2013年12月六级阅读真题（二）_六级_六级仔细阅读_六级阅读（2010-2014）_2013.12六级

2013年12月六级考试真题（第二套） 2013 年 12 月六级考试阅读真题（第二套） Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension SectionA Directions：Inthissection, thereisapassagewithtenblanks. Youarerequired toselect oneword fareach blankfromalistof choices given inawordbankfollowing thepassage. Read thepassage throughcarefully beforemaking your choices. Each choice in thebankis identified byaletter. PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthe centre. You maynot use anyof thewordsin thebank morethan once. Questions36to 45are basedon thefollowing passage. Cellphones provide instantaccess to people. They are creating amajor 36 inthesocial experiences of both children and adolescents. In onerecent U.S. survey, about halfthe teens polled saidthat their cell phone had 37 theircommunications with friends. Almostall said that theircell phonewasthewaytheystayedintouchwithpeers,one-thirdhadusedthecellphonetohelpapeerin need, and about 80%said thephone madethem feel safer. Teenagers in Australia, 38 ,said that theirmobilephones provided numerous benefits and were an 39 part oftheirlives; somewere so 40 totheirphones that theresearchers considered itan addiction. In Japan, too,researchers are concerned about cell phone addiction. Researchers in one studyin Tokyo found that more thanhalfof juniorhigh school studentsused their phones to exchange e-mails with schoolmates more than10times aday. Cellphones 41 socialconnectionswithpeersacrosstimeandspace.Theyallowyoungpeople toexchange moment-by-moment experiences in theirdaily lives withspecial partners and thus to haveamore 42 senseofconnectionwithfriends.Cellphonesalsocan 43 socialtolerancebecause theyreducechildren’sinteractionswithotherswhoaredifferentfromthem.Inadditiontoconnecting peers, cell phones connect children andparents. Researchers studying teenagers in Israel concluded that,in that 44 environment, mobilephones were regarded as “security objects” inparent-teen relationships—important because they provided thepossibility of 45 and communication at all times. A)affiliated I) hazardous B) attached J)improved C)contact K) instantaneous D)contend L) intrinsic E)continuous M)relatively F) diminish N)shift G)endurance O) similarly H)foster SectionB Directions:In thissection, you aregoing toread apassagewithten statements attached to it.Each statement contains informationgiven in one ofthe paragraphs.Identify theparagraph fromwhich theinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarked with aletter. Answer thequestions bymarking the corresponding letter onAnswer Sheet 2. WasteNot, Want Not Feeding the9Billion:The Tragedy ofWaste [A]By 2075,theUnited Nations’ mid-range projection for global populationis about 9.5billion. Thismeans thatthere couldbeanextrathreebillionmouthstofeedbytheendofthecentury, a period in which substantial changes are anticipated inthe wealth, calorie intakeand dietary preferences ofpeople in developing countries across theworld. Such aprojection presents mankindwithwide-rangingsocial,economic,environmentalandpoliticalissuesthatneedtobe addressed todayto ensure asustainablefuture for all. Onekey issueishow toproduce more food ina world offinite resources. [B] Today, we produce about fourbillion metrictones of food per year. Yet duetopoor practices in harvesting, storage and transportation, as well as market and consumer wastage, it isestimated that30-50%ofallfoodproducedneverreachesahumanstomach.Furthermore,thisfiguredoesnotreflectthefactthatlargeamountsofland,energy,fertilisersandwaterhavealsobeenlostin theproduction offoodstuffs which simplyend upas waste. Thislevel ofwastage is atragedy thatcannotcontinueifwearetosucceedinthechallengeofsustainablymeetingourfuturefood demands. WhereFoodWasteHappens [C]In 2010,theInstitutionof Mechanical Engineers identified three principal emerging population groups across theworld, based oncharacteristics associated withtheircurrent andprojected stage ofeconomic development. ·Fullydeveloped, mature, post-industrial societies, such as thosein Europe, characterised by stableordeclining populations which are increasing in age. ·Late-stage developing nations that are currently industrialisingrapidly, forexampleChina, which willexperience declining rates of populationgrowth, coupled with increasing affluence (富裕）and age profile. ·Newlydevelopingcountriesthatarebeginningtoindustrialise,primarilyinAfrica,withhigh toveryhighpopulationgrowthrates,andcharacterisedbyapredominantlyyoungageprofile. [D]Each groupover thecoming decades willneed to address different issues surrounding food production, storage and transportation, as well as consumer expectations, ifweare tocontinue tofeed all our people. [E]In less-developed countries, such as thoseofsub-Saharan Africa andSouth-East Asia, wastage tendsto occur primarily at thefarmer-producer endof thesupplychain. Inefficient harvesting, inadequate local transportation and poorinfrastructure（基础设施）mean that produce is frequentlyhandled inappropriately and stored underunsuitablefarm siteconditions. [F] In mature, fullydeveloped countries such as the UK, more-efficient fanning practices and better transport, storage and processing facilities ensure that alarger proportion of thefood produced reaches markets and consumers. However, characteristics associated with modem consumer culturemean produce is often wasted through retail andcustomer behaviour. [G]Majorsupermarkets,inmeetingconsumerexpectations,willoftenrejectentirecropsofperfectly ediblefruit and vegetables at thefarm because they donot meet exacting marketing standards fortheirphysical characteristics, such as sizeand appearance. [H]Oftheproducethatdoesappearinthesupermarket,commonlyusedsalespromotionsfrequently encouragecustomers topurchase excessivequantities which, in thecase ofperishable foodstuffs,inevitablygeneratewastageinthehome.Overallbetween30%and50%ofwhathas been bought in developed countries is thrown away bythepurchaser. Better Useof OurFiniteResources [I] Wasting foodmeans losing not onlylife-supporting nutritionbut also precious resources, includingland, water and energy. As aglobal society, therefore, tackling food wastewill help contributetowards addressing anumber ofkey resourceissues. [J]LandUsage: Over thelast five decades, improved farming techniques and technologies have helped to significantly increasecrop yields along with a12%expansion of. farmed land use. However,afurtherincreaseinfarmingareawithoutimpactingunfavourablyonwhatremainsof theworlds natural ecosystems appears unlikely. Thechallenge isthat an increase in animal- based production will require more land, andresources, as livestock(牲畜)farming demands extensiveland use. [K]WaterUsage:Overthepastcentury,humanuseoffreshwaterhasincreasedatmorethandouble therateof population growth. Currently about 3.8trillionm3of water isused byhumans per year. About 70% ofthis isconsumed bytheglobal agriculture sector, and thelevel ofusewill continueto riseover thecoming decades. [L]Betterirrigationcandramaticallyimprovecropyieldandabout40%oftheworldsfoodsupplyis currentlyderived from irrigated land. However, water used inirrigation is often sourced unsustainably. In processing foods after theagricultural stage, thereare largeadditional uses of waterthat need to be tackled in aworld ofgrowing demand. This isparticularly crucial in the caseof meat production, where beef uses about 50times morewater than vegetables. In the future, more effectivewashing techniques, management procedures, and recycling and 淘宝店铺：https://shop499712503.taobao.com/ 店主旺旺：慧园文化2013年12月六级考试真题（第二套） purification ofwater will beneeded to reduce wastage. [M]Energy Usage: Energy is anessential resource across theentire food production cycle, with estimates showingan average of7-10 calories of inputbeing required inthe productionof one calorieof food. This varies dramatically depending oncrop, from three calories forplant crops to35caloriesintheproductionofbeef.Sincemuchofthisenergycomesfromtheutilisationof fossilfuels, wastage offood potentially contributes to unnecessary global warming as well as inefficient resource utilisation. [N]In themodern industrialised agricultural process —which developing nationsare moving towards in order to increase future yields —energy usage inthe making and application of fertilisers andpesticides represents thesingle biggest component. Wheat production takes 50% ofitsenergy input forthese two itemsalone. Indeed, ona global scale, fertiliser manufacturing consumes about 3-5% oftheworld’sannual natural gas supply. With production anticipated to increase by25%between nowand 2030,sustainableenergysourcing willbecome an increasingly majorissue. Energy to power machinery, both onthefarm and inthestorage and processing facilities, adds to theenergy total, which currently represents about 3.1%of annual global energyconsumption. Recommendations [O]Rising populationcombined with improved nutritionstandards andshifting dietary preferences willexertpressure for increases in global food supply. Engineers, scientists and agriculturalists havetheknowledge, tools and systems that willassist in achieving productivity increases. However, pressure will grow onfiniteresources ofland, energyand water. Thepotential to provide60-100%morefoodbysimplyeliminatinglosses,whilesimultaneouslyfreeingupland, energyandwaterresourcesforotheruses,isanopportunitythatshouldnotbeignored.In order tobegin tackling the challenge, theInstitution recommends that: ·TheUNFood and Agriculture Organisation work with theinternational engineering communityto ensure governments ofdeveloped nationsput in place programmes that transfer engineering knowledge, design know-how, and suitabletechnology to newly developingcountries.Thiswillhelpimproveproducehandlingintheharvest,andimmediate post-harvest stages offood production. ·Governmentsofrapidlydevelopingcountriesincorporatewasteminimisationthinkingintothe transport infrastructureand storage facilities currently being planned, engineered and built. ·Governments indeveloped nations deviseand implement policy that changes consumer expectations.These should discourage retailers from wasteful practices that lead to the rejection of foodonthebasis ofcosmetic characteristics, and losses in thehomedueto excessivepurchasing byconsumers. 46.Elimination ofwaste alonecan potentiallyprovide over sixtypercent morefoodfor thegrowing world population. 47.Theproduction and application offertilisers and pesticides account forthelargest part ofenergy useinthe modem industrialisedagricultural process. 48.Consumers indeveloped countries throwaway nearly halfof theirfood purchases because they tend tobuyin excessivequantities. 49.Itisrecommendedthatengineeringknowledgeandsuitabletechnologyindevelopedcountriesbe introduced to developing countries toimprove produce handling in theharvest. 50.Thepredicted global population growth means that ways have tobe found toproduce morefood withfiniteresources. 51.Afurther expansionof farming areawill adversely impact ontheworlds natural ecosystems. 52.Perfectlyeatable fruit and vegetable crops often fail toreach supermarkets dueto theirsizeor physical appearance. 53.Poorpractices inharvesting, storage andtransportation haveresulted in awaste ofmuch ofthe food weproduce and thus awaste ofland and resources. 54.Foodwaste inless-developed countries happens mainly at theproducers’ end. 55.Beefconsumes farmore water to produce than vegetables. SectionCDirections:There are2passages in thissection. Each passage isfollowedby somequestions or unfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshould decideonthe best choice andmarkthecorresponding letter onAnswer Sheet2with asingleline throughthecentre. Passage One Questions56to 60are basedon thefollowing passage. Callitthe“learningparadox”：themoreyoustruggleandevenfailwhileyou’retryingtolearn newinformation, thebetter you’re likely to recalland apply that information later. Thelearning paradox isat theheart of “productive failure,”aphenomenon identified by researcherManu Kapur. Kapur points outthat while themodel adopted bymany teachers when introducingstudentstonewknowledge—providinglotsofstructureandguidanceearlyon,untilthe studentsshowthattheycandoitontheirown—makesintuitivesense,itmaynotbethebestwayto promotelearning.Rather,it5sbettertoletthelearnerswrestle（较劲）withthematerialontheirown forawhile, refraining from giving them anyassistance at thestart. In apaper published recently, Kapurapplied theprincipleof productivefailure tomathematical problem solvingin three schools. Withone group ofstudents, theteacher provided strong “scaffolding”—instructional support —and feedback. With theteacher’s help, thesepupils were ableto find theanswers totheir set of problems.Meanwhile,asecondgroupwasdirectedtosolvethesameproblemsbycollaboratingwith oneanother, withoutany promptsfrom theirinstructor. These students weren’t able tocomplete the problemscorrectly. Butinthecourseoftryingtodoso,theygeneratedalotofideasaboutthenature oftheproblems andabout what potential solutionswould look like. Andwhen the two groups were tested onwhat they’dlearned, thesecond group “significantly outperformed” thefirst. Theapparent struggles ofthe floundering（挣扎的）group have what Kapur calls a“hidden efficacy”：they lead peopleto understand thedeep structure of problems, not simplytheircorrect solutions.When these students encounter anew problem ofthe sametype ona test, they’reable to transfertheknowledge they’re gathered moreeffectively than thosewho were thepassive recipients ofsomeoneelse’s expertise. In thereal world, problems rarely come neatly packaged, sobeing able todiscern theirdeep structureis key. But, Kapur notes, noneofus liketofail, nomatter howoften Silicon Valley entrepreneurs praisethebeneficialeffectsofan ideathatfailsorastart-up companythatcrashes and bums.So weneed to “design for productive failure” bybuildingit intothe learning process. Kapur hasidentifiedthreeconditionsthatpromotethiskindofbeneficialstruggle.First,chooseproblemsto workonthat“challengebutdonotfrustrate.”Second, providelearners with opportunitiestoexplain and elaborateonwhat they’re doing. Third, give learners thechance to compare and contrast good and bad solutionsto theproblems. And tothose studentswho protest thistough-love teaching style: you’llthank me later. 56.Whydoes theauthor call thelearning process aparadox? A)Pains donot necessarily lead to gains. B) Whatis learned is rarely applicable inlife. C)Failure moreoften thannotbreeds success. D)Themore is taught, theless islearnt. 57.Whatdoes Kapur disapprove ofin teaching? A)Asking students to findand solveproblems ontheirown. B) Developing students’ability toapply what they learn. C)Givingstudents detailed guidance and instruction. D)Allowing studentsa free hand in problem solving. 58.Whatdopeople tend to thinkofproviding strong “scaffolding”in teaching? A)It will maketeaching easier. B) It is a sensibleway of teaching. C)It can motivateaverage students. D)It will enhance students’confidence. 59.Whatkind ofproblem should begiven tostudents to solveaccording to Kapur? A)It should beable toencourage collaborativelearning. 淘宝店铺：https://shop499712503.taobao.com/ 店主旺旺：慧园文化2013年12月六级考试真题（第二套） B) It should be easy enough so as not tofrustrate students. C)It should be solvablebyaverage studentswith ease. D)It should bedifficult enough butstillwithin theirreach. 60.Whatcan beexpected of“this tough-love teaching style”(Lines 8-9, Para. 5)? A)Students willbegrateful in thelong run. B) Teachers will meet with alot ofresistance. C)Parents willthink ittoo harsh ontheirkids. D)It may not beable to yield thedesired results. Passage Two Questions61to 65are basedon thefollowing passage. VernonBowman,a75-year-oldfarmerfromruralIndiana,didsomethingthatgothimsued.He planted soybeans（大豆）sold as cattle feed. But Monsanto, theagricultural giant, insists ithas a patentonthekindofgeneticallymodifiedseedsBowmanused—andthatthepatentcontinuestoall oftheprogeny（后代）ofthoseseeds. Havewe really gotten to thepointthat planting aseed can lead to a high-stakes SupremeCourt patentlawsuit?Wehave,andthatcaseisBowmanvs.Monsanto,whichisbeingarguedonTuesday. Monsanto’scritics haveattacked thecompanyforits“mercilesslegalbattlesagainst smallfarmers,” and theyare hopingthiswill bethe case that putsit in itsplace. They are alsohopingthecourt’s rulingwill rein in patent law, which is increasingly being usedto claim new lifeforms as private property. Monsanto and itssupporters, not surprisingly, see thecase very differently. They argue that whenacompany likeMonsanto goes to great expenseto createa valuable newgenetically modified seed, it mustbe abletoprotect its property interests. If farmers likeBowman are able to usethese seeds without paying thedesignated fee, it will remove theincentives for companies likeMonsanto toinnovate. Monsantoaccused Bowman ofpatent infringement and wonan $84,456damageaward. Rather thanpayuporworkoutasettlement,Bowmandecidedtoappeal—allthewaytotheSupremeCourt. Hesaid “Monsanto should not beable, justbecause they’ve got billionsof dollars to spend onlegal fees, to try to terrify farmers into obeying theiragreements bymassiveforce and threats.” Thecentral issuein thecase iswhether patent rights to living things extend to theprogeny of thosethings. Monsanto argues that itspatents extendto latergenerations. But Bowman’s supporters arguethat Monsanto is trying to expandthe scopeof patents in ways that would enrich big corporationsand hurt smallfarmers. They say that if Monsanto wins,the impact willextend far beyondagriculture—lockinguppropertyrightsinanarrayofimportantareas.KnowledgeEcology International contends that theSupremeCourt’sruling could have “profound effects” onother biotech industries. If thiswere aHollywood movie, thecourageous old Indianafarmer would beat the profit-mindedcorporationbefore thecreditsrolled.But thisisareal-lifeargumentbefore aSupreme Courtthat has a well-earned reputation for lookingout for theinterests of largecorporations. This casegives thecourt an opportunityto rein inthe growing useofpatents toprotect genetically engineered crops and other lifeforms — but thecourt may well useit to give thistrend apowerful newendorsement. 61.Whydid Vernon Bowman get sued? A)He used geneticallymodified seeds to feed his cattle. B) Heplanted soybeans without paying forthepatent. C)Hemade aprofit out ofMonsanto’s commercial secrets. D)He obtained Monsanto’s patented seeds byillegal means. 62.Whatare Monsanto’s critics hoping theSupremeCourt willdo? A)Allowsmall farmers to grow genetically modified soybeans. B) Punish Monsanto forinfringing onsmall farmer’s interests. C)Ruleagainst Monsanto’s excessiveextension ofits patent rights. D)Abolish thepatent law concerning genetically engineered seeds. 63.Whatis theargument ofMonsanto and its supporters?A)Patent rights shouldbe protected toencourage innovation. B) Bowman cannot plant theseeds withoutMonsanto’sconsent. C)Monsanto has theright to recoverthecosts of itspatented seeds. D)Patent lawongenetically modified seeds should not be challenged. 64.Whatis thekey issuein theBowman vs. Monsanto case? A)Whetherpatent for seeds isharmful to agricultural production. B) Whetherthebiotech industry should takepriority over agriculture. C)Whethermeasures should beintroduced toprotect small farmers. D)Whetherpatent for livingthings applies to theirgenerations. 65.Whatdowe learn from thelast paragraph? A)Hollywood movies usually havean unexpected, dramatic impact onreal-life arguments. B) TheSupremeCourt will try to change itsreputation for supporting large corporations. C)TheSupremeCourt is likely topersuade theparties concerned to work outa settlement. D)Theruling would be inBowman’s favor ifthecase were argued ina Hollywood movie. 淘宝店铺：https://shop499712503.taobao.com/ 店主旺旺：慧园文化