2015年12月英语六级阅读理解参考答案：太空旅行
12月英语六级真题答案试卷三（2）
12月英语六级真题答案试卷三（2）2015年12月英语六级真题答案（试卷三）短文3答案23. B) Pressure and disease.24. A) It experienced a series of misfortunes.25. C) They could do nothing to help him.听力填空26. are supposed to27. ing28. drawing-out29. distinguished30. spark31. flame32. schooling33. controversies34. are concerned with35. dissatisfaction阅读答案选词填空答案36. C) controlled37. L) slash38. M) specializing39. K) professionals40. E) forged41. A) accountable42. F) incentives43. B) capacity44. H) overstated45. O) subsequently长篇阅读46. It is best to use an EMV card for international travel.H. Some big banks, like Wells Fargo……47. Personal information on credit and debit cards is increasingly vulnerable to hacking.B. Swipe is the operative word: …….48. The French card companies adopted EMV technology partly because of inefficient telephone service.G. Chip-and Pin cards, by contrast, make fake cards……49. While many countries use the smarter EMV cards, the U.S. still clings to its old magstripe technology.C. The solution could cost as little as $2 extra for every piece of plastic issued……50. Attempts are being made to prevent hackers from carrying out identity theft.A. A thin magnetic stripe (magstripe) is all that stands between……51. Credit cards are much safer to use than debit cards.I. Keep in mind, too, that credit cards typically ……52. Big banks have been reluctant to switch to more secure technology because of the higher costs involved.D. Why haven’t big banks adopted the more secure technology? ……53. The potential liability for retailers using magstripe is far more costly than upgrading their registers.E. Multiply $3 by the more than 5 billion magstripe credit and prepaid cards…...54. The use of magstripe cards by American retailers leaves consumers exposed to the risks of losing account information.F. That leaves American retailers pretty much alone the world……55. Consumers will be a driving force behind the conversion from magstripe to EMV technology.6O. Credit and debit cards, though, are going to be……仔细阅读Passage One56. B) They are used by big businesses to monopolize agriculture.57. D) More scientific research on GM crops.58. A) Feeding the growing population makes it imperative to develop GM crops.59. D) Whatever is useful to boost farming efficiency should be encouraged.60. C) Efforts spent on it should be turned to more urgent issues of agriculture.Passage Two61. C) Unemployment.62. D) Pour money into the market through asset buying.63. B) Deflation.64. C) Tighten financial regulation.65. A) She possesses strong persuasive power.翻译答案汉朝是中国历史上最重要的朝代之一。
六年级太空旅行英语阅读理解25题
六年级太空旅行英语阅读理解25题1<背景文章>Space is a fascinating place full of mysteries and wonders. There are countless stars shining brightly in the vast expanse. The universe is so huge that it's hard to imagine its size. Planets of different colors and sizes orbit around the stars. Some planets are large and gaseous, while others are small and rocky.The beauty of space is truly amazing. The sight of a colorful nebula is like a painting. Nebulas are clouds of gas and dust where new stars are born. The blackness of space is interrupted by the bright lights of distant galaxies.Space exploration is an exciting adventure. Scientists are constantly looking for new planets and studying the mysteries of the universe. Who knows what other wonders are waiting to be discovered?1. The universe is very ____.A. smallB. bigC. beautifulD. boring答案：B。
2015年12月英语六级考试真题带答案(第三套)
2015年12月大学英语六级考试真题(第3套)Part I Writing(30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay based on the picturebelow.You should focus on the harm caused by misleading information online.You arerequired to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.Part Ⅱ Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)听力音频地址：/attached/media/20160512/20160512175650_9309.mp3Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.At the endof each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said.Both theconversation and the questions will be spoken only once.After each question there will bea pause.During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C.and D),and decide which is the best answer.Then mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet I with a single line through the centre.1.A.She has completely recovered.B.She went into shock after an operation.C.She is still in a critical condition.D.She is getting much better.2.A.Ordering a breakfast.B.Booking a hotel room.C.Buying a train ticket.D.Fixing a compartment.3.A.Most borrowers never returned the books to her.B.The man is the only one who brought her book back.C.She never expected anyone to return the books to her.D.Most of the books she lent out came back without jackets.4.A.She left her work early to get some bargains last Saturday.B.She attended the supermarket's grand opening ceremony.C.She drove a full hour before finding a parking space.D.She failed to get into the supermarket last Saturday.5.A.He is bothered by the pain in his neck.B.He cannot do his report without a computer.C.He cannot afford to have a coffee break.D.He feels sorry to have missed the report.6.A.Only top art students can show their works in the gallery.B.The gallery space is big enough for the man's paintings.C.The woman would like to help with the exhibition layout.D.The man is uncertain how his art works will be received.7.A.The woman needs a temporary replacement for her assistant.B.The man works in the same department as the woman does.C.The woman will have to stay in hospital for a few days.D.The man is capable of dealing with difficult people.8.A.It was better than the previous one.B.It distorted the mayor's speech.C.It exaggerated the city's economic problems.D.It reflected the opinions of most economists.Questions 9 to 12 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9.A.To inform him of a problem they face.B.To request him to purchase control desks.C.To discuss the content of a project report.D.To ask him to flX the dictating machine.10.A.They quote the best price in the market.B.They manufacture and sell office furniture.C.They cannot deliver the steel sheets on time.D.They cannot produce the steel sheets needed.11.A.By marking down the trait price.B.By accepting the penalty clauses.C.By allowing more time for delivery.D.By promising better after-sales service.12.A.Give the customer a ten percent discount.B.Claim compensation from the steel suppliers.C.Ask the Buying Department to change suppliers.D.Cancel the contract with the customer.Questions 13 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.13.A.Stockbroker.B.Physicist.C.Mathematician.D.Economist.14.A.Improve computer programming.B.Explain certain natural phenomena.C.Predict global population growth.D.Promote national financial health.15.A.Their different educational backgrounds.B.Changing attitudes toward nature.C.Chaos theory and its applications.D.The current global economic crisis.Section BDirections : In this section, you will hear 3 short passages.At the end of eachpassage, you will hearsome questions.Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.After youhear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B),C.and D ).Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single linethrough the centre.Passage OneQuestions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16.A.They lay great emphasis on hard work.B.They name 150 star engineers each year.C.They require high academic degrees.D.They have people with a very high IQ.17.A.Long years of job training.B.High emotional intelligence.C.Distinctive academic qualifications.D.Devotion to the advance of science.18.A.Good interpersonal relationships.B.Rich working experience.C.Sophisticated equipment.D.High motivation.Passage TwoQuestions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19.A.A diary.B.A fairy tale.C.A history textbook.D.A biography.20.A.He was a sports fan.B.He loved adventures.C.He disliked school.D.He liked hair-raising stories.21.A.Encourage people to undertake adventures.B.Publicize his colorful and unique life stories.C.Raise people's environmental awareness.D.Attract people to America's national parks.Passage ThreeQuestions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22.A.The first infected victim.B.A coastal village in Africa.C.The doctor who lust identified it.D.A river running through the Congo.23.A.They exhibit similar symptoms.B.They can be treated with the same drug.C.They have almost the same mortality rate.D.They have both disappeared for good.24.A.By inhaling air polluted with the virus.B.By contacting contaminated body fluids.C.By drinking water from the Congo River.D.By eating food grown in Sudan and Zalre.25.A.More strains will evolve from the Ebola virus.B.Scientists will eventually fred cures for Ebola.C.Another Ebola epidemic may erupt sooner or later.D.Once infected, one will become immune to Ebola.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times.When the passage is read for the irst time, you should listen carefully for its general idea.When the passage is read forthe second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have justheard.Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what youhave written.The ideal companion machine would not only look, feel, and sound friendly but would also beprogrammed to behave in an agreeable manner.Those 26 that make interaction with other peopleenjoyable would be simulated as closely as possible, and the machine would 27 charming,stimulating, and easygoing.Its informal conversational style would make interaction comfortable, andyet the machine would remain slightly 28 and therefore interesting.In its first encounter it might besomewhat hesitant and unassuming, but as it came to know the user it would progress to a more 29 and intimate style.The machine would not be a passive 30 but would add its ownsuggestions, information, and opinions; it would sometimes 31 developing or changing the topicand would have a personality of its own.The machine would convey presence: We have all seen how a computer's use of personal namesoften 32 people and leads them to treat the machine as if it were almost human.Such features areeasily written into the software.By introducing 33 forcefulness and humor, the machine could bepresented as a vivid and unique character.Friendships are not made in a day, and the computer would be more acceptable as a friend if it 34 the gradual changes that occur when one person is getting to know another.At an 35 timeit might also express the kind of affection that stimulates attachment and intimacy.Part m Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks.You are required to select one wordfor each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage.Read thepassage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank isidentified by a letter.Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on AnswerSheet 2 with a single line through the centre.You may not use any of the words in thebank more than once.Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.As it is, sleep is so undervalued that getting by on fewer hours has become a badge of honor.Plus, we live in a culture that 36 to the late-nighter, from 24-hour grocery stores to onlineshopping sites that never close.It's no surprise, then, that more than half of American adults don't getthe 7 to 9 hours of shut-eye every night as 37 by sleep experts.Whether or not we can catch up on sleep--on the weekend, say--is a hotly 38 topicamongsleep researchers.The latest evidence suggests that while it isn't 39 , it might help.When Liu, theUCLA sleep researcher and professor of medicine, brought 40 sleep-restricted people into the labfor a weekend of sleep during which they logged about 10 hours per night, they showed 41 in theability of insulin (胰岛素) to process blood sugar.That suggests that catch-up sleep may undo somebut not all of the damage that sleep 42 causes, which is encouraging, given how many adults don'tget the hours they need each night.Still, Liu isn't 43 to endorse the habit of sleeping less andmaking up for it later.Sleeping pills, while helpful for some, are not 44 an effective remedy either."A sleeping pillwill 45 one area of the brain, but there's never going to be a perfect sleeping pill, because youcouldn't really replicate (复制 ) the different chemicals moving in and out of different parts of the brainto go through the different stages of sleep," says Dr.Nancy Collop, director of the Emory UniversitySleep Center.A.alternativelyB.catersC.chronicallyD.debatedE.deprivationF.idealG.improvementsH.necessarilyI.negotiatedJ.pierceK.presumptionL.readyM.recommendedN.surpassesO.targetSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it.Eachstatement contains information given in one of the paragraphs.Identify the paragraphfrom which the information is derived.You may choose a paragraph more than once.Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking thecorresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Climate change may be real, but it's still not easy being greenHow do we convince our inner caveman to be greener? We ask some outstanding social scientists.[A] The road to climate hell is paved with our good intentions.Politicians may tackle polluters whilescientists do battle with carbon emissions.But the most pervasive problem is less obvious: ourown behaviour.We get distracted before we can turn down the heating.We break our promise notto fly after hearing about a neighbour's trip to India.Ultimately, we can't be bothered to changeour attitude.Fortunately for the planet, social science and behavioural economics may be able todo that for us.[B] Despite mournful polar beats and charts showing carbon emissions soaring, most people find ithard to believe that global warming will affect them personally.Recent polls by the Pew ResearchCentre in Washington, DC, found that 75-80 per cent of participants regarded climate change as animportant issue.But respondents ranked it last on a list of priorities.[C] This inconsistency largely stems from a feeling of powerlessness."When we can't actually removethe source of our fear, we tend to adapt psychologically by adopting a range of defencemechanisms," says Tom Crompton, change strategist for the environmental organisation WorldWide Fund for Nature.[ D] Part of the fault lies with our inner caveman.Evolution has programmed humans to pay mostattention to issues that will have an immediate impact."We worry most about now because if wedon't survive for the next minute, we're not going to be around in ten years' time," says ProfessorElke Weber of the Centre for Research on Environmental Decisions at Columbia University in NewYork.If the Thames were lapping around Big Ben, Londoners would face up to the problem ofemissions pretty quickly.But in practice, our brain discounts the risks--and benefits--associatedwith issues that lie some way ahead.[E] Matthew Rushworth, of the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford,sees this in his lab every day."One of the ways in which all agents seem to make decisions is thatthey assign a lower weighting to outcomes that are going to be further away in the future," hesays."This is a very sensible way for an animal to make decisions in the wild and would havebeen very helpful for humans for thousands of years."[F] Not any longer.By the time we wake up to the threat posed by climate change, it could well betoo late.And ff we're not going to make rational decisions about the future, others may have tohelp us to do so.[G] Few political libraries are without a copy of Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealthand Happiness, by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein.They argue that governments shouldpersuade us into making better decisions--such as saving more in our pension plans--by changingthe default options.Professor Weber believes that environmental policy can make use of similartactics.If, for example, building codes included green construction guidelines, most developerswould be too lazy to challenge them.[H] Defaults are certainly part of the solution.But social scientists are most concerned about craftingmessages that exploit our group mentality (,~, ~ )."We need to understand what motivatespeople, what it is that allows them to make change," says Professor Neil Adger, of the TyndallCentre for Climate Change Research in Norwich."It is actually about what their peers think ofthem, what their social norms are, what is seen as desirable in society." In other words, ourinner caveman is continually looking over his shoulder to see what the rest of the tribe are up to.[ I ] The passive attitude we have to climate change as individuals can be altered by counting us in--and measuring us against--our peer group."Social norms are primitive and elemental," says Dr.Robert Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion."Birds flock together, fishschool together, cattle herd together...justperceiving norms is enough to cause people to adjusttheir behaviour in the direction of the crowd."[J] These norms can take us beyond good intentions.Cialdini conducted a study in San Diego inwhich coat hangers bearing messages about saving energy were hung on people's doors.Some ofthe messages mentioned the environment, some financial savings, others social responsibility.Butit was the ones that mentioned the actions of neighbours that drove down power use.[K] Other studies show that simply providing the facility for people to compare their energy use withthe local average is enough to cause them to modify their behaviour.The Conservatives plan toadopt this strategy by making utility companies print the average local electricity and gas usage onpeople's bills.[L] Social science can also teach politicians how to avoid our collective capacity for serf-destructivebehaviour.Environmental campaigns that tell us how many people drive SUVs unwittingly (不经意的) imply that this behaviour is widespread and thus permissible.Cialdini recommends somecareful framing of the message."Instead of normalising the undesirable behaviour, the messageneeds to marginalise it, for example, by stating that if even one person buys yet another SUV, itreduces our ability to be energy-independent."[M] Tapping into how we already see ourselves is crucial.The most successful environmental strategywill marry the green message to our own sense of identity.Take your average trade unionmember, chances are they will be politically motivated and be used to collective action--muchlike Erica Gregory.A retired member of the Public and Commercial Services Union, she is settingup one of 1,i00 action groups with the support of Climate Solidarity, a two-year environmentalcampaign aimed at trade unionists.[N] Erica is proof that a great-grandmother can help to lead the revolution if you get the psychologyright--in this case, by matching her enthusiasm for the environment with a fondness for organisinggroups."I think it's a terrific idea," she says of the campaign."The union backing it makesmembers think there must be something in it." She is expecting up to 20 people at the firstmeeting she has called, at her local pub in the Cornish village of Polperro.[O] Nick Perks, project director for Climate Solidarity, believes this sort of activity is where the futureof environmental action lies. "Using existing civil society structures or networks is a more effective way of creating change.., and obviously trade unions are one of the biggest civil societynetworks in the UK," he says. The " Love Food, Hate Waste" campaign entered into acollaboration last year with another such network--the Women's Institute.Londoner Rachel Taylorjoined the campaign with the aim of making new friends.A year on, the meetings have madelasting changes to what she throws away in her kitchen."It's always more of an incentive if you'redoing it with other people," she says."It motivates you more if you know that you've got toprovide feedback to a group."[P]The power of such simple psychology in fighting climate change is attracting attention across thepolitical establishment.In the US, the House of Representatives Science Committee has approveda bill allocating $10 million a year to studyingenergy-related behaviour.In the UK, new studiesare in development and social scientists are regularly spotted in British government offices.Withthe help of psychologists, there is fresh hope that we might go green after all.46.When people find they are powerless to change a situation, they tend to live with it.47.To be effective, environmental messages should be carefully framed.48.It is the government's responsibility to persuade people into making environment-friendly decisions.49.Politicians are beginning to realise the importance of enlisting psychologists' help in fighting climatechange.50.To find effective solutions to climate change, it is necessary to understand what motivates people to make change.51.In their evolution, humans have learned to pay attention to the most urgent issues instead of long-term concerns.52.One study shows that our neighbours' actions are influential in changing our behaviour.53.Despite clear signs of global warming, it is not easy for most people to believe climate change will affect their own lives.54.We should take our future into consideration in making decisions concerning climate change before it is too late.55.Existing social networks can be more effective in creating change in people's behaviour.Section CDirections: 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 OneQuestions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.More than a decade ago, cognitive scientists John Bransford and Daniel Schwartz, both then atVanderbilt University, found that what distinguished young adults from children was not the ability toretain facts or apply prior knowledge to a new situation but a quality they called "preparation for futurelearning." The researchers asked fifth graders and college students to create a recovery plan to protectbald eagles from extinction. Shockingly, the two groups came up with plans of similar quality(although the college students had better spelling skills ). From the standpoint of a traditionaleducator, this outcome indicated that schooling had failed to help students think about ecosystems andextinction, major scientific ideas.The researchers decided to go deeper, however.They asked both groups to generate questionsabout important issues needed to create recovery plans.On this task, they found large differences.College students focused on critical issues of interdependence between eagles and their hab/tats (栖息地).Fifth graders tended to focus on features of individual eagles ( "How big are they?" and "What dothey eat?" ).The college students had cultivated the ability to ask questions, thecornerstone of criticalthinking.They had learned how to learn.Museums and other institutions of informal learning may be better suited to teach this skill than elementary and secondary schools.At the Exploratorium in San Francisco, we recently studied howlearning to ask good questions can affect the quality of people's scientific inquiry.We found that whenwe taught participants to ask "What if?" and "How can?" questions that nobody present would knowthe answer to and that would spark exploration, they engaged in better inquiry at the next exhibit--asking more questions, performing more experiments and making better interpretations of their results.Specifically, their questions became more comprehensive at the new exhibit.Rather than merely askingabout something they wanted to try, they tended to include both cause and effect in their question.Asking juicy questions appears to be a transferable skill for deepening collaborative inquiry into thescience content found in exhibits.This type of learning is not confined to museums or institutional rmal learningenvironments tolerate failure better than schools.Perhaps many teachers have too little time to allowstudents to form and pursue their own questions and too much ground to cover in the curriculum.Butpeople must acquire this skill somewhere.Our society depends on them being able to make criticaldecisions about their own medical treatment, say, or what we must do about global energy needs anddemands.For that, we have a robust informal learning system that gives no grades, takes all comers,and is available even on holidays and weekends.56.What is traditional educators' interpretation of the research outcome mentioned in the first paragraph ?A.Students are not able to apply prior knowledge to new problems.B.College students are no better than fifth graders in memorizing facts.cation has not paid enough attention to major environmental issues.cation has failed to lead students to think about major scientific ideas.57.In what way are college students different from children?A.They have learned to think critically.B.They are concerned about social issues.C.They are curious about specific features.D.They have learned to work independently.58.What is the benefit of asking questions with no ready answers?A.It arouses students' interest in things around them.B.It cultivates students' ability to make scientific inquiries.C.It trains students' ability to design scientific experiments.D.It helps students realize not every question has an answer.59.What is said to be the advantage of informal learning?A.It allows for failures.B.It is entertaining.C.It charges no tuition.D.It meets practical needs.60.What does the author seem to encourage educators to do at the end of the passage?A.Train students to think about global issues.B.Design more interactive classroom activities.C.Make full use of informal learning resources.D.Include collaborative inquiry in the curriculum.Passage TwoQuestions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage."There's an old saying in the space world: amateurs talk about technology, professionals talkabout insurance." In an interview last year with The Economist, George Whitesides, chief executive ofspace-tourism fu'm Virgin Galactic, was placing his company in the latter category.But insurance willbe cold comfort following the failure on October 31st of VSS Enterprise, resulting in the death of onepilot and the severe injury to another.On top of the tragic loss of life, the accident in California will cast a long shadow over the future of space tourism, even before it has properly begun.The notion of space tourism took hold in 2001 with a $ 20 million flight aboard a Russianspacecraft by Dennis Tito, a millionaire engineer with an adventurous streak.Just haft a dozen holiday-makers have reached orbit since then, for similarly astronomical price tags. But more recently,companies have begun to plan more affordable "suborbital" flights--briefer ventures just to the edge ofspace's vast darkness.Virgin Galactic had, prior to this week's accident, seemed closest to startingregular flights.The company has already taken deposits from around 800 would-be space tourists,including Stephen Hawking.After being dogged by technical delays for years, Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic's founder,had recently suggested that a SpaceShipTwo craft would carry its first paying customers as soon asFebruary 2015. That now seems an impossible timeline. In July, a sister craft of the crashedspaceplane was reported to be about half-finished.The other half will have to walt, as authorities ofAmerica's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA.and National Transportation Safety Board work out:what went wrong.In the meantime, the entire space tourism industry will be on tenterhooks (坐立不安).The 2004Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act, intended to encourage private space vehicles andservices, prohibits the transportation secretary (and thereby the FAA.from regulating the design oroperation of private spacecraft, unless they have resulted in a serious or fatal injury to crew or.passengers.That means that the FAA could suspend Virgin Galactic's licence to fly.It could also insiston checking private manned spacecraft as thoroughly as it does commercial aircraft.While that may:make suborbital travel safer, it would add significant cost and complexity to an emerging industry thathas until now operated largely as the playground of billionaires and dreamy engineers.How Virgin Galactic, regulators and the public respond to this most recent tragedy will determinewhether and how soon private space travel can transcend that playground.There is no doubt that space flight entails risks, and to pioneer a new mode of travel is to face those risks, and to reduce them.with the benefit of hard-won experience.61.What is said about the failure of VSS Enterprise?A.It may lead to the bankruptcy of Virgin Galactic.B.It has a strong negative impact on space tourism.C.It may discourage rich people from space travel.D.It has aroused public attention to safety issues.62.What do we learn about the space-tourism firm Virgin Galactic?A.It has just built a craft for commercial flights.B.It has sent half a dozen passengers into space.C.It was about ready to start regular business.D.It is the first to launch "suborbital" flights.63.What is the purpose of the 2004 Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act?A.To ensure space travel safety.B.To limit the FAA's functions.C.To legalize private space explorations.D.To promote the space tourism industry.64.What might the FAA do after the recent accident in California?A.Impose more rigid safety standards.B.Stop certifying new space-tourist agencies.C.Amend its 2004 Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act.D.Suspend Virgin Galactic's licence to take passengers into space.65.What does the author think of private space travel?A.It is worth promoting despite the risks involved.B.It should not be confined to the rich only.C.It should be strictly regulated.D.It is too risky to carry on.Part IV Translation(30 minutes)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.在帮助国际社会于2030年前消除极端贫困过程中，中国正扮演着越来越重要的角色。
201512月大学英语六级考试真题与答案解析(第二套)
2015年12月大学英语六级考试真题(第2套)Part IWriting(30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay based on the picturebelow. You should focus on the difficulty in acquiring useful information in spite of advancedinformation technology. You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than200 words．________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________Part II Listening Comprehension(30 minutes)听力音频地址：Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the endof each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both theconversation and the questions will be spoken onlyonce. After each question there will bea pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C.and D.,and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet I with a single line through the centre.1. A.She is impatient to learn computer programming.B.She is unaware her operation system is outdated.C.She is unable to use the new computer program.D. She is amazed at the fast change of technology.2.A.He has long been fed up with traveling.B.He prefers to stay home for the holiday.C.He is going out of town for a couple of days.D. He is annoyed by the heavy traffic downtown.3.A.The challenges facing East Asia.B.The location for their new office.C.Their expansion into the overseas marketD. The living expenses in T okyo and Singapore.4. A.A number of cell phones were found after the last show.B.The woman forgot where she had left her cell phone.C.The woman was very pleased to find her cell phone.D. Reserved tickets could be picked up at the ticket counter.5.A.The building materials will be delivered soon.B.The project is being held up by bad weather.C.The construction schedule may not be met.D. Qualified carpenters are not easy to find.6.A.She is getting very forgetful these days.B.She does not hold on to bitterfeelings.C.She resents the way she is treated.D. She never intends to hurt anyone.7.A.The man wants to rent a small apartment.B.The woman has trouble getting a mortgage.C.The woman is moving to a foreign country.D.The man is trying to sell the woman a house.8. A.They are writing a story for the Morning News.B.They are facing great challenges to get re-elected.C.They are launching a campaign to attract women voters.D.They are conducting a survey among the women in town. Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9.A.T ouch his heart.B.Make him cry.C.Remind him of his life.D.Make him feel young.10. A.He is good at singing operas.B.He enjoys complicated music:C.He can sing any song if he likes it.D.He loves country music in particular.11.A.Go to a bar and drink for hours.B.Go to an isolated place to sing blues.C.Go to see a performance in a concert hall.D.Go to work and wrap himself up in music.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12.A.How he became an announcer.B.How he writes news stories.C.How he makes his living.D.How he does his job.13.A.They write the first version of news stories.B.They gather news stories on the spot.C.They polish incoming news stories.D.They write comments on major news stories.14. A.Reading through the news stories in a given period of time.B.Having little time to read the news before going on the air.C.Having to change the tone of his voice from time to time.D.Getting all the words and phrases pronounced correctly.15.A.It shows where advertisements come in.B.It gives a signal for him to slow down.C.It alerts him to something important.D.It serves as a reminder of sad news.Section BDirections : In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hearsome questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After youhear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B),C).and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single linethrough the centre.Passage OneQuestions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A.It gives pleasure to both adults and children.B.It is often carried around by small children.C.It can be found in many parts of the world.D.It was invented by an American Indian.17. A.They were made for earning a living.B.They were delicate geometric figures.C.They were small circus figures made of wire.D.They were collected by a number of museums.18.A.In art.B.In geometry.C.In engineering.D.In circus performance.Passage TwoQuestions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A.They offer students a wide variety of courses.B.They attract students from all over the world.C.They admit more students than they can handle.D.They have trouble dealing with overseas students.20. A.Everyone will benefit from education sooner or later.B.A good education contributes to the prosperity of a nation.C.A good education is necessary for one to climb the social ladder.D.Everyone has a right to an education appropriate to his potential.21. A.He likes students with high motivation.B.He enjoys teaching intelligent students.C.He tailors his teaching to students' needs.D.He treats all his students in a fair manner.Passage ThreeQuestions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A.It is mostly imported from the Middle East.B.It is a sure indicator of its economic activity.C.It has a direct impact on the international oil market.D.It equals more than 30 million barrels of oil each day.23. A.It eventually turns into heat.B.It is used in a variety of forms.C.Its use is chiefly responsible for air pollution.D.Part of it is lost in the process of transmission.24.A.When it is used in rural areas.B.When it is environment-friendly.C.When it operates at near capacity.D.When it operates at regular times.25.A.Traffic jams in cities.B.Inefficient use of energy.C.Fuel shortage.D.Global warming.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for thefirst time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read forthe second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have justheard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what youhave written.Graphics are used in textbooks as part of the language of the discipline, as in math or economics,or as study aids. Authors use graphic aids to26and expand on concepts taken up in the textbecause graphics are yet another way of portraying relationships and27connections.Graphics are used extensively in natural sciences and social sciences. Social scientists work withstatistics 28 data, and the best way to present these statistics is often in graphic form. Graphicsare included- not merely as a means of making the information easier for the student to grasp, but as anintegral part of the way social scientists think. Many textbooks,29those in economics, containappendixes that provide specific information on reading and working with graphic material.Make it a practice to30attentively the titles, captions, headings, and other materialconnected with graphics. These elements31and usually explain what you are looking at. Whenyou are examining graphics, the32questions to ask are (a.)What is this item about? and (b.)Whatkey idea is the author33?One warning: Unless you integrate your reading of graphics with the text, you may make a wrongassumption.34, from a chart indicating that 33 percent of firstborn children in a research sampledid not feel close to their fathers, you might assume that some dreadful influence was at work on thefirstborn children. However, a careful reading of the text35that most of the firstborn children inthe sample were from single-parent homes in which the father was absent.Part III Reading Comprehension(40 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one wordfor each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read thepassage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank isidentified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on AnswerSheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in thebank more than once.Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.According to a report from the Harvard School of Public Health, many everyday products,including some bug sprays and cleaning fluids, could lead to an increased risk of brain and behavioraldisorders in children. The developing brain, the report says, is particularly36to the toxic effectsof certain chemicals these products may contain, and the damage they cause can be37.The official policy, however, is still evolving. Health and environmental38have long urgedU.S. government agencies to39the use of some of the 11 chemicals the report cites and called formore studies on their long-term effects. In 2001, for example, the Environmental Protection Agency40the type and amount of lead that could be present in paint and soil in homes and child-care41, after concerns were raised about lead poisoning. The agency is now42the toxic effects ofsome of the chemicals in the latest report.But the threshold for regulation is high. Because children's brain and behavioral disorders, likehyperactivity and lower grades, can also be linked to social and genetic factors, it's tough to pin themon exposure to specific chemicals with solid43evidence, which is what the EPA requires. Eventhe Harvard study did not prove a direct44but noted strong associations between exposure andrisk of behavioral issues.Nonetheless, it's smart to45caution. While it may be impossible to prevent kids from drinkingtap water that may contain trace amounts of chemicals, keeping kids away from lawns recently sprayedwith chemicals and freshly dry-cleaned clothescan't hurt.A.advocatespactC.correlationD.exerciseE. facilitiesF. interactionG. investigatingH. overwhelmedI. particlesJ. permanentK. restrictedL. simulatingM. statisticalN. tightenO. vulnerableSection BDirections : In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Eachstatement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraphfrom which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once.Each paragraph is marked with a letter.Answer the questions by marking thecorresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.The Impossibility of Rapid Energy Transitions[ A ] Politicians are fond of promising rapid energy transitions. Whether it is a transition from importedto domestic oil or from coal-powered electricity production to natural-gas power plants, politicianslove to talk big. Unfortunately for them (and often the taxpayers), our energy systems are a bitlike an aircraft carrier: they are unbelievably expensive, they are built to last for a very long time,they have a huge amount of inertia ( meaning it takes a lot of energy to set them moving ), andthey have a lot of momentum once they are set in motion. No matter how hard you try, you can'tturn something that large on a dime ( 10美分硬币), or even a few thousand dimes.[ B ] In physics, moving objects have two characteristics relevant to understanding the dynamics ofenergy systems: inertia and momentum. Inertia is the resistance of objects to efforts to changetheir state of motion. If you try to push a boulder ( 大圆石), it pushes you back. Once you havestarted the boulder rolling, it develops momentum, which is defined by its mass and velocity.Momentum is said to be "conserved," that is, once you build it up, it has to go somewhere. So a heavy object, like a football player moving at a high speed, has a lot of momentum-that is, once he is moving, it is hard to change his state of motion. If you want to change his course, you have only a few choices: you can stop him, transferring ( possibly painfully) some of his kinetic energy (动能) to your own body, or you can approach alongside and slowly apply pressure to gradually alter his course.[ C ] But there are other kinds of momentum as well. After all, we don't speak onlyof objects or people as having momentum; we speak of entire systems having momentum. Whether it's a sports team or a presidential campaign, everybody relishes having the big momentum, because it makes them harder to stop or change direction.[ D ] One kind of momentum is technological momentum. When a technology is deployed, its impacts reach far beyond itself. Consider the incandescent (白炽灯的) bulb, an object currently hated by many environmentalists and energy-efficiency advocates. The incandescent light bulb, invented by Thomas Edison, which came to be the symbol of inspiration, has been developed into hundreds, if not thousands, of forms. Today, a visit to a lighting store reveals a stunning array of choices. There are standard-shaped bulbs, flame-shaped bulbs, colored globe-shaped bulbs, and more. It is quite easy, with all that choice, to change a light bulb.[ E ] But the momentum of incandescent lighting does not stop there. All of those specialized bulbs ledto the building of specialized light fixtures, from the desk lamp you study by, to the ugly but beloved hand-painted Chinese lamp you inherited from your grandmother, to the ceiling fixture in your closet, to the light in your oven or refrigerator, and to the light that the dentist points at you. It is easy to change a light bulb, sure, but it is harder to change the bulb and its fixture.[ F ] And there is more to the story, because not only are the devices that house incandescent bulbs shaped to their underlying characteristics, but rooms and entire buildings have been designed in accordance with how incandescent lighting reflects off walls and windows.[ G ] As lighting expert Howard Brandston points out, “Generally, there are no bad light sources, only bad applications. " There are some very commendable characteristics of the CFL [ compact fluorescent (荧光的) light bulb ], yet the selection of any light source remains inseparable from the luminaire (照明装置) that houses it, along with the space in which both are installed, and lighting requirements that need to be satisfied. The lamp, the fixture, and the room, all three must work in concert for the true benefits of end-users. If the CFL should be used for lighting a particular space, or an object within that space, the fixture must be designed to work with that lamp, and that fixture with the room. It is a symbiotic (共生的) relationship. A CFL cannot be simply installed in an incandescent fixture and then expected to produce a visual appearance that is more than washed out, foggy, and dim. The whole fixture must be replaced-light source and luminaire-and this is never an inexpensive proposition.[ H ] And Brandston knows a thing or two about lighting, being the man who illuminated the Statue of Liberty.[ I ]Another type of momentum we have to think about when planning for changes in our energy systems is labor-pool momentum. It is one thing to say that we are going to shift 30 percent of our electricity supply from, say, coal to nuclear power in 20 years. But it is another thing to have a supply of trained talent that could let you carry out this promise. That is because the engineers,designers, regulators, operators, and all of the other skilled people needed for the new energy industry are specialists who have to be trained first ( or retrained, if they are the ones beinglaid off in some related industry), and education, like any other complicated endeavor, takes time.And not only do our prospective new energy workers have to be trained, they have to be trained in the right sequence. One needs the designers, and perhaps the regulators, before the builders and operators, and each group of workers in training has to know there is work waiting beyond graduation. In some cases, colleges and universities might have to change their training programs, adding another layer of difficulty.[ J ] By far the biggest type of momentum that comes into play when it comes to changing our energy systems is economic momentum. The major components of our energy systems, such as fuel production, refining, electrical generation and distribution, are costly installations that have lengthy life spans. They have to operate for long periods of time before the costs of development have been recovered. When investors put up money to build, say, a nuclear power plant, they expect to earn that money back over the planned life of the plant, which is typically between 40and 60 years. Some coal power plants in the United States have operated for more than 70 years!The oldest continuously operated commercial hydro-electric plant in the United States is on New York's Hudson River, and it went into commercial service in 1898. [ K ] As Vaclav Smil points out, "All the forecasts, plans, and anticipations cited above have failed so miserably because their authors and promoters thought the transitions they hoped to implement would proceed unlike all previous energy transitions, and that their progress could be accelerated in an unprecedentedmanner. "[ L ] When you hear people speaking of making a rapid transition toward any type of energy, whether it is a switch from coal to nuclear power, or a switch from gasoline-powered cars to electric cars, or even a switch.from an incandescent to a fluorescent light, understanding energy system inertia and momentum can help you decide whether their plans are feasible.46. Not only moving objects and people but all systems have momentum.47. Changing the current energy system requires the systematic training of professionals and skilled labor.48. Changing a light bulb is easier than changing the fixture housing it.49. Efforts to accelerate the current energy transitions didn't succeed as expected.50. To change the light source is costly because you have to change the whole fixture.51. Energy systems, like an aircraft carrier set in motion, have huge momentum.52. The problem with lighting, if it arises, often doesn't lie in light sources but in their applications.53. The biggest obstacle to energy transition is that the present energy system is too expensive to replace.54. The application of a technology can impact areas beyond itself.55. Physical characteristics of moving objects help explain the dynamics of energy systems.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C),and D ). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.One hundred years ago, "Colored" was the typical way of referring to Americans of African descent. Twenty years later, it was purposefully dropped to make way for "Negro. " By the late 1960s,that term was overtaken by "Black. " And then, at a press conference in Chicago in 1988, Jesse Jackson declared that "African American" was the term to embrace. This one was chosen because it echoed the labels of groups, such as "Italian Americans" and "Irish Americans," that had already beenfreed of widespread discrimination.A century's worth of calculated name changes point to the fact that naming any group is a politically freighted exercise. A 2001 study cataloged all the ways in which the term "Black" carried connotations (涵义) that were more negative than those of "African American. "But if it was known that "Black" people were viewed differently from "African Americans,"researchers, until now, hadn't identified what that gap in perception was derived from. A recent study, conducted by Emory University's Erika Hall, found that "Black" people are viewed more negatively.than "African Americans" because of a perceived difference in socioeconomic status. As a result,"Black" people arethought of as less competent and as having colder personalities.The study's most striking findings shed light on the racial biases permeating the professional world.Even seemingly harmless details on a resume, it appears, can tap into recruiters' biases. A job application might mention affiliations with groups such as the "Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers" or the "National Black Employees Association," the names of which apparently have consequences, and are also beyond their members' control.In one of the study's experiments, subjects were given a brief description of a man from Chicago with the last name Williams. T o one group, he was identified as "African-American," and another was told he was "Black. " With little else to go on, they were asked to estimate Mr. Williams's salary,professional standing, and educational background.The "African-American" group estimated that he earned about $ 37,000 a year and had a two-year college degree. The "Black" group, on the other hand, put his salary at about $ 29,000, and guessed that he had only "some" college experience. Nearly three-quarters of the first group guessed that Mr.Williams worked at a managerial level, while only 38.5 percent of the second group thought so.Hall's findings suggest there's an argument to be made for electing to use "African American,"though one can't help but get the sense that it's a decision that papers over the urgency of continued progress. Perhaps a new phrase is needed, one that can bring everyone one big step closer to realizing Du Bois's original, idealistic hope: "It's not the name-it's the Thing that counts. "56.Why did Jesse Jackson embrace the term "African American" for people of African descent?57. A.It is free from racial biases.B.It represents social progress.C.It is in the interest of common Americans.D.It follows the standard naming practice.57. What does the author say about the naming of an ethnic group ?A.It advances with the times.B.It is based on racial roots.C.It merits intensive study.D.It is politically sensitive.58.What do Erika Hall's findings indicate?A.Racial biases are widespread in the professional world.B.Many applicants don't attend to details on their resumes.C.Job seekers should all be careful- about their affiliations.D.Most recruiters are unable to control their racial biases.59. What does Erika Hall find in her experiment about a man with the last name Williams?A.African Americans fare better than many other ethnic groups.B.Black people's socioeconomic status in America remains low.C.People's conception of a person has much to do with the way he or she is labeled.D.One's professional standing and income are related to their educational background.60. What is Dr. Du Bois's ideal?A.All Americans enjoy equal rights.B.A person is judged by their worth.C.A new term is created to address African Americans.D.All ethnic groups share the nation's continued progress.Passage TwoQuestions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.Across the board, American colleges and universities are not doing a very good job of preparing their students for the workplace or their post-graduation lives. This was made clear by the work of two sociologists, Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa.In 2011 they released a landmark study titled"Academically Adrift," which documented the lack of intellectual growth experienced by many people enrolled in college. In particular, Arum and Roksa found, college students were not developing the critical thinking, analytic reasoning and other higher-level skills that are necessary to thrive in today's knowledge-based economy and to lead our nation in a time of complex challenges and dynamic change.Arum and Roksa placed the blame for students' lack of learning on a watered-down college curriculum and lowered undergraduate work standards. Although going to college is supposed to be a Full-time job, students spent, on average, only 12 to 14 hours a week studying and many were skating through their semesters withoutdoing a significant amount of reading and writing. Students who take more challenging classes and spend more time studying do learn more. But the priorities of many undergraduates are with extracurricular activities, playing sports, and partying and socializing.Laura Hamilton, the author of a study on parents who pay for college, will argue in a forthcoming book that college administrations are overly concerned with the social and athletic activities of their students. In Paying for the Party, Hamilton describes what she calls the “arty pathway," which eases many students through college, helped-along by various clubs that send students into the party scene and a host of easier majors.By sanctioning this watered-down version of college, universities are"catering to the social and educational needs of wealthy students at the expense of others" who won't enjoy the financial backing or social connections of richer students once they graduate.These students need to build skills and knowledge during college if they are to use their degrees as a stepping-stone to middle-class mobility. But more privileged students must not waste this opportunity either. As recent graduates can testify, the job market isn't kind to candidates who can't demonstrate genuine competence, along with a well-cultivated willingness to work hard. Nor is the global economy forgiving of an American workforce with increasingly weak literacy, math and science abilities. College graduates will still fare better than those with only a high school education, of course. But a university degree unaccompanied by a gain in knowledge or skills is an empty achievement indeed. For students who have beencoasting through college, and for American universities that have been demanding less work, offering more attractions and charging higher tuition, the party may soon be over.61. What is Arum and Roksa's finding about higher education in America?A.It aims at stimulating the intellectual curiosity of college students.B.It fails to prepare students to face the challenges of modern times.C.It has experienced dramatic changes in recent years.D.It has tried hard to satisfy students' various needs.62. What is responsible for the students' lack of higher-level skills?A.The diluted college curriculum.B.The boring classroom activities.C.The absence of rigorous discipline.D.The outdated educational approach.63. What does Laura Hamilton say about college administrations?A.They fail to give adequate help to the needy students.B.They tend to offer too many less challenging courses.C.They seem to be out of touch with society.D.They prioritize non-academic activities.64. What can be learned about the socially and financially privileged students?A.They tend to have a sense of superiority over their peers.B.They can afford to choose easier majors in order to enjoy themselves.C.They spend a lot of time building strong connections with businesses.。
太空发展农业英语阅读理解
英语六级阅读理解习题：太空探索For centuries,explorers have risked their lives venturing into the unknown for reasons that were to varying degrees economic and nationalistic,Columbus went west to look for better trade routes to the Orient and to promote the greater glory of Spain.Lewis and Clark journeyed into the American wilderness to find out what the U.S.had acquired when it purchased Louisiana,and the Apollo astronauts rocketed to the moon in a dramatic show of technological muscle during the cold war.Although their missions blended commercial and political-military imperatives,the explorers involved all accomplished some science simply by going where no scientists had gone before.Today Mars looms as humanity's next great terra incognita(未探明之地).And with doubtful prospects for a short-term financial return,with the cold war a rapidly fading memory and amid a growing emphasis on international cooperation in large space ventures,it is clear that imperatives other than profits or nationalism will have to compel human beings to leave their tracks on the planet's reddish surface.Could it be that science,which has long played a minor role in exploration,is at last destined to take a leading role?The question naturally in vites a couple of others:Are there experiments that only human could do on Mars?Couldthose experiments provide insights profound enough to justify the expense of sending people across interplanetary space?With Mars the scientific stakes are arguably higher than they have ever been.The issue of whether life ever existed on the planet,and whether it persists to this day,has beenhighlighted by mounting evidence thatthe Red Planet once had abundant stable,liquid water and by the continuing controversy over suggestions the bacterial fossils rode to Earth on a meteorite(陨石)from Mars.A mor conclusive answer about life on Mars,past or present,would give researchers invaluable data about the range of conditions under which a planet can generate the complex chemistry that leads to life.If it could be established that life arose independently on Mars and Earth,the finding would provide the first concrete clues in one of the deepest mysteries in all of science:the prevalence of life in the universe.1.For What purposes did the explorers go the unknown places in the past?2.In the exploration of Mars,_______________________still remains uncertain.3.What has long been regarded as unimportant in the past explorations?4.What has been found on a meteorite from Mars?5.The conditions under which life originates would be revealed with the proofof_________________on Mars.答案：1.[For economic and nationalistic purposes.][定位]根据explorers go to unknown查找到全文首句。
2015年12月大学英语六级考试试题及答案（3）
Part I Writing. Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled The Civil Servant Test Craze. Your essay should start with a brief description of the picture. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words. 听⼒题： 1、 A.She thinks the exercise is easy. B.She can't solve the exercise either. C.She can help the man with the exercise. D.She hasn't tried to solve the exercise yet. 2、 A.Buy a newspaper. B.Take a trip in the summer. C.Put an ad in a newspaper. D.Go to the interviewer's office. 3、 A.The man must be a very slow driver. B.She did a lot of walking in Florida. C.The man should have spent less time in Florida D.She got to Florida long before the man did. 4、 A.Look for the umbrella in the theater. B.Ask the ticket seller about the umbrella. C.Buy another ticket for the show. D.Go back to her chair to get the umbrella. 5、 A.Both of the activities aren't very good. B.He has no interest in doing exercise. C.They should choose a different activity. D.It doesn't matter which activity to choose. 6、 A.Wash fewer clothes at a time. e a different washing machine. C.Try to repair the washing machine first, D.Wash his clothes by hand. 7、 A.She is going to drop the class too. B.She doesn't know how to swim. C.It took her a long time to learn to swim. D.She teaches swimming, 8、 A.He'll give the woman a few prescriptions right away. B.He'll be away from the office for one or two days. C.The woman doesn't need anything for her cough. D.The woman should continue taking the medicine. Conversation One. 听材料，回答下列问题： 9、 A.Her apartment is too far from the campus. B.Her apartment needs a lot of repair work. C.She's having trouble with the owner of the apartment D.Her roommate won't share expenses. 10、 A.Because the girls didn't pay their rent on time. B.Because she couldn't find anyone to repair the dishwasher. C.Because she had to buy a new dishwasher. D.Because paula had some repairs done without her permission. 11、 A.Because he has some knowledge of the law, B.Because he once had the same problem. C.Because he is a friend of the owner. D.Because he can bring a lawsuit against the owner. Conversation Two. 听材料，回答下列各题： 12、 A.There aren't enough cabinets B.There is too much noise. C.Office supplies are taking up space. D.Some teaching assistants don't have desks. 13、 A.To chat with him socially. B.To get help with the course. C.To hand in their assignments. D.To practise giving interviews, 14、 A.They'd have to get permission. B.Jack wouldn't like it, C.She thinks it might work. D.Other assistants should be consulted 15、 A.Give Jack a different office, plain to the department head. C.Move the supplies to the storage room. D.Try to get a room to use for meetings. Passage One. 听材料，回答下列各题： 16、 A.Because of its shape. B.Because of its skin. C.Because of its size. D.Because of its behavior. 17、 A.How sea animals manage to exist, B.How large sea animals can be. C.How frightening the squid is, D.How little is known about the sea. 18、 A.Why it is difficult to use aerial photographs in research. B.Why oceanic research is so limited. C.How oceanic research has helped land research, D.How fossil remains are obtained from deep sea. Passage Two. 听材料，回答下列各题： 19、 A.New varieties of corn have been developed. B.The crops need less fertilizer. C.Farmers can now monitor crop growth. D.Crop yields are much greater. 20、 A.It's being drained from Nebraska to Texas. B.It's being pumped out. C.It's becoming contaminated with oil. D.It's becoming much warmer. 21、 A.It can be seen from an airplane. B.It's most likely polluted. C.It's usually a bright green color. D.The supply of it may be exhausted soon. Passage Three. 听材料，回答下列各题： 22、 A.To review what students know about volcanic activity. B.To demonstrate the use of a new measurement device. C.To explain the answer to an examination question. D.To provide background for the next reading assignment. 23、 A.They occur at regular intervals. B.They can withstand great heat. C.They travel through the Earth's interior. D.They can record the Earth's internal temperature. 24、 A.When the Earth was formed. B.The composition of the Earth's interior. C.Why molten rock is hot. D.How often a volcano is likely to erupt. 25、 A.How deep they are. B.Where earthquakes form. C.How hot they are. D.What purpose they serve. 听材料，回答下列各题： Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written. Teenagers will be told to "stand up for their elders" on public transport-or risk losing their right to free travel. London Mayor Boris Johnson will 26_________ plans today to make youngsters sign a " 27_________ pledge" to promise to behave in a 28 _________manner when travelling in the capital. The three-point pledge states that they will give up their seats to the elderly, 29_________ and disabled; refrain from using 30_________ or threatening language; and be courteous and polite to fellow passengers and staff. Those who refuse, or are caught behaving in a rude manner, will have their free travel passes 31_________ The plan--a key part of Mr. Johnson's re-election bid--will initially affect the 400,000 11-to-15-year-olds in London who qualify for free travel cards, but Conservative sources believe the idea could be used across the country. A Conservative insider said, "The initiative 32_________ the push to create a Big Society. It is about changing culture and 33 _________around behavior to improve the atmosphere on buses and trains for everyone. " Speaking before today's launch, Mr. Johnson said he 34_________ tackle the anti-social behavior of a "minority of youngsters" on public transport. "when I was a boy, I was taught to stand up for those less able to," he said. "Youngsters enjoy the privilege of free travel, which is paid for by Londoners, but they have to understand that with that privilege comes responsibility. " Anyone who abuses this privilege will have it taken away, and will have to earn that right back. Teenagers who are found 35_________ violating the new behavior code will lose their travel passes. They will have to carry out unpaid community work to have them restored.回答36-45题： Women with low literacy suffer disproportionately more than men, encountering more 36_________ in finding a well-paying job and being twice as likely to end up in the group of lowest wage earners, a study released on Wednesday said. Analysis by the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR. found women at all levels of 37_________ tend to earn less than men, but it's at the lowest literacy levels that the wage gap between genders is most striking. Women with low literacy are twice as 38_________ as men at the same skill level to be among the lowest earners, bringing in $300 a week or less, the report said. "Because women start off so low in terms of wages, having higher literacy and more skills really 39_________ a big difference," said Kevin Miller, a 40_________ research associate at IWPR and co-author of the study. Women need to go 41_________ in their training and education level to earn the same as men, Miller said. The 42_________ was based on 2009 National Assessment of Adult Literacy surveys, the most recent data43_________ , and focused on reading skills, not writing and numeric literacy. That data was 44_________ from a nationally representative sample of 19,714 people aged 16 and older, living in households or prisons. Data showed about one-third of American adults have low literacy levels, and more than 36 percent of men and 33 percent of women fall into that 45_________ , the institute said. A. patternp > p b d s f i d = " 2 2 6 " > 0 0 B . s e n i o r / p > p b d s f i d = " 2 2 7 " > 0 0 C . l o n g e r / p > p b d s f i d = " 22 8 " > 0 0 D . d i f f i c u l t i e s / p > p b d s f i d = " 2 2 9 " > 0 0 E . c a t e g o r y / p > p b d s f i d = " 23 0 " > 0 0 F . c o l l e c te d / p > p b d sf i d = " 2 3 1 " > 0 0 G . p o s i t i o n s / p > p b d s f i d = " 2 3 2 " > 0 0 H . a v a i l a b l e / p > p b d s f i d = " 23 3 " > 0 0 I . c o n d u c t e d / p > p b d s f i d = " 2 34 " > 0 0 J . i n d e p e n d e n t / p > p b d s f i d = " 2 35 " > 0 0 K . l i t e ra c y / p > pb d s f i d = " 2 3 6 " > 0 0 L . a n a l y s i s / p > p b d s f i d = " 2 3 7 " > 0 0 M . l i k e l y / p > p b d s f i d = " 2 3 8 " >0 0 N . f u r t h e r / p > p b d s f i d = " 2 3 9 " > 0 0 O . m a k e s / p > p b d s f i d = " 2 4 0 " > 0 0 S e c t i o n B / p > p b d s f i d = " 2 4 1 " > 0 0 D i r e c t i o n s : I n t h i s s e c t i o n , y o u a r e g o i n g t o r e a d a p a s s a g e w i t h t e n s t a t e m e n t s a t t a c h e d t o i t . E a c h s t a t e m e n t c o n t a i n s i n f o r m a t i o n g i v e n i n o n e o f t h e p a r a g r a p h s . I d e n t i f y t h e p a r a g r a p h f r o m w h i c h t h e i n f o r m a t i o n i s d e r i v e d . / p > p b d s f i d = " 2 4 2 " > 0 0 Y o u m a y c h o o s e a p a r a g r a p h m o r e t h a n o n c e . E a c h p a r a g r a p h i s m a r k e d w i t h a l e t t e r . A n s w e r t h e q u e s t i o n s b y m a r k i n g t h e c o r r e s p o n d i n g l e t t e r o n A n s w e r S h e e t 2 . / p >。
大学英语六级阅读真题
2015年12月大学英语六级阅读真题&答案As it is, sleep is so undervalued that getting by on fewer hours has become a badge o? Plus, we live in a culture that 36 to the late –nighter, from 24-hourgrocery store to ? shopping site that never close. It’s no surprise, then, that more than half of American adults get the 7 to 9 hours of shut-eye every night as 37 by sleep experts.Whether or not we can catch up on sleep –on the weekend, say- is a hotly38 among sleep researchers. The latest evidence suggests that while it isn’t39 , it might ? when Liu, the UCLA sleep researcher and professor of medicine, brought 40 sleep-rest people into the lab for a weekend of sleep during which they lagged about 10 hours per night. ? showed 41 in the ability of insulin(胰岛素) to process blood sugar. That suggests ? up sleep may undo some but not all of the damage that sleep 42 causes, which is encouraging ? given how many adults don’t get the hours they need each night. Still, Liu isn’t 43 to end the habit of sleeping less and making up for it later.Sleeping pills, while helpful for some, are not 44 an effective remedy either. “A sleeping pill will 45 one area of the brain, but there’s never going to be a perfect sleeping pill, because you couldn’t really replicate （复制）the different chemicals moving in and out of different parts ? the brain to go through the different stages of sleep,” says Dr. Nancy Collop, director of the Em? University Sleep Center.A) alternatively I) negotiatedB) caters J) pierceC) chronically K) presumptionD) debated L) readyE) deprivation M) recommendedF) ideal N) surpassesG) improvements O) targetH) necessarily答案：BMDFO GELHJClimate change may be real, but it’s still not easy being greenHow do we convince our inner caveman to be greener?We ask some outstanding social scientists.A)The road to climate hell is paved with our good intentions. Politicians may tackle polluters while scientists do battle with carbon emissions. But the most pervasive problem is less obvious: our own behaviour. We get distracted before we can turn down the heating. We break our promise not to fly after hearing about a neighbor’s rip to India. Ultimately, we can’t be bothered to change our attitude. Fortunately for the planet, social science and behavioral economics may be able to do that for us.B)Despite mournful polar bears and carts showing carbon emissions soaring, mot people find it hard to believe that global warming will affect them personally. Recent pollsby the Pew Research Centre in Washington, DC, found that 75-80 per cent of participants regarded climate change as an important issue. But respondents ranked it last on a list of priorities.C)This inconsistency largely stems from a feeling of powerlessness. “When we can’t actually remove the source of our fear, we tend to adapt psychologically by adopting a range of defense mechanisms,” says Tom Crompton, change strategist for the environmental organization World Wide Fund for Nature.D)Part of the fault lies with our inner caveman. Evolution has programmed humans to pay most att ention to issues that will have an immediate impact. “We worry most about now because if we don’t survive for the next minute, we’re not going to be around in ten years’ time,” says Professor Elke Weber of the Centre for Research on Environmental Decisions at Columbia University in New York. If the Thames were lapping around Big Ben, Londoners would face up to the problem of emissions pretty quickly. But in practice, our brain discounts the risks—and benefits—associated with issues that lie some way ahead.E)Matthew Rushworth, of the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, sees this in his lab every day. “One of the ways in which all agents seem to make decisions is that they assign a lower weighting to outcomes that are going to b e further away in the future,” he says. “This is a very sensible way for an animal to make decisions in the wild and would have been very helpful for humans for thousands of years.”F)Not any longer. By the time we wake up to the threat posed by climate change, it could well be too late. And if we’re not going to make national decisions about the future, others may have to help us to do so.G)Few political libraries are without a copy of Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness, by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein. They argue that governments should persuade us into making better decisions—such as saving more in our pension plans—by changing the default options. Professor Weber believes thatenvironmental policy can make use of similar tactics. If, for example, building codes included green construction guidelines, most developers would be too lazy to challenge them.H)Defaults are certainly part of the solution. But social scientists are most concerned about crafting messages that exploit our group mentality(心态). ”We need to understand what motivates people, what it is that allows them to make change,” says Professor Neil Adger, of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in Norwich. ”It is actually about what their peers think of them, what their social norms are, what is seen as desirable in society.” In other words, our inner caveman is continually looking over his shoulder to see what the rest of the tribe are up to.I)The passive attitude we have to climate change as individuals can be altered by counting us in—and measuring us against—our peer group. “Social norms are primitive and elemental,” says Dr. Robert Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. “Birds flock together, fish school together, cattle herd together … just perceiving norms is enough to cause people to adjust their behavior in the direction of the crowd.”J)These norms can take us beyond good intentions. Cialdini conducted a study in San Diego in which coat hangers bearing messages about saving energy were hung on people’s doors. Some of the messages mentioned the environment, some financial savings, others social responsibility. But it was the one that mentioned the actions of neighbours that drove down power use.K)Other studies show that simply providing the facility for people to compare their energy use with the local average is enough to cause them to modify their behaviour. The Conservatives plan to adopt this strategy by making utility companies print the average local electricity and gas u sage on people’s bills.L)Social science can also teach politicians how to avoid our collective capacity for self-destructive behaviour. Environmental campaigns that tell us how many people drive SUVs unwittingly (不经意地) imply that this behaviour is widespread and thus permissible.Cialdini recommends some careful framing of the message. “Instead of normalising the undesirable behaviour, the message needs to marginalise it, for example, by stating that if even one person buys yet another SUV, it reduces our ability to beenergy-independent.”M)Tapping into how we already see ourselves is crucial. The most successful environmental strategy will marry the green message to our own sense of identity. Take your average trade union member, chances are they will be politically motivated and be used to collective action—much like Erica Gregory. A retired member of the Public and Commercial Services Union, she is setting up one of 1,100 action groups with the support of Climate Solidarity, a two-year environmental campaign aimed at trade unionists.N)Erica is proof that a great-grandmother can help to lead the revolution if your get the psychology right—in this case, by matching her enthusiasm for the environment with a fondness for organising groups. “I think there must be something in it.” She is expecting up to 20 people at the first meeting she has called, at her local pub in the Cornish village of Polperro.O)Nick Perks, project director for Climate Solidarity, believes this sort of activity is where the future of e nvironmental action lies. “Using existing civil society structures or networks is a more effective way of creating change … and obviously trade unions are one of the biggest civil society networks in the UK,” he says. The “Love Food, Haste Waste” campaign entered into a collaboration last year with another such network—the Women’s Institute. Londoner Rachel Talor joined the campaign with the aim of making new friends. A year on, the meetings have made lasting changes to what she throws away in her kitchen. “It’s always more of an incentive if you’re doing it with other people,” she says. “It motivates you more if you know that you’ve got to provide feedback to a group.”P) The power of such simple psychology in fighting climate change is attracting attention across the political establishment. In the US, the House of Representatives Science Committee has approved a bill allocating $10 million a year to studyingenergy-related behaviour. In the UK, new studies are in development and socialscientists are regularly spotted in British government offices. With the help of psychologists, there is fresh hope that we might go green after all.46. When people find they are powerless to change a situation, they tend to live with it.47. To be effective, environmental messages should be carefully framed.48. It is the government’s responsibility to persuade people into making environment-friendly decisions.49. Politicians are beginning to realize the importance of enlisting psychologists’ help in fighting climate change.50. To find effective solutions to climate change, it is necessary to understand what motivates people to make change.51. In their evolution, humans have learned to pay attention to the most urgent issues instead of long-term concerns.52. One study sho ws that our neighbors’ actions are influential unchanging our behavior.53. Despite clear signs of global warming, it is not easy for most people to believe climate change will affect their own lives.54.We would take our future into consideration in making decisions concerning climate change before it is too late.55. Existing social networks can be more effective in creating change in people’s behaviour.答案：CLGPH DJBFOPassage OneMore than a decade ago, cognitive scientists John Bransford and Daniel Schwartz, both then at Vanderbilt University, found that what distinguished young adults from children was not the ability to retain facts or apply prior knowledge to a new situation but a quality they called “preparation for future learning.” The researchers asked fifth graders and college students to create a recovery plan to protect bald eagles from extinction. Shockingly, the two groups came up with plans of similar quality( although the college students had better spelling skills). From the standpoint of a traditional educator, this outcome indicated that schooling and failed to help students think about ecosystems and extinction, major scientific ideas.The researchers decided to go deeper, however. They asked both groups to generate questions about important issues need to create recovery plans. On this task, they found large differences. College students focused on critical issues of interdependence between eagles and their habitats(栖息地). Fifth graders tended to focus on features of individual eagles(“How big are they?” and “What do they eat?”). The college students had cultivated the ability to ask questions, the cornerstone of critical thinking. They had learned how to learn.Museums and other institutions of informal learning may be better suited to teach this skill than elementary and secondary schools. At the Exploratorium in San Francisco, we recently studied how learning to ask good questions can affect the quality of people’s scientific inquiry. We found that when we taught participants to ask “What if?” and “How can?” questions that nobody present would know the answer to and that would spark exploration, they engaged in better inquiry at the next exhibit —asking more questions, performing more experiments and making better interpretations of their results. Specifically, their questions became more comprehensive at the new exhibit. Rather than merely asking about something they wanted to try, they tended to include both cause and effect in their question. Asking juicy questions appears to be a transferable skill for deepening collaborative inquiry into the science content found in exhibits.This type of learning is not confined to museums or institutional settings. Informal learning environments tolerate failure better than schools. Perhaps many teachers have too little time to allow students to form and pursue their own questions and too much ground to cover in the curriculum. But people must acquire this skill somewhere. Our society depends on them being able to make critical decisions about their own medical treatment, say, or what we must do about global energy needs and demands. For that, we have a robust informal learning system that gives no grades, takes all comers, and is available even on holidays and weekends.56. What is traditional educator s’ interpretation of the research outcome mentioned in the first paragraph?A)Students are not able to apply prior knowledge to new problems.B)College students are no better than fifth grader in memorizing facts.C)Education has not paid enough attention to major environmental issues.D)Education has failed to lead students to think about major scientific ideas.57. In what way are college students different from children?A) They have learned to think critically.B) They are concerned about social issues.C) They are curious about specific features.D) They have learned to work independently.58. What is the benefit of asking questions with no ready answers?A)It arouses students’ interest in things around them.B)It cultivates students’ ability to make sc ientific inquiries.C)It trains students’ ability to design scientific experiments.D)It helps students realize not every question has an answer.59. What is said to be the advantage of informal learning?A)It allows for failures.B)It charges no tuition.C)It is entertaining.D)It meets practical needs.60. What does the author seem to encourage educators to do at the end of the passage?A)Train students to think about global issues.B)Design more interactive classroom activities.C)Make full use of informal learning resources.D)Include collaborative inquiry in the curriculumPassage Two“There’s an old saying in the space world: amateurs talk about technology, professionals talk about insurance.” In an interview last year with The Economist, George Whitesides, chief executive of space-tourism firm Virgin Galactic, was placing his company in the latter category. But insurance will be cold comfort following the failure onOctober 31st of VSS Enterprise, resulting in the death of one pilot and the severe injury to another.On top of the tragic loss of life, the accident in California will cast a long shadow over the future of space tourism, even before it has properly begun.The notion of space tourism took hold in 2001 with a &29million flight aboard a Russian spacecraft by Dennis Tito, a millionaire engineer with an adventurous streak. Just half a dozen holiday-makers have reached orbit since then, for similarly astronomical price tags. But more recently, companies have begun to plan more affordable “suborbital” flights—briefer ventures just to the edge of space’s vast darkness. Virgin Galactic had, prior to this week’s accident, seemed closet to starting regular flights. The company has already taken deposits from around 800 would be space tourists, including Stephen Hawking.After being dogged by technical delays for years, Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic’s founder, had recently suggested that a SpaceShipTwo craft would carry its first paying customers as soon as February 2015. That now seems an impossible timeline. In July, a sister craft of the crashed spaceplane was reported to be about half-finished. The other half will have to wait, as authorities of America’s Federal AviationAdministration(FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board work out what went wrong.In the meantime, the entire space tourism industry will be on tenterhooks(坐立不安). The 2004 Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act, intended to encourage private space vehicles and services, prohibits the transportation secretary (and thereby the FAA) from regulating the design or operation of private spacecraft, unless they have resulted in a serious or fatal injury to crew or passengers. That means that the FAA could suspend Virgin Galactic’s license to fly. It could also insist on checki ng private manned spacecraft as thoroughly as it does commercial aircraft.; While that may make suborbital travel safer, it would add significant cost and complexity to an emerging industry that has until now operated largely as the playground of billionaires and dreamy engineers.How Virgin Glactic, regulators and the public respond to this most recent tragedy will determinewhether and how soon private space travel can transcend that playground. There is no doubt that spaceflight entails risks, and to pioneer a new mode of travel is to face those risks, and to reduce them with the benefit of hard-won experience.61. What is said about the failure of VSS Enterprise?A)It may lead to the bankruptcy of Virgin Galactic.B)It has a strong negative impact on space tourism.C)It may discourage rich people from space travel.D)It has aroused public attention to safety issues.62. What do we learn about the space-tourism firm Virgin Galactic?A)It has just built a craft for commercial flights.B)It has sent half a dozen passengers into space.C)It was about ready to start regular business.D)It is the first to launch “suborbital” flights.63. What is the purpose of the 2004 Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act?A)To ensure space travel safety.B)To limit the FAA’s f unctions.C)To legalize private space explorations.D)To promote the space tourism industry.64. What might the FAA do after the recent accident in California?A)Impose more rigid safety standards.B)Stop certifying new space-tourist agencies.C)Amend its 2004 Commercial Space Launch Amendments ActD)Suspend Virgin Galactic’s license to take passengers into space.65. What does the author think of private space travel?A)It is worth promoting despite the risks involved.B)It should not be confined to the rich only.C)It should be strictly regulated.D)It is too risky to carry on.答案：DABAC BCDDA2015年12月英语6级翻译真题&答案【汇总版】TranslationDirection：For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.在帮助国际社会于2030年前消除极端贫困过程中，中国正扮演着越来越重要的角色。
英语六级考试真题带包括答案第三套.docx
2015 年 12 月大学英语六级考试真题( 第 3 套 )Part I Writing(30minutes)Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay based on the picturebelow.You should focus on the harm causedby misleading information online.You arerequired to write at least 150 words butno more than 200 words.PartⅡListening Comprehension (30 minutes)听力音频地址：/attached/media/20160512/20160512175650_9309.mp3Section ADirections:In this section,you will hear8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.At the endof each conversation, one or more questions will be askedabout what was said.Both theconversation and the questions will be spoken onlyonce.After each question there will bea pause.During the pause, you must read thefour choices marked A),B), C.and D),and decide which is the best answer.Then mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet I with a single line through the centre.1.A.She has completely recovered.B.She went into shock after an operation.C.She is still in a critical condition.D.She is getting much better.2.A.Ordering a breakfast.B.Booking a hotel room.C.Buying a train ticket.D.Fixing a compartment.3.A.Most borrowers never returned the books to her.B.The man is the only one who brought her book back.C.She never expected anyone to return the books to her.D.Most of the books she lent out came back without jackets.4.A.She left her work early to get some bargains last Saturday.B.She attended the supermarket's grand opening ceremony.C.She drove a full hour before finding a parking space.D.She failed to get into the supermarket last Saturday.5.A.He is bothered by the pain in his neck.B.He cannot do his report without a computer.C.He cannot afford to have a coffee break.-D.He feels sorry to have missed the report.6.A.Only top art students can show their works in the gallery.B.The gallery space is big enough for the man's paintings.C.The woman would like to help with the exhibition layout.D.The man is uncertain how his art works will be received.7.A.The woman needs a temporary replacement for her assistant.B.The man works in the same department as the woman does.C.The woman will have to stay in hospital for a few days.D.The man is capable of dealing with difficult people.8.A.It was better than the previous one.B.It distorted the mayor's speech.C.It exaggerated the city's economic problems.D.It reflected the opinions of most economists.Questions 9 to 12 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9.A.To inform him of a problem they face.B.To request him to purchase control desks.C.To discuss the content of a project report.D.To ask him to flX the dictating machine.10.A.They quote the best price in the market.B.They manufacture and sell office furniture.C.They cannot deliver the steel sheets on time.D.They cannot produce the steel sheets needed.11.A.By marking down the trait price.B.By accepting the penalty clauses.C.By allowing more time for delivery.D.By promising better after-sales service.12.A.Give the customer a ten percent discount.B.Claim compensation from the steel suppliers.C.Ask the Buying Department to change suppliers.D.Cancel the contract with the customer.Questions 13 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.13.A.Stockbroker.B.Physicist.C.Mathematician.D.Economist.14.A.Improve computer programming.B.Explain certain natural phenomena.C.Predict global population growth.D.Promote national financial health.15.A.Their different educational backgrounds.B.Changing attitudes toward nature.C.Chaos theory and its applications.D.The current global economic crisis.Section BDirections : In this section, you will hear 3 short passages.At the end of eachpassage, you will hearsome questions.Both the passage and the questions will bespoken only once.After youhear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B),C.and D ).Then mark the corresponding letter on AnswerSheet 1 with a single linethrough the centre.Passage OneQuestions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16.A.They lay great emphasis on hard work.B.They name 150 star engineers each year.C.They require high academic degrees.D.They have people with a very high IQ.17.A.Long years of job training.B.High emotional intelligence.C.Distinctive academic qualifications.D.Devotion to the advance of science.18.A.Good interpersonal relationships.B.Rich working experience.C.Sophisticated equipment.D.High motivation.Passage TwoQuestions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.19.A.A diary.B.A fairy tale.C.A history textbook.D.A biography.20.A.He was a sports fan.B.He loved adventures.C.He disliked school.D.He liked hair-raising stories.21.A.Encourage people to undertake adventures.B.Publicize his colorful and unique life stories.C.Raise people's environmental awareness.D.Attract people to America's national parks.Passage ThreeQuestions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22.A.The first infected victim.B.A coastal village in Africa.C.The doctor who lust identified it.D.A river running through the Congo.23.A.They exhibit similar symptoms.B.They can be treated with the same drug.C.They have almost the same mortality rate.D.They have both disappeared for good.24.A.By inhaling air polluted with the virus.B.By contacting contaminated body fluids.C.By drinking water from the Congo River.D.By eating food grown in Sudan and Zalre.25.A.More strains will evolve from the Ebola virus.B.Scientists will eventually fred cures for Ebola.C.Another Ebola epidemic may erupt sooner or later.D.Once infected, one will become immune to Ebola.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times.When the passageis read for the irst time, you should listen carefully for its general idea.Whenthe passage is read forthe second time,you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have justheard.Finally,when the passage is read for the thirdtime, you should check what youhave written.The ideal companion machine would not only look,feel,and sound friendly but would also beprogrammed to behave in an agreeable manner.Those26that make interaction with other peopleenjoyable would be simulated as closely as possible,and the machine would27 charming,stimulating, and easygoing.Its informalconversational style would make interaction comfortable, andyet the machine wouldremain slightly 28 and therefore interesting.In its first encounter it mightbesomewhat hesitant and unassuming,but as it came to know the user it would progress to a more 29and intimate style.The machine would not be a passive30but would add its ownsuggestions,information,and opinions;it would sometimes31 developing or changing the topicand would have a personality of its own.The machine would convey presence:We have all seen how a computer's use of personal namesoften 32people and leads them to treat the machine as if it were almosthuman.Such features areeasily written into the software.By introducing33 forcefulness and humor,the machine could bepresented as a vivid and unique character.Friendships are not made in a day, and the computer would be more acceptable as afriend if it 34the gradual changes that occur when one person is getting to knowanother.At an35timeit might also express the kind of affection that stimulates attachment and intimacy.Part m Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks.You are requiredto select one wordfor each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage.Read thepassage through carefully before making your choices. Eachchoice in the bank isidentified by a letter.Please mark the corresponding letterfor each item on AnswerSheet 2 with a single line through the centre.You may notuse any of the words in thebank more than once.Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.As it is,sleep is so undervalued that getting by on fewer hours has become a badge of honor.Plus, we live in a culture that 36to the late-nighter, from 24-hourgrocery stores to onlineshopping sites that never close.It's no surprise,then,that more than half of American adults don't getthe7 to 9 hours of shut-eye every night as 37by sleep experts.Whether or not we can catch up on sleep--on the weekend,say--is a hotly38topicamongsleep researchers.The latest evidence suggests that while it isn't 39 , itmight help.When Liu, theUCLA sleep researcher and professor of medicine, brought40 sleep-restricted people into the labfor a weekend of sleep during which theylogged about 10 hours per night, they showed 41in theability of insulin (胰岛素 ) to process blood sugar.That suggests that catch-up sleep may undo somebut not all of the damage that sleep 42causes,which is encouraging,given how many adults don'tget the hours they need each night.Still, Liu isn't43toendorse the habit of sleeping less andmaking up for it later.Sleeping pills,while helpful for some, are not 44an effective remedy either."A sleeping pillwill 45 one area of the brain, but there's never going to be aperfect sleeping pill, because youcouldn't really replicate (复制 ) the different chemicals moving in and out of different parts of the brainto go through the different stages of sleep," says Dr.Nancy Collop, director of the Emory UniversitySleepCenter.A.alternativelyB.catersC.chronicallyD.debatedE.deprivationF.idealG.improvementsH.necessarilyI.negotiatedJ.pierceK.presumptionL.readyM.recommendedN.surpassesO.targetSection BDirections: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statementsattached to it.Eachstatement contains information given in one of the paragraphs.Identify the paragraphfrom which the information is derived.You maychoose a paragraph more than once.Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answerthe questions by marking thecorresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Climate change may be real, but it's still not easy being greenHow do we convince our inner caveman to be greener? We ask some outstanding social scientists.[A] The road to climate hell is paved with our good intentions.Politicians may tackle polluters whilescientists do battle with carbon emissions.But the most pervasiveproblem is less obvious: ourown behaviour.We get distracted before we can turn down the heating.We break our promise notto fly after hearing about a neighbour's tripto India.Ultimately,we can't be bothered to changeour attitude.Fortunately for the planet, social science and behavioural economics may be able todo that for us.[B]Despite mournful polar beats and charts showing carbon emissions soaring, most people find ithard to believe that global warming will affect them personally.Recent polls by the Pew ResearchCentre in Washington, DC, found that 75-80 per cent ofparticipants regarded climate change as animportant issue.But respondents rankedit last on a list of priorities.[C]This inconsistency largely stems from a feeling of powerlessness."When we can't actually removethe source of our fear,we tend to adapt psychologically by adopting a range of defencemechanisms,"says Tom Crompton,change strategist for the environmental organisation WorldWide Fund for Nature.[ D] Part of the fault lies with our inner caveman.Evolution has programmed humansto pay mostattention to issues that will have an immediate impact."We worry mostabout now because if wedon't survive for the next minute,we're not going to be around in ten years' time,"says ProfessorElke Weber of the Centre for Research on Environmental Decisions at Columbia University in NewYork.If the Thames were lapping around Big Ben, Londoners would face up to the problem ofemissions pretty quickly.Butin practice, our brain discounts the risks--and benefits--associatedwith issuesthat lie some way ahead.[E]Matthew Rushworth, of the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford,sees this in his lab every day."One of the ways in which allagents seem to make decisions is thatthey assign a lower weighting to outcomes that are going to be further away in the future," hesays."This is a very sensible way for an animal to make decisions in the wild and would havebeen very helpful for humans for thousands of years."[F]Not any longer.By the time we wake up to the threat posed by climate change,it could well betoo late.And ff we're not going to make rational decisions aboutthe future, others may have tohelp us to do so.[G] Few political libraries are without a copy of Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealthand Happiness, by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein.They argue thatgovernments shouldpersuade us into making better decisions--such as saving more in our pension plans--by changingthe default options.Professor Weber believes thatenvironmental policy can make use of similartactics.If,for example, building codes included green construction guidelines,most developerswould be too lazy to challenge them.[H] Defaults are certainly part of the solution.But social scientists are mostconcerned about craftingmessages that exploit our group mentality(,~,~ )."We need to understand what motivatespeople, what it is that allows them to make change,"says Professor Neil Adger, of the TyndallCentre for Climate Change Research inNorwich."It is actually about what their peers think ofthem,what their social norms are, what is seen as desirable in society." In other words, ourinner caveman iscontinually looking over his shoulder to see what the rest of the tribe are up to.[I ] The passive attitude we have to climate change as individuals can be altered bycounting us in--and measuring us against--our peer group."Social norms are primitive and elemental," says Dr.Robert Cialdini, author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion."Birds flock together,fishschool together,cattle herd together...justperceiving norms is enough to cause people to adjusttheir behaviour in the directionof the crowd."[J] These norms can take us beyond good intentions.Cialdini conducted a study inSan Diego inwhich coat hangers bearing messages about saving energy were hung onpeople's doors.Some ofthe messages mentioned the environment,some financial savings,others social responsibility.Butit was the ones that mentioned the actions of neighbours that drove down power use.[K]Other studies show that simply providing the facility for people to compare their energy use withthe local average is enough to cause them to modify their behaviour.The Conservatives plan toadopt this strategy by making utility companies print the average local electricity and gas usage onpeople's bills.[L]Social science can also teach politicians how to avoid our collective capacity for serf-destructivebehaviour.Environmental campaigns that tell us how many people drive SUVs unwittingly( 不经意的 ) imply that this behaviour is widespread and thus permissible.Cialdini recommends somecareful framing of the message."Instead ofnormalising the undesirable behaviour, the messageneeds to marginalise it, forexample, by stating that if even one person buys yet another SUV, itreduces ourability to be energy-independent."[M]Tapping into how we already see ourselves is crucial.The most successful environmental strategywill marry the green message to our own sense of identity.Take your average trade unionmember, chances are they will be politically motivated and be used to collective action--muchlike Erica Gregory.A retired member of the Public and Commercial Services Union, she is settingup one of1,i00action groups with the support of Climate Solidarity, a two-year environmentalcampaign aimed at tradeunionists.[N] Erica is proof that a great-grandmother can help to lead the revolution if youget the psychologyright--in this case,by matching her enthusiasm for the environment with a fondness for organisinggroups."I think it's a terrific idea,"she says of the campaign."The union backing it makesmembers think there must besomething in it."She is expecting up to20 people at the firstmeeting she has called,at her local pub in the Cornish village of Polperro.[O]Nick Perks, project director for Climate Solidarity, believes this sort of activityis where the futureof environmental action lies. "Using existing civil societystructures or networks is a more effective way of creating change.., andobviously trade unions are one of the biggest civil societynetworks in the UK,"he says. The " Love Food, Hate Waste" campaign entered into acollaboration last yearwith another such network--the Women's Institute.Londoner Rachel Taylorjoined the campaign with the aim of making new friends.A year on, the meetings have madelasting changes to what she throws away in her kitchen."It's always more of an incentive if you'redoing it with other people,"she says."It motivates you more if you know that you've got toprovide feedback to a group."[P]The power of such simple psychology in fighting climate change is attractingattention across thepolitical establishment.In the US, the House of Representatives Science Committee has approveda bill allocating $10 million a year to studyingenergy-related behaviour.In the UK,new studiesare in development and social scientists are regularly spotted in British government offices.Withthe help ofpsychologists, there is fresh hope that we might go green after all.46.When people find they are powerless to change a situation,they tend to live with it.47.To be effective, environmental messages should be carefully framed.48.It is the government's responsibility to persuade people into making environment-friendly decisions.49.Politicians are beginning to realise the importance of enlisting psychologists' help in fighting climatechange.50.To find effective solutions to climate change, it is necessary to understand what motivates people to make change.51.In their evolution,humans have learned to pay attention to the most urgent issues instead of long-term concerns.52.One study shows that our neighbours' actions are influential in changing ourbehaviour.53.Despite clear signs of global warming,it is not easy for most people to believe climate change will affect their own lives.54.We should take our future into consideration in making decisions concerningclimate change before it is too late.55.Existing social networks can be more effective in creating change in people'sbehaviour.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section.Each passage is followed by somequestions orunfinished statements.For each of them there are four choices markedA), B), C.andD ).You should decide on the best choice and mark the correspondingletter on AnswerSheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.More than a decade ago, cognitive scientists John Bransford and Daniel Schwartz,both then atVanderbilt University,found that what distinguished young adults from children was not the ability toretain facts or apply prior knowledge to a newsituation but a quality they called"preparation for futurelearning."The researchers asked fifth graders and college students to create a recovery plan toprotectbald eagles from extinction. Shockingly, the two groups came up with plansof similar quality(although the college students had better spelling skills).From the standpoint of a traditionaleducator,this outcome indicated that schooling had failed to help students think about ecosystems andextinction, major scientificideas.The researchers decided to go deeper, however.They asked both groups to generate questionsabout important issues needed to create recovery plans.On this task,they found large differences.College students focused on critical issues of interdependence between eagles and their hab/tats ( 栖息地 ).Fifth graders tended to focus on features of individual eagles ( "How big are they?" and "What dotheyeat?" ).The college students had cultivated the ability to ask questions, thecornerstone of criticalthinking.They had learned how to learn.Museums and other institutions of informal learning may be better suited to teachthis skill than elementary and secondary schools.At the Exploratorium in San Francisco, we recently studied howlearning to ask good questions can affect thequality of people's scientific inquiry.We found that whenwe taught participants to ask "What if?"and "How can?" questions that nobody present would knowthe answer to and that would spark exploration, they engaged in betterinquiry at the next exhibit--asking more questions,performing more experiments and making better interpretations of their results.Specifically,their questions became more comprehensive at the new exhibit.Rather than merely askingabout something they wanted to try,they tended to include both cause and effect in their question.Asking juicy questions appears to be a transferable skill for deepening collaborativeinquiry into thescience content found in exhibits.This type of learning is not confined to museumsor institutional rmal learningenvironments tolerate failure better than schools.Perhaps many teachershave too little time to allowstudents to form and pursue their own questions andtoo much ground to cover in the curriculum.Butpeople must acquire this skill somewhere.Our society depends on them being able to make criticaldecisions abouttheir own medical treatment, say, or what we must do about global energy needsanddemands.For that,we have a robust informal learning system that gives no grades, takes all comers,and is available even on holidays and weekends.56.What is traditional educators'interpretation of the research outcome mentioned in the first paragraph ?A.Students are not able to apply prior knowledge to new problems.B.College students are no better than fifth graders in memorizing facts.cation has not paid enough attention to major environmental issues.cation has failed to lead students to think about major scientific ideas.57.In what way are college students different from children?A.They have learned to think critically.B.They are concerned about social issues.C.They are curious about specific features.D.They have learned to work independently.58.What is the benefit of asking questions with no ready answers?A.It arouses students' interest in things around them.B.It cultivates students' ability to make scientific inquiries.C.It trains students' ability to design scientific experiments.D.It helps students realize not every question has an answer.59.What is said to be the advantage of informal learning?A.It allows for failures.B.It is entertaining.C.It charges no tuition.D.It meets practical needs.60.What does the author seem to encourage educators to do at the end of the passage?A.Train students to think about global issues.B.Design more interactive classroom activities.C.Make full use of informal learning resources.D.Include collaborative inquiry in the curriculum.Passage TwoQuestions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage."There's an old saying in the space world:amateurs talk about technology, professionals talkabout insurance." In an interview last year with The Economist,George Whitesides,chief executive ofspace-tourism fu'm Virgin Galactic,was placing his company in the latter category.But insurance willbe cold comfort following the failure on October 31st of VSS Enterprise, resulting in the death of onepilot and the severe injury to another.On top of the tragic loss of life,the accident in California will cast a long shadow over the future of space tourism, even before it has properly begun.The notion of space tourism took hold in 2001 with a $ 20 million flight aboard a Russianspacecraft by Dennis Tito,a millionaire engineer with an adventurous streak.Just haft a dozen holiday-makers have reached orbit since then,for similarly astronomical price tags.But more recently,companies have begun to plan more affordable "suborbital" flights--briefer ventures just to the edge ofspace's vastdarkness.Virgin Galactic had, prior to this week's accident, seemed closest tostartingregular flights.The company has already taken deposits from around 800would-be space tourists,including Stephen Hawking.After being dogged by technical delays for years, Sir Richard Branson, VirginGalactic's founder,had recently suggested that a SpaceShipTwo craft would carry its first paying customers as soon asFebruary 2015.That now seems an impossible timeline. In July,a sister craft of the crashedspaceplane was reported to be about half-finished.The other half will have to walt,as authorities ofAmerica's Federal Aviation Administration(FAA.and National Transportation Safety Board work out:what went wrong.In the meantime, the entire space tourism industry will be on tenterhooks (坐立不安 ).The2004Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act,intended to encourage private space vehicles andservices, prohibits the transportation secretary (andthereby the FAA.from regulating the design oroperation of private spacecraft,unless they have resulted in a serious or fatal injury to crew or.passengers.That meansthat the FAA could suspend Virgin Galactic's licence to fly.It could also insiston checking private manned spacecraft as thoroughly as it does commercial aircraft.While that may:make suborbital travel safer,it would add significant cost and complexity to an emerging industry thathas until now operated largely as theplayground of billionaires and dreamy engineers.How Virgin Galactic,regulators and the public respond to this most recent tragedy will determinewhether and how soon private space travel can transcend that playground.There is no doubt that space flight entails risks, and to pioneer a new mode of travel is to face those risks,and to reduce them.with the benefit of hard-won experience.61.What is said about the failure of VSS Enterprise?A.It may lead to the bankruptcy of Virgin Galactic.B.It has a strong negative impact on space tourism.C.It may discourage rich people from space travel.D.It has aroused public attention to safety issues.62.What do we learn about the space-tourism firm Virgin Galactic?A.It has just built a craft for commercial flights.B.It has sent half a dozen passengers into space.C.It was about ready to start regular business.D.It is the first to launch "suborbital" flights.63.What is the purpose of the 2004 Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act?A.To ensure space travel safety.B.To limit the FAA's functions.C.To legalize private space explorations.D.To promote the space tourism industry.64.What might the FAA do after the recentaccident in California?A.Impose more rigid safety standards.B.Stop certifying new space-tourist agencies.C.Amend its 2004 Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act.D.Suspend Virgin Galactic's licence to take passengers into space.65.What does the author think of private space travel?A.It is worth promoting despite the risks involved.B.It should not be confined to the rich only.C.It should be strictly regulated.D.It is too risky to carry on.Part IV Translation(30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30minutes to translate a passage from Chinese intoEnglish.You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.在帮助国际社会于2030 年前消除极端贫困过程中，中国正扮演着越来越重要的角色。