2017年6月英語六級真題第3套

1、2017年6月英語六級真題（第三套）Part IWriting（30 minutes）Directions: Suppose you are asked to give advice on whether to major in science or humanities at college, 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 minut

2、es）（說明：由于2017年6月六級考試全國共考了2套聽力，本套真題聽力與前2套內(nèi)容完全一樣，只是順序不一樣，因此在本套真題中不再重復出現(xiàn)）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 pass

3、age. 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.Half of your

4、brain stays alert and prepared for danger when you sleep in a new place, a study has revealed. This phenomenon is often 26 to as the “first-night-effect”. Researchers from Brown University found that a network in the left hemisphere of the brain “remained more active” than the network in the right s

5、ide of the brain. Playing sounds into the right ears （stimulating the left hemisphere） of 27 was more likely to wake them up than if the noises were played into their left ear.It was 28 observed that the brain was more active during deep sleep. When the researchers repeated the laboratory experiment

6、 on the second and third nights they found the left hemisphere could not be stimulated in the same way during deep sleep. The researchers explained that the study demonstrated “when we areina 29 environment, the brain partly remains alert so that humans can defend themselves against any 30 danger.”T

7、he researchers believe this is the first time that the “first-night-effect” of different brain states has been 31 in humans. It isnt, however, the first time it has ever been seen. Some animal 32 also display this phenomenon. For example, dolphins, as well as other 33 animals shut down one hemispher

8、e of the brain when they go to sleep. A previous study noted that dolphins always 34 control their breathing. Without keeping the brain active while sleeping, they would probably down. But, as the human study suggest, another reason for dolphins keeping their eyes open during sleep is that they can

9、look out for 35 while asleep. It also keeps their physiological processes working. A）classifiedB）consciouslyC）dramaticallyD）exoticE）identifiedF）inherentG）marineH）novelI）potentialJ）predatorsK）referredL）speciesM）specificallyN）varietiesO）volunteersSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to

10、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

11、corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.The Price of Oil and the Price of CarbonAFossil fuel prices are likely to stay “l(fā)ow for long”. Notwithstanding important recent progress in developing renewable fuel sources, low fossil fuel prices could discourage further innovation in, and adoption of, cleane

12、r energy technologies. The result would be higher emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.BPolicymakers 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 need

13、ed to lower the risk of irreversible and potentially devastating effects of climate change. That approach also offers fiscal benefits.COil prices have dropped by over 60 percent since June 2014. A commonly held view in the oil industry is that “the best cure for low oil prices is low oil prices”. Th

14、e 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 fieldswhich can be tapped at relatively low marginal costare depleted. In fact, in line with past expe

15、rience, capital 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.DOil prices are expected to remain lower for longer. The advent of new technologies has add

16、ed 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

17、, 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（頁巖）, point to a “l(fā)ow for long” scenario. Futures markets, whi

18、ch show only a modest recovery of prices to around $60 a barrel by 2019, support this view.ENatural gas and coalalso fossil fuelshave 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 transpo

19、rtation, 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

20、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 burns half of the worlds coal.FTechnological innovations have unleashed the power of renewables such as wind, hydr

21、o, solar, and geothermal（地熱）. 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

22、 renewable sources by 2021.GProgress 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 fuels30% each for coal and oil, 25% for natur

23、al gas. But renewable energy will have to displace fossil fuels to a much greater extent in the future to avoid unacceptable climate risks.HUnfortunately, the current low prices for oil, gas, and coal may provide little incentive for research to find even cheaper substitutes for those fuels. There i

24、s 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.IThe current low fossil-fuel price environment will thus certainly delay the energy transition f

25、rom 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.JSome climate impacts may already be discernible. For

26、 example, the United Nations Childrens Fund estimates that some 11 million children in Africa face hunger, disease, and water shortages as a result of the strongest El Nio（厄爾尼諾）weather phenomenon in decades. Many scientists believe that El Nio events, caused by warming in the Pacific, are becoming m

27、ore intense as a result of climate change.KNations 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 a

28、ddress fully 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-participants by nations, if sufficiently widespread, can undermine the political will of participating countries to act.LThe nat

29、ions 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 imple

30、ment 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 p

31、rice on carbon emissions, although some countries may wish to use other methods, such as emissions trading schemes. In order to maximize global welfare, every countrys carbon pricing should reflect not only the purely domestic damages from emissions, but also the damages to foreign countries.MSettin

32、g 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 to align the market return to clean-energy innovation with its social re

33、turn, 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 s

34、ignaling to markets the true social profitability of clean energy. While alternative estimates of the damages from carbon emissions differ, and its especially hard to reckon the likely costs of possible catastrophic climate events, most estimates suggest substantial negative effects.NDirect subsidie

35、s 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（附帶

36、的）costs.OThe 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, exp

37、oses 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

38、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

39、 time, it may lead to higher emissions of greenhouse gases.42. Fossil fuels remain the major source of primary energy consumption in todays world.43. Even major fossil exporting countries have great potential to develop renewable energies.44. Greenhouse gas emissions, if not properly dealt with, wil

40、l 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 CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinishe

41、d 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.Tennessees technical and com

42、munity college 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 a

43、n internal analysis showed that each campus spending on facilities management fell well below the industry standards identified by the state. Morgan said those findingswhich included data from the systems 13 community colleges, 27 technical colleges and six universitieswere part of the decision not

44、to move forward with Governor Bill Haslams 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

45、are operating very efficiently based on this analysis, raising the question of the value of pursing a broad scale outsourcing initiative.”Workers advocates have criticized Haslams plan, saying it would mean some campus workers would lose their jobs or benefits. Haslam has said colleges would be free

46、 to opt in or out of the outsourcing plan, which has not been finalized.Morgan notified that 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

47、.In an email statement from the states 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 ot

48、her state departments will be part of a “business justification” the state will use as officials deliberate the specifics of an outsourcing plan.“The states facilities management project team is still in the process of developing its business justification and expects to have that completed and avai

49、lable to the public at the end of February,” Martin said. “At this time there is nothing to take action on since the analysis has yet to be completed.”Morgans comments on outsourcing mark the second time this month that he has come out against one of Haslams plans for higher education in Tennessee.

50、Morgan said last week that he would retire at the end of January because of the governors 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

51、we learn about the decision of technical and community colleges in Tennessee?A）It is backed by a campus spending analysis.B）It has been flatly rejected by the governor.C）It has neglected their facultys demands.D）It will improve their financial situation.47. What does the campus spending analysis rev

52、eal?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）College exercise full control over their own financial affairs.48. Workers supporters argue that Bill Haslams proposa

53、l would _.A）deprive colleges of the right to manage their facilitiesB）make workers less motivated in performing dutiesC）render a number of campus workers joblessD）lead to the privatization of campus facilities49. What do we learn from the state spokeswomans response to John Morgans decision?A）The ou

54、tsourcing 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 govern

55、ment.B）He disagreed with the governor on higher education policies.C）He thought the states outsourcing proposal was simply unworkable.D）He opposed the governors plan to reconstruct the college board system.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.Macys reported its sales plun

56、ged 5.2% in November 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 shr

57、ank at many retailers due to a strong dollar. Meanwhile, Macys 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.

58、“About 80% of our companys year-over-year declines in comparable sales can be attributed to shortfalls（短缺）in cold-weather goods,” said chief executive Terry Lundgren in a press release. This prompted the company to cut its forecasts for the full fourth quarter.However, its clear that Macys believes its troubles run deeper than a temporary aberration（偏離）off the thermometer. The retail giant said the poor financial performance this year has pushed it to begin implementing $400 million in cost-cuttin