2016年12月全国英语六级考试试卷及答案解析第三套

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2016年12月英语四级真题及答案第三套

2016年12月英语四级真题及答案第三套Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay. Suppose you have two options upon graduation: one is to work in a state-ownedbusiness and the other in a joint venture.You are to make a choice betweenthe two. Write an essay to explain the reasons for your choice. You shouldwrite 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 reportand 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 singleline through the centre.Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.1. A) To satisfy the curiosity of tourists.B) To replace two old stone bridges.C) To enable tourists to visit Goat Island.D) To improve utility services in the state.2. A) Countless tree limbs.B) A few skeletons.C) Lots of wrecked boats and ships.D) Millions of coins on the bottom.Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.3. A) It suspended diplomatic relations with Libya.B) It urged tourists to leave Tunisia immediately.C) It shut down two border crossings with Libya.D) It launched a fierce attack against Islamic State.4. A) Advise Tunisian civilians on how to take safety precautions.B) Track down the organization responsible for the terrorist attack.C) Train qualified security personnel for the Tunisian government.D) Devise a monitoring system on the Tunisian border with Libya.Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.5. A) An environment-friendly battery.B) An energy-saving mobile phone.C) A plant-powered mobile phone charger.D) A device to help plants absorb sunlight.6. A) While sitting in their schools courtyard.B) While playing games on their phones.C) While solving a mathematical problem.D) While doing a chemical experiment.7. A) It increases the applications of mobile phones.B) It speeds up the process of photosynthesis.C) It improves the reception of mobile phones.D) It collects the energy released by plants.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversationand 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 singleline through the centre.Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.8. A) He visited the workshops in the Grimsby plant.B) He called the woman and left her a message.C) He used stand-ins as replacements on all lines.D) He asked a technician to fix the broken production line.9. A) It is the most modern production line.B) It assembles super-intelligent robots.C) It has stopped working completely.D) It is going to be upgraded soon.10. A) To seek her permission.B) To place an order for robots.C) To request her to return at once.D) To ask for Tom’s phone number.11. A) She is on duty.B) She is having her day off.C) She is on sick leave.D) She is abroad on business.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) He saved a baby boy’s life.B) He wanted to be a superhero.C) He prevented a train crash.D) He was a witness to an accident.13. A) He has a 9-month-old boy.B) He is currently unemployed.C) He enjoys the interview.D) He commutes by subway.14. A) A rock on the tracks.B) A misplaced pushchair.C) A strong wind.D) A speeding car.15. A) She stood motionless in shock.B) She cried bitterly.C) She called the police at once.D) She shouted for help.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questionswill be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose thebest answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then markthe corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line throughthe centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A) She inherited her family ice-cream business in Billings.B) She loved the ice-cream business more than teaching primary school.C) She started an ice-cream business to finance her daughter’s education.D) She wanted to have an ice-cream truck when she was a little girl.17. A) To preserve a tradition.B) To amuse her daughter.C) To help local education.D) To make some extra money.18. A) To raise money for business expansion.B) To make her truck attractive to children.C) To allow poor kids to have ice-cream too.D) To teach kids the value of mutual support.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A) The reasons for imposing taxes.B) The various services money can buy.C) The various burdens on ordinary citizens.D) The function of money in the modern world.20. A) Educating and training citizens.B) Improving public transportation.C) Protecting people’s life and property.D) Building hospitals and public libraries.21. A) By asking for donations.B) By selling public lands.C) By selling government bonds.D) By exploiting natural resources.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A) It is located at the center of the European continent.B) It relies on tourism as its chief source of revenues.C) It contains less than a square mile of land.D) It is surrounded by France on three sides.23. A) Its beauty is frequently mentioned in American media.B) Its ruler Prince Rainier married an American actress.C) It is where many American movies are shot.D) It is a favorite place Americans like to visit.24. A) Tobacco.B) Potatoes.C) Machinery.D) Clothing.25. A) European history.B) European geography.C) Small countries in Europe.D) Tourist attractions in Europe.Part 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 wordbank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully beforemaking your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter.Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 witha single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words inthe bank more than once.Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passage.The ocean is heating up. That’s the conclusion of a new study that finds that Earth’s oceans now 26 heat at twice the rate they did 18 years ago. Around half of ocean heat intake since 1865 has taken place since 1997, researchers report online in Nature Climate Change.Warming waters are known to 27 to coral bleaching (珊瑚白化) and they take up more space than cooler waters, raising sea 28 . While the top of the ocean is well studied, its depths are more difficult to 29 . The researchers gathered 150 years of ocean temperature data in order to get a better 30 of heat absorption from surface to seabed. They gathered together temperature readings collected by everything from a 19th century 31 of British naval ships to modern automated ocean probes. The extensive data sources, 32 with computer simulations (计算机模拟), created a timeline of ocean temperature changes, including cooling from volcanic outbreaks and warming from fossil fuel 33 .About 35 percent of the heat taken in by the oceans during the industrial era now resides at a 34 of more than 700 meters, the researchers found. They say they’re 35 whether the deep-sea warming canceled out warming at the sea’s surface.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 theparagraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived.You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked witha letter. Answer the question by marking the corresponding letter onAnswer Sheet 2.The Secret to Raising Smart Kids[A] I first began to investigate the basis of human motivation—and how peoplepersevere after setbacks—as a psychology graduate student at Yale University in the 1960s. Animal experiments by psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania had shown that after repeated failures, most animals conclude thata situation is hopeless and beyond their control. After such an experience ananimal often remains passive even when it can effect change—a state they called learned helplessness.[B] People can learn to be helpless, too. Why do some students give up when theyencounter difficulty, whereas others who are no more skilled continue to strive and learn? One answer, I soon discovered, lay in people’s beliefs about why theyhad failed.[C]In particular, attributing poor performance to a lack of ability depressesmotivation more than does the belief that lack of effort is to blame. When I told a group of school children who displayed helpless behavior that a lack of effort led to their mistakes in math, they learned to keep trying when the problems got tough. Another group of helpless children who were simply rewarded for their success on easier problems did not improve their ability to solve hard math problems. These experiments indicated that a focus on effort can help resolve helplessness and generate success.[D]Later, I developed a broader theory of what separates the two general classesof learners-helpless versus mastery-oriented. I realized these different types of students not only explain their failures differently, but they also hold different “theories” of intell igence. The helpless ones believe intelligence is a fixed characteristic: you have only a certain amount, and that’s that. I call this a “fixed mind-set (思维模式) .” Mistakes crack their self-confidence because they attribute errors to a lack of ability, which they feel powerless to change. They avoid challenges because challenges make mistakes more likely.The mastery-oriented children, on the other hand, think intelligence is not fixed and can be developed through education and hard work. Such children believe challenges are energizing rather than intimidating (令人生畏); they offer opportunities to learn. Students with such a growth mind-set were destined (注定) for greater academic success and were quite likely to outperform their counterparts.[E] We validated these expectations in a study in which two other psychologists andI monitored 373 students for two years during the transition to junior high school,when the work gets more difficult and the grading more strict, to determine how their mind-sets might affect their math grades. At the beginning of seventh grade,we assessed the students’ mind-sets by asking them to agree or disagree with statements such as “Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can’t really change.” We then assessed their beliefs about other aspects of learning and looked to see what happened to their grades.[F] As predicted, the students with a growth mind-set felt that learning was a moreimportant goal than getting good grades. In addition, they held hard work in high regard. They understood that even geniuses have to work hard. Confronted by a setback such as a disappointing test grade, students with a growth mind-set said they would study harder or try a different strategy. The students who held a fixed mind-set, however, were concerned about looking smart with less regard for learning. They had negative views of effort, believing that having to work hard was a sign of low ability. They thought that a person with talent or intelligence did not need to work hard to do well. Attributing a bad grade to their own lack of ability, those with a fixed mind-set said that they would study less in the future, try never to take that subject again and consider cheating on future tests.[G] Such different outlooks had a dramatic impact on performance. At the start ofjunior high, the math achievement test scores of the students with a growth mind-set were comparable to those of students who displayed a fixed mind-set.But as the work became more difficult, the students with a growth mind-set showed greater persistence. As a result, their math grades overtook those of the other students by the end of the first semester—and the gap between the two groups continued to widen during the two years we followed them.[H]A fixed mind-set can also hinder communication and progress in the workplaceand discourage or ignore constructive criticism and advice. Research shows that managers who have a fixed mind-set are less likely to seek or welcome feedback from their employees than are managers with a growth mind-set.[I] How do we transmit a growth mind-set to our children? One way is by telling storiesabout achievements that result from hard work. For instance, talking about mathematical geniuses who were more or less born that way puts students in a fixed mind-set, but descriptions of great mathematicians who fell in love with math and developed amazing skills produce a growth mind-set.[J] In addition, parents and teachers can help children by providing explicit instruction regarding the mind as a learning machine. I designed an eight-session workshop for 91 students whose math grades were declining in their first year of junior high. Forty-eight of the students received instruction in study skills only, whereas the others attended a combination of study skills sessions and classes in which they learned about the growth mind-set and how to apply it to schoolwork. In the growth mind-set classes, students read and discussed an article entitled “You Can Grow Your Brain.” They were taught that the brain is like a muscle that gets stronger with use and that learning prompts the brain to grow new connections. From such instruction, many students began to see themselves as agents of their own brain development. Despite being unaware that there were two types of instruction, teachers reported significant motivational changes in 27% of the children in the growth mind-set workshop as compared with only 9% of students in the control group.[K] Research is converging (汇聚) on the conclusion that great accomplishment and even genius is typically the result of years of passion and dedication and not something that flows naturally from a gift.36. The author’s experiment shows that students with a fixed mind-set believe havingto work hard is an indication of low ability.37. Focusing on effort is effective in helping children overcome frustration andachieve success.38. We can cultivate a growth mind-set in children by telling success stories thatemphasize hard work and love of learning.39. Students’ belief about the cause of their failure explains the ir attitude towardsetbacks.40. In the author’s experiment, students with a growth mind-set showed greaterperseverance in solving difficult math problems.41. The author conducted an experiment to find out about the influence of students’mind-sets on math learning.42. After failing again and again, most animals give up hope.43. Informing students about the brain as a learning machine is a good strategy toenhance their motivation for learning.44. People with a fixed mind-set believe that one’s intelli gence is unchangeable.45. In the workplace, feedback may not be so welcome to managers with a fixedmind-set.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are fourchoices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choiceand mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single linethrough the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on following passage.“Sugar, alcohol and tobacco,” economist Adam Smith once wrote, “are commodities which are nowhere necessaries of life, which have become objects of almost universal consumption, and which are, therefore, extremely popular subjects of taxation.”Two and a half centuries on, most countries impose some sort of tax on alcohol and tobacco. With surging obesity levels putting increasing strain on public healthsystems, governments around the world have begun to toy with the idea of taxing sugar as well.Whether such taxes work is a matter of debate. A preliminary review of Mexico’s taxation found a fall in purchases of taxed drinks as well as a rise in sales of untaxed and healthier drinks. By contrast, a Danish tax on foods high in fats was abandoned a year after its introduction, amid claims that consumers were avoiding it by crossing the border to Germany to satisfy their desire for cheaper, fattier fare.The food industry has, in general, been firmly opposed to such direct government action. Nonetheless, the renewed focus on waistlines means that industry groups are under pressure to demonstrate their products are healthy as well as tasty.Over the past three decades, the industry has made some efforts to improve the quality of its offerings. For example, some drink manufactures have cut the amount of sugar in their beverages.Many of the reductions over the past 30 years have been achieved either by reducing the amount of sugar, salt or fat in a product, or by finding an alternative ingredient. More recently, however, some companies have been investing money in a more ambitious undertaking: learning how to adjust the fundamental make-up of the food they sell. For example, having salt on the outside, but none on the inside, reduces the salt content without changing the taste.While reformulating recipes (配方) is one way to improve public health, it should be part of a multi-sided approach. The key is to remember that there is not just one solution. To deal with obesity, a mixture of approaches—including reformulation, taxation and adjusting portion sizes—will be needed. There is no silver bullet.46. What did Adam Smith say about sugar, alcohol and tobacco?A) They were profitable to manufacture.B) They were in ever-increasing demand.C) They were subject to taxation almost everywhere.D) They were no longer considered necessities of life.47. Why have many countries started to consider taxing sugar?A) They are under growing pressures to balance their national budgets.B) They find it ever harder to cope with sugar-induced health problems.C) They practice of taxing alcohol and tobacco has proved both popular andprofitable.D) The sugar industry is overtaking alcohol and tobacco business in generatingprofits.48. What do we learn about Danish taxation on fat-rich foods?A) It did not work out as well as was expected.B) It gave rise to a lot of problems on the border.C) It could not succeed without German cooperation.D) It met with firm opposition from the food industry.49. What is the more recent effort by food companies to make foods and drinks bothhealthy and tasty?A) Replacing sugar or salt with alternative ingredients.B) Setting a limit on the amount of sugar or salt in their products.C) Investing in research to find ways to adapt to consumers’ needs.D) Adjusting the physical composition of their products.50. What does the author mean by saying, at the end of the passage, “There is nosilver bullet” (Line 4, Para. 7)?A) There is no single easy quick solution to the problem.B) There is no hope of success without public cooperation.C) There is no hurry in finding ways to solve the obesity problem.D) There is no effective way to reduce people’s sugar consumption.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.You may have heard some of the fashion industry horror stories: models eating tissues or cotton balls to hold off hunger, and models collapsing from hunger-inducedheart attacks just seconds after they step off the runway.Excessively skinny models have been a point of controversy for decades, and two researchers say a model’s body mass should be a workplace health and safety issue. In an editorial released Monday in the American Journal of Public Health, Katherine Record and Bryn Austin made their case for government regulation of the fashion industry.The average international runway model has a body mass index (BMI) under 16-low enough to indicate starvation by the World Health Organization’s standard. And Record and Austin are worried not just about the models themselves, but about the vast number of girls and women their images influence.“Especially girls and teens”, says Record. “Seventy percent of girls aged 10 to 18 report that they define perfect body image based on what they see in magazines.” That’s especially worrying, she says, given that anorexia (厌食症) results in more deaths than does any other mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.It’s commonly known that certain diseases are linked with occupations like lung disease in coal miners. Professional fashion models are particularly vulnerable to eating disorders resulting from occupational demands to maintain extreme thinness.Record’s suggestion is to prohibit agents from hiring models with a BMI below 18.In April, France passed a law setting lower limits for a model’s weight. Agents and fashion houses who hire models with BMI under 18 could pay $82,000 in fines and spend up to 6 months in jail. Regulating the fashion industry in the United States won’t be easy, Record says. But with the new rules in France, U.S. support could make a difference. “A designer can’t survive without participating in Paris Fashion Week,” she says, adding, “Our argument is that the same would be true of New York Fashion Week.”51. What do Record and Austin say about fashion models’ body mass?A) It has caused needless controversy.B) It is but a matter of personal taste.C) It is the focus of the modeling business.D) It affects models’ health and safety.52. What are Record and Austin advocating in the Monday editorial?A) A change in the public’s view of female beauty.B) Government legislation about models’ weight.C) Elimination of forced weight loss by models.D) Prohibition of models eating non-food stuff.53. Why are Record and Austin especially worried about the low body mass index ofmodels?A) It contributes to many mental illnesses.B) It defines the future of the fashion industry.C) It has great influence on numerous girls and women.D) It keeps many otherwise qualified women off the runaway.54. What do we learn about France’s fashion industry?A) It has difficulty hiring models.B) It has now a new law to follow.C) It allows girls under 18 on the runway.D) It has overtaken that of the United States.55. What does Record expect of New York Fashion Week?A) It will create a completely new set of rules.B) It will do better than Paris Fashion Week.C) It will differ from Paris Fashion Week.D) It will have models with a higher BMI.Part Ⅳ Translation (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.随着中国的改革开放，如今很多年轻人都喜欢举行西式婚礼。

2016年12月六级第3套真题

2016年12月大学英语六级考试真题(第3套) PartⅠWriting(30minutes) Directions:For this part,you are allowed30minutes to write a short essay on creation.Your essay should include the importance of creation and measures to be taken to encourage creation.You are required to write at least150words but no more than200words.PartⅡListening Comprehension(30minutes)（注意：由于2016年12月六级考试全国共考了2套听力，第三套真题听力与前2套内容完全一样，只是顺序不一样，所以在本套真题中不再重复出现）PartⅢReading 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 Sheet2with 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.Small communities,with their distinctive character--where life is stable and intensely human—are disappearing.Some have26from the face of the earth,others are dying slowly,but all have27 changes as they have come into contact with an28machine civilization.The merging of diverse peoples into a common mass has produced tension among members of the minorities and the majority alike.The Old Order Amish,who arrived on American shores in colonial times,have29in the modem world in distinctive,small communities.They have resisted the homogenization30more successfully than others.In planting and harvest time one can see their bearded men working the fields with horses and their women hanging out the laundry in neat rows to dry.Many American people have seen Amish families, with the men wearing broad-brimmed black hats and the women in long dresses,in railway or bus31Although the Amish have lived with32America for over two and a half centuries,they have moderated its influence on their personal lives,their families,communities,and their values.The Amish are often33by other Americans to be relics of the past who live a simple,inflexible life dedicated to inconvenient out-dated customs.They are seen as abandoning both modem34and the American dream of success and progress.But most people have no quarrel with the Amish for doing things the old-fashioned way.Their conscientious objection was tolerated in wartime,for after all,they are good farmers who35the virtues of work and thrift.A.accessingB.conveniencesC.destinedD.expandingE.industrializedF.perceivedG.practiceH.processI.progressJ.respectiveK.survived L.terminals M.undergone N.Universal O.vanished 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 Sheet2.Countries Rush for Upper Hand in Antarctica[A]On a glacier-filled island with fjords(峡湾)and elephant seals,Russia has built Antarctica's first Orthodox church on a hill overlooking its research base.Less than an hour away by snowmobile,Chinese labourers have updated the Great Wall Station,a vital part of China's plan to operate five bases on Antarctica,complete with an indoor badminton court and sleeping quarters for150people.Not to be outdone,India's futuristic new Bharathi base,built on stilts(桩子)using134interlocking shipping containers,resembles a spaceship.Turkey and Iran have announced plans to build bases,too.[B]More than a century has passed since explorers raced to plant their flags at the bottom of the world,and for decades to come this continent is supposed to be protected as a scientific preserve,shielded from intrusions like military activities and mining.But an array of countries are rushing to assert greater influence here,with an eye not just towards the day those protective treaties expire,but also for the strategic and commercial opportunities that already exist.[C]The newer players are stepping into what they view as a treasure house of resources.Some of the ventures focus on the Antarctic resources that are already up for grabs,like abundant sea life.South Korea, which operates state-of-the-art bases here,is increasing its fishing of krill(磷虾),found in abundance in the Southern Ocean,while Russia recently frustrated efforts to create one of the world's largest ocean sanctuaries here.[D]Some scientists are examining the potential for harvesting icebergs from Antarctica,which is estimated to have the biggest reserves of fresh water on the planet.Nations are also pressing ahead with space research and satellite projects to expand their global navigation abilities.[E]Building on a Soviet-era foothold,Russia is expanding its monitoring stations for Glonass,its version of the Global Positioning System(GPS).At least three Russian stations are already operating in Antarctica, part of its effort to challenge the dominance of the American GPS,and new stations are planned for sites like the Russian base,in the shadow of the Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity.[F]Elsewhere in Antarctica,Russian researchers boast of their recent discovery of a freshwater reserve the size of Lake Ontario after drilling through miles of solid ice."You can see that we're here to stay,"said Vladimir Cheberdak,57,chief of the Bellingshausen Station,as he sipped tea under a portrait of Fabian Gottlieb yon Bellingshausen,a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Russian Navy who explored the Antarctic coast in1820.[G]Antarctica's mineral,oil and gas wealth are a longer-team prize.The treaty banning mining here, shielding coveted(令人垂涎的)reserves of iron ore,coal and chromium,comes up for review in2048. Researchers recently found kimberlite(金伯利岩)deposits hinting at the existence of diamonds.And while assessments vary widely,geologists estimate that Antarctica holds at least36billion barrels of oil and natural gas.[H]Beyond the Antarctic treaties,huge obstacles persist to tapping these resources,like drifting icebergs that could jeopardise offshore platforms.Then there is Antarctica's remoteness,with some mineral deposits found in windswept locations on a continent that is larger than Europe and where winter temperatures hover around minus55degrees Celsius.[I]But advances in technology might make Antarctica a lot more accessible three decades from now.And even before then,scholars warn,the demand for resources in an energy-hungry world could raise pressure to renegotiate Antarctica's treaties,possibly allowing more commercial endeavours here well before the prohibitions against them expire.The research stations on King George Island offer a glimpse into the long game on this ice-blanketed continent as nations assert themselves,eroding the sway long held by countries like the United States,Britain,Australia and New Zealand.[J]Being stationed in Antarctica involves adapting to life on the planet's driest,windiest and coldestcontinent,yet each nation manages to make itself at home.Bearded Russian priests offer regular services at the Orthodox church for the16or so Russian speakers who spend the winter at the base,largely polar scientists in fields like glaciology and meteorology.Their number climbs to about40in the warmer summer months.China has arguably the fastest-growing operations in Antarctica.It opened its fourth station last year and is pressing ahead with plans to build a fifth.It is building its second ice-breaking ship and setting up research drilling operations on an ice dome13,422feet above sea level that is one of the planet's coldest places.Chinese officials say the expansion in Antarctica prioritises scientific research,but they also acknowledge that concerns about"resource security"influence their moves.[K]China's newly renovated Great Wall Station on King George Island makes the Russian and Chilean bases here seem outdated."We do weather monitoring here and other research,"Ning Xu,53,the chief of the Chinese base,said over tea during a fierce blizzard(baofengxue.in late November.The large base he leads resembles a snowed-in college campus on holiday break,with the capacity to sleep more than10 times the13people who were staying on through the Antarctic winter.Yong Yu,a Chinese microbiologist, showed off the spacious building,with empty desks under an illustrated timeline detailing the rapid growth of China's Antarctic operations since the1980s."We now feel equipped to grow,"he said.[L]As some countries expand operations in Antarctica,the United States maintains three year-round stations on the continent with more than1,000people during the southern hemisphere's summer,including those at the Amundsen-Scott station,built in1956at an elevation of9,301feet on a plateau at the South Pole.But US researchers quietly complain about budget restraints and having far fewer icebreakers than Russia,limiting the reach of the United States in Antarctica.[M]Scholars warn that Antarctica's political drift could blur the distinction between military and civilian activities long before the continent's treaties come up for renegotiation,especially in parts of Antarctica that are ideal for intercepting(拦截)signals from satellites or retasking satellite systems,potentially enhancing global electronic intelligence operations.[N]Some countries have had a hard time here.Brazil opened a research station in1984,but it was largely destroyed by a fire that killed two members of the navy in2012,the same year that a diesel-laden Brazilian barge sank near the base.As if that were not enough,a Brazilian C-130Hercules military transport plane has remained stranded near the runway of Chile's air base here since it crash-landed in2014.[O]However,Brazil's stretch of misfortune has created opportunities for China,with a Chinese company winning the$100million contract in2015to rebuild the Brazilian station.[P]Amid all the changes,Antarctica maintains its allure.South Korea opened its second Antarctic research base in2014,describing it as a way to test robots developed by Korean researchers for use in extreme conditions.With Russia's help,Belarus is preparing to build its first Antarctic base.Colombia said this year that it planned to join other South American nations with bases in Antarctica.[Q]"The old days of the Antarctic being dominated by the interests and wishes of white men from European,Australasian and North American states are over,"said Klaus Dodds,a politics scholar at the University of London who specialises in Antarctica."The reality is that Antarctica is geopolitically contested."36.According to Chinese officials,their activities in Antarctica lay greater emphasis on scientific research.37.Efforts to create one of the world's largest ocean sanctuaries failed because of Russia's obstruction.38.With several monitoring stations operating in Antarctica,Russia is trying hard to counter America's dominance in the field of worldwide navigational facilities.39.According to geologists'estimates,Antarctica has enormous reserves of oil and natural gas.40.It is estimated that Antarctica boasts of the richest reserves of fresh water on earth.41.The demand for energy resources may compel renegotiation of Antarctica's treaties before their expiration.42.Many countries are racing against each other to increase their business and strategic influence on Antarctica.43.Antarctica's harsh natural conditions constitute huge obstacles to the exploitation of its resources.44.With competition from many countries,Antarctica is no longer dominated by the traditional white nations.45.American scientists complain about lack of sufficient money and equipment for their expansion in Antarctica.Section CDirections:There 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 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.Any veteran nicotine addict will testify that fancy packaging plays no role in the decision to keep smoking.So,it is argued,stripping cartons of their branding will trigger no mass movement to quit.But that isn't why the government--under pressure from cancer charities,health workers and the Labour party--has agreed to legislate for standardised packaging.The theory is that smoking should be stripped of any appeal to discourage new generations from starting in the first place.Plain packaging would be another step in the reclassification of cigarettes from inviting consumer products to narcotics(麻醉剂).Naturally,the tobacco industry is violently opposed.No business likes to admit that it sells addictive poison as a lifestyle choice.That is why government has historically intervened,banning advertising, imposing health warnings and punitive(惩罚性的)duties.This approach has led over time to a fall in smoking with numbers having roughly halved since the1970s.Evidence from Australia suggests plain packaging pushes society further along that road.Since tobacco is one of the biggest causes of premature death in the UK,a measure that tames the habit even by a fraction is worth trying.So why has it taken so long?The Department of Health declared its intention to consider the move in November2010and consulted through2012.But the plan was suspended in July2013.It did not escape notice that a lobbying firm set up by Lynton Crosby,David Cameron's election campaign director,had previously acted for Philip Morris International.(The prime minister denied there was a connection between his new adviser's outside interests and the change in legislative programme.)In November2013, after an unnecessary round of additional consultation,health minister Jane Ellison said the government was minded to proceed after all.Now we are told Members of Parliament(MPs)will have a free vote before parliament is dissolved in March.Parliament has in fact already authorised the government to tame the tobacco trade.MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of Labour amendments to the children and families bill last February that included the power to regulate for plain packaging.With sufficient will in Downing Street this would have been done already.But strength of will is the missing ingredient where Mr.Cameron and public health are concerned.His attitude to state intervention has looked confused ever since his bizarre2006lament(叹惜) that chocolate oranges placed seductively at supermarket checkouts fueled obesity.The government has moved reluctantly into a sensible public health policy,but with such obvious over-cautiousness that any political credit due belongs to the opposition.Without sustained external pressure it seems certain Mr.Cameron would still be hooked on the interests of big tobacco companies.46.What do chain smokers think of cigarette packaging?A.Fancy packaging can help to engage new smokers.B.It has little to do with the quality or taste of cigarettes.C.Plain packaging discourages non-smokers from taking up smoking.D.It has little impact on their decision whether or not to quit smoking.47.What has the UK government agreed to do concerning tobacco packaging?A.Pass a law to standardise cigarette packaging.B.Rid cigarette cartons of all advertisements.C.Subsidise companies to adopt plain packaging.D.Reclassify cigarettes according to packaging.48.What has happened in Australia where plain packaging is implemented?A.Premature death rates resulting from smoking have declined.B.The number of smokers has dropped more sharply than in the UK.C.The sales of tobacco substitutes have increased considerably.D.Cigarette sales have been falling far more quickly than in the UK.49.Why has it taken so long for the UK government to consider plain packaging?A.Prime Minister Cameron has been reluctant to take action.B.There is strong opposition from veteran nicotine addicts.C.Many Members of Parliament are addicted to smoking.D.Pressure from tobacco manufacturers remains strong.50.What did Cameron say about chocolate oranges at supermarket checkouts?A.They fueled a lot of controversy.B.They attracted a lot of smokers.C.They made more British people obese.D.They had certain ingredients missing.Passage TwoQuestions51to55are based on the following passage.What a waste of money!In return for an average of~44,000of debt,students get an average of only 14hours of lecture and tutorial time a week in Britain.Annual fees have risen from￡1,000to￡9,000in the last decade,but contact time at university has barely risen at all.And graduating doesn't even provide any guarantee of a decent job:six in ten graduates today are in non-graduate jobs.No wonder it has become fashionable to denounce many universities as little more than elaborate con-tricks(骗术).There's a lot for students to complain about:the repayment threshold for paying back loans will be frozen for five years,meaning that lower-paid graduates have to start repaying their loans;and maintenance grants have been replaced by loans,meaning that students from poorer backgrounds face higher debt than those with wealthier parents.Yet it still pays to go to university.If going to university doesn't work out,students pay very little--if any--of their tuition fees back:you only start repaying when you are earning￡21,000a year.Almost half of graduates--those who go on to earn less--will have a portion of their debt written off.It's not just the lectures and tutorials that are cation is the sum of what students teach each other in between lectures and seminars.Students do not merely benefit while at university;studies show-they go on to be healthier and happier than non-graduates,and also far more likely to vote.Whatever your talents,it is extraordinarily difficult to get a leading job in most fields without having been to university.Recruiters circle elite universities like vultures(兀鹰).Many top firms will not evenlook at applications from those who lack a2.1,i.e.,an upper-second class degree,from an elite university. Students at university also meet those likely to be in leading jobs in the future,forming contacts for life. This might not be right,but school-leavers who fail to acknowledge as much risk making the wrong decision about going to university.Perhaps the reason why so many universities offer their students so little is they know studying at a top university remains a brilliant investment even if you don't learn anything.Studying at university will only become less attractive if employers shift their focus away from where someone went to university--and there is no sign of that happening anytime soon.School-leavers may moan,but they have little choice but to embrace university and the student debt that comes with it.51.What is the author's opinion of going to university?A.It is worthwhile after all.B.It is simply a waste of time.C.It is hard to say whether it is good or bad.D.It is too expensive for most young people.52.What does the author say about the employment situation of British university graduates?A.Few of them are satisfied with the jobs they are offered.B.It usually takes a long time for them to find a decent job.C.Graduates from elite universities usually can get decent jobs.D.Most of them take jobs which don't require a college degree.53.What does the author say is important for university students besides classroom instruction?A.Making sure to obtain an upper-second class degree.B.Practical skills they will need in their future careers.C.Interactions among themselves outside the classroom.D.Developing independent and creative thinking abilities.54.What is said to be an advantage of going to university?A.Learning how to take risks in an ever-changing world.B.Meeting people who will be helpful to you in the future.C.Having opportunities of playing a leading role in society.D.Gaining up-to-date knowledge in science and technology.55.What can we infer from the last paragraph?A.It is natural for students to make complaints about university education.B.Few students are willing to bear the burden of debt incurred at university.C.University education is becoming attractive to students who can afford it.D.The prestige of the university influences employers'recruitment decisions.PartⅣTranslation(30minutes) Directions:For this part,you are allowed30minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English.You should write your answer on Answer Sheet2.农业是中国的一个重要产业，从业者超过3亿。

2016年12月六级真题(第3套)(答案)

2016年12月大学英语六级考试真题答案与详解（第3套）Part I Writing审题思路这是一篇六级考试作文中常见的命题式作文，此次话题creation(创新）是近年来经常提及的话题，因此，对广大考生来说并不陌生。

题目要求考生就创新进行写作，而且明确要求要写出创新的重要性以及鼓励创新的措施。

根据写作要求，范文应该分三段展开论述，且写作重点应该放在阐述创新的重要性和应该如何鼓励创新两方面。

写作提纲一、开门见山，引出话题：由成功的因素引出创新的话题（factors, success, creation, most important human resource）并借助名言阐述创新在经济发展、社会进步和个人成功方面的重要作用（force, economy, society, advance, essential, individuals, new ideas）二、鼓励创新的具体措施1. 社会传媒应宣传创造力的重要性，让人们意识到创新的重要性，并鼓励公众培养创新意识（realize the significance of creation, advocating, value, awareness）2. 对具有创造性思维的人进行物质和精神奖励（creative thinking, praise, materially, spiritually）三、得出结论1. 再次重申创新的重要性（emphasize, importance of creation）2. 号召大家成为创新型人才（learn knowledge, prepare, creative people）高分范文On Creation①Throughout the ages, we have concluded a number of factors that contribute to success, among which is creation. ②Just as the saying goes, “There is no doubt that creation is the most important human resource of all.”③Not only is creation the force driving economy and society to advance, but it is also essential to the development of individuals. ④Those who often come up with new ideas are more likely to achieve success, while a man who always sticks to habit and experience can hardly create new things.⑤In terms of giving measures to encourage creation, I will list the following ones. ⑥On the one hand, the public are expected to realize the significance of creation, so the social media should play its due role in advocating the value of innovation and encouraging the public to cultivate the awareness of creation. ⑦On the other hand, those who are equipped with creative thinking deserve some kind of praise, both materially and spiritually.⑧Creation has been a hot word for a long time and we cannot emphasize the importance of creation too much. ⑨Therefore, we should spare no effort to learn knowledge as much as possible to prepare ourselves for being creative people.精彩点评①从成功因素的角度引出本文主题——创新。

2016年12月英语四级真题附答案解析第三套

2016年12月英语六级听力模拟试题及答案第三套

Section A 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

11. A) The woman will bring some food backfor dinner. B) They will go to their friend's home fordinner. C) The woman will fill the refrigeratorbefore dinner. D) They will eat out for dinner after work. 12. A) Take more rest breaks while at work. B) Quit her job and find a new one. C) Ask for a leave from her boss. D) Talk to her boss directly. 13. A) Things on sale may be worth buying. B) Things on sale are not worth buying. C) Things on sale are out of style andseason. D) Things on sale are carefully lookedover. 14. A) She's looking forward to her weekendtrip. B) She will accept the man's invitation. C) She would prefer to go to the Disneylandalone. D) She thinks the kids will enjoy theDisneyland. 15. A) Because he met a heavy traffic onhis way. B) Because a terrible car accident happenedto him. C) Because he had taken a different road. D) Because the road was closed and he hadto wait. 16. A) Change the T-shirts for smaller ones. B) Sell T-shirts for her son. C) Work as an assistant at the store. D) Make these T-shirts smaller. 17. A) Ask a friend for the name of a hairstylist. B) Get her hair cut in the afternoon. C) Make an appointment with someone else. D) Call another hair salon to cut her curlyhair. 18. A) The woman should eat a biggerbreakfast. B) The woman should try to make time forlunch. C) The woman would be busy the whole week. D) The woman should change her scheduleafter she eats lunch. Conversation One 19. A) They are held twice a year. B) They were first held in 1927. C) They are given for excellence in films. D) They are less desired than the GrammyAwards. 20. A) By an anonymous ballot. B) By an open vote. C) By rigid rules. D) By their personal preference. 21. A) One of the academy members. B) Creator of the Oscar statue. C) An Oscar winner. D) A nominee for the Oscar award. 22. A) She had great interest in thehistory of the Oscars. B) She searched the information from theInternet. C) She took a course in the history offilm. D) She majored in motion pictures. Conversation Two 23. A) Give suggestions for revision. B) Write one for her. C) Point out grammatical errors in it. D) Cut some unnecessary materials. 24. A) Law. B) Music. C) Geology. D) Biology. 25, A) Look through her materials. B) Make preparation for the interview. C) Pay attention to the presentation. D) Add something to make herself stand out. SectionB 注意．此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

2016年12月六级(第三套)真题

1.A) It is well paid.B)It is stimulating.2.A) A quick promotion.B)Free accommodation. C)It is demanding.D)It is fairly secure.C)Moving expenses.D) A lighter workload.2016年12月大学英语六级考试（第3套）Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part，you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on invention.Your essay should include the importance of creation and measures to be takento encourage creation • You are required to write at least 1 50 words butno more than 200 words.Part II Listening Comprehensio（30 minutes）（说明：本次六级考试全国共考了两套听力，为避免重复，特补充了一套模拟听力，供同学们练习。

）Section ADirections：In this section，you will hear two Long conversations. At the end of each conversation , you will hear some questions. Both the conversation and thequestions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question , you m ust choosethe best answer from the four choices marked A ) , B ) , C ) and D). Thenmark the corresponding Letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line throughthe centre.Questions 1 to 4 will be based on the conversation you have just heard.3.A) He has difficulty communicating with local people.B)He has to spend a lot more traveling back and forth.C)He has trouble adapting to the local weather.D)He has to sign a long-term contract.4.A) The woman will help the man make a choice.B)The man is going to attend a job interview.C)The man is in the process of job hunting.D)The woman sympathizes with the man.Questions 5 to 8 will be based on he conversation you have just heard.5.A) He made a business trip. C) He talked to her on the phone.B)He had a quarrel with Marsha. D) He resolved a budget problem.6.A) She may have to be fired for poor performance.B)She has developed some serious mental problem.C)She is in charge of the firm’s budget planning.D)She supervises a number of important projects.7.A) She failed to arrive at the airport on time.B)David promised to go on the trip in her place.C)Something unexpected happened at her home.D)She was not feeling herself on that day.8.A) He frequently gets things mixed up.B)He is always finding fault with Marsha.C)He has been trying hard to cover for Marsha.D)He often fails to follow through on his projects.Section BDirections：In this section，you will hear 2 passages. At the end of each passage，you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spokenonly once. After you hear a question , you must choose the best answer fromthe four choices marked A ) , B ) , C) and D). Then mark the correspondingletter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre•Questions 9 to 12 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9.A) By invading the personal space of listeners.B)By making gestures at strategic points.C)By speaking in a deep, loud voice.D)By speaking with the local accent.10.A) To promote sportsmanship among business owners.B)To encourage people to support local sports groups.C)To raise money for a forthcoming local sports event.D)To show his family’s contribution to the community.11.A) They are known to be the style of the sports world.B)They would certainly appeal to his audience.C)They represent the latest fashion in the business circles.D)They are believed to communicate power and influence.12.A) To cover up his own nervousness.B)To create a warm personal atmosphere.C)To enhance the effect of background music.D)To allow the audience to better enjoy his slides.Questions 13 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.13.A) She was the first educated slave of John Wheatley's.B)She was the greatest female poet in Colonial America.Now listern to the following recording and20.A) The important color in nature.B)The stories of the word “green”.21.A) A mature person.B) A brave soldier.22.A) In the 15th century.B) About 400 years ago. answer questions 20 to 22.C)The emotions of green-eyed monster.D)The meanings of a green light.C) A young cow.D)An inexperienced person.C)In the 18th century.D)About 600 years ago.C)She was born about the time of the War of Independence.D)She was the first African-American slave to publish a book.14.A) Revise it a number of times. C) Go through a scholarly examination.B)Obtain consent from her owner. D) Turn to the colonial governor for help.15.A) Literary works calling for the abolition of slavery.B)Religious scripts popular among slaves in America.C) A rich stock of manuscripts left by historical figures.D)Lots of lost works written by African-American women.Section CDirections：In this section，you will hear recordings of Lectures or talks followed by some questions. The recordings -will be played 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 Sheet 1 witha single Line through the centre.Now listern to the following recording and answer questions 16 to 19.16.A) Those who have enough time for holidays.B)Those who are too busy to make perfect private plans.C)Those who seldom do time management.D)Those who have got a messy life.17.A) Lighting candles. C) Saying a special prayer.B)Singing songs. D) Going to church.18.A) Let them deliver the things to the recipients.B)Let them choose what to give away.C)Tell them how meaningful giving is.D)Give them some awards after that.19.A) Holding a New Year’s Day party. C) Protecting people’s privacy.B)Locking yourself in the bathroom. D) Carving out time for yourself.Now listern to the following recording and answer questions 23 to 25.23.A) It had much more pages than newspapers.B)It was given away for free.C)It dealt with issues rather than events.D)It was more widely available than newspapers.24.A) He wrote articles critical of the Church of England.B)He refused to stop publishing the Review•C)He refused to pay publishing taxes.D)He refused to join the Church of England.25.A) It was not really a magazine. C) It was praised by readers ofpoetry.B) It featured a variety of articles and stories. D) It was unpopular withpoliticians.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 bankfoLlovuing the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making yourchoices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark thecorresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line throughthe. centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.The tree people in the Lord of the Rings—the Ents —can get around by walking. But for real trees, it’s harder to uproot. Because they're literally rooted into the ground, they are unable to leave and go 26 .When a tree first starts growing in a certain area, it’s likely that the 27 envelope — the temperature, humidity, rainfall patterns and so on — suits it. Otherwise, it would be unable to grow from a seedling. But as it 28 ，these conditions may change and the area around itmay no longer be suitable for its 29 .When that happens, many trees like walnuts, oaks and pines, rely 30 on so-called “scatter hoarders，’’ such as birds, to move their seeds to new localities. Many birds like to store food for the winter, which they 31 retrieve.When the birds forget td retrieve their food — and they do sometimes — a seedling has a chance to grow. The bird Clark’s nutcracker, for example, hides up to 100,000 seeds per year, up to 30 kilometers away from the seed source, and has a very close symbiotic (共生的) relationship with several pine species, most 32 the whitebark pine.As trees outgrow their ideal 33 in the face of climate change，these flyingecosystem engineers could be a big help in 34 trees. It’s a solution for us —getting birds to do the work is cheap and effective — and it could give 35 oaks and pines the option to truly “make like a tree and leave.”"vSection 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. Identifythe paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraphmore than once. Each paragraph is marked with a Letter. Answer the questionsby marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 •The American Workplace Is Broken. Here’s How We Can Start Fixing It.A)Americans are working longer and harder hours than ever before. 83%of workerssay they're stressed about their jobs, nearly 50% say work-related stress is interfering with their sleep, and 60% use their smartphones to check in with work outside of normal working hours；No wonder only 13% of employees worldwide feel engaged in their occupation.B)Glimmers (少许)of hope, however, are beginning to emerge in this bruisingenvironment: Americans are becoming aware of the toll their jobs take on them, and employers are exploring ways to alleviate the harmful effects of stress and overwork. Yet much more work remains to be done. To call stress an epidemic isn’t exaggeration. The 83% of American employees who are stressed about their jobs — up from 73% just a year before — say that poor compensation and an unreasonable workload are their number-one sources of stress. And if you suspected that the workplace had gotten more stressful than it was just a few decades ago, you're right. Stress levels increased 18% for women and 24% for men from 1983 to 2009. Stress is also starting earlier in life, with some data suggesting that today's teens are even more stressed than ^dults.C)Stress is taking a significant toll on our health, and the collective publichealth cost may be enormous. Occupational stress increases the risk of heart attack and diabetes, accelerates the aging process, decreases longevity, and contributes to depression and anxiety, among numerous other negative health outcomes. Overall, stress-related health problems account for up to 90% of hospital visits, many of them preventable. Your job is “literally killing you，”as The Washington Post put it. It’s also hurting our relationships. Working parents say they feel stressed, tired, rushed and short on quality time withtheir children, friends and partners.D)Seven in 10 workers say they struggle to maintain work-life balance. Astechnology (and with it, work emails) seeps (渗入)into every aspect of our lives, work-life balance has become an almost meaningless term. Add a rapidly changing economy and an uncertain future to this 24/7 connectivity, and you’ve got a recipe for overwork, according to Phyllis Moen. “There’s rising work demand coupled with the insecurity of mergers, takeovers, downsizing and other factors，’’Moen said. “Part of the work-life issue has to talk about uncertainty about the future.”E）These factors have converged to create an increasingly impossible situation with many employees overworking to the point of burnout. It’s not only unsustainable for workers, but also for the companies that employ them. Science has shown a clear correlation between high stress levels in worker s and absenteeism（旷工），reduced productivity, disengagement and high turnover.Too many workplace policies effectively prohibit employees from developinga healthy work-life balance by barring them from taking time off，even whenthey need it most.F）The U. S. trails far behind every wealthy nation and many developing ones that have family- friendly work policies including paid parental leave, paid sick days and breast-feeding support,according to a 2007 study. The U. S. is also the only advanced economy that does not guarantee workers paid vacation time, and it’s one of only two countries in the world that does not offer guaranteed paid maternity leave. But even when employees are given paid time off, workplace norms and expectations that pressure them to overwork often prevent them from taking it. Fulltime employees who do have paid vacation days only use half of them on average.G）O ur modern workplaces also operate based on outdated time constraints. The practice of clocking in for an eight-hour workday is a leftover from the days of the Industrial Revolution, as reflected in the then-popular saying, “Eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest.”H）We’ve held on to this workday structure — but thanks to our digital devices, many employees never really clock out. Today, the average American spends 8.8 hours at work daily, and the majority of working professionals spend additional hours checking in with work during evenings, weekends and even vacations. The problem isn’t the technology itself, but that the technology is being used to create more flexibility for the employer rather than the employee. In a competitive work environment, employers are able to use technology to demand more from their employees rather than motivating workers with flexibility thatbenefits them.I）In a study published last year, psychologists coined the term “workplace telepressure M to describe an employee’s urge to immediately respond to emails and engage in obsessive thoughts about returning an email to one’s boss, colleagues or clients. The researchers found that telepressure is a major cause of stress at work, which over time contributes to physical and mental burnout.Of the 300 employees participating in the study, those who experienced high levels of telepressure were more likely to agree with statements assessing burnout, like “I’ve no energy for going to work in the morning，’’ and to report feeling fatigued and unfocused. Telepressure was also correlated with sleeping poorly and missing work.J) Harvard Business School professor Leslie Perlow explains that when people feel the pressure to be always “on,” they find ways to accommodate that pressure, including altering their schedules, work habits and interactions with family and friends. Perlow calls this vicious cycle the “cycle of responsiveness”：Once bosses and colleagues experience an employee’s increased responsiveness, they increase their demands on the employee’s time. And because a failure to accept these increased demands indicates a lack of commitment to one’s work，the employee complies.K) To address skyrocketing employee stress levels, many companies have implemented workplace wellness programs, partnering with health care providers that have created programs to promote employee health and well-being.Some research does suggest that these programs hold promise. A study of employees at health insurance provider Aetna revealed that roughly one quarter of those taking in-office yoga and mindfulness classes reported a 28% reduction in their stress levels and a 20% improvement in sleep quality. These less-stressed workers gained an average of 62 minutes per week of productivity.While yoga and meditation (静思)are scientifically proven to reduce stress levels, these programs do little to target the root causes of burnout and disengagement. The conditions creating the stress are long hours, unrealistic demands and deadlines, and work-life conflict.L)Moen and her colleagues may have found the solution. In a 2011 study, she investigated the effects of implementing a Results Only Work Environment (ROWE) on the productivity and well-being of employees at Best Buy's corporate headquarters.M) For the study, 325 employees spent six months taking part in ROWE, while a control group of 334 employees continued with their normal workflow. The ROWE participants were allowed to freely determine when, where and how they worked— the only thing that mattered was that they got the job done. The results were striking. After six months, the employees who participated in ROWE reported reduced work-family conflict and a better sense of control of their time, and they were getting a full hour of extra sleep each night. The employees were less likely to leave their jobs, resulting in reduced turnover. It’s important to note that the increased flexibility didn’t encourage them to work around the clock. “They didn’t work anywhere and all the time — they were better able to manage their work,”Moen said. “Flexibility and control is key，’’ she continued.36.Workplace norms pressure employees to overwork, deterring them from taking paidtime off.37.The overwhelming majority of employees attribute their stress mainly to lowpay and an excessive workload.38.According to Moen, flexibility gives employees better control over their workand time.2016 — 12六级试题(第3套)第7页(共22页)39.Flexibility resulting from the use of digital devices benefits employersinstead of employees.40.Research finds that if employees suffer from high stress, they will be lessmotivated, less productive and more likely to quit.41.In-office wellness programs may help reduce stress levels, but they are hardlyan ultimate solution to the problem.42.Health problems caused by stress in the workplace result in huge public healthexpenses.43.If employees respond quickly to their job assignments, the employer is likelyto demand more from them.44.With technology everywhere in our life, it has become virtually impossiblefor most workers to keep a balance between work and life.45.In America today, even teenagers suffer from stress, and their problem is evenmore serious than grown-ups’.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A ) ,B ),C)and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the correspondingletter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.Dr. Donald Sadoway at MIT started his own battery company with the hope of changing the world’s energy future. It’s a dramatic endorsement for a technology most people think about only when their smartphone goes dark. But Sadoway isn’t alone in trumpeting energy storage as a missing link to a cleaner, more efficient, and more equitable energy future.Scientists and engineers have long believed in the promise of batteries to change the world. Advanced batteries are moving out of specialized markets and creeping into the mainstream, signaling a tipping point for forward-looking technolpgies such as electric cars and rooftop solar panels.The ubiquitous (无所不在的)battery has already come a long way, of course. For belter or worse, batteries make possible our mobile-first lifestyles, our screen culture, our increasingly globalized world. Still, as impressive as all this is, it may be trivial compared with what comes next. Having already enabled a communications revolution, the battery is now poised to transform just about everything else.The wireless age is expanding to include not just our phones, tablets, and laptops, but also our cars, homes, and even whole communities. In emerging economies, rural communities are bypassing the wires and wooden poles that spread power. Instead, some in Africa and Asia are seeing their first lightbulbs illuminated by the power of sunlight stored in batteries.Today, energy storage is a $ 33 billion global industry that generates nearly 100 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year. By the end of the decade, it’s expected to be worth over $50 billion and generate 160 gigawatt-hours, enough to attract the attention of major companies that might not otherwise be interested in a decidedly pedestrian technology. Even utility companies, which have long viewed batteries and alternative forms of energy as a threat, are learning to embrace the technologies as enabling rather than disrupting.Today's battery breakthroughs come as the world looks to expand modern energy access to the billion or so people without it, while also cutting back on fuels that warm the planet. Those simultaneous challenges appear less overwhelming with increasingly better answers to a centuries-old question：how to make power portable.To be sure, the battery still has a long way to go before the nightly recharge completely replaces the weekly trip to the gas station. A battery-powered world comes with its own risks, too. What happens to the centralized electric grid, which took decades and billions of dollars to build, as more and more people become “prosumers，” who produce and consume their own energy onsite?No one knows which — if any — battery technology will ultimately dominate, but one thing remains dear. The future of energy is in how we store it.46.What does Dr. Sadoway think of energy storage?A)It involves the application of sophisticated technology.B)It is the direction energy development should follow.C)It will prove to be a profitable business.D)It is a technology benefiting everyone.47.What is most likely to happen when advanced batteries become widely used?A)Mobile-first lifestyles will become popular.B)The globalization process will be accelerated.C)Communications will take more diverse forms.D)The world will undergo revolutionary changes.48.In some rural communities of emerging economies, people have begun to •A)find digital devices simply indispensable.B)communicate primarily by mobile phone.C)light their homes with stored solar energy.D)distribute power with wires and wooden poles.49.Utility companies have begun to realize that battery technologies .J A) benefit their business. C) promote innovation.B)transmit power faster. D) encourage competition.50.What does the author imply about the centralized electric grid?A)It might become a thing of the past.B)It might turn out to be a “prosumer”.C）It will be easier to operate and maintain.D）I t will have to be completely transformed.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.More than 100 years ago, American sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois was concerned that race was being used as a biological explanation for what he understood to be social and cultural differences between different populations of people. He spoke out against the idea of “white”and “black”as distinct groups, claiming that these distinctions ignored the scope of human diversity.Science would favor Du Bois. Today, the mainstream belief among scientists is that race is a social construct without biological meaning. In an article published in the journal Science，four scholars say racial categories need to be phased out.14Essentially, I could not agree more with the authors,” said Svante Paabo, a biologist and director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany. In one example that demonstrated genetic differences were not fixed along racial lines, the full genomes（基因组）of James Watson and Craig Venter, two famous American scientists of European ancestry, were compared to that of a Korean scientist, Seong-Jin Kim. It turned out that Watson and Venter shared fewer variations in their genetic sequences than they each shared with Kim.Michael Yudell, a professor of public health at Drexel University in Philadelphia, said that modern genetics research is operating in a paradox： on the one hand, race is understood to be a useful tool to illuminate human genetic diversity, but on the other hand, race is also understood to be a poorly defined marker of that diversity.Assumptions about genetic differences between people of different races could be particularly dangerous in a medical setting. “If you make clinical predictions based on somebody’s race, you’re going to be wrong a good chunk of the time,”Yudell told Live Science. In the paper, he and his colleagues used the example of cystic fibrosis, which is underdiagnosed in people of African ancestry because it is thought of as a “white” disease.So what other variables could be used if the racial concept is thrown out? Yudell said scientists need to get more specific with their language, perhaps using terms like “ancestry” or “population” that might more precisely reflect the relationship between humans and their genes, on both the individual and population level. The researchers also acknowledged that there are a few areas where ra ce as a construct might still be useful in scientific research： as a political and social, but not biological, variable.“While we argue phasing out racial terminology（术语）in the biologicalsciences） we also acknowledge that using race as a political or social category to study racism, although filled with lots of challenges, remains necessary given our need to understand how structural inequities and discrimination produce health disparities（差异）between groups.” Yudell said.51.Du Bo is was opposed to the use of race as .A) a basis for explaining human genetic diversity.B)an aid to understanding different populations.C)an explanation for social and cultural differences.D) a term to describe individual human characteristics.52.The study by Svante Paabo served as an example to show .A)modern genetics research is likely to fuel racial conflicts.B)race is a poorly defined marker of human genetic diversity.C)race as a biological term can explain human genetic diversity.D)genetics research should consider social and cultural variables.53.The example of the disease cystic fibrosis underdiagnosed in people of African ancestrydemonstrates that .A)it is absolutely necessary to put race aside in making diagnosis.B)it is important to include social variables in genetics research.C)racial categories for genetic diversity could lead to wrong clinical predictions.D)discrimination against black people may cause negligence in clinical treatment.54.What is Yudell’s suggestion to scientists?A)They be more precise with the language they use.B)They refrain from using politically sensitive terms.C)They throw out irrelevant concepts in their research.D)They examine all possible variables in their research.55.What can be inferred from Yudell’s remark in the last paragraph?A)Clinging to racism prolongs inequity and discrimination.B)Physiological disparities are quite striking among races.C)Doing away with racial discrimination is challenging.D)Racial terms are still useful in certain fields of study.Part 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.农业是中国的一个重要产业，从业者超过3亿。

2016年12月大学英语六级真题试卷(三)(题后含答案及解析)

2016年12月大学英语六级真题试卷（三）(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 a short essay on creation. Your essay should include the importance of creation and measures to be taken to encourage creation. You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.正确答案：On Creation Throughout the ages, we have concluded a number of factors that contribute to success, among which is creation. Just as the saying goes, “ There is no doubt that creation is the most important human resource of all. “ Not only is creation the force driving economy and society to advance, but it is also essential to the development of individuals. Those who often come up with new ideas are more likely to achieve success, while a man who always sticks to habit and experience can hardly create new things. In terms of giving measures to encourage creation, I will list the following ones. On the one hand, the public are expected to realize the significance of creation, so the social media should play its due role in advocating the value of innovation and encouraging the public to cultivate the awareness of creation. On the other hand, those who are equipped with creative thinking deserve some kind of praise, both materially and spiritually. Creation has been a hot word for a long time and we cannot emphasize the importance of creation too much. Therefore, we should spare no effort to learn knowledge as much as possible to prepare ourselves for being creative people.Part II Listening ComprehensionSection A听力原文：M: Guess what? The worst food I’ve ever had was in France.W: Really? That’s odd.(1)I thought the French were all good cooks.M: Yes. That’s right. I suppose it’s really like anywhere else, though. You know, some places are good. Some bad. But it’s really all our own fault. W: What do you mean? M: Well, it was the first time I’d been to France. This was years ago when I was at school.(2)I went there with my parents’ friends, from my father’s school. They’d hired a coach to take them to Switzerland. W: A school trip? M: Right. Most of them had never been abroad before. We’d crossed the English Channel at night, and we set off through France, and breakfast time arrived, and the coach driver had arranged for us to stop at this little cafe. There we all were, tired and hungry, and then we made the great discovery. W: What was that? M: Bacon and eggs.W: Fantastic! The real English breakfast.M: Yes.Anyway, we didn’t know any better—so we had it, and ugh...! W: What was it like? Disgusting? M: Oh, it was incredible! They just got a bowl and put some fat in it. And then they put some bacon in the fat, broke an egg over the top and put the whole lot in the oven for about ten minutes. W: In the oven! You’re joking. You can’t cook bacon and eggs in the oven! M: Well. They must have done it that way. It was hot, but it wasn’t cooked. There was just this egg floating about in gallons of fat and raw bacon. W:(3-1)Did you actually eat it? M:(3-2)No! Nobody did. They all wanted to turn round and go home. You know, back to teabags and fish and chips. You can’t blame them really. Anyway, the next night we were all given another foreign speciality. W: What was that? M:(4)Snails. That really finished them off. Lovely holiday that was!Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.1. What did the woman think of the French?2. Who did the man travel with on his first trip to Switzerland?3. What does the man say about the breakfast at the little French cafe?4. What did the man think of his holiday in France?2．A．They were all good at cooking.B．They were particular about food.C．They were proud of their cuisine.D．They were fond of bacon and eggs.正确答案：A解析：对话中，当男士说他在法国吃到了自己吃过的最糟糕的食物时，女士表示这很奇怪，并且说她原本以为所有的法国人都是好厨师。

2016年12月六级考试(第三套)真题

1.A) It is well paid.B)It is stimulating.2.A) A quick promotion.B)Free accommodation. C)It is demanding.D)It is fairly secure.C)Moving expenses.D) A lighter workload.2016年12月全国大学生英语六级考试（卷三）Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part，you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on invention.Your essay should include the importance of creation and measures to be taken to encourage creation• You are required to write at least 1 50 words but no more than 200 words.Part II Listening Comprehension （30minutes）（说明：本次六级考试全国共考了两套听力，为避免重复，特补充了一套模拟听力，供同学们练习。

）Section ADirections：In this section，you will hear two Long conversations. At the end of each conversation , you will hear some questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear aquestion , you m ust choose the best answer from the four choices marked A ) , B ) , C ) and D). Thenmark the corresponding Letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre. Questions 1 to 4 will be based on the conversation you have just heard.3.A) He has difficulty communicating with local people.B)He has to spend a lot more traveling back and forth.C)He has trouble adapting to the local weather.D)He has to sign a long-term contract.4.A) The woman will help the man make a choice.B)The man is going to attend a job interview.C)The man is in the process of job hunting.D)The woman sympathizes with the man.Questions 5 to 8 will be based on he conversation you have just heard.5.A) He made a business trip. C) He talked to her on the phone.B)He had a quarrel with Marsha. D) He resolved a budget problem.6.A) She may have to be fired for poor performance.B)She has developed some serious mental problem.C)She is in charge of the firm’s budget planning.D)She supervises a number of important projects.7.A) She failed to arrive at the airport on time.B)David promised to go on the trip in her place.C)Something unexpected happened at her home.D)She was not feeling herself on that day.8.A) He frequently gets things mixed up.B)He is always finding fault with Marsha.C)He has been trying hard to cover for Marsha.D)He often fails to follow through on his projects.Section BDirections：In this section，you will hear 2 passages. At the end of each passage，you will hear some questions.Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question , you mustchoose the best answer from the four choices marked A) , B) , C) and D). Then mark thecorresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre•Questions 9 to 12 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9.A) By invading the personal space of listeners.B)By making gestures at strategic points.C)By speaking in a deep, loud voice.D)By speaking with the local accent.10.A) To promote sportsmanship among business owners.B)To encourage people to support local sports groups.C)To raise money for a forthcoming local sports event.D)To show his family’s contribution to the community.11.A) They are known to be the style of the sports world.B)They would certainly appeal to his audience.C)They represent the latest fashion in the business circles.D)They are believed to communicate power and influence.12.A) To cover up his own nervousness.B)To create a warm personal atmosphere.C)To enhance the effect of background music.D)To allow the audience to better enjoy his slides.Questions 13 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.13.A) She was the first educated slave of John Wheatley's.B)She was the greatest female poet in Colonial America.Now listern to the following recording and20.A) The important color in nature.B)The stories of the word “green”.21.A) A mature person.B) A brave soldier.22.A) In the 15th century.B) About 400 years ago. answer questions 20 to 22.C)The emotions of green-eyed monster.D)The meanings of a green light.C) A young cow.D)An inexperienced person.C)In the 18th century.D)About 600 years ago.C)She was born about the time of the War of Independence.D)She was the first African-American slave to publish a book.14.A) Revise it a number of times. C) Go through a scholarly examination.B)Obtain consent from her owner. D) Turn to the colonial governor for help.15.A) Literary works calling for the abolition of slavery.B)Religious scripts popular among slaves in America.C) A rich stock of manuscripts left by historical figures.D)Lots of lost works written by African-American women.Section CDirections：In this section，you will hear recordings of Lectures or talks followed by some questions. The recordings -will be played only once. After you hear a question , you must choose the best answerfrom the four choices marked A ), B ), C) and D ). Then mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet 1 with a single Line through the centre.Now listern to the following recording and answer questions 16 to 19.16.A) Those who have enough time for holidays.B)Those who are too busy to make perfect private plans.C)Those who seldom do time management.D)Those who have got a messy life.17.A) Lighting candles. C) Saying a special prayer.B)Singing songs. D) Going to church.18.A) Let them deliver the things to the recipients.B)Let them choose what to give away.C)Tell them how meaningful giving is.D)Give them some awards after that.19.A) Holding a New Year’s Day party.C) Protecting people’s privacy.B)Locking yourself in the bathroom. D) Carving out time for yourself.Now listern to the following recording and answer questions 23 to 25.23.A) It had much more pages than newspapers.B)It was given away for free.C)It dealt with issues rather than events.D)It was more widely available than newspapers.24.A) He wrote articles critical of the Church of England.B)He refused to stop publishing the Review•C)He refused to pay publishing taxes.D)He refused to join the Church of England.25.A) It was not really a magazine. C) It was praised by readers of poetry.B) It featured a variety of articles and stories. D) It was unpopular with politicians.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 foLlovuing the passage. Read the passage throughcarefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark thecorresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the. centre. You maynot use any of the words in the bank more than once.The tree people in the Lord of the Rings— the Ents — can get around by walking. But for real trees, it’s harder to uproot. Because they're literally rooted into the ground, they are unable to leave and go 26.When a tree first starts growing in a certain area, it’s likely that the 27 envelope — the temperature, humidity, rainfall patterns and so on — suits it. Otherwise, it would be unable to grow from a seedling. But as it 28 ，these conditions may change and the area around itmay no longer be suitable for its 29 .When that happens, many trees like walnuts, oaks and pines, rely 30 on so-called “scatter hoarders，’’ such as birds, to move their seeds to new localities. Many birds like to store food for the winter, which they 31 retrieve.When the birds forget td retrieve their food — and they do sometimes — a seedling has a chance to grow. The bird Clark’s nutcracker, for example, hides up to 100,000 seeds per year, up to 30 kilometers away from the seed source, and has a very close symbiotic(共生的)relationship with several pine species, most 32 the whitebark pine.As trees outgrow their ideal 33 in the face of climate change，these flying ecosystem engineers could be a big help in 34 trees. It’s a solution for us — getting birds to do the work is cheap and effective —and it could give 35 oaks and pines the option to truly “make like a tree and leave.”"vSection 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 fromwhich the 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 Answer Sheet 2 •The American Workplace Is Broken. Here’s How We Can Start Fixing It.A)Americans are working longer and harder hours than ever before. 83% of workers say they're stressedabout their jobs, nearly 50% say work-related stress is interfering with their sleep, and 60% use their smartphones to check in with work outside of normal working hours； No wonder only 13% of employees worldwide feel engaged in their occupation.B)Glimmers(少许)of hope, however, are beginning to emerge in this bruising environment: Americansare becoming aware of the toll their jobs take on them, and employers are exploring ways to alleviate the harmful effects of stress and overwork. Yet much more work remains to be done. To call str ess an epidemic isn’t exaggeration. The 83% of American employees who are stressed about their jobs — up from 73% just a year before — say that poor compensation and an unreasonable workload are their number-one sources of stress. And if you suspected that the workplace had gotten more stressful than it was just a few decades ago, you're right. Stress levels increased 18% for women and 24% for men from 1983 to 2009. Stress is also starting earlier in life, with some data suggesting that today's teens are even more stressed than ^dults.C)Stress is taking a significant toll on our health, and the collective public health cost may be enormous.Occupational stress increases the risk of heart attack and diabetes, accelerates the aging process, decreases longevity, and contributes to depression and anxiety, among numerous other negative health outcomes. Overall, stress-related health problems account for up to 90% of hospital visits, many of them preventable. Your job is “literally killing you，” as The Washington Post put it. It’s also hurting our relationships. Working parents say they feel stressed, tired, rushed and short on quality time with their children, friends and partners.D)Seven in 10 workers say they struggle to maintain work-life balance. As technology (and with it,work emails) seeps(渗入)into every aspect of our lives, work-life balance has become an almost meaningless term. Add a rapidly changing economy and an uncertain future to this 24/7 connectivity, and you’ve got a recipe for overwork, according to Phyllis Moen. “There’s rising work demand coupled with the insecurity of mergers, takeovers, downsizing and other factors，’’ Moen said.“Part of the work-life issue has to talk about uncertainty about the future.”E） These factors have converged to create an increasingly impossible situation with many employeesoverworking to the point of burnout. It’s not only unsustainable for workers, but also for the companies that employ them. Science has shown a clear correlation between high stress levels in workers and absenteeism（旷工），reduced productivity, disengagement and high turnover. Too many workplace policies effectively prohibit employees from developing a healthy work-life balance by barring them from taking time off，even when they need it most.F）T he U. S. trails far behind every wealthy nation and many developing ones that have family- friendly work policies including paid parental leave, paid sick days and breast-feeding support,according toa 2007 study. The U. S. is also the only advanced economy that does not guarantee workers paidvacation time, and it’s one of only two countries in the world that does not offer guaranteed paid maternity leave. But even when employees are given paid time off, workplace norms and expectations that pressure them to overwork often prevent them from taking it. Fulltime employees who do have paid vacation days only use half of them on average.G） Our modern workplaces also operate based on outdated time constraints. The practice of clocking in for an eight-hour workday is a leftover from the days of the Industrial Revolution, as reflected in the then-popular saying, “Eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest.”H）W e’ve held on to this workday structure — but thanks to our digital devices, many employees never really clock out. Today, the average American spends 8.8 hours at work daily, and the majority of working professionals spend additional hours checking in with work during evenings, weekends and even vacations. The problem isn’t the technolog y itself, but that the technology is being used to create more flexibility for the employer rather than the employee. In a competitive work environment, employers are able to use technology to demand more from their employees rather than motivating workers with flexibility that benefits them.I）In a study published last year, psychologists coined the term “workplace telepressure M to describe an employee’s urge to immediately respond to emails and engage in obsessive thoughts about returning an email to one’s boss, colleagues or clients. The researchers found that telepressure is a major cause of stress at work, which over time contributes to physical and mental burnout. Of the 300 employees participating in the study, those who experienced high levels of telepressure were more likely to agree with statements assessing burnout, like “I’ve no energy for going to work in the morning，’’ and to report feeling fatigued and unfocused. Telepressure was also correlated with sleeping poorly and missing work.J) Harvard Business School professor Leslie Perlow explains that when people feel the pressure to be always “on,” they find ways to acco mmodate that pressure, including altering their schedules, work habits and interactions with family and friends. Perlow calls this vicious cycle the “cycle of responsiveness”：Once bosses and colleagues experience an employee’s increased responsiveness, th ey increase their demands on the employee’s time. And because a failure to accept these increased demands indicates a lack of commitment to one’s work，the employee complies.K) To address skyrocketing employee stress levels, many companies have implemente d workplace wellness programs, partnering with health care providers that have created programs to promoteemployee health and well-being. Some research does suggest that these programs hold promise. A study of employees at health insurance provider Aetna revealed that roughly one quarter of those taking in-office yoga and mindfulness classes reported a 28% reduction in their stress levels and a 20% improvement in sleep quality. These less-stressed workers gained an average of 62 minutes per week of productivity. While yoga and meditation (静思)are scientifically proven to reduce stress levels, these programs do little to target the root causes of burnout and disengagement. The conditions creating the stress are long hours, unrealistic demands and deadlines, a nd work-life conflict.L)Moen and her colleagues may have found the solution. In a 2011 study, she investigated the effects of implementing a Results Only Work Environment (ROWE) on the productivity and well-being of employees at Best Buy's corporate headquarters.M) For the study, 325 employees spent six months taking part in ROWE, while a control group of 334 employees continued with their normal workflow. The ROWE participants were allowed to freely determine when, where and how they worked — the only thing that mattered was that they got the job done. The results were striking. After six months, the employees who participated in ROWE reported reduced work-family conflict and a better sense of control of their time, and they were getting a full hour of extra sleep each night. The employees were less likely to leave their jobs, resulting in reduced turnover. It’s important to note that the increased flexibility didn’t encourage them to work around the clock. “They didn’t work anywhere and all the time — they were better able to manage their work,” Moen said. “Flexibility and control is key，’’ she continued.36.Workplace norms pressure employees to overwork, deterring them from taking paid time off.37.The overwhelming majority of employees attribute their stress mainly to low pay and an excessiveworkload.38.According to Moen, flexibility gives employees better control over their work and time.2016 — 12六级试题(第3套)第7页(共22页)39.Flexibility resulting from the use of digital devices benefits employers instead of employees.40.Research finds that if employees suffer from high stress, they will be less motivated, less productiveand more likely to quit.41.In-office wellness programs may help reduce stress levels, but they are hardly an ultimate solutionto the problem.42.Health problems caused by stress in the workplace result in huge public health expenses.43.If employees respond quickly to their job assignments, the employer is likely to demand more fromthem.44.With technology everywhere in our life, it has become virtually imposs ible for most workers to keepa balance between work and life.45.In America today, even teenagers suffer from stress, and their problem is even more serious thangrown-ups’.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinishedstatements. 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 AnswerSheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.Dr. Donald Sadoway at MIT started his own battery company with the hope of changing the world’s energy future. It’s a dramatic endorsement for a technology most people think about only when their smart phone goes dark. But Sadoway isn’t alone in trumpeting energy storage as a missing link to a cleaner, more efficient, and more equitable energy future.Scientists and engineers have long believed in the promise of batteries to change the world. Advanced batteries are moving out of specialized markets and creeping into the mainstream, signaling a tipping point for forward-looking technolpgies such as electric cars and rooftop solar panels.The ubiquitous (无所不在的)battery has already come a long way, of course. For belter or worse, batteries make possible our mobile-first lifestyles, our screen culture, our increasingly globalized world. Still, as impressive as all this is, it may be trivial compared with what comes next. Having already enabled a communications revolution, the battery is now poised to transform just about everything else.The wireless age is expanding to include not just our phones, tablets, and laptops, but also our cars, homes, and even whole communities. In emerging economies, rural communitie s are bypassing the wires and wooden poles that spread power. Instead, some in Africa and Asia are seeing their first lightbulbs illuminated by the power of sunlight stored in batteries.Today, energy storage is a $ 33 billion global industry that generates nearly 100 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year. By the end of the decade, it’s expected to be worth over $50 billion and generate 160 gigawatt-hours, enough to attract the attention of major companies that might not otherwise be interested in a decidedly pedestrian technology. Even utility companies, which have long viewed batteries and alternative forms of energy as a threat, are learning to embrace the technologies as enabling rather than disrupting.Today's battery breakthroughs come as the world looks to expand modern energy access to the billion or so people without it, while also cutting back on fuels that warm the planet. Those simultaneous challenges appear less overwhelming with increasingly better answers to a centuries-old question： how to make power portable.To be sure, the battery still has a long way to go before the nightly recharge completely repla ces the weekly trip to the gas station. A battery-powered world comes with its own risks, too. What happens to the centralized electric grid, which took decades and billions of dollars to build, as more and more people become “prosumers，” who produce and c onsume their own energy onsite?No one knows which — if any — battery technology will ultimately dominate, but one thing remains dear. The future of energy is in how we store it.46.What does Dr. Sadoway think of energy storage?A)It involves the application of sophisticated technology.B)It is the direction energy development should follow.C)It will prove to be a profitable business.D)It is a technology benefiting everyone.47.What is most likely to happen when advanced batteries become widely used?A)Mobile-first lifestyles will become popular.B)The globalization process will be accelerated.C)Communications will take more diverse forms.D)The world will undergo revolutionary changes.48.In some rural communities of emerging economies, people have begun to _______ •A)find digital devices simply indispensable.B)communicate primarily by mobile phone.C)light their homes with stored solar energy.D)distribute power with wires and wooden poles.49.Utility companies have begun to realize that battery technologies______ .J A) benefit their business. C) promote innovation.B)transmit power faster. D) encourage competition.50.What does the author imply about the centralized electric grid?A)It might become a thing of the past.B)It might turn out to be a “prosumer”.C）It will be easier to operate and maintain.D）It will have to be completely transformed.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.More than 100 years ago, American sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois was concerned that race was being used as a biological explanation for what he understood to be social and cultural differences between different populations of people. He spoke out against the idea of “white” and “black” as distinct groups, claiming that these distinctions ignored the scope of human diversity.Science would favor Du Bois. Today, the mainstream belief among scientists is that race is a social construct without biological meaning. In an article published in the journal Science，four scholars say racial categories need to be phased out.14Essentially, I could not agree more with the authors,” said Svante Paabo, a biologist and director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany. In one example that demonstrated genetic differences were not fixed along racial lines, the full genomes（基因组）of James Watson and Craig Venter, two famous American scientists of European ancestry, were compared to that of a Korean scientist, Seong-Jin Kim. It turned out that Watson and Venter shared fewer variations in their genetic sequences than they each shared with Kim.Michael Yudell, a professor of public health at Drexel University in Philadelphia, said that modern genetics research is operating in a paradox： on the one hand, race is understood to be a useful tool to illuminate human genetic diversity, but on the other hand, race is also understood to be a poorly defined marker of that diversity.Assumptions about genetic differences between people of different races could be particularly dangerous in a medical setting. “If you make clinical predictions based on some body’s race, you’re going to be wrong a good chunk of the time,” Yudell told Live Science. In the paper, he and his colleagues used the example of cystic fibrosis, which is underdiagnosed in people of African ancestry because it is thought of as a “white” disease.So what other variables could be used if the racial concept is thrown out? Yudell said scientists need to get more specific with their language, perhaps using terms like “ancestry” or “population” that might more precisely reflect the relationship between humans and their genes, on both the individual and population level. The researchers also acknowledged that there are a few areas where race as a construct might still be useful in scientific research： as a political and social, but not biological, variable.“While we argue phasing out racial terminology（术语）in the biological sciences）we also acknowledge that using race as a political or social category to study racism, although filled with lots of challenges, remains necessary given our need to understand how structural inequities and discrimination produce health disparities（差异）between groups.” Yudell said.51.Du Bo is was opposed to the use of race as ____ .A) a basis for explaining human genetic diversity.B)an aid to understanding different populations.C)an explanation for social and cultural differences.D) a term to describe individual human characteristics.52.The study by Svante Paabo served as an example to show .A)modern genetics research is likely to fuel racial conflicts.B)race is a poorly defined marker of human genetic diversity.C)race as a biological term can explain human genetic diversity.D)genetics research should consider social and cultural variables.53.The example of the disease cystic fibrosis underdiagnosed in people of African ancestrydemonstrates that ____ .A)it is absolutely necessary to put race aside in making diagnosis.B)it is important to include social variables in genetics research.C)racial categories for genetic diversity could lead to wrong clinical predictions.D)discrimination against black people may cause negligence in clinical treatment.54.What is Yudell’s suggestion to scientists?A)They be more precise with the language they use.B)They refrain from using politically sensitive terms.C)They throw out irrelevant concepts in their research.D)They examine all possible variables in their research.55.What can be inferred from Yudell’s remark in the last paragraph?A)Clinging to racism prolongs inequity and discrimination.B)Physiological disparities are quite striking among races.C)Doing away with racial discrimination is challenging.D)Racial terms are still useful in certain fields of study.Part 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.农业是中国的一个重要产业，从业者超过3亿。

2016年12月大学英语四级真题第三套答案

2016年12月大学英语四级考试真题答案与详解(第3套)Part IWriting高分范文State-owned Business or Joint Venture①Upon graduation, virtually all college students willconfront the issue of career choice, which is truly a tough one.②Some hold that there is no better way to get a decent job thanworking in a stated-owned business which will guarantee theirlife after retirement, while others take the attitude that a jointventure outweighs any other jobs as it may provide higherincome for employees. ③As for me, I prefer the latter one.④For one thing, a joint venture usually offers a morecooperative and more competitive atmosphere which is suitablefor the beginners to grow and develop.⑤For another, jointventures usually offer a higher salary, which holds a tremendousfascination for a great number of people, especially for theyoung who need to cover the expenses of transportation,house-renting, and social activities. ⑥Besides the above two, Iadore the diverse business culture in the joint ventures,immersed in which, I can broaden my vision and expand myknowledge.⑦Based on the above reasons, a joint venture will be myfirst and sole choice.全文翻译作文全文翻译Part ⅢReading ComprehensionSection A阅读全文翻译选项归类名词：F.figure数字，图形；G.percentage比例；K.similarities相似之处；N.tastes品味动词：B.applied申请，应用；D.categorizing分类；E.challenges挑战；H.proving证明；J.searched搜索；M.suggests暗示，建议形容词：A.abnormal不正常的；0.traditional传统的副词：C.briefly短暂地，简略地；I.regardless不管；L.slightly轻微地详解详析26．E.challenges。

2016年12月六级答案第三套

2016年12月六级答案第三套【篇一：2016年12月大学英语六级考试真题答案(共三套)】听力答案section a conversation1. [c] it links the science of climate change to economic and policy issues.2. [b] it would be more costly to deal with its consequences than to avoid it.3. [a] the transition to low-carbon energy systems.4. [c] plan well in advance.5. [b] what determines success.6. [d] it means being good at seizing opportunities.7. [d] practice is essential to becoming good at something.8. [c] being passionate about work can make one wealthy.section b passage9.[a] to stump of a giant tree.10. [b] wind and water.11. [d] it was created by supernatural powers.12. [c] by lifting them well above the ground.13. [a] they will buy something from the convenience stores.14. [a] they can bring only temporary pleasures.15. [d] small daily savings an make a big difference in ones life. section c lecture16. [b] they are necessary in our lives.17. [b] they feel too overwhelmed to deal with lifes problem.18. [a] they expand our mind.19. [b] it came from a 3d printer.20. [c] when she was studying at a fashion design school.21. [c] it was hard and breakable.22. [d] it marks a breakthrough in printing material.23. [a] they arise from the advances in technology.24. [d] it is intensively competitive.25. [d] sharing of costs with each other.阅读答案section a26. [o] vanished27. [m] undergone28. [d] expanding29. [k] survived30. [h] process31. [l] terminals32. [e] industrialized33. [f] perceived34. [b] conveniences35. [g] practicesection bcountries rush for upper hand in antarctica36. [j]37. [c]38. [e]39. [g]40. [d]41. [i]42. [b]43. [h]44. [q]45. [l]section cpassage one46. [d] it has little impact on their decision whether or not to quit smoking.47. [a] pass a law to standardise cigarette packaging.48. [b] the number of smokes has dropped more sharply than in the uk.49. [a] prime minister cameron has been reluctant to take action.50. [c] they made more british people obese.passage two51. [a] it is worthwhile after all.52. [d] most of them take jobs which dont require a college degree.53. [c] interactions among themselves outside the classroom.54. [b] meting people who will be helpful to you in the future.55. [d] the prestige of the university influences employers recruitment decisions.翻译范文翻译一随着中国经济的蓬勃发展，学汉语的人数迅速增加，使汉语成了世界上人们最爱学的语言之一。

2016年12月英语四级真题及答案解析（三套完整版）

【导语】以下是整理的2016年12⽉英语四级真题及答案解析（三套完整版），希望对⼤家备考有所帮助。

【作⽂】 innovation创新 Directions：For this part，you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on innovation. Your essay should include the importance of innovation and measures to be taken to encourage innovation/creation/invention. You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words. 参考范⽂： In today's highly competitive world, innovation matters enormously to an organization or a country. It is the driving force behind increased competitiveness. Take growing a successful business as an example. In this day and age, social media are gaining popularity among the general public. A company that only relies on traditional media doing its marketing is more likely to get eliminated in the digital era. Put in another way, a company with its focus on social media to boost its brand recognition stands a better chance of standing out from the crowd. Clearly, innovation is a vital contributing factor to business success. What can be done to encourage innovation? To name only a few: Above all, a business or a country should strive to build a corporate culture or a social climate that values innovation. Second, anyone who participates in the innovation process should be rewarded. Third, we are in urgent need of an education system that stresses innovation over mechanical learning. Simply put, innovation is an important force that pushes our society forward. creation创造 Directions：For this part，you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on creation. Your essay should include the importance of innovation and measures to be taken to encourage innovation/creation/invention. You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words. 参考范⽂： It is universally acknowledged that innovation refers to being creative, unique and different. In fact, today it is impossibly difficult for us to image a 21st century without innovation. We should place a high value on innovation firstly because innovative spirit can enable an individual to ameliorate himself, so he can be equipped with capacity to see what others cannot see, be qualified for future career promotion, and be ready for meeting the forthcoming challenges. What’s more, we ought to attach importance to the role played by innovation in economic advancement. Put it another way, in this ever-changing world, innovation to economic growth is what water is to fish. To sum up, if innovation misses our attention in any possible way, we will suffer a great loss beyond imagination. In order to encourage innovation, it is wise for us to take some feasible measures. For example, mass media should greatly publicize the significance of creative spirit and encourage the public to cultivate awareness of innovation. Besides, those who manage to innovate should be awarded generous prize. Though there is a long way ahead to go, I am firmly certain that the shared efforts will be paid off. 【参考译⽂】众所周知创新意味着有创造⼒，独⼀⽆⼆和不同。

2016年12月大学英语六级考试真题第3套 CET6 完美打印版

2016年12月大学英语六级考试真题(第3套)Part Ⅰ Writing (30 minutes)Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on creation. Your essay should include the importance of creation and measures to be taken to encourage creation. You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.Part 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.Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passage.Small communities, with their distinctive character--where life is stable and intensely human—are disappearing. Some have 26 from the face of the earth, others are dying slowly, but all have 27 changes as they have come into contact with an 28 machine civilization. The merging of diverse peoples into a common mass has produced tension among members of the minorities and the majority alike.The Old Order Amish, who arrived on American shores in colonial times, have 29 in the modem world in distinctive, small communities. They have resisted the homogenization 30 more successfully than others. In planting and harvest time one can see their bearded men working the fields with horses and their women hanging out the laundry in neat rows to dry. Many American people have seen Amish families, with the men wearing broad-brimmed black hats and the women in long dresses,in railway or bus 31 Although the Amish have lived with 32 America for over two and a half centuries, they have moderated its influence on their personal lives, their families, communities, and their values.The Amish are often 33 by other Americans to be relics of the past who live a simple, inflexible life dedicated to inconvenient out-dated customs. They are seen as abandoning both modem 34 and the American dream of success and progress. But most people have no quarrel with the Amish for doing things the old-fashioned way. Their conscientious objection was tolerated in wartime, for after all, they are good farmers who 35 theSection BDirections:In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once.Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Countries Rush for Upper Hand in Antarctica[A] On a glacier-filled island with fjords (峡湾) and elephant seals, Russia has built Antarctica's first Orthodox church on a hill overlooking its research base. Less than an hour away by snowmobile,Chinese labourers have updated the Great Wall Station, a vital part of China's plan to operate five bases on Antarctica, complete with an indoor badminton court and sleeping quarters for 150 people. Not to be outdone, India's futuristic new Bharathi base, built on stilts (桩子) using 134 interlocking shipping containers, resembles a spaceship. Turkey and Iran have announced plans to build bases, too.[B] More than a century has passed since explorers raced to plant their flags at the bottom of the world, and for decades to come this continent is supposed to be protected as a scientific preserve,shielded from intrusions like military activities and mining. But an array of countries are rushing to assert greater influence here, with an eye not just towards the day those protective treaties expire,but also for the strategic and commercial opportunities that already exist.[C] The newer players are stepping into what they view as a treasure house of resources. Some of the ventures focus on the Antarctic resources that are already up for grabs, like abundant sea life.South Korea, which operates state-of-the-art bases here, is increasing its fishing of krill (磷虾),found in abundance in the Southern Ocean, while Russia recently frustrated efforts to create one of the world's largest ocean sanctuaries here.[D] Some scientists are examining the potential for harvesting icebergs from Antarctica, which is estimated to have the biggest reserves of fresh water on the planet. Nations are also pressing ahead with space research and satellite projects to expand their global navigation abilities.[E] Building on a Soviet-era foothold, Russia is expanding its monitoring stations for Glonass, its version of the Global Positioning System (GPS). At least three Russian stations are already operating in Antarctica, part of its effort to challenge the dominance of the American GPS, and new stations are planned for sites like the Russian base, in the shadow of the Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity.[F] Elsewhere in Antarctica, Russian researchers boast of their recent discovery of a freshwater reserve the size of Lake Ontario after drilling through miles of solid ice. "You can see that we're here to stay," said Vladimir Cheberdak,57, chief of the Bellingshausen Station, as he sipped tea under a portrait of Fabian Gottlieb yon Bellingshausen, a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Russian Navy who explored the Antarctic coast in 1820. [G] Antarctica's mineral, oil and gas wealth are a longer-team prize. The treaty banning mining here, shielding coveted ( 令人垂涎的) reserves of iron ore, coal and chromium, comes up for review in 2048. Researchers recently found kimberlite (金伯利岩) deposits hinting at the existence of diamonds. And while assessments vary widely, geologists estimate that Antarctica holds at least 36 billion barrels of oil and natural gas.[H] Beyond the Antarctic treaties, huge obstacles persist to tapping these resources, like drifting icebergs that could jeopardise offshore platforms. Then there is Antarctica's remoteness, with some mineral deposits found in windswept locations on a continent that is larger than Europe and where winter temperatures hover around minus55 degrees Celsius.[I] But advances in technology might make Antarctica a lot more accessible three decades from now.And even before then, scholars warn, the demand for resources in an energy-hungry world could raise pressure to renegotiate Antarctica's treaties, possibly allowing more commercial endeavours here well before the prohibitions against them expire. The research stations on King George Island offer a glimpse into the long game on this ice-blanketed continent as nations assert themselves, eroding the sway long held by countries like the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.[J]Being stationed in Antarctica involves adapting to life on the planet's driest, windiest and coldest continent, yet each nation manages to make itself at home. Bearded Russian priests offer regular services at the Orthodox church for the 16 or so Russian speakers who spend the winter at the base, largely polar scientists in fields like glaciology and meteorology. Their number climbs to about 40 in the warmer summer months. China has arguably the fastest-growing operations in Antarctica. It opened its fourth station last year and is pressing ahead with plans to build afifth. It is building its second ice-breaking ship and setting up research drilling operations on an ice dome13,422 feet above sea level that is one of the planet's coldest places. Chinese officials say the expansion in Antarctica prioritises scientific research, but they also acknowledge that concerns about "resource security" influence their moves.[K] China's newly renovated Great Wall Station on King George Island makes the Russian and Chilean bases here seem outdated. "We do weather monitoring here and other research," Ning Xu,53, the chief of the Chinese base, said over tea during a fierce blizzard (baofengxuE. in late November.The large base he leads resembles a snowed-in college campus on holiday break, with the capacity to sleep more than 10 times the 13 people who were staying on through the Antarctic winter.Yong Y u, a Chinese microbiologist, showed off the spacious building, with empty desks under an illustrated timeline detailing the rapid growth of China's Antarctic operations since the 1980s. "We now feel equipped to grow," he said.[L] As some countries expand operations in Antarctica, the United States maintains three year-round stations on the continent with more than 1,000 people during the southern hemisphere's summer, including those at the Amundsen-Scott station, built in 1956 at an elevation of 9,301 feet on a plateau at the South Pole. But US researchers quietly complain about budget restraints and having far fewer icebreakers than Russia, limiting the reach of the United States in Antarctica.[M] Scholars warn that Antarctica's political drift could blur the distinction between military and civilian activities long before the continent's treaties come up for renegotiation, especially in parts of Antarctica that are ideal for intercepting (拦截) signals from satellites or retasking satellite systems, potentially enhancing global electronic intelligence operations.[N] Some countries have had a hard time here. Brazil opened a research station in 1984, but it was largely destroyed by a fire that killed two members of the navy in 2012, the same year that a diesel-laden Brazilian barge sank near the base. As if that were not enough, a Brazilian C-130 Hercules military transport plane has remained stranded near the runway of Chile's air base here since it crash-landed in 2014.[O] However, Brazil's stretch of misfortune has created opportunities for China, with a Chinese company winning the $100 million contract in 2015 to rebuild the Brazilian station.[P] Amid all the changes, Antarctica maintains its allure. South Korea opened its second Antarctic research base in 2014, describing it as a way to test robots developed by Korean researchers for use in extreme conditions. With Russia's help, Belarus is preparing to build its first Antarctic base. Colombia said this year that it planned to join other South American nations with bases in Antarctica.[Q]"The old days of the Antarctic being dominated by the interests and wishes of white men from European, Australasian and North American states are over," said Klaus Dodds, a politics scholar at the University of London who specialises in Antarctica. "The reality is that Antarctica is geopolitically contested."36. According to Chinese officials, their activities in Antarctica lay greater emphasis on scientific research.37. Efforts to create one of the world's largest ocean sanctuaries failed because of Russia's obstruction.38. With several monitoring stations operating in Antarctica, Russia is trying hard to counter America'sdominance in the field of worldwide navigational facilities.39. According to geologists' estimates, Antarctica has enormous reserves of oil and natural gas.40. It is estimated that Antarctica boasts of the richest reserves of fresh water on earth.41. The demand for energy resources may compel renegotiation of Antarctica's treaties before their expiration.42. Many countries are racing against each other to increase their business and strategic influence on Antarctica.43. Antarctica's harsh natural conditions constitute huge obstacles to the exploitation of its resources.44. With competition from many countries, Antarctica is no longer dominated by the traditional white nations.45. American scientists complain about lack of sufficient money and equipment for their expansion in Antarctica.Section CDirections:There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.Any veteran nicotine addict will testify that fancy packaging plays no role in the decision to keep smoking. So, it is argued, stripping cartons of their branding will trigger no mass movement to quit.But that isn't why the government--under pressure from cancer charities, health workers and the Labour party--has agreed to legislate for standardised packaging. The theory is that smoking should be stripped of any appeal to discourage new generations from starting in the first place. Plain packaging would be another step in the reclassification of cigarettes from inviting consumer products to narcotics (麻醉剂).Naturally, the tobacco industry is violently opposed. No business likes to admit that it sells addictive poison as a lifestyle choice. That is why government has historically intervened, banning advertising, imposing health warnings and punitive ( 惩罚性的) duties. This approach has led over time to a fall in smoking with numbers having roughly halved since the 1970s. Evidence from Australia suggests plain packaging pushes society further along that road. Since tobacco is one of the biggest causes of premature death in the UK, a measure that tames the habit even by a fraction is worth trying.So why has it taken so long? The Department of Health declared its intention to consider the move in November 2010 and consulted through 2012. But the plan was suspended in July 2013. It did not escape notice that a lobbying firm set up by Lynton Crosby, David Cameron's election campaign director, had previously acted for Philip Morris International. (The prime minister denied there was a connection between his new adviser's outside interests and the change in legislative programme.) In November 2013, after an unnecessary round of additional consultation, health minister Jane Ellison said the government was minded to proceed after all. Now we are told Members of Parliament (MPs) will have a free vote before parliament is dissolved in March.Parliament has in fact already authorised the government to tame the tobacco trade. MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of Labour amendments to the children and families bill last February that included the power to regulate for plain packaging. With sufficient will in Downing Street this would have been done already. But strength of will is the missing ingredient where Mr. Cameron and public health are concerned. His attitude to state intervention has looked confused ever since his bizarre 2006 lament (叹惜) that chocolate oranges placed seductively at supermarket checkouts fueled obesity.The government has moved reluctantly into a sensible public health policy, but with such obvious over-cautiousness that any political credit due belongs to the opposition. Without sustained external pressure it seems certain Mr. Cameron would still be hooked on the interests of big tobacco companies.46. What do chain smokers think of cigarette packaging?A. Fancy packaging can help to engage new smokers.B. It has little to do with the quality or taste of cigarettes.C. Plain packaging discourages non-smokers from taking up smoking.D. It has little impact on their decision whether or not to quit smoking.47. What has the UK government agreed to do concerning tobacco packaging?A. Pass a law to standardise cigarette packaging.B. Rid cigarette cartons of all advertisements.C. Subsidise companies to adopt plain packaging.D. Reclassify cigarettes according to packaging.48. What has happened in Australia where plain packaging is implemented?A. Premature death rates resulting from smoking have declined.B. The number of smokers has dropped more sharply than in the UK.C. The sales of tobacco substitutes have increased considerably.D. Cigarette sales have been falling far more quickly than in the UK.49. Why has it taken so long for the UK government to consider plain packaging?A. Prime Minister Cameron has been reluctant to take action.B. There is strong opposition from veteran nicotine addicts.C. Many Members of Parliament are addicted to smoking.D. Pressure from tobacco manufacturers remains strong.50. What did Cameron say about chocolate oranges at supermarket checkouts?A. They fueled a lot of controversy.B. They attracted a lot of smokers.C. They made more British people obese.D. They had certain ingredients missing.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.What a waste of money! In return for an average of ~44,000 of debt, students get an average of only 14 hours of lecture and tutorial time a week in Britain. Annual fees have risen from ￡1,000 to ￡9,000 in the last decade, but contact time at university has barely risen at all. And graduating doesn't even provide any guarantee of a decent job : six in ten graduates today are in non-graduate jobs.No wonder it has become fashionable to denounce many universities as little more than elaborate con-tricks (骗术). There's a lot for students to complain about: the repayment threshold for paying back loans will be frozen for five years, meaning that lower-paid graduates have to start repaying their loans; and maintenance grants have been replaced by loans, meaning that students from poorer backgrounds face higher debt than those with wealthier parents.Yet it still pays to go to university. If going to university doesn't work out, students pay very little--if any--of their tuition fees back: you only start repaying when you are earning ￡21,000 a year.Almost half of graduates--those who go on to earn less--will have a portion of their debt written off.It's not just the lectures and tutorials that are important. Education is the sum of what students teach each other in between lectures and seminars. Students do not merely benefit while at university; studies show- they go on to be healthier and happier than non-graduates, and also far more likely to vote.Whatever your talents, it is extraordinarily difficult to get a leading job in most fields without having been to university. Recruiters circle elite universities like vultures (兀鹰). Many top firms will not even look at applications from those who lack a 2.1, i. e., an upper-second class degree, from an elite university. Students at university also meet those likely to be in leading jobs in the future, forming contacts for life. This might not be right, but school-leavers who fail to acknowledge as much risk making the wrong decision about going to university.Perhaps the reason why so many universities offer their students so little is they know studying at a top university remains a brilliant investment even if you don't learn anything. Studying at university will only become less attractive if employers shift their focus away from where someone went to university--and there is no sign of that happening anytime soon. Schoololeavers may moan, but they have little choice but to embrace university and the student debt that comes with it.51. What is the author's opinion of going to university?A. It is worthwhile after all.B. It is simply a waste of time.C. It is hard to say whether it is good or bad.D. It is too expensive for most young people.52. What does the author say about the employment situation of British university graduates?A. Few of them are satisfied with the jobs they are offered.B. It usually takes a long time for them to find a decent job.C. Graduates from elite universities usually can get decent jobs.D. Most of them take jobs which don't require a college degree.53. What does the author say is important for university students besides classroom instruction?A. Making sure to obtain an upper-second class degree.B. Practical skills they will need in their future careers.C. Interactions among themselves outside the classroom.D. Developing independent and creative thinking abilities.54. What is said to be an advantage of going to university?A. Learning how to take risks in an ever-changing world.B. Meeting people who will be helpful to you in the future.C. Having opportunities of playing a leading role in society.D. Gaining up-to-date knowledge in science and technology.55. What can we infer from the last paragraph?A. It is natural for students to make complaints about university education.B. Few students are willing to bear the burden of debt incurred at university.C. University education is becoming attractive to students who can afford it.D. The prestige of the university influences employers' recruitment decisions.Part Ⅳ Translation (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.农业是中国的一个重要产业，从业者超过3亿。

2016年12月六级真题(第三套)

梦想不会辜负每一个努力的人2016年12月大学英语六级考试（第3套）Part I Writing(30minutes)Directions:For this part,you are allowed30minutes to write a short essay on innovation.Your essay should include the importance of creation and measures to be taken to encourage innovation.You are required to write at least150 words but no more than200words.（本次六级考试全国共考了两套听力，第三套的听力就是前面两套中的一套，故不在这里重复）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 Sheet2with a single line through the center.You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.The tree people in the Lord of the Rings—the Ents---can get around by walking.But for real trees,it’s harder to uproot.Because they’re literally rooted into the ground,they are unable to leave and go-26-.When a tree first starts growing in a certain area,it’s likely that the-27-envelope—the temperature,humidity, rainfall patterns and so on—suits it.Otherwise,it would be unable to grow from a seedling.But as it-28-,these conditions may change and the area around it may no longer be suitable for its-29-.When that happens,many trees like walnuts,oaks and pines,rely-30-on so-called“scatter hoarders,”such as birds,to move their seeds to new localities.Many birds like to store food for the winter,which they-31-retrieve. When the birds forget to retrieve their food---and they do sometimes—a seedling has a chance to grow.The bird Clark’s nutcracker,for example,hides up to100,000seeds per year,up to30kilometers away from the seed source, and has a very close symbiotic(共生的)relationship with several pine species,most32the whitebark pine.As trees outgrow their ideal-33-in the face of climate change,these flying ecosystem engineers could be a big help in-34-trees.It’s a solution for us—getting birds to do the work is cheap and effective—and it could give-35-oaks and pines the option to truly“make like a tree and leave.”A)ages B)breathing C)climatic D)elsewhere E)exclusivelyF)forever G)fruitful H)habitats I)legacy J)notablyK)offspring L)replanting M)subsequently N)vulnerable O)withdrawsSection 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.The American Workplace Is Broken.Here’s How We Can Start Fixing It.[A]Americans are working longer and harder hours than ever before.83%of workers say they’re stressed about their jobs,nearly50%say work-related stress is interfering with their sleep,and60%use their smartphones to check in with work outside of normal working hours.No wonder only13%of employees worldwide feel engaged in their occupation.[B]Glimmers(少许)of hope,however,are beginning to emerge in this bruising environment:Americans are becoming aware of the toll their jobs take on them,and employers are exploring ways to alleviate the harmful effects of stress and overwork.Yet much more work remains to be done.To call stress an epidemic isn’t exaggeration.The 83%of American employees who are stressed about their jobs---up from73%just a year before—say that poor compensation and an unreasonable workload are their number-one sources of stress.And if you suspected that the workplace had gotten more stressful than it was just a few decades ago,you’re right.Stress levels increased18%for women and24%for men from1983to2009.Stress is also starting earlier in life,with some data suggesting that today’s teens are even more stressed than adults.梦想不会辜负每一个努力的人[C]Stress is taking a significant toll on our health,and the collective public health cost may be enormous. Occupational stress increases the risk of heart attack and diabetes,accelerates the aging process,decreases longevity, and contributes to depression and anxiety,among numerous other negative health outcomes.Overall,stress-related health problems account for up to90%of hospital visits,many of them preventable.Your job is“literally killing you,”as The Washington Post put it.It’s also hurting our relationships.Working parents say they feel stressed,tired,rushed and short on quality time with their children,friends and partners.[D]Seven in ten workers say they struggle to maintain work-life balance.As technology(and with it,work emails) seeps(渗入)into every aspect of our lives,work-life balance has become an almost meaningless term.Add a rapidly changing economy and an uncertain future to this24/7connectivity,and you’ve got a recipe for overwork,according to Phyllis Moen.“There’s rising work demand coupled with the insecurity of mergers,takeovers,downsizing and other factors，”Moen said.“Part of the work-life issue has to talk about uncertainty about the future.”[E]These factors have converged to create an increasingly impossible situation with many employees overworking to the point of burnout.It’s not only unsustainable for workers,but also for the companies that employ them.Science has shown a clear correlation between high stress levels in workers and absenteeism(旷工)，reduced productivity,disengagement and high turnover.Too many workplace policies effectively prohibit employees from developing a healthy work-life balance by barring them from taking time off,even when they need it most.[F]The U.S.trails far behind every wealthy nation and many developing ones that have family-friendly work policies including paid parental leave,paid sick days and breast-feeding support,according to a2007study.The U.S. is also the only advanced economy that does not guarantee workers paid vacation time,and it’s one of only two countries in the world that does not offer guaranteed paid maternity leave.But even when employees are given paid time off,workplace norms and expectations that pressure them to overwork often prevent them from taking it.Full-time employees who do have paid vacation days only use half of them on average.[G]Our modem workplaces also operate based on outdated time constraints.The practice of clocking in for an eight-hour workday is a leftover from the days of the Industrial Revolution,as reflected in the then-popular saying,“Eight hours labor,eight hours recreation,eight hours rest.”[H]We’ve held on to this workday structure—but thanks to our digital devices,many employees never really clock out.Today,the average American spends8.8hours at work daily,and the majority of working professionals spend additional hours checking in with work during evenings,weekends and even vacations.The problem isn’t the technology itself,but that the technology is being used to create more flexibility for the employer rather than the employee.In a competitive work environment,employers are able to use technology to demand more from their employees rather than motivating workers with flexibility that benefits them.[I]In a study published last year,psychologists coined the term“workplace telepressure”to describe an employee’s urge to immediately respond to emails and engage in obsessive thoughts about returning an email to one’s boss,colleagues or clients.The researchers found that telepressure is a major cause of stress at work,which over time contributes to physical and mental burnout.Of the300employees participating in the study,those who experienced high levels of telepressure were more likely to agree with statements assessing burnout,like“I’ve no energy for going to work in the morning,”and to report feeling fatigued and unfocused.Telepressure was also correlated with sleeping poorly and missing work.[J]Harvard Business School professor Leslie Perlow explains that when people feel the pressure to be always “on,”they find ways to accommodate that pressure,including altering their schedules,work habits and interactions with family and friends.Perlow calls this vicious cycle the“cycle of responsiveness”:Once bosses and colleagues experience an employee’s increased responsiveness,they increase their demands on the employee’s time.And because a failure to accept these increased demands indicates a lack of commitment to one’s work,the employee complies.[K]To address skyrocketing employee stress levels,many companies have implemented workplace wellness programs,partnering with health care providers that have created programs to promote employee health and well-being.Some research does suggest that these programs hold promise.A study of employees at health insurance provider Aetna revealed that roughly one quarter of those taking in-office yoga and mindfulness classes reported a 28%reduction in their stress levels and a20%improvement in sleep quality.These less-stressed workers gained an average of62minutes per week of productivity.While yoga and meditation(静思)are scientifically proven to reduce stress levels,these programs do little to target the root causes of burnout and disengagement.The conditions creating the stress are long hours,unrealistic demands and deadlines,and work-life conflict.梦想不会辜负每一个努力的人[L]Moen and her colleagues may have found the solution.In a2011study,she investigated the effects of implementing a Results Only Work Environment(ROWE)on the productivity and well-being of employees at Best Buy’s corporate headquarters.[M]For the study,325employees spent six months taking part in ROWE,while a control group of334 employees continued with their normal workflow.The ROWE participants were allowed to freely determine when, where and how they worked---the only thing that mattered was that they got the job done.The results were striking. After six months,the employees who participated in ROWE reported reduced work-family conflict and a better sense of control of their time,and they were getting a full hour of extra sleep each night.The employees were less likely to leave their jobs,resulting in reduced turnover.It’s important to note that the increased flexibility didn’t encourage them to work around the clock.“They didn’t work anywhere and all the time---they were better able to manage their work,”Moen said.“Flexibility and control is key,”she continued.36.Workplace norms pressure employees to overwork,deterring them from taking paid time off.37.The overwhelming majority of employees attribute their stress mainly to low pay and an excessive workload.38.According to Moen,flexibility gives employees better control over their work and time.39.Flexibility resulting from the use of digital devices benefits employers instead of employees.40.Research finds that if employees suffer from high stress,they will be less motivated,less productive and more likely to quit.41.In-office wellness programs may help reduce stress levels,but they are hardly an ultimate solution to the problem.42.Health problems caused by stress in the workplace result in huge public health expenses.43.If employees respond quickly to their job assignments,the employer is likely to demand more from them.44.With technology everywhere in our life,it has become virtually impossible for most workers to keep a balance between work and life.45.In America today,even teenagers suffer from stress,and their problem is even more serious than grown-ups’.Section CDirections:There are two passages in this section.Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements.For each of them there are four choices marked A),B)，C)and D).You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet2with a single line through the center.Passage OneQuestions46to50are based on the following passage.Dr.Donald Sadoway at MIT started his own battery company with the hope of changing the world’s energy future.It’s a dramatic endorsement for a technology most people think about only when their smartphone goes dark. But Sadoway isn’t alone in trumpeting energy storage as a missing link to a cleaner,more efficient,and more equitable energy future.Scientists and engineers have long believed in the promise of batteries to change the world.Advanced batteries are moving out of specialized markets and creeping into the mainstream,signaling a tipping point for forward-looking technologies such as electric cars and rooftop solar panels.The ubiquitous(无所不在的)battery has already come a long way,of course.For better or worse,batteries make possible our mobile-first lifestyles,our screen culture,our increasingly globalized world.Still,as impressive as all this is,it may be trivial compared with what comes next.Having already enabled a communications revolution,the battery is now poised to transform just about everything else.The wireless age is expanding to include not just our phones,tablets,and laptops,but also our cars,homes,and even whole communities.In emerging economies,rural communities are bypassing the wires and wooden poles that spread power.Instead,some in Africa and Asia are seeing their first lightbulbs illuminated by the power of sunlight stored in batteries.Today,energy storage is a$33billion global industry that generates nearly100gigawatt-hours of electricity per year.By the end of the decade,it’s expected to be worth over$50billion and generate160gigawatt-hours,enough to梦想不会辜负每一个努力的人attract the attention of major companies that might not otherwise be interested in a decidedly pedestrian technology. Even utility companies,which have long viewed batteries and alternative forms of energy as a threat,are learning to embrace the technologies as enabling rather than disrupting.Today’s battery breakthroughs come as the world looks to expand modem energy access to the billion or so people without it,while also cutting back on fuels that warm the planet.Those simultaneous challenges appear less overwhelming with increasingly better answers to a centuries-old question:how to make power portable.To be sure,the battery still has a long way to go before the nightly recharge completely replaces the weekly trip to the gas station.A battery-powered world comes with its own risks,too.What happens to the centralized electric grid,which took decades and billions of dollars to build,as more and more people become“prosumers,”who produce and consume their own energy onsite?No one knows which---if any---battery technology will ultimately dominate,but one thing remains clear.The future of energy is in how we store it.46.What does Dr.Sadoway think of energy storage?A)It involves the application of sophisticated technology.B)It is the direction energy development should follow.C)It will prove to be a profitable business.D)It is a technology benefiting everyone.47.What is most likely to happen when advanced batteries become widely used?A)Mobile-first lifestyles will become popular.B)The globalization process will be accelerated.C)Communications will take more diverse forms.D)The world will undergo revolutionary changes.48.In some rural communities of emerging economies,people have begun to.A)find digital devices simply indispensableB)communicate primarily by mobile phoneC)light their homes with stored solar energyD)distribute power with wires and wooden poles49.Utility companies have begun to realize that battery technologies.A)benefit their businessB)transmit power fasterC)promote innovationD)encourage competition50.What does the author imply about the centralized electric grid?A)It might become a thing of the past.B)It might turn out to be a“prosumer.”C)It will be easier to operate and maintain.D)It will have to be completely transformed.Passage TwoQuestions51to55are based on the following passage.梦想不会辜负每一个努力的人More than100years ago,American sociologist W.E.B.Du Bois was concerned that race was being used as a biological explanation for what he understood to be social and cultural differences between different populations of people.He spoke out against the idea of“white”and“black”as distinct groups,claiming that these distinctions ignored the scope of human diversity.Science would favor Du Bois.Today,the mainstream belief among scientists is that race is a social construct without biological meaning.In an article published in the journal Science,four scholars say racial categories need to be phased out.“Essentially，I could not agree more with the authors,”said Svante Paabo,a biologist and director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany.In one example that demonstrated genetic differences were not fixed along racial lines,the full genomes(基因组)of James Watson and Craig Venter,two famous American scientists of European ancestry,were compared to that of a Korean scientist,Seong-Jin Kim.It turned out that Watson and Venter shared fewer variations in their genetic sequences than they each shared with Kim.Michael Yudell,a professor of public health at Drexel University in Philadelphia,said that modem genetics research is operating in a paradox:on the one hand,race is understood to be a useful tool to illuminate human genetic diversity,but on the other hand,race is also understood to be a poorly defined marker of that diversity.Assumptions about genetic differences between people of different races could be particularly dangerous in a medical setting.“If you make clinical predictions based on somebody’s race,you’re going to be wrong a good chunk of the time,Yudell told Live Science.In the paper,he and his colleagues used the example of cystic fibrosis,which is underdiagnosed in people of African ancestry because it is thought of as a“white”disease.So what other variables could be used if the racial concept is thrown out?Yudell said scientists need to get more specific with their language,perhaps using terms like“ancestry”or“population”that might more precisely reflect the relationship between humans and their genes,on both the individual and population level.The researchers also acknowledged that there are a few areas where race as a construct might still be useful in scientific research:as a political and social,but not biological,variable.“While we argue phasing out racial terminology(术语)in the biological sciences,we also acknowledge that using race as a political or social category to study racism,although filled with lots of challenges,remains necessary given our need to understand how structural inequities and discrimination produce health disparities(差异)between groups.”.Yudell said51.Du Bois was opposed to the use of race as.A)a basis for explaining human genetic diversityB)an aid to understanding different populationsC)an explanation for social and cultural differencesD)a term to describe individual human characteristics52.The study by Svante Paabo served as an example to show.A)modem genetics research is likely to fuel racial conflictsB)race is a poorly defined marker of human genetic diversityC)race as a biological term can explain human genetic diversityD)genetics research should consider social and cultural variables53.The example of the disease cystic fibrosis underdiagnosed in people of African ancestry demonstrates thatA)it is absolutely necessary to put race aside in making diagnosisB)it is important to include social variables in genetics research.C)racial categories for genetic diversity could lead to wrong clinical predictionsD)discrimination against black people may cause negligence in clinical treatment梦想不会辜负每一个努力的人54.What is Yudell’s suggestion to scientists?A)They be more precise with the language they use.B)They refrain from using politically sensitive terms.C)They throw out irrelevant concepts in their research.D)They examine all possible variables in their research.55.What can be inferred from Yudell’s remark in the last paragraph?A)Clinging to racism prolongs inequity and discrimination.B)Physiological disparities are quite striking among races.C)Doing away with racial discrimination is challenging.D)Racial terms are still useful in certain fields of study.Part 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.农业是中国的一个重要产业，从业者超过3亿。

六级英语真题2016年12月(第三套)试卷及答案详解

2016年12月六级考试真题（第三套）Part IWriting (30 minutes) ．． D1rect10ns: 凡r this part , yll d 30· ou are a owe minutes to write a short essay on innovation. Your essay should include the Part IIimportance of innovation and measures to be taken to encourage innovation. You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words. Listening Comprehension 说明：2016年12月六级真题全国共考了两套听力。

本套的听力内容与第二套的完全一样，只是选项的顺序不一样而已。

Part IDReading 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 f rom a list of cho即es 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 eachitem on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once. Small communities, with their distinctive character —where life is stable and intensely human —aredisappearing. Some have 26 from the face of the earth, others are dying slowly, but all have 27 changes as they have come into contact with an 28 machine civilization. The merging of diverse peoples into a commonmass has produced tension among members of the minorities and the majority alike.The Old Order Amish, who arrived on American shores in colonial times, have29 in the modem world in distinctive, small communities. They have resisted the homogenization 30 more successfully than others. In planting and harvest time one can see their bearded men working the fields with horses and their women hanging out the laundry in neat rows to dry. Many American people have seen Amish families, with the men wearing broadbrimmed black hats and the women in long dresses, in railway or bus31 . Although the Amish have lived with 32 America for over two and a half centuries, they have moderated its influence on their personal lives , theirfamilies, communities, and their values. The Amish are often 33 by other Americans to be relics of the past who live a simple, inflexible life dedicated to inconvenient out-dated customs. They are seen as abandoning both modem 34 and the Americandream of success and progress. But most people have no quarrel with the Amish for doing things the old-fashioned way. Their conscientious objection was tolerated in wartime, for after all, they are good farmers who 35 thevirtues of work and thrift.A) a ccessing B) c onvemences C) d estinedD) e xpanding E) i ndustrialized F) p erceivedG)practice H)process!)progressJ)respective K) s urvived L) t erminalsM) u ndergone N) u niversal O)vanishedSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains 叫ormation 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 questionsby marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Countries Rush for Upper Hand in Antarctica[ A]On a glacier-filled island with fjords (峡湾）and elephant seals ,Russia has built Antarctica's first Orthodox church on a hill overlooking its research base. Less than an hour away by snowmobile, Chinese labourers have updated the Great Wall Station, a vital part of China's plan to operate five bases on Antarctica, complete with an indoor badminton court and sleeping quarters for 150 people. Not to be outdone, India's futuristic new Bharathi base, built on stilts (桩子）using 134 interlocking shipping containers, resembles a spaceship. Turkey and Iran have announced plans to build bases, too.[ B ]More than a century has passed since explorers raced to plant their flags at the bottom of the world ,and for decades to come this continent is supposed to be protected as a scientific preserve, shielded from intrusions like military activities and mining. But an array of countries are rushing to assert greater influence here, with an eye not just towards the day those protective treaties expire, but also for the strategic and commercial opportunities that already exist.[ C]The newer players are stepping into what they view as a treasure house of resources. Some of the ventures focus on the Antarctic resources that are already up for grabs, like abundant sea life. South Korea, which operates state-of-the-art bases here, is increasing its fishing of krill (磷虾），found in abundance in the Southern Ocean, while Russia recently frustrated efforts to create one of the world's largest ocean sanctuaries here.[ D]Some scientists are examining the potential for harvesting icebergs from Antarctica, which is estimated to have the biggest reserves of fresh water on the planet. Nations are also pressing ahead with space research and satellite projects to expand their global navigation abilities.[ E]Building on a Soviet-era foothold, Russia is expanding its monitoring stations for Glonass, its version of the Global Positioning System (GPS) .At least three Russian stations are already operating in Antarctica, part of its effort to challenge the dominance of the American GPS , and new stations are planned for sites like the Russian base, in the shadow of the Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity.[ F]Elsewhere in Antarctica, Russian researchers boast of their recent discovery of a freshwater reserve the size of Lake Ontario after drilling through miles of solid ice. "You can see that we're here to stay," said Vladimir Cheberdak, 57 , chief of the Bellingshausen Station, as he sipped tea under a portrait of Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Russian Navy who explored the Antarctic coast in 1820. [ G]Antarctica's mineral, oil and gas wealth are a longer-term prize. The treaty banning mining here, shielding coveted (令人垂涎的）reserves of iron ore, coal and chromium, comes up for review in 2048. Researchers recently found kimberlite (金伯利岩）deposits hinting at the existence of diamonds. And while assessments vary widely, geologists estimate that Antarctica holds at least 36 billion barrels of oil and natural gas.[ H]Beyond the Antarctic treaties, huge obstacles persist to tapping these resources, like drifting icebergs that could jeopardise offshore platforms. Then there is Antarctica's remoteness, with some mineral deposits found in windswept locations on a continent that is larger than Europe and where winter temperatures hover around minus55 degrees Celsius.[I]But advances in technology might make Antarctica a lot more accessible three decades from now. And evenbefore then, scholars warn, the demand for resources in an energy-hungry world could raise pressure to renegotiate Antarctica's treaties, possibly allowing more commercial endeavours here well before the prohibitions against them expire. The research stations on King George Island offer a glimpse into the long game on this iceblanketed continent as nations assert themselves, eroding the sway long held by countries like the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.[ J]Being stationed in Antarctica involves adapting to life on the planet's driest, windiest and coldest continent, yet each nation manages to make itself at home. Bearded Russian priests offer regular services at the Orthodox church for the 16 or so Russian speakers who spend the winter at the base, largely polar scientists in fields like glaciology and meteorology. Their number climbs to about 40 in the warmer summer months. China has arguably the fastest-growing operations in Antarctica. It opened its fourth station last year and is pressing ahead with plans to build a fifth. It is building its second ice-breaking ship and setting up research drilling operations on an ice dome 13 ,422 feet above sea level that is one of the planet's coldest places. Chinese officials say the expansion in Antarctica prioritises scientific research, but they also acknowledge that concerns about "resource security" influence their moves.[ K]China's newly renovated Great Wall Station on King George Island makes the Russian and Chilean bases here seem outdated. "We do weather monitoring here and other research, "Ning Xu, 53 ,the chief of the Chinese base , said over tea during a fierce blizzard (暴风雪）in late November. The large base he leads resembles a snowed-in college campus on holiday break, with the capacity to sleep more than 10 times the 13 people who were staying on through the Antarctic winter. Yong Yu, a Chinese microbiologist, showed off the spacious building, with empty desks under an illustrated timeline detailing the rapid growth of China's Antarctic operations since the 1980s. "We now feel equipped to grow," he said.[ L]As some countries expand operations in Antarctica, the United States maintains three year-round stations on the continent with more than 1, 000 people during the southern hemisphere's summer, including those at the Amundsen-Scott station, built in 1956 at an elevation of 9,301 feet on a plateau at the South Pole. But US researchers quietly complain about budget restraints and having far fewer icebreakers than Russia, limiting the reach of the United States in Antarctica.[ M]Scholars warn that Antarctica's political drift could blur the distinction between military and civilian activities long before the continent's treaties come up for renegotiation, especially in parts of Antarctica that are ideal for intercepting (拦截）signals from satellites or retasking satellite systems , potentially enhancing global electronic intelligence operations.[ N]Some countries have had a hard time here. Brazil opened a research station in 1984, but it was largely destroyed by a fire that killed two members of the navy in 2012, the same year that a diesel-laden Brazilian barge sank near the base. As if that were not enough, a Brazilian C-130 Hercules military transport plane has remained stranded near the runway of Chile's air base here since it crash-landed in 2014.[ 0]However, Brazil's stretch of misfortune has created opportunities for China, with a Chinese company winning the MYMlOO million contract in 2015 to rebuild the Brazilian station.[ P]Amid all the changes, Antarctica maintains its allure. South Korea opened its second Antarctic research base in 2014, describing it as a way to test robots developed by Korean researchers for use in extreme conditions. WithRussia's help, Belarus is preparing to build its frrst Antarctic base. Colombia said this year that it planned to join other South American nations with bases in Antarctica.[ Q]" T he old days of the Antarctic being dominated by the interests and wishes of white men from European, Australasian and North American states are over," said Klaus Dodds, a politics scholar at the University of London who specialises in Antarctica. "The reality is that Antarctica is geopolitically contested. "36.According to Chinese officials, their activities in Antarctica lay greater emphasis on scientific research.37.Efforts to create one of the world's largest ocean sanctuaries failed because of Russia's obstruction.38.With several monitoring stations operating in Antarctica, Russia is trying hard to counter America's dominancein the field of worldwide navigational facilities.39.According to geologists'estimates, Antarctica has enormous reserves of oil and natural gas.40.It is estimated that Antarctica boasts of the richest reserves of fresh water on earth.41.The demand for energy resources may compel renegotiation of Antarctica's treaties before their expiration.42.Many countries are racing against each other to increase their business and strategic influence on Antarctica.43.Antarctica's harsh natural conditions constitute huge obstacles to the exploitation of its resources.44.With competition from many countries, Antarctica is no longer dominated by the traditional white nations.45.American scientists complain about lack of sufficient money and equipment for their expansion in Antarctica. Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A) , B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice andmark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.Any veteran nicotine addict will testify that fancy packaging plays no role in the decision to keep smoking. So, it is argued, stripping cartons of their branding will trigger no mass movement to quit.But that isn't why the government—under pressure from cancer charities, health workers and the Labour party— has agreed to legislate for standardised packaging. The theory is that smoking should be stripped of any appeal to discourage new generations from starting in the first place. Plain packaging would be another step in the reclassification of cigarettes from inviting consumer products to narcotics (麻醉剂）．Naturally, the tobacco industry is violently opposed. No business likes to admit that it sells addictive poison as a lifestyle choice. That is why government has historically intervened, banning advertising, imposing health warnings and punitive (惩罚性的）duties. This approach has led over time to a fall in smoking with numbers having roughly halved since the 1970s. Evidence from Australia suggests plain packaging pushes society further along that road. Since tobacco is one of the biggest causes of premature death in the UK, a measure that tames the habit even by a fraction is worth trying.So why has it taken so long? The Department of Health declared its intention to consider the move in November 2010 and consulted through 2012. But the plan was suspended in July 2013. It did not escape notice that a lobbying firm set up by Lynton Crosby, David Cameron's election campaign曲ector,had previously acted for Philip Morris International. (The prime minister denied there was a connection between his new adviser's outside interests and the change in legislative programme.) In November 2013 , after an unnecessary round of additional consultation, health minister Jane Ellison said the government was minded to proceed after all. Now we are told Members of Parliament (MPs) will have a free vote before parliament is dissolved in March.Parliament has in fact already authorised the government to tame the tobacco trade. MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of Labour amendments to the children and families bill last February that included the power to regulate for plain packaging. With sufficient will in Downing Street this would have been done already. But strength of will is the missing ingredient where Mr. Cameron and public health are concerned. His attitude to state intervention has looked confused ever since his bizarre 2006 lament (叹惜）that chocolate oranges placed seductively at supermarket checkouts fueled obesity.The government has moved reluctantly into a sensible public health policy, but with such obvious overcautiousness that any political credit due belongs to the opposition. Without sustained external pressure it seems certain Mr. Cameron would still be hooked on the interests of big tobacco companies.46.What do chain smokers think of cigarette packaging?A)Fancy packaging can help to engage new smokers.B)It has little to do with the quality or taste of cigarettes.C)Plain packaging discourages non-smokers from taking up smoking.D)It has little impact on their decision whether or not to quit smoking.47.What has the UK government agreed to do concerning tobacco packaging?A)Pass a law to standardise cigarette packaging.B)Rid cigarette cartons of all advertisements.C)Subsidise companies to adopt plain packaging.D)Reclassify cigarettes according to packaging.48.What has happened in Australia where plain packaging is implemented?A)Premature death rates resulting from smoking have declined.B)The number of smokers has dropped more sharply than in the UK.C)The sales of tobacco substitutes have increased considerably.D)Cigarette sales have been falling far more quickly than in the UK.49.Why has it taken so long for the UK government to consider plain packaging?A)Prime Minister Cameron has been reluctant to take action.B)There is strong opposition from veteran nicotine addicts.C)Many Members of Parliament are addicted to smoking.D Pressure from tobacco manufacturers rem扣ns strong.50.What did Cameron say about chocolate oranges at supermarket checkouts?A)They fueled a lot of controversy.B)They attracted a lot of smokers.C)They made more British people obese.D)They had certain ingredients missing.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.What a waste of money! In return for an average of£44 , 000 of debt, students get an average of only 14 hours of lecture and tutorial time a week in Britain. Annual fees have risen from£1 , 000 to£9 , 000 in the last decade , but contact time at university has barely risen at all. And graduating doesn't even provide any guarantee of a decent job: six in ten graduates today are in non-graduate jobs.No wonder it has become fashionable to denounce many universities as little more than elaborate con-trick s (骗术）. There's a lot for students to complain about: the repayment threshold for paying back loans will be frozen forfive years, meaning that lower-paid graduates have to start repaying their loans; and maintenance grants have been replaced by loans, meaning that students from poorer backgrounds face higher debt than those with wealthier parents.Yet it still pays to go to university. If going to university doesn't work out, students pay very little—if any—of their tuition fees back: you only start repaying when you are earning£21,000 a year. Almost half of graduates— those who go on to earn less—will have a portion of their debt written off. It's not just the lectures and tutorials that are important. Education is the sum of what students teach each other in between lectures and seminars. Students do not merely benefit while at university; studies show they go on to be healthier and happier than non-graduates, and also far more likely to vote.Whatever your talents, it is extraordinarily difficult to get a leading job in most fields without having been to university. Recruiters circle elite universities like vultures (兀鹰）. Many top firms will not even look at applications from those who lack a 2. 1, i.e. , an upper-second class degree, from an elite university. Students at university also meet those likely to be in leading jobs in the future, forming contacts for life. This might not be right, but schoolleavers who fail to acknowledge as much risk making the wrong decision about going to university.Perhaps the reason why so many universities offer their students so little is they know studying at a top university remains a brilliant investment even if you don't learn anything. Studying at university will only become less attractive if employers shift their focus away from where someone went to university—and there is no sign of that happening anytime soon. School-leavers may moan, but they have little choice but to embrace university and the student debt that comes with it.51.What is the author's opinion of going to university?A)It is worthwhile after all.B)It is simply a waste of time.C)It is hard to say whether it is good or bad.D)It is too expensive for most young people.52.What does the author say about the employment situation of British university graduates?A)Few of them are satisfied with the jobs they are offered.B)It usually takes a long time for them to find a decent job.C)Graduates from elite universities usually can get decent jobs.D)Most of them take jobs which don't require a college degree.53.What does the author say is important for university students besides classroom ins血ction?A)Making sure to obtain an upper-second class degree.B)Practical skills they will need in their future careers.C)Interactions among themselves outside the classroom.D)Developing independent and creative thinking abilities.54.What is said to be an advantage of going to university?A)Learning how to take risks in an ever-changing world.B)Meeting people who will be helpful to you in the future.C)Having opportunities of playing a leading role in society.D)Gaining up-to-date knowledge in science and technology.55.What can we infer from the last paragraph?A)It is natural for students to make complaints about university education.B)Few students are willing to bear the burden of debt incurred at university.C)University education is becoming attractive to students who can afford it.D)The prestige of the university influences employers'recruitment decisions.Part IV Translation (30 minutes) Directions : 凡r this part yo u are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passa g e f rom Chinese into E ng lish. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.随着生活水平的提高，度假在中国人生活中的作用越来越重要。