Section C

　　Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions orunfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C andD . You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

　　Passage One

　　Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.

　　When families gather for Christmas dinner，some will stick to formal traditions dating back to Grandma‘s generation.Their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver，and the dress code will be Sunday-best.

　　But in many other homes，this china——and——silver elegance has given way to stoneware (粗陶)——and——stainless informality，with dresses assuming an equally casual——Friday look.For hosts and guests， the change means greater simplicity and comfort.For makers of fine china in Britain，it spells economic hard times.

　　Last week Royal Doulton，the largest employer in Stoke-onTrent，announced that it is eliminating 1，000 jobs——one-fifth of its total workforce.That brings to more than 4，000 the number of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery (陶瓷) region.Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier.

　　Although a strong pound and weak markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing，the layoffs in Stoke have their roots in earthshaking social shifts.A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company “has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend”toward casual dining. Families eat together less often，he explained，and more people eat alone，either because they are single or they eat in front of television.

　　Even dinner parties，if they happen at all，have gone causal.In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules，busy hosts insist，rightly，that it‘s better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates inthe family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a “real” dinner party.Too often，the perfect moment never comes，Iron a fine-pattened tablecloth? Forget it.Polish the silver? Who has time?

　　Yet the loss of formality has its down side.The fine points of etiquette(礼节) that children might once have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grandparents(“Chew with your mouth closed.”“keep your elbows off the table.”)must be picked up elsewhere.Some companies now offer etiquette seminars for employees who may be competent professionally but clueless socially.

　　Choose correct answers to the question：

　　46.The trend toward casual dining has resulted in ______

　　A.bankruptcy of fine china manufacturers

　　B.Shrinking of the pottery industry

　　C.restructuring of large enterprises

　　D.Economic recession in Great Britain

　　47.Which of the following may be the best reason for casual dining?

　　A.Family members need more time to relax.

　　B.Busy schedules leave people no time for formality.

　　C.People want to practice economy in times of scarcity.

　　D.Young people won‘t follow the etiquette of the older generation.

　　48.It can be learned from the passage that Royal Doulton is _______

　　A.a retailer of stainless steel tableware

　　B.a dealer in stoneware

　　C.a pottery chain store

　　D.a producer of fine china

　　49.The main cause of the layoffs in the pottery industry is _______

　　A.the increased value of the pound

　　B.the economic recession in Asia

　　C.the change in people‘s way of life

　　D.the fierce competition at home and abroad

　　50.Refined table manners， though less popular than before in current social life， _______

　　A.are still a must on certain occasions

　　B.are bound to return sooner or later

　　C.are still being taught by parents at home

　　D.Can help improve personal relationships

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

　　In bringing up children，every parent watches eagerly the child‘s acquisition (学会) of each new skill- the first spoken words，the first independent steps，or the beginning of reading and writing.It is often tempting to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate，but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads.On the other hand，though，if a child is left alone too much，or without any learning opportunities，he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself.

　　Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children.Some may be especially strict in money matters.Others are sever over times of coming home at night or punctuality for meals.In general，the controls imposed represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child‘s own happiness.

　　As regard the development of moral standards in the growing child，consistency is very important in parental teaching.To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality(道德)。Also，parents should realize that “ example is better than precept ”。If they are not sincere and do not practice what they preach(说教)，their children may grow confused and emotionally insecure when they grow old enough to think for themselves，and realize they have been to some extent fooled.

　　A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents‘ principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment.

　　Choose correct answers to the question：

　　51.Eagerly watching the child‘s acquisition of new skill ______

　　A.can be avoided

　　B.is universal among parents

　　C.sets up dangerous states of worry in the child

　　D.will make him lose interest in learning new things

　　52.In the process of children‘s learning new skills parents ________

　　A.should encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read

　　B.should not expect too much of them

　　C.should achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own

　　D.should creative as many learning opportunities as possible

　　53.The second paragraph mainly tells us that _________

　　A.parents should be strict with their children

　　B.parental controls reflect only the needs of the parents and the values of the community.

　　C.parental restrictions vary， and are not always enforced for the benefit of the children alone.

　　D.parental vary in their strictness towards their children according to the situation.

　　54.The word “precept” (Line3， Para.3) probably means “_______”

　　A.Idea

　　B.punishment

　　C.behavior

　　D.instruction

　　55.In moral matters， parents should ________

　　A.observe the rules themselves

　　B.be aware of the marked difference between adults and children

　　C.forbid things which have no foundation in morality

　　D.consistently ensure the security of their children

　　Part IV Translation ( 答题时间30分钟 )

　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese intoEnglish. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.

　　自从理查德尼克松向癌症宣战以来已经有三十年了。其间，不少专家、学者耗费巨资试图寻找各种方法以攻克这个难题。但是今天的癌症死亡率与七十年代仍旧差不多一样高。美国妇女中死于乳腺癌患者是世界上许多其他国家的五到三十倍。在泰国每十万妇女中仅2至5人死于乳腺癌，而美国的妇女会有30至40人遭此厄运。就其原因，没有人会否认其与饮食很有关系。有些科学家认为：“每天人们摄入二至三磅食物，这是我们与环境最大范围的接触。”因此人们必须十分重视良好的饮食习惯。虽说正确的饮食习惯不能根除世界上的癌症，但它有利于减少患癌症的风险。

扫描/长按二维码可帮助考试通关！

获取2017最新考试资讯

获取2017考前作文预测

获取历年考试真题试卷

获取2017一次通关技巧

四六级万题库下载 | 微信搜索"万题库英语四六级考试"

　　相关推荐：

　　2017下半年英语四六级考试时间|流程|考试内容

　　2017年12月英语四六级考前最后提醒，一定要看！

　　2017年12月大学英语四六级考前终极预测10句话

　　2017年12月大学英语四六级作文精选十大句型

　　2017年12月大学英语四级翻译传统文化练习汇总

　　2017年12月大学英语四级翻译中国传统节日汇总

　　2017大学英语四六级考试试题样卷（笔试+口语）

　　2017年英语四六级考试题型、试卷结构及分值比例