2015年12月四六级真题及答案 
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Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.
When it's five o'clock, people leave their office. The length of the workday, for many workers, is defined by time. They leave when the clock tells them they're done.
These days, the time is everywhere: not just on clocks or watches, but on cell-phones and computers. That may be a bad thing, particularly at work. New research shows that clock-based word schedules hinder morale(士气)and creativity.
Clock-timers organize their day by blocks of minutes and hours. For example: a meeting from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., research from 10 a.m. to noon, etc. On the other hand, task-timers have a list of things they want to accomplish. They work down the list, each task starts when the previous task is completed. It is said that all of us employ a mix of both these types of planning.
What, then, are the effects of thinking about time in these different ways? Does one make us more productive? Better at the tasks at hand? Happier? In experiments conducted by Tamar Avnet and Anne-Laure Sellier, they had participants organize different activities-from project planning, holiday shopping, to yoga-by time or to-do list to measure how they performed under "clock time" vs "task time". They found clock timers to be more efficient but less happy because they felt little control over their lives. Task timers are happier and more creative, but less productive. They tend to enjoy the moment when something good is happening, and seize opportunities that come up.
The researchers argue that task-based organizing tends to be undervalued and under-supported in the business culture. Smart companies, they believe, will try to bake more task-based planning into their strategies.
This might be a small change to the way we view work and the office, but the researchers argue that it challenges a widespread characteristic of the economy: work organized by clock time. While most people will still probably need, and be, to some extent, clock-timers, task-based timing should be used when performing a job that requires more creativity. It'll make those tasks easier, and the task-doers will be happier.
57.【题干】What does the author think of time displayed everywhere?
【选项】
A.It makes everybody time-conscious.
B.It is a convenience for work and life.
C.It may have a negative effect on creative work.
D.It clearly indicates the fast pace of modern life.
【答案】C
【解析】2 New research shows that clock-based word schedules hinder morale(士气)and creativity.
58.【题干】How do people usually go about their work according to the author?
【选项】
A.They combine clock-based and task-based planning.
B.They give priority to the most urgent task on hand.
C.They set a time limit for each specific task.
D.They accomplish their tasks one by one.
【答案】A
【解析】3 They work down the list, each task starts when the previous task is completed. It is said that all of us employ a mix of both these types of planning. It is said that all of us employ a mix of both these types of planning.
59.【题干】What did Tamar Avnet and Anne-Laure Sellier find in their experiments about clock-timers?
【选项】
A.They seize opportunities as they come up.
B.They always get their work done in time.
C.They have more control over their lives.
D.They tend to be more productive.
【答案】D
【解析】They found clock timers to be more efficient but less happy because they felt little control over their lives. Task timers are happier and more creative, but less productive.
60.【题干】What do the researchers say about today's business culture?
【选项】
A.It does not support the strategies adopted by smart companies.
B.It does not attach enough importance to task-based practice.
C.It places more emphasis on work efficiency than on workers' lives.
D.It aims to bring employees' potential and creativity into full play.
【答案】B
【解析】The researchers argue that task-based organizing tends to be undervalued and under-supported in the business culture.
61.【题干】What do the researchers suggest?
【选项】
A.Task-based timing is preferred for doing creative work.
B.It is important to keep a balance between work and life.
C.Performing creative jobs tends to make workers happier.
D.A scientific standard should be adopted in job evaluation.
【答案】D
【解析】最后段 the researchers argue that it challenges a widespread characteristic of the economy: work organized by clock time. While most people will still probably need, and be, to some extent, clock-timers, task-based timing should be used when performing a job that requires more creativity. It'll make those tasks easier, and the task-doers will be happier.
Passage Two
Question 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.
Martha Stewart was charged, tried and convicted of a crime in 2004. As she neared the end of her prison sentence, a well-known columnist wrote that she was "paying her dues," and that "there is simply no reason for anyone to attempt to deny her right to start anew."
Surely, the American ideal of second chances should not be reserved only for the rich and powerful. Unfortunately, many federal and state laws impose post-conviction restrictions on a shockingly large number of Americans, who are prevented form ever fully paying their debt to society.
At least 65 million people in the United States have a criminal record. This can result in severe penalties that continue long after punishment is completed.
Many of these penalties are imposed regardless of the seriousness of the offense or the person's individual circumstances. Laws can restrict or ban voting, access to public housing, and professional and business licensing. They can affect a person's ability to get a job and qualification for benefits.
In all, more than 45,000 laws and rules serve to exclude vast numbers of people from fully participating in American life.
Some laws make sense. No one advocates letting someone convicted of pedophilia(恋童癖)work in a school. But too often collateral(附随的)consequences bear no relation to public safety. Should a woman who possessed a small amount of drugs years ago be permanently unable to be licensed as a nurse?
These laws are also counterproductive, since they make it harder for people with criminal records to find housing or land a job, two key factors that reduce backsliding.
A recent report makes several recommendations, including the abolition of most post-conviction penalties, except for those specifically needed to protect public safety. Where the penalties are not a must, they should be imposed only if the facts of a case support it.
The point is not to excuse or forget the crime. Rather, it is to recognize that in America's vast criminal justice system, second chances are crucial. It is in no one's interest to keep a large segment of the population on the margins of society.
62.【题干】What does the well-known columnist's remark about Martha Stewart suggest?
【选项】
A.Her past record might stand in her way to a new life.
B.Her business went bankrupt while she was in prison.
C.Her release from prison has drawn little attention.
D.Her prison sentence might have been extended.
【答案】A
【解析】第一段a well-known columnist wrote that she was "paying her dues," and that "there is simply no reason for anyone to attempt to deny her right to start anew."
63.【题干】What do we learn from the second paragraph about many criminals in America?
【选项】
A.They backslide after serving their terms in prison.
B.They are deprived of all social benefits.
C.They receive severe penalties for committing minor offenses.
D.They are convicted regardless of their individual circumstances.
【答案】B
【解析】第二段Unfortunately, many federal and state laws impose post-conviction restrictions on a shockingly large number of Americans, who are prevented form ever fully paying their debt to society.
64.【题干】What are the consequences for many Americans with a criminal record?
【选项】
A.They remain poor for the rest of their lives.
B.They are deprived of all social benefits.
C.They are marginalized in society.
D.They are deserted by their family.
【答案】C
【解析】第四段Many of these penalties are imposed regardless of the seriousness of the offense or the person's individual circumstances. Laws can restrict or ban voting, access to public housing, and professional and business licensing. They can affect a person's ability to get a job and qualification for benefits.
65.【题干】What does the author think of the post-conviction laws and rules?
【选项】
A.They help to maintain social stability.
B.Some of them have long been outdated.
C.They are hardly understood by the public.
D.A lot of them have negative effects on society.
【答案】D
【解析】倒数第二段These laws are also counterproductive, since they make it harder for people with criminal records to find housing or land a job, two key factors that reduce backsliding.
66.【题干】What is the author's main purpose in writing the passage?
【选项】
A.To create opportunities for criminals to reform themselves.
B.To appeal for changes in America's criminal justice system.
C.To ensure that people with a criminal record live a decent life.
D.To call people's attention to prisoner's conditions in America.
【答案】B
【解析】呼吁美国司法体系的改革。
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英语四级