2014年12月大学英语六级长篇阅读匹配练习题3
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。
全答案)14.12 英语六级考试真题试卷(第三套)
2014.12 英语六级考试真题试卷（第三套）答案2014年12月英语六级考试真题试卷（第3套）参考答案作文范文：There Is No Shortcut to Learning Except DiligenceAs the cartoon depicts, a student stands before the circulation desk, a librarian points somewhere and answers "'How To Do Well In School Without Studying' is over there in the fiction section." Apparently, the cartoonist expresses the idea that there is no royal road to learning.In today's society, lie fast pace of life influences everyone, and some young people tend to seek easy ways to success. However, when running after high-efficiency, we should hold a correct attitude toward learning, because learning requires longterm and painstaking effort and diligence. Firstly, as the say ing goes, "No pains, no gains." The ancient and modem, Chinese and foreign history present us numerous examples to prove this irrefutable truth. Secondly, there is another saying: God rewards the diligent. Chinese people believe that diligence is the means by which one makes up for his dullness. Thomas Edison once said, "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." Ma Yun's life story best prove the significance of diligence in realizing personal ambition.To sum up, college students should remember that the most crucial part of life is t o cultivate the quality of diligence. Only in this way can young people become winner in learning and life.01-08：BADCBADA09-11：CBA12-15：BCDD16-18：ACC19-21：BDD22-25：ABCA26. advantages27. characterizes28. go out of29. seeking30. transition31. appropriate32. reluctant33. acknowledge34. interferes35. tensions36-45：MJKGO DIBLF46-55：GCAMK HELFD56-65：BCCAB DBCDCTranslationThe ideal of country life reflected in art and literature serves as the significant feature of Chinese civilization, which, to a large extent, can be attributed to the Taoist affection to nature. There are two most preferred themes in the traditional Chinese painting. One is the various scenes of happiness about family life, in which the old man often plays chess and drinks tea, a man ploughs or harvests, a woman weaves or sews, and children play outdoors. The other scene is all kinds of pleasures about country life, in which a fisherman is fishing on the lake, with a farmer cutting firewood or gathering herbs in the mountains, or scholars chanting poems and painting pictures under pine trees. The two themes respectively represent the life ideal of Confucianism and Taoism.。
2014年12月6级真题三套全(包括答案)
2014年12月6级第一套Part ⅡListening ComprehensionSection A1. A) At a grocery B) In a parking lotC) In a car showroom D) At a fast food restaurant2. A) Have a little nap after lunch B) Get up and take a short walkC) Change her position now and then。
D) Stretch her legs before standing up3. A) The students should practice long-distance running.B) He doesn’t quite believe what the woman says.C) The students’ p hysical condition is not desirable.D) He thinks the race is too hard for the students.4. A) They do not want to have a baby at present.B) They cannot afford to get married right now.C) They are both pursuing graduate studies.D) They will get their degrees in two years.5. A) Twins usually have a lot in common.B) He must have been mistaken for Jack.C) Jack is certainly not as healthy as he is.D) He has not seen Jack for quite a few days.6. A) The man will take the woman to the museum.B) The man knows where the museum is located.C) The woman is asking the way at the crossroads.D) The woman will attend the opening of the museum.7. A) They cannot ask the guy to leave.B) The guy has been coming in for years.C) They should not look down upon the guy.D) The guy must be feeling extremely lonely.8. A) Collect timepieces B) Learn to mend clocksC) Become time-conscious D) Keep track of his daily activitiesQuestions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard9. A) It winds its way to the sea. B) It is eating into its banks.C) It is quickly rising. D) It is wide and deep10. A) Get the trucks over to the other side of the river.B) Take the equipment apart before being ferried.C) Reduce the transport cost as much as possible.D) Try to speed up the operation by any means.11. A) Ask the commander to send a helicopter.B) Halt the operation until further orders.C) Cut trees and build rowing boats.D) Find as many boats as possible.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) Help him join an Indian expedition B) Talk about his climbing experiencesC) Give up mountain climbing altogether D) Save money to buy climbing equipment13. A) He was very strict with his children.B) He climbed mountains to earn a living.C) He had an unusual religious background.D) He was the first to conquer Mt. Qomolangma.14. A) They are like humans. B) They are sacred places.C) They are to be protected. D) They are to be conquered.15. A) It was his father’s training that pulled him through.B) It was a milestone in his mountain climbing career.C) It was his father who gave him the strength to succeed.D) It helped him understand the Sherpa view of mountains.Passage OneQuestions 16 to 19 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A) By reviewing what he has said previously.B) By comparing memorandums with letters.C) By showing a memorandum’s structure.D) By analyzing the organization of a letter.17. A) They spent a lot of time writing memorandums.B) They seldom read a memorandum through to the end.C) They placed emphasis on the format of memorandums.D) They ignored many of the memorandums they received.18. A) Style and wording. B) Structure and length.C) Directness and clarity. D) Simplicity and accuracy.19. A) Accurate dating. B) Professional look.C) Direct statement of purpose. D) Inclusion of appropriate humor.Passage TwoQuestions 20 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.20. A) They give top priority to their work efficiency.B) They make an effort to lighten their workload.C) They never change work habits unless forced to.D) They try hard to make the best use of their time.21. A) Self-confidence B) Sense of duty C) Work efficiency D) Passion for work22. A) They are addicted to playing online games.B) They try to avoid work whenever possible.C) They find no pleasure in the work they do.D) They simply have no sense of responsibility.Passage ThreeQuestions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard。
2014年12月大学英语六级真题试卷(三)(题后含答案及解析)
2014年12月大学英语六级真题试卷（三）(题后含答案及解析)题型有：1. Writing 2. Listening Comprehension 3. 4. Reading Comprehension 5. TranslationPart I Writing1．For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay based on the picture below. You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and then discuss what qualities an employer should look for in job applicants. You should give sound arguments to support your views and write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.正确答案：Degrees Are More Important than Abilities? In the cartoon, an employer expresses his pity to the young interviewee with a master’s degree. Although the graduate has an impressive resume, he fails the interview, for his competitors are all Ph. D. s. The picture proves that nowadays interviewers place greater emphasis upon education background. I, however, assume the ability of job applicants should gain more attention. There are three main reasons to support this view. First and foremost, education background is only a measure of one’s ability, and the cart should not be put before the horse. Besides, in the sole pursuit of high-level education, companies are likely to miss really talented people, who may drop out of school because of financial difficulties or other reasons. For example, Steven Jobs, a real innovator, did not finish his college but started Apple; Bill Gates, one of the richest men on earth, quitted the university, too. One’s talents cannot be only measured by education background. Finally, most of the companies do not specialize in the cutting-edge science, hence, doctors will be a total waste there. In conclusion, I believe job applicants should not be evaluated only by their education background and the recruiters are supposed to appreciate the talents and abilities more.Part II Listening ComprehensionSection A听力原文：M; What do you think of the government’s new tax cut proposal?W: Though it may give some benefit to the poor, its key component is the elimination of tax on dividends. That means the rich will get richer. Q: What does the woman think of the government’s tax cut proposal?2．A．It will mainly benefit the wealthy.B．It will stimulate business activities.C．It will reduce government revenues.D．It will cut the stockholders’ dividends.正确答案：A解析：从女士话中的Though可知，她认为减少税收不会给穷人带来多大好处，相反富人会变得更加富有. 本题听音关键词是That means．答案就是其后的the rich will get richer。
2014年12月六级真题第3套
2014年12月英语六级考试真题试卷（第3套）Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay based on the picture below. You should start your essay with a brief description of thepicture and then discuss whether technology is indispensable ineducation. You should give sound arguments to support your views andwrite at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)说明：2014年12月六级真题全国共考了两套听力。
本套（即第三套）的听力内容与第二套的完全一样，只是选项的顺序不一样而已，故在本套中不再重复给出。
Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes) Section ADirections: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 bankfollowing the passage. Read the passage through carefully before makingyour choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Pleasemark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet2with asingle line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in thebank more than once.Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.It was 10 years ago, on a warm July night, that a newborn lamb took her first breath in a small shed in Scotland. From the outside, she looked no different from thousands of other sheep born on 36 farms. But Dolly, as the world soon came to realize, was no 37 lamb. She was cloned from a single cell of an adult female sheep, 38 long-held scientific dogma that had declared such a thing biologically impossible.A decade later, scientists are starting to come to grips with just how different Dolly was. Dozens of animals have been cloned since that first lamb—mice, cats, cows and, most recently, a dog—and it’s becoming 39 clear that they are all, in one way or another, defective.It’s 40 to think of clones as perfect carbon copies of the original. It turns out, though, that there are various degrees of genetic 41 . That may come as a shock to people who have paid thousands of dollars to clone a pet cat only to discover that the baby cat looks and behaves 42 like their beloved pet—with a different- color coat of fur, perhaps, or a 43 different attitude toward its human hosts.And these are just the obvious differences. Not only are clones 44 from the original template (模板) by time, but they are also the product of an unnatural molecular mechanism that turns out not to be very good at making 45 copies. In fact, the process can embed small flaws in the genes of clones that scientists are only now discovering.Section BDirections:In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of theparagraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived.You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is markedwith a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letteron Answer Sheet 2.High School Sports Aren’t Killing AcademicsA) In this month’s Atlantic cover article, “The Case Against High-School Sports,”Amanda Ripley argues that school-sponsored sports programs should be seriously cut. She writes that, unlike most countries that outperform the United States on international assessments, American schools put too much of an emphasis on athletics. “Sports are embedded in American schools in a way they are not almost anywhere else,” she writes. “Yet this difference hardly ever comes up in domesticdebates about America’s international mediocrity (平庸) in education.”B) American student-athletes reap many benefits from participating in sports, but thecosts to the schools could outweigh their benefits, she argues. In particular, Ripley contends that sports crowd out the academic missions of schools: America should learn from South Korea and Finland and every other country at the top level of international test scores, all of whom emphasize athletics far less in school. “Even in eighth grade, American kids spend more than twice the time Korean kids spend playing sports,”she writes, citing a 2010 study published in the Journal of Advanced Academics.C) It might well be true that sports are far more rooted in American high schools thanin other countries. But our reading of international test scores finds no support for the argument against school athletics. Indeed, our own research and that of others lead us to make the opposite case. School-sponsored sports appear to provide benefits that seem to increase, not detract (减少) from, academic success.D) Ripley indulges a popular obsession (痴迷) with international test scorecomparisons, which show wide and frightening gaps between the United States and other countries. She ignores, however, the fact that states vary at least as much in test scores as do developed countries. A 2011 report from Harvard University shows that Massachusetts produces math scores comparable to South Korea and Finland, while Mississippi scores are closer to Trinidad and Tobago. Ripley’s thesis about sports falls apart in light of this fact. Schools in Massachusetts provide sports programs while schools in Finland do not. Schools in Mississippi may love football while in Tobago interscholastic sports are nowhere near as prominent. Sports cannot explain these similarities in performance. They can’t explain international differences either.E) If it is true that sports undermine the academic mission of American schools, wewould expect to see a negative relationship between the commitment to athletics and academic achievement. However, the University of Arkansas’s Daniel Bowen and Jay Greene actually find the opposite. They examine this relationship by analyzing schools’sports winning percentages as well as student-athletic participation rates compared to graduation rates and standardized test score achievement over a five-year period for all public high schools in Ohio.Controlling for student poverty levels, demographics (人口统计状况), and district financial resources, both measures of a school’s commitment to athletics are significantly, positively related to lower dropout rates as well as higher test scores.F) On-the-field success and high participation in sports is not random—it requiresfocus and dedication to athletics. One might think this would lead schools obsessed with winning to deemphasize academics. Bowen and Greene’s results contradict that argument. A likely explanation for this seemingly counterintuitive(与直觉相反的) result is that success in sports programs actually facilitates or reflects greater social capital within a school’s community.G) Ripley cites the writings of renowned sociologist James Coleman, whose researchin education was groundbreaking. Coleman in his early work held athletics in contempt, arguing that they crowded out schools’academic missions. Ripley quotes his 1961 study, The Adolescent Society, where Coleman writes, “Altogether, the trophy (奖品) case would suggest to the innocent visitor that he was entering an athletic club, not an educational institution.”H) However, in later research he would show how the success of schools is highlydependent on what he termed social capital, “the norms, the social networks, and the relationships between adults and children that are of value for the child’s growing up.”I) According to a 2013 evaluation conducted by the Crime Lab at the University of Chicago, a program called Becoming a Man—Sports Edition creates lasting improvements in the boys’ study habits and grade point averages. During the first year of the program, students were found to be less likely to transfer schools or be engaged in violent crime. A year after the program, participants were less likely to have had an encounter with the juvenile justice system.J) If school-sponsored sports were completely eliminated tomorrow, many American students would still have opportunities to participate in organized athletics elsewhere, much like they do in countries such as Finland, Germany, and South Korea. The same is not certain when it comes to students from more disadvantaged backgrounds. In an overview of the research on non-school based after-school programs, researchers find that disadvantaged children participate in these programs at significantly lower rates. They find that low-income students have less access due to challenges with regard to transportation, non- nominal fees, and off-campus safety. Therefore, reducing or eliminating these opportunities would most likely deprive disadvantaged students of the benefits from athletic participation, not least of which is the opportunity to interact with positive role models outside of regular school hours.K) Another unfounded criticism that Ripley makes is bringing up the stereotype that athletic coaches are typically lousy (蹩脚的) classroom teachers. “American principals, unlike the vast majority of principals around the world, make many hiring decisions with their sports teams in mind, which does not always end well for students,” she writes. Educators who seek employment at schools primarily for the purpose of coaching are likely to shirk (推卸) teaching responsibilities, the argument goes. Moreover, even in the cases where the employee is a teacher first and athletic coach second, the additional responsibilities that come with coaching likely come at the expense of time otherwise spent on planning, grading, andcommunicating with parents and guardians.L) The data, however, do not seem to confirm this stereotype. In the most rigorous study on the classroom results of high school coaches, the University of Arkansas’s Anna Egalite finds that athletic coaches in Florida mostly tend to perform just as well as their non-coaching counterparts, with respect to raising student test scores. We do not doubt that teachers who also coach face serious tradeoffs that likely come at the expense of time they could dedicate to their academic obligations. However, as with sporting events, athletic coaches gain additional opportunities for communicating and serving as mentors (导师) that potentially help students succeed and make up for the costs of coaching commitments.M) If schools allow student-athletes to regularly miss out on instructional time for the sake of traveling to athletic competitions, that’s bad. However, such issues would be better addressed by changing school and state policies with regard to the scheduling of sporting events as opposed to total elimination. If the empirical evidence points to anything, it points towards school-sponsored sports providing assets that are well worth the costs.N) Despite negative stereotypes about sports culture and Ripley’s presumption that academics and athletics are at odds with one another, we believe that the greater body of evidence shows that school-sponsored sports programs appear to benefit students. Successes on the playing field can carry over to the classroom and vice versa (反之亦然). More importantly, finding ways to increase school communities’social capital is imperative to the success of the school as a whole, not just the athletes.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2 上作答。
2014年12月英语六级长篇阅读匹配题
Can Your Still Work Your Way through College? A. The American Dream refers to the idea that a person has the opportunity to succeed and prosper, despite their economic or social backgrounds, through hard work. But if the rising cost of tuition prohibits students from working through college, Can the American Dream still be obtained? B. Thirty years ago, the cost of tuition was low enough at most public universities that students could pay their way through school by working throughout college. But since the average cost of attendance for all 4-year public universities within a given state rises each year, this is now an almost impossible feat (功绩) . 80 percent of students work at least part-time during college. Recently the question of whether or not working your way through school has become a "thing of the past" was raised by Randy Olson, a graduate student at Michigan State University, who decided to investigate the issue at his own university. C. His research found that in 1979 at MSU, a student could work one day for any minimum wage job (8.44hours) at $2.90 per hour to pay for one credit hour of school. In 2013, the same student would have to work 60 hours to.pay for one credit hour based on the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. D. The average price of tuition at 4-year public universities rose 2.9% in 2013. This was the smallest tuition increase in nearly 30 years. Since 2004, the average cost of attending a public university in a given state has continuously increased as well. Minimum wage only rose in ten states in 2013, while tuition went up in every state. E. With these numbers in mind, it's no surprise some students are working almost full time to pay for school. Ryan Rose, a sophomore at the University of Southern California, works about 30 hours a week to pay for his expenses. While .the university covers his cost of attendance, he still feels the need to work to cover the high cost of living in Los Angeles. "If I went to school at home, I would have expenses that are more fun based, rather than things like buying food and paying rent," he says. "But I felt the educational appeal of USC was going to give me more money in the long run." F. As a production manager for USC's "Trojan Events and Services," Rose handles the logistics of booking and planning events on USC's campus. Since his job reflects highly on the university, he feels a need to prioritize his work over other aspects of college. "It's changed my college experience because it creates stress that students who aren't working don't think about," Rose says. "There are times where I have to decide if an event is more important than a homework assignment because I care about the university's image." G. Courtney Williams, a sophomore at Fullerton College, works three separate jobs to pay her way through community college. "I work about 45 hours per week. I wouldn't have three jobs if it weren't for the high cost of school. I'm paying my own way through college...I keep up with my studies but I feel like I lose out on college experiences," Williams says. H. Williams is transferring to Cal State Fullerton in the fall, using money she's saved up during her first two years at community college. "I got into all the schools I wanted when I applied in high school, but I didn't have enough money at the time. If the cost of college wasn't so high, maybe I could only work one job like a normal student," Williams says. I. Although Olson's data do not analyze the costs of private schools such as USC, he did broaden his research to include all public four-year universities in the U.S. Olson analyzed the rising cost of tuition from 1987 to 2010 at these schools and found very similar results. After adding a linear regression analysis to find tuition costs in 1979, he found that 182 hours a year could pay for a student's tuition in full. In 2013, it would take 991 hours to pay for the same year of school. But all of Olson's data only take into account the cost of tuition, meaning he does not include the cost of food, rent, books and general living expenses. J. Working 30 hours a week allows students like Rose to pay for expenses outside of tuition. Although Rose's financial aid package includes a work-study allotment (勤⼯俭学助学⾦), this isn't enough to cover his college costs outside of tuition. "If my company limited my hours to my work-study allotment I wouldn't be able to attend school because I wouldn't have enough money. I get the same work-study allotment as some of my friends who live in much cheaper states where the cost of living is much less than it is in California," Rose says. K. Rose considered the high cost of living in Los Angeles while choosing colleges, but he ultimately decided the educational benefits of a private school in an expensive city would outweigh the costs. "I was offered enough aid to be paid at state universities, but the educational appeal of USC will give me more money in the long run," Rose says. L. So how does the number of hours students work to pay for school change their college experience? Mary Tomlinson graduated from the University of Florida's College of Journalism and Communications in 1984. With no funding from her family and just a small grant from the school, she had to work her way through college. But her experience was very different from Rose's. "I went off to college with no money in the bank, but I was able to cover all my costs by working because the cost wasn't as high as it is today," Tomlinson says. M. Tomlinson worked in the mathematics department throughout college but she also picked up another job at the local television station during her junior year. She took unpaid jobs at the school radio station and television station to gain experience in her field. "There wasn't as much pressure to be well-rounded ... you didn't need community involvement and leadership and all those things, so that allowed me to solely focus on working," she says. N. As a current student, Rose agrees that work can detract from his ability to be involved in extracurricular activities. "I can't be involved in other things because of how much I work. There are times when I see my friends who are involved in clubs and I think I wish I had time for that; but I'm happy that I have my job because I'm gaining things they could never gain," Rose says. O. As a marketing director who looks at several graduating students' resumes, Tomlinson believes current students need to make time for both work and school. "Working a few hours is a good thing because it broadens your knowledge base.., the danger is when it becomes so many hours that it impacts your schoolwork," she says. "It's ideal to have a healthy balance in between." But with the rising cost of tuition, this healthy balance seems to present challenges for modern students. 46. Olson's study is limited since it only incorporates the data on the cost of tuition in public universities in the U.S. 47. To some students like Ryan Rose, working part-time cannot cover all the cost of school. 48. Mary Tomlinson suggests that current students should deal with the relationship between work and study in a better way. 49. Ryan Rose supposes that studying in some state universities will yield less rewards than in such private universities as USC. 50. Mary Tomlinson believes that there was less demand for developments in all aspects thirty years ago. 51. The rise of minimum wage is limited compared to the continuous and nationwide increase in the cost of tuition. 52. Ryan Rose holds the idea that his work can compensate for what he has lost in campus activities. 53. To Ryan Rose, study sometimes has to give way to work because his work can impact the USC's image. 54. Ryan Rose's work-study allotment is less helpful to him than his friends' due to regional differences in the cost of living. 55. Courtney Williams believes that the high cost of school makes her college life different from others'.。
2014年12月英语六级仔细阅读卷一、卷二、卷三(含答案)
2014 年12 月英语六级仔细阅读答案（卷一文都版）Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. . You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage oneIt is easy to miss amid the day-to-day headlines of global economic recession, but there is a less conspicuous kind of social upheaval（剧变）un derway that is fast alteri ng both the face of the pla net and the way huma n beings live. That cha nge is the rapid acceleration of urbanization. In 2008, for the first time in human history, more than half the world ivingin towns and cities. And as a recently published paper shows, the process of urbanization will only accelerate in the decades to come—with an enormous impact on biodiversity and potentially on climate change.As Karen Seto, the led author of the paper, points out, the wave of urbanization isn 't just about the migration of p into urban environments, but about the environments themselves becoming bigger to accommodate all those people. The rapid expansion of urban areas will have a huge impact on biodiversity hotspots and on carbon emissions in those urban areas.Humans are the ultimate invasive species —when the move into new territory, the often displace the wildlife that was already living there. And as land is cleared for those new cities —especially in the dense tropical forests —carbon will be released into the atmosphere as well. It 's true that as people in developing nations move from the countrysihd e to the city shift may reduce the pressure on land, which could in turn be good for the environment. This is especially so in desperately poor countries, where residents in the countryside slash and burn forests each growing season to clear space for farming. But the real difference is that in developing nations, the move from rural areas to cities often leads to an accompanying increase in income —and that increase leads to an increase in the consumption of food and energy, which in turn causes a rise in carbon emissions. Getting enough to eat and enjoying the safety and comfort of living fully on the grid is certainly a good thing —but it does carry an environmental price.The urbanization wave can 't be stoppedand—itshouldn 't be. But Seto 's paper does underscore the importance of managing that transition. If we do it the right way, we can reduce urbanization 's impact on the environme enormous opportunity here, and a lot of pressure and responsibility to think about how we urbanize, ” saysthat 's clear is that we can 't build cities the way we have over the last couple of hundred years. The scale of this transition w allow that. ” W e'adreedhtowards an urban planet no matter what, but whether it becomes heaven or hell is up to us.56. What issue does the author try to draw people ' s attention to?A. The shrinking biodiversity worldwide.B. The rapid increase of world population.C. The ongoing global economic recession.D. The impact of accelerating urbanization.57. In what sense are humans the ultimate invasive species?A. They are much greedier than other species.B. They are a unique species born to conquer.C. They force other species out of their territories.D. They have an urge to expand their living space.58. In what way is urbanization in poor countries good for the environment?A. More land will be preserved for wildlife.B. The pressure on farmland will be lessened.C. Carbon emissions will be considerably reduced.A. It incurs a high environmental price.B. It brings poverty and insecurity to an end.C. It causes a big change in people ' s lifestyle.D. It n arrows the gap betwee n city and coun try.60. What can be done to mini mize the n egative impact of urba ni zati on accord ing to Seto?A. Slow ing dow n the speed of tran siti on.B. Inno vative use of adva need tech no logy.C. Appropriate man ageme nt of the process.D. Enhancing people ' s sense of responsibility.答案：56 D The impact of accelerat ing urba ni zati on57 C they force other species out...58 B the pressure on farmland will...59 A it in curs a high environmen tal...60 C appropriate man ageme nt...Passage TwoWhen Harvard stude nt Mark Zuckerberg laun ched in Feb. 2004, even he could not imagi ne the forces it would let loose. His intent was to connect college stude nts. Facebook, which is what this website rapidly evolved in to, en ded 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. During my childhood, all kno wledge was local. You lear ned everyth ing you knew from your pare nts, teachers, preachers, and frien ds.With the high-quality and timely information at their fingertips, to day' s children are rising 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 marshalli ng the en ergy of milli ons for electio ns and political causes. All of this is being done with social media tech no logies that Facebook and its competitors set free.As does every adva ncing tech no logy, social media has created many new problems. It is com monly addictive and creates risks for youn ger users. Social media is used by extremists in the Middle East and elsewhere to seek and brain wash recruits. And it exposes us and our friends to disagreeable spy ing. We may leave our lights on in the house when we are on vacati on, but through social media we tell criminals exactly where we are, when we plan to return home, and how to blackmail（敲诈）us.Gover nments don' t n e d in formers any more. Social media allows gover nment age ncies to spy on their own citize ns. We record our thoughts, emoti on s, likes and dislikes on Facebook; we share our political views, social prefere nces, and pla ns. We post intimate photographs of ourselves. No spy agency or criminal organization could actively gather the type of data that we volun tarily 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 dan gers.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 amaz ing and un predictable tha n the last. Just as no one could predict what would happe n with social media in the last decade, no one can accurately predict where this tech no logy will take us. I am optimistic, however, that a conn ected humanity will find a way to uplift itself.61. What was the purpose of Facebook whe n it was first created?A. To help stude nts connect with the outside world.B. To bring uni versity stude nts into closer con tact.C. To help students learn to live in a connected era.D. To combine the world into an integral whole.62. What differe nee does social media make to lear ning?A. Local kno wledge and global kno wledge will merge.B. Stude nt will become more curious and ambitious.C. People are able to lear n wherever they travel.D. Sources of in formati on are greatly expa nded.63. What is the author ' s greatest concern with social medla(te?hA. In dividuals and orga ni zati ons may use it for evil purposes.B. Government will find it hard to protect classified information.C. People may disclose their friends ' in formatio n uninten ti on ally.D. People ' s attention will be easily distractedfrom their work in hand.64. What do bus in esses use social media for?A. Creati ng a good corporate image.B. Con duct ing large-scale market surveys.C. An ticipati ng the n eeds of customers.D. Mini miz ing possible risks and dan gers.65. What does the author think of social media as a whole?A. It will enable human society to advance at a faster pace.B. It will pose a grave threat to our traditional ways of life.C. It is bound to bring about another information revolution.D. It breaks dow n the final barriers in huma n com muni cati on.答案：61 B to bring uni versity stude nts into closer...62 D sources of in formati on are greatly expa nded63 A in dividuals and orga ni zati ons may use it for evil purpose64 B an ticipati ng the n eeds of customers65 A it will en able huma n society to adva nce at a faster pace.2014年12月英语六级仔细阅读答案(卷二新东方版)Sectio n CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinishedstateme nts. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the bestchoice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneNoth ing succeeds in bus in ess books like the study of success. The curre nt bus in ess-book boom was laun ched in 1982 by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman with "In Search of Excellence ” . It has been kept going eversince by a succession of gurus and would-be gurus who promise to distil the essence of excellence into three(or five or seve n)simple rules.The Three Rules is a self-conscious contribution to this type; it even includes a bibliography of “ success studies ” . Messrs Raynor and Mumtaz Ahmedwork for a consultancy, Deloitte, that is determined to turn itselfinto more of a thought-leader and less a corporate repairma n. They employ all the tricks of the success genre. They in sist that their con欢迎下载an alysis for its own sake. Success authors usually serve up vivid stories about how excepti onal bus in ess-people stamped their pers on alities on a compa ny or rescued it from a life-threate ning crisis. MessrsRaynor and Ahmed are happier chew ing the nu mbers: they provide detailed appe ndices on “ calculat ing the elements of advantage ” and “detailed analysis ” .The authors spent five years studying the behaviour of their 344 “ exceptional companies ” , only tocome 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.Man ageme nt is all about making difficult tradeoffs in con diti ons that are always un certa in and ever-cha nging. But excepti onal compa nies approach these trade-offs with two simple rules in mi nd, sometimes con sciously, sometimes uncon sciously. First: better before cheaper. Compa nies are more likely to succeed in the long run if they compete on quality or performanee 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 performanee leads comme ntators to attribute all manner of virtues to anything and everyth ing the compa ny does. These virtues then suddenly become vices when the company fails. Messrs Raynor and Ahmedwork hard to avoid these mistakes by studying large bodies of data over several decades. But they end up embracing a different error:stati ng the obvious. Most bus in esspeople will not be surprised to lear n that it is better to find a profitable niche( 缝隙市场)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 bus in ess books are most likely to sell well?A) Books on excelle nee.B) Guides to man ageme nt.C) Books on bus in ess rules.D) An alyses of market tren ds.【答案】A57. What does the author imply about books on success so far?A) They help bus in essme n on way or ano ther.B) They are writte n by well-recog ni sed experts.C) They more or less fall into the same stereotype.D) They are based on an alyses of corporate leaders.【答案】C58. How does The Three Rules differe nt from other success books accord ing to the passage?A) It focuses on the behavior of exceptio nal bus in essme n.B) It bases its detailed an alysis on large amount of data.C) It offers practicable advice to bus in essme n.D) It draws con clusi on from vivid examples.【答案】B59. What does the passage say con tributes to the success of excepti onal compa ni es?A) Focus on quality and revenue.B) Man ageme nt and sales promoti on.C) Lower product ion costs and competitive prices.D) Emphasis on after-sale service and maintenance.【答案】A60. What is the author ' s comment on The Three Rules?A. It can help to locate profitable niches.B. It has little to offer to bus in esspeople.C. It is no ted for its detailed data an alysis.D. It fails to ide ntify the keys to success.【答案】BPassage TwoQuesti ons 61 to 65 are based on the follow ing passage.Un til recen tly, the Uni versity of Kent prided itself on its frien dly image. Not any more. Over the pastfew mon ths it has bee n work ing hard. With the help of media con sulta nts, to play dow n its cosy reputati on in favour of someth ing more academic and serious.Kent is not alone in considering an image revamp （翻新）.Changes to next year ' s funding regime areforcing uni versities to justify charg ing stude nts up to £ 9,000 in fees.Nowadays universities are putting much more of a focus on their brands and what their value propositionsare .While in the past uni versities have ofte n focused on stude nt social life and attract ions of the uni versitytown in recruitment campaigns, they are now concentrating on more tangible（实在的）attractions, such asemployme nt prospects, en gageme nt with in dustry, and lecturer con tact hours, making clear exactly what stude nts are going to get for their mon ey.The problem for uni versities is that if those ben efits fail to materialize, stude nts no tice. That worriesRob Behrens, who deals with student complaints. “ Universities need to be extremely careful in describingwhat' s going to happen to students ” he says. “As competition is going to get greater for attracting giftedstude nts, there is a dan ger that uni versities will go the extra mile. ”One uni versity told prospective engin eeri ng stude nts they would be able to desig n a car and race it at Brands Hatch, which n ever happe ned, he says. Others have promised use of sophisticated equipme nt that turned out to be broke n or un available. "If uni versities spe nt as much money on han dli ng compla ints andappeals appropriately as they spend on marketing, they would do better at keeping students, and in the NationalStudent Survey returns, ” he says.Ongoing research tracking prospective 2012 students suggests that they are not only becoming more timeresearchi ng evide nee to back up in stituti onal claims.Hence the growing importance of the student survey. From next September. All institutions will also be expected to publish on their websites key information sets, allowing easier comparison between institution,betwee n promises and reality, and the types of jobs and salaries graduates go on to.As a result, it is hardly surprising that universities are beginning to change the way they market themselves. While the best form of market ing for in stituti ons is to be good at what they do, they also n eedto be clear about how they are differe nt from others.And it is vital that once an in stituti on claims to be particularly good at someth in g, it must live up to it, The mome nt you positi on yourself, you become exposed, and if you fail in that you are in trouble.A. Its comfortable campus life. 欢迎下载B. Its up-to-date course offerings.C. Its disti nguished teach ing staff.D. Its diverse academic programmes.【答案】A62. What are uni versities trying to do to attract stude nts?A. Improve their lear ning environment.B. Upgrade their campus facilitiesC. Offer more scholarships to the gifted.D. Prese nt a better academic image.【答案】A63. What does Rob Behre ns suggest uni versities do in market ing themselves?A. Publicise the achieveme nts of their graduates.B. Go to extra len gths to cater to stude nts n eeds.C. Refrain from mak ing promises they cannot honor.D. Survey the expectati ons of their prospective stude nts.【答案】C64. What is stude nts ' chief con siderati on in choos ing a uni versity?A. Whether it promises the best job prospects.B. Whether it is able to deliver what they want.C. Whether it ranks high among similar institutions.D. Whether it offers opport un ities for practical training.【答案】B65. What must uni versities show to win recruitme nt campaig ns?A. They are positi oned to meet the future n eeds of society.B. They are resp on sible to stude nts for their growth.C. They are ever ready to improve themselves.D. They are unique one way or ano ther.【答案】D2014年12月英语六级仔细阅读答案(卷三)Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this sect ion. Each passage is followed by some questi ons orunfini shed stateme nts. For each of them there are four choices marked A). B). C) andD). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresp onding letter on An swerSheet 2 with a sin gle line through the cen ter.Passage OneQuesti ons 56 to 60 are based on the followi ng passage.Intern ati onal governments 'in actio n concerning susta in able developme nt is clearly worryin g but the proactive( 主动出击的)approaches of some leading-edge companies are encouraging. Toyota, Wal-Mart, DuPont, M&S and Gen eral Electric have made tackli ng environmen tal wastes a key econo mic driver.DuP ont committed itself to a 65% reduct ion in gree nhouse gas emissi ons in the 10 years prior to 2010. By 2007, DuPo nt was savi ng $2.2 billion a year through en ergy efficiency, the same as its total declared profits that year. Gen eral Electric aims to reduce the en ergy inten sity of its operati ons by 50% by 2015. They have in vested heavily in prand con servi ng en ergy.ojects desig ned to change the way of usingCompa nies like Toyota and Wal-Mart are not committ ing to environmen tal goals out of the good ness of their hearts. The reas on for their actions is a simple yet powerful real ization that the environmental and economic footprints fit well together. When M&S launched its “ Pla n A susta in ability program in 2007, it was believed that it would cost over £ 200 millio n in the first five years. However, the in itiative had gen erated £ 105 million by 2011/12.When we preve nt physical waste, in crease en ergy efficie ncy or improve resource productivity, we save money, improve profitability and enhance competitiveness. In fact, there are ofte n huge “ quick win ”opport un ities, tha nks to years of n eglect.However, there is a con siderable gap betwee n leadi ng-edge compa nies and the rest of t he 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 complianee saves cost at the same time that it gen erates cash, provided that man ageme nt adopts the new lea n and gree n model.Lean means doing more with less. Nonetheless, in most companies, economic and environmen tal con ti nu ous improveme nt is viewed as being in con flict with each other. This is oneof the biggest opport un ities missed across most in dustries. The size of the opport unityis enormous. The 3% Report recently published by World Wildlife Fund and CDP shows that the econo mic prize for curb ing carb on emissi ons in the US economy is $780 billi on between now and 2020. Itsuggests that one of the biggest levers for delivering this opportu nity is “ in creased efficie ncy through man ageme nt and behavioral cha nge”一in other words,lea n and gree n man ageme nt.Some 50 studies show that companies that commit to such aspirational goals as zero waste, zero harmful emissi ons, and zero use of non-ren ewable resources are finan cially outp erforming their competitors. Conversely, it was found that climate disruption is already cost ing $1.2 trilli on ann ually, cutti ng global GDP by 1.6%. Un addressed, this will doubleby 2030.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
2014年12月英语六级试题及答案第三套
Questions 35 to 45 are based on the follorving passage.
It was l0 years ago, on a warrn July night, that a newborn lamb took her first breath in a small shed in
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2014年12月大学英语六级长篇阅读匹配练习题3Genetically Modified Foods--Feed the World?[A] If you want to spark a heated debate at a dinner party, bring up the topic about genetically modified foods. For many people, the concept of genetically altered, high-tech crop production raises all kinds of environmental, health, safety and ethical questions. Particularly in countries with long agrarian traditions--and vocal green lobbies--the idea seems against nature.[B] In fact, genetically modified foods are already very much a part of our lives. A third of the corn and more than half the soybeans and cotton grown in the U. S. last year were the product of biotechnology, according to the Department of Agriculture. More than 65 million acres of genetically modified crops will be planted in the U. S. this year. The genetic is out of the bottle.[C] Yet there are clearly some very real issues that need to be resolved. Like any new product entering the food chain, genetically modified foods must be subjected to rigorous testing. In wealthy countries, the debate about biotech is tempered by the fact that we have a rich array of foods to choose from--and a supply that far exceeds our needs. In developing countries desperate to feed fast-growing and underfed populations; the issue is simpler and much more urgent: Do the benefits of biotech outweigh the risks?[D] The statistics on population growth and hunger are disturbing. Last year the world's population reached 6 billion. And by 2050, the UN estimates, it will be probably near 9 billion. Almost all that growth will occur in developing countries. At the same time, the world's available cultivable land per person is declining. Arable land has declined steadily since 1960 and will decrease by half over the next 50 years, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications ( ISAAA).How can biotech help?[E] Biotechnologists have developed genetically modified rice that is fortified with beta-carotene(胡萝卜素)--which the body converts into vitamin A--and additional iron, and they are working on other kinds of nutritionally improved crops. Biotech can also improve farming productivity in places where food shortages are caused by crop damage attribution to pests, drought, poor soil and crop viruses, bacteria or fungi ( 真菌).[F] Damage caused by pests is incredible. The European corn borer, for example, destroys 40 million tons of the-world's corn crops annually, about 7% of the total. Incorporating pest-resistant genes into seeds can help restore the balance. In trials of pest-resistant cotton in Africa, yields have increased significantly. So far, fears that genetically modified, pest-resistant crops might kill good insects as well as bad appear unfounded.[G] Viruses often cause massive failure in staple crops in developing countries. Two years ago, Africa lost more than half its cassava (树薯) crop--a key source of calories-to the mosaic virus (花叶病毒).Genetically modified, virus-resistant crops can reduce that damage, as candrought-tolerant seeds in regions where water shortages limit the amount of land under cultivation. Biotech can also help solve the problem of soil that contains excess aluminum, which can damage roots and cause many staple-crop failures. A gene that helps neutralize aluminum toxicity (毒性) in rice has been identified. Many scientists believe biotech could raise overall crop productivity in developing countries as much as 25% and help prevent the loss of those crops after they are harvested.[H]Yet for all that promise, biotech is far from being the whole answer. In developing countries, lost crops are only one cause ofhunger. Poverty plays the largest role. Today more than 1 billion people around the globe live on less than 1 dollar a day. Making genetically modified crops available will not reduce hunger if farmers cannot afford to grow them or if the local population cannot afford to buy the food those farmers produce.[I] Biotech has its own "distribution" problems. Private-sector biotech companies in the rich countries carry out much of the leading-edge research on genetically modified crops. Their products are often too costly for poor farmers in the developing world, and many of those products won't even reach the regions where they are most needed. Biotech firms have a strong financial incentive to target rich markets first in order to help them rapidly recoup the high costs of product development. But some of these companies are responding to needs of poor countries.[J] More and more biotech research is being carried out in developing countries. But to increase the impact of genetic research on the food production of those countries, there is a need for better collaboration between government agencies--both local and in developed countries--and private biotech firms. The ISAAA, for example, is successfully partnering with the U. S. Agency for International Development, local researches and private biotech companies to find and deliver biotech solutions for farmers in developing countries.Will "Franken-foods" feed the world?[K]Biotech is not a panacea ( 治百病的药), but it does promise to transform agriculture in many developing countries. If that promise is not fulfilled, the real losers will be their people, who could suffer for years to come.[L] The world seems increasingly to have been divided into those who favor genetically modified foods and those who fear them. Advocates assert that growing genetically altered crops can be kinder to the environment and that eating foods from those plants is perfectly safe. And, they say, genetic engineering--which can induce plants to grow in poor soils or to produce more nutritious foods—will soon become an essential tool for helping to feed the world's burgeoning( 迅速发展的) population. Skeptics contend that genetically modified crops could pose unique risks to the environment and to health--risks too troubling to accept placidly. Taking that view, many European countries are restricting the cultivation and importation of genetically modified agricultural products. Much of the debate are concerned about of safety. But what exactly does recent scientific research say about the hazards?[M] Two years ago in Edinburgh, Scotland, eco-vandals stormed a field, crushing canola plants. Last year in Maine, midnight raiders hacked down more than 3,000 experimental poplar trees. And in San Diego, protesters smashed sorghum and sprayed paint over greenhouse walls. This far-flung outrage took aim at genetically modified crops. But the protests backfired: all the destroyed plants were conventionally bred. In each case, activists mistook ordinary plants for genetically modified varieties.[N] It's easy to understand why. In a way, genetically modified crops--now on some 109 million acres of farmland worldwide--are invisible. You can't see, taste or touch a gene inserted into a plant or sense its effects on the environment. You can't tell, just by looking, whether pollen containing a foreign gene can poison butterflies or fertilize plants miles away. That invisibility is precisely what worries people. How, exactly, will genetically modified crops affect the environment--and when will we notice?[O] Advocates of genetically modified or transgenic crops say the plants will benefit the environment by requiring fewer toxic pesticides than conventional crops. But critics fear the potential risks and wonder how big the benefits really are. "We have so many questions about these plants," remarks Guenther Stotzky, a soft microbiologist at New York University. "There's a lot we don't know and need to find out. "As genetically modified crops multiply in the landscape, unprecedented numbers of researchers have started fanning into the fields to get the missing information. Some of their recent findings are reassuring; others suggest a need for vigilance.46. According to the UN's prediction, the population growth from now to 2050 is nearly all in developing countries.47. Those people and countries restricting and opposed to planting and importing of genetically modified $ plants worry about their safety.48. The boosters of genetically modified crops argue that these altered plants need fewer toxic pesticides.49. The mosaic virus led to the loss of more than half of African main food two years ago.50. Genetically modified crops can help to improve nutrient contents and farming productivity.51. The most important factor that leads to hunger in developing countries is poverty, not crops lost.52. The far-flung outrage destroys fields and plants because they misidentified ordinary plants for genetically modified varieties.53. The debate on genetically modified foods is more heated in developing countries withfast-growing and half-starved populations.54. One third of corn planted in America was genetically modified corn last year.55. Majority of people believe genetically modified crop causes environmental problems.语篇分析46. According to the UN's prediction, the population growth from now to 2050 is nearly all in developing countries译文根据联合国的预测，从现在到2050年的人口增长几乎都集中在发展中家。