1、2019 年 12 月六级第三套Part IWriting(30 minutes)Directions: For this part you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay onthe importance of having a sense of community responsibility. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.听力同第二套Part IIIReading Comprehension(40 minutes)Section ADirec
2、tions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please m
3、ark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.The number of devices you can talk to is multiplying first it was your phone, then your car, and now youcan tell your kitchen appliances wha
4、t to do. But even without gadgets that understand our spoken commands, research suggests that, as bizarre as it sounds, under certain26, people regularly ascribe human traits to everyday objects.Sometimes we see things as human because we are27. In one experiment, people who reported feelingisolated
5、 were more likely than others to attribute28to various gadgets. In turn, feeling close to objects can29loneliness. When college students were reminded of a time they had been30in a social setting, they compensated by exaggerating their number of friends unless they were first given tasks that caused
6、 them to interact with their phone as if it had human qualities. According to the researchers, the participants31substituted for real friends.At other times, we personify products in an effort to understand them. One study found that three in four respondents yelled at their computer. Further, the m
7、ore their computer gave them problems, the more likely therespondents were to report that it had its own32“ be.li”efs andSo how do people assign traits to an object? In part, we rely on looks. On humans, wide faces are33with dominance. Similarly, people rated cars, clocks, and watches with wide face
8、s as more dominant-looking than narrow-facedones, and preferred them especiallyin34situations.Ananalysis ofcar sales inGermany found that cars with gills that were upturned like smiles sold best. The purchasers saw this35asincreasing a cars friendliness.A) alleviateF) competitiveK) featureB) apparen
9、tlyG) concededL) lonelyC) arrogantH) consciousnessM) seperateD) associatedI) desiresN) spectacularlyE) circumstancesJ) excludedO) warrantSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains informationgiven in one of the pa
10、ragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the informationis derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the question by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Why More Farmers are Switching to Grass-Fed Meat and DairyA Though he di
11、dn t come from a farming family, from a young age Tim Joseph was fascinated by the idea of living off the land. Reading magazines like The Stockman Grass Farmer and Graze, he got hooked on theidea of grass-fed agriculture. The idea that all energy and wealth comes from the sun really intrigued himHe
12、 thought the shorter the distance between the sun and the end product, the higher the profit to the farmer.B Joseph wanted to put this theory to the test. In 2009, he and his wife Laura launched Maple Hill Creamery, an organic, all grass-fed yogurt company in northern New York. He quickly learned wh
13、at the market hasdemonstrated: Demand for grass-fed products currentlyexceeds supply. Grass-fed beef is enjoyinga 25-30% annual growth rate. Sales of grass-fed yogurt and kefiron the other hand, have in the last year increased by over 38%. This is in comparison with a drop of just under 1% in the to
14、tal yogurt and kefirmarket according to natural and organic market research company SPINS. Josephtops prioritybecamegetting his hands on enough grass-fed milk to keep customers satisfied, since his own 64-cow herd wasn t going to suffice.C His first partnership was with Paul and Phyllis Amburgh, own
15、ers of the Dharma Lea farm in New York.The Amburghs, too, were true believers in grass-fed. In addition to supplying milk from their own 85-head herd, they began to help other farmers in the area convent from conventionalto certifiedorganic and grass-fed in order to enter the Maple Hill supply chain
16、. Since 2010, the couple has helped 125 small dairy farms convert to grass-fed, with more than 80% of those farms coming on board during the last two years.D All this conversion has helped Maple Hill grow 40-50% every year since it began with no end in sight.Joseph has learned that a farmer has to h
17、ave a certain mindset to successfully convert. But convincing open-minded dairy people is actually not that hard, when you look at the economics. Grass-fed milk can fetch up to 2.5 times the price of conventional milk. Another factor is the squeeze that conventional dairy farmers have felt as the pr
18、ice of grain they feed their cows has gone up, tightening their profit margins. Byreplacing expensive grain feed withregenerative management practices, grass-fed farmers are insulated fromjumps inthe price of feed. These practices includegrazing animals on grasses grownfrom thepastureland s natural
19、seed bunk, and fertilized by the cows. own fertilizerE Champions of this type of regenerative grazing also point to its animal welfare, climate and health benefits: Grass-fed animals live longer out of confinement. Grazing herds stimulate microbial (微生物的 ) activity in the soil, helping to capture wa
20、ter and separate carbon. And grass-fed dairy and meat have been shown to be higher in certain nutrients and healthy fats.F In the grass fed system, farmers are also not subject to the wildly fluctuating milk prices of the international commodity market. The unpredictability of global demand and the
21、lag-time it takes to add more cows to a herd to meet demand can result in events like the recent cheese surplus. Going grass-fed isa safe refuge, a way for family-scale farms to stay viable. Usually a farmer will get to the point where financially, what they rdeoing is not working. That wshen they c
22、all Maple Hill. If the farm is wellmanaged and has enough land, and the desire to convert is sincere, a relationship can begin. Through regular regional educational meetings, a large annual meeting, individual farm visits and thousands of phone calls, the Amburghs pass on the principles of pasture m
23、anagement. Maple Hill signs a contract pledging to buy the farmer msilk at a guaranteed base price, plus quality premiums and incentives for higher protein, butter fat and other solids.G While Maple Hills conversion program is unusually hands on and comprehensive, it jusst one of a growing number of
24、 businesses committed to slowly changing the way America farms. Joseph calls sharinghis knowledge network through peer-to-peer learning a core piece of the company s culture. Last sum Massachusetts grass-fed beef advocate John Smith launched Big Picture Beef, a network of small grass-fedbeef farms i
25、n New England and New York that is projected to bring to market 2,500 head of cattle from 125 producers this year. Early indications are that Smith will have no shortage of farm members. Since hebegan to informallyannounce the network at farming conferences and on social media, herseceived asteady s
26、tream of inquiries from interested farmers.H Smithsays hellprovideservices rangingfromformalseminars to on-farmworkshops on holistic management, to one-on-one hand-holding and an almost 24/7 phone hotline for farmers who are converting. In exchange, he guarantees an above-market price for each anima
27、l and a calf-to-customer electronic ear tag ID system like that used in the European Union.1 Though advocates portray grass fed products as a win-win situation for all, they do have downsides. Price, for one, is an issue. Joseph says his products are priced 10-20% above organic versions, but dependi
28、ng onthe product chosen, compared to non-organic conventionalyogurt, consumers could pay a premium of 30-50% or more for grass-fed. As for the meat, Smith says his grass-fed hamburger will be priced 20-25% over the conventionalalternative.But a lookat the prices on online grocer Fresh Directsuggests
29、 a grass-fed premium of anywhere from 35-60%.J And not every farmer has the option of going grass-fed. For both beef and dairy production it requires, atleast in the beginning, more pastureland. Grass-fed beef production tends to be more labor-intensive as well. But Smith counters that if you factor
30、 in the hidden cost of government corn subsidies, environment degradation, and decreased human heath and animal welfare, grass-fed is the more cost-effective model.“ The sun provides the lowest cost of production and the cheapest meat,” he says.K Anothergrass-fed booster spurring farmers to convert
31、is EPIC, which makes meat-based protein bars.Founders Taylor Collins and his wife, Katie Forrest, used to be endurance athletes; now theyof grass-fed meat. Soon after l aunching EPICmSost successful product - the Bison Bacon Cranberry Bar - Collins and Forrest found they d exhausted their sources fo
32、r bison raised exclusively on pasture. When they started researching the supply chain, they learned that only 2-3% of all bison is actually grass-fed. The rest is feed-lot confined and fed grain and corn.L But after General Mills bought EPIC in 2016, Collins and Forrest suddenly had the resources th
33、ey needed to expand their supply chain. So the company teamed up with Wisconsin-based rancher Northstar Bison.EPIC frontedthe money for the purchase of$2.5 millionworthofyoung bison that willbe raised according to its grass-fed protocols, with a guaranteed purchase price. The message to young people
34、 who might not otherwise be able to afford to break into the business is,“ You can purchase this $3 million pieceof land here, because I m guaranteeing you today youll have 1,000 bison on it. Weinto the old, conventional farming ecosystem, which is reallycool to see,” Collins explains.36. Farmers go
35、ing grass-fed are not affected by the ever-changing milk prices of the global market.37. Over the years, Tim Joseph s partners have helped many dairy farmers to switc-fhedto.grass38. One advocate believes that many other benefits should be taken into consideration when we assessthe cost-effectivenes
36、s of grass-fed farming.39. Many dairy farmers were persuaded to switch to grass-fed when they saw its advantage in terms of profits.40. Tim Joseph s-gferadspsrogram is only one example of how American farming practice is changing.41. Tim Joseph was fascinated by the notion that sunlight brings energ
37、y and wealth to mankind.42. One problem with grass-fed products is that they are usually more expensive than conventional ones.43. Grass fed products have proved to be healthier and more nutritious.44. When Tim Joseph started his business, he found grass-fed products fell short of demand.45. A snack
38、 bar producer discovered that the supply of purely grass-fed bison met was scarce.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the
39、 best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.Schools are not just a microcosm of society: theymediate it too. The best seek to alleviate the external pressures on their pupils w
40、hile equipping them better to understand and handle the world outside- at once sheltering them and broadening their horizons. This is ambitious in any circumstances and in a divided and unequal society the two ideals can clash outright.Trips that many adults would consider the adventure of a lifetim
41、e treks in Borneo, a sports tourtoBarbados appear to have become almost routine at some state schools. Parents are being asked for thousands of pounds. Though schools cannot profit from these trips, the companies that arrange them do. Meanwhile,pupils arrive at school hungry because their families c
42、an t afford breakfast. The Child Poverty Actio says nine out of 30 in every classroom fall below the poverty line. The discrepancy is startlinglyapparent.Introducing a fundraising requirement for students does not help, as better-off children can tap up richer aunts and neighbors.Probing the rock po
43、ols of a local beach or practicing French on a language exchange can fire children spassions, boost their skillsand open their eyes to lifeposssibilities.Educational outings help brightbut disadvantaged students to get better scores in A-leveltests. In this globalised age, there is a good case for i
44、nternational travel and some parents say they can manage the cost of a school trip abroad more easily than a familyholiday. Even in the face of immense and mountingfinancialpressures some schools have shown remarkable determination and ingenuity in ensuring that all their pupils are able to take up
45、opportunities thatmay be trulylife-changing. They should be applauded. Methods such as whole-school fundraising, with the proceeds pooled, can help to extend opportunities and fuel community spirit.But 3,000 trips cannot be justifiedwhen the average income for familieswithchildrenis just over30,000.
46、 Such initiatives close doors for many pupils. Some parents pull their children out of school because of expensive field trips. Even parents who can see that a trip is little more than a party or celebration may well feel guilt that their child is left behind.The Department for Education s guidance
47、says schools can charge only for board and lodging if the trip ispart of the syllabus, and that students receiving government aid are exempt from these costs. However, many schools seem to ignore the advice; and it does not cover the kind ofglamorous, exotictrips, whichare becoming increasingly comm
48、on. Schools cannot be expected to bring together communities single-handed. But theleast weshouldexpectisthattheydonotfosterdivisionsandexcludethose whoare alreadydisadvantaged.46. What does the author say best schools should do?A) Prepare students to both challenge and change the divided unequal soc
