大学英语六级历年真题阅读理解翻译(2010.6—2017.6)
历年英语6级真题翻译及答案(含2010年6月)
一、翻译命题原则和测试重点1. 汉译英题型2. 一般的短句翻译，内容日常，关键在正确用词、搭配、语法。
3. 实质为补全句子，考察语法结构和词组运用知识：句型、词组、单词拼写、大小写、标点符号等二、翻译原则与应试技巧1. 正确理解原文词义，正确选词，重点吃透原文例如：入世与否，对中国来讲，是一个面子问题。
The access to WTO, for China, is a question of dignity2. 注意词的搭配：重点是定语和中心词、动宾例如：1. 他整个下午都在忙着接电话。
He was busy answering the telephones all afternoon.2. 被告在法庭上承认了自己的罪行。
The accused confessed his crime in court.3. 具体翻译方法的运用（1）增译法：冠词、时态词、动态词、连词、概括词例如：a. 虚心使人进步，骄傲使人落后modesty helps one to go forward, while conceitmakes one lag behind.例如: b.谁都知道战场是艰苦的Everyone knows that life on battlefields is very hard.（2）减词法a：使之符合英文习惯，不能死译例如：中国足球的落后状态必须改变。
The (state/condition of) backwardness of the Chinesefootball must be changed.总结：汉语中的范畴词在英文中往往省略，用英文中相应的抽象名词翻译,常考范畴词为：谦虚态度：modesty 发展过程：development残暴行为：brutality 同情心理：sympathy悲伤情绪：sadness 无知表现：innocence稳定性： stability 灵敏度：sensibility防爆措施：anti-violence 同化作用：assimilation（3）转换词性：重点是动词派生词、介词和副词例如a：看到喷气式飞机令我非常向往。
2017年全国大学英语六级(CET6)考试真题及解析
2017年大学英语六级考试真题试卷及答案明确的目标是前进的动力。
只有确定了目标，才能朝着这个方向努力，下面是为大家搜索整理的2017年6月大学真题试卷及答案，希望大家能有所收获，更多精彩内容请及时关注我们!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.For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay explaining why it is unwise to judge a person by their appearance. You can give examples to illustrate your point. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.Section A2、Questions2-11 are based on the following passage.Fear can be an effective way to change behavior. One study compared the effects of high,卫fear and low-fear appeals on changes in attitudes and behaviors related to the dental hygiene(生).One group of subjects was shown awful pictures of(36)_____teeth and diseasedgums;another group was shown less frightening materials such as plastic teeth，charts，and graphs.Subjects who saw the frightening materials reported more anxiety and a greater(37)_____to change the way they took care of their teeth than the low-fear group did.But were these reactions actually(38)_____into better dental hygiene practices? To answer thisimportant question，subjects were called back to the laboratory on two(39)_____(five days and six weeks after the experiment..They chewed disclosing wafers(牙疾诊断片)that give a red stain to any uncleaned areas of the teeth and thus provided a direct(40)_____of how well they were really taking care of their teeth.The result showed that the high.fear appeal did actually，the subjects(42)_____to result in greater and more(41)_____changes in dental hygiene.That ishigh-fear warnings brushed their teeth more(43)_____than did those who saw low-fear warnings.However, to be all effective persuasive device it is very important that the message not be too frightening and that people be given(44)_____guidelines to help them to reduce the cause of ，they may reduce their anxiety by denying the message or thethe fear.If this isn’t done(45)_____of the communicator.If that happens，it is unlikely that either attitude or behavior change will occur.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
大学英语六级考试(CET6)历年阅读试题译文
大学英语六级考试(CET6)历年阅读试题译文历年六级试题阅读译文1999年1月六级试题译文Passage one译文很多美国人对有关食物的多数危险持极度歪曲、夸张的观点。
马萨诸塞—阿姆赫特大学食品科学及营养系主任佛卡斯·克拉斯代尔直率地说，如果被细菌污染的鸡肉的危险像一些人认为的那样大，“大街上就会到处躺满中毒的人。
”虽然公众越来越要求安全食品，但世界上没有这样的东西。
伯克利的加里福尼亚大学生物化学系主任布鲁斯·阿密兹指出，一棵植物中多达10%的重量是天然杀虫剂。
他说：“植物没有嘴和牙齿来保护自己，它们就使用化学战。
”许多自然生成的化学物质虽然量很小，但实验室化验却证明是强致癌物——可引起癌症的物质。
如果用食品添加剂的标准来衡量，蘑菇就会被禁止食用。
康乃尔大学的营养学家克利斯蒂娜·斯达克断言：“我们从食物中获得的天然化学物质比任何人造的东西都糟糕得多。
”然而问题并不那么简单。
尽管美国人没理由害怕坐在餐桌旁，但他们完全有理由要求食物和饮水安全有明显改进。
他们不知不觉地、不情愿地吸收了大量各种各样的危险化学物。
要是食物中已经含有天然致癌物，再加上几十种新的人造致癌物就不大明智了。
虽然大多数人能抵抗食物和水里的少量污染物，但至少一天少数人会因吃喝的东西而患癌症。
为使食物和供水质量更高，政府需提高管理标准，严格检查计划并强化执行政策。
食品工业应该修改某些人们长期接受的做法，或采用危险较小的做法。
最重要的也许是消费者将不得不学习如何正确处理和烹制食物。
需要解决从田间到加工场、再到厨房的整个食品供应过程中的全部问题。
Passage two译文有些地球现象可以预计，但有的人说磁场是个例外。
磁场的强度波动，并从轴开始移动，每隔几十万年经历一次奇异的两极转换——这期间北极变成南极，南极变成北极。
但磁场是怎么产生的?为什么如此不稳定?两位法国地球物理学家的开创性研究为揭示这一奥秘提供了一些线索。
2010.6—2007.12大学英语6级阅读真题答案解析(免费分享)
2010年6月大学英语六级考试阅读真题答案与详解PartⅡReading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)1.【答案】C)。
【定位】由题干中的Erin White和Barack Obama’s victory in the election定位到原文第一段第一句：As Erin White watched the election results head towards victory for Barack Obama, she felt a burden lifting from her shoulders.【精析】C）Relieved“如释重负”与句中提及的怀特的感受felt a burden lifting from her shoulders是同义转述，故C)为正确答案。
2.【答案】D)。
【定位】由题干中的Erin White和haunted by the question of whether定位到原文第二段第二句：But there had always been these things in the back of my mind questioning whether I really can be who I want.【精析】该句中been these things in the back of my mind questioning whether 与题干中been haunted by the question of whether对应，由此可推知一直困扰她的问题是whether I really can be who I want。
D)she could go as far as she wanted in life含义与之相符，故为正确答案。
3.【答案】B)。
【定位】由题干中的the focus of Ashby Plant’s study定位到原文第一个小标题下第一句：Ashby Plant is one of a number of psychologists who seized on Obama’s candidacy to test hypotheses about the power of role models.【精析】题干中的the focus是定位句中seized on...to的同义转述。
2017年6月大学英语六级考试真题及答案解析（共三套）
2017年6月大学英语六级考试真题及答案解析（共三套）2017年6月大学英语六级考试真题及答案解析（第一套）Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: Suppose you are asked to give advice on whether to attend a vocational college or a university, write an essay to state your opinion. You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.【参考范文】Whether to Attend a Vocational College or a University?It’s an undisputable truth that virtually all high school graduates will encounter the choices between a vocational college and a university. And when it comes to this question, students’ ideas are not cut from the same cloth. In point of which to choose and what to be taken into consideration, my advices are as follow.In the first place, we should be conscious of the fact that both of the two choices have its own superiorities. For instance, a vocational college specializes in cultivating human resources with practical capabilities; while a university serves as the cradle of academic researchers in different fields. Then it does follow that high school graduates should have a clear picture of themselves. That is to say, they should know their merits and demerits and their choices must give play to their strengths whilst circumvent weaknesses. In addition, interest is the best teacher and it’s also the premise of learning on one’s own initiative. Thus interest must be taken into account because it can not only decide how far one can reach academically and professionally but also how happy and fulfilled one will be.In brief, all above just goes to show that there really is noone-size-fits-all answer for the question. The key lies in a clear cognition, accurate self-positioning and the interest of oneself. Only then can every one find a right path that works best for us.Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear 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 line through the centre.Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.1. A) He would feel insulted. B) He would feel very sad.C) He would be embarrassed. D) He would be disappointed.【答案】A【解析】题目问如果男士在二手书店中发现了自己写的书，那么男士会感觉怎样。
历年英语六级阅读理解逐句翻译(DOC)
历年六级阅读理解逐句翻译一、There is nothing like the suggestion of a cancer risk to scare a parent, especially one of the over-educated, eco-conscious type.没有什么事情比有得癌症的迹象更让父母感到害怕的了，尤其对于受到过度教育、对生态环境敏感的那种人来说。
So you can imagine the reaction when a recent USA Today investigation of air quality around the nation’s schools singled out those in the smugly（自鸣得意的）green village of Berkeley, Calif., as being among the worst in the country.所以当《今日美国》在近期公布的一份全国范围内的学校周边空气质量调查中，把加州伯克利的绿色环保小镇列为全国最差时，你可以想象到那些自鸣得意的人的反应。
The city’s public high school, as well as a number of daycare centers, preschools, elementary and middle schools, fell in the lowest 10%. Industrial pollution in our town had supposedly turned students into living science experi ments breathing in a laboratory’s worth of heavy metals like manganese, chromium and nickel each day.该市的公立高中以及为数众多的日间看护中心、学前教育机构、小学和中学都在最差的10%之列。
(完整版)历年6级阅读真题(整理版)
历年英语六级阅读真题(2012,6---2006,12)2012 年12 月英语六级阅读真题(1) Passage OneAmid all the job losses of the Great Recession, there is one category of worker that the economic disruption has been good for: nonhumans.From self-service checkout lines at the supermarket to industrial robots armed with saws and taught to carve up animal carcasses in slaughter-houses, these ever-more-intelligent machines are now not just assisting workers but actually kicking them out of their jobs.Automation isn’t just affecti ng factory workers, either. Some law firms now use artificial intelligence software to scan and read mountains of legal documents, work that previously was performed by highly paid human lawyers.“Robots continue to have an impact on blue-collar jobs, and white-collar jobs are under attack by microprocessors,” says Edward Leamer, an economics professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast, a survey of the U.S. and California economies. Leamer says the recession permanently wiped out 2.5 million jobs. U.S. gross domestic product has climbedback to pre-recession levels, meaning we’re producing as much as before, only with 6 percent fewer workers. To be sure, robotics are not the only job killers out there, with outsourcing stealing far more gigs than automation.Jeff Burnstein, president of the Robotics Industry Association, a trade group in Ann Arbor, Mich., argues that robots actually save U.S. jobs. His logic: companies that embrace automation might use fewe r workers, but that’s still better than firing everyone and moving the work overseas.It’s not that robots are cheaper than humans, though often they are. It’s that they are better. “In some cases the quality requirements are so stringent that even if you wanted to have a human do the job, you couldn’t,” Burnstein says.Same goes for surgeons, who are using robotic systems to perform an ever-growing list of operations—not because the machines save money but because, thanks to the greater precision of robots, the patients recover in less time and have fewer complications, says Dr. Myriam Curet.Surgeons may survive the robot invasion, but others at the hospital might not be so lucky, as iRobot, maker of the Roomba, a robot vacuum cleaner, has been showing off Ava, a three-foot-tall droid on wheels that carries a tablet computer. iRobot reckons Ava could be used as a courier in a hospital.And once you’re home, recovering, Ava could let you talk to your doctor, so there’s no need to send someone to your h ouse. That “mobile telepresence” could be useful at the office. If you’re away on a trip, you can still attend a meeting. Just connect via videoconferencing software, so your face appears on Ava’s screen.Is any job safe? I was hoping to say “journalist,” but researchers are already developing algorithms that can gather facts and write a news story. Which means that a few years from now, a robot could be writing this column. And who will read it? Well, there might be a lot of us hanging around with lots of free time on our hands.(2) Passage TwoYou've now heard it so many times, you can probably repeat it in your sleep. President Obama will no doubt make the point publicly when he gets to Beijing: the Chinese need to spend more; they need to consume more; they need —believe it or not — to become more like Americans, for the sake of the global economy.And it's all true. But the other side of that equation is that the U.S. needs to save more. For the moment, American households actually are doing so. After the personal-savingsrate dipped to zero in 2005, the shock of the economic crisis last year prompted people to snap shut their wallets.In China, the household-savings rate exceeds 20%. It is partly for policy reasons. As we've seen, wage earners are expected to care for not only their children but also their aging parents. And there is, to date, only the flimsiest（脆弱的）of publicly-funded health care and pension systems, which increases incentives for individuals to save while they are working. But China is a society that has long esteemed personal financial prudence（谨慎）for centuries. There is no chance that will change anytime soon, even if the government creates a better social safety net and successfully encourages greater consumer spending.Why does the U.S. need to learn a little frugality(节俭). Because healthy savings rates are one of the surest indicators of a country's long-term financial health. High savings lead, over time, to increased investment, which in turn generates productivity gains, innovation and job growth. In short, savings are the seed corn of a good economic harvest.The U.S. government thus needs to act as well. By running constant deficits, it is dis-saving, even as households save more. Peter Orszag, Obama's Budget Director, recently called the U.S. budget deficits unsustainable and he's right. Todate, the U.S. has seemed unable to have what Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has called an "adult conversation" about the consequences of spending so much more than is taken in. That needs to change. And though Hu Jintao and the rest of the Chinese leadership aren't inclined to lecture visiting Presidents, he might gently hint that Beijing is getting a little nervous about the value of the dollar —which has fallen 15% since March, in large part because of increasing fears that America's debt load is becoming unmanageable.That's what happens when you're the world's biggest creditor: you get to drop hints like that, which would be enough by themselves to create international economic chaos if they were ever leaked. (Every time any official in Beijing deliberately publicly about seeking an alternative to the U.S. dollar for the $2.1 trillion China holds in reserve, currency traders have a heart attack.) If Americans saved more and spent less, consistently over time, they wouldn't have to worry about all that.2012 年6 月英语六级阅读真题(3)Passage OneAs anyone who has tried to lose weight knows, realisticgoal-setting generally produces the best results. That's partially because it appears people who set realistic goals actually work more efficiently, and exert more effort, to achieve those goals.What's far less understood by scientists, however, are the potentially harmful effects of goal-setting.Newspapers relay daily accounts of goal-setting prevalent in industries and businesses up and down both Wall Street and Main Street , yet there has been surprisingly little research on how the long-trumpeted practice of setting goals may have contributed to the current economic crisis , and unethical （不道德的）behavior in general.“Goals are widely used and promoted as having really beneficial effects. And yet, the same motivation that can push people to exert more effort in a constructive way could also motivate people to be more likely to engage in unethical behaviors,” says Maurice Schweitzer, an associate professor at Penn’s WhartonSchool.“It turns out there’s no economic benefit to just having a goal---you just get a psychological benefit” Schweitzer says.“But in many cases, go als have economic rewards that make them more powerful.”A prime example Schweitzer and his colleagues cite is the 2004 collapse of energy-trading giant Enron, where managers used financial incentives to motivate salesmen to meet specific revenue goals. The problem, Schweitzer says, is the actual trades were not profitable.Other studies have shown that saddling employees with unrealistic goals can compel them to lie, cheat or steal. Such was the case in the early 1990s when Sears imposed a sales quota on its auto repair staff. It prompted employees to overcharge for work and to complete unnecessary repairs on a companywide basis.Schweitzer concedes his research runs counter to a very large body of literature that commends the many benefits ofgoal-setting. Advocates of the practice have taken issue with his team’s use of such evidence as news accounts to support his conclusion that goal-setting is widely over-prescribedIn a rebuttal (反驳) paper, Dr. Edwin Lockewrites:“Goal-setting is not going away. Organizations cannot thrive without being focused on their desired end results anymore than an individual can thrive without goals to provide a sense of purpose.”But Schweitzer contends the “mounting causal evidence” linking goal-setting and harmful behavior should be studied to help spotlight issues that merit caution and further investigation. “Even a few negative effects could be so large that they outweigh many positive effects,” he says.“Goal-setting does help coordinate and motivate people. My idea would be to combine that with careful oversight, a strong organizational culture, and make sure the goals that you use are going to be constructive and not significantly harm the organization,” Schweitzer says.(4) Passage twoFor most of the 20th century, Asia asked itself what it could learn from the modern, innovating West. Now the question must be reversed. What can the West’s overly indebted and sluggish (经济滞长的) nations learn from a flourishing Asia?Just a few decades ago, Asia’s two giants were stagnati ng(停滞不前) under faulty economic ideologies. However, once China began embracing free-market reforms in the 1980s, followed by India in the 1990s, both countries achieved rapidgrowth. Crucially, as they opened up their markets, they balanced market economy with sensible government direction. As the Indian economist Amartya Sen has wisely said, “The invisible hand of the market has often relied heavily on the visible hand of government.”Contrast this middle path with America and Europe, which have each gone ideologically over-board in their own ways. Since the 1980s, America has been increasingly clinging to the ideology of uncontrolled free markets and dismissing the role of government---following Ronald Regan’s idea that “government is not the solution to o ur problem; governmentis the problem. “Of course, when the markets came crashing down in 2007, it was decisive government intervention that saved the day. Despite this fact, many Americans are still strongly opposed to “big government.”If Americans could only free themselves from their antigovernment doctrine, they would begin to see that the America’s problems are not insoluble. A few sensible federal measures could put the country back on the right path. A simple consumption tax of, say, 5% would significantly reduce the country’s huge government deficit without damaging productivity. A small gasoline tax would help freeAmerica from its dependence on oil imports and create incentives for green energy development. In the same way, a significant reduction of wasteful agricultural subsidies could also lower the deficit. But in order to take advantage of these common-sense solutions, Americans will have to put aside their own attachment to the idea of smaller government and less regulation. American politicians will have to develop the courage to follow what is taught in all American public-policy schools: that there are good taxes and bad taxes. Asian countries have embraced this wisdom, and have built sound long-term fiscal (财政的) policies as a result.Meanwhile, Europe has fallen prey to a different ideological trap: the belief that European governments would always have infinite resources and could continue borrowing as if there were no tomorrow. Unlike the Americans, who felt that the markets knew best, the Europeans failed to anticipate how the markets would react to their endless borrowing. Today, the European Union is creating a $580 billion fund to ward off sovereign collapse. This will buy the EU time, but it will not solve the bloc’s larger problem.2011 年12 月英语六级阅读真题(5) Passage OneQuestions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.What's the one word of advice a well-meaning professional would give to a recent college graduate? China"} India! Brazil! How about trade!When the Commerce Department reported last week that the trade deficit in June approached $50 billion, it set off a new round of economic doomsaying. Imports, which soared to $200.3 billion in the month, are subtracted in the calculation of gross domestic product. The larger the trade deficit, the smaller the GDP. Should such imbalances continue, pessimists say, they could contribute to slower growth.But there's another way of looking at the trade data. Over the past two years, the figures on imports and exports seem not to signal a double-dip recession – a renewed decline in the broad level of economic activity in the United States – but an economic expansion.The rising volume of trade – more goods and services shuttling in and out of the United States – is good news for many sectors. Companies engaged in shipping, trucking, rail freight, delivery,and logistics (物流) have all been reporting better than expected results. The rising numbers signify growing vitality in foreign markets – when we import more stuff, it puts more cash in the hands of people around the world, and U.S. exports are rising because more foreigners have the ability to buy the things we produce and market. The rising tide of trade is also good news for people who work in trade-sensitive businesses, especially those that produce commodities for which global demand sets the price – agricultural goods, mining, metals, oil.And while exports always seem to lag, U.S. companies are becoming more involved in the global economy with each passing month. General Motors sells as many cars in China as in America each month. While that may not do much for imports, it does help GM's balance sheet – and hence makes the jobs of U.S.-based executives more stable.One great challenge for the U.S. economy is slack domestic consumer demand. Americans arepaying down debt, saving more, and spending more carefully. That's to be expected, given what we've been through. But there's a bigger challenge. Can U.S.-based businesses, large and small, figure out how to get a piece of growing global demand? Unless you want to pick up and move to India, orBrazil, or China, the best way to do that is through trade. It may seem obvious, but it's no longer enough simply to do business with our friends and neighbors here at home.Companies and individuals who don't have a strategy to export more, or to get more involved in foreign markets, or to play a role in global trade, are shutting themselves out of the lion's share of economic opportunity in our world.(6) Passage TwoA recurring criticism of the UK's university sector is its perceived weakness in translating new knowledge into new products and services.Recently, the UK National Stem Cell Network warned the UK could lose its place among the world leaders in stem cell research unless adequate funding and legislation could be assured. We should take this concern seriously as universities are key in the national innovation system.However, we do have to challenge the unthinking complaint that the sector does not do enough in taking ideas to market. The most recent comparative data on the performance of universities and research institutions in Australia, Canada, USA and UKshows that, from a relatively weak starting position, the UK now leads on many indicators of commercialisation activity.When viewed at the national level, the policy interventions of the past decade have helped trans form the performance of UK universities. Evidence suggests the UK's position is much stronger than in the recent past and is still showing improvement. But national data masks the very large variation in the performance of individual universities. The evidence shows that a large number of universities have fallen off the back of the pack, a few perform strongly and the rest chase the leaders.This type of uneven distribution is not peculiar to the UK and is mirrored across other economies. In the UK, research is concentrated: less than 25% of universities receive 75% of the research funding. These same universities are also the institutions producing the greatest share of PhD graduates, science citations, patents and licence income. The effect of policies generating long-term resource concentration has also created a distinctive set of universities which areresearch-led and commercially active. It seems clear that the concentration of research and commercialisation work creates differences between universities.The core objective for universities which are research-led must be to maximise the impact oftheir research efforts. These universities should be generating the widest range of social, economic and environmental benefits. In return for the scale of investment, they should share their expertise in order to build greater confidence in the sector.Part of the economic recovery of the UK will be driven by the next generation of research commercialisation spilling out of our universities. There are three dozen universities in the UKwhich are actively engaged in advanced research training and commercialisation work.If there was a greater coordination of technology transfer offices within regions and a simultaneous investment in the scale and functions of our graduate schools, universities could, and should, play a key role in positioning the UK for the next growth cycle.2011 年6 月英语六级阅读真题(7) Passage OneQuestions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.At the heart of the debate over illegal immigration lies one key question: are immigrants good or bad for the economy? The American public overwhelmingly thinks they're bad. Yet the consensus among most economists is that immigration, both legal and illegal, provides a small net boost to the economy. Immigrants provide cheap labor, lower the prices of everything from farm produce to new homes, and leave consumers with a little more money in their pockets. So why is there such a discrepancy between the perception of immigrants' impact on the economy and the reality?There are a number of familiar theories. Some argue that people are anxious and feel threatened by an inflow of new workers. Others highlight the strain that undocumented immigrants place on public services, like schools, hospitals, and jails. Still others emphasize the role of race, arguing that foreigners add to the nation's fears and insecurities. There's some truth to all these explanations, but they aren't quite sufficient.To get a better understanding of what's going on, consider the way immigration's impact is felt. Though its overall effect may be positive, its costs and benefits are distributed unevenly. David Card, an economist at UC Berkeley, notesthat the ones who profit most directly from immigrants'low-cost labor are businesses and employers – meatpacking plants in Nebraska, for instance, or agricultural businesses in California. Granted, these producers' savings probably translate into lower prices at the grocery store, but how many consumers make that mental connection at the checkout counter? As for the drawbacks of illegal immigration, these, too, are concentrated. Native low-skilled workers suffer most from the competition of foreign labor. According to a study by George Borjas, a Harvard economist, immigration reduced the wages of American high-school dropouts by 9% between 1980-2000.Among high-skilled, better-educated employees, however, opposition was strongest in states with both high numbers of immigrants and relatively generous social services. What worried them most, in other words, was the fiscal (财政的)burden of immigration. That conclusion was reinforced by another finding: that their opposition appeared to soften when that fiscal burden decreased, as occurred with welfare reform in the 1990s, which curbed immigrants' access to certain benefits.The irony is that for all the overexcited debate, the net effect of immigration is minimal. Even for those most acutely affected – say, low-skilled workers, or California residents –the impact isn't all that dramatic. "The unpleasant voices have tended to dominate our perceptions," says Daniel Tichenor, a political science professor at the University of Oregon. "But when all those factors are put together and the economists calculate the numbers, it ends up being a net positive, but a small one." Too bad most people don't realize it.(8) Passage TwoPicture a typical MBA lecture theatre twenty years ago. In it the majority of students will have conformed to the standard model of the time: male, middle class and Western. Walk into a class today, however, and you'll get a completely different impression. For a start, you will now see plenty more women – the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, for example, boasts that 40% of its new enrolment is female. You will also see a wide range of ethnic groups and nationals of practically every country.It might be tempting, therefore, to think that the old barriers have been broken down and equal opportunity achieved. But,increasingly, this apparent diversity is becoming a mask for a new type of conformity. Behind the differences in sex, skin tones and mother tongues, there are common attitudes, expectations and ambitions which risk creating a set of clones among the business leaders of the future.Diversity, it seems, has not helped to address fundamental weaknesses in business leadership. So what can be done to create more effective managers of the commercial world? According to Valerie Gauthier, associate dean at HEC Paris, the key lies in the process by which MBA programmes recruit their students. At the moment candidates are selected on a fairly narrow set of criteria such as prior academic and career performance, and analytical and problem solving abilities. This is then coupled to a school's picture of what a diverse class should look like, with the result that passport, ethnic origin and sex can all become influencing factors. But schools rarely dig down to find out what really makes an applicant succeed, to create a class which also contains diversity of attitude and approach – arguably the only diversity that, in a business context, really matters.Professor Gauthier believes schools should not just be selecting candidates from traditional sectors such as banking,consultancy and industry. They should also be seeking individuals who have backgrounds in areas such as political science, the creative arts, history or philosophy, which will allow them to put business decisions into a wider context.Indeed, there does seem to be a demand for the more rounded leaders such diversity might create. A study by Mannaz, a leadership development company, suggests that, while the bully-boy chief executive of old may not have been eradicated completely, there is a definite shift in emphasis towards less tough styles of management – at least in America and Europe. Perhaps most significant, according to Mannaz, is the increasing interest large companies have in more collaborative management models, such as those prevalent in Scandinavia, which seek to integrate the hard and soft aspects of leadership and encourage delegated responsibility and accountability.2010 年12 月英语六级阅读真题(9) Passage OneIn the early 20th century, few things were more appealing than the promise of scientific knowledge. In aworld struggling with rapid industrialization, science and technology seemed to offer solutions to almost every problem. Newly created state colleges and universities devoted themselves almost entirely to scientific, technological, and engineering fields. Many Americans came to believe that scientific certainty could not only solve scientific problems, but also reform politics, government, and business. Two world wars and a Great Depression rocked the confidence of many people that scientific expertise alone could create a prosperous and ordered world. After World War Ⅱ, the academic world turned with new enthusiasm to humanistic studies, which seemed to many scholars the best way to ensure the survival of democracy. American scholars fanned out across much of the world—with support from the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright program, etc.—to promote the teaching of literature and the arts in an effort to make the case for democratic freedoms.In the America of our own time, the great educational challenge has become an effort to strengthen the teaching of what is now known as the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math). There isconsiderable and justified concern that the United States is falling behind much of the rest of the developed world in these essential disciplines. India, China, Japan, and other regions seem to be seizing technological leadership.At the same time, perhaps inevitably, the humanities—while still popular in elite colleges and universities—have experienced a significant decline. Humanistic disciplines are seriously underfunded, not just by the government and the foundations but by academic institutions themselves. Humanists are usually among the lowest-paid faculty members at most institutions and are often lightly regarded because they do not generate grant income and because they provide no obvious credentials (资质) for most nonacademic careers.Undoubtedly American education should train more scientists and engineers. Much of the concern among politicians about the state of American universities today is focused on the absence of “real world” education—which means preparation for professional and scientific careers. But the idea that institutions ortheir students must decide between humanities and science is false. Our society could not survive without scientific and technological knowledge. But we would be equally impoverished (贫困的) without humanistic knowledge as well. Science and technology teach us what we can do. Humanistic thinking helps us understand what we should do.It is almost impossible to imagine our society without thinking of the extraordinary achievements of scientists and engineers in building our complicated world. But try to imagine our world as well without the remarkable works that have defined our culture and values. We have always needed, and we still need, both.(10) Passage TwoWill there ever be another Einstein? This is the undercurrent of conversation at Einstein memorial meetings throughout the year. A new Einstein will emerge, scientists say. But it may take a long time. After all, more than 200 years separated Einstein from his nearest rival, Isaac Newton.Many physicists say the next Einstein hasn’t been born yet, or is a baby now. That’s because the quest for a unified theory that would account for all the forces of nature has pushed current mathematics to its limits. New math must be created before the problem can be solved.But researchers say there are many other factors working against another Einstein emerging anytime soon.For one thing, physics is a much different field today. In Einstein’s day, there were only a few thousand physicists worldwide, and the theoreticians who could intellectually rival Einstein probably would fit into a streetcar with seats to spare.Education is different, too. One crucial aspect of Einstein’s training that is overlooked is the years of philosophy he read as a teenager—Kant, Schopenhauer and Spinoza, among others. It taught him how to think independently and abstractly about space and time, and it wasn’t long before he became a philosopher himself.“The independence created by philosophical insight is—in my opinion—the mark of distinction between a mere artisan (工匠) or specialist and a real seeker after。
历年大学英语六级考试阅读理解题汇编备考2017年6月大学英语六级——阅读理解
历年大学英语六级考试阅读真题备考2017年6月大学英语六级考试（阅读理解）Reading Comprehension 2015.12-1Section AAs 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 26to the late-nighter,from 24-hour grocery stores to online shopping sites that never close.It's no surprise,then,that more than half of American adults don't get the 7to 9hours of shut-eye every night as 27by sleep experts.Whether or not we can catch up on sleep——on the weekend,say--is a hotly 28topic among sleep researchers.The latest evidence suggests that while it isn't 29,it might help.When Liu,the UCLA sleep researcher and professor of medicine,brought 30sleep-restricted people into the lab for a weekend of sleep during which they logged about 10hours per night,they showed 31in the ability of insulin (胰岛素)to process blood sugar.That suggests that catch-up sleep may undo some but not all of the damage that sleep 32causes,which is encouraging given how many adults don't get the hours they need each night.Still,Liu isn't 33to endorse the habit of sleeping less and making up for it later.Sleeping pills,while helpful for some,are not 34an effective remedy either."A sleeping pill will 35one 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 of the brain to go through the different stages of sleep,"says Dr.Nancy Collop,director of the Emory University Sleep Center.A)alternatively E)deprivation I)negotiated M)recommended B)caters F)ideal J)pierce N)surpasses C)chronically G)improvements K)presumption O)target D)debated H)necessarily L)ready Section B 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 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 neighbour's trip to India.Ultimately,we can't be bothered to change our attitude.Fortunately for the planet,social science and behavioural economics may be able to do that for us.[B]Despite mournful polar bears and charts showing carbon emissions soaring,most people find it hard to believe that global warming will affect them personally.Recent polls by the Pew Research Centre in Washington,DC,found that 75-80per 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 defence mechanisms,"says Tom Crompton,change strategist for the environmental organisation World Wide Fund for Nature.[D]Part of the fault lies with our inner caveman.Evolution has programmed humans to pay most attention 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 ofthe 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 Rnshworth,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 be 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 rational 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 that environmental 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 Nell 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 behaviour 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 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 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 usage on people's bills.[L]Social science can also teach politicians how to avoid our collective capacity for serf-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 be energy-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 of1,100action 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 you get the psychology right--in this case,by matching her enthusiasm for the environment with a fondness for organising groups."I think it's a terrific idea,"she says of the campaign."The union backing it makes members think there mustbe something in it."She is expecting up to20people 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 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 society networks in the UK,"he says.The"Love Food,Hate Waste"campaign entered into a collaboration last year with another such network--the Women's Institute.Londoner Rachel Taylor 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$10million a year to studying energy-related behaviour.In the UK,new studies are in development and social scientists are regularly spotted in British government offices.With the help of psychologists,there is fresh hope that he might go green after all.36.When people find they are powerless to change a situation,they tend to live with it.37.To be effective,environmental messages should be carefully framed.38.It is the government's responsibility to persuade people into making environment-friendly decisions.39.Politicians are beginning to realize the importance of enlisting psychologists'help in fighting climate change.40.To find effective solutions to climate change,it is necessary to understand what motivates people to make change.41.In their evolution,humans have learned to pay attention to the most urgent issues instead of long-term concerns.42.One study shows that our neighbours'actions are influential in changing our behaviour.43.Despite clear signs of global warming,it is not easy for most people to believe climate change will affect their own lives.44.We should take our future into consideration in making decisions concerning climate change before it is too late.45.Existing social networks can be more effective in creating change in people's behaviour. Section CPassage 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 had 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 needed 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 thanelementary 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.Asldng 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 rmal 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.46.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.C)Education has not paid enough attention to major environmental issues.D)Education has failed to lead students to think about major scientific ideas.47.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.48.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.49.What is said to be the advantage of informal learning?A)It allows for failures.C)It charges no tuition.B)It is entertaining.D)It meets practical needs.50.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 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 on October 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 2001with a $20million 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 closest to starting regular 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,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 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 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 licence to fly.It could also insist on 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 that has 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 determine whether 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.51.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.52.What do we learn about the space-tourism firm Virgin Galactic?A)It has just built a craft for commercial flights.C)It was about ready to start regular business.B)It has sent half a dozen passengers into space.D)It is the first to launch "suborbital"flights.53.What is the purpose of the 2004Commercial 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.54.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 2004Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act.D)Suspend Virgin Galactic's licence to take passengers into space.55.What does the author think of private space travel?A)It is worth promoting despite the risks involved C)It should be strictly regulated.B)It should not be confined to the rich only.D)It is too risky to carry on.2015.12-2Section A 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 behavioral disorders in children.The developing brain,the report says,is particularly 36to the toxic effects of certain chemicals these products may contain,and the damage they cause can be 37.The official policy,however,is still evolving.Health and environmental 38have long urged ernment agencies to 39the use of some of the 11chemicals the report cites and called for more studies on their long-term effects.In 2001,for example,the Environmental Protection Agency 40thetype and amount of lead that could be present in paint and soil in homes and child-care 41,after concerns were raised about lead poisoning.The agency is now 42the toxic effects of some of the chemicals in the latest report.But the threshold for regulation is high.Because children's brain and behavioral disorders,like hyperactivity and lower grades,can also be linked to social and genetic factors,it's tough to pin them on exposure to specific chemicals with solid 43evidence,which is what the EPA requires.Even the Harvard study did not prove a direct 44but noted strong associations between exposure and risk of behavioral issues.Nonetheless,it's smart to 45caution.While it may be impossible to prevent kids from drinking tap water that may contain trace amounts of chemicals,keeping kids away from lawns recently sprayed with chemicals and freshly dry-cleaned clothes can't hurt.A.advocates pact C.correlation D.exercise E.facilities F.interaction G.investigating H.overwhelmed I.particles J.permanent K.restricted L.simulating M.statistical N.tighten O.vulnerable Section B [A ]Politicians are fond of promising rapid energy transitions.Whether it is a transition from imported to domestic oil or from coal-powered electricity production to natural-gas power plants,politicians love to talk big.Unfortunately for them (and often the taxpayers),our energy systems are a bit like 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 ),and they have a lot of momentum once they are set in motion.No matter how hard you try,you can't turn 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 of energy systems:inertia and momentum.Inertia is the resistance of objects to efforts to change their state of motion.If you try to push a boulder (大圆石),it pushes you back.Once you have started 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 only of 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 lightbulb,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 shift30percent of our electricity supply from,say,coal to nuclear power in20years.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 being laid 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 between40and60years.Some coal power plants in the United States have operated for more than70years!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 in1898.[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 unprecedented manner."[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 C Passage One 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 been freed 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 2001study 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 are thought 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.To 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 $37,000a 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 38.5percent 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?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.。
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2010 年6 月六级真题Passage One发达国家中只有两个国家不能保证提供用于照料新生儿的带薪休假。
去年春天，这两个国家中的一个——澳大利亚——放弃了这种令人质疑的殊荣，建立了自2011 年起开始实施的带薪家庭休假制。
在美国这并没有成为新闻，我并不感到意外——现在我们是唯一没有这项政策的富有国家。
美国确实有一个明确的家庭政策，这就是于1993 年通过的《家庭和医疗休假法》。
它规定要照料新生儿或处理家庭医疗问题的工人有资格享受时间长达12 个星期的不带薪休假。
尽管此法案带来的利益不明显，但当时商务部和其他一些商业团体都极力反对，称其为“政府负责的人事管理”和“危险的先例”。
事实上，民主党领袖一直都致力于将能促进工作与家庭关系平衡的措施形成法律条文，但每一次的努力都遭到了商业团体的强烈反对。
正如耶鲁大学法学教授Anne Alstott 所辩解的那样，要肯定父母关爱的作用就要将家庭定义为一种社会商品，从某种意义上讲，社会要为此埋单。
在她的书《无路可走：父母对孩子的亏欠以及社会对家长的亏欠》中，她认为父母在生活的多个方面都肩负重担：在谈到孩子的话题时，父母们“无路可走”：“社会希望也需要家长们能不间断地照看好他们的孩子，而且是人类用以开发智力、培养情感和树立道德的那种深度的、亲密无间的照看。
社会还希望并需要父母们能坚守这一角色，18 年如一日，如有必要，甚至还可以更长。
”大部分父母出于爱都会照顾孩子，不照顾孩子的父母则会受到公众的处罚。
换句话说，父母们所做的一切都是这个国家所密切关注的问题，原因很明显，照顾孩子不仅从道德上来说是迫切的而且对这个社会的未来至关重要。
国家在大多数保障儿童福利的家庭法律中都认可了这一点，而父母们在履行社会所强加给他们的、会改变其命运的义务时得到的帮助却甚少。
把养育孩子视为个人选择、集体没有责任的做法不仅仅忽视了良好家庭教育所产生的社会效益，而且会抹杀这部分社会效益，因为当今天的孩子成为明天的具有生产力的公民时这部分社会效益会属于整个社会。
实际上，据估计父母对孩子投入的价值，包括时间和金钱的投入（包括失去的薪水）相当于国内生产总值的20%—30%。
如果这些投入能够产生巨大的社会效益——很明显能产生——那么为家庭提供更多的社会支持所带来的效益将会更加显而易见。
Passage Two塔夫茨大学公民学习和参与信息研究中心(CIRCLE)一份新的调查显示，现在有比以前更多的年轻人参与投票选举，美国发展中心2008 年的一份调查也表明越来越多的年轻选民和活动家开始支持传统的自由事业。
但要看出这些调查数字在现实生活中的意义并非易事。
在总统竞选期间，巴拉克·奥巴马以希望和改变为宣传口号组成了不同种族之间和不同意识形态之间人们的联盟。
当新一届政府执政下的现实生活步入正轨的时候，有些支持者可能会大失所望。
随着国家进一步走入奥巴马执政时代，参与政治的年轻人是会继续支持奥巴马及其施政议程还是会渐行渐远？“O（奥巴马的简称）一代”是《新闻周刊》新开的一个博客，致力于记录那些支持奥巴马的年轻人的生活。
“O 一代”的作者们想就上面的问题做出回答。
未来的三个月，Michelle Kremer 和其他11 位年龄从19 岁到34 岁不等的奥巴马支持者将会用博客来记录美国社会的主流生活，一个不同之处在于：通过将他们所有的观点和经历与新任总统及其领导下的政府紧密结合，这些博客作者试图开启一场对话，探讨在当今美国，年轻并且在政治方面活跃到底意味着什么。
24 岁的Malena Amusa 是该博客的一位作者，也是来自圣路易斯的一位舞者，她将这一项目看做是即时记录历史的一种方式。
Amusa 今年春天为了完成其著作前往印度，后来又去塞内加尔教授英语，她和她的朋友一直在谈论奥巴马当政会如何改变他们的日常生活，她希望把其中的一些观点和她的全球性视角写到帖子里。
她很兴奋，要看清楚世界，“我不必等上15 年”，她这样解释说。
Henry Flores 是圣玛丽大学的政治学教授，他将年轻一代的政治力量归因于他们对科技的拥护。
“网络使他们接触到更多的思想，”他说，“不同地区想法相同的人们就会聚到一起。
”这正是“O 一代”博主们所期待的事情。
结果可能会出现一群年轻人，就像他们在二战后生育高峰期出生的父母一样，伴随一种强烈的目的感而成长，他们也会改变此前从“X 一代”人身上所继承下来的冷漠形象。
由一群普通但有抱负的年轻人来管理博客是个不小的挑战，但“O 一代”的成员能胜任这项任务。
2010 年12 月六级真题Passage One在20 世纪初，没有什么能比科学知识所预示的前景更有吸引力了。
在一个力争高速工业化的世界里，科技似乎能为任何问题找到解决办法。
新成立的州立高校几乎都不遗余力地投入到科学、技术和工程领域。
许多美国人开始相信，科学上确定无疑的事不但能解决科学问题，还能改革政治、政府和商业。
两次世界大战和一次经济大萧条动摇了很多人对于仅靠科学知识就能创造一个繁荣而有序的世界的信心。
二战以后，学术界对人文研究产生了新的热情，对于很多学者来说，这可能是最好的保证民主生存的方法。
美国学者——在福特基金会和富布莱特奖学金等的支持下——分散到世界的很多地方，促进文学和艺术教学，以便为民主自由提供理据。
在当今的美国，教育面临的极大的挑战是努力加强现在我们所知的主干学科（科学、技术、工程学和数学）的教学。
现在存在着一种相当大的、十分合理的担心就是，美国在这些基础学科上落后于很多其他发达国家。
印度、中国、日本以及其他地区似乎正占据着技术领先优势。
与此同时，人文学科——尽管在精英高校还很流行——似乎正不可避免地经历着巨大的衰退。
人文学科资金投入严重不足，不仅是政府和各基金会投入不足，各学术机构本身对其投入也不足。
在大多数院校，人文学科教职员的收入通常处于最低的行列之中，而且常常也不被重视，因为他们不能带来经费收益，也不能给大多数非学术的职业提供显而易见的资质。
毫无疑问，美国教育应该培养更多的科学家和工程师。
政客们有关美国大学状况的担忧多集中于“真实世界”教育的缺失——就是说，为专业和科技职业生涯所做的准备。
但是高校和学生必须在人文学科和科学之间做一个选择的观点是错误的。
没有科技知识，我们的社会不能生存，但是没有人文知识我们同样会贫困。
科技让我们明白我们能做什么，人文思想则会帮助我们明白我们应该做什么。
如果不考虑科学家和工程师们建造我们这个缤纷世界的丰功伟绩，很难想象我们的社会会是什么样子。
但是也请试着想象一下，如果没有定义我们的文化和价值的伟大著作，我们的世界将会是什么样子。
对于这两样东西，我们曾经一直很需要，我们将还会需要。
Passage Two还会有另一个爱因斯坦吗？这是在一整年的爱因斯坦纪念会上暗流涌动的话题。
科学家说新的爱因斯坦即将出现，但是可能需要很长的时间。
毕竟，爱因斯坦和他最接近的抗衡者艾萨克·牛顿的时间间隔是200 多年呢。
很多物理学家说，下一个爱因斯坦还没有降生，或者现在还是个婴儿。
这是因为对一个能够解析所有自然力量的统一理论的要求已经将现在的数学推向了极限。
在这个问题解决之前，必须有新的数学出现。
但是研究人员说，有很多其他因素会阻碍另一个爱因斯坦的马上出现。
其一是，现在的物理学界已是今非昔比了。
在爱因斯坦的时代，全世界物理学家区区几千人，那些在智力上能与爱因斯坦不相上下的理论家也是屈指可数，连一辆有轨电车都装不满。
教育也不相同。
爱因斯坦所受的教育中被忽视的一个重要的方面是他十几岁时读了几年哲学方面的书籍——其中有康德、叔本华和斯宾诺莎的书。
哲学教给他如何去独立和抽象地思考时间和空间，很快他自己也成为了一名哲学家。
“在我看来，哲学洞察力产生的独立性就是区别一个纯粹的工匠或者专家与一个真正的真理追求者的标志，”爱因斯坦在1944 年写道。
他还是一名很有造诣的音乐家。
音乐和数学之间的相互作用是众所周知的。
爱因斯坦经常在疯狂地拉小提琴的过程中思考一个很难解决的物理问题。
如今，大学造就出数百万名物理学家，科学方面没有给他们很多工作，于是他们走向了华尔街和硅谷，把分析能力用于更实际、更有回报的事情上。
“也许今天有一个爱因斯坦，”哥伦比亚大学物理学家Brian Greene 说，“但是对他来说，为人所知却是更困难的事。
”尤其是考虑到爱因斯坦当时提出的理论。
“时间和空间的实际构造是弯曲的？天哪，多么奇特的想法！”格林近期在阿斯本研究所的一次集会上说道，“它会让一种人冥思苦想，因为他相信他会找到解决办法。
”或许最好的例子是爱因斯坦在他的“奇迹年”1905 年写下的五篇论文。
这些“思想实验”是一页一页的计算，是由一名当时很不出名的人物署名投给了著名的期刊《物理学年鉴》。
里面没有注释，也没有引用。
如果是现在，这样的一份投稿会怎样？“我们收到很多这样的论文邮件，”格林说，“我们都把它们放进垃圾邮件里。
”Passage One在关于非法移民争论的中心有一个关键的问题，即移民对经济有利还是有弊？多数美国公众认为移民是有害的。
而多数经济学家则一致认为，无论是非法移民还是合法移民，对经济都有小幅的净推动作用。
移民提供了廉价劳动力，降低了从农产品到新房的各种物价，使得消费者口袋里可以多存一点钱。
那么，在人们关于移民对经济的作用的观念及事实之间为什么会存在这样的分歧呢？有很多我们熟悉的说法。
有些人争论说，面对新的劳动力的涌入，人们会感到焦虑与受到威胁。
也有些人强调无证移民对学校、医院、监狱等公共设施造成的压力。
还有一些人强调种族的作用，辩解说外来者增加了民族的恐惧和不安。
这些辩解都有一定道理，但并不能充分证明移民对经济就是有害的。
为了更好地了解这个问题，可以想想人们是怎样感受移民的影响的。
虽然总的说来它的影响是积极的，但其利弊对于每个人来说并不是平均分配的。
David Card 是加州大学伯克利分校的一名经济学家。
他发现直接从移民提供的廉价劳动力中获益最大的是一些企业及雇主，例如，内布拉斯加州的肉类加工厂或者加利福尼亚州的农业企业。
毫无疑问，生产商节省的部分可能会转变成杂货店里低廉的商品价格。
但有多少消费者在结账时能想到这一点呢？受到非法移民的弊端的影响的人也集中于某一群体。
外国劳力的竞争对本土低技术工人的影响最大。
据哈佛大学经济学家George Borjas 的一项调查研究显示，从1980 年到2000 年，移民使美国高中辍学者的工资降低了9%。
然而，对于高技术、受教育水平较高的雇员，在拥有最多移民而且社会服务较好的一些州的反对之声是最强烈的。
换句话说，最让他们担心的是移民带来的财政负担。
此结论通过另一个发现得到了强化：当财政负担减轻时他们的反对似乎也就缓和一些。
20 世纪90 年代福利改革限制了移民享受某些福利后就是这样。