2020年12月大學英語6級真題（卷一） (一)

2020年12月大英語六級試題第1套

PartIIListeningComprehension(30minutes)

SectionA

DirectionsInthi-ssection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,you

willhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.

Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarked

A),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1witha

singlelinethroughthecentre.

Questions1to4arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

1.A)Herhousehasnotbeenrepairedintime.

B)Shehasfailedtoreachthemanageragain.

C)Herclaimhasbeencompletelydisregarded.

D)Shehasnotreceivedanyletterfromtheman.

2.A)Thegroundflooroftheircottagewasflooded.

B)Theircaravanwaswashedawaybytheflood.

C)Theirentirehousewasdestroyedbytheflood.

D)Theroofoftheircottagecollapsedintheflood.

3.A)Thewoman'smisreadingoftheinsurancecompany'sletter.

B)Thewoman'signoranceoftheinsurancecompany*spolicy.

C)Thewoman'sinaccuratedescriptionofthewholeincident.

D)Thewoman*sfailuretopayherhouseinsuranceintime.

4.A)Filealawsuitagainsttheinsurancecompany.

B)TalktothemanagerofSafeHouseInsurance.

C)Consultherlawyerabouttheinsurancepolicy.

D)Revisethetermsandconditionsofthecontract.

Questions5to8arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

5.A)TheyworkindifferentfieldsofAItechnology.

B)TheydisagreeaboutthefutureofAItechnology.

C)Theydiffergreatlyintheirknowledgeofmodemtechnology.

D)Theyarebothworriedaboutthenegativeimpactoftechnology.

61

6.A)SimplywritingAIsoftware.

B)Stimulatingandmotivating.

C)Lesstime-consumingandfocusingoncreation.

D)Moredemandingandrequiringspecialtraining.

7.A)Therecouldbejobsnobodywantstodo.

B)Digitallifecouldreplacehumancivilization.

C)Humanswouldbetiredofcommunicatingwithoneanother.

D)Oldpeoplewouldbetakencareofsolelybyunfeelingrobots.

8.A)Lifewillbecomelikeasciencefictionfilm.

B)Itwilltakeawayhumans'jobsaltogether.

C)Chipswillbeinsertedinhumanbrains.

D)Itwillbesmarterthanhumanbeings.

SectionB

Directions：Inthissection,youwillheartwopassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearthree

orfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryou

hearaquestion.,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),

C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasingleline

throughthecentre.

Questions9to11arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

9.A)Restrainthemselvesfromhigh-riskinvestments.

B)Saveone-fifthoftheirnetmonthlyincome.

C)Investshrewdlyinlucrativebusinesses.

D)Trytoearnasmuchmoneyaspossible.

10.A)Startbydoingsomethingsmall.C)Trytosticktotheirinitialplan.

B)Askaclosefriendfbradvice.D)Cut20%oftheirdailyspending.

11.A)Anoptimisticattitude.C)Apropermindset.

B)Anambitiousplan.D)Akeeninterest.

Questions12to15arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

12.A)Shewasuninterestedinadvertising.C)Shewasunhappywithfashiontrends.

B)Shefoundheroutfitinappropriate.D)Sheoftencheckedherselfinamirror.

6?2

13.A)Tosavethetroubleofchoosingauniqueoutfiteveryday.

B)Tomeettheexpectationsoffashion-consciousclients.

C)Tokeepupwiththecurrenttrends.

D)Tosavetheexpensesonclothing.

14.A)Itenhancespeople'sabilitytoworkindependently.

B)Ithelpspeoplesucceedinwhatevertheyaredoing.

C)Itmattersalotinjobsinvolvinginteractionwithothers.

D)Itboostsone'sconfidencewhenlookingforemployment.

15.A)Designtheirownuniformtoappearunique.

B)Wearclassicpiecestoimpresstheirclients.

C)Fighttheever-changingtrendsinfashion.

D)Dowhateverispossibletolooksmart.

SectionC

Directions：/nthissection,,youwillhearthreerecordingsoflecturesortalksfollowedbythreeorfour

questions.Therecordingswillbeplayedonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmust

choosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Thenmarkthe

correspondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Questions16to18arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

16.A)Theirobsessionwithconsumption.C)Theever-increasingcostsofhousing.

B)Theirfailuretoaccumulatewealth.D)Thedeteriorationoftheenvironment.

17.A)Thingsthatareraretofind.C)Thingsthatboostefficiency.

B)Thingsthatcostlessmoney.D)Thingsthatwecherishmost.

18.A)Theyservemultiplepurposes.C)Theyaremostlydurable.

B)Theybenefittheenvironment.D)Theyareeasilydisposable.

Questions19to21arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

19.A)Allrespondentswereafraidofmakingahighexpenseclaim.

B)Anumberofrespondentsgaveanaverageanswerof400miles.

C)Over10%oftherespondentsliedaboutthedistancetheydrove.

D)Mostoftherespondentsgotcompensatedfordriving384miles.

6?3

20.A)Theyrespondedtocolleagues,suspicion.C)Theywantedtoprotecttheirreputation.

B)Theycaredaboutotherpeople'sclaims.D)Theyendeavoredtoactuallybehonest.

21.A)Theyseempositive.C)Theyareillustrative.

B)Theyseemintuitive.D)Theyareconclusive.

Questions22to25arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

22.A)Deteriorationinthequalityofnewmusic.C)Olderpeople,schangingmusicaltastes.

B)Insightsintothefeaturesofgoodmusic.D)Olderpeople'saversiontonewmusic.

23.A)Theynolongerlistentonewmusic.

B)Theyfindallmusicsoundsthesame.

C)Theycanmakesubtledistinctionsaboutmusic.

D)Theyseldomlistentosongsreleasedintheirteens.

24.A)Themoreyouareexposedtosomething,themorefamiliarit'llbetoyou.

B)Themoreyouareexposedtosomething,thedeeperyou'llunderstandit.

C)Themoreyouexperiencesomething,thelongeryou'llrememberit.

D)Themoreyouexperiencesomething,thebetteryou'llappreciateit.

25.A)Teenagers'memoriesaremorelasting.C)Teenagersaremuchmoresensitive.

B)Teenagers,emotionsaremoreintense.D)Teenagersaremuchmoresentimental.

PartIIIReadingComprehension(40minutes)

SectionA

Directions：Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordfor

eachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthe

passagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentified

byaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingktterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2witha

singlelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethan.once.

Theideaoftaxingthingsthatarebadforsocietyhasapowerfulallure.Itoffersthepossibilityof

adoublebenefit—26harmfulactivities,whilealsoprovidingthegovernmentwithrevenue.

Takesintaxes.Taxesonalcoholmakeitmoreexpensivetogetdrunk,whichreducesexcessive

drinkingand27driving.Atthesametime,theyprovidestateandlocalgovernmentswith

billionsofdollarsofrevenue.Tobaccotaxes,whichgeneratemorethantwiceasmuch,haveproven

28inthedeclineofsmoking,whichhassavedmillionsoflives.

6?4

Taxescanalsobeanimportanttoolforenvironmentalprotection,andmanyeconomistssay

taxingcarbonwouldbethebestwaytoreducegreenhousegasemissions.Economictheorysaysthat

unlikeincomeorsalestaxes,carbontaxescanactuallyincreaseeconomicefficiency;because

companiesthat29carbondioxideintotheskydon'tpaythecostsoftheclimatechangethey

cause,carbontaxeswouldrestoretheproper30tothemarket.

Inreality,carbontaxesalonewon'tbeenoughtohaltglobalwarming,buttheywouldbea

usefulpartofanyclimateplan.Whafsmore,therevenuefromthistax,whichwould31be

hundredsofbillionsofdollarsperyear,couldbehandedouttocitizensasa32orusedtofund

greeninfrastructureprojects.

Similarly,awealthtaxhasbeenputforwardasawaytoreduceinequalitywhileraisingrevenue.

Therevenuefromthistax,whichsomeexperts33willbeover$4trillionperdecade,wouldbe

designatedforhousing,childcare,healthcareandothergovernmentbenefits.Ifyoubelieve,asmany

do,thatwealthinequalityis34bad,thenthesetaxesimprovesocietywhilealso35

governmentcoffers｛金庫).

A)discouragingI)initially

B)dividendJ)instrumental

C)emotionalK)merging

D)fragmentsL)predict

E)impairedM)probably

F)imprisonedN)pump

G)incentives0)swelling

H)inherently

SectionB

Directions：Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Each

statementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfrom

whichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Each

paragraphismarkedwithaletter.Answerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletter

onAnswerSheet2.

TheChallengesforArtiflcialIntelligenceinAgriculture

A)Agroupofcomfarmersstandshuddledaroundanagronomist｛農(nóng)學家)andhiscomputeronthe

sideofanirrigationmachineincentralSouthAfrica.Theagronomisthasjustflownoverthefield

withahybridunmannedaerialvehicle(UAV)thattakesoffandlandsusingpropellersyet

maintainsdistanceandspeedforscanningvasthectaresoflandthroughtheuseofitsfixedwings.

6?5

B)TheUAVisfittedwithafourspectralbandprecisionsensorthatconductsonboardprocessing

immediatelyaftertheflight,allowingfarmersandfieldstafftoaddress,almostimmediately,any

cropabnormalitiesthatthesensormayhaverecorded,makingthedatacollectiontrulyreal-time.

C)Inthisinstance,thefarmersandagronomistarelookingtospecializedsoftwaretogivetheman

accurateplantpopulationcount.Ifsbeen10dayssincethecomemergedandthefarmerwantsto

determineifthereareanypartsofthefieldthatrequirereplantingduetoalackofemergenceor

winddamage,whichcanbesevereintheearlystagesofthesummerrainyseason.

D)Atthisgrowthstageoftheplant'sdevelopment,thefarmerhasanother10daystoconductany

replantingbeforethemajorityofhisfertilizerandchemicalapplicationsneedtooccur.Oncethese

havebeenapplied,itbecomeseconomicallyunviabletotakecorrectiveaction,makinganyfurther

collecteddatahistoricalandusefulonlytoinformfuturepracticesfortheseasontocome.

E)Thesoftwarecompletesitsprocessinginunder15minutesproducingaplantpopulationcount

map.Ifsdifficulttograspjusthowimpressivethisis,withoutunderstandingthatjustoverayear

agoitwouldhavetakenthreetofivedaystoprocesstheexactsamedataset,illustratingthe

advancementsthathavebeenachievedinprecisionagricultureandremotesensinginrecentyears.

WiththesoftwarehavingbeendevelopedintheUnitedStatesonthesamevarietyofcropsin

seeminglysimilarconditions,theagronomistfeelsconfidentthatthesoftwarewillproduceanear

accurateresult.

F)Asthemapappearsonthescreen,theagronomisfsfacebeginstodrop.Havingwalkedthrough

theplantedrowsbeforetheflighttogainaphysicalunderstandingofthesituationontheground,

heknowstheinstantheseesthedataonhisscreenthattheplantcountisnotcorrect,andsodo

thefarmers,evenwiththeirlimitedunderstandingofhowtoreadremotesensingmaps.

G)Hypothetically,itispossibleformachinestolearntosolveanyproblemonearthrelatingtothe

physicalinteractionofallthingswithinadefinedorcontainedenvironmentbyusingartificial

intelligenceandmachinelearning.

H)Remotesensorsenablealgorithms(算法)tointerpretafield'senvironmentasstatisticaldatathat

canbeunderstoodandusefultofarmersfordecision-making.Algorithmsprocessthedata,

adaptingandlearningbasedonthedatareceived.Themoreinputsandstatisticalinformation

collected,thebetterthealgorithmwillbeatpredictingarangeofoutcomes.Andtheaimisthat

farmerscanusethisartificialintelligencetoachievetheirgoalofabetterharvestthroughmaking

betterdecisionsinthefield.

I)In2011,IBM,throughitsR&DHeadquartersinHaifa,Israel,launchedanagriculturalcloud-

computingproject.Theproject,incollaborationwithanumberofspecializedITandagricultural

6?6

partners,hadonegoalinmind—totakeavarietyofacademicandphysicaldatasourcesfroman

agriculturalenvironmentandturntheseintoautomaticpredictivesolutionsforfarmersthatwould

assisttheminmakingreal-timedecisionsinthefield.

J)InterviewswithsomeoftheIBMprojectteammembersatthetimerevealedthattheteambelievedit

wasentirelypossibleto“algorithm”agriculture,meaningthatalgorithmscouldsolveanyproblemin

theworld.Earlierthatyear,IBM'scognitivelearningsystem,Watson,competedinthegame

JeopardyagainstformerwinnersBradRutterandKenJenningswithastonishingresults.Several

yearslater,Watsonwentontoproduceground-breakingachievementsinthefieldofmedicine.

K)Sowhydidtheprojecthavesuchsuccessinmedicinebutnotagriculture?Becauseitisoneofthe

mostdifficultfieldstocontainforthepurposeofstatisticalquantification.Evenwithinasingle

field,conditionsarealwayschangingfromonesectiontothenext.There'sunpredictableweather,

changesinsoilquality,andtheever-presentpossibilitythatpestsanddiseasesmaypayavisit.

Growersmayfeeltheirprospectsaregoodforanupcomingharvest,butuntilthatdayarrives,the

outcomewillalwaysbeuncertain.

L)Bycomparison,ourbodiesareacontainedenvironment.Agriculturetakesplaceinnature,among

ecosystemsofinteractingorganismsandactivity,andcropproductiontakesplacewithinthat

ecosystemenvironment.Buttheseecosystemsarenotcontained.Theyaresubjecttoclimatic

occurrencessuchasweathersystems,whichimpactuponhemispheresasawhole,andfrom

continenttocontinent.Therefore,understandinghowtomanageanagriculturalenvironmentmeans

takingliterallymanyhundredsifnotthousandsoffactorsintoaccount.

M)WhatmayoccurwiththesameseedandfertilizerprogramintheUnitedStates,Midwestregionis

almostcertainlyunrelatedtowhatmayoccurwiththesameseedandfertilizerprogramin

AustraliaorSouthAfrica.Afewfactorsthatcouldimpactonvariationwouldtypicallyinclude

themeasurementofrainperunitofacropplanted,soiltype,patternsofsoildegradation,daylight

hours,temperatureandsoforth.

N)Sotheproblemwithdeployingmachinelearningandartificialintelligenceinagricultureisnotthat

scientistslackthecapacitytodevelopprogramsandprotocolstobegintoaddressthebiggestof

growers,concerns;theproblemisthatinmostcases,notwoenvironmentswillbeexactlyalike,

whichmakesthetesting,validationandsuccessfulrolloutofsuchtechnologiesmuchmore

laboriousthaninmostotherindustries.

O)Practically,tosaythatAIandMachineLearningcanbedevelopedtosolveallproblemsrelatedto

ourphysicalenvironmentistobasicallysaythatwehaveacompleteunderstandingofallaspects

oftheinteractionofphysicalormaterialactivityontheplanet.Afterall,itisonlythroughour

understandingof'thenatureofthings,thatprotocolsandprocessesaredesignedfortherational

6?7

capabilitiesofcognitivesystemstotakeplace.And,althoughAIandMachineLearningareteaching

usmanythingsabouthowtounderstandourenvironment,wearestillfarfrombeingabletopredict

criticaloutcomesinfieldslikeagriculturepurelythroughthecognitiveabilityofmachines.

P)Backedbytheventurecapitalcommunity,whichisnowinvestingbillionsofdollarsinthesector,

mostagriculturaltechnologystartupstodayarepushedtocompletedevelopmentasquicklyas

possibleandthenencouragedtofloodthemarketasquicklyaspossiblewiththeirproducts.

Q)Thisusuallyresultsinafailureofaproduct,whichleadstoskepticismfromthemarketand

deliversablowtotheintegrityofMachineLearningtechnology.Inmostcases,theproblemisnot

thatthetechnologydoesnotwork,theproblemisthatindustryhasnottakenthetimetorespect

thatagricultureisoneofthemostuncontainedenvironmentstomanage.Fortechnologytotruly

makeanimpactonagriculture,moreeffort,skills,andfundingisneededtotestthesetechnologies

infarmers*fields.

R)Thereishugepotentialfbrartificialintelligenceandmachinelearningtorevolutionizeagriculture

byintegratingthesetechnologiesintocriticalmarketsonaglobalscale.Onlythencanitmakea

differencetothegrower,whereitreallycounts.

36.Farmerswillnotprofitfromreplantingoncetheyhaveappliedmostofthefertilizerandother

chemicalstotheirfields.

37.Agriculturediffersfromthemedicalscienceofthehumanbodyinthatitsenvironmentisnota

containedone.

38.Theagronomistissurethathewillobtainanearaccuratecountofplantpopulationwithhis

software.

39.Theapplicationofartificialintelligencetoagricultureismuchmorechallengingthantomostother

industries.

40.EventhefarmersknowthedataprovidedbytheUAVisnotcorrect.

41.Thepressureforquickresultsleadstoproductfailure,which,inturn,arousesdoubtsaboutthe

applicabilityofAItechnologytoagriculture.

42.Remotesensorsareaimedtohelpfarmersimprovedecision-makingtoincreaseyields.

43.Thefarmerexpectsthesoftwaretotellhimwhetherhewillhavetoreplantanypartsofhisfarm

fields.

6?8

44.Agricultureprovesverydifficulttoquantifybecauseoftheconstantlychangingconditionsinvolved.

45.Thesameseedandfertilizerprogrammayyieldcompletelydifferentoutcomesindifferentplaces.

SectionC

Directions：Thereare2passagesin.thissection.Each.passageisfollowedbysomequestionsor

unfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)and

D).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswer

Sheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Whatistheplaceofartinacultureofinattention?RecentvisitorstotheLouvrereportthat

touristscannowspendonlyaminuteinfrontoftheMonaLisabeforebeingaskedtomoveon.Much

ofthattime,forsomeofthem,isspenttakingphotographsnotevenofthepaintingbutofthemselves

withthepaintinginthebackground.

Oneviewisthatwehavedemocratisedtourismandgallery-goingsomuchthatwehavemadeit

effectivelyimpossibletoappreciatewhatwe'vetravelledtosee.Inthisoversubscribedsociety,

experiencebecomesacommoditylikeanyother.TherearequeuestoclimbMt.JolmoLungmaas

wellastoseefamouspaintings.Leisure,thusconceived,ishardlabour,andreturningtowork

becomesawell-earnedbreakfromtheordeal.

Whatgetslostinthisindustrialisedhasteisthequalityoflooking.Consideranextremeexample,

thelatephilosopherRichardWollheim.WhenhevisitedtheLouvrehecouldspentasmuchasfour

hourssittingbeforeapainting.Thefirsthour,heclaimed,wasnecessaryformisperceptionstobe

eliminated.Itwasonlythenthatthepicturewouldbegintodiscloseitself.Thisseemsunthinkable

today,butitisstillpossibletoorganise.Eveninthebusiestmuseumstherearemanyroomsandmany

picturesworthhoursofcontemplationwhichthecrowdslargelyignore.Sometimesthelargestcrowds

arepartlytheproductsofbadmanagement;theMonaLisaissuchahurriedexperiencetodaypartly

becausethemuseumisbeingreorganised.TheUffiziinFlorence,anothersiteofculturalpilgrimage,

hascutitsentryqueuesdowntosevenminutesbyclevermanagement.Andtherearesomeformsof

art,thosedesignedtobespectaclesaswellasobjectsofcontemplation,whichcanworkperfectlywell

inthefaceofhugecrowds.

OlafurEliasson'scurrentTateModemshow,forinstance,mightseemnothingmorethanan

entertainment,overrunasitiswithkidsromping(噎鬧地玩耍)infbgroomsandspraymist

installations.Butifsmorethanthat:whereEliassonisathismostentertaining,heisathismostserious

too,andhisdisorientinginstallationsbringhometherealityofthedestructiveeffectswearehaving

ontheplanet-notleastwhatwearedoingtotheglaciersofEliasson'sbelovedIceland.

6?9

MarcelProust,anotherloveroftheLouvre,wrote:"Itisonlythroughartthatwecanescape

fromourselvesandknowhowanotherpersonseestheuniverse,whoselandscapeswouldotherwise

haveremainedasunknownasanyonthemoon."Ifanyartremainsworthseeing,itmustleadusto

suchescapes.Butaminuteinfrontofapaintinginahurriedcrowdwon'tdothat.

46.WhatdoesthesceneattheLouvredemonstrateaccordingtotheauthor?

A)Theenormousappealofagreatpieceofartisticworktotourists.

B)Thenearimpossibilityofappreciatingartinanageofmasstourism.

C)Theever-growingcommercialvalueoflong-cherishedartisticworks.

D)Therealdifficultyingettingaglimpseatamasteipieceamidacrowd.

47.WhydidthelatephilosopherRichardWollheimspendfourhoursbeforeapicture?

A)Ittakestimetoappreciateapieceofartfully.

B)Itisquitecommontomisinterpretartisticworks.

C)Thelongerpeoplecontemplateapicture,themorelikelytheywillenjoyit.

D)Themoretimeonespendsbeforeapainting,themorevaluableonefindsit.

48.WhatdoesthecaseoftheUffiziinFlorenceshow?

A)Artworksinmuseumsshouldbebettertakencareof

B)Sitesofculturalpilgrimagearealwaysfloodedwithvisitors.

C)Goodmanagementiskeytohandlinglargecrowdsofvisitors.

D)Largecrowdsofvisitorscausemanagementproblemsformuseums.

49.WhatdowelearnfromOlafurEliasson'scurrentTateModemshow?

A)Childrenlearntoappreciateartworksmosteffectivelywhiletheyareplaying.

B)Itispossibletocombineentertainmentwithappreciationofseriousart.

C)Artworksabouttheenvironmentappealmosttoyoungchildren.

D)Someformsofartcanaccommodatehugecrowdsofvisitors.

50.WhatcanartdoaccordingtoMarcelProust?

A)Enableustoliveamuchfullerlife.

B)Allowustoescapetheharshreality.

C)Helpustoseetheworldfromadifferentperspective.

D)Urgeustoexploretheunknowndomainoftheuniverse.

PassageTwo

Questions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Everyfiveyears,thegovernmenttriestotellAmericanswhattoputintheirbellies.Eatmore

vegetables.Dialbackthefats.Ifsallbasedonthebestavailablescienceforleadingahealthylife.But

6?10

thebestavailablesciencealsohasalottosayaboutwhatthosefoodchoicesdototheenvironment,

andsomeresearchersareannoyedthatnewdietaryrecommendationsoftheUSDA(UnitedStates

DepartmentofAgriculture)releasedyesterdayseemtoutterlyignorethatfact.

Broadly,the2016-2020dietaryrecommendationsaimforbalanceMorevegetables,leaner

meatsandfarlesssugar.

ButAmericansconsumemorecaloriespercapitathanalmostanyothercountryintheworld.So

thethingsAmericanseathaveahugeimpactonclimatechange.Soiltillingreleasescarbondioxide,

anddeliveryvehiclesemitexhaust.Thegovernment'sdietaryguidelinescouldhavedonealotto

lowerthatclimatecost.NotjustbecauseoftheirpositionofauthorityTheguidelinesdrivebillionsof

dollarsoffoodproductionthroughfederalprogramslikeschoollunchesandnutritionassistancefor

theneedy.

Onitsown,plantandanimalagriculturecontributes9percentofallthecountry'sgreenhousegas

emissions.That'snotcountingthefuelburnedintransportation,processing,refrigeration,andother

waypointsbetweenfarmandbelly.Redmeatsareamongthebiggestandmostnotoriousemitters,but

truckingasaladfromCaliforniatoMinnesotainJanuaryalsocarriesasignificantburden.And

greenhousegasemissionsaren'tthewholestory.Foodproductionisthelargestuseroffreshwater,

largestcontributortothelossofbiodiversity,andamajorcontributortousingupnaturalresources.

AllofthesepointsandmoreshowedupintheDietaryGuidelinesAdvisoryCommittee's

scientificreport,releasedlastFebruary.MiriamNelsonchairedthesubcommitteeinchargeof

sustainabilityforthereport,andisdisappointedthateating