大学英语六级试题汇编（2007年6月-2011年6月）

大学英语六级试题汇编（2007年6月一2011年6月）2007年6月23日大学英语六级（CET-6）真题试卷（A卷）PartIWriting(30minutes)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteashortessayentitledShouldOneExpectaRewardWhenDoingaGoodDeed?Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsfollowingtheoutlinegivenbelow..有人做好事期望得到回报；.有人认为应该像雷锋那样做好事不图回报；.我的观点。ShouldOneExpectaRewardWhenDoingaGoodDeed?PartIIReadingComprehension(SkimmingandScanning)(15minutes)Directions:Inthispart,youwillhave15minutestogooverthepassagequicklyandanswerthequestionsonAnswerSheet1.Forquestions1-4,markY(forYES)ifthestatementagreeswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage;N(forNO)ifstatementcontradictstheinformationgiveninthepassage;NG(forNOTGIVEN)iftheinformationisnotgiveninthepassage.Forquestions5-10,completethesentenceswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage.SevenStepstoaMoreFulfillingJobManypeopletodayfindthemselvesinunfulfillingworksituations.Infact,oneinfourworkersisdissatisfiedwiththeircurrentjob,accordingtotherecent“Plansfor2004”survey.Theircareerpathmaybefinanciallyrewarding,butitdoesn'tmeettheiremotional,socialorcreativeneeds.They'restuck,unhappy,andhavenoideawhattodoaboutit,exceptmovetoanotherjob.MaryLynMiller,veterancareerconsultantandfounderoftheLifeandCareerClinic,saysthatwhenmostpeopleareunhappyabouttheirwork,theirfirstthoughtistogetadifferentjob.Instead,Millersuggestslookingatthepossibilityofadifferentlife.Throughherbook,8MythsofMakingaLiving,aswellasworkshops,seminarsandpersonalcoachingandconsulting,shehashelpedthousandsofdissatisfiedworkersreassesslifeandwork.LikethewayofZen,whichincludesunderstandingofoneselfasonereallyis,Millerencouragesjobseekersandthosedissatisfiedwithworkorlifetoexaminetheirbeliefsaboutworkandrecognizethat“inmanycasesyourbeliefsarewhatbroughtyoutowhereyouaretoday.^^Youmayhavebeenraisedtothinkthatwomenwerebestatnurturingandcaringand,therefore,shouldbeteachersandnurses.Sothat'swhatyoudid.Or,perhapsyouwerebroughtuptobelievethatyoushoulddowhatyourfatherdid,soyouhavetakenoverthefamilybusiness,orbecomeadentist“justlikedad.^^Ifthissoundsfamiliar,it'sprobablytimetolookatthenewpossibilitiesforyourfuture.Millerdevelopeda7-stepprocesstohelppotentialjobseekersassesstheircurrentsituationandbeliefs,identifytheirrealpassion,andstartonajourneythatallowsthemtopursuetheirpassionthroughwork.Step1:Willingnesstodosomethingdifferent.Breakingthecycleofdoingwhatyouhavealwaysdoneisoneofthemostdifficulttasksforjobseekers.Manyfinditdifficulttosteerawayfromacareerpathormakeachange,evenifitdoesn'tfeelright.Millerurgesjobseekerstoopentheirmindstootherpossibilitiesbeyondwhattheyarecurrentlydoing.Step2:Commitmenttobeingwhoyouare,notwhoorwhatsomeonewantsyoutobe.Lookatthe\giftsandtalentsyouhaveandmakeacommitmenttopursuethosethingsthatyoulovemost.Ifyoulovethesocialaspectsofyourjob,butarestuckinsideanofficeor“chainedtoyourdesk“mostofthetime,vowtofollowyourinstinctandinvestigatealternativecareersandworkthatallowyoumoretimetointeractwithothers.Dawnworkedasamanagerforalargeretailclothingstoreforseveralyears.Thoughshehadadvancedwithinthecompany,shefeltfrustratedandlongedtobeinvolvedwithnatureandtheoutdoors.Shedecidedtogotoschoolnightsandweekendstopursuehertruepassionbyearninghermaster'sdegreeinforestry.Shenowworksinthebiotechforestrydivisionofamajorpapercompany.Step3:Self-definitionMillersuggeststhatoncejobseekersknowwhotheyare,theyneedtoknowhowtosellthemselves.'Tnthejobmarket,youareaproduct.Andjustlikeaproduct,youmostknowthefeaturesandbenefitsthatyouhavetoofferapotentialclient,oremployer.^^Examinetheskillsandknowledgethatyouhaveidentifyhowtheycanapplytoyourdesiredoccupation.Yourqualitieswillexhibittoemployerswhytheyshouldhireyouoverothercandidates.Step4:Attainalevelofself-honoring.Self-honoringorself-lovemayseemlikeanoddstepforjobhunters,butbeingabletoacceptyourself,withoutjudgment,helpseliminateinsecuritiesandwillmakeyoumoreself-assured.Byacceptingwhoyouare-allyouremotions,hopesanddreams,yourpersonality,andyouruniquewayofbeing-you'llprojectmoreconfidencewhennetworkingandtalkingwithpotentialemployers.Thepowerofself-honoringcanhelptobreakallthefalsehoodsyouwereprogrammedtobelieve-thosethatmadeyoufeelthatyouwerenotgoodenough,orstrongenough,orintelligentenoughtodowhatyoutrulydesire.Step5:Vision.Millersuggeststhatjobseekersdevelopavisionthatembracestheanswerto“WhatdoIreallywanttodo?”oneshouldcreateasolidstatementinadozenorsosentencesthatdescribeindetailhowtheyseetheirliferelatedtowork.Forinstance,thesecretarywholongstobeanactressdescribesalifethatallowshertoexpressherloveofShakespeareonstage.Arealestateagent,attractedtohiscurrentjobbecauseherlovesfixingupoldhomes,describesbuyingpropertiesthatneedalittletenderlovingcaretomakethemmoresaleable.Step6:Appropriaterisk.Somephilosophersbelievethatthewaytoenlightenmentcomesthroughfacingobstaclesanddifficulties.Oncepeoplediscovertheirpassion,manyaretooscaredtodoanythingaboutit.Instead,theydonothing.Withthisstep,jobseekersshouldassesswhattheyarewillingtogiveup,orrisk,inpursuitoftheirdream.Foroneworkingmom,thatmeanttakingnightclassestolearnnewcomputer-aideddesignskills,whilestillearningasalaryandkeepingherdayjob.Forsomeoneelse,itmaymeanquittinghisorherjob,takingoutloanandgoingbacktoschoolfulltime.You'llmoveonestepclosertoyouridealworklifeifyouidentifyhowmuchriskyouarewillingtotakeandthesacrificesyouarewillingtomake.Step7:Action.Someteachersofphilosophydescribeactioninthisway,“Ifonewantstogettothetopofamountain,justsittingatthefootthinkingaboutitwillnotbringonethere.Itisbymakingtheeffortofclimbingupthemountain,stepbystep,thateventuallythesummitisreached.^^Alltoooften,itisthelackofactionthatultimatelyholdspeoplebackfromattainingtheirideals.Creatingaplanandtakingitonestepatatimecanleadtonewanddifferentjobopportunities.Job-huntingtasksgainaddedmeaningasyousensetheirimportanceinyourquestforamoremeaningfulworklife.Theplancanincluderesearchingindustriesandoccupations,talkingtopeoplewhoareinyourdesiredareaofwork,takingclasses,oracceptingvolunteerworkinyourtargetedfield.Eachofthesestepswillleadyouonajourneytoahappierandmorerewardingworklife.Afterall,itisthejourney,notthedestination,thatismostimportant.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。Accordingtotherecent“Plansfor2004"survey,mostpeopleareunhappywiththeircurrentjobs.MaryLynMiller'sjobistoadvisepeopleontheirlifeandcareer.MaryLynMillerherselfwasoncequitedissatisfiedwithherownwork.Manypeoplefinditdifficulttomakeuptheirmindswhethertochangetheircareerpath.AccordingtoMaryLynMiller,peopleconsideringchangingtheircareersshouldcommitthemselvestothepursuitof.Inthejobmarket,jobseekersneedtoknowhowtosellthemselveslike.Duringaninterviewwithpotentialemployers,self-honoringorself-lovemayhelpajobseekertoshow.MaryLynMillersuggeststhatajobseekerdevelopavisionthatanswersthequestion""ManypeoplearetooscaredtopursuetheirdreamsbecausetheyareunwillingtoWhatultimatelyholdspeoplebackfromattainingtheiridealsis.PartIVReadingComprehension(ReadinginDepth)(25minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisashortpassagewith5questionsorincompletestatements.Readthepassagecarefully.Thenanswerthequestionsorcompletestatementsinthefewestpossiblewords.PleasewriteyouranswersonAnswerSheet2.Questions47to51arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Googleisaworld-famouscompany,withitsheadquartersinMountainView,California.ItwassetupinaSiliconValleygaragein1998,andinflated(膨胀)withtheInternetbubble.Evenwheneverythingarounditcollapsedthecompanykeptoninflating.Google'ssearchengineissowidespreadacrosstheworldthatsearchbecameGoogle,andgooglebecameaverb.Theworldfellinlovewiththeeffective,fascinatinglyfasttechnology.GoogleowesmuchofitssuccesstothebrillianceofS.BrinandL.Page,butalsotoaseriesoffortunateevents.ItwasPagewho,atStanfordin1996,initiatedtheacademicprojectthateventuallybecameGoogle'ssearchengine.Brin,whohadmetPageatastudentorientationayearearlier,joinedtheprojectearlyon.TheywerebothPh.D.candidateswhentheydevisedthesearchenginewhichwasbetterthantherestand,withoutanymarketing,spreadbywordofmouthfromearlyadoptersto,eventually,yourgrandmother.Theirbreakthrough,simplyput,wasthatwhentheirsearchenginecrawledtheWeb,itdidmorethanjustlookforwordmatches,italsotallied（统计）andrankedahostofothercriticalfactorslikehowwebsiteslinktooneanother.Thatdeliveredfarbetterresultsthananythingelse.BrinandPagemeanttonametheircreationGoogol（themathematicaltermforthenumber1followedby100zeroes）,butsomeonemisspelledthewordsoitstuckasGoogle.Theyraisedmoneyfromprescient（有先见之明的）professorsandventurecapitalists,andmovedoffcampustoturnGoogleintobusiness.Perhapstheirbiggeststrokeofluckcameearlyonwhentheytriedtoselltheirtechnologytoothersearchengines,butnoonemettheirprice,andtheybuiltitupontheirown.Thenextbreakthroughcamein2000,whenGooglefiguredouthowtomakemoneywithitsinvention.Ithadlotsofusers,butalmostnoonewaspaying.Thesolutionturnedouttobeadvertising,andit'snotanexaggerationtosaythatGoogleisnowessentiallyanadvertisingcompany,giventhatthat'sthesourceofnearlyallitsrevenue.Todayitisagiantadvertisingcompany,worth$100billion.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。Apartfromaseriesoffortunateevents,whatisitthathasmadeGooglesosuccessful?Google'ssearchengineoriginatedfromstartedbyL.Page.HowdidGoogle'ssearchenginespreadallovertheworld?BrinandPagedecidedtosetuptheirownbusinessbecausenoonewould.TherevenueoftheGooglecompanyislargelygeneratedfrom.SectionBDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C),andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions52to56arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Youheartherefrainallthetime:theU.S.economylooksgoodstatistically,butitdoesn'tfeelgood.Whydoesn'tever-greaterwealthpromoteever-greaterhappiness?Itisaquestionthatdatesatleasttotheappearancein1958ofTheAffluent(富裕的)SocietybyJohnKennethGalbraith,whodiedrecentlyat97.TheAffluentSocietyisamodemclassicbecauseithelpeddefineanewmomentinthehumancondition.Formostofhistory,“hunger,sickness,andcold^^threatenednearlyeveryone,Galbraithwrote.''Povertywasfoundeverywhereinthatworld.Obviouslyitisnotofours.^^AfterWorldWarII,thedreadofanotherGreatDepressiongavewaytoaneconomicboom.Inthe1930sunemploymenthadaveraged18.2percent;inthe1950sitwas4.5percent.ToGalbraith,materialismhadgonemadandwouldbreeddiscontent.Throughadvertising,companiesconditionedconsumerstobuythingstheydidn'treallywantorneed.Becausesomuchspendingwasartificial,itwouldbeunfulfilling.Meanwhile,governmentspendingthatwouldmakeeveryonebetteroffwasbeingcutdownbecausepeopleinstinctively—andwrongly—labeledgovernmentonlyas“anecessaryevil.^^It'softensaidthatonlythericharegettingahead;everyoneelseisstandingstillorfallingbehind.Well,therearemanyundeservingrich—overpaidchiefexecutives,forinstance.Butoveranymeaningfulperiod,mostpeople'sincomesareincreasing.From1995to2004,inflation-adjustedaveragefamilyincomerose14.3percent,to$43,200.peoplefeel“squeezed”becausetheirrisingincomesoftendon'tsatisfytheirrisingwants—forbiggerhomes,morehealthcare,moreeducation,fasterInternetconnections.Theothergreatfrustrationisthatithasnoteliminatedinsecurity.Peopleregardjobstabilityaspartoftheirstandardofliving.Ascorporatelayoffsincreased,thatparthaseroded.Moreworkersfearthey'vebecome“thedisposableAmerican,5,asLouisUchitelleputsitinhisbookbythesamename.Becausesomuchprevioussufferingandsocialconflictstemmedfrompoverty,thearrivalofwidespreadaffluencesuggestedutopian（乌托邦式的）possibilities.Uptoapoint,affluencesucceeds.Thereismuchlesphysicalmiserythanbefore.Peoplearebetteroff.Unfortunately,affluencealsocreatesnewcomplaintsandcontradictions.Advancedsocietiesneedeconomicgrowthtosatisfythemultiplyingwantsoftheircitizens.Butthequestforgrowthletsloosenewanxietiesandeconomicconflictsthatdisturbthesocialorder.Affluenceliberatestheindividual,promisingthateveryonecanchooseauniquewaytoself-fulfillment.Butthepromiseissoextravagantthatitpredestinesmanydisappointmentsandsometimesinspireschoicesthathaveanti-socialconsequences,includingfamilybreakdownandobesity(肥胖症).Statisticalindicatorsofhappinesshavenotrisenwithincomes.Shouldwebesurprised?Notreally.We'vesimplyreaffirmedanoldtruth:thepursuitofaffluencedoesnotalwaysendwithhappiness.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。WhatquestiondoesJohnKennethGalbraithraiseinhisbookTheAffluentSociety?Whystatisticsdon'ttellthetruthabouttheeconomy.Whyaffluencedoesn'tguaranteehappiness.Howhappinesscanbepromotedtoday.Whatliesbehindaneconomicboom.AccordingtoGalbraith,peoplefeeldiscontentedbecause.publicspendinghasn'tbeencutdownasexpectedthegovernmenthasprovedtobeanecessaryeviltheyareinfearofanotherGreatDepressionmaterialismhasrunwildinmodemsocietyWhydopeoplefeelsqueezedwhentheiraverageincomerisesconsiderably?Theirmaterialpursuitshavegonefaraheadoftheirearnings.Theirpurchasingpowerhasdroppedmarkedlywithinflation.Thedistributionofwealthisunevenbetweenther5ichandthepoor.Healthcareandeducationalcosthavesomehowgoneoutofcontrol.WhatdoesLouisUchitellemeanby“thedisposableAmerican^^(Line3,Para.5)?Thosewhoseejobstabilityaspartoftheirlivingstandard.Peoplefullofutopianideasresultingfromaffluence.PeoplewhohavelittlesayinAmericanpolitics.Workerswhonolongerhavesecurejobs.WhathasaffluencebroughttoAmericansociety?Renewedeconomicsecurity.Asenseofself-fulfillment.Newconflictsandcomplaints.Miseryandanti-socialbehavior.PassageTwoQuestions57to61arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Theuseofdeferential(敬重的)languageissymbolicoftheConfucianidealofthewoman,whichdominatesconservativegendernormsinJapan.Thisidealpresentsawomanwhowithdrawsquietlytothebackground,subordinatingherlifeandneedstothoseofherfamilyanditsmalehead.Sheisadutifuldaughter,wife,andmother,masterofthedomesticarts.ThetypicalrefinedJapanesewomanexcelsinmodestyanddelicacy;she“treadssoftly（谨言慎行）intheworld,''elevatingfemininebeautyandgracetoanartform.Nowadays,itiscommonlyobservedthatyoungwomenarenotconformingtothefemininelinguistic（语言的）ideal.Theyareusingfeweroftheverydeferential“women's"forms,andevenusingthefewstrongformsthatareknowas"men's."This,ofcourse,attractsconsiderableattentionandhasledtoanoutcryintheJapanesemediaagainstthedefeminizationofwomen,slanguage.Indeed,wedidn'thearabout“men'slanguage“untilpeoplebegantorespondtogirls'appropriationofformsnormallyreservedforboysandmen.Thereisconsiderablesentimentaboutthe“comiptiorTofwomen'slanguage—whichofcourseisviewedaspartofthelossoffeminineidealsandmorality—andthissentimentiscrystallizedbynationwideopinionpollsthatareregularlycarriedoutbythemedia.YoshikoMatsumotohasarguedthatyoungwomenprobablyneverusedasmanyofthehighlydeferentialformsasolderwomen.Thishighlypolitestyleisnodoubtsomethingthatyoungwomenhavebeenexpectedto“growinto^^—afterall,itisassignnotsimplyoffemininity,butofmaturityandrefinement,anditsusecouldbetakentoindicateachangeinthenatureofone'ssocialrelationsaswell.Onemightwellimaginelittlegirlsusingexceedinglypoliteformswhenplayinghouseorimitatingolderwomen-inafashionanalogoustolittlegirls'useofahigh-pitchedvoicetodo"teachertalk”or“mothertalk“inroleplay.ThefactthatyoungJapanesewomenareusinglessdeferentiallanguageisasuresignofchange-ofsocialchangeandoflinguisticchange.Butitismostcertainlynotasignofthe“masculizatiorTofgirls.Insomeinstances,itmaybeasignthatgirlsaremakingthesameclaimtoauthorityasboysandmen,butthatisverydifferentfromsayingthattheyaretryingtobe“masculine."KatsueReynoldshasarguedthatgirlsnowadaysareusingmoreassertivelanguagestrategiesinordertobeabletocompetewithboysinschoolsandout.Socialchangealsobringsnotsimplydifferentpositionsforwomenandgirls,butdifferentrelationstolifestages,andadolescentgirlsareparticipatinginnewsubculturalforms.Thuswhatmay,toanolderspeaker,seemlike“masculine”speechmayseemtoanadolescentlike“liberated"or"hip”speech.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。Thefirstparagraphdescribesindetail.thestandardssetforcontemporaryJapanesewomentheConfucianinfluenceongendernormsinJapanthestereotypedroleofwomeninJapanesefamiliesthenormsfortraditionalJapanesewomentofollowWhatchangehasbeenobservedintoday'syoungJapanesewomen?Theypaylessattentiontotheirlinguisticbehavior.Theusefewerofthedeferentiallinguisticforms.Theyconfusemaleandfemaleformsoflanguage.Theyemployverystronglinguisticexpressions.Howdosomepeoplereacttowomen'sappropriationofmen'slanguageformsasreportedintheJapanesemedia?Theycallforacampaigntostopthedefeminization.Theseeitasanexpressionofwomen'ssentiment.Theyacceptitasamoderntrend.Theyexpressstrongdisapproval.AccordingtoYoshikoMatsumoto,thelinguisticbehaviorobservedintoday'syoungwomen.mayleadtochangesinsocialrelationshasbeentrueofallpastgenerationsisviewedasasignoftheirmaturityisaresultofrapidsocialprogressTheauthorbelievesthattheuseofassertivelanguagebyyoungJapanesewomenisasuresignoftheirdefeminizationandmaturationanindicationoftheirdefianceagainstsocialchangeoneoftheirstrategiestocompeteinamale-dominatedsocietyaninevitabletrendoflinguisticdevelopmentinJapantodayPartVCloze(15minutes)Directions:Thereare20blanksinthefollowingpassage.ForeachblanktherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD)ontherightsideofthepaper.YoushouldchoosetheONEthatbestfitsintothepassage.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。Historically,humansgetseriousaboutavoidingdisastersonlyafteronehasjuststruckthem.—62—thatlogic,2006shouldhavebeenabreakthroughyearforrationalbehavior.Withthememoryof9/11still_63—intheirminds,AmericanswatchedhurricaneKatrina,themostexpensivedisasterinU.S.history,on_64_TV.Anyonewhodidn'tknowitbeforeshouldhavelearnedthatbadthingscanhappen.Andtheyaremade_65—worsebyourwillfulblindnesstoriskasmuchasour_66_toworktogetherbeforeeverythinggoestohell.Granted,someamountofdelusion（错觉）isprobablypartofthe_67_condition.InA.D.63,Pompeiiwasseriouslydamagedbyanearthquake,andthelocalsimmediatelywenttowork_68_,inthesamespot—untiltheywereburiedaltogetherbyavolcanoeruption16yearslater.Buta_69—ofthepastyearindisasterhistorysuggeststhatmodernAmericansareparticularlybadat_70—themselvesfromguaranteedthreats.Weknowmorethanwe_71—didaboutthedangersweface.Butitturns_72—thatintimesofcrisis,ourgreatestenemyis_73—thestorm,thequakeorthe_74_itself.Moreoften,itisourselves.Sowhathashappenedintheyearthat_75—thedisasterontheGulfCoast?InNewOrleans,theArmyCorpsofEngineershasworkeddayandnighttorebuildthefloodwalls.Theyhavegotthewallsto_76—theywerebeforeKatrina,moreorless.That'snot—77—,wecannowsaywithconfidence.Butitmaybeall_78—canbeexpectedfromoneyearofhustle（忙碌）.Meanwhile,NewOrleansofficialshavecraftedaplantousebusesandtrainsto_79—thesickandthedisabled.Thecityestimatesthat15,000peoplewillneeda_80—out.However,stateofficialshavenotyetdeterminedwherethesepeoplewillbetaken.The—81—withneighboringcommunitiesareongoinganddifficult.A)ToB)ByC)OnD)ForA)freshB)obviousC)apparentD)evidentA)visualB)vividC)liveD)livelyA)littleB)lessC)moreD)muchA)reluctanceB)rejectionC)denialD)declineA)naturalB)worldC)socialD)humanA)revisingB)refiningC)rebuildingD)retrievingA)reviewB)reminderC)conceptD)prospectA)preparingB)protestingC)protectingD)prevailingA)neverB)everC)thenD)beforeA)upB)downC)overD)outA)merelyB)rarelyC)incidentallyD)accidentallyA)surgeB)spurC)surfD)splashA)ensuedB)tracedC)followedD)occurredA)whichB)whereC)whatD)whenA)enoughB)certainC)conclusiveD)finalA)butB)asC)thatD)thoseA)exileB)evacuateC)dismissD)displaceA)rideB)trailC)pathD)trackA)conventionsB)notificationsC)communicationsD)negotiationsPartVITranslation(5minutes)Directions:CompletethesentencesbytranslatingintoEnglishtheChinesegiveninbrackets.PleasewriteyourtranslationonAnswerSheet2.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答，只需写出译文部分。Theautomanufacturersfoundthemselves（正在同外国公司竞争市场的份额）.Onlyinthesmalltown（他才感到安全和放松）.Itisabsolutelyunfairthatthesechildren（被录U夺了受教育的权利）.Ouryearsofhardworkareallinvain,（更别提我们花费的大量金钱了）.Theproblemsofblacksandwomen（最近儿十年受到公众相当大的关注）.2007年12月大学英语六级考试试题及参考答案Writing（30minutes）Thedigitalage.如今，数字化产品越来越多，如….使用数字化产品对于人们学习工作和生活的影响。ReadingComprehension（SkimmingandScanning）（15minutes）SevenwaytoSavetheWorldForgettheoldideathatconservingenergyisaformofself-denial—ridingbicycles,dimmingthelights,andtakingfewershowers.Thesedaysconservationisallaboutefficiency:gettingthesame-orbetter-resultsfromjustafractionoftheenergy.WhenaslumpinbusinesstravelforcedUlrichRamertocutcostsathisfamily—ownedhotelinGermany,hereplacedhundredsofthehotefswastefullightbulbs,gettingthesamelightfor80percentlesspower.Heboughtanewwaterboilerwithadigitallycontrolledpump,andwrappedinsulationaroundthepipes.Spendingabout£100,000ontheseandotherimprovements,heslashedhis£90,000fuelandpowerbillby£60,000.Asabonus,thehotel'slowerenergyneedshavereduceditsannualcarbonemissionsbymorethan200metrictons.t4Forus,savingenergyhasbeenvery,veryprofitable,“hesays."Andmostimportantly,we'renotgivingupasinglecomfortforourguests.”Efficiencyisalsoagreatwaytolowercarbonemissionsandhelpslowglobalwarming.Butthebestargumentforefficiencyisitscost—or,moreprecisely,itsprofitability.That'sbecausequicklygrowingenergydemandrequiresimmenseinvestmentinnewsupply,nottomentionthedrainofrisingenergyprices.Nowonderefficiencyhasmovedtothetopofthepoliticalagenda.OnJan.10,theEuropeanUnionunveiledaplantocutenergyuseacrossthecontinentby20percentby2020.LastMarch,Chinaimposeda20percentincreaseinenergyefficiencyby2020.EvenGeorgeW.Bush,theTexasoilman,isexpectedtotalkaboutenergyconservationinhisStateoftheUnionspeechthisweek.Thegoodnewsisthattheworldisfullofproven,cheapwaystosaveenergy.Herearetheseventhatcouldhavethebiggestimpact.InsulateSpaceheatingandcoolingeatsup36percentofalltheworld'senergy.There'svirtuallynolimittohowmuchofthatcanbesaved,asprototype“zero-energyhomes^^inSwitzerlandandGermanyhaveshown.There'sbeenasurgeinnewwaysofkeepingheatinandcoldout(orviceversa).Themostadvancedinsulationfollowsthelawofincreasingreturns:ifyouaddenoughyoucanscaledownoreveneliminateheatingandair-conditioningequipment,loweringcostsevenbeforeyoustartsavingonutilitybills.Studieshaveshownthatgreenworkplaces(onesthatdon'tconstantlyneedtohavetheheatorair-conditionerrunning)havehigherworkerproductivityandlowersickrates.ChangeBulbsLightingeatsup20percentoftheworld'selectricity,ortheequivalentofroughly600,000tonsofcoaladay.Fortypercentofthatpowersold-fashionedincandescentlightbulbs—a19th-centurytechnologythatwastesmostofthepoweritconsumesonunwantedheat.Compactfluorescentlamps,orCFLS,notonlyuse75to80percentlesselectricitythanincandescentbulbstogeneratethesameamountoflight,buttheyalsolast10timeslonger.Phasingoldbulbsoutby2030wouldsavetheoutputof650powerplantsandavoidthereleaseof700milliontonsofcarbonintotheatmosphereeachyear.ComfortZoneWaterboilers,spaceheatersandairconditionershavebeennotoriouslyinefficient.Theheatpumphasalteredthatequation.Itremovesheatfromtheairoutsideorthegroundbelowandusesittosupplyheattoabuildingoritswatersupply.Inthesummer,thesystemcanbereversedtocoolbuildingsaswell.MostnewresidentialbuildingsinSwedenarealreadyheatedwithground-sourceheatpumps.Suchsystemsconsumealmostnoconventionalfuelatall.Severalcountrieshaveusedsubsidiestojump-startthe