2017年6月英语六级真题卷一及答案解析和听力原文

2017

年

6

月英语六 级真题卷一及答案解析和听力原文

2017

< br>年

6

月英语六级真题卷一

Part I Writing(30 minutes)

Directions: Suppose you are asked to give advice on whether to attend a vocational college

or a university, write an essay to state your opinion. You are required to write at least 150 words

but no more than 200 words.

Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)

Section A

Directions:

In

this

section,

you

will

hear

two

long

conversations.

At

the

end

of

each

conversation,

you

will

hear

four

questions.

Both

the

conversation

and

the

questions

will

be

spoken

only

once.

After you

hear

a

question,

you

must

choose

the

best

answer

from

the

four

choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a

single line through the centre.

Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

1. A) He would feel insulted.

B) He would feel very sad.

C) He would be embarrassed.

D) He would be disappointed.

2. A) They are worthy of a prize.

B) They are of little value.

C) They make good reading.

D) They need improvement.

3. A) He seldom writes a book straight through.

B) He writes several books simultaneously.

C) He draws on his real-life experiences.

D) He often turns to his wife for help.

4. A) Writing a book is just like watching a football match.

B) Writers actually work every bit as hard as footballers.

C) He likes watching a football match after finishing a book.

D) Unlike a football match, there is no end to writing a book.

Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

5. A) Achievements of black male athletes in college.

B) Financial assistance to black athletes in college.

C) High college dropout rates among black athletes.

D) Undergraduate enrollments of black athletes.

6. A) They display great talent in every kind of game.

B) They are better at sports than at academic work.

C) They have difficulty finding money to complete their studies.

D) They make money for the college but often fail to earn a degree.

7. A) About 15%.

B) Around 40%.

C) Slightly over 50%.

D) Approximately 70%.

8. A) Coaches lack the incentive to graduate them.

B) College degrees do not count much to them.

C) They have little interest in academic work.

D) Schools do not deem it a serious problem.

Section B

Directions: In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will

hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After

you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C)

and

D).

Then

mark

the

corresponding

letter

on

Answer

Sheet

1

with

a

single

line

through

the

centre.

Questions 9 to 12 are based on the passage you have just heard.

9. A) Marketing strategies.

B) Holiday shopping.

C) Shopping malls.

D) Online stores.

10. A) About 50% of holiday shoppers.

B) About 20-30% of holiday shoppers.

11. A) They have fewer customers.

B) They find it hard to survive.

12. A) Better quality of consumer goods.

B) Higher employment and wages.

C) About 136 million.

D) About 183.8 million.

C) They are thriving once more.

D) They appeal to elderly customers.

C) Greater varieties of commodities.

D) People having more leisure time.

Questions 13 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.

13. A) They are new species of big insects.

C)They are life-threatening diseases.

B)They are overprescribed antibiotics.

D)They are antibiotic- resistant bacteria.

14. A) Antibiotics are now in short supply.

C)Large amounts of tax money are wasted.

B)Many infections are no longer curable.

D)Routine operations have become complex.

15. A) Facilities.

Section C

B)Expertise.

C)Money.

D)Publicity.

Directions:

In

this

section,

you

will

hear

three

recordings

of

lectures

or

talks

followed

by

three or four questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you

must

choose

the

best

answer

from

the

four

choices

marked

A),

B),

CJ

and

D).

Then

mark

the

corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.

16. A) It is accessible only to the talented.

C) It starts a lifelong learning process.

B) It improves students’ ability to think.

D) It gives birth to many eminent scholars.

17. A) They encourage academic democracy.

C)

They uphold the presidents’ authority.

B) They promote globalization.

D) They protect students’ rights.

18. A) His thirst for knowledge.

B) His eagerness to find a job.

C) His contempt for authority.

D) His potential for leadership.

Questions 19 to 22 are based on the recording you have just heard.

19. A) Few people know how to retrieve information properly.

B)People can enhance their memory with a few tricks.

C)Most people have a rather poor long- term memory.

D)People tend to underestimate their mental powers.

20. A) They present the states in a surprisingly different order.

B)They include more or less the same number of states.

C)They are exactly the same as is shown in the atlas.

D)They contain names of the most familiar states.

21. A) Focusing on what is likely to be tested.

B)Having a good sleep the night before.

C)Reviewing your lessons where the exam is to take place.

D)Making sensible decisions while choosing your answers.

22. A) Discover when you can learn best.

C) Give yourself a double bonus afterwards.

B) Change your time of study daily.

D) Follow the example of a marathon runner.

Questions 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.

23. A) He is a politician.

B) He is a businessman.

C)He is a sociologist.

D) He is an economist.

24. A) In slums.

B) In Africa.

C) In pre-industrial societies.

D) In developing countries.

25. A) They have no access to health care, let alone entertainment or recreation.

B)Their income is less than 50% of the national average family income.

C)They work extra hours to have their basic needs met.

D)Their children cannot afford to go to private schools.

Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)

Section A

Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one

word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the

passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a

letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer sheet 2 with a single line

through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.

After becoming president of Purdue University in 2013, Mitch Daniels asked the faculty to

prove that their

students have actually achieved one of higher education’s most important goals:

critical thinking skills. Two years before, a nationwide study of college graduates had shown that

more than a third had made no

26

gains in such mental abilities during their school years. Mr.

Daniels

needed

to

27

the

high

cost

of

attending

Purdue

to

its

students

and

their

families.

After all, the percentage of Americans who say a college degree is “very important” has fallen

28

in the last 5-6 years.

Purdue n

ow has a pilot test to assess students’ critical thinking skills. Yet like many college

teachers around the U.S., the faculty remain

29

that their work as educators can be measured

by

a

“learning

30

”

such

as

a

graduate’s

ability

to

investigate

and

rea

son.

However,

the

professors need not worry so much. The results of a recent experiment showed that professors

can

use

31

metrics

to

measure

how

well

students

do

in

three

key

areas:

critical

thinking,

written communication, and quantitative literacy.

Despite

the

success

of

the

experiment,

the

actual

results

are

worrisome,

and

mostly

32

earlier

studies.

The

organizers

of

the

experiment

concluded

that

far

fewer

students

were

achieving at high levels on critical thinking than they were doing for written communication or

quantitative literacy. And that conclusion is based only on students nearing graduation.

American universities, despite their global

33

for excellence in teaching, have only begun

to demonstrate what they can produce in real-world learning. Knowledge-based degrees are still

important,

but

employers

are

34

advanced

thinking

skills

from

college

graduates.

If

the

intellectual

worth

of

a

college

degree

can

be

35

measured,

more

people

will

seek

higher

education---and come out better thinkers.

A) accurately

B) confirm

C) demanding

D) doubtful

E) drastically

Section B

Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it.

Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from

which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is

marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer sheet

2.

The Price of Oil and the Price of Carbon

[A]

Fossil

fuel

prices

are

likely

to

stay

“low

for

long”.

Notwithstanding

important

recent

progress

in

developing

renewable

fuel

sources,

low

fossil

fuel

prices

could

discourage

further

innovation

in,

and

adoption

of,

cleaner

energy

technologies.

The

result

would

be

higher

emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

[B]

Policymakers

should

not

allow

low energy

prices

to

derail

the

clean energy

transition.

Action

to

restore

appropriate

price

incentives,

notably

through

corrective

carbon

pricing,

is

urgently

needed

to

lower

the

risk

of

irreversible

and

potentially

devastating

effects

of

climate

change. That approach also offers fiscal benefits.

[C] Oil prices have dropped by over 60% since June 2014. A commonly held view in the oil

industry is that “the best cure for low oil prices is low oil prices”. The reasoning behind this saying

is that low oil prices discourage investment in new production capacity, eventually shifting the oil

supply curve backward and bringing prices back up as existing oil fields---which can be tapped at

relatively

low

marginal

cost----are

depleted.

In

fact,

in

line

with

past

experience,

capital

F) justify

G) monopolized

H) outcome

I) predominance

J) presuming

K) reputation

L) significant

M) signify

N) simultaneously

O) standardized

expenditure

in

the

oil

sector

has

dropped

sharply

in

many

producing

countries,

including

the

United

States.

The

dynamic

adjustment

to

low

oil

prices

may,

however,

be

different

this

time

around.

[D] Oil prices are expected to remain lower for longer. The advent of new technologies has

added

about

4.2

million

barrels

per

day

to

the

crude

oil

market,

contributing

to

a

global

over-supply. In addition, other factors are putting downward pressure on oil prices: change in the

strategic behavior of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, the projected increase in

Iranian

exports,

the

scaling-down

of

global

demand

(especially

from

emerging

markets),

the

long-term drop in petroleum consumption in the United States, and some displacement of oil by

substitutes. These likely persistent forces, like the growth of shale(

页岩

) oil, point to a

“

low for

long

”

scenario. Futures markets, which show only a modest recovery of prices to around $$60 a

barrel by 2019, support this view.

[E] Natural gas and coal

—

also fossil fuels

—

have similarly seen price declines that look to be

long- lived.

Coal

and

natural

gas

are

mainly

used

for

electricity

generation,

whereas

oil

is

used

mostly to power transportation, yet the prices of all these energy sources are linked. The North

American

shale

gas

boom

has

resulted

in

record

low

prices

there.

The

recent

discovery

of

the

giant

Zohr

gas

field

off

the

Egyptian

coast

will

eventually

have

impact

on

pricing

in

the

Mediterranean region and Europe, and there is significant development potential in many other

places, notably Argentina. Coal prices also are low, owing to over- supply and the scaling-down of

demand, especially from China, which bums half of the world’s coal.

[F] Technological innovations have unleashed the power of renewables such as wind, hydro,

solar,

and

geothermal(

地热

).

Even

Africa

and

the

Middle

East,

home

to

economies

that

are

heavily

dependent

on

fossil

fuel exports,

have enormous

potential

to

develop renewables.

For

example, the United Arab Emirates has endorsed an ambitious target to draw 24% of its primary

energy consumption from renewable sources by 2021.

[G] Progress in the development of renewables could be fragile, however, if fossil fuel prices

remain

low

for

long.

Renewables

account

for

only

a

small

share

of

global

primary

energy

consumption, which is still dominated by fossil fuels

—

30% each for coal and oil, 25% for natural

gas. But renewable energy will have to displace fossil fuels to a much greater extent in the future

to avoid unacceptable climate risks.

[H] Unfortunately, the current low prices for oil, gas, and coal may provide little incentive for

research

to

find

even

cheaper

substitutes

for

those

fuels.

There

is

strong

evidence

that

both

innovation

and

adoption

of

cleaner

technology

are

strongly

encouraged

by

higher

fossil

fuel

prices. The same is true for new technologies for alleviating fossil fuel emissions.

[I]

The

current

low

fossil

fuel

price

environment

will

thus

certainly

delay

the

energy

transition from fossil fuel to clean energy sources. Unless renewables become cheap enough that

substantial carbon deposits are left underground for a very long time, if not forever, the planet

will likely be exposed to potentially catastrophic climate risks.

[J]

Some

climate

impacts

may

already

be

discernible.

For

example,

the

United

Nations

Children

’

s Fund estimates that some 11 million children in Africa face hunger, disease, and water

shortages as a result of the strongest El Nino(

厄尔尼诺

) weather phenomenon in decades. Many

scientists

believe

that

El

Nino

events,

caused

by

warming

in

the

Pacific,

are

becoming

more

intense as a result of climate change.

[K]

Nations

from

around

the

world

have

gathered

in

Paris

for

the

United

Nations

Climate

Change

Conference,

COP

21,

with

the

goal

of

a

universal

and

potentially

legally-binding

agreement

on

reducing

greenhouse

gas

emissions.

We

need

very

broad

participation

to

fully

address

the

global

tragedy

that

results

when

countries

fail

to

take

into

account

the

negative

impact of their carbon emissions on the rest of the world. Moreover, non-participation by nations,

if sufficiently widespread, can undermine the political will of participating countries to act.

[L]

The

nations

participating

at

COP

21

are

focusing

on

quantitative

emissions- reduction

commitments. Economic reasoning shows that the least expensive way for each country is to put

a

price

on

carbon

emissions.

The

reason

is

that

when

carbon

is

priced,

those

emissions

reductions that are least costly to implement will happen first. The International Monetary Fund

calculates

that

countries

can

generate

substantial

fiscal

revenues

by

eliminating

fossil

fuel

subsidies and levying carbon charges that capture the domestic damage caused by emissions. A

tax on upstream carbon sources is one easy way to put a price on carbon emissions, although

some countries may wish to use other methods, such as emissions trading schemes. In order to

maximize

global

welfare,

every

country’s

carbon

pricing

should

reflec

t

not

only

the

purely

domestic damage from emissions, but also the damage to foreign countries.

[M]

Setting

the

right

carbon

price

will

therefore

efficiently

align

the

costs

paid

by

carbon

users with the true social opportunity cost of using carbon. By raising relative demand for clean

energy

sources,

a

carbon

price

would

also

help

align

the

market

return

to

clean- energy

innovation

with

its

social

return,

spurring

the

refinement

of

existing

technologies

and

the

development

of

new

ones.

And

it

would

raise

the

demand

for

technologies

such

as

carbon

capture

and

storage,

spurring

their

further

development.

If

not

corrected

by

the

appropriate

carbon

price,

low

fossil

fuel

prices

are

not

accurately

signaling

to

markets

the

true

social

profitability of clean energy. While alternative estimates of the damage from carbon emissions

differ, and it’s especially hard to reckon the likely costs of possible catastrophic climate events,

most estimates suggest substantial negative effects.

[N] Direct subsidies to research and development have been adopted by some governments

but are a poor substitute for a carbon price: they do only part of the job, leaving in place market

incentives to over-use fossil fuels and thereby add to the stock of atmospheric greenhouse gases

without regard to the collateral(

附带的

) costs.

[O] The hope is that the success of COP 21 opens the door to future international agreement

on

carbon

prices.

Agreement

on

an

international

carbon-price

floor

would

be

a

good

starting

point

in

that

process.

Failure

to

address

comprehensively

the

problem

of

greenhouse

gas

emissions, however, exposes all generations, present and future, to incalculable risks.

36. A number of factors are driving down the global oil prices not just for now but in the

foreseeable future.

37. Pricing carbon proves the most economical way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

38. It is estimated that extreme weather conditions have endangered the lives of millions of

African children.

39. The prices of coal are low as a result of over-supply and decreasing demand.

40. Higher fossil fuel prices prove to be conducive to innovation and application of cleaner

technology.

41.

If

fossil

fuel

prices

remain

low

for

a

long

time,

it

may

lead

to

higher

emissions

of

greenhouse gases.

42. Fossil fuels remain th

e major source of primary energy consumption in today’s world.

43.

Even

major

fossil

exporting

countries

have

great

potential

to

develop

renewable

energies.

44.

Greenhouse

gas

emissions,

if

not

properly

dealt

with,

will

pose

endless

risks

for

mankind.

45. It is urgent for governments to increase the cost of using fossil fuels to an appropriate

level to lessen the catastrophic effects of climate change.

Section C

Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions

or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You

should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a

single line through the centre.

Passage One

Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.

Tennessee

’

s

technical

and

community

colleges

will

not

outsource(

外包

)

management

of

their facilities to a private company, a decision one leader said was bolstered by an analysis of

spending at each campus.

In an email sent Monday to college presidents in the Tennessee Board of Regents system,

outgoing Chancellor John Morgan said an internal analysis showed that each campus’ spending

on facilities management fell well below the industry standards identified by the state. Morgan

said those findings

—

which included data from the system’s 13 community colleges, 27 technical

colleges and six universities

—

were part of the decision not to move forward with Governor Bill

Haslam’s proposal to privatize management of state buildings in an

effort to save money.

“

While these numbers are still being validated by the state, we feel any adjustments they

might

suggest

will

be

immaterial,”

Morgan

wrote

to

the

presidents.

“System

institutions

are

operating very efficiently based on this analysis, raising the question of the value of pursuing a

broad scale outsourcing initiative.”

Worker’s

advocates

have

criticized

Haslam’s

plan,

saying

it

would

mean

some

campus

workers would lose their jobs or benefits. Haslam has said colleges would be free to opt in or out

of the out souring plan, which has not been finalized.

Morgan

notified

the

Haslam

administration

of

his

decision

to

opt

out

in

a

letter

sent

last

week.

That

letter,

which

includes

several

concerns

Morgan

has

with

the

plan,

was

originally

obtained by The Commercial Appeal in Memphis.

In

an

email

statement

from

the

state’s

Office

of

Customer

Focused Government, which

is

examining the possibility of outsourcing, spokeswoman Michelle R. Martin said officials were still

working to analyze the data from the Board of Regents. Data on management expenses at the

college system and in other state departments will be part of a “business justification” the state

will use as officials deliberate the specifics of an outsourcing plan.

“

The

state’s

facilities

man

agement

project

team

is

still

in

the

process

of

developing

its

business justification and expects to have that completed and available to the public at the end of

February,” Martin said. “At this time there is nothing to take action on since the analysis h

as yet

to be completed.”

Morgan’s comments on outsourcing mark the second time this month that he has come out

against one of Haslam’s plans for higher education in Tennessee. Morgan said last week that he

would retire at the end of January because of the

governor’s proposal to split off six universities

of the Board of Regents system and create separate governing boards for each of them. In his

resignation letter, Morgan called the reorganization “unworkable”.

46. What do we learn about the decision of technical and community colleges in Tennessee?

A) It is backed by a campus spending analysis.

C)It has neglected their faculty’s demands.

B)It has been flatly rejected by the governor.

D)It will improve their financial situation.

47. What does the campus spending analysis reveal?

A) Private companies play a big role in campus management.

B)Facilities management by colleges is more cost-effective.

C)Facilities management has greatly improved in recent years.

D)Colleges exercise foil control over their own financial affairs.

48. Workers’ supporters argue that Bill Haslam’s proposal would _________.

A) deprive colleges of the right to manage their facilities

B)make workers less motivated in performing duties

C)render a number of campus workers jobless

D)lead to the privatization of campus facilities

49. What do we learn from the state spokeswoman’s response to John Morgan’s decision?

A) The outsourcing plan is not yet finalized.

B)The outsourcing plan will be implemented.

C)The state officials are confident about the outsourcing plan.

D)The college spending analysis justifies the outsourcing plan.

50. Why did John Morgan decide to resign?

A) He had lost confidence in the Tennessee state government.

B)He disagreed with the governor on higher education policies.

C)He thought the state’s outsourcing proposal was simply unworkable.

D)He opposed the governor’s plan to reconstruct the college board system.

Passage Two

Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

Macy’s

reported

its

sales

plunged

5.2%

in

Nove

mber

and

December

at

stores

open

more

than

a

year,

a

disappointing

holiday

season

performance

that

capped

a

difficult

year

for

a

department

store

chain

facing

wide-ranging

challenges.

Its

flagship

stores

in

major

U.S.

cities

depend heavily on international tourist spending, which shrank at many retailers due to a strong

dollar.

Meanwhile,

Macy’s

has

simply

struggled

to

lure

consumers

who

are

more

interested

in

spending on travel or dining out than on new clothes or accessories.

The

company

blamed

much

of

the

poor

performance

in

November

and

December

on

unseasonably

warm

weather.

“

About

80%

of

our

company

’

s

year-over-year

declines

in

comparable

sales

can

be

attributed

to

shortfalls(

短缺

)

in

cold-weather

goods,

”

said

chief

executive Teny Lundgren in a press release. This prompted the company to cut its forecasts for

the full fourth quarter.

However,

it

’

s

clear

that

Macy

’

s

believes

its

troubles

run

deeper

than

a

temporary

aberration (

偏离

) off the thermometer. The retail giant said the poor financial performance this

year has pushed it to begin implementing $$400 million in cost-cutting measures. The company

pledged

to

cut

600

back-office

positions,

though

some

150

workers

in

those

roles

would

be

reassigned

to

other

jobs.

It

also

plans

to

offer

“voluntary

separation”

packages

to

165

senior

executives. It will slash staffing at its fleet of 770 stores, a move affecting some 3,000 employees.

The

retailer

also

announced

the

locations

of

36

stores

it

will

close

in

early

2016.

The

company had previously announced the planned closures, but had not said which locations would

be affected. None of the chain’s stores in the Washington metropolitan area are to be closed.

Macy’s has been moving aggressively to try to remake itself for a new era of shopping. It has

plans

to

open

mor

e

locations

of

Macy’s

Backstage,

a

newly

-developed

off-price

concept

which

might help it better compete with ambitious T. J. Maxx. It’s also pushing ahead in 2016 with an

expansion

of

Bluemercury,

the

beauty

chain

it

bought

last

year.

At

a

time

when

young

beauty

shoppers

are

often

turning

to

Sephora

or

Ulta

instead

of

department

store

beauty

counters,

Macy’s hopes Bluemercury will help strengthen its position in the category.

One relative bright spot for Macy’s during the holiday season was the online chann

el, where

it rang up “double

-

digit” increases in sales and a 25% increase in the number of orders it filled.

That relative strength would be consistent with what was seen in the wilder retail industry during

the early part of the holiday season. While Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday all saw

record spending online, in-store sales plunged over the holiday weekend.

51. What does the author say about the shrinking spending of international tourists in the

U.S.?

A)It is attributable to the rising value of the U.S. dollar.

B)It is a direct result of the global economic recession.

C)It reflects a shift of their interest in consumer goods.

D)It poses a potential threat to the retail business in the U.S.

52. What does Macy’s believe about its problems?

A) They can be solved with better management.

B) They cannot be attributed to weather only.

C) They are not as serious in its online stores.

D) They call for increased investments.

53. In order to cut costs, Macy’s decided to ________.

A) cut the salary of senior executives

B) relocate some of its chain stores

C) adjust its promotion strategies

D) reduce the size of its staff

54. Why does Macy’s plan to expand Bluemercury in 2016?

A) To experiment on its new business concept.

B) To focus more on beauty products than clothing.

C) To promote sales of its products by lowering prices.

D) To be more competitive in sales of beauty products.

55. What can we learn about Macy’s during the holiday season?

A) Sales dropped sharply in its physical stores.

B)Its retail sales exceeded those of T. J. Maxx.

C)It helped Bluemercury establish its position worldwide.

D)It filled its stores with abundant supply of merchandise.

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.

宋朝始于

960

年，一直延续到

1279

年 。这一时期，中国经济大幅增长，成为世界上最

先进的经济体，

科学、技术、哲学和数学蓬勃发展。宋代中国是世界历史上首先发行纸币的

国家。宋朝还 最早使用火药并发明了活字（

movable-type

）印刷 。人口增长迅速，越来越多

的人住进城市，

那里有热闹的娱乐场 所。

社会生活多种多样。

人们聚集在一起观看和交易珍