- 六级作文
- 快速阅读
- 六级听力
- 深层阅读
- 完形填空
- 六级翻译
- 答案解析
Part I Writing
A 【标准版】
Man and Computer
Ever since the birth of it, the computer has largely changed human being’s life and there has been a hot debate about its effects on humans. Undeniably, computers have taken the place of humans in many areas and it seems that computers begin to think like man, but this does not necessarily lead to the danger that man will think like computers.
The reasons, in my opinion, are as follows. Firstly, when computers release human from repetitive tasks, humans themselves can spend more time on creative works, such as scientific research, which require imagination and cannot be completed by computers. Meanwhile, thanks to computers, humans get more spare time with their friends and family, which enhances their happiness. Moreover, even though computers can work automatically, the premise is that the program, which is written by humans, has been installed in it.
In conclusion, humans, unlike computers, have creative ability, emotional desires and social bounds. Thus, I don’t think that there will be the danger that man will begin to think like the computer.
【高分版】
Man and Computer
It is believed that the computer is bringing the world into a brand new era. At the time the computer was invented, scientists, marveling at its calculating speed, felt that they had created a miracle. Nowadays, the function of the computer is no longer confined to calculation; it permeates people’s daily lives and has become an inseparable part of human society.
People become so heavily dependent on computers that it is hard to imagine the life without computers. Therefore, some people are worried that “The real danger is not that the computer will think like man, but man will think like the computer.” Their concern does make sense. Indeed, some people spend such a long time working on computers that they have few interactions with people in real life. According to a research, too many hours in front of a computer may lead to a poker face and interpersonal isolation. This fact should arouse our attention, because unlike computers, human beings are social creatures that need emotional connections with others.
Yet, it is also unnecessary for us to be overwhelmed by the negative impacts of computers. After all, we humans are intelligent and will be able to figure out better ways to make improvements.
本次六级作文的题目是人与电脑,对“真正的危险不是电脑开始像人一样思考,而是人开始像电脑一样思考。”这句话发表自己的观点。题目不算新,一般考生对此都比较熟悉,所以对考生来说难度不大。写好这篇作文,需要抓住两点,一是紧跟题目要求,即对这句引言做出评论,二是在评论的基础上要亮出自己的观点。
范文第一段首先 陈述电脑自发明以来对人们生活的深刻的影响, 从而为第二段内容的陈述奠定基础。
第二段第一句话先自然地过渡,引出题干中的引言。对引言作出评价:这样的担忧确实不是空穴来风。然后用例子证明现代生活中电脑已经对人们的思维和习惯带来的负面影响。呼吁大家引起重视,因为人毕竟不同于电脑,是有情感需求的。
最后一段是一个转折, 提出对于电脑对人的影响也不用太悲观,因为人毕竟是有智慧、有主观能动性的, 一定会想出改善不足的方法。这样的转折使作者的观点更全面、有说服力。
B【标准版】
On Maintaining Trust
Trust is the most frequently used word when we are talking about interpersonal relationships. However, it is hard to build trust but easy to destroy it. Therefore, how to build and maintain trust is very important for us. In my opinion, some factors play a primary role in it.
First comes honesty. There’s an old saying in Chinese: once bitten, twice shy. Thus, never lie to your partners. If they find out you’re lying or cheating, the existing trust will be broken. Once broken, it’s always hard to rebuild it. Promise-keeping is the second one. If you always break your promise, you will not be trusted by others any more. Another important aspect is attitude. People with good attitude are always welcome. They show their good manners, patience, modesty, willingness to communicate and, most important of all, sincerity to others, which contributes greatly to eliminating apathy and coldness.
There are, still, other influential factors. However, from my perspective, honesty, promise-keeping and good attitude stand out among them.
【高分版】
On maintaining trust
Trust is a key strategy for building effective relationships with the people we come into contact with, including our team members, peers and customers. If you want to have a positive influence over anyone or anything, you need to earn trust first.
As the level of trust develops, however, there will be situations and incidents that shake the foundations that have been built. Therefore, maintain trust is even more important. There are several keys to maintain trust. First is integrity. You need to remain honest and morally upright. The second is stick to your words. If you say you would do something, then do it, otherwise never say it. For once you break your promises, you can hardly reestablish it.
Trust is built and maintained by many small actions over time. Trust is telling the truth, even when it is difficult, and being truthful, authentic, and trustworthy in your dealings with other people. Only by maintain trust can one make real achievements and enjoy a rewarding life.
快速阅读答案:
1. There is no access to television in its rooms.
2. Time away from all electronic gadgets
3. It is our greatest misery in life
4. We will not know what to do with our own lives
5. They help people understand ancient wisdom
6. When people think deeply, their neural processes are slow
7. live without modern transportation
8. have some distance from it / the world.
9 something useful
10. what is essential
【点评】
这是一篇取自《纽约时报》的文章。讲述的是面对现代科技带来的信息爆炸,应该如何平静的审视自己的内心世界,找到自我,而不被信息的洪流所淹没。本次快速阅读的文章还是延续了以往的特点,信息量较大,结构较散,但整个命题依旧遵循了文章难,题目简单的规律。做题的要点就是,在题干中找到定位词,回原文中定位细节信息。
Part III Listening Comprehension
Section A
11.
M: I’d like to go camping with you this weekend, but I don’t have a sleeping bag.
W: No problem. You can count on me to get one for you. My family has tons of camping gear.
Q: What does the woman mean?
答案:She can lend the man a sleeping bag.
【解析】这是一道较为简单的推理题,前提是考生需知道camping gear表示“野餐用具,露营装备”,由此可知,camping gear包括sleeping bag,即女士能借给男士一个睡袋,此题的设置稍微绕了个小弯,为考生解题设置了一定难度。go camping:去野餐,去露营;sleeping bag:睡袋。
12.
M: I know I promise to drive you to the airport next Thursday, but I’m afraid something has come up. They’ve called a special meeting at work.
W: No big deal. Karen said she was available as a back-up.
Q: What does the woman mean?
答案: Karen can take her to the airport.
【解析】此题为细节题。从对话中可知,男士下周四临时有事不能送女士去机场了,女士回答说Karen有空。back-up:n. 备用,备份,考生如果知道这个单词的意思,对整个对话的理解会有帮助。
13.
W: Have you saved enough money for a trip to Hawaii?
M: Not even close. My uncle must put the brakes on my travelling plans.
Q: What does the man mean?
答案:He can’t afford to go traveling yet.
【解析】此题为推理题。从男士的回答“我叔叔对我的旅行计划加以限制了。”中可推断出,这位男士还没有足够的钱去旅行。put the brakes on sth.表示“对……加以限制”,即使考生不知道这个短语的引申含义,但听到brake“刹车”应该也能大概判断出来答案。
14.
M: I’m starving. Do we still have any pie left from the dinner yesterday?
W: Oh, Julia invited her friends over in the afternoon and they ate it all.
Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
答案:The man has to find something else to eat.
【解析】此题为简单的推理题。从对话中可知,女士回答说Julie下午邀请了她的朋友,他们把剩的饼都吃光了,由此可推断出这位男士不得不找别的东西吃。starving:adj. 饥饿的。
15.
W: Three letters of recommendation are required to apply to graduate schools. I was wondering if the one professor Smith wrote for me last year could still be used.
M: It’s a bit dated. You’d better submit a recent one.
Q: What does the man suggest the woman do?
答案:Present a new letter of reference.
【解析】此题为细节题。只要考生抓住这位男士回答中的关键词dated和recent,就不难找出正确答案,而且,整个答句也很短,均是简单句,易于考生理解。letter of recommendation和letter of reference意思相似,均可表示“推荐信”。
16.
W: I’ve noticed that you spend a lot of time tending your garden. Would you like to join our gardening club? We meet every other Wednesday.
M: Oh, thanks for the invitation, but this is how I relax. I’d rather not make it something formal and structured.
Q: What can we infer about the man?
答案:He declines to join the gardening club.
【解析】此题为暗示推理题,有一定难度。抓住问题中的关键词“infer”,这位男士暗示了什么?从男士的回答“谢谢邀请,但这是我放松的方式,我宁愿我的花园不那么条条框框”中可推断出,这位男士间接拒绝了参加园艺俱乐部的邀请。
17.
M: I heard the recent sculpture exhibit was kind of disappointing.
W: That’s right. I guess a lot of other people feel the way I do about modern art.
Q: What does the woman mean?
答案:Many people do not appreciate modern art.
【解析】此题为简单的推理题。只要考生能理解女士的回答“我猜许多其他人对现代艺术和我的感觉是一样的。”,即可选出答案,而且答句中没有一个生难单词。sculpture exhibit:雕塑展。
18.
M: Bob is running for chairman of the student union. Would you vote for him?
W: Oh, I can’t decide right now because I have to find out more about the other candidates.
Q: What does the woman mean?
答案:Bob cannot count on her vote.
【解析】此题为推理题。这位女士回答说她现在还没决定选谁,因为她还要看看其他候选人的资料和表现,由此可推断出,Bob不能依赖这位女士的选票。run for:竞选;chairman of the student union:学生会主席;vote for:投票赞成。
Conversation One
W: I don’t know what to do. I can’t seem to get anyone in the hospital to listen to my complaints and this outdated equipment is dangerous. Just look at it.
M: Hmm, uh, are you trying to say that it presents a health hazard?
W: Yes, I am. The head technician in the lab tried to persuade the hospital administration to replace it, but they are trying to cut costs.
M: You are pregnant, aren’t you?
W: Yes, I am. I made an effort to get my supervisor to transfer me to another department, but he urged me not to complain too loudly. Because the administration is more likely to replace me than an X-ray equipment, I’m afraid to refuse to work. But I’m more afraid to expose my unborn child to the radiation.
M: I see what you mean. Well, as your union representative, I have to warn you that it would take quite a while to force management to replace the old machines and attempt to get you transferred may or may not be successful.
W: Oh, what am I supposed to do then?
M: Workers have the legal right to refuse certain unsafe work assignments under two federal laws, the Occupation or Safety and Health Act and the National Labor Relations Act. But the requirements of either of the Acts may be difficult to meet.
W: Do you think I have a good case?
M: If you do lose your job, the union will fight to get it back for you along with back pay, your lost income. But you have to be prepared for a long wait, maybe after two years.
Q19. What does the woman complain about?
Q20. What has the woman asked her supervisor to do?
Q21. What does the man say about the two federal laws?
Q22. What will the union do if the woman loses her job?
【答案】
19. The health hazard at her work place.
20. Transfer her to another department.
21. Their requirements may be difficult to meet.
22. Try to help her to get it back.
点评:
本篇长对话是关于一名怀孕的员工就工作中的辐射伤害向工会投诉。对话一开篇女士先抱怨自己工作的医院无人听她申诉有关机器已过时,会造成身体伤害的问题,因为医院想要降低成本。然后她提到自己有向主管提出转调部门的要求,然而遭到拒绝。主管还告诫她,医院宁愿换掉她,让他人工作,也不会更换机器。于是工会代表告诉她转调部门确实可能不会成功。同时要想利用目前的法案来解决这一问题,也会很难实现。最后指出,除非她真正丢失工作,工会才能拿起法律武器帮她讨薪。
本对话考生虽然对辐射造成身体伤害的话题并不陌生,但整个对话中部分单词可能还是会造成不少听力困扰。比如:health hazard(健康伤害)中的hazard;X-ray equipment(X光仪器)中的X-ray和两大法案的名称虽不难,但也容易混淆大家的视听,而误抓重点。
Conversation Two
W: Mr. Green, is it fair to say that negotiation is an art?
M: Well, I think it’s both an art and science. You can prepare for a negotiation quite scientifically, but the execution of the negotiation has quite a lot to do with one’s artistic quality. The scientific part of a negotiation is in determining your strategy. What do you want out of it? What can you give? Then of course there are tactics. How do you go about it? Do you take an opening position in a negotiation which differs from the eventual goal you are heading for? And then of course there are the behavioral aspects.
W: What do you mean by the behavioral aspects?
M: Well, that’s I think where the art comes in. In your behavior, you can either be an actor. You can pretend that you don’t like things which you are actually quite pleased about. Or you can pretend to like things which you are quite happy to do without. Or you can be the honest type negotiator who’s known to his partners in negotiation and always plays everything straight. But the artistic part of negotiation I think has to do with responding immediately to cues one gets in the process of negotiation. These can be verbal cues or even body language. This is where the artistic quality comes in.
W: So really, you see two types of negotiator then, the actor or the honest one.
M: That’ right. And both can work. I would say the honest negotiator can be quite effective in some circumstances. In other circumstances you need an actor.
Q23. When is a scientific approach best embodied in a negotiation according to the man?
Q24. In what way is a negotiator like an actor according to the man?
Q25. What does the man say about the two types of negotiator?
【答案】
23. In the preparatory phase.
24. He behaves in a way contrary to his real intention.
25. Both can succeed depending on the specific situation.
【点评】
本长对话主要是关于谈判的艺术性和科学性。谈判的科学性部分主要体现在谈判策略,而谈判的艺术性则体现在表现上。这里可以归为两类,一是“演技派”,二是“诚实派”。另外,谈判的艺术性还与对谈判过程中获得的口头暗示、肢体语言进行及时反应有关。最后男士指出根据不同场合,无论是“诚实派”,或是“演技派”谈判者都能起到各自的效果。
本对话中的关键词有:negotiation:谈判;strategy:策略;behavioral:行为的。
Section B
Passage 1
A scientific team is studying the thinking ability of eleven and half month old children. The test is a simple one. The baby watches a sort of show on a small stage. In Act One of the show, a yellow cube is lifted from a blue box, and moved across the stage. Then it is returned to the box. This is repeated 6 times. Act Two is similar except that the yellow cube is smaller. Baby boys do not react at all to the difference and the size of the cube. But girls immediately become excited. The scientists interpret the girls’ excitement as meaning they are trying to understand what they have just seen. They are wondering why Act Two is odd and how it differs from Act One. In other words, the little girls are reasoning. This experiment certainly does not definitely prove that girls start to reason before boys, but it provides a clue that scientists would like to study more carefully. Already it is known that bones, muscles and nerves develop faster in baby girls. Perhaps it is early nerve development that makes some infant girls show more intelligence than infant boys. Scientists have also found that nature seems to give another boost to girls. Baby girls usually talk at an earlier age than boys do. Scientists think that there is a physical reason for this. They believe that the nerve endings in the left side of the brain develop faster in girls than in boys, and it is this side of the brain that strongly influences an individual’s ability to use language and remember things.
Q26. What is the difference between Act One and Act Two in the test?
答案:The size of the objects shown.
Q27. How do the scientists interpret their observation from the experiment?
答案: Girls seem to start reasoning earlier than boys.
Q28. What does the speaker say about the experiment?
答案: It may simulate scientists to make further studies.
Q29. According to scientists, what is another advantage given to girls by nature?
答案: They talk at an early age.
【点评】
本文是一篇关于幼儿思维能力的文章。… but it provides a clue that… 一句前都是具体的实验过程,是一个例子,重点在实验为科学研究提供的线索。实验发现可能是早期的神经发育使女婴比男婴更聪明。科学家们还发现,自然可能还给了女孩另一大优势,那就是女孩通常比男孩早开口说话,而这也是因为神经末梢发育快于男孩。
关键词:interpret v. 解释;翻译boost n. 推动,帮助
Passage 2
A super attendant of the city municipal building, Dillia Adorno, was responsible for presenting its new security plan to the public. City employees, citizens and reporters gathered in the hall to hear her describe the plan. After outlining the main points she would cover, she assured the audience that she would be happy to answer questions at the end of her presentation. Dillia realized the plan was expensive and potentially controversial. So she was not surprised to see a number of hands go up as soon as she finished speaking. An employ asked, “Would the new system create long lines to get into the building like the line in the airport security checks?” Dillia had anticipated this question and had an answer ready. After repeating the question, she explained that the sufficient number of security guards would be working at peak hours to speed things along. The next question was more confrontational.”Where was the money come from to pay for all of this?”The journalists who ask the question seem hostile. But Dillia was careful not to adopt the defensive tone. She stated that the money would come from the city’s general budget. “I know these are tide times”, she added, “But everyone agrees on the importance of safe guarding our employees and members of the public who come into the building.” Near the end of the 25 minutes she has said, Dillia said she would take two more questions. When those were finished, she concluded the session with a brief restatement of how the new system will improve security and peace of mind in the municipal building.
Question 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.
30. What is the focus of Dillia Adorno’s presentation?
答案:The new security plan for the municipal building.
31. What question had Dillia Adorno anticipated?
答案: Whether the security checks would create long queues at peak hours.
32. What did the speakers think of the question from the journalist?
答案: Confrontational
【点评】
本文描写一位政府官员介绍了一项新的安保计划,并回答了在场人员的提问,类似于一场新闻发布会。计划成本较高,而且可能颇具争议。本文详细阐述了两个提问。第一个问题是Dillia预见到的,但第二个记者的提问是有对抗性的,即使confrontational这个词我们听不懂也没关系,可以从下文的其他词汇中推断,如hostile 有敌意的,而针对这个问题,Dillia让自己尽可能不采取defensive的态度,既然要采取防卫的态度,那记者的提问一定是在政府的对立面的,因此从defensive一词也可以判断出记者的态度。
关键词:attendant n. 随员 confrontational adj. 对抗性的 hostile,defensive
Passage 3
Despite unemployment and the lost of her home, Andrea Clark considers herself a blessed and happy woman. Why the cheerful attitude? Her troubles have brought her closer to her family. Last year, Andrea’s husband, Rick, a miner in Nevada was laid off. Though Andrea kept her job as a school bus driver, she knew that they couldn’t pay their bill and support their youngest of five children, Zack, age nine, on one income. “At first their church helped out, but you can’t keep that up forever”, Andrea says. Then Michal, their eldest of her four adult children suggested they move in with his family. For almost three months, seven Clarks lived under one roof. Andrea, Rick and Zack stayed in the basement department, sharing laundry and single bathroom with Michal, his wife and their two children.
The change cut their expenditures in half, but the new living arrangement proved too challenging. When Andrea found a job with a school district closer to her mother’s home in west Jorden, Utah, the family decided to move on. Packing up again with no picnic, Zack had to switch schools for the second time and space is even tighter. Andrea says that the moves themselves are exhausting and Rick is still looking for a job.
The recession has certainly come with more problems than Andrea anticipated, but she remains unfailingly optimistic. She is excited to spend more time with her mother. Another plus, rents are lower in Utah than in Nevada. So Andrea thinks they’ll be able to save up and move out in less than 6 months.
Questions 33-35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Q33 What do we learn about Andrea’s husband?
答案:He used to work as a miner in Nevada.
Q34 Why did Andrea move to live in her eldest son’s home?
答案:To cut their living expenses.
Q35 What is Andrea’s attitude toward the hardships brought by the economic recession?
答案:Optimistic.
【点评】
本文描写了Andrea一家在经历失业时依然乐观向上的积极状态。这从文章的首句Despite unemployment and the lost of her home, Andrea Clark considers herself a blessed and happy woman.和最后一段but she remains unfailingly optimistic.都能得到印证。Andrea的丈夫是内华达的矿工,去年失业,为了维持生计,他们先是和大儿子一家住在一起,后来又搬家到犹他州,她的丈夫还在继续找工作。但是经济衰退,并没有让Andrea消极,她觉得自己和家人的关系更紧密了并且相信自己能够度过难关。
关键词:lay off 解雇;expenditure n. 支出,花费;optimistic adj. 乐观的
Section C
Mountain climbing is becoming a popular sport, but it is also a potentially dangerous one. People can fall. They may also become ill. One of the most common dangers to climbers is altitude sickness, which can affect even very experienced climbers. Altitude sickness usually begins when a climber goes above 8,000 to 9,000 feet. The higher one climbs, the less oxygen there is in the air. When people don’t get enough oxygen, they often begin to gasp for air. They may also feel dizzy and light-headed. Besides these symptoms of altitude sickness, others such as headache and fatigue may also occur. At heights of over 18,000 feet, people may be climbing in a constant daze. Their state of mind can have adverse affect on their judgment. A few precautions can help most climbers avoid altitude sickness. The first is not to go too high, too fast. If you climb to 10,000 feet, stay at that height for a day or two. Your body needs to get used to a high altitude before you climb to a even higher one. Or if you do climb higher sooner, come back down to a lower height when you sleep. Also, drink plenty of liquids and avoid tobacco and alcohol. When you reach your top height, do like activities rather than sleep too much. You breathe less when you sleep, so you get less oxygen. The most important warning is this: if you have severe symptoms, then don’t go away, go down. Don’t risk injury or death because of over-confidence or lack of knowledge.
36. potentially
37. experienced
38. gasp
39. dizzy
40. fatigue
41. constant
42. adverse
43. precautions
44. Your body needs to get used to a high altitude before you climb to a even higher one.
45. When you reach your top height, do like activities rather than sleep too much.
46. Don’t risk injury or death because of over-confidence or lack of knowledge.
【点评】
本文是有关高原病的,主要讲述了高原病的症状以及预防措施。文章本身长难句不多,但出现了较多偏难单词,考验学生的临场心态。
需填单词难度较大,如dizzy,fatigue,adverse,altitude等,对学生的词汇量要求颇高。
空格整体分布较为均匀,填写时间比较充足。所填词语格式比较重要,如-s等是不可漏过的细节。需填写的句子均较短,难度不是特别大。
深度阅读_SA:
47. others
解析:关键词 evaluate ourselves
迅速定位到 第一段第一句话 所以答案是 others
48. similar to peers
解析:关键词 adolescence
迅速定位到 第一段中间 所以答案是 similar to peers.
49. a good listener
解析:关键词 self- awareness
迅速定位到 第二段第一句 所以答案是a good listener
50. They seek professional help
解析:关键词 unacceptable to family or friends
迅速定位到 第二段第七行 所以答案是They can seek professional help.
51. a normal reaction
解析:关键词 Counselors 和assure
迅速定位到 第二段倒数第三行 所以答案是a normal reaction
深度阅读SB_1
Amid all the job losses of the Great Recession, there is one category of worker that the economic disruption has been good for: nonhumans.
From self-service checkout lines at the supermarket to industrial robots armed with saws and taught to carve up animal carcasses in slaughter-houses, these ever-more-intelligent machines are now not just assisting workers but actually kicking them out of their jobs.
Automation isn’t just affecting factory workers, either. Some law firms now use artificial intelligence software to scan and read mountains of legal documents, work that previously was performed by highly paid human lawyers.
“Robots continue to have an impact on blue-collar jobs, and white-collar jobs are under attack by microprocessors,” says Edward Leamer, an economics professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast, a survey of the U.S. and California economies. Leamer says the recession permanently wiped out 2.5 million jobs. U.S. gross domestic product has climbed back to pre-recession levels, meaning we’re producing as much as before, only with 6 percent fewer workers. To be sure, robotics are not the only job killers out there, with outsourcing stealing far more gigs than automation.
Jeff Burnstein, president of the Robotics Industry Association, a trade group in Ann Arbor, Mich., argues that robots actually save U.S. jobs. His logic: companies that embrace automation might use fewer workers, but that’s still better than firing everyone and moving the work overseas.
It’s not that robots are cheaper than humans, though often they are. It’s that they are better. “In some cases the quality requirements are so stringent that even if you wanted to have a human do the job, you couldn’t,” Burnstein says.
Same goes for surgeons, who are using robotic systems to perform an ever-growing list of operations—not because the machines save money but because, thanks to the greater precision of robots, the patients recover in less time and have fewer complications, says Dr. Myriam Curet.
Surgeons may survive the robot invasion, but others at the hospital might not be so lucky, as iRobot, maker of the Roomba, a robot vacuum cleaner, has been showing off Ava, a three-foot-tall droid on wheels that carries a tablet computer. iRobot reckons Ava could be used as a courier in a hospital. And once you’re home, recovering, Ava could let you talk to your doctor, so there’s no need to send someone to your house. That “mobile telepresence” could be useful at the office. If you’re away on a trip, you can still attend a meeting. Just connect via videoconferencing software, so your face appears on Ava’s screen.
Is any job safe? I was hoping to say “journalist,” but researchers are already developing algorithms that can gather facts and write a news story. Which means that a few years from now, a robot could be writing this column. And who will read it? Well, there might be a lot of us hanging around with lots of free time on our hands.
52. What do we learn from the first few paragraphs?
答案:The robotic industry has benefited from the economic recession.
53. What caused the greatest loss of jobs in America?
答案:Moving production to other countries.
54. What does Jeff Burnstein say about robots?
答案:They compete with human workers.
55. What are robotic systems replacing surgeons in more and more operations according to Dr. Myriam Curet?
答案:They beat humans in precision.
56. What does the author imply about robotics?
答案:It will be applied in any field imaginable.
【解析】这是一篇讨论机器人取代人类的科技说明文,话题是考生比较熟悉的科技类文章。文中指出在大萧条时期众多失业的情况下,有一类工人却受益于经济混乱:机器人。机器人和业务外包比自动化分流了更多的岗位。但是专家指出,并不是因为机器人比人廉价,而是它们比人类更优秀。在很多具体工作上,人类无法做到像机器人那样精确。文章最后一段探讨还有那些岗位能免于机器人取代的危机,作者本以为记者行业可以,但是结果却不是这样,几乎所有岗位都面临这种趋势,从而紧扣文章原文题目和主题:Who Needs Humans?人类还有何用?
本文选材虽然是科技相关,但是词汇都比较简单,没有太偏的词汇。而这几道题相比而言,难度又低了不少,很多选项直接可以通过对比原文排除,如54题谈到对机器人的看法,其中B选项说机器人比人类工作更省钱更便宜,而文中已经特别清晰的表明立场,It’s not that …此外,词汇复现也能帮助大家准备做对题目,如第52题的答案中benefit from就对应了原文中的be good for,所以很快很轻松的就选出来了。因此考生只要明确文中几个人物各自的观点,勾画好关键词,整体上来讲,5道题都做对基本可以做到的。
深度阅读SB_2
You've now heard it so many times, you can probably repeat it in your sleep. President Obama will no doubt make the point publicly when he gets to Beijing: the Chinese need to spend more; they need to consume more; they need — believe it or not — to become more like Americans, for the sake of the global economy.
And it's all true. But the other side of that equation is that the U.S. needs to save more. For the moment, American households actually are doing so. After the personal-savings rate dipped to zero in 2005, the shock of the economic crisis last year prompted people to snap shut their wallets.
In China, the household-savings rate exceeds 20%. It is partly for policy reasons. As we've seen, wage earners are expected to care for not only their children but also their aging parents. And there is, to date, only the flimsiest(脆弱的) of publicly-funded health care and pension systems, which increases incentives for individuals to save while they are working. But China is a society that has long esteemed personal financial prudence(谨慎)for centuries. There is no chance that will change anytime soon, even if the government creates a better social safety net and successfully encourages greater consumer spending.
Why does the U.S. need to learn a little frugality(节俭)? Because healthy savings rates are one of the surest indicators of a country's long-term financial health. High savings lead, over time, to increased investment, which in turn generates productivity gains, innovation and job growth. In short, savings are the seed corn of a good economic harvest.
The U.S. government thus needs to act as well. By running constant deficits, it is dis-saving, even as households save more. Peter Orszag, Obama's Budget Director, recently called the U.S. budget deficits unsustainable and he's right. To date, the U.S. has seemed unable to have what Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has called an "adult conversation" about the consequences of spending so much more than is taken in. That needs to change. And though Hu Jintao and the rest of the Chinese leadership aren't inclined to lecture visiting Presidents, he might gently hint that Beijing is getting a little nervous about the value of the dollar — which has fallen 15% since March, in large part because of increasing fears that America's debt load is becoming unmanageable.
That's what happens when you're the world's biggest creditor: you get to drop hints like that, which would be enough by themselves to create international economic chaos if they were ever leaked. (Every time any official in Beijing deliberately publicly about seeking an alternative to the U.S. dollar for the $2.1 trillion China holds in reserve, currency traders have a heart attack.) If Americans saved more and spent less, consistently over time, they wouldn't have to worry about all that.
【点评】
本文讲述了在全球经济危机的背景下,美国人要向中国人学习勤俭,学会储蓄。为什么这样做呢?文章中指出良好的储蓄率能够推动经济的繁荣。但即使美国家庭开始储蓄更多,如果政府常年赤字的话,对美国来说还是“反储蓄”的。所以文章的目的是敦促美国政府降低赤字,并在文末再一次强调要坚持向中国学习存多花少,
57. How did the economic crisis affect Americans?
They had to tighten their belts.
【解析】细节题。从原文第二段最后一句话“the shock of the economic crisis last year prompted people to snap shut their wallets”可见,经济危机使得美国民众关紧钱包,即少花钱,也就是答案中tighten their belts(勒紧腰带,节省开支)的意思。所以正确答案为A。
58. What should be done to encourage Chinese people to consume?
Improving China’s social security system.
【解析】细节题。从原文中的“even if the government creates a better social safety net and successfully encourages greater consumer spending”可见,如要鼓励中国人消费更多,这需要提高社会安全系统。
59. What does the author mean by saying “savings are the seed corn of a good economic harvest” (Line 4, Para. 4)?
A healthy savings rate promotes economic prosperity.
【解析】细节题。根据题干提示,定位至第四段最后一句,我们发现这句话是前面几句话的概括,那根据前面“High savings lead, over time, to increased investment, which in turn generates productivity gains, innovation and job growth.”可知,高储蓄率能够促进投资,进而促进生产率、创新和岗位增长,即促进经济的繁荣。所以正确答案为D。
60. In what circumstances do currency traders become scared?
When Beijing mentions in public the huge debts America owes China.
【解析】细节题。从原文中的“Every time any official in Beijing deliberately publicly about seeking an alternative to the U.S. dollar for the $2.1 trillion China holds in reserve, currency traders have a heart attack.”可知,每当中国政府公开提到美国欠我国的大量债务,货币交易员们就担惊受怕。因为本段一开始提到作为最大的债权国,财政上的漏洞会造成经济的混乱。所以正确答案为D。
61. What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?
To urge the American government to cut defictis.
【解析】主旨题。纵观全文,作者一直在强调美国应该向中国学习勤俭,文中第五段的第一句话“By running constant deficits, it is dis-saving, even as households save more.”也给到我们提示,既然长期运行赤字是不利于储蓄的,那美国政府应该做的是降低赤字。所以正确答案是A。
完形填空:
The shorter growing seasons expected with climate change over the next 40 years will endanger hundreds of millions of already poor people in the global tropics, say researchers working 62 the world's leading agricultural organisations.
The effects of climate change are likely to be seen across the entire tropical 63 but many areas previously considered to be 64 food secure are likely to become highly 65 to droughts, extreme weather and higher temperatures, say the 66 with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.
Intensively farmed areas 67 northeast Brazil and Mexico are likely to see their 68 growing seasons fall below 120 days, which is 69 for crops such as corn to mature. Many other places in Latin America are likely to 70 temperatures that are too hot for bean 71 , a staple in the region.
The impact could be 72 most in India and southeast Asia. More than 300 million people in south Asia are likely to be affected even with a 5% decrease in the 73 of the growing season.
Higher peak temperatures are also expected to take a heavy 74 on food producers. Today there are 56 million crop-dependent people in parts of west Africa and India who live in areas where, in 40 years, maximum daily temperatures could be higher than 30C. This is 75 to the maximum temperature that beans can tolerate, 76 corn and rice yields suffer when temperatures 77 this level.
"We are starting to see much more clearly 78 the effects of climate change on agriculture could 79 hunger and poverty," said research leader Patti Kristjanson. "Farmers already adapt 80 variable weather by changing their planting schedules. What this study suggests is that the speed of climate 81 and the magnitude of the changes required to adapt could be much greater. "
【答案】
62. with
63. zone
64. relatively
65. vulnerable
66. researchers
67. like
68. prime
69. critical
70. experience
71. production
72. felt
73. length
74. toll
75. close
76. while
77. exceed
78. where
79. intensify
80. to
81. shifts
【总评】
完形填空原文选自英国的《卫报》(Guardian),原文题目为Climate change in tropics poses food threat to poor。本文主要讲述的是全球气候变化给贫穷地区带来的食物紧缺问题,本文采用的是新闻典型的倒金字塔结构,开头点出整篇文章的核心点,即成长季节缩短会导致食物紧缺。第二段讲述影响范围,三、四两段举例说明,第五段指出对食物生产者的影响,而第六段则采用直接引用方式给出评论。
翻译A
82. The new movie we are going to see this evening____________(据说是基于一次真实的事件).
83.Sometimes the coupon attached to a product may______________(分散顾客对其质量的注意力).
84.If we had left half an hour earlier, we______________________(或许就不会为交通阻塞所耽搁).
85.Nancy refused the assistance provided, for she objected________________(被当成残疾人看待).
86.Hard_______________(他们虽然尽了力),their first attempt at a solution was unsuccessful.
翻译答案
82. was said to be based on a true event
83. disperse customers’ attention to its quality
84. could not have been delayed by the traffic jam
85. to be treated as the disabled
86. as they had tried
翻译解析
82. was said to be based on a true event
【解析】本题考查固定句型及短语用法。”It is (was)said to be…”,表示“据说……”。该句子的主语是”The new movie”, “we are going to see this evening”这个句子是定语从句用来修饰主语,因此翻译的时候可以先不看它,抓住句子的主干。“基于”的表达有许多种:sth.be based on sth. ; sth. be on the base of sth.等等。
83. disperse customers’ attention to its quality
【解析】本题考查短语固定用法。“分散某人的注意力”表达方式也有许多种:disperse / distract one’s attention to sth.
84. could not have been delayed by the traffic jam
【解析】本题考查过去时态的虚拟语气;而且根据句意可知为被动态,因此主句的结构为”could not have been done”,表示本不可能发生的情况却发生了。另外注意“交通阻塞”、“耽搁”这些日常生活中常用词的英语表达。
85. to be treated as the disabled
【解析】本题考查动词短语固定表达。”treat sb. as”表示“把某人看作”,而此句用被动态”sb. was treated as”即“某人被当作(对待)……”。另外注意表示一类人的方法,通常用”the+adj.”所以“残疾人”为”the disabled”,又如,”the old”“老年人”等等。
86. as they had tried
【解析】本题考查让步主语从句及句子倒装。因为该从句以副词”Hard”开头表示强调,因此用连词”as”来引导该从句要整句倒装,”as”的意思为“虽然,尽管”。同时因主句是过去时可判断,从句的时态应为过去完成时。本句的正常语序为”As they had tried hard, their…”
翻译B
82.Through years of hard work, they_______________(已经把那片荒地变成了肥沃的农田).
83.It was long since I last saw her, and if she had not greeted me first_____________(我几乎认不出她来).
84.Our defense at the court hearing finally___________________(使法官确信我们是清白的).
85._________________(你可以放心)we will fulfill our task ahead of time.
86.Man should live in harmony with nature, and____________________(试图征服它是不明智的).
翻译答案及解析
82. have turned the waste land into fertile farm land.
【解析】本题考查完成时态固定短语用法。“把……变成”为”turn …into…”.另外“荒地”的表达”waste land, barren land, uncultivated land”;“农田”为”farm land, cropland, cultivated land”。
83. I would not have recognized her
【解析】本题考查虚拟语气。if引导的条件句时态为过去完成时,那么主句的结构为“would not have done“。“认出某人”一般用”recognize sb.”
84. convinced the judge that we were blameless
【解析】本题考查固定表达及时态一致。“让某人确信某事”有多种表达”convince sb. that…”;”make sb. sure that…”,”blameless”意思为“清白的;无可责备的;无过失的”;另外据句意可判定主句谓语为过去时,因此that 引导的从句与主句时态要保持一致。
85.You can count on us
【解析】本题考查固定表达。”count on sb.”“指望、依靠某人”意即“某人可以放心”。
86.it is unwise to attempt to conquer it
【解析】本题考查形式主语结构及短语用法“做什么是不明智的”为”it is unwise to do sth.”。“试图做某事”为”attempt to do sth. ;try doing sth.”
翻译C
82. __________________不管中国变得多么强大, it will constitute no threat to any other country.
83. success in life does not depends so much on one’s school records______________________而是靠勤奋和坚持
84. ______________他们要是此刻在这里就要了,we would be able to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
85. In recent years, with his business booming, he __________________给慈善事业捐了大笔钱。
86. without the atmosphere we______________________将被迫寻找躲避太阳的藏身处,as there would be nothing to protect us from its deadly rays.