2014年12月六级第二套

2014年12月大学英语六级真题试卷（二）(题后含答案及解析)题型有：1. Writing 2. Listening Comprehension 3. 4. Reading Comprehension 5. TranslationPart I Writing1．For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay based on the picture below. You should start, your essay with a brief description of the picture and then discuss whether there is a shortcut to learning. You should give sound arguments to support your views and write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.正确答案：No Shortcut to Learning Given is a stimulating but thought-provoking cartoon, in which a young man asks where he can find a book named How To Do Well In School Without Studying, and the woman suggests him to find it in the fiction section. Apparently, the cartoon ironically demonstrates a truth that there is no such a thing as a shortcut to learning. It is the nature of study that requires a solid foundation. Just as we cannot build a castle in the air, neither can we obtain advanced knowledge through a shortcut, for even a slight shortcut can shatter the whole foundation. For example, students may choose to cheat to acquire a good score. However, the cheaters will wind up in a total ignorance, let alone dishonesty. In addition, although many students are averse to learning by rote, there is no denying that only by rote can one remember and learn the basic knowledge, thus achieving the possibility to further study in the future. In this case, shortcuts also do not exist. To sum up, students should come to realize that there exists no shortcut in study. Only by hard work can we form the bedrock of good performance in school.Part II Listening ComprehensionSection A听力原文：W: Oh, here’s a piece of cake and a small coffee for you, sir. The total is 35 yuan. For here or to go? M: To go. I’d like to have them in my car. Thank you. Q: Where does this conversation most probably take place?2．A．In a parking lot.B．At a grocery.C．At a fast food restaurant.D．In a car showroom.正确答案：C解析：对话中女店员拿给男士一块蛋糕以及一小杯咖啡，告知总共是35元钱，并询问男士是要在店里吃还是带走，由此可知，这最有可能是在快餐店发生的对话，故答案为C)。

Section AHis future subjects have not always treated the Prince of Wales with the respect o ne XXXX expect. They laughed aloud in 1986 when the heir to the British(36)_____ t old a TV reporter that he talked to his plants at his country house, Highgrove, to stimu late their growth. The Prince was being humorous- “My sense of humor will get me in to trouble one day”, he said to his aids(随从)-but listening to Charles Windsor can ind eed prove stimulating. The royal(37)_____ has been promoting radical ideas for most of his adult life. Some of his(38)_____, which once sounded a bit weird, were simply ahead of their time. Now, finally, the world seems to be catching up with him. Take hi s views on farming. Prince Charles’ Duchy Home Farm went(39)_____ back in 1986. When most shoppers cared only about the low price tag on suspiciously blemish-free (无瑕疵的) vegetables and(40)_____ large chickens piled high in supermarkets.His warnings on climate change proved farsighted,too.Charles began(41)_____ a ction in warming in 1990 and says he has been worried about the(42)_____ of man on the environment same be was a teenger.Although he was gradually gained international(43)_____ as one of the world's l ending conservationists,many British people still think of him as an(44)_____ person who talks to plants.This year,as it happens,South Korean scientists proved that plants really do(45)_____ to round.So Charles was ahead of the game there,too.A.conformB.eccentricC.environmentalistD.expeditionsE.impactF.notion sanic H.originally I.recognition J.respond K.subordinate L.suppressi ng M.throne N.unnaturally O.urgingSection BDirections: In this section，you are going to read a passage with ten statements a ttached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Iden tify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragrap h more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2. High School Sports Aren’t Killing AcademicsA)In this month’s Atlantic cover article, “The Case Against High-School Sports,” Amanda Ripley argues that school-sponsored sports programs should be seriously cut. She writes that, unlike most countries that outperform the United States on internatio nal assessments, American schools put too much of an emphasis on athletics, “ Sports are embedded in American schools in a way they are not almost anywhere e lse,” she writes, “Yet this difference hardly ever comes up in domestic debates about America’s international mediocrity(平庸)in education.”B)American student-athletes reap many benefits from participating in sports, but the costs to the schools could outweigh their benefits, she argues, In particular, Ripley contends that sports crowd out the academic missions of schools: America should lea rn from South Korea and Finland and every other country at the top level of internatio nal test scores, all of whom emph asize athletics far less in school. ”Even in eighth gra de, American kids spend more than twice the time Korean kids spend playing sports,” she writes, citing a 2010 study published in the Journal of Advanced Academics.C)It might well be true that sports are far more rooted in American high schools t han in other countries. But our reading of international test scores finds no support for the argument against school athletics. Indeed, our own research and that of others lea d us to make the opposite case. School-sponsored sports appear to provide benefits tha t seem to increase, not detract(减少)from, academic success.D)Ripley indulges a popular obsession(痴迷)with international test score compar isons, which show wide and frightening gaps between the United States and other cou ntries. She ignores, however, the fact that states vary at least as much in test scores as do developed countries. A 2011 report from Harvard University shows that Massachu setts produces math scores comparable to South Korea and Finland, while Mississippi scores are closer to Trinidad and Tobago. Ripley’s thesis about sports falls apart in li ght of this fact. Schools in Massachusetts provide sports programs while schools in Fi nland do not. Schools in Mississippi may love football while in Tobago interscholastic sports are nowhere near as prominent. Sports cannot explain these similarities in per formance. They can’t explain international differences either.E)If it is true that sports undermine the academic mission of American schools, we would expect to see a negative relationship between the commitment to athletics a nd academic achievement. However, the University of Arkansas’s Daniel Bowen and Jay Greene actually find the opposite. They examine this relationship by analyzing sc hools’ sports wi nning percentages as well as student-athletic participation rates compa red to graduation rates and standardized test score achievement over a five-year perio d for all public high schools in Ohio. Controlling for student poverty levels, demograp hics(人口统计状况), and district financial resources, both measures of a school’s com mitment to athletics are significantly and positively related to lower dropout rates as well as higher test scores.F)On-the-field success and high participation in sports is not random-it requires f ocus and dedication to athletics. One might think this would lead schools obsessed wit h winning to deemphasize academics. Bowen and Greene’s results contradict that arg ument. A likely explanation for this seemingly counterintuitive(与直觉相反的)result is that success in sports programs actually facilitates or reflects greater social capital within a school’s community.G)Ripley cites the writings of renowned sociologist James Coleman, whose resea rch in education was groundbreaking. Coleman in his early work held athletics in cont empt, arguing that they crowded out schools’ academic missions. Ripley quotes his 19 61 study, The Adolescent Society, where Coleman writes, “Altogether, the trophy(奖品)case would suggest to the innocent visitor that he was entering an athletic club, not an educational institution.”H)However, in later research Coleman would show how the success of schools is highly dependent on what he termed social capital, “the social networks, and the relat ionships between adults and children th at are of value for the child’s growing up.”I)According to a 2013 evaluation conducted by the Crime Lab at the University o f Chicago, a program called Becoming a Man-Sports Edition creates lasting improvements in the boys’ study habits and grade point ave rages. During the first year of the p rogram, students were founds to be less likely to transfer schools or be engaged in viol ent crime. A year after the program, participants were less likely to have had an encou nter with the juvenile justice system.J)If school-sponsored sports were completely eliminated tomorrow, many Ameri can students would still have opportunities to participate in organized athletics elsewh ere, much like they do in countries such as Finland, Germany, and South Korea. The s ame is not certain when it comes to students from more disadvantaged backgrounds. I n an overview of the research on non-schoolbased after-school programs, researchers find that disadvantaged children partici pate in these programs at significantly lower rates. They find that low-income student s have less access due to challenges with regard to transportation, non-nominal fees, a nd off-campus safety. Therefore, reducing or eliminating these opportunities would m ost likely deprive disadvantaged students of the benefits from athletic participation, no t least of which is the opportunity to interact with positive role models outside of regu lar school hours.K)Another unfounded criticism that Ripley makes is bringing up the stereotype t hat athletic XX are typically lousy(蹩脚的)c lassroom teachers. “American principals, unlike the XX XX of principals around the world, make many hiring decisions with th eir sports teams in mind, which does not always end well for students,” she writes. Ed ucators who seek employment at schools primarily for the purpose of coaching are lik ely to shirk(推卸)teaching responsibilities, the argument goes. Moreover, even in the cases where the employee is a teacher first and athletic coach second, the additional re sponsibilities that come with coaching likely comes at the expense of time otherwise s pent on planning, grading, and communicating with parents and guardians.L)The data, however, do not seem to confirm this stereotype. In the most rigorou s study on the classroom results of high school coaches, the Un iversity of Arkansas’s Anna Egalite finds that athletic coaches in Florida mostly tend to perform just as well as their non-coaching counterparts, with respect to raising student test scores. We do n ot doubt that teachers who also coach face serious tradeoffs that likely come at the expense of time they could dedicate to their academic obligations. However, as with spo rting events, athletic coaches gain additional opportunities for communicating and ser ving as mentors(导师)that potentially help students succeed and make up for the costs of coaching commitments.M)If schools allow student-athletes to regularly miss out on instructional time for the sake of traveling to athletic competitions, that’s bad. However, such issues would be better addressed by changing school and state policies with regard to the schedulin g of sporting events as opposed to total elimination. If the empirical evidence points t o anything, it points towards school sponsored sports providing assets that are well wo rth the costs.N)Despite n egative stereotypes about sports culture and Ripley’s presumption th at academics and athletics are at odds with one another, we believe that the greater bo dy of evidence shows that school-sponsored sports programs appear to benefit student s. Successes on the playing field can carry over to the classroom and vice versa(反之亦然). More importantly, finding ways to increase school communities’ social capital is imperative to the success of the school as whole, not just the athletes.46.Stunets from low-income families have less access to off-campus sports progr ams.47.Amanda Ripley argues that America should learn from other countries that ra nk high in international tests and lay less emphasis on athletics.48.According to the author,Amanda Ripley fails to note that stunents'performance in exams varies from state to state.49.Amanda Ripley thinks that athletic coaches are poor at classroom instruction.50.James Coleman's later resrarch make an argument for a school's social capital.51.Reaearchers find that there is a ppsitive relationship between a school's comm itment toathletics and academic achievements.52.Aa rigorous study finds that athletic coaches also do well in raising students'te st scores.53.According to an evaluation,spograms contribute to students's academic prefor mance and character building.54.Amanda Ripley believes the emphasis on school sports shuold be brought up when trying to understand why Aamerican students are mediocre.55.James Coleman suggests in his earlier writings that school athletics would un dermine a school's image.Section CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by som e 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 let ter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage oneIt is easy to miss amid the day-to-day headlines of global economic recession, bu t there is a less conspicuous kind of social upheaval(剧变)underway that is fast alterin g both the face of the planet and the way human beings live. That change is the rapid acceleration of urbanization. In 2008, for the first time in human history, more than ha lf the world’s population was living in towns and cities. And as a recently published p aper shows, the process of urbanization will only accelerate in the decades to come—with an enormous impact on biodiversity and potentially on climate change.As Karen Seto, the led author of the paper, points out, the wave of urbanization i sn’t just about the migration of people into urban environments, but about the environ ments themselves becoming bigger to accommodate all those people. The rapid expansion of urban areas will have a huge impact on biodiversity hotspots and on carbon e missions in those urban areas.Humans are the ultimate invasive species—when the move into new territory, the often displace the wildlife that was already living there. And as land is cleared for tho se new cities—especially in the dense tropical forests—carbon will be released into th e atmosphere as well. It’s true that as people in developing nations move from the cou ntryside to the city, the shift may reduce the pressure on land, which could in turn be good for the environment. This is especially so in desperately poor countries, where re sidents in the countryside slash and burn forests each growing season to clear space fo r farming. But the real difference is that in developing nations, the move from rural ar eas to cities often leads to an accompanying increase in income — and that increase le ads to an increase in the consumption of food and energy, which in turn causes a rise i n carbon emissions. Getting enough to eat and enjoying the safety and comfort of livi ng fully on the grid is certainly a good thing — but it does carry an environmental pri ce. The urbanization wave can’t be stopped —and it shouldn’t be. But Seto’s paper d oes underscore the importance of managing that transition. If we do it the right way, we can reduce urbanization’s impact on the environment. “There’s an enormous oppo rtunity here, and a lot of pressure and responsibility to think about how we urbanize,” says Seto. “One thing that’s clear is that we can’t build cities the way we have over th e last couple of hundred years. The s cale of this transition won’t allow that.” We’re he aded towards an urban planet no matter what, but whether it becomes heaven or hell is up to us.56. What issue does the author try to draw people’s attention to?A. The shrinking biodiversity worldwide.B. The rapid increase of world population.C. The ongoing global economic recession.D. The impact of accelerating urbanization.57. In what sense are humans the ultimate invasive species?A. They are much greedier than other species.B. They are a unique species born to conquer.C. They force other species out of their territories.D. They have an urge to expand their living space.58. In what way is urbanization in poor countries good for the environment?A. More land will be preserved for wildlife.B. The pressure on farmland will be lessened.C. Carbon emissions will be considerably reduced.D. Natural resources will be used more effectively.59. What does the author say about living comfortably in the city?A. It incurs a high environmental price.B. It brings poverty and insecurity to an end.C. It causes a big change in people’s lifestyle.D. It narrows the gap between city and country.60. What can be done to minimize the negative impact of urbanization according to Seto?A. Slowing down the speed of transition.B. Innovative use of advanced technology.C. Appropriate management of the process.D. Enhancing people’s sense of responsibility.Passage TwoWhen Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched in Feb. 2004, even he could not imagine the forces it would let loose. His intent was to connect coll ege students. Facebook, which is what this website rapidly evolved into, ended up con necting the world.To the children of this connected era, the world is one giant social network. They are not bound — as were previous generations of humans — by what they were taugh t. They are only limited by their curiosity and ambition. During my childhood, all kno wledge was local. You learned everything you knew from your parents, teachers, prea chers, and friends.With the high-quality and timely information at their fingertips, today’s children are rising normally tame middle class is speaking up against social ills. Silicon Valley executives are being shamed into adding women to their boards. Political leaders are marshalling the energy of millions for elections and political causes. All of this is bein g done with social media technologies that Facebook and its competitors set free.As does every advancing technology, social media has created many new proble ms. It is commonly addictive and creates risks for younger users. Social media is used by extremists in the Middle East and elsewhere to seek and brainwash recruits. And it exposes us and our friends to disagreeable spying. We may leave our lights on in the house when we are on vacation, but through social media we tell criminals exactly wh ere we are, when we plan to return home, and howtoblackmail(敲诈)us.；Governmen tsdon’tneedinfo；Themarketersarealsoseein；Regardlessofwhatsocialme；61.Whatw asthepurposeofFa；A.Tohelpstudentsconnectw；B.Tobringuniversitystude；C.Tohel phow to blackmail(敲诈)us.Governments don’t need informers any more. Social media allows government a gencies to spy on their own citizens. We record our thoughts, emotions, likes and dislikes on Facebook; we share our political views, social preferences, and plans. We post intimate photographs of ourselves. No spy agency or criminal organization could activ ely gather the type of data that we voluntarily post for them.The marketers are also seeing big opportunities. Amazon is trying to predict wha t we will order. Google is trying to judge our needs and wants based on our social-me dia profiles. We need to be aware of the risks and keep working to alleviate the dange rs.Regardless of what social media people use, one thing is certain: we are in a peri od of accelerating change. The next decade will be even more amazing and unpredicta ble than the last. Just as no one could predict what would happen with social media in the last decade, no one can accurately predict where this technology will take us. I am optimistic, however, that a connected humanity will find a way to uplift itself.61. What was the purpose of Facebook when it was first created?A. To help students connect with the outside world.B. To bring university students into closer contact.C. To help students learn to live in a connected era.D. To combine the world into an integral whole.62. What difference does social media make to learning?A. Local knowledge and global knowledge will merge.B. Student will become more curious and ambitious.C. People are able to learn wherever they travel.D. Sources of information are greatly expanded.63. What is the author’s greatest concern with social media technology?A. Individuals and organizations may use it for evil purposes.B. Government will find it hard to protect classified information.C. People may disclose their friends’ information unintentionally.D. People’s attention will be easily distractedfrom their work in hand.64. What do businesses use social media for?A. Creating a good corporate image.B. Conducting large-scale market surveys.C. Anticipating the needs of customers.D. Minimizing possible risks and dangers.65. What does the author think of social media as a whole?A. It will enable human society to advance at a faster pace.B. It will pose a grave threat to our traditional ways of life.C. It is bound to bring about another information revolution.D. It breaks down the final barriers in human communication.Part IV Translation (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.翻译题一：自从1978年启动改革以来，中国已从计划经济转为以市场为基础的经济，经历了经济和社会的快速发展。

2014年12月英语六级考试真题试卷（第2套）Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay based on the picture below. You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and then discuss whether technology is indispensable in education. You should give sound arguments to support your views and write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes) Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A),B),C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1with a single linethrough the center.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

2014年12月大学英语六级考试真题(二）Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions： For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay based on the picture below. You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and then discuss whether there is a shortcut to learning. You should give sound arguments to support your views and write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.“‘How To Do Well In School WithoutStudying’ is over there in the fiction section.”注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

PartⅡListening 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) 9 B) 9 C) and D) , and decide which is2014年12月大学英语六级考试真题(二）the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet1 with a single line through the centre.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

2014年英语六级阅读真题及答案解析（第二套）2014年英语六级阅读真题及答案解析（第二套）Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)Section ADirections:In this section,you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.At the end of each conversation,one or more questions will be asked about what was said.Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.After each question there will be a pause.During the pause,you must read the four choices marked A),B),C)and D),and decide which is the best answer,Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

1. A) In a parking lot.B) At a grocery.C) At a fast food restaurant.D) In a car showroom.2. A) Change her position now and then.B) Stretch her legs before standing up.C) Have a little nap after lunch.D) Get up and take a short walk.3. A) The students should practice long-distance running.B) The students' physical condition is not desirable.C) He doesn't quite believe what the woman says.D) He thinks the race is too hard for the students.4. A) They will get their degrees in two years.B) They are both pursuing graduate studies.C) They cannot afford to get married right now.D) They do not want to have a baby at present.5. A) He must have been mistaken for Jack.B) Twins usually have a lot in common.C) Jack is certainly not as healthy as he is.D) He has not seen Jack for quite a few days.6. A) The woman will attend the opening of the museum.B) The woman is asking the way at the crossroads.C) The man knows where the museum is located.D) The man will take the woman to the museum.7. A) They cannot ask the guy to leave.B) The guy has been coming in for years.C) The guy must be feeling extremely lonely.D) They should not look down upon the guy.8. A) Collect timepieces.B) Become time-conscious.C) Learn to mend clocks.D) Keep track of his daily activities.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9. A) It is eating into its banks.B) It winds its way to the sea.C) It is wide and deep.D) It is quickly rising.10. A) Try to speed up the operation by any means.B) Take the equipment apart before being ferried.C) Reduce the transport cost as much as possible.D) Get the trucks over to the other side of the river.11. A) Find as many boats as possible.B) Cut trees and build rowing boats.C) Halt the operation until further orders.D) Ask the commander to send a helicopter.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) Talk about his climbing experiences.B) Help him join an Indian expedition.C) Give up mountain climbing altogether.D) Save money to buy climbing equipment.13. A) He was the first to conquer Mt. Qomolangma.B) He had an unusual religious background.C) He climbed mountains to earn a living.D) He was very strict with his children.14. A) They are to be conquered.B) They are to be protected.C) They are sacred places.D) They are like humans.15. A) It was his father's training that pulled him through.B) It was a milestone in his mountain climbing career.C) It helped him understand the Sherpa view of mountains.D) It was his father who gave him the strength to succeed.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 1 with a single line through the centre.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

2014年12月大学生六级英语作文第二套The global landscape has undergone significant transformations in the past decade, marked by the rapid advancement of technology, the increasing interconnectedness of nations, and the evolving demands of the modern workforce. As a college student, I find myself navigating this dynamic environment, constantly seeking ways to enhance my skills and prepare for the challenges that lie ahead. The 2014 December CET-6 College Student English Essay Set 2 provides a thought-provoking platform to explore the multifaceted nature of these changes and their implications for our future.One of the most striking features of our modern world is the ubiquity of technology and its profound impact on our daily lives. From the way we communicate and access information to the manner in which we conduct business and engage with our communities, the digital revolution has ushered in a new era of possibilities. As college students, we are at the forefront of this technological transformation, leveraging digital tools and platforms to enhance our learning experiences, collaborate with peers, and stay connected with the global community.However, the integration of technology into our lives also presents a unique set of challenges that we must navigate with care. The constant influx of information and the pressure to remain constantly connected can lead to feelings of overwhelm and a lack of focus. Moreover, the rapid pace of technological change requires us to continuously update our skills and knowledge, lest we fall behind in a highly competitive job market.To address these challenges, it is essential that we develop a well-rounded set of skills that transcend the confines of our academic disciplines. Effective communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities are not only vital for success in the classroom but also essential for thriving in the workplace and beyond. By cultivating these transferable skills, we can position ourselves as adaptable and versatile individuals, capable of navigating the ever-changing landscape of the 21st century.In addition to the technological advancements that have transformed our world, the increasing interconnectedness of nations has also had a profound impact on our lives as college students. The globalization of education, the rise of international exchange programs, and the growing demand for cross-cultural competencies have all contributed to the need for a deeper understanding of diverse cultures and perspectives.As we engage with peers from different backgrounds and immerse ourselves in international experiences, we are challenged to step outside of our comfort zones, to embrace new ways of thinking, and to develop a greater appreciation for the richness of human diversity. This exposure not only broadens our intellectual horizons but also equips us with the skills and mindset necessary to thrive in an increasingly globalized world.Moreover, the interconnectedness of nations has also given rise to a new set of global challenges, such as climate change, economic instability, and public health crises. As college students, we have a unique opportunity to contribute to the search for solutions to these complex issues, leveraging our knowledge, creativity, and passion to drive positive change.By engaging in cross-disciplinary collaborations, participating in international research initiatives, and advocating for sustainable policies, we can play a crucial role in shaping a more equitable and resilient future for all. This sense of global citizenship and social responsibility is not only a valuable asset in the job market but also a deeply fulfilling aspect of our personal and professional development.Finally, the evolving demands of the modern workforce have alsohad a significant impact on the educational landscape, requiring college students to adapt and acquire a diverse set of skills to remain competitive. The days of pursuing a single career path are long gone, and the modern job market is characterized by a high degree of fluidity and flexibility.As a result, college students must be prepared to embrace lifelong learning, continuously updating their knowledge and skills to stay relevant in an ever-changing job market. This may involve pursuing additional certifications, engaging in internships and apprenticeships, or exploring entrepreneurial opportunities that allow us to develop a unique set of competencies.Moreover, the growing emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration and the need for employees who can seamlessly navigate complex problems and work effectively in diverse teams have also transformed the way we approach our studies. By fostering a culture of cross-disciplinary learning and encouraging students to explore the intersections between different fields, colleges and universities can better prepare us for the challenges of the modern workplace.In conclusion, the 2014 December CET-6 College Student English Essay Set 2 provides a valuable platform to reflect on the multifaceted changes that have shaped our world and the implications for our future as college students. From the rapidadvancement of technology to the increasing interconnectedness of nations and the evolving demands of the modern workforce, these transformations present both challenges and opportunities for us to navigate.By cultivating a well-rounded set of skills, embracing global perspectives, and preparing for the dynamic nature of the job market, we can position ourselves as adaptable and resilient individuals, ready to tackle the complex issues of our time and contribute to the creation of a more sustainable and equitable future. As we embark on this journey, let us embrace the spirit of lifelong learning, the power of collaboration, and the unwavering belief that our generation has the potential to make a lasting impact on the world.。

2014年12月大学英语六级考试真题（二）Part I WritingDirections: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the following topic. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.作文题：Part II ListeningSection 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 I with a single line through the centre.Question 1A.At a groceryB.In a parking lotC.In a car showroomD.At a fast food restaurantQuestion 2A.Have a little nap after lunchB.Get up and take a short walkC.Change her position now and thenD.Stretch legs before standing upQuestion 3A.The students should practice long-distance runningB.He doesn’t quite believe what the woman saysC.The students’ physical condition is not desirableD.He thinks the race is too hard for the studentsQuestion 4A.They do not want to have a baby at presentB.They cannot afford to get married right nowC.They are both pursuing graduate studiesD.They will get their degrees in two yearsQuestion 5A.Twins usually have a lot in commonB.He must have been mistaken for JackC.Jack is certainly not as healthy as he isD.He has not seen Jack for quite a few daysQuestion 6A.The man will take the woman wo the museumB.The man knows where the museum is locatedC.The woman is asking the way at the crossroadsD.The woman will attend the opening of the museum Question 7A.They cannot ask the guy to leaveB.The guy has been coming in for yearsC.They should not look down upon the guyD.The guy must be feeling extremely lonelyQuestion 8A.Collect timepiecesB.Become time-consciousC.Learn to mend locksD.Keep track of his daily activities Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.Question 9A.It winds its way to the seaB.It is quickly risingC.It is eating into its banksD.It is wide and deep Question 10A.Get the trucks over to the other side of the riverB.Take the equipment apart before being ferriedC.Reduce the transport cost as much as possibleD.Try to speed up the operation by any meansQuestion 11A.Ask the commander to send a helicopterB.Halt the operation until further ordersC.Cut trees and build rowing boatsD.Find as many coats as possibleQuestions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.Question 12A.Help him join an Indian expeditionB.Talk about his climbing experiencesC.Give up mountain climbing altogetherD.Save money to buy climbing equipmentQuestion 13A.He was very strict with his childrenB.He climbed mountains to earn a livingC.He had an unusual religious backgroundD.He was the first to conquer Mt. QomolangmaQuestion 14A.They are like humansB.They are sacred placesC.They are to be protectedD.They are to be conqueredQuestion 15A.It was his father’s training that pilled him throughB.It was a milestone in his mountain climbing careerC.It was his father who gave him the strength to succeedD.It helped him understand the Sherpa view of mountainsSection 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 centrePassage OneQuestion 16A. By reviewing what he has said previouslyB.By comparing memorandums with lettersC.By showing a memorandum’ s structureD.By analyzing the organization of a lett erQuestion 17A.They spent a lot of time writing memorandumsB.They seldom read a memorandum through to the endC.They placed emphasis on the format of memorandumsD.They ignored many of the memorandums they receivedQuestion 18A.Style and wordingB.Structure and lengthC.Directness and clarityD.Simplicity and accuracyPassage TwoQuestions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.Question 19A.Accurate datingB.Professional lookC.Direct statement of purposeD.Inclusion of appropriate humorQuestion 20A.They give top priority to their work efficiencyB.They make an effort to lighten their workloadC.They never change work habits unless forced toD.They try hard to make the best use of their timeQuestion 21A.Self-confidenceB.Sense of dutyC.Work efficiencyD.Passion for workQuestion 22A.They are addicted to playing online gamesB.They try to avoid work whenever possibleC.They find to pleasure in the work they doD.They simply have no sense of responsibilityPassage ThreeQuestions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.Question 23A.He lost all his propertyB.He was sold to a circusC.He was forced into slaveryD.He ran away from his familyQuestion 24A.A carpenterB.A businessmanC.A master of hisD.A black drummerQuestion 25A.It named its town hall after Solomon NorthupB.It declared July 24 Solomon Northup DayC.It freedom all blacks in the town from slaveryD.It hosted a reunion for the Northup familySection CDirections：In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written. Section CIntolerance is the art of ignoring any views that differ from your own. It(26)_____ itself a hatred. Stereotypes, prejudice, and(27)_____.Once it intensifies in people, intolerance is nearly impossible to overcome. But why would anyone want to be labeled intolerant. Why would people want to be (28)_____about the world around them? Why would one want to be part of the problem in America, instead of the solution?There are many explanations for intolerant attitudes, some (29)_____ childhood. It is likely that intolerant folks grew up (30)_____ intolerant parents and the cycle of prejudice has simply continued for (31)_____. Perhaps intolerant people are so set in their ways that they find it easier to ignore anything that might not (32)_____ their limited view of life. Or maybe intolerant students have simply never been (33)_____ to anyone different form themselves. But none of these reason is an excuse for allpwing the intolerance to continue.Intolerance should not be confused with disagreement.It is,of course,possible as diasgree with an opinion without being intolerant of it.If you understand a belief but still don't believe in that specific belief,that's fine.You are (34)_____ your opinion.As a matter of fact.(35)_____ disseniers(持异议者)are important for any belief.If we all believed the same things.we would never grow,and we would never learn about the world around us,does not stem frim disagreement.It stems from fear,And fear stems from fear.And fear stems from ignorance.Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section AHis future subjects have not always treated the Prince of Wales with the respect one XXXX expect. They laughed aloud in 1986 when the heir to the British(36)_ throne _ told a TV reporter that he talked to his plants at his country house, Highgrove, to stimulate their growth. The Prince was being humorous- “My sense of humor will get me into trouble one day”, he said to his aids(随从)-but listening to Charles Windsor can indeed prove stimulating. The royal(37) environmentalist _ has been promoting radical ideas for most of his adult life. Some of his(38)_ notions ____, which once sounded a bit weird, were simply ahead of their time. Now, finally, the world seems to be catching up with him.Take his views on farming. Prince Charles’ Duchy Home Farm went(39)_ originally ____ back in 1986. When most shoppers cared only about the low price tag on suspiciously blemish-free(无瑕疵的) vegetables and(40) unnaturally _____ large chickens piled high in supermarkets.His warnings on climate change proved farsighted,too.Charles began(41) urging _____ action in warming in 1990 and says he has been worried about the(42) impact _____ of man on the environment same be was a teenger.Although he was gradually gained international(43) recognition _____ as one of the world's lending conservationists,many British people still think of him as an(34) eccentric _____ person who talks to plants.This year,as it happens,South Korean scientists proved that plants really do(45) respond _____ to round.So Charles was ahead of the game there,too.A.conformB.eccentricC.environmentalistD.expeditionsE.impactF.notionsanicH.originallyI.recognitionJ.respondK.subordinateL.suppressingM.throneN.unnaturallyO.urgingSection 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.High School Sports Aren’t Killing AcademicsA)In this month’s Atlantic cover article, “The Case Against High-School Sports,” Amanda Ripley argues thatschool-sponsored sports programs should be seriously cut. She writes that, unlike most countries that outperform the United States on international assessments, American schools put too much of an emphasis on athletics, “ Sports are embedded in American schools in a way they are not almost anywhere else,” she writes, “Yet this difference hardly ever comes up in domestic debates about America’s international mediocrity(平庸)in education.”B)American student-athletes reap many benefits from participating in sports, but the costs to the schools could outweigh their benefits, she argues, In particular, Ripley contends that sports crowd out the academic missions of schools: America should learn from South Korea and Finland and every other country at the top level of international test scores, all of whom emphasize at hletics far less in school. ”Even in eighth grade, American kids spend more than twice the time Korean kids spend playing sports,” she writes, citing a 2010 study published in the Journal of Advanced Academics.C)It might well be true that sports are far more rooted in American high schools than in other countries. But our reading of international test scores finds no support for the argument against school athletics. Indeed, our own research and that of others lead us to make the opposite case. School-sponsored sports appear to provide benefits that seem to increase, not detract(减少)from, academic success.D)Ripley indulges a popular obsession(痴迷)with international test score comparisons, which show wide and frightening gaps between the United States and other countries. She ignores, however, the fact that states vary at least as much in test scores as do developed countries. A 2011 report from Harvard University shows that Massachusetts produces math scores comparable to South Korea and Finland, while Mi ssissippi scores are closer to Trinidad and Tobago. Ripley’s thesis about sports falls apart in light of this fact. Schools in Massachusetts provide sports programs while schools in Finland do not. Schools in Mississippi may love football while in Tobago interscholastic sports are nowhere near as prominent. Sports cannot explain these similarities in performance. They can’t explain international differences either.E)If it is true that sports undermine the academic mission of American schools, we would expect to see a negative relationship between the commitment to athletics and academic achievement. However, the University of Arkansas’s Daniel Bowen and Jay Greene actually find the opposite. They examine this relationship by analyzing schools’ sports winn ing percentages as well as student-athletic participation rates compared to graduation rates and standardized test score achievement over a five-year period for all public high schools in Ohio. Controlling for student poverty levels, demographics(人口统计状况), and district financial resources, both measures of a school’s commitment to athletics are significantly and positively relate d to lower dropout rates as well as higher test scores.F)On-the-field success and high participation in sports is not random-it requires focus and dedication to athletics. One might think this would lead schools obsessed with winning to deemphasize academics. Bowen and Greene’s results contradict that argument. A likely explanation for this seemingly counterintuitive(与直觉相反的)result is that success in sports programs actually facilitates or reflects greater social capital within a school’s community.G)Ripley cites the writings of renowned sociologist James Coleman, whose research in education was groundbreaking. Coleman in his earl y work held athletics in contempt, arguing that they crowded out schools’ academic missions. Ripley quotes his 1961 study, The Adolescent Society, where Coleman writes, “Altogether, the trophy(奖品)case would suggest to the innocent visitor that he was enter ing an athletic club, not an educational institution.”H)However, in later research Coleman would show how the success of schools is highly dependent on what he termed social capital, “the social networks, and the relationships between adults and children that are of value for the child’s growing up.”I)According to a 2013 evaluation conducted by the Crime Lab at the University of Chicago, a program called Becoming a Man-Sports Edition creates lasting improvements in the boys’ study habits and grade poi nt averages. During the first year of the program, students were founds to be less likely to transfer schools or be engaged in violent crime. A year after the program, participants were less likely to have had an encounter with the juvenile justice system.J)If school-sponsored sports were completely eliminated tomorrow, many American students would still have opportunities to participate in organized athletics elsewhere, much like they do in countries such as Finland, Germany, and South Korea. The same is not certain when it comes to students from more disadvantaged backgrounds. In an overview of the research onnon-school based after-school programs, researchers find that disadvantaged children participate in these programs at significantly lower rates. They find that low-income students have less access due to challenges with regard to transportation, non-nominal fees, and off-campus safety. Therefore, reducing or eliminating these opportunities would most likely deprive disadvantaged students of the benefits from athletic participation, not least of which is the opportunity to interact with positive role models outside of regular school hours.K)Another unfounded criticism that Ripley makes is bringing up the stereotype that athletic XX are typically lousy(蹩脚的)classroom teachers. “American principals, unlike the XX XX of principals around the world, make many hiring decisions with their sports teams in mind, which does not always end well for students,” she writes. Educators who seek employment at schools primarily for the purpose of coaching are likely to shirk(推卸)teaching responsibilities, the argument goes. Moreover, even in the cases where the employee is a teacher first and athletic coach second, the additional responsibilities that come with coaching likely comes at the expense of time otherwise spent on planning, grading, and communicating with parents and guardians.L)The data, however, do not seem to confirm this stereotype. In the most rigorous study on the classroom results of high school coa ches, the University of Arkansas’s Anna Egalite finds that athletic coaches in Florida mostly tend to perform just as well as their non-coaching counterparts, with respect to raising student test scores. We do not doubt that teachers who also coach face serious tradeoffs that likely come at the expense of time they could dedicate to their academic obligations. However, as with sporting events, athletic coaches gain additional opportunities for communicating and serving as mentors(导师)that potentially help students succeed and make up for the costs of coaching commitments.M)If schools allow student-athletes to regularly miss out on instructional time for the sake of traveling to athletic competitions, that’s bad. However, such issues would be better address ed by changing school and state policies with regard to the scheduling of sporting events as opposed to total elimination. If the empirical evidence points to anything, it points towards school sponsored sports providing assets that are well worth the costs.N)Despite negative stereotypes about sports culture and Ripley’s presumption that academics and athletics are at odds with one another, we believe that the greater body of evidence shows that school-sponsored sports programs appear to benefit students. Successes on the playing field can carry over to the classroom and vice versa(反之亦然). More importantly, finding ways to increase school communities’ social capital is imperative to the success of the school as whole, not just the athlete s.46.Students from low-income families have less access to off-campus sports programs.47.Amanda Ripley argues that America should learn from other countries that rank high in international tests and lay less emphasis on athletics.48.According to the author,Amanda Ripley fails to note that students' performance in exams varies from state to state.49.Amanda Ripley thinks that athletic coaches are poor at classroom instruction.50.James Coleman's later research make an argument for a school's social capital.51.Researchers find that there is a positive relationship between a school's commitment to athletics and academic achievements.52.A rigorous study finds that athletic coaches also do well in raising students' test scores.53.According to an evaluation,sports grams contribute to students' academic performance and character building.54.Amanda Ripley believes the emphasis on school sports should be brought up when trying to understand why American students are mediocre.55.James Coleman suggests in his earlier writings that school athletics would undermine a school's imageSection CDirections: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. . You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage oneIt is easy to miss amid the day-to-day headlines of global economic recession, but there is a less conspicuous kind of social upheaval(剧变)underway that is fast altering both the face of the planet and the way human beings live. That change is the rapid acceleration of urbanization. In 2008, for the first time in human history, more than half the world’s population was liv ing in towns and cities. And as a recently published paper shows, the process of urbanization will only accelerate in the decades to come—with an enormous impact on biodiversity and potentially on climate change.As Karen Seto, the led author of the pap er, points out, the wave of urbanization isn’t just about the migration of people into urban environments, but about the environments themselves becoming bigger to accommodate all those people. The rapid expansion of urban areas will have a huge impact on biodiversity hotspots and on carbon emissions in those urban areas.Humans are the ultimate invasive species—when the move into new territory, the often displace the wildlife that was already living there. And as land is cleared for those new cities—especially in the dense tropical forests—carbon will be released into the atmosphere as well. It’s true that as people in developing nations move from the countryside to the city, t he shift may reduce the pressure on land, which could in turn be good for the environment. This is especially so in desperately poor countries, where residents in the countryside slash and burn forests each growing season to clear space for farming. But the real difference is that in developing nations, the move from rural areas to cities often leads to an accompanying increase in income — and that increase leads to an increase in the consumption of food and energy, which in turn causes a rise in carbon emissions. Getting enough to eat and enjoying the safety and comfort of living fully on the grid is certainly a good thing — but it does carry an environmental price.The urbanization wave can’t be stopped —and it shouldn’t be. But Seto’s paper does underscore the importance of managing that transition. If we do it the right way, w e can reduce urbanization’s impact on the environment. “There’s an enormous opportunity here, and a lot of pressure and responsibility to think about how we urbanize,” says Seto. “One thing that’s clear is that we can’t build cities the way we have over the last couple of hundred years. The scale of this transition won’t allow that.” We’re headed towards an urban planet no matter what, but whether it becomes heaven or hell is up to us.56. What issue does the author try to draw people’s attention to?A. The shrinking biodiversity worldwide.B. The rapid increase of world population.C. The ongoing global economic recession.D. The impact of accelerating urbanization.57. In what sense are humans the ultimate invasive species?A. They are much greedier than other species.B. They are a unique species born to conquer.C. They force other species out of their territories.D. They have an urge to expand their living space.58. In what way is urbanization in poor countries good for the environment?A. More land will be preserved for wildlife.B. The pressure on farmland will be lessened.C. Carbon emissions will be considerably reduced.D. Natural resources will be used more effectively.59. What does the author say about living comfortably in the city?A. It incurs a high environmental price.B. It brings poverty and insecurity to an end.C. It causes a big change in people’s lifestyle.D. It narrows the gap between city and country.60. What can be done to minimize the negative impact of urbanization according to Seto?A. Slowing down the speed of transition.B. Innovative use of advanced technology.C. Appropriate management of the process.D. Enhancing people’s sense of responsibility.Passage TwoWhen Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched in Feb. 2004, even he could not imagine the forces it would let loose. His intent was to connect college students. Facebook, which is what this website rapidly evolved into, ended up connecting the world.To the children of this connected era, the world is one giant social network. They are not bound — as were previous generations of humans — by what they were taught. They are only limited by their curiosity and ambition. During my childhood, all knowledge was local. You learned everything you knew from your parents, teachers, preachers, and friends.With the high-quality and timely information at their fingertips, today’s children are rising normally tame middle class is speaking up against social ills. Silicon Valley executives are being shamed into adding women to their boards. Political leaders are marshalling the energy of millions for elections and political causes. All of this is being done with social media technologies that Facebook and its competitors set free.As does every advancing technology, social media has created many new problems. It is commonly addictive and creates risks for younger users. Social media is used by extremists in the Middle East and elsewhere to seek and brainwash recruits. And it exposes us and our friends to disagreeable spying. We may leave our lights on in the house when we are on vacation, but through social media we tell criminals exactly where we are, when we plan to return home, and how to blackmail(敲诈)us.Governments don’t need informers any m ore. Social media allows government agencies to spy on their own citizens. We record our thoughts, emotions, likes and dislikes on Facebook; we share our political views, social preferences, and plans. We post intimate photographs of ourselves. No spy agency or criminal organization could actively gather the type of data that we voluntarily post for them.The marketers are also seeing big opportunities. Amazon is trying to predict what we will order. Google is trying to judge our needs and wants based on our social-media profiles. We need to be aware of the risks and keep working to alleviate thedangers.Regardless of what social media people use, one thing is certain: we are in a period of accelerating change. The next decade will be even more amazing and unpredictable than the last. Just as no one could predict what would happen with social media in the last decade, no one can accurately predict where this technology will take us. I am optimistic, however, that a connected humanity will find a way to uplift itself.61. What was the purpose of Facebook when it was first created?A. To help students connect with the outside world.B. To bring university students into closer contact.C. To help students learn to live in a connected era.D. To combine the world into an integral whole.62. What difference does social media make to learning?A. Local knowledge and global knowledge will merge.B. Student will become more curious and ambitious.C. People are able to learn wherever they travel.D. Sources of information are greatly expanded.63. What is the author’s greatest concern with social media technology?A. Individuals and organizations may use it for evil purposes.B. Government will find it hard to protect classified information.C. People may dis close their friends’ information unintentionally.D. People’s attention will be easily distracted from their work in hand.64. What do businesses use social media for?A. Creating a good corporate image.B. Conducting large-scale market surveys.C. Anticipating the needs of customers.D. Minimizing possible risks and dangers.65. What does the author think of social media as a whole?A. It will enable human society to advance at a faster pace.B. It will pose a grave threat to our traditional ways of life.C. It is bound to bring about another information revolution.D. It breaks down the final barriers in human communication.Part IV TranslationDirections: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.翻译题：自从1978年启动改革以来，中国已从计划经济转为以市场为基础的经济，经历了经济和社会的快速发展。

2014年12月大学英语六级考试真题(二)Part Ⅱ Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)Section A注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

1.A． In a parking lot.B．At a grocery.C． At a fast food restaurant.D． In a car showroom.2.A． Change her position now and then.B．Stretch her legs before standing up.C． Have a little nap after lunch.D． Get up and take a short walk.3.A． The students should practice long-distance running.B．The students' physical condition is not desirable.C． He doesn't quite believe what the woman says.D． He thinks the race is too hard for the students.4.A． They will get their degrees in two years.B．They are both pursuing graduate studies.C． They cannot afford to get married right now.D． They do not want to have a baby at present.5.A． He must have been mistaken for Jack.B．Twins usually have a lot in common.C． Jack is certainly not as healthy as he is.D． He has not seen Jack for quite a few days.6.A． The woman will attend the opening of the museum.B．The woman is asking the way at the crossroads.C． The man knows where the museum is located.D． The man will take the woman to the museurn.7.A． They cannot ask the guy to leave.B．The guy has been coming in for years.C． The guy must be feeling extremely lonely.D． They should not look down upon the guy.8.A． Collect timepieces.B．Become time-conscious.C． Learn to mend clocks.D． Keep track of his daily activities.Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9.A． It is eating into its banks.B．It winds its way to the sea.C． It is wide and deep.D． It is quickly rising.10.A． Try to speed up the operation by any means.B．Take the equipment apart before being ferried.C． Reduce the transport cost as much as possible.D． Get the trucks over to the Other side of the river.11.A． Find as many boats as possible.B．Cut trees and build rowing boats.C． Halt the operation until fu.rther orders.D． Ask the commander to send a helicopter.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12.A． Talk about his climbing experiences.B．Help him join an Indian expedition.C． Give up mountain climbing altogether.D． Save money to buy climbing equipment.13.A． He was the first to conquer Mr. Qomolangma.B．He had an unusual religious background.C． He climbed mountains to earn a living.D． He was very strict with his children.14.A． They are to be conquered.B．They are to be protected.C． They are sacred places.D． They are like humans.15.A． It was his father's training that pulled him through.B．It was a milestone in his mountain climbing career.C． It helped him understand the Sherpa view of mountains.D． It was his father who gave him the strength to succeed.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will.hear somequestions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, youmust choose the best answer from the four choices marked A ), B ), C ) and D ). Then mark thecorresponding letter on ,Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

2014年12月英语六级听力真题第2套Section A1. M: Good news! I am not going to have surgery after all.The doctor says I can start working out again soon and maybe play football like before in a few weeks.W: That's terrific. It will be great if you could get back in shape in time for the World Cup. Q: What do we learn from the conversation?2. M: I really need to make some extra money. You know, I've practically spent my entire budget for this semester.W: Why not check out the new cafeteria at Market Street? I think there are still a few openings suitable for seniors like you.Q: What does the woman suggest the man do?3. M: I hear John left his cat in your care while he's on vacation abroad. How are you getting along with it?W: Well, it never comes when I call it. It spills its food and sheds all over the place. I can't wait till John gets back.Q: How does the woman find the cat?4. W: Hello, Professor White. I got my grade in the mail this morning, but I think there might be a mistake in my mark.M: Yeah, I've got several calls, just like yours. There must be a problem with the computing system. It should be straightened out in a couple of hours.Q: What does the man mean?5. M: Professor Johnson, last night when I was putting the finishing touches on my paper, a computer failure completely wiped out my files. Do you think I could have another day to retype it?W: I'm sorry, Rod. I'm leaving for a conference tomorrow and I'll be away two weeks. I suppose you could send me an e-copy.Q: Why does the man say he can't submit his assignment on time?6. W: I just called the travel agency. It's all set. On June first, we are heading for the mountains,and we'll be camping there for a whole week.M: Have you checked the academic calendar?My classes aren't over until the 8th.Q: What does the man imply?7. W: I thought there was still time for me to apply for a student loan, but someone just told me that the closing date was last Tuesday.M: Are you sure? I thought we still had another month. Wait. I got a brochure right here. Last Tuesday was the opening date.Q: What does the man imply?8. W: Look at all the pollutants going into the air from those factories. Do you think they'll ever get that under control?M: Now with the new laws in effect and social awareness increasing, we are sure to turn things around.Q: What does the man mean?Now you'll hear the two long conversations.Conversation OneW: Tell me, Peter.What makes Harolds so famous?M: Well, it's the biggest department store in the UK, and its food hall and Egyptian hall are very famous. People come to Harolds just to see them.W: What is special about the food hall?M: It sells many different kinds of food. For example, it has two hundred and fifty kinds of cheese from all over the world, and more than 180 kinds of bread. Customers also love all the different kinds of chocolate. They buy a hundred tons every year.W: That's amazing, and why is the Egyptian hall so famous?M: Well, when people see it they feel they're in another world. It looks like an Egyptian building from 4000 years ago, and it sells beautiful objects. They are not 4000 years old, of course.W: Is it true that Harolds produces its own electricity?M: Yes, it does. 70%. Enough for a small town. To light the outside of the building, we use 11,500 light bulbs.W: Really? Tell me, how many customers do you have on an average day? And how much do they spend?M: About 30,000 people come on an average day. But during the sales, the number increases to 300,000 customers a day. How much do they spend? Well, on average, customers spend about 1.5 million pounds a day. The record for one day is 9 million pounds.W: 9 million pounds in one day?M: Yes, on the first day of the January sales.W: Harolds says it sells everything to everybody everywhere. Is that really true?M: Oh, yes, of course. Absolutely everything.Questions 9 to 12 are based on the conversation you have just heard.9. What is the food hall of Harolds noted for?10. What does the Egyptian hall seem like to the customers?11. What may customers find surprising about Harolds?12. About how many customers come to Harolds on an average day?Conversation TwoW: Hi, Kevin.M: Hi, Laura. Long time no see. What have you been up to lately?W: Not much, I can assure you. And you?M: Much the same except I do have some big news.W: Come on, the suspense is killing me.M: No, really. What have you been doing these past few weeks? The last time I saw you, you were looking for a new job.W: Well, that's not exactly true. I was thinking about changing jobs. Luckily, they offered me a new position in the accounting department.M: A step up in the big business world.W: I wouldn't exaggerate, but I'm pleased. I had been hoping to get promotion for a while, so when it finally came through I was relieved. Actually, that's why I was looking for a new job.I just didn't want to work there anymore if they weren't going to recognize my efforts.M: Right, sometimes you can do your best and it seems like the others don't know you exist. Ihope the money is better.W: I got a reasonable raise. Now, enough about me. I'm dying to hear your news.M: I'm getting married.W: No, you said you'd never get married.M: That was then, and this is now, you've got to meet Andrea. She is great.W: This is all news to me. I didn't even know you were dating.M: We weren't. We've just been dating for two weeks now.W: And you are getting married?M: I know. I can't help it. I just know she is the one.W: Well, congratulations. That's fantastic.M: Thanks, I'm glad to hear you feel that way.Questions 13 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.13. What was the woman doing when the man last saw her?14. Why does the woman say she was relieved?15. Why is the woman surprised at the man's news?Section BPassage OneWater scooters are water vehicles that look very much like motorcycles. Nowadays speedy colorful water scooters are gaining in popularity. They can travel anywhere a small boat can and are typically popular with young people. The rising popularity of the craft has raised a question of water scooter regulation.In this case,the argument for strict regulation is compelling.Water scooters are a particularly deadly form of water recreation. For example, two women were vacationing in Longboat Key. While they were floating on a rubber boat along the shore, a water scooter crashed into them and killed them. Also, water scooter operators have been killed and seriously injured in collisions with other watercraft. Others have been stranded at sea when their scooters either failed or sank far from shore. Many water scooter operators are inexperienced and ignorant of navigational rules, which increases the potential for accidents. The increasing popularity of the scooter has aggravated the problem, providing more water vehicles to compete for the same space. Crowded water ways are simply an open invitation to disaster. In addition to the inherent operational hazards of water scooters, they are proven to be an environmental nuisance. Beach residents complain of the noise of the scooters. The Pacific Whale Foundation on the west coast expressed the concern that the scooters are frightening away an endangered species of whale that migrates to Hawaii for breeding. Regulations, such as minimum operating age, restricted operating areas, and compulsory classes in water safety are essential. Without such regulations, tragedies involving water scooters are sure to multiply, which makes many beaches unsafe for recreation. Questions 16 to 19 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. What does the speaker say about water scooters?17. What is mentioned as one of the causes of water accidents?18. In what way are water scooters said to be an environmental nuisance?19. What does the speaker propose to ensure the safety of beaches for recreation?Passage TwoIt seems to me that neighbors are going out of style in America. The friend next door from whom you borrowed four eggs or a ladder has moved and the people in there now are strangers. Some of the traditional stories of neighborliness are impractical or silly, and it may be just as well that our relations with our neighbors are changing. The saying in the Bible "Love Thy Neighbor" was probably a poor translation of what must have originally been "Respect Thy Neighbor." Love can't be called up on order. Fewer than half the people in the United States live in the same house they lived in five years ago, so there's no reason to love the people who live next door to you just because they happened to wander into a real estate office that listed the place next door to yours. The only thing neighbors have in common, to begin with, is proximity, and unless something more develops, that isn't reason enough to be best friends.It sometimes happens naturally,but the chances are very small that your neighbors will be your choice as friends.Or that you will be theirs, either.The best relationship with neighbors is one of friendly distance.You say hello, you small-talk if you see them in the yard,you discuss problems as they arise and you help each other in an emergency.The driveway or the fence between you is not really a cold shoulder,but a clear boundary.We all like clearly-defined boundaries for ourselves.Questions 20 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.20. What does the speaker say about the relations among neighbors nowadays?21. Why does the speaker say it may be difficult for people to love their neighbors?22. What should neighbors do in the speaker's opinion?Passage ThreeArticles in magazines and newspapers and special reports on radio and television reflect the concern of many Americans about the increasing dropout rate in our junior and senior high schools.Coupled with this fact is the warning that soon we will no longer have workforce to fill the many jobs that require properly-educated personnel.The high student dropout rate is not a recent development.Ten years ago, many urban schools were reporting dropout rates between 35 and 50 percent.Some administrators maintain that dropouts remain the single greatest problem in their schools.Consequently, much effort has been spent on identifying students with problems in order to give them more attention before they become failures.Since the dropout problem doesn't start in senior high school,special programs in junior high school focus on students who show promise but have a record of truancy,that is, staying away from school without permission.Under the guidance of counselors,these students are placed in classes with teachers who have had success in working with similar young people.Strategies to motivate students in high school include rewarding academic excellence by designating scholars of the month,or by issuing articles of clothing such as school letter jackets formally given only to athletes.No one working with these students claims to know how to keep all students in school.Counselors, teachers, and administrators are in the front lines of what seems at times to be a losing battle.Actually, this problem should be everyone's concern,since uneducated, unemployed citizens affect us all.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.23. Why are many Americans concerned with the increasing dropout rate in school?24. What do we learn about the student dropout problem in America?25. What is mentioned as one of the strategies used to motivate students?Section CI'm interested in the criminal justice system of our country.It seems to me that something has to be done,if we're to survive as a country.I certainly don't know what the answers to our problems are.Things certainly get complicated in a hurry when you get into them,but I wonder if something couldn't be done to deal with some of these problems.One thing I'm concerned about is our practice of putting offenders in jail who haven't harmed anyone.Why not work out some system whereby they can pay back the debts they owe society instead of incurring another debt by going to prison and, of course,coming under the influence of hardened criminals.I'm also concerned about the short prison sentences people are serving for serious crimes.Of course one alternative to this is to restore capital punishment,but I'm not sure I would be for that.I'm not sure it's right to take an eye for an eye.The alternative to capital punishment is longer sentences,but they would certainly cost the tax payers much money.I also think we must do something about the insanity plea.In my opinion, anyone who takes another person's life intentionally is insane;however, that does not mean that the person isn't guilty of the crime,or that he shouldn't pay society the debt he owes.It's sad, of course,that a person may have to spend the rest of his life,or a large part of it in prison for acts that he committed while not in full control of his mind.。

Part II Listening(30 minutes) Section A Directions：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 I with a single line through the centre. Question 1 A.At a grocery B.In a parking lot C.In a car showroom D.At a fast food restaurant 2、A.Have a little nap after lunch B.Get up and take a short walk C.Change her position now and then D.Stretch legs before standing up Question 3 A.The students should practice long-distance running B.He doesn’t quite believe what the woman says C.The students’ physical condition is not desirable D.He thinks the race is too hard for the students Question 4 A.They do not want to have a baby at present B.They cannot afford to get married right now C.They are both pursuing graduate studies D.They will get their degrees in two years Question 5 A.Twins usually have a lot in common B.He must have been mistaken for Jack C.Jack is certainly not as healthy as he is D.He has not seen Jack for quite a few days Question 6 A.The man will take the woman wo the museum B.The man knows where the museum is located C.The woman is asking the way at the crossroads D.The woman will attend the opening of the museum Question 7 A.They cannot ask the guy to leave B.The guy has been coming in for years C.They should not look down upon the guy D.The guy must be feeling extremely lonely Question 8 A.Collect timepieces B.Become time-conscious C.Learn to mend locks D.Keep track of his daily activities  Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard. Question 9 A.It winds its way to the sea B.It is quickly rising C.It is eating into its banks D.It is wide and deep  Question 10 A.Get the trucks over to the other side of the river B.Take the equipment apart before being ferried C.Reduce the transport cost as much as possible. D.Try to speed up the operation by any means Question 11 A.Ask the commander to send a helicopter B.Halt the operation until further orders C.Cut trees and build rowing boats D.Find as many coats as possible Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard. Question 12 A.Help him join an Indian expedition B.Talk about his climbing experiences C.Give up mountain climbing altogether D.Save money to buy climbing equipment Question 13 A.He was very strict with his children B.He climbed mountains to earn a living C.He had an unusual religious background D.He was the first to conquer Mt. Qomolangma Question 14 A.They are like humans B.They are sacred places C.They are to be protected D.They are to be conquered Question 15 A.It was his father’s training that pilled him through B.It was a milestone in his mountain climbing career C.It was his father who gave him the strength to succeed D.It helped him understand the Sherpa view of mountains Section B Directions：In this section，you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage，you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C)and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre Passage One Question 16 A. By reviewing what he has said previously B.By comparing memorandums with letters C.By showing a memorandum’ s structureD.By analyzing the organization of a letter Question 17 A.They spent a lot of time writing memorandums B.They seldom read a memorandum through to the end C.They placed emphasis on the format of memorandums D.They ignored many of the memorandums they received. Question 18 A.Style and wording B.Structure and length C.Directness and clarity D.Simplicity and accuracy Passage Two Questions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard. Question 19 A.Accurate dating B.Professional look C.Direct statement of purpose D.Inclusion of appropriate humor Question 20 A.They give top priority to their work efficiency B.They make an effort to lighten their workload C.They never change work habits unless forced to D.They try hard to make the best use of their time Question 21 A.Self-confidence B.Sense of duty C.Work efficiency D.Passion for work Question 22 A.They are addicted to playing online games B.They try to avoid work whenever possible C.They find to pleasure in the work they do D.They simply have no sense of responsibility Passage Three Questions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard. Question 23 A.He lost all his property B.He was sold to a circus C.He was forced into slavery D.He ran away from his family Question 24 A.A carpenter B.A businessman C.A master of his D.A black drummer Question 25 A.It named its town hall after Solomon Northup B.It declared July 24 Solomon Northup Day C.It freedom all blacks in the town from slavery D.It hosted a reunion for the Northup family Section C Directions：In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written. Section C Intolerance is the art of ignoring any views that differ from your own. It(26)_____ itself a hatred. Stereotypes, prejudice, and(27)_____.Once it intensifies in people, intolerance is nearly impossible to overcome. But why would anyone want to be labeled intolerant. Why would people want to be (28)_____about the world around them? Why would one want to be part of the problem in America, instead of the solution? There are many explanations for intolerant attitudes, some (29)_____ childhood. It is likely that intolerant folks grew up (30)_____ intolerant parents and the cycle of prejudice has simply continued for (31)_____. Perhaps intolerant people are so set in their ways that they find it easier to ignore anything that might not (32)_____ their limited view of life. Or maybe intolerant students have simply never been (33)_____ to anyone different form themselves. But none of these reason is an excuse for allowing the intolerance to continue. Intolerance should not be confused with disagreement. It is, of course, possible as disagree with an opinion without being intolerant of it. If you understand a belief but still don't believe in that specific belief, that's fine. You are (34)_____ your opinion. As a matter of fact.(35)_____ dissenters(持异议者)are important for any belief. If we all believed the same things. we would never grow, and we would never learn about the world around us, does not stem firm disagreement. It stems from fear, And fear stems from fear. And fear stems from ignorance. 答案：答案：26.manifests 27.discrimination 28.uninformed 29.dating back to 30.imitating 31.generations 32.conform to 33.exposed 34.entitled to 35.knowledgeable Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes) Section A His future subjects have not always treated the Prince of Wales with the respect one XXXX expect. They laughed aloud in 1986 when the heir to the British(36)_____ told a TV reporter that he talked to his plants at his country house, High grove, to stimulate their growth. The Prince was “My sense of humor will get me into trouble one day”, he said to his aids(being humorous- “My sense of humor will get me into trouble one day”, he said to his aids(随从)-but listening to Charles Windsor can indeed prove stimulating. The royal(37)_____ has been promoting radical ideas for most of his adult life. Some of his(38)_____, which once sounded a bit weird, were simply ahead of their time. Now, finally, the world seems to be catching up with him. Take his views on farming. Prince Charles’ Duchy Home Farm went(39)_____ back in 1986. When most shoppers cared only about the low price tag on suspiciously blemish-free(无瑕疵的) vegetables and(40)_____ large chickens piled high in supermarkets. His warnings on climate change proved farsighted, too. Charles began(41)_____ action in warming in 1990 and says he has been worried about the(42)_____ of man on the environment same be was a teenager. Although he was gradually gained international(43)_____ as one of the world's lending conservationists, many British people still think of him as an(44)_____ person who talks to plants. This year, as it happens, South Korean scientists proved that plants really do(45)_____ to round. So Charles was ahead of the game there, too. A.conform B.eccentric C.environmentalist D.expeditions E.impact F.notions anic H.originally I.recognition J.respond K.subordinate L.suppressing M.throne N.unnaturally O.urging Section B Directions: In this section，you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2. High School Sports Aren’t Kil ling Academics -School Sports,” Amanda A)In this month’s Atlantic cover article, “The Case Against HighRipley argues that school-sponsored sports programs should be seriously cut. She writes that, unlike most countries that outperform the United States on international assessments, American schools put too much of an emphasis on athletics, “ Sports are embedded in American schools in a way they are not almost anywhere else,” she writes, “Yet this difference hardly ever comes up in domestic debates about Ame rica’s international mediocrity(平庸平庸)in education.”B)American student-athletes reap many benefits from participating in sports, but the costs to the schools could outweigh their benefits, she argues, In particular, Ripley contends that sports crowd out the academic missions of schools: America should learn from South Korea and Finland and every other country at the top level of international test scores, all of whom emphasize twice the time athletics far less in school. ”Even in eighth grade, American kids spend more than Korean kids spend playing sports,” she writes, citing a 2010 study published in the Journal of Advanced Academics. C)It might well be true that sports are far more rooted in American high schools than in other countries. But our reading of international test scores finds no support for the argument against school athletics. Indeed, our own research and that of others lead us to make the opposite case. School-sponsored sports appear to provide benefits that seem to increase, not detract(减少)from, academic success. D)Ripley indulges a popular obsession(痴迷)with international test score comparisons, which show wide and frightening gaps between the United States and other countries. She ignores, however, the fact that states vary at least as much in test scores as do developed countries. A 2011 report from Harvard University shows that Massachusetts produces math scores comparable to South Korea and Finland, while Mississippi scores are closer to Trinidad and Tobago. Ripley’s thesis about sports falls apart in light of this fact. Schools in Massachusetts provide sports programs while schools in Finland do not. Schools in Mississippi may love football while in Tobago interscholastic sports are nowhere near as prominent. Sports cannot explain these simi similarities in performance. They can’t explain international differences rities in performance. They can’t explain international differences either. E)If it is true that sports undermine the academic mission of American schools, we would expect to see a negative relationship between the commitment to athletics and academic ac achievement. However, the University of Arkansas’s Daniel Bowen and Jay Greene actually find hievement. However, the University of Arkansas’s Daniel Bowen and Jay Greene actually find the opposite. They examine this relationship by analyzing schools’ sports winning percentages as well as student-athletic participation rates compared to graduation rates and standardized test score achievement over a five-year period for all public high schools in Ohio. Controlling for student poverty levels, demographics(人口统计状况人口统计状况), and district financial resources, both measures of a school’s commitment to athletics a re significantly and positively related to lower dropout rates as well as higher test scores. F)On-the-field success and high participation in sports is not random-it requires focus and dedication to athletics. One might think this would lead schools obsessed with winning to deemphasize academics. Bowen and Greene’s results contradict that argument. A likely explanation for this seemingly counterintuitive(与直觉相反的)result is that success in sports programs actually facilitates or reflects greater social c apital within a school’s community.G)Ripley cites the writings of renowned sociologist James Coleman, whose research in education was groundbreaking. Coleman in his early work held athletics in contempt, arguing that they crowded out schools’ academic mis sions. Ripley quotes his 1961 study, The Adolescent Society, where Coleman writes, “Altogether, the trophy(奖品)case would suggest to the innocent visitor that he was entering an athletic club, not an educational institution.”H)However, in later research Coleman would show how the success of schools is highly dependent on what he termed social capital, “the social networks, and the relationships between adults and children that are of value for the child’s growing up.”I)According to a 2013 evaluation conducted by the Crime Lab at the University of Chicago, a program called Becoming a Man-Sports Edition creates lasting improvements in the boys’ study habits and grade point averages. During the first year of the program, students were founds to be less likely to transfer schools or be engaged in violent crime. A year after the program, participants were less likely to have had an encounter with the juvenile justice system. J)If school-sponsored sports were completely eliminated tomorrow, many American students would still have opportunities to participate in organized athletics elsewhere, much like they do in countries such as Finland, Germany, and South Korea. The same is not certain when it comes to students from more disadvantaged backgrounds. In an overview of the research on non-school based after-school programs, researchers find that disadvantaged children participate in these programs at significantly lower rates. They find that low-income students have less access due to challenges with regard to transportation, non-nominal fees, and off-campus safety. Therefore, reducing or eliminating these opportunities would most likely deprive disadvantaged students of the benefits from athletic participation, not least of which is the opportunity to interact with positive role models outside of regular school hours. K)Another unfounded criticism that Ripley makes is bringing up the stereotype that athletic XX are typically lousy(蹩脚的)classroom teachers. “American principals, unlike the XX XX of principals around the world, make many hiring decisions with their sports teams in mind, which does not always end well for students,” she writes. Educators who seek employment at schools primarily for the purpose of coaching are likely to shirk(推卸)teaching responsibilities, the argument goes. Moreover, even in the cases where the employee is a teacher first and athletic coach second, the additional responsibilities that come with coaching likely comes at the expense of time otherwise spent on planning, grading, and communicating with parents and guardians. L)The data, however, do not seem to confirm this stereotype. In the most rigorous study on the classroom results of high school coaches, the University of Arkansas’s Anna Egalite finds that athletic coaches in Florida mostly tend to perform just as well as their non-coaching counterparts, with respect to raising student test scores. We do not doubt that teachers who also coach face serious tradeoffs that likely come at the expense of time they could dedicate to their academic obligations. However, as with sporting events, athletic coaches gain additional opportunities for communicating and serving as mentors(导师)that potentially help students succeed and make up for the costs of coaching commitments. M)If schools allow student-athletes to regularly miss out on instructional time for the sake of traveling to athletic competitions, that’s bad. However, such issues would be better addressed by changing school and state policies with regard to the scheduling of sporting events as opposed to total elimination. If the empirical evidence points to anything, it points towards school sponsored sports providing assets that are well worth the costs. N)Despite negative stereotypes about sports culture and Ripley’s presumption that academics and athletics are at odds with one another, we believe that the greater body of evidence shows that school-sponsored sports programs appear to benefit students. Successes on the playing field can carry over to the classroom and vice versa(反之亦然). More importantly, finding ways to increase school communities’ social capital is imperative to the success of the school as whole, not just the athletes. 46.Stunets from low-income families have less access to off-campus sports programs. 47.Amanda Ripley argues that America should learn from other countries that rank high in international tests and lay less emphasis on athletics. 48.According to the author, Amanda Ripley fails to note that students’students’' performance in exams ' performance in exams varies from state to state. 49.Amanda Ripley thinks that athletic coaches are poor at classroom instruction. 50.James Coleman's later research make an argument for a school's social capital. 51.Reaearchers find that there is a positive relationship between a school's commitment to athletics and academic achievements. 52.Aa rigorous study finds that athletic coaches also do well in raising students' test scores. 53.According to an evaluation, programs contribute to students' academic performance and character building. 54.Amanda Ripley believes the emphasis on school sports should be brought up when trying to understand why American students are mediocre. 55.James Coleman suggests in his earlier writings that school athletics would undermine a school's image. Section C Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. . You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center. Passage one It is easy to miss amid the day-to-day headlines of global economic recession, but there is a less conspicuous kind of social upheaval(剧变)underway that is fast altering both the face of the planet and the way human beings live. That change is the rapid acceleration of urbanization. In 2008, for the first time in human history, more than half the world’s population was living in towns and cities. And as a recently published paper shows, the process of urbanization will only accelerate in the decades to come —with an enormous impact on biodiversity and potentially on climate change. As Karen Seto, the led author of the paper, points out, the wave of urbanization isn’t just about the migration of people into urban environments, but about the environments themselves becoming bigger to accommodate all those people. The rapid expansion of urban areas will have a huge impact on biodiversity hotspots and on carbon emissions in those urban areas. Humans are the ultimate invasive species —when the move into new territory, the often displace the wildlife that was already living there. And as land is cleared for those new cities —especially in the dense tropical forests —carbon will be released into the atmosphere as well. It’s true that as people in developing nations move from the countryside to the city, the shift may reduce the pressure on land, which could in turn be good for the environment. This is especially so in desperately poor countries, where residents in the countryside slash and burn forests each growing season to clear space for farming. But the real difference is that in developing nations, the move from rural areas to cities often leads to an accompanying increase in income — and that increase leads to an increase in the consumption of food and energy, which in turn causes a rise in carbon emissions. Getting enough to eat and enjoying the safety and comfort of living fully on the — but it does carry an environmental price. The urbanization wave grid is certainly a good thing can’t be stopped —and it shouldn’t be. But Seto’s paper does underscore the importance of managing that transition. If we do it the right way, we can reduce urbanization’s impact on the  pressure and responsibility to environment. “There’s an enormous opportunity here, and a lot ofthink about how we urbanize,” says Seto. “One thing that’s clear is that we can’t build cities the way we have over the last couple of hundred years. The scale of this transition won’t allow that.” We’re headed towards an ur ban planet no matter what, but whether it becomes heaven or hell is up to us. 56. What issue does the author try to draw people’s attention to?A. The shrinking biodiversity worldwide. B. The rapid increase of world population. C. The ongoing global economic recession. D. The impact of accelerating urbanization. 57. In what sense are humans the ultimate invasive species? A. They are much greedier than other species. B. They are a unique species born to conquer. C. They force other species out of their territories. D. They have an urge to expand their living space. 58. In what way is urbanization in poor countries good for the environment? A. More land will be preserved for wildlife. B. The pressure on farmland will be lessened. C. Carbon emissions will be considerably reduced. D. Natural resources will be used more effectively. 59. What does the author say about living comfortably in the city? A. It incurs a high environmental price. B. It brings poverty and insecurity to an end. ge in people’s lifestyle.C. It causes a big chanD. It narrows the gap between city and country. 60. What can be done to minimize the negative impact of urbanization according to Seto? A. Slowing down the speed of transition. B. Innovative use of advanced technology. C. Appropriate management of the process. D. Enhancing people’s sense of responsibility.Passage Two When Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched  in Feb. 2004, even he could not imagine the forces it would let loose. His intent was to connect college students. Facebook, which is what this website rapidly evolved into, ended up connecting the world. To the children of this connected era, the world is one giant social network. They are not — by what they were taught. They are only bound — as were previous generations of humans limited by their curiosity and ambition. During my childhood, all knowledge was local. You learned everything you knew from your parents, teachers, preachers, and friends. quality and timely information at their fingertips, today’s children are rising With the high-q uality and timely information at their fingertips, today’s children are rising normally tame middle class is speaking up against social ills. Silicon Valley executives are being shamed into adding women to their boards. Political leaders are marshalling the energy of millions for elections and political causes. All of this is being done with social media technologies that Facebook and its competitors set free. As does every advancing technology, social media has created many new problems. It is commonly addictive and creates risks for younger users. Social media is used by extremists in the Middle East and elsewhere to seek and brainwash recruits. And it exposes us and our friends to disagreeable spying. We may leave our lights on in the house when we are on vacation, but through social media we tell criminals exactly where we are, when we plan to return home, and how to blackmail(敲诈) us. Governments don’t need informers any more. Social media allows government agencies to spy on their own citizens. We record our thoughts, emotions, likes and dislikes on Facebook; we share our political views, social preferences, and plans. We post intimate photographs of ourselves. No spy agency or criminal organization could actively gather the type of data that we voluntarily post for them. The marketers are also seeing big opportunities. Amazon is trying to predict what we will order. Google is trying to judge our needs and wants based on our social-media profiles. We need to be aware of the risks and keep working to alleviate the dangers. Regardless of what social media people use, one thing is certain: we are in a period of accelerating change. The next decade will be even more amazing and unpredictable than the last. Just as no one could predict what would happen with social media in the last decade, no one can accurately predict where this technology will take us. I am optimistic, however, that a connected humanity will find a way to uplift itself. 61. What was the purpose of Facebook when it was first created? A. To help students connect with the outside world. B. To bring university students into closer contact. C. To help students learn to live in a connected era. D. To combine the world into an integral whole. 62. What difference does social media make to learning? A. Local knowledge and global knowledge will merge. B. Student will become more curious and ambitious. C. People are able to learn wherever they travel. D. Sources of information are greatly expanded. 63. What is the author’s greatest concern with social media technology?A. Individuals and organizations may use it for evil purposes. B. Government will find it hard to protect classified information. C. People may disclose their friends’ information unintentionally.D. People’s attention will be easily distractedfrom their work in hand. 64. What do businesses use social media for? A. Creating a good corporate image. B. Conducting large-scale market surveys. C. Anticipating the needs of customers. D. Minimizing possible risks and dangers. 65. What does the author think of social media as a whole? A. It will enable human society to advance at a faster pace. B. It will pose a grave threat to our traditional ways of life. C. It is bound to bring about another information revolution. D. It breaks down the final barriers in human communication. Part IV Translation (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2. 翻译题一：自从1978年启动改革以来，中国已从计划经济转为以市场为基础的经济，经历了经济和社会的快速发展。

2014年12月英语六级考试真题及答案解析（第二套）Part I Listening ComprehensionPart II Reading ComprehensionPart III TranslationPart IV WritingSection ADirections:In this section,you will hear8short conversations and2long conversations.At theend of each conversation,one or more questions will be asked about what was said.Both the conversationand the questions will be spoken only once.After each question there will be a pause.During thepause,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 Sheet1with a single line through the centre.1.M:Before we play again,I’m going to buy a good tennis racket.W:Your shoes aren’t in a very good shape,either.Q:What does the woman mean?2.M:Barbara,I’d like you could assist me in the lab demonstration,but aren’t you supposed togo to Dr Smith’s lecture today?W:I ask Cathy to take notes for me.Q:What do we learn from the conversation?3.W:Steve invited me to the dinner party on Sunday evening.Have you received your invitation yet?M:Yes,he phoned me this morning and told me he wanted all his old classmates to come to thereunion.Q:What do we learn from the conversation?4.W:I’m afraid I’m a little bit seasick.I feel dizzy.M:Close your eyes and relax.You’ll be all right as soon as we come at shore.Q:Where does the conversation most probably take place?5.W:I wonder what’s happened to our train.It should’ve been here20minutes ago according tothe timetable.But it’s already9:30.M:There’s no need to get nervous.The announcement says it’s40minutes late.Q:When is the train arriving?6.M:John is handsome and wealthy.Believe it or not,he is still a bachelor.W:He is a notorious guy in many girls’eyes.I’m sick of hearing his name.Q:What does the woman mean?7.M:Cars had lined up bumper to bumper.And I’ve been held up on the express way for an entirehour.W:Really?It must be a pain in the neck.But be patient,anyway,you can do nothing but wait.Q:What do we learn about the man?8.W:Yesterday I was surprised to see Mary using that washing machine you’re going to throw away.M:Yes,it’s quite old and in very poor condition.Frankly speaking,that she got it workingamazes me a lot.Q:What does the man imply about Mary?1.A.The man’s tennis racket is good enough.B.The man should get a pair of new shoes.C.She can wait for the man for a little while.D.Physical exercise helps her stay in shape.【答案】B【解析】B)。

Part II Listening(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 I with a single line through the centre.Question 1A.At a groceryB.In a parking lotC.In a car showroomD.At a fast food restaurantQuestion 2A.Have a little nap after lunchB.Get up and take a short walkC.Change her position now and thenD.Stretch legs before standing up QuestionQuestion 3A.The students should practice long-distance runningB.He doesn’t quite believe what the woman saysC.The students’ physical condition is not desirableD.He thinks the race is too hard for the studentsQuestion 4A.Theydo not want to have a baby at presentB.They cannot afford to get married right nowC.Theyare both pursuing graduate studiesD.They will get their degrees in two yearsQuestion 5A.Twins usually have a lot in commonB.He must have been mistaken for JackC.Jack is certainly not as healthy as he isD.He has not seen Jack for quite a few daysQuestion 6A.The man will take the woman wo the museumB.The man knows where the museum is locatedC.The woman is asking the way at the crossroadsD.The woman will attend the opening of the museumQuestion 7A.They cannot ask the guy to leaveB.The guy has been coming in for yearsC.They should not look down upon the guyD.The guy must be feeling extremely lonelyQuestion 8A.Collect timepiecesB.Become time-consciousC.Learn to mend locksD.Keep track of his daily activitiesQuestions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard. Question 9A.It winds its way to the seaB.It is quickly risingC.It is eating into its banksD.It is wide and deepQuestion 10A.Get the trucks over to the other side of the riverB.Take the equipment apart before being ferriedC.Reduce the transport cost as much as possible.D.Try to speed up the operation by any meansQuestion 11A.Ask the commander to send a helicopterB.Halt the operation until further ordersC.Cut trees and build rowing boatsD.Find as many coats as possibleQuestions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard. Question 12 A.Help him join an Indian expeditionB.Talk about his climbing experiencesC.Give up mountain climbing altogetherD.Save money to buy climbing equipmentQuestion 13A.He was very strict with his childrenB.He climbed mountains to earn a livingC.He had an unusual religious backgroundD.He was the first to conquer Mt. QomolangmaQuestion 14A.Theyare like humansB.Theyare sacred placesC.Theyare to be protectedD.Theyare to be conqueredQuestion 15A.It was his father’s training that pilled him throughB.It was a milestone in his mountain climbing careerC.It was his father who gave him the strength to succeedD.It helped him understand the Sherpa view of mountainsSection 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 OneQuestion 16A. By reviewing what he has said previouslyB.By comparing memorandums with lettersC.By showing a memorandum’ s structureD.By analyzing the organization of a letterQuestion 17A.They spent a lot of time writing memorandumsB.They seldom read a memorandum through to the endC.They placed emphasis on the format of memorandumsD.They ignored many of the memorandums they received.Question 18A.Style and wordingB.Structure and lengthC.Directness and clarityD.Simplicity and accuracyPassage TwoQuestions 19 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.Question 19A.Accurate datingB.Professional lookC.Direct statement of purposeD.Inclusion of appropriate humorQuestion20A.Theygive top priority to their work efficiencyB.Theymake an effort to lighten their workloadC.They never change work habits unless forced toD.Theytry hard to make the best use of their timeQuestion 21A.Self-confidenceB.Sense of dutyC.Work efficiencyD.Passion for workQuestion 22A.Theyare addicted to playing online gamesB.Theytry to avoid work whenever possibleC.They find to pleasure in the work they doD.They simply have no sense of responsibilityPassage ThreeQuestions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.Question 23A.He lost all his propertyB.He was sold to a circusC.He was forced into slaveryD.He ran away from his familyQuestion 24A.A carpenterB.A businessmanC.A master of hisD.A black drummerQuestion 25A.It named its town hall after Solomon NorthupB.It declared July 24 Solomon Northup DayC.It freedom all blacks in the town from slaveryD.It hosted a reunion for the Northup familySection CDirections：In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for thesecond time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written. Section CIntolerance is the art of ignoring any views that differ from your own. It(26)_____ itself a hatred. Stereotypes, prejudice, and(27)_____.Once it intensifies in people, intolerance is nearly impossible to overcome. But why would anyone want to be labeled intolerant. Why would people want to be (28)_____about the world around them? Why would one want to be part of the problem in America, instead of the solution?There are many explanations for intolerant attitudes, some (29)_____ childhood. It is likely that intolerant folks grew up (30)_____ intolerant parents and the cycle of prejudice has simply continued for (31)_____. Perhaps intolerant people are so set in their ways that they find it easier to ignore anything that might not (32)_____ their limited view of life. Or maybe intolerant students have simply never been (33)_____ to anyone different form themselves. But none of these reason is an excuse for allowing the intolerance to continue.Intolerance should not be confused with disagreement.It is,of course,possible as disagree with an opinion without being intolerant of it.If you understand a belief but still don't believe in that specific belief,that's fine.You are (34)_____ your opinion.As a matter of fact.(35)_____ dissenters(持异议者)are important for any belief.If we all believed the same things.we would never grow,and we would never learn about the world around us,does not stem firm disagreement.It stems from fear,And fear stems from fear.And fear stems from ignorance.答案：26.manifests27.discrimination28.uninformed29.dating back to30.imitating31.generations32.conform to33.exposed34.entitled to35.knowledgeablePart III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section AHis future subjects have not always treated the Prince of Wales with the respect one XXXX expect. They laughed aloud in 1986 when the heir to the British(36)_____ told a TV reporter that he talked to his plants at his country house, Highgrove, to stimulate their growth. The Prince was being humorous- “My sense of humor will get me into trouble one day”, he said to his aids(随从)-but listening to Charles Windsor can indeed prove stimulating. The royal(37)_____ has been promoting radical ideas for most of his adult life. Some of his(38)_____, which once sounded a bit weird, were simply ahead of their time. Now, finally, the world seems to be catching up with him. Take his views on farming. Prince Charles’ Duchy Home Farm went(39)_____ back in 1986.When most shoppers cared only about the low price tag on suspiciously blemish-free(无瑕疵的) vegetables and(40)_____ large chickens piled high in supermarkets.His warnings on climate change proved farsighted,too.Charles began(41)_____ action in warming in 1990 and says he has been worried about the(42)_____ of man on the environment same be was a teenager.Although he was gradually gained international(43)_____ as one of the world's lending conservationists,many British people still think of him as an(44)_____ person who talks to plants.This year,as it happens,South Korean scientists proved that plants really do(45)_____ to round.So Charles was ahead of the game there,too.A.conformB.eccentricC.environmentalistD.expeditionsE.impactF.notionsanicH.originallyI.recognitionJ.respondK.subordinateL.suppressingM.throneN.unnaturallyO.urgingSection 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. High School Sports Aren’t Killing AcademicsA)In this month’s Atlantic cover article, “The Case Against High-School Sports,” Amanda Ripley argues that school-sponsored sports programs should be seriously cut. She writes that, unlike most countries that outperform the United States on international assessments, American schools put too much of an emphasis on athletics, “ Sports are embedded in American schools in a way they are not almost anywhere else,” she writes, “Yet this difference hardly ever comes up in domestic debates about America’s international mediocrity(平庸)in education.”B)American student-athletes reap many benefits from participating in sports, but the costs to the schools could outweigh their benefits, she argues, In particular, Ripley contends that sports crowd out the academic missions of schools: America should learn from South Korea and Finland and every other country at the top level of international test scores, all of whom emphasize athletics far less in school. ”Even in eighth grade, American kids spend more than twice the timeKorean kids spend playing sports,” she writes, citing a 2010 study published in the Journal of Advanced Academics.C)It might well be true that sports are far more rooted in American high schools than in other countries. But our reading of international test scores finds no support for the argument against school athletics. Indeed, our own research and that of others lead us to make the opposite case. School-sponsored sports appear to provide benefits that seem to increase, not detract(减少)from, academic success.D)Ripley indulges a popular obsession(痴迷)with international test score comparisons, which show wide and frightening gaps between the United States and other countries. She ignores, however, the fact that states vary at least as much in test scores as do developed countries. A 2011 report from Harvard University shows that Massachusetts produces math scores comparable to South Korea and Finland, while Mississippi scores are closer to Trinidad and Tobago. Ripley’s thesis about sports falls apart in light of this fact. Schools in Massachusetts provide sports programs while schools in Finland do not. Schools in Mississippi may love football while in Tobago interscholastic sports are nowhere near as prominent. Sports cannot explain these similarities in performance. They can’t explain international differences either.E)If it is true that sports undermine the academic mission of American schools, we would expect to see a negative relationship between the commitment to athletics and academic achievement. However, the University of Arkansas’s Daniel Bowen and Jay Greene actually find the opposite. They examine this relationship by analyzing s chools’ sports winning percentages as well as student-athletic participation rates compared to graduation rates and standardized test score achievement over a five-year period for all public high schools in Ohio. Controlling for student poverty levels, demographics(人口统计状况), and district financial resources, both measures of a school’s commitment to athletics are significantly and positively related to lower dropout rates as well as higher test scores.F)On-the-field success and high participation in sports is not random-it requires focus and dedication to athletics. One might think this would lead schools obsessed with winning to deemphasize academics. Bowen and Greene’s results contradict that argument. A likely explanation for this seemingly counterintuitive(与直觉相反的)result is that success in sports programs actually facilitates or reflects greater social capital within a school’s community.G)Ripley cites the writings of renowned sociologist James Coleman, whose research in education was groundbreaking. Coleman in his early work held athletics in contempt, arguing that they crowded out schools’ academic missions. Ripley quotes his 1961 study, The Adolescent Society, where Coleman writes, “Altogether, the trophy(奖品)case would suggest to the innocent visitor th at he was entering an athletic club, not an educational institution.”H)However, in later research Coleman would show how the success of schools is highly dependent on what he termed social capital, “the social networks, and the relationships between adult s and children that are of value for the child’s growing up.”I)According to a 2013 evaluation conducted by the Crime Lab at the University of Chicago, a program called Becoming a Man-Sports Edition creates lasting improvements in the boys’ study habits and grade point averages. During the first year of the program, students were founds to beless likely to transfer schools or be engaged in violent crime. A year after the program, participants were less likely to have had an encounter with the juvenile justice system.J)If school-sponsored sports were completely eliminated tomorrow, many American students would still have opportunities to participate in organized athletics elsewhere, much like they do in countries such as Finland, Germany, and South Korea. The same is not certain when it comes to students from more disadvantaged backgrounds. In an overview of the research on non-school based after-school programs, researchers find that disadvantaged children participate in these programs at significantly lower rates. They find that low-income students have less access due to challenges with regard to transportation, non-nominal fees, and off-campus safety. Therefore, reducing or eliminating these opportunities would most likely deprive disadvantaged students of the benefits from athletic participation, not least of which is the opportunity to interact with positive role models outside of regular school hours.K)Another unfounded criticism that Ripley makes is bringing up the stereotype that athletic XX are typically lousy(蹩脚的)classroom teachers. “American principals, unlike the XX XX of principals around the world, make many hiring decisions with their sports teams in mind, which does not always end well for students,” she writes. Educators who seek employment a t schools primarily for the purpose of coaching are likely to shirk(推卸)teaching responsibilities, the argument goes. Moreover, even in the cases where the employee is a teacher first and athletic coach second, the additional responsibilities that come with coaching likely comes at the expense of time otherwise spent on planning, grading, and communicating with parents and guardians.L)The data, however, do not seem to confirm this stereotype. In the most rigorous study on the classroom results of high school coaches, the University of Arkansas’s Anna Egalite finds that athletic coaches in Florida mostly tend to perform just as well as their non-coaching counterparts, with respect to raising student test scores. We do not doubt that teachers who also coach face serious tradeoffs that likely come at the expense of time they could dedicate to their academic obligations. However, as with sporting events, athletic coaches gain additional opportunities for communicating and serving as mentors(导师)that potentially help students succeed and make up for the costs of coaching commitments.M)If schools allow student-athletes to regularly miss out on instructional time for the sake of traveling to athletic competitions, that’s bad. However, such issues would be better addressed by changing school and state policies with regard to the scheduling of sporting events as opposed to total elimination. If the empirical evidence points to anything, it points towards school sponsored sports providing assets that are well worth the costs.N)Despite negative stereotypes about sports culture and Ripley’s presumption that academics and athletics are at odds with one another, we believe that the greater body of evidence shows that school-sponsored sports programs appear to benefit students. Successes on the playing field can carry over to the classroom and vice versa(反之亦然). More importantly, finding ways to increase school communities’ social capital is imperative to the success of the school as whole, not just the athletes.46.Stunets from low-income families have less access to off-campus sports programs.47.Amanda Ripley argues that America should learn from other countries that rank high in international tests and lay less emphasis on athletics.48.According to the author,Amanda Ri pley fails to note that students’'performance in exams varies from state to state.49.Amanda Ripley thinks that athletic coaches are poor at classroom instruction.50.James Coleman's later research make an argument for a school's social capital.51.Reaearchers find that there is a positive relationship between a school's commitment toathletics and academic achievements.52.Aa rigorous study finds that athletic coaches also do well in raising students'test scores.53.According to an evaluation,programs contribute to students' academic performance and character building.54.Amanda Ripley believes the emphasis on school sports should be brought up when trying to understand why American students are mediocre.55.James Coleman suggests in his earlier writings that school athletics would undermine a school's image.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 center.Passage oneIt is easy to miss amid the day-to-day headlines of global economic recession, but there is a less conspicuous kind of social upheaval(剧变)underway that is fast altering both the face of the planet and the way human beings live. That change is the rapid acceleration of urbanization. In 2008, for the first time in human history, more than half the world’s population was living in towns and cities. And as a recently published paper shows, the process of urbanization will only accelerate in the decades to come—with an enormous impact on biodiversity and potentially on climate change.As Karen Seto, the led author of the paper, points out, the wave of urbanization isn’t just about the migration of people into urban environments, but about the environments themselves becoming bigger to accommodate all those people. The rapid expansion of urban areas will have a huge impact on biodiversity hotspots and on carbon emissions in those urban areas.Humans are the ultimate invasive species—when the move into new territory, the often displace the wildlife that was already living there. And as land is cleared for those new cities—especially in the dense tropical forests—carbon will be released into the atmosphere as well. It’s true that as people in developing nations move from the countryside to the city, the shift may reduce the pressure on land, which could in turn be good for the environment. This is especially so in desperately poor countries, where residents in the countryside slash and burn forests each growing season to clear space for farming. But the real difference is that in developing nations, the move from rural areas to cities often leads to an accompanying increase in income — and that increase leads to an increase in the consumption of food and energy, which in turn causes a rise incarbon emissions. Getting enough to eat and enjoying the safety and comfort of living fully on the grid is certainly a good thing — but it does carry an environmental price. The urbanization wave can’t be stopped —and it shouldn’t be. But Seto’s paper does underscore the importance of managing that transition. If we do it the right way, we can reduce u rbanization’s impact on the environment. “There’s an enormous opportunity here, and a lot of pressure and responsibility to think about how we urbanize,” says Seto. “One thing that’s clear is that we can’t build cities the way we have over the last couple of hundred years. The scale of this transition won’t allow that.” We’re headed towards an urban planet no matter what, but whether it becomes heaven or hell is up to us.56. What issue does the author try to draw people’s attention to?A. The shrinking biodiversity worldwide.B. The rapid increase of world population.C. The ongoing global economic recession.D. The impact of accelerating urbanization.57. In what sense are humans the ultimate invasive species?A. They are much greedier than other species.B. They are a unique species born to conquer.C. They force other species out of their territories.D. They have an urge to expand their living space.58. In what way is urbanization in poor countries good for the environment?A. More land will be preserved for wildlife.B. The pressure on farmland will be lessened.C. Carbon emissions will be considerably reduced.D. Natural resources will be used more effectively.59. What does the author say about living comfortably in the city?A. It incurs a high environmental price.B. It brings poverty and insecurity to an end.C. It causes a big change in people’s lifestyle.D. It narrows the gap between city and country.60. What can be done to minimize the negative impact of urbanization according to Seto?A. Slowing down the speed of transition.B. Innovative use of advanced technology.C. Appropriate management of the process.D. Enhancing people’s sense of responsibility.Passage TwoWhen Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched in Feb. 2004, even he could not imagine the forces it would let loose. His intent was to connect college students. Facebook, which is what this website rapidly evolved into, ended up connecting the world.To the children of this connected era, the world is one giant social network. They are not bound — as were previous generations of humans — by what they were taught. They are onlylimited by their curiosity and ambition. During my childhood, all knowledge was local. You learned everything you knew from your parents, teachers, preachers, and friends.With the high-quality and timely information at their fingertips, today’s children are rising normally tame middle class is speaking up against social ills. Silicon Valley executives are being shamed into adding women to their boards. Political leaders are marshalling the energy of millions for elections and political causes. All of this is being done with social media technologies that Facebook and its competitors set free.As does every advancing technology, social media has created many new problems. It is commonly addictive and creates risks for younger users. Social media is used by extremists in the Middle East and elsewhere to seek and brainwash recruits. And it exposes us and our friends to disagreeable spying. We may leave our lights on in the house when we are on vacation, but through social media we tell criminals exactly where we are, when we plan to return home, and howtoblackmail(敲诈)us.Governments don’t need informers any more. Social media allows government a gencies to spy on their own citizens. We record our thoughts, emotions, likes and dislikes on Facebook; we share our political views, social preferences, and plans. We post intimate photographs of ourselves. No spy agency or criminal organization could actively gather the type of data that we voluntarily post for them.The marketers are also seeing big opportunities. Amazon is trying to predict what we will order. Google is trying to judge our needs and wants based on our social-media profiles. We need to be aware of the risks and keep working to alleviate the dangers.Regardless of what social media people use, one thing is certain: we are in a period of accelerating change. The next decade will be even more amazing and unpredictable than the last. Just as no one could predict what would happen with social media in the last decade, no one can accurately predict where this technology will take us. I am optimistic, however, that a connected humanity will find a way to uplift itself.61. What was the purpose of Facebook when it was first created?A. To help students connect with the outside world.B. To bring university students into closer contact.C. To help students learn to live in a connected era.D. To combine the world into an integral whole.62. What difference does social media make to learning?A. Local knowledge and global knowledge will merge.B. Student will become more curious and ambitious.C. People are able to learn wherever they travel.D. Sources of information are greatly expanded.63. What is the author’s greatest concern with social media technology?A. Individuals and organizations may use it for evil purposes.B. Government will find it hard to protect classified information.C. People may disclose their friends’ information unintentiona lly.D. People’s attention will be easily distractedfrom their work in hand.64. What do businesses use social media for?A. Creating a good corporate image.B. Conducting large-scale market surveys.C. Anticipating the needs of customers.D. Minimizing possible risks and dangers.65. What does the author think of social media as a whole?A. It will enable human society to advance at a faster pace.B. It will pose a grave threat to our traditional ways of life.C. It is bound to bring about another information revolution.D. It breaks down the final barriers in human communication.Part IV Translation (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.翻译题三：中国将努力确保到2015年就业者接受过平均13.3年的教育。

2014年12月英语六级真题及答案（卷二）Part IWritingDirections: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write on essay based on the picture below. You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and then discuss what qualities an employer should look for in job applicants. You should give sound arguments to support your views and write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.2014年12月英语六级作文真题范文1：科技与学习For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay based on the picture below. You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and then discuss whether technology is indispensable in education. You should give sound arguments to support your views and write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.From this cartoon, we clearly see that the student is asking his teacher about whether or not he can use some tech support to figure out the problem in his math class. What’s behind the cartoon is the fact that nowadays students become increasingly dependent on technological devices to help them with their school work.In my opinion, with the advances in technology, students can learn more efficiently. First of all,technology provides infinite resources for learning. When our parents were students, they could only learn from their teachers, while nowadays, we can learn much more from the Internet. Second, it’s more convenient to learn with tech support. For example, I got enrolled in a Spanish class in an online school called Hujiang Online Class. All it requires is a PC or a smartphone, and I can learn the lectures anytime and anywhere. Lastly, it’s more economical to learn online. Besides the courses, free Apps are also easily accessible.As for me, tech support has become an important part in my daily study. I will continue to learn in this way, and I believe that we can learn more efficiently if we are able to utilize the technologies around us.2014年12月英语六级作文真题范文2：科技与学习参考范文：The picture vividly depicts that a teaching is asking a pupil to answer a simple math-related question——what’s two plus two? Unfortunately, the child cannot answer such an easy question without tech help. In fact, the phenomenon conveyed in the picture does not surprise us, because as the science and technology develops, the topic concerning the side effects of technological advancement increasingly arouses people’s attention.Undoubtedly, the drawer of the picture aims at reminding us that we should use technology in a proper way and not be too tech-dependent to solve the simple problem independently. It is well known that thanks to the development of human civilization, many formerly unimaginable things come into reality. But, while enjoying the convenience produced by tech, we must alert its harm. Being over-addicted to technology will cost our health, independence, wisdom，creativity and even our ability to live.Weighing the pros and cons of the technology, perhaps the best policy is to apply it properly. At the same time, we must avoid its harmful part. Furthermore, young people should be advised that depending too much on technology is hardly beneficial for them at all and more importantly they are expected to acquire the capacity to think independently.范文译文：这幅图形象地描述了一位老师正在让一名小学生回答一个简单的数学问题：2加2等于几?然而不幸的是，这个小孩在没有计算器的帮助下居然无法回答一个如此简单的问题。

2014年12⽉⼤学英语六级考试真题及答案（第⼆套）2014年12⽉⼤学英语六级考试真题⼆Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay based on the picture below. You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and then discuss whether there is a shortcut to learning. You should give sound arguments to support your views and write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words."'How To Do Well In School WithoutStudying’ is over there in the fiction section."Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)Section A1. A) The man should get a pair of new shoes. B) The man’s tennis racket is good enough.C) The man spent too much on his tennis shoes. D) The man is out of shape.2. A) The woman doesn’t want to assist the man.B) The woman will ask Kathy to assist the man.C) Kathy is very pleased to attend the lecture by Dr. Smith.D) The woman will skip Dr. Smith’s lecture to help the man.3. A) The speakers and Steve used to be classmates.B) Steve invited his classmates to visit his big cottage.C) Steve became rich soon after graduation from college.D) The woman asked the man to accompany her to the party.4. A) In a bus. B) In a boat.C) In a clinic. D) In a plane.5. A) 9:10. B) 9:40.C) 9:50. D) 10:10.6. A) John has got many admirers. B) She does not like John at all.C) John has just got a bachelor’s degree. D) She does not think John is handsome.7. A) He has been bumping along for hours. B) He is trapped in a terrible traffic jam.C) He is involved in a serious accident. D) He has got a sharp pain in the neck.8. A) She cannot go without a washing machine. B) She should improve her physical fitness.C) She is a professional mechanic. D) She is good at repairing things.9. A) The accused was found guilty of murder. B) The accused was found innocent.C) The accused was found guilty of stealing. D) The accused was sentenced to death.10. A) He was unemployed. B) He was out of his mind.C) His children were sick. D) His wife deserted him.11. A) He had committed the same sort of crime. B) He was unlikely to get employed.C) He was unworthy of sympathy. D) He had been in jail before.12. A) Irresponsible. B) Aggressive.C) Conservative. D) Unsatisfactory.13. A) Public relations. B) Product design.C) Internal communication. D) Distribution of brochures.14. A) Placing advertisements in the trade press.B) Drawing sketches for advertisements.C) Making television commercials.D) Advertising in the national press.15. A) She has the motivation to do the job.B) She knows the tricks of advertising.C) She is not suitable for the position.D) She is not so easy to get along with.Section BPassage One16. A) The cozy communal life. B) The beautiful environment.C) The variety of culture. D) The richness of resources.17. A) It ensures their physical and mental health. B) It helps them soak up the surrounding culture.C) It is as important as their learning experience. D) It is very beneficial to their academic progress.18. A) It has the world’s best-known military academies.B) It offers the most challenging academic programs.C) It draws faculty from all around the world.D) It provides numerous options for students.19. A) They are responsible merely to their Ministry of Education.B) They try to give students opportunities for experimentation.C) They strive to develop every student’s academic potential.D) They ensure that all students get roughly equal attention.Passage Two20. A) It is leaving Folkestone in about five minutes.B) It is now about half way to the French coast.C) It crosses the English Channel twice a day.D) It will arrive at Boulogne at half past two.21. A) Next to the duty-free shop. B) Opposite the ship’s office.C) In the front of A deck. D) At the rear of B deck.22. A) It is much more spacious than the lounge on C deck.B) It is for the sole use of passengers travelling with cars.C) It is for the use of passengers travelling with children.D) It is for senior passengers and people with VIP cards.Passage Three23. A) It was named after one of its painters. B) It was named after a cave art expert.C) It was named after its discoverer. D) It was named after its location.24. A) Deer were worshiped by the ancient Cro-Magnon people.B) Animal painting was part of the spiritual life of the time.C) Cro-Magnon people painted animals they hunted and ate.D) They were believed to keep evils away from cave dwellers.25. A) They have misinterpreted the meaning of the cave paintings.B) They are unable to draw such interesting and fine paintings.C) They have difficulty telling when the paintings were done.D) They know little about why the paintings were created.Section CIf you are attending a local college, especially one without residence halls, you’ll probably live at home and commute to classes. This arrangement has a lot of (26)__________ . It’s cheaper. It provides a comfortable and familiar setting, and it means you'll get the kind of home cooking you're used to instead of the monotony（单调）that (27)________ even the best institutional food.However, commuting students need to (28)_____________ to become involved in the life of their college and to take special steps to meet their fellow students. Often, this means a certain amount of initiative on your part in (29)________ and talking to people in your classes whom you think you might like.One problem that commuting students sometimes face is their parents' unwillingness to recognize that they're adults. The (30)____________ from high school to college is a big one, and if you live at home you need to develop the same kind of independence you’d have if you were living away. Home rules that might have been (31)________ when you were in high school don’t apply. If your parents are (32)________________ to renegotiate, you can speed the process along by letting your behavior show that you have the responsibility that goes with maturity. Parents are more willing to (33)__________ their children as adults when they behave like adults. If, however, there’s so much friction at home that it (34)_________ your academic work, you might want to consider sharing an apartment with one or more friends. Sometimes this is a happy solution when family (35)____________ make everyone miserable.Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section AChildren are natural-born scientists. They have 36 minds, and they aren’t afraid to admit they don’t know something. Most of them, 37, lose this as they get older. They become self-conscious and don’t want to appear stupid. Instead of finding things out for themselves they make 38 that often turn out to be wrong.So it’s not a case of getting kids interested in science. You just have to avoid killing the 39 for learning that they were born with. It’s no coincidence that kids start deserting science once it becomes formalised. Children naturally have a blurredapproach to 40 knowledge. They see learning about science or biology or cooking as all part of the same act—it’s all learning. It’s only because of the practicalities of education that you have to start breaking down the curriculum into specialist subjects. You need to have specialist teachers who 41 what they know. Thus once they enter school, children begin to define subjects and erect boundaries that needn’t otherwise exist.Dividing subjects into science, maths, English, etc. is something we do for 42. In the end it’s all learning, but many children today 43 themselves from a scientific education. They think science is for scientists, not for them.Of course we need to specialise 44. Each of us has only so much time on Earth, so we can’t study everything. At 5 years old, our field of knowledge and 45 is broad, covering anything from learning to walk to learning to count. Gradually it narrows down so that by the time we are 45, it might be one tiny little comer within science.A) accidentallyB) acquiringC) assumptionsD) convenienceE) eventuallyF) excludeG) exertionH) explorationI) formulasJ) igniteK) impartL) inquiringM) passionN) provokingO) unfortunately参考答案：LOCMJ KDFEHSection BMeaning Is Healthier Than Happiness[A] For at least the last decade, the happiness craze has been building. In the last three months alone, over 1,000 books on happiness were released on Amazon, including Happy Money, Happy-People-Pills For All, and, for those just starting out, Happiness for Beginners.[B] One of the consistent claims of books like these is that happiness is associated with all sorts of good life outcomes, including—most promisingly—good health. Many studies have noted the connection between a happy mind and a healthy body—the happier we are, the better health outcomes we seem to have. In an overview of 150 studies on this topic, researchers put it like this: “Inductions of well-being lead to healthy functioning, and inductions of ill-being lead to compromised health.”[C] But a new study, just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) challenges the rosy picture. Happiness may not be as good for the body as researchers thought. It might even be bad.[D] Of course, it’s important to first define happiness. A few months ago, I wrote a piece called “There’s More to Life Than Being Happy” about a psychology study that dug into what happiness really means to people. It specifically explored the difference between a meaningful life and a happy life.[E] It seems strange that there would be a difference at all. But the researchers, who looked at a large sample of people over a month-long period, found that happiness is associated with selfish “taking” behavior and that having a sense of meaning in life is associated with selfless “giving” behavior.[F] “Happiness without meaning characterizes a relatively shallow, self-absorbed or even selfish life, in which things go well, needs and desires are easily satisfied, and complicatedrelationships are avoided,” the authors of the study wrote. “If anything, pure happiness is linked to not helping others in need.”While being happy is about feeling good, meaning is derived from contributing to others or to society in a bigger way. As Roy Baumeister, one of the researchers, told me, “Partly what we do as human beings is to take care of others and contribute to others. This makes life meaningful but it does not necessarily make us happy.”[G] The new PNAS study also sheds light on the difference between meaning and happiness, but on the biological level. Barbara Fredrickson, a psychological researcher at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and Steve Cole, a genetics and psychiatry（精神病学）researcher at UCLA, examined the self-reported levels of happiness and meaning in 80 research subjects.[H] Happiness was defined, as in the earlier study, by feeling good. The researchers measured happiness by asking subjects questions like “How often did you feel happy?’’, “How often did you feel interested in life?” and “How often did you feel satisfied?” The more strongly people endorsed these measures of “hedonic（享乐主义的）well-being,” or pleasure, the higher they scored on happiness.[I]Meaning was defined as an orientation to something bigger than the self. They measured meaning by asking questions like “How often did you feel that your life has a sense of direction or meaning to it?” and “How often did you feel that you had something to contribute to society?”The more people endorsed these measures of “eudaimonic（幸福论的）well-being”—or, simply put, virtue—the more meaning they felt in life.[J] After noting the sense of meaning and happiness that each subject had, Fredrickson and Cole, with their research colleagues, looked at the ways certain genes expressed themselves in each of the participants. Like neuroscientists who use JMRI（功能磁共振成像）scanning to determine how regions in the brain respond to different stimuli, Cole and Fredrickson are interested in how the body, at the genetic level, responds to feelings of happiness and meaning.[K] Cole’s past work has linked various kinds of chronic adversity to a particular gene expression pattern. When people feel lonely, are grieving the loss of a loved one, or are struggling to make ends meet, their bodies go into threat mode. This triggers the activation of astress-related gene pattern that has two features: an increase in the activity of pro-inflammatory （促炎症的）genes and a decrease in the activity of genes involved in anti-viral responses.[L] Cole and Fredrickson found that people who are happy but have little or no sense of meaning in their lives have the same gene expression patterns as people who are responding to and enduring chronic adversity. That is, the bodies of these happy people are preparing them for bacterial threats by activating the pro- inflammatory response. Chronic inflammation is, of course, associated with major illnesses like heart disease and various cancers.[M] “Empty positive emotions”—like the kind people experience during manic（狂喜的）episodes or artificially induced euphoria（欣快）from alcohol and drugs—“are about as good for you as adversity,” says Fredrickson.[N] It’s important to understand that for many people, a sense of meaning and happiness in life overlap; many people score jointly high (or jointly low) on the happiness and meaning measures in the study. But for many others, there is a dissonance（不⼀致）they feel that they are low on happiness and high on meaning or that their lives are very high in happiness, but low in meaning. This last group, which has the gene expression pattern associated with adversity, formed 75 percent of study participants. Only one quarter of the study participants had what the researchers call “eudaimonic predominance”—that is, their sense of meaning outpaced their feelings of happiness.[O] This is too bad given the more beneficial gene expression pattern associated with meaningfulness. People whose levels of happiness and meaning line up, and people who have a strong sense of meaning but are not necessarily happy, showed a de-activation of the adversity stress response. Their bodies were not preparing them for the bacterial infections that we get when we are alone or in trouble, but for the viral infections we get when surrounded by a lot of other people.[P] Fredrickson’s past research, described in her two books, Positivity and Love 2.0, has mapped the benefits of positive emotions in individuals. She has found that positive emotions broaden a person’s perspective and help protect people against adversity. So it was surprising to her that hedonic well-being, which is associated with positive emotions and pleasure, did so badly in this study compared with eudaimonic well-being.[Q] “It’s not the amount of hedonic happiness that’s a problem,” Fredrickson tells me, “It’s that it’s not matched by eudaimonic well-being. It’s great when both are in step. But if you have more hedonic well-being than would be expected, that’s when this [gene] pattern that’s similar to adversity emerged.”[R] The terms hedonism and eudaimonism bring to mind the great philosophical debate, which has shaped Westerncivilization for over 2,000 years, about the nature of the good life. Does happiness lie in feeling good, as hedonists think, or in doing and being good, as Aristotle and his intellectual descendants, the virtue ethicists（伦理学家）, think? From the evidence of this study, it seems that feeling good is not enough. People need meaning to thrive. In the words of Carl Jung,“The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it.” Jung’s wisdom certainly seems to apply to our bodies, if not also to our hearts and our minds.46. The author’s recent article examined how a meaningful life is different from a happy life.47. It should be noted that many people feel their life is both happy and meaningful.48. According to one survey, there is a close relationship between hedonic well-being measures and high scores on happiness.49. According to one of the authors of a new study, what makes life meaningful may not make people happy.50. Experiments were carried out to determine our body’s genetic expression of feelings of happiness and meaning.51. A new study claims happiness may not contribute to health.52. According to the researchers, taking makes for happiness while giving adds meaning to life.53. Evidence from research shows that it takes meaning for people to thrive.54. With regard to gene expression patterns, happy people with little or no sense of meaning in life are found to be similar to those suffering from chronic adversity.55. Most books on happiness today assert that happiness is beneficial to health.参考答案：DNHKJ CERLBSection CPassage OneNothing succeeds in business books like the study of success. The current business-book boom was launched in 1982 by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman with In Search of Excellence. The trendhas continued with a succession of experts and would-be experts who promise to distil the essence of excellence into three (or five or seven) simple rules.The Three Rules is a self-conscious contribution to this type of writing; it even includes a bibliography of “success studies”. Michael Raynor and Mumtaz Ahmed work for a consultancy, Deloitte, that is determined to turn itself into more of a thought-leader and less a corporate repairman. They employ all the tricks of the success books. They insist that their conclusions are “measurable and actionable”—guides to behaviour rather than analysis for its own sake. Success authors usually serve up vivid stories about how exceptional businesspeople stamped their personalities on a company or rescued it from a life-threatening crisis. Messrs Raynor and Ahmed are happier chewing the numbers: they provide detailed appendices on “calculating the elements of advantage” and “detailed analysis”.The authors spent five years studying the behaviour of their 344 “exceptional companies,”only to come up at first with nothing. Every hunch（直觉）led to a blind alley and every hypothesis to a dead end. It was only when they shifted their attention from how companies behave to how they think that they began to make sense of their voluminous material.Management is all about making difficult tradeoffs in conditions that are always uncertain and often fast- changing. But exceptional companies approach these tradeoffs with two simple rules in mind, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously. First: better before cheaper. Companies are more likely to succeed in the long run if they compete on quality or performance than on price. Second: revenue before cost. Companies have more to gain in the long run from driving up revenue than by driving down costs.Most success studies suffer from two faults. There is “the halo（光环）effect”, whereby good performance leads commentators to attribute all manner of virtues to anything and everything the company does. These virtues then suddenly become vices when the company fails. Messrs Raynor and Ahmed work hard to avoid these mistakes by studying large bodies of data over several decades. But they end up embracing a different error: stating the obvious. Most businesspeople will not be surprised to learn that it is better to find a profitable niche（隙缝市场）and focus on boosting your revenues than to compete on price and cut your way to success. The difficult question is how to find that profitable niche and protect it. There, The Three Rules is less useful.56. What kind of business books are most likely to sell well?A) Books on excellence. B) Guides to management.C) Books on business rules. D) Analyses of market trends.57. What does the author imply about books on success so far?A) They help businessmen one way or another. B) They are written by well-recognised experts.C) They more or less fall into the same stereotype. D) They are based on analyses of corporate leaders.58. How does The Three Rules differ from other success books according to the passage?A) It focuses on the behaviour of exceptional businessmen.B) It bases its detailed analysis on large amounts of data.C) It offers practicable advice to businessmen.D) It draws conclusions from vivid examples.59. What does the passage say contributes to the success of exceptional companies?A) Focus on quality and revenue. B) Management and sales promotion.C) Lower production costs and competitive prices. D) Emphasis on after-sale service and maintenance.60. What is the author’s comment on The Three Rules?A) It can help to locate profitable niches. B) It has little to offer to businesspeople.C) It is noted for its detailed data analysis. D) It fails to identify the keys to success.Passage TwoUntil recently, the University of Kent prided itself on its friendly image. Not any more. Over the past few months it has been working hard, with the help of media consultants, to play down its cosy reputation in favour of something more academic and serious.Kent is not alone in considering an image revamp（翻新）. Changes to next year’s funding regime are forcing universities to justify charging students up to ￡9,000 in fees.Nowadays universities are putting much more of a focus on their brands and what their value propositions are. While in the past universities have often focused on student social life and attractions of the university town in recruitment campaigns, they are now concentrating on more tangible（实在的）attractions, such as employment prospects, engagement with industry, and lecturer contact hours, making clear exactly what students are going to get for their money.The problem for universities is that if those benefits fail to materialise, students notice. That worries Rob Behrens, who deals with student complaints. “Universities need to be extremely careful in describing what’s going to happen to students，” he says. “As competition is going to get greater for attracting gifted students, there is a danger that universities will go the extra mile.”One university told prospective engineering students they would be able to design a car and race it at Brands Hatch, which never happened, he says. Others have promised use of sophisticated equipment that turned out to be broken or unavailable.“If universities spent as much money on handling complaints and appeals appropriately as they spend on marketing, they would do better at keeping students, and in the National Student Survey returns,” he says.Ongoing research tracking prospective 2012 students suggests that they are not only becoming more sophisticated in thinking about what they want from a university, but are also spending more time researching evidence to back up institutional claims.Hence the growing importance of the student survey. From next September, all institutions will also be expected to publish on their websites key information sets, allowing easier comparison between institutions, between promises and reality, and the types of jobs and salaries graduates go on to.As a result, it is hardly surprising that universities are beginning to change the way they market themselves. While the best form of marketing for institutions is to be good at what they do, they also need to be clear about how they are different from others.And it is vital that once an institution claims to be particularly good at something, it must live up to it. The moment you positionyourself, you become exposed, and if you fail in that you are in trouble.61. What was the University of Kent famous for?A) Its comfortable campus life. B) Its up-to-date course offerings.C) Its distinguished teaching staff. D) Its diverse academic programmes.62. What are universities trying to do to attract students?A) Improve their learning environment. B) Offer more scholarships to the gifted.C) Upgrade their campus facilities. D) Present a better academic image.63. What does Rob Behrens suggest universities do in marketing themselves?A) Publicise the achievements of their graduates.B) Go to extra lengths to cater to students’ needs.C) Refrain from making promises they cannot honour.D) Survey the expectations of their prospective students.64. What is students’ chief consideration in choosing a university?A) Whether it promises the best job prospects.B) Whether it is able to deliver what they want.C) Whether it ranks high among similar institutions.D) Whether it offers opportunities for practical training.65. What must universities show to win recruitment campaigns?A) They are positioned to meet the future needs of society.B) They are responsible to students for their growth.C) They are ever ready to improve themselves.D) They are unique one way or another.参考答案：ACBAB AACBDTranslation (30 minutes)⾃从1978年启动改⾰以来，中国已从计划经济转为以市场为基础的经济，经历了经济和社会的快速发展。

2014年12月6级第一套Part ⅡListening ComprehensionSection A1. A) At a grocery B) In a parking lotC) In a car showroom D) At a fast food restaurant2. A) Have a little nap after lunch B) Get up and take a short walkC) Change her position now and then。

D) Stretch her legs before standing up3. A) The students should practice long-distance running.B) He doesn’t quite believe what the woman says.C) The students’ physical condition is not desirable.D) He thinks the race is too hard for the students.4. A) They do not want to have a baby at present.B) They cannot afford to get married right now.C) They are both pursuing graduate studies.D) They will get their degrees in two years.5. A) Twins usually have a lot in common.B) He must have been mistaken for Jack.C) Jack is certainly not as healthy as he is.D) He has not seen Jack for quite a few days.6. A) The man will take the woman to the museum.B) The man knows where the museum is located.C) The woman is asking the way at the crossroads.D) The woman will attend the opening of the museum.7. A) They cannot ask the guy to leave.B) The guy has been coming in for years.C) They should not look down upon the guy.D) The guy must be feeling extremely lonely.8. A) Collect timepieces B) Learn to mend clocksC) Become time-conscious D) Keep track of his daily activitiesQuestions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard9. A) It winds its way to the sea. B) It is eating into its banks.C) It is quickly rising. D) It is wide and deep10. A) Get the trucks over to the other side of the river.B) Take the equipment apart before being ferried.C) Reduce the transport cost as much as possible.D) Try to speed up the operation by any means.11. A) Ask the commander to send a helicopter.B) Halt the operation until further orders.C) Cut trees and build rowing boats.D) Find as many boats as possible.Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.12. A) Help him join an Indian expedition B) Talk about his climbing experiencesC) Give up mountain climbing altogether D) Save money to buy climbing equipment13. A) He was very strict with his children.B) He climbed mountains to earn a living.C) He had an unusual religious background.D) He was the first to conquer Mt.Qomolangma.14. A) They are like humans. B) They are sacred places.C) They are to be protected. D) They are to be conquered.15. A) It was his father’s training that pulled him through.B) It was a milestone in his mountain climbing career.C) It was his father who gave him the strength to succeed.D) It helped him understand the Sherpa view of mountains.Passage OneQuestions 16 to 19 are based on the passage you have just heard.16. A) By reviewing what he has said previously.B) By comparing memorandums with letters.C) By showing a memorandum’s structure.D) By analyzing the organization of a letter.17. A) They spent a lot of time writing memorandums.B) They seldom read a memorandum through to the end.C) They placed emphasis on the format of memorandums.D) They ignored many of the memorandums they received.18. A) Style and wording. B) Structure and length.C) Directness and clarity. D) Simplicity and accuracy.19. A) Accurate dating. B) Professional look.C) Direct statement of purpose. D) Inclusion of appropriate humor.Passage TwoQuestions 20 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.20. A) They give top priority to their work efficiency.B) They make an effort to lighten their workload.C) They never change work habits unless forced to.D) They try hard to make the best use of their time.21. A) Self-confidence B) Sense of duty C) Work efficiency D) Passion for work22. A) They are addicted to playing online games.B) They try to avoid work whenever possible.C) They find no pleasure in the work they do.D) They simply have no sense of responsibility.Passage ThreeQuestions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard。

2014年12月全国大学生英语六级考试答案与详解（卷二）Part ⅠWriting1、审题:这是一篇图画作文【考频:考查的是六级考试中最常见的体裁:议论文。

图画中一位女士对一位年轻人说:“《如何不学习而获得好成绩》这本书在小说区(the fiction section)。

”由此可知,学习并无捷径。

.文章应重点阐述学习并无捷径的原因，说明学生不应该抱有侥幸心理而不努力学习'2、列提纲：3、语言:注意用词的准确性,句式要多样化，正确使用过渡词使文章更连贯。

No Shortcut to LearningThe cartoon above is thought-provoking. A young man asks where he can find a book named “How To Do Well In School Without Studying”，and the woman suggests looking for it in the fiction section. Apparently, the cartoon demonstrates, a truth that there is no such a thing as a shortcut to learning.Just as we cannot build a castle in the air, neither can we perform well in school through a shortcut. First of ail, the nature of study requires it to be based on a solid foundation. Let’s take English learning as an example. If we want to improve our English listening ability, we are required to keep on listening to different materials, both intensively and extensively, and make notes from time to time. In addition. we are all very familiar with the famous proverb "No pains, no gains”, which conveys the message that we are supposed to make strenuous efforts whenever we attempt to succeed in a certain field. Therefore，we should spend a certain amount of time learning and remembering the basic knowledge which lays the foundation for further study rather than search for the so-called shortcut.To sum up, students should come to realize that there exists no shortcut to learning. Only hard work will form the bedrock of good performance in school.PartⅡListening Comprehension1.听力原文：W：Oh, here’s a piece of cake and a small coffee for y ou, sir. The total is 35 yuan. For here or to go?M：To go. I’d like to have them in my car. Thank you.Q：Where does this conversation most probably take place?1. A) In a parking lot. C) At a fast food restaurant.B)At a grocery. D) In a car showroom.【预测】四个选项均为表示地点的介词短语，故推测本题可能询问对话或某事发生的地点。

2014年12月六级真题（汇总整理版）写作：第一套题：学习没有捷径For this part you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay based on the picture below.You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and then discuss whether there is a shortcut to learning.You should give sound arguments to support your views and write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.[图片]“How To Do Well In School Without Studying is cover there in fiction section ”第二套题：技术对教育是否是不可或缺的For this part you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay based on the picture below.You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and then discuss whether technology is indispensable in education.You should give sound arguments to support your views and write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.[图片]“I’m going to need tech support”第三套题：（看图写文）学历的重要性For this part you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the following question. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.[图片]“Sorry,kid...Your resume looks good,but you only have a master’s degree...All the other applicants are Ph D.s!”听力短对话【其中一套试卷，和音频里的那套不同】1.W：Tom, here’s a piece of cakeM: in town.Q:Where does the conversation most probably take place?2.W:Oh, I must be seated in the position too long.M: before youQ:what does the man suggest the woman do?3.W：It’s hard to believe that having the class complete need thousandof waits isn’t it?M: I’m afraid that says something about the students physicalfitness.Q: what does the man mean?4.W：Have Lisa and Erik started phone reacted? They’ve been marriedfor two years now. M: Mary told me that she postponed having children until he has hisdoctorial degree.Q: What do we know about Lisa and Erik?5.W：Hi, John. Haven’t seen you for quite a few days.I heard from guysfrom the team you’ve been sick. How are you feeling now?M: They must have confused me with my brother Jack. Anyway, he’sreally feeling better now.Q:What does the man mean?6.W：Excuse me, will you take me along to museum that opens to the public recently? M: No, it’s no distance at all. In tract, I’m going in the samedirection. Come, and I’ll show the way when we get to thecrossroads.Q:what do we learn from the conversation?7.M：See guy over there in the corner. He comes in every Friday nightaround six and just sits there in an hour.W: It’s odd. But there is not much we can do as long as he orderedsomething to drink. Q:What does the woman mean?8.W：You seem to run a ?M: My family takes care of me because I have trouble keeping trackof turn.Q:what does the man’s family want him to do?【配合音频的那套，见汇总答案】听力长对话Long conversations【其中一套试题】Conversation 1M: A recent case I heard was of a man accused and found guilty of breaking into a house and stealing some money.W: Well, was he really guilty, judge?M: He admitted that he’d done it, and there were several witnesses saying that he had indeed done it. So I can only assume that he was guilty.W: Why did he do it?M: Well, the reasons were little muddied, probably at least it seemed in a trial that he did it to get some money to feed his family. You see, he’d been out of work for some time.W: Well, he’d been out of work and he chose to break into a house to get money for his family and apparently in front of people that, err... could see him do it.M: His attorney presented testimony that he had indeed applied for jobs and was listed with several employment agencies, including the state employment agency, but they weren’t any jobs.W: And he had no luck!M: He had no luck and it’d been some time. He had two children and both of them were needing food and clothing.W: So he was in desperate circumstances. Did you sentence him?M: Yes.W: But what goo d does it do to put the man into jail when he’s obviously in such need?M: This particular fellow has been in prison before.W: For the same thing?M: No, for a different sort of crime.W: Huh?M: But he did know about crime, so I suppose there are folks that just have to go back to prison several times.9. What did the judge say about the case he recently heard?10. What do we learn about the man at the time of crime?11. What did the judge say about the accused?Conversation 2（此篇原文待整理）听力短文【其中一套试题】Passage 1Many foreign students are attracted not only to the academic programs at a particular U.S. college but also to the larger community, which affords the chance to soak up the surrounding culture. Few foreign universities put much emphasis on the cozy communal life that characterizes American campuses from clubs and sports teams to student publications and drama societies. “The campus and the American university have become identical in people’s minds,” says Brown University President Vartan Gregorian. “In America it is assumed that a student’s daily life is as important as his learning experience.”Foreign students also come in search of choices. America’s menu of options—research universities, state institutions, private liberal-arts schools, community colleges, religious institutions, military academies—is unrivaled. “In Europe,” says history professor Jonathan Steinberg, who has taught at both Harvard and Cambridge, “there is one system, and that is it.” While students overseas usually must demonstrate expertise in a specific field, whether law or philosophy or chemistry, most American universities insist that students sample natural and social sciences, languages and literature before choosing a field of concentration.Such opposing philosophies grow out of different traditions and power structures. In Europe and Japan, universities are answerable only to a ministry of education, which sets academic standards and distributes money.While centralization ensures that all students are equipped with roughly the same resources and perform at roughly the same level, it also discourages experimentation. “When they make mistakes, they make big ones,” says Robert Rosenzweig, president of the Association of American Universities. “They set a system in wrong directions, and it’s like steering a supertanker.”16. What does the speaker say characterizes American campuses?17. What does Brown University president Vartan Gregorian say about students' daily life?18. In what way is the United States unrivaled according to the speaker?19. What does the speaker say about universities in Europe and Japan?Passage 2Hello, ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard your Sea-link ferry from Folkestone to Boulogne and wish you a pleasant trip with us. We are due to leave Folkestone in about five minutes and a journey to Boulogne will take approximately two hours. We are getting good reports of the weather in the Channel and in France, so we should have a calm crossing. Sun and temperatures of 30 degrees celsius are reported on the French coast. For your convenience on the journey, we'd like to point out that there ar e a number of facilities available on board. There's a snack bar serving sandwiches and hot and coldrefreshments situated in the front of A deck. There is also a restaurant serving hot meals situated on B deck. If you need to change money or cash travelers' checks, we have a bank on board. You can find a bank on C deck. Between the ship's office and the duty free shop, toilets are situated on B deck at the rear of the ship and on A deck next to the snack bar. For the children, there's a games room on C deck next to the duty free shop. Here children can find a variety of electronic games. Passengers are reminded that the lounge on B deck is for the sole use of passengers traveling with cars and that there is another lounge on C deck at the front of the ship for passengers traveling without cars. Finally, ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to wish you a pleasant journey and hope that you'll travel with us again in the near future.20. What does the speaker say about the Sea-link ferry?21. Where is the snack bar situated?22. What does the speaker say about the lounge on B deck?Passage 3On Christmas Eve in 1994, humans entered a cave in the mountains of southeastern France for what was probably the first time in 20,000 years. The vivid images of more than 300 animals that Jean-Marie Chauvet and his assistants found on the cave walls were like none that they had seen before. Unusual in the Grotte Chauvet, as the cave is now called in honor of its discoverer, are paintings of many flat sheeting animals. Other known caves from the same geographical area and time period contain only paintings of plantites. The paintings in this cave refute the old theory that Cro-Magnoon people painted animals that they hunted and then ate. Now many specialists believe that cave paintings were not part of a ritual to bring good luck to hunters. They point out that while deer made up a major part of their diet, there're no drawings of deer. They believe that the animals painted were those central to the symbolic and spiritual life of the times; animals that represented something deep and spiritual to the people. Scientists are hopeful that Groo Chavie will yield new information about the art and lifestyle of Cro-Magnoon people. They readily admit, however, that little is understood yet as to the reasons why ice age artists created their interesting and detailed paintings. Scientists also wonder why some paintings were done in areas that are so difficult to get to, in caves, for example, that are 2,400 feet underground, and accessible only by crawling through narrow passageways.23. How did the cave get its name?24. What is the old theory about the paintings in the cave?25. What do scientists readily admit according to the speaker?听力短文听写DictationIf you are attending a local college, especially one without residence halls, you'll probably live at home and commute to classes. This arrangement has a lot of advantages. It's cheaper. It provides a comfortable and familiar setting, and it means you'll get the kind of home cooking you're used to instead of the monotony (单调) that characterizes even the best institutional food.However, commuting students need to go out of their way tobecome involved in the life of their college and to take special steps to meet their fellow students. Often, this means a certain amount of initiative on your part in seeking out and talking to people in your classes whom you think you might like.One problem that commuting students sometimes face is their parents' unwillingness to recognize that they're adults. The transition from high school to college is a big one, and if you live at home you need to develop the same kind of independence you'd have if you were living away. Home rules that might have been appropriate when you were in high school don't apply. If your parents are reluctant to renegotiate, you can speed the process along by letting your behavior show that you have the responsibility that goes with maturity. Parents are more willing to acknowledge their children as adults when they behave like adults. If, however, there's so much friction at home that it interferes with your academic work, you might want to consider sharing an apartment with one or more friends. Sometimes this is a happy solution when family tensions make everyone miserable.阅读Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section A?Directions:In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.Children are natural-born scientists. They have 36 minds, and they aren’t afraid to admit they don’t know something. Most of them, 37 lose this as they get older. They become self-conscious and don’t want to appear stupid. Instead of finding things out for themselves they make 38 that often turn out to be wrongSo it’s not a case of getting kids interested in science. You just have to avoid killing the 39 for learning that they were born with. It’s no coincidence that kids start deserting science once it becomes formalized. Children naturally have a blurred approach to 40 knowledge. They see learning about science or biology or cooking as all part of the same act-it’s all learning. It’s only because of the practicalities of education that you have to start breaking down the curriculum into specialist subjects. You need to have specialist teachers who 41 what theyknow. Thus once they enter school, children begin to define subjects and erect boundaries that needn’t otherwise exist.Dividing subjects into science, maths, English ,etc. is something we do for 42 . In the end it’s all learning, but many children today 43 themselves from a scientific education. They think science is for scientists, not for them.Of course we need to specialize 44 . Each of us has only so much time on Earth, so we can’t study everything. At 5 years old, our field of knowledge and 45 is broad, covering anything from learning to walk to learning to count. Gradually it narrows down so that by the time we are 45, it might be one tiny little corner within science.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

闪过英语2014年12月大学英语六级真题听力（第2套）Section A （1-8）Directions: 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 man ’s tennis racket is good enough. B) The man should get a pair of new shoes.C) She can wait for the man for a little while. D) Physical exercise helps her stay in shape.2. A) The woman will skip Dr Smith ’s lecture to help the man.B) Kathy is very pleased to attend the lecture by Dr Smith.C) The woman is good at doing lab demonstrations.D) The man will do all he can to assist the woman.3. A) The woman asked the man to accompany her to the party.B) Steve became rich soon after graduation from college.C) Steve invited his classmates to visit his big cottage.D) The speakers and Steve used to be classmates.4. A) In a bus. B) In a clinic. C) In a boat. D) In a plane.5. A) 10∶10 B) 9∶50. C) 9∶40. D) 9∶10.6. A) She does not like John at all. B) John has got many admirers.C) She does not think John is handsome. D) John has just got a bachelor ’s degree.7. A) He has been bumping along for hours. B) He has got a sharp pain in the neck.C) He is involved in a serious accident. D) He is trapped in a terrible traffic jam.8. A) She is good at repairing things. B) She is a professional mechanic.C) She should improve her physical condition. D) She cannot go without a washing machine.Section C Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill inthe blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.If you are attending a local college, especially one without residence halls, you ’ll probably live at home and commute to classes. This arrangement has a lot of (26)______. It ’s cheaper. It provides a comfortable and familiar setting, and it means you ’ll get the kind of home cooking you ’re used to instead of the monotony(单调) that (27)______ even the best institutional food. However, commuting students need to (28) ______to become involved in the life of their college and to take special steps to meet their fellow students. Often, this means a certain amount of initiative on your part in (29) ______ and talking to people in your classes whom you think you might like.One problem that commuting students sometimes face is their parents ’ unwillingness to recognize that they ’re adults. The (30) ______ from high school to college is a big one, and if you live at home you need to develop the same kind of independence you ’d have if you were living away. Home rules that might have been (31) ______when you were in high school don ’t apply. If your parents are (32) ______to renegotiate, you can speed the process along by letting your behavior show that you have the responsibility that goes with maturity. Parents are闪过英语more willing to (33) ______ their children as adults when they behave like adults. If, however, there ’s so much friction at home that it (34) ______your academic work, you might want to consider sharing an apartment with one or more friends. Sometimes this is a happy solution when family (35) ______ make everyone miserable.答案解析Section A （1-8）1. M ：Before we play again, I ’m going to buy a good tennis racket.W ：Your shoes aren ’t in a very good shape, either.Q ：What does the woman mean?【答案解析】B 女士说“你的鞋子也变形了”，表明男士的鞋子已经不好了。