2017年12月大学英语六级真题及答案解析和听力原文卷一

2017年12月大学英语六级真题及答案解析和听力原文卷一

2017年12月大学英语六级真题卷一

PartIWriting(30minutes)

Directions：Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaycommentingonthe

saying"Respectothers,andyouwillberespected."Youcanciteexamplestoillustrateyour

views.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.

PartIIListeningComprehension(25minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeach

conversation,youwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbe

spokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefour

choicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1witha

singlelinethroughthecentre.

Question1to4arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

1.A)Theyrewardbusinessesthateliminatefoodwaste.

B)Theyprohibitthesaleoffoodsthathavegonestale.

C)Theyfacilitatethedonationofunsoldfoodstotheneedy.

D)Theyforbidbusinessestoproducemorefoodsthanneeded.

2.A)Itimposedpenaltiesonbusinessesthatwastefood.

B)Itpassedalawaimingtostopoverproduction.

C)ItvotedagainstfoodimportfromoutsideEurope.

D)Itprohibitedthepromotionofbulkfoodsales.

3.A)Ithaswarneditspeopleagainstpossiblefoodshortages.

B)Ithaspenalizedbusinessesthatkeepoverproducingfoods.

C)Ithasstartedanationwidecampaignagainstfoodwaste.

D)Ithasbannedsupermarketsfromdumpingediblefoods.

4.A)Theconfusionoverfoodexpirationlabels.

B)Thesurplusresultingfromoverproduction.

C)Americans'habitofbuyingfoodinbulk.

D)Alackofregulationonfoodconsumption.

Question5to8arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

5.A)Ithasstartedaweek-longpromotioncampaign.

B)Ithasjustlauncheditsannualanniversarysales.

C)Itoffersregularweekendsalesalltheyearround.

D)Itspecializesinthesaleofladies'designerdresses.

6.A)Pricereductionsforitsfrequentcustomers.

B)Couponsforcustomerswithbulkpurchases.

C)Freedeliveryofpurchasesforseniorcustomers.

D)Priceadjustmentswithinsevendaysofpurchase.

7.A)Mailagiftcardtoher.

B)Allowhertobuyoncredit.

C)Creditittoheraccount.

D)Givehersomecoupons.

C)Prolongedgoodswarranty.

D)Complimentarytailoring.

8.A)Refundingforgoodsreturned.

B)Freeinstallingofappliances.

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwopassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwill

hearthreeorfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.After

youhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),

C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthe

centre.

Question9to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

9.A)Theyarethin,tall,andunlikerealhumanbeings.

B)Theyhavemorethantwentydifferenthairtextures.

C)Theyhavetwenty-fourdifferentbodyshapesintotal.

D)Theyrepresentpeoplefromvirtuallyallwalksoflife.

10.A)Theydonotreflectyounggirls'aspirations.

B)Theyarenotsoldtogetherwiththeoriginal.

C)Theirflatfeetdonotappealtoadolescents.

D)Theirbodyshapeshavenotchangedmuch.

11.A)Intoystores.

B)Inshoppingmalls.

C)OntheInternet.

D)AtBarbieshops.

Questions12to15arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

12.A)Moveablemetaltypebegantobeusedinprinting.

B)Chineseprintingtechnologywasfirstintroduced.

C)Theearliestknownbookwaspublished.

D)MetaltypewasimportedfromKorea.

13.A)Ithadmorethanahundredprintingpresses.

B)Itwasthebiggestprinterinthe16thcentury.

C)IthelpedtheGermanpeoplebecomeliterate.

D)Itproducedsome20millionvolumesintotal.

14.A)Itpushedhandwrittenbooksoutofcirculation.

B)Itboostedthecirculationofpopularworks.

C)Itmakewritingaveryprofitablecareer.

D)Itprovidedreaderswithmorechoices.

15.A)ItacceleratedtheextinctionoftheLatinlanguage.

B)Itstandardizedthepublicationofgrammarbooks.

C)Itturnedtranslationintoawelcomeprofession.

D)Itpromotedthegrowthofnationallanguages.

Sectionc

Directions:inthissection,youwillhearthreerecordingsoflecturesortalksfollowedby

threeorfourquestions.Therecordingswillbeplayedonlyonce.afteryouhearaquestion,you

mustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Thenmarkthe

correspondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughcentre.

Questions16-18arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

16.A)Theygetboredafterworkingforaperiodoftime.

B)Theyspendanaverageofoneyearfindingajob.

C)Theybecomestuckinthesamejobfordecades.

D)Theychooseajobwithoutthinkingitthrough.

17.A)Seeiftherewillbechancesforpromotion.

B)Findoutwhatjobchoicesareavailable.

C)Watchafilmaboutwaysofjobhunting.

D)Decidewhichjobismostattractivetoyou.

18.A)Thequalificationsyouhave.

B)Thepayyouaregoingtoget.

C)Thecultureofyourtargetcompany.

D)Theworkenvironmentyouwillbein.

Questions19-22arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

19.A)ItisasimportantasChristmasforAfrican-Americans.

B)ItisaculturalfestivalfoundedforAfrican-Americans.

C)ItisanancientfestivalcelebratedbyAfrican-Americans.

D)ItisareligiousfestivalcelebratedbyAfrican-Americans.

20.A)TourgeAfrican-Americanstodomoreforsociety.

B)TocallonAfrican-Americanstoworshiptheirgods.

C)TohelpAfrican-Americanstorealizetheirgoals.

D)ToremindAfrican-Americansoftheirsufferings.

21.A)Faithinself-determination.

B)Thefirstfruitsoftheharvest.

C)Unityandcooperativeeconomics.

D)Creativeworkandachievement.

22.A)Theyreciteaprinciple.

B)Theytakeasolemnoath.

C)Theydrinkwindfromtheunitycup.

D)Theycallouttheirancestors'names.

Questions23-25arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

23.A)Itisoneoftheworld'smosthealthydiets.

B)Itcontainslargeamountsofdairyproducts.

C)Itbegantoimpacttheworldinrecentyears.

D)Itconsistsmainlyofvariouskindsofseafood.

24.A)Itinvolved13,000researchersfromAsia,EuropeandAmerica.

B)ItwasconductedinsevenMid-Easterncountriesinthe1950s.

C)Itisregardedasoneofthegreatestresearchesofitskind.

D)Ithasdrawntheattentionofmedicaldoctorstheworldover.

25.A)Theycaremuchabouttheirhealth.

B)Theyeatfoodswithlittlefat.

C)Theyuselittleoilincooking.

D)Theyhavelowermortalityrates.

PartIIIReadingComprehension(40minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectone

wordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthe

passagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbya

letter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasingleline

throughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.

Inthepast12months,Nigeriahassufferedfromashrinkingeconomy,aslidingcurrency,

andaprolongedfuelshortage.Now,Africa'slargesteconomyisfacingafoodcrisisasmajor

tomatofieldshavebeendestroyedbyaninsect,leadingtoanationwideshortageandescalating

price.

Theinsect,Tutaabsoluta,hasdestroyed80%offarmsinKaduna,Nigeria'slargest

tomato-producingstate,leadingthegovernmenttheretodeclareastateof

alsoknownasthetomatoleafminer,devastatescropsby

26.Theinsect,

27

onfruitsanddiggingintoand

movingthroughstalks.It28incrediblyquickly,breedingupto12generationsperyearif

conditionsarefavorable.Itisbelievedtohave

29

inSouthAmericaintheearly1900s,and

laterspreadtoEuropebeforecrossingovertosub-SaharanAfrica.

InNigeria,wheretomatoesareastapleoflocaldiets,theinsect'seffectsaredevastating.

Retailpricesfora

30

oftomatoesatlocalmarketshaverisenfrom$0.50to2.50.Farmersare

31productiondueto

reportingsteeplossesandanew$20milliontomato-pastefactoryhas

theshortages.

Giventhemoth'sabilityalsotoattackcropslikepepperandpotatoes,AuduOgbeh,Nigeria's

ministerofagriculture,haswarnedthatthepestmay"createseriousproblemsforfood

32"

inthecountry.Ogbehsaysexpertsareinvestigatinghowtocontrolthepest'sdamageand

preventitsspread,whichhasgonelargely33untilnow.

Despitebeingthecontinent'ssecond-largestproduceroftomatoes,Nigeriais

34on$1

billionworthoftomato-pasteimportseveryyear,asaround75%ofthelocalharvestgoesto

wastethankstoalackofproperstoragefacilities.Afurther

unwelcomesetbacktotheindustry.

35inlocalsuppliesisyetanother

A）dependent

B）embarking

C）emergency

D）feeding

E)grazes

F）halted

G）handful

I）originated

J）reduction

K）reproduce

L）security

M）terror

N）unchecked

O）untouched

H）multitude

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.

Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfrom

whichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphis

markedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet

2.

Who'sreallyaddictingyoutoTechnology?

A."NearlyeveryoneIknowisaddictedinsomemeasuretotheInternet,"wroteTony

SchwartzinTheNewYorkTimes.It'sacommoncomplaintthesedays.Asteadystreamofsimilar

headlinesaccusetheNetanditsoffspringapps,socialmediasitesandonlinegamesofaddicting

ustodistraction.

B.There'slittledoubtthatnearlyeveryonewhocomesincontactwiththeNethasdifficulty

disconnecting.Manyofus,likeSchwartz,struggletostayfocusedontasksthatrequiremore

concentrationthanittakestopostastatusupdate.Asonepersonironicallyputitinthe

commentssectionofSchwartz'sonlinearticle,"AsIwasreadingthisveryexcellentarticle,I

stoppedatleasthalfadozentimestocheckmyemail."

C.There'ssomethingdifferentaboutthistechnology:Itisbothinvasiveandpersuasive.But

who'satfaultforitsoveruse?Tofindsolutions,it'simportanttounderstandwhatwe'redealing

with.Therearefourpartiesconspiringtokeepyouconnected:thetech,yourboss,yourfriends

andyou.

D.Thetechnologiesthemselves,andtheirmakers,aretheeasiestsuspectstoblameforour

diminishingattentionspans.NicholasCarr,authorofTheShallows:WhattheInternetIsDoingto

OurBrains,wrote,"Thenetisdesignedtobeaninterruptionsystem,amachinegearedto

dividingattention."

E.OnlineserviceslikeFacebook,Twitterandthelike,arecalledoutasmastersof

manipulation—makingproductssogoodthatpeoplecan'tstopusingthem.Afterstudyingthese

productsforseveralyears,Iwroteabookabouthowtheydoit.Ilearneditallstartswiththe

businessmodel.Sincetheseservicesrelyonadvertisingrevenue,

themorefrequentlyyouuse

them,themoremoneytheymake.It'snowonderthesecompaniesemployteamsofpeople

focusedonengineeringtheirservicestobeasengagingaspossible.Theseproductsaren't

habit-formingbychance;it'sbydesign.Theyhaveanincentivetokeepushooked.

F.However,asgoodastheseservicesare,therearesimplestepswecantaketokeepthem

atbay.Forexample,wecanchangehowoftenwereceivethedistractingnotificationsthattrigger

oururgetocheck.AccordingtoAdamMarchick,CEOofmobilemarketingcompanyKahuna,less

than15percentofsmartphoneuserseverbothertoadjusttheirnotificationsettings—meaning

theremaining85percentofusdefaulttotheappmakers'everypresettrigger.GoogleandApple

havemadeitfartoodifficulttoadjustthesesettingssoit'suptoustotakestepsensureweset

thesetriggerstosuitourownneeds,nottheneedsoftheappmakers'.

G.WhilecompanieslikeFacebookharvestattentiontogeneraterevenuefromadvertisers,

othertechnologieshavenosuchagenda.Takeemail,forexample.Thissystemcouldn'tcareless

howoftenyouuseit.Yettomany,emailisthemosthabit-formingmediumofall.Wecheckemail

atallhoursoftheday—we'reobsessed.Butwhy?Becausethat'swhatthebosswants.For

almostallwhite-collarjobs,emailistheprimarytoolofcorporatecommunication.Aslow

responsetoamessagecouldhurtnotonlyyourreputationbutalsoyourlivelihood.

H.Yourfriendsarealsoresponsiblefortheaddiction.Thinkaboutthisfamiliarscene.People

gatheredaroundatable,enjoyingfoodandeachother'scompany.There'slaughterandabitof

kidding.Then,duringanintervalintheconversation,someonetakesouttheirphonetocheck

whoknowswhat.Barelyanyonenoticesandnoonesaysathing.

I.Now,imaginethesamedinner,butinsteadofcheckingtheirphone,thepersonbelches

(打嗝)—loudly.Everyonenotices.Unlessthemealtakesplaceinabeerhouse,thisisconsidered

badmanners.Theimpoliteactviolatesthebasicrulesofetiquette.Onehastowonder:Why

don'tweapplythesamesocialnormstocheckingphonesduringmeals,meetingsand

conversationsaswedotootherantisocialbehaviors?Somehow,weacceptitandsaynothing

whensomeoneoffends.

J.Therealityis,takingone'sphoneoutatthewrongtimeisworsethanbelchingbecause,

unlikeotherminoroffense,checkingtechiscontagious.Onceonepersonlooksattheirphone,

otherpeoplefeelcompelledtodothesame,startingachainreaction.Themorepeopleareon

theirphones,thefewerpeoplearetalkinguntilfinallyyou'retheonlyoneleftnotreadingemail

orcheckingTwitter.Fromasocietalperspective,phonecheckingislesslikebelchinginpublicand

morelikeanotherbadhabit.Ourphonesarelikecigarettes—somethingtodowhenwe're

anxious,boredorwhenourfingersneedsomethingtotoywith.Seeingothersenjoyasmoke,or

sneakaquickglance,istootemptingtoresistandsooneveryoneisdoingit.

K.Thetechnology,yourboss,andyourfriends,allinfluencehowoftenyoufindyourself

using(oroverusing)thesegadgets.Butthere'sstillsomeonewhodeservesscrutiny—theperson

holdingthephone.

L.Ihaveaconfession.EventhoughIstudyhabit-formingtechnologyforaliving,

disconnectingisnoteasyforme.I'monlinefarmorethanI'dlike.LikeSchwartzandsomany

others,Ioftenfindmyselfdistractedandofftask.IwantedtoknowwhysoIbegan

self-monitoringtotrytounderstandmybehavior.That'swhenIdiscoveredanuncomfortable

truth.Iusetechnologyasanescape.WhenI'mdoingsomethingI'drathernotdo,orwhenI'm

someplaceI'drathernotbe,Iusemyphonetoportmyselfelsewhere.Ifoundthatthisabilityto

instantlyshiftmyattentionwasoftenagoodthing,likewhenpassingtimeonpublic

transportation.Butfrequentlymytechusewasnotsobenign.WhenIfaceddifficultwork,like

thinkingthroughanarticleideaoreditingthesamedraftforthehundredthtime,forexample,a

moresinisterscreenwoulddrawmein.Icouldeasilyescapediscomfort,temporarily,by

answeringemailorbrowsingthewebunderthepretenseofso-called"research."ThoughI

desperatelywantedtolayblameelsewhere,Ifinallyhadtoadmitthatmybadhabitshadlessto

dowithnew-agetechnologyandmoretodowithold-fashionedprocrastination(拖延).

M.It'seasytoblametechnologyforbeingsodistracting,butdistractionisnothingnew.

AristotleandSocratesdebatedthenatureof"akrasia"—ourtendencytodothingsagainstour

interests.Ifwe'rehonestwithourselves,techisjustanotherwaytooccupyourtimeandminds.

Ifweweren'tonourdevices,we'dlikelydosomethingsimilarlyunproductive.

N.Personaltechnologyisindeedmoreengagingthanever,andthere'snodoubtcompanies

areengineeringtheirproductsandservicestobemorecompellingandattractive.Butwouldwe

wantitanyotherway?Theintendedresultofmakingsomethingbetteristhatpeopleuseitmore.

That'snotnecessarilyaproblem,that'sprogress.

O.Theseimprovementsdon'tmeanweshouldn'tattempttocontrolouruseoftechnology.

Inordertomakesureitdoesn'tcontrolus,weshouldcometotermswiththefactthatit'smore

thanthetechnologyitselfthat'sresponsibleforourhabits.Ourworkplaceculture,socialnorms

andindividualbehaviorsallplayapart.Toputtechnologyinitsplace,wemustbeconsciousnot

onlyofhowtechnologyischanging,butalsoofhowitischangingus.

36.Onlineservicesaresodesignedthatthemoretheyareused,themoreprofitthey

generate.

37.Theauthoradmitsusingtechnologyasanescapefromthetaskathand.

38.Checkingphonesatdinnersisnowacceptedasnormalbutnotbelching.

39.Tomakeproperuseoftechnology,weshouldnotonlyincreaseourawarenessofhowit

ischangingbutalsohowitisimpactingus.

40.MostofusfindithardtofocusonourimmediatetasksbecauseofInternetdistractions.

41.Whenonepersonstartscheckingtheirphone,theotherswillfollowsuit.

42.Thegreatmajorityofsmartphoneusersdon'ttakethetroubletoadjusttheirsettingsto

suittheirownpurposes.

43.TheInternetisregardedbysomeasdesignedtodistractourattention.

44.Theauthorattributeshistechaddictionchieflytohishabitofputtingoffdoingwhathe

shoulddorightaway.

45.White-collarworkerscheckemailroundtheclockbecauseitisrequiredbytheir

employers.

SectionC

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestions

orunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).You

shoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2witha

singlelinethroughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

YoumayhaveheardthatCoca-Colaoncecontainedaningredientcapableofsparking

particulardevotioninconsumers:cocaine.The"Coca"inthenamereferredtotheextractsof

cocaleafthatthedrink'soriginator,chemistJohnPemberton,mixedwithhissugarysyrup(浆汁).

Atthetime,cocaleafextractmixedwithwinewasacommontonic(滋补品),andPemberton's

sweetbrewwasawaytogetaroundlocallawsprohibitingthesaleofalcohol.Buttheotherhalf

ofthenamepresentsanotheringredient,lessinfamous(名声不好的),perhaps,butalso

strangelypotent:thekolanut.

InWestAfrica,peoplehavelongchewedkolanutsasstimulants,becausetheycontain

caffeinethatalsooccursnaturallyintea,coffee,andchocolate.Theyalsohaveheartstimulants.

HistorianPaulLovejoyrelatesthatthecultivationofkolanutsinWestAfricaishundredsof

yearsold.Theleafy,spreadingtreeswereplantedongravesandaspartoftraditionalrituals.

Eventhoughthenuts,whichneedtostaymoist,canbesomewhatdelicatetotransport,traders

carriedthemhundredsofmilesthroughouttheforestsandgrasslands.

Europeansdidnotknowofthemuntilthe1500s,whenPortugueseshipsarrivedonthe

coastofwhatisnowSierraLeone.AndwhilethePortuguesetookpartinthetrade,ferryingnuts

downthecoastalongwithothergoods,by1620,whenEnglishexplorerRichardJobsonmadehis

wayuptheGambia,thenutswerestillpeculiartohiseyes.

Bythelate19thcentury,kolanutswerebeingshippedbythetonnetoEuropeandtheUS.

Manymadetheirwayintomedicines,intendedasakindofenergyboost.Onesuchpopular

medicinaldrinkwasVinMariani,aFrenchproductconsistingofcocaextractmixedwithredwine.

ItwascreatedbyaFrenchchemist,AngeloMariani,in1863.SowhenPembertoncreatedhis

drink,itrepresentedanongoingtrend.Whencocaineeventuallyfellfromgraceasabeverage

ingredient,kola-extractcolasbecamepopular.

Thefirstyearitwasavailable,Coca-ColaaveragednineservingsadayacrossalltheAtlanta

sodafountainswhereitwassold.Asitgrewmorepopular,thecompanysoldrightstobottlethe

soda,soitcouldtraveleasily.Todayabout1.9billionCokesarepurchaseddaily.It'sbecomeso

iconicthatattemptstochangeitstastein1985—sweeteningitinamoveprojectedtoboost

sales—proveddisastrous,withwidespreadangerfromconsumers."Coca-ColaClassic"returned

tostoreshelvesjustthreemonthsafterthe"NewCoke"wasreleased.

Thesedays,theCoca-Colarecipeisacloselyguardedsecret.Butit'ssaidtonolonger

containkolanutextract,relyinginsteadonartificialimitationstoachievetheflavour.

46.WhatdowelearnaboutchemistJohnPemberton?

A)Heusedastrangelypotentingredientinafoodsupplement.

B)Hecreatedadrinkcontainingalcoholwithoutbreakinglaw.

C)Hebecamenotoriousbecauseofthecocadrinkhedeveloped.

D)Heriskedbreakinglocallawtomakeadrinkwithcocaleaves.

47.Whatdoesthepassagesayaboutkolanuts?

A)TheircommercialvaluewasfirstdiscoveredbyPortuguesesettlers.

B)Theycontainsomekindofenergyboostnotfoundinanyotherfood.

C)ManywereshippedtoEuropeinthelate19thcenturyformedicinaluse.

D)TheywerestrangetotheEuropeanswhenfirstimportedfromWestAfrica.

48.Howcomekola-extractcolasbecamepopular?

A)Cocainehadbecomenotorious.C)Fountainsweresetuptosellthem.

B)Alcoholicdrinkswereprohibited.D)Rightsweresoldtobottlethesoda.

49.WhatisknownaboutthetasteofCoca-Cola?

A)Itwassodesignedastocreateaddictioninconsumers.

B)Itstillreliesontraditionalkolanutextract.

C)Ithasbecomemorepopularamongtheold.

D)Ithasremainedvirtuallyunchangedsinceitscreation.

50.Whatisthepassagemainlyabout?

A)TheevolutionofCoca-Cola.

B)ThesuccessstoryofCoca-Cola.

C)ThemedicinalvalueofCoca-Cola.

PassageTwo

D)

The

business

strategy

of

Coca-Cola.

Questions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Twentyyearsago,theUrbanLandInstitutedefinedthetwotypesofcitiesthatdominated

theUSlandscape:smallercitiesthatoperatedaroundstandard9-5businesshoursandlarge

metropolitanareasthatranall24hoursoftheday.Analyzingandcomparingcitiesusingthelens

ofthisbasicdividegivesinterestingcontexttohowinvestmentcapitalflowsandhousingprices

haveshifted.

Inrecentyears,manymid-sizedcitieshavebeguntoadoptamiddle-of-the-roadapproach

incorporatingtheexcitementandopportunityoflargecitieswithsmallcities'quietaftermidnight.

These18-hourcitiesarebeginningtomakewavesinrealestaterankingsandattractmorereal

estateinvestment.Whatisunderlyingthisnewmovementinrealestate,andwhydothesecities

havesomuchappeal?

18-hourcitiescombinethebestof24-hourand9-5cities,whichcontributestodowntown

revitalization.Fordecades,manydowntowncoresinsmalltomid-sizedcitieswereabandoned

afterworkhoursbyworkerswholivedinthesuburbs.Movementoutofcitycenterswas

widespread,anddowntowntenantswerepredominantlymadeupoftheworkingpoor.This

generatedlittlecommercefordowntownbusinessesintheevenings,whichmadebusinessand

generatingtaxrevenueformunicipalupkeepdifficult.Withtheriseofanewconceptinurban

planningthataimstomakelifeeasierandmoreconvenient,however,increasingpopularityfor

urbanareasthatcasedtherealestatepushes,inmajorcitieslikeSanFranciscoorNewYork,has

inspiredatypeofforwardthinkingurbanityandinsmallercities.

Transformingdowntownareassothattheyincorporatemodernhousingandimproved

walkabilitytolocalrestaurants,retail,andentertainment—especiallywhencombinedwith

improvedinfrastructureforcyclistsandpublictransit—makesthemappealtoamoreaffluent

demographic.Theseadjustmentsencourageemployersintheknowledgeandtalentindustriesto

keeptheirofficesdowntown.Accesstofoottrafficandproximitytotransitallowthetypeof

entertainment-orientedbusinessessuchasbarsandrestaurantstostayopenlater,whichattracts

bothyounger,creativeworkersandbabyboomersnearingretirementalike.Becauseoftheir

smallersize,mostkeephoursthatallowpeopletoenjoythemselves,thenhavesomequietafter

midnight,asopposedtolargemajorcitieslikeNewYork,wherethebuzzofactivityisongoing.

These18-hourcitiesarerapidlyontheriseandoffergreatopportunitiesforhomeowner

investment.InmanyofthesecitiessuchasDenver,adiverseandvigorouseconomyattractedto

theurbancorehasofferedstableemploymentforresidents.Therighturbanmixhasproppedup

homeoccupancy,increasedpropertyvalues,andattractedsignificantinvestmentcapital.

51.WhatdowelearnaboutAmericancitiestwentyyearsago?

A)Theyweredividedintoresidentialandbusinessareas.

B)Theirhousingpriceswerelinkedwiththeirprosperity.

C)Therewasacleardividebetweenlargeandsmallcities.

D)Theywereplaceswherelargeinvestmentcapitalflowed.

52.Whatcanbeinferredfromthepassageabout18-hourcities?

A)Theyespeciallyappealtosmallbusinesses.

B)Theyhaveseenariseinpropertyprices.

C)Theyhavereplacedquietwithexcitement.

D)TheyhavechangedAmerica'slandscape.

53.Yearsago,manydowntowncoresinsmalltomid-sizedcities.

A)hadhardlyanybusinessactivity

B)werecrowdedinbusinesshours

C)exhibitednosignsofprosperity

D)lookeddesertedintheevenings

54.Whatcharacterizesthenewdowntownareasin18-hourcities?

A)Asuddenemergenceoftheknowledgeindustry.

B)Floodinginoflargecrowdsofmigrantworkers.

C)Modernizedhousingandimprovedinfrastructure.

D)Morecomfortablelifeandgreaterupwardmobility.

55.Whathave18-hourcitiesbroughttothelocalresidents?

A)Morechancesforpromotion.

B)Healthierlivingenvironment.

C)Greaterculturaldiversity.

D)Betterjobopportunities.

PartIVTranslation(30minutes)

Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestotranslateapassagefromChinese

intoEnglish.YoushouldwriteyouransweronAnswerSheet2.

太湖是中国东部的一个淡水湖，占地面积2250平方公里，是中国第三大淡水湖，仅次

于鄱阳和洞庭。

太湖约有90个岛屿，

大小从几平方米到几平方公里不等。

太湖以其独特的"太

湖石"而闻名，太湖石常用于装饰中国传统园林。太湖也以高产的捕鱼业闻名。自上世纪70

年代后期以来，

捕捞鱼蟹对沿湖的居民来说极