2014年12月大学英语六级长篇阅读匹配1
2014年12月大学英语六级备考长篇阅读练习1
2014年12月大学英语六级备考长篇阅读练习1EarthquakesA) An earthquake is one of the most terrifying phenomena that nature can dish up. We generally think of the ground we stand on as “rock-solid”and completely stable. An earthquake can shatter (粉碎)that perception instantly, and often with extreme violence.B) Up until relatively recently, scientists only had unproven guesses as to what actually caused earthquakes. Even today there is still a certain amount of mystery surrounding them, but scientists have a much clearer understanding. There has been enormous progress in the past century. Scientists have identified the forces that cause earthquakes, and developed technology that can tell us an earthquake"s magnitude and origin. The next hurdle is to find a way of predicting earthquakes, so they don’t catch people by surprise. In this article, we’ll find out what causes earthquakes, and we’ll also find out why they can have such a devastating effec t on us.C) An earthquake is a vibration(震动)that travels through the earth’s crust. Technically, a large truck that rumbles down the street is causing a mini-earthquake, if you feel your house shaking as it goes by; but we tend to think of earthquakes as events that affect a fairly large area, such as an entire city. All kinds of things can cause earthquakes: volcanic eruptions, meteor(流星)impacts, underground explosions (an underground nuclear test, for example), collapsing structures (such as a collapsing mine). But the majority of naturally-occurring earthquakes are caused by movements of the earth’s plates.D) We only hear about earthquakes in the news every once in a while, but they are actually an everyday occurrence on our planet. According to the United States Geological Survey, more than 3 million earthquakes occur every year. That’s about 8,000 a day, or one every 11 seconds! The vast majority of these 3 million quakes are extremely weak. The law of probability also causes a good number of stronger quakes to happen in uninhabited places where no one feels them. It is the big quakes that occur in highly populated areas that get our attention.E) Earthquakes have caused a great deal of property damage over the years, and they have claimed many lives. In the last hundred years alone, there have been more than 1.5 million earthquake-related fatalities. Usually, it’s not the shaking ground itself that claims lives; it’s the associated destruction of man-made structures and other natural disasters it causes, such as tsunamis, avalanches (雪崩)and landslides.F) The biggest scientific breakthrough in the history of seismology—the study of earthquakes—came in the middle of the 20th century, with the development of the theory of plate tectonics(筑造学).Scientists proposed the idea of plate tectonics to explain a number of peculiar phenomena on earth, such as the apparent movement of continents over time, the clustering of volcanic activity in certain areas and the presence of huge ridges at the bottom of the ocean.G) The basic theory is that the surface layer of the earth—the lithosphere—is comprised ofmany plates that slide over the lubricating (润滑的)asthenosphere layer. At the boundaries between these huge plates of soil and rock, three different things can happen.H) Plates can move apart. If two plates are moving apart from each other, hot, molten rock flows up from the layers of mantle below the lithosphere. This magma (岩浆) comes out on the surface (mostly at the bottom of the ocean), where it is called lava (熔岩).As the lava cools, it hardens to form new lithosphere material, filling in the gap. This is called a divergent plate boundary.I) Plates can push together. If the two plates are moving toward each other, one plate typically pushes under the other one. This plate below sinks into the lower mantle layers, where it melts. At some boundaries where two plates meet, neither plate is in a position to push under the other, so they both push against each other to form mountains. The lines where plates push toward each other are called convergent plate boundaries.J) Plates slide against each other. At other boundaries, plates simply slide by each other—one moves north and one moves south, for example. While the plates don’t drift directly into each other at these transform boundaries, they are pushed tightly together. A great deal of tension builds at the boundary.K) We understand earthquakes a lot better than we did even 50 years ago, but we still can’t do much about them. They are caused by fundamental, powerful geological processes that are far beyond our control. These processes are also fairly unpredictable, so it’s not possible at this time to tell people exactly when an earthquake is going to occur. The first detected earthquake waves will tell us that more powerful vibrations are on their way, but this only gives us a few minutes’ warning, at most.L) So what can we do about earthquakes? The major advances over the past 50 years have been in preparedness, particularly in the field of construction engineering. In 1973, the Uniform Building Code, an international set of standards for building construction,7 added7 specifications7 to7 strengthen7 buildings7 against7 the7 force7 of7 earthquake7 waves.7 This7 includes7 strengthening7 support7 material7 as7 well7 as7 designing buildings so they are flexible enough to absorb vibrations without falling or deteriorating. It’s very important to design structures that can undergo this sort of attack, particularly in earthquake -prone areas.M) Another component of preparedness is educating the public. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and other government agencies have produced several brochures explaining the processes involved in an earthquake and giving instructions on how to prepare your house for a possible earthquake, as well as what to do when a quake hits.N) In the future, improvements in prediction and preparedness should further minimize the loss of life and property associated with earthquakes. But it will be a long time, if ever, before we’ll be ready for every substantial earthquake that might occur. Just like severe weather and disease, earthquakes are an unavoidable force generated by the powerful natural processes that shapeour planet. All we can do is increase our understanding of the phenomenon and develop better ways to deal with it.1. Earthquake-related fatalities are usually caused by buildings，collapse and other ensuing natural disasters, not by the shaking ground itself.2. Besides movements of the earth’s plates, other forces such as volcanic eruptions, meteor impacts and so on, can also cause earthquakes.3. Earthquakes actually occur every day; most of them are not big enough to get our attention.4. People generally think the ground beneath their feet is completely stable, but earthquakes shatter that idea in no time.5. We cannot prevent earthquakes but we can actively find better ways to face them.6. Earthquakes are hardly predictable, and people cannot be told when an earthquake is going to occur.7. Scientists have found out forces that cause earthquakes through years of efforts.8. Architects now have designed flexible buildings to minimize the damages of earthquakes.9. Scientists use the theory of plate tectonics to explain the apparent movement of continents over time.10. The convergent plate boundaries refer to the lines where plates push toward each other.答案：ECDAN KBLFI。
2014年12月6级真题三套(阅读和翻译部分)含答案
2014年12月6级第一套Part IIIReading comprehensionSection AQuestions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.His future subjects have not always treated the Prince of Wales with the respect one might expect. They laughed aloud in 1986 when the heir to the British (36) ________ told a TV reporter that he talked to his plants at his country house, Highgrove, to stimulate their growth. The Prince was being humorous—“My sense of humor will get me into trouble one day,”he said to the aides (随从)—but listening to Charles Windsor can indeed prove stimulating. The royal (37)________ that been promoting radical ideas for most of his adult life, some of his (38) _________ which once sounded a hit weird were simply ahead of their time. Now, finally, the world seems to be catching up with him.Take his views on farming. Prince Charles’ Duchy Home Farm went (39) ___________ back to 1996.when most shoppers cared only about the low price tag on suspiciously blemish-free(无瑕疵的)V egetables and (40) __________ large chickens piled high in supermarkets.His warnings on climate change proved farsighted; too Charles began (41) _________ action on global warming in 1990 and says he has been worried about the (42) ____________ of man on the environment since he was a teenager.Although he has gradually gained international (43) __________ as one of the a world’s leading conservationists, many British people still think of him as an (44) ____________ person who talks to plants This year, as it happens, South Korean scientists proved that plants really do (45) __________ to sound. So Charles was ahead of the game there, too.A. conformB. eccentricC. environmentalistD. expeditionsE. impactF. notionsG. organicH. originallyI. recognition J. respond K. subordinate L. suppressingM. throne N. unnaturally O. urgingSection BShould Single-Sex Education Be Eliminated?[A] Why is a neuroscientist here debating single-sex schooling? Honestly, I had no fixed ideas on the topic when I started researching it for my book, Pink Brain, Blue Brain. But any discussion of gender differences in children inevitably leads to this debate, so I felt compelled to dive into the research data on single-sex schooling. I read every study I could, weighed the existing evidence, and ultimately concluded that single-sex education is not the answer to gender gaps in achievement—or the best way forward for today’s young people. After my book was published, I met several developmental and cognitive psychologists whose work was addressing gender and education from different angles, and we published a peer-reviewed Education Forum piece in Science magazine with the provocative title, “The Pseudoscience of Single-Sex Education.”[B] We showed that three lines of research used to justify single-sex schooling—educational, neuroscience, and social psychology—all fail to support its alleged benefits, and so the widely-held view that gender separation is somehow better for boys, girls, or both is nothing more than a myth.The Research on Academic Outcomes[C] First, we reviewed the extensive educational research that has compared academic outcomes in students attending single-sex versus coeducational schools. The overwhelming conclusion when you put this enormous literature together is that there is no clear academic advantage of sitting in all-female or all-male classes, in spite of much popular belief to the contrary. I base this conclusion not on any individual study, but on large-scale and systematic reviews of thousands of studies conducted in every major English-speaking country.[D] Of course, there’re many excellent single-sex schools out there, but as these careful research reviews have demonstrated, it’s not their single-sex composition that makes them excellent. It’s all the other advantages that are typically packed into such schools, such as financial resources, quality of the faculty, and pro-academic culture, along with the family background and pre-selected ability of the students themselves that determine their outcomes.[E] A case in point is the study by Linda Sax at UCLA, who used data from a large national survey of college freshmen to evaluate the effect of single-sex versus coeducational high schools. Commissioned by the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, the raw findings look pretty good for the funders —higher SAT scores and a stronger academic orientation among women who had attended all girls’ high schools (men weren’t studied). However, once the researchers controlled for both student and school attributes—measures such as family income, parents’ education, and school resources—most of these effects were erased or diminished.[F] When it comes to boys in particular, the data show that single-sex education is distinctly unhelpful for them. Among the minority of studies that have reported advantages of single-sex schooling, virtually all of them were studies of girls. There’re no rigorous studies in the United States that find single-sex schooling is better for boys, and in fact, a separate line of research by economists has shown both boys and girls exhibit greater cognitive growth over the school year based on the “dose” of girls in a classroom. In fact, boys benefit even more than girls from having larger numbers of female classmates. So single-sex schooling is really not the answer to the current “boy crisis” in education.Brain and Cognitive Development[G] The second line of research often used to justify single-sex education falls squarely within my area of expertise: brain and cognitive development. I t’s been more than a decade now since the “brain sex movement ” began infiltrating (渗入) our schools, and there are literally hundreds of schools caught up in the fad (新潮). Public schools in Wisconsin, Indiana, Florida and many other states now proudly declare on their websites that they separate boys and girls because “research solidly indicates that boys and girls learn differently,”due to “hard-wired”differences in their brains, eyes, ears, autonomic nervous systems, and more.[H] All of these statements can be traced to just a few would-be neuroscientists, especially physician Leonard Sax and therapist Michael Gurian. Each gives lectures, runs conferences, and does a lot of professional development on so-called “gender-specific learning.”I analyzed their various claims about sex differences in hearing, vision, language, math, stress responses, and “learning styles”in my book and along peer-reviewed paper. Other neuroscientists and psychologists have similarly exposed their work. In short, the mechanisms by which our brains learn language, math, physics, and every other subject don’t differ between boys and girls. Of course, learning does vary a lot between individual students, but research reliably shows that this variance is far greater within populations of boys or girls than between the two sexes.[I] The equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits separation of students by sex in public education that’s based on precisely this kind of “overbroad generalizations about the different talents, capacities, or preferences of males and females.” And the reason it is prohibited is because it leads far too easily to stereotyping and sex discrimination.Social Developmental Psychology[J] That brings me to the third area of research which fails to support single-sex schooling and indeed suggests the practice is actually harmful: social-developmental psychology.[K] It’s a well-proven finding in social psychology that segregation promotes stereotyping and prejudice, whereas intergroup contact reduces them—and the results are the same whether you divide groups by race, age, gender, body mass index, sexual orientation, or any other category. What’s more, children are especially vulnerable to this kind of bias, because they are dependent on adults for learning which social categories are important and why we divide people into different groups.[L] You don’t have to look far to find evidence of stereotyping and sex discrimination in single-sex schools. There was the failed single-sex experiment in California, where six school districts used generous state grants to set up separate boys’ and girls’ academies in the late 1990s. Once boys and girls were segregated, teachers resorted to traditional gender stereotypes to run their classes, and within just three years, five of the six districts had gone back to coeducation. [M] At the same time, researchers are increasingly discovering benefits of gender interaction in youth. A large British study found that children with other-sex older siblings(兄弟姐妹) exhibit less stereotypical play than children with same-sex older siblings, such as girls who like sports and building toys and boys who like art and dramatic play. Another study of high school social networks found less bullying and aggression the higher the density of mixed-sex friendships within a given adolescent network. Then there is the finding we cited in our Science paper of higher divorce and depression rates among a large group of British men who attended single-sex schools as teenagers, which might be explained by the lack of opportunity to learn about relationships during their formative years.[N] Whether in nursery school, high school, or the business world, gender segregation narrows our perceptions of each other, facilitating stereotyping and sexist attitudes. It’s very simple: the more we structure children and adolescents’ environment around gender distinctions and separation, the more they will use these categories as the primary basis for understanding themselves and others. [O] Gender is an important issue in education. There are gaps in reading, writing, and science achievement that should be narrower. There are gaps in career choice that should be narrower—if we really want to maximize human potential and American economic growth. But stereotyping boys and girls and separating them in the name of fictitious(虚构的) brain differences is never going to close these gaps.46. Hundreds of schools separate boys from girls in class on the alleged brain and cognitive differences.47. A review of extensive educational research shows no obvious academic advantage of single-sex schooling.48. The author did not have any fixed ideas on single-sex education when she began her research on the subject49. Research found men who attended single-sex schools in their teens were more likely to sufferfrom depression.50. Studies in social psychology have shown segregation in school education has a negative impact on children.51. Reviews of research indicate there are more differences in brain and cognitive development within the same sex than between different sexes.52. The findings of the national survey of college freshmen about the impact of single-sex schooling fail to take into account student and school attributes.53. It wasn’t long before most of the school districts that experimented with single-sex education abandoned the practice.54. Boys from coeducational classes demonstrate greater cognitive abilities according to the economists’ research.55. As careful research reviews show, academic excellence in some single-sex schools is attributed to other factors than single-sex education.Section CInternational governments’ inaction concerning sustainable development is clearly worrying but the proactive(主动出击的) approaches of some leading-edge companies are encouraging. Toyota, Wal-Mart, DuPont, M&S and General Electric have made tackling environmental wastes a key economic driver.DuPont committed itself to a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the 10 years prior to 2010. By 2007, DuPont was saving $2.2 billion a year through energy efficiency, the same as its total declared profits that year. General Electric aims to reduce the energy intensity of its operations by 50% by 2015. They have invested heavily in projects designed to change the way of using and conserving energy.Companies like Toyota and Wal-Mart are not committing to environmental goals out of the goodness of their hearts. The reason for their actions is a simple yet powerful realization that the environmental and economic footprints fit well together. When M&S launched its “Plan A”sustainability program in 2007, it was believed that it would cost over £200 million in the first five years. However, the initiative had generated £105 million by 2011/12.When we prevent physical waste, increase energy efficiency or improve resource productivity, we save money, improve profitability and enhance competitiveness. In fact, there are often huge “quick win” opportunities, thanks to years of neglect.However, there is a considerable gap between leading-edge companies and the rest of the pack. There are far too many companies still delaying creating a lean and green business system, arguing that it will cost money or require sizable capital investments. They remain stuck in the “environment is cost” mentality. Being environmentally friendly does not have to cost money. In fact, going beyond compliance saves cost at the same time that it generates cash, provided that management adopts the new lean and green model.Lean means doing more with less. Nonetheless, in most companies, economic and environmental continuous improvement is viewed as being in conflict with each other. This is one of the biggest opportunities missed across most industries. The size of the opportunity is enormous. The 3% Report recently published by World Wildlife Fund and CDP shows that the economic prize for curbing carbon emissions in the US economy is $780 billion between now and 2020. It suggests that one of the biggest levers for delivering this opportunity is “increased efficiencythrough management and behavioral change”—in other words, lean and green management.Some 50 studies show that companies that commit to such aspirational goals as zero waste, zero harmful emissions, and zero use of non-renewable resources are financially outperforming their competitors. Conversely, it was found that climate disruption is already costing $1.2 trillion annually, cutting global GDP by 1.6%. Unaddressed, this will double by 2030.56. What does the author say about some leading-edge companies?A. They operate in accordance with government policies.B. They take initiatives in handling environmental wastes.C. They are key drivers in their nations’ economic growth.D. They are major contributors to environmental problems.57. What motivates Toyota and Wal-Mart to make commitments to environmental protection?A. The goodness of their hearts.B. A strong sense of responsibility.C. The desire to generate profits.D. Pressure from environmentalists.58. Why are so many companies reluctant to create an environment-friendly business system?A. They are bent on making quick money.B. They do not have the capital for the investment.C. They believe building such a system is too costly.D. They lack the incentive to change business practices.59. What is said about the lean and green model of business?A. It helps businesses to save and gain at the same time.B. It is affordable only for a few leading-edge companies.C. It is likely to start a new round of intense competition.D. It will take a long time for all companies to embrace it.60. What is the finding of the studies about companies committed to environmental goals?A. They have greatly enhanced their sense of social responsibility.B. They do much better than their counterparts in terms of revenues.C. They have abandoned all the outdated equipment and technology.D. They make greater contributions to human progress than their rivals.Passage TwoIf you asked me to describe the rising philosophy of the day, I’d say it is data-ism. We now have the ability to gather huge amounts of data. This ability seems to carry with it certain cultural assumptions—that everything that can be measured should be measured; that data is a transparent and reliable lens that allows us to filter out emotionalism and ideology; that data will help us do remarkable things— like foretell the future.Over the next year, I’m hoping to get a better grip on some of the questions raised by the data revolution: In what situations should we rely on intuitive pattern recognition and in which situations should we ignore intuition and follow the data? What kinds of events are predictable using statistical analysis and what sorts of events are not?I confess I enter this in a skeptical frame of mind, believing that we tend to get carried away in our desire to reduce everything to the quantifiable. But at the outset let me celebrate two things data does really well.First, it’s really good at exposing when our intuitive view of reality is wrong. For example, nearly every person who runs for political office has an intuitive sense that they can powerfullyinfluence their odds of winning the election if they can just raise and spend more money. But this is largely wrong.After the 2006 election, Sean Trende constructed a graph comparing the incumbent(在任者的) campaign spending advantages with their eventual margins of victory. There was barely any relationship between more spending and a bigger victory. Likewise, many teachers have an intuitive sense that different students have different learning styles: some are verbal and some are visual; some are linear, some are holistic(整体的). Teachers imagine they will improve outcomes if they tailor their presentations to each student. But there’s no evidence to support this either.Second, data can illuminate patterns of behavior we haven’t yet noticed. For example, I’ve always assumed people who frequently use words like “I,”“me,” and “mine” are probably more self-centered than people who don’t. But as James Pennebaker of the University of Texas notes in his book, The Secret Life of Pronouns, when people are feeling confident, they are focused on the task at hand, not on themselves. High-status, confident people use fewer “I” words, not more.Our brains often don’t notice subtle verbal patterns, but Pennebaker’s computers can. Younger writers use more negative and past-tense words than older writers who use more positive and future-tense words.In sum, the data revolution is giving us wonderful ways to understand the present and the past. Will it transform our ability to predict and make decisions about the future? We’ll see.61. What do data-ists assume they can do?A. Transform people’s cultural identity.B. Change the way future events unfold.C. Get a firm grip on the most important issues.D. Eliminate emotional and ideological bias.62. What do people running for political office think they can do?A. Use data analysis to predict the election result.B. Win the election if they can raise enough funds.C. Manipulate public opinion with favorable data.D. Increase the chances of winning by foul means.63. Why do many teachers favor the idea of tailoring their presentations to different students?A. They think students prefer flexible teaching methods.B. They will be able to try different approaches.C. They believe students’ learning styles vary.D. They can accommodate students with special needs.64. What does James Pennebaker reveal in The Secret Life of Pronouns?A. The importance of using pronouns properly.B. Repeated use of first-person pronouns by self-centered people.C. Frequent use of pronouns and future tense by young people.D. A pattern in confident people’s use of pronouns.65. Why is the author skeptical of the data revolution?A. Data may not be easily accessible.B. Errors may occur with large data samples.C. Data cannot always do what we imagine it can.D. Some data may turn out to be outdated.Part IV Translation中国将努力确保到2015年就业者接受过平均13.3年的教育。
2014年12月大学英语六级考试真题（第1套）
indispensable in education. You should give sound arguments to support your views and write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words. 6. A) She does not like John at all. C) She does not think John is handsome. B) John has got many admirers. D) John has just got a bachelor's degree. 7. A) He has been bumping along for hours. C) He is involved in a serious accident. B) He has got a sharp pain in the neck. D) He is trapped in a terrible traffic jam. 8. A) She is good at repairing things. C) She should improve her physical condition. B) She is a professional mechanic. D) She cannot go without a washing machine. Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 9. A) Some witnesses failed to appear in court. C) The accused was found guilty of stealing. B) The case caused debate among the public. D) The accused refused to plead guilty in court. 10. A) He was out of his mind. C) His wife deserted him. B) He was unemployed. D) His children were sick. 11. A) He had been in jail before. C) He was unlikely to get employed. B) He was unworthy of sympathy. D) He had committed the same sort of crime. Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 12. A) Irresponsible. B) Unsatisfactory. C) Aggressive. D) Conservative. 13. A) Internal communication. C) Public relations. B) Distribution of brochures. D) Product design. 14. A) Placing advertisements in the trade press. C) Advertising in the national press. B) Drawing sketches for advertisements. D) Making television commercials. 15. A) She has the motivation to do the job. C) She is not so easy to get along with. B) She knows the tricks of advertising. D) She is not suitable for the position. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage 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. Passage One Questions 16 to 19 are based on the passage you have just heard. 16. A) The cozy communal life. C) Innovative academic programs. B) The cultural diversity. D) Impressive school buildings. 17. A) It is very beneficial to their academic progress. B) It helps them soak up the surrounding culture. C) It is as important as their learning experience. D) It ensures their physical and mental health. 18. A) It offers the most challenging academic programs. B) It has the world's best-known military academies. C) It provides numerous options for students. D) It draws faculty from all around the world. 19. A) They try to give students opportunities for experimentation. B) They are responsible merely to their Ministry of Education. C) They strive to develop every student's academic potential. D) They ensure that all students get roughly equal attention. Passage Two Questions 20 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard. 20. A) It will arrive at Boulogne at half past two. C) It is now about half way to the French coast. B) It crosses the English Channel twice a day. D) It is leaving Folkestone in about five minutes. 21. A) Opposite the ship's office. C) At the rear of B deck. B) Next to the duty-free shop. D) In the front of A deck. 22. A) It is for the sole use of passengers travelling with cars. B) It is much more spacious than the lounge on C deck. C) It is for the use of passengers travelling with children. D) It is for senior passengers and people with VIP cards. Passage Three Questions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard. 23. A) It was named after its location. C) It was named after a cave art expert. B) It was named after its discoverer. D) It was named after one of its painters. 24. A) Animal painting was part of the spiritual life of the time. B) Deer were worshiped by the ancient Cro-Magnon people. C) Cro-Magnon people painted animals they hunted and ate. D) They were believed to keep evils away from cave dwellers. 25. A) They know little about why the paintings were created. B) They have difficulty telling when the paintings were done. C) They are unable to draw such interesting and fine paintings. D) They have misinterpreted the meaning of the cave paintings. Section C Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you you should should should listen listen listen carefully carefully carefully for for for its its its general general general idea. idea. idea. When When When the the the passage passage passage is is is read read read for for for the the the second second second time, time, time, you you you are 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. If you are attending a local college, especially one without residence halls, you'll probably live at home and commute to classes. This arrangement has a lot of 26 . It's cheaper. It provides a comfortable and familiar setting, and it means you'll get the kind of home cooking you're used to instead of the monotony (单调) that 27 even the best institutional food. However, commuting students need to 28 to become involved in the life of their college and to take special steps to meet their fellow students. Often, this means a certain amount of initiative on your part in 29 and talking to people in your classes whom you think you might like. One problem that commuting students sometimes face is their parents' unwillingness to recognize that they're adults. The 30 from high school to college is a big one, and if you live at home you need to develop the same kind of independence you'd have if you were living away. Home rules that might have been 31 when you were in high school don't apply. If your parents are 32 to renegotiate, you can speed the process along by letting your behavior show that you have the responsibility that goes with maturity. Parents are more willing to 33 their children as adults when they behave like adults. If, however, there's so much friction at home that it 34 your academic work, you might want to consider sharing an apartment with one or more friends. Sometimes this is a happy solution when family 35 make everyone miserable. Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (40 minutes) Section A Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once. Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage. Children are natural-born scientists. They have 36 minds, and they aren't afraid to admit they don't know something. Most of them, 37 , lose this as they get older. They become self-conscious and don't want to appear stupid. Instead of finding things out for themselves they make 38 that often turn out to be wrong. So it's not a case of getting kids interested in science. You just have to avoid killing the 39 for learning that they were born with. It's no coincidence that kids start deserting science once it becomes formalised. Children naturally have a blurred approach to 40 knowledge. They see learning about science or biology or cooking as all part of the same act —it's all learning. It's only because of the practicalities of education that you have to start breaking down the curriculum into specialist subjects. You need to have specialist teachers who 41 what what they they they know. know. know. Thus Thus Thus once once once they they they enter enter enter school, school, school, children children children begin begin begin to to to define define define subjects subjects subjects and and and erect erect boundaries that needn't otherwise exist. Dividing subjects into science, maths, English, etc. is something we do for 42 . In the end it's all learning, but many children today 43 themselves from a scientific education. They think science is for scientists, not for them. Of course we need to specialise 44 . Each of us has only so much time on Earth, so we can't study everything. At 5 years old, our field of knowledge and 45 is broad, covering anything from learning to walk to learning to count. Gradually it narrows down so that by the time we are 45, it might be one tiny little corner within science. A) accidentally B) acquiring C) assumptions D) convenience E) eventually F) exclude G) exertion H) exploration I) formulas J) ignite K) impart L) inquiring M) passion N) provoking O) unfortunately Section B Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from 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 the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2. Meaning Is Healthier Than Happiness [A] For at least the last decade, the happiness craze has been building. In the last three months alone, over 1,000 books on happiness were released on Amazon, including Happy Money, Happy-People-Pills For All, and, for those just starting out, Happiness for Beginners. [B] One of the consistent claims of books like these is that happiness is associated with all sorts of good life outcomes, including —most promisingly —good health. Many studies have noted the connection between a happy mind and a healthy body —the happier we are, the better health outcomes we seem to have. In an overview of 150 studies on this topic, researchers put it like this: "Inductions of well-being lead to healthy functioning, and inductions of ill-being lead to compromised health." [C] [C] But But But a a a new new new study, study, study, just just just published published published in in in the the the Proceedings Proceedings Proceedings of of of the the the National National National Academy Academy Academy of of of Sciences Sciences Sciences (PNAS) (PNAS) challenges the rosy picture. Happiness may not be as good for the body as researchers thought. It might even be bad. [D] Of course, it's important to first define happiness. A few months ago, I wrote a piece called "There's More to Life Than Being Happy" about a psychology study that dug into what happiness really means to people. It specifically explored the difference between a meaningful life and a happy life. [E] It seems strange that there would be a difference at all. But the researchers, who looked at a large sample of people over a month-long period, found that happiness is associated with selfish "taking" behavior and that having a sense of meaning in life is associated with selfless "giving" behavior. [F] [F] "Happiness "Happiness "Happiness without without without meaning meaning meaning characterizes characterizes characterizes a a relatively relatively shallow, shallow, shallow, self-absorbed self-absorbed self-absorbed or or or even even even selfish selfish selfish life, life, life, in in which things go well, needs and desires are easily satisfied, and complicated relationships are avoided," the authors of the study wrote. "If anything, pure happiness is linked to not helping others in need." While being happy is about feeling good, meaning is derived from contributing to others or to society in a bigger way. As Roy Baumeister, one of the researchers, told me, "Partly what we do as human beings is to take care of others and contribute to others. This makes life meaningful but it does not necessarily make us happy." [G] The new PNAS study also sheds light on the difference between meaning and happiness, but on the biological level. Barbara Fredrickson, a psychological researcher at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and Steve Cole, a genetics and psychiatry (精神病学) researcher at UCLA, examined the self-reported levels of happiness and meaning in 80 research subjects. [H] Happiness was defined, as in the earlier study, by feeling good. The researchers measured happiness by asking subjects questions like "How often did you feel happy?", "How often did you feel interested in life?" and "How often did you feel satisfied?" The more strongly people endorsed these measures of "hedonic (享乐主义的) well-being," or pleasure, the higher they scored on happiness. [I] Meaning was defined as an orientation to something bigger than the self. They measured meaning by asking questions like "How often did you feel that your life has a sense of direction or meaning to it?" and "How often did you feel that you had something to contribute to society?" The more people endorsed these measures of "eudaimonic (幸福论的) well-being"—or, simply put, virtue —the more meaning they felt in life. [J] After noting the sense of meaning and happiness that each subject had, Fredrickson and Cole, with their research colleagues, looked at the ways certain genes expressed themselves in each of the participants. Like neuroscieritists who use fMRI (功能磁共振成像) scanning to determine how regions in the brain respond to different different stimuli, stimuli, stimuli, Cole Cole Cole and Fredrickson and Fredrickson are are interested interested interested in in in how how how the the the body, body, body, at at the the genetic genetic genetic level, level, level, responds responds responds to to feelings of happiness and meaning. [K] Cole's past work has linked various kinds of chronic adversity to a particular gene expression pattern. When people feel lonely, are grieving the loss of a loved one, or are struggling to make ends meet, their bodies go into threat mode. This triggers the activation of a stress-related gene pattern that has two features: an increase in the activity of pro-inflammatory (促炎症的) genes and a decrease in the activity of genes involved in anti-viral responses. [L] Cole and Fredrickson found that people who are happy but have little to no sense of meaning in their lives have the same gene expression patterns as people who are responding to and enduring chronic adversity. That That is, is, is, the the the bodies bodies bodies of of of these these these happy happy happy people people people are are are preparing preparing preparing them them them for for for bacterial bacterial bacterial threats threats threats by by by activating activating activating the the pro-inflammatory response. Chronic inflammation is, of course, associated with major illnesses like heart disease and various cancers. [M] [M] "Empty "Empty "Empty positive positive positive emotions"emotions"emotions"——like like the the the kind kind kind people people people experience experience experience during during during manic manic manic ((狂喜的) ) episodes episodes episodes or or artificially induced euphoria (欣快) from alcohol and drugs—"are about as good for you as adversity," says Fredrickson. [N] It's important to understand that for many people, a sense of meaning and happiness in life overlap; many people score jointly high (or jointly low) on the happiness and meaning measures in the study. But for many others, there is a dissonance (不一致)—they feel that they are low on happiness and high on meaning or that their lives are very high in happiness, but low in meaning. This last group, which has the gene expression pattern associated with adversity, formed 75 percent of study participants. Only one quarter of the study participants participants had had had what what what the the the researchers researchers researchers call call call "eudaimonic "eudaimonic "eudaimonic predominance"predominance"predominance"——that that is, is, is, their their their sense sense sense of of of meaning meaning outpaced their feelings of happiness. [O] [O] This This This is is is too too too bad bad bad given given given the the the more more more beneficial beneficial beneficial gene gene gene expression expression expression pattern pattern pattern associated associated associated with with with meaningfulness. meaningfulness. People whose levels of happiness and meaning line up, and people who have a strong sense of meaning but are not necessarily happy, showed a de-activation of the adversity stress response. Their bodies were not preparing them for the bacterial infections that we get when we are alone or in trouble, but for the viral infections we get when surrounded by a lot of other people. [P] Fredrickson's past research, described in her two books, Positivity and Love 2.0, has mapped the benefits of positive emotions in individuals. She has found that positive emotions broaden a person's perspective and help protect people against adversity. So it was surprising to her that hedonic well-being, which is associated with positive emotions and pleasure, did so badly in this study compared with eudaimonic well-being. [Q] [Q] "It's "It's "It's not not not the the the amount amount amount of of of hedonic hedonic hedonic happiness happiness happiness that's that's that's a a a problem." problem." problem." Fredrickson Fredrickson Fredrickson tells tells tells me, me, me, "It's "It's "It's that that that it's it's it's not not matched by eudaimonic well-being. It's great when both are in step. But if you have more hedonic well-being than would be expected, that's when this [gene] pattern that's similar to adversity emerged." [R] The terms hedonism and eudaimonism bring to mind the great philosophical debate, which has shaped Western civilization for over 2,000 years, about the nature of the good life. Does happiness lie in feeling good, as hedonists think, or in doing and being good, as Aristotle and his intellectual descendants, the virtue ethicists (伦理学家), think? From the evidence of this study, it seems that feeling good is not enough. People need meaning to thrive. In the words of Carl Jung, "The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it." Jung's wisdom certainly seems to apply to our bodies, if not also to our hearts and our minds. 46. The author's recent article examined how a meaningful life is different from a happy life. 47. It should be noted that many people feel their life is both happy and meaningful. 48. According to one survey, there is a close relationship between hedonic well-being measures and high scores on happiness. 49. According to one of the authors of a new study, what makes life meaningful may not make people happy. 50. Experiments were carried out to determine our body's genetic expression of feelings of happiness and meaning. 51. A new study claims happiness may not contribute to health. 52. According to the researchers, taking makes for happiness while giving adds meaning to life. 53. Evidence from research shows that it takes meaning for people to thrive. 54. With regard to gene expression patterns, happy people with little or no sense of meaning in life are found to be similar to those suffering from chronic adversity. 55. Most books on happiness today assert that happiness is beneficial to health. Section C Directions: 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 One Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage. Nothing Nothing succeeds succeeds succeeds in in in business business business books books books like like like the the the study study study of of of success. success. success. The The The current current current business-book business-book business-book boom boom boom was was launched launched in in in 1982 1982 1982 by by by Tom Tom Tom Peters Peters Peters and and and Robert Robert Robert Waterman Waterman Waterman with with with In In In Search Search Search of of of Excellence. Excellence. Excellence. The The The trend trend trend has has continued with a succession of experts and would-be experts who promise to distil the essence of excellence into three (or five or seven) simple rules. The Three Rules is a self-conscious contribution to this type of writing; it even includes a bibliography of "success studies". Michael Raynor and Mumtaz Ahmed work for a consultancy, Deloitte, that is determined to turn itself into more of a thought-leader and less a corporate repairman. They employ all the tricks of the success success books. books. books. They They They insist insist insist that that that their their their conclusions conclusions conclusions are are are "measurable "measurable "measurable and and and actionable"actionable"actionable"——guides guides to to to behaviour behaviour rather than analysis for its own sake. Success authors usually serve up vivid stories about how exceptional businesspeople businesspeople stamped stamped stamped their their their personalities personalities personalities on on on a a a company company company or or or rescued rescued rescued it it it from from from a a a life-threatening life-threatening life-threatening crisis. crisis. MessrsRaynor MessrsRaynor and and and Ahmed Ahmed Ahmed are are are happier happier happier chewing chewing chewing the the the numbers: numbers: numbers: they they they provide provide provide detailed detailed detailed appendices appendices appendices on on "calculating the elements of advantage" and "detailed analysis". The authors spent five years studying the behaviour of their 344 "exceptional companies", only to come up at first with nothing. Every hunch (直觉) led to a blind alley and every hypothesis to a dead end. It was only when they shifted their attention from how companies behave to how they think that they began to make sense of their voluminous material. Management Management is is is all all all about about about making making making difficult difficult difficult tradeoffs tradeoffs tradeoffs in in in conditions conditions conditions that that that are are are always always always uncertain uncertain uncertain and and and often often fast-changing. fast-changing. But But But exceptional exceptional exceptional companies companies companies approach approach approach these these these tradeoffs tradeoffs tradeoffs with with with two two two simple simple simple rules rules rules in in in mind, mind, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously. First: better before cheaper. Companies are more likely to succeed in the long run if they compete on quality or performance than on price. Second: revenue before cost. Companies have more to gain in the long run from driving up revenue than by driving down costs. Most success studies suffer from two faults. There is "the halo (光环) effect", whereby good performance leads commentators to attribute all manner of virtues to anything and everything the company does. These virtues then suddenly become vices when the company fails. MessrsRaynor and Ahmed work hard to avoid these mistakes by studying large bodies of date over several decades. But they end up embracing a different error: error: stating stating stating the the the obvious. obvious. obvious. Most Most Most businesspeople businesspeople businesspeople will will will not not not be be be surprised surprised surprised to to to learn learn learn that that that it it it is is is better better better to to to find find find a a profitable niche (隙缝市场) and focus on boosting your revenues than to compete on price and cut your way to success. The difficult question is how to find that profitable niche and protect it. There, The Three Rules is less useful. 56. What kind of business books are most likely to sell well? A) Books on excellence. C) Books on business rules. B) Guides to management. D) Analyses of market trends. 57. What does the author imply about books on success so far? A) They help businessmen one way or another. B) They are written by well-recognised experts. C) They more or less fall into the same stereotype. D) They are based on analyses of corporate leaders. 58. How does The Three Rules differ from other success books according to the passage? A) It focuses on the behaviour of exceptional businessmen. B) It bases its detailed analysis on large amounts of data. C) It offers practicable advice to businessmen. D) It draws conclusions from vivid examples. 59. What does the passage say contributes to the success of exceptional companies? A) Focuis on quality and revenue. B) Management and sales promotion. C) Lower production costs and competitive prices. D) Emphasis on after-sale service and maintenance. 60. What is the author's comment on The Three Rules? A) It can help to locate profitable niches. C) It is noted for its detailed data analysis. B) It has little to offer to businesspeople. D) It fails to identify the keys to success. Passage Two Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage. When When Harvard Harvard Harvard student student student Mark Mark Mark Zuckerberg Zuckerberg Zuckerberg launched launched launched in in in Feb. Feb. Feb. 2004, 2004, 2004, even even even he he he could could could not not imagine the forces it would let loose. His intent was to connect college students. Facebook, which is what this website rapidly evolved into, ended up connecting the world. To the children of this connected era, the world is one giant social network. They are not bound —as were previous generations of humans —by what they were taught. They are only limited by their curiosity and ambition. ambition. During During During my my my childhood, childhood, childhood, all all all knowledge knowledge knowledge was was was local. local. local. You You You learned learned learned everything everything everything you you you knew knew knew from from from your your parents, teachers, preachers, and friends. With the high-quality and timely information at their fingertips, today's children are rising above the fears and biases of their parents. Adults are also participating in this revolution. India's normally tame middle class is speaking up against social ills. Silicon Valley executives are being shamed into adding women to their boards. Political leaders are marshalling the energy of millions for elections and political causes. All of this is being done with social media technologies that Facebook and its competitors set free. As As does does does every every every advancing advancing advancing technology, technology, technology, social social social media media media has has has created created created many many many new new new problems. problems. problems. It It It is is is commonly commonly addictive and creates risks for younger users. Social media is used by extremists in the Middle East and elsewhere to seek and brainwash recruits. And it exposes us and our friends to disagreeable spying. We may leave our lights on in the house when we are on vacation, but through social media we tell criminals exactly where we are, when we plan to return home, and how to blackmail (敲诈) us. Governments don't need informers any more. Social media allows government agencies to spy on their own citizens. We record our thoughts, emotions, likes and dislikes on Facebook; we share our political views, social social preferences, preferences, preferences, and and and plans. plans. plans. We We We post post post intimate intimate intimate photographs photographs photographs of of of ourselves. ourselves. ourselves. No No No spy spy spy agency agency agency or or or criminal criminal organization could actively gather the type of data that we voluntarily post for them. The marketers are also seeing big opportunities. Amazon is trying to predict what we will order. Google is trying to judge our needs and wants based on our social-media profiles. We need to be aware of the risks and keep working to alleviate the dangers. Regardless of what social media people use, one thing is certain: we are in a period of accelerating change. The next decade will be even more amazing and unpredictable than the last. Just as no one could predict what 。
2014年12月大学英语六级答案解析(一)
2014年12月大学英语六级考试真题(一)答案与详解Part ⅠWriting1、审题:本次作文是图画作文【考频:★★☆】，这是2013年12月六级改革后第一次出现该类型作文，但体裁仍是常见的议论文。
本次作文给出的图画理解起来难度不大，而且涉及的话题是教育和科技的关系，这是考生比较熟悉的话题，因此写起来并不难。
2、列提纲：3. 语言:对图画的描述要用词准确，议论部分可适当使用从句等高分句型。
Technology and EducationWhat the drawing vividly depicts is that a pupil tells his teacher he needs tech support to solve an extremely easy question on the blackboard. The drawing illustrates that we-are highly dependent on technology, overlooking the importance of independent thinking.Those who favor the significance of technology in education argue that it facilitates learning and enables us to have easier access to infinite learning resources. In contrast, people who hold the opposite opinion maintain that over-dependence on technology is harmful. They think that a student who gets into the habit of doing his homework by downloading answers from the Internet will end up ignorant and being unable to think critically and creatively. And the drawing is a good illustration of this point. For another example, if you always write your homework or reports on a word processor，you may forget how to write the words in no time.As far as I am concerned, technology plays an important but not indispensable role in education. Over-dependence on technology does more harm than good. I suggest that we should master the basic knowledge on our own and learn how to apply technology in education properly. Only in this way can we benefit most from our learning process.PartⅡListening Comprehension1.听力原文：M: Before we play again, I’m going to buy a good tennis racket.W:Your shoes aren’t in a very good shape，either.Q: What does the woman mean?1. A) The man’s tennis racket is good enough.B)The man should get a pair of new shoes.C)She can wait for the man for a little while.D)Physical exercise helps her stay in shape.【预测】由A)“男士的网球拍已经足够好了”、B)“男士应该买双新鞋”和D)“体育锻炼帮她保持身材”可以推测，对话内容与体育锻炼有关。
2014年12月六级真题答案解析（第一套）
2014年12⽉六级真题答案解析（第⼀套）2014年12⽉⼤学英语六级考试真题(⼀)Part I Writing (30minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay based on the picture below. Youshould start your essay with a brief description of the picture and then discuss whether technology isindispensable in education. You should give sound arguments to support your views and write at least 150words but no more than 200 words.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
Part Ⅱ Listening Comprehension (30minutes)SectionA注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
1.A． The man's tennis racket is good enough.B． The man should get a pair of new shoes.C． She can wait for the man for a little while.D． Physical exercise helps her stay in shape.2.A． The woman will skip Dr. Smith's lecture to help the man.B． Kathy is very pleased to attend the lecture by Dr. Smith.C． The woman is good at doing lab demonstrations.D． The man will do all he can to assist the woman.3.A． The woman asked the man to accompany her to the party.B． Steve became rich soon after graduation from college.C． Steve invited his classmates to visit his big cottage.D． The speakers and Steve used to be classmates.4.A． In a bus.B． In a clinic.C． In a boat.D． In a plane.5.A． 10:10.B． 9: 50.C． 9 : 40.D． 9..10.6.A． She does not like John at all.B． John has got many admirers.C． She does not think John is handsome.D． John has just got a bachelor's degree.7.A． He has been bumping along for hours.B． He has got a sharp pain in the neck.C． He is involved in a serious accident.D． He is trapped in a terrible traffic jam.8.A． She is good at repairing things.B． She is a professional mechaniC.C． She should improve her physical condition.D． She cannot go without a washing machine.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9.A． Some witnesses failed to appear in court.B． The case caused debate among the public.C． The accused was found guilty of stealing.D．The accused refused to plead guilty in court.10.A． He was out of his mind.B． He was unemployed.C． His wife deserted him.D． His children were sick.11.A． He had been in jail before.B． He was unworthy of sympathy.C． He was unlikely to get employed.D． He had committed the same sort of crime.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12.A． Irresponsible.B． Unsatisfactory.C． Aggressive.D． Conservative.13.A． Internal communication.B． Distribution of brochures.C． Public relations.D． Product design.14.A． Placing advertisements in the trade press.B．Drawing sketches for advertisementC． Advertising in the national press.D． Making television commercials.15.A． She has the motivation to do the job.B． She knows the tricks of advertising.C． She is not so easy to get along with.D． She is not suitable for the position.SectionBDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear somequestions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, youmust choose the best answer from the four choices marked A ), B ), C ) and D ). Then mark thecorresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre. Passage OneQuestions 16 to 19 are based on the passage you have just heard. 16.A． The cozy communal life.B． The cultural diversity.C． Innovative academic programs.D． Impressive school buildings.17.A． It is very beneficial to their academic progress.B． It helps them soak up the surrounding culture.C． It is as important as their learning experience.D． It ensures their physical and mental health.18.A． It offers the most challenging academic programs.B． It has the world's best-known military academies.C． It provides numerous options for students.D． It draws faculty from all around the world.19.A． They try to give students opportunities for experimentation. B． They are responsible merely to their Ministry of Education. C． They strive to develop every student's academic potential. D． They ensure that all students get roughly equal attention. Passage TwoQuestions 20 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard. 20.A． It will arrive at Boulogne at half past two.B． It crosses the English Channel twice a day.C． It is now about half way to the French coast.D． It is leaving Folkestone in about five minutes.21.A． Opposite the ship's office.B． Next to the duty-free shop.C． At the rear of B deck.D． In the front of A deck.22.A． It is for the sole use of passengers travelling with cars. B． It is much more spacious than the lounge on C deck.C． It is for the use of passengers travelling with children.D． It is for senior passengers and people with VIP cards.Passage ThreeQuestions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard. 23.A． It was named after its location.B． It was named after its discoverer.C． It was named after a cave art expert.D． It was named after one of its painters.24.A． Animal painting was part of the spiritual life of the time. B． Deer were worshiped by the ancient Cro-Magnon people.C． Cro-Magnon people painted animals they hunted and ate.D． They were believed to keep evils away from cave dwellers.25.A． They know little about why the paintings were created.B． They have difficulty telling when the paintings were done.C． They are unable to draw such interesting and fine paintings.D． They have misinterpreted the meaning of the cave paintings.Section CDirections.. 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 arerequired to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read forthe third time,, you should check what you have written. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
2014年12月大学英语六级第一套答案解析(卷一)
2014年12月大学英语六级考试第一套答案与详解（卷一）Part ⅠWriting1、审题:本次作文是图画作文【考频:★★☆】，这是2013年12月六级改革后第一次出现该类型作文，但体裁仍是常见的议论文。
本次作文给出的图画理解起来难度不大，而且涉及的话题是教育和科技的关系，这是考生比较熟悉的话题，因此写起来并不难。
2、列提纲：3. 语言:对图画的描述要用词准确，议论部分可适当使用从句等高分句型。
Technology and EducationWhat the drawing vividly depicts is that a pupil tells his teacher he needs tech support to solve an extremely easy question on the blackboard. The drawing illustrates that we-are highly dependent on technology, overlooking the importance of independent thinking.Those who favor the significance of technology in education argue that it facilitates learning and enables us to have easier access to infinite learning resources. In contrast, people who hold the opposite opinion maintain that over-dependence on technology is harmful. They think that a student who gets into the habit of doing his homework by downloading answers from the Internet will end up ignorant and being unable to think critically and creatively. And the drawing is a good illustration of this point. For another example, if you always write your homework or reports on a word processor，you may forget how to write the words in no time.As far as I am concerned, technology plays an important but not indispensable role in education. Over-dependence on technology does more harm than good. I suggest that we should master the basic knowledge on our own and learn how to apply technology in education properly. Only in this way can we benefit most from our learning process.PartⅡListening Comprehension1.听力原文：M: Before we play again, I’m going to buy a good tennis racket.W:Your shoes aren’t in a very good shape，either.Q: What does the woman mean?1. A) The man’s tennis racket is good enough.B)The man should get a pair of new shoes.C)She can wait for the man for a little while.D)Physical exercise helps her stay in shape.【预测】由A)“男士的网球拍已经足够好了”、B)“男士应该买双新鞋”和D)“体育锻炼帮她保持身材”可以推测，对话内容与体育锻炼有关。
2014年12月大学英语6级考试真题及答案范文
2014年12月大学英语6级考试真题及答案（整理总结版）（一）听力部分真题和答案：短对话：1.M: Before we play again, I’m going to buy a good tennis racket.W: Your shoes aren’t in a very good shape either.Q: What does the woman mean?2.M: Barbara, I’d like you could assist me in the lab demonstration. But aren’t you supposed to go to Dr. Smith’s lecture today?W: I ask Cathy to take notes for me.Q: What do we learn from the conversation?3.W: Steve invi ted me to the dinner party on Sunday evening. Have you received your invitation yet? M: Yes, he found me this morning and told me he wanted all his old classmates to come to the reunion.Q: What do we learn from the conversation?4.W: I’m afraid I’m a little bit s easick. I feel dizzy.M: Close your eyes and relax. You’ll be all right as soon as we come at shore.Q: Where does the conversation most probably take place?5.W: I wonder what’s happened to our train. It should have been here twenty minutes ago according to the timetable. But it’s already 9:30.M: There’s no need to get nervous. The announcement says it’s forty minutes late.Q: When is the train arriving?6.M: John is handsome and wealthy. Believe it or not, he is still a bachelor.W: He is a notorious g uy in many girls’ eyes. I’m sick of hearing his name.Q: What does the woman mean?7.M: Cars had lined up bumper to bumper. And I’ve been held up on the express way for the entire hour.W: Really? It must be a pain in the neck. But be patient, anyway, you can do nothing but wait. Q: What do we learn about the man?8.W: Yesterday I was surprised to see Mary using that washing machine you’re going to throw away. M: Yes, it’s quite old and in a very poor condition. Frankly speaking, that she got it working amazes me a lot.Q: What does the man imply about Mary?答案：1. B. The man should get a pair of new shoes.2. A. The woman will skip Dr. Smith’s lecture to help the man.3. D. The speakers and Steve used to be classmates.4. C. In a boat.5. B. 9:50.6. A. She does not like John at all.7. D. He is trapped in a terrible traffic jam.8. A. She is good at repairing things.长对话：Conversation 1M: A recent case I heard was of a man accused and found guilty of breaking into a house and stealing some money.W: Well, was he really guilty, judge?M: He admit ted that he’d done it, and there were several witnesses saying that he had indeed done it. So I can only assume that he was guilty.W: Why did he do it?M: Well, the reasons were little muddied, probably at least it seemed in a trial that he did it to get some money to feed his family. You see, he’d been out of work for some time.W: Well, he’d been out of work and he chose to break into a ho use to get money for his family and apparently in front of people that, err... could see him do it.M: His attorney presented testimony that he had indeed applied for jobs and was listed with several employment agencies, including the state employment agency, but they weren’t any jobs.W: And he had no luck!M: He had no luck and it’d been some time. He had two children and both of them were needing food and clothing.W: So he was in desperate circumstances. Did you sentence him?M: Yes.W: But what good do es it do to put the man into jail when he’s obviously in such need?M: This particular fellow has been in prison before.W: For the same thing?M: No, for a different sort of crime.W: Huh?M: But he did know about crime, so I suppose there are folks that just have to go back to prison several times.9. What did the judge say about the case he recently heard?10. What do we learn about the man at the time of crime?11. What did the judge say about the accused?Conversation 2M: Ah, how do you do, Ms. Wezmore?W: How do you do?M: Do sit down.W: Thank you.M: I’m glad you’re interes ted in our job. Now, let me explain it. We plan to increase our advertising considerably. At present, an advertising agency handles our account, but we haven’t been too pleased with the results lately and we may give our account to another agency.W: What would my work entail?M: You’d be responsible to me for all advertising and to Mr. Grunt for public rel ations.You’d brief the agency whoever it is on the kind of advertising campaign we want. You’d also be responsible for getting our leaflets, brochures and catalogs designed.W: I presume you advertise in the national press as well as the trade press.M: Yes, we do.W: Have you thought about advertising on television?M: We don’t think it’s a suitable medium for us. And it’s much too expensive.W: I can just imagine a scene with a typist sitting on an old-fashioned typing chair, her back aching, exhaus ted, then we show her in one of your chairs. Her back properly supported filling full of energy, typing twice as quickly.M: Before you get carried away with your little scene, Ms. Wezmore, I regret to have to tell you again that we are not planning to go into television.W: That’s a shame. I’ve been doing a lot of television work lately and it interests me enormously.M: Then I really don’t think that this is quite the right job for you here, Ms. Wezmore.12. What does the man think of their present advertising agency?13. What would the woman be responsible for to Mr. Grunt?14. What is the woman most interested in doing?15. What does the man think of the woman applicant?答案：Conversation 19. C. The accused was found guilty of stealing.10. B. He was unemployed.11. A. He had been in jail before.Conversation 212. B. Unsatisfactory.13. C. Public relations.14. D. Making television commercials.15. D. She is not suitable for the position.短文1Many foreign students are attrac ted not only to the academic programs at a particular U.S. college but also to the larger community, which affords the chance to soak up the surrounding culture. Few foreign universities put much emphasis on the cozy communal life that characterizes American campuses from clubs and sports teams to student publications and drama societies. “The campus and the American university have bec ome identical in people’s minds,” says Brown University President Vartan Gregorian. “In America it is assumed that a student’s daily life is as important as his learning experience.”F oreign students also come in search of choices. America’s menu of options—research universities, state institutions, private liberal-arts schools, community colleges, religious institutions, military academies—is unrivaled. “In Europe,” says history profes sor Jonathan Steinberg, who has taught at both Harvard and Cambridge, “there is one system, and that is it.” While students overseas usually must demonstrate expertise in a specific field, whether law or philosophy or chemistry, most American universities insist that students sample natural and social sciences, languages and literature before choosing a field of concentration.Such opposing philosophies grow out of different traditions and power structures. In Europe and Japan, universities are answerable only to a ministry of education, which sets academic standards and distributes money.While centralization ensures that all students are equipped with roughly the same resources and perform at roughly the same level, it also discourages experimentation. “When they make mistakes, they make big ones,” says Robert Rosenzweig, president of the Association of American Universities. “They set a system in wrong directions, and it’s like steering a supertanker.”问题：16. What does the speaker say characterizes American campuses?17. What does Brown University president Vartan Gregorian say about students' daily life?18. In what way is the Uni ted States unrivaled according to the speaker?19. What does the speaker say about universities in Europe and Japan?答案：16. What does the speaker say characterizes American campuses?答案：(A) The cozy communal life.【点评】：细节题。
2014.12英语六级长篇阅读匹配练习题
It's Time to Pay Attention to Sleep A． After being diagnosed with brain and lung cancer in 2011, Lynn Mitchell, 68, was averaging about an hour of solid sleep a night． Stressed about her treatments, she was paying for it in hours of lost sleep． B． The brain cancer was already affecting her mobility--Mitchell was often dizzy and would lose her balance--but the lack of sleep made things worse． Even walking became increasingly difficult．Exhausted in the mornings, she was practically incoherent (精神恍惚)． When her doctors recommend she see a sleep therapist, Mitchell was relieved at how benign it sounded in comparison to the chemotherapy (化学疗法)she had undergone and the gene therapy trial she was undergoing, which had side effects like nausea and fatigue． C． For about nine weeks, Mitchell worked with the sleep therapist to adjust her sleep habits． She went to bed only when she was extremely fired． She quit watching TV in bed． She stopped drinking caffeinated (含咖啡因的) coffee in the evening． She also learned breathing exercises to relax and help her fall asleep． It was all quite simple and common sense, and most importantly, noninvasive and didn't require taking any pills． D． "It's common knowledge that sleep is needed for day to day function," says Dr． David Rapoport, director of the Sleep Medicine Program at NYU School of Medicine． "What isn't common knowledge is that it really matters--it's not just cosmetic．" Rapoport has long seen people seek sleep therapy because they're chronically fired or suffering from insomnia, but an increasing number of patients are being referred to his center for common diseases, disorders, and mental health． E． Researchers have known for some time that sleep is critical for weight maintenance and hormone balance． And too little sleep is linked to everything from diabetes (糖尿病) to heart disease to depression． Recently, mounting evidence indicates that sleep plays a role in nearly every aspect of health． Beyond chronic illnesses, a child's behavioral problems at school could be rooted in mild sleep apnea (呼吸暂停)． And studies have shown children with ADHD (注意⼒缺陷多动症) are more likely to get insufficient sleep． A recent study published in the journal SLEEP found a link between older men with poor sleep quality and cognitive decline． Another study shows sleep is essential in early childhood for development, learning, and the formation and retention of memories． F． But to many of us, sleep is easily sacrificed, especially since lack of it isn't seen as life threatening．Over time, sleep deprivation can have serious consequences, but we mostly sacrifice a night of sleep here and there, and always say that we'll "catch up．" Luckily, it is possible to make up for sleep debt (though it can take a very long time), but most Americans are still chronically sleep deprived． G． While diet and exercise have been a part of public health messaging for decades, doctors and health advocates are now beginning to argue that getting quality sleep may be just as important for overall health． "Sleep is probably easier to change than diet or exercise," says Dr． Michael Grandner , a sleep researcher at the University of Pennsylvania． "It may also give you more of an immediate reward if it helps you get through your day．" Sleep experts claim that it is one of the top three, and sometimes the most, important lifestyle adjustments one can make, in addition to diet and exercise． And while there's more evidence linking diet and exercise as influential health factors, sleep is probably more important in terms of brain and hormonal function． "Among a small group of sleep researchers, it's always been said that eating, exercise, and sleep are the three pillars of health," says Dr． Rapoport． H． In our increasingly professional and digital lives, carving out time for sleep is not only increasingly difficult, but also more necessary． Using technology before bed stimulates us and interferes with our sleep, yet 95% of Americans use some type of electronics like a computer, TV, or cell phone at least a few nights a week within the hour before we go to bed, according to a 2011 National Sleep Foundation survey． "Many doctors, lawyers, and executives stay up late and get up early and bum the candle at both ends," says Dr． Richard Lang, chair of Preventative Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic．"Making sure they pay attention to sleep in the same way they pay attention to diet and exercise is crucial．" I． To some, sleep has become a powerful cure to mental health． Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, advocates that sleep is the secret to success, happiness, and peak performance． After passing out a few years ago from exhaustion and cracking a cheekbone against her desk, Huffington has become something of a sleep evangelist (传道者)． In a 2010 TED Women conference, Huffington said, "The way to a more productive, more inspired, more joyful life is getting enough sleep．" Research linking high-quality sleep with better mental health is growing;a 2013 study found that treating depressed patients for insomnia can double their likelihood of overcoming the disorder． J． While 70% of physicians agree that inadequate sleep is a major health problem, only 43% counsel their patients on the benefits of adequate sleep． But there's growing pressure on primary care physicians to address, and even prescribe, sleep during routine check-ups． In a recent study published in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, the researchers concluded that health professionals should prescribe sleep to prevent and treat metabolic disorders like obesity and diabetes． K． On the other hand, overlooking sleep as a major health issue can also have deadly consequences． It was recently reported that the operator of the Metro-North train that derailed in New York last year, killing four people and injuring more than 70, had an undiagnosed case of sleep apnea． L． Sleep therapies can range from simply learning new lifestyle behaviors to promote sleep, to figuring out how to position oneself in bed． More drastic measures involve surgery to open up an airway passage for people suffering from disorders like sleep apnea． Sleeping pills can be prescribed too, to get much needed rest, but sleep therapists tend to favor other approaches because of possible dependencies developing． M． A large part of reaping the benefits of sleep is known when you're not getting the right amount．According to a 2013Gallup survey, 40% of Americans get less than the recommended seven to eight hours a night． While the typical person still logs about 6．8 hours of sleep per night, that's a drop from the 7．9 Americans were getting in the 1940s． N． When it comes to adequate sleep, it's much more personalized than previously thought． Some people feel great on five hours of rest, while others need ten． The best way to determine if you're getting the right amount, doctors say, is to find out how many hours of sleep you need to be able to wake up without an alarm and feel rested, refreshed, and energetic throughout the day． O． Since reforming her sleep habits, Mitchell has been clocking up to seven hours of shuteye a night for the past two months． "I'm alert in the morning, my balance is better, and I feel more energetic," says Mitchell． Getting enough sleep has helped her better deal with her cancers, and its symptoms． The best news is that she recently found out that her brain tumor is shrinking, and there are fewer cancerous spots on her lungs．46． According to Rapoport, people fail to fully realize the importance of sleep．47． The amount of time for an adequate sleep actually varies from person to person, and thus relies on personal judgment．48． The positive role of sleep therapy in treating depression indicates that sleep also contributes to mental health．49． Compared to the sleep therapy, the other therapies that Mitchell has to go through have some negative side effects．50． Now work and electronic products may play a role in depriving Americans of time for sleep．51． Mitchell has benefited much from sleep therapy in the fight against her brain and lung cancers．52． Among the various methods in sleep therapy, sleeping pills are usually the last choice by health professionals．53． It is recommended that physicians should adopt sleep as a way to prevent or treat some illnesses．54． It is now argued that high-quality sleep is no less important than diet and exercise in affecting health．55． Recent studies show that sleep is related to the behavioral problems of the kids and the cognitive abilities of the old．。
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2014年12月大学英语六级长篇阅读匹配1It's Time to Pay Attention to SleepA. After being diagnosed with brain and lung cancer in 2011, Lynn Mitchell, 68, was averaging about an hour of solid sleep a night. Stressed about her treatments, she was paying for it in hours of lost sleep.B. The brain cancer was already affecting her mobility--Mitchell was often dizzy and would lose her balance--but the lack of sleep made things worse. Even walking became increasingly difficult.Exhausted in the mornings, she was practically incoherent (精神恍惚). When her doctors recommend she see a sleep therapist, Mitchell was relieved at how benign it sounded in comparison to the chemotherapy (化学疗法)she had undergone and the gene therapy trial she was undergoing, which had side effects like nausea and fatigue.C. For about nine weeks, Mitchell worked with the sleep therapist to adjust her sleep habits. She went to bed only when she was extremely fired. She quit watching TV in bed. She stopped drinking caffeinated (含咖啡因的) coffee in the evening. She also learned breathing exercises to relax and help her fall asleep. It was all quite simple and common sense, and most importantly, noninvasive and didn't require taking any pills.D. "It's common knowledge that sleep is needed for day to day function," says Dr. David Rapoport, director of the Sleep Medicine Program at NYU School of Medicine. "What isn't common knowledge is that it really matters--it's not just cosmetic." Rapoport has long seen people seek sleep therapy because they're chronically fired or suffering from insomnia, but an increasing number of patients are being referred to his center for common diseases, disorders, and mental health.E. Researchers have known for some time that sleep is critical for weight maintenance and hormone balance. And too little sleep is linked to everything from diabetes (糖尿病) to heart disease to depression. Recently, mounting evidence indicates that sleep plays a role in nearly every aspect of health. Beyond chronic illnesses, a child's behavioral problems at school could be rooted in mild sleep apnea (呼吸暂停). And studies have shown children with ADHD (注意力缺陷多动症) are more likely to get insufficient sleep. A recent study published in the journal SLEEP found a link between older men with poor sleep quality and cognitive decline. Another study shows sleep is essential in early childhood for development, learning, and the formation and retention of memories.F. But to many of us, sleep is easily sacrificed, especially since lack of it isn't seen as life threatening.Over time, sleep deprivation can have serious consequences, but we mostly sacrifice a night of sleep here and there, and always say that we'll "catch up." Luckily, it is possible to make up for sleep debt (though it can take a very long time), but most Americans are still chronically sleep deprived.G. While diet and exercise have been a part of public health messaging for decades, doctors and health advocates are now beginning to argue that getting quality sleep may be just as important for overall health. "Sleep is probably easier to change than diet or exercise," says Dr. Michael Grandner , a sleep researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. "It may also give you more of an immediate reward if it helps you get through your day." Sleep experts claim that it is one of the top three, and sometimes the most, important lifestyle adjustments one can make, in addition to diet and exercise. And while there's more evidence linking diet and exercise as influential health factors, sleep is probably more important in terms of brain and hormonal function. "Among a small group of sleep researchers, it's always been said that eating, exercise, and sleep are the three pillars of health," says Dr. Rapoport.H. In our increasingly professional and digital lives, carving out time for sleep is not only increasingly difficult, but also more necessary. Using technology before bed stimulates us and interferes with our sleep, yet 95% of Americans use some type of electronics like a computer, TV, or cell phone at least a few nights a week within the hour before we go to bed, according to a 2011 National Sleep Foundation survey. "Many doctors, lawyers, and executives stay up late and get up early and bum the candle at both ends," says Dr. Richard Lang, chair of Preventative Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. "Making sure they pay attention to sleep in the same way they pay attention to diet and exercise is crucial."I. To some, sleep has become a powerful cure to mental health. Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, advocates that sleep is the secret to success, happiness, and peak performance. After passing out a few years ago from exhaustion and cracking a cheekbone against her desk, Huffington has become something of a sleep evangelist (传道者). In a 2010 TED Women conference, Huffington said, "The way to a more productive, more inspired, more joyful life is getting enough sleep." Research linking high-quality sleep with better mental health is growing; a 2013 study found that treating depressed patients for insomnia can double their likelihood of overcoming the disorder.J. While 70% of physicians agree that inadequate sleep is a major health problem, only 43% counsel their patients on the benefits of adequate sleep. But there's growing pressure on primary care physicians to address, and even prescribe, sleep during routine check-ups. In a recent study published in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, the researchers concluded that health professionals should prescribe sleep to prevent and treat metabolic disorders like obesity and diabetes.K. On the other hand, overlooking sleep as a major health issue can also have deadly consequences. It was recently reported that the operator of the Metro-North train that derailed in New York last year, killing four people and injuring more than 70, had an undiagnosed case of sleep apnea.L. Sleep therapies can range from simply learning new lifestyle behaviors to promote sleep, to figuring out how to position oneself in bed. More drastic measures involve surgery to open upan airway passage for people suffering from disorders like sleep apnea. Sleeping pills can be prescribed too, to get much needed rest, but sleep therapists tend to favor other approaches because of possible dependencies developing.M. A large part of reaping the benefits of sleep is known when you're not getting the right amount.According to a 2013 Gallup survey, 40% of Americans get less than the recommended seven to eight hours a night. While the typical person still logs about 6.8 hours of sleep per night, that's a drop from the 7.9 Americans were getting in the 1940s.N. When it comes to adequate sleep, it's much more personalized than previously thought. Some people feel great on five hours of rest, while others need ten. The best way to determine if you're getting the right amount, doctors say, is to find out how many hours of sleep you need to be able to wake up without an alarm and feel rested, refreshed, and energetic throughout the day.O. Since reforming her sleep habits, Mitchell has been clocking up to seven hours of shuteye a night for the past two months. "I'm alert in the morning, my balance is better, and I feel more energetic," says Mitchell. Getting enough sleep has helped her better deal with her cancers, and its symptoms. The best news is that she recently found out that her brain tumor is shrinking, and there are fewer cancerous spots on her lungs.46. According to Rapoport, people fail to fully realize the importance of sleep.47. The amount of time for an adequate sleep actually varies from person to person, and thus relies on personal judgment.48. The positive role of sleep therapy in treating depression indicates that sleep also contributes to mental health.49. Compared to the sleep therapy, the other therapies that Mitchell has to go through have some negative side effects.50. Now work and electronic products may play a role in depriving Americans of time for sleep.51. Mitchell has benefited much from sleep therapy in the fight against her brain and lung cancers.52. Among the various methods in sleep therapy, sleeping pills are usually the last choice by health professionals.53. It is recommended that physicians should adopt sleep as a way to prevent or treat some illnesses.54. It is now argued that high-quality sleep is no less important than diet and exercise in affecting health.55. Recent studies show that sleep is related to the behavioral problems of the kids and the cognitive abilities of the old.46.According to Rapoport，people fail to fully realize the importance of sleep.根据拉波波特的观点，人们没有充分意识到睡眠的重要性。