2014年6月大学英语六级考试真题及答案详解和听力原文第三套

2014年6月大学英语六级考试真题第三套

Part I Writing (30 minutes)

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay explaining why it is unwise to put all your eggs in one basket. You can give examples to illustrate your point. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.

Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes) Section A

Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the center.

1. A) The man is the manager of the apartment building. C) The woman will get the apartment refurnished. B) The woman is very good at bargaining. D) The man is looking for an apartment. 2. A) How the pictures will turn out. C) What the man thinks of the shots. B) Where the botanical garden is. D) Why the pictures are not ready.

3. A) There is no replacement for the handle. C) The suitcase is not worth fixing. B) There is no match for the suitcase. D) The suitcase can be fixed in time. 4. A) He needs a vehicle to be used in harsh weather. B) He has a fairly large collection of quality trucks. C) He has had his truck adapted for cold temperatures. D) He does routine truck maintenance for the woman.

5. A) She cannot stand her boss’s bad temper. B) She has often been criticized by her boss. C) She has made up her mind to resign.

D) She never regrets any decisions she makes.

6. A) Look for a shirt of a more suitable color and size. B) Replace the shirt with one of some other material. C) Visit a different store for a silk or cotton shirt. D) Get a discount on the shirt she is going to buy.

7. A) At a “Lost and Found”. B) At a reception desk. C) At a trade fair. D) At an exhibition.

8. A) Repair it and move in. B) Pass it on to his grandson. C) Convert it into a hotel. D) Sell it for a good price. Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

9. A) Unique descriptive skills. C) Colourful world experiences. B) Good knowledge of readers’ tastes. D) Careful plotting and clueing.

10. A) A peaceful setting. B) A spacious room. C) To be in the right mood. D) To be entirely alone. 11. A) They rely heavily on their own imagination.

B) They have experiences similar to the characters’. C) They look at the world in a detached manner. D) They are overwhelmed by their own prejudices.

Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

12. A) Good or bad, they are there to stay. C) Believe it or not, they have survived.

B) Like it or not, you have to use them. D) Gain or lose, they should be modernised. 13. A) The frequent train delays. C) The food sold on the trains.

B) The high train ticket fares. D) The monopoly of British Railways. 14. A) The low efficiency of their operation. C) Constant complaints from passengers. B) Competition from other modes of transport. D) The passing of the new transport act. 15. A) They will be de-nationalised. C) They are fast disappearing. B) They provide worse service. D) They lose a lot of money.

Section B

Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the center. Passage One

Questions 16 to 19 are based on the passage you have just heard. 16. A) The whole Antarctic region will be submerged. B) Some polar animals will soon become extinct. C) Many coastal cities will be covered with water. D) The earth will experience extreme weathers. 17. A) How humans are to cope with global warming. B) How unstable the West Antarctic ice sheet is. C) How vulnerable the coastal cities are. D) How polar ice impacts global weather.

18. A) It collapsed at least once in the past 1.3 million years. B) It sits firmly on solid rock at the bottom of the ocean.

C) It melted at temperatures a bit higher than those of today. D) It will have little impact on sea level when it breaks up. 19. A) The West Antarctic region was once an open ocean. B) The West Antarctic ice sheet was about 7,000 feet thick. C) The West Antarctic ice sheet was once floating ice.

D) The West Antarctic region used to be warmer than today. Passage Two

Questions 20 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard. 20. A) Whether we can develop social ties on the Internet.

B) Whether a deleted photo is immediately removed from the web. C) Whether our blogs can be renewed daily. D) Whether we can set up our own websites.

21. A) The number of visits they receive. C) The files they have collected.

B) The way they store data. D) The means they use to get information. 22. A) When the system is down. C) When the URL is reused.

B) When new links are set up. D) When the server is restarted.

Passage Three

Questions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard. 23. A) Some iced coffees have as many calories as a hot dinner. B) Iced coffees sold by some popular chains are contaminated. C) Drinking coffee after a meal is more likely to cause obesity. D) Some brand-name coffees contain harmful substances.

24. A) Have some fresh fruit. B) Exercise at the gym. C) Take a hot shower. D) Eat a hot dinner. 25. A) They could enjoy a happier family life.

B) They could greatly improve their work efficiency. C) Many cancer cases could be prevented.

D) Many embarrassing situations could be avoided. Section C

Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.

Psychologists are finding that hope plays a surprisingly vital role in giving people a measurable advantage in realms (26)__________ academic achievement, bearing up in tough jobs and coping with (27)___________ illness. And, by contrast, the loss of hope is turning out to be a stronger sign that a person may (28)___________ suicide than other factors long thought to be more likely risks.

“Hope has proven a powerful predictor of(29)__________ in every study we’ve done so far,” said Dr. Charles R. Snyder, a psychologist who has devised a (30)__________ to assess how much hope a person has.

For example, in research with 3,920 college students, Dr. Snyder and his (31)__________ found that the level of hope among freshmen at the beginning of their first semester was a more (32)__________ predictor of their college grades than were their S.A.T. scores or their grade point (33)__________ in high school, the two measures most commonly used to predict college performance.

“Students with high hope set themselves higher goals and know how to work to attain them,” Dr. Snyder said.“When you compare students of equivalent intelligence and past academic achievements, what (34)__________ is hope.”

In devising a way to assess hope scientifically, Dr. Snyder went beyond the simple notion that hope is merely the sense that everything will(35) __________ all right. “That notion is not concrete enough and it blurs two key components of hope,” Dr. Snyder said. “Having hope means believing you have both the will and the way to accomplish your goals, whatever they may be.”

Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes) Section A

Directions: 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 passage. 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 center. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once. Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.

Millions of Americans are entering their 60s and are more concerned than ever about retirement. They know they need to save, but how much? And what exactly are they saving for—to spend more time ___36___ the grandkids, go traveling, or start another career? It turns out that husbands and wives may have ___37___ different ideas about the subject.

The deepest divide is in the way spouses envisage their lifestyle in their later years. Fidelity Investments Inc. found 41 percent of the 500 couples it surveyed ___38___ on whether both or at least one spouse will work in retirement. Wives are generally right regarding their husbands’ retirement age, but men ___39___ the age their wives will be when they stop working. And husbands are slightly more ___40___ about their standard of living than wives are.

Busy juggling (穷于应对) careers and families, most couples don’t take the time to sit down, ___41___ or together, and think about what they would like to do 5, 10 or 20 years from now. They ___42___ they are on the same page, but the ___43___ is they have avoided even talking about it.

If you are self-employed or in a job that doesn’t have a standard retirement age, you may be more apt to delay thinking about these issues. It is often a ___44___ retirement date that provides the catalyst (催化剂) to start planning. Getting laid off or accepting an early-retirement ___45___ can force your hand. But don’t wait until you get a severance (遣散费) check to begin planning.

A) assume D) formula G) mysteriously J) package M) separately B) confidential E) forthcoming H) observe K) radically N ) spoiling

C) disagree F) illustrating I) optimistic L) reality O) underestimate Section B

Directions: In this section, you are going to 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 corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.

What If Middle-Class Jobs Disappear?

A) The most recent recession in the United States began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. However, two years after the official end of the recession, few Americans would

say that economic troubles are behind us. The unemployment rate, in particular, remains above 9%. Some labor market indicators, such as the proportion of long-term unemployed, are worse now than for any postwar recession.

B) There are two widely circulated narratives to explain what’s going on. The Keynesian narrative is that there has been a major drop in aggregate demand. According to this narrative, the slump can be largely cured by using monetary and fiscal (财政的) stimulus. The main anti-Keynesian narrative is that businesses are suffering from uncertainty and over-regulation. According to this narrative, the slump can be cured by having the government commit to and follow a more hands-off approach.

C) I want to suggest a third interpretation. Without ruling out a role for aggregate demand or for the regulatory environment, I wish to suggest that structural change is an important factor in the current rate of high unemployment. The economy is in a state of transition, in which the middle-class jobs that emerged after World War Ⅱ have begun to decline. As Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee put it in a recent e-book Race Against the Machine: “The root of our problems is not that we’re in a great recession, or a great stagnation (停滞), but rather that we are in the early throes (阵痛) of a great restructuring. ”

D) In fact, I believe the Great Depression of the 1930s can also be interpreted in part as an economic transition. The impact of the internal combustion engine(内燃机) and the small electric motor on farming and manufacturing reduced the value of uneducated laborers. Instead, by the 1950s, a middle class of largely clerical(从事文秘工作的) workers was the most significant part of the labor force. Between 1930 and 1950, the United States economy underwent a great transition. Demand fell for human effort such as lifting, squeezing, and hammering. Demand increased for workers who could read and follow directions. The evolutionary process eventually changed us from a nation of laborers to a nation of clerks. E) The proportion of employment classified as “clerical workers” grew from 5.2% in 1910 to a peak of 19.3% in 1980. (However, by 2000 this proportion had edged down to 17.4%.) Overall, workers classified as clerical workers, technical workers, managers and officials exceeded 50% of the labor force by 2000. Corresponding declines took place in the manual occupations. Workers classified as laborers, other than farm hands or miners, peaked at 11.4% of the labor force in 1920 but were barely 6% by 1950 and less than 4% by 2000. Farmers and farm laborers fell from 33% of the labor force in 1910 to less than 15% by 1950 and only 1.2% in 2000.

F) The introduction of the tractor and improvements in the factory rapidly reduced the demand for uneducated workers. By the 1930s, a marginal farm hand could not produce enough to justify his employment. Sharecropping, never much better than a subsistence occupation, was no longer viable(可行的). Meanwhile, machines were replacing manufacturing occupations like cigar rolling and glass blowing for light bulbs.

G) The structural-transition interpretation of the unemployment problem of the 1930s would be that the demand for uneducated workers in the United States had fallen, but the supply remained high. The high school graduation rate was only 8.8% in 1912 and still just 29% in 1931. By 1950, it had reached 59%. With a new generation of workers who had completed high school, the mismatch between skills and jobs had been greatly reduced.

H) What took place after World WarⅡwas not the revival of a 1920s economy, with its small farming units, urban manufacturing, and plurality of laborers. Instead, the 1950s saw the creation of a new suburban economy, with a plurality of white-collar workers. With an expanded transportation and communications infrastructure(基础设施), businesses needed telephone operators, shipping clerks and similar occupations. If you could read, follow simple instructions, and settle into a routine, you could find a job in the post-war economy.

I) The trend away from manual labor has continued. Even within the manufacturing sector, the share of production and non-supervisory workers in manufacturing employment went from over 85% just after World War II to less than 70% in more recent years. To put this another way, the proportion of white-collar work in manufacturing has doubled over the past 50 years. On the factory floor itself, work has become less physically demanding. Instead, it requires more cognitive skills and the ability to understand and carry out well-defined procedures.

J) As noted earlier, the proportion of clerical workers in the economy peaked in 1980. By that date, computers and advanced communications equipment had already begun to affect telephone operations and banking. The rise of the personal computer and the Internet has widened the impact of these technologies to include nearly every business and industry.

K) The economy today differs from that of a generation ago. Mortgage and consumer loan underwriters (风险评估人) have been replaced by credit scoring. Record stores have been replaced by music downloads. Book stores are closing,

while sales of books on electronic readers have increased. Data entry has been moved off shore. Routine customer support also has been outsourced (外包) overseas.

L) These trends serve to limit the availability of well-defined jobs. If a job can be characterized by a precise set of instructions, then that job is a candidate to be automated or outsourced to modestly educated workers in developing countries. The result is what David Autor calls the polarization of the American job market.

M) Using the latest Census Bureau data, Matthew Slaughter found that from 2000 to 2010 the real earnings of college graduates (with no advanced degree) fell by more in percentage terms than the earnings of high school graduates. In fact, over this period the only education category to show an increase in earnings was those with advanced degrees.

N) The outlook for mid-skill jobs would not appear to be bright. Communications technology and computer intelligence continue to improve, putting more occupations at risk. For example, many people earn a living as drivers, including trucks and taxicabs. However, the age of driverless vehicles appears to be moving closer. Another example is in the field of education. In the fall of 2011, an experiment with an online course in artificial intelligence conducted by two Stanford professors drew tens of thousands of registrants(报名者). This increases the student-teacherratio by a factor of close to a thousand. Imagine the number of teaching jobs that might be eliminated if this could be done for math, economics, chemistry, and so on.

O) It’s important to bear in mind that when we offer a structural interpretation of unemployment, a “loss of jobs” means an increase in productivity. Traditionally, economists have argued that productivity increases are a good thing, even though they may cause unemployment for some workers in the short run. In the long run, the economy does not run out of jobs. Rather, new jobs emerge as old jobs disappear. The story we tell is that average well-being rises, and the more people are able to adapt, the more widespread the improvement becomes.

46. Even factory floor work today has become intellectually challenging rather than physically demanding. 47. Increases in productivity prove beneficial though some people may lose their jobs temporarily.

48. The unemployment rate remained high even two years after the government declared the recent recession was over.

49. The author suggests that the recent high unemployment rate is mainly caused by a decrease of middle-class jobs. 50. The creation of a suburban economy in the 1950s created lots of office jobs.

51. In the first decade of the 21st century, only people with postgraduate degrees experienced an increase in earnings.

52. One economics theory suggests using monetary and fiscal stimulus to cope with an economic recession. 53. The popularity of online courses may eliminate many teaching jobs.

54. Computer technology has brought about revolutionary changes in the record and book business. 55. White-collar workers accounted for more than half of the labor force by the end of the 20th century. Section C

Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished 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 One

Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage. “Deep reading” —as opposed to the often superficial reading we do on the Web—is an endangered practice, one we ought to take steps to preserve as we would a historic building or a significant work of art. Its disappearance would jeopardize the intellectual and emotional development of generations growing up online, as well as the preservation of a critical part of our culture：the novels, poems and other kinds of literature that can be appreciated only by readers whose brains, quite literally, have been trained to understand them.

Recent research in cognitive science and psychology has demonstrated that deep reading—slow, immersive, rich in sensory detail and emotional and moral complexity—is a distinctive experience, different in kind from the mere decoding of words. Although deep reading does not, strictly speaking, require a conventional book, the built-in limits of the printed page are uniquely helpful to the deep reading experience. A book’s lack of hyperlinks (超链接), for example, frees the reader from making decisions—Should I click on this link or not? —allowing her to remain fully immersed in the narrative. That immersion is supported by the way the brain handles language rich in detail, indirect reference and figures of

speech: by creating a mental representation that draws on the same brain regions that would be active if the scene were unfolding in real life. The emotional situations and moral dilemmas that are the stuff of literature are also vigorous exercise for the brain, propelling us inside the heads of fictional characters and even, studies suggest, increasing our real-life capacity for empathy (认同).

None of this is likely to happen when we’re browsing through a website. Although we call the activity by the same name, the deep reading of books and the information-driven reading we do on the Web are very different, both in the experience they produce and in the capacities they develop. A growing body of evidence suggests that online reading may be less engaging and less satisfying, even for the “digital natives” to whom it is so familiar. Last month, for example, Britain’s National Literacy Trust released the results of a study of 34,910 young people aged 8 to 16. Researchers reported that 39% of children and teens read daily using electronic devices, but only 28% read printed materials every day. Those who read only onscreen were three times less likely to say they enjoy reading very much and a third less likely to have a favorite book. The study also found that young people who read daily only onscreen were nearly two times less likely to be above-average readers than those who read daily in print or both in print and onscreen. 56. What does the author say about “deep reading”? A) It serves as a complement to online reading. B) It should be preserved before it is too late.

57. Why does the author advocate the reading of literature?

C) It is mainly suitable for reading literature. D) It is an indispensable part of education.

A) It helps promote readers’ intellectual and emotional growth. B) It enables readers to appreciate the complexity of language. C) It helps readers build up immersive reading habits. D) It is quickly becoming an endangered practice.

58. In what way does printed-page reading differ from online reading?

C) It activates a different region of the brain. A) It ensures the reader’s cognitive growth.

B) It enables the reader to be fully engaged. D) It helps the reader learn rhetorical devices. 59. What do the studies show about online reading?

A) It gradually impairs one’s eyesight. C) It provides up-to-date information. B) It keeps arousing readers’ curiosity. D) It renders reading less enjoyable. 60. What do we learn from the study released by Britain’s National Literacy Trust? A) Onscreen readers may be less competent readers. B) Those who do reading in print are less informed. C) Young people find reading onscreen more enjoyable. D) It is now easier to find a favorite book online to read. Passage Two

Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.

Many current discussions of immigration issues talk about immigrants in general, as if they were abstract people in an abstract world. But the concrete differences between immigrants from different countries affect whether their coming here is good or bad for the American people.

The very thought of formulating immigration laws from the standpoint of what is best for the American people seems to have been forgotten by many who focus on how to solve the problems of illegal immigration. It is hard to look for “the ideal outcome” on immigration in the abstract. Economics professor Milton Friedman once said, “The best is the enemy of the good,” which to me meant that attempts to achieve an unattainable ideal can prevent us from reaching good outcomes that are possible in practice.

Too much of our current immigration controversy is conducted in terms of abstract ideals, such as “We are a nation of immigrants.” Of course we are a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of people who wear shoes. Does it follow that we should admit anybody who wears shoes?

The immigrants of today are very different from those who arrived here a hundred years ago. Moreover, the society in which they arrive is different. To me, it is better to build a wall around the welfare state than the country.

But the welfare state is already here—and, far from having a wall built around it, the welfare state is expanding in all directions. We do not have a choice between the welfare state and open borders. Anything we try to do as regards

immigration laws has to be done in the context of a huge welfare state that is already a major, inescapable fact of life.

Among other facts of life utterly ignored by many advocates of de facto amnesty(事实上的大赦) is that the free international movement of people is different from free international trade in goods.

Buying cars or cameras from other countries is not the same as admitting people from those countries or any other countries. Unlike inanimate objects, people have cultures and not all cultures are compatible with the culture in this country that has produced such benefits for the American people for so long.

Not only the United States, but the Western world in general, has been discovering the hard way that admitting people with incompatible cultures is an irreversible decision with incalculable consequences. If we do not see that after recent terrorist attacks on the streets of Boston and London, when will we see it?

“Comprehensive immigration reform” means doing everything all together in a rush, without time to look before we leap, and basing ourselves on abstract notions about abstract people. 61. What does the author say about immigrants in America? A) They all hope to gain citizenship and enjoy the welfare. B) They come to America with different dreams and purposes.

C) Their background may determine whether they benefit the American people. D) Their cultures affect the extent to which they will achieve success in America. 62. What does the author try to say by citing Milton Friedman’s remark?

A) It is hardly practical to find an ideal solution to America’s immigration problem. B) Ideal outcomes could be produced only by comprehensive immigration reform. C) As for immigration, good results cannot be achieved without good intentions. D) The proper solution of immigration issues is an ideal of the American public. 63. What is the author’s view regarding America’s immigration policy?

A) America should open its borders to immigrants from different countries. B) Immigrants have contributed greatly to the welfare of American people. C) Unrestricted immigration will undermine the American welfare state. D) There is no point building a wall around the American welfare state.

64. What is the author’s purpose in citing the recent terrorist attacks on the streets of Boston and London? A) To show that America should join hands with Europe in fighting terrorists.

B) To prove that it is high time America made comprehensive immigration reforms.

C) To prove that terrorism is the most dangerous threat to America and the world in general.

D) To show that immigrants’ cultural incompatibility with the host country has consequences. 65. What is the author’s attitude towards “comprehensive immigration reform”? A) Supportive. B) Negative. C) Wait-and-see. D) Indifferent. Part IV Translation (30 minutes)

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.

最近，中国科学院(Chinese Academy of Sciences)出版了关于其最新科学发现与未来一年展望的年度系列报告。系列报告包括三部分：科学发展报告、高技术发展报告、中国可持续发展战略报告。第一份报告包含中国科学家的最新发现，诸如新粒子研究与H7N9病毒研究的突破。该报告还突出强调了未来几年需要关注的问题。第二份报告公布了一些应用科学研究的热门领域，如3D打印和人造器官研究。第三份报告呼吁加强顶层设计，以消除工业升级中的结构性障碍，并促进节能减排。

2014年6月大学英语六级考试真题答案详解第三套

Part I Writing (30 minutes)

作文范文：把全部鸡蛋放到一个篮子里是不明智的

When making crucial decisions or important plans, it is always necessary to have a plan B. As the old saying goes, \

It is easy to understand that, for any plan that involves investments beforehand, one should prepare for the worst situation no matter how well it appears currently. When the profits are higher, people are also taking greater risks. For example, as the real-estate market is highly profitable nowadays, many people invest all their money into new houses and

some even raise a mortgage. The possible result is that once the market cools down and the house prices go on a decrease, the investors are more likely to lose the profits as well as the capital. Admittedly, putting all the eggs in one basket maximizes the possible gaining. However, in unfavorable conditions, it also maximizes the loss.

In conclusion, it is unwise to put all your hopes into one possible solution. People should all learn the importance of avoiding risks with a plan B.

【点评】 题解：“把所有鸡蛋放在一个篮子里是不明智的。”

本题难度中上，讨论风险与机会的关系，以及减少风险的方法，较抽象。

文章可采取三段式。首段简单阐述话题含义。主体部分重点论述“把所有鸡蛋放在一个篮子里”可能带来的风险。由于话题较抽象，此处可用具体的事例论述，证明在有一定风险的情况下，人们不应该将所有的希望都集中在同一个解决方案中，而是应该有备用方案，以减少风险。结论部分重述主题。

Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes) Section A 1.【答案】A. The man is the manager of the apartment building

【解析】从对话中看出女士在找apartment building，不是男士。因此选A 2. 【答案】A. How the pictures will turn out.

【解析】女士想知道的是if the shots I took are as good as I thought. 照片是不是和她想的异样好。这里shots指照片。turn out指照片拍出来的效果。

3. 【答案】D. The suitcase can be fixed in time.

【解析】男士说到find a handle后面提到 but that shouldn’t take too long说明不是没有handle可以匹配。因此排除A,B。

4. 【答案】A. He needs a vehicle to be used in harsh weather.

【解析】男士说到truck需要operate for long periods of time in very cold temperatures，因此选择选项A。very cold temperatures对应harsh weather.

5. 【答案】C. She has made up her mind to resign.

【解析】从文中女士强硬的口气I could no longer live with?可以看出她下定决心。 6. 【答案】B. Replace the shirt with one of some other material.

【解析】女士首先提到exchange the shirt，后面又解释了原因allergic to wool，从男士的回答也可以看出换成别的材质。

7. 【答案】A. At a “Lost and Found”

【解析】男士首先问Did anyone happen to turn in a new handbag?，女士又问了他handbag的详细信息，可见是在失物招领处，选A。

【精析】语义理解题。女士说她担心Anna，因为她最近很沮丧，整天待在屋子里；男士建议Anna去咨询中心(counseling center．看精神科医生。看精神科医生的目的当然是要寻求医生的专业建议。

8. 【答案】C Convert in into a hotel

【解析】but后面是真正意图: turning it into a guest house。guest house 意为宾馆，因此选C。9. 【答案】D. Careful plotting and clueing.

【解析】对话中提到it must be so carefully plotted and so carefully clued，对应D选项。 10. 【答案】D. To be entirely alone.

【解析】对话中can’t even bare anybody else, be completely alone都说明该作家需要独立的写作空间，因此选择D。

11. 【答案】C. They look at the world in a detached manner.

【解析】关键词detachment 分离。作家提到作者的经历和写作。虽然说道some experiences overwhelm everyone, 但是后面的but暗示了答案，stand aside、detachment都对应了C选项。

12.【答案】B. Like it or not, you have to use them.

【解析】在对话一开始，女士就提到了There’s only one railway system, if you don't like a particular railway, you can’t go and use another. 因为只有一条铁路，即使不喜欢，也只能乘坐，换句话说不论喜欢与否都得用它。因此选择B。

13.【答案】D. The monopoly of British Railways.

【解析】对话中谈及monopoly，铁路垄断，因此选D。其他选项均未涉及。 14.【答案】B. Competition from other modes of transport.

【解析】对话中modes of transport are all around对应选项B。 15.【答案】D. They lose a lot of money.

【解析】男士以德、法两国铁路为例，每年铁路都有大量亏损。因此选择D。而B选项中disappearing仅仅是美国的情况。

Questions 16 to 19 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 文章解析：

本文是一篇地理科学类文章，有点难度，关键是对一些专有名词的把握。文章开始先指出全球变暖带来最主要的威胁是极地冰盖的融化，并给出了相应的事实和数据加以证明。接着更多例子表明南极洲的冰盖在过去的130万年间至少坍塌过一次。相关高等学府的学者和科学家也相继用实验证明南极洲西部曾是一片汪洋。最后引用Herman Engleheart的话，再次提醒我们，西南极洲大冰原很可能再次融化消失。

其实按常理来说，如果听力文章比较有难度的话，题目的难度相对应会降低。所以大家在遇到此类题型时不必惊慌。提取关键信息、边听边记笔记，运用好背景知识等就能把题目做出来。平时也要注意扩大阅读范围，增长见识。关于环境保护和全球变暖之类的文章屡见不鲜，要求考生在这方面要引起足够的重视。

难点词汇：

West Antarctic ice sheet西南极洲大冰原 ice shelf 冰架 anchored 固定的 fossil 化石 microscopic marine plants 海洋微生物 geological 地质的 16.【答案】C. Many coastal cities will be covered with water.

【解析】细节题。本题不难，从听力开头即可听到 “raising sea level so much that coastal cities from New York to Los Angles to Shanghai will be flooded” 所以选C选项。

17.【答案】 B. How unstable the West Antarctic ice sheet is.

【解析】细节题。本题不难。注意关键句 “but Antarctic experts disagree strongly on just how unstable it is” 即可得出答案。

18.【答案】A. It collapsed at least once during the past 1.3 million years.

【解析】细节题。注意提取关键信息 “new evidence reveals that all or most of the Antarctic ice sheet collapsed at least once during the past 1.3 million years” 所以选A选项。

19.【答案】A. The West Antarctic region was once a open ocean. 【解析】细节题。听力最后的例子说明了这一点“which suggest that the region was once open ocean not solid ice”， 而其他选项都不是最新的发现。

20.【答案】B. Whether a deleted photo is immediately removed from the web.

【解析】听力一开始作者就建议我们尝试删除自己上传的照片“Take a photo and upload it to Facebook, then after a day or so, note what the URL link to the picture is and then delete it.”，由此可知应该选B。

21.【答案】B. The way they store data. 【解析】“Why do \photos stick around so long? The problem relates to the way data is stored on large websites”，从这句话可知图片之所以不能立即删除跟它们存储的方式有关。22.【答案】C. When the URL is reused.

【解析】“In the case of Facebook, the company says data may hang around until the URL in question is reused”，从这句话可知只有URL被再次用到才会被删除

23.【答案】A. Some iced coffees have as many calories as a hot dinner. 【解析】：第一段原文可以找到对应句子，即some iced coffees contain as many calories as a hot dinner. 24.【答案】B. Exercise at the gym. 【解析】：第一段原文中有对应语句，即Better skip dinner or hit the gym afterwards. 25.【答案】C. Many cancer cases could be prevented. 【解析】：在此句中，“The WCRF has estimated that 19,000 cancers a year in Britain could be prevented?”，关键词prevented可以得知答案为C选项。

26.diverse 28.commit 30.scale 32.accurate 34.sets them apart 27.tragic 29.outcome 31.colleagues 33.averages 35.turn out Part III Reading Comprehension Section A

参考译文

假如中产阶级的工作消失会怎样？

数百万的美国人正迈入60岁的行列比以往更加关心退休事宜。他们知道需要存钱，但存多少呢？而且存钱的目的是什么——为了花更多地时间来宠孙子、旅游，还是发展新的事业？结果显示，夫妻双方在这个问题上可能有着完全不同的观点。

最大的分歧在于夫妻俩对晚年生活方式所持的态度。忠诚投资公司对500对夫妻进行了调查，发现41%的夫妻对退休后两人都工作还是有一人两人或同伴是否在退休时继续工作存在分歧。妻子对丈夫的退休年龄推断大致正确，但丈夫却低估了妻子们退休的年龄。并且，丈夫比妻子对于生活水平要略微乐观些。

许多夫妻忙于应付事业和家庭，没有时间单独或者两人一起坐下来。想想5年后、10年后或20年后自己想做些什么。他们以为彼此意见一致，但事实却是他们甚至都没有谈论过这个话题。

如果你是个体经营者、或者从事一份没有标准退休年龄的职业，你会更倾向于推迟思考这些问题。通常是马上就要来临的退休日期成为了退休规划的催化剂。被解雇或接受提前退休方案可以迫使你着手退休计划，但不要等到领取遣散费才开始计划。

36. N) spoiling 本空与前面的spend构成spend time doing的搭配，需要动词ing形式。备选的有illustrating（阐述）和spoiling（宠爱），能与空后的grandkids构成合理搭配的明显只有spoiling，意为“花更多时间去宠孙子”。

37. K) radically 本空所在句不缺主干成分，且本空是修饰different ideas，因此需要副词。备选的有mysteriously（神秘地）、radically（根本地）和separately（分开地）。能与different ideas构成合理搭配的只有radically，这里做程度副词，表示丈夫与妻子有着“根本上不同的观点”。

38. C) disagree

本空为从句中的谓语，因此缺少动词，由于从句主语为复数couples，因此需要动词原形或过去式；且要考虑与空后的on构成搭配，应为不及物动词。备选的有assume（假设）、disagree（不同意）、observe（观察）和underestimate（低估）。其中不及物且与on能构成搭配的只有disagree。另外，第一段段末提到的丈夫与妻子有着“根本上不同的观点”也提示了这里所描述的现象应当是夫妻们不同意彼此的意见。

39. O) underestimate 本空为该句谓语，且与之并列的前半句使用的是一般现在时，因此需要动词原形，备选的有assume（假设）、observe（观察）和underestimate（低估）。能够与空后的age构成合理搭配的只有underestimate，意为丈夫们“低估了妻子退休时的年龄”。另外，前半句与该句构成转折，而前半句提到的是妻子一般能正确判断丈夫的退休年龄，可知该句应描述的是丈夫不了解妻子的退休年龄。

40. I) optimistic

本空为表语，且被副词slightly修饰，空气还有more，提示了应为形容词。备选的又confidential（机密的）、forthcoming（即将到来的）和optimistic（乐观的）。注意本空形容的是空后的standard of living（生活标准），能构成合理意思的只有optimistic，意为丈夫比妻子“对于生活标准要略微乐观一些”。

41. M) separately 本空与together构成并列，因此应该与together词性一致，为副词。备选的有mysteriously（神秘地）和separately（分开地）。能与together意思上构成并列的只有separately，表示正好相反的状态，被or串联，构成选择型的并列。

42. A) assume

本空为该句谓语，且并列的后半句用的是一般现在时，而本句主语为复数they，因此本空需要动词原形。备选的有assume（假设）和observe（观察）。能在这里构成合理意思的只有assume，意为“他们以为他们意见一致”。

43. L) reality

空前的the提示了本空需要名词，空后的is提示了本空需要可数名词单数或不可数名词。备选的有formula（公式、方案）、package（包裹）和reality（现实）。这里能构成合理意思的只有reality，意为“但现实是他们甚至都没有谈论这个话题”。注意前半句的assume暗示了前半句是夫妻们自以为的现象、也就是假象，这也暗示43空所在的转折之后的后半句描述的才是真相。

44. E) forthcoming

本空是在形容retirement date（退休日期），需要形容词。备选的有confidential（机密的）和forthcoming（即将到来的）。能构成合理意思的只有forthcoming，意为“常常是马上就要来临的退休日成为了退休规划的催化剂”，即人们只有接近退休的时候才会被迫开始做规划。

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