英语六级真题听力原文

合集下载

2023年12月大学英语六级考试听力原文(第2套)

2023年12月大学英语六级考试听力原文(第2套)

2023年12月大学英语六级考试听力原文(第2套)Conversation One.So, I've been thinking, this summer, instead of our usual holiday rental, I'd like to try renting a camper van and exploring a bit more.A camper van? You mean to spend the summer living out of a car?Yes, a camper van. And no, it's nothing like living out of a car. These are proper vans with full size beds to sleep in. Some even have kitchens.This way, we wouldn't have to be locked into one place during our holiday. We'd be able to visit so many more places and travel at our own pace. The rates of most hotels and holiday homes really soar in the summer anyway.We'd probably save a lot of money as well.I think my grandfather had a van like that. It doesn't sound that appealing to me.Today's camper vans are completely different.These days, they're equipped with all the modern comforts.I've seen quite a few with solar panels that provide electricity for when you're stopped.This way, you can still use your computer or charge your phone.And most even have Wi-Fi, so if the weather's not great, you could stream videos.I'm warming up to the idea. Keep talking.Loads of people are committing to this trend full time. Check it out online.Lots of people stream videos of their alternative lifestyles and actually earn a salary.Imagine having that kind of freedom to go anywhere you want and work from anywhere in the world.Okay, we can consider it. As long as the basic needs like toilet and showers are covered, I'm definitely in.Do you think there will be enough room for my mountain bike? What about food delivery?Will we be able to order to the van? Will there be enough space for the dog?We wouldn't want to leave him behind.Slow down. Glad you're excited about it. Let's start by looking at what's available first.Questions 1 and 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard. Question 1: What has the woman been thinking of doing for this summer? Question 2: What do we learn about the man's grandfather from the conversation?Question 3:What can many camper vans do nowadays according to the woman?Question 4: What idea does the woman find attractive?Conversation Two.You wanted to see me?Yes, I'll get straight to the point.Over the past month or so, it has become apparent that your performance has dipped.You've been late to work several times these past few weeks, which is very uncharacteristic of you.But what really concerns me is your curtailed output.Lately, you seem to be constantly one step behind. What's going on?I'm sorry, I'm going through some unfortunate family issues at the moment. It's a personal matter, so if you don't mind, I much prefer we don't get into it.Nevertheless, I expect it to have all blown over in another month or so. Do you need some time off?Actually, yes. Would it be possible to take the next two Mondays off?I was deliberating whether I should ask for this, but now that we're here. Sure thing. But if you needed some leave, why didn't you ask for it earlier? I'm not sure why. I guess I kind of felt bad asking for it.You shouldn't feel bad asking for leave, especially if you need it.I know. You're right. I'm sorry.You've been with us almost five years, and I personally really value your proficiency at your job.It makes my job far easier. In addition, I can assure you that management as a whole also holds you in high regard.Thank you.What I need is for you to be back at your 100%. Are you sure taking two Mondays off will suffice?It'll be enough. I'm sure of it.Okay, good. So this is what we're going to do.You will take those days off, and I expect that you will gradually come back to your usual self.Then, in two months time, we will catch up again to see how you are faring. Sounds good. Thank you for your understanding.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard. Question 5:What do we learn about the woman from the man's description? Question 6: What does the woman say she's experiencing at the moment? Question 7: What does the man say makes his job far easier?Question 8: What agreement have the speakers reached by the end of the conversation?Passage One.There are many factors that impact our health.These include our finances, our emotions, and the way we work. Education is one such factor.Research suggests that higher levels of education can lead to better health and even greater longevity.But what about the education of your partner?New research seeks to answer this question.Researchers use data from a longitudinal study.The data came from surveys first administered to high school seniors in 1957.The surveys ended in 2011.The team found that a person whose spouse had a higher level of education tended to report better health.This remained the case when adjusting for other factors, such as participants own education, social background, and health status before and after marriage.The authors suggest that high levels of education provide shared social, intellectual, emotional, and financial resources.These include things like higher levels of emotional intelligence, particular skills or knowledge, or more money.The researchers concede that an individual's own level of education is clearly important for their health, but they assert that individuals also can reap the benefits of their partner's education.It is noteworthy that the effects varied by gender.For women, health was more closely correlated to their spouse's education than for men.The team suggests this may be related to the time period of the study. Women in this sample had lower levels of education and lower occupational achievements than the men.The researcher's hypothesis is that this made the husband's resources more likely to have a shared impact.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard. Question 9:What does research suggest about a higher level of education? Question 10: What do we learn from the finding of the new research? Question 11:What does the passage say about the men in the sample of the new research?Passage Two.Climate scientists predict that many parts of the world will be increasingly prone to floods.This is a serious risk to human lives and property, so understanding and accurately forecasting flood risks is a key challenge for vulnerable cities around the globe.In 2017, Derek Roloftis of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science started a project called Catch the King.It uses a smartphone app. to collect the data of ordinary citizens during high tides.He'll use those data to validate and improve his mathematical flooding model called Tide Watch.Loftus mission is to know where the water goes before it goes there. But collecting necessary data and then processing that information quickly enough to make usable forecasts is anything but easy. Accurate flood forecasts require an understanding of the situation on the ground.By the early 2000s, supercomputing had advanced enough that scientists could integrate weather forecasting models with such measurements. But they still didn't have the critically important ability to forecast fast moving floods in real time.So, in 2017, Loftis and colleagues set up a group of 28 internet connected water level sensors throughout the flood risk community of Norfolk, Virginia.The new sensors relay rough measurements about water height and movement to a computer at the Virginia Institute.Along with those sensors, hundreds of local citizens take photos of rising tides and transmit them real time to the Institute.Scientists hope that the data collected by these citizens can help sharpen the ability to forecast exactly when and where damaging floods will occur. Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard. Question 12:What is said to be a key challenge for cities prone to floods? Question 13: For what purpose does Derek Loftis collect the data of ordinary citizens during high tides?Question 14: What does the passage say is Derek Loftis's mission? Question 15: What did Loftis and his colleagues do to obtain data about water height and movement?Recording One.Now, it's become something of a ritual to debate the value of a college degree, but as current population survey data show, there has been a sharp decline in employment among men without college degrees compared with those who have them.This decline began in the 1960s and has become more serious over time. What has actually caused this decline?Well, economists have been working to ascertain the roots of the decline for decades and have come up with several theories.One popular theory is that it's a case of too low wages for jobs that don't require a degree.An alternate theory is that there were more jobs not requiring a college degree in the past than now.A recent working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Researchreviewed those theories and put forward additional hypotheses about the causes of the problem.Let's look at that paper now.First, the researchers considered the issue of wages.As the wage gap has grown between those with college degrees and those without, economists have suggested that men aren't as interested in taking some of the less lucrative jobs.While the authors of the paper found truth in this explanation, they assert that low wages can't be the only factor, as wages for men without college degrees, adjusting for inflation, haven't changed much since the 1960s, making it hard to see why fewer men seem willing to accept those wages. This leads to the second theory, that more jobs require a college degree today than in the past.Indeed, that theory seems valid, because in America today, 2/3 of jobs are filled by workers with at least some college education. However, the authors of the paper argue that there are other factors amplifying the problem.They identified two new potential explanations.The first being the tremendous decline in marriage among men without college degrees since the 1960s.And the second, being the increase in women participating in the workforce that was concurrent with the decline in marriage.These two changes mean that men might not have families to support, or if they do, their wives might be doing more of the providing, both of which might remove the financial incentive to work.The authors of the paper concede that research on the subject isn't complete, but they argue that their work supports the value of a college education.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard. Question 16:What does the speaker say has become something of a ritual? Question 17:What did the researchers of a recent working paper consider first?Question 18:What did the recent paper identify as a new potential explanation ofthe problem concerning men's employment?Recording Two.While an increasing number of people are trying to eat less meat, a market research team has found in its latest fashion and sustainability report that the trend is now spreading from kitchen to closet.It found animal welfare came top of a list of issues that people considered before buying clothes, with 42% saying it was important to them.The researchers of the team predicted that the next year would see a boom in animal free shoe collections, since they heard shoppers of all ages say they would buy footwear designated as vegan, meaning the goods wereproduced without using any animal or animal part.As well as being on trend, and with a much better ring to it than synthetic leather, the vegan label does convey an important extra distinction. If you label something as vegan, then the whole product needs to be animal free.That means checking things like the glue that holds the shoe together, for example, and the chemicals used for finishing them.At the top end, some of the world renowned fashion designers have avoided leather and fur for some time.In fact, some of the companies are now exploring a leather substitute and a silk replacement made from mushrooms.The Animal Free Product Society says they've seen a boom in products registered with the vegan trademark.In 2018, there were 119. So far this year, it says, an unprecedented 1,956 have been registered.New products are being added daily. There are fur coats that are vegan. Plastic vegan belts and shoes made from tree bark or natural rubber labelled vegan.These new products aren't coming at an extra cost to consumers though. Vegan boots cost the same as the leather originals.New Look, one of the first reputable store chains to use the vegan trademark, prices ballet shoes at 7.99 and the vegan laptop handbag at 29.99, comparable with its other products.This signifies a change. In the past, ethical products, whether they were fair trade or organic, came at a premium.However, it is unclear whether these new products can be considered ethical.The debate over durability, crop growing impacts, pollution and recyclability is a complicated one.Not to mention the ethics around the working conditions for people making the products, whatever the component materials.Environmental campaigners advise that the best approach is to buy less, never mind what the item is made of.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard. Question 19:What has a market research team found in its latest fashion and sustainability report?Question 20:What have some world-renowned fashion designers done for some time?Question 21:What does the speaker say is unclear concerning vegan products?Recording Three.By the end of 2016, anyone who had been paying even passing attention to the news headlines was highly likely to conclude that everything wasterrible, and that the world was going to hell.It was easy to feel depressed by the wars in different parts of the world, the spread of deadly viruses, or terror attacks.Yet, 2016 was the best year in the history of humanity.Child mortality was roughly half what it was as recently as 1990.And 300,000 more people gained access to electricity each day.Every single measure of material and environmental welfare in America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the world as a whole has improved rather than deteriorated.We are living in history's most peaceful era, with violence of all kinds in steep decline.Those are the facts. So why aren't we all optimists?In a 2015 survey for YouGov, 65% of British people and 81% of the French said they thought the world was getting worse.However, according to numerous sensible statistics, these people are simply wrong.Nobody in their right mind should wish to have lived in a previous century. Yet people do. Why?Our prevailing mood of despair is irrational.It says more about us than it does about how things really are.It is best explained as the result of various psychological biases that served a purpose for our evolutionary ancestors.But now, in a media saturated era, constantly mislead us.Once upon a time, it was of great survival value to be worried about everything that could go wrong.This is what makes bad news especially compelling.In our evolutionary past, it was a very good thing that our attention could be easily seized by negative information, since it might well indicate a dangerous risk to our own survival.The caveman who always assumed there was a lion behind the next rock would usually be wrong, but he'd be much more likely to survive and reproduce than one who always assumed the opposite.But that was all before newspapers, television and the internet.In today's hyper connected times, our addiction to bad news just leads us to vacuum up depressing or enraging stories from across the globe. Whether these news stories threaten us or not, we conclude that things are much worse than they actually are.Really good news, on the other hand, can be a lot harder to spot in a newspaper because predictable daily events by definition aren't news. Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard. Question 22: What is one of the facts stated by the speaker?Question 23: What do we learn about most British and French people in a 2015 survey for YouGov?Question 24: What does our prevailing mood of despair indicate?Question 25: What was a very good thing in our evolutionary past?。

2023年12月英语六级听力原文含翻译第二套

2023年12月英语六级听力原文含翻译第二套

翻译在最终Conversation OneM: Guess what? The worst food I've ever had was in France.W.Really.That'.odd..though.th.Frenc.wer.al.goo.cooks.M.Yes.That'.right..suppos.it'.reall.lik.anywher.else.though.Yo.kno w.som.place.ar.good.Som.bad.Bu.it'.reall.al.ou.ow.fault.W: What do you mean?M.Well.i.wa.th.firs.tim.I'.bee.t.France.Thi.wa.year.ag.whe..wa.a.sc hool..wen.ther.wit.m.parents.friends.fro.m.father'.school.They'.hire..c oac.t.tak.the.t.Switzerland.W: A school trip?M.Right.Mos.o.the.ha.neve.bee.abroa.before.We'.crosse.th.Englis. Channe.a.night.an.w.se.of.throug.France.an.breakfas.tim.arrived.an.t h.coac.drive.ha.arrange.fo.u.t.sto.a.thi.littl.café.Ther.w.al.were.tire.an.hungry.an.the.w.mad.th.grea.discovery.W: What was that?M: Bacon and eggs.W: Fantastic! The real English breakfast.M.Yes.Anyway.w.didn'.kno.an.better.s.w.ha.it.an.ugh...!W: What was it like? Disgusting?M.Oh.i.wa.incredible.The.jus.go..bow.an.pu.som.fa.i.it.An.the.the.pu.som.baco.i.th.fat.brok.a.eg.ove.th.to.an.pu.th.whol.lo.i.th.ove.fo.a bou.te.minutes.W.I.th.oven.You'r.joking.Yo.can'.coo.baco.an.egg.i.th.oven!M.Well.The.mus.hav.don.i.tha.way.I.wa.hot.bu.i.wasn'.cooked.The r.wa.jus.thi.eg.floatin.abou.i.gallon.o.fa.an.ra.bacon.W: Did you actually eat it?M.No.Nobod.did.The.al.wante.t.tur.roun.an.g.home.Yo.know.bac.t. teabag.an.fis.an.chips.Yo.can'.blam.the.really.Anyway.th.nex.nigh.w. wer.al.give.anothe.foreig.speciality.W: What was that?M.Snails.Tha.reall.finishe.the.off.Lovel.holida.tha.was!Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.Questio.1.Wha.di.th.woma.thin.o.th.French?Questio.2.Wh.di.th.ma.trave.wit.o.hi.firs.tri.t.Switzerland?Questio.3.Wha.doe.th.ma.sa.abou.th.breakfas.a.th.littl.Frenc.café?Questio.4.Wha.di.th.ma.thin.o.hi.holida.i.France?Conversation TwoM.Yo.sa.you.sho.ha.bee.doin.well.Coul.yo.giv.m.som.ide.o.wha.“doin.well.mean.i.fact.an.figures?W.Well.“doin.well.mean.averagin.£1,lio.pounds.An.“s.year.w.di.slightl.ove.50,00.an.thi.y ear.w.hop.t.d.mor.tha.60,000.So.that'.goo.i.w.continu.t.rise.M.Now.that'.gros.earnings..assume.Wha.abou.you.expenses?W.Yes.that'.gross.Th.expenses.o.course.g.u.steadily.An.sinc.we'v.move.t.t hi.ne.shop.th.expense.hav.increase.greatly.becaus.it'..muc.bigge.shop.S..coul dn'.sa.exactl.wha.ou.expense.are.The.ar.somethin.i.th.regio.o.si.o.seve.thous merciall.speaking.it'.fairl.low.an.w.tr.t.kee. ou.expense.a.lo.a.w.can.M.An.you.price.ar.muc.lowe.tha.th.sam.good.i.shop.roun.about.Ho.d.th.lo ca.shopkeeper.fee.abou.havin..sho.doin.s.wel.i.thei.midst?W.Perhap..lo.o.the.don'.realiz.ho.wel.w.ar.doing.becaus.w.don'.mak..poin. o.publicizing.Tha.wa..lesso.w.learne.ver.earl.on.W.wer.ver.friendl.wit.al.loca.sh opkeeper.an.w.happene.t.mentio.t..loca.shopkeepe.ho.muc.w.ha.mad.tha.wee k.H.wa.ver.unhapp.an.neve.a.friendl.again.S.w.mak..poin.o.neve.publicizin.th. amoun.o.mone.w.make.Bu.w.ar.o.ver.goo.term.wit.al.th.shops.Non.o.the.hav. plaine.tha.w.ar.puttin.the.ou.o.busines.o.anythin.lik.that..thin.it'..nic.f riendl.relationship.Mayb.i.the.di.kno.wha.w.made.perhap.the.wouldn'.b.s.frien dly.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.Questio.5.Wha.ar.th.speaker.mainl.talkin.about?Questio.6.Wha.doe.th.woma.sa.he.sho.trie.t.do?Questio.7.Wha.d.w.lear.abou.th.good.sol.a.th.woman'.shop?Questio.8.Wh.doesn'.th.woma.wan.t.mak.know.thei.earning.anymore?Passage OneBirds are famous for carrying things around.Some, like homing pigeons, can be trained to deliver messages and packages.Other birds unknowingly carry seeds that cling to them for the ride.Canadian scientists have found a worrisome, new example of the power that birds have to spread stuff around.Way up north in the Canadian Arctic, seabirds are picking up dangerous chemicals in the ocean and delivering them to ponds near where the birds live.Some 10,000 pairs of the birds, called fulmars, a kind of Arctic seabird, make their nests on Devon Island, north of the Arctic Circle.The fulmars travel some 400 kilometers over the sea to find food.When they return home, their droppings end up all around their nesting sites, including in nearby ponds.Previously, scientists noticed pollutants arriving in the Arctic with the wind.Salmon also carry dangerous chemicals as the fish migrate between rivers and the sea.The bodies of fish and other meat-eaters can build up high levels of the chemicals.To test the polluting power of fulmars, researchers collected samples of deposit from 11 ponds on Devon Island.In ponds closest to the colony, the results showed there were far more pollutants than in ponds less affected by the birds.The pollutants in the ponds appear to come from fish that fulmars eat when they're out on the ocean.People who live, hunt, or fish near bird colonies need to be careful, the researchers say.The birds don't mean to cause harm, but the chemicals they carry can cause major problems.Questions 9 to 12 are based on the passage you have just heard.Questio.9.Wha.hav.Canadia.scientist.foun.abou.som.seabirds?Questio.10.Wha.doe.th.speake.sa.abou.th.seabird.calle.fulmars?Questio.11.Wha.di.scientist.previousl.notic.abou.pollutant.i.th.Arctic?Questio.12.Wha.doe.th.speake.war.abou.a.th.en.o.th.talk?Passage TwoIn recent years, the death rate among American centenarians—people who have lived to age 100 or older— has decreased, dropping 14 percent for women and 20 percent for men from 2023 to 2023.The leading causes of death in this age group are also changing.In 2023, the top five causes of death for centenarians were heart disease, stroke, flu, cancer and Alzheimer's disease.But by 2023, the death rate from Alzheimer's disease for this age group had more than doubled—increasing from 3.8 percent to 8.5 percent—making the progressive brain disease the second leading cause of death for centenarians.One reason for the rise in deaths from Alzheimer's disease in this group may be that developing this condition remains possible even after people beat the odds of dying from other diseases such as cancer.People physically fit enough to survive over 100 years ultimately give in to diseases such as Alzheimer's which affects the mind and cognitive function.In other words, it appears that their minds give out before their bodies do.On the other hand, the death rate from flu dropped from 7.4 percent in 2023 to 4.1 percent in 2023.That pushed flu from the third leading cause of death to the fifth.Overall, the total number of centenarians is going up.In 2023, there were 72,197 centenarians, compared to 50,281 in 2023.But because this population is getting larger, the number of deaths in this group is also increasing— 18,434 centenarians died in 2023, whereas 25,914 died in 2023.Questions 13 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.Questio.13.Wha.doe.th.speake.sa.abou.th.ris.o.dyin.fo.America.centenari an.i.recen.years?Questio.14.Wha.doe.th.speake.sa.abou.Alzheimer'.disease?Questio.15.Wha.i.characteristi.o.peopl.wh.liv.u.t.10.year.an.beyond?Recording OneOkay.S.let'.ge.started.And to start things off I think what we need to do is consider a definition.I'm going to define what love is but then most of the experiments I'm going to talk about are really focused more on attraction than love.And I'm going to pick a definition from a former colleague, Robert Sternberg, who is now the dean at Tufts University but was here on our faculty at Yale for nearly thirty years.And he has a theory of love that argues that it's made up of three components: intimacy, passion, and commitment, or what is sometimes called decision commitment.And these are relatively straightforward.He argued that you don't have love if you don't have all three of these elements.Intimacy is the feeling of closeness, of connectedness with someone, of bonding.Operationally, you could think of intimacy as you share secrets, you share information with this person that you don't share with anybody else.Okay.That'rmatio.tha.i sn'.share.wit.othe.people.The second element is passion.Passion is the drive that leads to romance.You can think of it as physical attraction.And Sternberg argues that this is a required component of a love relationship.The third element of love in Sternberg's theory is what he calls decision commitment, the decision that one is in a love relationship, the willingness to label it as such, and a commitment to maintain that relationship at least for some period of time.Sternberg would argue it's not love if you don't call it love and if you don't have some desire to maintain the relationship.So if you have all three of these, intimacy, passion and commitment, in Sternberg's theory you have love.Now what's interesting about the theory is what do you have if you only have one out of three or two out of three.What do you have and how is it different if you have a different two out of three?What's interesting about this kind of theorizing is it gives rise to many different combinations that can be quite interesting when you break them down and start to look them carefully.So what I've done is I've taken Sternberg's three elements of love, intimacy, passion and commitment, and I've listed out the different kinds of relationships you would have if you had zero, one, two or three out of the three elements.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.Questio.16.Wha.doe.th.speake.sa.abou.mos.o.th.experiment.mentione.i.h i.talk?Questio.17.Wha.doe.Rober.Sternber.argu.abou.love?Questio.18.Wha.questio.doe.th.speake.thin.i.interestin.abou.Sternberg'.th re.element.o.love?Recording TwoHi! I am Elizabeth Hoffler, Master of Social Work.I am a social worker, a lobbyist, and a special assistant to the executive director at the National Association of Social Workers.Today we are going to be talking about becoming a social worker.Social work is the helping profession.Its primary mission is to enhance human well-being and help meet thebasic needs of all people, with a particular focus on those who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.We often deal with complex human needs.Social work is different from other professions, because we focus on the person and environment.We deal with the external factors that impact a person's situation and outlook.And we create opportunity for assessment and intervention, to help clients and communities cope effectively with their reality and change that reality when necessary.In thousands of ways social workers help other people, people from every age, every background, across the country.Wherever needed, social workers come to help.The most well-known aspect of the profession is that of a social safety net.We help guide people to critical resources and counsel them on life-changing decisions.There are more than 600,000 professional social workers in the country, and we all either have a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, or a PhD in Social Work.There are more clinically trained social workers than clinically trained psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurses combined.Throughout this series you will learn more about the profession, the necessary steps to get a social work degree, the rich history of social work, and the many ways that social workers help others.Later in this series, you will hear from Stacy Collins and Mel Wilson, fellow social workers at the National Association of Social Workers.Stacy is going to walk you through the step-by-step process of becoming a social worker, and Mel will tell you about the range of options you have once you get your social work degree, as well as the high standards of responsibility he social workers must adhere to.The National Association of Social Workers represents nearly 145,000 social workers across the country.Our mission is to promote, protect, and advance the social work profession.We hope you enjoy this series about how you can make a difference by becoming a social worker.Next, we are going to talk about choosing social work.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the recording you have just heard.Questio.19.Wha.doe.th.speake.mainl.tal.about?Questio.20.Wha.d.socia.worker.mainl.do?mon.accordin.t.th.speaker?Questio.22.Wha.i.Me.Wilso.goin.t.tal.abou.i.th.series?Recording ThreeToday, I'd like to talk about what happens when celebrity role models get behind healthy habits, but at the same time, promote junk food.Currently, there's mounting criticism of Michelle Obama's “Let's Move!”campaign, which fights childhood obesity by encouraging youngsters to become more physically active, and has signed on singer Beyoncéand basketball player Shaquille O'Neal, both of whom also endorse sodas, which are a major contributor to the obesity epidemic.Now there's a lot more evidence of how powerful a celebrity— especially a professional athlete— can be in influencing children's behavior.In a report published by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, researchers studied 100 professional athletes and their endorsement contracts.The team focused on athletes since they are theoretically the best role models for active, healthy lifestyles for children.After sorting the deals by category, they determined that among the 512 brands associated with the athletes, most involved sporting goods, followed closely by food and beverage brands.Sports drinks, which are often high in sugar and calories made up most ofthe food and drink deals, with soft drinks and fast food filling out the remainder.Of the 46 beverages endorsed by professional athletes, 93% relied exclusively on sugar for all of their calories.It's no surprise that high-profile athletes can influence children's eating behaviors, but the scientists were able to quantify how prevalent these endorsements are in the children's environment.Advertisements featuring professional athletes and their endorsed products tend to get impressive exposure on TV, radio, in print and online.And in 2023, the researchers reported that children ages 12 to 17 saw more athlete-endorsed food and beverage brand commercials than adults.One reason any campaign wants a popular celebrity spokesperson is because kids are attracted to them no matter what they are doing.We can't expect kids to turn off that admiration when the same person is selling sugar.At best, kids might be confused.At worst, they'll think the messages about soda are the same as the messages about water, but those two beverages aren't the same.If children are turning to athletes as role models, it's in their best interest if their idols are consistent.Consistent messaging of positive behaviors will show healthier lifestylesfor kids to follow.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.Questio.23.Wha.i.th.ai.o.Michell.Obama'.campaign?Questio.24.Wha.doe.researc.fin.abou.advertisement.featurin.professiona. athletes?Questio.25.Wha.doe.th.speake.thin.kids.idol.shoul.do?对话一男: 你猜怎么着?我吃过旳最难吃旳食物是在法国吃旳。

2024年6月大学英语六级考试听力原文(第1套)

2024年6月大学英语六级考试听力原文(第1套)

2024年6月大学英语六级考试听力原文(第1套)Conversation One.Thank you for meeting with me, Stephen, at such a short notice.Not a problem, Margaret.Now please give me some good news. Have you agreed to my last proposal?I have indeed and I wish to sign the agreement, pending one small change to be made a contract.Margaret, we've been through this for almost a year now, back and forth making alterations.Are you sure you want to make a sponsorship deal for your clients or not?I ask this because frankly, some people at my end are running out of patience.I understand your concerns, but as I'm sure you understand, we hold our clients' best interests to be of the utmost concern.We therefore comb through the fine details of all contracts.Rest assured we all appreciate your firm's patience.Okay, fine. So what changes do you wish to make?Essentially, we would like the new deal to exclude the Middle East. That's all.The Middle East? Why?My client has a couple of other prospective marketing deals from companies in the Middle East.Those offers, should they materialize, would exclusively employ my client's image in the Middle East only.Therefore, in order to avoid any conflict, we would need to ensure that both marketing campaigns do not overlap geographically.What business sector in the Middle East are we talking about here? Real estate. Well, that should be okay then.So long as the product is very different from our food and beverage market, there should be no conflict of interest.Nevertheless, I will have to run this through my people.I don't foresee any problem, though.The Middle East is a negligible market for us.But I still need to check this with a couple of departments.Question 1: What does the woman say she will do?Question 2: What does the man say about some people he represents? Question 3: What reason does the woman give for the new deal to exclude the Middle East?Question 4: What does the man say about the Middle East?Conversation Two.Next, we have a special science-related new story. Paula Hancock is at the Denver Observatory.Paula, what is the big story over there?Hi, John. Yes, all the astronomers on site here are very excited.In fact, space enthusiasts all across North America and the rest of the Northern Hemisphere will be congregating on mountain tops tonight to watch the night's sky.Why? What's the big event? Is there an eclipse happening soon? Tonight, the Earth will come into close proximity with the Oppenheimer comet.It is the closest our planet has been to such a phenomenon in over 100 years.For this reason, it is expected that thousands of people will gaze up at the sky tonight in order to see this formidable object.How far away is this comet? Will people be able to see it with the naked eye?The Oppenheimer comet will still be millions of miles away on the edge of our galaxy.But nevertheless, this is a relatively close distance, close enough for people to observe in good detail through a telescope.People will only see a blur without one.However, that does not mean one needs professional equipment.Even the most ordinary of telescopes should be conducive for people to observe and wonder at this flying object.Many of our viewers will be wondering how they too can take part in this once-in-a-lifetime event.Where will this comet be in the sky? How can people find it?The comet will be almost exactly due north, at 60 degrees above the equator.However, finding the comet is indeed very tricky.And scientists here have told me there are plenty of phone apps that will facilitate this.How fantastic! Thank you, Paula, for the information.Question 5:What does the woman say about all the astronomers at the Denver Observatory?Question 6:What do we learn from the conversation about the Oppenheimer comet?Question 7:What does the woman say people will only see in the sky without a telescope?Question 8:What do scientists at the Denver Observatory advise amateurs do to facilitate their observation?Passage One.Dietary guidelines form the basis for nutrition advice and regulations around the world.While there is strong scientific consensus around most existingguidelines, one question has recently stirred debate: should consumers be warned to avoid ultra-processed foods?Two papers published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition outline the case for and against using the concept of "ultra-processed foods" to help inform dietary guidelines, beyond conventional food classification systems.The authors, Carlos Monteiro of the University of Sao Paulo and Arna Ostrup of Novo Nordisk Foundation, will discuss the issue in a live virtual debate, August 14th, during NUTRITION 2024 Live Online.The debate centers around a system developed by Monteiro and colleagues that classifies foods by their degree of industrial processing, ranging from unprocessed to ultra-processed.The system defines ultra-processed foods as those made using sequences of processes that extract substances from foods and alter them with chemicals in order to formulate the final product.Ultra-processed foods are characteristically designed to be cheap, tasty, and convenient.Examples include soft drinks and candy, packaged snacks and pastries, ready to heat products, and reconstituted meat products.Studies have linked consumption of ultra-processed foods, which are often high in salt, sugar, and fat, with weight gain and an increased risk of chronic diseases, even after adjusting for the amount of salt, sugar, and fat in the diet.While the mechanisms behind these associations are not fully understood, Monteiro argues that the existing evidence is sufficient to justify discouraging consumption of ultra-processed foods in dietary recommendations and government policies.Question 9: What question is said to have recently stirred debate? Question 10: How does the system developed by Monteiro and colleagues classify foods?Question 11:What is consumption of ultra-processed foods linked with, according to studies?Passage Two.Believe it or not, human creativity benefits from constraints. According to psychologists, when you have less to work with, you actually begin to see the world differently.With constraints, you dedicate your mental energy to acting more resourcefully.When challenged, you figure out new ways to be better.The most successful creative people know that constraints give their minds the impetus to leap higher.People who invent new products are not limited by what they don't have or can't do.They leverage their limitations to push themselves even further. Many products and services are created because the founders saw a limitation in what they use.They created innovation based on what was not working for them at the moment.Innovation is a creative person's response to limitation.In a 2015 study which examined how thinking about scarcity or abundance influences how creatively people use their resources, Ravi Mehta at the University of Illinois and Meng Zhu at Johns Hopkins University found that people simply have no incentive to use what's available to them in novel ways.When people face scarcity, they give themselves the freedom to use resources in less conventional ways because they have to.Obstacles can broaden your perception and open up your thinking processes. Consistent constraints help you improve the connecting unrelated ideas and concepts.Marissa Meyer, former vice president for search products and user experience at Google, once wrote in a publication on Bloomberg, "Constraints shape and focus problems and provide clear challenges to overcome; creativity thrives best when constrained."Question 12:What do psychologists say people do when they are short of resources?Question 13: What does the passage say about innovation?Question 14: What did a 2015 study by Ravi Mehta and Meng Zhu find? Question 15:What did Marissa Meyer once write concerning creativity?Recording One.Different people use different strategies for managing conflicts. These strategies are learned in childhood.Usually, we are not aware of how we act in conflict situations.We just do whatever seems to come naturally.But we do have a personal strategy, and because it is learned, we can always change it by learning new and more effective ways of managing conflicts. When you get involved in a conflict, there are two major concerns you have to take into account: achieving your personal goals and keeping a good relationship with the other person.How important your personal goals are and how important the relationship is to you affect how you act in a conflict.Given these two concerns, five styles of managing conflicts can be identified.1. The turtle.Turtles withdraw into their shells to avoid conflicts.They give up their personal goals and relationships.They believe it is easier to withdraw from a conflict than to face it.2. The shark.Sharks try to overpower opponents by forcing them to accept their solution to the conflict.They seek to achieve their goals at all costs.Sharks assume that conflicts are settled by one person winning and one person losing.Winning gives sharks a sense of pride and achievement.Losing gives them a sense of weakness, inadequacy, and failure.3. The teddy bear.Teddy bears want to be accepted and liked by other people.They think that conflict should be avoided in favor of harmony, and believe that conflicts cannot be discussed without damaging relationships. They give up their goals to preserve the relationship.4. The fox.Foxes are moderately concerned with their own goals and about their relationships with other people.They give up part of their goals and persuade the other person in a conflict to give up part of his goals.They seek a solution to conflicts where both sides gain something. 5. The owl.Owls view conflicts as problems to be solved.They see conflicts as improving relationships by reducing tension between two people.They try to begin a discussion that identifies the conflict as a problem. By seeking solutions that satisfy both themselves and the other person, owls maintain the relationship.Owls are not satisfied until a solution is found that achieves their own goals and the other person's goals, and they are not satisfied until the tensions and negative feelings have been fully resolved.Question 16: Why does the speaker say strategies for managing conflicts can always be changed?Question 17:What is said to affect the way one acts in a conflict? Question 18: Of the five styles the speaker discusses, which views conflicts as problems to be solved?Recording Two.The genetic code of all 1.5 million known species of animals and plants living on Earth will be mapped to help save species from extinction and boost human health.Scientists hope that cracking the genetic code of plants and animals could help uncover new treatments for infectious diseases, slow aging, improve crops and agriculture, and create new bio-materials.In Britain, organisations including the Natural History Museum, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew and the Wellcome Sanger Institute have joinedforces to sequence Britain's 66,000 species of animals and plants. Dubbed the Darwin Tree of Life Project, it is expected to take 10 years and cost 100 million pounds.Once completed, all the information will be publicly available to researchers.Many scientists believe that Earth has now entered the sixth mass extinction, with humans creating a toxic mix of habitation loss, pollution and climate change, which has already led to the loss of at least 77 species of mammals and 140 types of birds since 1500.It is the biggest loss of species since the dinosaurs were wiped out 66 million years ago.Scientists say that sequencing every species will revolutionize the understanding of biology and evolution, bolster efforts to conserve as well as protect and restore biodiversity.Dr. Tim Littlewood, head of Life Sciences Department at the Natural History Museum said, "Whether you are interested in food or disease, the history of how every organism on the planet has adapted to its environment is recorded in its genetic makeup.How you then harness that is dependent on your ability to understand it. We will be using modern methods to get a really good window on the present and the past.And of course, a window on the past gives you a prospective model on the future."Sir Jim Smith, Director of Science at Wellcome said, "Try as I might, I can't think of a more exciting, more relevant, more timely, or more internationally inspirational project.Since 1970, humanity has wiped out 60 percent of animal populations. About 23,000 of 80,000 species surveyed are approaching extinction. We are in the midst of the sixth great extinction event of life on our planet, which not only threatens wildlife species, but also imperils the global food supply.As scientists, we all realize we desperately need to catalogue life on our fragile planet now.I think we're making history."Question 19:What do scientists hope to do by cracking the genetic code of plants and animals?Question 20: What do many scientists believe with regard to Earth? Question 21: How does Sir Jim Smith, Director of Science at Wellcome, describe the Darwin Tree of Life Project?Recording Three.John Donne, the English poet, wrote in the 17th century, "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main."Now, a British academic has claimed that human individuality is indeed just an illusion, because societies are far more interconnected at a mental, physical, and cultural level than people realize.In his new book, The Self Delusion, Professor Tom Oliver, a researcher in the Ecology and Evolution group at the University of Reading, argues there is no such thing as "self", and not even our bodies are truly "us". Just as Copernicus realized the Earth is not the center of the universe, Professor Oliver said society urgently needs a Copernican-like revolution to understand people are not detached beings but rather part of one connected identity."A significant milestone in the cultural evolution of human minds was the acceptance that the Earth is not the center of the universe, the so-called Copernican Revolution," he writes.However, we have one more big myth to dispose of: that we exist as independent selves at the center of a subjective universe.You may feel as if you are an independent individual acting autonomously in the world; that you have unchanging inner self that persists throughout your lifetime, acting as a central anchor-point with the world changing around you.This is the illusion I seek to tackle. We are intimately connected to the world around us."Professor Oliver argues there are around 37 trillion cells in the body but most have a lifespan of just a few days or weeks, so the material "us" is constantly changing.In fact, there is no part of your body that has existed for more than ten years.Since our bodies are essentially made anew every few weeks, the material in them alone is clearly insufficient to explain the persistent thread of an identity.Professor Oliver claims that individualism is actually bad for society, and only by realizing we are part of a bigger entity can we solve pressing environmental and societal problems.Through selfish over-consumption we are destroying the natural world and using non-renewable resources at an accelerating rate."We are at a critical crossroads as a species where we must rapidly reform our mindsets and behavior to act in less selfish ways," he said."So let's open our eyes to the hidden connections all around us." Question 22: What is indeed just an illusion according to Professor Tom Oliver?Question 23:What does Professor Tom Oliver think of the idea that we exist as independent selves at the center of a subjective universe? Question 24:Why does Professor Tom Oliver claim that the material "us"is constantly changing?Question 25:How can we solve pressing environmental and societal problemsaccording to Professor Tom Oliver?。

完整版-2022年12月英语六级考试听力真题原文

完整版-2022年12月英语六级考试听力真题原文

完整版-2022年12月英语六级考试听力真题原文听力长对话真题原文Conversation1A:How's your dissertation going?I'm proofreading my first draft. And we'll submit it to my professor tomorrow.B:Oh,[Q1]I haven't even started writing mine yet.So I'm really worried dpout finishing by the end of next semester.A:You mean you haven't even begun yours yet?The final draft is due in five months.B:Of course[Q1]I've startedit,but I can't get to the writing yet,as I haven't found enough res migis to use.So I'm still researching the topic.A:Maybe the problem is the way you're doing your research.[Q2]I started by talking to my professor about where to look for information. And based on that,I found books in the library and a lot of reputable journal articles on the internet.B:I've tried all that,but don't have enough to write the dissertation. As my department's minimum length is70pages.I think the problem is that my topic isn't viable.And honestly,[Q3]my professor did warn me at the beginning,that I might not be able to find enough material.But I was so interested in the topicthat I didn't let his advice deter me.A:Well,I suggest you find a new topic.After all,our professors are here to guide us so it's best to listen to them.B:In retrospect,[Q3]IwishIhad listened to him,but I didn't.And now I don't want to give up my topic,as I've already invested so much time and energy.A:If you're committed to your current topic,maybe you could make some adjustments rather than abandoning it completely.What is your topic?B:It's depictions of femininity in folklore from the south of the country.A:That's pretty narrow.You.cgalg Find more material if you made the topic broader maybe by including other kinds of depictions.B:[Q4]Broadening the topic is a great idea.I'l start by including folklore from other regions of the country.Question1What does the woman say about her dissertation?Question2What does the man say about his professor?Question3What does the woman say about her professor?Question4What do we learn the woman will do to complete her dissertition?听力长对话真题原文Conversation2W:Today on Book Talk,we're lucky enough to host John Robbins and discuss his new book,why Americans are fat and how we can lose weight.John isn't just a respected writer,he's also one of the rare celebrity authors writing about science today.(Question5)M:Thanks for having me,Rebecca,but I'm hardly a celebrityW∶That's very modest of you to say,considering that your four books have sold a total of7million copies worldwide.And they've been translated into12different languages.What makes people so fascinated with your work?M:Well,people read my books because more than60%of Americans areoverweight or obese,and other countries are facing similar problems Basically,we all want to know how to fix things.(Question6)W:We certainly do.I read your new book,and it's fabulous, especially when it comes to the way you make diffigult science easy for laymen to understand.That's no small achievement.M:I'm glad to hear you find my work accessible.Because I was worried when I wrote it,that discussing the science might make the book more suited for a specialist audience.My last book was written primarily for the medical community.(Question7)But this time,I want to help ordinary people take control of their weightW:And how do you suggest they do that?Can you give us the basics of your advice for people who want to lose weight?M:Briefly,I argue that every person needs to consider their metabolism,and eat what suits their body's needs.I don't advocate one single diet.(Question8)Some people should eat more carbohydrates than others.And different people need different amounts of protein fat.W:But you do have some recommendations for everyone,including eating10servings of vegetables and three of fruit a day.Welltalk about those recommendations next,but now we need to take a short break for a message from our sponsor.Question5:What does the woman say about the man in her introduction?Question6:What has motivated the man to write his books?。

2023年6月第一套英语六级考试听力原文

2023年6月第一套英语六级考试听力原文

20236月第一套真题听力Section AConversation OneM: So how long have you been a Market Research Consultant?W: Well, I started straight after finishing university.M: Did you study market research?W: Yeah, and it really helped me to get into the industry, but I have to say that it’s more important to get experience in different types of market research to find out exactly what you’re interested in.M: So what are you interested in?W: Well, at the moment, I specialize in quantitative advertising research, which means that I do two types of projects.Trackers, which are ongoing projects that look at trends or customer satisfaction over a long period of time.The only problem with trackers is that it takes up a lot of your time.But you do build up a good relationship with the client.I also do a couple of ad-hoc jobs which are much shorter projects.M: What exactly do you mean by ad-hoc jobs?W: It’s basically when companies need quick answers to their questions about their consumers’ habits.They just ask for one questionnaire to be sent out for example, so the time you spend on an ad-hoc project tends to be fairly short.M: Which do you prefer, trackers or ad-hoc?W: I like doing both and in fact I need to do both at the same time to keep me from going crazy.I need the variety.M: Can you just explain what process you go through with a new client?W: Well, together we decide on the methodology and the objectives of the research.I then design a questionnaire.Once the interviewers have been briefed, I send the client a schedule and then they get back to me with deadlines.Once the final charts and tables are ready, I have to check them and organize a presentation.M: Hmm, one last question, what do you like and dislike about your job?W: As I said, variety is importa nt and as for what I don’t like, it has to be the checking of charts and tables.Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.Question 1: What position does the woman hold in the company?Question 2: What does the woman specialize in at the moment?Question 3: What does the woman say about trackers?Question 4: What does the woman dislike about her job?Conversation TwoW: Hello, I’m here with Frederick.Now Fred, you went to university in Canada?M: Yeah, that’s right.W: OK, and you have very strong views about universities in Canada.Could you please explain?M: Well, we don’t have private universities in Canada.They’re all public.All the universities are owned by the government, so there is the Ministry of Education in charge of creating the curriculum for the universities and so there is not much room for flexibility.Since it’s a government operated institution, things don’t move very fast.If you want something to be done, then their staff do not have so much incentive to help you because he’s a worker for the government.So, I don’t think it’s very efficient.However, there are certain advantages of public universities, such as the fees being free.You don’t have to pay for your education.But the system isn’t efficient, and it does not work that well.W: Yeah, I can see your point, but in the United States we have many private universities, and I think they are large bureaucracies also.Maybe people don’t act that much differently, because it’s the same thing working for a private university.They get paid for their job.I don’t know if they’re that much more motivated to help people.Also, we have a problem in the United States that usually only wealthy kids go to the best schools and it’s kind of a problem actually.M: I agree with you.I think it’s a problem because you’re not giving equal access to education to everybody.It’s not easy, but having only public universities also might not be the best solution.Perhaps we can learn from Japan where they have a system of private and public universities.Now, in Japan, public universities are considered to be the best.W: Right.It’s the exact opposite in the United States.M: So, as you see, it’s very hard to say which one is better.W: Right, a good point.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.Question 5: What does the woman want Frederick to talk about?Question 6: What does the man say about the curriculum in Canadian universities? Question 7: On what point do the speakers agree?Question 8: What point does the man make at the end of the conversation?Section BPassage OneA recent International Labor Organization report says the deterioration of real wages around the world calls into question the true extent of an economic recovery, especially if government rescue packages are phased out too early.The report warns the picture on wages is likely to get worse this year despite indications of an economic rebound.Patrick Belser, an international labor organization specialist, says declining wage rates are linked to the levels of unemployment.The quite dramatic unemployment figures, which we now see in some of the countries, strongly suggest that there will be a great pressure on wages in the future as more people will be unemployed, more people will be looking for jobs and the pressure on employers to raise wages to attract workers will decline.So, we expect that the second part of the year would not be very good in terms of wage growth.The report finds more than a quarter of the countries experienced flat or falling monthly wages in real terms.They include the United States, Austria, Costa Rica, South Africa and Germany.International Labor Organization economists say some nations have come up with policies to lessen the impact of lower wages during the economic crisis.An example of these is work sharing with government subsidies. Under this scheme, the number of individual working hours is reduced in an effort to avoid layoffs.For this scheme to work, the government must provide wage subsidies to compensate for lost pay due to the shorter hours.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.Question 9: What is the International Labor Organization’s report mainly about? Question 10: According to an International Labor Organization’s specialist, how will employers feel if there are more people looking for jobs?Question 11: What does the speaker mean by the work sharing scheme?Passage TwoIs there really a magic memory pill or a herbal recall remedy? I have been frequently asked if these memory supplements work.You know, one of the first things I like to tell people when they ask me about the supplements, is that a lot of them are promoted as a cure for your memory.But your memory doesn’t need a cure.What yourmemory needs is a good workout.So really those supplements aren’t going to give you that perfect memory in the way that they promise.The other thing is that a lot of these supplements aren’t necessarily what they claim to be, and you really have to be wary when you take any of them.The science isn’t there behind most of them.They’re notreally well-regulated unless they adhere to some industry standard.You don’t really know that what they say is in there, isn’t there.What you must understand is that those supplements, especially in some eastern cultures, are part of a medical practice tradition.People don’t just go in a local grocery store and buy these supplements.In fact, they are prescribed and they’re given at a certain level, a dosage that is understood by a practitioner who’s been trained.And that’s not really the way they’re used in this country.The other thing people do forget is that these are medicines, so they do have an impact.A lot of times people are not really aware of the impact they have, or the fact that taking them in combination with other medications might put you at increased risk for something that you wouldn’t otherwise being countering or be at risk for.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.Question12.What question is frequently put to the speaker?Question13.What does the speaker say about most memory supplements?Question14.What do we learn about memory supplements in eastern cultures? Question15.What does the speaker say about memory supplements at the end?Section CRecording 1The negative impacts of natural disasters can be seen everywhere.In just the past few weeks, the world has witnessed the destructive powers of earthquakes in Indonesia, typhoons in the Philippines, and the destructive sea waves that struck Samoa and neighboring islands.A study by the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters finds that, between 1980 and 2023, nearly 8,400 natural disasters killed more than two million people.These catastrophic events caused more than $1.5 trillion in economic losses.U.N.weather expert Geoffrey Love says that is the bad news.“Overthe last 50 years, economic losses have increased by a factor of 50.That sounds pretty terrible, but the loss of life has decreased by a factor of 10 simply because we are getting better at warning people.We are making a difference.Extreme events, however, will continue to occur.But, the message is that they need not be disasters.” Love, whois director of Weather and Disaster Risk Reduction at the World MeteorologicalOrganization, says most of the deaths and economic losses were caused by weather, climate, or water-related extremes.These include droughts, floods, windstorms, strong tropical winds and wildfires.He says extreme events will continue.But, he says extreme events become disasters only when people fail to prepare for them.“Many ofthe remedies are well-known.From a planning perspective, it is pretty simple.Build better buildings.Don’t build where the hazards will destroy them.From an early-warning perspective, make sure the warnings go right down to the community level.Build community action plans.“The World Meteorological Organization points to Cuba and Bangladesh as examples of countries that have successfully reduced the loss of life caused by natural disasters by taking preventive action.It says tropical storms formerly claimed dozens, if not hundreds of lives, each year, in Cuba.But, the development of an early-warning system has reversed that trend.In 2023, Cuba was hit by five successive hurricanes, but only seven people were killed.Bangladesh also has achieved substantial results.Major storm surges in 1970 and 1991 caused the deaths of about 440,000 people.Through careful preparation, the death toll from a super tropical storm in November 2023 was less than 3,500.Question 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.Question 16.What is the talk mainly about?Question 17.How can we stop extreme events from turning into disasters?Question 18.What does the example of Cuba serve to show?Recording 2As U.S.banks recovered with the help of American government and the American taxpayers, President Obama held meetings with top bank executives, telling them it’s time to return the favor.“The way I see it are banks now having a greater obligation to the goal of a wider recovery,” he said.But the president may be giving the financial sector too much credit.“It was in a free fall, and it was a very scary period.”Economist Martin Neil Baily said.After the failure of Lehman Brothers, many of the world’s largest banks feared the worst as the collapse of the housing bubble exposed in investments in risky loans.Although he says the worst is just over, Bailey says the banking crisis is not.More than 130 US banks failed in 2023.He predicts high failure rates for smaller, regional banks in 2023 as commercial real estate loans come due.“So,there may actually be a worsening of credit availability to small and medium sized businesses in the next year or so.”Analysts say the biggest problem is high unemployment, which weakens demand and makes banks reluctant to lend.But US Bankcorp chief Richard Davis sees the situation differently.“We’re probably more optimistic than the experts might be.With that in mind, we’re putting in everything we can, lending is the coal to our engine, so we want to make more loans.We have to find a way to qualify more people and not put ourselves at risk.” While some economists predict continued recovery in the future, Baily says the only certainty is that banks are unlikely to make the same mistakes — twice.“You know, forecasting’s become a very hazardous business so I don’t want to commit myself too much.I don’t think we know exactly what’s going to happen but it’s certainly possible that we could get very slow growth over the next year or two.” If the economy starts to shrink again, Baily says it would make a strong case for a second stimulus —something the Obama administration hopes will not be necessary.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the recording you have just heard.Question19.What does President Obama hope the banks will do?Question20.What is Martin Neil Baily’s prediction about the financial situation in the future?Question21.What does U.S.Bankcorp chief Richard Davis say about its future operation?Question22.What does Martin Neil Baily think of a second stimulus to the economy?Recording 3A new study has failed to find any conclusive evidence that lifestyle changes can prevent cognitive decline in older adults.Still there are good reasons to make positive changes in how we live and what we eat as we age.Cognitive decline is the loss of ability to learn new skills, or recall words, names, and faces that is most common as we age.To reduce or avoid it, researchers have examined the effect of smoking, diet, brain-challenging games, exercise and other strategies.Researchers at Duke Universityscrutinized more than 160 published studies and found an absence of strong evidence that any of these approaches can make a big difference.Co-author James Burke helped design the study.“In the observational studies we found that some of the B vitaminswere beneficial.”“Exercise, diet, cognitive stimulation showed some positive effects, although the evidence was not so strong that we could actually consider these firmly established.” Some previous studies have suggested that challenging your brain with mentally stimulating activities might help.And Burke said that actually does seem to help, based on randomized studies —the researcher’s gold standard.“Cognitive stimulation is one of the areas where we did find some benefit.The exact type of stimulation that an individual uses is not as important as being intellectually engaged.”The expert review also found insufficient evidence to recommend any drugs or dietary supplements that could prevent or slow cognitive decline.However, given that there is at least some evidence for positive effects from some of these lifestyle changes, plus other benefits apparently unrelated to cognitive decline, Burke was willing to offer some recommendations.“I think that by having people adopt a healthy lifestyle, both from a medical standpoint as well as nutritional and cognitive stimulation standpoint, we can reduce the incidence of cognitive decline, which will be proof that these factors are, in fact, important.” James Burke of Duke University is one of the authors of a study reviewing previous research on cognitive decline.The paper is published online by the Annals of Internal Medicine.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.Question 23.According to the speaker, what might be a symptom of cognitive decline in older adults?Question 24.According to James Burke, what does seem to help reduce cognitive decline?Question 25.What did James Burke recommend to reduce the incidence of cognitive decline?。

2023年6月英语六级听力真题(第一套)题目,原文与答案

2023年6月英语六级听力真题(第一套)题目,原文与答案

2023年6月英语六级听力真题(第一套)【四六级试卷采用花卷形式,核对答案时请找准具体选项内容,忽略套数和选项符号】Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.1. A) It was spacious and tranquil.B) It was warm and comfortable.C) It was shabby and solitary.D) It was tiny and noisy.2. A) She no longer hates people talking loudly in the dorm.B) She misses her roommates she used to complain about.C) She begins to enjoy the movies she once found irritating.D) She finds the crowded dorm as cozy as her new apartment.3. A) He found the apartment perfectly furnished.B) He had a feeling of despair and frustration.C) He had a similar feeling to the woman’s.D) He felt the new place was like paradise.4. A) Go to see the woman’s apartment.B) Make a phone call to his parents.C) Buy some furniture for the woman.D) Decorate the woman’s apartment.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.5. A) He works as a literary critic.B) He hosts an educational program.C) He has initiated a university reform.D) He has published a book recently.6. A) It fails to keep up with the radical changes of society.B) It fails to ensure universities get sufficient resources.C) It has not prepared young people for the job market.D) It has not fostered the growth of the arts disciplines.7. A) More of the budget should go to science and technology.B) The underfunded music discipline should be prioritized.C) Subdisciplines like sculpture should get more funding.D) Literature should get as much funding as engineering.8. A) Build a prosperous nation.B) Make skilled professionals.C) Create ingenious artists.D) Cultivate better citizens.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.9. A) It is quite common.B) It is rarely noticed.C) It seldom annoys people.D) It occurs when one is alone.10. A) Seeing things in black and white.B) Engaging in regular contemplation.C) Having a special understanding of creativity.D) Knowing how to make their mental batteries work.11. A) Engaging in intense activity.B) Fantasizing in one’s down time.C) Working on a particular project.D) Reflecting during one’s relaxation.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.12. A) Farmers helped Native Americans grow crops.B) There were expansive university campuses.C) There existed post offices.D) Migrants found gold there.13. A) It helped to boost the economy in the American West.B) It provided job opportunities for many gold seekers.C) It extended the influence of the federal government.D) It kept people in the deserts and plains connected.14. A) It employed Native Americans to work as postmen.B) It commissioned private wagons to carry the mail.C) It subsidized the locals who acted as postmasters.D) It centralized postal services in its remote areas.15. A) He analyzed interactive maps of mail routes.B) He read a large collection of books on the topic.C) He examined its historical trends with data science.D) He collected data about its impact on local business.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.16. A) Higher levels of anxiety may improve people’s memory.B) Some experiences are easier to remember than others.C) Most people tend to remember things selectively.D) Simple things may leave a deep impression on one’s memory.17. A) They classified the participants’ mindset.B) They showed some photos to the participants.C) They measured the participants’ anxiety levels.D) They tested the size of the participants’ vocabulary.18. A) Anxiety has become a serious problem for an increasing number of people.B) Extreme levels of anxiety can adversely affect cognitive performance.C) People diagnosed with anxiety disorder may forget things selectively.D) There is no direct correlation between memory and levels of anxiety. Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.19. A) They compare products from different companies before making a choice.B) They get information from other consumers’ postings and comments.C) They lose patience when their phone call is not promptly answered.D) They expect to get instantaneous responses to their inquiry.20. A) Giving them rewards on the spot.B) Broadening their scope of interest.C) Speaking directly to their emotions.D) Focusing on the details of the product.21. A) Change the rules of the game in the market every year.B) Keep up with the latest technological developments.C) Learn from technological innovators to do business.D) Make greater efforts to build up consumers’ confidence. Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.22. A) People have only one social engagement per week.B) Working together enhances friendship.C) Few people have devoted friends.D) Friendships benefit work.23. A) The impact of friends on people’s self-esteem.B) How supportive friends can be in the workplace.C) How to boost one’s sense of value and worthiness.D) The role of family ties in people’s mental well-being.24. A) They show little interest in their friends’ work.B) They tend to be much more difficult to make.C) They are more trustworthy and reliable.D) They increase people’s job satisfaction.25. A) Allow employees to have a flexible work schedule.B) Encourage employees to be friends with colleagues.C) Help employees balance work and family responsibilities.D) Organize activities to nourish friendships outside of work.答案速查Conversation One1. B) It was warm and comfortable.2. B) She misses her roommates she used to complain about.3. C) He had a similar feeling to the woman’s.4. A) Go to see the woman’s apartment.Conversation Two5. D) He has published a book recently.6. C) It has not prepared young people for the job market.7. A) More of the budget should go to science and technology.8. D) Cultivate better citizens.Passage One9. A) It is quite common.10. B) Engaging in regular contemplation.11. D) Reflecting during one’s relaxation.Passage Two12. C) There existed post offices.13. D) It kept people in the deserts and plains connected.14. B) It commissioned private wagons to carry the mail.15. C) He examined its historical trends with data science. Recording One16. A) Higher levels of anxiety may improve people’s memory.17. C) They measured the participants’ anxiety levels.18. B) Extreme levels of anxiety can adversely affect cognitive performance.Recording Two19. D) They expect to get instantaneous responses to their inquiry.20. C) Speaking directly to their emotions.21. B) Keep up with the latest technological developments.Recording Three22. D) Friendships benefit work.23. A) The impact of friends on people’s self-esteem.24. D) They increase people’s job satisfaction.25. A) Allow employees to have a flexible work schedule.听力原文与答案Conversation OneM: Hi Lily, how’s the new apartment?W: It’s okay.M: What? How can it be just okay when last week you were thrilled about the place and kept posting photos of it online?W: (1) Well, last week when I moved in, the apartment seemed cozy, just the right size for one person. But now it just seems tiny, shabby and solitary.M: Ah, that’s the problem. You miss your roommates from university, don’t you?W:(2) I’m going to sound like an idiot, because I used to complain to you all the time about how crowded our dormitory room was, and about all the things they did to irritate me, like watching movies late at night without headphones, or talking loudly early in the morning. But now I miss them terribly. M: Of course, you do. That’s perfectly normal. (3) When I got my first place, I remember thinking I couldn’t wait to live by myself and get away from my juvenile roommates and all their annoying habits. But then I began missing them and feeling lonely and thinking that our dormitory was like paradise. Even though there were six of us guys in one small room.W: I thought it was just me who felt like that.M:Look, you lived at home with us, and then you had three roommates, and this is your first time living alone, so it’s hard. But your first apartment is a milestone in your life. And you should celebrate it. Tell me about the apartment.W: Actually, it’s not bad. In fact, it’s pretty adorable now that I have decorated it and it has everything I need. I have a kitchen to cook in and a bathroom all to myself, and then another room with my bed at one end and a sofa, a small table and chairs at the other end.M: That does sound adorable, and (4) I can’t wait to see it. And neither can mom and dad.Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.Q1. What was the woman’s first impression of the apartment? 答案: B)Q2. Why does the woman say she’s going to sound like an idiot? 答案: B)Q3. What do we learn about the man when he left the dormitory to live on his own? 答案: C)Q4. What does the man say he can’t wait to do? 答案: A)Conversation TwoW: Welcome to our program book talk. (5) Our guest today is Frank Jones, a critic of our education system and the author of a new book, How to Reform Our Universities.M: Hello, Susan.W: Frank, you support radically changing universities in America.M:Yes. (6) I believe that the purpose of higher education is to prepare young people to enter the workforce and that our current system fails to do this. We’re allocating too many resources to disciplines that don’t match the needs of employers.W:I think your attitude to education is a bit cynical, Frank. Surely the purpose of university is to prepare young people to participate fully in civic life rather than just to find well paid jobs.M: Susan, many young graduates struggle to find any job, let alone a good one. The job market is grim, particularly for students who study the arts.W:I agree that it isn’t easy for young people to find work, but you propose closing down all departments that aren’t directly related to science and technology. Is that really the solution?M: You’re overstating my point. (7) My argument is that we need to use more of our budget on areas like science and engineering. To do that, we need to take money from subjects like literature and music.W: (8) But the arts have value. They’re an important part of our culture. Studying literature or music or sculpture might not result in a job in that area, but it helps young people to think about the world in a deeper way, which makes them better citizens and makes for a better society.M: l agree that the arts are valuable to society, but it’s naive to think that not only the most talented, but all students should study them at university level. The odds are very competitive, and most graduates will end up with a great deal of debt obtaining a degree that has little value on the job market. Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.Q5. What do we learn from the conversation about the man? 答案: D)Q6. What does the man believe is the problem with the current American system of higher education? 答案: C)Q7. How should the education budget be allocated according to the man? 答案: A)Q8. What does the woman say the arts can do? 答案: D)Passage One(9) Do you ever have the annoying feeling that you don’t have time to really think anymore? You’re not alone. A variety of factors have conspired to rob us of time for reflection about ourselves and our lives. Today our preoccupied minds are rarely silent. The average person receives hundreds of texts and voice messages a day. And holidays for many of us are action packed weeks more likely full of family activities than opportunities for tranquility and contemplation.(10) Regular reflection, however, underlies all great professionals. It’s a prerequisite for you to recharge your mental batteries, see things in a new light and tap into your creativity. Almost all of the great advisors that I have studied have found ways to get away from it all and contemplate their life and work. Some researchers in the field of creativity, in fact, believe that insight occurs during the reflection and relaxation that follows a period of intense activity. Schedule your time for reflection about your work, or a particular project you’re engaged in.I usually block out half an hour. Don’t answer the phone. Push your papers to the side. Sketch, make lists, draw mind maps of ideas that come to you. At the end, write down any emerging ideas.When you’re alone, stop worrying and think. A lot of our downtime is spent worrying about troublesome things in our lives or fantasizing about how we’d like our lives to be. (11) Revisit things during moments of relaxation after a period of intense work. This is when we are the most creative. Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.Q9. What do we learn about the feeling that one doesn’t have time to think anymore? 答案: A)Q10. What trait do all great professionals share? 答案: B)Q11. What do some researchers believe is conducive to creative ideas? 答案: D)Passage Two(12) Even before Colorado was a state, it had post offices. The first opened in 1859 in a settlement founded by migrants searching for gold. Life could be unpredictable out west. Gold failed to appear,drought ruined farmers, and settlers clashed with Native Americans.On the settlement’s location, now stands a sprawling university campus. Amid all the changes, one feature remained constant: the postal service. The maps tracing America’s westward expansion are telling. In 1864 there were few postal branches on land controlled by Native Americans, which still accounted for most of the West. Over the next 25 years, post offices grew quickly. Colonization of the West could be regarded as a result of big government rather than pioneers. (13) As federal subsidies and land grants tempted people into the deserts and plains, the post kept them connected.In the mid-19th century, the Post Office Department was far from a centralized bureaucracy. To keep up with migration patterns, postal services were added to existing businesses. (14) The federal government commissioned private wagons to carry the mail. Short-term contracts were granted to local businessmen to act as postmasters. These partnerships enabled the mail to quickly follow migrants, helping knit together remote parts of the country.Mr. Blevins, a digital historian, wrote a book on the history of the US postal service. (15) He used data science to analyze historical trends. Most strikingly, he built an accompanying website complete with interactive maps. They show readers how, within a generation, the postal service helped colonize a continent. These online interactive maps illustrate the formative power of snail mail.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.Q12. What does the passage say about Colorado before it became a state? 答案: C)Q13. How did the postal service contribute to America’s westward expansion? 答案: D)Q14. What did the federal government do to meet the increasing demand for the postal service in the West? 答案: B)Q15. What did Mr. Blevins do to study the history of the US postal service? 答案: C)Recording OneIn last week’s lecture, we discussed reasons why people forget things. This week, we will discuss a surprising reason why we might remember some things: anxiety. Think about something as simple as buying a coffee. That may not seem like an experience that would make a deep impression on your memory. But anxiety could change that. (16) In fact, a new study suggests that people with higher anxiety levels might remember certain information better than people with lower anxiety levels. That’s because higher levels of anxiety may make people more susceptible to negative feelings. Putting them in a more negative state of mind, that in turn, may make them able to better remember some events. Let’s take a closer look at that new study now. (17) In the study, the researchers started by giving 80 undergraduate students an anxiety test. The test measured the participants’anxiety levels over the proceeding two weeks.Then, to test memory, the participants were shown a series of neutral words one at a time. Some of the words were printed onto photos of negative scenes, meaning images that could affect their emotions negatively, such as a photo of a car accident, or a cemetery. The rest of the words were printed onto photos of neutral scenes, such as a photo of a lake or trees. Neutral words included words like table or desk that don’t elicit emotion.Later, the participants were asked to think back to the words they were shown earlier, which caused them to reenter either a negative or neutral mindset. The participants were then presented with another set of neutral words, and their memory of these new words was tested.The researchers found that the new words presented to people in a negative mindset were better remembered by people with higher levels of anxiety than those with lower levels of anxiety.In other words, when highly anxious individuals took in otherwise emotionally neutral information that was presented to them, it became colored by their negative mindset, making them remember the information better. But these same effects were not seen in people with low levels of anxiety.(18) Previous studies have found that extreme levels of anxiety such as those experienced by people diagnosed with an anxiety disorder can be quite detrimental to memory and cognitive performance. But the highly anxious people in this study represent individuals who are managing their anxiety and for whom anxiety is not a serious problem.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.Q16. What does the speaker say the new study suggests? 答案: A)Q17. What did researchers do first in the new study? 答案: C)Q18. What do we learn from previous studies about anxiety? 答案: B)Recording TwoOver the past 20 years, the internet has gradually become a dominant feature of our lives. It has changed how we communicate with each other. And it has definitely transformed the way we do business with each other. Marketing has also changed in a number of ways.For instance, in the past, consumers had to call a phone number and patiently wait on hold in order to get the information they wanted. (19) Today, they want the information immediately. They’ll go to the company’s social media page and post comments and questions, expecting to receive an immediate response. If they don’t get their questions answered soon, they’ll move on to another company that will answer them quickly.Marketing departments today need to follow technological development. For example, this year’s smartphone is smarter than last year’s; self-driving cars are now on the road. Marketers have to do research on which technologies are coming into being. Otherwise, they risk being left behind in the virtual dust.Marketing has also changed due to the importance of video. People don’t just want to read text; they want to watch things happening. Companies now have to explore how they can use video on a consistent basis to share information about their businesses. Fortunately, it’s extremely easy to shoot something these days. All you need is a smartphone.But what’s the result of all this? Shorter attention spans. We are n’t the same people that we were 20 years ago. Not only have we grown accustomed to getting the information we want instantaneously, our attention spans are much shorter. If something doesn’t capture our attention within a few seconds, we’re on to the next piece of content. (20) Marketers need to figure out ways to speak directly to the customer’s emotions, and they need to figure out how to do that as quickly as possible. Once people are emotionally engaged, they’ll stick with you.If marketing has changed this much in the past 20 years, imagine what the next 20 years will bring. In a recent survey, only nine percent of marketers could say with confidence that their marketing efforts were actually working. Their confidence is being shaken because the rules of the game change every year. That’s why (21) it’s important for marketers to pay attention to the latest technologicaldevelopments and consider collaborating with technological innovators. That way, they’ll be moving at the same pace as the tech industry.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.Q19. What does the speaker say about today’s consumers? 答案: D)Q20. How do marketers capture consumers’ attention as quickly as possible? 答案: C)Q21. What does the speaker suggest marketers do to meet future challenges? 答案: B)Recording ThreeYou might be surprised to learn that (22) the benefits of friendships extend beyond people’s social life and into their work, which is interesting when considering the extent to which people sacrifice friendships, or at least the time they spend with friends because of the extended hours they’re devoting to work. Just last week, I was remarking to a colleague that I’m content with only one social engagement per week. But according to recent research, that’s evidently not enough.(23) In an initial study of more than 700 respondents, scholars from an American university analyzed the impact that friends, as opposed to family, have on self-esteem and well-being. Friends came out substantially on top. That’s because to be someone’s mate is a voluntary act, unlike family who people rarely get to choose. The researchers found that when people choose to cultivate and maintain supportive friendships with an individual, it means that the person is valued and worthy of their limited time. Such sentiments of value and worthiness boost our self-esteem.The second study comprised more than 300 participants. It proved that the better we feel about ourselves, the more likely we will perform our job confidently and competently. (24) This follow-up study found that non-work friends even improved people’s job satisfaction. They have as much of an impact on how much they love their jobs, as do the friends they have at work, despite not actually being at our place of work. These types of friends tend to be our preferred outlet for venting about work-related matters. This is an avenue that may not be available at the office.So even though friendships can be easy to neglect when confronted by pressures at work, or even pressures at home, neglecting our friends can turn out to be harmful and counterproductive. That’s why when determining how to create a better work life balance, we need to consider not only how to balance work and family demands, but also how to cultivate and sustain supportive friendships. It’s for this reason that (25) managers should never discriminate when it comes to requests from employees for flexible work arrangements. It’s irrelevant whether their need for a desired schedule is due to, say, parenting responsibilities, or a craving to hang out with their best mate. What matters is the opportunity to engage in a nourishing activity outside of work. That will definitely have a follow-on effect at work. Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.Q22. What does the speaker say is interesting? 答案: D)Q23. What did researchers from an American university analyze in their initial study? 答案: A)Q24. What did the second study find about non-work friends? 答案: D)Q25. What does the speaker suggest managers do? 答案: A)。

英语六级听力真题原文

英语六级听力真题原文

英语六级听力真题原文英语六级听力真题原文大学英语六级考试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。

以下是店铺精心准备的英语六级听力真题原文,大家可以参考以下内容哦!Section A11.W: Did you use credit cards on your vacation last month in Europe?M: Sure I did. They certainly beat going around with a wallet full of big bills. But carrying lots of cash is still very common among some older people traveling abroad.Q: What does the man say about some elderly people?12.W: Rod must be in a bad mood today. What’s wrong with him?M: He was passed over in the selection process for the dean of the admissions office. He’d been hoping for the position for a long time.Q: What does the man mean?13.M: What a great singer Justin is! His concert is just awesome. And you’ll never regret the money you paid for the ticket.W: Yeah. Judging by the amount of the applause, everyone was enjoying it.Q: What does the woman mean?14.W: I received an email yesterday from Henry. Do youremember? He was one of the chairpersons of our students union.M: Yes, but I haven’t heard from him for ages. Actually I’ve been out of touch with him since our first reunion after graduation.Q: What do we learn about the speakers?15.M: Driving at night always makes me tired. Let’s stop for dinner.W: Fine. And let’s find a motel, so that we can get an early start tomorrow.Q: What will the speakers probably do?16.W: Let’s look at the survey on consumer confidence we conducted last week. How reliable are these figures?M: They have a 5% margin of errorQ: What are the speakers talking about?17.W: Look at this catalogue, John. I think I want to get this red blouse.M: Err, I think you’ve already one like this in blue. Do you need every color in the rainbow?Q: What does the man mean?18.W: This notice says that all the introductory marketing classes are closed.M: That can’t be true. There’s supposed to be 13 of them this semester.Q: What does the man mean?Conversation OneM: I see on your resume that you worked as a manager of astore called “Computer Country”. Could you tell me a little more about your responsibilities there?W: Sure. I was responsible for overseeing about 30 employees. I did all of the ordering for the store, and I kept track of the inventory.M: What was the most difficult part of your job?W: Probably handling angry customers. We didn’t have them very often, but when we did, I needed to make sure they were well taken care of. After all, the customer is always right.M: That’s how we feel here too.How long did you work there?W: I was there for three and a half years. I left the company last month.M: And why did you leave?W: My husband has been transferred to Boston. And I understand your company has an opening there too.M: Yes, that’s right. We do. But the position won’t start until early next month. Would that be a problem for you?W: No, not at all. My husband’s new job doesn’t begin for a few weeks. So we thought we would spend some time driving to Boston and stop to see my parents.M: That sounds nice. So tell me, why are you interested in this particular position?W: I know that your company has a great reputation, and a wonderful product. I’ve thought many times that I would like to be a part of it. When I heard about the opening in Boston, I jumped to the opportunity.M: Well I’m glad you did.19. What was the woman’s previous job?20. What does the woman say was the most difficult part ofher job?21. Why is the woman looking for a job in Boston?22. When can the woman start to work if she gets the job?Conversation TwoW: Today in the studio we have Alberto Cortez, the well-known Brazilian advocate of the anti-global movement. He’s here to talk about the recent report, stating that by 2050 Brazil will be the one ot the word’s wealthiest an d most successful countries. Alberto, what do you say to the report?M: You know this isn’t the first time that people are saying Brazil will be a great economic power. The same thing was said over a hundred year ago. But it didn’t happen.W: Yes, but you must admit the world’s a very different place now.M: Of course. In fact I believe there’s maybe some truth in the prediction this time around. First of all, though, we must remember the problems facing Brazil at the moment.W: Such as…?M: There’s an enor mous gap between the rich and the poor in this country. In Sal Paulo, you can see shopping malls full of designer goods right next door to the slam areas without proper water and electricity supplies. A lot of work needs to be done to help people in those areas improve their lives.W: What needs to be done?M: Education, for example. For Brazil to be successful, we need to offer education to all Brazilians. Successful countries like South Korea and Singapore have excellent education systems. Brazil needs to learn from these countries.W: So you are hopeful for the future.M: As I said earlier, I’m hopeful. This isn’t an easy job. Weneed to make sure that these important opportunities for Brazil aren’t wasted, as they were in the past.23. What does the recent report say about Brazil?24. What problem does Alberto say Brazil faces now?25. What does Alberto say about economically successful countries?Section BPassage OneWilma Subra had no intention of becoming a public speaker. After graduating from college with degrees in chemistry and microbiology, she went to work at Gulf South Research Institute in Louisiana. As part of her job, she conducted field research on toxic substances in the environment, often in minority communities located near large industrial polluters. She found many families were being exposed high, sometimes deadly, levels of chemicals and other toxic substances, but she was not allowed to make her information public.Frustrated by these restrictions, Subra left her job in 1981, created her own company, and has devoted the past two decades to helping people fight back against giant industrial polluters. She works with families and community groups to conduct environmental tests, interpret test results, and organize for change. Because of her efforts, dozens of toxic sites across the country have been cleaned up, and one chemical industry spokesperson calls her “a top gun for the environmental movement.”How has Wilma Subra achieved all this? Partly through her scientific training, partly through her commitment to environmental justice. But just as important is her ability to communicate with people through public speaking. “Publicspeaking,” she says, “is the primary vehicle I use for reaching people.”If you had asked Subra before 1981, “Do you see yourself as a major public speaker?” She would have laughed at the idea. Yet today she gives more than 100 presentations a year. Along the way she has lectured at Harvard, testified before Congress, and addressed audiences in 40 states, as well as in Mexico, Canada, and Japan.26. What did Wilma Subra do as part of her job while working at Gulf South Research Institute?27. What did Wilma Subra leave her job in 1981?28. What results have Wilma Subra’s efforts had in the part two decades?29. What does the speaker say has contributed to Wilma Subra’s success?Passage 2One of the biggest challenges facing employers and educators today is the rapid advance of globalization. The market place is no longer national or regional, but extends to all corners of the world. And this requires a global ready workforce. Universities have a large part to play in preparing students for the 21st century labor market by promoting international educational experiences. The most obvious way universities can help develop global workforce is by encouraging students to study abroad as part of their course. Students who have experienced another culture first hand are more likely to be global ready when they graduate.Global workforce development doesn’t always have to involve travel abroad however. If students learn another language and study other cultures, they will be more global ready whenthey graduate. It is important to point out that students also need to have a deep understanding of their own culture before they can begin to observe, analyze and evaluate other cultures. In multi-cultural societies, people can study each other’s cultures, to develop intercultural competencies, such as critical and reflective thinking, and intellectual flexibility. This can be done both through the curriculum and through activities on campus, outside of the classroom, such as art exhibitions, and lectures from international experts. Many universities are already embracing this challenge, and providing opportunities for students to become global citizens. Students themselves, however, may not realize that when they graduate, they will be competing in a global labor market, and universities need to raise awareness of these issues amongst undergraduates.Questions 30-32Q30: What is one of the biggest challenges facing employers and educators today?Q31: What should students do first before they can really understand other cultures?Q32: What should college students realize according to the speaker?Passage 3To see if hair color affects a person’s chances of getting a job, researchers at California State University asked 136 college students to review the resume and photograph of a female applicant for a job as an accountant. Each student was given the same resume. But the applicant’s picture was altered, so that in some photos her hair was golden, in some red and in some brown. The result? With brown hair, the woman was rated more capable, and she was offered a higher salary than when she hadgolden or red hair. Other studies have found similar results. Many respondents rate women with golden hair with less intelligent than other people, and red heads as more temperamental. Women with red or golden hair are victims of the common practice of stereotyping.A stereotype is a simplistic or exaggerated image that humans carrying in their minds about groups of people. For example, lawyers are shrewd and dishonest is a popular stereotype. Stereotyping can occur in public speaking classes. When trying to choose a speech topic, some males think that women are uninterested in how to repair cars, while some females think that men are uninterested in creative hobbies, such as knitting and needle point. We should reject stereotypes, because they force all people in a group into the same simple pattern. They fail to account for individual differences, and the wide range of characteristics among members of any group. Some lawyers are dishonest, yes! But many are not. Some women are uninterested in repairing cars, yes! But some are enthusiastic mechanics.Questions 33-35Q33: What did researchers at California State University find?Q34: What is the popular stereotype of lawyers?Q35: Why does the speaker say we should reject stereotypes?Section CThe ancient Greeks developed basic memory systems called mnemonics. The name is derived from their Goddess of memory "Mnemosyne". In the ancient world, a trained memory was an immense asset, particularly in public life. There were no convenient devices for taking notes, and early Greek orators delivered long speeches with great accuracy because theylearned the speeches using mnemonic systems.The Greeks discovered that human memory is largely an associative process that it works by linking things together. For example, think of an apple. The instant your brain registers the word "apple", it recalls the shape, color, taste, smell and texture of that fruit. All these things are associated in your memory with the word "apple". This means that any thought about a certain subject will often bring up more memories that are related to it. An example could be when you think about a lecture you have had. This could trigger a memory about what you're talking about through that lecture, which can then trigger another memory. Associations do not have to be logical. They just have to make a good link. An example given on a website I was looking at follows, "Do you remember the shape of Austria? Canada? Belgium? Or Germany? Probably not. What about Italy though? If you remember the shape of Italy, it is because you have been told at some time that Italy is shaped like a boot. You made an association with something already known, the shape of a boot. And Italy shape could not be forgotten once you had made the association."。

2023年12月英语六级听力答案

2023年12月英语六级听力答案

12月英语六级听力答案【篇一:2023年12月英语六级听力真题原文及答案】p> w: what a wonderful performance! your rockband hasnever sounded better.m: many thanks. i guess all those hours ofpractice in the past month are finally paying off.q:what does the man mean?2.m: i cant decide what to do for my summer vacation. i either want to go on a bike tour ofeurope or go diving in mexico.w: well, were offering an all-inclusive two-week trip to mexico for only 300 dollars.q:what does the woman suggest the man do for his vacation?3.w: how long do you think this project might take?m: id say about three months, but it could take longer if something unexpectedhappened. maybe wed better allow an extra month, so we won’t have to worry about beinglate.q: why does the man say extra time should be allowed for the project?4.m: im thinking about becoming a member here, and id like some information.w: sure. a three-month membership costs 150 dollars, and that includes use of the wait-room, sauna and pool. ill give you a free path so that you can try out the facilities before youdecide.q: what do we learn from the conversation?5.w: im sorry to hear that you failed the physics course, ted.m: lets face it. im just not cut out to be a scientist.q: what does the man mean?6.m: gary insisted on buying the food for the picnic.w: thats pretty generous of him. but shouldnt we at least offer to share the expenses?he has a big family to support.q: what does the woman suggest they do?7.w: did you see the headlines in the paper this morning?m: year. apparently the bus company will be laying off its employees if they cant reach anagreement on wages by midnight.q: what did the man read about?8.w: have we received payment for the overseas order we delivered last month?m: yes. the cheque came in yesterday afternoon. ill be depositing it when i go the banktoday.q: what is the woman concerned about?w: ok, thats it. now we have to make adecision. we might as well do that now, dont youthink?m: sure, lets see. first we saw frank brisenski.what did you think of him?w: well, hes certainly a very polite young man. m: and very relaxed, too.w: but his appearance…m: en… he wasnt well dressed. he wasnt even wearing a tie. w: but he did have a nice voice. he sounded good on the telephone.m: true. and i thought he seemed very intelligent. he answered donas questions verywell.m: en… she did look very neat, very nicely dressed, but…w: but so shy. she wouldnt be very good at talking to peopleat the front desk.m: en…ok. now who was the next? ar…yes, david wallace. i thought he was very good,had a lot of potential. what do you think?w: en… he seemed like a very bright guy. he d ressed very nicely, too. and he had a reallynice appearance.m: he seemed relaxed to me, the type of person people feel comfortable with right away.w: he was polite, but also very friendly and relaxed as you say.i think hell be good withthe guests at the front desk.m: he had a very pleasant voice, too.w: thats right. ok, good! i guess we have our receptionist then, dont you?m: yes, i think so. well just offer the job to…question 9: what are the speakers looking for?question 10: what is frank brisenskis weakness?question 11: what do the speakers decide to do?【六级听力长对话原文2】w: hello.m: hello. is that the reference library?w: yes, can i help you?m: i hope so. i ran earlier and asked for some information about dennis hutton, thescientist. you asked me to ring back. w: oh, yes. i have found something.m: good. ive got a pencil and paper. perhaps you could read out what it says.w: certainly. hutton dennis, born darlington, 1836, died new york, 1920.m: yes, got that.w: inventer and physicist, the son of a farmworker. he was admitted to the university oflondon at the age of 15.m: yes.w: he graduated at 17 with the first class degree in physics and mathematics. all right?m: yes, all right.w: he made his first notable achievement at the age of 18. it was a method ofrefrigeration which rolls from his work in lowtemperature physics. he became professor ofmathematics at the university of manchester at 24, where he remained for twelve years. duringthat time, he married one of his students, natasha willoughbym: yes, go on.w: later working together in london, they laid the foundations of modern physics byshowing that normal laws of cause and effect do not apply at the level of subatomic particles.for thishe and his wife received the nobel prize for physics in 1910, and did so again in 1912for their work on very high frequency radio waves. in his lifetime, hutton patented 244inventions. do you want any more?m: yes, when did he go to america?w: let me see. in 1920 he went to teach in new york and died there suddenly after onlythree weeks. still he was a good age.m: yes, i suppose so. well, thanks.question 12: what do we learn about dennis hutton when he was 15?question 13: what did dennis hutton do at the age of 24? question 14: for what were dennis hutton and his wife awarded the nobel prize a secondtime?question 15: why did dennis hutton go to new york?in america, white tailed deer are morenumerous than ever before, so abundant in factthat theyve become a suburban nuisance and ahealth hazard.why cant the herd be thinned the old-fashionedway? the small community of north haven on longisland is home to some six hundred to sevenhundred deer. the department of environmental conservation estimates the optimumpopulation at 60. the town has been browsed bare of vegetation except where gardens andshrubs are protected by high fences.drivers routinely collide with deer and there are so many dead bodies left by the side of theroad that the town has made it a deal with a local pet cemetery to collect and dispose of thebodies. some people in the town have become ill from deer transmitted diseases. on theoccasions when hunting has been tried, local animal rights people have worked to secure courtorders against the hunts. and when that is failed, they stop the hunters, banging on pots andpans to alert the deer. town meetings called to discuss the problem inevitably dissolved intoconfrontations.the activists believe simply that the deer are not the problem. some communities have evendiscussed the possibility of bringing wolves back into the ecological mix. that means wolves inthe suburbs of new york. it is almost too wonderfulnot to try it. the wolves would kill deer ofcourse. they would also terrorize and kill dogs and cats which is not what the suburbandwellers have in mind.questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heardq16. what do we learn about white-tailed deer in north haven?q17. why do local animal rights people bang on pots and pans?q18. what would happen if wolves were brought back into the ecological mix?六级短文2原文and now, if youll walk this way, ladies and gentlemen, the next room were going to see isthe room in which the family used to hold their formal dinner parties and even occasionallyentertain heads of state and royalty. however, they managed to keep this room friendly andintimate. and i think youll agree. it has a very informal atmosphere, quite unlike some grandhouses you visit. the curtains were never drawn, even at night, so guests got a view of the lakeand fountains outside which were lit up at night – a very attractive sight. as you can see,ladies and gentlemen, the guests were seated very informally around this oval table, whichwould add to the relaxed atmosphere. the table dates from the 18th century andis made fromspanish oak. its rather remarkable for the fact that although its extremely big, itssupported by just six rather slim legs. however, it seems to have survived like that for 200years. so its probably going to last a bit longer. the chairs which go with the table are not acomplete set. there were originally six of them. they are interesting for the fact that they arevery plain and undecorated for the time, with only one plain central panel at the back and noarmrests. i myself find them rather uncomfortable to sit in for very long, but people wereused to more discomfort in the past. and now, ladies and gentlemen, if youd like to follow mein to the great hall…q19. what do we learn about the speaker?q20. what does the speaker say about the room they are visiting?【篇二:2023年12月英语六级听力原文】语六级听力原文。

23年6月六级第一套听力原文

23年6月六级第一套听力原文

23年6月六级第一套听力原文2023年6月六级第一套听力原文Section AConversation 1Woman: Hey, did you hear about the new education reform?Man: Yes, I did. It sounds like they’re really shaking things up this time.Woman: Well, I think it’s a great idea. We need to update our education system to prepare students for the modern world.Man: Absolutely. Too many students are being taught outdated methods that don’t focus on critical thinking or problem-solving. We need to give them more real-world experiences.Woman: And not just in the classroom, but also outside. We should encourage more hands-on projects and community service.Man: Agreed. Schools should also provide more opportunities for students to collaborate and work together. This is essential for their future success in the workplace.(Questions 1-3)1. What are the speakers mainly discussing?The speakers are mainly discussing the need for education reform to prepare students for the modern world. They believe that the current education system is outdated and needs to be updated to focus on critical thinking, problem-solving, real-world experiences, and collaboration.2. What does the man think is a great idea?The man thinks that the idea of updating the education system to prepare students for the modern world is a great idea. He believes that students are being taught outdated methods that don’t focus on critical thinking or problem-solving, and that they need more real-world experiences and opportunities to collaborate.3. Why do the speakers believe that providing more community service is important?The speakers believe that providing more community service is important because it allows students to gain real-world experiences and develop important skills such as teamwork, leadership, and social responsibility. These skills are essential for their future success in the workplace and in life.。

2023年12月英语六级听力原文及参考答案

2023年12月英语六级听力原文及参考答案

2023年12月英语六级听力原文及参考答案听力稿原文section AConversation 1气候变化和全球经济发展W: Professor Henderson could you give us a brief overview of what you do, where you work and your main area of research?M: Well the Center for Climate Research where I work links the science of climate change to issues around economics and policy。

Some of our research is to do with the likely impacts of climate change and all of the associated risks。

W: And how strong is the evidence that climate change is happening that it‘s really something we need to be worried about。

M: Well most of the science of climate change particularly that to do with global warming is simply fact。

But other aspects of the science are less certain or at least more disputed。

And so we‘re really talking about risk what the economics tells us is thatit’s probably cheaper to avoid climate change to avoid the risk than it has to deal with the likely consequences。

202312月六级听力原文

202312月六级听力原文

202312月六级听力原文2023年12月六级听力原文Part I: ConversationW: Hey, have you heard about the new restaurant that just opened downtown?M: No, I haven't. What's so special about it?W: Well, it's called "Taste of Asia" and it offers a wide variety of Asian cuisines. They have Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and even Indian dishes.M: That sounds amazing! I love Asian food. Is it expensive?W: Surprisingly, it's quite affordable. The prices are reasonable, and the portions are generous.M: That's great to hear. I'll definitely check it out this weekend.W: You should. I went there last night and the food was delicious. I highly recommend their sushi and curry dishes.M: Thanks for the recommendation. I can't wait to try it.Part II: LectureGood morning, everyone. Today, I'd like to talk about the importance of time management. Time management is a crucial skill that can greatly impact our productivity and success in both personal and professional aspects of life.Firstly, effective time management allows us to prioritize tasks and allocate our time wisely. By setting clear goals and deadlines, we can focus on what needs to be done and avoid wasting time on unimportant activities. This helps us stay organized and ensures that we complete tasks in a timely manner.Secondly, time management helps reduce stress and improve work-life balance. When we manage our time effectively, we can avoid procrastination and last-minute rushes, which often lead to stress and anxiety. By planning our time well, we can create a balance between work, family, and leisure activities, leading to a more fulfilling and satisfying life.Furthermore, time management enhances our efficiency and productivity. When we have a clear plan and schedule, we can eliminate distractions and stay focused on our tasks. This allows us to work more efficiently and accomplish more in less time. By managing our time effectively, we can achieve our goals and reach our full potential.Lastly, time management promotes self-discipline and self-improvement. It requires us to be accountable for our own time and take responsibility for our actions. By practicing good time management habits, such as setting realistic deadlines and avoiding procrastination, we can develop self-discipline and improve our overall productivity and performance.In conclusion, time management is a vital skill that can greatly impact our lives. It allows us to prioritize tasks, reduce stress, enhance efficiency, and promote self-discipline. By managing our time effectively, we can achieve our goals, maintain a healthy work-life balance, and lead a morefulfilling life. So, let's start practicing good time management habits and make the most of our time. Thank you.Part III: DiscussionNow, let's move on to the discussion section. Today's topic is about the impact of social media on society.M: I think social media has had a significant impact on society. It has revolutionized the way we communicate and connect with others.W: I agree. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have made it easier for us to stay connected with friends and family, no matter where they are.M: That's true. It has also provided a platform for people to express their opinions and share their experiences with a wider audience.W: However, social media has its downsides as well. It can be addictive and time-consuming, leading to a decrease in productivity and real-life interactions.M: I think social media has also contributed to the spread of fake news and misinformation. People often believe and share information without verifying its authenticity.W: That's a valid point. Social media has definitely changed the way we consume news and information, and it's important for us to be critical and discerning.M: Overall, I believe social media has both positive and negative impacts on society. It's up to us to use it responsibly and make the most of its benefits while being aware of its drawbacks.W: I couldn't agree more. It's important for us to strike a balance and not let social media consume our lives.M: Absolutely. Let's use social media as a tool for connection and information, rather than letting it control us.W: Well said. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.M: Thank you for the discussion.。

2023年6月大学英语六级考试听力原文(第2套)

2023年6月大学英语六级考试听力原文(第2套)

2023年6月大学英语六级考试听力原文(第2套)Conversation One.Have you decided what you wish to study?Yes, professor. I wish to study architecture.Ah, that's a wonderful profession. Why did you choose it?I gave a lot of thought to things you said during our last discussion. And I decided architecture made the most sense for me.In particular, I'm attracted to the marriage of design and engineering. That's great, but I seem to remember you were preoccupied with all the lofty mathematics.You no longer think this aspect will be too hard for you?No. I was doing some online research and I think I should be able to manage. Math might be the toughest subject I encounter in the curriculum, but I'll simply put in the work required.I'm certain the fruits of my labor will pay off.I'm sure that's true. Due to its material nature, architecture is one field where you will be able to clearly witness the contribution you make to a city.And the legacies you build will last much longer than any of us mortals. Yeah, I guess that's true too. So what subjects do you think I should start brushing up on in preparation? I have the whole summer.These days, architecture is a very diverse and dynamic degree.Most universities will encourage you to learn different things from fields as wide-ranging as philosophy and economics.Nevertheless, I would suggest you start with computer science, because there will be many intricate visuals you will have to produce as part of your projects.Any software in particular you think I should start with?Photoshop is a good place. If you aren't yet, try to become as proficient as you can with it.And another thing that I would recommend you learn as much as you can is fine arts, in particular, the history of Western art.Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard. Question 1: Why does the woman wish to study architecture?Question 2: How does the woman say she will overcome the difficulty in learning mathematics?Question 3:What does the man say about architects' contribution to a city? Question 4: What subject does the man suggest the woman start with?Conversation Two.So, as I mentioned over the phone, we are looking for someone who is very discreet. I can't stress this enough.I fully understand.As we all know, being such a famous football player at Real Madrid, Mr Sanchez has a very high public profile.This means he cannot leave the house without being recognized and harassed.Yes, I completely understand how imperative it would be to respect Mr Sanchez's private life.Good. As his personal assistant, you would be required to run common everyday chores for Mr Sanchez, things he cannot do himself due to his fame, like going to the supermarket or post office.So, well, at first sight it may appear that working for a celebrity is very glamorous. Nothing could be further from the truth.I'm telling you this so that you don't get any false expectations of what the job has to offer you.Thanks. I understand this too. This is my first job after graduating from university.So frankly, I don't have much prior working experience.I am, however, very excited about the prospect of joining this company and very keen to start from the bottom in whatever capacity I may be of use.That's good to hear. You sound very energetic. Tell me why do you think you are well suited for this job?Well, firstly, I love football. I'm a lifelong Real Madrid supporter and go to their games every weekend I can.I would simply love to have a job where I'm involved in some capacity with Real Madrid, regardless of the position and salary.And secondly, I think what this company does in sports consultancy is very cool.And I think my language skills could prove very useful down the road. Please tell me more about your language skills.I am fully fluent in English and Spanish and have a working proficiency in French.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard. Question 5: What do we learn from the conversation about Mr Sanchez? Question 6: What will the man do if he gets the job?Question 7: What does the man say about himself?Question 8: Why does the man think he is a very competitive candidate?Passage One.Adventure sports are undeniably attractive to many energetic andthrill-seeking kids.Sports like rock climbing, surfing, skiing, and mountain biking, thus have lots of appeal.They don't have many of the rules and pressures of traditional team sports, but they still have all the benefits of outdoor physical activity.When properly supervised, extreme sports can be a part of a healthy, balanced life.Some adventure sports may be associated with higher risks of injury, so it's important for kids to figure out when to take risks, and when not to.Risk-free activities deprive kids of the opportunity to test themselves and overcome their fears.But, to some, these very risks are what makes these sports a bad choice. They say that extreme sports can often lead to devastating injuries, especially as young thrill seekers may attempt feats that are too advanced for them.But let's be real. Most kids do all kinds of dangerous stuff whether you want them to or not.Adventure sports have many of the same risks and dangers.But, they have an additional sense of adventure, courage and autonomy that is important to foster in young children.As always, it's up to parents to decide what's best for their kids. But, if you do decide that adventure sports are a bit too much, do try to introduce other forms of outdoor adventures into their lives. Camping under the stars, fishing, stargazing, or even just playing in the woods can help a lot in building the same sense of self-confidence and risk-taking as in adventure sports.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard. Question 9: Why do extreme sports appeal to many kids?Question 10: What does the speaker say about risk-free activities? Question 11: What shall parents do if they decide adventure sports are a bit too much for their kids?Passage Two.The shiny gadgets of today will be waste tomorrow.Manufacturers don't talk much about this when they announce the big new thing that will replace your mostly just as good old thing.In fact, technology firms often purposely design devices that will not last long and cannot be repaired so that consumers will have to spend their money on a new one.This year, the French government began requiring tech manufacturers to list a repairability score.If a device can be repaired, then its life can be extended, saving consumers money and the planet the burden of so many trashed gadgets. Equipped with this knowledge, consumers can make better choices about which products to buy.Some 59 million tons of old TVs, computers, screens, smartphones, washers and other electronics are discarded every year.This waste is dangerous. Batteries explode in recycling facilities.Toxic substances like mercury leak into soil and groundwater and disperse in the air.Manufacturing flat screens adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. We need tech companies to take the lead to solve this problem.If they won't, governments must make them do so.Although tech companies will often speak of environmental sustainability, many lobby against repair legislation, fearful it will eat into their profits.Sustainability matters, but marketable design appears to matter more to these companies.Consumers should support right-to-repair legislation.In this world, damage is a certainty.But we cannot leave things broken: A problem of our creation is a problem that can be fixed.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard. Question 12: Why did new tech products soon become waste?Question 13:What did the French government require tech companies to do to help consumers make better choices?Question 14: What should tech companies do to help ensure environmental sustainability?Question 15: What does the speaker think of the problem of waste?Recording One.On average, U.S. workers spend about 10% of their workday surfing the internet, emailing friends or shopping online.This behavior, called cyberloafing, is believed to cost employers up to $85 billion a year in lost productivity.The majority of cyberloafing research focuses on ways to prevent employees from engaging in this behavior through interventions such as internet monitoring and computer use policies.But it turns out, such behaviors may not be a sign that a worker is lazy or just wasting time.Social media use at work has been linked to higher levels of employee engagement and job satisfaction.New research suggests cyberloafing can help workers cope with an exceptionally stressful work environment.But is cyberloafing actually effective at reducing employee stress levels?That's the question my research team wanted to answer in our new study. Our hypothesis was that cyberloafing may serve as a mini-break, giving employees an opportunity to recover from stressful work situations. To test this, we asked workers to complete an online survey and rank how much time they spent cyberloafing, checking non-work emails and shopping. We also asked them to rank job satisfaction, their desire to quit, andhow often they've experienced mistreatment at work, such as being bullied, threatened or yelled at.As you might expect, we found that overall, more mistreatment at work was correlated with lower levels of job satisfaction and a greater desire to quit.More interestingly, we found that cyberloafing effectively buffered this connection.That is, mistreated workers who spent more time surfing the web and checking emails reported higher job satisfaction and were less likely to want to quit than similar participants who didn't cyberloaf as much. This suggests that cyberloafing acts as a sort of relief valve for workers, helping them recover from stressful experiences.While we did not directly assess how cyberloafing affects worker performance, we believe by relieving stress it may not only reduce worker turnover, but also ultimately bolster productivity.This fits with other recent research that suggests taking short breaks is associated with higher levels of daily job performance.That isn't to say cyberloafing is always good.Too much time spent on non-work activities likely causes performance to suffer.All in all, managers should be more lenient with employees.We believe a bit of online shopping or surfing the internet at work could make workers more productive in the long run.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard. Question 16: What does most cyberloafing research focus on?Question 17: What was the hypothesis of the speaker's research team? Question 18: On what point do the results of the speaker's study agree with other recent research?Recording Two.When Julius Morton moved to Nebraska City in 1854, he faced a problem shared by many settlers in the territory: It was a treeless plain. That meant no trees for building materials, or for fuel.But Morton was one of the world's first conservationists, stating, "For prosperity, we ought to plant as many forests as we have exhausted and consumed".So he started planting trees, beginning with his own land.By 1860 Morton possessed a forest of more than 300 trees.A few years later, he had more than 1,000.As the forest grew, so did Morton's influence in Nebraska.This was largely because Morton founded the Nebraska City News, the state's first newspaper, in which he frequently wrote editorials about the practical and aesthetic benefits of tree planting.He also organized the Nebraska State Gardening Society and served on theNebraska State Board of Agriculture.While serving on the Board, Morton came up with an idea to spread his belief in tree planting statewide.On January 4, 1872, Morton drafted a resolution that April 10 be designated day for the planting of trees in the State of Nebraska and urged people to go out and plant trees themselves.Morton called the special event Arbor Day as "arbor" is Latin for "tree". The state government agreed.And on April 10, 1872, the first unofficial Arbor Day was celebrated throughout Nebraska.Prizes were awarded to counties, cities, and individuals who planted the largest number of trees.That day, an astounding one million trees were planted in Nebraska—an average of more than six for every man, woman and child in the state. Since 1885, Nebraska has planted more than 700,000 acres of trees, earning it the nickname "the Tree Planters State".Arbor Day became a legal, civic holiday in the state in 1885.It was held on April 22—Julius Morton's birthday.In addition to a parade in Nebraska City, Morton introduced what has since become a long-standing Arbor Day tradition: Schoolchildren went outside and planted trees together.In 1970, nearly a century after Arbor Day was first celebrated, President Richard Nixon declared the last Friday of every April to be observed as National Arbor Day.All 50 states recognize the April observance, although many hold an additional state Arbor Day in a month more suited to local tree planting. Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard. Question 19: What does the speaker say about Nebraska City in 1854 when Julius Morton moved there?Question 20: What did Julius Morton do that increased his influence in Nebraska City?Question 21: What does the speaker say happened on April 10, 1872?Recording Three.Modern humans arose in Africa about 200,000 years ago.They then spread across Europe and Asia sometime after 60,000 years ago. This is the "Out of Africa" model, as it's commonly known.In the 1990s, the hypothesis found widespread acceptance.But this popular idea is in need of revision, particularly given the number of important findings across Asia over the past few decades.For instance, many new human fossils found, particularly in China, are now dated as older than 60,000 years.This calls into question the idea that modern humans migrated out of Africa only 60,000 years ago.Take the recent discovery of two modern human teeth found in the Luna cave in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.When my research team and I dated these teeth, we found they were more than 70,000 years old—a situation clearly impossible if modern humans moved out of Africa only 60,000 years ago.So with such findings, what happened exactly?Where does the most current data suggest we came from?The first question we should ask is why did modern humans leave Africa to begin with?If a population is perfectly adapted to a particular environment and has access to an abundance of resources, then there really is no reason to move or change.For instance, some monkeys in Africa have a set of teeth that has hardly changed over the course of millions of years, indicating that they found a place that has worked for them.So what happened with humans?Some researchers have suggested that population density increased to the point where smaller human groups were forced to explore new lands. Other researchers have suggested that due to major environmental events in East Africa, humans were prompted to find greener pastures.Yet another explanation could simply be that early modern human hunters were following the large animals that they relied on, and so they moved out of Africa without realizing that they were actually moving from one continent to another.Humans need daily access to reliable fresh water, which appears to be absent from many coastal areas.This brings us to another question: by which route did modern humans move out of Africa?No clear routes across the Mediterranean from North Africa appear to be present, so the earlier dispersals out of Africa and into Europe and Asia might have been across the Arabian Peninsula.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard. Question 22: What do we learn about modern humans according to the hypothesis commonly accepted in the 1990s?Question 23: What has called into question the "Out of Africa" model? Question 24: What does the speaker want to show with the example of some monkeys in Africa?Question 25:What question does the speaker raise close to the end of the talk?。

2023年12月英语六级考试真题及答案详解和听力原文第二套

2023年12月英语六级考试真题及答案详解和听力原文第二套

12月英语六级考试真题第二套Part I Writing (30minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay based on the picture below. You should focus on the difficulty in acquiring useful information in spite of advanced information technology. You are required to write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.Part ⅡListening 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 1 with a single line through the centre.1. A. The restaurant offers some specials each day.B. The restaurant is known for its food varieties.C. The dressing makes the mixed salad very inviting.D. The woman should mix the ingredients thoroughly.2. A. He took over the firm from Mary. C. He failed to foresee major problems.B. He is running a successful business. D. He is opening a new consulting firm.3. A. Someone should be put in charge of office supplies.B. The man can leave the discs in the office cabinet.C. The man may find the supplies in the cabinet.D. The printer in the office has run out of paper.4. A. He has to use a magnifying glass to see clearly.B. The woman can use his glasses to read.C. He has the dictionary the woman wants.D. The dictionary is not of much help to him.5. A. Redecorating her office.B. Majoring in interior design.C. Seeking professional advice.D. Adding some office furniture.6. A. Problems in port management.B. Improvement of port facilities.C. Delayed shipment of goods.D. Shortage of container ships.7.A. Their boss. B. A colleague. C. Their workload. D. A coffee machine.8. A. Call the hotel manager for help.B. Postpone the event until a later date.C. Hold the banquet at a different place.D. Get an expert to correct the error.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9 .A. He shares some of the household duties.B. He often goes back home late for dinner.C. He cooks dinner for the family occasionally.D. He dines out from time to time with friends.10. A. To take him to dinner.B. To talk about a budget plan.C. To discuss an urgent problem.D. To pass on an important message.11. A. Foreign investors are losing confidence in India's economy.B. Many multinational enterprises are withdrawing from India.C. There are wild fluctuations in the international money market.D. There is a sharp increase in India's balance of payment deficit. Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A. They have unrealistic expectations about the other half.B. They may not be prepared for a lifelong relationship.C. They form a more realistic picture of life.D. They try to adapt to their changing roles.13. A. He is lucky to have visited many exotic places.B. He is able to forget all the troubles in his life.C. He is able to meet many interesting people.D. He is lucky to be able to do what he loves.14.A. It is stressful. B. It is full of time. C. It is all glamour. D. It is challenging15. A. Bothered. B. Amazed. C. Puzzled. D. Excited.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 I with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A. Maintain the traditional organizational culture.B. Learn new ways of relating and working together.C. Follow closely the fast development of technology.D. Learn to be respectful in a hierarchical organization.17. A. How the team integrates with what it is supposed to serve.B. How the team is built to keep improving its performance.C. What type of personnel the team should be composed of.D. What qualifications team members should be equipped with.18. A. A team manager must set very clear and high objectives.B. Teams must consist of members from different cultures.C. Team members should be knowledgeable and creative.D. A team manager should develop a certain set of skills.Passage TwoQuestions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.19. A. It is a platform for sharing ideas on teaching at the University of Illinois.B. It was mainly used by scientists and technical people to exchange text.C. It started off as a successful program but was unable to last long.D. It is a program allowing people to share information on the Web.20. A. He visited a number of famous computer scientists.B. He met with an entrepreneur named Jim Clark.C. He sold a program developed by his friends.D. He invested in a leading computer business.21. A. They had confidence in his new ideas.B. They trusted his computer expertise.C. They were very keen on new technology.D. They believed in his business connections.Passage ThreeQuestions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.22. A. Prestige advertising.B. Institutional advertising.C. Word of mouth advertising.D. Distributing free trial products.23. A. To sell a particular product.B. To build up their reputation.C. To promote a specific service.D. To attract high-end consumers.24. A. By using the services of large advertising agencies.B. By hiring their own professional advertising staff.C. By buying media space in leading newspapers.D. By creating their own ads and commercials.25. A. Decide on what specific means of communication to employ.B. Conduct a large-scale survey on customer needs.C. Specify the objectives of the campaign in detail.D. Pretest alternative ads or commercials in certain regions.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hoar 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 with the exact words you have just hoard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should chock what you have written.Extinction is difficult concept to grasp. It is an(26)concept. It's not at all like the killing of individual life forms that can be renewed through normal processes of reproduction. Nor is it simply(27)numbers. Nor is it damage that can somehow be remedied or for which some substitute can be found. Nor is it something that simply affects our own generation. Nor is it something that could be remedied by some supernatural power. It is rather an(28)and final act for which there is no remedy on earth or in heaven. A species once extinct is gone forever. However many generations (29)us in coming centuries, none of them will ever see this species that we extinguish. Not only are we bringing about the extinction of life(30), we are also making the land and the air and the sea so toxic that the very conditions of life are being destroyed.(31)basic natural resources, not only are the nonrenewable resources being(32)in a frenzy ( 疯狂) of processing, consuming, and(33), but we are also mining much of our renewable resources, such as the very soil itself on which terrestrial (地球上旳) life depends.The change that is taking place on the earth and in our minds is one of the greatest changes ever to take place in human affairs, perhaps the greatest, since what we are talking about is not simply another historical change or cultural (34), but a change of geological and biological as well as psychological order of(35).Part ⅢReading 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 yourchoices. 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.It seems to be a law in the technology industry that leading companies eventually lose their positions, often quickly and brutally. Mobile phone champion Nokia, one of Europe's biggest technology success stories, was no(36), losing its market share in just a few years.In , Nokia accounted for more than 40% of mobile phone sales(37)But consumers'preferences were already(38)toward touch-screen smart phones. With the introduction of Apple's phone in the middle of that year, Nokia's market share(39)rapidly and revenue plunged. By the end of , Nokia had sold its phone business to Microsoft.What sealed Nokia's fate was a series of decisions made by Stephen Elop in his position as CEO, which he(40)in October . Each day that Elop spent in charge of Nokia, the company's market value declined by $ 23 million, making him, by the numbers, one of the worst CEOs in history. But Elop was not the only person at(41)Nokia's board resisted change, making it impossible for the company to adapt to rapid shifts in the industry. Most(42), Jorma Ollila, who had led Nokia's transition from an industrial company to a technology giant, was too fascinated by the company's(43)success to recognize the change that was needed to sustain its competitiveness. The company also embarked on a(44)cost-cutting program, which included the elimination of thousands of jobs. This contributed to the(45) of the company’s once-spirited culture.which had motivated employees to take risks and make miracles. Good leaders left the company, taking Nokia's sense of vision and directions with them. Not surprisingly, much of Nokia's most valuable design and programming talent left as well.A. assumedB. biasC. desperateD. deteriorationE. exceptionF. faultG. incidentallyH. notablyI. previousJ. relayedK. shiftingL. shrankM. subtleN. transmittingO. worldwideSection 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.First-Generation College-Goers: Unprepared and Behind Kids who are the first in their families to brave the world of higher education come on campus with little academic know—how and are much more likely than their peers to drop out before graduation.[ A] When Nijay Williams entered college last fall as a first—generation student and Jamaican immigrant, he was academically unprepared for the rigors of higher education. Like many first—generation students, he enrolled in a medium-sized state university many of his high school peers were also attending, received a Pell Grant, and took out some small federal loans to cover other costs.Given the high price of room and board and the closeness of the school to his family, he chose to live at home and worked between 30 and 40 hours a week while taking a full class schedule.[ B] What Nijay didn't realize about his school—Tennessee State University—was its frighteningly low graduation rate: a mere 29 percent for its first-generation students. At the end of his first year, Nijay lost his Pell Grant of over $ 5,000 after narrowly missing the 2.0 GPA cut-off, making it impossible for him to continue paying for school.[ C ]Nijay represents a large and growing group of Americans: first—generation college students who enter school unprepared or behind. To make matters worse, these schools are ill-equipped to graduate these students—young adults who face specific challenges and obstacles. They typically carry financial burdens that outweigh those of their peers, are more likely to work while attending school, and often require significant academic remediation (补习).[ D ] Matt Rubinoff directs I'm First, a nonprofit organization launched last October to reach out to this specific population of students. He hopes to distribute this information and help prospective college-goers fad the best post-secondary fit. And while Rubinoff believes there are a good number of four—year schools that truly care about these students and set aside significant resources and programs for them, he says that number isn't high enough.[ E ] "It's not only the selective and elite institutions that provide those opportunities for a small subset of this population," Rubinoff said, adding that a majority of first-generation undergraduates tend toward options such as online programs, two—year colleges, and commuter state schools."Unfortunately, there tends to be a lack of information and support to help students think bigger and broader. "[ F] Despite this problem, many students are still drawn to these institutions--and two-year schools in particular. As a former high school teacher, I saw students choose familiar, cheaper options year after year. Instead of skipping out on higher education altogether, they chose community colleges or state schools with low bars for admittance.[ G]"They underestimate themselves when selecting a university," said Dave Jarrat, a marketing executive for InsideTrack, a for—profit organization that specializes in coaching low-income students and supporting colleges in order to help students thrive. "The reality of it is that a lot of low-income kids could be going to elite universities on a full ride scholarship and don't even realize it. "[ H] "Many students are coming from a situation where no one around them has the experience of successfully completing higher education, so they are coming in questioning themselves and their college worthiness," Jarrat continued. That helps explain why, as I'm First's Rubinoff indicated, the schools to which these students end up resorting can end up being some of the poorest matches for them. The University of Tennessee in Knoxville offers one example of this dilemma. A flagship university in the South, the school graduates just 16 percent of its first—generation students, despite its overall graduation rate of 71 percent. Located only a few hours apart, The University of Tennessee and Tennessee State are worth comparing. Tennessee State's overall graduation rate is a tiny 39 percent, but at least it has a smaller gap between the outcomes for first—generation students and those of their peers.[ I] Still, the University of Tennessee deserves credit for being transparent. Many large institutions keep this kind of data secret—or at least make it incredibly difficult to find The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, for instance, admits only that the graduation rate for its first—generation pupils is "much lower" than the percentage of all students who graduate within four years (81 percent).[ J] It is actually quite difficult to freed reliable statistics on the issue for many schools. Higher education institutions are, under federal law, required to report graduation rates, but these reports typically only include Pell recipient numbers —not necessarily rates specific to first—generation students. Other initiatives fail to break down the data, too. Imagine how intimidating it can be for prospective students unfamiliar with the complexities of higher education to navigate this kind of information and then identify which schools are the best fit.[ K] It was this lack of information that prompted the launch of I'm First in , originally as an ann. of its umbrella organization, the Center For Student Opportunity."If we can help to direct students to more of these types of campuses and help students to understand them to be realistic and accessible places, have them apply to these schools at greater frequency and ultimately get in and enroll, we are going to raise the success rate," Rubinoff said, citing a variety of colleges ranging from large state institutions to smaller private schools.[ L] Chelsea Jones, who now directs student programming at I'm First, was a first—generation college student at Howard. Like other student new to the intimidating higher—education world, she often struggled on her path to college, "There wasn't really a college—bound culture at my high school," she said. "I wanted to go to college but I didn't reallyknow the process. " Jones became involved with a college—access program through Princeton University in high school. Now, she attributesmuch of her understanding of college to that: "But once I got to campus, it was a completely different ball game that no one really prepared me for. "[ M] She was fortunate, though. Howard, a well—regarded historically black college, had an array of resources for its first—generation students, including matching kids with counselors, commenting first—generation students to one another, and TRIO, a national program that supported 200 students on Howard's campus. Still, Jones represents a small percentage of first-generation students who are able to gain entry into more elite universities, which are often known for robust financial aid packages and remarkably high graduation rates for first—generation students.(Harvard, for example, boasts a six—year graduation rate for underrepresented minority groups of 98 percent. ) [ N]Christian Vazquez, a first—generation Yale graduate, is another exception, his success story setting him far apart from students such as Nijay. "There is a lot of support at Yale, to an extent, after a while, there is too much support," he said, half—joking about the countless resources available at the school. Students are placed in small groups with counselors ( trained seniors on campus) ;they have access to cultural and ethnic affinity (联络) groups, tutoring centers and also have asummer orientation specifically for first—generation students ( the latter being one of the most common programs for students).[ O]"Our support structure was more like : ' You are going to get through Yale; you are going to do well,' " he said, hinting at mentors (导师), staff, and professors who all provided significant support for students who lacked confidence about "belonging" at such a top institution.46. Many first—generation college—goers have doubts about their abilities to get a college degree.47. First—generation college students tend to have much heavier financial burdens than their peers.48. The graduation rate of first—generation students at Nijay's university was incredibly low.49. Some top institutions like Yale seem to provide first—generation students with more support than they actually need.50. On entering college, Nijay Williams had no idea how challenging college education was.51. Many universities simply refuse to release their exact graduation rates for first-generation students.52. According to a marketing executive, many students from low-income families don't know they could have achance of going to an elite university.53. Some elite universities attach great importance to building up the first—generation students' serf—confidence.54. I'm First distributes information to help first-generation college-goers find schools that are most suitable for them.55. Elite universities tend to graduate fan’s-generation students at a higher rate.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A., B., C. and D . You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.Saying they can no longer ignore the rising prices of health care, some of the most influential medical groups in the nation are recommending that doctors weigh the costs, not just the effectiveness of treatments, as they make decisions about patient care. The shift, little noticed outside the medical establishment but already controversial inside it, suggests that doctors are starting to redefine their roles, from being concerned exclusively about individual patients to exerting influence on how healthcare dollars are spent. In practical terms, the new guidelines being developed could result in doctors choosing one drug over another for cost reasons or even deciding that a particular treatment—at the end of life, for example—is too expensive. In the extreme, some critics have said that making treatment decisions based on cost is a form of rationing. Traditionally, guidelines have heavily influenced the practice of medicine, and the latest ones are expected to make doctors more conscious of the economic consequences of their decisions, even though there's no obligation to follow them. Medical society guidelines are also used by insurancecomoanies to help determine reimbursement (报销) policies. Some doctors see a potential conflict in trying to be both providers of patient care and facial.Overseers. "There should be forces in society who should be concerned about the budget, but they shouldn't be functioning simultaneously as doctors," said Dr. Martin Samuels at a Boston hospital. He said doctors risked losing the trust of patients if they told patients, "I'm not going to do what I think is best for you because I think it's bad for the healthcare budget in Massachusetts. " Doctors can face some grim trade—offs. Studies have shown, for example, that two drugs are about equally effective in treating macular degeneration, and eye disease. But one costs $ 50 a dose and the other close to $ 2,000. Medicare could save hundreds of millions of dollars a year if everyone used the cheaper drug, Avastin, instead ofthe costlier one, Lucentis. But the Food and Drug Administration has not approved Avastin for use in the eye. and using it rather than the alternative, Lucentis, might carry an additional, although slight, safety risk. Should doctors consider Medicare's budget in deciding what to use?"I think ethically (在道德层面上) we are just worried about the patient in front of us and not trying to save money for the insurance industry or society as a whole," said Dr. Donald Jensen. Still, some analysts say that there's a role for doctors to play in cost analysis because not many others are doing so. "In some ways," said Dr. Daniel Sulmasy, "it represents a failure of wider society to take up the issue. "56. What do some most influential medical groups recommend doctors do?A. Reflect on the responsibilities they are supposed to take.B. Pay more attention to the effectiveness of their treatments.C. Take costs into account when making treatment decisions.D. Readjust their practice in view of the cuts in health care.57. What were doctors mainly concerned about in the past?A. Specific medicines to be used.B. Effects of medical treatment.C. Professional advancement.D. Patients' trust.58. What may the new guidelines being developed lead to?A. The redefining of doctors' roles.B. Overuse of less effective medicines.C. Conflicts between doctors and patients.D. The prolonging of patients' suffering.59. What risk do doctors see in their dual role as patient care providers and financial overseers?A. They may be involved in a conflict of interest.B. They may be forced to divide their attention.C. They may have to use less effective drugs.D. They may lose the respect of patients.60. What do some experts say about doctors' involvement in medical cost analysis?A. It may add to doctors' already heavy workloads.B. It will help to save money for society as a whole.C. It results from society's failure to tackle the problem.D. It raises doctors' awareness of their social responsibilities.Passage TwoQuestions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.Economic inequality is the "defining challenge of our time," President Barack Obama declared in a speech last monthto the Center for American Progress. Inequality is dangerous, he argued, not merely because it doesn't look good to have a large gap between the rich and the poor, but because inequality itself destroys upward mobility, making it harder for the poor to escape from poverty. "Increased inequality and decreasing mobility pose a fundamental threat to the American Dream," he said. Obama is only the most prominent public figure to declare inequality Public Enemy No. 1 and the greatest threat to reducing poverty in America. A number of prominent economists have also argued that it's harder for the poor to climb the economic ladder today because the rungs (横档) in that ladder have grown farther apart.For all the new attention devoted to the 1 percent, a new dam set from the Equality of Opportunity Project at Harvard and Berkeley suggests that, if we care about upward mobility overall, we're vastly exaggerating the dangers of the rich—poor gap. Inequality itself is not a particularly strong predictor of economic mobility, as sociologist Scott Winship noted in a recent article based on his analysis of this data. So what factors, at the community level, do predict if poor children will move up the economic ladder as adtdts? what explains, for instance, why the Salt Lake City metro area is one of the 100 largest metropolitan areas most likely to lift the fortunes of the poor and the Atlanta metro area is one of the least likely?Harvard economist Raj Cherty has pointed to economic and racial segregation, community density, the size of a community's middle class, the quality of schools, commitments religiosity, and family structure, which he calls the "single strongest correlate of upward mobility. " Chetty finds that communities like Salt Lake City, with high levels of two-parent families and religiosity, are much more likely to see poor children get ahead than communities like Atlanta, with high levels of racial and economic segregation. Chetty has not yet issued a comprehensive analysis of the relative predictive power of each of these factors. Based on my analyses of the data. of the factors that Chetty has highlighted, the following three seem to be most predictive of upward mobility in a given community.1. Per-capita (人均) income growth2. Prevalence of single mothers ( where correlation is strong, but negative)3. Per-capita local government spending In other words, communities with high levels of per-capita income growth, high percentages of two-parent families, and high local government spending-which may stand for good schools-are the most likely to help poor children relive Horatio Alger's rags-to-riches story.61. How does Obama view economic inequality?A. It is the biggest obstacle to social mobility.B. It is the greatest threat to social stability.C. It is the No. 1 enemy of income growth.D. It is the most malicious social evil of our time.62. What do we learn about the inequality gap from Scott Winship's data analysis?。

2023年大学英语六级真题卷听力原文答案详解

2023年大学英语六级真题卷听力原文答案详解

2023年6月大学英语六级真题Part Ⅰ Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled The Certificate Craze. You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below.1.目前许多人热衷于各类证书考试2.其目旳各不相似3.在我看来……The Certificate Craze注意:此部分试题在答题卡1上。

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 sen tences with the information given in the passage.Minority ReportAmerican universities are accepting more minorities than ever. Graduating them is another matter.Barry Mills, the president of Bowdoin College, was justifiably proud of Bowdoin's efforts to recruit minority students. Since 2023 the small, elite liberal arts school in Brunswick, Maine,has boosted the proportion of so-called under-represented minority students in entering freshman classes from 8% to 13%. "It is our responsibility to reach out and attract students to come to our kinds of places," he told a NEWSWEEK reporter. But Bowdoin has not done quite as well when it comes to actually graduating minorities. While 9 out of 10 white students routinely get their diplomas within six years, only 7 out of 10 black students made it to graduation day in several recent classes."If you look at who enters college, it now looks like America," says Hilary Pennington, director of postsecondary programs for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has closely studied enrollment patterns in higher education. "But if you look at who walks across the stage for a diploma, it's still largely the white, upper-income population."The United States once had the highest graduation rate of any nation. Now it stands 10th. For the first time in American history, there is the risk that the rising generation will be less well educated than the previous one. The graduation rate among 25- to 34-year-olds is no better than the rate for the 55- to 64-year-olds who were going to college more than 30 years ago. Studies show that more and more poor and non-white students want to graduate from college – but their graduation rates fall far short of their dreams. The graduation rates for blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans lag far behind the graduation rates for whites and Asians. As the minority population grows in the United States, low college graduation rates become a threat to national prosperity.The problem is pronounced at public universities. In 2023 the University of Wisconsin-Madison– one of the top five or so prestigious public universities – graduated 81% of its white students within six years, but only 56% of its blacks. At less-selective state schools, the numbers get worse. During the same time frame, the University of Northern Iowa graduated 67% of its white students, but only 39% of its blacks. Community colleges have low graduation rates generally –but rock-bottom rates for minorities. A recent review of California community colleges found that while a third of the Asian students picked up their degrees, only 15% of African-Americans did so as well.Private colleges and universities generally do better, partly because they offer smaller classes and more personal attention. But when it comes to a significant graduation gap, Bowdoin has company. Nearby Colby College logged an 18-point difference between white and black graduates in 2023 and 25 points in 2023. Middlebury College in Vermont, another top school, had a 19-point gap in 2023 and a 22-point gap in 2023. The most selective private schools –Harvard, Yale, and Princeton – show almost no gap between black and white graduation rates. But that may have more to do with their ability to select the best students. According to data gathered by Harvard Law School professor Lani Guinier, the most selective schools are more likely to choose blacks who have at least one immigrant parent from Africa or the Caribbean than black students who are descendants of American slaves."Higher education has been able to duck this issue for years, particularly the more selective schools, by saying the responsibility is on the individual student," says Pennington of the Gates Foundation. "If they fail, it's their fault." Some critics blame affirmative action –studentsadmitted with lower test scores and grades from shaky high schools often struggle at elite schools. But a bigger problem may be that poor high schools often send their students to colleges for which they are "undermatched": they could get into more elite, richer schools, but instead go to community colleges and low-rated state schools that lack the resources to help them. Some schools out for profit cynically increase tuitions and count on student loans and federal aid to foot the bill – knowing full well that the students won't make it. "The school keeps the money, but the kid leaves with loads of debt and no degree and no ability to get a better job. Colleges are not holding up their end," says Amy Wilkins of the Education Trust.A college education is getting ever more expensive. Since 1982 tuitions have been rising at roughly twice the rate of inflation. In 2023 the net cost of attending a four-year public university – after financial aid – equaled 28% of median (中间旳)family income, while a four-year private university cost 76% of median family income. More and more scholarships are based on merit, not need. Poorer students are not always the best-informed consumers. Often they wind up deeply in debt or simply unable to pay after a year or two and must drop out.There once was a time when universities took pride in their dropout rates. Professors would begin the year by saying, "Look to the right and look to the left. One of you is not going to be here by the end of the year." But such a Darwinian spirit is beginning to give way as at least a few colleges face up to the graduation gap. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the gap has been roughly halved over the last three years. The university has poured resources into peer counseling to help students from inner-city schools adjust to the rigor (严格规定)and fasterpace of a university classroom –and also to help minority students overcome the stereotype that they are less qualified. Wisconsin has a "laserlike focus" on building up student skills in the first three months, according to vice provost (教务长)Damon Williams.State and federal governments could sharpen that focus everywhere by broadly publishing minority graduation rates. For years private colleges such as Princeton and MIT have had success bringing minorities onto campus in the summer before freshman year to give them some prepara tory courses. The newer trend is to start recruiting poor and non-white students as early as the seventh grade, using innovative tools to identify kids with sophisticated verbal skills. Such pro grams can be expensive, of course, but cheap compared with the millions already invested in scholarships and grants for kids who have little chance to graduate without special support.With effort and money, the graduation gap can be closed. Washington and Lee is a small, selective school in Lexington, Va. Its student body is less than 5% black and less than 2% Latino. While the school usually graduated about 90% of its whites, the graduation rate of its blacks and Latinos had dipped to 63% by 2023. "We went through a dramatic shift," says Dawn Watkins, the vice president for student affairs. The school aggressively pushed mentoring (辅导) of minorities by other students and "partnering" with parents at a special pre-enrollment session. The school had its first-ever black homecoming. Last spring the school graduated the same proportion of minorities as it did whites. If the United States wants to keep up in the global economic race, it will have to pay systematic attention to graduating minorities, not justenrolling them.注意:此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

大学英语六级听力考试原文(完整版)

大学英语六级听力考试原文(完整版)

⼤学英语六级听⼒考试原⽂(完整版) ⼤学英语四六级考试如何备考是每个考⽣都会关注的⼀个问题,以下是店铺为⼤家搜索整理的⼤学英语六级听⼒考试原⽂(完整版),希望能给⼤家带来帮助! Section A Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and2 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. M: I don’t know what to do. I have to drive to Chicago next Friday for my cousin’s wedding, but I have got a Psychology test to prepare for. W: Why don’t you record your notes so you can study on the way? Q: What does the woman suggest the man do? 12. M: Professor Wright, you may have to find another student to play this role, the lines are so long and I simply can’t remember them all. W: Look, Tony. It is still a long time before the first show. I don’t expect you to know all the lines yet. Just keep practicing. Q: What do we learn from the conversation? 13. M: Hello, this is Dr. Martin from the Emergency Department. I have a male patient with a fractured ankle. W: Oh, we have one bed available in ward 3, send him here and I will take care of him. Q: What are the speakers talking about? 14. W: Since Simon will graduate this May, the school paper needs a new editor. So if you are interested, I will be happy to nominate you. M: Thanks for considering me. But the baseball team is starting up a new season. And I’m afraid I have a lot on my hands. Q: What does the man mean? 15. W: Have you heard the news that Jame Smeil has resigned his post as prime minister? M: Well, I got it from the headlines this morning. It’s reported that he made public at this decision at the last cabinet meeting. Q: what do we learn about Jame Smeil? 16. W: The morning paper says the space shuttle is taking off at 10 a.m. tomorrow. M: Yeah, it’s just another one of this year’s routine missions. The first mission was undertaken a decade ago and broadcast live then worldwide. Q: what can we infer from this conversation? 17. M: We do a lot of camping in the mountains. What would you recommend for two people? W: You’d probably be better off with the four real drive vehicle. We have several off-road trucks in stock, both new and used. Q: Where does the conversation most probably take place? 18. W: I hear you did some serious shopping this past weekend. M: Yeah, the speakers of my old stereo finally gave out and there was no way to repair them. Q: What did the man do over the weekend? Conversation One W: Now, could you tell me where the idea for the business first came from? M: Well, the original shop was opened by a retired printer by the name of Gruby. Mr Gruby being left-handed himself, thought of the idea to try to promote a few products for left-handers. W: And how did he then go about actually setting up the business? M: Well, he looked for any left-handed products that might already be on the market which were very few. And then contacted the manufactures with the idea of having products produced for him, mainly in the scissors range to start with. W: Right. So you do commission some part of your stock. M: Yes, very much so. About 75 percent of our stock is specially made for us. W: And the rest of it? M: Hmm, the rest of it now, some 25, 30 years after Mr. Gruby’s initial efforts, there are more left-handed product actually on the market. Manufactures are now beginning to see that there is a market for left-handed products. W: And what’s the range of your stock? M: The range consists of a variety of scissors from children scissors to scissors for tailors, hairdressers etc. We also have a large range of kitchen ware. W: What’s the competition like? Do you have quite a lot of competition? M: There are other people in the business now in specialists, but only as mail-order outlets. But we have a shop here in central London plus a mail-order outlet. And we are without any doubt the largest supplier of the left-handed items. Q19: What kind of business does the man engaged in? Q20: What does the man say about his stock of products? Q21: What does the man say about other people in his line of business? Conversation Two M: Can we make you an offer? We would like to run the campaign for four extra weeks. W: well, can we summarize the problem from my point of view? First of all, the campaign was late. It missed two important trade affairs. The ads also did not appear into key magazines. As a result, the campaign failed. Do you accept that summary of what happened? M: well, the delay wasn’t entirely our fault. You did in fact make late changes to the specifications of the advertisements. W: Uh, actually, you were late with the initial proposals so you have very little time and in fact, we only asked for small changes. M: Well whatever, can we repeat our offer to run the campaign for 4 extra weeks? W: That’s not really the point. The campaign missed two key trade affairs. Because of this, we are asking you either to repeat the campaign next year for free, or we only pay 50% of the fee for this year. M: Could we suggest a 20% reduction to the fee together with the four week sustention to the campaign. W: We are not happy. We lost business. M: I think we both made mistakes. The responsibility is on both sides. W: Ok, let’s suggest a new solution. How about a 40% cut in fee, or a free repeat campaign? M: Well, let’s take a break, we’re not getting very far. Perhaps we should think about this. 22: What do we learn about the man’s company? 23: Why was the campaign delayed according to the man? 24: What does the woman propose as a solution to the problem? 25: What does the man suggest they do at the end of the conversation? Section B Passage One The University of Tennessee’s Walters Life Sciences building, is a model animal facility, spotlessly clean, careful in obtaining prior approval for experiments from an animal care committee. Of the 15,000 mice house there in a typical year, most give their lives for humanity. These are good mice and as such won the protection of the animal care committee. At any given time however some mice escape and run free. These mice are pests. They can disrupt experiments with the bacteria organisms they carry. They are bad mice and must be captured and destroyed. Usually, this is accomplished by means of sticky traps, a kind of fly paper on which they become increasingly stuck. But the real point of the cautionary tale, says animal behaviorist Herzau, is that the labels we put on things can affect our moral responses to them. Using stick traps or the more deadly snap traps would be deemed unacceptable for good mice. Yet the killing of bad mice requires no prior approval. Once the research animal hits the floor and becomes an escapee, says Herza, its moral standard is instantly diminished. In Herzau’s own home, there was more ironic example when his young son’s pet mouse Willy died recently, it was accorded a tearful ceremonial burial in garden. Yet even as they mourned Willy, says Herzau, he and his wife were setting snap traps to kill the pest mice in their kitchen with the bare change in labels from pet to pest, the kitchen mice obtained totally different moral standards Questions: 26, What does the passage say about most of the mice used for experiments? 27, Why did the so-called bad mice have to be captured and destroyed? 28, When are mice killed without prior approval? 29, Why does the speaker say what the Herzau’s did at home is ironical? Passage Two There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter — the city that is swallowed up by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something. Of these three trembling cities the greatest is the last, the city of final destination, the city that has a goal. It is this third city that accounts for New York's high-strung disposition, its poetical deportment, its dedication to the arts, and its incomparable achievements. Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness; natives give it solidity and continuity; but the settlers give it passion. And whether it is a farmer arriving from Italy to set up a small grocery store in a slum, or a young girl arriving from a small town in Mississippi to escape the indignity of being observed by her neighbors, or a boy arriving from the Corn Belt with a manuscript in his suitcase and a pain in his heart, it makes no difference: each embraces New York with the intense excitement of first love, each absorbs New York with the fresh eyes of an adventurer, each generates heat and light to dwarf the Consolidated Edison Company. Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard. 30. What does the speaker say about the natives of New York? 31. What does the speaker say commuters give to New York? 32. What do we learn about the settlers of New York? Passage Three “If you asked me television is unhealthy”, I said to my roommate Walter, as I walked into the living room.“While you are sitting passively in front of the TV set, your muscles are turning to fat, your complexion is fading, and your eyesight is being ruined.” “Shh~”Walter put his finger to his lips, “This is an intriguing murder mystery.” “Really?” I replied. “But you know, the brain is destroyed by TV viewing. Creativity is killed by that box. And people are kept from communicating with one another. From my point of view, TV is the cause of the declining interest in school and the failure of our entire educational system.” “Ah ha, I can’t see your point.” Walter said softly. “But see? The woman on the witness stand in this story is being questioned about the murder that was committed one hundred years ago.” Ignoring his enthusiastic description of the plot, I went on with my argument. “As I see it,” I explained, “not only are most TV programs badly written and produced, but viewers are also manipulated by the mass media. As far as I am concerned, TV watchers are cut off from reality from nature, from the other people, from life itself! I was confident in my ability to persuade. After a short silence, my roommate said, “Anyway, I’ve been planning to watch the football game. I am going to change the channel.” “Don’t touch that dial!” I shouted, “I wanted to find out how the mystery turns out!” I am not sure I got my point to cross. Questions 33- 35 are based on the passage you have just heard. 33. As the speaker walked into the living room, what was being shown on TV? 34. What does the speaker say about watching television? 35. What can we say about the speaker? Section C Compound Dictation In the past, one of the biggest disadvantages of machines has been their inability to work on a micro scale. For example, doctors did not have devices allowing them to go inside the human body to detect health problems or to perform delicate surgery. Repair crews did not have a way of identifying broken pipes located deep within a high-rise apartment building. However, that’s about to change. Advances in computers and biophysics have started a micro miniature revolution that allows scientists to envision and in some cases actually build microscopic machines. These devices promise to dramatically change the way we live and work. Micromachines already are making an impact. At Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, research scientists have designed a 4-inch silicon chip that holds 700 tiny primitive motors. At Lucas Nova Sensor in Fremont, California, scientists have perfected the world’s first microscopic blood-pressure sensor. Threaded through a person’s blood vessels, the sensor can provide blood pressure readings at the valve of the heart itself. Although simple versions of miniature devices have had an impact, advanced versions are still several years away. Auto manufacturers, for example, are trying to use tiny devices that can sense when to release an airbag and how to keep engines and breaks operating efficiently. Some futurists envision nanotechnology also being used to explore the deep sea in small submarine, or even to launch finger-sized rockets packed with micro miniature instruments. “There is an explosion of new ideas and applications,” So, when scientists now think about future machines doing large and complex tasks, they’re thinking smaller than ever before.【⼤学英语六级听⼒考试原⽂(完整版)】。

2024年6月大学英语六级考试听力原文(第2套)

2024年6月大学英语六级考试听力原文(第2套)

2024年6月大学英语六级考试听力原文(第2套)Conversation One.I've just bought a new blender.What's that?A blender, you know, a machine that blends food.Uh, yes, of course, the electric kitchen appliance.Exactly, this one is state-of-the-art. I've been meaning to buy one for a while, and I did thorough research on which specific model to get. I read through maybe hundreds of online user reviews. Anyway, it's amazing. Really? What could be so special about it? I mean it's just a blender. Well, basically, it's just a very good one. It feels heavy and sturdy and well made. It also has lots of power and can easily cut and crush practically anything. This way, the soups and juices I make come out really fine and smooth, with no lumpy bits.Um, I see. I have never thought of getting one myself. It sounds like the kind of thing that, for me personally, I would rarely use.I've never had one before, and now that I do. I use it all the time. I make a fresh fruit juice in the morning, maybe not every morning, but 3 or 4 times a week, and it feels fantastic. It's a really healthy habit.I can imagine that must feel quite satisfying. I can picture you getting all creative in the kitchen and trying out a multitude of different ingredients, and it's obviously going to be healthier than buying packaged juice from a supermarket.It's so much healthier. It's not even close. Did you know that store-bought juice is like 10% sugar?Right, so then you bought it for the health benefits?Mostly yes. Basically, it allows me to have a more varied diet with a far wider assortment of nutrients, because it's not only fruit in my morning juices you see. I can also throw in vegetables, nuts, yogurts, cereals, anything that tickled my fancy.Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard. Question 1: What does the man say he did before buying the blender? Question 2: What does the woman say she has never thought of doing? Question 3: What does the man say is a really healthy habit?Question 4: What do we learn about store-bought juice from the conversation?Conversation Two.Today we have a very interesting guest.Mr. Thomas Benjamin Grimm, the mayor of Berkton, is here to talk about his job and responsibilities overseeing this charming village.Mr. Grimm, thank you for being here.Thank you for having me.I'd like to start by stating the obvious.Berkton has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, and this has happened under your watch.Just how did you achieve this?The achievement belongs to all the residents of Berkton.It was a shared effort where everybody pitched in for the communal good. But how did this change happen?In about 10 years, Berkton has gone from a relatively unheard of sleepy village to a must-see destination.Yes, the change has truly been remarkable.Berkton was always fortunate to be endowed with such a beautiful natural allure.The Ambury Hills above the village remain untouched by human development, and the Sonora valley just below it is equally stunning.The transformation commenced in a town hall meeting in spring 2008 over 10 years ago now, when an overwhelming majority of neighbors voted in favor of "Motion 836".This legislative proposal essentially set out to harmonize the aesthetic appearance of all the houses in Berkton.The idea was that if all the properties looked a certain way with shared design features, then a village as a whole would look more beautiful. And it worked.It certainly did.I'm looking now at a before-and-after photo, and the change is truly remarkable.It's hard to believe it's the same place.And how do the neighbors feel now?Great pride I would say.But what about the multitudes of visitors now crowding the streets?Is everyone happy about that?The tourists we receive are a blessing, as they have completely revitalized our local economy.Every visitor is warmly welcome.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard. Question 5:What is the question the woman asked Mr. Grimm after the introduction?Question 6: What do we learn about Berkton of 10 years ago?Question 7: What resulted from the passing of the legislative proposal"Motion 836"?“836号动议”立法提案通过的结果是什么?Question 8: Why does the man say the tourists are a blessing to Berkton?Passage One.Researchers in the US have created a remote-controlled robot that is sosmall it can walk on the top of a US penny.In research published in the journal Science Robotics, a team at Northwestern University said the crab-like robot is 0.5mm wide. Researchers described it as the smallest ever remote-controlled walking robot.The tiny robot can bend, twist, crawl, walk, turn, and even jump without the use of complex hardware or special power.The engineers said this is because the robot is powered by the elastic property of its body.To construct the robot, the researchers used a shape memory alloy material that transforms to its "remembered" shape when heated.Using a laser, the team is able to heat the robot at specific parts of its body, causing it to change shape.As the robot deforms and goes back to its original shape, it creates movement from one place to another."Because these structures are so tiny, the rate of cooling is very fast,"project lead Professor John A. Rogers said.In fact, reducing the sizes of these robots allows them to run faster. While the research is still in the exploratory phase, the team believes that technology could lead to micro-sized robots that can perform practical tasks in tightly confined spaces."You might imagine micro robots as agents to repair or assemble small structures or machines in industry, or as surgical assistants to clear clogged arteries, to stop internal bleeding, or to eliminate cancerous tumors, all in minimally invasive procedures,"Rogers said.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard. Question 9: What does the passage say about a team of researchers at Northwestern University?Question 10: What did the researchers say about the robot they created? Question 11: What do the researchers expect their robots to do in the future?Passage Two.I don't want to boast anything, but I have always considered myself something of an elite sleeper.Given the opportunity, I will sleep for marathon stretches, and can doze through the most extreme situations.On one very rough ferry crossing, on the route to the Isles of Scilly, for example, my traveling companion spent the entire 3-hour- ride throwing up in the bathroom, while I dozed happily on a plastic chair. Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that I am not an elite sleeper after all.It seems I am just lazy, because elite sleepers are defined as the approximately 3 percent of the population who are biologically programmedto need less sleep than the rest of us.According to a study that came out in March, elite sleepers have rare genetic changes, which means they can sleep fewer hours than mere mortals, without any risk of cognitive decline.It may not be possible to change your own genes, but can you train yourself to need less sleep?Is there a non-biological way to reach elite sleeper status?I have spent the past year trying to answer that question.Not for fun, I should add, but because having a baby has severely disrupted my sleep, for which I still have a great passion.For a while, I assumed I'd be forced to become one of those people who jump out of bed at the crack of dawn.After a year of tough scientific study, however, I have discovered being forced to get up early in the morning is very different from being an early bird.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard. Question 12:What does the speaker say she did on her ride to the Isles of Scilly?Question 13:What do we learn from the passage about elite sleepers? Question 14:What has the speaker been trying to find out over the past year?Question 15:What has the speaker discovered after a year of tough scientific study?Recording One.If you read an article about a controversial issue, do you think you'd realize if it had changed your beliefs?No one knows your own mind like you do.It seems obvious that you would know if your beliefs had shifted.And yet, a new paper in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology suggests that we actually have very poor awareness of our own belief change, meaning that we will tend to underestimate how much we've been swayed by a convincing article.The researchers recruited over 200 undergraduates across two studies and focused on their beliefs about whether physical punishment of kids is an effective form of discipline.The students reported their initial beliefs about whether physical punishment is an effective way to discipline a child on the scale from"1. Completely disbelieve" to"9. Completely believe".Several weeks later, they were given one of two research-based texts to read.Each was several pages long and either presented the arguments and data in favour of physical punishment or against it.After this, the students answered some questions to test theircomprehension and memory of the text.Then, the students again scored their belief in whether physical punishment is effective or not.Finally, the researchers asked them to recall what their belief had been at the start of the study.The students' belief about physical punishment changed when they read a text that argued against their own initial position.Crucially, the memory of their initial belief was shifted in the direction of their new belief.In fact, their memory was closer to their current belief than their original belief.The more their belief had changed, the larger this memory bias tended to be, suggesting the students were relying on their current belief to deduce their initial belief.The memory bias was unrelated to the measures of how well they'd understood or recalled the text, suggesting these factors didn't play a role in memory of initial belief or awareness of belief change.The researchers concede that this research was about changes to mostly moderate beliefs.It's likely the findings would be different in the context of changes to extreme or deeply held beliefs.However, our beliefs on most topics are in the moderate range, and as we go about our daily lives reading informative material, these intriguing findings suggest we are mostly ignorant of how what we just read has updated and altered our own position.Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard. Question 16:What does a new paper in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology suggest?Question 17: What happened when the students read a text that argued against their own initial position?Question 18:What did the researchers concede concerning their findings?Recording Two.As the American population grows, so does the number of American moms. But more than a century after Mother's Day became an official holiday, even as that number increases, the share of the American population who are mothers is at the lowest point in a quarter century.It's frequently noted that fertility rates are falling sharply in richer countries.But the less observed consequence of this trend is that a decline in births can also mean a decline in motherhood in general.According to my analysis of data from the Census Bureau, the decline of American motherhood is real, occurring very quickly, and may continue for some time yet.Not only are moms making up less of the population, but their characteristics are changing too and in a way that might be linked to their proportional decline.Moms today tend to be older than in the past.Just looking at recent years, the change in age-specific birth rates has been drastic.In just the past few years, the peak childbearing age range for American women has advanced from that of 25~29 to that of 30~34.Meanwhile, childbearing among women under 20 has fallen by half or more, while childbearing among women 35 and older is rising.One positive consequence of this age shift is that a larger proportion of new mothers are economically prepared to raise children.Less positively, however, many women find that, as they age, they can't have as many kids as they would like.Plus, having children later in life can increase the risk of health complications.These finer points aside, one major consequence of the older mom's trend is that fewer years of a woman's life are spent as a mother.This means that, at any given time, a larger share of women and thus of the whole population, will report not having children in government surveys.In other words, later motherhood means less motherhood.Even as motherhood rates decline, Mother's Day, of course, will endure. In fact, despite the demographic shift, retail spending on the holiday appears to be rising.It is hard to say if Mother's Day spending is rising more than one would expect, given that the American population keeps growing.But one factor might be that the proportion of women who are the mothers of adult children is rising and those adult children may spend more generously when it comes to celebrating the moms they no longer live with. Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard. Question 19:What does the speaker conclude from her analysis of the Census Bureau's data?Question 20:What does the speaker say is a positive consequence of the age shift in childbearing?Question 21:What might be one explanation for the rise in retail spending on Mother's Day?Recording Three.Since NASA published a paper in 1989 claiming that house plants can soak up pollution and toxic chemicals, businesses and homeowners have increasingly invested in greenery to help clean their air.But a new analysis suggests it could actually take more than 1,000 plants per square meter to gain a benefit any greater than simply opening a coupleof windows.The problem lies in the fact that NASA conducted their tests in sealed containers that do not simulate the conditions in most people's homes or offices.The space agency was primarily concerned about keeping the air fresh for astronauts cut off in biospheres or space stations, and helping to combat "sick building syndrome" which had become a problem due to thesuper-insulated and energy-efficient offices of the late 1970s.By the early 1980s, workers regularly complained of skin rashes, sleepiness, headaches, and allergies as they breathed in toxic chemicals from paints and plastics.NASA found that certain plants could remove chemicals from the air, and even today garden centers recommend the plants for air cleaning properties.However, a new evaluation of dozens of studies spanning 30 years found that house plants in a normal environment have little impact.In fact, natural ventilation is far better at cleaning the air.The researchers also calculated the clean air delivery rate for plants in the studies they analyzed and found that the rate at which plants disperse the compounds was well below the usual rate of air exchange in a normal building, caused by the movement of people coming and going, opening doors and windows.Many of the studies did show a reduction in the concentration of volatile organic compounds over time, which is likely why people have seized on them to praise the air purifying virtues of plants.But the researchers' calculations showed it would take 10 to 1,000 plants per square meter of floor space to compete with the air cleaning capacity of a building's air handling system or even just a couple of open windows in a house.In contrast, NASA's sealed experiment recommended one pot plant per 100 square feet.This is certainly an example of how scientific findings can be misleading or misinterpreted over time.But it's also a great example of how scientific research should continually re-examine and question findings to get closer to the ground truth of understanding what's actually happening.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard. Question 22:What does NASA's 1989 paper claim house plants can do? Question 23:What is said to be the problem with NASA's study reported in its 1989 paper?Question 24:What is the finding of a new evaluation of dozens of studies spanning 30 years?Question 25:What does NASA's sealed experiment recommendation exemplify in scientists'pursuit of truth?。

23年12月六级听力原文

23年12月六级听力原文

“23年12月六级听力”原文如下:Section ADirections:In this section,you will hear two long conversations.At the end of each conversation,you will hear four questions.Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.After you hear a question,you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked (A) ,(B) ,(C) and(D) .Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet1with a single line through the centre.Conversation OneM:Hello, Doctor.W:Hello, please take a seat. I have your test results here, and it's good news. (1) The blood test came back clear. There is no indication of any digestive issues.M:So then, why do I feel so poorly all the time?W:It's probably due to overwork and stress.M:No, it can't be. I've always been working hard, but I've never felt stress. Other people suffer and complain about that, but I don't. It must be something else.W:What you have just described is a common sentiment.(2 )Many people who suffer from stress fail to recognize it.You told me you often work long into the night, right?M:Yes, most days in fact. But I've been doing that forabout20years now.W:That doesn't matter. You could have been suffering from stress for20years without knowing it. And now it's catching up to you.M:But what about my feeling tired all the time, and not being able to sleep well at night?W:Those are common consequences of stress. And if you don't sleep well, then of course you will feel fatigued. (3) I'm going to prescribe some special sleeping pills for you.They have a soft, gentle effect, and are made from natural ingredients. So your stomach should tolerate them fine, and there shouldn't be any negative side effects. Take one with your dinner, and come see me after a month. If there is no improvement, I'll give you something stronger.M:Thank you, Doctor.W:That's not all. You should try and work less. Is there any way you can decrease your workload?M:Um, I'd have to think about it. I'm a restaurant manager, (4) and this industry is very competitive. There are many things to keep track of and stay on top of.W:I recommend you think about delegating some responsibilities to someone else. I'm not asking you to retire, just to slow down a bit. It's for your own health.Questions1to4are based on the conversation you have just heard.Q1.What do we learn about the man from his test results?Q2.What does the woman think is a common phenomenon among many people?Q3. What does the woman say she will do for the man?Q4.What does the man say about the industry he is engaged in?Conversation TwoW:Today on People in the News, our guest is John Williams. The name may not sound familiar to you, but John was once an acclaimed basketball player. John, you stunned fans by leaving the sport at just25. Why did you retire so early?M:Meg, (5-1)I loved being an athlete, but I didn't love being a celebrity.I was in the limelight when I was still a high school student, and went professional right after high school graduation, which was a mistake. (5-2) I was a shy kid, and I wasn't ready for all the media attention.W:But walking away from millions of dollars at the height of your career? Most people wouldn't be able to resist the lure of such a high salary. When you left the sport, there was speculation that you were having issues with your teammates, or even an injury.M:Not at all. It was hard to quit. I was tempted to stay in the game, because I loved basketball, and I loved my team. As for money, I turned professional at18, so I'd actually earned a lot and saved most of it,because I had great financial advisors. (6) I knew basketball wasn't a career with a lot of longevity for most players.So I wanted to change careers while I was still young.W:(7)Okay, that was20years ago, and you're back in the news.You've created a foundation that works to get more kids playing team sports. Why?M:(8) I went to university, and I studied public health and learned about the seriousness of the obesity epidemic, particularly among kids and adolescents in poor communities. I've spent the last two decades trying to alleviate the problem.The Foundation is just the latest attempt.W:The Foundation uses private donations to support basketball teams for girls and boys in primary school, right?M:Actually, we support teams for secondary school students, too. And also have some public funding.Questions5to8are based on the conversation you have just heard.Q5.Why did John Williams leave the sport of basketball at just25?Q6.What does the man say about basketball as a career for most players?Q7.What do we learn from the woman about John Williams20years later?Q8.What has the man spent the last two decades trying to do?Section BDirections:In this section,you will hear two passages.At the end of each passage,you will hear three or four questions.Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.After you hear a question,you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A) ,B) ,C) and D) .Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet1with a single line through the centre.Passage OneKate Atkinson was born in York, England in1951. She worked hard to gain her credentials as an author. She studied English literature at University in Scotland. After graduating in1974, she researched a doctorate on American literature. Later, she taught at the university she graduated from, and began writing short stories in1981. (9) She began writing for women's magazines after winning the1986Women's Own Short Story Competition.Her first novel, , won the1995UK Book of the Year award. The book is set in Yorkshire and has been adapted for radio, theatre, and TV. She has written two plays for a theatre in Edinburgh. The first was called and the second, , performed as part of the Edinburgh Festival in August2000.(10)Whatever genre Atkinson writes in, her books touch on the themes of love and loss and how to carry on.They are always presented with ingenuity and a wicked sense of humor. Her books tend to bepopulated by odd, sometimes sinful, and generally flawed eccentrics who become credible by virtue of being so fully realized.Her books have frequently been described as comedies of manners. That is to say, comedies that represent the complex and sophisticated code of behavior current in fashionable circles of society,where appearances count more than true moral character. (11) A comedy of manners tends to reward its clever and deceitful characters, rather than punish their bad deeds.The humor of a comedy of manners relies on verbal wit and playful teasing.Questions9to11are based on the passage you have just heard.Q9.When did Kate Atkinson begin to write for women's magazines?Q10.What did Kate Atkinson's books touch on?Q11.What do we learn about the clever and deceitful characters in a comedy of manners?Passage Two(12-1) Why is adaptability an important skill to exercise in the workplace?(12-2) Simply put, adaptability is a skill employers are increasingly looking for.When you spend time learning a new task rather than resisting it, your productivity goes up. You can also serve as an example to your coworkers who may be having trouble adapting, and can help lead your team forward.Strategy consultant, Dorie Clark, explains it to us this way: “I'd say that adaptability is an important skill in the workplace because, frankly, circumstances change—competitors introduce new products, the economy might enter a recession, customer preferences differ over time, and more. If you shake your fist at the sky and say,‘why can't it stay the same?!’,that's not going to do very much good. Instead, you need to recognize when circumstances have changed so you can take appropriate action based on what is, rather than how you wish the world would be.(13) That enables you to make more accurate,informed,and effective choices.”Also, the workplace itself has been evolving. (14) Today's work culture and management style is often based on teamwork, rather than a rigid hierarchy.Brainstorming, which requires creativity, flexibility, and emotional intelligence, is a typical problem-solving technique. Employees who are unable or unwilling to participate will not easily move forward in the company.Employees who are flexible demonstrate other skills too. (15) They can reprioritize quickly when changes occur and suggest additional modifications when something is not working.They can also regroup quickly when a setback occurs, adapting to the new situation confidently and without overreacting.Questions12to15are based on the passage you have just heard.Q12.Why does the speaker say adaptability is an important skill to exercise in the workplace?Q13.What does adaptability enable us to do according to strategy consultant Dorie Clark?Q14.What do we learn about today's work culture from the passage?Q15.What are employees with adaptability able to do when changes occur?Section CDirections:In this section,you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions.The recordings will be played only once.After you hear a question,you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A) ,B) ,C) and D) .Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet1with a single line through the centre.Recording One(16) What makes humans different from other species?Some philosophers argue it's morals or ethics, while some scientists assert it's our greater cognitive development. But I argue that the main difference is our desire to combat routine. This makes being creative a biological mandate, as what we seek in art and technology is surprise, not simply a fulfillment of expectations. As a result, a wild imaginationhas characterized the history of our species:we build intricate habitats, devise complex recipes for our food, wear clothes that reflect constant changes in fashion, communicate with elaborate signs, symbols and sounds, and travel between habitats on wings and wheels of our own design.To satisfy our appetite for novelty, innovation is key.But who innovates?Now, many people, both laymen and experts, believe that only geniuses innovate. (17) But I believe that innovation is not something that only a few people do.The innovative drive lives in every human brain, and the resulting war against the repetitive is what powers the massive changes that distinguish one generation from the next. The drive to create the new is a trait of being human. We build cultures by the hundreds and tell new stories by the millions. We create and surround ourselves with things that have never existed before, while animals do not.But where do our new ideas come from?According to many, new ideas come from seemingly nowhere, to great minds. From this perspective, new ideas are almost like magic. They come in a flash of inspiration to a select few. However, the reality is that, across the spectrum of human activities, prior work propels the creative process. We may think of innovation as being the result ofinspiration or genius, but it's really the result of developing the ideas of others further. This happens in technology where one invention enables or inspires further inventions. And it happens in the arts, as writers, composers, and painters use the work of previous artists in their own work. (18) The human brain works from precedent. We take the ideas we've inherited and put them together into some new shape.What is a true creator? Is a creator a genius who makes something out of nothing?No. Creators are simply humans who use what they inherit who absorb the past and manipulate it to create possible futures. Thus, humans are creators as a rule rather than as an exception.Questions16to18are based on the recording you have just heard.Q16.What question does the speaker address in this talk?Q17.What does the speaker believe about innovation?Q18.How does the human brain work according to the speaker?Recording Two(19) Many dog owners will tell you that their dog somehow knows when they're ill or upset, and, according to researchers who study dog cognition, those pet owners are right.Dogs do know when their human companions are having a rough time. Not only can your dog sense when you have a cold, but domestic dogs have shown an aptitude for detecting both much smaller moodfluctuations and far more serious physical conditions.This is because dogs are extremely sensitive to changes in the people they're familiar with, and illness causes change.(20)If a person is infected with a virus or bacteria, for example, their odour will be abnormal, and dogs are able to smell that change even if a human can't, because dogs have a much more powerful sense of smell than humans.Researchers have also found that a person's mood, which can be an indicator of a larger illness, triggers a dog's sense of smell. Human emotions manifest physically in chemical signals that are emitted by the body, and dogs are able to smell those as well.Beyond smell, dogs gather information from a person's voice in order to sense changes. In2014, researchers discovered that dogs have an area of the brain,similar to one in humans,that allows them to understand emotional cues in the tone of a speaker's voice, beyond what they'd be able to pick up from familiar words alone. A person's voice can also carry indicators of illness.What's not understood quite so well is what dogs understand about these changes. Humans send out lots of cues, but whether dogs know some of these cues mean “illness”isn't clear. What we perceive as concern on a dog's part might be more like increased curiosity or suspicion that something is wrong with us, and sticking close by is a great way to gather more information about the situation.Some researchers assert dogs will one day help doctors diagnose diseases, as some dogs have already demonstrated the ability to detect an assortment of ailments, including diabetes and certain types of cancer.But those researchers concede that's probably in the distant future.(21)For now, research suggests dog ownership can have an array of benefits in and of itself. Keeping a pet dog has been shown to bolster health and boost mood.Dogs also help people relax, and they can be a particular comfort to those with chronic diseases.Questions19to21are based on the recording you have just heard.Q19.What view of many dog owners wins support from researchers studying dog cognition?Q20.Why can dogs detect their owner's abnormal odor according to the speaker?Q21.What does research suggest, for now, about dog ownership?Recording Three(22) Earlier this month, the think-tank called Onward published a report,“A Question of Degree”, which argues that degrees in the creative arts are not good value for money.Ministers, according to Onward, should “crack down on courses that offer extremely limited value for money to students ten years after graduation”, restricting the ability of such courses to recruit newstudents, if the average graduate earns below the student loans payment threshold.Courses like science, technology, engineering, and math, and economics, where the average graduate earns a lot, should be favored.The report provides insight into a government review which looks at how to reform technical education and how to ensure students get good value for money.(23) At first glance, it might even seem like Onward have a point.According to their data, the majority of creative arts students earn less than£25, 000a year,ten years after graduation. The average male creative arts students, indeed, apparently earn much less than they would,had they simply never gone to university.This isn't really good for anyone—and it's certainly no good for graduates, who are forced to endure a lifestyle where they can never save up, never buy a house, never hope to retire.Onward have identified a real problem. Creative arts graduates from top universities like Oxford, with a high proportion of privately-educated students, have fairly good work prospects,(24) while 40percent of all graduates—regardless of their degree—are on less than£25, 000a year,five years after graduation.(25) This suggests that the problem isn't really to do with specific students studying specific degrees, but really with the economy as a whole.Regardless of what they've studied, young people find it hard toget ahead, unless they're lucky enough to be born with successful parents.If ministers want to make education pay for young people, they need to look beyond the higher education sector,towards the wider world.The rewards that education gives us are not measurable—they are not always instantly obvious, and certainly not always direct. An education makes you a different person from the one you would have been if you hadn't received it. We need to look at the value of education not in the context of a bank balance, but of a life. If we continue to allow ourselves to be distracted with talk of “value for money”, we will all be made poorer as a result.Questions22to25are based on the recording you have just heard.Q22.What does Onward's report propose ministers should do?Q23.What does the speaker think of Onward's arguments?Q24.What do we learn about British college graduates,five years after graduation?Q25.What does the speaker say actually accounts for the problem identified by Onward?。

2023年英语六级第二套听力原文

2023年英语六级第二套听力原文

题目:2023年英语六级第二套听力原文尊敬的听众,欢迎收听2023年英语六级第二套听力考试原文。

以下是考试内容:Section AConversation OneW: Excuse me, I'd like to buy this dress. But it seems that I didn't bring enough cash. Can I pay by credit card?M: I'm sorry. We only accept cash or UnionPay cards.W: Well, can I go to the ATM over there to get some cash out? M: Cert本人nly. There's a RMB 10 handling fee for the withdrawal, though.W: That's fine. Thanks for letting me know.Conversation TwoM: Hi, my name is Alex, and I’m calling to ask about the position you advertised on your website. I was wondering if you could give me some more det本人ls about the job.W: Of course, Alex. The job is a full-time position with a starting salary of $30,000 per year. You will need to have a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field and at least three years of workexperience.M: That sounds great. Can you tell me about thepany culture and the working environment?W: Sure. We have a collaborative and friendly working environment, and we value diversity and inclusion in the workplace.Lecture OneGood morning, everyone. Today, we will discuss the topic of climate change and its impact on biodiversity. As we all know, climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today. It is causing drastic changes in the Earth's climate system, leading to rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and sea level rise. These changes are having a profound impact on the planet's biodiversity, leading to the loss of habitats, the decline of species, and the disruption of ecosystems. In order to address these challenges, we need to take urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect and restore natural habitats, and promote sust本人nable development.Section BPassage OneGood morning, everyone. Today, I'd like to talk about the benefits of travel and the importance of cultural exchange. Traveling allows us to broaden our horizons, g本人n new perspectives, and learn about different cultures. It also provides opportunities for personal growth, self-discovery, and cross-culturalmunication. By interacting with people from diverse backgrounds, we can develop empathy, understanding, and tolerance. In today's globalized world, cultural exchange plays a crucial role in promoting peace, cooperation, and mutual respect among nations.Passage TwoIn today's lecture, we will explore the topic of artificial intelligence and its impact on the future of work. Artificial intelligence, or 本人, is revolutionizing the way we work, influencing industries such as healthcare, finance, and transportation. While 本人 has the potential to increase efficiency, productivity, and innovation, it also r本人ses concerns about job automation, workforce displacement, and ethical considerations. As the technology continues to advance, it is important for us to adapt to these changes, acquire new skills, and prepare for the future of work in the age of 本人.以上就是2023年英语六级第二套听力考试的全部内容,希望对大家有所帮助。

  1. 1、下载文档前请自行甄别文档内容的完整性,平台不提供额外的编辑、内容补充、找答案等附加服务。
  2. 2、"仅部分预览"的文档,不可在线预览部分如存在完整性等问题,可反馈申请退款(可完整预览的文档不适用该条件!)。
  3. 3、如文档侵犯您的权益,请联系客服反馈,我们会尽快为您处理(人工客服工作时间:9:00-18:30)。

2016年6月英语六级真题听力原文(二)Part ⅡListening? ComprehensionSection AQuestions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard. W: So, Mike, (1)you manage the innovation project at CucinTech. M: I did indeed.W: Well, then, first, congratulations. (1)It seems to have been very successful.M: Thanks. Yes, I really help things turn around at CucinTech. W: (2)Was the revival in their fortunes entirely due to strategic innovation?M: (2)Yes, yes, I think it was. CucinTech was a company who were very much following the pack, doing what everyone else was doing and getting rapidly left behind. I could see there was a lot of talent there, and some great potential, particularly in their product development. I just had to harness that somehow.W: Was innovation at the core of the project?M: Absolutely. If it doesn’t sound like too much of Cliché, (3)our world is constantly changing and it’s changing quickly. We need to be innovating constantly to keep up with this. Stand still and you are lost.W: No stopping to sniff the roses?M: Well, I’ll do that in my personal life. Sure. But as a business strategy, I’m afraid there is no stopping.M: What exactly is strategic innovation then?W: Strategic innovation is the process of managing innovation, of making sure it takes place at all levels of the company, and that is related to the company’s overall strategy.W: I see.M: So, instead of innovation for innovation’s sake and new products being created simply because the technology is there, the company culture must switch from these pointing-time innovations to continuous pipeline of innovations from everywhere and everyone. W: How did you align strategies throughout the company?M: I soon became aware that campaigning is useless. People take no notice. Simply it came about through good practice trickling down.This built consent. People could see it was the best way to work. W: Does innovation on the skill really give a competitive advantage? M: I am certain of it, absolutely, especially if it’s difficult for a competitor to copy. (4)The risk is of course that innovation may frequently lead to imitation.W: But not if it’s strategic?M: Precisely.W: Thanks for talking to us.M: Sure.Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard. M: (5)Today, my guest is Dayna Ivanovich who has worked for the last twenty years as an interpreter. Dayna, welcome.W: Thank you.M: Now, I’d like to begin by saying that I have on occasions used an interpreter myself as a foreign correspondent. (6)So I am full of admiration for what you do, but I think your profession is sometimes underrated, and many people think anyone who speaks more than one language can do it.W: (7)There aren’t any interpreters I know who don’t have professional qualifications and training. You only really get proficient after many years in the job.M: I may be right in saying you can divide what you do into two distinct methods—simultaneous and consecutive interpreting. W: That’s right. The techniques you use are different, and a lot of interpreters will say one is easier than the other, less stressful.M: Simultaneous interpreting, putting someone’s words into another language more or less as they speak, sounds to me like the more difficult.W: Well, actually no. (8)Most people in the business would agree that consecutive interpreting is the more stressful. You have to wait for the speaker to deliver quite a chunk of language before you then put it into the second language, which puts your short-term memory under intense stress.M: You make notes, I presume.W: Absolutely, anything like numbers, names, places have to be noted down. But the rest is never translated word for word. You have tofind a way of summarizing it, so that the message is there. Turning every single word into the target language would put too much strain on the interpreter and slow down the whole process too much. M: But, with simultaneous interpreting, you start translating almost as soon as the other person starts speaking. You must have some preparation beforehand.W: Well, hopefully the speakers will let you have an outline of the topic a day or two in advance. You have a little time to do research, prepare technical expressions and so on.Section BQuestions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.(9)Mothers have been warned for years that sleeping with their newborn infant is a bad idea because it increases the risk that the baby might die unexpectedly during the night. But now Israeli researchers are reporting that even sleeping in the same room can have negative consequences: not for the child, but for the mother.(10)Mothers who slept in the same room as their infants, whether in the same bed or just the same room, had poorer sleep than mothers whose babies slept elsewhere in the house: They woke up more frequently, were awake approximately 20 minutes longer per night,and had shorter periods of uninterrupted sleep. These results held true even taking into account that many of the women in the study were breast-feeding their babies. Infants, on the other hand, didn’t appear to have worse sleep whether they slept in the same or different room from their mothers. The researchers acknowledge that since the families they studied were all middle-class Israelis, it’s possible the results would be different in d ifferent cultures. Lead author Liat Tikotzky wrote in an email that the research team also didn’t measure fathers’ sleep, so it’s possible that their sleep patterns could also be causing the sleep disruptions for moms.(11)Right now, to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers not sleep in the same bed as their babies but sleep in the same room. The Israeli study suggests that doing so may be best for the baby, but may take a toll on mom.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.(12)The US has already lost more than a third of the native languages that existed before European colonization, and the remaining 192 are classed by UNESCO as ranging between “unsafe” and “extinct”.?(13)“We need more funding and more effort to return these languages to everyday use,” says Fred Nahwooksy of the National Museum ofthe American Indian. “We are making progress but money needs to be spent on revitalising languages, not just documen ting them.” Some 40 languages, mainly in California and Oklahoma, where thousands of Indians were forced to relocate in the 19th Century, have fewer than 10 native speakers. “Part of the issue is that tribal groups themselves don’t always believe their lan guages are endangered until they’re down to the last handful of speakers. But progress is being made through immersion schools, because if you teach children when they’re young it will stay with them as adults and that’s the future,” says Mr. Nahwooksy, a Comanche Indian. Such schools have become a model in Hawaii. But the islanders’ local language is still classed by UNESCO as “critically endangered” because only 1,000 people speak it. (14)The decline in American Indian languages has historical roots: In the mid-19th Century, the US government adopted a policy of Americanising Indian children by removing them from their homes and culture. Within a few generations most had forgotten their native tongues. (15)Another challenge to language survival is television. It has brought English into homes and pushed out traditional story-telling and family time together, accelerating the extinction of native languages.Section CQuestions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard. Greg Rosen lost his job as a sales manager nearly three years ago and is still unemployed.“It literally is like something in a dream, to remember what it’s like to actually be able to go out, and put in a day’s work and receive a day’s pay.”At first, Rosen bought groceries and made house payments with the help from unemployment insurance. (16)It pays laid off workers up to half of their previous wages while they look for work. But now, that insurance has run out for him, and he has to make tough choices. He’s cut back on medicati ons and he no longer helps support his disabled mother.It is a devastating experience.New research says the . recession is now over, but many people remain unemployed. And unemployed workers face difficult odds.There is literally only one job opening for every five unemployed workers, so four out of five unemployed workers have actually no chance of finding a new job.Businesses have downsized or shut down across America, leaving fewerjob opportunities for those in search of work. Experts who monitor unemployment statistics here in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, say about 28,000 people are unemployed, and many of them are jobless due to no fault of their own.(17)That’s where the Bucks County CareerLink comes in. Local director Elizabeth Walsh says they provide training and guidance to help unemployed workers find local job opportunities.“So here’s the job opening, here’s the job seeker, match them together under one roof,” she says.But the lack of work opportunities in Bucks County limits how much she can help.Rosen says he hopes Congress will take action.This month he launched the 99ers Union, an umbrella organization of 18 Internet-based grass roots groups of 99ers. Their goal is to convince lawmakers to extend unemployment benefits.But Pennsylvania State Representative Scott Petri says governments simply do not have enough money to extend unemployment insurance.(18)He thinks the best way to help the long-term unemployed is to allow private citizens to invest in local companies that can createmore jobs. But the boost in investor confidence needed for the plan to work will take time—time that Rosen says still requires him to buy food and make monthly mortgage payments.Rosen says he’ll use the last of his savings to try to hang onto the home he worked for more than 20 years to buy. But once that money is gone, he says he doesn’t know what he’ll do.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the recording you have just heard.(19)Earlier this year, British explorer Pen Hadow and his team trekked for three months across the frozen Arctic Ocean, taking measurements and recording observations about the ice.“Well, we’d been led to believe that we would encounter a good proportion, of this older, thicker, technically multi-year ice that’s been around for a few years a nd just gets thicker and thicker. We actually found there wasn’t any multi-year ice at all.”(20)Satellite observations and submarine surveys over the past few years had shown less ice in the polar region, but the recent measurements show the loss is more pronounced than previously thought.“We’re looking at roughly 80 percent loss of ice cover on theArctic Ocean in 10 years, roughly 10 years, and 100 percent loss in nearly 20 years.”(21)Cambridge scientist Peter Wadhams who’s been measuring and monitoring the Arctic since 1971 says the decline is irreversible. “The more you lose, the more open water is created, the more warming goes on in that open water during the summer, the less ice forms in the winter, the more melt there is the following summer. It becomes a breakdown process where everything ends up accelerating until it’s all gone.”Martin Sommerkorn runs the Arctic program for the environmental charity the World Wildlife Fund.“The Arctic sea ice holds a central position in the Earth’s climate syst em and it’s deteriorating faster than expected. Actually it has to translate into more urgency to deal with the climate change problem and reduce emissions.”Summerkorn says a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming needs to come out of the Copenhagen climate change summit in December.“We have to basically achieve there the commitment to deal withthe problem now. That’s the minimum. We have to do that equitably and we have to find a commitment that is quick.”Wadhams echoes the need for urgency.“The carbon that we’ve put into the atmosphere keeps having a warming effect for 100 years, so we have to cut back rapidly now, because it will take a long time to work its way through into a response by the atmosphere. We can’t switch off global warming just by being good in the future. We have to start being good now.”(22)Wadhams says there is no easy technological fix to climate change. He and other scientists say there are basically two options to replacing fossil fuels, generating energy with renewables, or embracing nuclear power.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard. From a very early age, some children exhibit better self-control than others. (23)Now, a new study that began with about 1,000 children in N ew Zealand has tracked how a child’s low self-control can predict poor health, money troubles and even a criminal record in their adult years. Researchers have been studying this group of children for decades now. Some of their earliest observations have to do with the level of self-control the youngsters displayed.Parents, teachers, even the kids themselves, score the youngsters on measures like “acting before thinking” and “persistence in reaching goals”. The children of the study are now adults in their thirties. Terry Moffitt of Duke University and her research colleagues found that kids with self-control issues tended to grow up to become adults with far more troubling set of issues to deal with.“The children who had the lowest self-control when they were aged 3 to 10, later on had the most health problems in their thirties and they had the worst financial situation and they were more likely to have a criminal record and to be raising a child as a single parent on a very low income.”Speaking from New Zealand via Skype, Moffitt explained thatself-control problems were widely observed and weren’t just a feature of a small group of misbehaving kids.“Even the children who had above-average self-control as preschoolers could have benefited from more self-control training. They could have improved their financial situation and their physical and mental health situation thirty years later.”So, children with minor self-control problems were likely as adultsto have minor health problems, and so on. Moffitt s aid it’s still unclear why some children have better self-control than others, though she says other researchers have found that it’s mostly a learned behavior, with relatively little genetic influence. But good self-control can be set to run in families in that children who have good self-control are more likely to grow up to be healthy and prosperous parents.(24)“Whereas some of the low self-control study members are more likely to be single parents with a very low income and the parent is in poor health and likely to be a heavy substance abuser. So that’s not a good atmosphere for a child. So it looks as though self-control is something that in one generation can disadvantage the next generation.”(25)But the good news is that Moffitt says self-control can be taught by parents, and through school curricula that have proved to be effective.Terry Moffitt’s paper on “The Link Between Childhood Self-control and Adults’ Status Decades Later” is published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.。

相关文档
最新文档