大学英语六级测试题（有答案）

大学英语六级测试题

PartIWriting

1、Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minuteslowriteanessayonwhystudentsshouldbe

encouragedtodevelopeffectivecommunicationskills.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsbutno

morethan200words.

PartIIListeningComprehension

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,

youwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.

Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA,B,C

andD.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

2、A.Shehasnotreceivedanyletterfromtheman.

B.Herclaimhasbeencompletelydisregarded.

C.Shehasfailedtoreachthemanageragain.

D.Herhousehasnotbeenrepairedintime.

3、A.Theircaravanwaswashedawaybytheflood.

B.Thegroundflooroftheircottagewasflooded.

C.Theirentirehousewasdestroyedbytheflood.

D.Theroofoftheircottagecollapsedintheflood.

4、A.Thewoman'sfailuretopayherhouseinsuranceintime.

B.Thewoman'sinaccuratedescriptionofthewholeincident.

C.Thewoman'signoranceoftheinsurancecompany'spolicy.

D.Thewoman'smisreadingoftheinsurancecompany'sletter.

5、A.Revisethetermsandconditionsofthecontract.

B.Consultherlawyerabouttheinsurancepolicy.

C.TalktothemanagerofSafeHouseInsurance.

D.Filealawsuitagainsttheinsurancecompany.

6、A.Theyarebothworriedaboutthenegativeimpactoftechnology.

B.Theydiffergreatlyintheirknowledgeofmodemtechnology.

C.TheydisagreeaboutthefutureofAltechnology.

D.TheyworkindifferentfieldsofAltechnology.

7、A.Stimulatingandmotivating.

B.SimplywritingAlsoftware.

C.Moredemandingandrequiringspecialtraining.

D.Lesstime-consumingandfocusingoncreation.

8、A.Oldpeoplewouldbetakencareofsolelybyunfeelingrobots.

B.Humanswouldbetiredofcommunicatingwithoneanother.

C.Digitallifecouldreplacehumancivilization.

D.Therecouldbejobsnobodywantstodo.

9、A.Itw川besmarterthanhumanbeings.

B.Chipswillbeinsertedinhumanbrains.

C.Itwilltakeawayhumans'jobsaltogether.

D.Lifewillbecomelikeasciencefictionfilm.

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwopassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhear

threeorfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryou

hearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA,B,CandD.

ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

10、A.Trytoearnasmuchmoneyaspossible.

B.Investshrewdlyinlucrativebusiness.

C.Saveone-fifthoftheirnetmonthlyincome.

D.Restrainthemselvesfromhigh-riskinvestments.

11、A.Cut20%oftheirdailyspending.

B.Askaclosefriendforadvice.

C.Trytosticktotheirinitialplan.

D.Startbydoingsomethingsmall.

12>A.Apropermindset.

B.Anambitiousplan.

C.Anoptimisticattitude.

D.Akeeninterest.

13>A.Shefoundheroutfitinappropriate.

B.Shewasuninterestedinadvertising.

C.Sheoftencheckedherselfinamirror.

D.Shewasunhappywithfashiontrends.

14、A.Tosavetheexpensesonclothing.

B.Tokeepupwiththecurrenttrends.

C.Tomeettheexpectationsoffashion-consciousclients.

D.Tosavethetroubleofchoosingauniqueoutfiteveryday.

15、A.Itboostsone'sconfidencewhenlookingforemployment.

B.Itmattersalotinjobsinvolvinginteractionwithothers.

C.Ithelpspeoplesucceedinwhatevertheyaredoing.

D.Itenhancespeople'sabilitytoworkindependently.

16^A.Designtheirownuniformtoappearunique.

B.Fighttheever-changingtrendsinfashion.

C.Dowhateverispossibletolooksmart.

D.Wearclassicpiecestoimpresstheirclients.

SectionC

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearthreerecordingsoflecturesortalksfollowedbythreeor

fourquestions.Therecordingswillbeplayedonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmust

choosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA,B,CandD.Thenmarkthecorresponding

letteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

17>A.Theirfailuretoaccumulatewealth.

B.Theirobsessionwithconsumption.

C.Thedeteriorationoftheenvironment.

D.Theever-increasingcostsofhousing.

18、A.Thingsthatwecherishmost.

B.Thingsthatboostefficiency.

C.Thingsthatcostlessmoney.

D.Thingsthatareraretofind.

19、A.Theyaremostlydurable.

B.Theyareeasilydisposable.

C.Theyservemultiplepurposes.

D.Theybenefittheenvironment.

20、A.Allrespondentswereafraidofmakingahighexpenseclaim.

B.Anumberofrespondentsgaveanaverageanswerof400miles.

C.Mostoftherespondentsgotcompensatedfordriving384miles.

D.Over10%oftherespondentsliedaboutthedistancetheydrove.

21、A.Theyendeavoredtoactuallybehonest.

B.Theywantedtoprotecttheirreputation.

C.Theycaredaboutotherpeople'sclaims.

D.Theyrespondedtocolleagues'suspicion.

22、A.Theyseempositive.

B.Theyareillustrative.

C.Theyseemintuitive.

D.Theyareconclusive.

23A.Olderpeople'saversiontonewmusic.

B.Olderpeople'schangingmusicaltastes.

C.Insightsintothefeaturesofgoodmusic.

D.Deteriorationinthequalityofnewmusic.

24、A.Theyseldomlistentosongsreleasedintheirteens.

B.Theycanmakesubtledistinctionsaboutmusic.

C.Theyfindallmusicsoundsthesame.

D.Theynolongerlistentonewmusic.

25、A.Themoreyouexperiencesomething,thebetteryou'llappreciateit.

B.Themoreyouexperiencesomething,thelongeryou'llrememberit.

C.Themoreyouareexposedtosomething,thedeeperyou'llunderstandit.

D.Themoreyouareexposedtosomething,themorefamiliarit'llbetoyou.

26>A.Teenagersaremuchmoresensitive.

B.Teenagersaremuchmoresentimental.

C.Teenagers*memoriesaremorelasting.

D.Teenagers'emotionsaremoreintense.

PartmReadingComprehension

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectoneword

foreachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassage

throughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter

PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthe

centre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.

Theideaoftaxingthingsthatarebadforsocietyhasapowerfulallure.Itoffersthepossibilityofa

doublebenefit-27harmfulactivities,whilealsoprovidingthegovernmentwithrevenue.

Takesintaxes.Taxesonalcoholmakeitmoreexpensivetogetdrunk,whichreduces

excessivedrinkingand28driving.Atthesametime,theyprovidestateandlocalgovernments

withbillionsofdollarsofrevenue.Tobaccotaxes,whichgeneratemorethantwiceasmuch,have

proven29inthedeclineofsmoking,whichhassavedmillionsoflives.

Taxescanalsobeanimportanttoolforenvironmentalprotection,andmanyeconomistssay

taxingcarbonwouldbethebestwaytoreducegreenhousegasemissions.Economictheorysays

thatunlikeincomeorsalestaxes,carbontaxescanactuallyincreaseeconomicefficiency;because

companiesthat30carbondioxideintotheskydon'tpaythecostsoftheclimatechangethey

cause,carbontaxeswouldrestoretheproper31tothemarket.

Inreality,carbontaxesalonewon'tbeenoughtohaltglobalwarming,buttheywouldbea

usefulpartofanyclimateplan.What'smore,therevenuefromthistax,whichwould32be

hundredsofbillionsofdollarsperyear,couldbehandedouttocitizensasa33orusedtofund

greeninfrastructureprojects.

Similarly,awealthtaxhasbeenputforwardasawaytoreduceinequalitywhileraisingrevenue.

Therevenuefromthistax,whichsomeexperts34w川beover$4trillionperdecade,wouldbe

designatedforhousing,childcare,healthcareandothergovernmentbenefits.Ifyoubelieve,as

manydo,thatwealthinequalityis35bad,thenthesetaxesimprovesocietywhile

also36governmentcoffers（金库）.

A.discouraging

B.dividend

C.emotional

D.fragments

E.impaired

F.imprisoned

G.incentives

H.inherently

I.initially

J.instrumental

K.merging

L.predict

M.probably

N.pump

O.swelling

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Each

statementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhich

theinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphis

markedwithaletterAnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.

TheChallengesforArtificialIntelligenceinAgriculture

A.Agroupofcomfarmersstandshuddledaroundanagronomist（学家）andhiscomputeron

thesideofanirrigationmachineincentralSouthAfrica.Theagronomisthasjustflownoverthefield

withahybridunmannedaerialvehicle（UAV）thattakesoffandlandsusingpropellersyetmaintains

distanceandspeedforscanningvasthectaresoflandthroughtheuseofitsfixedwings.

B.TheUAVisfittedwithafourspectralbandprecisionsensorthatconductsonboard

processingimmediatelyaftertheflight,allowingfarmersandfieldstafftoaddress,almost

immediately,anycropabnormalitiesthatthesensormayhaverecorded,makingthedatacollection

trulyreal-time.

C.Inthisinstance,thefarmersandagronomistarelookingtospecializedsoftwaretogivethem

anaccurateplantpopulationcount.It'sbeen10dayssincethecornemergedandthefarmerwants

todetermineifthereareanypartsofthefieldthatrequirereplantingduetoalackofemergenceor

winddamage,whichcanbesevereintheearlystagesofthesummerrainyseason.

D.Atthisgrowthstageoftheplant'sdevelopment,thefarmerhasanother10daystoconduct

anyreplantingbeforethemajorityofhisfertilizerandchemicalapplicationsneedtooccur.Once

thesehavebeenapplied,itbecomeseconomicallyunviabletotakecorrectiveaction,makingany

furthercollecteddatahistoricalandusefulonlytoinformfuturepracticesfortheseasontocome.

E.Thesoftwarecompletesitsprocessinginunder15minutesproducingaplantpopulation

countmap.It'sdifficulttograspjusthowimpressivethisis,withoutunderstandingthatjustovera

yearagoitwouldhavetakenthreetofivedaystoprocesstheexactsamedataset,illustratingthe

advancementsthathavebeenachievedinprecisionagricultureandremotesensinginrecentyears.

WiththesoftwarehavingbeendevelopedintheUnitedStatesonthesamevarietyofcropsin

seeminglysimilarconditions,theagronomistfeelsconfidentthatthesoftwarewillproduceanear

accurateresult.

F.Asthemapappearsonthescreen,theagronomist'sfacebeginstodrop.Havingwalked

throughtheplantedrowsbeforetheflighttogainaphysicalunderstandingofthesituationonthe

ground,heknowstheinstantheseesthedataonhisscreenthattheplantcountisnotcorrect,and

sodothefarmers,evenwiththeirlimitedunderstandingofhowtoreadremotesensingmaps.

G.Hypothetically,itispossibleformachinestolearntosolveanyproblemonearthrelatingto

thephysicalinteractionofallthingswithinadefinedorcontainedenvironmentbyusingartificial

intelligenceandmachinelearning.

H.Remotesensorsenablealgorithms（算法）tointerpretafield'senvironmentasstatisticaldata

thatcanbeunderstoodandusefultofarmersfordecision-making.Algorithmsprocessthedata,

adaptingandlearningbasedonthedatareceived.Themoreinputsandstatisticalinformation

collected,thebetterthealgorithmwillbeatpredictingarangeofoutcomes.Andtheaimisthat

farmerscanusethisartificialintelligencetoachievetheirgoalofabetterharvestthroughmaking

betterdecisionsinthefield.

I.In2011,IBM,throughitsR&DHeadquartersinHaifa,Israel,launchedanagricultural

cloud-computingproject.Theproject,incollaborationwithanumberofspecializedITand

agriculturalpartners,hadonegoalinmind—totakeavarietyofacademicandphysicaldata

sourcesfromanagriculturalenvironmentandturntheseintoautomaticpredictivesolutionsfor

farmersthatwouldassisttheminmakingreal-timedecisionsinthefield.

J.InterviewswithsomeoftheIBMprojectteammembersatthetimerevealedthattheteam

believeditwasentirelypossibleto"algorithm"agriculture,meaningthatalgorithmscouldsolveany

problemintheworld.Earlierthatyear,IBM'scognitivelearningsystem,Watson,competedinthe

gameJeopardyagainstformerwinnersBradRutterandKenJenningswithastonishingresults.

Severalyearslater,Watsonwentontoproduceground-breakingachievementsinthefieldof

medicine.

K.Sowhydidtheprojecthavesuchsuccessinmedicinebutnotagriculture?Becauseitisone

ofthemostdifficultfieldstocontainforthepurposeofstatisticalquantification.Evenwithinasingle

field,conditionsarealwayschangingfromonesectiontothenext.There'sunpredictableweather,

changesinsoilquality,andtheever-presentpossibilitythatpestsanddiseasemaypayavisit.

Growersmayfeeltheirprospectsaregoodforanupcomingharvest,butuntilthatdayarrives,the

outcomewillalwaysbeuncertain.

L.Bycomparison,ourbodiesareacontainedenvironment.Agriculturetakesplaceinnature,

amongecosystemsofinteractingorganismsandactivity,andcropproductiontakesplacewithin

thatecosystemenvironment.Buttheseecosystemsarenotcontained.Theyaresubjecttoclimatic

occurrencessuchasweathersystems,whichimpactuponhemispheresasawhole,andfrom

continenttocontinent.Therefore,understandinghowtomanageanagriculturalenvironment

meanstakingliterallymanyhundredsifnotthousandsoffactorsintoaccount.

M.WhatmayoccurwiththesameseedandfertilizerprogramintheUnitedStates'Midwest

regionisalmostcertainlyunrelatedtov/hatmayoccurwiththesameseedandfertilizerprogramin

AustraliaorSouthAfrica.Afewfactorsthatcouldimpactonvariationwouldtypicallyincludethe

measurementofrainperunitofacropplanted,soiltype,patternsofsoildegradation,daylight

hours,temperatureandsoforth.

N.Sotheproblemwithdeployingmachinelearningandartificialintelligenceinagricultureisnot

thatscientistslackthecapacitytodevelopprogramsandprotocolstobegintoaddressthebiggest

ofgrowers'concerns;theproblemisthatinmostcases,notwoenvironmentswillbeexactlyalike,

whichmakesthetesting,validationandsuccessfulrolloutofsuchtechnologiesmuchmore

laboriousthaninmostotherindustries.

O.Practically,tosaythatAlandMachineLearningcanbedevelopedtosolveallproblems

relatedtoourphysicalenvironmentistobasicallysaythatwehaveacompleteunderstandingofall

aspectsoftheinteractionofphysicalormaterialactivityontheplanet.Afterall,itisonlythroughour

understandingof*thenatureofthings'thatprotocolsandprocessesaredesignedfortherational

capabilitiesofcognitivesystemstotakeplace.And,althoughAlandMachineLearningare

teachingusmanythingsabouthowtounderstandourenvironment,wearestillfarfrombeingable

topredictcriticaloutcomesinfieldslikeagriculturepurelythroughthecognitiveabilityofmachines.

P.Backedbytheventurecapitalcommunity,whichisnowinvestingbillionsofdollarsintothe

sector,mostagriculturaltechnologystartupstodayarepushedtocompletedevelopmentasquickly

aspossibleandthenencouragedtofloodthemarketasquicklyaspossiblewiththeirproducts.

Q.Thisusuallyresultsinafailureofaproduct,whichleadstoskepticismfromthemarketand

deliversablowtotheintegrityofMachineLearningtechnology.Inmostcases,theproblemisnot

thatthetechnologydoesnotwork,theproblemisthatindustryhasnottakenthetimetorespect

thatagricultureisoneofthemostuncontainedenvironmentstomanage.Fortechnologytotruly

makeanimpactonagriculture,moreeifort,skills,andfundingisneededtotestthesetechnologies

infarmers*fields.

R.Thereishugepotentialforartificialintelligenceandmachinelearningtorevolutionize

agriculturebyintegratingthesetechnologiesintocriticalmarketsonaglobalscale.Onlythencanit

makeadifferencetothegrower,whereitreallycounts.

37、Farmerswillnotprofitfromreplantingoncetheyhaveappliedmostofthefertilizerandother

chemicalstotheirfields.

38、Agriculturediffersfromthemedicalscienceofthehumanbodyinthatitsenvironmentisnota

containedone.

39、Theagronomistissurethathewillobtainanearaccuratecountofplantpopulationwithhis

software.

40>Theapplicationofartificialintelligencetoagricultureismuchmorechallengingthantomost

otherindustries.

41、EventhefarmersknowthedataprovidedbytheUAVisnotcorrect.

42、Thepressureforquickresultsleadstoproductfailure,which,inturn,arousesdoubtsaboutthe

applicability,ofAltechnologytoagriculture.

43>Remotesensorsareaimedtohelpfarmersimprovedecision-makingtoincreaseyields.

44、Thefarmerexpectsthesoftwaretotellhimwhetherhewillhavetoreplantanypartsofhis

farmfields.

45>Agricultureprovesverydifficulttoquantifybecauseoftheconstantlychangingconditions

involved.

46>Thesameseedandfertilizerprogrammayyieldcompletelydeferentoutcomesindifferent

places.

SectionC

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsor

unfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA,B,CandD.Youshould

decideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasingleline

throughthecentre.

PassageOne

Whatistheplaceofartinacultureofinattention'?RecentvisitorstotheLouvrereportthattourists

cannowspendonlyaminuteinfrontoftheMonaLisabeforebeingaskedtomoveon.Muchofthat

time,forsomeofthem,isspenttakingphotographsnotevenofthepaintingbutofthemselveswith

thepaintinginthebackground.

Oneviewisthatwehavedemocratisedtourismandgallery-goingsomuchthatwehavemadeit

effectivelyimpossibletoappreciatewhatwe'vetravelledtosee.Inthisoversubscribedsociety,

experiencebecomesacommoditylikeanyother.TherearequeuestoclimbMt.JolmoLungmaas

wellastoseefamouspaintings.Leisure,thusconceived,ishardlabour,andreturningtowork

becomesawell-earnedbreakfromtheordeal.

Whatgetslostinthisindustrialisedhasteisthequalityoflooking.Consideranextremeexample,

thelatephilosopherRichardWollheim.WhenhevisitedtheLouvrehecouldspentasmuchasfour

hourssittingbeforeapainting.Thefirsthour,heclaimed,wasnecessaryformisperceptionstobe

eliminated.Itwasonlythenthatthepicturewouldbegintodiscloseitself.Thisseemsunthinkable

today,butitisstillpossibletoorganise.Eveninthebusiestmuseumstherearemanyroomsand

manypicturesworthhoursofcontemplationwhichthecrowdslargelyignore.Sometimesthe

largestcrowdsarepartlytheproductsofbadmanagement;theMonaLisaissuchahurried

experiencetodaypartlybecausethemuseumisbeingreorganised.TheUffiziinFlorence,another

siteofculturalpilgrimage,hascutitsentryqueuesdowntosevenminutesbyclevermanagement.

Andtherearesomeformsofart,thosedesignedtobespectaclesaswellasobjectsof

contemplation,whichcanworkperfectlywellinthefaceofhugecrowds.

OlafurEliasson'scurrentTateModernshow,forinstance,mightseemnothingmorethanan

entertainment,overrunasitiswithkidsromping（喧闹地玩耍）infogroomsandspraymist

installations.Butit'smorethanthat:whereEliassonisathismostentertaining,heisathismost

serioustoo,andhisdisorientinginstallationsbringhometherealityofthedestructiveeffectsweare

havingontheplanet-notleastwhatwearedoingtotheglaciersofEliasson'sbelovedIceland.

MarcelProust,anotherloveroftheLouvre,wrote:"Itisonlythroughartthatwecanescape

fromourselvesandknowhowanotherpersonseestheuniverse,whoselandscapeswould

otherwisehaveremainedasunknownasanyonthemoon."Ifanyartremainsworthseeing,itmust

leadustosuchescapes.Butaminuteinfrontofapaintinginahurriedcrowdwon'tdothat.

47、WhatdoesthesceneattheLouvredemonstrateaccordingtotheauthor?

A.Theenormousappealofagreatpieceofartisticworktotourists.

B.Thenearimpossibilityofappreciatingartinanageofmasstourism.

C.Theever-growingcommercialvalueoflong-cherishedartisticworks.

D.Therealdifficultyingettingaglimpseatamasterpieceamidacrowd.

48>WhydidthelatephilosopherRichardWollheimspendfourhoursbeforeapicture?

A.Ittakestimetoappreciateapieceofartfully.

B.Itisquitecommontomisinterpretartisticworks.

C.Thelongerpeoplecontemplateapicture,themorelikelytheyw川enjoyit.

D.Ihemoretimeonespendsbeforeapainting,themorevaluableonefindsit.

49、WhatdoesthecaseoftheUffiziinFlorenceshow?

A.Artworksinmuseumsshouldbebettertakencareof.

B.Sitesofculturalpilgrimagearealwaysfloodedwithvisitors.

C.Goodmanagementiskeytohandlinglargecrowdsofvisitors.

D.Largecrowdsofvisitorscausemanagementproblemsformuseums.

50、WhatdowelearnfromOlafurEliasson'scurrentTateModernshow?

A.Childrenlearntoappreciateartworksmosteffectivelywhiletheyareplaying.

B.Itispossibletocombineentertainmentwithappreciationofseriousart.

C.Artworksabouttheenvironmentappealmosttoyoungchildren.

D.Someformsofartcanaccommodatehugecrowdsofvisitors.

51>WhatcanartdoaccordingtoMarcelProust?

A.Enableustoliveamuchfullerlife.

B.Allowustoescapetheharshreality.

C.Helpustoseetheworldfromadifferentperspective.

D.Urgeustoexploretheunknowndomainoftheuniverse.

PassageTwo

Everyfiveyears,thegovernmenttriestotellAmericanswhattoputintheirbellies.Eatmore

vegetables.Dialbackthefats.It'sallbasedonthebestavailablescienceforleadingahealthylife.

Butthebestavailablesciencealsohasalottosayaboutwhatthosefoodchoicesdotothe

environment,andsomeresearchersareannoyedthatnewdietaryrecommendationsoftheUSDA

(UnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture)releasedyesterdayseemtoutterlyignorethatfact.

Broadly,the2016-2020dietaryrecommendationsaimforbalance:Morevegetables,leaner

meatsandfarlesssugar.

ButAmericansconsumemorecaloriespercapitathanalmostanyothercountryintheworld.So

thethingsAmericanseathaveahugeimpactonclimatechange.Soiltillingreleasescarbondioxide,

anddeliveryvehiclesemitexhaust.Thegovernment'sdietaryguidelinescouldhavedonealotto

lowerthatclimatecost.Notjustbecauseoftheirpositionofauthority:Theguidelinesdrivebillions

ofdollarsoffoodproductionthroughfederalprogramslikeschoollunchesandnutritionassistance

fortheneedy.

Onitsown,plantandanimalagriculturecontributes9percentofallthecountry'sgreenhouse

gasemissions.That'snotcountingthefuelburnedintransportation,processing,refrigeration,and

otherwaypointsbetweenfarmandbelly.Redmeatsareamongthebiggestandmostnotorious

emitters,buttruckingasaladfromCaliforniatoMinnesotainJanuaryalsocarriesasignificant

burden.Andgreenhousegasemissionsaren'tthewholestory.Foodproductionisthelargestuser

offreshwater,largestcontributortothelossofbiodiversity,andamajorcontributortousingup

naturalresources.

AllofthesepointsandmoreshowedupintheDietaryGuidelinesAdvisoryCommittee's

scientificreport,releasedlastFebruary.MiriamNelsonchairedthesuocommitteeinchargeof

sustainabilityforthereport,andisdisappointedthateatinglessmeatandbuyinglocalfoodaren'tin

thefinalproduct."Especiallyifyouconsiderthateatinglessmeat,especiallyredandprocessed,

hashealthbenefits；*shesays.

Sowhathappened?Theofficialresponseisthatsustainabilityfallstoofaroutsidethe

guidelines,officialscope,whichistoprovide"nutritionalanddietaryinformation.”

Possiblytheagenciesinchargeofdraftingthedecisionsaretooclosetotheindustriestheyare

supposedtoregulate.Ononehand,theUSDAiscompilingdietaryadvice.Ontheother,their

clientsaeUSagriculturecompanies.

Thelineaboutkeepingtheguidelines'scopetonutritionanddietdoesn'tringquiterightwith

researchers.DavidWallinga,forexample,says,"Inpreviousguidelines,they'vealwaysbeen

concernedwiththingslikefoodsecurity——whichispresumablythemissionoftheUSDA.You

absolutelyneedtobeworriedaboutclimateimpactsandfuturesustainabilityifyouwantsecure

foodinthefuture."

52>WhyaresomeresearchersirritatedattheUSDA's2016-2020DietaryGuidelines?

A.Itignorestheharmfuleffectofredmeatandprocessedfoodonhealth.

B.Toomuchemphasisisgiventoeatinglessmeatandbuyinglocalfood.

C.Thedietaryrecommendationsarenotbasedonmedicalscience.

D.Ittakesnonoticeofthepotentialimpactontheenvironment.

53>WhydoestheauthorsaytheUSDAcouldhavecontributedalottoloweringtheclimatecost

throughitsdietaryguidelines?

A.Ithasthecapacityandthefinancialresourcestodoso.

B.Itsresearchershavealreadysubmittedrelevantproposals.

C.Itsagenciesinchargeofdraftingthe