2017年12月英语六级英语考试真题（卷三）

2017年12月大学英语六级考试真题（第3套）PartI Writing (30minutes) （请于正式开考后半小时内完成该部分，之后将进行听力考试）Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaycommentingonthesaying

"Helpothers,andyouwillbehelpedwhenyouareinneed"

Youcanciteexamplestoillustrateyourviews.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.PartII ListeningComprehension (30minutes)说明：由于2017年12月六级考试全国共考了2套听力，本套真题听力与前2套内容完全一样，只是顺序不一样，因此在本套真题中不再重复出现。PartIII ReadingComprehension (40minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Question26to35arebasedonthefollowingpassage.ManyEuropeancountrieshavebeenmakingtheshifttoelectricvehiclesandGermanyhasjuststatedthattheyplantobanthesaleofvehiclesusinggasolineanddieselasfuelby2030.Thecountryisalsoplanningtoreduceitscarbonfootprintby80-95%by2050,___26___ashifttogreenenergyinthecountry.Effectively,thebanwillincludetheregistrationofnewcarsinthecountryastheywillnotallowanygasoline___27___vehicletoberegisteredafter2030.Partofthereasonthisbanisbeingdiscussedand___28___isbecauseenergyofficialsseethattheywillnotreachtheiremissionsgoalsby2050iftheydonot___29___alargeportionofvehicleemissions.Thecountryisstill___30___thatitwillmeetitsemissionsgoals,likereducingemissionsby40%by2020,butthe___31___ofelectriccarsinthecountryhasnotoccurredasfastasexpected.Othereffortstoincreasetheuseofelectricvehiclesincludeplanstobuildover1millionhybridandelectriccarbatterychargingstationsacrossthecountry.By2030,Germanyplansonhavingover6millionchargingstations___32___.AccordingtotheInternationalBusinessTimes,electriccarsalesareexpectedtoincreaseasVolkswagenisstillrecoveringfromitsemissionsscandal.Thereare___33___around155,000registeredhybridandelectricvehiclesonGermanroads,dwarfedbythe45milliongasolineanddieselcarsdrivingtherenow.Ascountriescontinuesettinggoalsofreducingemissions,greaterstepsneedtobetakentohavea___34___effectonthesurroundingenvironment.Whiletheeffortsarecertainlynot___35___,theresultsofsuchbanswilllikelyonlystarttobeseenbygenerationsdowntheline,betteringtheworldforthefuture.A)acceptance I)incidentallyB)currently J)installedC)disrupting K)noticeableD)eliminate L)poweredE)exhaust M)restorationF)futile N)skepticalG)hopeful O)sparkingH)implementedSectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.Apple’sStanceHighlightsaMoreConfrontationalTeachIndustryA)ThebattlebetweenAppleandlawenforcementofficialsoverunlockingaterrorist’ssmartphoneistheculminationofaslowturningofthetablesbetweenthetechnologyindustryandtheUnitedStatesgovernment.B)

AfterrevelationsbytheformerNationalSecurityAgencycontractorEdwardJ.Snowdenin2013thatthegovernmentbothcoziedupto(讨好)certaintechcompaniesandhackedintootherstogainaccesstoprivatedataonanenormousscale,

techgiantsbegantorecognizetheUnitedStatesgovernmentasahostileactor.Butiftheconfrontationhascrystallizedinthislatestbattle,itmayalreadybeheadingtowardapredictableconclusion:Inthelongrun,thetechcompaniesaredestinedtoemergevictorious.C)Itmaynotseemthatwayatthemoment.Ontheoneside,youhavetheUnitedStatesgovernment’smightylegalandsecurityapparatusfightingfordataofthemostsympatheticsort:thesecretsburiedinadeadmassmurderer’sphone.

TheactionstemsfromafederalcourtorderissuedonTuesdayrequiringAppletohelptheFederalBureauofInvestigation(F.B.I)tounlockaniPhoneusedbyoneofthetwoattackerswhokilled14peopleinSanBernardino,California,inDecember.D)

Intheothercorneristheworld’smostvaluablecompany,whosechiefexecutive,TimothyD.Cook,hassaidhewillappealthecourt’sorder.

Applearguesthatitisfightingtopreserveaprinciplethatmostofuswhoareaddictedtooursmartphonescandefend:WeakenasingleiPhonesothatitscontentscanbeviewedbytheAmericangovernmentandyouriskweakeningalliPhonesforanygovernmentintruder,anywhere.E)Therewillprobablybemonthsoflegaltussling,anditisnotatallclearwhichsidewillprevailincourt,norinthebattleforpublicopinionandlegislativefavor.Yetunderlyingallofthisisasimpledynamic:Apple,Google,Facebookandothercompaniesholdmostofthecardsinthisconfrontation.

Theyhaveourdata,andtheirbusinessesdependontheglobalpublic’scollectivebeliefthattheywilldoeverythingtheycantoprotectthatdata.F)Anycrackinthatfrontcouldbefatalfortechcompaniesthatmustoperateworldwide.IfAppleisforcedtoopenupaniPhoneforanAmericanlawenforcementinvestigation,whatistopreventitfromdoingsoforarequestfromtheChineseortheIranians?IfAppleisforcedtowritecodethatletstheF.B.I.getintothePhone5cusedbySyedRizwanFarook,themaleattackerintheSanBernardinoattack,whowouldberesponsibleifsomehackergotholdofthatcodeandbrokeintoitsotherdevices?G)

Apple’sstanceontheseissuesemergedpost-Snowden,whenthecompanystartedputtinginplaceaseriesoftechnologiesthat,bydefault,makeuseofencryptiontolimitaccesstopeople’sdata.Morethanthat,Apple-and,indifferentways,othertechcompanies,includingGoogle,Facebook,TwitterandMicrosoft-havemadetheiroppositiontothegovernment’sclaimsapointofcorporatepride.H)Appl’semergingglobalbrandisprivacy;ithasstakeditscorporatereputation,nottomentiontheinvestmentofconsiderabletechnicalandfinancialresources,onlimitingthesortofmasssurveillancethatwasuncoveredbyMr.Snowden.

Sonow,formanycasesinvolvinggovernmentalintrusionsintodata,once-lonelyprivacyadvocatesfindthemselvesfightingalongsidethemostpowerfulcompanyintheworld.I)“Acomparisonpointisinthe1990sbattlesoverencryption,”saidKurtOpsahl,generalcounseloftheElectronicFrontierFoundation,aprivacywatchdoggroup.

“Thenyouhadafewcompaniesinvolved,butnotoneofthelargestcompaniesintheworldcomingoutwithalengthyandimpassionedpost,likewesawyesterdayfromTimCook.Itsprofilehasreallybeenraised.”J)Appleandothertechcompaniesholdanotherace:thetechnicalmeanstokeepmakingtheirdevicesmoreandmoreinaccessible.NotethatApple’spublicoppositiontothegovernment’srequestisitselfahindrancetomassgovernmentintrusion.AndtogetatthecontentsofasingleiPhone,thegovernmentsaysitneedsacourtorderandApple’shelptowritenewcode;

inearlierversionsoftheiPhone,onesthatwerecreatedbeforeApplefoundreligionon(热衷于)privacy,theF.B.I.mayhavebeenabletobreakintothedevicebyitself.K)Youcanexpectthatnoose(束缚)tocontinuetotighten.ExpertssaidthatwhetherornotApplelosesthisspecificcase,measuresthatitcouldputintoplaceinthefuturewillalmostcertainlybeabletofurtherlimitthegovernment’sreach.L)That’snottosaythattheoutcomeoftheSanBernardinocaseisinsignificant.AsAppleandseveralsecurityexpertshaveargued,anordercompellingAppletowritesoftwarethatgivestheF.B.I.accesstotheiPhoneinquestionwouldestablishanunsettlingprecedent.TheorderessentiallyasksAppletohackitsowndevices,andonceitisinplace,theprecedentcouldbeusedtojustifylawenforcementeffortstogetaroundencryptiontechnologiesinotherinvestigationsfarremovedfromnationalsecuritythreats.M)

OncearmedwithamethodforgainingaccesstoiPhones,thegovernmentcouldasktouseitproactively(先发制人地),beforeasuspectedterroristattack

-leavingAppleinabindastowhethertocomplyorriskanattackandsufferapublic-relationsnightmare.“Thisisabrand-newsalvointhewaragainstencryption,”Mr.Opsahlsaid.“We’vehadplentyofdebatesinCongressandthemediaoverwhetherthegovernmentshouldhaveabackdoor,andthisisanendrunaroundthat-heretheycomewithanordertocreatethatbackdoor.”N)Yetit’sworthnotingthatevenifAppleultimatelylosesthiscase,ithasplentyoftechnicalmeanstocloseabackdoorovertime.“Ifthey’reanywherenearworththeirsaltasengineers,Ibetthey’rerethinkingtheirthreatmodelaswespeak,”saidJonathanZdziarski,adigitalforensicexpertwhostudiestheiPhoneanditsvulnerabilities.O)Onerelativelysimplefix,Mr.Zdziarskisaid,wouldbeforAppletomodifyfutureversionsoftheiPhonetorequireausertoenterapasscodebeforethephonewillacceptthesortofmodifiedoperatingsystemthattheF.B.I.wantsAppletocreate.Thatway,ApplecouldnotunilaterallyintroduceacodethatweakenstheiPhone—auserwouldhavetoconsenttoit.P)

“Nothingis100percenthacker-proof,”

Mr.Zdziarskisaid,buthepointedoutthatthejudge’sorderinthiscaserequiredAppletoprovide“reasonablesecurityassistance”tounlockMr.Farook’sphone.IfApplealtersthesecuritymodeloffutureiPhonessothatevenitsownengineers’“reasonableassistance”willnotbeabletocrackagivendevicewhencompelledbythegovernment,aprecedentsetinthiscasemightloseitslastingforce.Inotherwords,eveniftheF.B.I.winsthiscase,inthelongrun,itloses.36.Itisapopularbeliefthat

techcompaniesarecommittedtoprotectingtheircustomers’privatedata.37.The

USgovernment

believesthatits

accesstopeople’siPhones

couldbeusedto

preventterrorist

attacks.38.Afederalcourt

askedAppletohelptheFBI

accessdatainaterrorist’siPhone.39.PrivacyadvocatesnowhaveApplefightingalongsidethem

againstgovernmentaccess

topersonaldata.40.

Snowden

revealedthattheAmericangovernmenthadtriedhardtoaccessprivatedatainmassivescale.41.TheFBImighthavebeenabletoaccessprivatedata

inearlieriPhoneswithoutApple’shelp.42.

AftertheSnowden

incident,Applemadeclearitspositionto

countergovernment

intrusionintopersonaldatabymeansofencryption.43.Accordingtoonedigitalexpert,

noiPhonecanbeentirelyfreefromhacking.44.

TimothyCook’slongwebpost

hashelpedenhanceApple’simage.45.Apple’sCEOhasdecidedto

appealthefederalcourt’sordertounlockauser’siPhone.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestion46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.AtthebaseofamountaininTanzania’sGregoryRift,

LakeNatron

burnsbrightred,surroundedbytheremainsofanimalsthatwereunfortunateenoughtofallintothesaltywater.Bats,swallowsandmorearechemicallypreservedintheposeinwhichtheyperished,sealedinthedepositsofsodiumcarbonateinthewater.Thelake’slandscapeisbizarreanddeadly-andmadeevenmoresobythefactthatit’stheplacewherenearly75percentoftheworld’sflamingos(火烈鸟)areborn.Thewaterissocorrosivethatitcanburntheskinandeyesofunadaptedanimals.Flamingos,however,aretheonlyspeciesthatactuallymakeslifeinthemidstofallthatdeath.Onceeverythreeorfouryears,whenconditionsareright,thelakeiscoveredwiththepinkbirdsastheystopflighttobreed.Three–quartersoftheworld’sflamingosflyoverfromothersaltlakesintheRiftValleyandnestonsalt-crystalislandsthatappearwhen

thewaterisatspecificlevel-toohighandthebirdscan’tbuildtheirnests,toolowandpredatorscanmorebrisklyacrossthelakebedandattack.Whenthewaterhitstherightlevel.Thebabybirdsarekeptsafeformpredatorsbyacorrosiveditch.“Flamingoshaveevolvedveryleatheryskinontheirlegssotheycantoleratethesaltwater,”

saysDavidHarper,aprofessorattheUniversityofLeicester.“Humanscannot,andwoulddieiftheirlegswereexposedforanylengthoftime.”Sofarthisyear,waterlevelshavebeentoohighfortheflamingostonest.Somefish,too,havehadlimitedsuccessvacationingatthelakeaslesssaltylagoons(泻湖)formontheouteredgesfromhotspringsflowingintoLakeNatron.Threespeciesoftilapia(罗非鱼)thrivetherepart-time.

“Fishhavearefugeinthestreamsandcanexpandintothelagoonswhenthelakeislowandthelagoonsareseparate,”Harpersaid.“Allthelagoonsjoinwhenthelakeishighandfishmustretreattotheirstreamrefugesordie.”

Otherwise,nofishareabletosurviveinthenaturallytoxiclake.Thisuniqueecosystemmaysoonbeunderpressure.

TheTanzaniangovernment

hasonceagainstartedminingthelakeforsodaash,usedformakingchemicals,glassanddetergents.Althoughtheplannedoperationwillbelocatedmorethan40milesaway,drawingthesodaashinthroughpipelines,conservationistsworryitcouldstillupsetthenaturalwatercycleandbreedinggrounds.Fornow,though,lifeprevails–eveninalakethatkillsalmosteverythingittouches.46.Whatcanwelearnabout

LakeNatron?A)Itissimplyuninhabitableformostanimals.B)Itremainslittleknowntotheoutsideworld.C)Itisabreedinggroundforavarietyofbirds.D)Itmakesanidealhabitatforlotsofpredators.47.Flamingosnestonlywhenthelakewaterisataspecificlevelsothattheirbabiescan______.A)findsafesheltermoreeasily

C)stayawayfrompredatorsB)growthickfeathersontheirfeet D)getaccustomedtothesaltywater48.FlamingosintheRiftValleyareuniqueinthat_______.A)theycanmoveswiftlyacrosslagoons C)theybreednaturallyincorrosiveditchesB)theycansurvivewellinsaltywater

D)theyknowwhereandwhentonest49.Whycancertainspeciesof

tilapia

sometimessurvivearoundLakeNatron?A)Theycantakerefugeinthelesssaltywaters.B)Theycanfleequickenoughfrompredators.C)Theycanmovefreelyfromlagoontolagoon.D)Theycanstandtheheatofthespringwater.50.WhatmaybetheconsequenceofTanzaniangovernment’splannedoperation?A)Theacceleratedextinctionofflamingos.B)Thechangeofflamingos’migrationroute.C)TheoverminingofLakeNatron’ssodaash.D)ThedisruptionofLakeNatron’secosystem.PassageTwoQuestions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Itistheseasonforsomefranticlast-minutemathacrossthecountry,employeesofallstripearecountingbackwardinanattempttofigureoutjusthowmuchpaidtime-offtheyhaveleftittheirreserves.

Moreofthem,though,willskipthosecalculationsaltogetherandjustpowerthroughtheholidaysinto2017:MorethanhalfofAmericanworkersdon’tuseupalloftheirallottedvacationdayseachyear.Notsolongago,peoplewouldhaveturneduptheirnosesatthatkindofdedicationtothejob.AsmarketingprofessorsSilviaBellezza,NeeruPaharia,andAnatKeinanrecentlyexplainedinHarvardBusinessReview(HBR),

leisuretimewasonceseenasanindicatorofhighsocialstatus,somethingattainableonlyforthoseatthetop.

Sincethemiddleofthe20thcentury,though,thingshaveturnedtheoppositeway–thesedays,punishinghoursatyourdesk,ratherthandaysoff,areseenasthemarkofsomeoneimportant.In

aseriesofseveralexperiments,

theresearchersillustratedjust

howmuchwe’vecometoadmirebusyness,

oratleasttheappearanceofit.Volunteersreadtwopassages,onaboutamanwholedalifeofleisureandanotheraboutamanwhowasover-workedandover–scheduled;whenaskedtodeterminewhichofthetwohadahighersocialstatus,themajorityoftheparticipantssaidthelatter.Thesameheldtrueforpeoplewhousedproductsthatimpliedtheywereshortontime:Inoneexperiment,forexample,customersofthegrocery-deliveryservicePeapodwereseenasofhigherstatusthanpeoplewhoshoppedatgrocerystoresthatwereequallyexpensive;inanother,peoplewearingwirelessheadphoneswereconsideredfurtheruponthesocialladderthanthosewearingregularheadphones,evenwhenbothwerejustusedtolistentomusic.Inpart,theauthorswroteinHBR,thispatternmayhavetodowiththewayworkitselfhaschangedoverthepastseveraldecades.Wethinkthattheshiftfromleisure-as-statustobusyness-as-statusmaybelinkedtothedevelopmentofknowledge-intensiveeconomics.Insucheconomies,individualswhopossessthehumancapitalcharacteristicsthatemployersorclientsvalue(e.g.,competenceandambition)areexpectedtobeinhighdemandandshortsupplyonthejobmarket.Thus,bytellingothersthatwearebusyandworkingallthetime,weareimplicitlysuggestingthatwearesoughtafter,whichenhancesourperc