2015年12月第三套 Passage Two
“There’s an old saying in the space world: amateurs talk about technology, professionals talk about insurance.” In an interview last year with The Economist, George Whitesides, chief executive of space-tourism firm Virgin Galactic, was placing his company in the latter category. But insurance will be cold comfort following the failure on October 31st of VSS Enterprise, resulting in the death of one pilot and the severe injury to another.
On top of the tragic loss of life, the accident in California will cast a long shadow over the future of space tourism, even before it has properly begun.
The notion of space tourism took hold in 2001 with a $ 20 million flight aboard a Russian spacecraft by Dennis Tito, a millionaire engineer with an adventurous streak. Just half a dozen holiday-makers have reached orbit since then, for similarly astronomical price tags. But more recently, companies have begun to plan more affordable “suborbital” flights —briefer ventures just to the edge of space’s vast darkness. Virgin Galactic had, prior to this week’s accident, seemed closest to starting regular flights. The company has already taken deposits from around 800 would-be space tourists, including Stephen Hawking.
After being dogged by technical delays for years, Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic’s founder, had recently suggested that a SpaceShipTwo craft would carry its first paying customers as soon as February 2015. That now seems an impossible timeline. In July, a sister craft of the crashed spaceplane was reported to be about half-finished. The other half will have to wait, as authorities of America’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National transportation Safety Board work out what went wrong.
In the meantime, the entire space tourism industry will be on tenterhooks (坐立不安). The 2004 Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act, intended to encourage private space vehicles and services, prohibits the transportation secretary (and thereby the FAA) from regulating the design or operation of private spacecraft, unless they have resulted in a serious or fatal injury to crew or passengers. That means that the FAA could suspend Virgin Galactic’s license to fly. It could also insist on checking private manned spacecraft as thoroughly as it does commercial aircraft. While that may make suborbital travel safer, it would add significant cost and complexity to an emerging industry that has until now operated largely as the playground of billionaires and dreamy engineers.
How Virgin Galactic, regulators and the public respond to this most recent tragedy will determine whether and how soon private space travel can transcend that playground. There is no doubt that spaceflight entails risks, and to pioneer a new mode of travel is to free those risks, and to reduce them with the benefit of hard-won experience.
61.What is said about the failure of VSS Enterprise?
A) It may lead to the bankruptcy of Virgin Galactic.
B) It has a strong negative impact on space tourism.
C) It may discourage rich people from space travel.
D) It has aroused public attention to safety issues.
62.What do we learn about the space-tourism firm Virgin Galactic?
A) It has just built a craft for commercial flights.
B) It has sent half a dozen passengers into space.
C) It was about ready to start regular business.
D) It is the first to launch “suborbital” flights.
63.What is the purpose of the 2004 Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act?
A) To ensure space travel safety.
B) To limit the FAA’s functions.
C) To legalize private space explorations.
D) To promote the space tourism industry.
64.What might the FAA do after the recent accident in California?
A) Impose more rigid safety standards.
B) Stop certifying new space-tourist agencies.
C) Amend its 2004 Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act.
D) Suspend Virgin Galactic’s licence to take passengers into space.
65.What does the author think of private space travel?
A) It is worth promoting despite the risks involved.
B) It should not be confined to the rich only.
C) It should be strictly regulated.
D) It is too risky to carry on.
2016年6月第一套 Passage One
Interactive television advertising, which allows viewers to use their remote controls to click on advertisements, has been pushed for years. Nearly a decade ago it was predicted that viewers of“Friends”, a popular situation comedy,would soon be able to purchase a sweater like Jennifer Aniston’s with a few taps on their remote control. “It’s been the year of interactive television advertising for the last ten or twelve years, ”says Colin Dixon of a digital—media consultancy.
So the news that Cablevision, an American cable company,was rolling out interactive advertisements to all its customers on October 6th was greeted with some skepticism. During commercials. an overlay will appear at the bottom of the screen, prompting viewers to press a button to request a free sample or order a catalogue. Cablevision hopes to allow customers to buy things with their remote controls early next year.
Television advertising could do with a boost. Spending fell by 10%in the first half of the year. The popularization of digital video recorders has caused advertisers to worry that their commercials will be skipped. Some are turning to the Internet, which is cheaper and offers concrete measurements like click—through rates-especially important at a time when marketing budgets are tight. With the launch of interactive advertising, “many of the dollars that went to the Internet will come back to the TV,”says David Kline of Cablevision.Or so the industry hopes.
In theory,interactive advertising can engage viewers in a way that 30。second spots do not. Unilever recently ran an interactive campaign for its Axe deodorant(除臭剂), which kept viewers engaged for more than three minutes on average.
The amount spent on interactive advertising on television is still small Magna, an advertising agency,reckons it will be worth about$138 million this year. That falls far short of the billions of dollars people once expected it to generate. But DirecTV,Comcast and Time Warner Cable have all invested in it.A new effort 1edbv Canoe Ventures, a coalition of leading cable providers, aims to make interactive advertising available across America later this year. BrightLine iTV,which designs and sells interactive ads, say8 interest has surged：it expects its revenues almost to triple this year. BSkyB, Britain’s biggest satellite-television service,already provides 9 million customers with interactive ads.
Yet there are doubts whether people watching television, a“lean back”medium, crave interaction.Click-though rates have been high so far(around 3-4%, compared with less than 0. 3%online), but that may be a result of the novelty. Interactive ads and viewers might not go well together.
46. What does Colin Dixon mean by saying“It's been the year of interactive television advertising for the last ten or twelve years”(Line 4, Para. 1)?
A.Interactive television advertising will become popular in 10-12 years.
B.Interactive television advertising has been under debate for the last decade or so.
C.Interactive television advertising is successful when incorporated into situation comedies.
D.Interactive television advertising has not achieved the anticipated results.
47. What is the public’s response to Cablevision’s planned interactive TV advertising program?
A.Pretty positive.
B.Totally indifferent.
C.Somewhat doubtful.
D.Rather critical.
48. What is the impact of the wide use of digital video recorders on TV advertising?
A.It has made TV advertising easily accessible to viewers.
B.It helps advertisers to measure the click-through rates.
C. It has placed TV advertising at a great disadvantage.
D.It enables viewers to check the sales items with ease.
49. What do we learn about Unilever’s interactive campaign?
A.It proves the advantage of TV advertising.
B.It has done well in engaging the viewers.
C.It helps attract investments in the company.
D.It has boosted the TV advertising industry.
50. How does the author view the hitherto high click—through rates?
A.They may be due to the novel way of advertising.
B.They signify the popularity of interactive advertising.
C.They point to the growing curiosity of TV viewers.
D.They indicate the future direction of media reform.
2016年6月第一套 Passage Two
What can be done about mass unemployment?All the wise heads agree：there’re no quick or easy answers. There, s work to be done, but workers aren’t ready to do it—they’re in the wrong places, or they have the wrong skills. Our problems are“structural, ”and will take many years to solve.
But don't bother asking for evidence that justifies this bleak view. There isn’t any. On the contrary, all the facts suggest that high unemployment in America is the result of inadequate demand.Saying that there’re no easy answers sounds wise, but it's actually foolish:our unemployment crisis could be cured very quickly if we had the intellectual clarity and political will to act. In other words, structural unemployment is a fake problem, which mainly serves as an excuse for not pursuing real solutions.
The fact is job openings have plunged in every major sector,while the number of workers forced
into part—time employment in almost all industries has soared. Unemployment has surged in every major occupational category. Only three states, with a combined population not much larger than that of Brooklyn, have unemployment rates below 5%. So the evidence contradicts the claim that we’re mainly suffering from structural unemployment. Why,then, has this claim become so popular?
Part of the answer is that this is what always happens during periods of high unemployment—in part because experts and analysts believe that declaring the problem deeply rooted, with no easy answers, makes them sound serious.
I’ve been looking at what self-proclaimed experts were saying about unemployment during the Great Depression：it was almost identical to what very serious People are saying now. Unemployment cannot be brought down rapidly,declared one 1935 analysis, because the workforce is“unadaptable and untrained.It cannot respond to the opportunities which industry may offer. "A few years later,a large defense buildup finally provided a fiscal stimulus adequate to the economy’s needs—and suddenly industry was eager to employ those“unadaptable and untrained”workers.
But now. as then, powerful forces are ideologically opposed to the whole idea of government action on a sufficient scale to jump. start the economy. And that, fundamentally,is why claims that we face huge structural problems have been multiplying：they offer a reason to do nothing about the mass unemployment that is crippling our economy and our society.
So what you need to know is that there’s no evidence whatsoever to back these claims. We aren't suffering from a shortage of needed skills;we’re suffering from a lack of policy resolve. As I said, structural unemployment isn’t a real problem, it's an excuse—a reason not to act on America, s problems at a time when action is desperately needed.
51. What does the author think is the root cause of mass unemployment in America?
A.Corporate mismanagement.
B.Insufficient demand.
C.Technological advances.
D.Workers, slow adaptation.
52. What does the author think of the experts’ claim concerning unemployment?
A.Self-evident.
B.Thought—provoking.
C.Irrational.
D.Groundless.
53.What does the author say helped bring down unemployment during the Great Depression?
A.The booming defense industry.
B.The wise heads’ benefit package.
C.Nationwide training of workers.
D.Thorough restructuring of industries.
54. What has caused claims of huge structural problems to multiply?
A.Powerful opposition to government’s stimulus efforts.
B.Very Serious People’s attempt to cripple the economy.
C.Evidence gathered from many sectors of the industries.
D.Economists’ failure to detect the problems in time.
55. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A.To testify to the experts’ analysis of America’s problems.
B.To offer a feasible solution to the structural unemployment.
C.To show the urgent need for the government to take action.
D.To alert American workers to the urgency for adaptation.
2016年6月第二套 Passage One
Manufacturers of products that claim to be environmentally friendly will face tighter rules on how they are advertised to consumers under changes proposed by the Federal Trade Commission
The commission’s revised“Green Guides”warn marketers against using labels that make broad claims, like“eco—friendly”.Marketers must qualify their claims on the product packaging and limit them to a specific benefit, such as how much of the product is recycled.
“This is really about trying to cut through the confusion that consumers have when they are buying a product and that businesses have when they are selling a product, ”said Jon Leibowitz, chairman of the commission.
The revisions come at a time when green marketing is on the rise.According to a new study,the number of advertisements with green messages in mainstream magazines has risen since 1987, and peaked in 2008 at 10.4%.In 2009, the number dropped to 9%
But while the number of advertisements may have dipped, there has been a rapid spread of eco—labeling.There are both good and bad players in the eco-labeling game.
In the last five years or so.there has been an explosion of green claims and environmental claims.It is clear that consumers don’t always know what they are getting.
A handful of lawsuits have been filed in recent years against companies accused of using misleading environmental labels.In 2008 and 2009, class.action lawsuits(集体诉讼)were filed against SC Johnson for using“Greenlist”labels on its cleaning products.The lawsuits said that the label was misleading because it gave the impression that the products had been certified by a third party when the certification was the company’s own.
“We are very proud of our accomplishments under the Greenlist system and we believe that we will prevail in these cases, ”Christopher Beard, director of public affairs for SC Johnson, said, while acknowledging that“this has been an area that is difficult to navigate.”
Companies have also taken it upon themselves to contest each other’s green claims.
David Mallen.associate director of the Council of Better Business Bureau.said in the last two years the organization had seen an increase in the number of claims companies were bringing against each other for false or misleading environmental product claims.
“About once a week.I have a client that will bring up a new certification I’ve never even heard of and I’m in this industry,”said Kevin Wilhelm.chief executive officer of Sustainable Business Consulting.“It’s kind of a Wild West.anybody can claim themselves to be green.”Mr.Wilhelm said the excess of labels made it difficult for businesses and consumers to know which labels they should Pay attention to.
46.What do the revised“Green Guides”require businesses to do?
A. Manufacture as many green products as possible.
B.Indicate whether their products are recyclable.
C.Specify in what way their products are green.
D.Attach green labels to all of their products.
47.What does the author say about consumers facing an explosion of green claims?
A. They can easily see through the businesses’ tricks.
B.They have to spend lots of time choosing products.
C.They have doubt about current green certification.
D.They are not clear which products are truly green.
48.What was SC Johnson accused of in the class.action lawsuits?
A. It gave consumers the impression that all its products were truly green.
B.It gave a third party the authority to label its products as environmentally friendly.
C.It misled consumers to believe that its products had been certified by a third party.
D.It sold cleaning products that were not included in the official“Greenlist”.
49.How did Christopher Beard defend his company’s labeling practice?
A.There were no clear guidelines concerning green labeling.
B.His company’s products had been well received by the public.
C.It was in conformity to the prevailing practice in the market.
D.No law required the involvement of a third party in certification.
50.What does Kevin Wilhelm imply by saying“It’s kind of a Wild West”(Lines 2-3, Para.11)?
A.Businesses compete to produce green products.
B.Each business acts its own way in green labeling.
C.Consumers grow wild with products labeled green.
D.Anything produced in the West can be labeled green.
2016年6月第二套 Passage Two
America’s education system has become less a ladder of opportunity than a structure to transmit inequality from one generation to the next.
That’s why school reform is so critical.This is an issue of equality,opportunity and national conscience. It’s not just about education, but about poverty and justice.
It’s true that the main reason inner.city schools do poorly isn’t teachers’ unions,but poverty.Southern states without strong teachers’ unions have schools at least as awful as those in union states.Some Chicago teachers seem to think that they shouldn’t be held accountable until poverty is solved.There’re steps we can
take that would make some difference.and Mayor Rahm Emanuel is trying some of them—yet the union is resisting.
I’d be sympathetic if the union focused solely on higher compensation.Teachers need to be much better paid to attract the best college graduates to the nation’s worst schools.But.instead.the Chicago union seems to be using its political capital primarily to protect weak performers.
There‘s solid evidence that there are huge differences in the effectiveness of teachers.The gold standard study by Harvard and Columbia university scholars found that even in high.poverty schools.Teachers consistently had a huge positive or negative impact.
Get a bottom 1%teacher,and the effect is the same as if a child misses 40%of the school year.Get a teacher from the top 20%.and it's as if a child has gone to school for an extra month or two.
The study found that strong teachers in the fourth through eighth grades raised the skills of their students in ways that would last for decades.Just having a strong teacher for one elementary year left pupils a bit less likely to become mothers as teenagers.a bit more likely to go to college and earning more money, at age 28.
How does one figure out who is a weak teacher?Yes.that’s a challenge。But researchers are improving systems to measure a teacher’s performance throughout the year,and.with three years of data, it's usually possible to tell which teachers are failing.
Unfortunately,the union in Chicago is insisting that teachers who are laid off—often for being ineffective—should get priority in new hiring.That’s an insult to students.
Teaching is so important that it should be like other professions.with high pay and good working conditions but few job protections for bottom performers.
This isn’t a battle between garment workers and greedy bosses.The central figures in the Chicago schools strike are neither strikers nor managers but 350, 000 children.Protecting the union demand sacrifices those students, in effect turning a blind eye to the injustice in the education system.
51. What do we learn about America’s education system?
A.It provides a ladder of opportunity for the wealthy.
B.It contributes little to the elimination of inequality.
C.It has remained basically unchanged for generations.
D.It has brought up generations of responsible citizens.
52.What is chiefly responsible for the undesirable performance of inner-city schools'?
A.Unqualified teachers.
B.Lack of financial resources.
C. Unfavorable learning environment.
D. Subconscious racial discrimination.
53.What does the author think the union should do to win popular support?
A.Assist the city government in reforming schools.
B.Give constructive advice to inner-city schools.
C.Demand higher pay for teachers.
D.Help teachers improve teaching.
54.What is the finding of the gold standard study by Harvard and Columbia University scholars?
A.Many inner.city school teachers are not equal to their jobs.
B.A large proportion of inner-city children often miss classes.
C.Many students are dissatisfied with their teachers.
D.Student performance has a lot to do with teachers.
55.Why does the author say the Chicago union’s demand is an insult to students?
A.It protects incompetent teachers at the expense of students.
B.It underestimates students’ ability to tell good teachers from poor ones.
C.It makes students feel that they are discriminated against in many ways.
D.It totally ignores students’ initiative in the learning process.
2016年6月第三套 Passage One
Facing water shortages and escalating fertilizer costs, farmers in developing countries are using raw sewage(下水道污水)to irrigate and fertilize nearly 49 million acres of cropland, according to a new report—and it may not be a bad thing.
While the practice carries serious health risks for many,those dangers are outweighed by the social and economic gains for poor urban farmers and consumers who need affordable food.
"There is a large potential for waste water agriculture to both help and hurt great numbers of urban consumers."said Liqa Raschid.Sally,who led the study.
The report focused on poor urban areas。where farms in or near cities supply relatively inexpensive food.Most of these operations draw irrigation water from local rivers or lakes.Unlike developed cities.however,these areas lack advanced water-treatment facilities, and rivers effectively become sewers(下水道).
When this water is used for agricultural irrigation, farmers risk absorbing disease-causing bacteria, as do consumers who eat the produce raw and unwashed.Nearly 2.2 million people die each year because of diarrhea—related(与腹泻相关的)diseases, according to WHO statistics.More than 80%of those cases can be attributed to contact with contaminated water and a lack of proper sanitation.But Pay Drechsel, an environmental scientist.argues that the social and economic benefits of using untreated human waste to grow food outweigh the health risks.
Those dangers can be addressed with farmer and consumer education, he said, while the free water and nutrients from human waste can help urban farmers in developing countries to escape poverty.
Agriculture is a water-intensive business, accounting for nearly 70%of global flesh water consumption.
In poor, dry regions, untreated waste water is the only viable irrigation source to keep farmers in business.In some cases, water is so scarce that farmers break open sewage pipes transporting waste to local rivers.
Irrigation is the primary agricultural use of human waste in the developing world.But frequently untreated human waste harvested from lavatories is delivered to farms and spread as fertilizer.
In most cases, the human waste is used on grain crops, which are eventually cooked, minimizing the risk of transmitting water-borne diseases.With fertilizer prices jumping nearly 50%per metric ton over the last year in some places, human waste is an attractive, and often necessary,alternative.
In cases where sewage mud is used, expensive chemical fertilizer use can be avoided.The mud contains the same critical nutrients.
"Overly strict standards often fail, "James Bartram, a WHO water—health expert.said."We need to accept that fact across much of the planet, so waste with little or no treatment will be used in agriculture for good reason."
46.What does the author say about the use of raw sewage for farming?
A.Its risks cannot be overestimated.
B.It should be forbidden altogether.
C.Its benefits outweigh the hazards involved.
D.It is polluting millions of acres of cropland.
47.What is the main problem caused by the use of waste water for irrigation?
A.Rivers and lakes nearby will gradually become contaminated.
B.It will drive producers of chemical fertilizers out of business.
C.Farmers and consumers may be affected by harmful bacteria.
D.It will make the farm produce less competitive on the market.
48.What is environmental scientist Pay Drechsel's attitude towards the use of untreated human waste in agriculture?
A.Favorable.
B.Skeptical.
C.Indifferent.
D.Responsible.
49.What does Pay Drechsel think of the risks involved in using untreated human waste for farming?
A.They have been somewhat exaggerated.
B.They can be dealt with through education.
C.They will be minimized with new technology.
D.They can be addressed by improved sanitation.
50.What do we learn about James Bartram's position on the use of human waste for farming?
A.He echoes Pay Drechsel's opinion on the issue.
B.He challenges Liqa Raschid—Sally's conclusion.
C.He thinks it the only way out of the current food crisis.
D.He deems it indispensable for combating global poverty.
2016年6月第三套 Passage Two
These days, nobody needs to cook.Families graze on high—cholesterol take—aways and microwaved ready-meals.Cooking is an occasional hobby and a vehicle for celebrity chefs.Which makes it odd that the kitchen has become the heart of the modem house：what the great hall was to the medieval castle.the kitchen is to the 21st—century home.
The money spent on kitchens has risen with their status.In America the kitchen market is now worth $170 billion, five times the country's film industry.In the year to August 2007,IKEA.a Swedish furniture chain, sold over one million kitchens worldwide.The average budget for a"major"kitchen over haul in 2006,calculates Remodeling magazine, was a staggering$54, 000;even a"minor"improvement cost on average$18.000.
Exclusivity,more familiar in the world of high fashion, has reached the kitchen：Robinson&Cornish,a British manufacturer of custom—made kitchens, offers a Georgian—style one which would cost￡145.000-155, 000—excluding building, plumbing and electrical work.Its big selling point is that nobody else will have it："You won't see this kitchen anywhere else in the world."
The elevation of the room that once belonged only to the servants to that of design showcase for the modem family tells the story of a century of social change.Right into the early 20th century,kitchens were smoky,noisy places.generally located underground, or to the back of the house, and as far from living space as possible.That was as it should be：kitchens were for servants, and the aspiring middle classes wanted nothing to do with them.
But as the working classes prospered and the servant shortage set in, housekeeping became a matter of interest to the educated classes.One of the pioneers of a radical new way of thinking about the kitchen was Catharine Esther Beecher.sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe.In American Woman's Home, published in 1869, the Beecher sisters recommended a scientific approach to household management, designed to enhance the efficiency of a woman's work and promote order.
Many contemporary ideas about kitchen design can be traced back to another American, Christine Frederick.who set about enhancing the efficiency of the housewife.Her l919 work, Household Engineering Scientific management in the Home.was based on detailed observation of a housewife's daily routine.She borrowed the principle of efficiency on the factory floor and applied it to domestic tasks on the kitchen floor.
Frederick's central idea.that"stove.sink and kitchen table must be placed in such a relation that useless steps are avoided entirely".inspired the first fully fitted kitchen, designed in the 1920s by Margarete Schutter-Lihotsky.It was a modernist triumph.and many elements remain central features of today's kitchen.
51.What does the author say about the kitchen of today?
A.It is where housewives display their cooking skills.
B.It is where the family entertains important guests.
C.It has become something odd in a modem house.
D.It is regarded as the center of a modem home.
52.Why does the Georgian—style kitchen sell at a very high price?
A.It is believed to have tremendous artistic value.
B.No duplicate is to be found in any other place.
C.It is manufactured by a famous British company.
D.No other manufacturer can produce anything like it.
53.What does the change in the status of the kitchen reflect?
A.Improved living conditions.
B.Women's elevated status.
C.Technological progress.
D.Social change.
54.What was the Beecher sisters'idea of a kitchen?
A.A place where women could work more efficiently.
B.A place where high technology could be applied.
C.A place of interest to the educated people.
D.A place to experiment with new ideas.
55.What do we learn about today's kitchen?
A.It represents the rapid technological advance in people's daily life.
B.Many of its central features are no different from those of the l 920s.
C.It has been transformed beyond recognition.
D.Many of its functions have changed greatly.
2016年12月第一套 Passage One
The Paris climate agreement finalised in December last year heralded a new era for climate action.For the first time, the world's nations agreed to keep global warming well below 2℃.
This is vital for climate-vulnerable nations. Fewer than 4% of countries are responsible for more than half of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. In a study published in Nature scientific Reports, we reveal just how deep this injustice runs.
Developed nations such as Australia, the United States, Canada, and European countries are essentially climate "free-riders": causing the majority of the problems through high greenhouse gas emissions, while incurring few of the costs such as climate change's impact on food and water. In other words, a few countries are benefiting enormously from the consumption of fossil fuels, while at the same time contributing disproportionately to the global burden of climate change.
On the flip side, there are many "forced riders", who are suffering from the climate change impacts despite having scarcely contributed to the problem. Many of the world's most climate vulnerable countries, the majority of which are African or small island states, produce a very small quantity of emissions. This is much like a non-smoker getting cancer from second-hand smoke, while the heavy smoker is fortunate enough to smoke in good health.
The Paris agreement has been widely hailed as a positive step forward in addressing climate change for all, although the details on addressing "climate justice" can be best described as sketchy.
The goal of keeping global temperature rise "well below" 2~C is commendable but the emissions-reduction pledges submitted by countries leading up to the Paris talks are very unlikely to deliver on this.
More than $100 billion in funding has been put on the table for supporting developing nations to reduce emissions. However, the agreement specifies that there is no formal distinction between developed and developing nations in their responsibility to cut emissions, effectively ignoring historical emissions. There is also very little detail on who will provide the funds or, importantly, who is responsible for their provision. Securing these funds, and establishing who is responsible for raising them will also be vital for the future of climate-vulnerable countries.
The most climate-vulnerable countries in the world have contributed very little to creating the global disease from which they now suffer the most. There must urgently be a meaningful mobilisation of the policies outlined in the agreement if we are to achieve national emissions reductions while helping the most vulnerable countries adapt to climate change.
And it is clearly up to the current generation of leaders from high-emitting nations to decide whether they want to be remembered as climate change tyrants or pioneers.
46. The author is critical of the Paris climate agreement because
A. it is unfair to those climate-vulnerable nations
B. it aims to keep temperature rise below 2℃ only
C. it is beneficial to only fewer than 4% of countries
D. it burdens developed countries with the sole responsibility
47. Why does the author call some developed countries climate "free-riders"?
A. They needn't worry about the food and water they consume.
B. They are better able to cope with the global climate change.
C. They hardly pay anything for the problems they have caused.
D. They are free from the greenhouse effects affecting "forced riders".
48. Why does the author compare the "forced riders" to second-hand smokers?
A. They have little responsibility for public health problems.
B. They are vulnerable to unhealthy environmental conditions.
C. They have to bear consequences they are not responsible for.
D. They are unaware of the potential risks they are confronting.
49. What does the author say about the $100 billion funding?
A. It will motivate all nations to reduce carbon emissions.
B. There is no final agreement on where it will come from.
C. There is no clarification of how the money will be spent.
D. It will effectively reduce greenhouse emissions worldwide.
50. what urgent action must be taken to realise the Paris climate agreement?
A. Encouraging high-emitting nations to take the initiative.
B. Calling on all the nations concerned to make joint efforts.
C. Pushing the current world leaders to come to a consensus.
D. Putting in effect the policies in the agreement at once.
2016年12月第一套 Passage Two
Teenagers at risk of depression, anxiety and suicide often wear their troubles like a neon (霓虹灯)sign. Their risky behaviors--drinking too much alcohol, using illegal drugs, smoking cigarettes and skipping school--can alert parents and teachers that serious problems are brewing.
But a new study finds that there's another group of adolescents who are in nearly as much danger of experiencing the same psychiatric symptoms: teens who use tons of media, don't get enough sleep and have a sedentary (不爱活动的) lifestyle.
Of course, that may sound like a description of every teenager on the planet. But the study warns that it is teenagers who engage in all three of these practices in the extreme who are truly in jeopardy.Because their behaviors are not usually seen as a red flag, these young people have been dubbed the "invisible risk" group by the study's authors.
"In some ways they're at greater risk of falling through the cracks," says researcher Vladimir Carli. "While most parents, teachers and clinicians would react to an adolescent using drugs or getting drunk, they may easily overlook teenagers who are engaging in inconspicuous behaviors."
The study's authors surveyed 12,395 students and analyzed nine risk behaviors, including excessive alcohol use, illegal drug use, heavy smoking, high media use and truancy (逃学). Their aim was to determine the relationship between these risk behaviors and mental health issues in teenagers.
About 58% of the students demonstrated none or few of the risk behaviors. Some 13% scored high on all nine of the risk behaviors. And 29%, the "invisible risk" group, scored high on three in particular: They spent five hours a day or more on electronic devices. They slept six hours a night or less. And they neglected "other healthy activities."
The group that scored high on all nine of the risk behaviors was most likely to show symptoms of depression; in all, nearly 15% of this group reported being depressed, compared with just 4% of the low-risk group. But the invisible group wasn't far behind the high-risk set, with more than 13% of them exhibiting depression.
The findings caught Carli off guard. "We were very surprised," he says. "The high-risk group and low-risk group are obvious. But this third group was not only unexpected, it was so distinct and so large--nearly one third of our sample--that it became a key finding of the study. "
Carli says that one of the most significant things about his study is that it provides new early-warning signs for parents, teachers and mental health-care providers. And early identification, support and treatment for mental health issues, he says, are the best ways to keep them from turning into full-blown disorders.
51. What does the author mean by saying "Teenagers at risk of depression, anxiety and suicide often wear their troubles like a neon sign" (Lines 1 - 2, Para.1 ) ?
A. Mental problems can now be found in large numbers of teenagers.
B. Teenagers' mental problems are getting more and more attention.
C. Teenagers' mental problems are often too conspicuous not to be observed.
D. depression and anxiety are the most common symptoms of mental problems.
52. What is the finding of the new study?
A. Teenagers' lifestyles have changed greatly in recent years.
B. Many teenagers resort to drugs or alcohol for mental relief.
C. Teenagers experiencing psychological problems tend to use a lot of media.
D. Many hitherto unobserved youngsters may have psychological problems.
53. Why do the researchers refer to teens who use tons of media, don't get enough sleep and have a sedentary lifestyle as the "invisible risk" group?
A. Their behaviors can be an invisible threat to society.
B. Their behaviors do not constitute a warning signal.
C. Their behaviors do not tend towards mental problems.
D. Their behaviors can be found in almost all teenagers on earth.
54. What does the new study find about the invisible group?
A. They are almost as liable to depression as the high-risk group.
B. They suffer from depression without showing any symptoms.
C. They do not often demonstrate risky behaviors as their peers.
D. They do not attract the media attention the high-risk group does.
55. What is the significance of Vladimir Carli's study?
A. It offers a new treatment for psychological problems among teenagers.
B. It provides new early-warning signals for identifying teens in trouble.
C. It may have found an ideal way to handle teenagers with behavioral problems.
D. It sheds new light on how unhealthy behaviors trigger mental health problems.
答案解析：
2015年12月第三套 Passage Two
61.由题干中的关键词 failure of VSS Enterprise”定位到文章第二段。该段提到 On top of the tragic loss of life, the accident in California will cast a long shadow over the future of space tourism, even before it has properly begun.”，提到这次事故给太空旅游的未来蒙上了一层长长的阴影”，说明其带来了强烈的负面影响。所以选 B。
62. 由题干中的关键词 Virgin Galactic”定位到文章第三、四段。第三段末尾提到 Virgin Galactic had, prior to this week’s accident, seemed closest to starting regular flights.”，提到在此次事故前，维珍银河似乎最接近开始定期飞行”。第四段开头也提到其创始人曾预计在2015年2月运送首批付费客户。这些都表明公司已准备好开始常规业务。所以选 C。
63. 由题干中的关键词 2004 Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act”定位到文章第五段。该段提到 The 2004 Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act, intended to encourage private space vehicles and services...”，提到该法案旨在鼓励私人航天器和航天服务”，即促进太空旅游产业的发展。所以选 D。
64.由题干中的关键词 FAA”和 the recent accident”定位到文章第五段。该段解释了法案规定，除非发生严重或致命事故，否则FAA无权监管。而事故发生后，文章明确指出 That means that the FAA could suspend Virgin Galactic’s license to fly.”，提到FAA可能会暂停维珍银河的飞行执照。所以选 D。
65.由题干中的关键词 the author think”和 private space travel”定位到文章最后一段。该段最后提到 There is no doubt that spaceflight entails risks, and to pioneer a new mode of travel is to free those risks, and to reduce them with the benefit of hard-won experience.”，作者承认太空飞行有风险，但认为开创一种新的旅行方式必然要面对这些风险，并随着经验的积累来降低风险。这表明作者认为尽管有风险，但私人太空旅行是值得推广的。所以选 A。
2016年6月第一套 Passage One
46. C 由题干中的关键词 “Colin Dixon” 和引言 “It's been the year of interactive television advertising for the last ten or twelve years” 定位到文章第一段最后一句。这句话的字面意思是过去十到十二年，每年都被称作是互动电视广告年”，可见，电视互动广告在过去十余年得到了很好的发展，所以选 C。
47.C由题干中的关键词 “Cablevision’s planned interactive TV advertising program” 定位到文章第二段。该段首句提到，Cablevision公司的这一新闻 was greeted with some skepticism (遭到了一些质疑/怀疑)。Skepticism”一词直接对应了公众的反应，表示人们对此持怀疑态度。所以选 C。
48. C由题干中的关键词 “digital video recorders” 定位到文章第三段。该段提到，数字视频录像机的普及 has caused advertisers to worry that their commercials will be skipped (已经导致广告商担心他们的广告会被跳过)。广告被跳过，意味着广告效果大打折扣，这显然使电视广告处于一个非常不利的境地。所以选 C。
49. B由题干中的关键词 “Unilever’s interactive campaign” 定位到文章第四段。该段明确指出，联合利华的互动广告活动 kept viewers engaged for more than three minutes on average (平均让观众保持了三分钟以上的参与度)。Engage”意为吸引、使参与”，这直接说明了该活动在吸引观众参与方面做得很好。所以选 B。
50.A由题干中的关键词 “high click-through rates” 定位到文章最后一段。该段在提到点击率很高之后，紧接着用 but 转折，指出 that may be a result of the novelty (那可能是新奇感的结果)。作者明确地将高点击率归因于广告形式的新颖性，暗示这种高数据可能只是暂时的，并非因为广告本身具有长久的吸引力。所以选 A。
2016年6月第一套 Passage Two
51. B由题干中的关键词“root cause of mass unemployment in America”定位到第二段。“On the contrary, all the facts suggest that high unemployment in America is the result of inadequate demand.” 明确提到美国高失业率是需求不足的结果，所以选B。
52. D由题干中的关键词“experts’ claim concerning unemployment”定位到第二段和最后一段。“But don't bother asking for evidence that justifies this bleak view. There isn’t any.”以及“So what you need to know is that there’s no evidence whatsoever to back these claims.” 均表明作者认为专家关于失业的说法没有证据支持，即毫无根据，所以选D。
53. A由题干中的关键词“helped bring down unemployment during the Great Depression”定位到第五段。“A few years later, a large defense buildup finally provided a fiscal stimulus adequate to the economy’s needs—and suddenly industry was eager to employ those‘unadaptable and untrained’workers.” 提到大规模的国防建设提供了财政刺激，降低了失业率，即蓬勃发展的国防工业有助于降低失业率，所以选A。
54. A由题干中的关键词“caused claims of huge structural problems to multiply”定位到最后一段。“But now, as then, powerful forces are ideologically opposed to the whole idea of government action on a sufficient scale to jump - start the economy. And that, fundamentally, is why claims that we face huge structural problems have been multiplying” 提到强大的势力反对政府大规模刺激经济的行动，这是声称面临巨大结构性问题的说法增多的原因，所以选A。
55. C由题干中的关键词“author’s purpose in writing the passage”定位到全文。文章主要论述美国失业问题根源是需求不足而非结构性问题，且指出结构性问题是政府不采取行动的借口，强调政府需要采取行动，所以作者写这篇文章目的是表明政府采取行动的迫切需要，所以选C。
2016年6月第二套 Passage One
46. 由题干中的关键词 “Green Guides” 和 require businesses to do” 定位到文章第二段。该段提到 Marketers must qualify their claims on the product packaging and limit them to a specific benefit”，其中 qualify their claims” (限定其声明) 和 limit them to a specific benefit” (将其限定在一个具体的益处上) 正是选项 C “Specify in what way their products are green” (具体说明其产品的环保之处) 的同义转述。所以选 C。
47. 由题干中的关键词 consumers” 和 explosion of green claims” 定位到文章第六段。该段最后一句明确指出 It is clear that consumers don’t always know what they are getting”，意思是消费者并不总是清楚他们买到的到底是什么，这与选项 D “They are not clear which products are truly green” (他们不清楚哪些产品是真正环保的) 意思完全一致。所以选 D。
48. 由题干中的关键词 SC Johnson accused of” 定位到文章第七段。该段详细说明了诉讼的原因：the label was misleading because it gave the impression that the products had been certified by a third party when the certification was the company’s own”，即该标签具有误导性，因为它让消费者以为产品经过了第三方认证，而实际上认证是公司自己做的。这直接对应了选项 C “It misled consumers to believe that its products had been certified by a third party”。所以选 C。
49. 由题干中的关键词 Christopher Beard defend” 定位到文章第八段。Christopher Beard 在回应中承认 this has been an area that is difficult to navigate”，即“这是一个难以把握的领域”，言下之意是，该领域缺乏明确清晰的指导方针或规则，因此公司的做法情有可原。这对应了选项 A “There were no clear guidelines concerning green labeling”。所以选 A。
50. 由题干中的关键词 “Wild West” 定位到文章最后一段。Kevin Wilhelm 在说出这个比喻后，紧接着进行了解释：anybody can claim themselves to be green”，即“任何人都可以宣称自己是环保的”。这句话揭示了当前环保标签市场缺乏规范、各自为政的混乱状态。选项 B “Each business acts its own way in green labeling” (每个企业在环保标签上都我行我素) 恰当地概括了这种“西部拓荒”般无序、混乱的状况。所以选 B。
2016年6月第二套 Passage Two
51. 由题干中的关键词 America’s education system” 定位到文章第一段。该段首句明确指出，美国的教育系统 less a ladder of opportunity than a structure to transmit inequality from one generation to the next”，即它不再是机会的阶梯，而更像是一个代际传递不平等的结构。这表明教育系统对于消除不平等贡献甚微。所以选 B。
52. 由题干中的关键词 inner-city schools” 和 chiefly responsible” 定位到文章第三段。该段首句明确指出 It’s true that the main reason inner-city schools do poorly isn’t teachers’ unions, but poverty”，即市中心学校表现不佳的主要原因是贫困”。所以选 B。
53. 由题干中的关键词 the union should do” 定位到文章第四段。作者在该段表明了自己的立场：I’d be sympathetic if the union focused solely on higher compensation”，即如果工会只关注提高薪酬，他会表示同情。这表明作者认为工会要求提高教师薪酬是合理且能获得支持的做法。所以选 C。
54. 由题干中的关键词 gold standard study” 定位到文章第五段。该段提到研究发现 even in high-poverty schools, teachers consistently had a huge positive or negative impact”，即即使在贫困学校，教师也始终能产生巨大的正面或负面影响。接下来的段落进一步用具体数据说明了优秀教师和劣质教师对学生成绩和未来的显著影响，这充分说明了学生的表现与教师有很大关系。所以选 D。
55. 由题干中的关键词 an insult to students” 定位到文章倒数第三段。该段指出，芝加哥工会坚持要求那些因效率低下而被解雇的教师在新招聘中应获得优先权。作者认为 That’s an insult to students”。结合全文作者反复强调应淘汰不合格教师、保护学生利益的论点，可知这种要求是以牺牲学生为代价来保护无能的教师，因此是对学生的侮辱。所以选 A。
2016年6月第三套 Passage One
46. 由题干中的关键词“use of raw sewage for farming”定位到第二段。文中提到“those dangers are outweighed by the social and economic gains for poor urban farmers and consumers who need affordable food”，即使用污水灌溉的危害小于其带来的社会和经济收益，所以选C。
47. 由题干中的关键词“main problem caused by the use of waste water for irrigation”定位到第五段。文中提到“When this water is used for agricultural irrigation, farmers risk absorbing disease-causing bacteria, as do consumers who eat the produce raw and unwashed”，即使用污水灌溉可能会让农民和消费者接触到有害细菌，所以选C。
48. 由题干中的关键词“Pay Drechsel's attitude”定位到第五段和第六段。文中提到Pay Drechsel认为使用未经处理的人类排泄物种植食物的社会和经济利益大于健康风险，并且这些风险可以通过教育和培训来解决，因此他的态度是支持的，所以选A。
49. 由题干中的关键词“Pay Drechsel think of the risks”定位到第六段。文中提到“Those dangers can be addressed with farmer and consumer education”，即Pay Drechsel认为这些风险可以通过教育和培训来解决，所以选B。
50. 由题干中的关键词“James Bartram's position”定位到最后一段。文中提到James Bartram认为“我们需要接受这个事实，即未经处理或处理很少的废物将因合理的理由在农业中使用”，这与Pay Drechsel的观点相呼应，所以选A。
2016年6月第三套 Passage Two
51. 由题干中的关键词“the kitchen of today”定位到第一段。文中提到“which makes it odd that the kitchen has become the heart of the modern house”，明确指出厨房已成为现代家庭的核心，所以选D。
52. 由题干中的关键词“Georgian—style kitchen sell at a very high price”定位到第三段。文中提到“Its big selling point is that nobody else will have it: 'You won't see this kitchen anywhere else in the world.'”，说明其高价的原因是独一无二，所以选B。
53. 由题干中的关键词“change in the status of the kitchen”定位到第四段。文中提到“The elevation of the room...tells the story of a century of social change.”，说明厨房地位的变化反映了社会变革，所以选D。
54. 由题干中的关键词“the Beecher sisters' idea of a kitchen”定位到第五段。文中提到“the Beecher sisters recommended a scientific approach to household management, designed to enhance the efficiency of a woman's work”，说明她们认为厨房是提高女性工作效率的地方，所以选A。
55. 由题干中的关键词“today's kitchen”定位到最后一段。文中提到“many elements remain central features of today's kitchen”，说明现代厨房的许多核心特征与20世纪20年代并无不同，所以选B。
2016年12月第一套 Passage One
46. 由题干中的关键词“critical of the Paris climate agreement”定位到文中“The Paris agreement has been widely hailed...although the details on addressing 'climate justice' can be best described as sketchy.”以及后文提到协议未明确发达国家与发展中国家的减排责任区分，对气候脆弱国家不公平等内容。文中指出协议虽目标积极，但在“气候正义”方面细节不足，且未合理区分历史排放责任，对气候脆弱国家不公平。所以选A。
47. 由题干中的关键词“climate 'free-riders'”定位到文中“Developed nations...are essentially climate 'free-riders': causing the majority of the problems through high greenhouse gas emissions, while incurring few of the costs such as climate change's impact on food and water.”。文中明确提到发达国家因高排放造成问题却承担很少成本，即几乎不为造成的问题付出代价。所以选C。
48. 由题干中的关键词“compare the 'forced riders' to second-hand smokers”定位到文中“On the flip side, there are many 'forced riders'...This is much like a non-smoker getting cancer from second-hand smoke, while the heavy smoker is fortunate enough to smoke in good health.”。文中将“被迫承受者”比作二手烟受害者，强调他们几乎未贡献排放却遭受气候变化的后果，即不得不承担非自身责任导致的后果。所以选C。
49. 由题干中的关键词“$100 billion funding”定位到文中“However, the agreement specifies that there is no formal distinction...There is also very little detail on who will provide the funds or, importantly, who is responsible for their provision.”。文中提到协议未明确资金来源及责任方，即对资金来源无最终协议。所以选B。
50. 由题干中的关键词“urgent action”和“realise the Paris climate agreement”定位到文中“There must urgently be a meaningful mobilisation of the policies outlined in the agreement if we are to achieve national emissions reductions while helping the most vulnerable countries adapt to climate change.”。文中强调必须立即有效实施协议中的政策以实现减排并帮助脆弱国家适应气候变化。所以选D。
2016年12月第一套 Passage Two
51. 由题干中的关键词“wear their troubles like a neon sign”定位到文中第一段“Teenagers at risk of depression, anxiety and suicide often wear their troubles like a neon sign. Their risky behaviors...can alert parents and teachers that serious problems are brewing.”。文中提到有抑郁、焦虑和自杀风险的青少年的危险行为能提醒家长和老师问题在滋生，说明他们的心理问题很明显，容易被观察到。所以选C。
52. 由题干中的关键词“finding of the new study”定位到文中第二段“But a new study finds that there's another group of adolescents who are in nearly as much danger of experiencing the same psychiatric symptoms...these young people have been dubbed the 'invisible risk' group by the study's authors.”。文中指出新研究发现有一群青少年存在心理问题风险，但他们之前未被注意到。所以选D。
53. 由题干中的关键词“invisible risk” group定位到文中第三段“Because their behaviors are not usually seen as a red flag, these young people have been dubbed the 'invisible risk' group by the study's authors.”。文中提到这些青少年的行为通常不被视为危险信号，所以被称为“隐形风险”群体。所以选B。
54. 由题干中的关键词“new study find about the invisible group”定位到文中第七段“But the invisible group wasn't far behind the high - risk set, with more than 13% of them exhibiting depression.”。文中表明“隐形风险”群体患抑郁症的比例接近高风险群体。所以选A。
55. 由题干中的关键词“significance of Vladimir Carli's study”定位到文中最后一段“Carli says that one of the most significant things about his study is that it provides new early - warning signs for parents, teachers and mental health - care providers.”。文中提到该研究为家长、老师和心理健康护理提供者提供了新的早期预警信号。所以选B。
