1、公共英语五级-206 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Section Use of Eng(总题数：1，分数：40.00)Psychologists take contrastive views of how external rewards, from 1 praise to cold cash, affect motivation and creativity. Behaviorists, 2 research the relation 3 actions and their consequences argue that rewards can improve
2、performance at work and school. Cognitive researchers, who study various aspects of mental life, maintain 4 rewards often destroy creativity 5 encouraging dependence 6 approval and gifts from others. The latter view has gained many supporters, especially 7 educators. But the careful use of small mon
3、etary rewards sparks 8 in grade-school children, suggesting 9 properly presented inducements indeed aid inventiveness, 10 to a study in the June Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. “If kids know they“re working for a 11 and can focus 12 a relatively challenging task, they show the most cre
4、ativity“, says Robert Eisenberger of the University of Delaware in Newark. “But it“s easy to kill creativity by giving rewards for 13 performance or creating too 14 anticipation for re-wards. “A teacher 15 continually draws attention to rewards or who hands 16 high grades for ordinary achievement en
5、ds up 17 discouraged students, Eisenherger holds. 18 an example of the latter point, he notes growing efforts at major universities to tighten grading standards and restore failing 19 . In earlier grades, the use of so-called token economies, in 20 students handle challenging problems and receive pe
6、rformance-based points toward valued rewards, shows promise in raising effort and creativity, the Delaware psychologist claims.（分数：40.00）二、Section Reading Co(总题数：0，分数：0.00)三、Part A(总题数：0，分数：0.00)四、Text 1(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Opinion polls are now beginning to show that, whoever is to blame and whatever ha
7、ppens from now on, high unemployment is probably here to stay. This means we shall have to make ways of sharing the available employment more widely. But we need to go further. We must ask some primary questions about the future of work. Would we continue to treat employment as the norm? Would we no
8、t rather encourage many other ways for self-respecting people to work? Should we not create conditions in which many of us can work for ourselves, rather than for an employer? Should we not aim to revive the household and the neighborhood, as well as the factory and the office, as centers of product
9、ion and work? The industrial age has been the only period of human history in which most people“s work has taken the form of jobs. The industrial age may now be coming to an end, and some of the changes in work patterns which it brought may have to be reversed. This seems a daunting thought. But, in
10、 fact, it could provide the prospect of a better future for work. Universal employment, as its history shows, has not meant economic freedom. Employment became widespread when the enclosures of the 17th and 18th centuries made many people dependent on paid work by depriving them of the use of the la
11、nd, and thus of the means to provide a living for themselves. Then the factory system destroyed the cottage industries and removed work from people“s homes. Later, as transportation improved, first by rail and then by road, people commuted longer distances to their places of employment until, eventu
12、ally, many people“s work lost all connection with their home lives and the place in which they lived. Meanwhile, employment put women at a disadvantage. In pre-industrial time, men and women had shared the productive work of the household and village community. Now it became customary for the husban
13、d to go out to paid employment, leaving the unpaid work of the home and family to his wife. Tax and benefit regulations still assume this norm today and restrict more flexible sharing of work roles between the sexes. It was not only women whose work status suffered. As employment became the dominant
14、 form of work, young people and old people were excludeda problem now, as more teenagers become frustrated at school and more retired people want to live active lives. All this may now have to change. The lime has certainly come to switch some effort and resources away from the idealist goal of crea
15、ting jobs for all, to the urgent practical task of helping many people to manage without full time jobs.（分数：10.00）(1).Research carried out in the recent opinion polls shows that _.（分数：2.00）A.available employment should be restricted to a small percentage of the populationB.new jobs must be created i
16、n order to rectify high unemployment figuresC.available employment must be more widely distributed among the unemployedD.the nowaday high unemployment figures are a truth of life(2).The arrival of the industrial age in our historical evolution meant that _.（分数：2.00）A.universal employment virtually g
17、uaranteed prosperityB.economic freedom came within everyone“s controlC.patterns of work were fundamentally changedD.people“s attitudes to work had to be reversed(3).The enclosures of the 17th and 18th centuries meant that _.（分数：2.00）A.people were no longer legally entitled to own landB.people were d
18、riven to look elsewhere for means of supporting themselvesC.people were not adequately compensated for the loss of their landD.people were badly paid for the work they managed to find(4).The effects of almost universal employment were overwhelming in that _.（分数：2.00）A.the household and village commu
19、nity disappeared completelyB.men now travelled enormous distances to their places of workC.young and old people became superfluous components of societyD.the work status of those not in paid employment suffered(5).The article concludes that _.（分数：2.00）A.the creation of jobs for all is an impossibili
20、tyB.our efforts and resources in terms of tackling unemployment are insufficientC.people should begin supporting themselves by learning a practical skillD.we should help those whose jobs are only part-time五、Text 2(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Throughout history there have been many unusual taxes levied on such th
21、ings as hats, Beds, Baths, marriages, and funerals. At one time England levied a tax on sunlight by collection from every household with six or more windows. And according to legend, there was a Turkish ruler who collected a tax each time he dined with one of his subjects. Why? To pay for the wear a
22、nd tear on his teeth! Different kinds of taxes help to spread the tax burden. Anyone who pays a tax is said to “bear the burden“ of the tax. The burden of a tax may fall more heavily on some persons than on others. That is why the three levels of government in this country use several kinds of taxes
23、. This spreads the burden of taxes among more people. From the standpoint of their use, the most important taxes are income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, and estate, inheritance, and gift taxes. Some are used by only one level of government; others by two or even all three levels. Together the
24、se different taxes make up what is called our tax system. Income taxes are the main source of federal revenues. The federal government gets more than three-fourths of its revenue from income taxes. As its name indicated, an income tax is a tax on earnings. Both individuals and business corporations
25、pay a federal income tax. The oldest tax in the United States today is the property tax. It provides most of the income for local governments. It provides at least a part of the income for all but a few states. It is not used by the federal government. A sales tax is a tax levied on purchases. Most
26、people living in the United States know about sales taxes since they are used in all but four states. Actually there are several kinds of sales taxes. But only three of them are important. They are general sales taxes, excise taxes, and import taxes. Other three closely related taxes are estate, inh
27、eritance, and gift taxes. Everything a person owns, including both real and personal property, makes up his or her estate. When someone dies, ownership of his or her property or estate passes on to one or more individuals or organizations. Before the property is transferred, however, it is subject t
28、o an estate tax if its value exceeds a certain amount.（分数：10.00）(1).The reason that the Turkish ruler collected a dining tax is to pay for _.（分数：2.00）A.the inconvenience for him to put on and take off clothesB.the damage that eating did to his teethC.his efforts to cut the food into piecesD.the deca
29、y of his teeth because of sugar(2).The government levies different kinds of taxes so that _.（分数：2.00）A.the rich have to pay more and the poor lessB.a wider range of taxpayers can he includedC.each of three levels of government could get tax moneyD.the burden of taxes falls evenly on everybody(3).The
30、 federal government gets most of theft income from _.（分数：2.00）A.property taxB.income taxC.sales taxD.estate tax(4).How many states levy import taxes in the U.S.A.?（分数：2.00）A.4.B.50.C.46D.54.(5).Which of the following statements is NOT true?（分数：2.00）A.Any form of property is subject to an estate tax
31、when transferred.B.Property tax provides a part of income for local government.C.There are a few kinds of sales taxes.D.Individuals and corporations both pay income taxes.六、Text 3(总题数：1，分数：10.00)World leaders met recently at United Nations headquarters in New York City to discuss the environmental i
32、ssues raised at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The heads of state were supposed to decide what further steps should be taken to halt the decline of Earth“s life-support systems. In fact, this meeting had much the flavour of the original Earth Summit. To wit: empty promises, hollow rhetoric, Bickering
33、 between rich and poor, and irrelevant initiatives. Think U.S. Congress in slow motion. Almost obscured by this torpor is the fact that there has been some remarkable progress over the past five years-real changes in the attitude of ordinary people in the Third World toward family size and a dawning
34、 realisation that environmental degradation and their own well-being are intimately, and inversely, linked. Almost none of this, however, has anything to do with what the bureaucrats accomplished in Rio. Or it didn“t accomplish. One item on the agenda at Rio, for example, was a renewed effort to sav
35、e tropical forests. (A previous UN-sponsored initiative had fallen apart when it became clear that it actually hastened deforestation.) After Rio, a UN working group came up with more than 100 recommendations that have so far gone no-where. One proposed forestry pact would do little more than immuni
36、zing wood-exporting nations against trade sanctions. An effort to draft an agreement on what to do about the climate changes caused by CO2 and other greenhouse gases has fared even worse. Blocked by the Bush Administration from setting mandatory limits, the UN in 1992called on nations to voluntarily
37、 reduce emissions to 1990 levels. Several years later, it“s as if Rio had never happened. A new climate treaty is scheduled to be signed this December in Kyoto, Japan. But governments still cannot agree on these limits. Meanwhile, the U. S. produces 7% more CO2 than it did in 1990, and emissions in
38、the developing world have risen even more sharply. No one would confuse the “Rio process“ with progress. While governments have dithered at a pace that could make drifting continents impatient, people have acted. Birth-rates are dropping faster than expected, not because of Rio but because poor peop
39、le are deciding on their own to reduce family size. Another positive development has been a growing environmental consciousness among the poor. From slum dwellers in Karachi, Pakistan, to colonists in Rondonia, Brazil, urban poor and rural peasants a-like seem to realize that they pay the biggest pr
40、ice for pollution and deforestation. There is cause for hope as well in the growing recognition among business people that it is not in their long-term interest to fight environmental reforms. John Browne, chief executive of British Petroleum, Boldly asserted in a major speech in May that the threat
41、 of climate change could no longer be ignored.（分数：10.00）(1).The writer“s general attitude towards the world leaders meeting at the UN is _.（分数：2.00）A.supportiveB.impartialC.criticalD.comedic(2).What does the author say about the ordinary people in the Third World countries?（分数：2.00）A.They are beginn
42、ing to realize the importance of environmental protection.B.They believe that many children are necessary for prosperity.C.They are reluctant to accept advice from the government.D.They think that earning a living is more important than nature conservation.(3).What did the UN call on nations to do a
43、bout CO2 and other greenhouse gases in 1992?（分数：2.00）A.To sign a new climate treaty at Rio.B.To draft an agreement among UN nations.C.To force the United Sates to reduce its emissions.D.To limit the release of CO2 and other gases.(4).The word “deforestation“ in Paragraph 3 means _.（分数：2.00）A.forest
44、damage caused by pollutionB.moving population from forest to citiesC.the threat of climate changeD.cutting large areas of trees(5).Which of the following best summarizes the text?（分数：2.00）A.As the UN hesitates, the poor take action.B.Progress in environmental protection has been made since the Rio S
45、ummit.C.Climate changes can no longer be neglected.D.The decline of earth“s life-support systems has been halted.七、Part B(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Supermarket shoppers have never been more spoilt for choice. But just when we thought traditional systems of selective farming had created the most tempting array
46、of foods money can buy, we are now being presented with the prospect of genetically created strains of cabbages, onion, tomato, potato and apple. It may not tickle the fancy of food purists but it fires the imagination of scientists. Last week they discovered that the classic Parisian mushroom conta
47、ins just the properties that, when genetically mixed with a wild strain of mushroom from the Sonora desert in California, could help it grow en masse while at the same time providing it with the resilience of the wild strain. 1 “We have found a way of increasing the success rate from one to 90 per c
48、ent.“ This is just one of the many products that, according to skeptics, are creating a generation of “Franken foods“. The first such food that may be consumed on a wide scale is a tomato which has been genetically manipulated so that it does not soften as it ripens. Critics say that the new tomato-
49、which cost $25 million to research is designed to stay on supermarket shelves for longer. It has a ten-day life span. Not surprisingly, every-hungry US is leading the search for these forbidden fruit. By changing the genes of a grapefruit, a grower from Texas has created a sweet, red, thin-skinned grapefruit expected to sell at a premium over its California and Florida competitors. For chip fanatics who want to watch their waist-lines, new high-starch, low-moisture potatoes that absorb less fat when fried have been created, thanks to a gen
