for occasional meal replacement. Also, individuals recovering from surgery or an injury can also benefit from extra protein. So, too, can older people. At around age 60, “muscles really start to break down,” says Kathryn Starr, an aging researcher, “and because of that, the protein needs of an older adult actually increases.”
[H] In fact, along with her colleague Connie Bales, Starr recently conducted a small study that found that adding extra protein foods to the diet of obese older individuals who were trying to lose weight strengthened their muscles. Participants in the study were separated into two groups—one group was asked to eat 30 grams of protein per meal in the form of whole foods. That meant they were eating 90 grams of protein a day. The other group—the control group—was put on a typical low-calorie diet with about 50 to 60 grams of protein a day. After six months, researchers found the high protein group had significantly improved their muscle function—almost twice as much as the control group. “They were able to walk faster, had improved balance, and were also able to get up out of a chair faster than the control group,” Starr says. All 67 participants were over 60 years of age, and both groups lost about the same amount of weight.
[I] Starr is now looking into whether high-protein diets also improve the quality of the muscle itself in seniors. She’s using CT scans to measure muscle size and fat, and comparing seniors on a high-protein diet to those on regular diets. She says her findings should be available in a couple of months.
[J] In the meantime, 70-year-old Corliss Keith, who was in the high protein group in Starr’s latest study, says she feels a big difference. “I feel excellent,” she says. “I feel like I have a different body, I have more energy, I’m stronger.” She says she is able to take Zumba exercise classes three times a week, work out on the treadmill, and take long, brisk walks. Keith also lost more than 15 pounds. “I’m a fashionable person, so now I’m back in my 3-inch heels,” she says.
[K] As people age, Starr says muscle strength is key to helping them stay strong and continue living on their own in their own home. “I feel very much alive now,” says Keith. “I feel like I could stay by myself until I’m 100.”
[L] But can people overdo protein? Pipitone says you do have to be careful. Other researchers say too much protein can cause nausea, headaches, and fatigue. Dehydration is also a risk when you eat too much protein. Pipitone says if you increase protein, you also have to increase your fluid intake. “I always tell people to make sure they’re drinking enough fluids,” which for the average person is 60 to 70 ounces a day, which translates into eight 8-ounce glasses of water or liquid per day.
[M] There have been some indications that extra protein makes the kidneys work harder, which could be problematic for individuals with a history of kidney disease and for them, the supplements may increase the risk of kidney stones, she says.
[N] Bottom line, if you think you need more protein in your diet, consider these questions: Are you are an extreme athlete; are you recovering from injury or surgery; or are you 60 years or older? If so, adding high protein foods like eggs and meat products to your diet can be beneficial. And, if you’re not sure, it is always a good idea to check with your primary care provider.
36. It is quite easy for one to take in the recommended amount of protein.
37. Pipitone claims that healthy adults need not spend money on protein supplements.
38. The protein supplement business is found to be thriving.
39. Protein can speed the repairing of damaged muscles.
40. Protein supplements may overburden some internal organ, thus leading to its malfunctioning.
41. Older adults need to take in more protein to keep their muscles strong.
42. Protein is found in more foods than people might realize.
43. Additional protein was found to help strengthen the muscles of overweight seniors seeking weight loss.
44. Pipitone believes that whole foods provide the best source of protein.
45. People are advised to drink more liquid when they take in more protein.
Section C
Directions: 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 One
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
Last year, a child was born at a hospital in the UK with her heart outside her body. Few babies survive this rare condition, and those who do must endure numerous operations and are likely to have complex needs. When her mother was interviewed, three weeks after her daughter’s birth, she was asked if she was prepared for what might be a daunting task caring for her. She answered without hesitation that, as far as she was concerned, this would be a “privilege”.
Rarely has there been a better example of the power of attitude, one of our most powerful psychological tools. Our attitudes allow us to turn mistakes into opportunities, and loss into the chance for new beginnings. An attitude is a settled way of thinking, feeling and/or behaving towards particular objects, people, events or ideologies. We use our attitudes to filter, interpret and react to the world around us. You weren’t born with attitudes. They’re all learned, and this happens in a number of ways.
The most powerful influences occur during early childhood and include both what happened to you directly, and what those around you did and said in your presence. As you acquire adistinctive identity, your attitudes are further refined by the behaviors of those with whom you identify—your family, those of your gender and culture, and the people you admire, even though you may not know them personally. Friendships and other important relationships become increasingly important, particularly during adolescence. About that same time and throughout adulthood, the information you receive, especially when ideas are repeated in association with goals and achievements you find attractive, also refine your attitudes.
Many people assume that our attitudes are internally consistent, that is, the way you think and feel about someone or something predicts your behavior towards them. However, many studies have found that feelings and thoughts don’t necessarily predict behavior. In general, your attitudes will be internally consistent only when the behavior is easy, and when those around you hold similar beliefs. That’s why, for example, many say they believe in the benefits of recycling or exercise, but don’t behave in line with their views, because it takes awareness, effort and courage to go beyond merely stating you believe something is a good idea.
One of the most effective ways to change an attitude is to start behaving as if you already feel and think the way you’d prefer to. Take some time to reflect on your attitudes, to think about what you believe and why. Is there anything you consider a burden rather than a privilege? If so, start behaving—right now—as if that is the case.
46. What do we learn from the passage about attitude?
A) It shapes our beliefs and ideologies.
B) It improves our psychological wellbeing.
C) It determines how we respond to our immediate environment.
D) It changes the way we think, feel and interact with one another.
47. What can contribute to the refinement of one’s attitude, according to the passage?
A) Their idols’ behaviors. B) Their educational level.
C) Their contact with the opposite gender. D) Their interaction with different cultures.
48. What do many studies find about people’s feelings and thoughts?
A) They may not suggest how a person is going to behave.
B) They are in a way consistent with a person s mentality.
C) They may not find expression in interpersonal relations.
D) They are in line with a person’s behavior no matter what.
49. How come many people don’t do what they believe is good?
A) They can’t afford the time. B) They have no idea how to.
C) They are hypocritical. D) They lack willpower.
50. What is proposed as a strategy to change attitude?
A) Changing things that require one s immediate attention.
B) Starting to act in a way that embodies one’s aspirations.
C) Adjusting one’s behavior gradually over a period of time.
D) Considering ways of reducing one’s psychological burdens.
Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
Industrial fishing for krill in the unspoiled waters around Antarctica is threatening the future of one of the world’s last great wildernesses, according to a new report.
The study by Greenpeace analyzed the movements of krill fishing vessels in the region and found they were increasingly operating “in the immediate vicinity of penguin colonies and whale feeding grounds”. It also highlights incidents of fishing boats being involved in groundings, oil spills and accidents, which it said posed a serious threat to the Antarctic ecosystem.
The report, published on Tuesday, comes amid growing concern about the impact of fishing and climate change on the Antarctic. A global campaign has been launched to create a network of ocean sanctuaries to protect the seas in the region and Greenpeace is calling for an immediate halt to fishing in areas being considered for sanctuary status.
Frida Bengtsson from Greenpeace’s Protect the Antarctic campaign, said: “If the krill industry wants to show it’s a responsible player, then it should be voluntarily getting out of any area which is being proposed as an ocean sanctuary, and should instead be backing the protection of these huge tracts of the Antarctic.”
A global campaign has been launched to turn a huge tract of Antarctic seas into ocean sanctuaries, protecting wildlife and banning all fishing. One was created in the Ross Sea in 2016, another reserve is being proposed in a vast area of the Weddell Sea, and a third sanctuary is under consideration in the area west of the Antarctic peninsula—a key krill fishing area.
The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) manages the seas around Antarctica. It will decide on the Weddell Sea sanctuary proposal at a conference in Australia in October, although a decision on the peninsula sanctuary is not expected until later.
Keith Reid, a science manager at CCAMLR said the organization sought “a balance between protection, conservation and sustainable fishing in the Southern Ocean.” He said although more fishing was taking place nearer penguin colonies it was often happening later in the season when these colonies were empty.
“The creation of a system of marine protected areas is a key part of ongoing scientific and policy discussions in CCAMLR,” he added, “Our long-term operation in the region depends on a healthy and thriving Antarctic marine ecosystem, which is why we have always had an open dialogue with the environmental NGOs. We strongly intend to continue this dialogue, including talks with Greenpeace, to discuss improvements based on the latest scientific data. We are not the ones to decide on establishment of marine protected areas, but we hope to contribute positively with our knowledge and experience.”
51. What does Greenpeace’s study find about krill fishing?
A) It caused a great many penguins and whales to migrate.
B) It was depriving penguins and whales of their habitats.
C) It was carried out too close to the habitats of penguins and whales.
D) It posed an unprecedented threat to the wildlife around Antarctica.
52. For what purpose has a global campaign been launched?
A) To reduce the impact of climate change on Antarctica.
B) To establish conservation areas in the Antarctic region.
C) To regulate krill fishing operations in the Antarctic seas.
D) To publicize the concern about the impact of krill fishing.
53. What is Greenpeace’s recommendation to the krill industry?
A) Opting to operate away from the suggested conservation areas.
B) Volunteering to protect the endangered species in the Antarctic.
C) Refraining from krill fishing throughout the breeding season.
D) Showing its sense of responsibility by leading the global campaign.
54. What did CCAMLR aim to do according to its science manager?
A) Raise public awareness of the vulnerability of Antarctic species.
B) Ban all commercial fishing operations in the Southern Ocean.
C) Keep the penguin colonies from all fishing interference.
D) Sustain fishing without damaging the Antarctic ecosystem.
55. How does CCAMLR define its role in the conservation of the Antarctic environment?
A) A coordinator in policy discussions. B) An authority on big data analysis.
C) A provider of the needed expertise. D) An initiator of marine sanctuaries.
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.
荷花是中国的名花之一，深受人们喜爱。中国许多地方的湖泊和池塘都适宜荷花生长。荷花色彩鲜艳，夏日清晨绽放，夜晚闭合，花期长达两三个月，吸引来自各地的游客前往观赏。荷花具有多种功能，既能绿化水面，又能美化庭园，还可净化水质、减少污染、改善环境。荷花迎骄阳而不惧，出污泥而不染，象征纯洁、高雅，常来比喻人的高尚品德，历来是诗人画家创作的重要题材。荷花盛开的地方也是许多摄影爱好者经常光顾之地。
2019年12月六级第三套
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 community responsibility. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
听力同第二套
Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
The number of devices you can talk to is multiplying—first it was your phone, then your car, and now you can tell your kitchen appliances what to do. But even without gadgets that understand our spoken commands, research suggests that, as bizarre as it sounds, under certain 26 , people regularly ascribe human traits to everyday objects.
Sometimes we see things as human because we are 27 . In one experiment, people who reported feeling isolated were more likely than others to attribute 28 to various gadgets. In turn, feeling close to objects can 29 loneliness. When college students were reminded of a time they had been 30 in a social setting, they compensated by exaggerating their number of friends—unless they were first given tasks that caused them to interact with their phone as if it had human qualities. According to the researchers, the participants’ phones 31 substituted for real friends.
At other times, we personify products in an effort to understand them. One study found that three in four respondents yelled at their computer. Further, the more their computer gave them problems, the more likely the respondents were to report that it had its own “beliefs and 32 .”
So how do people assign traits to an object? In part, we rely on looks. On humans, wide faces are 33 with dominance. Similarly, people rated cars, clocks, and watches with wide faces as more dominant-looking than narrow-faced ones, and preferred them—especially in 34 situations. An analysis of car sales in Germany found that cars with gills that were upturned like smiles sold best. The purchasers saw this 35 as increasing a car’s friendliness..
A) alleviate F) competitive K) feature B) apparently G) conceded L) lonely C) arrogant H) consciousness M) seperate D) associated I) desires N) spectacularly E) circumstances J) excluded O) warrant |
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the question by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
Why More Farmers are Switching to Grass-Fed Meat and Dairy
[A] Though he didn’t come from a farming family, from a young age Tim Joseph was fascinated by the idea of living off the land. Reading magazines like The Stockman Grass Farmer and Graze, he got hooked on the idea of grass-fed agriculture. The idea that all energy and wealth comes from the sun really intrigued him He thought the shorter the distance between the sun and the end product, the higher the profit to the farmer.
[B] Joseph wanted to put this theory to the test. In 2009, he and his wife Laura launched Maple Hill Creamery, an organic, all grass-fed yogurt company in northern New York. He quickly learned what the market has demonstrated: Demand for grass-fed products currently exceeds supply. Grass-fed beef is enjoying a 25-30% annual growth rate. Sales of grass-fed yogurt and kefir on the other hand, have in the last year increased by over 38%. This is in comparison with a drop of just under 1% in the total yogurt and kefir market according to natural and organic market research company SPINS. Joseph’s top priority became getting his hands on enough grass-fed milk to keep customers satisfied, since his own 64-cow herd wasn’t going to suffice.
[C] His first partnership was with Paul and Phyllis Amburgh, owners of the Dharma Lea farm in New York. The Amburghs, too, were true believers in grass-fed. In addition to supplying milk from their own 85-head herd, they began to help other farmers in the area convent from conventional to certified organic and grass-fed in order to enter the Maple Hill supply chain. Since 2010, the couple has helped 125 small dairy farms convert to grass-fed, with more than 80% of those farms coming on board during the last two years.
[D] All this conversion has helped Maple Hill grow 40-50% every year since it began with no end in sight. Joseph has learned that a farmer has to have a certain mindset to successfully convert. But convincing open-minded dairy people is actually not that hard, when you look at the economics. Grass-fed milk can fetch up to 2.5 times the price of conventional milk. Another factor is the squeeze that conventional dairy farmers have felt as the price of grain they feed their cows has gone up, tightening their profit margins. By replacing expensive grain feed with regenerative management practices, grass-fed farmers are insulated from jumps in the price of feed. These practices include grazing animals on grasses grown from the pastureland’s natural seed bunk, and fertilized by the cows’ own fertilizer.
[E] Champions of this type of regenerative grazing also point to its animal welfare, climate and health benefits: Grass-fed animals live longer out of confinement. Grazing herds stimulate microbial (微生物的) activity in the soil, helping to capture water and separate carbon. And grass-fed dairy and meat have been shown to be higher in certain nutrients and healthy fats.
[F] In the grass fed system, farmers are also not subject to the wildly fluctuating milk prices of the international commodity market. The unpredictability of global demand and the lag-time it takes to add more cows to a herd to meet demand can result in events like the recent cheese surplus. Going grass-fed is a safe refuge, a way for family-scale farms to stay viable. Usually a farmer will get to the point where financially, what they’re doing is not working. That’s when they call Maple Hill. If the farm is well managed and has enough land, and the desire to convert is sincere, a relationship can begin. Through regular regional educational meetings, a large annual meeting, individual farm visits and thousands of phone calls, the Amburghs pass on the principles of pasture management. Maple Hill signs a contract pledging to buy the farmer’s milk at a guaranteed base price, plus quality premiums and incentives for higher protein, butter fat and other solids.
[G] While Maple Hill's conversion program is unusually hands on and comprehensive, it’s just one of a growing number of businesses committed to slowly changing the way America farms. Joseph calls sharing his knowledge network through peer-to-peer learning a core piece of the company’s culture. Last summer, Massachusetts grass-fed beef advocate John Smith launched Big Picture Beef, a network of small grass-fed beef farms in New England and New York that is projected to bring to market 2,500 head of cattle from 125 producers this year. Early indications are that Smith will have no shortage of farm members. Since he began to informally announce the network at farming conferences and on social media, he’s received a steady stream of inquiries from interested farmers.
[H] Smith says he’ll provide services ranging from formal seminars to on-farm workshops on holistic management, to one-on-one hand-holding and an almost 24/7 phone hotline for farmers who are converting. In exchange, he guarantees an above-market price for each animal and a calf-to-customer electronic ear tag ID system like that used in the European Union.
[1] Though advocates portray grass fed products as a win-win situation for all, they do have downsides. Price, for one, is an issue. Joseph says his products are priced 10-20% above organic versions, but depending on the product chosen, compared to non-organic conventional yogurt, consumers could pay a premium of 30-50% or more for grass-fed. As for the meat, Smith says his grass-fed hamburger will be priced 20-25% over the conventional alternative. But a look at the prices on online grocer Fresh Direct suggests a grass-fed premium of anywhere from 35-60%.
[J] And not every farmer has the option of going grass-fed. For both beef and dairy production it requires, at least in the beginning, more pastureland. Grass-fed beef production tends to be more labor-intensive as well. But Smith counters that if you factor in the hidden cost of government corn subsidies, environment degradation, and decreased human heath and animal welfare, grass-fed is the more cost-effective model. “The sun provides the lowest cost of production and the cheapest meat,” he says.
[K] Another grass-fed booster spurring farmers to convert is EPIC, which makes meat-based protein bars. Founders Taylor Collins and his wife, Katie Forrest, used to be endurance athletes; now they’re advocates of grass-fed meat. Soon after launching EPIC’S most successful product - the Bison Bacon Cranberry Bar - Collins and Forrest found they’d exhausted their sources for bison raised exclusively on pasture. When they started researching the supply chain, they learned that only 2-3% of all bison is actually grass-fed. The rest is feed-lot confined and fed grain and corn.
[L] But after General Mills bought EPIC in 2016, Collins and Forrest suddenly had the resources they needed to expand their supply chain. So the company teamed up with Wisconsin-based rancher Northstar Bison. EPIC fronted the money for the purchase of $2.5 million worth of young bison that will be raised according to its grass-fed protocols, with a guaranteed purchase price. The message to young people who might not otherwise be able to afford to break into the business is, “You can purchase this $3 million piece of land here, because I’m guaranteeing you today you'll have 1,000 bison on it.’ We’re bringing new blood into the old, conventional farming ecosystem, which is really cool to see,” Collins explains.
36. Farmers going grass-fed are not affected by the ever-changing milk prices of the global market.
37. Over the years, Tim Joseph’s partners have helped many dairy farmers to switch to grass-fed.
38. One advocate believes that many other benefits should be taken into consideration when we assess the cost-effectiveness of grass-fed farming.
39. Many dairy farmers were persuaded to switch to grass-fed when they saw its advantage in terms of profits.
40. Tim Joseph’s grass-fed program is only one example of how American farming practice is changing.
41. Tim Joseph was fascinated by the notion that sunlight brings energy and wealth to mankind.
42. One problem with grass-fed products is that they are usually more expensive than conventional ones.
43. Grass fed products have proved to be healthier and more nutritious.
44. When Tim Joseph started his business, he found grass-fed products fell short of demand.
45. A snack bar producer discovered that the supply of purely grass-fed bison met was scarce.
Section C
Directions: 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 One
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
Schools are not just a microcosm of society: they mediate it too. The best seek to alleviate the external pressures on their pupils while equipping them better to understand and handle the world outside-- at once sheltering them and broadening their horizons. This is ambitious in any circumstances and in a divided and unequal society the two ideals can clash outright.
Trips that many adults would consider the adventure of a lifetime—treks in Borneo, a sports tour to Barbados—appear to have become almost routine at some state schools. Parents are being asked for thousands of pounds. Though schools cannot profit from these trips, the companies that arrange them do. Meanwhile, pupils arrive at school hungry because their families can’t afford breakfast. The Child Poverty Action Group says nine out of 30 in every classroom fall below the poverty line. The discrepancy is startlingly apparent. Introducing a fundraising requirement for students does not help, as better-off children can tap up richer aunts and neighbors.
Probing the rock pools of a local beach or practicing French on a language exchange can fire children’s passions, boost their skills and open their eyes to life’s possibilities. Educational outings help bright but disadvantaged students to get better scores in A-level tests. In this globalised age, there is a good case for international travel and some parents say they can manage the cost of a school trip abroad more easily than a family holiday. Even in the face of immense and mounting financial pressures some schools have shown remarkable determination and ingenuity in ensuring that all their pupils are able to take up opportunities that may be truly life-changing. They should be applauded. Methods such as whole-school fundraising, with the proceeds pooled, can help to extend opportunities and fuel community spirit.
But ￡3,000 trips cannot be justified when the average income for families with children is just over ￡30,000. Such initiatives close doors for many pupils. Some parents pull their children out of school because of expensive field trips. Even parents who can see that a trip is little more than a party or celebration may well feel guilt that their child is left behind.
The Department for Education’s guidance says schools can charge only for board and lodging if the trip is part of the syllabus, and that students receiving government aid are exempt from these costs. However, many schools seem to ignore the advice; and it does not cover the kind of glamorous, exotic trips, which are becoming increasingly common. Schools cannot be expected to bring together communities single-handed. But the least we should expect is that they do not foster divisions and exclude those who are already disadvantaged.
46. What does the author say best schools should do?
A) Prepare students to both challenge and change the divided unequal society.
B) Protect students from social pressures and enable them to face the world.
C) Motivate students to develop their physical as well as intellectual abilities.
D) Encourage students to be ambitious and help them to achieve their goals.
47. What does the author think about school field trips?
A) They enable students from different backgrounds to mix with each other.
B) They widen the gap between privileged and disadvantaged students.
C) They give the disadvantaged students a chance to see the world.
D) They only benefit students with rich relatives and neighbors.
48. What does the author suggest can help build community spirit?
A) Events aiming to improve community services.
B) Activities that help to fuel students’ ingenuity.
C) Events that require mutual understanding.
D) Activities involving all students on campus.
49. What do we learn about low-income parents regarding school field trips?
A) They want their children to participate even though they don’t see much benefit.
B) They don’t want their kids to participate but find it hard to keep them from going.
C) They don’t want their kids to miss any chance to broaden their horizons despite the cost.
D) They want their children to experience adventures but they don’t want them to run risks,
50. What is the author’s expectation of schools?
A) Bringing a community together with ingenuity.
B) Resolving the existing discrepancies in society.
C) Avoiding creating new gaps among students.
D) Giving poor students preferential treatment.
Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
Rising temperatures and overfishing in the pristine waters around the Antarctic could see king penguin populations pushed to the brink of extinction by the end of the century, according to a new study. The study’s report states that as global warming transforms the environment in the world’s last great wilderness, 70 percent of king penguins could either disappear or be forced to find new breeding grounds.
Co-author Céline Le Bohec, from the University of Strasbourg in France, warned: “If there’re no actions aimed at haling or controlling global warming, and the pace of the current human-induced changes such as climate change and overfishing stays the same, the species may son disappear.” The findings come amid growing concern over the future of the Antarctic. Earlier this month a separate study found that a combination of climate change and industrial fishing is threatening the krill population in Antarctic waters, with a potentially disastrous impact on whales, seals and penguins. But today’s report is the starkest warning yet of the potentially devastating impact of climate change and human exploitation on the Antarctic’s delicate ecosystems.
Le Bohec said: “Unless current greenhouse gas emissions drop, 70 percent of king penguins—1.1 million breeding pairs—will be forced to relocate their breeding grounds, or face extinction by 2100.” King penguins are the second-largest type of penguin and only breed on specific isolated islands in the Southern Ocean where there is no ice cover and easy access to the sea. As the ocean warms, a body of water called the Antarctic Polar Front—an upward movement of nutrient-rich sea that supports a huge abundance of marine life—is being pushed further south, This means that king penguins, which feed on fish and krill in this body of water, have to travel further to their feeding grounds, leaving their hungry chicks for longer. And as the distance between their breeding grounds and their food grows, entire colonies could be wiped out.
Le Bohec said: “The plight of the king penguin should serve as a warning about the future of the entire marine environment in the Antarctic. Penguins, like other seabirds and marine mammals, occupy higher levels in the food chain and they are what we call bio-indicators of their ecosystems.” Penguins are sensitive indicators of changes in marine ecosystems. As such, they are key species for understanding and predicting impacts of global change on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic marine ecosystems. The report found that although some king penguins may be able to relocate to new breeding grounds closer to their retreating food source, suitable new habitats would be scarce. Only a handful of islands in the Southern Ocean are suitable for sustaining large breeding colonies.
51. What will happen by 2100, according to a new study?
A) King penguins in the Antarctic will be on the verge of dying out.
B) Sea water will rise to a much higher level around the Antarctic.
C) The melting ice cover will destroy the great Antarctic wilderness.
D) The pristine waters around the Antarctic will disappear forever.
52. What do we learn from the findings of a separate study?
A) Shrinking krill population and rising temperatures could force Antarctic whales to migrate.
B) Human activities have accelerated climate change in the Antarctic region in recent years.
C) Industrial fishing and climate change could be fatal to certain Antarctic species.
D) Krill fishing in the Antarctic has worsened the pollution of the pristine waters.
53. What does the passage say about king penguins?
A) They will turn out to be the second-largest species of birds to become extinct.
B) Many of them will have to migrate to isolated islands in the Southern Ocean.
C) They feed primarily on only a few kinds of krill in the Antarctic Polar Front.
D) The majority of them may have to find new breeding grounds in the future.
54. What happens when sea levels rise in the Antarctic?
A) Many baby king penguins can’t have food in time.
B) Many king penguins could no longer live on krill.
C) Whales will invade king penguins’ breeding grounds.
D) Whales will have to travel long distances to find food.
55. What do we learn about the Southern Ocean?
A) The king penguins there are reluctant to leave for new breeding grounds.
B) Its conservation is key to the sustainable propagation of Antarctic species.
C) It is most likely to become the ultimate retreat for species like the king penguin.
D) Only a few of its islands can serve as huge breeding grounds for king penguins.
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.
梅花位居中国十大名花之首，源于中国南方，已有三千多年的栽培和种植历史。隆冬时节，五颜六色的梅花不畏严寒，迎着风雪傲然绽放。在中国传统文化中，梅花象征着坚强、纯洁、高雅，激励人们不畏艰难、砥砺前行。自古以来，许多诗人和画家从梅花中获取灵感，创作了无数不朽的作品。普通大众也都喜爱梅花，春节期间常用于家庭装饰。南京市已将梅花定为市花，每年举办梅花节，成千上万的人冒着严寒到梅花山踏雪赏梅。
