2016年12月大学英语四级真题试卷及答案(第二套)

　　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.

　　"Sugar, alcohol and tobacco," economist Adam Smith once wrote," are commodities which arenowhere necessaries of life, which have become objects of almost universal consumption, and whichare, therefore, extremely popular subjects of taxation. "

　　Two and a haft centuries on, most countries impose some sort of tax on alcohol and tobacco. Withsurging obesity levels putting increasing strain on public health systems, governments around the worldhave begun to toy with the idea of taxing sugar as well.

　　Whether such taxes work is a matter of debate. A preliminary review of Mexico's taxation found afall in purchases of taxed drinks as well as a rise in sales of untaxed and healthier drinks. By contrast,a Danish tax on foods high in fats was abandoned a year after its introduction, amid claims thatconsumers were avoiding it by crossing the border to Germany to satisfy their desire for cheaper, fattierfare.

　　The food industry has, in general, been firmly opposed to such direct government action.Nonetheless, the renewed focus on waistlines means that industry groups are under pressure todemonstrate their products are healthy as well as tasty.

　　Over the past three decades, the industry has made some efforts to improve the quality of itsofferings. For example, some drink manufacturers have cut the amount of sugar in their beverages.

　　Many of the reductions over the past 30 years have been achieved either by reducing the amount ofsugar, salt or fat in a product, or by finding an alternative ingredient. More recently, however, somecompanies have been investing money in a more ambitious undertaking: learning how to adjust thefundamental make-up of the food they sell. For example, having salt on the outside, but none on theinside, reduces the salt content without changing the taste.

　　While reformulating recipes ( 配方) is one way to improve public health, it should be part of amulti-sided approach. The key is to remember that there is not just one solution. To deal with obesity,a mixture of approaches--including reformulation, taxation and adjusting portion sizes--will beneeded. There is no silver bullet.

　　46. What did Adam Smith say about sugar, alcohol and .tobacco?

　　A. They were profitable to manufacture.

　　B. They were in ever-increasing demand.

　　C. They were subject to taxation almost everywhere.

　　D. They were no longer considered necessities of life.

　　47. Why have many countries started to consider taxing sugar?

　　A. They are under growing pressure to balance their national budgets.

　　B. They find it ever harder to cope with sugar-induced health problems.

　　C. The practice of taxing alcohol and tobacco has proved both popular and profitable.

　　D. The sugar industry is overtaking alcohol and tobacco business in generating profits.

　　48. What do we learn about Danish taxation on fat-rich foods?

　　A. It did not work out as well as was expected.

　　B. It gave rise to a lot of problems on the border.

　　C. It could not succeed without German cooperation.

　　D. It met with firm opposition from the food industry.

　　49. What is the more recent effort by food companies to make foods and drinks both healthy and tasty?

　　A. Replacing sugar or salt with alternative ingredients.

　　B. Setting a limit on the amount of sugar or salt in their products.

　　C. Investing in research to find ways to adapt to consumers' needs.

　　D. Adjusting the physical composition of their products.

　　50. What does the author mean by saying, at the end of the passage, "There is no silver bullet" ( Line 4, Para.7)?

　　A. There is no single easy quick solution to the problem.

　　B. There is no hope of success without public cooperation.

　　C. There is no hurry in finding ways to solve the obesity problem.D. There is no effective way to reduce people's sugar consumption.

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

　　You may have heard some of the fashion industry horror stories: models eating tissues or cottonballs to hold off hunger, and models collapsing from hunger-induced heart attacks just seconds afterthey step off the runway.

　　Excessively skinny models have been a point of controversy for decades, and two researchers saya model's body mass should be a workplace health and safety issue. In an editorial released Monday inthe American Journal of Public Health, Katherine Record and Bryn Austin made their case forgovernment regulation of the fashion industry.

　　The average international runway model has a body mass index (BMI) under 16--low enough toindicate starvation by the World Health Organization's standard. And Record and Austin are worried notjust about the models themselves, but about the vast number of girls and women their images influence.

　　"Especially girls and teens," says Record. "Seventy percent of girls aged 10 to 18 report that theydefine perfect body image based on what they see in magazines. " That's especially worrying, she says,given that anorexia (厌食症) results in more deaths than does any other mental illness, according tothe National Institute of Mental Health.

　　It's commonly known that certain diseases are linked with occupations like lung disease in coalminers. Professional fashion models are particularly vulnerable to eating disorders resulting fromoccupational demands to maintain extreme thinness.

　　Record's suggestion is to prohibit agents from hiring models with a BMI below 18.

　　In April, France passed a law setting lower limits for a model's weight. Agents and fashion houseswho hire models with a BMI under 18 could pay $ 82,000 in fines and spend up to 6 months in jail.Regulating the fashion industry in the United States won't be easy, Record says. But with the new rulesin France, U.S. support could make a difference. "A designer can't survive without participating inParis Fashion Week", she says, adding," Our argument is that the same would be true of New YorkFashion Week. "

　　51. What do Record and Austin say about fashion models' body mass?

　　A. It has caused needless controversy.

　　B. It is but a matter of personal taste.

　　C. It is the focus of the modeling business.

　　D. It affects models' health and safety.

　　52. What are Record and Austin advocating in the Monday editorial?

　　A. A change in the public's view of female beauty.

　　B. Government legislation about models' weight.

　　C. Elimination of forced weight loss by models.

　　D. Prohibition of models eating non-food stuff.

　　53. Why are Record and Austin especially worried about the low body mass index of models?

　　A. It contributes to many mental illnesses.

　　B. It defines the future of the fashion industry.

　　C. It has great influence on numerous girls and women.

　　D. It keeps many otherwise qualified women off the runway.

　　54. What do we learn about France's fashion industry?

　　A. It has difficulty hiring models.

　　B. It has now a new law to follow.

　　C. It allows girls under 18 on the runway.

　　D. It has overtaken that of the United States.

　　55. What does Record expect of New York Fashion Week?

　　A. It will create a completely new set of rules.

　　B. It will do better than Paris Fashion Week.

　　C. It will differ from Paris Fashion Week.

　　D. It will have models with a higher BMI.