英语六级第一套听力原文
College English Test Band SixPart Ⅱ Listening ComprehensionSection ADirections: In this section,you will hear two long the end of each conversation,you will hear four the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question,you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D).Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1with a single line through the OneM: So, how long have you been a market research consultant?W: Well,I started straight after finishing university.M: Did you study market research?W: Yeah, and it really helped me to get into the industry,but I have to say that it’s more important to get experience in different types of market research to find out exactly what you’re interested in. M: So what are you interested in?W: Well, at the moment,I specialize in quantitative advertising research,which means that I do two types of , which are ongoingprojects that look at trends or customer satisfaction over a long period of only problem with trackers is that it takes up a lot of your you do build up a good relationship with the also do a couple of ad hoc jobs which are much shorter projects.M: What exactly do you mean by ad hoc jobs?W: It’s basically when companies need quick answers to their questions about their consumers’ just ask for one questionnaire to be sent out for example,so the time you spend on an ad hoc project tends to be fairly short.M: Which do you prefer, trackers or ad hoc?W: I like doing both and in fact I need to do both at the same time to keep me from going need the variety.M: Can you just explain what process you go through with a new client? W: Well, together we decide on the methodology and the objectives of the then design a the interviewers have been briefed,I send the client a schedule and then they get back to me with the final charts and tables are ready,I have to check them and organize a presentation.M: Hmm, one last question,what do you like and dislike about yourjob?W: As I said,variety is important and as for what I don’t like,it has to be the checking of charts and tables.Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.1. What position does the woman hold in the company?2. What does the woman specialize in at the moment?3. What does the woman say about trackers?does the woman dislike about her job?Conversation TwoW: Hello, I’m here with Fred,you went to university in Canada? M: Yeah, that’s right.W: OK, and you have very strong views about universities in you please explain?M: Well,we don’t have private universities in ’re all the universities are owned by the government,so there is the Ministry of Education in charge of creating the curriculum for the universities and so there is not much room for it’s agovernment-operated institution,things don’t move very you want something to be done,then their staff do not have so much incentive to help you because he’s a worker for the I don’t think it’s very ,there are certain advantages of public universities,such as the fees being don’t have to pay for your the system isn’t efficient,and it does not work that well.W: Yeah, I can see your point,but in the United States we have many private universities,and I think they are large bureaucracies people don’t act that much differently,because it’s the same thing working for a private get paid for their don’t know if they’re that much more motivated to help , we have a problem in the United States that usually only wealthy kids go to the best schools and it’s kind of a problem actually.M: I agree with think it’s a problem because you’re not giving equal access to education to ’s not easy, but having only public universities also might not be the best we can learn from Japan where they have a system of private and public , in Japan, public universities are considered to be the best.W: Right. It’s the exact opposite in the United States.M: So, as you see,it’s very hard to say which one is better.W: Right, a good point.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.5. What does the woman want Frederick to talk about?6. What does the man say about the curriculum in Canadian universities?7. On what point do the speakers agree?8. What point does the man make at the end of the conversation? Section BDirections: In this section,you will hear two the end of each passage,you will hear three or four the passage and the questions will be spoken only 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 OneA recent International Labour Organization report says the deterioration of real wages around the world calls into question the true extent of an economic recovery,especially if governmentrescue packages are phased out too report warns the picture on wages is likely to get worse this year,despite indications of an economic Belser, an International Labour Organization specialist,says declining wage rates are linked to the levels of unemployment.“The quite dramatic unemployment figures,which we now see in some of the countries,strongly suggest that there will be greater pressure on wages in the future as more people will be unemployed,more people will be looking for jobs and the pressure on employers to raise wages to attract workers will ,we expect that the second part of the year will not be very good in terms of wage growth. ”The report finds more than a quarter of the countries experienced flat or falling monthly wages in real include, the United States, Austria,Costa Rica, South Africa and Labour Organization economists say some nations have come up with polices to lessen the impact of lower wages during the economic example of these is work sharing with government subsidies. Under this scheme,the number of individual working hours is reduced in an effort to avoid this scheme to work,the government must provide wage subsidies to compensate for lost pay due to the shorter hours. Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.9. What is the International Labour Organization report mainlyabout?10. According to an International Labour Organization specialist, how will employers feel if there are more people looking for jobs? 11. What does the speaker mean by the work-sharing scheme? Passage TwoIs there really a magic memory pill or a herbal recall remedy?I have been frequently asked if these memory supplements know, one of the first things I like to tell people when they ask me about these supplements is that a lot of them are promoted as a cure for your your memory doesn’t need a your memory needs is a good really those supplements aren’t going to give you that perfect memory in the way that they other thing is that a lot of these supplements aren’t necessarily what they claim to be,and you really have to be wary when you take any of science isn’t there behind most of ’re not really well-regulated unless they adhere to some industry don’t really know that what they say is in there is in you must understand is that those supplements,especially in some eastern cultures,are part of a medical practice don’t just go in a local grocery store and buy these fact, they are prescribed and they’re given at a certain level,a dosage that is understood by apractitioner who’s been that’s not really the way they’re used in this other thing people do forget is that these are medicines,so they do have an lot of times people are not really aware of the impact they have, or the fact that taking them in combination with other medications might put you at an increased risk for something that you wouldn’t otherwise be countering or be at risk for. Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.12. What question is frequently put to the speaker?13. What does the speaker say about most memory supplements?14. What do we learn about memory supplements in eastern cultures?15. What does the speaker say about memory supplements at the end? Section CDirections: In this section,you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four recordings will be played only 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.Recording OneThe negative impacts of natural disasters can be seen just the past few weeks,the world has witnessed the destructive power of earthquakes in Indonesia,typhoons in the Philippines,and the destructive sea waves that struck Samoa and neighboring study by the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters finds that,between 1980 and 2007, nearly 8, 400 natural disasters killed more than two million catastrophic events caused more than $ trillion in economic expert Geoffrey Love says that is the bad news. “Over the last 50 years,economic losses have increased by a factor of sounds pretty terrible,but the loss of life has decreased by a factor of 10 simply because we are getting better at warning people. We are making a events, however, will continue to , the message is that they need not be disasters.”Love, who is director of Weather and Disaster Risk Reduction at the World Meteorological Organization, says most of the deaths and economic losses were caused by weather,climate, or water-related include droughts, floods, windstorms,strong tropical winds and says extreme events will , he says extreme events become disasters only when people fail to prepare for them.“Many of the remedies are a planning perspective,it’s pretty simple. Build better ’t build where the hazards will destroy an early-warning perspective,make sure the warnings go right down to the community community actionplans.”The World Meteorological Organization points to Cuba and Bangladesh as examples of countries that have successfully reduced the loss of life caused by natural disasters by taking preventive says tropical storms formerly claimed dozens,if not hundreds of lives, each year, in , the development of an early-warning system has reversed that 2008, Cuba was hit by five successive hurricanes,but only seven people were also has achieved substantial storm surges in 1970 and 1991 caused the deaths of about 440,000 careful preparation,the death toll from a super tropical storm in November 2007 was less than 3,500.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.16. What is the talk mainly about?17. How can we stop extreme events from turning into disasters?18. What does the example of Cuba serve to show?Recording TwoAs . banks recovered with the help of the American government and the American taxpayer, President Obama held meetings with top bank executives,telling them it’s time to return the favor.“The way I see it—our banks now have a greater obligation to the goal ofa wider recovery,”he the President may be giving the financial sector too much credit.“It was in a free fall,and it was a very scary period.”Economist Martin Neil Baily the failure of Lehman Brothers,many of the world’s largest banks feared the worst as the collapse of the housing bubble exposed investments in risky he says the worst is over,Baily says the banking crisis is than 130 . banks failed in predicts high failure rates for smaller,regional banks in 2010 as Commercial Real Estate loans come due.“So there may actually be a worsening of credit availability to small-and medium-sized businesses in the next year or so.”Analysts say the biggest problem is high unemployment,which weakens demand and makes banks reluctant to . Bancorp chief Richard Davis sees the situation differently.“We’re probably more optimistic than the expertsmight be. With that in mind,we’re putting in everything we is the coal to our engine,so we want to make more have to find a way to qualify more people and not put ourselves at risk. ”While some economists predict continued recovery in the future,Baily says the only certainty is that banks are unlikely to make the same mistakes twice.“You know, forecasting’s become a very hazardous business so I don’t want to commit myself too don’t think we know exactly what’s going to happen but it’s certainly possible that we could get very slow growth over the next year or two. ”If the economy startsto shrink again, Baily says it would make a strong case for a second stimulus—something the Obama administration hopes will not be necessary.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the recording you have just heard.19. What does President Obama hope the banks will do?20. What is Martin Neil Baily’s prediction about the financial situation in the future?21. What does . Bancorp chief Richard Davis say about its future operation?22. What does Martin Neil Baily think of a second stimulus to the economy?Recording ThreeA new study has failed to find any conclusive evidence that lifestyle changes can prevent cognitive decline in older there are good reasons to make positive changes in how we live and what we eat as we decline is the loss of ability to learn new skills, or recall words, names,and faces that is most common as we reduce or avoid it,researchers have examined the effect of smoking,diet, brain-challenging games,exercise and other at Duke Universityscrutinized more than 160 published studies and found an absence of strong evidence that any of these approaches can make a big difference. Co-author James Burke helped design the study.“In the observational studies we found that some of the B vitamins were , diet, cognitive stimulation showed some positive effects, although the evidence was not so strong that we could actually consider these firmly established.”Some previous studies have suggested that challenging your brain with mentally stimulating activities might Burke says that actually does seem to help,based on randomized studies—the researcher’s gold standard.“Cognitive stimulation is one of the areas where we did find some exact type of stimulation that an individual uses is not as important as being intellectually engaged.”The expert review also found insufficient evidence to recommend any drugs or dietary supplements that could prevent or slow cognitive , given that there is at least some evidence for positive effects from some of these lifestyle changes,plus other benefits apparently unrelated to cognitive decline,Burke was willing to offer some recommendations.“I think that by having people adopt a healthy lifestyle,both from a medical standpoint as well as nutritional and cognitive stimulation standpoint,we can reduce the incidence of cognitive decline,which will be proof that these factors are, in fact, important. ”James Burke of Duke Universityis one of the authors of a study reviewing previous research on cognitive decline. The paper is published online by the Annals of Internal Medicine. Questions 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.to the speaker,what might be a symptom of cognitive decline in older adults?24. According to James Burke,what does seem to help reduce cognitive decline?25. What did James Burke recommend to reduce the incidence of cognitive decline?This is the end of listening comprehension.。
2022年大学六级真题听力原文答案详解
12月大学英语六级真题Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled The Way to Success bycommenting on Abraham Lincoln's famous remark,"Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I willspend, the first four sharpening the axe." You shouldwrite at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.The Way to Success注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes)Directions:In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer thequestions on AnswerSheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answerfrom the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Forquestions 8-10, complete the sentences with theinformation given in the passage.Google's Plan for World's Biggest Online Library: PhilanthropyOr Act of Piracy?In recent years, teams of workers dispatched by Google have been working hard to make digital copies of books. So far, Google has scanned more than 10 million titles from libraries in America and Europe - including half a million volumes held by the Bodleian in Oxford. The exact method it uses is unclear; the company does not allow outsiders to observe the process.Why is Google undertaking such a venture? Why is it even interested in all those out-of-printlibrary books, most of which have been gathering dust on forgotten shelves for decades? Thecompany claims its motives are essentially public-spirited. Its overall mission, after all, is to "organise the world's information", so it would be odd if that information did not include books.The company likes to present itself as having lofty aspirations. "This really isn't about making money. We are doing this for the good of society." As Santiago de la Mora, head of Google Books for Europe, puts it: "By making it possible to search the millions of books that exist today, we hope to expand the frontiers of human knowledge."Dan Clancy, the chief architect of Google Books, does seem genuine in his conviction that thisis primarilya philanthropic (慈善旳) exercise. "Google's core business issearch and find, soobviously what helps improve Google's search engine is good for Google," he says. "But we havenever built a spreadsheet (电子数据表) outlining the financial benefits of this, and I have neverhad to justify the amount I am spending to the company's founders."It is easy, talking to Clancy and his colleagues, to be swept along by their missionary passion. But Google's book-scanning project is proving controversial. Several opponents have recently emerged, ranging from rival tech giants such as Microsoft and Amazon to small bodies representing authors and publishers across the world. In broad terms, these opponents have levelled two sets of criticisms at Google.First, they have questioned whether the primary responsibility for digitally archiving the world's books should be allowed to fall to a commercial company. In a recent essay in the New YorkReview of Books, Robert Darnton, the head of Harvard University's library, argued that because such books are a common resource – the possession of us all – only public,not-for-profit bodiesshould be given the power to control them.The second related criticism is that Google's scanning of books is actually illegal. This allegation has led to Googlebecoming mired in (陷入) a legal battle whose scope and complexity makes the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case in Charles Dickens' Bleak House look straightforward.At its centre, however, is one simple issue: that of copyright. The inconvenient fact about most books, to which Google has arguably paid insufficient attention, is that they are protected by copyright. Copyright laws differ from country to country, but in general protection extends for the duration of an author's life and for a substantial period afterwards, thus allowing the author's heirs to benefit. (In Britain and America, this post-death period is 70 years.) This means, of course, that almost all of the books published in the 20th century are still undercopyright – and the last century saw more books published than in all previous centuries combined. Of the roughly 40 million books in US libraries, for example, an estimated 32 million are in copyright. Of these, some 27 million are out of print.Outside the US, Google has made sure only to scan books that are out of copyright and thus in the "public domain" (works such as the Bodleian's first edition of Middlemarch, which anyone canread for free on Google Books Search).But, within the US, the company has scanned bothin-copyright and out-of-copyright works. Inits defence, Google points out that it displays only small segments of books that are in copyright– arguing that such displays are "fair use". But critics allege that by making electronic copies of these books without first seeking the permission of copyright holders, Google has committed piracy."The key principle of copyright law has always been that works can be copied only once authors have expressly given their permission," says Piers Blofeld, of the Sheil Land literary agency in London. "Google has reversed this – it has simply copied all these works without bothering toask."In , the Authors Guild of America, together with a group of US publishers, launched a class action suit (集团诉讼) against Google that, after more than two years of negotiation, endedwith an announcement last October that Google and the claimants had reached an out-of-courtsettlement. The full details are complicated - the text alone runs to 385pages– and trying tosummarise it is no easy task. "Part of the problem is that it is basically incomprehensible," saysBlofeld, one of the settlement's most vocal British critics.Broadly, the deal provides a mechanism for Google to compensate authors and publishers whose rights it has breached (including giving them a share of any future revenue it generates fromtheir works). In exchange for this, the rights holders agree not to sue Google in future.This settlement hands Google the power - but only with the agreement of individual rights holders – to exploit its database of out-of-print books. It can include them in subscription deals sold to libraries or sell them individually under a consumer licence. It is these commercial provisions that are proving the settlement's most controversial aspect.Critics point out that, by giving Google the right to commercially exploit its database, thesettlement paves the way for a subtle shift in the company's role from provider of information to seller. "Google's business model has always been to provide information for free, and sell advertising on the basis of the traffic this generates," points out James Grimmelmann, associate professor at New York Law School. Now, he says, because of the settlement's provisions, Google could become a significant force in bookselling.Interest in this aspect of the settlement has focused on "orphan" works, where there is noknown copyrightholder – these make up an estimated 5-10% of the books Google has scanned. Under the settlement, when no rights holders come forward and register their interest in a work, commercial control automatically reverts to Google. Google will be able to display up to 20% oforphan works for free, include them in its subscription deals to libraries and sell them to individual buyers under the consumer licence.It is by no means certain that the settlement willbe enacted (执行) – it is the subject of afairness hearing in the US courts. But if it is enacted, Google will in effect be off the hook as far as copyright violations in the US are concerned. Many people are seriously concerned by this - and the company is likely to face challenges in other courts around the world.No one knows the precise use Google will make of the intellectual property it has gained byscanning the world's library books, and the truth, as Gleick, an American science writer and member of the Authors Guild, points out, is that the company probably doesn't even know itself. But what is certain is that, in some way or other, Google's entrance into digital bookselling will have a significant impact on the book world in the years to come.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
2020年9月大学英语六级听力真题原文
2020年9月大学英语六级听力真题原文Conversation one.牛津大学物理学教授的访谈M：You are a professor of physics at the university of Oxford.You're a senior advisor at the European organization for nuclear research.You also seem to tour the globe tirelessly giving talks.And In addition,you have your own weekly TV show on science.Where do you get the energy?W：Oh,well,I just love what I do.I am extremely fortunate life doing what I love doing.M：Professor,what exactly is your goal?Why do you do all of this?W：Well,As you said,I do have different things going on.But these,I think,can be divided into two groups.The education of science and the further understanding of science.M：Don't these two things get in the way of each other?What I mean is,doesn't giving lectures take time away from the lab?W：Not really.No,I love teaching.And I don't mind spending more time doing that now than in the past.Also what I will say is that teaching a subject helps me comprehend it better myself.I find that it furthers my own knowledge when I have to explain something clearly.When I have to aid others in understanding it.And when I have to answer questions about it,teaching at a high level can be very stimulating.One,no matter how much expertise they may already have in the field,they are instructingM：any scientific breakthroughs that you see on the near horizon?a significant discovery on venture. And we can expect soon?W：the world is always conducting science and there are constantly new things being discovered. In fact,right now we have too much data sitting in computers.For example,we have thousands of photos of planet mars taken by telescopes that nobody has ever seen.We have them yet.Nobody has had time to look at them with their own eyes,let alone analyze them.Questions one to four are based on the conversation you have just heard.Question1.Why does the woman say she can be so energetic?答案：Oh,well,I just love what I do.Question2.What has the woman been engaged in?答案：The education of science and the further understanding of science.Question3.What does the woman say about the benefit teaching brings to her?答案：teaching a subject helps me comprehend it better myselfQuestion4.How does the woman say new scientific breakthroughs can be made possible?答案：to look at them with their own eyes and analyze themConversation two.对于梦的起源的探讨(摊手)M：Do you think dreams have special meanings?W：No,I don't think they do.M：Don't either.But some people do.I would say people who believe that dreams have meanings are superstitious,especially nowadays,in the past,during the times of ancient Egypt,Greece or China,people used to believe that dreams could foresee the future.But today,with all the scientific knowledge that we have,I think it's much harder to believe in these sorts of things.W：My grandmother is superstitious,and she thinks dreams can predict the future.Once she dreamed that the flight she was due to take the following day crashed,can you guess what she did?She didn't take that flight.She didn't even bother to go to the airport the following day.Instead she took the same flight.But a week later,everything was fine.Of course,no plane ever crashed.M：How funny did you know that flying is actually safer than any other mode of transport?It's been statistically proven.People can be so irrational sometimes.W：Yes,absolutely.But even if we think they are ridiculous,emotions can be just as powerful as rational thinking.M：Exactly.People do all sorts of crazy things because of their irrational feelings.But in fact, some psychologists believe that our dreams are the result of our emotions and memories from that day.I think it was Sigmund Freud who said that children's dreams were usually simple representations of their wishes,things they wished would happen.But in adults,dreams a much more complicated reflections of their more sophisticated sentiments.W：Isn't it interesting how psychologists try to understand using the scientific method something as bizarre as dreams?Psychology is like the rational study of irrational feelings.Questions five to eight are based on the conversation you have just heard.Question5.What do both speakers think of dreams?答案：they don’t have special meaningsQuestion6.Why didn't the woman's grandmother take her scheduled flight?答案：Once she dreamed that the flight she was due to take the following day crashedQuestion7.What does the woman say about people's emotions?答案：emotions can be just as powerful as rational thinking.Question8.What did psychologist Sigmund Freud say about adults dreams?答案：But in adults,dreams a much more complicated reflections of their more sophisticated sentiments.Passage one.南极考察队对于V湖冰面下生物的探索While some scientists explore the surface of antarctica,others are learning more about a giant body of water four kilometres beneath the ice pack.Scientists first discovered lake Voss dock in the19seventy's by using radio waves that penetrate the ice.Since then,they have used sound waves and even satellites to map this massive body of water.How does the water in lake Vohs dog remain liquid beneath an ice sheet?The thick glacier above acts like an insulating blanket and keeps the water from freezing,says Martin Siegert, a glaciologist from the university of Wales.In addition,geothermal heat from deep within the earth may warm the hidden lake.The scientists suspect that microorganisms may be living in lake vohs stock closed off from the outside world for more than2million years.Anything found there will be totally alien to what's on the surface of the earth to see a good scientists are trying to find a way to drill into the ice and draw water samples without causing contamination.Again,robots might be the solution.If all goes as planned,a drill shaped robot will through the surface eyes.When it reaches the lake,it will release another robot that canswim in the lake,take pictures,and look for signs of life.The scientists hope their discoveries will shed light on life in outer space,which might exist in similar dark and airless conditions.Recently,close up pictures of jupiter,as moon europa shows signs of water beneath its icy surface. Once tested in antarctica,robots could be sent to europa to search for life there too.Questions9to11.Based on the passage you have just heard.Question9.What did scientists first use to discover lake V stock in the1970s?答案：using radio waves that penetrate the iceQuestion10.What do scientists think about lake vast dock?答案：microorganisms may be living in lake vohs stock closed off from the outside world for more than2million yearsQuestion11.What do the scientists hope their discoveries will do?答案：shed light on life in outer space,which might exist in similar dark and airless conditionsPassage two.吉姆斯对于印第安语言的记录及其科研过程和心得The idea to study the American Indian tribe torah,who Morris came to James Copeland in1984, when he discovered that very little research had been done on their language.He could did a tribe member through a social worker who worked with the tribesmen in Mexico.At first,the tribe member named gonzales was very reluctant to cooperate.He told Copeland that no amount of money could buy his language.But after Copeland explained to him what he intended to do with his research and how it would benefit that are home,orris gonzales agreed to help.He took Copeland to his village and served as an intermediary.Copeland says,thanks to him that are who Morris understood what our mission was and started trusting us.Entering the world of that,Hamas has been a laborious project for Copeland.To reach their homeland, he must drive2.5days from Houston,Texas.He loads up his vehicle with goods that the tribesmen can't easily get and gives the goods to them as a gesture of friendship that are Morris,who don't believe in accumulating wealth,take the food and share it among themselves.For Copeland,the experience has not only been academically satisfying,but also has enriched his life in several ways.I see people rejecting technology and living a very hard,traditional life,which offers me another notion about the meaning of progress in the western tradition.Hesays,I experience the simplicity of living in nature that I would otherwise only be able to read about.I see a lot of beauty in their sense of sharing and concern for each other.Questions12to15are based on the passage you have just heard.Question12.Why did James Copeland want to study the American Indian tribe torah Morris?答案：he discovered that very little research had been done on their languageQuestion13.How did gonzalez help James Copeland?答案：He took Copeland to his village and served as an intermediaryQuestion14.What does the speaker say about James copeland's trip to that are humorous village?答案：don't believe in accumulating wealth,take the food and share it among themselvesQuestion15.What impresses James Copeland about that are a humorist tribe,答案：I see a lot of beauty in their sense of sharing and concern for each other.recording one.到底什么是激进?女权主义是激进嘛?What is a radical?It seems today that people are terrified of the term,particularly of having the label attached to them.Accusing individuals or groups of being radical often serves to silence them into submission,thereby maintaining the existing state of affairs,and more important, preserving the power of a select minority who are mostly wealthy white males in western society.Feminism is a perfect example of this phenomenon.The women's movement has been plagued by stereotypes,misrepresentations by the media,and accusations of man hating and radicalism.When the basic foundation of feminism is simply that women deserve equal rights in all facets of life, when faced with a threat of being labeled radical women back down from their worthy cause and consequently participate in their own oppression,it has gotten to the point that many women are afraid to call themselves feminists because of the stigma attached to the word.If people refuse to be controlled and intimidated by stigma,as the stigma as lose all their power,without fear and which to feed such stigma as can only die.To me,a radical is simply someone who rebels against the norm.What advocates a change in the existing state of affairs?On closer inspection,it becomes clear that the norm is constantly involving and therefore is not a constant entity.So why there is deviation from the present situation?Such a threat than the state of affairs itself is unstable.And subject to relentless transformation,it all goes back to maintaining the power of those who have it and preventing the rise of those who don't.In fact,when we look at the word radical in a historical context,nearly every figure we now hold up as a hero was considered a radical in his or her time.Radicals are people who affect change.They are the people about whom history is written.Abolitionists were radicals.Civil rights activists were radicals, even the founders of our country in their fight to win independence from England or radicals. Their presence in history has changed the way our society functions,mainly by shifting the balance of power that previously existed.There are some radicals who have made a negative impact on humanity.But undeniably,there would simply be no progress without radicals.That being said, next time someone calls me a radical,I will accept that label with pride.Questions16to18are based on the recording you have just heard.Question16.What usually happens when people are accused of being radical?答案：preserving the power of a select minority who are mostly wealthy white males in western society.Question17.What is the speaker's definition of a radical?答案：a radical is simply someone who rebels against the norm.Question18.What does the speaker think of most radicals in the American history?答案：there would simply be no progress without radicals.Recording two.人的社会性因素：不可避免的被环境影响We are very susceptible to the influence of the people around us.For instance,you may have known somebody who has gone overseas for a year or so and has returned with an accent.Perhaps.We become part of our immediate environment.None of us are immune to the influences of our own world.And let us not kid ourselves that we are untouched by the things and the people in our life.Fred goes off to his new job at a factory.Fred takes his10minute coffee break,but the other workers take a half an hour.Fred says,what's the matter with you guys?Two weeks later,Fred is taking20minute breaks.A month later,Fred takes his half hour.Fred is saying,if you can't beat them,join them,why should I work any harder than the next guy?The fascinating thing about being human is that generally we are unaware that there are changes taking place in our mentality.It is like returning to the city smog after some weeks in the fresh air.Only then do we realize that we have become accustomed to the nasty smells mix with critical people.And we learn to criticize mixed with happy people.And we learn about happiness.What this means is that we need to decide what we want from life and then choose our company accordingly.You may well say that is going to take some effort.It may not be comfortable.I may offend some of my present company.Right?But it is your life.Fred may say I'm always broke frequently depressed. I'm going nowhere and I never do anything exciting.Then we discover that friends,best friends, are always broke,frequently depressed,going nowhere and wishing that life was more exciting. This is not coincidence.Nor is it our business to stand in judgment of Fred.However,if Fred ever wants to improve his quality of life,the first thing he'll need to do is recognize what has been going on all these years.It's no surprise that doctors as a profession suffer a lot of ill health because they spend their lives around sick people.Psychiatrists have a higher incidence of suicide in their profession for related reasons.Traditionally,nine out of tension,whose parents'smoke smoke themselves.Obesity is in part an environmental problem.Successful people have successful friends.And so the story goes on.Questions19to21are based on the recording you have just heard.Question19.What does the speaker say about us as human beings?答案：None of us are immune to the influences of our own world.Question20.What does the speaker say Fred should do first to improve his quality of life?答案：It is like returning to the city smog after some weeks in the fresh airQuestion21.What does the speaker say about psychiatrists?答案：Psychiatrists have a higher incidence of suicide in their profession for related reasons.Recording three.美元的发展历史(这玩意有啥可说的?)Virtually every American can recognize a dollar bill at a mere glance.Many can identify it by its sound or texture.But few people indeed can accurately describe the world's most powerful, important currency.The American dollar bill is colored with black ink on one side and green on the other.The exact composition of the paper and ink is a closely guarded government secret. Despite its weighty importance,the dollar bill actually weighs little.It requires nearly500bills to tip the scales at a pound.Not only is the dollar bill lightweight,but it also has a brief lifespan.Few dollar bills survive longer.18months.The word dollar is taken from the German word,tailor the name for the world's most important currency in the16th century.The Thaler was a silver coin first minted in1518under the reign of Charles the5th,emperor of Germany.The concept of paper money is a relatively recent innovation in the history of American currency. When the constitution was signed,people had little regard for paper money because of its steadily decreasing value during the colonial era.Because of this lack of faith,the new American government minted only coins for common currency.Interest bearing bank notes were issued at the same time. But their purpose was limited to providing money for urgent government crises,such as American involvement in the war of1812.The first non interest bearing paper currency was authorized by congress in1862.At the height of the civil war.At this point,citizens,old fears of devalued paper currency had calmed.The dollar bill was born.The new green colored paper money quickly earned the nickname greenback.Today,the American dollar bill is a product of the federal reserve and is issued from the12federal reserve banks around the United States.The government keeps a steady supply of approximately2billion bills in circulation at all times.Controversy continues to surround the true value of the dollar bill.American history has seen generations of politicians argue in favor of a gold standard for American currency.However,for the present,the American dollar bill holds the value that is printed on it and little more.The only other guarantee on the bill is a federal reserve pledge as a confirmation in the form of government securities.Questions22to25are based on the recording you have just heard.Question22.What does the speaker say about the American dollar bill?答案：The American dollar bill is colored with black ink on one side and green on the otherQuestion23.What does the speaker say about the exact composition of the American dollar bill?答案：a closely guarded government secret.Question24.Why did the new American government mint only coins for common currency?答案：because of its steadily decreasing value during the colonial era.Because of this lack of faithQuestion25.What have generations of American politicians argued for?答案：in favor of a gold standard for American currency。
2023年12月英语六级听力原文及参考答案
2023年12月英语六级听力原文及参考答案听力稿原文section AConversation 1气候变化和全球经济发展W: Professor Henderson could you give us a brief overview of what you do, where you work and your main area of research？M: Well the Center for Climate Research where I work links the science of climate change to issues around economics and policy。
Some of our research is to do with the likely impacts of climate change and all of the associated risks。
W: And how strong is the evidence that climate change is happening that it‘s really something we need to be worried about。
M: Well most of the science of climate change particularly that to do with global warming is simply fact。
But other aspects of the science are less certain or at least more disputed。
And so we‘re really talking about risk what the economics tells us is thatit’s probably cheaper to avoid climate change to avoid the risk than it has to deal with the likely consequences。
大学英语六级听力真题及答案第一套
大学英语六级听力真题及答案第一套集团标准化工作小组 [Q8QX9QT-X8QQB8Q8-NQ8QJ8-M8QMN]Section ADirections：In this will hear two long conversations，At the end of each conversation，you will， hear four the conversation and the questions will be spoken only you hear a question，you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A ，B ，C and D .Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.◆ restructuring of her company.man’s switch to a new career.updating of technology at CucinTech.project the man managed at CucinTech.◆ personnel.promotion.innovation.products.◆ constantly.the market.more talents.out for his competitors.◆. Possible bankruptcy.difficulties.by one’s competitors.within the company.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.◆ importance of language proficiency.job of an interpreter.stress felt by professionals.best Way to effective communication.◆. Admirable....◆ have all passed language proficiency tests.have all studied differences.all have a strong interest in language.all have professional qualifications.◆ puts one’s memory under more stress.is more stressful than simultaneous interpreting.attaches more importance to accuracy.requires a much larger vocabulary.Section BDirections：In this section，you will hear two the end of each passage,you will hear three or four the passage and the questions will be spoken only you hear a question，you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A ，B ，C and D .Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.◆ might increase mothers’mental distress.might increase the risk of infants’death.might affect mothers’health.might disturb infants’sleep.◆ who sleep with their babies need a little more sleep each night.patterns of mothers greatly affect their newborn babies’health.with infants in the same room has a negative impact on mothers.who their babies have a harder time falling asleep.◆ precautions to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.in the same house but not in the same room as their babies.in the same room but not in the same bed as their babies.their sleep patterns to adapt to their newborn babies’.Questions l2 t015 are based on the passage you have just heard.◆ money is needed to record the native languages in the US.efforts to preserve Indian languages have proved fruitless.US ranks first in the number of endangered languages.lot of native languages have already died out in the US.◆ set up more language schools.educate native American children.revitalise America’s native languages.document endangered languages.◆ US government’s policy of Americanising Indian children.failure of American Indian languages to gain an official status.isolation of American Indians from the outside world.US government’s unwillingness to spend money educating Indians.◆ is widely used in language immersion schools.speeds up the extinction of native languages.is being utilised to teach native languages.tells traditional stories during family time.Section CDirections：In this section，you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four recordings Will be played only you hear a question，you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A ，B ，C and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet l with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.◆ provides them with the basic necessities of everyday life.pays their living expenses until they find employment again.covers their mortgage payments and medical expenses for 99 weeks.pays them up to half of their previous wages while they look for work.◆ local lawmakers to extend unemployment benefits.jobs for the huge army of unemployed workers.training and guidance for unemployed workers.funds to help those having no unemployment insurance.◆ encourage big businesses to hire back workers with government subsidies.create more jobs by encouraging private investments in local companies.C. To allow them to postpone their monthly mortgage payments.D. To offer them loans they need to start their own businesses.Questions l9 t022 are based on the recording you have just heard.◆. They investigated the ice.B. They analyzed the water content.explored the ocean floor.measured the depths of sea water.◆ ice decrease is more evident than previously thought.ice ensures the survival of many endangered species.of the ice was accumulated over the past centuries.D. Eighty percent of the ice disappears in summer time.◆ melting Arctic ice has drowned many coastal cities.B. Arctic ice is a major source of the world’s flesh water.C. Arctic ice is essential to human survival.D. The decline of Arctic ice is irreversible.◆. There is no easy technological solution to it.will advance nuclear technology.is no easy understand it.D. It will do a lot of harm to mankind.Questions 23 t025 are based on the recording you have just heard.◆. The deciding factor in children’s academic performance.B. The health problems of children raised by a single parent.relation between children’s self-control and their future success.D. The reason why New Zealand children seem to have better self-control.◆. Those with a criminal record mostly come from single parent families.B. Children raised by single parents will have a hard time in their thirties.must learn to exercise self-control in front of their children.D. Lack of self-control in parents is a disadvantage fortheir children.◆. Self-control problems will diminish as one grows up.B. Self-control can be improved through education.C. Self-control can improve one’s financial situation.D. Self-control problems may be detected early in children.1.【解析】D。
2019年六级12月听力原文
2019年六级12月听力原文2019年12月英语六级考试已经结束，许多考生关注的听力部分考试内容已经公布。
以下是2019年六级12月听力原文，供考生参考。
第一部分：听力原文1. Conversation OneM: Excuse me, I have an appointment with Mr. Johnson at nine. But I think I'm a little early. Can I leave a message for him? W: Sure. He should be here in about five minutes.Q: What does the man want to do?2. Conversation TwoW: I'm always late for work these days. I've got to change my lifestyle.M: You're not the only one. There's actually a new article in the newspaper about how people are more stressed these days. Q: What does the man say about people's lifestyles?3. Conversation ThreeW: John, I almost got sunburned at the beach yesterday.M: It's always important to remember your sunscreen, especially in the summer.Q: What do we learn from the conversation?4. Conversation FourM: Anne, have you read this article about the effect of exercise on mental health?W: Yes, it's actually quite interesting. Apparently, regular exercise has a positive impact on people's mood and anxiety levels.Q: What are they talking about?5. Conversation FiveW: Excuse me. Could you show me where the science fiction books are?M: Sure. They're on the second floor by theputer section.Q: Where does the conversation most probably take place?第二部分：文章解析1. 第一部分 Conversation One这一段对话是关于男士约见Johnson先生的事情，他想知道是否可以在约会之前留言给Johnson先生。
2018年12月六级英语听力原文第一套
2018年12月六级英语听力原文（完整版）Conversation 1A: Hey I just read a great book about physics. I think you’d like it. It’s called the physics of the world. It‘s written by a scientist named Sylvia Mendez.B: Oh I read that book. It was great. The writer is a warm and competent guide to the mysteries of physics. I think it promises enrichment for any reader from those who know little about science to the career physicist.A: And it‘s refreshing to see a strong curious clever woman adding her voice to the scientific discourse and a field that has been traditionally dominated by men. I think she has to be commended for making an effort to include anecdotes about little known female scientists. You know they were often victims of a generation firmly convinced that the woman’s place was in the home.B: I like how the book is clearly written with each chapter brought to life by pieces of fascinating knowledge. For example in one chapter she exposes a myth that I‘ve heard taught by university physics professors. I’ve often heard that medieval glass windows are thicker at the bottom because glass flows like a fluid. This, she shows, is not true. The distortion is actually thanks to a peculiarity of the glassmakers process.A: Yeah I like how she cultivates scientific engagement by providing a host of Do It Yourself experiments that bring the same foundational principles of classical physics that govern everything from the solar system to your kitchen table. From using complex laws of physicsto test whether a spinning egg is cooked to measuring atmospheric pressure by lifting a piece of cardboard. Her hands-on examples make her book a truly interactive read.B: Yes, I must say this, a equation-free book is an ideal read for scientists of all stripes, anyone teaching science and even people who dislike physics.Question 1: What does the woman say about the book the man recommended? Question 2: What can we find in the book the man recommended?Question 3: How does the author bring her book to life?Question 4: How does the book cultivate readers interest in physics.Conversation 2A:Hi professor. I was hoping I could have a moment of your time if you‘re not too busy. I’m having some problems getting started on my dissertation and I was hoping you could give me some advice on how to begin.B:Sure. I have quite a few students though.So can you remind me what your topic is?A:The general topic I chose is aesthetics, but that‘s as far as I’ve got I don‘t really know where to go from there.B:Yeah, that‘s much too large a topic. You really need to narrow it down in order to make it more accessible. Otherwise you’ll be writing a book.A:Exactly. That‘s what I wanted to ask you about. I was hoping it would be possible for me to change topics. I’m really more interested in nature than beauty.B:I‘m afraid you have to adhere to the assigned topic. Still, If you’re interested in nature, then that certainly can be worked into your dissertation. We‘ve talked about Hume before in class right.A:Oh yeah, he‘s the philosopher who wrote about where our ideas of beauty come from. B:Exactly. I suggest you go to the library and get a copy of his biography. Start from there. But remember to stick to the parameters of the assignment. This paper is a large part of your cumulative grade. So make sure to follow the instructions. If you take a look at his biography. You can get a good idea of how his life experiences manifest themselves in his theories of beauty, specifically the way he looked towards nature as the origin of what we find beautiful.A:Great. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Professor. I‘ll let you get back to class now.B:If there‘s anything else you need, please come see me in my office any time. Question 5: What is the man‘s problem?Question 6: What does the professor think of the man‘s topic?Question 7: What’s the man really more interested in?Question 8: What does the professor say the man has to do?Passage 1During the arctic winter from October to March, the average temperature in the frozen north typically hovers around minus 20 degrees Celsius. But this year the Arctic is experiencing much higher temperatures. On February the 20th the temperature in Greenland climbed above freezing or zero degrees Celsius and it stayed there for over 24 hours. Then on February the 24th the temperature on Greenland‘s northern tip reached six degrees Celsius. Climate scientists describe the phenomenon as stunning. Weather conditions that drive this bizarre temperature surge have visited the Arctic before. They typically appear about once in a decade. However, the last such increase in temperature took place two years ago. This is troubling as climbing arctic temperatures combined with rapid sea ice loss are creating a new type of climate feedback loop which could accelerate Arctic warming. Indeed, sea ice cover in the Arctic is melting faster than expected. Without those masses of cooling sea ice, warm air brought to the Arctic can penetrate further inland than it ever did before. The air can stay warmer longer too. This drives additional melting. Overall earth is warming at a rapid pace. 2014 through 2017 rank as the hottest years on record and the Arctic is warming twice as fast as any place else on earth. This raises unique challenges for Arctic wildlife and indigenous people who depend on Arctic ecosystems to survive. Previously climate forecasts predicted that Arctic summer ice would disappear entirely by around 2060, but based on what scientists are seeing now the Arctic may be facing summers without ice within 20 years.Question 9: What did climate scientists describe as stunning?Question 10: What does the passage say about that temperature surge in the Arctic? Question 11: What may occur in 20 years according to scientists’recent observations? Passage 2A good dose of willpower is often necessary to see any task through whether it‘s sticking to a spending plan or finishing a great novel. And if you want to increase that willpower. A new study suggests you just simply have to believe you have it. According to this study, what matters most is what we think about our willpower. If we believe it’s a finite resource, we act that way, we feel exhausted and need breaks between demanding mental tasks. However, people who view their willpower as a limitless resource get energized instead. The researchers used a psychological assessment tool to test the validity of the study. They asked 1100 Americans and 1600 Europeans to grade different statements such as after a challenging mental activity, my energy is depleted and I must rest to get it refueled again or I can focus on a mental task for long periods without feeling tired.Although there was little difference between men and women overall. Americans were more likely to admit to needing breaks after completing mentally challenging tasks European participants on the other hand claimed they were able to keep going. Based on the findings, the researchers suggest that the key to boosting your willpower is to believe that you have an abundant supply of it. Your feelings about your willpower affect the way you behave. But these feelings are changeable, they said. Changing your beliefs about the nature of your self-control can have positive effects on character development. This leads to healthier behaviors and perceptions of other people.Question 12: What is often necessary for carrying through a task?Question 13: What is the finding of the new study?Question 14: What do we learn about European participants as compared with their American counterparts?Question 15: What do the research say concerning people‘s feelings about willpower? Lecture 1Here is my baby niece Sarah. Her mum is a doctor and her dad is a lawyer. By the time Sarah goes to college the jobs her parents do are going to look dramatically different. In 2013, researchers at Oxford University did a study on the future of work.They concluded that almost one in every two jobs has a high risk of being automated by machines. Machine learning is the technology that‘s responsible for most of this disruption. It’s the most powerful branch of artificial intelligence. It allows machines to learn from data and copy some of the things that humans can do. My company, Kaggle, operates on the cutting edge of machine learning. We bring together hundreds of thousands of experts to solve important problems for industry and academia. This gives us an unique perspective on what machines can do, what they can‘t do and what jobs they might automate or threaten. Machine learning started making its way into industry in the early 90s. It started with relatively simple tasks. It started with things like assessing credit risk from loan applications, sorting the mail by reading handwritten zip codes. Over the past few years, we have made dramatic breakthroughs. Machine learning is now capable of far, far more complex tasks. In2012, Kaggle challenged its community to build a program that could grade high school essays. The winning programs were able to match the grades given by human teachers. Now given the right data, machines are going to outperform humans at tasks like this. A teacher might read 10000 essays over a 40-year career. A machine can read millions of essays within minutes. We have no chance of competing against machines on frequent high-volume tasks, but there are things we can do that machines cannot. Where machines have made very little progress is in tackling novel situations. Machines can’t handle things they haven‘t seen many times before. The fundamental limitation of machine learning is that it needs to learn from large volumes of past data. But humans don’t. We have the ability to connect seemingly different threads to solve problems we‘ve never seen before.Question 16 What did the researchers at Oxford University conclude?Question 17. What do we learn about Kaggle companies winning programs?Question 18. What is the fundamental limitation on machine learning?Lecture 2we‘ve talked recently about the importance of sustainable energy. We’ve also talked about the different theories on how that can be done. So far, our discussions have all been theoretical. Now I have a practical question for you all. Can you run a 140,000 kilogram train on just the steam generated by solar power? Well, one engineer, Tim Casselman, believes it ‘s possible. And his home city of Sacramento, California should see the technology’s first test as part of the upgrading of its rail yard. Casselman, who is an inventor andself-proclaimed steam visionary, is campaigning for a new steam train that runs without any fire and could run on an existing 10 kilometer line drawing tourists and perhaps offering city commuters a green alternative to their cars. Casselman wants to build an array of solar magnifying mirrors at one end of the line to collect and focus heat onto water filled tubes. This would generate steam that could be used to fill tanks on a small steam train without the use of fire. Supplying power to trains in this way would offer the shortest distance from well to wheels he says with the least amount of energy lost. According to Harry Valentijn, a Canadian engineer who is researching modern steam technology, a special tank measuring 2 by 10 metres could store over 750 kilowatt hours of energy as high pressure steam enough to pull a two car train for an hour or so. Energy to drive a steam locomotive can be stored in other materials besides water, for example, a team at Tohoku University in Japan has studied materials that can store large amounts of heat when heated. These materials turn from a solid into a liquid absorbing energy as they change phase. The liquid is maintained above its melting point until steam is required at which point the liquid is allowed to turn back into a solid releasing its stored energy. Another team at Nagoya University in Japan has tested calcium compound as an energy storage material. Heating this chemical compound drives off carbon dioxide gas, leaving calcium oxide. The gas can be stored under pressure and attain to recover the energy. The gas is fed back over the calcium oxide. In theory, says Valentijn, this can create a high enough temperature to generate superheated steam.Question 19: What has the speaker previously talked about?Question 20: What is Tim Casselman trying to do in Sacramento?Question 21: What has a Japanese research team tried to do?Lecture 3Today‘s crisis in care for older people in England has two main causes.First,people are living longer with a lot more complex needs. Second, they rely on a system that has long been marked by a poor relation between national health and social-care services.Current services originate in two key measures. They are the National Health Service and the 1948 National Assistance Act. This required local government to provide residential accommodation for older people and supervise care homes run by independent organizations.They also provided home and community services including meals, day centers and home helpers and other subsidized services. The National Health Service was free and wholly publicly provided. It delivered the best health-care for all. No such vision guided residential and community care though. The care was substantially provided by voluntary services which worked together with local authorities as they long had with eligibility based on income. Today, life expectancy has risen from 66 for a male at birth in 1948 to around 80 now. In addition, there is better overall health and improved medical knowledge and care. This means an unprecedented number of people are surviving longer in conditions requiring expert support. Families provide at least as much care as they ever did. Even so,they can rarely without subsidised support address serious personal needs. Care for older people faced persistent criticism as these trends became apparent. From the early 1960s, local authorities were required to plan health and welfare services. The aim was to enable older people to remain in their own homes for as long as possible, but this increased concern about the lack of coordination between free health and paid-for social care. Through the 1970s, a number of measures sought to improve matter. However, at a time of financial crisis, funding diminished and little changed. In the 1980s, the government cut spending. Meanwhile, preference for private over public services made management even more difficult. Simultaneously, the number of sick older people grew. Governments emphasized the need to improve services. They did so though while doing little to stop the erosion of available aid. Services were irregular across authorities. Unless you were prepared to pay, they were increasingly difficult to obtain for any but the most severely disabled. Why has 60 years of criticism produced so little change? Discrimination against older people has a long history. Additionally, those affected by inadequate health and social care are too vulnerable to launch the protests that have addressed other forms of discrimination. Question 22: What is one cause of the current crisis in care for the elderly in England? Question 23: What does the speaker say about residential and community care? Question 24: What made management of care for the elderly more difficult in the 1980s? Question 25: What does the speaker say about older people in England?。
2024年6月全国大学英语CET六级真题和答案解析(第一套)
2024年06月大学英语六级考试真题（第1套）Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay that begins with the sentence “There is a growing awareness of the importance of digital literacy and skills in today’s world.” You can make comments, cite examples or use your personal experiences to develop your essay. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.You should copy the sentence given in quotes at the beginning of your essay.PartⅡListening Comprehension (30 minutes) Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 witha single line through the centre.Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.1. A) Reply to the man’s last proposal within a short time.B) Sign the agreement if one small change is made to it.C) Make a sponsorship deal for her client at the meeting.D) Give the man some good news regarding the contract.2. A) They are becoming impatient. C) They are used to making alterations.B) They are afraid time is running out. D) They are concerned about the details.3. A) To prevent geographical discrimination. C) To avoid any conflict of interest.B) To tap the food and beverage market. D) To reduce unfair competition.4. A) It is a potential market for food and beverage. C) It is a negligible market for his company.B) It is very attractive for real estate developers. D) It is very different from other markets.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.5. A) They are thrilled by a rare astronomic phenomenon.B) They are celebrating a big event on mountain tops.C) They are enthusiastic about big science-related stories.D) They are joined by astronomers all across North America.6. A) It will be the most formidable of its kind in over a century.B) It will come closest to Earth in more than one hundred years.C) It will eclipse many other such events in human history.D) It will be seen most clearly from Denver’s mountain tops.7. A) A blur. C) The edge of our galaxy.B) Stars. D) An ordinary flying object.8. A) Use professional equipment. C) Fix their eyes due north.B) Climb to the nearby heights. D) Make use of phone apps.Section BDirections:In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four 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.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.9. A) Whether consumers should be warned against ultra-processed foods.B) Whether there is sufficient scientific consensus on dietary guidelines.C) Whether guidelines can form the basis for nutrition advice to consumers.D) Whether food scientists will agree on the concept of ultra-processed foods.10. A) By the labor cost for the final products. C) By the extent of chemical alteration.B) By the degree of industrial processing. D) By the convention of classification.11. A) Increased consumers’ expen ses. C) People’s misunderstanding of nutrition.B) Greater risk of chronic diseases. D) Children’s dislike for unprocessed foods.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.12. A) They begin to think of the benefits of constraints.B) They try to seek solutions from creative people.C) They try hard to maximize their mental energy.D) They begin to see the world in a different way.13. A) It is characteristic of all creative people.B) It is essential to pushing society forward.C) It is a creative p erson’s response to limitation.D) It is an impetus to socio-economic development.14. A) Scarcity or abundance of resources has little impact on people’s creativity.B) Innovative people are not constrained in connecting unrelated concepts.C) People have no incentive to use available resources in new ways.D) Creative people tend to consume more available resources.15. A) It is key to a company’s survival.B) It shapes and focuses problems.C) It is essential to meeting challenges.D) It thrives best when constrained.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.16. A) Because they are learned. C) Because they have to be properly personalized.B) Because they come naturally. D) Because there can be more effective strategies.17. A) The extent of difference and of similarity between the two sides.B) The knowledge of the specific expectation the other side holds.C) The importance of one’s goals and of the relationship.D) The approaches one adopts to conflict management.18. A) The fox. C) The shark.B) The owl. D) The turtle.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.19. A) Help save species from extinction and boost human health.B) Understand how plants and animals perished over the past.C) Help gather information publicly available to researchers.D) Find out the cause of extinction of Britain’s 66,000 species.20. A) It was once dominated by dinosaurs. C) Its prospects depend on future human behaviour.B) It has entered the sixth mass extinction. D) Its climate change is aggravated by humans.21. A) It dwarfs all other efforts to conserve, protect and restore biodiversity on earth.B) It is costly to get started and requires the joint efforts of thousands of scientists.C) It can help to bring back the large numbers of plants and animals that have gone extinct.D) It is the most exciting, most relevant, most timely and most internationally inspirational.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.22. A) Cultural identity. C) The Copernican revolution.B) Social evolution. D) Human individuality.23. A) It is a delusion to be disposed of. C) It is a myth spread by John Donne’s poem.B) It is prevalent even among academics. D) It is rooted in the mindset of the 17th century.24. A) He believes in Copernican philosophical doctrines about the universe.B) He has gained ample scientific evidence at the University of Reading.C) He has found that our inner self and material self are interconnected.D) He contends most of our body cells can only live a few days or weeks.25. A) By coming to see how disruptive such problems have got to be.B) By realising that we all can do our own bit in such endeavours.C) By becoming aware that we are part of a bigger world.D) By making joint efforts resolutely and persistently.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 bank following the passage. Readthe passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identifiedby a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a singleline through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.It’s quite remarkable how different genres of music can spark unique feelings, emotions,and memories. Studies have shown that music can reduce stress and anxiety before surgeriesand we are all attracted toward our own unique life soundtrack.If you’re lo oking to 26 stress, you might want to give classical music a try.The sounds of classical music produce a calming effect letting 27 pleasure-inducing dopamine (多巴胺) in the brain that helps control attention, learning and emotional responses. It can also turn down the body’s stress response, resulting in an overall happier mood. It turns out a pleasant mood can lead to 28 in a person’s thinking.Although there are many great 29 of classical music like Bach, Beethoven and Handel, none of these artists’ music seems to have the same health effects as Mozart’s does. According to researchers, listening to Mozart can increase brain wave activity and improve 30 function. Another study found that the distinctive features of Mozart’s music trigger parts of the brain that are responsible for high-level mental functions. Even maternity 31 use Mozart to help newborn babies adapt to life outside of the mother’s belly.It has been found that listening to classical music 32 reduces a pers on’s blood pressure. Researchers believe that the calming sounds of classical music may help your heart 33 from stress. Classical music can also be a great tool to help people who have trouble sleeping. One study found that students who had trouble sleeping slept better while they were listening to classical music.Whether classical music is something that you listen to on a regular basis or not, it wouldn’t34 to take time out of your day to listen to music that you find 35 . You will be surprised at how good it makes you feel and the potentially positive change in your health.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 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.The Curious Case of the Tree That Owns ItselfA)In the city of Athens, Georgia, there exists a rather curious local landmark—a large whiteoak that is almost universally stated to own itself. Because of this, it is considered one of the most famous trees in the world. So how did this tree come to own itself and the land around it?B)Sometime in the 19th century a Georgian called Colonel William Jackson reportedly tooka liking to the said tree and endeavored to protect it from any danger. As to why he loved itso, the earliest documented account of this story is an anonymously written front page article in the Athens Weekly Banner published on August 12, 1890. It states, “Col. Jackson had watched the tree grow from his childhood, and grew to love it almost as he would a human. Its luxuriant leaves and sturdy limbs had often protected him from the heavy rains, and out of its highest branches he had many a time gotten the eggs of the feathered singers.He watched its growth, and when reaching a ripe old age he saw the tree standing in its magnificent proportions, he was pained to think that after his death it would fall into the hands of those who might destroy it.”C)Towards this end, Jackson transferred by means of a deed ownership of the tree and a littleland around it to the tree itself. The deed read, “W. H. Jackson for and in consideration of the great affection which he bears the said tree, and his great desire to see it protected has conveyed unto the said oak tree entire possession of itself and of all land within eight feet of it on all sides.”D)In time, the tree came to be something of a tourist attraction, known as The Tree That OwnsItself. However, in the early 20th century, the tree started showing signs of its slow death, with little that could be done about it. Father time comes for us all eventually, even our often long lived, tall and leafy fellow custodians (看管者) of Earth. Finally, on October 9, 1942, the over 30 meter tall and 200-400 year old tree fell, rumor has it, as a result of a severe windstorm and/or via having previously died and its roots rotted.E)About four years later, members of the Junior Ladies Garden Club (who’d tended to thetree before its unfortunate death) tracked down a small tree grown from a nut taken from the original tree. And so it was that on October 9, 1946, under the direction of Professor Roy Bowden of the College of Agriculture at the University of Georgia, this little tree was transplanted to the location of its ancestor. A couple of months later, an official ceremony was held featuring none other than the Mayor of Athens, Robert L McWhorter, to commemorate the occasion.F)This new tree became known as The Son of the Tree That Owns Itself and it was assumedthat, as the original tree’s heir, it naturally inherited the land it stood on. Of course, there are many dozens of other trees known to exist descending from the original, as people taking a nut from it to grow elsewhere was a certainty. That said, to date, none of the original tree’s other children have petitioned the courts for their share of the land, so it seems all good. In any event, The Son of the Tree That Owns Itself still stands today, though often referred to simply as The Tree That Owns Itself.G)This all brings us around to whether Jackson ever actually gave legal ownership of the treeto itself in the first place and whether such a deed is legally binding.H)Well, to begin with, it turns out Jackson only spent about three years of his life in Athens,starting at the age of 43 from 1829 to 1832, sort of dismissing the idea that he loved the tree from spending time under it as a child and watching it grow, and then worrying about what would happen to it after he died. Further, an extensive search of land ownership records in Athens does not seem to indicate Jackson ever owned the land the tree sits on.I)He did live on a lot of land directly next to it for those three years, but whether he ownedthat land or not isn’t clear. Whatever the case, in 1832 a four acre parcel, which included the land the tree was on and the neighboring land Jackson lived on, among others, was sold to University professor Malthus A Ward. In the transaction, Ward was required to payJackson a sum of $1,200 (about $31,000 today), either for the property itself or simply in compensation for improvements Jackson had made on the lot. In the end, whether he ever owned the neighboring lot or was simply allowed to use it while he allegedly worked at the University, he definitely never owned the lot the tree grew on, which is the most important bit for the topic at hand.J)After Professor Ward purchased the land, Jackson and his family purchased a 655 acre parcel a few miles away and moved there. Ten years later, in 1844, Jackson seemed to have come into financial difficulties and had his little plantation seized by the Clarke County Sheriff’s office and auctioned off to settle the mortgage. Thus, had he owned some land in Athens itself, including the land the tree sat on, presumably he would have sold it to raise funds or otherwise had it taken as well.K)And whatever the case there, Jackson would have known property taxes needed to be paid on the deeded land for the tree to be truly secure in its future. Yet no account or record indicates any trust or the like was set up to facilitate this.L)On top of all this, there is no hard evidence such a deed ever existed, despite the fact that deed records in Athens go back many decades before Jackson’s death in 1876 and that it was supposed to have existed in 1890 in the archives according to the original anonymous news reporter who claims to have seen it.M)As you might imagine from all of this, few give credit to this side of the story. So how did all of this come about then?N)It is speculated to have been invented by the imagination of the said anonymous author at the Athens Weekly Banner in the aforementioned 1890 front page article titled “Deeded to Itself”, which by the way contained several elements that are much more easily proved to be false. As to why the author would do this, it’s speculated perhaps it was a 19th century version of a click-bait thought exercise on whether it would be legal for someone to deed such a non-conscious living thing to itself or not.O)Whatever the case, the next known instance of the Tree That Owns Itself being mentioned wasn’t until 1901 in the Centennial Edition of that same paper, the Athens Weekly Banner.This featured another account very clearly just copying the original article published abouta decade before, only slightly reworded. The next account was in 1906, again in the AthensWeekly Banner, again very clearly copying the original account, only slightly reworded, the 19th century equivalent of re-posts when the audience has forgotten about the original.36. Jackson was said to have transferred his ownership of the oak tree to itself in order to protect it from being destroyed.37. No proof has been found from an extensive search that Jackson had ever owned the land where the oak tree grew.38. When it was raining heavily, Jackson often took shelter under a big tree that is said to own itself.39. There is no evidence that Jackson had made arrangements to pay property taxes for the land on which the oak tree sat.40. Professor Ward paid Jackson over one thousand dollars when purchasing a piece of land from him.41. It is said the tree that owned itself fell in a heavy windstorm.42. The story of the oak tree is suspected to have been invented as a thought exercise.43. Jackson’s little plantation was auctioned off to settle his debt in the mid-19th century.44. An official ceremony was held to celebrate the transplanting of a small tree to where its ancestor had stood.45. The story of the Tree That Owns Itself appeared in the local paper several times, with slight alterations in wording.Section CDirections:There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.It is irrefutable that employees know the difference between right and wron g. So why don’t more employees intervene when they see someone exhibiting at-risk behavior in the workplace?There are a number of factors that influence whether people intervene. First, they need to be able to see a risky situation beginning to unfold. Second, the company’s culture needs to make them feel safe to speak up. And third, they need to have the communication skills to say something effectively.This is not strictly a workplace problem; it’s a growing problem off the job too. Every day people witness things on the street and choose to stand idly by. This is known as the bystander effect—the more people who witness an event, the less likely anyone in that group is to help the victim. The psychology behind this is called diffusion of responsibility. Basically, the larger the crowd, the more people assume that someone else will take care of it—meaning no one effectively intervenes or acts in a moment of need.This crowd mentality is strong enough for people to evade their known responsibilities. But it’s not only frontline workers who don’t make safety i nterventions in the workplace. There are also instances where supervisors do not intervene either.When a group of employees sees unsafe behavior not being addressed at a leadership level it creates the precedent that this is how these situations should be addressed, thus defining the safety culture for everyone.Despite the fact that workers are encouraged to intervene when they observe unsafe operations, this happens less than half of the time. Fear is the ultimate factor in not intervening. There is a fear of penalty, a fear that they’ll have to do more work if they intervene. Unsuccessful attempts in the past are another strong contributing factor to why people don’t intervene—they tend to prefer to defer that action to someone else for all future situations.On many worksites, competent workers must be appointed. Part of their job is to intervene when workers perform a task without the proper equipment or if the conditions are unsafe. Competent workers are also required to stop work from continuing when there’s a danger.Supervisors also play a critical role. Even if a competent person isn’t required, supervisors need a broad set of skills to not only identify and alleviate workplace hazards but also build a safety climate within their team that supports intervening and open communication among them.Beyond competent workers and supervisors, it’s important to educate everyon e within the organization that they are obliged to intervene if they witness a possible unsafe act, whether you’re a designated competent person, a supervisor or a frontline worker.46. What is one of the factors contributing to failure of intervention in face of risky behavior in the workplace?A) Slack supervision style. C) Unforeseeable risk.B) Unfavorable workplace culture. D) Blocked communication.47. What does the author mean by “diffusion of responsibility” (Line 4, Para. 3)?A) The more people are around, the more they need to worry about their personal safety.B) The more people who witness an event, the less likely anyone will venture to participate.C) The more people idling around on the street, the more likely they need taking care of.D) The more people are around, the less chance someone will step forward to intervene.48. What happens when unsafe behavior at the workplace is not addressed by the leaders?A) No one will intervene when they see similar behaviors.B) Everyone will see it as the easiest way to deal with crisis.C) Workers have to take extra caution executing their duties.D) Workers are left to take care of the emergency themselves.49. What is the ultimate reason workers won’t act when they see unsafe operations?A) Preference of deferring the action to others. C) Fear of being isolated by coworkers.B) Anticipation of leadership intervention. D) Fear of having to do more work.50. What is critical to ensuring workplace safety?A) Workers be trained to operate their equipment properly.B) Workers exhibiting at-risk behavior be strictly disciplined.C) Supervisors create a safety environment for timely intervention.D) Supervisors conduct effective communication with frontline workers.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.The term “environmentalist” can mean different things. It used to refer to people trying to protect wildlife and natural ecosystems. In the 21st century, the term has evolved to capture the need to combat human-made climate change.The distinction between these two strands of environmentalism is the cause of a split within the scientific community about nuclear energy.On one side are purists who believe nuclear power isn’t worth the risk and the exclusive solution to the climate crisis is renewable energy. The opposing side agrees that renewables are crucial, but says society needs an amount of power available to meet consumers’ basic demands when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. Nuclear energy, being far cleaner than oil, gas and coal, is a natural option, especially where hydroelectric capacity is limited.Leon Clarke, who helped author reports for the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, isn’t an uncritical supporter of nuclear energy, but says it’s a valuable option to have i f we’re serious about reaching carbon neutrality.“Core to all of this is the degree to which you think we can actually meet climate goals with 100% renewables,” he said. “If you don’t believe we can do it, and you care about the climate, you are forced to think about something like nuclear.”The achievability of universal 100% renewability is similarly contentious. Cities such as Burlington, Vermont, have been “100% renewable” for years. But these cities often have s mall populations, occasionally still rely on fossil fuel energy and have significant renewable resources at their immediate disposal. Meanwhile, countries that manage to run off renewables typically do so thanks to extraordinary hydroelectric capabilities.Germany stands as the best case study for a large, industrialized country pushing into green energy. Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2011 announced Energiewende, an energy transition that would phase out nuclear and coal while phasing in renewables. Wind and solar power generation has increased over 400% since 2010, and renewables provided 46% of the country’s electricity in 2019.But progress has halted in recent years. The instability of renewables doe sn’t just mean energy is often not produced at night, but also that solar and wind can overwhelm the grid during the day, forcing utilities to pay customers to use their electricity. Lagging grid infrastructure struggles to transport this overabundance of green energy from Germany’s north to its industrial south, meaning many factories still run on coal and gas. The political limit has also been reached in some places, with citizens meeting the construction of new wind turbines with loud protests.The result is that Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by around 11.5% since 2010—slower than the EU average of 13.5%.51. What accounts for the divide within the scientific community about nuclear energy?A) Attention to combating human-made climate change.B) Emphasis on protecting wildlife and natural ecosystems.C) Evolution of the term ‘green energy’ over the last century.D) Adherence to different interpretations of environmentalism.52. What is the solution to energy shortage proposed by purists’ opponents?A) Relying on renewables firmly and exclusively.B) Using fossil fuel and green energy alternately.C) Opting for nuclear energy when necessary.D) Limiting people’s non-basic consumption.53. What point does the author want to make with cities like Burlington as an example?A) It is controversial whether the goal of the whole world’s exclusive dependence on renewables is attainable.B) It is contentious whether cities with large populations have renewable resources at their immediate disposal.C) It is arguable whether cities that manage to run off renewables have sustainable hydroelectric capabilities.D) It is debatable whether traditional fossil fuel energy can be done away with entirely throughout the world.54. What do we learn about Germany regarding renewable energy?A) It has increased its wind and solar power generation four times over the last two decades.B) It represents a good example of a major industrialized country promoting green energy.C) It relies on renewable energy to generate more than half of its electricity.D) It has succeeded in reaching the goal of energy transition set by Merkel.55. What may be one of the reasons for Germany’s progress having halted in recent years?A) Its grid infrastructure’s capacity has fallen behind its development of green energy.B) Its overabundance of green energy has forced power plants to suspend operation during daytime.C) Its industrial south is used to running factories on conventional energy supplies.D) Its renewable energy supplies are unstable both at night and during the day.Part IV Translation (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.中国的传统婚礼习俗历史悠久，从周朝开始就逐渐形成了一套完整的婚礼仪式，有些一直沿用至今。
12月英语六级真题一听力原文
xx年12月英语六级真题一听力原文六级考试一年两考，一次在6月一次在12月。
为了帮助大家备考xx年的大学考试，了xx年12月大学英语六级听力真题，希望能帮到大家!Conversation 1气候变化和全球经济开展W: Professor Henderson could you give us a brief overview of what you do, where you work and your main area of research?M: Well the Center for Climate Research where I work links the science of climate change to issues around economics and policy.Some of our research is to do with the likely impacts of climate change and all of the associated risks.W: And how strong is the evidence that climate changeis happening that it's really something we need to be worried about.M: Well most of the science of climate change particularly that to do with global warming is simply fact.But other aspects of the science are less certain or at least more disputed.And so we're really talking about risk what the economics tells us is that it's probably cheaper to avoid climate change to avoid the risk than it has to deal with the likely consequences.W: So what are we doing? What can we do about it?M: Well I would argue that we need to develop the science specifically to understand the likely impacts of climate change in different contexts.As I said we need to understand the best ways of avoiding climate change and this will involve a huge transition to low carbon energy systems and the transition is a tremendous priority.And for this to happen, we may need action on a global scale from a political perspective.We need to understand the terms on which major countries like China and the USA might sign up to a global agreement because at the moment we don't have that consensus.W: Right.M: And we also need to plan ahead so that we're in a position to deal with the likely levels of climate change which are already inevitable and even more so to for the levels that are likely if we don't get those global agreements.Q1. What does Professor H say about his main area of research?A It tries to predict the possible trends of global climate change.B It studies the impact of global climate change on people’s lives.C It links the science of climate change to economic and policy issues.D It focuses on the efforts countries can make to deal with global warning.答案 CQ2. What does Professor H say about climate change?A It will take a long time before a consensus is reached on its impact.B It would be more costly to deal with its consequences than to avoid it.C It is the most pressing issue confronting all countries.D It is bound to cause endless disputes among nations.答案 BQ3. What does Professor H say is a top priority in bating climate change?A The transition to low-carbon energy systems.B The cooperation among world major powers.C The signing of a global agreement.D The raising of people’s awareness.答案 AQ4. What does Professor H advise us to do to better deal with climate change?A Carry out more research on it.B Cut down energy consumption.C Plan well in advance.D Adopt new technology.答案 CConversation 2(成功的要素)W: I have many business English students. When I teach the classroom, we often end up talking about things like suess and what leads to suess. And it's interesting that many of them mention the element of luck.M: Right.W: Luck is important to suess. But since you've seenthat fantastic video on the TED Talks website by Richard St. John, he doesn't mention luck at all.M: Well, I'm a firm believer that people can make their own luck. I mean what people regard as luck, you canactually create, to a degree.W: Sure. I think a lot of what people consider luck is attributed to how you respond to the opportunities that e your way.M: Yes. Very good point.W: Seizing the opportunities. But was there any pointin the video that you thought was particularly interesting?M: Yes. Actually there was. Something very impressive to me as many people think that luck is important and that natural talent is something you must have in order to be suessful. And in the video we saw, the point about getting good at something is not about having some natural talent. It's all about practice, practice, practice.W: Definitely yeah. Natural talent helps in some way but at the end of the day you really do need to work hard and get really really good at what you do.M: Sure.W: I thought one interesting thing in the video was the idea of passion being so important and that people who really love what they do. Of course you're going to want to work harder and put the time and effort into it. And the funny thing is that if you love what you do and are really passionate about it and work really hard, the money kind of es automatically.Q5. What are the speakers mainly talking about?Q6. What is the woman’s view of luck?Q7. What is the chief point the TED Talks video makes?Q8. What does the woman think is the funny thing in the TED Talks video?Passage 1(美国恶魔塔的形成原因以及关于它的印第安传说)Devil’s Tower, the first national monument in America, could almost be mistaken for the stump of an enormous tree. Its sheer rock sides sweep up from a broad base until they cut off abruptly at the flat summit. Rising more than 1,000 feet in the middle of the gently rolling plains of Wyoming, the massive column of rock, looks as though it was dropped down into this location from a different time and place.In a sense, it was, Devil’s Tower is a relic of the past. When the molten rock of the earth’s core forced its way to the surface to form the throat of a volcano, as the centuries passed, the rock cooled and hardened, shrinking and cracking into long columns, born in fire and fury. Devil’s Tower was then shaped by the slow, gentle work of wind and water. The outer layers of the volcano were worn away until the hard core stood pletely exposed.It is small wonder that an Indian legend described Devil’s Tower as being formed by supernatural powers. The legend says that when seven girls were attacked by bears, they took refuge on top of a small rock, and they appealed to the Rock God for help. The God caused the rock to grow and to lift the girls far above the ground, while it sides were scored by the claws of the angry bears. Even today, says the legend, the girls can be seen above the towering rock. As seven shining stars in the night sky.9. What does the Devil’s Tower look like?10. What cause the volcano’s outer layers to wear away?11. What does the Indian legend say about the Devil’s Tower?12. How did the Rock God help the seven girl in the Indian legend?Passage 2(如何科学理财)It’s no aident that most gas stations have convenience stores attached. Few of us can fill up the tank without buying a few snacks, cigarettes，soft drinks or other items we can live without. I deserve it. That’s what hardworking men and women say to justify their lavish vacations, big stereo systems or regular restaurant meals. They do deserve such indulgences. However, they also deserve a home of their own--a secure retirement and freedom from worrying about unpaid bills. No one should have to live with what a Texas mother described as constant stress，tension, evenfear about money. Sadly the pleasure that es from extravagances often disappears long before the bills do.The video camera that one single mother bought for aspecial oasion, fo r example, is not much fun now. She’s figured out that it will take her another three years topay it off at $30 a month. And the New Yorkers who spent a bundle on an outdoor hot tub now admit they rarely use it, because we can't afford to heat it in winter. The solutionset priorities add up the annual cost of each item. Then consider what else you can buy with the same money. Thatwill help you decide which items are really worth it. One Chicago woman, for example, discovered that daily lunches with coworkers cost her $2000 a year; she decided to take lunch to work instead. “I now put $20 a week into my vacation fund and another 20 into retirement savings, she says, those mean more to me than lunch”.Q13. What does the speaker say about drivers who stopat gas stations?Q14. What does the speaker say about extravagances?Q15. What does a speaker want to show by the example of the Chicago woman?Recording1(积极情绪和情绪以及其利弊)Let’s say youstart to brainstorm a list of all the emotions you’ve everexperienced. Just for fun. Try it now. What’s on your list? Chancesare you included things like happy, sad, excited, angry, afraid,grateful, proud, scared, confused, stressed, relaxedand amazed.Now sort your list into two categories: positive emotions andnegative emotions. Feeling both positive and negative emotions is anatural part of being human. We might use the word “negative” todescribe more difficult emotions, but it doesn't mean thoseemotions are bad or we shouldn't have them. Still, most peoplewould probably rather feel a positive emotion than a negative one.It's likely you'd prefer to feel happy instead of sad or confidentinstead of insecure. What matters is how our emotions are balanced,how much of each type of emotion, positive or negative weexperience. Negative emotions warn us of threats or challenges thatwe may need to deal with. For example, fear can alert us topossible danger. It's a signal that we might need to protectourselves. Angry feelings warn us that someone is stepping on ourtoes, crossing a boundary or violating our trust. Anger can be asignal that we might need to act on our own behalf. Negativeemotions focus our awareness. They help us to zero in on a problemso we can deal with it. But too many negative emotions can make usfeel overwhelmed, anxious, exhausted or stressed out. When negativeemotions are out of balance, problems might seem too big to handle.The more we dwell on negative emotions, the more negative we beginto feel. Focusing on negativity just keeps it going. Positive。
2021年12月英语六级真题答案(第一套)
2021年12月英语六级真题答案（第一套）含完整听力原文题目答案Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay related to the short passage given below. In your essay, you are to comment on the phenomenon described in the passage and suggest measures to address the issue. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.Some parents in China are overprotective of their children. They plan everything for their children, make all the decisions for them, and do not allow them to explore on their own in case they make mistakes or get hurt.Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you musts 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.Conversation 1 主题：校园生活对话W: Hi, David. I haven't seen you in class for almost 2 weeks. We thought you had disappeared on holiday earlier or something[1].M: Hi, Sarah, it's a bit of a long story I'm afraid. I got a throat infection last week and had to go to the hospital to get some antibiotics as I really wasn't getting any better.W: Oh, yeah, there have been so many viruses going around this winter. The weather's been so awful for the last few weeks.M: And on the way back from the hospital, I slipped on some ice and fell, and then had to go to the hospital to get an X-Ray because I basically thought I broke my wrist, although, thankfully, it's not broken[2]. But I need to be careful with it for the next few weeks.W: Oh, that’s too bad. How unfortunate!M: To make things worse, I managed to fall right in front of four girls from the 9th Grade. It was utterly humiliated. Plus, the laptop in my bag was broken, too.W: Now, what a complete catastrophe! Is the laptop still under warranty? If it is, then you can easily send it back to the manufacturer, and they'll send you a brand new one for Free[3].Surely.M: The warranty ran out 3 days before I broke it. And all my essays are in there, and I need to hand them in before we break for the Christmas holidays.W: Listen, I have the number of a really good, affordable computer repair shop at home. My dad has used this guy before and he can work miracles. Let's go back to my house and we can call the repair shop. You can have some tea and cookies, too[4].M: Wow, thanks, Sarah. That would be great. Let me just call my mom and let her know. I'll behome a little bit later.Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.1.What did Sarah think David was doing for the last 2 weeks?A. He was enjoying his holiday.B. He was recovering in hospital.C. He was busy writing his essays.D. He was fighting a throat infection.2.What happened to David on his way back from the hospital?A. He broke his wrist.B. He lost his antibiotics.C. He slipped on ice and fell.D. He was laughed at by some girls.3.What does Sarah say they should do with the damaged computer?A. Turn to her father for help.B. Call the repair shop to fix it.C. Ask the manufacturer for repair.D. Replace it with a brand-new one.4.What does Sarah say she is going to do?A. Help David retrieves his essays.B. Introduce David to her parents.C. Offer David some refreshmentsD. Accompany David to his home.Conversation 2 主题：作家的新书座谈M: Welcome to this week's episode of book talk. With me today is Heidi Brown, a historian who has written five critically acclaimed books about military history[5].W: Thanks for having me, John. I'm so excited to talk about my latest book which was published last month.M: So, this book is a novel, your first attempt at that genre. I thought it was a bit of a departure for you.W: I'd say it's a major departure as it's not just a work of fiction[6]. It's set 200 years in the future.M: Right. So how did that happen? You spent three decades writing about the past and focusing on the 18th and 19th centuries[7]. And now you're speculating about the future.W: After years of researching soldiers and chronicling their lives during battle, I just started wondering about other facets of their lives, especially their personal lives[7].M: I can see that. Your novel is about soldiers, but it focuses on their relationships, especially the bonds between sons and mothers and men and their wives.W: Yes. That focus came about when I still intended to write another book of history. I started by researching soldiers, actual personal lives, studying their letters home[7].M: So how did that history book become a novel?W: Well, I realized that the historical record was incomplete, so I'd either have to leave a lot of gaps or make a lot more assumptions than a historian should.M: But why write a novel set in the future when your credentials are perfect for a historical novel? As a historian, any historical novel you write would have a lot of credibility.W: I felt too constrained working with the past, like what I wrote needed to be fact as opposed to fiction[8], but writing about the future gave me more freedom to imagine, to invent.M: Having read your book, I'm glad you made that choice to move into fiction.Question 5-8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.5. What did the man say about the woman?A. She is a critic of works on military affairs.B. She is an acclaimed hostess of Book Talk.C. She is a researcher of literary genres.D. She is a historian of military history.6. What does the woman say about her newly published book?A. It is about the military history of Europe.B. It is set in the 18th and 19th centuries.C. It is her fifth book of military history.D. It is a war novel set in the future.7. What did the woman do before writing her new book?A. She visited soldiers’ wives and mothers.B. She conducted surveys of many soldiers.C. she met a large number of soldiers in person.D. She looked into the personal lives of soldiers.8. What does the woman say about her writing history books?A. She doesn’t have much freedom for imagination.B. It is not easy to make her readers believe in her.C. It is difficult to attract young readers.D. She has to combine fact with fiction.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four 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 主题：可口可乐包装设计Whether it's in the hands of animated polar bears, or Santa Claus, there's one thing you'll find in nearly all ads for Coca Cola - the characteristic glass bottle[9].Most Americans don't drink soda out of the glass bottles seen in cokes ads anymore.But this week, the company is Celebrating a century of the bottle that's been sold in more than 200 countries. Flashback to 1915, when a bottle of Coca Cola cost just a nickel. As the soft drink gained in popularity, it faced a growing number of competitors, counterfeits even trying tocopy cokes logo[10].So according to Coca Cola historian Ted Ryan, the company decided to come up with packaging that couldn't be duplicated.A product request was sent to eight different glassmakers. Workers at the Root Glass company got the request and began flipping through the encyclopedia at the local library, landing on cocoa seed[11]. Though cocoa seed is not an ingredient of the soda, they designed their bottle based on the seeds shape and large middle.It won over coke executives in Atlanta and will go on to receive its own trademark, spur collections and earn Coca-Cola an iconic image that made it part of American culture for a century. It was 100 years ago this week that the bottle earned a patent. By World War Two, Coke bottle sales had ballooned into billions.Americans mostly consumed coke out of aluminum or plastic today, but the glass bottle remains a symbol of America is readily recognized around the world.Question 9 to 11are based on the recording you have just heard.9. What does the passage say appears in almost all ads for Coca Cola?A. Santa ClausB. Cocoa SeedsC. A polar bearD. A glass bottle10. Why did the Coca Cola Company decide to have special packaging designed?A. To attract customer attention.B. To keep up with the times.C. To combat counterfeits.D. To promote its sales.11. What do we learn about the Coca Cola bottle designed by the Root Glass company?A. It resembles a picture in the encyclopedia.B. It appears in the shape of a cocoa seed.C. It has the drink’s logo in the middle.D. It displays the image of Santa Claus.Passage 2 主题：陌生人之间的交流使人愉悦Research shows that a few moments of conversation with a stranger creates a measurable improvement in mood [12].But most of us are reluctant to start these conversations because we presume the opposite. In an experiment, commuters who talk to nearby strangers found their commute more enjoyable than those who didn't. They were asked to predict whether they'd enjoy the commute more if they conversed with other people. Intriguingly, most expected the more solitary experience to be more pleasurable.Why is this? Social Anxiety appears to be the problem[13]. People's reluctance to start conversations with nearby strangers comes partly from under estimating others interest in connecting.The sad thing is that people presume that a nearby stranger doesn't want to converse and don't start a conversation. Only those who forced themselves to chat because it was acquired by an experiment found out what a pleasant experience it could be. Human beings are social animals. Those who misunderstand the impact of social interactions may not, in some context, be social enough for their own well-being. You should be chatting with the strangers you encounter.You may occasionally have a negative encounter that might stick in your memory. This isbecause the human brain is biased to dwell on negative events, but starting conversations with strangers is still well worth the risk of rejection[14].It may surprise you that conversing with strangers will make them happier, too. The pleasure of connection seems contagious. People who are talked to has equally positive experiences as those who initiate a conversation [15].Questions 12 to 15 are based on the recording you have just heard.12. What does research show about a conversation between strangers?A. It often occurs among commuters.B. It promotes mutual understanding.C. It improves their mood considerably.D. It takes a great deal of effort to sustain.13. What prevents people from starting a conversation with strangers?A. Social anxiety.B. Excessive caution.C. Lack of social skills.D. Preference for solitude.14. Why does a negative encounter with strangers stick in one's memory?A. People usually regard it as an unforgettable lesson.B. Human brains tend to dwell on negative events.C. Negative events often hurt people deeply.D. People generally resent being rejected.15. What does the passage say; the pleasure of connection seems to be?A. Contagious.B. Temporary.C. Unpredictable.D. Measurable.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions. The recordings will be played 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.Recording1 主题：加勒比群岛的经济生态The Caribbean islands are divided into two worlds, a rich one, and a poor one. This tropical region's economy is based mainly on farming[16]. Farmers are of 2 types. One is the plantation owner who may have hundreds of thousands of acres. In contrast, the small cultivator is working only a few acres of land. Most visitors to the Caribbean are rich, like the plantation owner. They do not realize or do not want to realize that many foreign families barely managed to get by on what they grow. The Caribbean produces many things, sugar is the main product[17].Other export crops are tobacco, coffee, bananas, spices, and citrus fruits, such as orange, lemon, or grapefruit. From the West Indies also come oil, mineral pitch, and many forest products, Jamaica’s aluminum or supplies are the world's largest. Oil comes from Trinidad, Aruba, and Korako. But for many of the smaller islands, sugar is the only export.Rum, a strong alcoholic drink, which is distilled from sugar cane, is also an export..The world's best rum comes from this area. Local kinds vary from the light rums of Puerto Rico to theheavier Dhaka rums of Barbados and Jamaica. American tourists enjoy stalking up on inexpensive, high quality,Caribbean rum while they are on vacation. In Korako, the well-known liquor of that name is made from the thick outer skin of a native orange. Ever since America's colonial days. The Caribbean islands have been favorite places to visit. Since World War Two, tourism has increased rapidly, because great numbers of people go there. The islanders have built elaborate resorts, developed harbors and airfields, improved beaches and have expanded sea and air routes. Everything is at the resort, hotel, beach, shopping and recreation.The vacationer never has any reason to explore the island. As in most places those who have money live well indeed, those who don't have money live at various levels of poverty. But here the poor greatly outnumber the wealthy[18].A visitor will find rich people living in apartments or Spanish houses at the seaside or in the countryside. Their surface might include a cook, a maid and a nurse for the children. Q18: Most of the people live well below the poverty level. In towns, they live crowded together in tiny houses. Islanders make the best they can of what they have. Their homes are quite shabby. Sadly, most tourists never see the side of the Caribbean.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.16. What does the speaker say about the economy of the Caribbean islands?A. It depends heavily on tourism.B. It is flourishing in foreign trade.C. It is mainly based on agriculture.D. It relies chiefly on mineral export.17. What is the main product of the Caribbean islands?A. Tobacco.B. Bananas.C. Coffee.D. Sugar.18. What do we learn about the majority of people in the Caribbean islands?A. They toil on farms.B. They live a poor life.C. They live in Spanish-style houses.D. They hire people to do housework.Recording2 孩童教育Talk to anyone who is a generation of too older, and they would most likely comment that children are more spoiled these days. No one wants to have or be around, demanding, selfish and spoiled children, those who get bad tempered or silently brewed when they're not given everything they want immediately[19].Paradoxically, the parents of such children encouraged this demanding behavior in the mistaken belief that by giving their children everything they can, their children will be happy. In the short term, perhaps they are right. But in the longer term, such children end up lonely, dependent, chronically dissatisfied and resentful of the parents, who tried so hard to please them.Undoubtedly, parents want to raise happy children who are confident, capable, and likable rather than spoiled and miserable. One factor hindering this is that parents can't or don't spendenough quality time with their kids and substitute this deficit with toys, games, gadgets, and the like[20].Rather than getting material things, children need parents devote their attention. The quantity of time spent together is less important than the content of that time. Instead of instantly satisfying their wishes, parents should help them work out a plan to earn things they'd like to have. This teaches them to value the effort as well as what it achieves.Allow them to enjoy anticipation. Numerous psychological studies have demonstrated that children who learn to wait for things they desire are more likely to succeed in a number of ways later in life. One famous experiment in the 1960s involved 3 to 6-year-old children. They were given a choice between receiving a small reward such as a cookie immediately. Or if they waited 15 minutes, they could have two. Follow up studies have found that those who chose to delay satisfaction and now more academically successful have greater self worth and even tend to be healthier.If they fail, children should be encouraged to keep trying rather than to give up if they really want the desired result[21]This teaches them how to handle and recover from disappointment, which is associated with greater success and satisfaction, academically, financially and in personal relationships.And lastly, parents should encourage their children to look at life from other points of view, as well as their own. This teaches them to be understanding of and sympathetic towards others, qualities sure to take them a long way in life.Questions 19 to 20 are based on the recording you have just heard.19. What will happen to children if they always get immediate satisfaction?A. They will be more demanding of their next generation.B. They will end up lonely, dependent and dissatisfied.C. They will experience more setbacks than successes.D. They will find it difficult to get along with others.20. What may prevent parents from raising confident and capable children?A. Failure to pay due attention to their behavior.B. Unwillingness to allow them to play with toys.C. Unwillingness to satisfy their wishes immediately.D. Failure to spend sufficient quality time with them.21. Why should children be encouraged to keep trying when they fail?A. It will enable them to learn from mistakes.B. It will help them to handle disappointment.C. It will do much good to their mental health.D. It will build their ability to endure hardships.Recording3 面试技巧It's not hard to mess up an interview. Most people feel nervous sitting across from a hiring manager, answering questions that effectively opened themselves up for judgment, and your chances are being more carefully considered for the job, can quickly go downhill, just by sayingthe wrong thing at the wrong time[22]. The most obvious thing not to do is complain[23]. Employers want to hire positive people, talking about a previous job negatively raises concerns that you might be difficult to manage, or you might be someone that blames management for your own poor performance.Don't say that you've moved around in jobs because you haven't found the right fit or feel that you were not challenged enough[24]. Statements like these will make you sound aimless and lost. An interviewer may well think, why would this role be any different for you? You will probably leave here in 6 months. It also begs the question of what type of relationship you had with your manager. It doesn't sound like you had open communication with him or her. Managers usually love people who can self-sustain and enable growth through taking initiative, who are strong at following through their work, and who bring ideas and solutions to the table.If you were in a management or leadership position, when discussing your current role, never take all the credit for accomplishments or achievements, emphasize your team and how through their talents, your vision was realized. Most successful leaders know that they are only as good as their team, and acknowledging this in an interview will go a long way towards suggesting that you might be the right person for the position you are applying for.Lastly, have a good idea of what your role will be, and try and convey the idea that you're flexible. Asking what your role will be, suggest you will limit yourself purely to what is expected of you.In reality, your role is whatever you make of it[25]. This is especially true in small companies, where the ability to adapt and take on new responsibilities is highly valued. And this is equally important if you are just starting out. Entry level interviewees would do well to demonstrate a broad set of skills in most interviews. Q25: It's important to have a wide skill set as many startups and small companies are moving really fast. Employers are looking for candidates that are intelligent and can quickly adapt and excel in a growing company.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.22. What does the speaker say can easily prevent an interviewee from getting a job?A. Failing to make sufficient preparations.B. Looking away from the hiring manager.C. Saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.D. Making a wrong judgment of the interview.23. What should the interviewee avoid doing in an interview?A. Complaining about their previous job.B. Inquiring about their salary to be paid.C. Exaggerating their academic background.D. Understanding their previous achievements.24. What kind of employees do companies like to recruit?A. Those who have both skill and experience.B. Those who get along well with colleagues.C. Those who take initiative in their work.D. Those who are loyal to their managers.25. What is especially important for those working in a small company?A. Ability to shoulder new responsibilities.B. Experience of performing multiple roles.C. Readiness to work to flexible schedules.D. Skills to communicate with colleagues.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 bank following the passage.Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in thebank is identified by a letter: Please mark the corresponding letter for each item onAnswer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of thewords in the bank more than once.Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passageIf you think life is wonderful and expect it to stay that way, then you may have a good chance of living to a ripe old age, at least that is what the findings of a new study suggest. That study found that participants who reported the highest levels of optimism were far more likely to live to age 85 or 26 . This was compared to those participants who reported the lowest levels of optimism. It is 27 that the findings held even after the researchers considered factors that could 28 the link, including whether participants had health conditions, such as heart disease or cancer, or whether they experienced depression. The results add to a growing body of evidence that certain psychological factors may predict a longer life 29 . For example, previous studies have found that more optimistic people have a lower risk of developing chronic diseases, and a lower risk of 30 death. However, the new study appears to be the first to 31 look at the relationship between optimism and longevity. The researchers 32 that the link found in the new study was not as strong when they factored in the effects of certain health behaviors, including exercise levels, sleep habits and diet. This suggests that these behaviors may, at least in part, explain the link. In other words, optimism may 33 good habits that bolster health. It is also important to note that the study found only a 34 , as researchers did not prove for certain that optimism leads to a longer life. However, if the findings are true, they suggest that optimism could serve as a psychological 35 that promotes health and a longer life."A. affectB. beyondC. concededD. correlationE. fosterF. henceforthG. loftyH. noteworthyI. plausiblyJ. prematureK. reconciled L. span M. specifically N. spiral O. trait 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 the paragraphs Identify theparagraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraphmore than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter：Answer the questions bymarking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.No one in fashion is surprised that Burberry burnt £28 million of stockA) Last week, Burberry’s annual report revealed that £28.6 million worth of stock was burnt lastyear. The news has left investors and consumers outraged but come as little surprise to those in the fashion industry.B) The practice of destroying unsold stock, and even rolls of unused fabric, is commonplace forluxury labels. Becoming too widely available at a cheaper price through discount stores discourages full-price sales. Sending products for recycling leaves them vulnerable to being stolen and sold on the black market. Jasmine Bina, CEO of brand strategy agency Concept Bureau explains, “Typically, luxury brands rally around exclusivity to protect their business interests, namely intellectual property and preservation of brand equity（资产）.” She stated she had heard rumors of stock burning but not specific cases until this week.C) Another reason for the commonplace practice is a financial incentive for brands exportinggoods to America. United States Customs states that if imported merchandise is unused and destroyed under their supervision, 99% of the duties, taxes or fees paid on the merchandise may be recovered. It is incredibly difficult to calculate how much dead stock currently goes to waste. While there are incentives to do it, there’s no legal obligation to report it.D) A source, who chose to remain anonymous, shared her experience working in a Burberrystore in New York in October 2016. “My job was to toss items in boxes so they could be sent to be burned. It was killing me inside because all that leather and fur went to waste and animals had died for nothing. I couldn’t stay there any longer, their business practices threw me off the roof.” In May this year, Burberry announced it was taking fur out of its catwalk shows and reviewing its use elsewhere in the business. “Even though we asked the management, they refused to give us detailed answers as to why they would do this with their collection,” continued the source, which left her role within two weeks. She has since worked with another high-profile, luxury label.E) In an online forum post, which asked if it’s true that Louis Vuitton burned its bags, AhmedBouchfaa, who claimed to work for Louis Vuitton, responded that the brand holds sales of old stock for staff members twice a year. Items which have still not sold after several sales are destroyed. “Louis Vuitton doesn’t have public sales. They either sell a product at a given price or discontinue it. This is to make sure that everybody pays the same price for an item,” he says. He goes on to disclose the strict guidelines around the employee sales: “You may buy gifts for someone, but they track each item, and if your gift ends up online they know who to ask.” One investor commenting on the Burberry figures was reportedly outraged that the unsold goods were not even offered to investors before they were destroyed.F) Richemont, who owns several luxury brands, hit the headlines in May for taking back £437million of watches for destruction in the last two years to avoid marked-down prices. It’s not just luxury brands either. In October last year, a Danish TV show exposed H&M for burning12 tones of unsold clothing since 2013. In a statement, the high street retailer defended itselfby saying that the burnt clothing had failed safety tests:“The products to which the media are referring have been tested in external laboratories. The test results show that one of the。
2019年12月大学英语六级考试真题完整版-附答案和听力音频原文(第1套)
2019年12月大学英语六级考试真题完整版附答案和听力音频原文（第1套）（此文档分三部分：真题试题、答案、听力原文）一、真题试题Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions : For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on the importance of having a sense of social responsibility. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.Part II Listening Comprehension (25 minutes)音频在线收听：请扫码公众号“超能资料库”，进入菜单：大学-》英语六级真题-》听力：Section AConversation 1.1. A) It focuses exclusively on jazz.B) It sponsors major jazz concerts.C) It has several branches in London.D) It displays albums by new music talents.2. A) It originated with cowboys.B) Its market has now shrunk.C) Its listeners are mostly young people.D) It remains as widespread as hip hop music.3. A) Its definition is varied and complicated.B) It is still going through experimentation.C) It is frequently accompanied by singing.D) Its style has remained largely unchanged.4. A) Learn to play them.B) Take music lessons.C) Listen to them yourself.D) Consul jazz musicians.Conversation 2.5. A) She paid her mortgage.B) She called on the man.C) She made a business plan.D) She went to the bank.6. A) Her previous debt hadn’t been cleared yet.B) Her credit history was considered poor.C) She had apparently asked for too much.D) She didn’t pay her mortgage in time.7. A) Pay a debt long overdue.B) Buy a piece of property.C) Start her own business.D) Check her credit history.8. A) Seek advice from an expert about fund raising.B) Ask for smaller loans from different lenders.C) Build up her own finances step by step.D) Revise her business proposal carefully.Section BPassage 1.9. A) It is profitable and environmentally friendly.B) It is well located and completely automated.C) It is small and unconventional.D) It is fertile and productive.10.A) Their urge to make farming more enjoyable.B) Their desire to improve farming equipment.C) Their hope to revitalize traditional farming.D) Their wish to set a new farming standard11.A) It saves a lot of electricity.B) It needs little maintenance.C) It causes hardly any pollution.D) It loosens soil while weeding.Passage 2.12.A) It has turned certain insects into a new food source.B) It has started on expand business outside the UK.C) It has imported some exotic foods from overseas.D) It has joined hands with Sainsbury’s to sell pet insects.13.A) It was really unforgettable.B) It was a pleasant surprise.C) It hurt his throat slightly.D) It made him feel strange.14.A) They are more tasty than beef, chicken or pork.B) They are more nutritious than soups and salads.C) They contain more protein than conventional meats.D) They will soon gain popularity throughout the world.15.A) It is environmentally friendly.B) It is a promising industry.C It requires new technology.D) It saves huge amounts of labour.Section CRecording 116. A)To categorize different types of learners.B) To find out what students prefer to learn.C) To understand the mechanism of the human brain.D) To see if they are inherent traits affecting learning.17. A) It was defective.B)It was misguided.C) It was original in design.D) It was thought-provoking.18. A) Auditory aids are as important as visual aids.B) Visual aids are helpful to all types of learners.C) Reading plain texts is more effective than viewing pictures.D) Scientific concepts are hard to understand without visual aids. Recording 219. A) Not playing a role in a workplace revolution.B) Not benefiting from free-market capitalism.C) Not earning enough money to provide for the family.D) Not spending enough time on family life and leisure.20. A) People would be working only fifteen hours a week now.B) The balance of power in the workplace would change.C) Technological advances would create many new jobs.D) Most workers could afford to have a house of their own.21. A) Loss of workers’personal dignity.B) Deprivation of workers’creativity.C) Deterioration of workers’mental health.D) Unequal distribution of working hours.Recording 322. A) It is the worst managed airport in German history.B) It is now the biggest and busiest airport in Europe.C) It has become something of a joke among Germans.D) It has become a typical symbol of German efficiency.23. A) The city’s airports are ou tdated.B) The city had just been reunified.C) The city wanted to boost its economy.D) The city wanted to attract more tourists.24. A) The municipal government kept changing hands.B) The construction firm breached the contract.C) Shortage of funding delayed its construction.D) Problems of different kinds kept popping up.25. A) Tourism industry in Berlin suffers.B)All kinds of equipment gets rusted.C) Huge maintenance costs accumulate.D) Complaints by local residents increase.Part ⅢReading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section A 选词填空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.When considering risk factors associated with serious chronic diseases, we often think about health indicators such as cholesterol, blood pressure, and body weight. But poor diet and physical inactivity also each increase the risk of heart disease and have a role to play in the development of some cancers. Perhaps worse,the 26 effects of an unhealthy diet and insufficient exercise are not limited to your body. Recent research has also shown that 27 in a high-fat and high-sugar diet may have negative effects on your brain, causing learning and memory 28 . Studies have found obesity is associated with impairments in cognitive functioning, as 29 by a range of learning and memory tests, such as the ability to remember a list of words presented some minutes or hours earlier. There is also a growing body of evidence that diet-induced cognitive impairments can emerge 30 -within weeks or even days. For example, one study found healthy adults 31 to a high-fat diet for five days showed impaired attention, memory, and mood compared with a low-fat diet control group. Another study also found eating a high-fat and high-sugar breakfast each day for as little as four days resulted in problems with learning and memory 32 to those observed in overweight and obese individuals.Body weight was not hugely different between the groups eating a healthy diet and those on high fat and sugar diets. So this shows negative 33 of poor dietary intake can occur even when body weight has not changed 34 . Thus, body weightis not always the best indicator of health and a thin person still needs to eat well and exercise 35 .A) assessedB) assignedC) consequencesD) conspicuouslyE) deficitsF) designatedG) detrimentalH) digestionI) excellingJ) indulgingK) loopholesL) rapidlyM) redundantN) regularlyO) similarSection B 段落匹配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 question by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.Increased Screen Time and Wellbeing Decline in Youth[A] Have young people never had it so good? Or do they face more challenges than any previous generation? Our current era in the West is one of high wealth. This means minors enjoy material benefits and legal protections that would have been the envy of those living in the past. But there is an increasing suspicion that all is not well for our youth. And one of the most popular explanations, among some experts and the popular media, is that excessive “screen time” is to b lame (This refers to all the attention young people devote to their phones, tablets and laptops). However, this is a connection theory and such claims have been treated skeptically by some scholars based on their reading of the relevant data.[B] Now a study in the journal Emotion has provided another contribution to the debate, uncovering strong evidence that adolescent wellbeing in the United States really is experiencing a decline and arguing that the most likely cause is the electronic riches we have given them. The background to this is that from the 1960s into the early 2000s, measures of average wellbeing went up in the US. This was especially true for younger people. It reflected the fact that these decades saw a climb in general standards of living and avoidance of mass societal traumas likefull-scale war or economic deprivation. However, the “screen time” hypothesis, advanced by researchers such as Jean Twenge, is that electronic devices and excessive time spent online may have reversed these trends in recent years, causing problems for young people’s psychological health.[C] To investigate, Twenge and her colleagues dived into the “Monitoring The Future” dataset based on annual surveys of American school students from grades 8, 10, and 12 that started in 1991. In total, 1.1 million young people answered various questions related to their wellbeing. Twenge’s team’s analysis of the answers confirmed the earlier, well-established wellbeing climb, with scores rising across the 1990s, and into the later 2000s. This was found across measures like self-esteem, life satisfaction, happiness and satisfaction with individual domains like job, neighborhood, or friends. But around 2012 these measures started to decline. This continued through 2016, the most recent year for which data is available.[D] Twenge and her colleagues wanted to understand why this change in average wellbeing has occurred. However, it’s very hard to demonstrate causes innon-experimental data such as this. In fact, when Twenge previously used this data to suggest a screen time effect, some commentators were quick to raise this problem. They argued that her causal-sounding claims rested on correlational data, and that she had not adequately accounted for other potential causal factors. This time around, Twenge and her team make a point of saying that that they are not trying to establish causes as such, but that they are assessing the plausibility of potential causes.[E] First, they explain that if a given variable is playing a causal role in affecting wellbeing, then we should expect any change in that variable to correlate with the observed changes in wellbeing. If not, it isn’t plausible that the variable is a causal factor. So the researchers looked at time spent in a number of activities that could plausibly be driving the wellbeing decline. Less sport, and fewer meetings with peers correlated with lower wellbeing, as did less time reading print media (newspapers) and, surprisingly, less time doing homework (This last finding would appear to contradict another popular hypothesis that it is our burdening of students with assignments that is causing all the problems). In addition, more TV watching and more electronic communication both correlated with lower wellbeing. All these effects held true for measures of happiness, life satisfaction and self-esteem, with the effects stronger in the 8th and 10th-graders.[F] Next, Twenge’s team dug a little deeper into the data on screen time. They found that adolescents who spent a very small amount of time on digital devices—a couple of hours—had the highest wellbeing. Their wellbeing was even higher than those who never used such devices. However, higher doses of screen time were clearly associated with lower happiness. Those spending 10-19 hours per week on their devices were 41 percent more likely to be unhappy than lower-frequency users.Those who used such devices 40 hours a week or more (one in ten of teenagers) were twice as likely to be unhappy. The data was slightly complicated by the fact that there was a tendency for kids who were social in the real world to also use more online communication, but by bracketing out different cases it became clear that the real-world sociality component correlated with greater wellbeing, whereas greater time on screens or online only correlated with poorer wellbeing.[G] So far, so plausible. But the next question is, are the drops in average wellbeing happening at the same time as trends toward increased electronic device usage? It looks like it—after all, 2012 was the tipping point when more than half of Americans began owning smartphones. Twenge and her colleagues also found that across the key years of 2013-16, wellbeing was indeed lowest in years where adolescents spent more time online, on social media, and reading news online, and when more youth in the US had smartphones. And in a second analysis, they found that where technology went, dips in wellbeing followed. For instance, years with a larger increase in online usage were followed by years with lower wellbeing, rather than the other way around. This does not prove causality, but is consistent with it. Meanwhile, TV use didn’t show this tracking. TV might make you less happy, but this is not what seems to be driving the recent declines i n young people’s average happiness.[H] A similar but reversed pattern was found for the activities associated with greater wellbeing. For example, years where people spent more time with friends were better years for wellbeing (and followed by better years). Sadly, the data also showed face-to-face socializing and sports activity had declined over the period covered by the survey.[I] There is another explanation that Twenge and her colleagues wanted to address: the impact of the great recession of 2007-2009, which hit a great number of American families and might be affecting adolescents. The dataset didn’t include economic data, so instead the researchers looked at whether the 2013-16 wellbeing decline was tracking economic indicators. They found some evidence that some crude measures, like income inequality, correlated with changes in wellbeing, but economic measures with a more direct impact, like family income and unemployment rates (which put families into difficulties), had no relationship with wellbeing. The researchers also note that the recession hit some years before we see the beginning of the wellbeing drop, and before the steepest wellbeing decline, which occurred in 2013.[J] The researchers conclude that electronic communication was the only adolescent activity that increased at the same time psychological wellbeing declined. I suspect that some experts in the field will be keen to address alternative explanations, such as unassessed variables playing a role in the wellbeing decline. But the new workdoes go further than before and suggests that screen time should still be considereda potential barrier to young people’s flourishing.36. The year when most Americans began using smartphones was identified as a turning point in young Americans’ level of happiness.37. Scores in various wellbeing measures began to go downward among young Americans in recent years.38. Unfortunately, activities involving direct contact with people, which contributed to better wellbeing, were found to be on the decline.39. In response to past critics, Twenge and her co-researchers stress they are not trying to prove that the use of digital devices reduces young people’s wellbeing.40. In the last few decades of the 20th century, living standards went up and economic depressions were largely averted in the US.41. Contrary to popular belief, doing homework might add to students’ wellbeing.42. The author believes the researchers’ new study has gone a step further regarding the impact of screen time on wellbeing.43. The researchers found that extended screen time makes young people less happy.44. Data reveals that economic inequality rather than family income might affect people’s wellbeing.45. Too much screen time is widely believed to be the cause of unhappiness among today’s young people.Section C 仔细阅读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 OneQuestions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.“The dangerous thing about lying is people don’t understand how the act changes us,” said Dan Ariely, behavioral psychologist at Duke University. Psychologists have documented children lying as early as the age of two. Some experts even consider lying a developmental milestone, like crawling and walking, because it requires sophisticated planning, attention and the ability to see a situation from someone else’s perspective to manipulate them. But, for most people, lying gets limited as we develop a sense of morality and the ability to self-regulate.Harvard cognitive neuroscientist Joshua Greene said, for most of us, lying takes work. In studies, he gave study subjects a chance to deceive for monetary gain while examining their brains in a functional MRI machine, which maps blood flow to active parts of the brain. Some people told the truth instantly and instinctively. But others opted to lie, and they showed increased activity in their frontal parietal control network, which is involved in difficult or complex thinking. This suggests that theywere deciding between truth and dishonesty—and ultimately opting for the latter. For a follow-up analysis, he found that people whose neural reward centers were more active when they won money were also more likely to be among the group of liars—suggesting that lying may have to do with the inability to resist temptation. External conditions also matter in terms of when and how often we lie. We are more likely to lie, research shows when we are able to rationalize it, when we are stressed and fatigued or see others being dishonest. And we are less likely to lie when we have moral reminders or when we think others are watching. “We as a society need to understand that, when we don’t punish lying, we increase the probability it will happen again,” Ariely said.In a 2016 study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, Ariely and colleagues showed how dishonesty alters people’s brains, making it easier to tell lies in the future. When people uttered a falsehood, the scientists noticed a burst of activity in their amygdala. The amygdala is a crucial part of the brain that produces fear, anxiety and emotional responses—including that sinking, guilty feeling you get when you lie. But when scientists had their subjects play a game in which they won money by deceiving their partner, they noticed the negative signals from the amygdala began to decrease. Not only that, but when people faced no consequences for dishonesty, their falsehoods tended to get even more sensational. This means that if you give people multiple opportunities to lie for their own benefit, they start with little lies and get bigger and bigger over time.46. Why do some experts consider lying a milestone in a child’s development?A) It shows they have the ability to view complex situations from different angles.、B) It indicates they have an ability more remarkable than crawling and walking.C) It represents their ability to actively interact with people around them.D) It involves the coordination of both their mental and physical abilities.47. Why does the Harvard neuroscientist say that lying takes work?A) It is difficult to sound natural or plausible.B) It is hard to choose from several options.C) It involves lots of sophisticated mental activity.D) It requires speedy blood flow into one’s brain.48. Under what circumstances do people tend to lie?A) When they become too emotional.B) When they face too much peer pressure.C) When the temptation is too strong.D) When the consequences are not imminent.49. When are people less likely to lie?A) When they are worn out and stressed.B) When they are under watchful eyes.C) When they think in a rational way.D) When they have a clear conscience.50. What does the author say will happen when a liar does not get punished?A) They may feel justified.B) They will tell bigger lies.C) They will become complacent.D) They may mix lies and truths.Passage TwoQuestions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.Here’s how the Pacific Northwest is preparing for “The Big One”. It’s the mother of all disaster drills for what could be the worst disaster in American history. California has spent years preparing for “The Big One”—the inevitable earthquake that will undoubtedly unleash all kinds of havoc along the famous San Andreas fault. But what if the fault that runs along the Pacific Northwest delivers a gigantic earthquake of its own? If the people of the Cascadia region have anything to do with it, they won’t be caught unawares.The region is engaged in a multi-day earthquake and tsunami drill involving around 20,000 people. The Cascadia Rising drill gives area residents and emergency responders a chance to practice what to do in case of a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami along one of the nation’s dangerous—and underestimated—faults.The Cascadia Subduction Zone is big enoug h to compete with San Andreas (it’s been called the most dangerous fault in America), but it’s much lesser known than its California cousin. Nearly 700 miles long, the earthquake zone is located by the North American Plate off the coast of Pacific British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Northern California.Cascadia is what’s known as a “megathrust” fault. Megathrusts are created in subduction zones—land plate boundaries where two plates converge. In the areas where one plate is beneath another, stress builds up over time. During a megathrust event, all of that stress releases and some of the world’s most powerful earthquakes occur. Remember the 9.1 earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean off of Sumatra in 2004? It was caused by a megathrust event as the India plate moved beneath the Burma micro-plate.The last time a major earthquake occurred along the Cascadia fault was in 1700, so officials worry that another event could occur at any time. To prevent that event from becoming a catastrophe, first responders will join members of the public in rehearsals that involve communication, evacuation, search and rescue, and other scenarios.Thousands of deaths and other casualties are expected if a 9.0 earthquake were to occur. First, the earthquake would shake metropolitan areas including Seattle and Portland. This could trigger a tsunami that would create havoc along the coast. Not all casualties can necessarily be prevented—but by coordinating across local, state, and even national borders, officials hope that the worst-case scenario can be averted. On the exercise’s website, officials explain that the report they prepare during this rehearsal will inform disaster management for years to come.For hundreds of thousands of Cascadia residents, the big one isn’t a question of if, only when. And it’s never too early to get ready for the inevitable.51. What does “The Big One” refer to?A) A gigantic geological fault.B) A large-scale exercise to prepare for disasters.C) A massive natural catastrophe.D) A huge tsunami on the California coast.52. What is the purpose of the Cascadia Rising drill?A) To prepare people for a major earthquake and tsunami.B) To increase residents’ awareness of imminent disasters.C) To teach people how to adapt to post-disaster life.D) To cope with the aftermath of a possible earthquake.53. What happens in case of a megathrust earthquake according to the passage?A) Two plates merge into one.B) Boundaries blur between plates.C) A variety of forces converge.D) Enormous stress is released.54. What do the officials hope to achieve through the drills?A) Coordinating various disaster-relief efforts.B) Reducing casualties in the event of a disaster.C) Minimizing property loss caused by disasters.D) Establishing disaster and emergency management.55. What does the author say about “The Big One”?A) Whether it will occur remains to be seen.B) How it will arrive is too early to predict.C) Its occurrence is just a matter of time.D) It keeps haunting Cascadia residents.Part ⅣTranslation (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.牡丹花色艳丽，形象高雅，象征这和平与繁荣，因而在中国被称为”花中之王”。