历年英语六级真题汇总及答案

历年英语六级真题汇总及答案真题，是指真正在省级以上测试中出现过的原题，真题既可以包含某年某项考试全部内容的完整试卷，也可以同类型汇总的形式出现的专项训练。下面是小编收集推荐的历年英语六级真题汇总及答案，仅供参考，欢迎阅读。

2019年12月英语六级考试真题及答案

PartIWriting(30minutes)

Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessayontheimportanceofhavingasenseofsocialresponsibility.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.

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PartIIListeningComprehension(30minutes)

听力音频MP3文件，点击进入听力真题页面

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,youwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Questions1to4arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

1.A)Magazinereporter.

B)Fashiondesigner.

C)Websitedesigner.

D)Featureseditor.

2.A)Designingsportsclothing.

B)Consultingfashionexperts.

C)Answeringdailyemails.

D)Interviewingjob-seekers.

3.A)Itischallenging.

B)Itisfascinating.

C)Itistiresome.

D)Itisfashionable.

4.A)Herpersistence.

B)Herexperience.

C)Hercompetence.

D)Herconfidence.

Questions5to8arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

5.A)Itisenjoyable.

B)Itiseducational.

C)Itisdivorcedfromreallife.

D)Itisadaptedfromadrama.

6.A)Alltherolesareplayedbyfamousactorsandactresses.

B)Itisbasedonthereal-lifeexperiencesofsomecelebrities.

C)ItsplotsandeventsrevealalotaboutFrankie'sactuallife.

D)Itiswritten,directed,editedandproducedbyFrankiehimself.

7.A)Gotothetheaterandenjoyit.

B)Recommendittoherfriends.

C)Watchitwiththeman.

D)Downloadandwatchit.

8.A)Ithasdrawncriticismsfromscientists.

B)Ithasbeenshowingforoveradecade.

C)Itisaridiculouspieceofsatire.

D)Itisagainstcommonsense.

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwopassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearthreeorfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA,B,CandD.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Questions9to11arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

9.A)Theyatelikelytogetinjuredwhenmovingtoofast.

B)Theybelieveinteamspiritforgoodperformance.

C)Theyneedtokeepmovingtoavoidgettinghurt.

D)Theyhavetolearnhowtoavoidbodycontact.

10.A)Theydonothavemanyyearstoliveafterretirement.

B)Theytendtolivealongerlitewithearlyretirement.

C)Theydonotstartenjoyinglifeuntilfullretirement.

D)Theykeepthemselvesbusyevenafterretirement.

11.A)Itpreventsusfromworrying.

B)Itslowsdownouragingprocess.

C)Itenablesustoaccomplishmoreinlife.

D)Itprovidesuswithmorechancestolearn.

Questions12to15arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

12.A)Ittendstodwellupontheirjoyousexperiences.

B)Itwandersforalmosthalfoftheirwakingtime.

C)Ithastroubleconcentratingafterabraininjury.

D)Ittendstobeaffectedbytheirnegativefeelings.

13.A)Tofindhowhappinessrelatestodaydreaming.

B)Toobservehowone'smindaffectsone’sbehavior.

C)Toseewhydaydreamingimpactswhatoneisdoing.

D)Tostudytherelationbetweenhealthanddaydreaming.

14.A)Ithelpsthemmakegooddecisions.

B)Ithelpsthemtaptheirpotentials.

C)Itcontributestotheircreativity.

D)Itcontributestoclearthinking.

15.A)Subjectswithcleargoalsinmindoutperformedthosewithoutcleargoals.

B)Thedifferenceinperformancebetweenthetwogroupswasinsignificant.

C)Non-daydreamersweremorefocusedontheirtasksthandaydreamers.

D)Daydreamersdidbetterthannon-daydreamersintaskperformance.

SectionC

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearthreerecordingsoflecturesortalksfollowedbythreeorfourquestions.Therecordingswillbeplayedonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA,B,CandD.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Questions16to18arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

16.A)TheyaretheoldestbuildingsInEurope.

B)TheyarepartoftheChristiantradition.

C)Theyarerenovatedtoattracttourists.

D)Theyareinworseningcondition.

17.A)Theyhaveahistoryof14centuries.

B)Theyare40metrestallonaverage.

C)Theyarewithoutfoundations。

D)Theyconsistofseveralstoreys.

18.A)Woodwasharmoniouswithnature.

B)Woodenbuildingskeptthecoldout.

C)TimberwasabundantinScandinavia.

D)TheVikingslikedwoodenstructures.

Questions19to21arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

19.A)Similaritiesbetweenhumanbabiesandbabyanimals.

B)Cognitivefeaturesofdifferentnewlybornmammals.

C)Adults'influenceonchildren.

D)Abilitiesofhumanbabies.

20.A)Theycandistinguishahappytunefromasadone.

B)Theylovehappymelodiesmorethansadones.

C)Theyfallasleepeasilywhilelisteningtomusic.

D)Theyarealreadysensitivetobeatsandrhythms.

21.A)Infants'facialexpressions.

B)Babies'emotions.

C)Babies'interactionwithadults.

D)Infants'behaviors.

Questions22to25arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

22.A)Itmayharmthecultureoftoday'sworkplace.

B)Itmayhinderindividualcareeradvancement.

C)Itmayresultinunwillingnesstotakerisks.

D)Itmayputtoomuchpressureonteammembers.

23.A)Theycanhardlygiveexpressiontotheiroriginalviews.

B)Theycanbecomelessmotivatedtodoprojectsoftheirown.

C)Theymayfindithardtogettheircontributionsrecognized.

D)Theymayeventuallylosetheirconfidenceandcreativity.

24.A)Theycanenlargetheirprofessionalcircle.

B)Theycangetchancestoengageinresearch.

C)Theycanmakethebestuseoftheirexpertise.

D)Theycancompletetheprojectmoreeasily.

25.A)Itmaycauselotsofargumentsinateam.

B)Itmaypreventmakingatimelydecision.

C)Itmaygiverisetoalotofunnecessaryexpenses.

D)Itmaydepriveateamofbusinessopportunities.

PartIIIReadingComprehension(40minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.

Whenconsideringriskfactorsassociatedwithseriouschronicdiseases,weoftenthinkabouthealthindicatorssuchascholesterol,bloodpressure,andbodyweight.Butpoordietandphysicalinactivityalsoeachincreasetheriskofheartdiseaseandhavearoletoplayinthedevelopmentofsomecancers.Perhapsworse,the__26__effectsofanunhealthydietandinsufficientexercisearenotlimitedtoyourbody.Recentresearchhasalsoshownthat__27__inahigh-fatandhigh-sugardietmayhavenegativeeffectsonyourbrain,causinglearningandmemory__28__.

Studieshavefoundobesityisassociatedwithimpairmentsincognitivefunctioning,as__29__byarangeoflearningandmemorytests,suchastheabilitytorememberalistofwordspresentedsomeminutesorhoursearlier.Thereisalsoagrowingbodyofevidencethatdietinducedcognitiveimpairmentscanemerge__30__withinweeksorevendays.Forexample,onestudyfoundhealthyadults__31__toahigh-fatdietforfivedaysshowedimpairedattention,memory,andmoodcomparedwithalow-fatdietcontrolgroup.Anotherstudyalsofoundeatingahigh-fatandhigh-sugarbreakfasteachdayforaslittleasfourdaysresultedinproblemswithlearningandmemory__32__tothoseobservedinoverweightandobeseindividuals.

Bodyweightwasnothugelydifferentbetweenthegroupseatingahealthydietandthoseonhighandsugardiets.Sothisshowsnegative__33__ofpoordietaryintakecanoccurevenwhenbodyweighthasnotchanged__34__.Thus,bodyweightisnotalwaysthebestindicatorofhealthandathinpersonstillneedstoeatwellandexercise__35__.

A)assessedB)assignedC)consequencesD)conspicuouslyE)deficitsF)designatedG)detrimentalH)digestionI)excellingJ)indulgingK)loopholesL)rapidlyM)redundantN)regularlyO)similar

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.

IncreasedScreenTimeandWellbeingDeclineinYouth

A)Haveyoungpeopleneverhaditsogood?Ordotheyfacemorechallengesthananypreviousgeneration?OurcurrenteraintheWestisoneofhighwealth.Thismeansminorsenjoymaterialbenefitsandlegalprotectionsthatwouldhavebeentheenvyofthoselivinginthepast.ButThereisanincreasingsuspicionthatallisnotwellforouryouth.Andoneofthemostpopularexplanations,amongsomeexpertsandthepopularmedia,isthatexcessive“screentime”istoblame.(Thisreferstoalltheattentionyoungpeopledevotetotheirphones,tabletsandlaptops.)However,thisisacontentioustheoryandsuchclaimshavebeentreatedskepticallybysomescholarsbasedontheirreadingoftherelevantdata.

B)Nowanewstudyhasprovidedanothercontributiontothedebate,uncoveringstrongevidencethatadolescentwellbeingintheUnitedStatesreallyisexperiencingadeclineandarguingthatthemostlikelycauseistheelectronicricheswehavegiventhem.Thebackgroundtothisisthatfromthe1960sintotheearly2000s,measuresofaveragewellbeingwentupintheUS.Thiswasespeciallytrueforyoungerpeople.Itreflectedthefactthatthesedecadessawaclimbingeneralstandardsoflivingandavoidanceofmasssocietaltraumaslikefull-scalewaroreconomicdeprivation.However,the“screentime”hypothesis,advancedbyresearcherssuchasJeanisthatelectronicdevicesandexcessivetimespentonlinemayhavereversedthesetrendsinrecentyears,causingproblemsforyoungpeople'spsychologicalhealth.

C)Toinvestigate,andhercolleaguesdivedintothe“MonitoringtheFuture”datasetbasedonannualsurveysofAmericanschoolstudentsfromgrades8,10,and12thatstartedin1991.Intotal,1.1millionyoungpeopleansweredvariousquestionsrelatedtotheirwellbeing.team'sanalysisoftheanswersconfirmedtheearlier,well-establishedwellbeingclimb,withscoresrisingacrossthe1990s,andintothelater2000s，Thiswasfoundacrossmeasureslikeself-esteem,lifesatisfaction,happinessandsatisfactionwithindividualdomainslikejob,neighborhood,orfriends.Butaround2012thesemeasuresstartedtodecline.Thiscontinuedthrough2016,themostrecentyearforwhichdataisavailable.

D)Tandhercolleagueswantedtounderstandwhythischangeinaveragewellbeingoccurred.However,itisveryhardtodemonstratecausesusingnon-experimentaldatasuchasthis.Infact,whenpreviouslyusedthisdatatosuggestascreentimeeffect,somecommentatorswerequicktoraisethisproblem.Theyarguedthathercausal-soundingclaimsrestedoncorrelationaldata,andthatshehadnotadequatelyaccountedforotherpotentialcausalfactors.Thistimearound,andherteammakeapointofsayingthattheyarenottryingtoestablishcausesassuch,butthattheyareassessingtheplausibilityofpotentialcauses.

E)First,theyexplainthatifagivenvariableisplayingaroleinaffectingwellbeing,thenweshouldexpectanychangeinthatvariabletocorrelatewiththeobservedchangesinwellbeing.Ifnot,itisnotplausiblethatthevariableisacausalfactor.Sotheresearcherslookedattimespentinanumberofactivitiesthatcouldplausiblybedrivingthewellbeingdecline.Lesssport,andfewermeetingswithpeerscorrelatedwithlowerwellbeing,asdidlesstimereadingprintmedia(newspapers)and,surprisingly,lesstimedoinghomework.(Thislastfindingwouldappeartocontradictanotherpopularhypothesisthatitisourburdeningofstudentswithassignmentthatiscausingalltheproblems,)Inaddition,moreTVwatchingandmoreelectroniccommunicationbothcorrelatedwithlowerwellbeing.Alltheseeffectsheldtrueformeasuresofhappiness,lifesatisfactionandself-esteem,withtheeffectsstrongerinthe8thandl0th-graders.

F)Next,T'steamdugalittledeeperintothedataonscreentime.Theyfoundthatadolescentswhospentaverysmallamountoftimeondigitaldevices-acoupleofhoursaweek-hadthehighestwellbeing.Theirwellbeingwasevenhigherthanthosewhoneverusedsuchdevices.However,higherdosesofscreentimewereclearlyassociatedwithlowerhappiness.Thosespending10-19hoursperweekontheirdeviceswere41percentmorelikelytobeunhappythanlower-frequencyusers.Thosewhousedsuchdevices40hoursaweekormore(oneintenteenagers)weretwiceaslikelytobeunhappy.Thedatawasslightlycomplicatedbythefactthattherewasatendencyforkidswhoweresocialintherealworldtoalsousemoreonlinecommunication,butbybracketingoutdifferentcasesitbecameclearthatthereal-worldsocialitycomponentcorrelatedwithgreaterwellbeing,whereasgreatertimeonscreensoronlineonlycorrelatedwithpoorerwellbeing.

G)Sofar,soplausible.Butthenextquestionis,arethedropsinaveragewellbeinghappeningatthesametimeastrendstowardincreasedelectronicdeviceusage?Itlookslikeit--afterall,2012wasthetippingpointwhenmorethanhalfofAmericansbeganowningsmartphones.Tandhercolleaguesalsofoundthatacrossthekeyyearsof2013-16,wellbeingwasindeedlowestinyearswhereadolescentsspentmoretimeonline,onsocialmedia,andreadingnewsonline,andwhenmoreyouthintheUnitedStateshadsmartphones.Andinasecondanalysis,they,foundthatwheretechnologywent,dipsinwellbeingfollowed.Forinstance,yearswithalargerincreaseinonlineusagewerefollowedbyyearswithlowerwellbeing,ratherthantheotherwayaround.Thisdoesnotprovecausality,butisconsistentwithit.Meanwhile,TVusedidnotshowthistracking.TVmightmakeyoulesshappy,butthisisnotwhatseemstobedrivingtherecentdeclinesinyoungpeople'saveragehappiness.

H)Asimilarbutreversedpatternwasfoundfortheactivitiesassociatedwithgreaterwellbeing.Forexample,yearswhenpeoplespentmoretimewithfriendswerebetteryearsforwellbeing(andfollowedbybetteryears).Sadly,thedataalsoshowedface-to-facesocializingandsportsactivityhaddeclinedovertheperiodcoveredbythesurvey.

I)ThereisanotherexplanationthatTandhercolleagueswantedtoaddress;theimpactofthegreatrecessionof2007-2009,whichhitagreatnumberofAmericanfamiliesandmightbeaffectingadolescents.Thedatasettheyuseddidnotincludeeconomicdata,soinsteadtheresearcherslookedatwhetherthe2013-16wellbeingdeclinewastrackingeconomicindicators.'Theyfoundsomeevidencethatsomecrudemeasures,likeincomeinequality,correlatedwithchangesinwellbeing,buteconomicmeasureswithamoredirectimpact,likefamilyincomeandunemploymentrates(whichputfamiliesintodifficulties),hadnorelationshipwithwellbeing.Theresearchersalsonotetherecessionhitsomeyearsbeforeweseethebeginningofthewellbeingdrop,andbeforethesteepestwellbeingdecline,whichoccurredin2013.

J)Theresearchersconcludethatelectroniccommunicationwastheonlyadolescentactivitythatincreasedatthesametimepsychologicalwellbeingdeclined.Isuspectthatsomeexpertsinthefieldwillbekeentoaddressalterativeexplanations,suchasunassessedvariablesplayingaroleinthewellbeingdecline.Butthenewworkdoesgofurtherthanpreviousresearchandsuggeststhatscreentimeshouldstillbeconsideredapotentialbarriertoyoungpeople'sflourishing.

36.TheyearwhenmostAmericansbeganusingsmartphoneswasidentifiedasaturningpointinyoungAmericans'levelofhappiness.

37.ScoresinvariouswellbeingmeasuresbegantogodownwardamongyoungAmericansinrecentyears.

38.Unfortunately,activitiesinvolvingdirectcontactwithpeople,whichcontributedtobetterwellbeingwerefoundtobeonthedecline.

39.Inresponsetopastcritics,Tandherco-researchersstresstheyarenottryingtoprovethattheuseofdigitaldevicesreducesyoungpeople'swellbeing.

40.Inthelastfewdecadesofthe20thcentury,livingstandardswentupandeconomicdepressionswerelargelyavertedintheUS.

41.Contrarytopopularbelief,doinghomeworkmightaddtostudents'wellbeing.

42.Theauthorbelievestheresearchers'newstudyhasgoneastepfurtherregardingtheimpactofscreentimeonwellbeing.

43.Theresearchersfoundthatextendedscreentimemakesyoungpeoplelesshappy.

44.Datarevealsthateconomicinequalityratherthanfamilyincomemightaffectpeople'swellbeing.

45.Toomuchscreentimeiswidelybelievedtobethecauseofunhappinessamongtoday'syoungpeople.

SectionC

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

“Thedangerousthingaboutlyingispeopledon'tunderstandhowtheactchangesus,”saysDanAriely,behavioralpsychologistatDukeUniversity.Psychologistshavedocumentedchildrenlyingasearlyastheageoftwo.Someexpertsevenconsiderlyingadevelopmentalmilestone,likecrawlingandwalking,becauseitrequiressophisticatedplanning,attentionandtheabilitytoseeasituationfromsomeoneelse'sperspectivetomanipulatethem.But,formostpeople,lyinggetslimitedaswedevelopasenseofmoralityandtheabilitytoself-regulate.

HarvardcognitiveneuroscientistJoshuaGreenesays.formostofus,lyingtakeswork.Instudies,hegavesubjectsachancetodeceiveformonetarygainwhileexaminingtheirbrainsinafunctionalMRImachine，whichmapsbloodflowtoactivepartsofthebrain.Somepeopletoldthetruthinstantlyandinstinctively.Butothersoptedtolie,andtheyshowedincreasedactivityintheirfrontalparietal(颅腔壁的)controlnetwork,whichisinvolvedindifficultorcomplexthinking.Thissuggeststhattheyweredecidingbetweentruthanddishonestyandultimatelyoptingforthelatter.Forafollow-upanalysis,hefoundthatpeoplewhoseneural(神经的)rewardcentresweremoreactivewhentheywonmoneywerealsomorelikelytobeamongthegroupofliars-suggestingthatlyingmayhavetodowiththeinabilitytoresisttemptation.

Extremalconditionsalsomatterintermsofwhenandhowoftenwelie.Wearemorelikelytolie,researchshows,whenweareabletorationaliseit,whenwearestressedandfatiguedorsecothersbeingdishonest.Andwearelesslikelytoliewhenwehavemoralremindersorwhenwethinkothersarewatching.“Weasasocietyneedtounderstandthat,whenwedon'tpunishlying,weincreasetheprobabilityitwillhappenagain,”Arielysays.

Ina2016studypublishedinthejournalNatureNeuroscience,Arielyandcolleaguesshowedhowdishonestyalterspeople'sbrains,makingiteasiertotellliesinthefuture.Whenpeopleutteredafalsehood,thescientistsnoticedaburstofactivityintheiramygdala.Theamygdalaisacrucialpartofthebrainthatproducesfear,anxietyandemotionalresponsesincludingthatsinking,guiltyfeelingyougetwhenyoulie.Butwhenscientistshadtheirsubjectsplayagame-inwhichtheywonmoneybydeceivingtheirpartner,theynoticedthenegativesignalsfromtheamygdalabegantodecrease.Notonlythat,butwhenpeoplefacednoconsequencesfordishonesty,theirfalsehoodstendedtogetevenmoresensational.Thismeansthatifyougivepeoplemultipleopportunitiestoliefortheirownbenefit,theystartwithlittlelieswhichgetbiggerovertime.

46.Whydosomeexpertsconsiderlyingamilestoneinachild'sdevelopment?

A)Itshowstheyhavetheabilitytoviewcomplexsituationsfromdifferentangles.

B)Itindicatestheyhaveanabilitymoreremarkablethancrawlingandwalking.

C)Itrepresentstheirabilitytoactivelyinteractwithpeoplearoundthem.

D)Itinvolvesthecoordinationofboththeirmentalandphysicalabilities.

47.WhydoestheHarvardneuroscientistsaythatlyingtakeswork?

A)Itishardtochoosefromseveraloptions.

B)Itisdifficulttosoundnaturalorplausible.

C)Itrequiresspeedybloodflowintoone'sbrain.

D)Itinvolveslotsofsophisticatedmentalactivity.

48.Underwhatcircumstancesdopeopletendtolie?

A)Whentheybecometooemotional.

B)Whentheyfacetoomuchpeerpressure.

C)Whenthetemptationistoostrong.

D)Whentheconsequencesarenotimminent.

49.Whenarepeoplelesslikelytolie?

A)Whentheyarewormoutandstressed.

B)Whentheyareunderwatchfuleyes.

C)Whentheythinkinarationalway.

D)Whentheyhaveaclearconscience.

50.Whatdoestheauthorsaywillhappenwhenaliardoesnotgetpunished?

A)Theymayfeeljustified.

B)Theywilltellbiggerlies.

C)Theywillbecomecomplacent.

D)Theymaymixliesandtruths.

PassageTwo

Questions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Here'showthePacificNorthwestispreparingfor“TheBigOne”.It'sthemotherofalldisasterdrillsforwhatcouldbetheworstdisasterinAmericanhistory.Californiahasspentyearspreparingfor“TheBigOne”--theinevitableearthquakethatwillundoubtedlyunleashallkindsofhavocalongthefamousSanAndreasfault(断层).ButwhatifthefaultthatrunsalongthePacificNorthwestdeliversagiganticearthquakeofitsown?IfthepeopleoftheCascadiaregionhaveanythingtodowithit,theywon'tbecaughtunawares.

Theregionisengagedinamulti-dayearthquake-and-tsunami(海啸)drillinvolvingaround20,000people.TheCascadiaRisingdrillgivesarearesidentsandemergencyrespondersachancetopracticewhattodoincaseofa9.0-magnitudeearthquakeandtsunamialongoneofthenation'sdangerous--andunderestimated--faults.

TheCascadiaEarthquakeZoneisbigenoughtocompetewithSanAndreas(it'sbeencalledthemostdangerousfaultinAmerica),butit'smuchlesserknownthanitsCaliforniacousin.Nearly700mileslong,theearthquakezoneislocatedbytheNorthAmericanPlateoffthecoastofPacificBritishColumbia,Washington,OregonandNorthernCalifornia.

Cascadiaiswhat'sknownasa“megathrust”fault.Megathrustsarecreatedinearthquakezones-landplateboundarieswheretwoplatesconverge.Intheareaswhereoneplateisbeneathanother,stressbuildsupovertime.Duringamegathrustevent,allofthatstressreleasesandsomeoftheworld'smostpowerfulearthquakesoccur.Rememberthe9.1earthquakeandtsunamiintheIndianOceanoffSumatrain2004?ItwascausedbyamegathrusteventastheIndiaplatemovedbeneaththeBurmamicro-plate.

ThelasttimeamajorearthquakeoccurredalongtheCascadiafaultwasin1700,soofficialsworrythatanothereventcouldoccuranytime.Topreventthateventfrombecomingacatastrophe,firstresponderswilljoinmembersofthepublicinrehearsalsthatinvolvecommunication,evacuation,searchandrescue,andotherscenarios.

Thousandsofcasualtiesareexpectedifa9.0earthquakeweretooccur.First,theearthquakewouldshakemetropolitanareasincludingSeattleandPortland.Thiscouldtriggeratsunamithatwouldcreatehavocalongthecoast.Notallcasualtiescannecessarilybeprevented--butbycoordinatingacrosslocal,state,andevennationalborders,officialshopethattheworst-casescenariocanbeaverted.Ontheexercise'swebsite,officialsexplainthatthereporttheyprepareduringthisrehearsalwillinformdisastermanagementforyearstocome.

ForhundredsofthousandsofCascadiaresidents,“TheBigOne”isn'taquestionofif,onlywhen.Andit'snevertooearlytogetreadyfortheinevitable.

51.Whatdoes“TheBigOne”referto?

A)Agiganticgeologicalfault.

B)Alarge-scaleexercisetopreparefordisasters.

C)Amassivenaturalcatastrophe.

D)AhugetsunamiontheCaliforniacoast.

52.WhatisthepurposeoftheCascadiaRisingdrill?

A)Topreparepeopleforamajorearthquakeandtsunami.

B)Toincreaseresidents'awarenessofimminentdisasters.

C)Toteachpeoplehowtoadapttopost-disasterlife.