2016年12月英语六级真题(第3套)
Part IWriting(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 150words but no more than
200words.
Part II
Listening Comprehension
(30 minutes)
(说明:由于2016年12月六级考试全国只出了2套听力,本套真题听力与前2套内容完全一样,只是顺
序不一样,因此在本套真题中不再重复出现)
Part III
Section A
Reading Comprehension
(40 minutes)
Directions: Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectone
wordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.
Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebank
isidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswer
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—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
modern 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
modern
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
the virtues of work
and thrift.
A)accessing
B)conveniences
C)destined
D)expanding
E)industrialized
F)perceived
G)practice
H)process
Section B
I)progress
J)respective
K)survived
L)terminals
M)undergone
N)universal
O)vanished
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to
it.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifythe
paragraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethan
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 minus 55 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 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.
[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’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 C
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions
or unfinished statements.Foreach ofthem there arefour choicesmarkedA),B),C)
andD). YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswer
Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 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 fr1ee 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 Two
Questions 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.
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.