2012年12月英语六级考试听力短文原文

2012年12月22日大学英语六级听力与阅读真题（文都版）

Part Ⅲ Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

11. A) Look for a more suitable job.B) Accept the extra work willingly.C) Trade places with someone else.D) Ask his boss for a lighter schedule.12. A) He does not believe what the woman has told him.B) He is uncertain where his wife is at the moment.C) It is unusual for his wife to be at home now.D) It is strange for his wife to call him at work.13. A) The man is going to send out the memo tomorrow.B) The man will drive the woman to the station.C) The woman is concerned with the man’s health.D) The speakers are traveling by train tomorrow morning.14. A) A suite was booked instead of a double room.B) The room booked was on a different floor.C) The room booked was not spacious enough.D) The suite booked was for a different date.15. A) The fierce competition they face.B) The reason for low profits.C) The company’s sales policy.D) The lack of effective promotion.16. A) Do some shopping on their way home.B) Have the groceries delivered to them.C) Go and get the groceries at once.D) Manage with what they have.17. A) The problem with the air conditioner.B) The hot weather in summer.C) The atmosphere in the office.D) The ridiculous rules of the office.18. A) Find the priceless jewel she lost.B) Buy a ring with precious diamond.C) Set a new stone in her ring.D) Shop on Oxford Street for a decent gift.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. A) Damaging public facilities C) Organizing rallies in the parkB) Hurting baby animals in the zoo D) Destroying urban wildlife20. A) The serious consequences of his doings were not fully realized.B) His behaviour was thought to have resulted from mental illness.C) He had bribed the park keepers to keep quiet.D) People had differing opinions about his behaviour21. A) BrutalC) JustifiableB) Too HarshD) Well-deserved22.A) Organising people against the authorities.B) Stealing endangered animals from the zoo.C) Encouraging others to follow his wrong doing.D) Attacking the park keepers in broad daylight.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23.A) She is good at foreign languages.C) She is fond of practical courses.B) She has already left school. D) She works for the handicapped.24.A) He speaks French and German.C)He is interested in science courses.B)He attends a boarding school.D)He is the brightest of her three kids.25.A) Comprehensive schools do not offer quality education.B) Children from low income families can’t really choose schools.C) Public schools are usually bigger in size than private schools.D) Parents decide what schools their children are to attend.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C), and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

2012年12月英语听力答案及原文

2012年12月英语听力答案及原文短对话：11. Go to the park to enjoy the flowers.12. She cannot attend the presentation.13. He is a very successful businessman.14. She has every confidence in Susan.15. It is worth the money taking a train to Miami.16. The old furniture should be replaced.17. The man got home late due to the storm.18. The woman’s sons might enjoy team sports.长对话：Conversation One19. Take orders over the phone.20. Customers’questions could not be answered on the same day.21. They each take a week.Conversation Two22. Near a school.23. He did not notice it.24. It is no longer valid.25. He got a ticket.听力短文：Passage 126. They behave as if their memories have failed totally.27. Those with 15 items or less.28. Go back and pick up more items.29. It requires tolerance.Passage 230. A natural and spontaneous style of speech.31. Differences in style between writing and speaking.32. The key to becoming a good speaker.Passage 333. By comparing his performance with others.34. Children cannot detect their own mistakes.35. It is unhelpful to students’learning.复合式听写：36. foreign37. accomplished38. interpersonal39. detail.40. controlled41. abruptly42. references43. indication44. it is considered very rude to be late -- even by 10 minutes -- for an appointment in America.45. It has enabled Americans to be extremely productive, and productivity itself is highly valued in America.46. Americans believe in spending their time and energy today so that the fruits of their labor may be enjoyed at a later time.2012年12月英语四级考试听力原文汇总完整版Part III Listening ComprehensionSection ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.11.W: I just heard about a really beautiful park in the east end of the town. There are a lot of roses in bloom.M: Why don’t we walk over there and see for ourselves?Q: What will the speakers probably do?12.M: My presentation is scheduled for 9:30 tomorrow morning at the lecture hall. I hope to see you there.W: Oh, sorry. I was about to tell you that I have an appointment with my dentist at 9:00 o’clock tomorrow.Q: What do we learn about the woman?13.W: How long have you been running this company?M: Twenty years if you can believe that. I brought it from a small operation to what it is today. Q: What do we learn about the man?14.M: Have you read the news on the campus net? Susan has won the scholarship for next year.W: I knew she would from the very beginning. Such a brilliant and diligent girl! She certainly deserves it.Q: What does the woman mean?15.W: Taking a bus to Miami, it’s cheaper than going by train.M: That’s true. But I’d rather pay a little more for the added comfort and convenience.Q: What does the man mean?16.M: I think it’s time we got rid of all this old furniture.W: Y ou’re right. We need to promote our image besides it’s not a real antique.Q: What do the speakers mean?17.M: That was some storm yesterday. How was I afraid I couldn’t make it home.W: Y eah, most of the roads to my house were flooded. I didn’t get home from the lab until midnight.Q: What do we learn from the conversation?18.W: My boys are always complaining that they’re bored.M: Why don’t you get them into some team sports? My son and daughter play soccer every Saturday. And they both look forward to it all week.Q: What does the man mean?Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.W: I don’t know what to do. I can’t seem to get anyone in the hospital to listen to my complaints and this outdated equipment is dangerous. Just look at it.M: Hmm, uh, are you trying to say that it presents a health hazard?W: Y es, I am. The head technician in the lab tried to persuade the hospital administration to replace it, but they are trying to cut costs.M: Y ou are pregnant, aren’t you?W: Y es, I am. I made an effort to get my supervisor to transfer me to another department, but he urged me not to complain too loudly. Because the administration is more likely to replace me than an X-ray equipment, I’m afraid to refuse to work. But I’m more afraid to expose my unborn child to the radiation.M: I see what you mean. Well, as your union representative, I have to warn you that it would take quite a while to force management to replace the old machines and attempt to get you transferred may or may not be successful.W: Oh, what am I supposed to do then?M: Workers have the legal right to refuse certain unsafe work assignments under two federal laws, the Occupation or Safety and Health Act and the National Labor Relations Act. But the requirements of either of the Acts may be difficult to meet.W: Do you think I have a good case?M: If you do lose your job, the union will fight to get it back for you along with back pay, your lost income. But you have to be prepared for a long wait, maybe after two years.Q19. What does the woman complain about?Q20. What has the woman asked her supervisor to do?Q21. What does the man say about the two federal laws?Q22. What will the union do if the woman loses her jobQuestions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.W: Mr. Green, is it fair to say that negotiation is an art?M: Well, I think it’s both an art and science. Y ou can prepare for a negotiation quite scientifically, but the execution of the negotiation has quite a lot to do with one’s artistic quality. The scientific part of a negotiation is in determining your strategy. What do you want out of it? What can you give? Then of course there are tactics. How do you go about it? Do you take an opening position in a negotiation which differs from the eventual goal you are heading for? And then of course there are the behavioral aspects.W: What do you mean by the behavioral aspects?M: Well, that’s I think where the art comes in. In your behavior, you can either be an actor. Y ou can pretend that you don’t like things which you are actually quite pleased about. Or you can pretend to like things which you are quite happy to do without. Or you can be the honest type negotiator who’s known to his partners in negotiation and always plays everything straight. But the artistic part of negotiation I think has to do with responding immediately to cues one gets in the process of negotiation. These can be verbal cues or even body language. This is where the artistic quality comes in.W: So really, you see two types of negotiator then, the actor or the honest one.M: That’right. And both can work. I would say the honest negotiator can be quite effective in some circumstances. In other circumstances you need an actor.Q23. When is a scientific approach best embodied in a negotiation according to the man?Q24. In what way is a negotiator like an actor according to the man?Q25. What does the man say about the two types of negotiator?Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center.Passage 1Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.Since I started working part-time at a grocery store, I have learned that a customer is more thansomeone who buys something. To me, a customer is a person whose memory fails entirely once he or she starts to push a shopping cart. One of the first things customers forget is how to count. There is no other way to explain how so many people get in their express line, which is clearly marked 15 items or less, with 20, 25 or even a cart load of items. Customers also forget why they came to the store in the first place. Just as I finish ringing up an order, a customer will say, “Oops, I forgot to pick up a fresh loaf of bread. I hope you don’t mind waiting while I go get it.”Five minutes later, he is back with the bread, a bottle of milk, and three rolls of paper towels. Strange as it seems, customers also seem to forget that they have to pay for their groceries. Instead of writing a check or looking for a credit card while I am ringing up the groceries, my customers will wait until I announce the total. Then, in surprise, she says, “Oh no, what did I do with my check book?”After 5 minutes of digging through her purse, she borrows my pen because she’s forgotten hers. But I have to be tolerant of customers because they pay my salary, and that’s something I can’t afford to forget.Q26. What does the speaker say about customers’entering the grocery store?Q27. Which customers are supposed to be in the express line?Q28. What does the speaker say some customers do when they arrive at the check-out counter?Q29. What does the speaker say about his job at the end of the talk?Passage 2Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.The speech delivery style of Europeans and Asians tends to be very formal. Speakers of these cultures often read oral presentations from carefully written manuscripts. On the other hand, American speakers are generally more informal relative to speakers in other cultures. American audiences prefer natural, spontaneous delivery that conveys a lively sense of communication. They don’t relate well to speakers who read from a manuscript. If you use an outline of your ideas instead of a prepared text, your speech will not only sound more natural, but you will also be able to establish better relationship with your listeners and keep their attention. The language and style you use when making an oral presentation should not be the same as the language and style you use when writing. Well-written information, that is meant to be read, does not work as well when it is heard. It is, therefore, important for you to adapt written texts or outlines for presentations. Good speakers are much more informal when speaking than when writing. They also use their own words and develop their own speaking styles. Whenever possible, they use short words. Listeners appreciate it when speakers use simple, everyday words in a presentation. One advantage is that it’s much easier for speakers to pronounce short words correctly. Another is that long and sophisticated vocabulary choices make listening more difficult.Question 30 to 3230. What does the speaker say American audiences prefer?31. What should one pay attention to when making an oral presentation?32. What does the speaker focus on in the talk?Passage 3Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.Let children learn to judge their own work. A child learning to talk does not learn by beingcorrected all the time. If corrected too much, he will stop talking. He compares a thousand times a day the difference between language as he uses it and language as those around him use it. Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people’s. In the same way, kids learning to do all the other things they learn without adult teachers, to walk, run, climb, ride a bike, play games, compare their own performance with what more skilled people do, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to detect his mistakes. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him. Soon he becomes dependent on the expert. We should let him do it himself. Let him figure out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what is the answer to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or that. If right answers need to be given, as in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such tedious work? Our job should be to help children when they tell us that they can’t find a way to get the right answer.Question 33 to 3533. How does a child learn to do something according to the speaker?34. What belief do teachers commonly hold according to the speaker?35. What does the speaker imply about the current way of teaching?Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.Time is, for the average American, of utmost importance. To the foreign visitor, Americans seem to be more concerned with getting things accomplished on time (according to a predetermined schedule) than they are with developing deep interpersonal relations. Schedules, for the American, are meant to be planned and then followed in the smallest detail. It may seem to you that most Americans are completely controlled by the little machines they wear on their wrists, cutting their discussions off abruptly to make it to their next appointment on time. Americans’language is filled with references to time, giving a clear indication of how much it is valued. Time is something to be “on,”to be “kept,”“filled,”“saved,”“wasted,”“gained,”“planned,”“given,”“made the most of,”even “killed.”The international visitor soon learns that it is considered very rude to be late -- even by 10 minutes -- for an appointment in America. Time is so valued in America, because by considering time to be important one can clearly achieve more than if one “wastes”time and doesn’t keep busy. This philosophy has proven its worth. It has enabled Americans to be extremely productive, and productivity itself is highly valued in America. Many American proverbs stress the value of guarding time, using it wisely, and setting and working toward specific goals. Americans believe in spending their time and energy today so that the fruits of their labor may be enjoyed at a later time.。

2012年12月英语六级真题及答案详解

2012年12月英语六级真题及答案详解2012年12月英语六级真题及答案详解Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay entitled Man and Computer by commenting on the saying, “The real danger is not that the computer will begin to think like man, but that manwill begin to think like the computer.” You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.Man and ComputerPart 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 the questions onA nswer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.Thirst grows for living unpluggedMore people are taking breaks from the connected life amid the stillness and quiet of retreats like the Jesuit Center in Wernersville, Pennsylvania.About a year ago, I flew to Singapore to join the writer Malcolm Gladwell, the fashion designer Marc Ecko and the graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister in addressing a group of advertising people on “Marketing to the Child of Tomorrow.” Soon after I arrived, the chief executive of the agency that had invited us took me aside. What he was most interested in, he began, was stillness and quiet.A few months later, I read an interview with the well-known cutting-edge designer Philippe Starck.What allowed him to remain so consistently ahead of the curve? “I never read any magazines or watch TV,” he said, perhaps with a little exaggeration. “Nor do I go to cocktail parties, dinners or anything like that.” He lived outside conventional ideas, he implied, because “I li ve alone mostly, in the middle of nowhere.”Around the same time, I noticed that those who part with $2,285 a night to stay in a cliff-top room at the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, California, pay partly for the privilege of not having a TV in their rooms; th e future of travel, I’m reliably told, lies in “black-hole resorts,” which charge high prices precisely because you can’t get online in their rooms.Has it really come to this?The more ways we have to connect, the more many of us seem desperate to unplug. Internet rescue camps in South Korea and China try to save kids addicted to the screen.Writer friends of mine pay good money to get the Freedom software that enables them to disable the very Internet connections that seemed so emancipating not long ago. Even Intel experimented in 2007 with conferring four uninterrupted hours of quiet time (no phone or e-mail) every Tuesday morning on 300 engineers andmanagers. Workers were not allowed to use the phone or send e-mail, but simply had the chance to clear their heads and to hear themselves think.The average American spends at least eight and a half hours a day in front of a screen, Nicholas Carr notes in his book The Shallows. The average American teenager sends or receives 75text messages a day, though one girl managed to handle an average of 10,000 every 24 hours for a month.Since luxury is a function of scarcity, the children of tomorrow will long for nothing more than intervals of freedom from all the blinking machines, streaming videos and scrolling headlines that leave them feeling empty and too full all at once.The urgency of slowing down—to find the time and space to think—is nothing new, of course, and wiser souls have always reminded us that the more attention we pay to the moment, the less time and energy we have to place it in some larger context. “Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries,” the French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in the 17th century, “and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries.” He also famously remarked that all of man’s problems come from his inability to sit quietly in a room alone.When telegraphs and trains brought in the idea that convenience was more important than content, Henry David Tho reau reminded us that “the man whose horse trots (奔跑), a mile in a minute does not carry the most important messages.”Marshall McLuhan, who came closer than most to seeing what was coming, warned, “When things come at you very fast, naturally you lose tou ch with yourself.”We have more and more ways to communicate, but less and less to say. Partly because we are so busy communicating. And we are rushing to meet so many deadlines that we hardly register that what we need most are lifelines.So what to do? More and more people I know seem to be turning to yoga, or meditation (沉思), or tai chi (太极)；these aren’t New Age fads (时尚的事物) so much as ways to connect with what could be called the wisdom of old age. Two friends ofmine observe an “Internet sabbath (安息日)” every week, turning off their online connections from Friday night to Monday morning. Other friends take walks and “forget” their cellphones at home.A series of tests in recent years has shown, Mr. Carr points out, that after spending time in quiet rural settings, subjects “exhibit greater attentivenes s, stronger memory and generally improved cognition. Their brains become both calmer and sharper.” More than that, empathy (同感，共鸣)，as well as deep thought, depends (as neuroscientists like Antonio Damasio ha ve found) on neural processes that are “inherently slow.”I turn to eccentric measures to try to keep my mind sober and ensure that I have time to do nothing at all (which is the only time when I can see what I should be doing the rest of the time).I have yet to use a cellphone and I have never Tweeted or entered Facebook. I try not to go online till my day’s writing is finished, and I moved from Manhattan to rural Japan in part so I could more easily survive for long stretches entirely on foot.None of this is a matter of asceticism (苦行主义)；it is just pure selfishness. Nothing makes me feel better than being in one place, absorbed in a book, a conversation, or music. It is actually something deeper than mere happiness: it is joy, which the monk (僧侣) David Steindl-Rast describes as “that kind of happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens.”It is vital, of course, to stay in touch with the world. But it is only by having some distance from the world that you can see it whole, and understand what you should be doing with it.For more than 20 years, therefore, I have been going several times a year—often for no longer than three days—to a Benedictine hermitage (修道院)，40 minutes down the road, as ithappens, from the Post Ranch Inn. I don’t attend services when I am there, and I have never meditated, there or anywhere; I just take walks and read and lose myself in the stillness, recalling that it is only by stepping briefly away from my wife and bosses and friends that I will have anything useful to bring to them. The last time I was in the hermitage, three months ago, I happened to meet with a youngish-looking man with a 3-year-old boy around his shoulders.“You’re Pico, aren’t you?” the man said, and introduced himself as Larry; we had met, I gathered, 19 years before, when he had been living in the hermitage as an assistant to one of the monks.“What are you doing now?” I asked.We smiled. No words were necessary.“I try to bring my kids here as often as I can,” he went on. The child of tomorrow, I realized, may actually be ahead of us, in terms of sensing not what is new, but what is essential.1. What is special about the Post Ranch Inn?A) Its rooms are well furnished but dimly lit.B) It makes guests feel like falling into a black hole.C) There is no access to television in its rooms.D) It provides all the luxuries its guests can think of.2. What does the author say the children of tomorrow will need most?A) Convenience and comfort in everyday life.B) Time away from all electronic gadgets.C) More activities to fill in their leisure time.D) Greater chances for individual development.3. What does the French philosopher Blaise Pascal say about distraction?A) It leads us to lots of mistakes.B) It renders us unable to concentrate.C) It helps release our excess energy.D) It is our greatest misery in life.4. According to Marshall McLuhan, what will happen if things come at us very fast?A) We will not know what to do with our own lives.B) We will be busy receiving and sending messages.C) We will find it difficult to meet our deadlines.D) We will not notice what is going on around us.5. What does the author say about yoga, meditation and tai chi?A) They help people understand ancient wisdom.B) They contribute to physical and mental health.C) They are ways to communicate with nature.D) They keep people from various distractions.6. What is neuroscientist Antonio Damasio’s finding?A) Quiet rural settings contribute a lot to long life.B) One’s brain becomes sharp when it is activated.C) Eccentric mea sures are needed to keep one’s mind sober.D) When people think deeply, their neural processes are slow.7. The author moved from Manhattan to rural Japan partly because he could _______.A) stay away from the noise of the big city.B) live without modern transportation.C) enjoy the beautiful view of the countryside.D) practice asceticism in a local hermitage8. In order to see the world whole, the author thinks it necessary to __________.9. The author takes walks and reads and loses himself in thestillness of the hermitage so that he can bring his wife and bosses and friends ___________.10. The youngish-looking man takes his little boy to the hermitage frequently so that when he grows up he will know __________.Part III Listening Comprehension （35 minutes）Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A）, B）, C）and D）, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.11. A) Ask his boss for a lighter schedule.B) Trade places with someone else.C) Accept the extra work willingly.D) Look for a more suitable job.12. A) It is unusual for his wife to be at home now.B) He is uncertain where his wife is at the moment.C) It is strange for his wife to call him at work.D) He does not believe what the woman has told him.13. A) The man is going to send out the memo tomorrow.B) The man will drive the woman to the station.C) The speakers are traveling by train tomorrow morning.D) The woman is concerned with the man’s hea lth.14. A) The suite booked was for a different date.B) The room booked was on a different floor.C) The room booked was not spacious enough.D) A suite was booked instead of a double room.15. A) The reason for low profits.B) The company’s sales policy.C) The fierce competition they face.D) The lack of effective promotion.16. A) Go and get the groceries at once.B) Manage with what they have.C) Do some shopping on their way home.D) Have the groceries delivered to them.17. A) The hot weather in summer.B) The problem with the air conditioner.C) The ridiculous rules of the office.D) The atmosphere in the office.18. A) Set a new stone in her ring.B) Find the priceless jewel she lost.C) Buy a ring with precious diamond.D) Shop on Oxford Street for a decent gift.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. A) Damaging public facilities.B) Destroying urban wildlife.C) Organising rallies in the park.D) Hurting baby animals in the zoo.20. A) He had bribed the park keepers to keep quiet.B) People had differing opinions about his behaviour.C) The serious consequences of his doings were not fully realised.D) His behaviour was thought to have resulted from mental illness.21. A) Brutal.B) Justifiable.C) Too harsh.D) Well-deserved.22. A) Encouraging others to follow his wrong-doing.B) Stealing endangered animals from the zoo.C) Organising people against the authorities.D) Attacking the park keepers in broad daylight.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. A) She has already left school.B) She works for the handicapped.C) She is fond of practical courses.D) She is good at foreign languages.24. A) He is interested in science courses.B) He attends a boarding school.C) He speaks French and German.D) He is the brightest of her three kids.25. A) Comprehensive schools do not offer quality education.B) Parents decide what schools their children are to attend.C) Public schools are usually bigger in size than private schools.D) Children from low income families can’t really choose schools.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. A) Encourage the students to do creative thinking.B) Help the students to develop communication skills.C) Cultivate the s tudents’ ability to inspire employees.D) Focus on teaching the various functions of business.27. A) His teaching career at the Harvard Business School.B) His personal involvement in business management.C) His presidency at college and experience overseas.D) His education and professorship at Babson College.28. A) Development of their raw brain power.B) Exposure to the liberal arts and humanities.C) Improvement of their ability in capital management.D) Knowledge of up-to-date information technology.29. A) Reports on business and government corruption.B) His contact with government and business circles.C) Discoveries of cheating among MBA students.D) The increasing influence of the mass media.Passage TwoQuestions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30. A) They have better options for their kids than colleges.B) The unreasonably high tuition is beyond their means.C) The quality of higher education may not be worth the tuition.D) They think that their kids should pay for their own education.31. A) They do too many extracurricular activities.B) They tend to select less demanding courses.C) They take part-time jobs to support themselves.D) They think few of the courses worth studying.32. A) Its samples are not representative enough.B) Its significance should not be underestimated.C) Its findings come as a surprise to many parents.D) Its criteria for academic progress are questionable.Passage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33. A) A newly married couple.B) A business acquaintance.C) Someone good at cooking.D) Someone you barely know.34. A) Obtain necessary information about your guests.B) Collect a couple of unusual or exotic recipes.C) Buy the best meat and the freshest fruit.D) Try to improve your cooking skills.35. A) Losing weight.B) Entertaining guests.C) Making friends.D) Cooking meals.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your ownwords. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.People with disabilities comprise a large but diverse segment of the population. It is (36) ______ that over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. (37) ______ half of these disabilities are “developmental,” i.e., they occur prior to the individual’s twenty-second birthday, often from (38) ______ conditions, and are severe enough to affect three or more areas of development, such as (39) ______, communication and employment. Most other disabilities are considered (40) ______, i.e., caused by outside forces.Before the 20th century, only a small (41) ______ of people with disabilities survived for long. Medical treatment for such conditions as stroke or spinal cord (42) ______ was unavailable. People whose disabilities should not have inherently affected their life span were often so mistreated that they (43) ______. Advancements in medicine and social services have created a climate in which (44) . Unfortunately, these basics are often all that is available. Civil liberties such as the right to vote, marry, get an education, and gain employment have historically been denied on the basis of disability.(45)____________________________________________________________________ ___. Disabled people formed grassroots coalitions to advocate their rights to integration and meaningful equality of opportunity.(46) . In the mid-1970s, critical legislation mandated（规定）access to education, public transportation, and public facilities, and prohibited employment discrimination by federal agencies or employers receiving federal funds.Part ⅣReading Comprehension （Reading in Depth）（25minutes）Section ADirections: In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words. Please write your answers on Answer Sheet 2.Questions 47 to 54 are based on the following passage.A key process in interpersonal interaction is that of social comparison, in that we evaluate ourselves in terms of how we compare to others. In particular, we engage in two types of comparison. First, we decide whether we are superior or inferior to others on certain dimensions, such as attractiveness, intelligence, popularity, etc. Here, the important aspect is to compare with an appropriate reference group. For example, modest joggers should not compare their performance with Olympic standard marathon (马拉松) runners. Second, we judge the extent to which we are the same as or different from others. At certain stages of life, especially adolescence, the pressure to be seen as similar to peers is immense. Thus, wearing the right brand of clothes or shoes may be of the utmost importance. We also need to know whether our thoughts, beliefs and ideas are in line with those of other people. This is part of the process of self-validation whereby we employ self-disclosures to seek support for ourself-concept.People who do not have access to a good listener may not only be denied the opportunity to heighten their self-awareness, but they are also denied valuable feedback as to the validity and acceptability of their inner thoughts and feelings. By discussingthese with others, we receive feedback as to whether these are experiences which others have as well, or whether they are less common. Furthermore, by gauging the reactions to our self-disclosures we learn what types are acceptable or unacceptable with particular people and in specific situations. On occasions it is the fear that certain disclosures may be unacceptable to family or friends that motivates an individual to seek professional help. Counsellors will be familiar with client s tatements such as: “I just couldn’t talk about this to my husband.”, “I really can’t let my mother know my true feelings.” Another aspect of social comparison in the counselling context relates to a technique known as normalising. This is the process whereby helpers provide reassurance to clients that what they are experiencing is not abnormal or atypical (非典型的), but is a normal reaction shared by others when facing such circumstances. Patient disclosure, facilitated by the therapist, seems also to facilitate the process of normalising.47. To evaluate ourselves, the author thinks it important for us to compare ourselves with _______.48. During adolescence, people generally feel an immense pressure to appear _______.49. It is often difficult for people to heighten their self-awareness without _______.50. What can people do if they find what they think or say unacceptable to family or friends?51. Counsellors often assure their clients that what they experience themselves is only _______.Section BDirections:There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For eachof them there are four choices marked A）, B）, C）and D）. You should decideon the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line throughthe centre.Passage OneQuestions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.Amid all the job losses, there’s one category of worker that the economic disruption has been good for: nonhumans.From self-service checkout lines at the supermarket to industrial robots armed with saws and taught to carve up animal bodies in slaughter-houses, these ever-more-intelligent machines are now not just assisting workers but actually kicking them out of their jobs.Automation isn’t ju st affecting factory workers, either. Some law firms now use artificial intelligence software to scan and read mountains of legal documents, work that previously was performed by highly-paid human lawyers.“Robots continue to have an impact on blue-collar jobs, and white-collar jobs are under attack by microprocessors,” says economics professor Edward Leamer. The recession permanently wiped out 2.5 million jobs. U.S. gross domestic product has climbed back to pre-recession levels, meaning we’re producing as much as before, only with 6% fewer workers. To be sure, robotics are not the only job killers out there, with outsourcing (外包) stealing far more jobs than automation.Jeff Burnstein, president of the Robotics Industry Association, argues that robots actually save U.S. jobs. His logic: companies that embrace automation might use fewer workers, but that’s still better than firing everyone and moving the work overseas.It’s not that robots are cheaper than humans, though often they are. It’s that they’re better. “In some cases the quality requirements are so exacting that even if you wanted to have a human do the job, you couldn’t,” Burnstein says.Same goes for surgeons, who’re using robotic systems to perform an ever-growing list of operations—not because the machines save money but because, thanks to the greater precision of robots, the patients recover in less time and have fewer complications, says Dr. Myriam Curet.Surgeons may survive the robot invasion, but others at the hospital might not be so lucky, as iRobot, maker of the Roomba, a robot vacuum cleaner, has been showing off Ava, which could be used as a messenger in a hospital. And once you’re home, recovering, Ava could let you talk to your doctor, so there’s no need to send someone to your house. T hat “mobile telepresence” could be useful at the office. If you’re away on a trip, you can still attend a meeting. Just connect via videoconferencing software, so your face appears on Ava’s screen.Is any job safe? I was hoping to say “journalist,” but researchers are already developing software that can gather facts and write a news story. Which means that a few years from now, a robot could be writing this column. And who will read it? Well, there might be a lot of us hanging around with lots of free time on our hands.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

12月六级听力原文

12月六级听力原文以下是12月六级听力考试的部分听力原文：Section AM: Excuse me, do you know what time the library closes today?W: Yes, it closes at 9 pm.M: Thank you.W: You're welcome.Q: What does the man want to know?Section BW: Hey, Tom. I saw the new Avengers movie last night. It was amazing!M: Really? I haven't seen it yet.W: You should definitely go see it. The special effects are incredible.M: Alright, I'll have to check it out.Q: What is the woman's opinion of the new Avengers movie? Section CM: Hi, I'm calling to see if there are any available apartments for rent.W: Yes, we have a few units available. Can I have your name and phone number, please?M: Sure, my name is Jack Smith and my phone number is 555-1234.W: Great, we'll give you a call if any of the apartments are a good fit for you.Q: What is the purpose of the man's phone call?Section DW: Excuse me, sir. Could you tell me how to get to the nearest post office?M: Sure, it's about 3 blocks that way. Just keep walking straight and you'll see it on your left.W: Thank you very much.M: No problem.Q: What does the woman want to know?。

2012听力原文

2012听力原文1.W: Did you hear that Anna needs to stay in bed for 4 weeks?M: Yeah. She injured her spine in a fall and a doctor told her to lie flat on her back for a month so it can mend.Q: What can we learn from the conversation?12.M: A famous Russian ballet is coming to town next weekend. But I can’t find a ticket anywhere.W: Don’t be upset. My sister just happened to have one and she can’t go since she has got some sort of conflict in her schedule.Q: What does the woman mean?13.W: Hello, my bathroo m drain is blocked and I’m giving a party tonight. Do you think you could come and fix it for me?M: Sorry, ma’am. I’m pretty busy right now. But I can put you on my list.Q: What does the man mean?14.W: We’re taking up a collection to buy a gift for Jemma. She’ll have been with the company 25 years next week.M: Well, count me in. But I’m a bit short on cash now. When do you need it?Q: What is the man going to do?15.W: Tony’s mother has invited me to dinner. Do you think I should tell her in advance tha t I’m a vegetarian?M: Of course. I think she’d appreciate it. Imaging how you both feel if she fixed the turkey dinner or something.Q: What does the man suggest the woman do?16.M: Just look at this newspaper, nothing but robbery, suicide and murder. Do you still believe people are basically good?W: Of course. But many papers lack interest in reporting something positive like peace, love and generosity.Q: What are the speakers talking about?17.M: I can’t believe so many people want to sign up for the K orea Development Conference.We will have to limit the registration.W: Yeah, otherwise we won’t have room for the more.Q: What are the speakers going to do?18.W: Hi, I’m calling about the ad for the one bedroom apartment.M: Perfect timing! The person who was supposed to rent it just backed town to take a room on campus.Q: What do we learn from the conversation?Part III Listening ComprehensionConversation 1W: One of the most interesting experiments with dolphins must be one done by Doctor Jarvis Bastian. What he tried to do was to teach a male dolphin called Bass and a female called Doris to communicate with each other across a solid barrier.M: So how did he do it exactly?W: Well, first of all, he kept the two dolphins together in the same tank and taught them to press levers whenever they saw a light. The levers were fitted to the side of the tank next to each other. If the light flashed on and off several times, the dolphins were supposed to press the left-hand lever followed by the right-hand one. If the light was kept steady, the dolphins were supposed to press the levers in reverse order. Whenever they responded correctly, they were rewarded with fish.M: Sounds terribly complicated.W: Well, that was the first stage. In the second stage, Doctor Bastian separated the dolphins into two tanks. They could still hear one another, but they couldn’t actually see each other. The levers and light were set up in exactly the same way except that this time it was only Doris who could see the light indicating which lever to press first. But in order to get their fish, both dolphins had to press the levers in the correct order. This meant of course that Doris had to tell Bass whether it was a flashing light or whether it was a steady light.M: So did it work?W: Well, amazingly enough, the dolphins achieved a 100 % success rate.Questions 19-21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.Q19. What is the purpose of Doctor Jarvis Bastian’s experiment?Q20. What were the dolphins supposed to do when they saw a steady light?Q21. How did the second stage of the experiment differ from the first stage?Conversation 2W: This week’s program Up Your Street takes you to Harrogate, a small town in Yorkshire. Harrogate became a fashionable resort during Victorian times, when people came to take a bath in the mineral waters. Today, few people come to visit the town for its mineral waters. Instead, Harrogate has become a popular town for people to retire to. Its clean air, attractive parks, and the absence of any industry, make this an ideal spot for people looking for a quiet life. Now, to tell us more about Harrogate, I have with me Tom Percival, President of the Chamber of Commerce. Tom, one of the things visitor notices about Harrogate is the large area of open park land right down into the middle of the town. Can you tell us more about it?M: Yes, certainly. The area is called the Stray.W: Why the Stray?M: It’s called that because in the old days, people let their cattles stray on the area, which was common land.W: Oh, I see.M: Then, we’ve changes in farming and in land ownership. The Stray became part of the land owned by Harrogate.W: And is it protected?M: Oh, yes, indeed. As a special law, no one can build anything on the stray. It’s protected forever.W: So it will always be park land?M: That’s right. As you can see, some of the Stray is used for sports fields.W: I believe it looks lovely in the spring.M: Yes, it does. There’re spring flowers on the old trees, and people visit the town just to see the flowers.Question 22-25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.Q22. Where does this conversation most probably take place?Q23. What do we learn about modern Harrogate?Q24. What does the man say about the area called the Stray?Q25. What attracts people most in the Stray during the spring time?About 700,000 children in Mexico dropped out of school last year as recession-stricken families pushed kids to work, and a weak economic recovery will allow only slight improvement in the drop-out rate in 2010, a top education official said.Mexico's economy suffered more than any other in Latin America last year, shrinking an estimated 7 percent due to a plunge in U.S. demand for Mexican exports such as cars.The decline led to a 4 percent increase in the number of kids who left primary or middle school in 2009, said Juan de Dios Castro, who heads the nation's adult education program and keeps a close watch on drop-out rates."Poverty rose and that is a factor that makes our job more difficult," Castro told Reuters in an interview earlier this month.Hindered by higher taxes and weak demand for its exports, Mexico's economy is seen only partially recovering this year. As a result, drop-out rates will not improve much, Castro said."There will be some improvement, but not significant," Castro said.Mexicohas historically had high drop-out rates as poor families pull kids out of school to help put food on the table, and children often sell candy and crafts in the streets or work in restaurants.The nation's drop-out problem is just the latest bad news for the long-term competitiveness of the Mexican economy. Mexico's politicians have resisted mending the country's tax, energy and labor laws for decades, leaving its economy behind countries such as Brazil and Chile.Passage OneRussell Fazio, an Ohio State psychology professor who has studied interracial roommates there and at Indiana University, discovered an intriguing academic effect. In a study analyzing data on thousands of Ohio State freshmen who lived in dorms, he found that black freshmen who came to college with high standardized test scores earned better grades if they had a white roommate —even if the roommate’s test scores were low. The roommate’s race had no effect on the grades of white students or low-scoring black students. Perhaps, the study speculated, having a white roommate helps academically prepared black students adjust to a predominantly white university.That same study found that randomly assigned interracial roommates at Ohio State broke up before the end of the quarter about twice as often as same-race roommates.Because interracial roommate relationships are often problematic, Dr. Fazio said, many students would like to move out, but university housing policies may make it hard to leave.“At Indiana University, where housing was not so tight, more interracial roommates split up,” he said. “Here at Ohio State, where housing was tight, they were told to work it out. The most interesting thing we found was that if the relationship managed to continue for just 10 weeks, we could see an improvement in racial attitudes.”Dr. Fazio’s Indiana study found that three times as many randomly assigned interracial roommates were no longer living together at the end of the semester, compared with white roommates. The interracial roommates spent less time together, and had fewer joint activities than the white pairs.Question 26-2926. What do we know about Russell Fazio ?27. Who benefited from living with a white roommate according to Fazio’s stud y?28. What did the study find about randomly assigned interracial roommates at Ohio State University?29. What did Dr. Fazio find interesting about interracial roommates who had lived together for 10 weeks?Passage twoIn a small liboratory at the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Vladimir Mironov has been working for a decade to grow meat. A developmental biologist and tissue engineer, Dr. Mironov, is one of only a few scientists worldwide involved in bioengineering 'cultured' meat.It's a product he believes could help solve future global food crises resulting from shrinking amounts of land available for growing meat the old-fashioned way.“Growth of cultured meat is also under way in the Netherlands”, Mironov told Reuters in an interview, “but in the United States, it is science in search of funding and demand.”The new National Institute of Food and Agriculture won't fund it, the National Institutes of Health won't fund it, and the NASA funded it only briefly, Mironov said."It's classic disruptive technology," Mironov said. "Bringing any new technology on the market, on average, costs $1 billion. We don't even have $1 million."Director of the Advanced Tissue Biofabrication Center in the Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology at the medical university, Mironov now primarily conducts research on tissue engineering, or growing, of human organs."There's an unpleasant factor when people find out meat is grown in a lab. They don't like to associate technology with food," said Nicholas Genovese, a visiting scholar in cancer cell biology."But there are a lot of products that we eat today that are considered natural that are produced in a similar manner," Genovese said.30. What does Dr. Mironov think of bioengineering cultured meat?31. What does Dr. Mironov say about the funding for their research?32. What does Nicholas Genovese say about a lot of products we eat today?Passage 3Bernard Jackson is a free man today, but he has many bitter memories. Jackson spent five years in prison after a jury wrongly convicted him of raping two women. At Jackson's trial, although two witnesses testified that Jackson was with them in another location at the times of the crimes, he was convicted anyway. Why? The jury believed the testimony of the two victims, who positively identified Jackson as the man who has attacked them. The court eventually freed Jackson after the police found the man who had really committed the crimes. Jackson was similar in appearance to the guilty man. The two women has made a mistake in identity. As a result, Jackson has lost five years of his life.The two women in this case were eyewitnesses. They clearly saw the man who attacked them, yet they mistakenly identified an innocent person. Similar incidents have occurred before. Eyewitnesses to other crimes have identified the wrong person in a police lineup or in photographs.Many factors influence the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. For instance, witnesses sometimes see photographs of several suspects before they try to identify the person they saw in a lineup of people. They can become confused by seeing many photographs or similar faces. The number of people in the lineup, and whether it is a live lineup or a photograph, may also affect a witness's decision. People sometimes have difficulty identifying people of other races. The questions the police ask witnesses also have an effect on them.Question 33: What do we learn about Bernard Jackson?Question 34: What led directly to Jackson’s sentence?Question 35: What lesson do we learn from Jackson’s case?。

2012年六级听力原文

#爱在5.20#又到一年表白时，一句简单的“I love you”怎能表达我森
森的爱？
其实，你还可以说，“I lurv you （我耐你）” I loave you（我中意你）”，
以及“I luff you（我贼稀罕你） ”。
文理学院（liberal arts college）是美国高校的重要种类之一，以本科教育为主，特征是注重全面综合教育，设置课程包括艺术、人文、自然科学、社会科学等各门类。区别于以就业为重要指针的各种专业学校或技术高校。美国有相当一部分学生从这些文理学院获得学士学位。在大部分美国人心目中，文理学院往往代表着经典、小规模、高质量的本科教育。许多文理学院的学术声誉往往不亚于哈佛耶鲁等名校，因而成为很多美国贵族教育子女的首选。例如，我们耳熟能详的美国国务卿奥尔布赖特、美国华人劳工部长赵晓岚、美国前总统肯尼迪的夫人杰奎琳都毕业于美国的文理学院。
•
1 1 1.W: Mr.Stern, may I ask you? Do you think it
was necessary and fair to arrest Steve Bril? M: I don't know whether you realise that this man has been eating a part of park for five years. And he is encouraging other people to do the same thing every single day.He has been organizing groups to destroy our urban wildlife. W: But Mr.Stern, this situation has been going on happily for five years. Why do you suddenly decide to do something about it? M: Well,at first, we just thought he was an eccentric person,a bit odd, you know.

2012年12月大学英语六级考试真题+答案

2012年12月大学英语六级考试真题Part I Writing （30 minutes）Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay entitled Man and Computer by commenting on the saying, “The real danger is not that the computer will begin to think like man, but that man will begin to think like the computer.” You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words. Write your essay on Answer Sheet 1.Part II Listening Comprehension （30 minutes）Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A）, B）, C）and D）, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1with a single line through the centre.1．A) She can count on the man for help.B) She can lend the man a sleeping bag.C) She has other plans for this weekend.D) She has got camping gear for rent.2．A) The man should keep his words.B) Karen can take her to the airport.C) Karen always supports her at work.D) She regrets asking the man for help.3．A) His trip to Hawaii has used up all his money.B) He usually checks his brakes before a trip.C) His trip to Hawaii was not enjoyable.D) He can’t afford to go traveli ng yet.4．A) There was nothing left except some pie.B) The woman is going to prepare the dinner.C) The man has to find something else to eat.D) Julie has been invited for dinner.5．A) Send Professor Smith a letter.B) Apply to three graduate schools.C) Present a new letter of reference.D) Submit no more than three letters.6．A) He is a professional gardener in town.B) He declines to join the gardening club.C) He prefers to keep his gardening skills to himself.D) He wishes to receive formal training in gardening.7．A) Many people do not appreciate modern art.B) The recent sculpture exhibit was not well organized.C) Modern art cannot express people’s true feelings.D) Sculpture is not a typical form of modern art.8．A) Bob cannot count on her vote.B) She will vote for another candidate.C) Bob does not have much chance to win.D) She knows the right person for the position.Questions 9 to 12 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9. A) Poor management of the hospital.B) The outdated medical testing procedures.C) Decisions made by the head technician.D) The health hazard at her work place.10. A) Cut down her workload.B) Repair the x-ray equipment.C) Transfer her to another department.D) Allow her to go on leave for two months.11．A) They are virtually impossible to enforce.B) Neither is applicable to the woman’s case.C) Their requirements may be difficult to meet.D) Both of them have been subject to criticism.12．A) Organize a mass strike.B) Try to help her get it back.C) Compensate for her loss.D) Find her a better paying job.Questions 13 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.13．A) In the preparatory phase.B) In the concluding part.C) In stating your terms.D) In giving concessions.14．A) He uses lots of gestures to help make his points clear.B) He presents his arguments in a straightforward way.C) He responds readily to the other party’s proposals.D) He behaves in a way contrary to his real intention.15. A) Both can succeed depending on the specific situation.B) The honest type is more effective than the actor type.C) Both may fail when confronting experienced rivals.D) The actor type works better in tough negotiations.Section BPassage OneQuestions 16 to 19 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A) The weight of the boxes moving across the stage.B) The number of times of repeating the process.C) The size of the objects shown.D) The shape of the cubes used.17. A) Girls seem to start reasoning earlier than boys.B) Girls tend to get excited more easily than boys.C) Boys enjoy playing with cubes more than girls.D) Boys pay more attention to moving objects than girls.18. A) It is a breakthrough in the study of the nerve system.B) Its findings are quite contrary to previous research.C) Its result helps understand babies’ language ability.D) It may stimulate scientists to make further studies.19. A) They talk at an earlier age.B) Their bones mature earlier.C) They are better able to adapt to the surroundings.D) The two sides of their brain develop simultaneously.Passage TwoQuestions 20 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.20. A) The city’s general budget for the coming year.B) The blueprint for the development of the city.C) The controversy over the new office regulations.D) The new security plan for the municipal building.21. A) Whether the security checks were really necessary.B) Whether the security checks would create long queues at peak hours.C) How to cope with the huge crowds of visitors to the municipal building.D) How to train the newly recruited security guards.22. A) Confrontational. C) Ridiculous.B) Straightforward. D) Irrelevant.Passage ThreeQuestions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.23. A) He considers himself a blessed man. C) He used to work as a miner in Nevada.B) He works hard to support his five kids. D) He once taught at a local high school.24. A) To be nearer to Zac’s school. C) To look after her grandchildren.B) To cut their living expenses. D) To help with the household chores.25. A) Skeptical. C) Indifferent.B) Realistic. D) OptimisticSection CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for thefirst time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.Mountain climbing is becoming a popular sport, but it is also a （26）____________ dangerous one. People can fall; they may also become ill. One of the most common dangers to climbers is altitude sickness, which can affect even very （27）____________ climbers.Altitude sickness usually begins when a climber goes above 8,000 or 9,000 feet. The higher one climbs, the less oxygen there is in the air. When people don’t get enough oxygen, they often begin to （28）____________. They may also feel （29）____________. Besides these symptoms of altitude sickness, others such as headache and （30）____________ may also occur. At heights of over 18,000 feet, people may be climbing in a （31）____________ daze （恍惚）. This state of mind can have an （32）____________ effect on their judgment.A few （33）____________ can help most climbers avoid altitude sickness. The first is not to go too high too fast. If you climb to 10,000 feet, stay at that height for a day or two. Your body needs to （34）____________ a high altitude before you climb to an even higher one. Or if you do climb higher sooner, come back down to a lower height when you sleep. Also, drink plenty of liquids and avoid tobacco and alcohol. When you reach your top height, do light activities rather than sleep too much. You breathe less when you sleep, so you get less （35）____________.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 the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.A key process in interpersonal interaction is that of social comparison, in that we ___36___ ourselves in terms of how we compare to others. In particular, we engage in two types of comparison. First, we decide whether we are superior or inferior to others on certain ___37___, such as attractiveness, intelligence, popularity, etc. Here, the important aspect is to compare with an appropriate reference group. For example, ___38___ joggers should not compare their performance with Olympic standard marathon （马拉松）runners. Second, we judge the extent to which we are the same as or different from others. At certain stages of life, ___39___ adolescence, the pressure to be seen as ___40___ to peers is immense. Thus, wearing the right brand of clothes or shoes may be of the utmost importance. We also need to know whether our thoughts, beliefs and ideas are in line with those of other people. This is part of the process of self-validation whereby we ___41___ self-disclosures to seek support for our self-concept.People who do not have ___42___ to a good listener may not only be denied the opportunityto heighten their self-awareness, but they are also denied valuable feedback as to the validity and acceptability of their inner thoughts and feelings. By ___43___ these with others, we receive feedback as to whether these are experiences which others have as well, or whether they are less ___44___. Furthermore, by ___45___ the reactions to our self-disclosures we learn what types are acceptable or unacceptable with particular people and in specific situations.A）rashly I）discussingB）dimensions J）gaugingC）common K）comparingD）especially L）modestE）similar M）differentF）access N）featuresG）evaluate O）appreciateH）employSection 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.Tactics to Spark CreativityA）Why is it that some people rack their brains for new ideas, only to come up empty while others seem to shake them almost effortlessly out of their sleeves? Whether creativity is an innate gift or a cognitive process that anyone can jump-start is a question so intriguing that researchers keep studying it from different angles and discovering new and surprising techniques.B）Several recent studies suggest that the best route to an “aha moment”involves stepping away from daily chores—whether it’s taking a daydream break, having a drink or two after work or simply gazing at something green. Of course, personality can make a difference. People who rate high in openness to new experiences in personality tests also may be more distractible and curious, according to a 2010 study in Creativity Research Journal.C）But open personality isn’t the only path to inspiration, researchers say. Walking away from a problem to do simple, routine tasks, and letting the mind wander in the process, can spark creative new connections or approaches to solving dilemmas, says a 2012 study in Psychological Science. That helps explain why a lot of great ideas occur at transition times, when people are waking up or falling asleep, bathing, showering or jogging.D）For years, Amy Baxter, a physician and pain researcher, looked for ways to use cold to relieve children’s pain from vaccination shots（疫苗接种）. But her light bulb moment didn’t come until she was driving home from work, tired after an all-night shift in the emergency room. The steering wheel on her car was vibrating because the tires were poorly aligned, and she noticed as she pulled into her driveway that the vibration had made her hands numb. With help from her husband Louis, she made the connection: Combining vibration and cold might be enough to ease the pain of ashot.E）She applied a vibrating massager and a bag of frozen peas to the arm of her 7-year-old son Max, then rolled over his skin a small metal wheel used by neurologists to test sensitivity. Max felt nothing. That discovery sparked the development of “Buzzy”, a toylike vibrating bee fitted with a tiny ice pack. With help from a 2008 federal grant, she produced the device and began marketing it online. Buzzy is now being used in 500 hospitals to ease patients’pain from injections and infusions.F）Dr. Baxter’s groggy, wee-hour（凌晨）insight wasn’t a stroke of luck. Students in a 2011 study solved more problems requiring fresh new insights when they tackled them at off-peak times of day—in the evening for morning people, and in the morning for night owls, says the study, published in Thinking & Reasoning. Such advice runs counter to the conventional wisdom that solving problems requires focusing a person’s attention and blocking out distractions.G）Viewing the color green may help make those ideas more apparent, according to research published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. When students were given creativity tests, those whose test-cover pages had a green background gave more creative answers than those whose pages were white, blue, red or gray. Many see green as a symbol of fertility, growth and renewal, triggering the positive mood and striving for improvement that fosters creativity, says the study.H）Mind-wandering, often seen as daydreaming, allows the brain to incubate new approaches to familiar problems, serving as “a foundation for creative inspiration”, says the 2012 study in Psychological Science. In a test of creativity, researchers divided 145 students randomly into four groups. Three groups were given a 12-minute break with different assignments; a fourth group kept studying. When all the students tackled the same problems a second time, those who had done a simple, boring task during a break had more creative ideas than those who were assigned a tough cognitive puzzle, those who rested, or those who didn’t take a break.I）Another tactic: Build time for mind wandering into daily routines, breaking away from tasks requiring concentration to take a walk or run, look out a window or do some relaxing, routine physical task. Atlanta ad executive John Stapleton had been trying for three weeks to come up with advertising ideas for a client, the Costa Rica Tourism Board, to encourage people to visit the Central American nation. But it wasn’t until he got out of his Atlanta office, traveled to the Costa Rican rain forest and relaxed on his patio（露台）at a resort. Then a storm was approaching. An idea crept into his mind: all the howler monkeys started woofing like dogs, and the rain forest came to life.J）He and his colleagues developed an iPad app enabling users to create their own jungle music, syncing the sounds of howling monkeys, frogs, rain, fish and streams into a rhythmic symphony, free for children and potential adult visitors to download as a window into Costa Rica’s biodiversity. A key to hatching the idea of illustrating biodiversity via music was to get away from juggling accounts and being constantly distracted, jumping from one task to the next, Mr. Stapleton assumes.K）Moderate drinking can also relax inhibitions（抑郁）in a way that seems to let the mind range across a wider set of possible connections. It can also help a person notice environmental cues or changes that a sober brain would block out, Dr. Wiley says.L）Priming（填充）the mind with a wide range of experiences and information also helps. Tor Myhren, an ad executive, says he uses “massive creative stimulus followed by total solitaryconfinement”to start ideas flowing. Anticipating a period of hard work recently, he read Wired magazine cover to cover, then went to see Django Unchained. When he set his brain up properly for it, when he’d fed his brain properly, he could do it.M）Entrepreneurial people have ideas about everything all the time, says Jonathan Kaplan, inventor of the Flip pocket camcorder, an idea that sparked a boom in personal videos a few years ago. We always think we’re right and always think it’s possible to do them, says Kaplan, who is now chief executive of a company based on his latest idea, The Melt, San Francisco.N） Straying from your field of expertise can help, studies show. Market-research executive Sterling Lanier was looking for successful new ideas a few years ago. “I was in Death V alley from 2007 to 2010, thinking maybe I lost it,”he says. “Then I relaxed a little, went out to lunch, started telling stories while drinking beer with a friend, a cancer epidemiologist（流行病学专家）.”His friend started complaining about all the problems she had of getting research subjects to fill out arduous, 400-question medical surveys.O） Then came his light-bulb moment: “You have to make it entertaining. Why don’t you just make it super fun and friendly on the iPad?”he asked. By applying market-research techniques to a new field, he came up with a colorful, gamelike medical questionnaire that became the basis for the new company he heads; the product is being used at a growing number of research hospitals and clinics.46. Combining vibration and cold may be helpful to lessen kids’sufferings from vaccination shots.47. Green color can stimulate one’s optimistic emotion and high spirits in pursuit of progress, thereby enhancing creative power.48. Users can make their own jungle music with the help of an iPad app developed by an Atlanta ad executive.49. The issue about where new ideas come from interested researchers to study it from different angles.50. Information from the magazine and movie was stuffed into Tor Myhren’s mind and this gave him the great power of creativity.51. An interesting medical questionnaire became the basis for the foundation of a new company, whose product is being used by many hospitals.52. Drinking an appropriate amount of alcohol is conducive to one’s mental and physical relaxation.53. A study shows that mind-wandering can help to inspire people’s ability to overcome similar difficulties.54. Creativity is not only related with open personality but also connected with doing simple daily work and flying the mind freely.55. It is at off-peak times of day that new ideas can be sparked to cope with tough problems.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 2with asingle line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.Amid all the job losses, there’s one category of worker that the e conomic disruption has been good for: nonhumans.From self-service checkout lines at the supermarket to industrial robots armed with saws and taught to carve up animal bodies in slaughter-houses, these ever-more-intelligent machines are now not just assisting workers but actually kicking them out of their jobs.Automation isn’t just affecting factory workers, either. Some law firms now use artificial intelligence software to scan and read mountains of legal documents, work that previously was performed by highly-paid human lawyers.“Robots continue to have an impact on blue-collar jobs, and white-collar jobs are under attack by mic roprocessors,” says economics professor Edward Leamer. The recession permanently wiped out 2.5 million jobs. U.S. gross domestic product has climbed back to pre-recession levels, meaning we’re producing as much as before, only with 6% fewer workers. To be sure, robotics are not the only job killers out there, with outsourcing (外包) stealing far more jobs than automation.Jeff Burnstein, president of the Robotics Industry Association, argues that robots actually save U.S. jobs. His logic: companies that e mbrace automation might use fewer workers, but that’s still better than firing everyone and moving the work overseas.It’s not that robots are cheaper than humans, though often they are. It’s that they’re better. “In some cases the quality requirements are so exacting that even if you wanted to have a human do the job, you couldn’t,” Burnstein says.Same goes for surgeons, who’re using robotic systems to perform an ever-growing list of operations—not because the machines save money but because, thanks to the greater precision of robots, the patients recover in less time and have fewer complications, says Dr. Myriam Curet.Surgeons may survive the robot invasion, but others at the hospital might not be so lucky, as iRobot, maker of the Roomba, a robot vacuum cleaner, has been showing off Ava, which could be used as a messenger in a hospital. And once you’re home, recovering, Ava could let you talk to your doctor, so there’s no need to send someone to your house. That“mobile telepresence” could be useful at the office. If you’re away on a trip, you can still attend a meeting. Just connect via videoconferencing software, so your face appea rs on Ava’s screen.Is any job safe? I was hoping to say “journalist,”but researchers are already developing software that can gather facts and write a news story. Which means that a few years from now, a robot could be writing this column. And who will read it? Well, there might be a lot of us hanging around with lots of free time on our hands.56. What do we learn from the first few paragraphs?A) The over-use of robots has done damage to American economy.B) It is hard for robots to replace humans in highly professional work.C) Artificial intelligence is key to future technological innovations.D) The robotic industry has benefited from the economic recession.57. What caused the greatest loss of jobs in America?A) Using microprocessors extensively.B) Moving production to other countries.C) The bankruptcy of many companies.D) The invasion of migrant workers.58. What does Jeff Burnstein say about robots?A) They help companies to revive.B) They are cheaper than humans.C) They prevent job losses in a way.D) They compete with human workers.59. Why are robotic systems replacing surgeons in more and more operations according to Dr. Myriam Curet?A) They save lots of money for the patients.B) They beat humans in precision.C) They take less time to perform a surgery.D) They make operations less painful.60. What does the author imply about robotics?A) It will greatly enrich literary creation.B) It will start a new technological revolution.C) It will revolutionize scientific research.D) It will be applied in any field imaginable.Passage TwoQuestions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.You’ve now heard it so many times, you can probably repeat it in your sleep. President Obama will no doubt make the point publicly when he gets to Beijing: the Chinese need to consume more; they need—believe it or not—to become more like Americans, for the sake of the global economy.And it’s all true. But the other side of that equation is that the U.S. needs to save more. For the moment, American households actually are doing so. After the personal-savings rate dipped to zero in 2005, the shock of the economic crisis last year prompted people to snap shut their wallets.In China, the household-savings rate exceeds 20%. It is partly for policy reasons. As we’ve seen, wage earners are expected to care for not only their children but their aging parents. And there is, to date, only the flimsiest (脆弱的) of publicly-funded health care and pension systems, which increases incentives for individuals to save while they are working. But China is a society that has long esteemed personal financial prudence (谨慎). There is no chance that will change anytime soon, even if the government creates a better social safety net and successfully encourages greater consumer spending.Why does the U.S. need to learn a little frugality (节俭)？Because healthy savings rates are one of the surest indicators of a country’s long-term financial health. High savings lead, over time, to increased investment, which in turn generates productivity gains, innovation and job growth. Inshort, savings are the seed corn of a good economic harvest.The U.S. government thus needs to act as well. By running constant deficits, it is dis-saving, even as households save more. Peter Orszag, Obama’s Budget Director, recently called the U.S. budget deficits unsustainable and he’s right. To date, the U.S. has seemed unable to see the consequences of spending so much more than is taken in. That needs to change. And though Hu Jintao and the rest of the Chinese leadership aren’t inclined to lecture visiting Presidents, he might gently hint that Beijing is getting a little nervous about the value of the dollar—which has fallen 15% since March, in large part because of increasing fears that America’s debt load is becoming unmanageable.That’s what happens when you’re the world’s biggest creditor: you get to drop hints like that, which would be enough by themselves to create international economic chaos if they were ever leaked. (Every time any official in Beijing deliberates publicly about seeking an alternative to the U.S. dollar for the $2.1 trillion China holds in reserve, currency traders have a heart attack.) If Americans saved more and spent less, consistently over time, they wouldn’t have to worry about all that.61. How did the economic crisis affect Americans?A) They had to tighten their belts.B) Their bank savings rate dropped to zero.C) Their leadership in the global economy was shaken.D) They became concerned about China’s financial policy.62. What should be done to encourage Chinese people to consume?A) Changing their traditional way of life.B) Providing fewer incentives for saving.C) Improving China’s social security system.D) Cutting down the expenses on child-rearing.63. What does the author mean by saying “savings are the seed corn of a good economic harvest”(Line 4, Para. 4)?A) The more one saves, the more returns one will reap.B) A country’s economy hinges on its savings policy.C) Those who keep saving will live an easy life in the end.D) A healthy savings rate promotes economic prosperity.64. In what circumstances do currency traders become scared?A) When Beijing allows its currency exchange rates to float.B) When China starts to reduce its current foreign reserves.C) When China talks about switching its dollar reserves to other currencies.D) When Beijing mentions in public the huge debts America owes China.65. What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?A) To urge the American government to cut deficits.B) To encourage Chinese people to spend more.C) To tell Americans not to worry about their economy.D) To promote understanding between China and America.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 2.京剧京剧（Peking Opera）已有200多年的历史，是中国的国剧。

12月英语六级听力原文及答案

12月英语六级听力原文及答案12月英语六级听力原文及答案大学英语六级考试（又称CET-6，全称为“College English T est-6”）是由国家统一出题的，统一收费，统一组织考试，用来评定应试人英语能力的全国性的`考试，每年各举行两次，以下是店铺为大家整理的12月英语六级听力原文及答案，希望对你有所帮助！Passage3Advertising informs consumers about the existence and benefits of products and services, and attempts to persuade them to buy them. The best form of advertising is probably word-of-mouth advertising, which occurs when people tell their friends about the benefits of products or services that they have purchased. Yet virtually no providers of goods or services rely on this alone, but use paid advertising instead.Indeed, many organizations also use institutional or prestige advertising, which is designed to build up their reputation rather than to sell particular products. Although large companies could easily set up their own advertising departments, write their own advertisements, and buy media space themselves, they tend to use the services of large advertising agencies. These are likely to have more resources and more knowledge about all aspects of advertising and advertising media than a single company. It is also easier for a dissatisfied company to give its account to another agency than it would be to fire its own advertising stuff.The client company generally gives the advertising agency an agreed budget; a statement of the objectives of the advertising campaign, known as a brief; and an overall advertising strategy concerning the message to be communicated to the target customers. The agency createsadvertisements and develops a media plan specifying which media will be used and in which proportions. Agencies often produce alternative ads or commercials that are pre-tested in newspapers, television stations, etc. in different parts of a country before a final choice is made prior to a national campaign.Q22、What is probably the best form of advertising according to the speaker?Q23、What does the speaker say is the purpose of many organizations using prestige adverting?Q24、How do large companies generally handle their advertising?Q25、What will advertising agencies often do before a national campaign?Passage3参考答案Q22、A. Word-of-mouth advertising.Q23、 D. To build up their reputation.Q24、D. By using the services of large advertising agencies.Q25、 C. Pre-test alternative ads or commercials in certain regions.。

2012年12月英语六级真题及答案详解

2012年12月英语六级真题及答案详解Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay entitled Man and Computer by commenting on the saying, “The real danger is not that the computer will begin to think like man, but that manwill begin to think like the computer.” You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.Man and ComputerPart 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 the questions onA nswer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.Thirst grows for living unpluggedMore people are taking breaks from the connected life amid the stillness and quiet of retreats like the Jesuit Center in Wernersville, Pennsylvania.About a year ago, I flew to Singapore to join the writer Malcolm Gladwell, the fashion designer Marc Ecko and the graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister in addressing a group of advertising people on “Marketing to the Child of Tomorrow.” Soon after I arrived, the chief executive of the agency that had invited us took me aside. What he was most interested in, he began, was stillness and quiet.A few months later, I read an interview with the well-known cutting-edge designer Philippe Starck.What allowed him to remain so consistently ahead of the curve? “I never read any magazines or watch TV,” he said, perhaps with a little exaggeration. “Nor do I go to cocktail parties, dinners or anything like that.” He lived out side conventional ideas, he implied, because “I live alone mostly, in the middle of nowhere.”Around the same time, I noticed that those who part with $2,285 a night to stay in a cliff-top room at the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, California, pay partly for the privilege of not having a TV in their rooms; the future of travel, I’m reliably told, lies in “black-hole resorts,” which charge high prices precisely because you can’t get online in their rooms.Has it really come to this?The more ways we have to connect, the more many of us seem desperate to unplug. Internet rescue camps in South Korea and China try to save kids addicted to the screen.Writer friends of mine pay good money to get the Freedom software that enables them to disable the very Internet connections that seemed so emancipating not long ago. Even Intel experimented in 2007 with conferring four uninterrupted hours of quiet time (no phone or e-mail) every Tuesday morning on 300 engineers andmanagers. Workers were not allowed to use the phone or send e-mail, but simply had the chance to clear their heads and to hear themselves think.The average American spends at least eight and a half hours a day in front of a screen, Nicholas Carr notes in his book The Shallows. The average American teenager sends or receives 75 text messages a day, though one girl managed to handle an average of 10,000 every 24 hours for a month.Since luxury is a function of scarcity, the children of tomorrow will long for nothing more than intervals of freedom from all the blinking machines, streaming videos and scrolling headlines that leave them feeling empty and too full all at once.The urgency of slowing down—to find the time and space to think—is nothing new, of course, and wiser souls have always reminded us that the more attention we pay to the moment, the less time and energy we have to place it in some larger context. “Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries,” the French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in the 17th century, “and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries.” He also famously remarked that all of man’s problems come from his inability to sit quietly in a room alone.When telegraphs and trains brought in the idea that convenience was more important than content, Henry David Thorea u reminded us that “the man whose horse trots (奔跑), a mile in a minute does not carry the most important messages.”Marshall McLuhan, who came closer than most to seeing what was coming, warned, “When things come at you very fast, naturally you lose touch with yourself.”We have more and more ways to communicate, but less and less to say. Partly because we are so busy communicating. And we are rushing to meet so many deadlines that we hardly register that what we need most are lifelines.So what to do? More and more people I know seem to be turning to yoga, or meditation (沉思), or tai chi (太极)；these aren’t New Age fads (时尚的事物) so much as ways to connect with what could be called the wisdom of old age. Two friends of mine observe an “Internet sabbath (安息日)” ev ery week, turning off their online connections from Friday night to Monday morning. Other friends take walks and “forget” their cellphones at home.A series of tests in recent years has shown, Mr. Carr points out, that after spending time in quiet rural settings, subjects “exhibit greater attentiveness, stronger memory and generally improved cognition. Their brains become both calmer and sharper.” More than that, empathy (同感，共鸣)，as well as deep thought, depends (as neuroscientists like Antonio Damasio have found) on neural processes that are “inherently slow.”I turn to eccentric measures to try to keep my mind sober and ensure that I have time to do nothing at all (which is the only time when I can see what I should be doing the rest of the time).I have yet to use a cellphone and I have never Tweeted or entered Facebook. I try not to go online till my day’s writing is finished, and I moved from Manhattan to rural Japan in part so I could more easily survive for long stretches entirely on foot.None of this is a matter of asceticism (苦行主义)；it is just pure selfishness. Nothing makes me feel better than being in one place, absorbed in a book, a conversation, or music. It is actually something deeper than mere happiness: it is joy, which the monk (僧侣) David Steindl-Rast describes as “that kind of happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens.”It is vital, of course, to stay in touch with the world. But it is only by having some distance from the world that you can see it whole, and understand what you should be doing with it.For more than 20 years, therefore, I have been going several times a year—often for no longer than three days—to a Benedictine hermitage (修道院)，40 minutes down the road, as it happens, from the Post Ranch Inn. I don’t attend services when I am there, and I have never meditated, there or anywhere; I just take walks and read and lose myself in the stillness, recalling that it is only by stepping briefly away from my wife and bosses and friends that I will have anything useful to bring to them. The last time I was in the hermitage, three months ago, I happened to meet with a youngish-looking man with a 3-year-old boy around his shoulders.“You’re Pico, aren’t you?” the man said, and introduced himself as Larry; we had met, I gathered, 19 years before, when he had been living in the hermitage as an assistant to one of the monks.“What are you doing now?” I asked.We smiled. No words were necessary.“I try to bring my kids here as often as I can,” he went on. The child of tomorrow, I realized, may a ctually be ahead of us, in terms of sensing not what is new, but what is essential.1. What is special about the Post Ranch Inn?A) Its rooms are well furnished but dimly lit.B) It makes guests feel like falling into a black hole.C) There is no access to television in its rooms.D) It provides all the luxuries its guests can think of.2. What does the author say the children of tomorrow will need most?A) Convenience and comfort in everyday life.B) Time away from all electronic gadgets.C) More activities to fill in their leisure time.D) Greater chances for individual development.3. What does the French philosopher Blaise Pascal say about distraction?A) It leads us to lots of mistakes.B) It renders us unable to concentrate.C) It helps release our excess energy.D) It is our greatest misery in life.4. According to Marshall McLuhan, what will happen if things come at us very fast?A) We will not know what to do with our own lives.B) We will be busy receiving and sending messages.C) We will find it difficult to meet our deadlines.D) We will not notice what is going on around us.5. What does the author say about yoga, meditation and tai chi?A) They help people understand ancient wisdom.B) They contribute to physical and mental health.C) They are ways to communicate with nature.D) They keep people from various distractions.6. What is neuroscientist Antonio Damasio’s finding?A) Quiet rural settings contribute a lot to long life.B) One’s brain becomes sharp when it is activated.C) Eccentric measures are needed to keep one’s mind sober.D) When people think deeply, their neural processes are slow.7. The author moved from Manhattan to rural Japan partly because he could _______.A) stay away from the noise of the big city.B) live without modern transportation.C) enjoy the beautiful view of the countryside.D) practice asceticism in a local hermitage8. In order to see the world whole, the author thinks it necessary to __________.9. The author takes walks and reads and loses himself in the stillness of the hermitage so that he can bring his wife and bosses and friends ___________.10. The youngish-looking man takes his little boy to the hermitage frequently so that when he grows up he will know __________.Part III Listening Comprehension （35 minutes）Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A）, B）, C）and D）, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.11. A) Ask his boss for a lighter schedule.B) Trade places with someone else.C) Accept the extra work willingly.D) Look for a more suitable job.12. A) It is unusual for his wife to be at home now.B) He is uncertain where his wife is at the moment.C) It is strange for his wife to call him at work.D) He does not believe what the woman has told him.13. A) The man is going to send out the memo tomorrow.B) The man will drive the woman to the station.C) The speakers are traveling by train tomorrow morning.D) The woman is concerned with the man’s health.14. A) The suite booked was for a different date.B) The room booked was on a different floor.C) The room booked was not spacious enough.D) A suite was booked instead of a double room.15. A) The reason for low profits.B) The company’s sales policy.C) The fierce competition they face.D) The lack of effective promotion.16. A) Go and get the groceries at once.B) Manage with what they have.C) Do some shopping on their way home.D) Have the groceries delivered to them.17. A) The hot weather in summer.B) The problem with the air conditioner.C) The ridiculous rules of the office.D) The atmosphere in the office.18. A) Set a new stone in her ring.B) Find the priceless jewel she lost.C) Buy a ring with precious diamond.D) Shop on Oxford Street for a decent gift.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. A) Damaging public facilities.B) Destroying urban wildlife.C) Organising rallies in the park.D) Hurting baby animals in the zoo.20. A) He had bribed the park keepers to keep quiet.B) People had differing opinions about his behaviour.C) The serious consequences of his doings were not fully realised.D) His behaviour was thought to have resulted from mental illness.21. A) Brutal.B) Justifiable.C) Too harsh.D) Well-deserved.22. A) Encouraging others to follow his wrong-doing.B) Stealing endangered animals from the zoo.C) Organising people against the authorities.D) Attacking the park keepers in broad daylight.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. A) She has already left school.B) She works for the handicapped.C) She is fond of practical courses.D) She is good at foreign languages.24. A) He is interested in science courses.B) He attends a boarding school.C) He speaks French and German.D) He is the brightest of her three kids.25. A) Comprehensive schools do not offer quality education.B) Parents decide what schools their children are to attend.C) Public schools are usually bigger in size than private schools.D) Children from low income families can’t really choose schools.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. A) Encourage the students to do creative thinking.B) Help the students to develop communication skills.C) Cultivate the students’ ability to inspire employees.D) Focus on teaching the various functions of business.27. A) His teaching career at the Harvard Business School.B) His personal involvement in business management.C) His presidency at college and experience overseas.D) His education and professorship at Babson College.28. A) Development of their raw brain power.B) Exposure to the liberal arts and humanities.C) Improvement of their ability in capital management.D) Knowledge of up-to-date information technology.29. A) Reports on business and government corruption.B) His contact with government and business circles.C) Discoveries of cheating among MBA students.D) The increasing influence of the mass media.Passage TwoQuestions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30. A) They have better options for their kids than colleges.B) The unreasonably high tuition is beyond their means.C) The quality of higher education may not be worth the tuition.D) They think that their kids should pay for their own education.31. A) They do too many extracurricular activities.B) They tend to select less demanding courses.C) They take part-time jobs to support themselves.D) They think few of the courses worth studying.32. A) Its samples are not representative enough.B) Its significance should not be underestimated.C) Its findings come as a surprise to many parents.D) Its criteria for academic progress are questionable.Passage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33. A) A newly married couple.B) A business acquaintance.C) Someone good at cooking.D) Someone you barely know.34. A) Obtain necessary information about your guests.B) Collect a couple of unusual or exotic recipes.C) Buy the best meat and the freshest fruit.D) Try to improve your cooking skills.35. A) Losing weight.B) Entertaining guests.C) Making friends.D) Cooking meals.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.People with disabilities comprise a large but diverse segment of the population. It is (36) ______ that over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. (37) ______ half of these disabilities are “developmental,” i.e., they occur prior to the individual’s twenty-second birthday, often from (38) ______ conditions, and are severe enough to affect three or more areas of development, such as (39) ______, communication and employment. Most other disabilities are considered (40) ______, i.e., caused by outside forces.Before the 20th century, only a small (41) ______ of people with disabilities survived for long. Medical treatment for such conditions as stroke or spinal cord (42) ______ was unavailable. People whose disabilities should not have inherently affected their life span were often so mistreated that they (43) ______. Advancements in medicine and social services have created a climate in which(44) . Unfortunately, these basics are often all that is available. Civil liberties such as the right to vote, marry, get an education, and gain employment have historically been denied on the basis of disability.(45) _______________________________________________________________________. Disabled people formed grassroots coalitions to advocate their rights to integration and meaningful equality of opportunity.(46) . In the mid-1970s, critical legislation mandated（规定）access to education, public transportation, and public facilities, and prohibited employment discrimination by federal agencies or employers receiving federal funds.Part ⅣReading Comprehension （Reading in Depth）（25 minutes）Section ADirections: In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words. Please write your answers on Answer Sheet 2.Questions 47 to 54 are based on the following passage.A key process in interpersonal interaction is that of social comparison, in that we evaluate ourselves in terms of how we compare to others. In particular, we engage in two types of comparison. First, we decide whether we are superior or inferior to others on certain dimensions, such as attractiveness, intelligence, popularity, etc. Here, the important aspect is to compare with an appropriate reference group. For example, modest joggers should not compare their performance with Olympic standard marathon (马拉松) runners. Second, we judge the extent to which we are the same as or different from others. At certain stages of life, especially adolescence, the pressure to be seen as similar to peers is immense. Thus, wearing the right brand of clothes or shoes may be of the utmost importance. We also need to know whether our thoughts, beliefs and ideas are in line with those of other people. This is part of the process of self-validation whereby we employ self-disclosures to seek support for ourself-concept.People who do not have access to a good listener may not only be denied the opportunity to heighten their self-awareness, but they are also denied valuable feedback as to the validity and acceptability of their inner thoughts and feelings. By discussing these with others, we receive feedback as to whether these are experiences which others have as well, or whether they are less common. Furthermore, by gauging the reactions to ourself-disclosures we learn what types are acceptable or unacceptable with particular people and in specific situations. On occasions it is the fear that certain disclosures may be unacceptable to family or friends that motivates an individual to seek professional help. Counsellors will b e familiar with client statements such as: “I just couldn’t talk about this to my husband.”, “I really can’t let my mother know my true feelings.” Another aspect of social comparison in the counselling context relates to a technique known as normalising. This is the process whereby helpers provide reassurance to clients that what they are experiencing is not abnormal or atypical (非典型的), but is a normal reaction shared by others when facing such circumstances. Patient disclosure, facilitated by the therapist, seems also to facilitate the process of normalising.47. To evaluate ourselves, the author thinks it important for us to compare ourselves with _______.48. During adolescence, people generally feel an immense pressure to appear _______.49. It is often difficult for people to heighten their self-awareness without _______.50. What can people do if they find what they think or say unacceptable to family or friends?51. Counsellors often assure their clients that what they experience themselves is only _______.Section BDirections: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 decideon the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line throughthe centre.Passage OneQuestions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.Amid all the job losses, there’s one category of worker that the economic disruption has been good for: nonhumans.From self-service checkout lines at the supermarket to industrial robots armed with saws and taught to carve up animal bodies in slaughter-houses, these ever-more-intelligent machines are now not just assisting workers but actually kicking them out of their jobs.Automation isn’t just affecting factory workers, either. Some law firms now use artificial intelligence software to scan and read mountains of legal documents, work that previously was performed by highly-paid human lawyers.“Robots continue to have an impact on blue-collar jobs, and white-collar jobs are under attack by microprocessors,” says economics professor Edward Leamer. The recession permanently wiped out 2.5 million jobs. U.S. gross domestic product has climbed back to pre-recession levels, meaning we’re producing as much as before, only with 6% fewer workers. To be sure, robotics are not the only job killers out there, with outsourcing (外包) stealing far more jobs than automation.Jeff Burnstein, president of the Robotics Industry Association, argues that robots actually save U.S. jobs. His logic: companies that embrace automation might use fewer workers, but that’s still better than firing everyone and moving the work overseas.It’s not that robots are cheaper than humans, though often they are. It’s that they’re better. “In some cases the quality requirements are so exacting that even if you wanted to have a human do the job, you couldn’t,” Burnstein says.Same goes for surgeons, who’re using robotic systems to perform an ever-growing list of operations—not because the machines save money but because, thanks to the greater precision of robots, the patients recover in less time and have fewer complications, says Dr. Myriam Curet.Surgeons may survive the robot invasion, but others at the hospital might not be so lucky, as iRobot, maker of the Roomba, a robot vacuum cleaner, has been showing off Ava, which could be used as a messenger in a hospital. And once you’re home, recovering, Ava could let you talk to your doctor, so there’s no need to send someone to your house. That “mobile telepresence” could be useful at the office. If you’re away on a trip, you can still attend a meeting. Just connect via videoconferencing software, s o your face appears on Ava’s screen.Is any job safe? I was hoping to say “journalist,” but researchers are already developing software that can gather facts and write a news story. Which means that a few years from now, a robot could be writing this column. And who will read it? Well, there might be a lot of us hanging around with lots of free time on our hands.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

2012年12月大学英语六级第二套真题听力原文

Section A11. M: This is the second time this week my boss asked me to work extra hours. I’m glad to get abigger paycheck, but I don’t want such a heavy schedule.W: Better watch your step. A lot of people would like to trade places with you.Q: What does the woman imply the man should do?12. W: Oh, there you are. Your wife just called. I told her you were around somewhere, but Icouldn’t find you. She’s like you to call her at home.M: At home? She should be at work. I hope nothing is wrong.Q: What does the man imply?13. M: We have to get up early tomorrow if we want to be at the railway station by 8:00. Perhapswe should go to bed now.W: I suppose so, but I have to finish this memo and put it in the mail.Q: What do we learn from the conversation?14. W: Let me check, sir. A suite on the third floor was reserved by a Mr. Colmar form July 10th to16th.M: I’m afraid there’s a mistake, madam. I told my secretary to book a specious double room rather than a luxurious suite.Q: What is the wrong of the reservation?15. W: Profits are down considerably this quarter. Do you have any idea what might be theproblem?M: I guess it’s just that this is a slack time of the year. I hear other companies are having the same problem.Q: What are the speakers talking about?16. M: I forgot to pick up the groceries on the way home. I’ll just rest a minute and then go and getthem.W: No problem. We can make do with what’s left here, and get them tomorrow.Q: What does the woman suggest they man do?17. W: Somebody should do something about the air-conditioning. It’s ridiculous. I have to wear asweater to work in the middle of summer.M: I agree. It’s been like this for weeks.Q: What are the speakers talking about?18. W: I lost the diamond out of my ring. Do you know where I could have it replaced?M: I’ve never had a stone put in anything, but I know that the jewelry shop on Oxford Street has a good reputation.Q: What does the woman intend to do?Now you’ll hear two long conversionsConversation OneW: Mr. Stern, may I ask you? Do you think it was necessary and fair to arrest Steve Bril?M: I don’t know whether you realise that this man has been eating a part of park for five years. And he is encouraging other people to do the same thing every single day. He has been organizing groups to destroy our urban wildlife.W: But Mr. Stern, this situation has been going on happily for five years. Why do you suddenly decide to do something about it?M: Well, at first, we just thought he was eccentric person, a bit odd, you know. But over the years we came to realise that he is a dangerous guy. He has been ruining our city environment. Parks are to look at, not to eat. It’s just as if you’re going to allow people walk through a zoo, and eat the baby bears.W: But surely you or your park keepers, Mr. Stern, could have discouraged Mr. Bril from his activity without going such drastic measures, without arresting him.M: Steve is a nice fellow, but what he is doing is illegal. He knows an awful lot about wild weeds.We’ll be very happy to let him organize tours if he just wouldn’t eat the plants and wouldn’t encourage other people to do so, too. You never know what this could lead to, all sorts of people ruining our park in all sorts of ways. This kind of thing is very definitely criminal behavior and must be stopped.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard19. What does the man say Steve Bril has been doing?20. Why was Steve Bril not arrested years ago?21. What does the woman think of the action taken against Steve Bril?22. What finally net to Steve Bril’s arrest?Conversation TwoM: Mary, are your children still at school?W: Yes, my eldest boy, Martin, left school last year. He works at a day center nearby for physically handicapped adults. My daughter Liz is in the fourth year at a comprehensive school.M: How is her foreign language?W: Very good. She likes French and German. She is not very scientific. Christopher, my youngest child, is in the last year of junior school. He is much more practically oriented, strong in math and science.M: He will be going to a comprehensive school, I suppose.W: We have the choice of three comprehensive schools.M: Really? It’s unusual to have so many to choose from.W: Well, yes. Parter school seems to have done all right. We’re err…um.... There’re certain criticisms about it, but on the whole, we are not too dissatisfied.M: Well, generally speaking, what do you think one considers when one is trying to choose? Well, I don’t know if one can really choose one school actually you tend to. Children go where they’re sent.W: You can’t err…um…very easily unless you are very rich and can afford to choose a private school. And since we’re not very rich, we’ve got all three children to consider. We can’t do that.So they go to the local comprehensive school. What really matters is, you know, the quality of the staff, the size of the school. I think the size of the school has a lot of to do with it.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. What do we learn about the woman’s daughter Liz?24. What does the woman say about her youngest child, Christopher?25. What can we conclude from the conversation?Section BPassage OneYears ago, when I was a young assistant professor at the Harvard Business School, I thought that the key to developing managerial leadership lay in raw brain power. I thought the role of business schools was to develop future managers who knew all about the various functions of business. My thinking gradually became tempered by living and working outside the United States and by serving seven years as a college president. During my presidency of Babson College, I added several traits or skills that I felt a good manager must possess. The first is the ability to express oneself in a clear, articulate fashion. Good oral and written communication skills are absolutely essential if one is to be an effective manager. Second, one must possess the required set of qualities called leadership skills. To be a good leader, one must understand and be sensitive to people and be able to inspire them toward the achievement of common goals. Next, I concluded that effective managers must be broad human beings who not only understand the world of business but also have a sense of the cultural, social,political, historical, and the international aspects of life and society. This suggests that exposure to the liberal arts and humanities should be part of every manager’s education. Finally, as I pondered the business and government-related scandals that have occupied the front pages of newspapers, it became clear that a good manager in today’s world must have courage and a strong sense of integrity. He must know where to draw the line between right and wrong.Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. What did the speaker use to think business schools should do to produce managers?27. What might have changed the speaker’s view of point?28. What does the speaker stress as part of manager’s education?29. What convinced the speaker that managers need a sense of integrity?Passage TwoWith top colleges charging as much as $50,000 per year, the idea that students may spend their first two years learning next-to-nothing is enough to make parents pause. How can you make that investment worthwhile? And does going to college really make you smarter? It depends on what you study and whether you study enough. A discussion at The New York Times this week tackled the issue, with several academics weighing in on whether college is worthwhile, and whether schools are dumbing down their curricula to appeal to more people. In their new book Academically Adrift, sociologists Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa found that 32 percent of the students they followed did not take “any courses with more than 40 pages of reading per week” in a typical semester, and half of the students didn’t take “any courses in which they had to write more than 20 pages for the class”. Using these criteria, they determined that 45 percent of college students make little academic progress during the first two years of a four-year degree. Their research raises a few red flags. On the one hand, is it any surprise that a public school system forced to “teach to the test” produces large numbers of students who are unwilling to think analytically, learn on their own, or write a research paper? On the other, does the number of pages read plus the number of pages written equals an accurate assessment of academic progress? A literature or history major, for instance, would have far more reading to do than a math major, but the math workload isn’t lighter lifting just because it involves reading fewer pages per week.Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30. Why do parents hesitate to pay for their kids’ college education according to the speaker?31. What does the survey by the 2 sociologists show about the students?32. What does the speaker imply about the research by the 2 sociologists?Passage ThreeEntertaining a close circle of friends isn’t usually difficult. You all know each other so there’s no problem about conversation. And even if the food is a bit sketchy, no one really minds because they’ve come to see you, not a free meal. Well, most of them anyway. It’s the guests you don’t know very well who present unexpectable traps. Therefore, in such categories, as the new husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend of an intimate friend, the business acquaintances who may be useful to your career, worst of all, the totally unpredictable friend of a friend, my advice in such cases is if you’re an indifferent cook, don’t do any cooking. It’s far better to stick to coffee and drinks, with a few expensive biscuits on the side. You can always plead that your flat is so small for more than 2 to eat comfortably, that you get home too late to prepare a decent meal, that your oven is on the blink. Any reasonable excuses will do, even it’s not believed. If you fancy yourself as a cook, and are anxious to make a good impression, do your homework first. Nothing is more discouraging than to spend hours preparing a delicious meat dish followed by, say, fresh strawberries, only to discover that your first-time guest is a strict vegetarian or is on a slimming diet. This may result in the rest of you tucking into a vast meal while your guest toys suspiciously with a few sides of tomato. “No, thank you, I won’t have any creamed carrots out for my waist line.”Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33. What kind of guest is most likely to give you a hard time according to the speaker?34. What should you do before preparing a meal for your guests?35. What is the speaker mainly talking about?Section CPeople with disabilities comprise a large but diverse segment of the population. It is estimatedthat over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. Approximately, half of these disabilities are “developmental,” i.e., they occur prior to the individual’s twenty-second birthday, often from genetic conditions, and are severe enough to affect three or more areas of development, such as mobility, communication and employment. Most other disabilities are considered accidental, i.e., caused by outside forces.Before the 20th century, only a small percentage of people with disabilities survived for long. Medical treatment for such conditions as stroke or spinal cord injury was unavailable. People whose disabilities should not have inherently affected their life span were often so mistreated that they perished. Advancements in medicine and social services have created a climate in which people with disabilities can expect to have such basic needs as food, shelter and medical treatment met. Unfortunately, these basics are often all that is available. Civil liberties, such as the right to vote, marry, get an education, and gain an employment have historically been denied on the basis of disability.In recent decades, the disability rights movement has been organized to combat these violations of civil rights. Disabled people formed grassroots coalitions to advocate their rights to integration and meaningful equality of opportunity. Congress responded by passing major legislation, recognizing people with disabilities as a protected class. In the mid-1970s, critical legislation mandated access to education, public transportation, and public facilities, and prohibited employment discrimination by federal agencies or employers receiving federal funds.。

2012年12月大学英语六级(CET-6)真题试卷(含答案和听力原文)

2012年12月大学英语六级考试CET6真题Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay entitled Man and Computer by commenting on the saying, “The real danger is not that the computer will begin to think like man, but t hat man will begin to think like the computer.” You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.Man and ComputerPart 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 the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.Thirst grows for living unpluggedMore people are taking breaks from the connected life amid the stillness and quiet of retreats like the Jesuit Center in Wernersville, Pennsylvania.About a year ago, I flew to Singapore to join the writer Malcolm Gladwell, the fashion designer Marc Ecko and the graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister in addressing a group of advertising people on “Marketing to the Child of Tomorrow.” Soon after I arrived, the chief executive of the agency that had invited us took me aside. What he was most interested in, he began, was stillness and quiet.A few months later, I read an interview with the well-known cutting-edge designer Philippe Starck.What allowed him to remain so consistently ahead of the curve? “I never read any magazines or w atch TV,” he said, perhaps with a little exaggeration. “Nor do I go to cocktail parties, dinners or anything like that.” He lived outside conventional ideas, he implied, because “I live alone mostly, in the middle of nowhere.”Around the same time, I noticed that those who part with $2,285 a night to stay in a cliff-top room at the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, California, pay partly for the privilege of not having a TV in their rooms; the future of travel, I’m reliably told, lies in “black-hole resorts,” whic h charge high prices precisely because you can’t get online in their rooms.Has it really come to this?The more ways we have to connect, the more of us seem desperate to unplug. Internet rescue camps in South Korea and China try to save kids addicted to the screen.Writer friends of mine pay good money to get the Freedom software that enables them to disable the very Internet connections that seemed so emancipating not long ago. Even Intel experimented in 2007 with conferring four uninterrupted hours of quiet time (no phone or e-mail) every Tuesday morning on 300 engineers and managers. Workers were not allowed to use the phone or send e-mail, but simply had the chance to clear their heads and to hear themselves think.The average American spends at least eight and a half hours a day in front of a screen, Nicholas Carr notes in his book The Shallows. The average American teenager sends or receives 75 text messages a day, though one girl managed to handle an average of 10,000 every 24 hours for a month.Since luxury is a function of scarcity, the children of tomorrow will long for nothing more than intervals of freedom from all the blinking machines, streaming videos and scrolling headlines that leave them feeling empty and too full all at once.The urgency of slowing down—to find the time and space to think—is nothing new, of course, and wiser souls have always reminded us that the more attention we pay to the moment, the less time and energy we have to place it in some larger context. “Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries,” theFrench philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in the 17th century, “and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries.” He also famously remarked that all of man’s problems come from his inability to sit quietly in a room alone.When telegraphs and trains brought in the idea that convenience was more important than content, Henry David Thoreau reminded us that “the man whose horse trots (奔跑), a mile in a minute does not carry the most important messages.”Marshall McLuhan, who came closer than most to seeing what was coming, warned, “When things come at you very fast, naturally you lose touch with yourself.”We have more and more ways to communicate, but less and less to say. Partly because we are so busy communicating. And we are rushing to meet so many deadlines that we hardly register that what we need most are lifelines.So what to do? More and more people I know seem to be turning to yoga, or meditation (沉思), or tai chi (太极) ；these aren’t New Age fads (时尚的事物) so much as ways to connect with what could be called the wisdom of old age. Two friends of mine observe an “Internet Sabbath (安息日)” every week, turning off their online connections from Friday night t o Monday morning. Other friends take walks and “forget” their cellphones at home.A series of tests in recent years has shown, Mr. Carr points out, that after spending time in quiet rural settings, subjects “exhibit greater attentiveness, stronger memory a nd generally improved cognition. Their brains become both calmer and sharper.” More than that, empathy (同感，共鸣) ，as well as deep thought, depends (as neuroscientists like Antonio Damasio have found) on neural processes that are “inherently slow.”I turn to eccentric measures to try to keep my mind sober and ensure that I have time to do nothing at all (which is the only time when I can see what I should be doing the rest of the time). I have yet to use a cellphone and I have never Tweeted or entered Facebook. I try not to go online till my day’s writing is finished, and I moved from Manhattan to rural Japan in part so I could more easily survive for long stretches entirely on foot.None of this is a matter of asceticism (苦行主义) ；it is just pure selfishness. Nothing makes me feel better than being in one place, absorbed in a book, a conversation, or music. It is actually something deeper than mere happiness: it is joy, which the monk (僧侣) David Steindl-Rast describes as “that kind of happiness that doesn’t depend on what happens.”It is vital, of course, to stay in touch with the world. But it is only by having some distance from the world that you can see it whole, and understand what you should be doing with it.For more than 20 years, therefore, I have been going several times a year—often for no longer than three days—to a Benedictine hermitage (修道院) ，40 minutes down the road, as it happens, from the Post Ranch Inn. I don’t attend services when I am there, and I have never meditated, there or anywhere; I just take walks and read and lose myself in the stillness, recalling that it is only by stepping briefly away from my wife and bosses and friends that I will have anything useful to bring to them. The last time I was in the hermitage, three months ago, I happened to meet with a youngish-looking man with a 3-year-old boy around his shoulders.“You’re Pico, aren’t you?” the man said, and introduced himself as Larry; we had met, I gathered, 19 years before, when he had been living in the hermitage as an assistant to one of the monks.“What are you doing now?” I asked.We smiled. No words were necessary.“I try to bring my kids here as often as I can,” he went on. The child of tomorrow, I realized, may actually be ahead of us, in terms of sensing not what is new, but what is essential.1. What is special about the Post Ranch Inn?A) Its rooms are well furnished but dimly lit.B) It makes guests feel like falling into a black hole.C) There is no access to television in its rooms.D) It provides all the luxuries its guests can think of.2. What does the author say the children of tomorrow will need most?A) Convenience and comfort in everyday life.B) Time away from all electronic gadgets.C) More activities to fill in their leisure time.D) Greater chances for individual development.3. What does the French philosopher Blaise Pascal say about distraction?A) It leads us to lots of mistakes.B) It renders us unable to concentrate.C) It helps release our excess energy.D) It is our greatest misery in life.4. According to Marshall McLuhan, what will happen if things come at us very fast?A) We will not know what to do with our own lives.B) We will be busy receiving and sending messages.C) We will find it difficult to meet our deadlines.D) We will not notice what is going on around us.5. What does the author say about yoga, meditation and tai chi?A) They help people understand ancient wisdom.B) They contribute to physical and mental health.C) They are ways to communicate with nature.D) They keep people from various distractions.6. What is neuroscientist Antonio Demario’s finding?A) Quiet rural settings contribute a lot to long life.B) One’s brain becomes sharp when it is activated.C) Eccentric measures are needed to keep one’s mind sober.D) When people think deeply, their neural processes are slow.7. The author moved from Manhattan to rural Japan partly because he could _______.A) stay away from the noise of the big city.B) live without modern transportation.C) enjoy the beautiful view of the countryside.D) practice asceticism in a local hermitage8. In order to see the world whole, the author thinks it necessary to __________.9. The author takes walks and reads and loses himself in the stillness of the hermitage so that he can bring his wife and bosses and friends ___________.10. The youngish-looking man takes his little boy to the hermitage frequently so that when he grows up he will know __________.Part III Listening Comprehension （35 minutes）Section ADirections:In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A）, B）, C） and D）, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.11. A) Ask his boss for a lighter schedule.B) Trade places with someone else.C) Accept the extra work willingly.D) Look for a more suitable job.12. A) It is unusual for his wife to be at home now.B) He is uncertain where his wife is at the moment.C) It is strange for his wife to call him at work.D) He does not believe what the woman has told him.13. A) The man is going to send out the memo tomorrow.B) The man will drive the woman to the station.C) The speakers are traveling by train tomorrow morning.D) The woman is concerned with the man’s health.14. A) The suite booked was for a different date.B) The room booked was on a different floor.C) The room booked was not spacious enough.D) A suite was booked instead of a double room.15. A) The reason for low profits.B) The company’s sales policy.C) The fierce competition they face.D) The lack of effective promotion.16. A) Go and get the groceries at once.B) Manage with what they have.C) Do some shopping on their way home.D) Have the groceries delivered to them.17. A) The hot weather in summer.B) The problem with the air conditioner.C) The ridiculous rules of the office.D) The atmosphere in the office.18. A) Set a new stone in her ring.B) Find the priceless jewel she lost.C) Buy a ring with precious diamond.D) Shop on Oxford Street for a decent gift.Q uestions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. A) Damaging public facilities.B) Destroying urban wildlife.C) Organizing rallies in the park.D) Hurting baby animals in the zoo.20. A) He had bribed the park keepers to keep quiet.B) People had differing opinions about his behavior.C) The serious consequences of his doings were not fully realized.D) His behavior was thought to have resulted from mental illness.21. A) Brutal.B) Justifiable.C) Too harsh.D) Well-deserved.22. A) Encouraging others to follow his wrong-doing.B) Stealing endangered animals from the zoo.C) Organizing people against the authorities.D) Attacking the park keepers in broad daylight.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. A) She has already left school.B) She works for the handicapped.C) She is fond of practical courses.D) She is good at foreign languages.24. A) He is interested in science courses.B) He attends a boarding school.C) He speaks French and German.D) He is the brightest of her three kids.25. A) Comprehensive schools do not offer quality education.B) Parents decide what schools their children are to attend.C) Public schools are usually bigger in size than private schools.D) Children from low income families can’t really choose schools.Section BDirections:In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. A) Encourage the students to do creative thinking.B) Help the students to develop communication skills.C) Cultivate the students’ ability to inspire employees.D) Focus on teaching the various functions of business.27. A) His teaching career at the Harvard Business School.B) His personal involvement in business management.C) His presidency at college and experience overseas.D) His education and professorship at Babson College.28. A) Development of their raw brain power.B) Exposure to the liberal arts and humanities.C) Improvement of their ability in capital management.D) Knowledge of up-to-date information technology.29. A) Reports on business and government corruption.B) His contact with government and business circles.C) Discoveries of cheating among MBA students.D) The increasing influence of the mass media.Passage TwoQuestions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30. A) They have better options for their kids than colleges.B) The unreasonably high tuition is beyond their means.C) The quality of higher education may not be worth the tuition.D) They think that their kids should pay for their own education.31. A) They do too many extracurricular activities.B) They tend to select less demanding courses.C) They take part-time jobs to support themselves.D) They think few of the courses worth studying.32. A) Its samples are not representative enough.B) Its significance should not be underestimated.C) Its findings come as a surprise to many parents.D) Its criteria for academic progress are questionable.Passage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33. A) A newly married couple.B) A business acquaintance.C) Someone good at cooking.D) Someone you barely know.34. A) Obtain necessary information about your guests.B) Collect a couple of unusual or exotic recipes.C) Buy the best meat and the freshest fruit.D) Try to improve your cooking skills.35. A) Losing weight.B) Entertaining guests. C) Making friends.D) Cooking meals.Section CDirections:In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.People with disabilities comprise a large but diverse segment of the population. It is (36) ______ that over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. (37) ______ half of these disabilities are “developmental,” i.e., they occur prior to the individual’s twenty-second birthday, often from (38) ______ conditions, and are severe enough to affect three or more areas of development, such as (39) ______, communication and employment. Most other disabilities are considered (40) ______, i.e., caused by outside forces.Before the 20th century, only a small (41) ______ of people with disabilities survived for long. Medical treatment for such conditions as stroke or spinal cord (42) ______ was unavailable. People whose disabilities should not have inherently affected their life span were often so mistreated that they (43) ______. Advancements in medicine and social services have created a climate in which (44) . Unfortunately, these basics are often all that is available. Civil liberties such as the right to vote, marry, get an education, and gain employment have historically been denied on the basis of disability.(45) _______________________________________________________________________. Disabled people formed grassroots coalitions to advocate their rights to integration and meaningful equality of opportunity. (46) . In the mid-1970s, critical legislation mandated（规定）access to education, public transportation, and public facilities, and prohibited employment discrimination by federal agencies or employers receiving federal funds.Part Ⅳ Reading Comprehension （Reading in Depth）（25 minutes）Section ADirections:In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words. Please write your answers on Answer Sheet 2.Questions 47 to 54 are based on the following passage.A key process in interpersonal interaction is that of social comparison, in that we evaluate ourselves in terms of how we compare to others. In particular, we engage in two types of comparison. First, we decide whether we are superior or inferior to others on certain dimensions, such as attractiveness, intelligence, popularity, etc. Here, the important aspect is to compare with an appropriate reference group. For example, modest joggers should not compare their performance with Olympic standard marathon (马拉松) runners. Second, we judge the extent to which we are the same as or different from others. At certain stages of life, especially adolescence, the pressure to be seen as similar to peers is immense. Thus, wearing the right brand of clothes or shoes may be of the utmost importance. We also need to know whether our thoughts, beliefs and ideas are in line with those of other people. This is part of the process of self-validation whereby we employ self-disclosures to seek support for our self-concept.People who do not have access to a good listener may not only be denied the opportunity to heighten their self-awareness, but they are also denied valuable feedback as to the validity and acceptability of their inner thoughts and feelings. By discussing these with others, we receive feedback as to whether these are experiences which others have as well, or whether they are less common. Furthermore, by gauging the reactions to our self-disclosures we learn what types are acceptable or unacceptable with particular people and in specific situations. On occasions it is the fear that certain disclosures may be unacceptable to family or friends that motivates an individual to seek professional help. Counsellors will be familiar with client statements such as: “I just couldn’t talk about this to my husband.”, “I really can’t let my mother know mytrue feelings.” Another aspect of social comparison in the counselling context relates to a technique known as normalizing. This is the process whereby helpers provide reassurance to clients that what they are experiencing is not abnormal or atypical (非典型的), but is a normal reaction shared by others when facing such circumstances. Patient disclosure, facilitated by the therapist, seems also to facilitate the process of normalizing.47. To evaluate ourselves, the author thinks it important for us to compare ourselves with _______.48. During adolescence, people generally feel an immense pressure to appear _______.49. It is often difficult for people to heighten their self-awareness without _______.50. What can people do if they find what they think or say unacceptable to family or friends?51. Counsellors often assure their clients that what they experience themselves is only _______.Section BDirections: 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 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.Amid all the job losses, there’s one category of worker that the economic disruption has been good for: nonhumans.From self-service checkout lines at the supermarket to industrial robots armed with saws and taught to carve up animal bodies in slaughter-houses, these ever-more-intelligent machines are now not just assisting workers but actually kicking them out of their jobs.Automation isn’t just affecting factory workers, either. Some law firms now use artificial intelligence software to scan and read mountains of legal documents, work that previously was performed by highly-paid human lawyers.“Robots continue to have an impact on blue-collar jobs, and white-collar jobs are under attack by microprocessors,” says economics professo r Edward Leamer. The recession permanently wiped out 2.5 million jobs. U.S. gross domestic product has climbed back to pre-recession levels, meaning we’re producing as much as before, only with 6% fewer workers. To be sure, robotics are not the only job killers out there, with outsourcing (外包) stealing far more jobs than automation.Jeff Burnstein, president of the Robotics Industry Association, argues that robots actually save U.S. jobs. His logic: companies that embrace automation might use fewer work ers, but that’s still better than firing everyone and moving the work overseas.It’s not that robots are cheaper than humans, though often they are. It’s that they’re better. “In some cases the quality requirements are so exacting that even if you wanted t o have a human do the job, you couldn’t,” Burnstein says.Same goes for surgeons, who’re using robotic systems to perform an ever-growing list of operations—not because the machines save money but because, thanks to the greater precision of robots, the patients recover in less time and have fewer complications, says Dr. Myriam Cruet.Surgeons may survive the robot invasion, but others at the hospital might not be so lucky, as iRobot, maker of the Roomba, a robot vacuum cleaner, has been showing off Ava, which could be used as a messenger in a hospital. And once you’re home, recovering, Ava could let you talk to your doctor, so there’s no need to send someone to your house. That “mobile telepresence” could be useful at the office. If you’re away on a trip, you can still attend a meeting. Just connect via videoconferencing software, so your face appears on Ava’s screen.Is any job safe? I was hoping to say “journalist,” but researchers are already developing software that can gather facts and write a news story. Which means that a few years from now, a robot could be writing this column. And who will read it? Well, there might be a lot of us hanging around with lots of free time on our hands.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

2012年12月英语六级听力第二套听力真题材料

[01:36.35]College English Test (Band 6)[01:39.82]Part III Listening Comprehension[01:43.21]Section A[01:45.79]Directions: In this section,[01:49.14]you will hear 8 short conversations[01:51.67]and 2 long conversations.[01:54.35]At the end of each conversation,[01:56.94]one or more questions will be asked[01:59.55]about what was said.[02:01.51]Both the conversation and the questions[02:04.01]will be spoken only once.[02:06.06]After each question there will be a pause.[02:09.62]During the pause,[02:11.19]you must read the four choices[02:13.39]marked A), B), C) and D),[02:16.36]and decide which is the best answer.[02:19.48]Then mark the corresponding letter[02:21.91]on Answer Sheet 2[02:23.61]with a single line through the centre.[02:27.12]N ow let’s begin with the eight short conversations. [02:32.06]11. M: This is the second time this week[02:37.26]my boss asked me to work extra hours.[02:40.07]I’m glad to get a bigger paycheck,[02:42.43]but I don’t want such a heavy schedule.[02:45.23]W: Better watch your step.[02:46.65]A lot of people would like to trade places with you. [02:50.66]Q: What does the woman imply the man should do? [03:06.64]12. W: Oh, there you are.[03:09.44]Your wife just called.[03:11.14]I told her you were around somewhere,[03:13.55]but I couldn’t find you.[03:15.37]She’d like you to call her at home.[03:17.66]M: At home?[03:19.32]She should be at work.[03:20.92]I hope nothing is wrong.[03:22.72]Q: What does the man imply?[03:38.20]13. M: We have to get up early tomorrow[03:42.08]if we want to be at the railway station by 8:00. [03:45.01]Perhaps we should go to bed now.[03:47.10]W: I suppose so,[03:48.20]but I have to finish this memo[03:49.90]and put it in the mail.[03:52.26]Q: What do we learn from the conversation? [04:08.36]14. W: Let me check, sir.[04:11.83]A suite on the third floor was reserved by a Mr. Colmar[04:16.33]from July 10th to 16th.[04:19.00]M: I’m afraid there’s a mistake, madam.[04:21.86]I told my secretary to book a spacious double room[04:25.77]rather than a luxurious suite.[04:29.01]Q: What is wrong with the reservation?[04:45.56]15. W: Profits are down considerably this quarter.[04:49.98]Do you have any idea what might be the problem?[04:53.13]M: I gue ss it’s just that this is a slack time of the year.[04:56.89] I hear other companies are having the same problem.[05:00.46]Q: What are the speakers talking about?[05:17.20]16. M: I forgot to pick up the groceries on the way home.[05:21.91]I’ll just rest a minute and then go and get them.[05:24.46]W: No problem.[05:25.56]We can make do with what’s left here,[05:27.95]and get them tomorrow.[05:30.11]Q: What does the woman suggest they do?[05:47.12]17. W: Somebody should do something[05:50.51]about the air-conditioning.[05:52.19]It’s ridiculous.[05:53.39]I have to wear a sweater to work in the middle of summer.[05:56.89]M: I agree. It’s been like this for weeks.[06:01.20]Q: What are the speakers talking about?[06:17.79]18. W: I lost the diamond out of my ring.[06:22.25]Do you know where I could have it replaced?[06:24.88]M: I’ve never had a stone put in anything,[06:27.82]but I know that the jewelry shop on Oxford Street has a good reputation. [06:32.69]Q: What does the woman intend to do?[06:49.91]Now you will hear the two long conversations.[06:53.71]Conversation One[06:55.77]W: Mr. Stern, may I ask you?[06:58.42]Do you think it was necessary and fair to arrest Steve Bril?[07:02.67]M: I don’t know whether you realise that[07:05.25]this man has been eating our park for five years.[07:09.33]And he is encouraging other people[07:11.00]to do the same thing every single day.[07:14.13]He has been organising groups[07:16.04]to destroy our urban wildlife.[07:18.93]W: But Mr. Stern, this situation[07:21.47]has been going on happily for five years.[07:24.28]Why do you suddenly decide to do something about it?[07:27.81]M: Well, at first,[07:30.05]we just thought he was an eccentric person,[07:32.49]a bit odd, you know.[07:36.61]he is a dangerous guy.[07:38.12]He has been ruining our city environment.[07:40.95]Parks are to look at, not to eat.[07:44.08]It’s just as if you’re going to allow people[07:46.36]to walk through a zoo, and eat the baby bears.[07:49.86]W: But surely you or your park keepers, Mr. Stern,[07:53.10]could have discouraged Mr. Bril from his activity[07:55.80]without going such drastic measures, without arresting him.[07:59.72]M: Steve is a nice fellow,[08:01.70]but what he is doing is illegal.[08:04.13]He knows an awful lot about wild weeds.[08:07.08]We’ll be very happy to let him organise tours[08:10.23]if he just wouldn’t eat the plants[08:12.56]and wouldn’t encourage other people to do so, too.[08:15.38]You never know what this could lead to,[08:17.99]all sorts of people ruining our park in all sorts of ways.[08:21.64]This kind of thing is very definitely criminal behaviour[08:25.70]and must be stopped.[08:28.65]Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation[08:32.57]you have just heard.[08:35.18]19. What does the man say Steve Bril has been doing?[08:55.59]20. Why was Steve Bril not arrested years ago?[09:14.72]21. What does the woman think of the action taken against Steve Bril? [09:34.38]22. What finally led to Steve Bril’s arrest?[09:53.74]Conversation Two[09:56.08]M: Mary, are your children still at school?[09:59.29]W: Yes, my eldest boy, Martin, left school last year.[10:03.21]He works at a day center nearby[10:05.27]for physically handicapped adults.[10:07.56]My daughter Liz is in the fourth year[10:10.52]at a comprehensive school.[10:13.43]M: How is her foreign language?[10:16.13]W: Very good. She likes French and German.[10:19.30]She is not very scientific.[10:21.36]Christopher, my youngest child,[10:23.31]is in the last year of junior school.[10:25.94]He is much more practically oriented,[10:28.28]strong in math and science.[10:31.08]M: He will be going to a comprehensive school, I suppose.[10:34.58]W: We have the choice of three comprehensive schools.[10:37.46]M: Really? It’s unusual to have so many to choose from.[10:41.26]W: Well, yes. Parter school seems to have done all right.[10:45.57]We’re er..um...There’re certain criti cisms about it,[10:53.08]M: Well, generally speaking,[10:55.17]what do you think one considers[10:56.92]when one is trying to choose?[10:58.68]Well, I don’t know[11:00.30]if one can really choose one school actually you tend to.[11:04.44]Children go where they’re sent.[11:06.92]W: You can’t er...um... very easily unless you are very rich[11:10.91]and can afford to choose a private school.[11:13.75]And since we’re not very rich,[11:15.32]we’ve got all three children to consider.[11:18.20]We can’t do that.[11:19.94]So they go to the local comprehensive school.[11:22.67]What really matters is, you know,[11:24.36]the quality of the staff, the size of the school.[11:27.62]I think the size of the school has a lot to do with it.[11:31.90]Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation[11:35.97]you have just heard.[11:38.46]23. What do we learn about the woman’s daughter Liz?[11:56.85]24. What does the woman say about her youngest child Christopher? [12:15.89]25. What can we conclude from the conversation?[12:34.61]Section B[12:35.97]Directions: In this section,[12:38.91]you will hear 3 short passages,[12:41.53]at the end of each passage,[12:43.46]you will hear some questions.[12:45.64]Both the passage and the questions[12:47.87]will be spoken only once.[12:50.46]After you hear a question,[12:52.27]you must choose the best answer[12:54.14]from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D).[12:59.79]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2[13:03.90]with a single line through the centre[13:07.62]Passage One[13:08.82]Years ago, when I was a young assistant professor[13:13.01]at the Harvard Business School,[13:14.76]I thought that the key to developing managerial leadership[13:18.89]lay in raw brain power.[13:21.55]I thought the role of business schools[13:24.26]was to develop future managers[13:26.51]who knew all about the various functions of business.[13:30.64]My thinking gradually became tempered[13:33.68]by living and working outside the United States[13:37.24]and by serving seven years as a college president.[13:41.28]During my presidency of Babson College,[13:44.36]I added several traits or skills[13:47.08]that I felt a good manager must possess.[13:49.96]The first is the ability to express oneself[13:53.35]in a clear, articulate fashion.[13:56.28]Good oral and written communication skills[13:58.77]are absolutely essential[14:00.67]if one is to be an effective manager.[14:03.81]Second, one must possess the required set of qualities[14:07.51]called leadership skills.[14:10.10]To be a good leader,[14:12.09]one must understand and be sensitive to people[14:14.98]and be able to inspire them[14:16.89]toward the achievement of common goals.[14:20.14]Next, I concluded that effective managers[14:22.92] must be broad human beings[14:25.43]who not only understand the world of business[14:28.27]but also have a sense of the cultural, social, political, historical, [14:32.76]and the international aspects of life and society.[14:36.77]This suggests that exposure to the liberal arts and humanities [14:41.52]should be part of every manager’s education.[14:44.89]Finally, as I pondered the business and government-related scandals [14:49.59]that have occupied the front pages of newspapers,[14:52.31]it became clear that a good manager in today’s world[14:56.28]must have courage and a strong sense of integrity.[15:00.35]He must know where to draw the line[15:02.74]between right and wrong.[15:04.82]Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage[15:09.49]you have just heard.[15:11.53]26. What did the speaker use to think[15:15.58]business schools should do to produce managers?[15:32.40]27. What might change the speak er’s viewpoint?[15:51.49]28. What does the speaker stress as part of manager’s education? [16:11.27]29. What convinced the speaker[16:14.31]that managers need a sense of integrity?[16:31.60]Passage Two[16:33.02]With top colleges charging[16:35.24]as much as $50 000 per year,[16:38.17]the idea that students may spend their first two years[16:41.53]learning next-to-nothing[16:43.12]is enough to make parents pause.[16:46.04]How can you make that investment worthwhile?[16:48.76]And does going to college really make you smarter?[16:51.74]It depends on what you study[16:53.26]and whether you study enough.[16:56.26]A discussion at The New York Times this week tackled the issue, [16:59.89]with several academics weighing in on whether college is worthwhile, [17:03.76]and whether schools are dumbing down their curricula[17:06.36]to appeal to more people.[17:08.81]In their new book, Academically Adrift,[17:11.98]sociologists Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa found that[17:16.82]32 percent of the students they followed[17:19.50]did not take “any courses[17:21.38]with more than 40 pages of reading per week”[17:23.95]in a typical semester,[17:25.84]and half of the students didn’t take “any courses[17:29.13]in which they had to write mor e than 20 pages for the class”.[17:32.68]Using these criteria,[17:34.24]they determined that 45 percent of college students[17:37.82]make little academic progress[17:40.10]during the first two years of a four-year degree.[17:43.62]Their research raises a few red flags.[17:46.84]On the one hand,[17:48.27]is it any surprise that a public school system forced to[17:51.31] “teach to the test” produces large numbers of students[17:54.91]who are unwilling to think analytically,[17:57.52]learn on their own, or write a research paper?[18:00.94]On the other,[18:02.00]does the number of pages read plus the number of pages written [18:05.61]equals an accurate assessment of academic progress?[18:09.23]A literature or history major, for instance,[18:12.23]would have far more reading to do than a math major,[18:15.85]but the math workload isn’t lighter lifting[18:18.00]just because it involves reading fewer pages per week.[18:22.12]Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage[18:26.70]you have just heard.[18:29.07]30. Why do parents hesitate to[18:33.16]pay for their kids’ college education according to the speaker? [18:50.58]31. What does the survey by the two sociologists[18:55.52]show about the students?[19:11.45]32. What does the speaker imply[19:15.15]about the research by the two sociologists?[19:32.60]Passage Three[19:34.58]Entertaining a close circle of friends[19:37.10]isn’t usually difficult.[19:39.10]You all know each other[19:40.74]so there’s no problem about conv ersation.[19:43.24]And even if the food is a bit sketchy,[19:45.58]no one really minds because they’ve come to see you,[19:48.35]not get a free meal.[19:50.00]Well, most of them anyway.[19:52.29]It’s the guests you don’t know very well[19:54.83]who present unexpectable traps.[19:57.23]Therefore, in such categories,[19:59.68]as the new husband or wife,[20:01.90]boyfriend or girlfriend of an intimate friend,[20:04.63]the business acquaintances[20:06.42]who may be useful to your career,[20:08.58]worst of all, the totally unpredicted friend of a friend,[20:14.36]my advice in such cases is[20:16.67]if you’re an indifferent cook,[20:19.28]don’t do any cooking.[20:21.33]It’s far better to stick to coffee and drinks,[20:24.07]with a few expensive biscuits on the side.[20:26.92]You can always plead that your flat is too small[20:29.86]for more than two to eat comfortably,[20:31.92]that you get home too late to prepare a decent meal,[20:35.40]that your oven is on the blink.[20:37.61]Any reasonable excuses will do,[20:39.62]even it’s not believed.[20:42.12]If you fancy yourself as a cook,[20:44.46]and are anxious to make a good impression,[20:46.66]do your homework first.[20:49.16]Nothing is more discouraging than[20:51.50]to spend hours preparing a delicious meat dish followed by, [20:55.47]say, fresh strawberries,[20:57.18]only to discover that your first-time guest is[21:00.03]a strict vegetarian or is on a slimming diet.[21:04.24]This may result in the rest of you tucking into a vast meal [21:07.71]while your guest toys suspiciously with a few sides of tomato. [21:12.46]“No, thank you,[21:13.67]I won’t have any creamed carrots out for my waist line.”[21:18.86]Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage[21:22.92]you have just heard.[21:25.59]33. What kind of guest is most likely to give you a hard time [21:31.46]according to the speaker?[21:47.41]34. What should you do before preparing a meal for your guests? [22:07.55]35. What is the speaker mainly talking about?[22:47.09]Section C[22:48.38]Directions: In this section,[22:51.17]you will hear a passage three times.[22:53.75]When the passage is read for the first time,[22:56.05]you should listen carefully for its general idea.[22:59.07]When the passage is read for the second time,[23:01.59]you are required to fill in the blanks[23:04.16]numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words[23:08.29]you have just heard.[23:09.76]For blanks numbered from 44 to 46[23:12.77]you are required to fill in the missing information.[23:15.99]For these blanks,[23:17.10]you can either use the exact words[23:18.93]you have just heard[23:20.11]or write down the main points[23:21.82]in your own words.[23:23.40]Finally, when the passage is read for the third time,[23:27.27]you should check what you have written.[23:29.76]Now listen to the passage.[23:33.58]People with disabilities[23:34.96]comprise a large but diverse segment of the population.[23:38.83]It is estimated that[23:40.60]over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. [23:45.63]Approximately half of these disabilities are “developmental,” [23:49.86]i.e., they occur prior to the individual’s twenty-second birthday, [23:54.70]often from genetic conditions,[23:57.19]and are severe enough to affect three or more areas of development, [24:01.64]such as mobility, communication and employment.[24:05.17]Most other disabilities are considered accidental,[24:08.39]i.e., caused by outside forces.[24:11.29]Before the 20th century,[24:13.34]only a small percentage of people[24:15.41]with disabilities survived for long.[24:18.28]Medical treatment for such conditions as[24:20.29]stroke or spinal cord injury was unavailable.[24:23.81]People whose disabilities[24:25.25]should not have inherently affected their life span[24:27.74]were often so mistreated that they perished.[24:31.25]Advancements in medicine and social services[24:33.66]have created a climate in which people with disabilities[24:37.09]can expect to have such basic needs as[24:39.96]food, shelter and medical treatment met.[24:43.12]Unfortunately, these basics are often all that is available.[24:47.31]Civil liberties such as the right to[24:49.62]vote, marry, get an education, and gain employment[24:53.26]have historically been denied on the basis of disability.[24:57.02]In recent decades,[24:59.44]the disability rights movement has been organized[25:01.95]to combat these violations of civil rights.[25:04.86]Disabled people formed grassroots coalitions[25:08.08]to advocate their rights to integration[25:10.47]and meaningful equality of opportunity.[25:12.74]Congress responded by passing major legislation,[25:15.54]recognizing people with disabilities as a protected class.[25:19.99]In the mid-1970s, critical legislation mandated (规定)[25:23.73]access to education, public transportation, and public facilities, [25:27.99]and prohibited employment discrimination[25:30.56]by federal agencies or employers receiving federal funds.[25:34.63]Now the passage will be read again.[25:38.16]People with disabilities[25:40.22]comprise a large but diverse segment of the population.[25:44.56]It is estimated that[25:46.10]over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. [25:52.14]Approximately half of these disabilities are “developmental,” [25:56.19]i.e., they occur prior to the individual’s twenty-second birthday, [26:01.08]often from genetic conditions,[26:03.19]and are severe enough to affect three or more areas of development, [26:07.50]such as mobility, communication and employment.[26:11.00]Most other disabilities are considered accidental,[26:14.26]i.e., caused by outside forces.[26:17.71]Before the 20th century,[26:19.78]only a small percentage of people[26:21.80]with disabilities survived for long.[26:24.15]Medical treatment for such conditions as[26:26.52]stroke or spinal cord injury was unavailable.[26:29.85]People whose disabilities[26:31.57]should not have inherently affected their life span[26:34.20]were often so mistreated that they perished.[26:38.14]Advancements in medicine and social services[26:41.04]have created a climate in which people with disabilities[26:44.71]can expect to have such basic needs as[26:47.83]food, shelter and medical treatment met.[26:50.79][27:59.30]Unfortunately, these basics are often all that is available.[28:03.32]Civil liberties such as the right to[28:05.67]vote, marry, get an education, and gain employment[28:09.49]have historically been denied on the basis of disability.[28:14.14]In recent decades,[28:15.77]the disability rights movement has been organized[28:19.15]to combat these violations of civil rights.[28:21.98][29:36.26]Disabled people formed grassroots coalitions[29:39.09]to advocate their rights to integration[29:41.67]and meaningful equality of opportunity.[29:44.77]Congress responded by passing major legislation,[29:48.54]recognizing people with disabilities as a protected class.[29:53.07][31:04.69]In the mid-1970s, critical legislation mandated (规定)[31:08.60]access to education, public transportation, and public facilities, [31:13.62]and prohibited employment discrimination[31:17.08]by federal agencies or employers receiving federal funds.[31:23.66]Now the passage will be read for the third time.[31:27.65]People with disabilities[31:29.15]comprise a large but diverse segment of the population.[31:33.13]It is estimated that[31:34.82]over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. [31:39.98]Approximately half of these disabilities are “developmental,” [31:44.14]i.e., they occur prior to the individual’s twenty-second birthday, [31:48.93]often from genetic conditions,[31:51.33]and are severe enough to affect three or more areas of development, [31:55.86]such as mobility, communication and employment.[31:59.62]Most other disabilities are considered accidental,[32:02.54]i.e., caused by outside forces.[32:05.50]Before the 20th century,[32:07.60]only a small percentage of people[32:09.61]with disabilities survived for long.[32:12.56]Medical treatment for such conditions as[32:14.35]stroke or spinal cord injury was unavailable.[32:18.05]People whose disabilities[32:19.49]should not have inherently affected their life span[32:22.20]were often so mistreated that they perished.[32:25.34]Advancements in medicine and social services[32:28.33]have created a climate in which people with disabilities[32:31.37]can expect to have such basic needs as[32:33.99]food, shelter and medical treatment met.[32:37.43]Unfortunately, these basics are often all that is available.[32:41.30]Civil liberties such as the right to[32:43.89]vote, marry, get an education, and gain employment[32:47.45]have historically been denied on the basis of disability.[32:51.57]In recent decades,[32:53.42]the disability rights movement has been organized[32:56.17]to combat these violations of civil rights.[32:59.26]Disabled people formed grassroots coalitions[33:02.18]to advocate their rights to integration[33:04.59]and meaningful equality of opportunity.[33:06.74]Congress responded by passing major legislation,[33:09.75]recognizing people with disabilities as a protected class. [33:13.97]In the mid-1970s, critical legislation mandated (规定) [33:17.95]access to education, public transportation, and public facilities, [33:22.17]and prohibited employment discrimination[33:24.48]by federal agencies or employers receiving federal funds. [33:29.62]This is the end of listening comprehension.。

2012年12月六级听力真题及原文

听力原文：11.W: I just heard about a really beautiful park in the east end of the town. There are a lot of roses in bloom.M: Why don’t we walk over there and see for ourselves?Q: What will the speakers probably do?12.M: My presentation is scheduled for 9:30 tomorrow morning at the lecture hall. I hope to see you there.W: Oh, sorry. I was about to tell you that I have an appointment with my dentist at 9:00 o’clock tomorrow.Q: What do we learn about the woman?13.W: How long have you been running this company?M: Twenty years if you can believe that. I brought it from a small operation to what it is today. Q: What do we learn about the man?14.M: Have you read the news on the campus net? Susan has won the scholarship for next year. W: I knew she would from the very beginning. Such a brilliant and diligent girl! She certainly deserves it.Q: What does the woman mean?15.W: Taking a bus to Miami, it’s cheaper than going by train.M: That’s true. But I’d rather pay a little more for the added comfort and convenie nce.Q: What does the man mean?16.M: I think it’s time we got rid of all this old furniture.W: Y ou’re right. We need to promote our image besides it’s not a real antique.Q: What do the speakers mean?17.M: That was some storm yesterday. How was I afraid I couldn’t make it home.W: Y eah, most of the roads to my house were flooded. I didn’t get home from the lab until midnight.Q: What do we learn from the conversation?18.W: My boys are always complaining that they’re bored.M: Why don’t you get them into some team sports? My son and daughter play soccer every Saturday. And they both look forward to it all week.Q: What does the man mean?Conversation 1W: So John, I hear you and Arthur share a job, don’t you?M: Y es. We’ve shared a sales job at Sonatech f or about two years now.W: Well, how do you divide up your schedule?M: Y ou know we are both sales representatives, and we take orders over the phone. When we started job sharing it was difficult, because we both worked all day Monday. I worked Tuesday and Thursday and Arthur worked Wednesday and Friday. The problem was that when I was in the office on Tuesday. I would talk to people, then they would call back on Wednesday with a question. But Arthur couldn’t answer the question and he couldn’t ask me about it because I wasn’t in the office. So he had to ask the people to call me back the next day, Thursday. Of course, they didn’t like to wait until the next day to have their questions answered.W: Yes, that sounds like a problem.M: So, finally we decided that Arthur would work in the mornings and I would work in theafternoons. Now if someone calls with the question for me in the morning, Arthur tells them to call me in the afternoon. This way, people get their questions answered the same day.W: What do you do about vacations?M: Well, Sonatech gives the usual two weeks of vacation to full-time employees, I take a week and Arthur takes a week.W: It sounds like job sharing has worked out well for you.M: Y es, it has. We are both happy with it.Q19. What do John and author do at Sonatech?Q20. What problem did John and Arthur have when they started job sharing?Q21. What does John say about their annual vacation?Conversation 2W: May I see your license, please?M: But officer, did I do something wrong?W: Do you mean to say you didn’t see the speed limit sign back there?M: Um, no, madam, I guess I didn’t.W: In other words, you drove by too fast to read it. The sign says 35m/h. A school is just nearby, you know?M: Don’t get me wrong, but my speedometer didn’t read much faster than that.W: Then, why is it that my radar showed you are going 45? Let me put it another way. I’m going to give you a ticket. Again, may I see your license, please?M: Here it is, officer. But let me explain. I was late for an important appointment and I was worried that I wouldn’t make it on time. So...W: Uha, just a minute, here. Y our license is no longer valid. Y ou should have renewed it two weeks ago. I’m going to have to write you up for that, too.M: What? Really?W: Y our license becomes invalid on your birthday and that was two weeks ago according to the date here. Y ou are in violation of the law—driving without a valid license.M: I’m sorry, madam. I hadn’t realized that.W: Here’s the ticket for not having a valid license. But I’m only going to give you a warning about exceeding the speed limit. Be careful next time.M: Y es, madam, officer, I will. Thank you.Q22. Where was the man stopped by the police officer?Q23. What did the man claim about the speed limit sign?Q24. What did the woman say about the man’s driving license?Q25. What was the man’s penalty?Passage 1Since I started working part-time at a grocery store, I have learned that a customer is more than someone who buy something. To me, a customer is a person whose memory fails entirely once he or she starts to push a shopping card. One of the first things customers forget is how to count. There is no other way to explain how so many people get in their express line, which is clearly marked 15 items or less, with 20, 25 or even a cart load of items. Customers also forget why they came to the store in the first place. Just as I finish ringing up an order, a customer will say, “Oops, I forgot to pick up a fresh loaf of bread. I hope you don’t mind waiting while I go get it.” Five minutes later, he’s back with the bread, a bottle of milk, and three rolls of paper towels. Strange isthat seems customers also seem to forget that they have to pay for their groceries. Instead of writing a check or looking for a credit card while I am ringing up the groceries, my customers will wait until I announce the total. Then, in surprise, she says, “Oh no, what did I do with my check book?” After 5 minutes of digging through her purse, she borrows my pen because she’s forgotten hers. But I have to be tolerant of customers because they pay my salary, and that’s something I can’t afford to forget.Q26. What does the speaker say about customers’ entering the grocery store?Q27. Which customers are supposed to be in the express line?Q28. What does the speaker say some customers do when they arrive at the check-out counter?Q29. What does the speaker say about his job at the end of the talk?Passage 2The speech delivery style of Europeans and Asians tends to be very formal. Speakers of these cultures often read oral presentations from carefully retain manual scripts. On the other hand, American speakers are generally more informal relative to speakers and other cultures. American audiences prefer natural, spontaneous delivery that conveys a lively sense of communication. They don’t relay well to speakers who read from a manual script. If you use an outline of your ideas instead of a prepare text, your speech will not only sound more natural, but you will also be able to establish better relationship with your listeners and keep their attention. The language and style you use when making an oral presentation should not be the same as the language in style you use when writing. Well retain information, that is meant to be read, does not work as well when it is heard. It is, therefore, important for you to adapt retain texts or outlines for presentations. Good speakers are much more informal when speaking than when writing. They also use their own words and develop their own speaking styles. Whenever possible, they use short words. Listeners are appreciated when speakers use simple, everyday words in a presentation. One advantage is that it is much easier for speakers to pronounce short words correctly. Another is that long and sophisticated vocabulary choices make listening more difficult.Question 30 to 3230. What does the speaker say American audiences prefer?31. What should one pay attention to when making an oral presentation?32. What does the speaker focus on in the talk?Passage 3Let children learn to judge their own workA child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time. If corrected too much, he will stop talking. He compares a thousand times a day the difference between language as he uses it and language as those around him use it. Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people’s. In the same way, kids learning to do all the other things they learn without adult teachers, to walk, run, climb, ride a bike, play games, compare their ow n performance with what more skilled people do, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to detect his mistakes. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him. Soon he becomes dependent on the expert. We should let him do it himself. Let him figure out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what is the answer to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or that.If right answers need to be given, as in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let himcorrect his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such tedious work? Our job should be to help the children when they tell us that the y can’t find the way to get the right answer. Question 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.Q33 How does a child learn to do something according to the speaker?Q34 What belief do teachers commonly hold according to the speaker?Q35 What does the speaker imply about the current way of teaching?复合式听写Mountain climbing is becoming a popular sport, but it is also a potentially dangerous one. People can fall. They may also become ill. One of the most common dangers to climbers is altitude sickness, which can affect even very experienced climbers. Altitude sickness usually begins when a climber goes above 8,000 to 9,000 feet. The higher one climbs, the less oxygen there is in the air. When people don’t get enough oxygen, they often begin to ga sp for air. They may also feel dizzy and light-headed. Besides these symptoms of altitude sickness, others such as headache and fatigue may also occur. At heights of over 18,000 feet, people may be climbing in a constant daze. Their state of mind can have adverse affect on their judgment. A few precautions can help most climbers avoid altitude sickness. The first is not to go too high, too fast. If you climb to 10,000 feet, stay at that height for a day or two. Y our body needs to get used to a high altitude before you climb to a even higher one. Or if you do climb higher sooner, come back down to a lower height when you sleep. Also, drink plenty of liquids and avoid tobacco and alcohol. When you reach your top height, do like activities rather than sleep too much. Y ou breathe less when you sleep, so you get less oxygen. The most important warning is this: if you have severe symptoms, then don’t go away, go down. Don’t risk injury or death because of over-confidence or lack of knowledge.真题部分：Part III Listening Comprehension （35 minutes）Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A）, B）, C）and D）, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.11. A) Ask his boss for a lighter schedule.B) Trade places with someone else.C) Accept the extra work willingly.D) Look for a more suitable job.12. A) It is unusual for his wife to be at home now.B) He is uncertain where his wife is at the moment.C) It is strange for his wife to call him at work.D) He does not believe what the woman has told him.13. A) The man is going to send out the memo tomorrow.B) The man will drive the woman to the station.C) The speakers are traveling by train tomorrow morning.D) The woman is concerned with the man’s health.14. A) The suite booked was for a different date.B) The room booked was on a different floor.C) The room booked was not spacious enough.D) A suite was booked instead of a double room.15. A) The reason for low profits.B) The company’s sales policy.C) The fierce competition they face.D) The lack of effective promotion.16. A) Go and get the groceries at once.B) Manage with what they have.C) Do some shopping on their way home.D) Have the groceries delivered to them.17. A) The hot weather in summer.B) The problem with the air conditioner.C) The ridiculous rules of the office.D) The atmosphere in the office.18. A) Set a new stone in her ring.B) Find the priceless jewel she lost.C) Buy a ring with precious diamond.D) Shop on Oxford Street for a decent gift.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. A) Damaging public facilities.B) Destroying urban wildlife.C) Organising rallies in the park.D) Hurting baby animals in the zoo.20. A) He had bribed the park keepers to keep quiet.B) People had differing opinions about his behaviour.C) The serious consequences of his doings were not fully realised.D) His behaviour was thought to have resulted from mental illness.21. A) Brutal.B) Justifiable.C) Too harsh.D) Well-deserved.22. A) Encouraging others to follow his wrong-doing.B) Stealing endangered animals from the zoo.C) Organising people against the authorities.D) Attacking the park keepers in broad daylight.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. A) She has already left school.B) She works for the handicapped.C) She is fond of practical courses.D) She is good at foreign languages.24. A) He is interested in science courses.B) He attends a boarding school.C) He speaks French and German.D) He is the brightest of her three kids.25. A) Comprehensive schools do not offer quality education.B) Parents decide what schools their children are to attend.C) Public schools are usually bigger in size than private schools.D) Children from low income families can’t really choose schools.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. Passage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. A) Encourage the students to do creative thinking.B) Help the students to develop communication skills.C) Cultivate the students’ ability to inspire employees.D) Focus on teaching the various functions of business.27. A) His teaching career at the Harvard Business School.B) His personal involvement in business management.C) His presidency at college and experience overseas.D) His education and professorship at Babson College.28. A) Development of their raw brain power.B) Exposure to the liberal arts and humanities.C) Improvement of their ability in capital management.D) Knowledge of up-to-date information technology.29. A) Reports on business and government corruption.B) His contact with government and business circles.C) Discoveries of cheating among MBA students.D) The increasing influence of the mass media.Passage T woQuestions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30. A) They have better options for their kids than colleges.B) The unreasonably high tuition is beyond their means.C) The quality of higher education may not be worth the tuition.D) They think that their kids should pay for their own education.31. A) They do too many extracurricular activities.B) They tend to select less demanding courses.C) They take part-time jobs to support themselves.D) They think few of the courses worth studying.32. A) Its samples are not representative enough.B) Its significance should not be underestimated.C) Its findings come as a surprise to many parents.D) Its criteria for academic progress are questionable.Passage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33. A) A newly married couple.B) A business acquaintance.C) Someone good at cooking.D) Someone you barely know.34. A) Obtain necessary information about your guests.B) Collect a couple of unusual or exotic recipes.C) Buy the best meat and the freshest fruit.D) Try to improve your cooking skills.35. A) Losing weight.B) Entertaining guests.C) Making friends.D) Cooking meals.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.People with disabilities comprise a large but diverse segment of the population. It is (36) ______ that over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. (37) ______ half of these disabilities are “developmental,” i.e., they occur prior to the individual’s twenty-second birthday, often from (38) ______ conditions, and are severe enough to affect three or more areas of development, such as (39) ______, communication and employment. Most other disabilities are considered (40) ______, i.e., caused by outside forces.Before the 20th century, only a small (41) ______ of people with disabilities survived for long. Medical treatment for such conditions as stroke or spinal cord (42) ______ was unavailable. People whose disabilities should not have inherently affected their life span were often so mistreated that they (43) ______. Advancements in medicine and social services have created a climate in which (44) . Unfortunately, these basics are often all that is available. Civil liberties such as the right to vote, marry, get an education, and gain employment have historically been denied on the basis of disability.(45)______________________________________________________________. Disabled people formed grassroots coalitions to advocate their rights to integration and meaningful equality of opportunity. (46) . In the mid-1970s, critical legislation mandated（规定）access to education, public transportation, and public facilities, and prohibited employment discrimination by federal agencies or employers receiving federal funds.。

2012年12月英语六级考试真题与答案(第2套)

2012年12月英语六级考试真题试卷（第2套）Part I Writing (30 minutes)Direction: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled On Maintaining Trust by commenting on the saying, "Trust is the most frequently used word when we are talking about interpersonal relationship. However，it is hard to build trust easy to destroy it. Therefore，how to build and maintain trust is very important for us. "You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.On Maintaining Trust_______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ 注意：此部分试题在答题卡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 the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A) , B) , C) and D) . For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.Rates are low, but consumers won't borrowWith heavy debt loads and high joblessness, Americans are cautiousThe US Federal Reserve(Fed)'s announcement last week that it intended to keep credit cheap for at least two more years was a clear invitation to Americans: Go out and borrow.But many economists say it will take more than low interest rates to persuade consumers to take on more debt. There are already signs that the recent stock market fluctuations, turbulence in Europe and the US deficit have scared consumers. On Friday, preliminary data showed that the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index had fallen this month to lower than it was in November 2008, when the United States was deep in recession.Under normal circumstances, the Fed's announcement might have attracted new home and car buyers and prompted credit card holders to rack up fresh charges. But with unemployment high and those with jobs worried about keeping them, consumers are more concerned about paying off the loans they already have than adding more debt. And by showing its hand for the next two years, the Fed may have thoughtlessly invited prospective borrowers to put off large purchases.Lenders, meanwhile, are still dealing with the effects of the boom-gone-bust and are forcing prospective borrowers to go to extraordinary lengths to prove their creditworthiness."I don't think lenders are going to be interested in extending a lot of debt in this environment," said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics, a macroeconomic consulting firm. "Nor do I think households are going to be interested in taking on a lot of debt."In housing, consumers have already shown a slow response to low rates. Applications for new mortgages have decreased this year to a 10-year low, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Sales of furniture and furnishings remain 22% below their pre-recession peak, according to Spending Pulse, a research report by MasterCard Advisors.Credit card rates have actually gone up slightly in the past year. The one bright spot in lending is the number of auto loans, which is up from last year. But some economists say that confidence among car buyers is hitting new lows .For Xavier Walter, a former mortgage banker who with his wife, Danielle, accumulated $20000 in credit card debt, low rates will not change his spending habits.As the housing market topped out five years ago, he lost his six-figure income. He and his wife were able to modify the mortgage on their four-bedroom house in Medford, New Jersey, as well as negotiate lower credit card payments.Two years ago, Mr. Walter, a 34-year-old father of three, started an energy business. He has sworn off credit. "I'm not going to go back in debt ever again," he said. "If I can't pay for it in cash, I don't want it."Until now, one of the biggest restraints on consumer spending has been a debt aftereffect. Since August 2008, when household debt peaked at $12.41 trillion, it has declined by about $1.2 trillion, according to an analysis by Moody's Analytics of data from the Federal Reserve and Equifax, the credit agency. A large portion of that, though, was simply written off by lenders as borrowers defaulted on loans.By other measures, households have improved their position. The proportion of after-tax income that households spend to remain current on loan payments has fallen.Still, household debt remains high. That presents a paradox: many economists argue that the economy cannot achieve true health until debt levels decline. But credit, made attractive by low rates, is a time-tested way to increase consumer spending.With new risks of another downturn, economists worry that it will take years for debt to return to manageable levels. If the economy contracts again, said George Magnus, senior adviser at UBS, then "you could find a lot of households in a debt trap which they probably can never get out of."Mortgage lenders, meanwhile, burned by the housing crash, are extra careful about approving new loans. In June, for instance, Fannie Mae, the largest mortgage buyer in the United States, said that borrowers whose existing debt exceeded 45 to 50% of their income would be required to have stronger "compensating" factors, which might include higher savings.Even those borrowers in strong financial positions are asked to provide unusual amounts of paperwork. Bobby and Katie Smith have an extremely good credit record, tiny student debt and a combined six-figure income. For part of their down payment, they planned to use about $5000 they had received as wedding gifts in February.But the lender would not accept that money unless the Smiths provided a certified letter from each of 14 guests, stating that the money was a gift, rather than a loan."We laughed for a good 15 or 20 minutes." recalled Mr. Smith. 34.Mr. Smith, a program director for a radio station in Orlando, Florida, said they ended up using other savings for their down payment to buy a $300000 four-bedroom house in April.For those not as creditworthy as the Smiths, low rates are irrelevant because they no longer qualify for mortgages. That leaves the eligible pool of loan applicants wealthier, "older and whiter," said Guy Cecala, publisher of Inside Mortgage Finance. "It's creating much more of a divide," he said, "between the haves and the have-nots."Car shoppers with the highest credit ratings can also get loans more easily, and at lower rates, said Paul C. Taylor, chief economist of the National Automobile Dealers Association.During the recession, inability to obtain credit severely cut auto buying as lenders rejected even those with good credit ratings. Now automakers are increasing their subprime（次级债的）lending again as well, but remain hesitant to approve large numbers of risky customers.The number of new auto loans was up by l6% in the second quarter compared with the previous year, said Melinda Zabritski, director of automotive credit at Experian, the information services company.But some economists warn that consumer confidence is falling. According to CNW Marketing Research, confidence among those who intend to buy a car this year is at its lowest since it began collecting data on this measure in 2000.On credit cards, rates have actually inched higher this year, largely because of new rules that curb the issuer's ability to charge fees or raise certain interest rates at will.At the end of the second quarter, rates averaged 14. 01% on new card offers, up from 13. 75% a year earlier, according to Mail Monitor, which tracks credit cards for Synovate, a market research firm. According to data from the Federal Reserve, total outstanding debt on revolving credit cards was down by 4.6% during the first half of the year compared with the same period a year earlier.Even if the Fed's announcement helps keep rates steady, or pushes them down, businesses do not expect customers to suddenly charge up a storm."It's not like, 'Oh, credit is so cheap. let's go back to the heydays（鼎盛时期）, '",said Elizabeth Crowell, who owns Sterling Place, two high-end home furnishing and gift stores in New York. "People still fear for their jobs. So I think where maybe after other recessions they might return to previous spending habits, the pendulum hasn't swung back the same way."注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

2012年12月英语六级听力第二套听力真题材料

[01:36.35]College English Test (Band 6)[01:39.82]Part III Listening Comprehension[01:43.21]Section A[01:45.79]Directions: In this section,[01:49.14]you will hear 8 short conversations[01:51.67]and 2 long conversations.[01:54.35]At the end of each conversation,[01:56.94]one or more questions will be asked[01:59.55]about what was said.[02:01.51]Both the conversation and the questions[02:04.01]will be spoken only once.[02:06.06]After each question there will be a pause.[02:09.62]During the pause,[02:11.19]you must read the four choices[02:13.39]marked A), B), C) and D),[02:16.36]and decide which is the best answer.[02:19.48]Then mark the corresponding letter[02:21.91]on Answer Sheet 2[02:23.61]with a single line through the centre.[02:27.12]N ow let’s begin with the eight short conversations. [02:32.06]11. M: This is the second time this week[02:37.26]my boss asked me to work extra hours.[02:40.07]I’m glad to get a bigger paycheck,[02:42.43]but I don’t want such a heavy schedule.[02:45.23]W: Better watch your step.[02:46.65]A lot of people would like to trade places with you. [02:50.66]Q: What does the woman imply the man should do? [03:06.64]12. W: Oh, there you are.[03:09.44]Your wife just called.[03:11.14]I told her you were around somewhere,[03:13.55]but I couldn’t find you.[03:15.37]She’d like you to call her at home.[03:17.66]M: At home?[03:19.32]She should be at work.[03:20.92]I hope nothing is wrong.[03:22.72]Q: What does the man imply?[03:38.20]13. M: We have to get up early tomorrow[03:42.08]if we want to be at the railway station by 8:00. [03:45.01]Perhaps we should go to bed now.[03:47.10]W: I suppose so,[03:48.20]but I have to finish this memo[03:49.90]and put it in the mail.[03:52.26]Q: What do we learn from the conversation? [04:08.36]14. W: Let me check, sir.[04:11.83]A suite on the third floor was reserved by a Mr. Colmar[04:16.33]from July 10th to 16th.[04:19.00]M: I’m afraid there’s a mistake, madam.[04:21.86]I told my secretary to book a spacious double room[04:25.77]rather than a luxurious suite.[04:29.01]Q: What is wrong with the reservation?[04:45.56]15. W: Profits are down considerably this quarter.[04:49.98]Do you have any idea what might be the problem?[04:53.13]M: I gue ss it’s just that this is a slack time of the year.[04:56.89] I hear other companies are having the same problem.[05:00.46]Q: What are the speakers talking about?[05:17.20]16. M: I forgot to pick up the groceries on the way home.[05:21.91]I’ll just rest a minute and then go and get them.[05:24.46]W: No problem.[05:25.56]We can make do with what’s left here,[05:27.95]and get them tomorrow.[05:30.11]Q: What does the woman suggest they do?[05:47.12]17. W: Somebody should do something[05:50.51]about the air-conditioning.[05:52.19]It’s ridiculous.[05:53.39]I have to wear a sweater to work in the middle of summer.[05:56.89]M: I agree. It’s been like this for weeks.[06:01.20]Q: What are the speakers talking about?[06:17.79]18. W: I lost the diamond out of my ring.[06:22.25]Do you know where I could have it replaced?[06:24.88]M: I’ve never had a stone put in anything,[06:27.82]but I know that the jewelry shop on Oxford Street has a good reputation. [06:32.69]Q: What does the woman intend to do?[06:49.91]Now you will hear the two long conversations.[06:53.71]Conversation One[06:55.77]W: Mr. Stern, may I ask you?[06:58.42]Do you think it was necessary and fair to arrest Steve Bril?[07:02.67]M: I don’t know whether you realise that[07:05.25]this man has been eating our park for five years.[07:09.33]And he is encouraging other people[07:11.00]to do the same thing every single day.[07:14.13]He has been organising groups[07:16.04]to destroy our urban wildlife.[07:18.93]W: But Mr. Stern, this situation[07:21.47]has been going on happily for five years.[07:24.28]Why do you suddenly decide to do something about it?[07:27.81]M: Well, at first,[07:30.05]we just thought he was an eccentric person,[07:32.49]a bit odd, you know.[07:36.61]he is a dangerous guy.[07:38.12]He has been ruining our city environment.[07:40.95]Parks are to look at, not to eat.[07:44.08]It’s just as if you’re going to allow people[07:46.36]to walk through a zoo, and eat the baby bears.[07:49.86]W: But surely you or your park keepers, Mr. Stern,[07:53.10]could have discouraged Mr. Bril from his activity[07:55.80]without going such drastic measures, without arresting him.[07:59.72]M: Steve is a nice fellow,[08:01.70]but what he is doing is illegal.[08:04.13]He knows an awful lot about wild weeds.[08:07.08]We’ll be very happy to let him organise tours[08:10.23]if he just wouldn’t eat the plants[08:12.56]and wouldn’t encourage other people to do so, too.[08:15.38]You never know what this could lead to,[08:17.99]all sorts of people ruining our park in all sorts of ways.[08:21.64]This kind of thing is very definitely criminal behaviour[08:25.70]and must be stopped.[08:28.65]Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation[08:32.57]you have just heard.[08:35.18]19. What does the man say Steve Bril has been doing?[08:55.59]20. Why was Steve Bril not arrested years ago?[09:14.72]21. What does the woman think of the action taken against Steve Bril? [09:34.38]22. What finally led to Steve Bril’s arrest?[09:53.74]Conversation Two[09:56.08]M: Mary, are your children still at school?[09:59.29]W: Yes, my eldest boy, Martin, left school last year.[10:03.21]He works at a day center nearby[10:05.27]for physically handicapped adults.[10:07.56]My daughter Liz is in the fourth year[10:10.52]at a comprehensive school.[10:13.43]M: How is her foreign language?[10:16.13]W: Very good. She likes French and German.[10:19.30]She is not very scientific.[10:21.36]Christopher, my youngest child,[10:23.31]is in the last year of junior school.[10:25.94]He is much more practically oriented,[10:28.28]strong in math and science.[10:31.08]M: He will be going to a comprehensive school, I suppose.[10:34.58]W: We have the choice of three comprehensive schools.[10:37.46]M: Really? It’s unusual to have so many to choose from.[10:41.26]W: Well, yes. Parter school seems to have done all right.[10:45.57]We’re er..um...There’re certain criti cisms about it,[10:53.08]M: Well, generally speaking,[10:55.17]what do you think one considers[10:56.92]when one is trying to choose?[10:58.68]Well, I don’t know[11:00.30]if one can really choose one school actually you tend to.[11:04.44]Children go where they’re sent.[11:06.92]W: You can’t er...um... very easily unless you are very rich[11:10.91]and can afford to choose a private school.[11:13.75]And since we’re not very rich,[11:15.32]we’ve got all three children to consider.[11:18.20]We can’t do that.[11:19.94]So they go to the local comprehensive school.[11:22.67]What really matters is, you know,[11:24.36]the quality of the staff, the size of the school.[11:27.62]I think the size of the school has a lot to do with it.[11:31.90]Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation[11:35.97]you have just heard.[11:38.46]23. What do we learn about the woman’s daughter Liz?[11:56.85]24. What does the woman say about her youngest child Christopher? [12:15.89]25. What can we conclude from the conversation?[12:34.61]Section B[12:35.97]Directions: In this section,[12:38.91]you will hear 3 short passages,[12:41.53]at the end of each passage,[12:43.46]you will hear some questions.[12:45.64]Both the passage and the questions[12:47.87]will be spoken only once.[12:50.46]After you hear a question,[12:52.27]you must choose the best answer[12:54.14]from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D).[12:59.79]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2[13:03.90]with a single line through the centre[13:07.62]Passage One[13:08.82]Years ago, when I was a young assistant professor[13:13.01]at the Harvard Business School,[13:14.76]I thought that the key to developing managerial leadership[13:18.89]lay in raw brain power.[13:21.55]I thought the role of business schools[13:24.26]was to develop future managers[13:26.51]who knew all about the various functions of business.[13:30.64]My thinking gradually became tempered[13:33.68]by living and working outside the United States[13:37.24]and by serving seven years as a college president.[13:41.28]During my presidency of Babson College,[13:44.36]I added several traits or skills[13:47.08]that I felt a good manager must possess.[13:49.96]The first is the ability to express oneself[13:53.35]in a clear, articulate fashion.[13:56.28]Good oral and written communication skills[13:58.77]are absolutely essential[14:00.67]if one is to be an effective manager.[14:03.81]Second, one must possess the required set of qualities[14:07.51]called leadership skills.[14:10.10]To be a good leader,[14:12.09]one must understand and be sensitive to people[14:14.98]and be able to inspire them[14:16.89]toward the achievement of common goals.[14:20.14]Next, I concluded that effective managers[14:22.92] must be broad human beings[14:25.43]who not only understand the world of business[14:28.27]but also have a sense of the cultural, social, political, historical, [14:32.76]and the international aspects of life and society.[14:36.77]This suggests that exposure to the liberal arts and humanities [14:41.52]should be part of every manager’s education.[14:44.89]Finally, as I pondered the business and government-related scandals [14:49.59]that have occupied the front pages of newspapers,[14:52.31]it became clear that a good manager in today’s world[14:56.28]must have courage and a strong sense of integrity.[15:00.35]He must know where to draw the line[15:02.74]between right and wrong.[15:04.82]Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage[15:09.49]you have just heard.[15:11.53]26. What did the speaker use to think[15:15.58]business schools should do to produce managers?[15:32.40]27. What might change the speak er’s viewpoint?[15:51.49]28. What does the speaker stress as part of manager’s education? [16:11.27]29. What convinced the speaker[16:14.31]that managers need a sense of integrity?[16:31.60]Passage Two[16:33.02]With top colleges charging[16:35.24]as much as $50 000 per year,[16:38.17]the idea that students may spend their first two years[16:41.53]learning next-to-nothing[16:43.12]is enough to make parents pause.[16:46.04]How can you make that investment worthwhile?[16:48.76]And does going to college really make you smarter?[16:51.74]It depends on what you study[16:53.26]and whether you study enough.[16:56.26]A discussion at The New York Times this week tackled the issue, [16:59.89]with several academics weighing in on whether college is worthwhile, [17:03.76]and whether schools are dumbing down their curricula[17:06.36]to appeal to more people.[17:08.81]In their new book, Academically Adrift,[17:11.98]sociologists Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa found that[17:16.82]32 percent of the students they followed[17:19.50]did not take “any courses[17:21.38]with more than 40 pages of reading per week”[17:23.95]in a typical semester,[17:25.84]and half of the students didn’t take “any courses[17:29.13]in which they had to write mor e than 20 pages for the class”.[17:32.68]Using these criteria,[17:34.24]they determined that 45 percent of college students[17:37.82]make little academic progress[17:40.10]during the first two years of a four-year degree.[17:43.62]Their research raises a few red flags.[17:46.84]On the one hand,[17:48.27]is it any surprise that a public school system forced to[17:51.31] “teach to the test” produces large numbers of students[17:54.91]who are unwilling to think analytically,[17:57.52]learn on their own, or write a research paper?[18:00.94]On the other,[18:02.00]does the number of pages read plus the number of pages written [18:05.61]equals an accurate assessment of academic progress?[18:09.23]A literature or history major, for instance,[18:12.23]would have far more reading to do than a math major,[18:15.85]but the math workload isn’t lighter lifting[18:18.00]just because it involves reading fewer pages per week.[18:22.12]Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage[18:26.70]you have just heard.[18:29.07]30. Why do parents hesitate to[18:33.16]pay for their kids’ college education according to the speaker? [18:50.58]31. What does the survey by the two sociologists[18:55.52]show about the students?[19:11.45]32. What does the speaker imply[19:15.15]about the research by the two sociologists?[19:32.60]Passage Three[19:34.58]Entertaining a close circle of friends[19:37.10]isn’t usually difficult.[19:39.10]You all know each other[19:40.74]so there’s no problem about conv ersation.[19:43.24]And even if the food is a bit sketchy,[19:45.58]no one really minds because they’ve come to see you,[19:48.35]not get a free meal.[19:50.00]Well, most of them anyway.[19:52.29]It’s the guests you don’t know very well[19:54.83]who present unexpectable traps.[19:57.23]Therefore, in such categories,[19:59.68]as the new husband or wife,[20:01.90]boyfriend or girlfriend of an intimate friend,[20:04.63]the business acquaintances[20:06.42]who may be useful to your career,[20:08.58]worst of all, the totally unpredicted friend of a friend,[20:14.36]my advice in such cases is[20:16.67]if you’re an indifferent cook,[20:19.28]don’t do any cooking.[20:21.33]It’s far better to stick to coffee and drinks,[20:24.07]with a few expensive biscuits on the side.[20:26.92]You can always plead that your flat is too small[20:29.86]for more than two to eat comfortably,[20:31.92]that you get home too late to prepare a decent meal,[20:35.40]that your oven is on the blink.[20:37.61]Any reasonable excuses will do,[20:39.62]even it’s not believed.[20:42.12]If you fancy yourself as a cook,[20:44.46]and are anxious to make a good impression,[20:46.66]do your homework first.[20:49.16]Nothing is more discouraging than[20:51.50]to spend hours preparing a delicious meat dish followed by, [20:55.47]say, fresh strawberries,[20:57.18]only to discover that your first-time guest is[21:00.03]a strict vegetarian or is on a slimming diet.[21:04.24]This may result in the rest of you tucking into a vast meal [21:07.71]while your guest toys suspiciously with a few sides of tomato. [21:12.46]“No, thank you,[21:13.67]I won’t have any creamed carrots out for my waist line.”[21:18.86]Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage[21:22.92]you have just heard.[21:25.59]33. What kind of guest is most likely to give you a hard time [21:31.46]according to the speaker?[21:47.41]34. What should you do before preparing a meal for your guests? [22:07.55]35. What is the speaker mainly talking about?[22:47.09]Section C[22:48.38]Directions: In this section,[22:51.17]you will hear a passage three times.[22:53.75]When the passage is read for the first time,[22:56.05]you should listen carefully for its general idea.[22:59.07]When the passage is read for the second time,[23:01.59]you are required to fill in the blanks[23:04.16]numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words[23:08.29]you have just heard.[23:09.76]For blanks numbered from 44 to 46[23:12.77]you are required to fill in the missing information.[23:15.99]For these blanks,[23:17.10]you can either use the exact words[23:18.93]you have just heard[23:20.11]or write down the main points[23:21.82]in your own words.[23:23.40]Finally, when the passage is read for the third time,[23:27.27]you should check what you have written.[23:29.76]Now listen to the passage.[23:33.58]People with disabilities[23:34.96]comprise a large but diverse segment of the population.[23:38.83]It is estimated that[23:40.60]over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. [23:45.63]Approximately half of these disabilities are “developmental,” [23:49.86]i.e., they occur prior to the individual’s twenty-second birthday, [23:54.70]often from genetic conditions,[23:57.19]and are severe enough to affect three or more areas of development, [24:01.64]such as mobility, communication and employment.[24:05.17]Most other disabilities are considered accidental,[24:08.39]i.e., caused by outside forces.[24:11.29]Before the 20th century,[24:13.34]only a small percentage of people[24:15.41]with disabilities survived for long.[24:18.28]Medical treatment for such conditions as[24:20.29]stroke or spinal cord injury was unavailable.[24:23.81]People whose disabilities[24:25.25]should not have inherently affected their life span[24:27.74]were often so mistreated that they perished.[24:31.25]Advancements in medicine and social services[24:33.66]have created a climate in which people with disabilities[24:37.09]can expect to have such basic needs as[24:39.96]food, shelter and medical treatment met.[24:43.12]Unfortunately, these basics are often all that is available.[24:47.31]Civil liberties such as the right to[24:49.62]vote, marry, get an education, and gain employment[24:53.26]have historically been denied on the basis of disability.[24:57.02]In recent decades,[24:59.44]the disability rights movement has been organized[25:01.95]to combat these violations of civil rights.[25:04.86]Disabled people formed grassroots coalitions[25:08.08]to advocate their rights to integration[25:10.47]and meaningful equality of opportunity.[25:12.74]Congress responded by passing major legislation,[25:15.54]recognizing people with disabilities as a protected class.[25:19.99]In the mid-1970s, critical legislation mandated (规定)[25:23.73]access to education, public transportation, and public facilities, [25:27.99]and prohibited employment discrimination[25:30.56]by federal agencies or employers receiving federal funds.[25:34.63]Now the passage will be read again.[25:38.16]People with disabilities[25:40.22]comprise a large but diverse segment of the population.[25:44.56]It is estimated that[25:46.10]over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. [25:52.14]Approximately half of these disabilities are “developmental,” [25:56.19]i.e., they occur prior to the individual’s twenty-second birthday, [26:01.08]often from genetic conditions,[26:03.19]and are severe enough to affect three or more areas of development, [26:07.50]such as mobility, communication and employment.[26:11.00]Most other disabilities are considered accidental,[26:14.26]i.e., caused by outside forces.[26:17.71]Before the 20th century,[26:19.78]only a small percentage of people[26:21.80]with disabilities survived for long.[26:24.15]Medical treatment for such conditions as[26:26.52]stroke or spinal cord injury was unavailable.[26:29.85]People whose disabilities[26:31.57]should not have inherently affected their life span[26:34.20]were often so mistreated that they perished.[26:38.14]Advancements in medicine and social services[26:41.04]have created a climate in which people with disabilities[26:44.71]can expect to have such basic needs as[26:47.83]food, shelter and medical treatment met.[26:50.79][27:59.30]Unfortunately, these basics are often all that is available.[28:03.32]Civil liberties such as the right to[28:05.67]vote, marry, get an education, and gain employment[28:09.49]have historically been denied on the basis of disability.[28:14.14]In recent decades,[28:15.77]the disability rights movement has been organized[28:19.15]to combat these violations of civil rights.[28:21.98][29:36.26]Disabled people formed grassroots coalitions[29:39.09]to advocate their rights to integration[29:41.67]and meaningful equality of opportunity.[29:44.77]Congress responded by passing major legislation,[29:48.54]recognizing people with disabilities as a protected class.[29:53.07][31:04.69]In the mid-1970s, critical legislation mandated (规定)[31:08.60]access to education, public transportation, and public facilities, [31:13.62]and prohibited employment discrimination[31:17.08]by federal agencies or employers receiving federal funds.[31:23.66]Now the passage will be read for the third time.[31:27.65]People with disabilities[31:29.15]comprise a large but diverse segment of the population.[31:33.13]It is estimated that[31:34.82]over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. [31:39.98]Approximately half of these disabilities are “developmental,” [31:44.14]i.e., they occur prior to the individual’s twenty-second birthday, [31:48.93]often from genetic conditions,[31:51.33]and are severe enough to affect three or more areas of development, [31:55.86]such as mobility, communication and employment.[31:59.62]Most other disabilities are considered accidental,[32:02.54]i.e., caused by outside forces.[32:05.50]Before the 20th century,[32:07.60]only a small percentage of people[32:09.61]with disabilities survived for long.[32:12.56]Medical treatment for such conditions as[32:14.35]stroke or spinal cord injury was unavailable.[32:18.05]People whose disabilities[32:19.49]should not have inherently affected their life span[32:22.20]were often so mistreated that they perished.[32:25.34]Advancements in medicine and social services[32:28.33]have created a climate in which people with disabilities[32:31.37]can expect to have such basic needs as[32:33.99]food, shelter and medical treatment met.[32:37.43]Unfortunately, these basics are often all that is available.[32:41.30]Civil liberties such as the right to[32:43.89]vote, marry, get an education, and gain employment[32:47.45]have historically been denied on the basis of disability.[32:51.57]In recent decades,[32:53.42]the disability rights movement has been organized[32:56.17]to combat these violations of civil rights.[32:59.26]Disabled people formed grassroots coalitions[33:02.18]to advocate their rights to integration[33:04.59]and meaningful equality of opportunity.[33:06.74]Congress responded by passing major legislation,[33:09.75]recognizing people with disabilities as a protected class. [33:13.97]In the mid-1970s, critical legislation mandated (规定) [33:17.95]access to education, public transportation, and public facilities, [33:22.17]and prohibited employment discrimination[33:24.48]by federal agencies or employers receiving federal funds. [33:29.62]This is the end of listening comprehension.。

2012年12月大学英语四级真题听力原文答案与解析

2012年12月大学英语四级真题听力原文、答案及解析Section A11W: I just heard about a really beautiful park in the east end of the town. There are a lot of roses in bloom.M: Why don’t we walk over there and see for ourselves?Q: What will the speakers probably do?12M: My presentation is scheduled for 9:30 tomorrow morning at the lecture hall. I hope to see you there.W: Oh, sorry. I was about to tell you that I have an appointment with my dentist at 9 o’clock tomorrow.Q: What do we learn about the woman?13W: How long have you been running this company?M: Twenty years if you can believe that. I brought it from a small operation to what it is today.Q: What do we learn about the man?14M: Have you read the news on the campus net? Susan has won the scholarship for next year.W: I knew she would from the very beginning. Such a brilliant and diligent girl! She certainly deserves it.Q: What does the woman mean?15W: Taking a bus to Miami is cheaper than going by train.M: That’s true. But I’d rather pay a little mor e for the added comfort and convenience.Q: What does the man mean?16M: I think it’s time we got rid of all this old furniture.W: You’re right. We need to promote our image besides it’s not as if it’s a real antique.Q: What do the speakers mean?17’t make it home.M: Yeah，most of the roads to my house were flooded. I didn’t get home from the lab until midnight. Q: What do we learn from the conversation?18W: My boys are always complaining that they’re bored.M: Why don’t you get them into some team sports? My son and daughter play soccer every Saturday. And they both look forward to it all week.Q: What does the man mean?11 ［预测］做什么？如何去公园；去公园赏花；去市场买花；种树。

2012月12月六级考试真题(第二套)作文及听力答案解析

2012年12月六级考试真题（第二套）作文及听力答案解析Part I WritingSection A11. M: I’d like to go camping with you thisweekend, but I don’t have a sleeping bag.W: No problem. You can count on me to get one for you. My family has tons ofcamping gear.Q: What does the woman mean? 11.【听前预测】选项中的weekend，sleeping bag，campinggear等提示，对话可能与周末出去野营有关。

A)说的是她可以找男士帮忙，C)说的是她可以帮男士，两者意思相反，根据命题规律，A)或C)为答案的可能性大。

【解析】选C)。

对话中男士说很乐意周末跟女士去野营但没睡袋。

女士回答说没问题，男士可以找她要（You can count on me…），因为她家有很多野营用具。

由此可知，女士会借睡袋给男士，故答案为C)。

count on意为“依靠，指望”。

12. M: I know I promised to drive you to theairport next Thursday, but I’m afraidsomething has come up. They’ve called aspecial meeting at work.W: No big deal. Karen said she was available as a back-up.Q: What does the woman mean? 12.【听前预测】从A)和B)中的The man should，keep hiswords，She regrets，asking the man for help推测，对话可能与男士没有实现帮助女士的承诺有关，女士的话为听音重点。

2012年12月六级真题（文都版）：听力与阅读

Part Ⅲ Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

11. A) Look for a more suitable job.B) Accept the extra work willingly.C) Trade places with someone else.D) Ask his boss for a lighter schedule.12. A) He does not believe what the woman has told him.B) He is uncertain where his wife is at the moment.C) It is unusual for his wife to be at home now.D) It is strange for his wife to call him at work.13. A) The man is going to send out the memo tomorrow.B) The man will drive the woman to the station.C) The woman is concerned with the man’s health.D) The speakers are traveling by train tomorrow morning.14. A) A suite was booked instead of a double room.B) The room booked was on a different floor.C) The room booked was not spacious enough.D) The suite booked was for a different date.15. A) The fierce competition they face.B) The reason for low profits.C) The company’s sales policy.D) The lack of effective promotion.16. A) Do some shopping on their way home.B) Have the groceries delivered to them.C) Go and get the groceries at once.D) Manage with what they have.17. A) The problem with the air conditioner.B) The hot weather in summer.C) The atmosphere in the office.D) The ridiculous rules of the office.18. A) Find the priceless jewel she lost.B) Buy a ring with precious diamond.C) Set a new stone in her ring.D) Shop on Oxford Street for a decent gift.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. A) Damaging public facilities C) Organizing rallies in the parkB) Hurting baby animals in the zoo D) Destroying urban wildlife20. A) The serious consequences of his doings were not fully realized.B) His behaviour was thought to have resulted from mental illness.C) He had bribed the park keepers to keep quiet.D) People had differing opinions about his behaviour21. A) BrutalC) JustifiableB) Too HarshD) Well-deserved22.A) Organising people against the authorities.B) Stealing endangered animals from the zoo.C) Encouraging others to follow his wrong doing.D) Attacking the park keepers in broad daylight.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23.A) She is good at foreign languages.C) She is fond of practical courses.B) She has already left school. D) She works for the handicapped.24.A) He speaks French and German.C)He is interested in science courses.B)He attends a boarding school.D)He is the brightest of her three kids.25.A) Comprehensive schools do not offer quality education.B) Children from low income families can’t really choose schools.C) Public schools are usually bigger in size than private schools.D) Parents decide what schools their children are to attend.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C), and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。