2017年6月大學(xué)英語六級英語真題（卷一）

第第12頁2017年6月大學(xué)英語六級真題試卷一PartIWriting(30minutes)(請于正式開考后半小時內(nèi)完成該部分，之后將進行聽力考試)Directions:Supposeyouareaskedtogiveadviceonwhethertomajorinscienceorhumanitiesatcollege，writeanessaytostateyouropinion.Youarerequiredtowriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.PartIIListeningComprehension(30minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,youwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions1to4arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.1.A)Doingenjoyablework.C)Earningacompetitivesalary.B)Havingfriendlycolleagues.D)Workingforsupportivebosses.2.A)31%.B)20%.C)25%.D)73%.3.A)Thoseofasmallsize.B)Thoserunbywomen.C)Thosethatarewellmanaged.D)Thosefullofskilledworkers.4.A)Theycanhopfromjobtojobeasily.B)Theycanwinrecognitionoftheirwork.

C)Theycanbetterbalanceworkandlife.D)Theycantakeonmorethanonejob.Questions5to8arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.5.A) ItisabookofEuropeanhistory.B)Itisanintroductiontomusic.C)ItisaboutthecityofBruges. D)Itisacollectionofphotos.A)WhenpaintingtheconcerthallofBruges.B)WhenvacationinginanItaliancoastalcity.C)Whentakingpicturesforaconcertcatalogue.D)WhenwritingaboutBelgium’scoastalregions.7.A)TheentireEuropeancoastlinewillbesubmerged.B)TherichheritageofEuropewillbelostcompletely.C)TheseawaterofEuropewillbeseriouslypolluted.D)ThemajorEuropeanscenicspotswilldisappear.8.A)Itswaterwaysarebeingincreasinglypolluted.B)Peoplecannotgetaroundwithoutusingboats.C)Itattractslargenumbersoftouristsfromhomeandabroad.D)Touristsusewoodenpathstoreachtheirhotelsinthemorning.SectionBDirections:Inthissection,youwillheartwopassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearthreeorfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion，youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions9to12arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.9.A)Theymakecarefulpreparationsbeforehand.B)Theytaketoomanyirrelevantfactorsintoaccount.C)Theyspendtoomuchtimeanticipatingtheirdefeat.D)Theytryhardtoavoidgettingoffonthewrongfoot.10.A)Aperson’snervoussystemismorecomplicatedthanimagined.B)Golfersusuallyhavepositivementalimagesofthemselves.C)Mentalimagesofteninterferewithathletes’performance.D)Thinkinghasthesameeffectonthenervoussystemasdoing.11.A)Anticipatepossibleproblems. B)Makealistofdo’sanddon’ts.C) Picturethemselvessucceeding.D)Trytoappearmoreprofessional.12.A)Sheworeadesignerdress. B)Shewonherfirstjurytrial.C)Shedidnotspeakloudenough. D)Shepresentedmovingpictures.Questions13to15arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.13.A)Itslong-termeffectsareyettobeproved.B)Itshealthbenefitshavebeenoverestimated.C)Ithelpspeopletoavoiddevelopingbreastcancer.D)Itenablespatientswithdiabetestorecoversooner.14.A)Itfocusedontheirwaysoflifeduringyoungadulthood.B)Ittrackedtheirchangeinfoodpreferencesfor20years.C)Itfocusedontheirdifferencefrommeninfiberintake.D)Ittrackedtheireatinghabitssincetheiradolescence.15.A)Fibermayhelptoreducehormonesinthebody.B)Fibermaybringmorebenefitstowomenthanmen.C)Fibermayimprovethefunctionofheartmuscles.D)Fibermaymakebloodcirculationmoresmooth.SectionCDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreerecordingsoflecturesortalksfollowedbythreeorfourquestions.Therecordingswillbeplayedonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B)，C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions16to18arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.16.A)Observingthechangesinmarketing.B)Conductingresearchonconsumerbehaviour.C)Studyingthehazardsofyoungpeopledrinking.D)Investigatingtheimpactofmediaongovernment.17.A)Itisthecauseofmanystreetriots.B)Itisgettingworseyearbyyear.C)Itisachiefconcernofparents. D)Itisanactofsocialising.18.A)Theyspentaweekstudyingtheirownpurchasingbehaviour.B)Theyresearchedtheimpactofmobilephonesonyoungpeople.C)Theyanalysedtheirfamilybudgetsovertheyears.D)Theyconductedathoroughresearchonadvertising.Questions19to22arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.19.A)Itishelpingitsbankstoimproveefficiency.B)Itistryinghardtodoawaywithdirtymoney.C)Itisthefirstcountrytousecreditcardsintheworld.D)Itislikelytogiveuppapermoneyinthenearfuture.20.A)Whetheritispossibletotravelwithoutcarryinganyphysicalcurrency.B)Whetheritispossibletopredicthowmuchmoneyoneisgoingtospend.C)Whethertheabsenceofphysicalcurrencycausesapersontospendmore.D)Whethertheabsenceofphysicalcurrencyisgoingtoaffecteverydaylife.21.A)Therewasnofoodserviceonthetrain. B)Theserviceonthetrainwasnotgood.C)Therestaurantcaracceptedcashonly. D)Thecashinherhandbagwasmissing.22.A)Byputtingmoneyintoenvelopes. B)Bydrawingmoneyweekbyweek.C)Bylimitingtheirday-to-dayspending. D)Byrefusingtobuyanythingoncredit.Questions23to25arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.23. A)Populationexplosion. B)Extinctionofrarespecies.C)Chronichunger. D)Environmentaldeterioration.24. A)Theycontributetooverpopulation. B)Abouthalfofthemareunintended.C)Theyhavebeenbroughtundercontrol. D)Themajorityofthemtendtoendhalfway.25. A)Itisessentialtothewellbeingofallspeciesonearth.B)Itisbecomingasubjectofinterdisciplinaryresearch.C)Itisneglectedinmanyofthedevelopingcountries.D)Itisbeginningtoattractpostgraduates’attention.PartⅢ ReadingComprehension(40minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices,Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions26to35arebasedonthefollowingpassage.AfterbecomingpresidentofPurdueUniversityin2013,MitchDanielsaskedthefacultytoprovethattheirstudentshaveactuallyachievedoneofhighereducation'smostimportantgoals:criticalthinkingskills.Twoyearsbefore,anationwidestudyofcollegegraduateshadshownthatmorethanathirdhadmadeno__26__gainsinsuchmentalabilitiesduringtheirschoolyears.Mr.Danielsneededto__27__thehighcostofattendingPurduetoitsstudentsandtheirfamilies.Afterall,thepercentageofAmericanswhosayacollegedegreeis"veryimportant"hasfallen__28__inthelast5-6years.

Purduenowhasapilottesttoassessstudents'criticalthinkingskills.YetlikemanycollegeteachersaroundtheU.S.,thefacultyremain__29__thattheirworkaseducatorscanbemeasuredbya"learning__30__"suchasagraduate'sabilitytoinvestigateandreason.However,theprofessorsneednotworrysomuch.Theresultsofarecentexperimentshowedthatprofessorscanuse__31__metricstomeasurehowwellstudentsdointhreekeyareas:criticalthinking,writtencommunication,andquantitativeliteracy.

Despitethesuccessoftheexperiment,theactualresultsareworrisome,andmostly__32__earlierstudies.Theorganizersoftheexperimentconcludedthatfarfewerstudentswereachievingathighlevelsoncriticalthinkingthantheyweredoingforwrittencommunicationorquantitativeliteracy.Andthatconclusionisbasedonlyonstudentsnearinggraduation.

Americanuniversities,despitetheirglobal__33__forexcellenceinteaching,haveonlybeguntodemonstratewhattheycanproduceinreal-worldlearning.Knowledge-baseddegreesarestillimportant,butemployersare__34__advancedthinkingskillsfromcollegegraduates.Iftheintellectualworthofacollegedegreecanbe__35__measured,morepeoplewillseekhighereducation—andcomeoutbetterthinkers.

A)accuratelyB)confirmC)demandingD)doubtfulE)drasticallyF)justifyG)monopolizedH)outcomeI)predominanceJ)presumingK)reputationL)significantM)signifyN)simultaneouslyO)standardizedSectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.

The

Price

of

Oil

and

the

Price

of

CarbonA)

Fossil

fuel

prices

are

likely

to

stay

"low

for

long".

Notwithstanding

important

recent

progressin

developing

renewable

fuel

sources,

low

fossil

fuel

prices

could

discourage

further

innovationin,

and

adoption

of,

cleaner

energy

technologies.

The

result

would

be

higher

emissions

ofcarbon

dioxide

and

other

greenhouse

gases.

B)

Policymakers

should

not

allow

low

energy

prices

to

derail

the

clean

energy

transition.

Actionto

restore

appropriate

price

incentives,

notably

through

corrective

carbon

pricing,

is

urgentlyneeded

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

oilindustry

is

that

"the

best

cure

for

low

oil

prices

is

low

oil

prices".

The

reasoning

behind

thissaying

is

that

low

oil

prices

discourage

investment

in

new

production

capacity,

eventuallyshifting

the

oil

supply

curve

backward

and

bringing

prices

back

up

as

existing

oil

fields—whichcan

be

tapped

at

relatively

low

marginal

cost—are

depleted.

In

fact,

in

line

with

past

experience,

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,

bedifferent

this

time

around.

D)

Oil

prices

are

expected

to

remain

lower

for

longer.

The

advent

of

new

technologies

has

addedabout

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

thestrategic

behavior

of

the

Organization

of

Petroleum

Exporting

Countries,

the

projectedincrease

in

Iranian

exports,

the

scaling-down

of

global

demand

(especially

from

emergingmarkets),

the

long-term

drop

in

petroleum

consumption

in

the

United

States,

and

somedisplacement

of

oil

by

substitutes.

These

likely

persistent

forces,

like

the

growth

of

shale

(頁巖)

oil,

point

to

a

"low

for

long"

scenario.

Futures

markets,

which

show

only

a

modest

recovery

ofprices

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

mostlyto

power

transportation,

yet

the

prices

of

all

these

energy

sources

are

linked.

The

NorthAmerican

shale

gas

boom

has

resulted

in

record

low

prices

there.

The

recent

discovery

of

thegiant

Zohr

gas

field

off

the

Egyptian

coast

will

eventually

have

impact

on

pricing

in

theMediterranean

region

and

Europe,

and

there

is

significant

development

potential

in

many

otherplaces,

notably

Argentina.

Coal

prices

also

are

low,

owing

to

over-supply

and

the

scaling-downof

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?zé)?.

Even

Africa

and

the

Middle

East,

home

to

economies

that

areheavily

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

itsprimary

energy

consumption

from

renewable

sources

by

2021.

G)

Progress

in

the

development

of

renewables

could

be

fragile,

however,

if

fossil

fuel

pricesremain

low

for

long.

Renewables

account

for

only

a

small

share

of

global

primary

energyconsumption,

which

is

still

dominated

by

fossil

fuels—30%

each

for

coal

and

oil,25%

for

naturalgas.

But

renewable

energy

will

have

to

displace

fossil

fuels

to

a

much

greater

extent

in

thefuture

to

avoid

unacceptable

climate

risks.

H)

Unfortunately,

the

current

low

prices

for

oil,

gas,

and

coal

may

provide

little

incentive

forresearch

to

find

even

cheaper

substitutes

for

those

fuels.

There

is

strong

evidence

that

bothinnovation

and

adoption

of

cleaner

technology

are

strongly

encouraged

by

higher

fossil

fuelprices.

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

transitionfrom

fossil

fuel

to

clean

energy

sources.

Unless

renewables

become

cheap

enough

thatsubstantial

carbon

deposits

are

left

underground

for

a

very

long

time,

if

not

forever,

theplanet

will

likely

be

exposed

to

potentially

catastrophic

climate

risks.

J)

Some

climate

impacts

may

already

be

discernible.

For

example,

the

United

Nations

Children'sFund

estimates

that

some

11

million

children

in

Africa

face

hunger,

disease,

and

watershortages

as

a

result

of

the

strongestElNino

(厄爾尼諾)

weather

phenomenon

in

decades.

Many

scientists

believe

that

El

Nino

events,

caused

by

warming

in

the

Pacific,

are

becoming

moreintense

as

a

result

of

climate

change.

K)

Nations

from

around

the

world

have

gathered

in

Paris

for

the

United

Nations

Climate

ChangeConference,

COP

21,

with

the

goal

of

a

universal

and

potentially

legally-binding

agreement

onreducing

greenhouse

gas

emissions.

We

need

very

broad

participation

to

fully

address

theglobal

tragedy

that

results

when

countries

fail

to

take

into

account

the

negative

impact

oftheir

carbon

emissions

on

the

rest

of

the

world.

Moreover,

non-participation

by

nations,

ifsufficiently

widespread,

can

undermine

the

political

will

of

participating

countries

to

act.L)

The

nations

participating

at

COP

21

are

focusing

on

quantitative

emissions-reductioncommitments.

Economic

reasoning

shows

that

the

least

expensive

way

for

each

country

is

toput

a

price

on

carbon

emissions.

The

reason

is

that

when

carbon

is

priced,

those

emissionsreductions

that

are

least

costly

to

implement

will

happen

first.

The

International

MonetaryFund

calculates

that

countries

can

generate

substantial

fiscal

revenues

by

eliminating

fossilfuel

subsidies

and

levying

carbon

charges

that

capture

the

domestic

damage

caused

byemissions.

A

tax

on

upstream

carbon

sources

is

one

easy

way

to

put

a

price

on

carbonemissions,

although

some

countries

may

wish

to

use

other

methods,

such

as

emissions

tradingschemes.

In

order

to

maximize

global

welfare,

every

country's

carbon

pricing

should

reflectnot

only

the

purely

domestic

damage

from

emissions,

but

also

the

damage

to

foreigncountries.

M)

Setting

the

right

carbon

price

will

therefore

efficiently

align

the

costs

paid

by

carbon

userswith

the

true

social

opportunity

cost

of

using

carbon.

By

raising

relative

demand

for

cleanenergy

sources,

a

carbon

price

would

also

help

align

the

market

return

to

clean-energyinnovation

with

its

social

return,

spurring

the

refinement

of

existing

technologies

and

thedevelopment

of

new

ones.

And

it

would

raise

the

demand

for

technologies

such

as

carboncapture

and

storage,

spurring

their

further

development.

If

not

corrected

by

the

appropriatecarbon

price,

low

fossil

fuel

prices

are

not

accurately

signaling

to

markets

the

true

socialprofitability

of

clean

energy.

While

alternative

estimates

of

the

damage

from

carbon

emissionsdiffer,

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

butare

a

poor

substitute

for

a

carbon

price:

they

do

only

part

of

the

job,

leaving

in

place

marketincentives

to

over-use

fossil

fuels

and

thereby

add

to

the

stock

of

atmospheric

greenhousegases

without

regard

to

the

collateral

(附帶的)

costs.

O)

The

hope

is

that

the

success

of

COP

21

opens

the

door

to

future

international

agreement

oncarbon

prices.

Agreement

on

an

international

carbon-price

floor

would

be

a

good

starting

pointin

that

process.

Failure

to

address

comprehensively

the

problem

of

greenhouse

gasemissions,

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

theforeseeable

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

ofAfrican

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

cleanertechnology.

41.

If

fossil

fuel

prices

remain

low

for

a

long

time,

it

may

lead

to

higher

emissions

ofgreenhouse

gases.

42.

Fossil

fuels

remain

the

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

appropriatelevel

to

lessen

the

catastrophic

effects

of

climate

change.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Passage

OneQuestions

46

to

50

are

based

on

the

following

passage.Open

data

sharers

are

still

in

the

minority

in

many

fields.

Although

many

researchers

broadlyagree

that

public

access

to

raw

data

would

accelerate

science,

most

are

reluctant

to

post

theresults

of

their

own

labors

online.Some

communities

have

agreed

to

share

online—geneticists,

for

example,

post

DNA

sequencesat

the

GenBank

repository

(庫),

and

astronomers

are

accustomed

to

accessing

images

ofgalaxies

and

stars

from,

say,

the

Sloan

Digital

Sky

Survey,

a

telescope

that

has

observed

some

500

million

objects—but

these

remain

the

exception,

not

the

rule.

Historically,

scientists

haveobjected

to

sharing

for

many

reasons:

it

is

a

lot

of

work;

until

recently,

good

databases

did

notexist;

grant

funders

were

not

pushing

for

sharing;

it

has

been

difficult

to

agree

on

standardsfor

formatting

data;

and

there

is

no

agreed

way

to

assign

credit

for

data.

But

the

barriers

are

disappearing,

in

part

because

journals

and

funding

agencies

worldwide

areencouraging

scientists

to

make

their

data

public.

Last

year,

the

Royal

Society

in

London

said

inits

report

that

scientists

need

to

"shift

away

from

a

research

culture

where

data

is

viewed

as

aprivate

preserve".

Funding

agencies

note

that

data

paid

for

with

public

money

should

be

publicinformation,

and

the

scientific

community

is

recognizing

that

data

can

now

be

shared

digitally

inways

that

were

not

possible

before.

To

match

the

growing

demand,

services

are

springing

up

tomake

it

easier

to

publish

research

products

online

and

enable

other

researchers

to

discover

andcite

them.

Although

calls

to

share

data

often

concentrate

on

the

moral

advantages

of

sharing,

thepractice

is

not

purely

altruistic

(利他的).

Researchers

who

share

get

plenty

of

personal

benefits,

including

more

connections

with

colleagues,

improved

visibilityand

increased

citations.

Themost

successful

sharers—those

whose

data

are

downloaded

and

cited

the

most

oftengetnoticed,

and

their

work

gets

used.

For

example,

one

of

the

most

popular

data

sets

onmultidisciplinary

repository

Dryad

is

about

wood

density

around

the

world;

it

has

beendownloaded

5,700

times.

Co-author

Amy

Zanne

thinks

that

users

probably

range

from

climate-change

researchers

wanting

to

estimate

how

much

carbon

is

stored

in

biomass,

to

foresterslooking

for

information

on

different

grades

of

timber."I'd

much

prefer

to

have

my

data

used

bythe

maximum

number

of

people

to

ask

their

own

questions,"

she

says."It's

important

to

allowreaders

and

reviewers

to

see

exactly

how

you

arrive

at

your

results.

Publishing

data

and

codeallows

your

science

to

be

reproducible."

Even

people

whose

data

are

less

popular

can

benefit.

By

making

the

effort

to

organize

andlabel

files

so

others

can

understand

them,

scientists

become

more

organized

and

betterdisciplined

themselves,

thus

avoiding

confusion

later

on.

46.

What

do

many

researchers

generally

accept?

A)

It

is

imperative

to

protect

scientists'

patents.

B)

Repositories

are

essential

to

scientific

research.

C)

Open

data

sharing

is

most

important

to

medical

science.

D)

Open

data

sharing

is

conducive

to

scientific

advancement.

47.

What

is

the

attitude

of

most

researchers

towards

making

their

own

data

public?

A)

Opposed.

B)

Ambiguous.

C)

Liberal.

D)

Neutral.

48.

According

to

the

passage,

what

might

hinder

open

data

sharing?

A)

The

fear

of

massive

copying.

B)

The

lack

of

a

research

culture.

C)

The

belief

that

research

data

is

private

intellectual

property.

D)

The

concern

that

certain

agencies

may

make

a

profit

out

of

it.

49.

What

helps

lift

some

of

the

barriers

to

open

data

sharing?

A)

The

ever-growing

demand

for

big

data.

B)

The

advancement

of

digital

technology.

C)

The

changing

attitude

of

journals

and

funders.

D)

The

trend

of

social

and

economic

development.

50.

Dryad

serves

as

an

example

to

show

how

open

data

sharing

________.

A)

is

becoming

increasingly

popular

B)

benefits

sharers

and

users

alike

C)

makes

researchers

successful

D)

saves

both

money

and

laborPassage

TwoQuestions

51

to

55

are

based

on

the

following

passage.Macy's

reported

its

sales

plunged

5.2%

in

November

and

December

at

stores

open

more

than

ayear,

a

disappointing

holiday

season

performance

that

capped

a

difficult

year

for

adepartment

store

chain

facing

wide-ranging

challenges.

Its

flagship

stores

in

major

U.S.

citiesdepend

heavily

on

international

tourist

spending,

which

shrank

at

many

retailers

due

to

a

strongdollar.

Meanwhile,

Macy's

has

simply

struggled

to

lure

consumers

who

are

more

interested

inspending

on

travel

or

dining

out

than

on

new

clothes

or

accessories.

The

company

blamed

much

of

the

poor

performance

in

November

and

December

onunseasonably

warm

weather."About

80%

of

our

company's

year-over-year

declines

incomparable

sales

can

be

attributed

to

shortfalls

(短缺)

in

cold-weather

goods,"

said

chiefexecutive

Terry

Lundgren

in

a

press

release.

This

prompted

the

company

to

cut

its

forecastsfor

the

full

fourth

quarter.

However,

it's

clear

that

Macy's

believes

its

troubles

run

deeper

than

a

temporary

aberration

(偏離)

off

the

thermometer.

The

retail

giant

said

the

poor

financial

performance

this

year

haspushed

it

to

begin

implementing

$40