2017年12月大學(xué)英語六級真題及答案PartI Writing(30minutes)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaycommentingonthesaying“Respectothers,andyouwillberespected.”Youcanciteexamplestoillustrateyourviews.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.PartII ListeningComprehension(30minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversationsAttheendofeachconversation,youwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions1to4arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.1.A)Theyrewardbusinessesthateliminatefoodwaste.B)Theyprohibitthesaleoffoodsthathavegonestale.C)Theyfacilitatethedonationofunsoldfoodstotheneedy.D)Theyforbidbusinessestoproducemorefoodsthanneeded.2.A)Itimposedpenaltiesonbusinessesthatwastefood.B)Itpassedalawaimingtostopoverproduction.C)ItvotedagainstfoodimportfromoutsideEurope.D)Itprohibitedthepromotionofbulkfoodsales.3.A)Ithaswarmeditspeopleagainstpossiblefoodshortage.B)Ithaspenalizedbusinessesthatkeepoverproducingfoods.C)Ithasstartedanationwidecampaignagainstfoodwaste.D)Ithasbannedsupermarketsfromdumpingediblefoods.4.A)Theconfusionoverfoodexpirationlabels.B)Thesurplusresultingfromoverproduction.C)Americans'habitofbuyingfoodinbulk.D)Alackofregulationonfoodconsumption.Questions5to8arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.A)Ithasstartedaweek-longpromotioncampaign.Ithasjustlauncheditsannualanniversarysales.Itoffersregularweekendsalesalltheyearround.Itspecializesinthesaleofladiesdesignerdresses.6.A)Pricereductionsforitsfrequentcustomers.B)Couponsforcustomerswithbulkpurchases.C)Freedeliveryofpurchasesforseniorcustomers.D)Priceadjustmentswithinsevendaysofpurchase.7.A)Mailagiftcardtoher. B)Allowhertobuyoncredit.C)Creditittoheraccount. D)Givehersomecoupons.8.A)Refundingforgoodsreturned. B)Freeinstallingofappliances.C)Prolongedgoodswarranty. D)Complimentarytailoring.SectionBDirections:Inthissection,youwillheartwopassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearthreeorfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions9to11arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.9.A)Theyarethin,tall,andunlikerealhumanbeings.B)Theyhavemorethantwentydifferenthairtextures.C)Theyhavetwenty-fourdifferentbodyshapesintotal.D)Theyrepresentpeoplefromvirtuallyallwalksoflife.10.A)Theydonotreflectyounggirls’aspirations.B)Theyarenotsoldtogetherwiththeoriginal.C)Theirflatfeetdonotappealtoadolescents.D)Theirbodyshapeshavenotchangedmuch.11.A)Intoystores. B)Inshoppingmalls.C)OntheInternet. D)AtBarbieshops.Questions12to15arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.12.A)Moveablemetaltypebegantobeusedinprinting.B)Chineseprintingtechnologywasfirstintroduce.C)Theearliestknownbookwaspublished.D)MetaltypewasimportedfromKorea.13.A)Ithadmorethanahundredprintingpresses.B)Itwasthebiggestprinterinthe16thcentury.C)IthelpedtheGermanpeoplebecomeliterate.D)Itproducedsome20millionvolumesintotal.14.A)Itpushedhandwrittenbooksoutofcirculation.B)Itboostedthecirculationofpopularworks.C)Itmadewritingaveryprofitablecareer.D)Itprovidedreaderswithmorechoices.15.A)ItacceleratedtheextinctionoftheLatinlanguage.B)Itstandardizedthepublicationofgrammarbooks.C)Itturnedtranslationintoawelcomeprofession.D)Itpromotedthegrowthofnationallanguages.SectionCDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreerecordingsoflecturesortalksfollowedbythreeorfourquestions.Therecordingswillbeplayedonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions16to18arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.16.A)Theygetboredafterworkingforaperiodoftime.B)Theyspendanaverageofoneyearfindingajob.C)Theybecomestuckinthesamejobfordecades.D)Theychooseajobwithoutthinkingitthrough.17.A)Seeiftherewillbechancesforpromotion.B)Findoutwhatjobchoicesareavailable.C)Watchafilmaboutwaysofjobhunting.D)Decidewhichjobismostattractivetoyou.18.A)Thequalificationsyouhave. B)Thepayyouaregoingtoget.C)Thecultureofyourtargetcompany. D)Theworkenvironmentyouwillbein.Questions19to22arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.19.A)ItisasimportantasChristmasforAfrican-Americans.B)ItisaculturalfestivalfoundedforAfrican-Americans.C)ItisanancientfestivalcelebratedbyAfrican-Americans.D)ItisareligiousfestivalcelebratedbyAfrican-Americans.20.A)TourgeAfrican-Americanstodomoreforsociety.B)TocallonAfrican-Americanstoworshiptheirgods.C)TohelpAfrican-Americanstorealizetheirgoals.D)ToremindAfrican-Americansoftheirsufferings.21.A)Faithinself-determination. B)Thefirstfruitsoftheharvest.C)Unityandcooperativeeconomics. D)Creativeworkandachievement.22.A)Theyreciteaprinciple. B)Theytakeasolemnoath.C)Theydrinkwinefromtheunitycup. D)Theycallouttheirancestors’names.Questions23to25arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.23.A)Itisoneoftheworld’smosthealthydiets.B)Itcontainslargeamountsofdairyproducts.C)Itbegantoimpacttheworldinrecentyears.D)Itconsistsmainlyofvariouskindsofseafood.24.A)Itinvolved13,000researchersfromAsia,EuropeandAmerica.B)ItwasconductedinsevenMid-Easterncountriesinthe1950s.C)Itisregardedasoneofthegreatestresearchesofitskind.D)Ithasdrawntheattentionofmedicaldoctorstheworldover.25.A)Theycaremuchabouttheirhealth. B)Theyeatfoodswithlittlefat.C)Theyuselittleoilincooking. D)Theyhavelowermortalityrates.PartIII ReadingComprehension(40minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions26to35arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Inthepast12months,Nigeriahassufferedfromashrinkingeconomy,aslidingcurrency,andaprolongedfuelshortage.Now,Africa’slargesteconomyisfacingafoodcrisisasmajortomatofieldshavebeendestroyedbyaninsect,leadingtoanationwideshortageandescalatingprices.Theinsect,Tutaabsoluta,hasdestroyed80%offarmsinKaduna,Nigeria'slargesttomatoproducingstate,leadingthegovernmenttheretodeclareastateof26.Theinsect,alsoknownasthetomatoleafminer,devastatescropsby27onfruitsanddiggingintoandmovingthroughstalks.It28incrediblyquickly,breedingupto12generationsperyearifconditionsarefavorable.Itisbelievedtohave29inSouthAmericaintheearly1900s,andlaterspreadtoEuropebeforecrossingovertosub-SaharanAfrica.InNigeria,wheretomatoesareastapleoflocaldiets,theinsect'seffectsaredevastating.Retailpricesfora30oftomatoesatlocalmarketshaverisenfrom$0.50to$2.50.Farmersarereportingsteeplossesandanew$20milliontomato-pastefactoryhas31productionduetotheshortages.Giventhemoth'sabilityalsotoattackcropslikepepperandpotatoes,AuduOgbeh,Nigeria'sministerofagriculture,haswarnedthatthepestmay“createseriousproblemsforfood32”inthecountry.Ogbehsaysexpertsareinvestigatinghowtocontrolthepest’sdamageandpreventitsspread,whichhasgonelargely33untilnow.Despitebeingthecontinent'ssecond-largestproduceroftomatoes,Nigeriais34on$1billionworthoftomato-pasteimportseveryyear.asaround75%ofthelocalharvestgoestowastethankstoalackofproperstoragefacilities.Afurther35inlocalsuppliesisyetanotherunwelcomesetbacktotheindustry.DependentEmbarkingEmergencyFeedingGrazesHaltedHandfulMultitudeOriginatedReductionReproducesSecurityTerrorUncheckedUntouchedSectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.Who’sReallyAddictingYoutoTechnology?[A]“NearlyeveryoneIknowisaddictedinsomemeasuretotheInternet,”wroteTonySchwartzinTheNewYorkTimes.It’sacommoncomplaintthesedays.AsteadystreamofsimilarheadlinesaccusetheNetanditsoffspringapps,socialmediasitesandonlinegamesofaddictingustodistraction[B]There’slittledoubtthatnearlyeveryonewhocomesincontactwiththeNethasdifficultydisconnecting.Manyofus,likeSchwartz,struggletostayfocusedontasksthatrequiremoreconcentrationthanittakestopostastatusupdate.AsonepersonironicallyputitinthecommentssectionofSchwartz'sonlinearticle,“AsIwasreadingthisveryexcellentarticle.Istoppedatleasthalfadozentimestocheekmyemail.”[C]There'ssomethingdifferentaboutthistechnology:itisbothinvasiveandpersuasive.Butwho'satfaultforitsoveruse？Tofindsolutions,it'simportanttounderstandwhatwe’redealingwith.Therearefourpartiesconspiringtokeepyouconnected:thetech,yourboss,yourfriendsandyou.[D]Thetechnologiesthemselves,andtheirmakers,aretheeasiestsuspectstoblameforourdiminishingattentionspans.NicholasCarr,authorofTheShallows：WhattheInternetIsDoingtoOurBrains,wrote,“Thenetisdesignedtobeaninterruptionsystem,amachinegearedtodividingattention.”[E]OnlineserviceslikeFacebook,Twitterandthelike,arecalledoutofmanipula-tion—makingproductssogoodthatpeoplecan’tstopusingthem.Afterstudyingtheseproductsforseveralyears,Iwroteabookabouthowtheydoit.Ilearneditallstartswiththebusinessmodel.Sincetheseservicesrelyonadvertisingrevenue,themorefrequentlyyouusethem,themoremoneytheymake.It’snowinderthesecompaniesemployteamsofpeoplefocusedonengineeringtheirservicestobeasengagingaspossible.Theseproductsaren'thabit-formingbychance;it'sbydesign.Theyhaveanincentivetokeepushooked.[F]However,asgoodastheseservicesare,therearesimplestepswecantaketokeepthematbay.Forexample,wecanchangehowoftenwereceivethedistractingnotificationsthattriggeroururgetocheck.AccordingtoAdamMarchick,CEOofmobilemarketingcompanyKahuna,lessthan15percentofsmartphoneuserseverbothertoadjusttheirnotificationsettlings--meaningtheremaining85percentofusdefaulttotheappmakers'everypresettrigger.GoogleandApplehavemadeitfartoodifficulttoadjustthesesettingssoit'suptoustotakestepsensurewesetthesetriggerstosuitourownneeds,nottheneedsoftheappmakers’.[G]WhilecompanieslikeFacebookharvestattentiontogeneraterevenuefromadvertisers,othertechnologieshavenosuchagenda.Takeemail,forexample.Thissystemcouldn’tcarelesshowoftenyouuseit.Yettomany,emailisthemosthabit-formingmediumofall.Wecheckemailatallhoursoftheday—we’reobsessed,Butwhy?Becausethat’swhatthebosswants.Foralmostallwhite-collarjobs,emailistheprimarytoolofcorporatecommunication,Aslowresponsetoamessagecouldhurtnotonlyyourreputationbutalsoyourlivelihood.[H]Yourfriendsarealsoresponsible.Thinkaboutthisfamiliarscene.Peoplegatheredaroundatable,enjoyingfoodandeachother’scompany.There’slaughterandabitofkidding.Then,duringanintervalintheconversation,someonetakesouttheirphonetocheckwhoknowswhat.Barelyanyonenoticesandnoonesaysathing.[I]Nowimaginethesamedinner,butinsteadofcheckingtheirphone,thepersonbelches(打嗝）-loudly.Everyonenotices.Unlessthemealtakesplaceinabeerhouse,thisisconsideredbadmanners.Theimpoliteactviolatesthebasicrulesofetiquette.Onehastowonder:whydon’tweapplythesamesocialnormstocheckingphonesduringmeals,meetingsandconversationsaswedotootherantisocialbehaviors?Somehow,weacceptitandsaynothingwhensomeoneoffends.[J]Therealityistakingone’sphoneoutatthewrongtimeisworsethanbelchingbecause,unlikeotherminoroffense,checkingtechiscontagious.Onceonepersonlooksattheirphone,otherpeoplefeelcompelledtodothesame,startingachainreaction.Themorepeopleareontheirphones,thefewerpeoplearetalkinguntilfinallyyouaretheonlyoneleftnotreadingemailorcheckingTwitter.Fromasocietalperspective,phonecheckingislesslikebelchinginpublicandmorelikeanotherbadhabit.Ourphonesarelikecigarettes-somethingtodowhenwe’reanxious,boredorwhenourfingersneedsomethingtotoywithSeeingothersenjoyasmoke,orsneakaquickglance,istootemptingtoresistandsooneveryoneisdoingit.[K]Thetechnology,yourboss,andyourfriends,allinfluencehowoftenyoufindyourselfusing(oroverusing)thesegadgets.Butthere’sstillsomeonewhodeservesscrutiny--thepersonholdingthephone.[L]Ihaveaconfession.EventhoughIstudyhabit-formingtechnologyforaliving,disconnectingisnoteasyforme.I'monlinefarmorethanI'dlike.LikeSchwartzandsomanyothers,Ioftenfindmyselfdistractedandofftack.IwantedtoknowwhysoIbeganself-monitoringtotrytounderstandmybehavior.That'swhenIdiscoveredanuncomfortabletruth.Iusetechnologyasanescape.WhenI'mdoingsomethingI'drathernotdo,orwhenI'msomeplaceI'drathernotbe,Iusemyphonetoportmyselfelsewhere.Ifoundthatthisabilitytoinstantlyshiftmyattentionwasoftenagoodthing,likewhenpassingtimeonpublictransportation,Butfrequentlymytechusewasnotsobenign.WhenIfaceddifficultwork,likethinkingthroughanarticleideaoreditingthesamedraftforthehundredthtime,forexample,amoresinisterscreenwoulddrawmein.Icouldeasilyescapediscomfort.temporarily.byansweringemailorbrowsingthewebunderthepretenseofso-called“research.”ThoughIdesperatelywantedtolayblameelsewhere,Ifinallyhadtoadmitthatmybadhabitshadlesstodowithnew-age.technologyandmoretodowithold-fashionedprocrastination(拖延）[M]It'seasytoblametechnologyforbeingsodistracting,butdistractionisnothingnew.AristotleandSocratesdebatedthenatureof“akrasia”--ourtendencytodothingsagainstourinterests.Ifwe'rehonestwithourselves,techisjustanotherwaytooccupyourtimeandminds,Ifweweren’tonourdevices.We’dlikelydosimilarlyunproductive.[N]Personaltechnologyisindeedmoreengagingthanever,andthere'snodoubtcompaniesareengineeringtheirproductsandservicestobemorecompellingandattractive.Butwouldwewantitanyotherway?Theintendedresultofmakingsomethingbetteristhatpeopleuseitmore.That'snotnecessarilyaproblem,that'sprogress.[O]Theseimprovementsdon'tmeanweshouldn'tattempttocontrolouruseoftechnology.Inordertomakesureitdoesn'tcontrolus,weshouldcometotermswiththefactthatit'smorethanthetechnologyitselfthat’sresponsibleforourhabits.Ourworkplaceculture,socialnormsandindividualbehaviorsallplayapart.Toputtechnologyinitsplace,wemustbeconsciousnotonlyofhowtechnologyischanging,butalsoofhowitischangingus.Onlineservicesaresodesignedthatthemoretheyareused,themoreprofittheygenerate.Theauthoradmitsusingtechnologyasanescapefromthetaskathand.Checkingphonesatdinnersisnowacceptedasnormalbutnotbelching.Tomakeproperuseoftechnology,weshouldnotonlyincreaseourawarenessofhowitischangingbutalsohowitisimpactingus.MostofusfindithardtofocusonourimmediatetasksbecauseofInternetdistractions.Whenonepersonstartscheckingtheirphone,theotherswillfollowsuit.Thegreatmajorityofsmartphoneusersdon'ttakethetroubletoadjusttheirsettingstosuittheirownpurposes.TheInternetisregardedbysomeasdesignedtodistractourattention.Theauthorattributeshistechaddictionchieflytohishabitofputtingoffdoingwhatheshoulddorightaway.White-collarworkerscheckemailroundtheclockbecauseitisrequiredbytheiremployers.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.YoumayhaveheardthatCoca-Colaoncecontainedaningredientcapableofsparkingparticulardevotioninconsumers:cocaine.Thecocaine.The“coca”inthenamereferredtotheextractsofcocaleafthatthedrink'soriginator,chemistJohnPemberton,mixedwithhissugarysyrup(漿汁).Atthetime,cocaleafextractmixedwithwinewasacommontonic(滋補(bǔ)品),andPemberton'ssweetbrewwasawaytogetaroundlocallawsprohibitingthesaleofalcohol.Buttheotherhalfofthenamerepresentsanotheringredient,lessinfamous(名聲不好的),perhaps,butalsostrangelypotent:thekolanut.InWestAfrica,peoplehavelongchewedkolanutsasstimulants,becausetheycontaincaffeinethatalsooccursnaturallyintea,coffee,andchocolate.Theyalsohaveheartstimulants.HistorianPaulLovejoyrelatesthatthecultivationofkolanutsinWestAfricaishundredsofyearsold.Theleafy,spreadingtreeswereplantedongravesandaspartoftraditionalrituals.Eventhoughthenuts,whichneedtostaymoist,canbesomewhatdelicatetotransport,traderscarriedthemhundredsofmilesthroughouttheforestsandgrasslands.Europeansdidnotknowofthemuntilthe1500swhenPortugueseshipsarrivedonthecoastofwhatisnowSierraLeone.AndwhilethePortuguesetookpartinthetrade,ferryingnutsdownthecoastalongwithothergoods,by1620,whenEnglishexplorerRichardJobsonmadehiswayuptheGambia,thenutswerestillpeculiartohiseyes.Bythelate19thcentury,kolanutswerebeingshippedbythetonnetoEuropeandtheUS.Manymadetheirwayintomedicines,intendedasakindofenergyboost.OnesuchpopularmedicinaldrinkwasVinMariani,aFrenchproductconsistingofcocaextractmixedwithredwine.ItwascreatedbyaFrenchchemist,AngeloMariani,in1863.SowhenPembertoncreatedhisdrink,itrepresentedanongoingtrend.Whencocaineeventuallyfellfromgraceasabeverageingredient,kola-extractcolasbecamepopular.Thefirstyearitwasavailable,Coca-ColaaveragednineservingsadayacrossalltheAtlantasodafountainswhereitwassold.Asitgrewmorepopular,thecompanysoldrightstobottlethesoda,soitcouldtraveleasily.Todayabout1.9billionCokesarepurchaseddaily.It'sbecomesoiconicthatattemptstochangeitstastein1985-sweeteningitinamoveprojectedtoboostsalesproveddisastrous,withwidespreadangerfromconsumers."Coca-ColaClassic"returnedtostoreshelvesjustthreemonthsafterthe"NewCoke"wasreleased.Thesedays,theCoca-Colarecipeisacloselyguardedsecret.Butit'ssaidtonolongercontainkolanutextract,relyinginsteadonartificialimitationstoachievetheflavour.46.WhatdowelearnaboutchemistJohnPemberton?A)Heusedastrangelypotentingredientinafoodsupplement.B)Hecreatedadrinkcontainingalcoholwithoutbreakinglaw.C)Hebecamenotoriousbecauseofthecocadrinkhedeveloped.D)Heriskedbreakinglocallawtomakeadrinkwithcocaleaves.47.Whatdoesthepassagesayaboutkolanuts?A)TheircommercialvaluewasfirstdiscoveredbyPortuguesesettler.B)Theycontainsomekindofenergyboostnotfoundinanyotherfood.C)ManywereshippedtoEuropeinthelate19thcenturyformedicinaluse.D)TheywerestrangetotheEuropeanswhenfirstimportedfromWestAfrica.48.Howcomekola-extractcolasbecamepopular?A)Cocainehadbecomenotorious. B)Alcoholicdrinkswereprohibited. C)Fountainsweresetuptosellthem.D)Rightsweresoldtobottlethesoda.49.WhatisknownaboutthetasteofCoca-Cola?A)Itwassodesignedastocreateaddictioninconsumers.B)Itstillreliesontraditionalkolanutextract.C)Ithasbecomemorepopularamongtheold.D)Ithasremainedvirtuallyunchangedsinceitscreation.50.Whatisthepassagemainlyabout?A)TheevolutionofCoca-Cola. B)ThemedicinalvalueofCoca-Cola.C)ThesuccessstoryofCoca-Cola. D)ThebusinessstrategyofCoca-Cola.PassageTwoQuestions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassageTwentyyearsago,theUrbanLandInstitutedefinedthetwotypesofcitiesthatdominatedtheUSlandscape:smallercitiesthatoperatedaroundstandard9-5businesshoursandlargemetropolitanareasthatranall24hoursoftheday.Analyzingandcomparingcitiesusingthelensofthisbasicdividegivesinterestingcontexttohowinvestmentcapitalflowsandhousingpriceshaveshifted.Inrecentyears,manymid-sizedcitieshavebeguntoadoptamiddle-of-the-roadapproachincorporatingtheexcitementandopportunityoflargecitieswithsmallcities’quietaftermidnight.These18-hourcitiesarebeginningtomakewavesinrealestaterankingsandattractmorerealestateinvestment.Whatisunderlyingthisnewmovementinrealestate,andwhydothesecitieshavesomuchappeal?18-hourcitiescombinethebestof24-hourand9-5cities,whichcontributestodowntownrevitalization.Fordecades,manydowntowncoresinsmalltomid-sizedcitieswereabandonedafterworkhoursbyworkerswholivedinthesuburbs.Movementoutofcitycenterswaswidespread,anddowntowntenantswerepredominantlymadeupoftheworkingpoor.Thisgeneratedlittlecommercefordowntownbusinessesintheevenings,whichmadebusinessandgeneratingtaxrevenueformunicipalupkeepdifficult.Withtheriseofanewconceptinurbanplanningthataimstomakelifeeasierandmoreconvenient,increasingpopularityforurbanareasthatcausedtherealestatepushes,inmajorcitieslikeSanFranciscoorNewYork,hasinspiredatypeofforwardthinkingurbanityandinsmallercities.Transformingdowntownareassothattheyincorporatemodernhousingandimprovedwalkabilitytolocalrestaurants,retail,andentertainment-especiallywhencombinedwithimprovedinfrastructureforcyclistsandpublictransit-makesthemappealtoamoreaffluentdemographic.Theseadjustmentsencourageemployersintheknowledgeandtalentindustriestokeeptheirofficesdowntown.Accesstofoottrafficandproximitytotransitallowthetypeofentertainment-orientedbusinessessuchasbarsandrestaurantstostayopenlater,whichattractsbothyounger,creativeworkersandbabyboomersnearingretirementalike.Becauseoftheirsmallersize,mostkeephoursthatallowpeopletoenjoythemselves,thenhavesomequietaftermidnight,asopposedtolargemajorcitieslikeNewYork,wherethebuzzofactivityisongoing.These18-hourcitiesarerapidlyontheriseandoffergreatopportunitiesforhomeownerinvestment.InmanyofthesecitiessuchasDenver,adiverseandvigorouseconomyattractedtotheurbancorehasofferedstableemploymentforresidents.Therighturbanmixhasproppeduphomeoccupancy,increasedpropertyvalues,andattractedsignificantinvestmentcapital.WhatdowelearnaboutAmericancitiestwentyyearsago?Theyweredividedintoresidentialandbusinessareas.Theirhousingpriceswerelinkedwiththeirprosperity.TherewasacleardividebetweenlargeandsmallcitiesTheywereplaceswherelargeinvestmentcapitalflowed.Whatcanbeinferredfromthepassageabout18-hourcities?Theyespeciallyappealtosmallbusinesses.B)Theyhaveseenariseinpropertyprices.C)Theyhavereplacedquietwithexcitement.D)TheyhavechangedAmerica'slandscape.53.Yearsago,manydowntowncoresinsmalltomid-sizedcities().A)Hadhardlyanybusinessactivity. B)Werecrowdedinbusinesshours. C)Exhibitednosignsofprosperity.D)Lookeddesertedintheevenings.54.Whatcharacterizesthenewdowntownareasin18-hourcities?A)Suddeneme