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英语六级·仔细阅读·真题
2015.06-2023.12目录
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2015年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套……………………………………………197
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Passage One
One of the great successes of the Republican Party in recent decades is the relentless
propagation of a simple formula for economic growth: tax cuts.
The formula doesn't work, but that has not affected its popularity. And while the cult of tax
cuts has attracted many critics, it lacks for obvious rivals.
Democratic politicians have tended to campaign on helping people left behind by economic
growth. When Democrats do talk about encouraging economic growth, they often sound like
Republicans
This is not just a political problem for Democrats; it is an economic problem for the United
States. The nation needs a better story about the drivers of economic growth. The painful lessons
of recent decades point to a promising candidate: higher wages.
Raising the wages of American workers ought to be the priority of economic policymakers.
We'd all be better off paying less attention to quarterly updates on the growth of the nation's
gross domestic product (GDP) and focusing instead on the growth of workers' paychecks.
Set aside, for the moment, the familiar argument for higher wages: fairness. The argument
here is that higher wages can fuel the engine of economic growth.
Perhaps the most famous illustration of the benefits is the story of Henry Ford's decision in
1914 to pay $5 a day to workers on his Model T assembly lines. He did it to increase
production—he was paying a premium to maintain a reliable workforce. The unexpected benefit
was that Ford's factory workers became Ford customers, too.
The same logic still holds: Consumption drives the American economy, and workers who
are paid more can spend more.
Mainstream economists insist that it is impossible to order up a sustainable increase in
wages because compensation levels reflect the unerring judgment of market forces.
The conventional wisdom held that productivity growth was the only route to higher wages.
Through that lens, efforts to negotiate higher wages were counterproductive.Minimum-wage
laws would raise unemployment because there was only so much money in the wage pool, and if
some people got more, others would get none.
It was in the context of this worldview that it became popular to argue that tax cuts would
drive prosperity. Rich people would invest, productivity would increase, wages would rise.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 1 页 共 223 页In the real world, things are more complicated. Wages are influenced by a tug of war
between employers and workers, and employers have been winning. One clear piece of evidence
is the widening gap between productivity growth and wage growth since roughly 1970.
Productivity has more than doubled; wages have lagged far behind.
A focus on wage growth would provide an antidote (矫正方法) to the attractive simplicity
of the belief in the magical power of tax cuts.
46.Why does the formula of tax cuts remain popular though ineffective?
A) Its critics' voice has not been heard throughout the country.
B) There seem to be no other options available to replace it.
C) The cult of tax cuts has been relentlessly propagated by all policymakers.
D) There appears to be a misunderstanding of the formula among the public.
47. What does the author think is a more effective measure for driving economic growth in the U.S.?
A)Aiding people left behind by economic growth.
B) Prioritizing the growth of the nation's GDP.
C) Increasing the compensation for labor.
D)Introducing even more extensive tax cuts.
48.What is the logic underlying the author's viewpoint?
A) The growth of workers' paychecks ultimately boosts the nation's economy.
B) Paying a premium to maintain a reliable workforce attracts more customers.
C) Consumption stimulates the desire for higher wages.
D) Familiar arguments for higher wages are outdated.
49. What is the basis for higher wages according to the conventional wisdom?
A)Fairness in distribution.
B) Increase in productivity.
C) The priority of economic policymakers.
D) The unerring judgment of market forces.
50.What do we learn about things in the real world in America for the past 50 years or so?
A) People have failed to see a corresponding increase in wages and in productivity.
B)People have been disheartened by the widening gap between the haves and have-nots.
C) People have witnessed a tug of war between Republicans and Democrats over tax cuts.
D) People have seen the link disappearing between productivity and workers'well-being.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 2 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Journal editors decide what gets published and what doesn't, affecting the careers of other
academics and influencing the direction that a field takes. You'd hope, then, that journals would
do everything they can to establish a diverse editorial board, reflecting a variety of voices,
experiences, and identities.
Unfortunately a new study in Nature Neuroscience makes for disheartening reading. The
team finds that the majority of editors in top psychology and neuroscience journals are male and
based in the United States: a situation that may be amplifying existing gender inequalities in the
field and influencing the kind of research that gets published.
Men were found to account for 60of the editors of psychology journals. There were
significantly more male than female editors at each level of seniority, and men made up the
majority of editors in over three quarters of the journals. Crucially, the proportion of female
editors was significantly lower than the overall proportion of women psychology researchers.
The differences were even starker in the neuroscience journals: 70of editors were male,
and men held the majority of editorial positions in 88of journals. In this case, the proportion of
female editors was not significantly lower than the proportion of female researchers working in
neuroscience—a finding that reveals enduring gender disparities in the field more broadly.
Based on their results, the team concludes that "the ideas, values and decision-making biases
of men are overrepresented in the editorial positions of the most recognized academic journals in
psychology and neuroscience.”
Gender inequality in science is often attributed to the fact that senior academics are more
likely to be male, because historically science was male-dominated: it's argued that as time goes
on and more women rise to senior roles, the field will become more equal. Yet this study showed
that even the junior roles in psychology journals tended to be held disproportionately by men,
despite the fact that there are actually more female than male junior psychology faculty.
This implies that a lack of female academics is not the problem. Instead, there are structural
reasons that women are disadvantaged in science. Women receive lower salaries and face greater
childcare demands, for instance, which can result in fewer publications and grants—the kinds of
things that journals look for when deciding who to appoint. Rather than simply blaming the
inequality of editorial boards on tradition, we should be actively breaking down these existing
barriers.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 3 页 共 223 页A lack of diversity among journal editors also likely contributes to psychology's WEIRD
problem. If journal editors are largely men from the United States, then they will probably place
higher value on papers that are relevant to Western, male populations, whether consciously or not.
51.What would we expect an editorial board of an academic journal to exhibit in view of its
important responsibilities?
A)Insight.B) Expertise. C) Integrity. D)Diversity.
52. What do we learn from the findings of a new study in Nature Neuroscience?
A)The majority of top psychology and neuroscience journals reflect a variety of voices,
experiences and identities.
B)The editorial boards of most psychology and neuroscience journals do influence the
direction their field takes.
C) The editorial boards of the most important journals in psychology and neuroscience are
male-dominated.
D) The majority of editors in top psychology and neuroscience journals have relevant
backgrounds.
53. What fact does the author highlight concerning the gender differences in editors of
psychology journals?
A)There were quite a few female editors who also distinguished themselves as influential
psychology researchers
B) The number of female editors was simply disproportionate to that of women engaged in
psychology research
C) The proportion of female editors was increasingly lower at senior levels.
D) There were few female editors who could move up to senior positions.
54.What can we infer from the conclusion drawn by the team of the new study on the basis of
their findings?
A)Women's views are underrepresented in the editorial boards of top psychology and
neuroscience journals.
B) Male editors of top psychology and neuroscience journals tend to be biased against their
female colleagues.
C)Male researchers have enough representation in the editorial boards to ensure their
publications
D) Female editors have to struggle to get women's research articles published in academic
journals.
55.What does the author suggest we do instead of simply blaming the inequality of editorial
boards on tradition?
A)Strike a balance between male and female editors.
B) Increase women's employment in senior positions.
C) Enlarge the body of female academics.
D)Implement overall structural reforms.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 4 页 共223 页2023年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
Could you get by without using the internet for four and a half years? That's exactly what
singer and actress Selena Gomez has done in a bid to improve her mental health.
She has spoken extensively about the relationship between her social media usage and her
mental wellbeing, recalling feeling like “an addict" when she became Instagram's most followed
user in 2016.“Taking a break from social media was the best decision that I've ever made for my
mental health”, says she.“The unnecessary hate and comparisons went away once I put my
phone down."
Ditching the web at large, however, is a far more subtle and complicated prospect. The
increasing digitisation of our society means that everything from paying a gas bill to plotting a
route to a friend's house and even making a phone call is at the mercy of your internet connection.
Actively opting out of using the internet becomes a matter of privilege.
Ms Gomez's multi-millionaire status has allowed her to take the“social" out of social media,
so she can continue to leverage her enormous fame while keeping the trolls(恶意挑衅的帖子) at
bay. The fact that she's still the second most-followed woman on Instagram suggests it's entirely
possible to maintain a significant web profile to promote various projects—by way of a dedicated
team—without being exposed to the cruel comments, hate mail and rape or death threats.
It goes without saying that this is fundamentally different from how the rest of us without
beauty deals and films to publicise use the likes of Instagram, TikTok and Twitter, but even the
concept of a digital detox(戒瘾)requires having a device and connectivity to choose to
disconnect from.
The UK's digital divide has worsened over the past two years, leaving poorer families
without broadband connections in their homes. Digital exclusion is a major threat to wider
societal equality in the UK, so witnessing companies like Facebook championing the metaverse
(元宇宙)as the next great frontier when school children are struggling to complete their
homework feels particularly irritating.
Consequently, it's worth bearing in mind that while deleting all social media accounts will
undoubtedly make some feel infinitely better, many other people benefit from the strong sense of
community that sharing platforms can breed.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 5页 共 223页Internet access will continue to grow in importance as we edge further towards web 3.0, and
greater resources and initiatives are needed to provide the underprivileged with the connectivity
they desperately need to learn, work and live. It's crucial that people who feel that social media is
having a detrimental effect on their mental health are allowed to switch off and for those living in
digital exclusion to be able to switch on in the first place.
46.What do we learn about singer and actress Selena Gomez in the past four and a half years?
A) She has had worsening mental problems.
B) She has won Instagram's most followers.
C) She has refrained from using social media.
D)She has succeeded in a bid on the internet.
47.Why does actively opting out of using the internet become a matter of privilege?
A) Most people find it subtle and complicated to give up using the internet.
B) Most people can hardly ditch the web while avoiding hate and comparisons.
C) Most people can hardly get by without the internet due to growing digitisation.
D) Most people have been seriously addicted to the web without being aware of it.
48.Why does the author say“witnessing companies…feels particularly irritating”(Para.6)?
A) The UK digital divide would further worsen due to the metaverse.
B) The concept of the metaverse is believed to be still quite illusory.
C) School children would be drawn farther away from the real world.
D) Most families in the UK do not have stable broadband connections.
49.What is worth bearing in mind concerning social media platforms?
A) They are conducive to promoting societal equality.
B) They help many people feel connected with others.
C) They provide a necessary device for a digital detox.
D) They create a virtual community on the internet.
50.What does the author think is really important for those living in digital exclusion?
A)Having access to the internet.
B) Edging further towards web 3.0.
C) Getting more educational resources.
D) Opening more social media accounts.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 6 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Psychologists have long been in disagreement as to whether competition is a learned or a
genetic component of human behavior. Whatever it is, you cannot but recognize the effect
competition is exerting in academics and many other areas of contemporary life.
Psychologically speaking, competition has been seen as an inevitable consequence of human
drives. According to Sigmund Freud, humans are born screaming for attention and full of organic
drives for fulfillment in various areas. Initially, we compete for the attention of our parents.
Thereafter, we are at the mercy of a battle between our base impulses for self-fulfillment and
social and cultural norms which prohibit pure indulgence.
Current work in anthropology(人类学)has suggested, however, that this view of the role of
competition in human behavior may be incorrect. Thomas Hobbes, one of the great philosophers
of the seventeenth century, is perhaps best remembered for his characterization of the“natural
world”, that is, the world before the imposition of the will of humanity, as being "nasty, brutish,
and short.”This image of the pre-rational world is still widely held, reinforced by Charles
Darwin's highly influential work, The Origin of Species, which established the doctrine of natural
selection. This doctrine, which takes for granted that those species best able to adapt to and
master the natural environment in which they live will survive, has suggested that the struggle for
survival is an inherent human trait which determines a person's success. Darwin's theory has
even been summarized as“survival of the fittest”—a phrase Darwin himself never used—further
highlighting competition'role in success. As it has often been pointed out, however, there is
nothing in the concept of natural selection that suggests that competition is the most successful
strategy for“survival of the fittest.”Darwin asserted in The Origin of Species that the struggles
he was describing should be viewed as metaphors and could easily include dependence and
cooperation.
Many studies have been conducted to test the importance placed on competition as opposed
to other values, such as cooperation—by various cultures, and generally conclude that Americans
uniquely praise competition as natural, inevitable, and desirable.In 1937, the world-renowned
anthropologist Margaret Mead published Cooperation and Competition among Primitive Peoples,
based on her studies of several societies that did not prize competition, and, in fact, seemed at
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 7 页 共 223 页times to place a negative value on it. One such society was the Zuni Indians of Arizona, and they,
Mead found,valued cooperation far more than competition. After studying dozens of such
cultures, Mead's final conclusion was that competitiveness is a culturally created aspect of human
behavior, and that its prevalence in a particular society is relative to how that society values it.
51.What does the author think is easy to see in many areas of contemporary life?
A) The disagreement on the inevitability of competition.
B) The consequence of psychological investigation.
C) The effect of human drives.
D) The impact of competition.
52. According to psychology, what do people strive to do following the initial stage of their life?
A) Fulfill individual needs without incurring adverse effects of human drives.
B) Indulge in cultural pursuits while keeping their base impulses at bay.
C) Gain extensive recognition without exposing pure indulgence.
D) Satisfy their own desires while observing social conventions.
53.What do we learn about the “natural world” characterized by Thomas Hobbes?
A) It gets misrepresented by philosophers and anthropologists.
B) It gets distorted in Darwin's The Origin of Species.
C) It is free from the rational intervention of humans.
D) It is the pre-rational world rarely appreciated nowadays.
54.What can we conclude from Darwin's assertion in The Origin of Species?
A) All species inherently depend on others for survival.
B) Struggles for survival do not exclude mutual support.
C) Competition weighs as much as cooperation as a survival strategy.
D) The strongest species proves to be the fittest in natural selection.
55.What conclusion did Margaret Mead reach after studying dozens of different cultures?
A)It is characteristic of humans to be competitive.
B) Americans are uniquely opposed to cooperation.
C) Competition is relatively more prevalent in Western societies.
D) People's attitude towards competition is actually culture-bound.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 8 页 共 223 页2023年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第3套
Passage One
Research is meant to benefit society by raising public awareness and creating products and
innovations that enhance development. For research to serve its full purpose, the results must
leave the confines of research laboratories and academic journals.
Findings effectively communicated can go a long way to serve the interests of the public.
They can help address social injustices or improve treatments offered to patients.
Many researchers seem to be content with sharing the results of their studies in academic
journals or at conferences. But few journals allow everybody to read the findings. Even articles
freely available are usually written in academic language incomprehensible to the average reader.
For researchers in the tenure-track system, their main goal is winning tenure, which in part
can be achieved by getting a number of papers published in prominent journals. Pressures like
this mean community-level outreach is not prioritised.
Many researchers lack the writing skills to describe their results to a general audience. They
may also worry about whether the public will understand their findings, or about findings being
used to influence controversial policies. These concerns cause some researchers to shy away from
communicating their findings outside the academic community.
Propagating research findings beyond academic publications is particularly crucial for
addressing certain social discrepancies. It can help families, communities, healthcare providers,
policymakers, government agencies and other stakeholders to understand and respond to crises
that plague society
The benefits of sharing findings flow both ways. Engaging with other researchers and the
public can lead to unexpected new connections and new ideas that could suggest fruitful new
directions for research.
To benefit both researchers and the communities, the need to find innovative, accessible
ways to share the work cannot be overstated.
Institutions and funding organisations should support more researchers to publish in open
access journals so that the public doesn't have to pay to read them. Institutions and researchers
should invest in partnerships that expand capacity for sharing results more broadly.
Furthermore, ethics committees should make it mandatory for researchers to share their
results with the public. Every research participant should opt in or out of receiving results, as part
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 9页 共223 页of the process of giving informed consent.
There could be misunderstanding of the findings presented by the researcher because of
technical terms. But this can be resolved by researchers engaging the services of professional
writers or communication officers to help with translating their study into more accessible
language and share it widely with media outlets and the public.
Sharing results with the people who are most affected by them makes us better researchers
and ensures that our work can be used to improve people's lives. Institutions and collaborators
must recognise the value of doing so.
46. How can research serve its full purpose according to the author?
A)With researchers being aware of public interests.
B)With its findings published in prominent journals.
C) With researchers creating products that enhance social development.
D) With its findings properly communicated beyond the academic circle.
47.Why do ordinary readers find it difficult to access the results of researchers'studies?
A) They cannot understand the academic language used for reporting these results.
B) They feel intimidated by the jargon researchers use to describe their findings.
C) They do not attend conferences where these results are freely available.
D) They have few chances to locate the journals that publish these findings.
48.What is one of the reasons some researchers won't prioritise communicating their findings to
the public?
A)They can thrive on the papers published.
B) Their top consideration is to win tenure.
C) Their main goal is gaining recognition in their field.
D) They have to struggle to reach out to the community.
49.How can sharing findings benefit researchers themselves?
A) By helping them to identify new research directions.
B) By enabling them to understand crises plaguing society.
C) By enabling them to effectively address social discrepancies.
D) By helping them to forge ties with government agencies.
50.Why are researchers advised to engage the services of professional writers or communication
officers?
A) To satisfy ethics committees'mandatory requirements of researchers.
B) To translate their study into languages accessible to readers overseas.
C) To make their publications correctly understood by the public.
D) To render their findings acceptable by prominent journals.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 10 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Spiders make their presence felt in late August and through early autumn. This is the mating
season of some of the most common varieties, when male house spiders come out of hidden
corners to look for females, and garden spiders reach adult size and spin their most dazzling webs.
Yet while the spider is a familiar fixture of nursery poems or songs and Halloween
decorations, its relationship with humans is complicated. Fear of spiders is common and has
serious impacts on the lives of sufferers. Its prevalence appears unrelated to any rational
assessment of risk. Spiders in the UK are almost all harmless. Farmland species perform valuable
ecosystem services, by preying on insects that are our competitors for crops. But they are a
constant source of human anxieties—with a cultural association with witches and wickedness
dating back to the middle ages.
Does this perhaps explain, in part, the lack of data about how spiders are faring in our age of
ecological crisis? British butterflies are the most studied group of insects in the world, due to the
long tradition of collecting and observing them. But spider conservationists point out that it was
only in the 1980s that the classification of house spiders was properly sorted out. And while
information about insect populations is gathered by experiments that measure the numbers hitting
windscreens or traps, there have been few attempts to count spiders.
The huge reductions in the numbers of flying insects can only mean a reduction in spiders'
food supply. A recent landmark study identified a 75all in insect populations between 1989
and 2016,with pesticide use thought to be to blame along with the destruction of wild areas for
development. This means the overall picture for spiders is worrying, as it is for most creatures.
But conservationists are most concerned about those varieties that are threatened due to habitat
loss and fragmentation, which makes it impossible for them to migrate.
Of around 650 spider species regularly recorded in the UK, the majority thrive in marshes
and wasteland. Conservation efforts, often led by determined individuals, have helped some
species to recover by reintroducing them to new areas. With rewilding now firmly on the
environmental policy agenda, the hope is that in future, spiders will be enabled to migrate by
themselves, adapting to climate change by moving along wildlife corridors.
It seems unlikely that spiders will ever attract the same level of human enthusiasm as bees,
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 11 页 共 223 页birds or butterflies, in spite of their unique status as nature's spinners. But as they reveal
themselves in all their splendour this autumn, it would be a good thing if more animal lovers
recognised the ways in which spiders are simply terrific.
51. What do we learn about spiders in the UK since the middle ages?
A) They have been generally misconceived.
B) They have adversely impacted crop growth.
C) They have been a constant reminder of bad luck.
D) They have made their presence felt when spinning webs.
52. What have spiders been associated with in the UK for centuries?
A)Harm.
B) Evil.
C) Suffering
D)Aggression
53. What partly accounts for the reduction in spiders' food supply?
A) The long tradition of collecting insects.
B) Fast reproduction of their competitors.
C) Chemicals used for killinginsects.
D) The extinctionof alot of wildlife.
54. What does the passage say is conservationists' biggest worry?
A)A variety of spiders are threatened due to pollution of marshes and wasteland.
B) Certain species of spiders are endangered due to loss of their natural homes.
C) An increasing number of spiders are being killed by deadly pesticides.
D) More and more spider species are found losing their ability to migrate.
55.What wish does the author express close to the end of the passage?
A)More people would recognise spiders' unique status in the ecosystem.
B) People would show greater enthusiasm for spiders than for butterflies.
C) There would be sufficient corridors for spiders to move along.
D)There would be more people appreciating spiders'splendour.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 12 页 共 223 页2023年06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
Technology is never a neutral tool for achieving human ends. Technological innovations
reshape people as they use these innovations to control their environment. Artificial intelligence,
for example, is altering humanity.
While the term AI conjures up anxieties about killer robots or catastrophic levels of
unemployment, there are other, deeper implications. As AI increasingly shapes the human
experience, how does this change what it means to be human? Central to the problem is a
person's capacity to make choices, particularly judgments that have moral implications.
Aristotle argued that the capacity for making practical judgments depends on regularly
making them—on habit and practice. We see the emergence of machines as substitute judges in a
variety of everyday contexts as a potential threat to people learning how to effectively exercise
judgment themselves.
In the workplace, managers routinely make decisions about whom to hire or fire and which
loan to approve, to name a few. These are areas where algorithmic(算法的)prescription is
replacing human judgment, and so people who might have had the chance to develop practical
judgment in these areas no longer will.
Recommendation engines, which are increasingly prevalent intermediaries in people's
consumption of culture,may serve to constrain choice and minimize luck. By presenting
consumers with algorithmically selected choices of what to watch, read, stream and visit next,
companies are replacing human taste with machine taste. In one sense, this is helpful. After all,
machines can survey a wider range of choices than any individual is likely to have the time or
energy to do on their own.
At the same time, though, this selection is optimizing for what people are likely to prefer
based on what they've preferred in the past. We think there is some risk that people's options will
be constrained by their past in a new and unanticipated way.
As machine learning algorithms improve and as they train on more extensive data sets,
larger parts of everyday life are likely to become utterly predictable. The predictions are going to
get better and better, and they will ultimately make common experiences more efficient and
pleasant
Algorithms could soon—if they don't already—have a better idea about which show you'd
like to watch next and which job candidate you should hire than you do. One day, humans may
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 13 页 共 223 页even find a way for machines to make these decisions without some of the biases that humans
typically display
But to the extent that unpredictability is part of how people understand themselves and part
of what people like about themselves, humanity is in the process of losing something significant.
As they become more and more predictable, the creatures inhabiting the increasingly AI-
mediated world will become less and less like us.
46.What do we learn about the deeper implications of Al?
A) It is causing catastrophic levels of unemployment.
B) It is doing physical harm to human operators.
C) It is altering moral judgments.
D) It is reshaping humanity.
47.What is the consequence of algorithmic prescription replacing human judgment?
A) People lose the chance to cultivate the ability to make practical judgments.
B)People are prevented from participating in making major decisions in the workplace.
C) Managers no longer have the chance to decide which loan to approve.
D) Managers do not need to take the trouble to determine who to hire or fire.
48.What may result from increasing application of recommendation engines in our consumption
of culture?
A)Consumers will have much limited choice.
B) Consumers will actually enjoy better luck.
C) It will be easier to decide on what to enjoy.
D) Humans will develop tastes similar to machines'.
49.What is likely to happen to larger parts of our daily life as machine learning algorithms improve?
A) They will turn out to be more pleasant.
B) They will repeat our past experience.
C) They can be completely anticipated.
D) They may become better and better.
50.Why does the author say the creatures living in the more and more Al-mediated world will
become increasingly unlike us?
A) They will have lost the most significant human element of being intelligent.
B) They will no longer possess the human characteristic of being unpredictable.
C) They will not be able to understand themselves as we can do today.
D) They will be deprived of what their predecessors were proud of about themselves.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 14 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Phonics, which involves sounding out words syllable(音节) by syllable, is the best way to
teach children to read. But in many classrooms, this can be a dirty word. So much so that some
teachers have had to sneak phonics teaching materials into the classroom. Most American
children are taught to read in a way that study after study has found to be wrong.
The consequences of this are striking. Less than half of all American adults were proficient
readers in 2017. American fourth graders rank 15th on the Progress in International Literacy
Study, an international exam.
America is stuck in a debate about teaching children to read that has been going on for
decades. Some advocate teaching symbol-sound relationships (the sound k can be spelled as c, k,
ck, or ch), known as phonics. Others support an immersive approach(using pictures of a cat to
learn the word cat), known as"whole language". Most teachers today, almost three out of four
according to a survey by the EdWeek Research Centre in 2019, use a mix called "balanced
literacy". This combination of methods is ineffective.“You can't sprinkle in a little phonics,"
says Tenette Smith, executive director of elementary education and reading at Mississippi's
education department.“It has to be systematic and explicitly taught.”
Mississippi, often behind in social policy, has set an example here. In a state once notorious
for its low reading scores, the Mississippi state legislature passed new literacy standards in 2013.
Since then Mississippi has seen remarkable gains. Its fourth graders have moved from 49th (out
of 50 states) to 29th on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a nationwide exam. In
2019 it was the only state to improve its scores. For the first time since measurement began,
Mississippi's pupils are now average readers, a remarkable achievement in such a poor state.
Mississippi's success is attributed to implementing reading methods supported by a body of
research known as the science of reading. In 1997 Congress requested the National Institute of
Child Health and Human Development and the Department of Education to convene a National
Reading Panel to end the "reading wars" and synthesize the evidence. The panel found that phonics,
along with explicit instruction in phonemic(音位的)awareness,fluency and comprehension,
worked best.
Yet over two decades on,“balanced literacy”is still being taught in classrooms. But
advances in statistics and brain imaging have disproved the whole-language method. To the
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 15 页 共 223 页teacher who is a proficient reader, literacy seems like a natural process that requires educated
guessing, rather than the deliberate process emphasized by phonics. Teachers can imagine that
they learned to read through osmosis(潜移默化)when they were children. Without proper
training, they bring this to classrooms.
51. What do we learn about phonics in many American classrooms?
A)It is ill reputed.
B) It is mostly misapplied.
C) It is arbitrarily excluded.
D) It is misrepresented.
52. What has America been witnessing for decades?
A) An obsession with innovating teaching methodologies of reading.
B) An enduring debate over the approach to teaching children to read.
C) An increasing concern with many children's inadequacy in literacy.
D) An ever-forceful advocacy of a combined method for teaching reading.
53. Why does Tenette Smith think a combination of teaching methods is ineffective?
A) Elementary school children will be frustrated when taught with several methods combined.
B) Phonics has to be systematically applied and clearly taught to achieve the desired effect.
C) Sprinkling in a little phonics deters the progress of even adequately motivated children.
D) Balanced literacy fails to sustain children's interest in developing a good reading habit.
54. What does the author say Mississippi's success is attributed to?
A) Convening a National Reading Panel to synthesize research evidence.
B) Placing sufficient emphasis upon both fluency and comprehension.
C) Adopting scientifically grounded approaches to teaching reading.
D) Obtaining support from Congress to upgrade teaching methods.
55. What have advances in statistics and brain imaging proved ineffective?
A) The teaching of symbol-sound relationships.
B) Explicit instruction in phonemic awareness.
C) Efforts to end the reading wars.
D) The immersive approach.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 16 页 共 223 页2023年 06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
How on earth did we come to this? We protect our children obsessively from every harm;
we scrutinize every carer, teacher or doctor with whom they come into contact. Yet despite all
this, one group, which in no way has their best interests at heart, has almost unconstrained access.
We seem to take it for granted that advertisers and marketers are allowed to condition even
the youngest children. Before children have even developed a proper sense of their own identity,
or learned to handle money, they're encouraged to associate status and self-worth with stuff, and
to look to external things such as fame and wealth for validation. We're turning out little
consumers rather than young citizens who will value themselves for what they contribute to the
society in which they live.
We've reached this point so gradually that many of us have never questioned it. It's crept up
on us in the 60 years since advertisers started to target the young and found that they could recruit
them to a commercial assault on their parents. We've come to know it as“pester power" or the
ability of children to pressure parents to make certain purchases.
Many psychologists, child development experts and educators point to research suggesting
that this emerging cradle-to-grave consumerism is contributing to growing rates of low self-
esteem, depression and other forms of mental illness.
Not all psychologists agree. There're plenty working hand in glove with a fl2bn-a-year
industry that has turned the manipulation of adult emotions and desires into an art form—often
literally. It's also one that's forever developing new ways to persuade our children to desire
material possessions, and because of advertisements' viral effect they only need to infect a few to
reach the many. Advertising and marketing can serve a useful purpose for children. Marketing
may help socialize children as consumers, inform them about products, and help them carve out
unique identities as they reach adulthood.
Then, should we ban all advertising aimed at young children? I say yes.
Of course there'll be plenty of objections to an outright ban on advertising to the under-11s.
There'll be those who argue that would be a breach of freedom of speech and infringe the rights
of corporations to brainwash little children into demanding their products.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 17 页 共 223 页Most parents hate what advertising does to their children, but we do have the power to end it
and let our children grow up free from many of the pressures of consumerism until they're old
enough to make their own decisions. And though advertising is only part of an all-pervasive (无
处不在的)marketing culture we need to make a start somewhere. Let's ban all advertising
targeting children of primary school age and younger now.
46.Which group of people does the author say has almost unrestricted access to children?
A) Advertisers.B) Carers. C) Teachers.D) Doctors.
47. What kind of people should we enable children to become according to the author?
A) Those who look to fame and wealth for external and ultimate validation.
B) Those who value themselves because of their contribution to society.
C) Those who associate self-worth with the ability to handle money.
D) Those who have developed a proper sense of their own identity.
48.Many child development experts and educators call attention to research that suggests?
A) life-long consumerism is causing more and more cases of psychological problems.
B) increasing commercialization of education is eroding many children's self-esteem.
C) the growing desire for wealth is contributing to a rising rate of depression.
D) the craving for purchasing material things is nurtured throughout one's life.
49.What does the author imply about the impact of advertising?
A) It is actually infectious to many rather than a few.
B) It is rooted in our desire for material possessions.
C) It is comparable to that of virus.
D) It is literally limited to children.
50.What is the opponents' argument against a complete ban on advertising to young children?
A) It would deprive them of the chance to learn about products.
B) It would render them unable to carve out unique identities.
C) It would breach their freedom as would-be consumers.
D) It would violate the rights endowed upon advertisers.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 18 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Many oppose workplace surveillance, because of the inherent dehumanizing effect it has and
the relentless pressure it brings. But it's on the rise around the world as firms look to become
more efficient by squeezing more productivity from their workers. More than half of companies
with over $750m in annual revenue used“non-traditional”monitoring techniques on staff last
year.
Monitoring employee performance gives firms the ability to assess how their staff are
performing and interacting, which can be good for both the firm and employees themselves. A
growing number of analytics companies offer this service. They gather“data exhaust” left by
employees'email and instant messaging apps, and use name badges equipped with radio-
frequency identification devices and microphones. These can check how much time you spend
talking, your volume and tone of voice, even if you do not dominate conversations. While this
may sound intrusive, exponents argue that it can also protect employees against bullying and
sexual harassment.
Some of this data analysis can produce unexpected results. For example, it was found that
people who sat at 12-person lunch tables tended to interact, share ideas more and outperform
those who regularly sat at four-person tables, a fact that would probably have gone undetected
without such data analysis.
Over the last few years a Stockholm co-working space called Epicenter has gone much
further and holds popular“chipping parties”, where people can have microchips implanted in
their hands. They can use the implants to access electronically-controlled doors, or monitor how
typing speed correlates with heart rate. Implanted chips may seem extreme, but it is a relatively
small step from ID cards and biometrics to such devices.
As long as such schemes are voluntary, there will probably be a growing number of
convenience-oriented uses so that a substantial number of workers would opt to have a chip
inserted. But if implanted chips are used to reduce slack time or rest breaks, that could prove to
be detrimental. And if surveillance tools take away autonomy, that's when they prove most
unpopular.A lot depends on how such monitoring initiatives are communicated and this could
prevent possible revolts being staged.
If bosses don't communicate effectively, employees assume the worst. But if they're open
about the information they're collecting and what they're doing with it, research suggests 46of
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 19 页 共 223 页employees are generally okay with it. Although many such monitoring schemes use anonymized
data and participation is voluntary,many staffers remain sceptical and fear an erosion of their
civil liberties.
So workplace surveillance could be empowering for staff and useful for companies looking
to become more efficient and profitable. But implemented in the wrong way, it could also
become an unpopular tool of oppression that proves counterproductive.
51. Why are many people opposed to monitoring employee performance?
A)It puts workers under constant pressure.
B) It is universally deemed anti-human by nature.
C) It does both mental and physical harm to employees monitored.
D) It enables firms to squeeze maximal productivity from employees.
52. What is the supporters' argument for workplace surveillance?
A) It enables employees to refrain from dominating conversations.
B) It enhances employees' identification with firms they work in.
C) It can alert employees to intrusion into their privacy.
D) It can protect employees against aggressive behavior.
53. What does the author want to show by the example of different numbers of people interacting
at lunch tables?
A) Data analysis is key to the successful implementation of workplace surveillance.
B) Analyzing data gathered from workers can yield something unexpected.
C) More workmates sitting at a lunch table tend to facilitate interaction and idea sharing.
D) It is hard to decide on how many people to sit at a lunch table without data analysis.
54. What does much of the positive effect of monitoring initiatives depend on?
A) How frequently employees are to be monitored.
B) What specific personal information is being excluded.
C) What steps are taken to minimize their detrimental impact.
D) How well bosses make known their purpose of monitoring.
55. What concern do monitoring initiatives cause among many staffers?
A)They may empower employers excessively.
B) They may erode the workplace environment.
C) They may infringe upon staffers' entitled freedom.
D) They may become counterproductive in the long run.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 20 页 共 223 页2023年 06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第3套
Passage One
If you're someone who has turned to snacking on junk food more in the pandemic(大流行
病), you're not alone. Investigative reporter Michael Moss says processed food is engineered to
hook you, not unlike alcohol, cigarettes, or other harmful substances. His 2013 book, Salt Sugar
Fat, explored food companies' aggressive marketing of those products and their impact on our
health. In his new book, Hooked, Moss updates the food giants' efforts to keep us eating what
they serve, and how they're responding to complaints from consumers and health advocates.
Processed food is inexpensive, it's legal, and it's everywhere. Companies'advertising is
cueing us to remember those products and we want those products constantly. So the food
environment is one of those key things that makes food even more problematic for so many
people. Memory, nostalgia(怀旧)in particular, plays a big role in the foods we crave. Soda
companies discovered that if they put a soda in the hands of a child when they're at a ball game
with their parents, that soda will forever be associated with that joyous moment. Later in life,
when that child wants to experience a joyous moment, they're going to think of soda. Many
people seek comfort in the snacks they remember from childhood.
Moss examines the way companies capitalize on our memories,cravings and brain
chemistry to keep us snacking.
One of the reasons I came to think that some of these food products are even more powerful,
more trouble some than drugs can be is memory. What we eat is all about memory. And we begin
forming memories for food at a really early age. And we keep those memories for a lifetime.
Knowing this, the food industry spends lots of time trying to shape the memories that we have for
their products. One of the features of addiction that scientists studying drug addiction discovered
back in the 1990s was that the faster a substance hits the brain, the more apt we are as a result to
act impulsively. There's nothing faster than food in its ability to hit the brain. For Moss, this puts
the notion of “fast food” in an entirely new light as this isn't limited to fast food chains—almost
90of food products in grocery stores are processed foods. Everything in the industry is about
speed, from the manufacturing to the packaging.
Overall, Moss outlines the industry's dependence on making their products inexpensive,
super delicious, and incredibly convenient for consumers. Now that more and more people care
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 21 页 共 223 页about what they put in their bodies and are wanting to eat healthier, these companies are finding it
really difficult to meet that new demand because of their own addiction to making these
convenience foods.
46. In what way does Michael Moss think processed food is comparable to alcohol and cigarettes?
A)They are all addictive.
B) They are all necessary evils.
C) They are all engineered to be enjoyed.
D) They are all in increasingly great demand.
47.What does the author say plays a key role in the foods we crave?
A) The food environment.
B) Aggressive marketing.
C) Convenience.
D)Memory.
48.What do food companies do to capitalize on consumers' association with their food products?
A) They strive to influence how consumers remember their products.
B) They attempt to use consumers' long-term memories to promote addiction.
C) They try to exploit consumers'memories for their products as early as possible.
D) They endeavor to find what consumers remember about their products.
49. How does the food industry operate from manufacturing to packaging, according to Moss?
A)Placing the idea of fast food in an entirely new light.
B) Setting no limit to the number of fast food chains.
C) Focusing on how quickly the work is done.
D)Prioritizing the quality of their products.
50.Why are companies finding it difficult to satisfy consumers' demand for healthier food products?
A) They think speed of production outweighs consumers' health.
B) They believe their industry would perish without fast foods.
C) They have to strike a balance between taste and nutrition.
D) They are hooked on manufacturing convenience foods.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 22 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Chimpanzees(黑猩猩),human beings'closest animal relatives, share up to 98of our
genes. Yet humans and chimpanzees lead very different lives. Fewer than 300,000 wild
chimpanzees live in a few forested corners of Africa today, while humans have colonized every
corner of the globe. At more than 7 billion, human population dwarfs that of nearly all other
mammals—despite our physical weaknesses.
What could account for our species' incredible evolutionary successes?
One obvious answer is our big brains. It could be that our raw intelligence gave us an
unprecedented ability to think outside the box, innovating solutions to thorny problems as people
migrated across the globe.
But a growing number of cognitive scientists and anthropologists(人类学家) are rejecting
that explanation. They think that, rather than making our living as innovators, we survive and
thrive precisely because we don't think for ourselves. Instead, people cope with challenging
climates and ecological contexts by carefully copying others.
In a famous study, psychologists Victoria Horner and Andrew Whiten showed two groups of
test subjects—children and chimpanzees—a mechanical box with a treat inside. In one condition,
the box was opaque, while in the other it was transparent. The experimenters demonstrated how
to open the box to retrieve the treat, but they also included the irrelevant step of tapping on the
box with a stick.
Oddly, the children carefully copied all the steps to open the box, even when they could see
that the stick had no practical effect. That is, they copied irrationally: Instead of doing only what
was necessary to get their reward, children slavishly imitated every action they'd witnessed.
Of course, that study only included three- and four-year-olds. But additional research has
shown that older children and adults are even more likely to mindlessly copy others' actions, and
infants are less likely to over-imitate—that is, to precisely copy even impractical actions.
By contrast, chimpanzees in the study only over-imitated in the opaque condition. In the
transparent condition—where they saw that the stick was mechanically useless-they ignored that
step entirely. Other research has since supported these findings.
When it comes to copying, chimpanzees are more rational than human children or adults.
Where does the seemingly irrational human preference for over-imitation come from?
Anthropologist Joseph Henrich points out that people around the world rely on technologies that
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 23 页 共 223 页are often so complex that no one can learn them rationally. Instead, people must learn them step
by step, trusting in the wisdom of more experienced elders and peers.
So the next time you hear someone arguing passionately that everyone should embrace
nonconformity and avoid imitating others, you might laugh a little bit. We're not chimpanzees,
after all.
51.What might explain humans'having the largest population of almost all mammals?
A) They are equipped with raw strength for solving the most challenging problems.
B) They cope with the outside world more effectively than their animal relatives.
C) They possess the most outstanding ability to think.
D) They know how to survive everywhere on earth.
52.What accounts for humans’ evolutionary successes according to a growing number of
cognitive scientists and anthropologists?
A)They are better at innovating solutions.
B) They thrive through creative strategies.
C)They are naturally adaptive to ecological contexts.
D)They meet challenges by imitating others carefully.
53. What does the author think is odd about the findings of the study by Victoria Horner and
Andrew Whiten?
A) Children irrationally imitated every action of the experimenters.
B) Chimpanzees could tell the transparent box from the opaque one.
C) Chimpanzees could retrieve the treat more quickly than children did.
D) Children omitted the step of tapping on the box with a stick to open it.
54.What is anthropologist Joseph Henrich's explanation for the human preference for copying?
A)It originates in the rationality of people around the world.
B) It stems from the way people learn complex technologies.
C) It results from people distrusting their own wisdom.
D) It derives from the desire to acquire knowledge step by step.
55.What point does the author want to emphasize when he says “We're not chimpanzees”?
A) It is arguable whether everyone should avoid imitation.
B) It is characteristic of human beings to copy others.
C) It is desirable to trust in more knowledgeable peers.
D) It is naive to laugh at someone embracing nonconformity.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 24 页 共 223 页2023年03月大学英语六级仔细阅读全1套
Passage One
The ability to make inferences from same and different, once thought to be unique to
humans, is viewed as a cornerstone of abstract intelligent thought. A new study, however, has
shown that what psychologists call same-different discrimination is present in creatures generally
seen as unintelligent: newborn ducklings(小鸭).
The study, published Thursday in Science, challenges our idea of what it means to have a
birdbrain, said Edward Wasserman, an experimental psychologist at the University of lowa who
wrote an independent review of the study.
“In fact, birds are extremely intelligent and our problem pretty much lies in figuring out how
to get them to 'talk'to us, or tell us how smart they really are," he said.
Antone Martinho and Alex Kacelnik,co-authors of the new paper, devised a clever
experiment to better test bird intelligence.
First, they took 1-day-old ducklings and exposed them to a pair of moving objects. The two
objects were either the same or different in shape or color. Then they exposed each duckling to
two entirely new pairs of moving objects.
The researchers found that about 70of the ducklings preferred to move toward the pair of
objects that had the same shape or color relationship as the first objects they saw. A duckling that
was first shown two green spheres, in other words, was more likely to move toward a pair of blue
spheres than a mismatched pair of orange and purple spheres.
Ducklings go through a rapid learning process called imprinting shortly after birth—it's
what allows them to identify and follow their mothers.
These findings suggest that ducklings use abstract relationships between sensory inputs like
color, shape, sounds and odor to recognize their mothers, said Dr. Kacelnik.
By studying imprinting, the authors of this study have shown for the first time that an animal
can learn relationships between concepts without training, said Jeffrey Katz, an experimental
psychologist at Auburn University who was not involved in the study.
Previous studies have suggested that other animals, including pigeons, dolphins, honeybees
and some primates(灵长类动物),can discern same from different, but only after extensive
training.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 25 页 共 223页Adding ducklings to the list—particularly untrained newborn ducklings—suggests that the
ability to compare abstract concepts“is far more necessary to a wider variety of animals'survival
than we previously thought,” Dr. Martinho said. He believes the ability is so crucial because it
helps animals consider context when identifying objects in their environment.
It's clear from this study and others like it that “animals process and appreciate far more of
the intricacies in their world than we've ever understood," Dr. Wasserman said.“We are in a
revolutionary phase in terms of our ability to understand the minds of other animals.”
46.In what way were humans thought to be unique?
A) Being a major source of animal intelligence.
B) Being the cornerstone of the creative world.
C) Being capable of same-different discrimination.
D) Being able to distinguish abstract from concrete.
47.What do we learn from the study published in Science?
A)Our understanding of the bird world was biased.
B) Our conception of birds' intelligence was wrong.
C) Our communication with birds was far from adequate.
D) Our knowledge about bird psychology needs updating.
48.What did the researchers discover about most ducklings from their experiment?
A)They could associate shape with color.
B) They reacted quickly to moving objects.
C) They preferred colored objects to colorless ones.
D) They could tell whether the objects were the same.
49.What was novel about the experiment in the study reported in Science?
A) The animals used received no training.
B) It used a number of colors and shapes.
C) It was conducted by experimental psychologists.
D) The ducklings were compared with other animals.
50.What do we learn from Dr. Wasserman's comment on the study of animal minds at the end of
the passage?
A) It is getting more and more intricate.
B) Research methods are being updated.
C) It is attracting more public attention.
D) Remarkable progress is being made.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 26 页 共 223 页Passage Two
The suggestion that people should aim for dietary diversity by trying to eat a variety of foods
has been a basic public health recommendation for decades in the United States and elsewhere.
Now, however, experts are warning that aiming for a diverse diet may actually lead to just eating
more calories, and, thus, to obesity. One issue is that people may not interpret"variety" the way
nutritionists intend. This problem is highlighted by new research conducted by the American
Heart Association. Researchers reviewed all the evidence published related to dietary diversity
and saw a correlation between dietary diversity and a greater intake of both healthy and unhealthy
foods. This had implications for obesity, as researchers found a greater prevalence of obesity
amongst people with a greater dietary diversity.
One author of the new study explained that their findings contradict standard dietary advice,
as most dietary guidelines around the world include a statement of eating a variety of foods. But
this advice does not seem to be supported by science, possibly because there is little agreement
about the meaning of“dietary diversity,” which is not clearly and consistently defined. Some
experts measure dietary diversity by counting the number of food groups eaten, while others look
at the distribution of calories across individual foods, and still others measure how different the
foods eaten are from each other.
Although the findings of this new study contradict standard dietary advice, they do not come
as a surprise to all of the researchers involved. Dr. Rao, one of the study authors, noted that, after
20 years of experience in the field of obesity, he has observed that people who have a regimented
lifestyle and diet tend to be thinner and healthier than people with a wide variety of consumption.
This anecdotal evidence matches the conclusions of the study, which found no evidence that
dietary diversity promotes healthy body weight or optimal eating patterns, and limited evidence
shows that eating a variety of foods is actually associated with consuming more calories, poor
eating patterns and weight gain. Further, there is some evidence that a greater variety of food
options in a single meal may delay people's feeling of fullness and actually increase how much
they eat.
Based on their findings, the researchers endorse a diet consisting of a limited number of
healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits, grains, and poultry. They also recommend that people
simultaneously endeavor to restrict consumption of sweets, sugar and red meat. The researchers
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 27 页 共 223 页stress, however,that their dietary recommendations do not imply dietary diversity is never
positive, and that, in the past, diversity in diets of whole, unprocessed food may have actually
been very beneficial
51. What has been a standard piece of dietary advice for decades?
A) People should cultivate a healthy eating habit.
B) People should have a well-balanced diet.
C) People should diversify what they eat.
D) People should limit calorie intake to avoid obesity.
52. What did the new research by the American Heart Association find?
A) People seeking dietary diversity tend to eat more.
B) Big eaters are more likely to become overweight.
C) Dietary diversity is positively related to good health.
D) Unhealthy food makes people gain weight more easily.
53. What could help to explain the contradiction between the new findings and the common
public health recommendation?
A)Most dietary guidelines around the world contradict one another.
B) Conventional wisdom about diet is seldom supported by science.
C) The methods researchers use to measure nutrition vary greatly.
D) There is little consensus on the definition of dietary diversity.
54. What did Dr.Rao find after 20 years of research on obesity?
A) Dietary diversity promotes healthy body weight.
B) Eating patterns and weight gain go hand in hand.
C) Diversified food intake may not contribute to health.
D) There is no clear definition of optimal eating patterns.
55.What does the passage say about people who eat a great variety of food?
A) They tend to consume more sweets, sugar and red meat.
B) They don't feel they have had enough until they overeat.
C) They don't have any problems getting sufficient nutrition.
D) They are more likely to eat foods beneficial to their health.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 28 页 共 223 页2022年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
Many people associate their self-worth with their work. The more successful their career, the
better they feel about themselves. Work-related self-esteem is therefore a worthy ideal to pursue
with vigor, right? Well, not always. According to recent research, in which psychologists
interviewed 370 full-time workers over a period of three weeks, the reality is a little more
complicated. And it involves negative as well as positive consequences.
It's natural to be drawn towards pleasure and to step away from pain. In the workplace, if
that pleasure comes from a triumph which swells our self-respect, people will try to repeat the
accomplishment. But repeating that accomplishment is often not realistic, which can lead to
severe negative emotional consequences when it doesn't reoccur. This form of motivation is
widely regarded as a negative type of motivation. It can hinder other more positive motivation
types, such as completing a task purely because it's fulfilling or enjoyable.
What consumes the employee instead is a pressing need to feel mighty and sure of
themselves. They then take on only tasks and objectives which serve that ego-driven need. As a
result, to avoid feelings of shame and worthlessness associated with failure, they extend
themselves to such a degree that there's a subsequent adverse effect on their well-being. This
internal pressure to succeed at all costs demands a lot of effort. It depletes their energy,
culminating in disproportionate levels of damaging sentiment.
Those negative emotions mount into heightened anxiety, impacting their ability to make the
most of their personal life. Their desire to avoid feeling inferior ends up making them feel
inferior when it comes to their diminished capacity for friendship and leisure. They end up
dissatisfied both at work and outside of it.
But thankfully, for those people compelled almost entirely by this specific form of
motivation, the news isn't all bad, or bad at all. The study also discovered several positive
outcomes that can actually outweigh the harmful ones. Though these types of employees are
motivated by the desire to avoid negative consequences, they are also motivated by the
excitement of pursuing emotional rewards. This excitement makes pursuing goals enjoyable and
stimulates pleasure and pride that would result from success. An effect of the positive motivation
is that it neutralizes the existence of negative motivation.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 29 页 共 223页Sure, it affects people's personal lives to what could be deemed an unhealthy extent, because
leisure activities are often seen as a part of life that must be sacrificed to manage work and family
demands. However, the way people feel about their work has less to do with whether they're
motivated by the preservation of self-esteem but more with the fact that they're simply motivated.
46.What does the author say about the pursuit of work-related self-esteem?
A) It may result in negative motivation.
B) It contributes to one's accomplishments.
C) It can increase one's vigor as one keeps trying.
D) It costs too much emotionally and psychologically.
47. What do employees tend to do in pursuing work-related self-esteem?
A) Take on tasks well beyond their actual capabilities.
B) Strive to succeed at the expense of their well-being.
C) Resort to all means regardless of the consequences.
D) Exaggerate their sense of shame and worthlessness.
48.What do we learn about people over-concerned with work-related self-esteem?
A) They may often feel inferior to their colleagues.
B) They cannot enjoy their personal life to the full.
C) They are never satisfied with their achievements.
D) They have their own view of friendship and leisure.
49.What is the good news we learn from the recent research?
A) The pursuit of goals may turn out to be enjoyable and pleasant.
B) The emotional rewards from goal pursuit are worth the pains taken.
C) The negative consequences of goal pursuit can mostly be avoided.
D) The goal of swelling self-esteem can be achieved if one keeps trying
50.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A)Workers have to make sacrifices to preserve self-esteem.
B) Self-esteem swells when workers are strongly motivated.
C) Pursuit of goals affects people's personal lives to an unhealthy extent.
D)People feel positive about their work as long as they are motivated.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 30 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Degradation of the world's natural resources by humans is rapidly outpacing the planet's
ability to absorb the damage, a recent UN environmental study has found. The study concludes
that without radical action the level of prosperity that millions of people in the developed world
count on will be impossible to maintain or extend to poorer countries.
Water scarcity is the curse of some of the poorest regions on Earth, leaving developing
countries increasingly unable to feed themselves, and causing hardship for millions of people.
There appears little prospect of this desperate situation being remedied without radical action
being taken. Water resources are under increasing threat from population growth, climate change,
rapid urbanization, rising levels of consumption, and the degradation of lands that previously
provided a natural replenishment (补充) of water resources.
The rate of damage to the natural environment was found to increase globally, despite
concerted efforts to persuade government to take measures to improve the condition.“If current
trends continue, and the world fails to improve patterns of production and consumption, then
the state of the world's environment will continue to decline,"warned UN executive director
Achim Steiner.
He said the tools for improving the environment for millions of people existed in developed
countries, but were in danger of not being used.
The study found that basic measures to tackle some of the key causes of environmental
damage were still not being taken. These included measures to reduce air pollution; to control the
damage to marine eco-systems, which can have a huge effect on fish stocks on which hundreds of
millions of people depend; and to curb the degradation of land where modem agricultural
methods were pursued without regard to the longer-term consequences.
Despite the recent global agreement on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, global carbon
output continues to rise. This will put a long-term strain on the ability of developing economies to
feed their own people. Climate change is aggravated by the emissions of greenhouse gases from
chemical and natural fertilisers used in agriculture which increased by more than a quarter
between 2000 and 2010.Other problem areas identified in the report included glaciers, which
provide vital water resources for millions of people, but which are shrinking as the climate warms.
In rich countries, these problems have built up over decades and centuries while economic
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 31 页 共 223 页growth was pursued at the expense of the environment. Subsequent efforts to remedy the
environment have met with partial success. But in developing countries, the path of future
development has more potential to change, which has encouraged international institutions to
devise more sustainable growth pathways that are supposed both to alleviate poverty and preserve
the environment.
51. What is the major finding of the UN environmental study?
A) Human activity has rendered Mother Earth almost uninhabitable.
B) Humans are doing more damage to the earth than it can cope with.
C) Environmental problems have considerably weakened human prosperity.
D) Environmental damage is more serious in developed countries these days.
52. What is said about water scarcity in some of the poorest regions?
A) It is getting so serious that there is little hope of solution.
B) It largely accounts for their slow economic development.
C) It can hardly be relieved if no drastic measures are taken.
D) It is primarily caused by the acceleration of climate change.
53.What does Achim Steiner say about the environmental condition?
A) It will deteriorate worldwide.
B) It is attracting global attention.
C) It is being slowly remedied globally.
D) It will shrink the world's population.
54.What is the dilemma developing countries face?
A) They cannot modernise farming without causing land degradation.
B) They cannot promote industrialisation without polluting waterways.
C) They cannot boost crop yields without causing greenhouse gas emissions.
D) They cannot catch up with rich countries without sacrificing the environment.
55.What should developing countries do in their future development according to the passage?
A) They turn to developed countries for the assistance they need.
B) They remedy environmental damage by slowing economic growth.
C) They avoid damaging interference from international institutions.
D) They improve people's livelihood without harming the environment.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 32 页 共 223 页2022年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
Some people in the US have asserted that forgiving student loan debt is one way to stimulate
the economy and give assistance to those in need. One government proposition is to eliminate
$10,000 of debt for economically distressed' students. Some in US Congress have gone so far as
to suggest forgiving up to S50,000 in debt per student borrower, but does forgiving student debt
necessarily correlate to helping the economically disadvantaged?
The answer is no. This policy is just giving money away to universities and the most affluent
students in attendance. Federal Reserve data reveals that the highest-income 40 percent of
households owe approximately 60 percent of outstanding student debt, while the lowest 40
percent owe just under 20 percent. This could be due to a combination of factors: students from
high-income households are more likely to go to expensive colleges, less likely to receive
financial aid, and more likely to have high incomes post-graduation. Plus, the majority of student
debt is held by graduate degree earners, who earn approximately 25 percent more than their
undergraduate counterparts. Clearly, giving free reign to banks to forgive student debt is a step in
the wrong direction.
Other proposals for broader, long-term student loan plans have some fundamental problems.
One idea is to cancel student debt only for undergraduate degrees and for students making less
than $125,000.
This attempts to address the fact that Congress' previously mentioned student loan
forgiveness plan largely helps out the wealthy, but is an adverse incentive for universities to keep
raising tuition and for students to choose to major in low-earning degree programs. Colleges have
no reason to make their programs more affordable if they believe students will just take out more
debt. And, students will feel more comfortable making the irresponsible decision to go tens of
thousands of dollars in debt to major in impractical or idealistic subjects if they know their loans
will be forgiven.
This is especially concerning given the pandemic(大流行病)has rendered a college
education practically worthless. Students are paying tens of thousands of dollars per year to live
at home and be lectured on the Internet. Do we really want to tell colleges that they can get away
with providing below-average service for an outrageous cost?
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 33 页 共 223页In the case of any of these student debt plans, working-class Americans who chose not to or
could not afford to go to college will be subsidizing the education of the professional class.
Plumbers and retail workers will be paying for the degrees of doctors and lawyers.
The US government's effort to help those in debt is commendable but is this really the
solution that will help the poor financially recover?
46.Why do some people advocate forgiving student loan debt?
A) They assert it will narrow the gap between the wealthy and the poor.
B) They believe it will benefit both the economy and the underprivileged.
C) They claim it will eliminate economic distress among college students.
D) They think the cost of education is the responsibility of the government.
47. What do we learn from the Federal Reserve data?
A)Approximately 60of student debt remains unpaid.
B) Cancelling student debt benefits wealthy families most.
C) Forgiving student debt provides little benefit to universities.
D) Low-income families owe the biggest amount of student debt.
48.What does the author say students are likely to do if they know they needn't repay their loans?
A) They will choose to study subjects without considering their job prospects.
B) They will be free to pursue their goals without being burdened financially.
C) They will over-borrow and live beyond their means.
D) They will be able to enroll in expensive universities.
49.What does the author imply about colleges offering online education?
A) They cannot get away with the serious consequences.
B) They have suffered greatly from the current pandemic.
C) The tuition they charge is not justified by the quality of their service.
D) The tuition they charge has surged outrageously during the pandemic.
50. What will happen if any of the proposed student debt plans is implemented?
A) Plumbers and retail workers will have a chance of becoming professionals.
B) Working-class students will have increasing access to subsidized education.
C) Blue-collar workers will have to bear the cost of educating would-be high-earners.
D) A growing number of students will be able to earn degrees in medicine and law.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 34 页 共 223 页Passage Two
If there's one rule that most parents cling to in the confusing, fast-changing world of kids
and media, it's“No screens before age 2.”
As of today, that rule has been thrown out the window.
The American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP), which first issued that recommendation back
in 1999, has extensively updated and revised its guidelines for children and adolescents to reflect
new research and new habits.
The new guidelines, especially for very young children, shift the focus from WHAT is on
the screen to WHO else is in the room. And in doing so, they raise some intriguing points about
the future of learning from media.
For babies younger than 18 months, AAP still says no screens at all are the best idea—with
one notable exception: Live video chat. Surveys indicate that families already popularly believe
that “Face time doesn't count”, or at least that the benefit of virtual visits with grandparents or
other relatives outweighs the potential cost of exposing babies to the laptop or smartphone.
The AAP doesn't cite positive evidence that infants actually get something out of this kind
of“conversation”, the way that they clearly do from live social interaction. But there's some
observational research that infants as young as six months old are emotionally engaged by
playing live peekaboo(躲猫猫) with Grandma online.
For infants and toddlers(学步儿童),ages 15 months to 2 years old, there's limited evidence
from a couple of very small studies that they can learn new words from educational media, if and
only if parents are watching alongside them, repeating what the video says and/or drawing
attention to what is on the screen. In other words, treating a video or an app like a picture book is
the best bet
The flip side of this is that many studies have actually shown poorer language skills correlated
with earlier solo viewing of“educational” videos. There's also research that shows language delays
in children who watch more TV and start watching earlier. In both cases, the problem seems to be
media replacing interaction with people. For this reason, the new AAP guideline has changed from
“avoid all screens under age 2” to“avoid solo media use in this age group.”
For preschoolers ages 2 to 5, there's more evidence that they have the ability to transfer
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 35 页 共 223 页knowledge from screens to the real world, including early literacy and math. For this age group,
AAP recommends no more than an hour a day of screen use. And, just as with younger children,
they want care-givers to take part in screen time:“Co-view with your children, help children
understand what they are seeing, and help them apply what they learn to the world around them.”
51. What do we learn about the“No screens under 2”rule?
A) It has met more and more resistance from parents.
B) It has proved helpful to children's healthy growth.
C) It confuses parents with regard to kids' education.
D) It has been discarded in line with recent research.
52.What do the new AAP guidelines advocate?
A)Young children should be accompanied by parents during screen time.
B) Parents should be emotionally involved in their children's upbringing.
C) Young children should watch videos carefully selected by parents.
D) Parents should protect their children from too much media exposure.
53. What do families think of live video chat according to surveys?
A)It should not be regarded as screen time.
B) It helps babies to develop their verbal skills.
C) It is not as harmful as playing games on laptops.
D) It is a good substitute for video viewing.
54.What do researches find about kids solo viewing educational videos?
A)It arouses their interest in language learning.
B) It works no better than reading picture books.
C) It hampers their development of language skills.
D) It helps them acquire independent learning skills.
55. What does the author say about preschoolers ages 2 to 5?
A)They can understand pretty well what they see on the screen.
B) They can learn on their own without much parental guidance.
C) They can make use of educational videos to develop digital literacy.
D) They can relate what they learn on the screen to real life situations.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 36 页 共 223 页2022年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第3套
Passage One
How can one person enjoy good health, while another person looks old before her time?
Humans have been asking this question for thousands of years, and recently, it's becoming
clearer and clearer to scientists that the differences between people's rates of aging lie in the
complex interactions among genes, social relationships, environments and lifestyles. Even though
you were born with a particular set of genes, the way you live can influence how they express
themselves. Some lifestyle factors may even turn genes on or shut them off.
Deep within the genetic heart of all our cells are telomeres, or repeating segments of
noncoding DNA that live at the ends of the chromosomes (染色体). They form caps at the ends
of the chromosomes and keep the genetic material together. Shortening with each cell division,
they help determine how fast a cell ages. When they become too short, the cell stops dividing
altogether. This isn't the only reason a cell can age—there are other stresses on cells we don't yet
understand very well—but short telomeres are one of the major reasons human cells grow old.
We've devoted most of our careers to studying telomeres, and one extraordinary discovery from
our labs is that telomeres can actually lengthen.
Scientists have learned that several thought patterns appear to be unhealthy for telomeres,
and one of them is cynical hostility. Cynical hostility is defined by high anger and frequent
thoughts that other people cannot be trusted. Someone with hostility doesn't just think, "I hate to
stand in long lines"; they think,“Others deliberately sped up and beat me to my rightful position
in the line!”—and then get violently agitated. People who score high on measures of cynical
hostility tend to get more heart disease, metabolic disease and often die at younger ages. They
also have shorter telomeres. In a study of British civil servants, men who scored high on
measures of cynical hostility had shorter telomeres than men whose hostility scores were low.
The most hostile men were 30more likely to have short telomeres.
What this means: aging is a dynamic process that could possibly be accelerated or slowed—
and, in some aspects, even reversed. To an extent, it has surprised us and the rest of the scientific
community that telomeres do not simply carry out the commands issued by your genetic code.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 37 页 共 223 页Your telomeres are listening to you. The foods you eat, your response to challenges, the amount
of exercise you get, and many other factors appear to influence your telomeres and can prevent
premature aging at the cellular level. One of the keys to enjoying good health is simply doing
your part to foster healthy cell renewal.
46.What have scientists come to know better today?
A)Why people age at different rates.
B) How genes influence the aging process.
C) How various genes express themselves in aging.
D) Why people have long been concerned about aging.
47.Why are some lifestyle factors considered extremely important?
A) They may shorten the process of cell division.
B) They may determine how genes function.
C) They may affect the lifespan of telomeres.
D) They may account for the stresses on cells.
48.What have the author and his colleagues discovered about telomeres?
A)Their number affects the growth of cells.
B) Their length determines the quality of life.
C) Their shortening process can be reversed.
D) Their health impacts the division of cells.
49.What have scientists learned about cynical hostility?
A) It may lead to confrontational thought patterns.
B) It may produce an adverse effect on telomeres.
C) It may cause people to lose their temper frequently.
D)It may stir up agitation among those in long lines.
50. What do we learn from the last paragraph about the process of aging?
A) It may vary from individual to individual.
B) It challenges scientists to explore further.
C) It depends on one's genetic code.
D) It may be controlled to a degree.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 38 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Scientists have created by accident an enzyme(酶)that breaks down plastic drinks bottles.
The breakthrough could help solve the global plastic pollution crisis by enabling for the first time
the full recycling of botles.
The new research was spurred by the discovery in 2016 of the first bacterium that had
naturally evolved to eat plastic at a waste dump in Japan. Scientists have now revealed the
detailed structure of the crucial enzyme produced by the bug.
An international team then adjusted the enzyme to see how it had evolved, but tests showed
they had accidentally made the molecule even better at breaking down the plastic used for drinks
bottles.“What actually turned out was we improved the enzyme, which was a bit of a shock,”
said head researcher Prof. McGeehan, at the University of Portsmouth, UK.
Currently, the enzyme takes a few days to start breaking down the plastic, far faster than the
centuries it takes in the oceans, but the researchers are optimistic this can be speeded up even
further and become a viable large-scale process.
“What we are hoping to do is use this enzyme to turn this plastic back into its original
components, so we can literally recycle it back to plastic,"said McGeehan. "It means we won't
need to dig up any more oil and, fundamentally, it should reduce the amount of plastic in the
environment.”
About 1 million plastic bottles are sold each minute around the globe and, with just 14%
recycled, many end up in the oceans where they have polluted even the remotest parts, harming
marine life and potentially people who eat sea food.“Plastic is incredibly resistant to
degradation,”said McGeehan.“It is one of these wonder materials that has been made a little bit
too well."
Currently those bottles that are recycled can only be turned into opaque fibres for clothing or
carpets, while the new enzyme indicates a way to recycle old clear plastic bottles back into new
clear plastic bottle
“You are always up against the fact oil is cheap, so plastic is cheap,” said McGeehan.“It is
so easy for manufacturers to generate more of that stuff, rather than even try to recycle, but I
believe there is a public interest here: perception is changing so much that companies are starting
to look at how they can properly recycle these bottles."
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 39 页 共 223 页Prof. Adisa Azapagic, at the University of Manchester in the UK, agreed the enzyme could
be useful but added:“A full life-cycle assessment would be needed to ensure that the technology
does not solve one environmental problem—waste—at the expense of others, including
additional greenhouse gas emissions.”
51. What do we learn from the passage about an enzyme scientists have created?
A)It was identified during a lab experiment accident.
B) It may make full recycling of plastic bottles a reality.
C) It was a breakthrough made with persistent efforts.
D) It may initiate a radical reform in plastic industry.
52.What does the passage say about the bug that produces the important enzyme?
A)It has a natural ability to consume plastics.
B) It is a bacterium that reproduces at a high rate.
C) It is essential to the recycling of plastic bottles.
D)It has a chemical structure unknown to scientists.
.
53. By adjusting the enzyme produced by the bug, the scientists .
A)made it more effective by chance
B) discovered an extraordinary chemical
C) altered its basic molecular composition
D) found its evolutionary process sped up
54. What does Prof. McGeehan say about the recycling of plastic bottles?
A)Manufacturers are implementing it on an increasingly larger scale.
B) It generates huge business opportunities for plastic manufacturers.
C) It has aroused persistent interest among the general public.
D) Manufacturers are beginning to explore ways of doing it.
55.What is Prof. AdisaAzapagic's advice concerning the application of the enzyme?
A) Developing technologies to address greenhouse gas emissions.
B) Considering the extra cost involved in producing the enzyme.
C) Assessing its possible negative impact on the environment.
D) Studying the full life cycle of the enzyme as the first step.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 40 页 共 223 页2022年09月大学英语六级仔细阅读全1套
Passage One
The U. S.and China don't agree on much these days. Germany and France share a border
and a currency but are frequently at odds. The U. K. and India like to march to their own drum.
But there's one issue on which all these countries see eye to eye: Technology companies are too
big, too powerful, and too profitable. And that power is only likely to intensify, leaving
governments with no choice but to confront it head-on by taking the companies to court, passing
new competition laws, and perhaps even breaking up the tech giants.
China is the latest to implement an anti-trust crackdown, unveiling anti-monopoly rules last
month.The draft rules followed the surprise suspension of a $ 37 billion stock offering by
billionaire Jack Ma's Ant Group Co., making clear that no company can evade the government's
regulation. The moves in China coincide with accelerating efforts in the U. S. and Europe to
rein in Amazon.com, Apple, Facebook, and Google.
“The big get bigger and bigger but without being better,” says Andreas Schwab, a German
member of the European Parliament who championed a 2014 resolution to break up Google.
“Growing economic power, growing influence on local markets all over the world, and a growing
concern of competitors and consumers altogether have made it happen now.”
In this new anti-trust era, the old focus on pricing power no longer applies, because several
of the biggest tech companies have established trillion-dollar monopolies by charging consumers
next to nothing. Tech giants are increasingly assuming powerful positions in banking, finance,
advertising, retail, and other markets that force smaller businesses to rely on their platforms to
reach customers.
For years, Europe alone confronted the power of digital giants. Governments were alarmed
that European companies were failing to match Silicon Valley's innovations or to stop Google
and Facebook from vacuuming up personal data and, with that, advertising revenue. Led by
Margrethe Vestager, the European Union's competition chief, countries have sought to police the
market and encourage fair play.
In China the crackdown has been driven at least partly by fear that the homegrown tech
industry is becoming too powerful. The country has long championed Alibaba and Tencent, but
their massive accumulation of data on the Chinese citizenry is a growing concern for Beijing.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 41 页 共223 页In the U.S., a new breed of anti-trust experts argues that consideration should be given to
privacy, control over data, workers' rights, and the overall impact on smaller companies. And the
public in general have grown increasingly skeptical of social media companies. More than 60%
say the sector has a negative effect on the country, and almost half want more regulation for
social media, according to a 2020 Pew Research Center study.
46.What does the author say is the issue all major economic powers have to address?
A) How to ensure the sustainable growth of their tech giants.
B) How to keep the competitiveness of their tech companies.
C) How to break up the powerful giant tech companies.
D) How to stop tech companies from gaining monopoly.
47. What does the suspension of Ant Group Co.'s stock offering suggest?
A)All attempts to evade regulation are doomed to failure.
B) All attempts to monopolize sales must be cracked down.
C) All companies must be regulated by the government.
D)All companies, domestic or foreign, are created equal.
48.How are smaller companies impacted by tech giants' business expansion?
A) They can no longer do business independent of tech giants.
B) They are frequently denied access to tech giants' platforms.
C) They have to change marketing strategies to keep customers.
D) They no longer have the power to price their own products.
49.What have EU countries done to confront the power of digital giants?
A) They have imposed strict regulation over digital giants' advertising.
B) They have considered regulatory action to promote fair competition.
C) They have limited sales of digital giants' products.
D) They have sought to protect consumers' privacy.
50.What do Americans generally think of social media companies according to the author?
A)They are invading people's privacy.
B) They are increasingly influential.
C) They are becoming untrustworthy.
D) They are growing out of control.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 42 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Born from the accessibility of mass air travel, modern international tourism has been
popularized as “holiday-making” in regions that offer comparative advantages of sand, sun and
sea. Travel is often portrayed as a tool for personal growth and tourism as an economic motor
for destination countries and cities. There is a tendency to assume that tourism is good for
everyone involved
Today the big bang of tourism drives over 1.2 billion tourists across international borders
annually. Many popular places are literally being loved to death. Recent protests in ports of call
like Venice and Barcelona against disturbances created by cruise ships show the unfortunate
consequences of emphasizing quantity over quality in tourism.
Uncontrolled tourism development has become a primary driver of social and environmental
disruption. Tourism studies provide much documentation of the many negative social impacts of
tourism and resulting resentment that local populations direct toward visitors.
Antagonism toward tourists typically develops in mature, heavily visited destinations.
Protests in heavily visited destinations suggest that traditional tourism has overstayed its welcome.
Residents often become frustrated when the benefits of tourism are not felt locally.
Although it can generate foreign exchange, income and employment, there's no guarantee that
multinational hotel chains will allocate these benefits equitably among local communities.
On the contrary, when people stay at large resorts or on cruise ships, they make most of
their purchases there, leaving local communities little opportunity to benefit from tourist
spending. These forms of tourism widen economic and political gaps between haves and have-
nots at local destinations.
In recent decades, local residents in destination communities also have found themselves
negotiating new cultural boundaries, class dynamics, service industry roles and lifestyle
transformations. For example, data show that tourism activity corresponds to increased social
problems as local residents adopt the behaviors of tourists.
What does all this mean for the everyday traveler?
First, all tourists should make every effort to honor their hosts and respect local conditions.
This means being prepared to adapt to local customs and norms, rather than expecting local
conditions to adapt to travelers.
Second, tourism is a market-based activity and works best when consumers reward better
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 43 页 共 223 页performers. In the information age, there's little excuse for travelers being uninformed about
where their vacation money goes and who it enriches.
Informed travelers also are better able to distinguish between multinational companies and
local entrepreneurs whose businesses provide direct social, environmental, and economic benefits
for local residents. Such businesses are in love with the destination and are therefore deserving of
market reward. In the long run, being a responsible traveler means ensuring net positive impacts
for local people and environments. With the information available at our fingertips, there has
never been more opportunity to do so.
51. What is the popular assumption about international tourism?
A)Its benefits may compensate for the adverse environmental consequences.
B) Its rapid development is attributed to people's improved living standard.
C) It appeals to people in places with favorable geographical conditions.
D)It contributes to the economy of destination countries and regions.
52.What do we learn from some studies about uncontrolled tourism development?
A)It gives rise to an increase in mass confrontations.
B) It incurs local residents' antagonism to tourists.
C) It inhibits the steady growth of local economy.
D) It brings in a large chunk of mobile population.
53. Why does the author say local residents of popular destinations often feel frustrated?
A) They fall victim to social conflicts and environmental disturbances.
B) They have little opportunity to enjoy themselves on cruise ships.
C) They cannot find employment in multinational hotel chains.
D) They do not think they benefit as much as they deserve.
54. How does the author say local residents in destination communities respond to tourism activity?
A) They endeavor to adapt to it.
B) They readily adopt new lifestyles.
C) They immerse tourists in their culture.
D) They try to upgrade their business models.
55.What can tourists do to exert more positive impacts on the tourist destinations?
A) Show interest in local customs and lifestyles.
B) Seek possibilities to invest in local companies.
C) Use the services provided by local businesses.
D) Give favorable comments about their services.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 44 页 共 223 页2022年06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
Selective colleges and universities in the U.S. are under fire for being too elite and too
expensive, and for not training graduates for the world of work. Such charges ignore the fact that
these institutions continue to prepare students for success in their work, for thoughtful
engagement in civic life, for lifelong learning, and for understanding the world and those with
whom they live
These colleges and universities must be doing something right. Applications are at record
highs,and their financial aid programs make them more accessible than ever. This model of
education has long played a central role in creating opportunity, driving economic growth, and
spurring innovation
Yet, there is growing skepticism about the value of this model. The recent tax reform bill is
a wake-up call that our strongest colleges and universities are under assault by some in
government. The initial proposals would have made education unaffordable for many by taxing
tuition waivers for graduate students and ending deductions for student loan interest. Thankfully,
these provisions were ultimately stripped from the bill, but lawmakers let stand a new tax on the
investment income of some colleges and universities.
While these attacks are motivated by misguided ideas, we need to do a better job of
explaining why these claims are false and why what we do is valuable. We cannot take for
granted that any of this is obvious.
It is often said that elite colleges and universities do not train students, particularly those
who study the liberal arts, for the workforce. But this can be refuted by scholarly research. The
data are clear: a liberal arts education is great career preparation, both for excellent lifetime
earnings and for satisfaction with the work. This education develops the skills of critical thinking,
rigorous analysis of data and facts, communication with the written and spoken word,
understanding of cultural differences and issues, and the ability to keep learning. In fact, liberal
arts graduates do extremely well in every imaginable field.
Access to an education at selective colleges and universities is now more available than ever
to low-and middle-income families. We have built endowments from donations by alumni(校友)
and parents who understand and appreciate our mission to provide access and opportunity, and a
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 45页 共 223页significant portion of the returns from these endowments is used to fund financial aid.
Ironically, the new tax on endowments drains financial aid funds from the very schools most
able to offer opportunity to those who have earned a spot but cannot otherwise afford this
education. Beyond the virtue of access to those who have earned a place at these schools, the
diversity of economic backgrounds enhances the education and experience of all of our students.
46.What fact does the author emphasize concerning selective colleges and universities?
A) They have been ignoring the training of graduates for the world of work.
B) They have been doing well in ensuring their students a successful future.
C) They have been constantly attacked for being too elite and too expensive.
D) They have been actively engaged in civic life beyond the school campus.
47.What does the author say in arguing for the model of education in the U.S.?
A) It has contributed substantially to the nation's overall development.
B) It has succeeded in maintaining sustainable financial aid programs.
C) It has given priority to innovative programs for graduate studies.
D) It has played a central role in attracting international applicants.
48.What do we learn about the initial proposals concerning the recent tax reform bill?
A) They would have stripped many students of life's chances.
B) They would have deducted graduate student loan interest.
C) They would have added to many students' financial burden.
D) They would have increased the number of tuition waivers.
49.What do the data show about elite colleges and universities?
A) Their graduates lack the rigor required for doing statistical analysis.
B) Their students prove to be inadequately prepared for their future careers.
C) Their focus on research is conducive to developing students' critical thinking.
D) Their liberal arts education enables graduates to excel in whatever field they are in.
50.What is an advantage of providing financial aid for students?
A) Every student can choose the institution they wish to attend.
B) All students can benefit from a diversified student population.
C) All students will be able to earn a place on university campus.
D) Less privileged students will be more competitive at elite schools
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 46 页 共 223 页Passage Two
When a group of Australians was asked why they believed climate change was not happening,
about 36said it was“common sense”, according to a report published last year by the
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. This was the most popular
reason for their opinion, with only 11saying their belief that climate change was not happening
was based on scientific research.
But what do we mean by an appeal to common sense? Presumably it's an appeal to rationality
of some sort that forms the basis of more complex reasoning. The appeal to common sense,
however, is usually nothing more than an appeal to thinking that just feels right, but what feels
right to one person may not feel right to another. Whether it feels right is usually a reflection of
the world view and ideologies we have internalised, and that frames how we interact with new
ideas. When new ideas are in accord with what we already believe, they are more readily
accepted. When they are not, they, and the arguments that lead to them, are more readily rejected.
We often mistake this automatic compatibility testing of new ideas with existing beliefs as an
application of common sense, but, in reality, it is more about judging than thinking. As Nobelist
Daniel Kahneman notes in Thinking, Fast and Slow, when we arrive at conclusions in this way,
the outcomes also feel true, regardless of whether they are. We are not psychologically well
equipped to judge our own thinking.
We are also highly susceptible to a range of cognitive biases such as giving preference to the
first things that come to mind when making decisions or giving weight to evidence.
One way we can check our internal biases and inconsistencies is through the social
verification of knowledge, in which we test our ideas in a rigorous and systematic way to see if
they make sense not just to us, but to other people. The outstanding example of this socially
shared cognition is science.
That does not mean that individuals are not capable of excellent thinking, nor does it mean no
individual is rational. But the extent to which individuals can do this on their own is a function of
how well integrated they are with communities of systematic inquiry in the first place. You can't
learn to think well by yourself.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 47 页 共 223 页In matters of science at least, those who value their common sense over methodological,
collaborative investigation imagine themselves to be more free in their thinking, unbound by
involvement with the group, but in reality they are tightly bound by their capabilities and
perspectives. We are smarter together than we are individually, and perhaps that's just common
sense.
51. What does the author intend to show by citing the findings from the report published last year?
A)People seldom appeal to rationality in their thinking.
B) It is often the case that truth lies in the hands of a few.
C) Common sense and science are the two sides of a coin.
D) Few people know if climate change is really happening.
52.What is the appeal to common sense according to the author?
A) It is the basis for the internalisation of individuals'ideologies.
B) It is a series of conceptions formulated from complex reasoning.
C) It is collective wisdom that helps people interact with new ideas.
D) It is something subjective based on what one perceives to be right.
53. What does Daniel Kahneman think is the problem of testing new ideas with existing beliefs?
A)It may lead to incorrect judgment.
B) It makes no use of common sense.
C) It fails to correct mistakes through serious reasoning.
D) It can produce psychologically unacceptable outcomes.
54.What can we do to be less susceptible to cognitive biases?
A) Give equal weight to evidence of both sides in a conflict.
B) Provide convincing examples in developing an argument.
C) Establish socially shared cognition via scientific methods.
D) Avoid inconsistencies when addressing controversial issues.
55.What message does the author try to convey at the end of the passage?
A)Multiple perspectives stimulate people's interest in exploring the unknown.
B) Individuals can enhance their overall capabilities by interacting with others.
C) Individuals should think freely to break from the restrictions of common sense.
D) Collaborative efforts can overcome individuals limitations in scientific inquiry.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 48 页 共 223 页2022年06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
Since American idol star Taryn Southern started composing music with AI in 2017,
musicians all over the world have begun wondering about the implications of AI and modern
technology where music production is concerned. Using AI in the creation of music is perceived
by some as a helpful tool and by others as almost "the beginning of the end".
In Taryn's case, AI software enabled her to communicate melodies and chords that she
didn't know how to put together herself. The end product was therefore a collaborative effort,
rather than a piece entirely produced by technology. Taryn's story has a distinctly positive feel
that highlights the advantages of using AI in music production. It can serve as a source of
inspiration, and as an ideal jumping-off point should a musician be hit with writer's block (文思
枯竭).
Contrary to seeing Al as a tool, some musicians consider it to be hugely detrimental to the
music scene. At the moment, because such technology is still so young, the music it's producing
is not necessarily what we want to hear. In short, it's not of great quality. Those who have
produced their own music, or even fans of authentic, artistic music, will also argue that a
computer could never emulate the work (and human touch) of a true musician.
Music has been an integral part of the story of humans for ages; in fact, the first known piece
of music is believed to be around 3,400 years old. Songs have long been used as a means of
communicating messages and folk stories, covering everything from societal ethics to world
history. Since many people see music as such an inherently human expression, it is often
considered as too precious to impart to technology. The thought of a computer generating a
“random” piece of music that hasn't been painstakingly created by an artist is almost seen as
sacrilegious (亵渎神圣的).
Regardless of which side of the argument you fall on, it seems likely that the use of AI in
music production will only become more frequent. Our modern world is preoccupied with
technological advancements. Instead of shying away from the idea of this bleak future, the best
approach to take is one of optimism and curiosity. While there are always bound to be stubborn
old-school musicians who refuse to use tech, music producers should consider Al as something to
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 49 页 共 223页be embraced. AI music software is still very much in its infancy, but with more investors
interested in the development and outcomes of such technology, and considering the rapid growth
rate of other tech advances in recent years, it's only a matter of time before AI-produced music is
seen as the new norm.
46. How do some musicians perceive using Al in creating music?
A) It would help to produce more music idols.
B) It would be detrimental to music production.
C) It would hinder the understanding of authentic music.
D) It would be the beginning of a new era in music creation.
47.What does Taryn Southern's story illustrate?
A) AI technology is conducive to music composition.
B) Musicians will be unable to create music without high tech.
C) Musicians are often at their wits, end in their creative effort.
D)AI technology is indispensable to creating melodies and chords.
48.Why are some musicians opposed to the use of AI in creating music?
A)Music produced with AI technology lacks humanness.
B) Music created with Al technology is easily emulated.
C) It will depreciate humans' role in music composition.
D) It will deplete young musicians, creative inspiration.
49.Why do many people think music is too precious to impart to AI technology?
A)It cannot be created without pains.
B) It cannot be produced at random.
C) It is part of human life.
D) It is human specific.
50.What does the author think of the future of AI music?
A) It will continue to arouse the interest of music investors.
B) It has the prospect of becoming the norm in the future.
C) It will be gradually accepted by old-school musicians.
D)It may eventually lose its freshness and appeal.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 50 页 共 223 页Passage Two
A few weeks ago, a well-meaning professor tried to explain the physiological process behind
viruses and the human body in a tweet and was immediately criticized for a mistake in his
information. He then issued an apology and deleted his erroneous tweet.
Communicating science beyond the academic bubble is necessary to augmenting public
understanding of health and environmental issues and helping individuals make well-informed
personal decisions
However, scientists who engage in science communication must acknowledge that even in
their area, their expertise is deep but narrow. They need to recognize the constraints in their own
knowledge. That is not to suggest that they only write or present on their own research, but rather,
that they consult with an expert if the topic is outside of their discipline. Fact-checking with a
scientist who works in the specialty will prevent the unintentional spread of misinformation, and
the process of doing so may yield tiny pieces of interesting new information that can be
incorporated.
Some have argued that the public is not educated enough to understand scientific
information, especially for any complex phenomena, but this is absurd. Science instruction can be
found at all levels of public education with most secondary schools offering classes on biology,
physics, and chemistry. If anything, social media has shown that the public craves knowledge
based on a solid scientific foundation. Even the public discourse that follows most scientific
articles shows that online readers can understand even the most baffling of scientific principles.
It is equally imperative to emphasize that being an expert on a topic does not automatically
make a scholar qualified to communicate it to a nonscientific audience. A number of scientists
recently have been offering public-aimed explanations of scientific phenomena. Even though they
have appropriate credentials, they often do very little in the way of explaining. One biologist
shared an intricate analogy involving a library, books, paper, a recipe, ingredients, and a cake to
explain the process behind vaccines. Any explanation that requires a written key to keep track of
what each item represents is not a clear example for public consumption.
Science communication is a science in and of itself. It requires rigorous training and
instruction. A scientist should take communication courses that can teach a person how to
identify and eliminate jargon and how to develop effective analogies to explain complex concepts.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 51 页 共 223 页One cannot assume communication expertise-imagine if someone just decided that they were a
physicist and started trying to contribute to the field without the necessary background. Doing a
poor job communicating science to the public will only create confusion and widen the gap
between science and society, a gap that scientists are trying to close.
51. What does the author say about communicating science to the general public?
A) It will help them to keep abreast of the latest scientific developments.
B) It is a necessary means to improve their understanding of scientific issues.
C) It will get them more involved in academic debates on environmental problems.
D) It is an effective way to augment scientists' influence beyond the academic circle.
52.What does the author advise scientists do to deal with topics outside of their specialty?
A)Write or present on them from new angles.
B) Utilize information from diverse sources.
C) Turn to a specialist for professional help.
D) Fact-check with colleagues in their field.
53.What does the author say we can learn from social media?
A) A solid academic foundation is essential to understanding baffling scientific principles.
B) Modern technology has facilitated communication between scientists and the public.
C) Scientific articles have gained increasing popularity among the general public.
D) The public's understanding of science is much better than some have claimed.
54.What does the example of the biologist who shared an intricate analogy show?
A)It is helpful to use illustrations in explaining scientific phenomena.
B) It is imperative to have appropriate titles to explain scientific issues.
C) A learned scholar is not necessarily a qualified science communicator.
D) A nonscientific audience cannot duly understand principles of science.
55.What does the author suggest scientists do to close the gap between science and society?
A)Explain complex concepts scientifically.
B) Make appropriate use of scientific terms.
C) Take courses in public speaking.
D)Develop communication skills.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 52 页 共 223 页2021年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
Social media is absolutely everywhere. Billions of people use social media on a daily basis
to create, share, and exchange ideas, messages, and information. Both individuals and businesses
post regularly to engage and interact with people from around the world. It is a powerful
communication medium that simultaneously provides immediate, frequent, permanent, and wide-
reaching information across the globe.
People post their lives on social media for the world to see. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedln, and
countless other social channels provide a quick and simple way to glimpse into a job candidate's
personal life—both the positive and negative sides of it. Social media screening is tempting to use
as part of the hiring process, but should employers make use of it when researching a potential
candidate's background?
Incorporating the use of social media to screen job candidates is not an uncommon practice.
A 2018 survey found that almost 70of employers use social media to screen candidates before
hiring them. But there are consequences and potential legal risks involved too. When done
inappropriately, social media screening can be considered Unethical or even illegal.
Social media screening is essentially scrutinising a job candidate's private life. It can reveal
information about protected characteristics like age, race, nationality, disability, gender, religion,
etc., and that could bias a hiring decision. Pictures or comments on a private page that are taken
out of context could ruin a perfectly good candidate's chances of getting hired. This process could
potentially give an unfair advantage to one candidate over another. It creates an unequal playing
field and potentially provides hiring managers with information that can impact their hiring
decision in a negative way.
It's hard to ignore social media as a screening tool. While there are things that you shouldn't
see, there are some things that can be lawfully considered—making it a valuable source of
relevant information too. Using social media screening appropriately can help ensure that you
don't hire a toxic employee who will cost you money or stain your company's reputation.
Consider the lawful side of this process and you may be able to hire the best employee ever.
There is a delicate balance.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 53 页 共 223页Screening job candidates on social media must be done professionally and responsibly.
Companies should stipulate that they will never ask for passwords, be consistent, document
decisions, consider the source used and be aware that other laws may apply. In light of this it is
probably best to look later in the process and ask human resources for help in navigating it. Social
media is here to stay. But before using social media to screen job candidates, consulting with
management and legal teams beforehand is essential in order to comply with all laws.
46.What does the author mainly discuss in the passage?
A) The advantage of using social media in screening job candidates.
B) The potentially invasive nature of social media in everyday life.
C)Whether the benefits of social media outweigh the drawbacks.
D) Whether social media should be used to screen job candidates.
47.What might happen when social media is used to screen job candidates?
A)Moral or legal issues might arise.
B) Company reputation might suffer.
C) Sensational information might surface.
D) Hiring decisions might be complicated.
48.When could online personal information be detrimental to candidates?
A)When it is separated from context.
B) When it is scrutinised by an employer.
C) When it is magnified to a ruinous degree.
D) When it is revealed to the human resources.
49.How can employers use social media information to their advantage while avoiding
unnecessary risks?
A)By tipping the delicate balance.
B) By using it in a legitimate way.
C) By keeping personal information on record.
D) By separating relevant from irrelevant data.
50.What does the author suggest doing before screening job candidates on social media?
A) Hiring professionals to navigate the whole process.
B)Anticipating potential risks involved in the process.
C) Seeking advice from management and legal experts.
D) Stipulating a set of rules for asking specific questions.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 54 页 共 223 页Passage Two
In recent years, the food industry has increased its use of labels. Whether the labels say
‘non-GMO(非转基因的)'or'no sugar,'or ‘zero carbohydrates', consumers are increasingly
demanding more information about what's in their food. One report found that 39 percent of
consumers would switch from the brands they currently buy to others that provide clearer, more
accurate product information. Food manufacturers are responding to the report with new labels to
meet that demand, and they're doing so with an eye towards giving their products an advantage
over the competition, and bolstering profits.
This strategy makes intuitive sense. If consumers say they want transparency, tell them
exactly what is in your product. That is simply supplying a certain demand. But the marketing
strategy in response to this consumer demand has gone beyond articulating what is in a product,
to labeling what is NOT in the food. These labels are known as“absence claims” labels, and they
represent an emerging labeling trend that is detrimental both to the consumers who purchase the
products and the industry that supplies them.
For example, Hunt's put a“non-GMO”label on its canned crushed tomatoes a few years
ago—despite the fact that at the time there was no such thing as a GMO tomato on the market.
Some dairy companies are using the “non-GMO”label on their milk, despite the fact that all milk
is naturally GMO-free, another label that creates unnecessary fear around food.
While creating labels that play on consumer fears and misconceptions about their food may
give a company a temporary marketing advantage over competing products on the grocery aisle,
in the long term this strategy will have just the opposite effect: by injecting fear into the discourse
about our food, we run the risk of eroding consumer trust in not just a single product, but the
entire food business.
Eventually, it becomes a question in consumers, minds: Were these foods ever safe? By
purchasing and consuming these types of products, have I already done some kind of harm to my
family or the planet?
For food manufacturers, it will mean damaged consumer trust and lower sales for everyone.
And this isn't just supposition. A recent study found that absence claims labels can create a
stigma around foods even when there is no scientific evidence that they cause harm.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 55 页 共 223 页It's clear that food manufacturers must tread carefully when it comes to using absence
claims. In addition to the likely negative long-term impact on sales, this verbal trick sends a
message that innovations in farming and food processing are unwelcome, eventually leading to
less efficiency, fewer choices for consumers, and ultimately, more costly food products. If we
allow this kind of labeling to continue, we will all lose.
51. What trend has been observed in a report?
A) Food manufacturers' rising awareness of product safety.
B) Food manufacturers' changing strategies to bolster profits.
C) Consumers' growing demand for eye-catching food labels.
D) Consumers' increasing desire for clear product information.
52. What does the author say is manufacturers new marketing strategy?
A)Stressing the absence of certain elements in their products.
B) Articulating the unique nutritional value of their products.
C) Supplying detailed information of their products.
D) Designing transparent labels for their products.
53. What point does the author make about non-GMO labels?
A) They are increasingly attracting customers' attention.
B) They create lots of trouble for GMO food producers.
C) They should be used more for vegetables and milk.
D) They cause anxiety about food among consumers.
54.What does the author say absence claims labels will do to food manufacturers?
A)Cause changes in their marketing strategies.
B) Help remove stigma around their products.
C) Erode consumer trust and reduce sales.
D) Decrease support from food scientists.
55.What does the author suggest food manufacturers do?
A) Take measures to lower the cost of food products.
B) Exercise caution about the use of absence claims.
C) Welcome new innovations in food processing.
D) Promote efficiency and increase food variety.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 56 页 共 223 页2021年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
The trend toward rationality and enlightenment was endangered long before the advent of
the World Wide Web. As Neil Postman noted in his 1985 book Amusing Ourselves to Death, the
rise of television introduced not just a new medium but a new discourse: a gradual shift from a
typographic(印刷的)culture to a photographic one, which in turn meant a shift from rationality
to emotions, exposition to entertainment. In an image-centered and pleasure-driven world,
Postman noted, there is no place for rational thinking, because you simply cannot think with
images. It is text that enables us to“uncover lies, confusions and overgeneralizations, and to
detect abuses of logic and common sense. It also means to weigh ideas, to compare and contrast
assertions, to connect one generalization to another.”
The dominance of television was not confined to our living rooms. It overturned all of those
habits of mind, fundamentally changing our experience of the world, affecting the conduct of
politics, religion, business, and culture. It reduced many aspects of modern life to entertainment,
sensationalism, and commerce.“Americans don't talk to each other, we entertain each other,”
Postman wrote.“They don't exchange ideas, they exchange images. They do not argue with
propositions, they argue with good looks, celebrities and commercials.”
At first, the web seemed to push against this trend. When it emerged towards the end of the
1980s as a purely text-based medium, it was seen as a tool to pursue knowledge, not pleasure.
Reason and thought were most valued in this garden—all derived from the project of the
Enlightenment. Universities around the world were among the first to connect to this new
medium, which hosted discussion groups, informative personal or group blogs, electronic
magazines, and academic mailing lists and forums. It was an intellectual project,not about
commerce or control, created in a scientific research center in Switzerland. And for more than a
decade, the web created an alternative space that threatened television's grip on society.
Social networks, though, have since colonized the web for television's values. From
Facebook to Instagram, the medium refocuses our attention on videos and images, rewarding
emotional appeals—'like'buttons—over rational ones. Instead of a quest for knowledge, it
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 57 页 共 223 页engages us in an endless zest(热情)for instant approval from an audience, for which we are
constantly but unconsciously performing.(It's telling that, while Google began life as a PhD
thesis, Facebook started as a tool to judge classmates, appearances.) It reduces our curiosity by
showing us exactly what we already want and think, based on our profiles and preferences. The
Enlightenment's motto(座右铭)of 'Dare to know’has become ‘Dare not to care to know.’
46. What did Neil Postman say about the rise of television?
A) It initiated a change from dominance of reason to supremacy of pleasure.
B) It brought about a gradual shift from cinema going to home entertainment.
C) It started a revolution in photographic technology.
D) It marked a new age in the entertainment industry.
47. According to the passage, what is the advantage of text reading?
A) It gives one access to huge amounts of information.
B) It allows more information to be processed quickly.
C) It is capable of enriching one's life.
D) It is conducive to critical thinking.
48.How has television impacted Americans?
A) It has given them a lot more to argue about.
B) It has brought celebrities closer to their lives.
C) It has made them care more about what they say.
D) It has rendered their interactions more superficial.
49.What does the passage say about the World Wide Web?
A) It was developed primarily for universities worldwide.
B) It was created to connect people in different countries.
C) It was viewed as a means to quest for knowledge.
D) It was designed as a discussion forum for university students.
50.What do we learn about users of social media?
A) They are bent on looking for an alternative space for escape.
B) They are constantly seeking approval from their audience.
C) They are forever engaged in hunting for new information.
D) They are unable to focus their attention on tasks for long.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 58 页 共 223 页Passage Two
According to a recent study, a small but growing proportion of the workforce is affected to
some degree by a sense of entitlement. Work is less about what they can contribute but more
about what they can take. It can lead to workplace dysfunction and diminish their own job
satisfaction. I'm not referring to employees who are legitimately dissatisfied with their
employment conditions due to, say, being denied fair pay or flexible work practices. I'm talking
about those who consistently believe they deserve special treatment and generous rewards. It's an
expectation that exists irrespective of their abilities or levels of performance.
As a result of that discrepancy between the privileges they feel they're owed and their
inflated sense of self-worth, they don't work as hard for their employer. They prefer instead to
slack off. It's a tendency which many scholars believe begins in childhood due to parents who
overindulge their kids. This thereby leads them to expect the same kind of spoilt treatment
throughout their adult lives. And yet despite how these employees feel, it's obviously important
for their manager to nonetheless find out how to keep them motivated. And, by virtue of that
heightened motivation, to perform well.
The research team from several American universities surveyed more than 240 individuals.
They sampled managers as well as team members. Employee entitlement was measured by
statements such as“I honestly feel I'm just more deserving than others.”The respondents had to
rate the extent of their agreement. Employee engagement,meanwhile,was assessed with
statements like “I really throw myself into my work.”The findings revealed ethical leadership is
precisely what alleviates the negative effects of employee entitlement. That's because rather than
indulging employees or neglecting them, ethical leaders communicate very direct and clear
expectations. They also hold employees accountable for their behaviors and are genuinely
committed to doing the right thing. Additionally, these leaders are consistent in their standards.
They're also less likely to deviate in how they treat employees.
This means, when confronted by an entitled team member, an ethical leader is significantly
disinclined to accommodate their demands. He or she will instead point out, constructively and
tactfully, exactly how their inflated sense of deservingness is somewhat distorted. They'd then go
further to explain the specific, and objective, criteria the employee must meet to receive their
desired rewards. This shift away from unrealistic expectations is successful because entitled
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 59 页 共 223 页employees feel more confident that ethical leaders will deliver on their promises. This occurs
because they're perceived to be fair and trustworthy.
The researchers, however, exercise caution by warning no one single response is the perfect
remedy. But there's no denying ethical leadership is at least a critical step in the right direction.
51. What does a recent study find about a growing number of workers?
A)They attempt to make more contributions.
B) They feel they deserve more than they get.
C) They attach importance to job satisfaction.
D) They try to diminish workplace dysfunction.
52. Why don't some employees work hard according to many scholars?
A)They lack a strong sense of self-worth.
B) They were spoiled when growing up.
C) They have received unfair treatment.
D) They are overindulged by their boss.
53. What is a manager supposed to do to enable workers to do a better job?
A)Be aware of their emotions.
B) Give them timely promotions.
C) Keep a record of their performance.
D)Seek ways to sustain their motivation.
54. What do the research findings reveal about ethical leaders?
A) They are held accountable by their employees.
B) They are always transparent in their likes and dislikes.
C) They convey their requirements in a straightforward way.
D) They make it a point to be on good terms with their employees.
55. What kind of leaders are viewed as ethical by entitled employees?
A)Those who can be counted on to fulfill commitments.
B) Those who can do things beyond normal expectations.
C) Those who exercise caution in making major decisions.
D) Those who know how to satisfy their employees, needs.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 60 页 共 223 页2021年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第3套
Passage One
The subject of automation and its role in our economy has taken hold in American public
discourse. Technology broadly and automation specifically are dramatically reshaping the way
we work. And we need to have a plan for what's still to come.
We don't have to look further than our own communities to see the devastating impact of
automation. From automated warehouses to cashierless grocery stores to neighborhood libraries
that offer self-checkout lanes instead of employing real people—automation is increasingly
replacing jobs and leaving too few good new jobs behind.
The statistics in manufacturing are staggering. Despite the widespread fears about trade, a
recent report showed that just 13 percent of jobs lost in manufacturing are due to trade—the rest
of the losses have been due to advances in technology.
That is why more people are criticizing the ever-increasing role of technology in our
economy. Our country is manufacturing more than ever before, but we are doing it with fewer
workers. However, it's not just factories that are seeing losses—software and information
technology are also having a dramatic impact on jobs most people think are secure from the
forces of a rapidly-changing economy. Something transformative is happening in America that is
having an adverse effect on American families. Whether policymakers and politicians admit it or
not, workers have made clear their feelings about their economic insecurity and desire to keep
good jobs in America
So why are people so insistent on ignoring the perils of automation? They are failing to look
ahead at a time when planning for the future is more important than ever. Resisting automation is
futile: it is as inevitable as industrialization was before it. I sincerely hope that those who assert
that automation will make us more effective and pave the way for new occupations are right, but
the reality of automation's detrimental effects on workers makes me skeptical. No one can
currently say where the new jobs are coming from or when, and any sensible company or country
should prepare for all alternatives.
I'm not overstating the danger: look at what's happened to the labor force. According to
economic research, one in six working-age men, 25—54, doesn't have a job. Fifty years ago,
nearly 100 percent of men that age were working. Women's labor force participation, meanwhile,
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 61 页 共 223页has slipped back to the level it was at in the late 1980s.
American families and prominent business leaders are aware that there's a big problem with
automation. The value of a college degree is diminishing, and our upward mobility is declining. If
we want an economy that allows everyone to be economically secure, we need to start thinking
about how we can rightfully address automation.
46. What can we observe from the author's description of our communities?
A) The growing passion for automation.
B) The shift from manual jobs to IT ones.
C) Their changing views on employment.
D) Their fading employment opportunities.
47. What do we learn from a recent report?
A) The manufacturing sector is declining at a fast rate.
B) The concerns about the effect of trade are exaggerated.
C) The fears about trade have been spreading far and wide.
D) The impact of trade on employment has been staggering.
48.What does the passage tell us about American workers in an era of transformation?
A)They feel ignored by politicians.
B) They feel increasingly vulnerable.
C) They keep adapting to the changes.
D) They keep complaining but to no avail.
49.What does the author think of automation?
A) It will have the same impact as industrialization.
B) It provides sensible companies with alternatives.
C) Its alleged positive effects are doubtful.
D) Its detrimental effects are unavoidable.
50.What should we attach importance to when dealing with automation?
A) College graduates' job prospects.
B) Women's access to employment.
C) People's economic security.
D)People's social mobility.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 62 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Look at the people around you. Some are passive, others more aggressive. Some work best
alone, others crave companionship. We easily recognize that there is great variation among the
individuals who live near us. Yet, when we speak of people from elsewhere, we seem to
inevitably characterize them based on their country of origin.
Statistics specialists, when they speak of national averages, often make the same mistake.
Newly published research shows how erroneous such overviews are. Three researchers
analyzed decades of values-based surveys and found that only between 16nd 21of the
variation in cultural values could be explained by differences between countries. In other words,
the vast majority of what makes us culturally distinct from one another has nothing to do with our
homeland.
To determine what factors really are associated with culture, the authors combined data from
558 prior surveys that each measured one or more of Hofstede's cultural dimensions. These are
traits, such as individualism and masculinity, that describe work-related cultural values.(They are
not a measure of visible cultural traits, such as food or dress.) Though the validity of Hofstede's
dimensions has been questioned, they have the singular benefit of having been in use for decades,
which allows for historical and international comparisons.
The researchers found that both demographic factors, such as age, and environmental factors,
such as long-term unemployment rates, were more correlated with cultural values than nationality.
Occupation and social economic status were the most strongly correlated, suggesting that our
values are more economically driven than we usually give them credit for.
The evidence implies that people with similar jobs and incomes are more culturally alike,
regardless of where they live. Vas Taras, the lead author of the study, puts it this way:“Tell me
how much you make and I will make a pretty accurate prediction about your cultural values. Tell
me what your nationality is and I probably will make a wrong prediction.”
Taras says our erroneous belief that countries are cultures has caused businesses to teach
their employees useless or even harmful ways of interacting with their international peers.
Chinese and American lawyers might be trained to interact based on the assumption that the
Chinese person is less individualistic, even though their similar social economic situations make
it probable they are actually quite alike in that regard.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 63 页 共 223 页The country, as the unit of authority, is often a convenient way of generalizing about a
population
However, our focus on countries can mask broad variations within them. In the majority of
cases we would be better off identifying people by the factors that constrain their lives, like
income, rather than by the lines surrounding them on a map.
51. What error do experts often make when describing people from other places?
A) They tend to overly rely on nationality.
B) They often exaggerate their differences.
C) They often misunderstand their cultures.
D)They tend to dwell on national averages.
52. What do we learn about Hofstede's cultural dimensions?
A) They are useful in comparing cultural values across time and space.
B) They have brought unusual benefits to people of different cultures.
C) They are widely used to identify people's individual traits.
D)They provide valuable questions for researchers to study.
53.What did researchers find about previous studies on factors determining people's values?
A) Environmental factors were prioritized over other factors.
B) An individual's financial status was often underestimated.
C) Too much emphasis had been placed on one's occupation.
D) The impact of social progress on one's values was ignored.
54. What is the impact on employees when cultures are identified with countries?
A) They may fail to see the cultural biases of their business partners.
B) They may fail to attach sufficient importance to cultural diversity.
C) They may not be taught how to properly interact with overseas partners.
D) They may not be able to learn the legal procedures for business transactions.
55.What does the author suggest at the end of the passage?
A) There is sufficient reason to generalize about a country's population.
B) The majority of people are still constrained by their national identity.
C) It is arguable that the country should be regarded as the unit of authority.
D) Nationality is less useful than socio-economic status as an indicator of one's values.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 64 页 共 223 页2021年06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
Humans are fascinated by the source of their failings and virtues. This preoccupation
inevitably leads to an old debate: whether nature or nurture moulds us more. A revolution in
genetics has poised this as a modern political question about the character of our society: if
personalities are hard-wired into our genes, what can governments do to help us? It feels morally
questionable, yet claims of genetic selection by intelligence are making headlines.
This is down to“hereditarian”(遗传论的)science and a recent paper claimed “differences
in exam performance between pupils attending selective and non-selective schools mirror the
genetic differences between them".With such an assertion, the work was predictably greeted by a
lot of absurd claims about “genetics determining academic success”. What the research revealed
was the rather less surprising result: the educational benefits of selective schools largely
disappear once pupils' inborn ability and socio-economic background were taken into account. It
is a glimpse of the blindingly obvious—and there's nothing to back strongly either a hereditary or
environmental argument.
Yet the paper does say children are“unintentionally genetically selected” by the school
system. Central to hereditarian science is a tall claim: that identifiable variations in genetic
sequences can predict an individual's aptness to learn, reason and solve problems. This is
problematic on many levels. A teacher could not seriously tell a parent their child has a low
genetic tendency to study when external factors clearly exist. Unlike-minded academics say the
inheritability of human traits is scientifically unsound. At best there is a weak statistical
association and not a causal link between DNA and intelligence. Yet sophisticated statistics are
used to create an intimidatory atmosphere of scientific certainty.
While there's an undoubted genetic basis to individual difference, it is wrong to think that
socially defined groups can be genetically accounted for. The fixation on genes as destiny is
surely false too. Medical predictability can rarely be based on DNA alone; the environment
matters too. Something as complex as intellect is likely to be affected by many factors beyond
genes. If hereditarians want to advance their cause it will require more balanced interpretation
and not just acts of advocacy.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 65 页 共 223 页Genetic selection is a way of exerting influence over others,"the ultimate collective control
of humandestinies,” as writer H.G.Wells put it. Knowledge becomes power and power requires a
sense of responsibility. In understanding cognitive ability, we must not elevate discrimination to a
science: allowing people to climb the ladder of life only as far as their cells might suggest. This
will need a more sceptical eye on the science. As technology progresses, we all have a duty to
make sure that we shape a future that we would want to find ourselves in.
46.What did a recent research paper claim?
A) The type of school students attend makes a difference to their future.
B) Genetic differences between students are far greater than supposed.
C) The advantages of selective schools are too obvious to ignore.
D) Students' academic performance is determined by their genes.
47. What does the author think of the recent research?
A)Its result was questionable.
B) Its implication was positive.
C) Its influence was rather negligible.
D) Its conclusions were enlightening.
48.What does the author say about the relationship between DNA and intelligence?
A) It is one of scientific certainty.
B) It is not one of cause and effect.
C) It is subject to interpretation of statistics.
D) It is not fully examined by gene scientists.
49.What do hereditarians need to do to make their claims convincing?
A) Take all relevant factors into account in interpreting their data.
B) Conduct their research using more sophisticated technology.
C) Gather gene data from people of all social classes.
D) Cooperate with social scientists in their research.
50.What does the author warn against in the passage?
A) Exaggerating the power of technology in shaping the world.
B) Losing sight of professional ethics in conducting research.
C) Misunderstanding the findings of human cognition research.
D) Promoting discrimination in the name of science.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 66 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Nicola Sturgeon's speech last Tuesday setting out the Scottish government's legislative
programme for the year ahead confirmed what was already pretty clear. Scottish councils are set
to be the first in the UK with the power to levy charges on visitors, with Edinburgh likely to lead
the way
Tourist taxes are not new. The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has a longstanding policy of
charging visitors a daily fee. France's tax on overnight stays was introduced to assist thermal spa
(温泉) towns to develop, and around half of French local authorities use it today.
But such levies are on the rise. Moves by Barcelona and Venice to deal with the
phenomenon of “over-tourism”through the use of charges have recently gained prominence.
Japan and Greece are among the countries to have recently introduced tourist taxes.
That the UK lags behind is due to our weak, by international standards, local government, as
well as the opposition to taxes and regulation of our aggressively pro-market ruling party. Some
UK cities have lobbied without success for the power to levy a charge on visitors. Such levies are
no universal remedy as the amounts raised would be tiny compared with what has been taken
away by central government since 2010. Still, it is to be hoped that the Scottish government's
bold move will prompt others to act. There is no reason why visitors to the UK, or domestic
tourists on holiday in hotspots such as Cornwall, should be exempt from taxation—particularly
when vital local services including waste collection,park maintenance and arts and culture
spending are under unprecedented strain.
On the contrary, compelling tourists to make a financial contribution to the places they visit
beyond their personal consumption should be part of a wider cultural shift. Westerners with
disposable incomes have often behaved as if they have a right to go wherever they choose with
little regard for the consequences. Just as the environmental harm caused by aviation and other
transport must come under far greater scrutiny, the social cost of tourism must also be confronted.
This includes the impact of short-term lets on housing costs and quality of life for residents.
Several European capitals, including Paris and Berlin, are leading a campaign for tougher
regulation by the European Union. It also includes the impact of overcrowding, litter and the
kinds of behaviour associated with noisy parties.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 67页 共 223 页There is no“one-size-fits-all”solution to this problem. The existence of new revenue
streams for some but not all councils is complicated, and businesses are often opposed, fearing
higher costs will make them uncompetitive. But those places that want them must be given the
chance to make tourist taxes work.
51.What do we learn from Nicola Sturgeon's speech?
A) The UK is set to adjust its policy on taxation.
B) Tourists will have to pay a tax to visit Scotland.
C) The UK will take new measures to boost tourism.
D) Edinburgh contributes most to Scotland's tourism.
52. How come the UK has been slow in imposing the tourist tax?
A)Its government wants to attract more tourists.
B) The tax is unlikely to add much to its revenue.
C) Its ruling party is opposed to taxes and regulation.
D) It takes time for local governments to reach consensus.
53. Both international and domestic visitors in the UK should pay tourist tax so as to
A)elevate its tourism to international standards
B) improve the welfare of its maintenance workers
C) promote its cultural exchange with other nations
D)ease its financial burden of providing local services
54.What does the author say about Western tourists?
A) They don't seem to care about the social cost of tourism.
B) They don't seem to mind paying for additional services.
C) They deem travel an important part of their life.
D) They subject the effects of tourism to scrutiny.
55. What are UK people's opinions about the levy of tourist tax?
A)Supportive
B) Divided.
C) Skeptical.
D) Unclear.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 68 页 共 223 页2021年06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage Two
We often think of drawing as something that takes inborn talent, but this kind of thinking
stems from our misclassification of drawing as, primarily, an art form rather than a tool for
learning
Researchers, teachers, and artists are starting to see how drawing can positively impact a
wide variety of skills and disciplines.
Most of us have spent some time drawing before, but at some point, most of us stop drawing.
There are people who don't, obviously, and thank god for that: a world without designers and
artists would be a very shabby one indeed.
Some argue that so many adults have abandoned drawing because we've miscategorized it
and given it a very narrow definition.In his book, Stick Figures:Drawing as a Human Practice,
Professor D.B. Dowd argues that we have misfiled the significance of drawing because we see it
as a professional skill instead of a personal capacity.We mistakenly think of"good" drawings as
those which work as recreations of the real world, as realistic illusions. Rather, drawing should be
recategorized as a symbolic tool.
Human beings have been drawing for 73,000 years. It's part of what it means to be human.
We don't have the strength of chimpanzees(大猩猩)because we've given up animal strength to
manipulate subtle instruments, like hammers, spears, and—later—pens and pencils. The human
hand is an extremely dense network of nerve endings. In many ways, human beings are built to
draw.
Some researchers argue that doodling(涂画) activates the brain's so-called default circuit—
essentially, the areas of the brain responsible for maintaining a baseline level of activity in the
absence of other stimuli. Because of this, some believe that doodling during a boring lecture can
help students pay attention. In one study, participants were asked to listen to a list of names while
either doodling or sitting still. Those who doodled remembered 29 percent more of the names
than those who did not.
There's also evidence that drawing talent is based on how accurately someone perceives the
world. The human visual system tends to misjudge size, shape, color, and angles but artists
perceive these qualities more accurately than non-artists. Cultivating drawing talent can become
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 69 页 共 223 页an essential tool to improve people's observational skills in fields where the visual is important.
Rather than think of drawing as a talent that some creative people are gifted in, we should
consider it as a tool for seeing and understanding the world better—one that just so happens to
double as an art form. Both absent-minded doodling and copying from life have been shown to
positively affect your memory and visual perception, so complain loudly the next time your
school board slashes the art department's budget.
46.What do people generally think about drawing?
A) It is a gift creative people are endowed with.
B) It is a skill that is acquired with practice.
C) It is an art form that is appreciated by all.
D) It is an ability everyone should cultivate.
47. What do we learn about designers and artists?
A)They are declining gradually in number.
B) They are keen on changing shabby surroundings.
C) They add beauty and charm to the world.
D) They spend most of their lives drawing.
48.What does Professor D.B.Dowd argue in his book?
A) Everybody is born with the capacity to draw.
B) Drawing is a skill that requires special training.
C) The value of drawing tends to be overestimated.
D) Drawing should be redefined as a realistic illusion.
49.What have some researchers found from one study about doodling?
A) It is a must for maintaining a base level of brain activity.
B) It can turn something boring into something interesting.
C) It is the most reliable stimulant to activate the brain.
D) It helps improve concentration and memory.
50.What is characteristic of people with drawing talent?
A)Sensitivity to cognitive stimulation.
B) Subtlety of representation.
C) Accuracy in categorization.
D)Precision in visual perception.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 70 页 共 223页Passage Two
The car has reshaped our cities. It seems to offer autonomy for everyone. There is something
almost delightful in the detachment from reality of advertisements showing mass-produced cars
marketed as symbols of individuality and of freedom when most of their lives will be spent
making short journeys on choked roads.
For all the fuss made about top speeds, cornering ability and acceleration, the most useful
gadgets on a modern car are those which work when you're going very slowly: parking sensors,
sound systems, and navigation apps which will show a way around upcoming traffic jams. This
seems to be one of the few areas where the benefit of sharing personal information comes straight
back to the sharer: because these apps know where almost all the users are, and how fast they are
moving almost all the time, they can spot traffic congestion(堵塞)very quickly and suggest ways
round it
The problem comes when everyone is using a navigation app which tells them to avoid
everyone else using the same gadget. Traffic jams often appear where no one has enough
information to avoid them. When a lucky few have access to the knowledge, they will benefit
greatly.But when everyone has perfect information, traffic jams simply spread onto the side
roads that seem to offer a way round them.
This new congestion teaches us two things. The first is that the promises of technology will
never be realised as fully as we hope; they will be limited by their unforeseen and unintended
consequences. Siting in a more comfortable car in a different traffic jam is pleasant but hardly the
liberation that once seemed to be promised. The second is that self-organisation will not get us
where we want to go. The efforts of millions of drivers to get ahead do not miraculously produce
a situation in which everyone does better than before, but one in which almost everyone does
rather worse. Central control and collective organisationcan produce smoother and fairer
outcomes, though even that much is never guaranteed.
Similar limits can be foreseen for the much greater advances promised by self-driving cars.
Last week, one operated by the taxi company Uber struck and killed a woman pushing her
bicycle across a wide road in Arizona. This was the first recorded death involving a car which
was supposed to be fully autonomous. Experts have said that it suggests a “catastrophic failure”
of technology.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 71 页 共 223 页Increasingly, even Silicon Valley has to acknowledge the costs of the intoxicating(令人陶醉
的)hurry that characterises its culture. What traffic teaches us is that reckless and uncontrolled
change is as likely to harm us as it is to benefit us, and that thoughtful regulation is necessary for
a better future.
51.What does the author say about car advertisements?
A) They portray drivers who enjoy speed on the road.
B) They present a false picture of the autonomy cars provide.
C) They pursue individuality and originality in design concept.
D) They overestimate the potential market of autonomous cars.
52. What does the author imply about the various gadgets on cars?
A)They can help to alleviate traffic jams.
B) Most of them are as effective as advertised.
C) Only some can be put to use under current traffic conditions.
D) They are constantly upgraded to make driving easier and safer.
53. What does the author say about the use of navigation apps?
A) It is likely to create traffic jams in other places.
B) It helps a great deal in easing traffic congestion.
C) It sharply reduces the incidence of traffic accidents.
D)It benefits those who are learning to drive.
54. What does the author say about technology?
A) Its consequences are usually difficult to assess.
B) It seldom delivers all the benefits as promised.
C) It depends on the required knowledge for application.
D)Its benefits are guaranteed by collective wisdom.
55.What key message does the author try to convey in the passage?
A)The consequences of technological innovation need not be exaggerated.
B) There is always a price to pay to develop technology for a better world.
C) Technological innovation should be properly regulated.
D) The culture of Silicon Valley ought not to be emulated.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 72 页 共 223 页2021年06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第3套
Passage One
You can't see it, smell it, or hear it, and people disagree on how precisely to define it, or
where exactly it comes from. It isn't a school subject or an academic discipline, but it can be
learned. It is a quality that is required of artists, but it is also present in the lives of scientists and
entrepreneurs. All of us benefit from it and we thrive mentally and spiritually when we are able to
wield it. It is a delicate thing, easily stamped out; in fact, it flourishes most fully when people are
playful and childlike. Meanwhile, it works best in conjunction with deep knowledge and
expertise
This mysterious—but teachable—quality is creativity, the subject of a recently-published
report by Durham Commission on Creativity and Education. The report concludes that creativity
should not inhabit the school curriculum only as it relates to drama, music, art and other
obviously creative subjects, but that creative thinking ought to run through all of school life,
infusing(充满) the way humanities and natural sciences are learned.
The authors, who focus on education in England, offer a number of sensible
recommendations, some of which are an attempt to alleviate the uninspiring and fact-based
approach to education that has crept into policy in recent years. When children are regarded as
vessels to be filled with facts, creativity does not prosper; nor does it when teachers'sole
objective is coaching children towards exams. One suggestion from the commission is a network
of teacher-led "creativity collaboratives", along the lines of existing maths hubs (中心), with the
aim of supporting teaching for creativity through the school curriculum.
Nevertheless, it is arts subjects through which creativity can most obviously be fostered. The
value placed on them by the independent education sector is clear. One only has to look at the
remarkable arts facilities at Britain's top private schools to comprehend this. But in the state
sector the excessive focus on English, maths and science threatens to crush arts subjects;
meanwhile, reduced school budgets mean diminishing extracurricular activities. There has been a
28.1?cline in students taking creative subjects at high schools since 2014, though happily, art
and design have seen a recent increase.
This discrepancy between state and private education is a matter of social justice. It is
simply wrong and unfair that most children have a fraction of the access to choirs, orchestras, art
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 73 页 共 223 页studios and drama that their more privileged peers enjoy. As lives are affected by any number of
looming challenges—climate crisis, automation in the workplace—humans are going to need
creative thinking more than ever. For all of our sakes, creativity in education, and for all, must
become a priority.
46.What do we learn from the passage about creativity?
A) It develops best when people are spiritually prepared.
B) It is most often wielded by scientists and entrepreneurs.
C) It is founded on scientific knowledge and analytical skills.
D) It contributes to intellectual growth but can easily be killed.
47.What is the conclusion of a recently-published report?
A)Natural sciences should be learned the way humanities courses are.
B) Cultivation of creativity should permeate the entire school curriculum.
C) Art courses should be made compulsory for all students.
D) Students should learn more obviously creative subjects.
48.What does the report say is detrimental to the fostering of creativity?
A)Alleviation of pressure.
B) Teacher-led school activities.
C) Test-oriented teaching.
D) Independent learning.
49.What do we learn about the private schools in the UK?
A) They encourage extracurricular activities.
B) They attach great importance to arts education.
C) They prioritize arts subjects over maths and sciences.
D) They cater to students from different family backgrounds.
50.What should be done to meet the future challenges?
A)Increasing government investment in school education.
B) Narrowing the existing gap between the rich and the poor.
C) Providing all children with equal access to arts education.
D) Focusing on meeting the needs of under-privileged students.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 74页 共 223 页Passage Two
Emulating your conversation partner's actions is a common human behavior classified as
“mirroring” and has been known and studied by psychologists for years. We all tend to
subconsciously copy gestures of people we like. But why do we act like this?
As a rule, mirroring means that conversationalists enjoy their communication and that
there's acertain level of agreement between them. The topic of discussion is equally interesting
for both and they know their interests meet.
Repeating someone's behavior is typical of talented communicators, not always because the
person is sympathetic, but because there is a goal to be achieved. This way new idols have been
brought to the stage: politicians, celebrities, and other big names. Popular culture makes people
want to look popular, and act and speak like popular people.
Nowadays celebrities steal lyrics from each other and struggle with copyright violation
accusations or straightforwardly claim themselves to be the authors, even though all the work was
done by other people.
Among celebrities, it's trendy nowadays to use their own speech writers as politicians do.
The so-called"ghostwriting" can take various forms: books, articles, autobiographies, and even
social media posts.
Who is a true copycat(抄袭者)and who gets copycatted? Sometimes, it is a hard nut to
crack without an expert's help. But new authorship defending methods based on identifying
individual writing patterns are already here. Their aim is to protect intellectual property. Using
scientific methods, some of them can define authorship with 85ccuracy.
Writing is not an easy craft to master. If you want to write like a professional without
plagiarism(抄袭),there are a few lessons to learn and the first one is:“Copy from one,it's
plagiarism; copy from two, it's research.” The correct interpretation of this statement is not about
copying, but rather about creating your own style. When you study an author's writing style,
don't stop on a single one, but explore numerous styles instead. Examine types of sentences they
use, pay attention to their metaphors, and focus on stories you feel you could write a pretty cool
sequel (续篇)to
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 75 页 共 223 页lmitation is rather paradoxical. As an integral part of learning, it brings about positive
changes, making people develop and grow. However, it may do a lot of harm. Copying
someone's thoughts, ideas or inventions is completely unacceptable. It infringes on intellectual
property rights of others.
Still, many things we do are about copying others one way or another. So if you want to
compliment someone on the work they have done and imitate it,just make sure you do it the right
way to avoid committing plagiarism.
51. What do people tend to do while engaging in a conversation?
A) Repeat what their partners say one way or another.
B) Focus as much as possible on topics of mutual interest.
C) Imitate their partners'gestures without their knowing it.
D) Observe carefully how their partners make use of gestures.
52.When does mirroring usually take place in a conversation?
A)When both sides are sympathetic with each other.
B) When both sides have a lot of things in common.
C) When both sides make interesting contributions.
D) When both sides try to seek common ground.
53. What do we learn about popular culture?
A)It encourages people to imitate.
B) It appeals mostly to big names.
C) It acquaints young people with their idols.
D) It can change people's mode of cognition.
54. Why is the saying“copy from two, it's research” a lesson to learn?
A)It facilitates the creation of one's own writing style.
B) It helps to protect one's intellectual property rights.
C) It fosters correct interpretation of professional writing.
D)It enables one to write intriguing sequels to famous stories.
55. Why does the author say imitation is rather paradoxical?
A)It is liable to different interpretations.
B) It is by and large a necessary evil.
C) It can give rise to endless disputes.
D)It may do harm as well as good.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 76 页 共 223 页2020年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
What is the place of art in a culture of inattention? Recent visitors to the Louvre report that
tourists can now spend only a minute in front of the Mona Lisa before being asked to move on.
Much of that time, for some of them, is spent taking photographs not even of the painting but of
themselves with the painting in the background.
One view is that we have democratised tourism and gallery-going so much that we have
made it effectively impossible to appreciate what we've travelled to see. In this oversubscribed
society, experience becomes a commodity like any other. There are queues to climb Mt. Jolmo
Lungma as well as to see famous paintings. Leisure, thus conceived, is hard labour, and returning
to work becomes a well-earned break from the ordeal.
What gets lost in this industrialised haste is the quality of looking. Consider an extreme
example, the late philosopher Richard Wollheim. When he visited the Louvre he could spend as
much as four hours sitting before a painting. The first hour, he claimed, was necessary for
misperceptions to be eliminated. It was only then that the picture would begin to disclose itself.
This seems unthinkable today, but it is still possible to organise. Even in the busiest museums
there are many rooms and many pictures worth hours of contemplation which the crowds largely
ignore. Sometimes the largest crowds are partly the products of bad management; the Mona Lisa
is such a hurried experience today partly because the museum is being reorganised. The Uffizi in
Florence, another site of cultural pilgrimage, has cut its entry queues down to seven minutes by
clever management. And there are some forms of art, those designed to be spectacles as well as
objects of contemplation, which can work perfectly well in the face of huge crowds.
Olafur Eliasson's current Tate Modern show, for instance, might seem nothing more than an
entertainment, overrun as it is with kids romping(喧闹地玩耍)in fog rooms and spray mist
installations. But it's more than that: where Eliasson is at his most entertaining, he is at his most
serious too, and his disorienting installations bring home the reality of the destructive effects we
are having on the planet—not least what we are doing to the glaciers of Eliasson's beloved
Iceland.
Marcel Proust, another lover of the Louvre, wrote:“ It is only through art that we can escape
from ourselves and know how another person sees the universe, whose landscapes would
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 77 页 共 223 页otherwise have remained as unknown as any on the moon."If any art remains worth seeing, it
must lead us to such escapes. But a minute in front of a painting in a hurried crowd won't do that.
46.What does the scene at the Louvre demonstrate according to the author?
A) The enormous appeal of a great piece of artistic work to tourists.
B) The near impossibility of appreciating art in an age of mass tourism.
C) The ever-growing commercial value of long-cherished artistic works.
D) The real difficulty in getting a glimpse at a masterpiece amid a crowd.
47.Why did the late philosopher Richard Wollheim spend four hours before a picture?
A) It takes time to appreciate a piece of art fully.
B) It is quite common to misinterpret artistic works.
C) The longer people contemplate a picture, the more likely they will enjoy it.
D) The more time one spends before a painting, the more valuable one finds it.
48.What does the case of the Uffizi in Florence show?
A) Art works in museums should be better taken care of.
B) Sites of cultural pilgrimage are always flooded with visitors.
C) Good management is key to handling large crowds of visitors.
D) Large crowds of visitors cause management problems for museums.
49.What do we learn from Olafur Eliasson's current Tate Modern show?
A)Children learn to appreciate art works most effectively while they are playing.
B) It is possible to combine entertainment with appreciation of serious art.
C) Art works about the environment appeal most to young children.
D) Some forms of art can accommodate huge crowds of visitors.
50.What can art do according to Marcel Proust?
A)Enable us to live a much fuller life.
B) Allow us to escape the harsh reality.
C) Help us to see the world from a different perspective.
D) Urge us to explore the unknown domain of the universe.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023第 78页 共223页Passage Two
Every five years, the government tries to tell Americans what to put in their bellies. Eat
more vegetables. Dial back the fats. It's all based on the best available science for leading a
healthy life. But the best available science also has a lot to say about what those food choices do
to the environment, and some researchers are annoyed that new dietary recommendations of the
USDA(United States Department of Agriculture) released yesterday seem to utterly ignore that
fact.
Broadly, the 2016-2020 dietary recommendations aim for balance: More vegetables, leaner
meats and far less sugar.
But Americans consume more calories per capita than almost any other country in the world.
So the things Americans eat have a huge impact on climate change. Soil tilling releases carbon
dioxide,and delivery vehicles emit exhaust. The government's dietary guidelines could have
done a lot to lower that climate cost. Not just because of their position of authority: The
guidelines drive billions of dollars of food production through federal programs like school
lunches and nutrition assistance for the needy.
On its own, plant and animal agriculture contributes 9 percent of all the country's
greenhouse gas emissions. That's not counting the fuel burned in transportation, processing,
refrigeration, and other waypoints between farm and belly. Red meats are among the biggest and
most notorious emitters, but trucking a salad from California to Minnesota in January also carries
a significant burden. And greenhouse gas emissions aren't the whole story. Food production is
the largest user of fresh water, largest contributor to the loss of biodiversity, and a major
contributor to using up natural resources.
All of these points and more showed up in the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's
scientific report, released last February. Miriam Nelson chaired the subcommittee in charge of
sustainability for the report, and is disappointed that eating less meat and buying local food aren't
in the final product.“Especially if you consider that eating less meat, especially red and
processed, has health benefits," she says.
So what happened? The official response is that sustainability falls too far outside the
guidelines'official scope, which is to provide “nutritional and dietary information.”
Possibly the agencies in charge of drafting the decisions are too close to the industries they
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 79 页 共 223 页are supposed to regulate. On one hand, the USDA is compiling dietary advice. On the other, their
clients are US agriculture companies.
The line about keeping the guidelines'scope to nutrition and diet doesn't ring quite right
with researchers. David Wallinga, for example,says,“In previous guidelines, they've always
been concerned with things like food security—which is presumably the mission of the USDA.
You absolutely need to be worried about climate impacts and future sustainability if you want
secure food in the future.”
51. Why are some researchers irritated at the USDA's 2016-2020 Dietary Guidelines?
A) It ignores the harmful effect of red meat and processed food on health.
B) Too much emphasis is given to eating less meat and buying local food.
C) The dietary recommendations are not based on medical science.
D)It takes no notice of the potential impact on the environment.
52.Why does the author say the USDA could have contributed a lot to lowering the climate cost
through its dietary guidelines?
A) It has the capacity and the financial resources to do so.
B) Its researchers have already submitted relevant proposals.
C) Its agencies in charge of drafting the guidelines have the expertise.
D)It can raise students' environmental awareness through its programs.
53.What do we learn from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's scientific report?
A) Food is easily contaminated from farm to belly.
B) Greenhouse effect is an issue still under debate.
C) Modern agriculture has increased food diversity.
D) Farming consumes most of our natural resources.
54.What may account for the neglect of sustainability in the USDA's Dietary Guidelines
according to the author?
A)Its exclusive concern with Americans' food safety.
B) Its sole responsibility for providing dietary advice.
C) Its close ties with the agriculture companies.
D) Its alleged failure to regulate the industries.
55.What should the USDA do to achieve food security according to David Wallinga?
A) Give top priority to things like nutrition and food security.
B) Endeavor to ensure the sustainable development of agriculture.
C) Fulfill its mission by closely cooperating with the industries.
D) Study the long-term impact of climate change on food production.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 80 页 共 223 页2020年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
Vegetarians would prefer not to be compelled to eat meat. Yet the reverse compulsion(强迫)
is hidden in the proposals for a new plant-based“planetary diet.” Nowhere is this more visible
than in India.
Earlier this year, the EAT-Lancet Commission released its global report on nutrition and
called for a global shift to a more plant-based diet and for“substantially reducing consumption of
animal source foods.”In countries like India, that call could become a tool to aggravate an
already tense political situation and stress already undernourished populations.
The EAT report presumes that "traditional diets" in countries like India include little red
meat, which might be consumed only on special occasions or as minor ingredients in mixed
dishes.
In India, however, there is a vast difference between what people would wish to consume
and what they have to consume because of innumerable barriers around class, religion, culture,
cost,geography,etc. Policymakers in India have traditionally pushed for a cereal-heavy
“vegetarian diet” on a meat-eating population as a way of providing the cheapest sources of food.
Currently, under an aggressive Hindu nationalist government, Muslims, Christians,
disadvantaged classes and indigenous communities are being compelled to give up their
traditional foods.
None of these concerns seem to have been appreciated by the EAT-Lancet Commission's
representative, Brent Loken, who said “India has got such a great example” in sourcing protein
from plants.
But how much of a model for the world is India's vegetarianism? In the Global Hunger
Index 2019, the country ranks 102nd out of 117. Data from the National Family Health Survey
indicate that only 10 percent of infants of 6 to 23 months are adequately fed.
Which is why calls for a plant-based diet modeled on India risk offering another whip with
which to beat already vulnerable communities in developing countries.
A diet directed at the affluent West fails to recognize that in low-income countries
undernourished children are known to benefit from the consumption of milk and other animal
source foods, improving cognitive functions, while reducing the prevalence of nutritional
deficiencies as well as mortality.
EAT-Lancet claimed its intention was to “spark conversations” among all Indian
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 81 页 共 223 页stakeholders. Yet vocal critics of the food processing industry and food fortification strategies
have been left out of the debate. But the most conspicuous omission may well be the absence of
India's farmers.
The government, however, seems to have given the report a thumbs-up. Rather than
addressing chronic hunger and malnutrition through an improved access to wholesome and
nutrient-dense foods, the government is opening the door for company-dependent solutions,
ignoring the environmental and economic cost, which will destroy local food systems. It's a
model full of danger for future generations.
46.What is more visible in India than anywhere else according to the passage?
A)People's positive views on the proposals for a“planetary diet".
B)People's reluctance to be compelled to eat plant-based food.
C) People's preferences for the kind of food they consume.
D)People's unwillingness to give up their eating habits.
47. What would the EAT-Lancet Commission's report do to many people in countries like India?
A)Radically change their dietary habits.
B) Keep them further away from politics.
C) Make them even more undernourished.
D)Substantially reduce their food choices.
48.What do we learn from the passage about food consumption in India?
A)People's diet will not change due to the EAT-Lancet report.
B) Many people simply do not have access to foods they prefer.
C) There is a growing popularity of a cereal-heavy vegetarian diet.
D) Policymakers help remove the barriers to people's choice of food.
49.What does the passage say about a plant-based diet modeled on India?
A) It may benefit populations whose traditional diet is meat-based.
B) It may be another blow to the economy in developing countries.
C) It may help narrow the gap between the rich and poor countries.
D) It may worsen the nourishment problem in low-income countries.
50.How does the Indian government respond to the EAT-Lancet Commission's proposals?
A) It accepts them at the expense of the long-term interests of its people.
B) It intends them to spark conversations among all Indian stakeholders.
C) It gives them approval regardless of opposition from nutrition experts.
D)It welcomes them as a tool to address chronic hunger and malnutrition.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 82 页 共 223页Passage Two
Back in 1964, in his book Games People Play, psychiatrist Eric Berne described a pattern of
conversation he called" Why Don't You—Yes But", which remains one of the most irritating
aspects of everyday social life. The person adopting the strategy is usually a chronic complainer.
Something is terrible about their relationship, job, or other situation, and they moan about it
ceaselessly, but find some excuse to dismiss any solution that's proposed. The reason, of course,
is that on some level they don't want a solution; they want to be validated in their position that
the world is out to get them. If they can"win" the game—dismissing every suggestion until their
interlocutor(对话者)gives up in annoyance—they get to feel pleasurably righteous(正当的)in
their resentments and excused from any obligation to change.
Part of the trouble here is the so-called responsibility/fault fallacy(谬误). When you're
feeling hard done by—taken for granted by your partner, say, or obliged to work for a half-witted
boss—it's easy to become attached to the position that it's not your job to address the matter, and
that doing so would be an admission of fault. But there's a confusion here. For example, if I were
to discover a newborn at my front door, it wouldn't be my fault, but it most certainly would be
my responsibility. There would be choices to make, and no possibility of avoiding them, since
trying to ignore the matter would be a choice. The point is that what goes for the baby on the
doorstep is true in all cases: even if the other person is 100in the wrong, there's nothing to be
gained, long-term, from using this as a justification to evade responsibility.
Should you find yourself on the receiving end of this kind of complaining, there's an
ingenious way to shut it down—which is to agree with it, ardently. Psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb
describes this as“ over-validation ". For one thing, you'll be spared further moaning, since the
other person's motivation was to confirm her beliefs, and now you're confirming them. But for
another, as Gottlieb notes, people confronted with over-validation often hear their complaints
afresh and start arguing back. The notion that they're utterly powerless suddenly seems
unrealistic—not to mention rather annoying—so they're prompted instead to generate ideas about
how they might change things.
“And then, sometimes, something magical might happen,” Gottlieb writes. The other person
“might realise she's not as trapped as you are saying she is, or as she feels.”Which illustrates the
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 83 页 共 223 页irony of the responsibility/fault fallacy: evading responsibility feels comfortable, but turns out to
be a prison; whereas assuming responsibility feels unpleasant, but ends up being freeing.
51.What is characteristic of a chronic complainer, according to psychiatrist Eric Berne?
A) They only feel angry about their ill treatment and resent whoever tries to help.
B) They are chronically unhappy and ceaselessly find fault with people around them.
C) They constantly dismiss others, proposals while taking no responsibility for tackling the
problem.
D) They lack the knowledge and basic skills required for successful conversations with their
interlocutors.
52.What does the author try to illustrate with the example of the newborn on one's doorstep?
A) People tend to think that one should not be held responsible for others' mistakes.
B) It is easy to become attached to the position of overlooking one's own fault.
C) People are often at a loss when confronted with a number of choices.
D) A distinction should be drawn between responsibility and fault.
53.What does the author advise people to do to chronic complainers?
A) Stop them from going further by agreeing with them.
B) Listen to their complaints ardently and sympathetically.
C) Ask them to validate their beliefs with further evidence.
D) Persuade them to clarify the confusion they have caused.
54.What happens when chronic complainers receive over-validation?
A) They are motivated to find ingenious ways to persuade their interlocutor.
B) They are prompted to come up with ideas for making possible changes.
C) They are stimulated to make more complaints.
D) They are encouraged to start arguing back.
55. How can one stop being a chronic complainer according to the author?
A) Analysing the so-called responsibility/fault fallacy.
B) Avoiding hazardous traps in everyday social life.
C)Assuming responsibility to free oneself.
D) Awaiting something magical to happen.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 84页 共 223 页2020年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第3套
Passage One
Why does social media trigger feelings of loneliness and inadequacy? Because instead of
being real life, it is, for the most part, impression management, a way of marketing yourself,
carefully choosing and filtering the pictures and words to put your best face forward.
Online“friends” made through social media do not follow the normal psychological
progression of an interpersonal relationship. You share neither physical time nor emotional
conversations over the Internet. You simply communicate photographs and catchy posts to a
diverse group of people whom you have"friended" or“followed” based on an accidental
interaction. This is not to say that your social media friends can't be real friends. They absolutely
can, but the two are not synonymous.
Generally speaking, there are no unfltered comments or casually taken photos on our social
media pages. And, rightfully so, because it wouldn't feel safe to be completely authentic and
vulnerable with some of our" friends"whom we don't actually know or with whom trust has yet
to be built.
Social media can certainly be an escape from the daily grind, but we must be cautioned
against the negative effects, such as addiction, on a person's overall psychological well-being.
As humans, we yearn for social connection. Scrolling(滚动)through pages of pictures and
comments, however, does not provide the same degree of fulfillment as face-to-face interactions
do.Also,we tend to idealize others' lives and compare our downfalls to their greatest
accomplishments, ending in feelings of loneliness and inadequacy.
Social media can lead people on the unhealthy quest for perfection. Some people begin to
attend certain events or travel to different places so that they can snap that “perfect” photo. They
begin to seek validation through the number of people who "like" their posts. In order for it to
play a psychologically healthy role in your social life, social media should supplement an already
healthy social network. Pictures and posts should be byproducts of life's treasured moments and
fun times, not the planned and calculated image that one is putting out into cyberspace in an
attempt to fill insecurities or unmet needs.
Ultimately, social media has increased our ability to connect with various types of people all
over the globe. It has opened doors for businesses and allowed us to stay connected to people
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 85 页 共 223 页whom we may not otherwise get to follow. However,social media should feel like a fun
experience, not one that contributes to negative thoughts and feelings. If the latter is the case,
increasing face-to-face time with trusted friends, and minimizing time scrolling online, will prove
to be a reminder that your social network is much more rewarding than any“like,""follow”or
“share” can be.
46.What does the author imply social media may do to our life?
A) It may facilitate our interpersonal relationships.
B) It may filter our negative impressions of others.
C) It may make us feel isolated and incompetent.
D) It may render us vulnerable and inauthentic.
47.Why do people post comments selectively on social media?
A) They do not find all their online friends trustworthy.
B) They want to avoid offending any of their audience.
C) They do not want to lose their followers.
D)They are eager to boost their popularity.
48.What are humans inclined to do according to the passage?
A)Exaggerate their life's accomplishments.
B) Strive for perfection regardless of the cost.
C) Paint a rosy picture of other people's lives.
D) Learn lessons from other people's downfalls.
49.What is the author's view of pictures and posts on social media?
A)They should record the memorable moments in people's lives.
B) They should be carefully edited so as to present the best image.
C) They should be shown in a way that meets one's security needs.
D) They should keep people from the unhealthy quest for perfection.
50.What does the author advise people to do when they find their online experience unconstructive?
A) Use social media to increase their ability to connect with various types of people.
B) Stay connected to those whom they may not otherwise get to know and befriend.
C) Try to prevent negative thoughts and feelings from getting into the online pages.
D) Strengthen ties with real-life friends instead of caring about their online image.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 86 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Imagine that an alien species landed on Earth and, through their mere presence, those aliens
caused our art to vanish, our music to homogenize, and our technological know-how to disappear.
That is effectively what humans have been doing to our closest relatives—chimps (大猩猩).
Back in 1999, a team of scientists led by Andrew Whiten showed that chimps from different
parts of Africa behave very differently from one another. Some groups would get each other's
attention by rapping branches with their knuckles (指关节), while others did it by loudly ripping
leaves with their teeth. The team identified 39 of these traditions that are practiced by some
communities but not others—a pattern that, at the time, hadn't been seen in any animal except
humans. It was evidence, the team said, that chimps have their own cultures.
It took a long time to convince skeptics that such cultures exist, but now we have plenty of
examples of animals learning local traditions from one another.
But just when many scientists have come to accept the existence of animal cultures, many of
those cultures might vanish. Ammie Kalan and her colleagues have shown, through years of
intensive fieldwork, that the very presence of humans has eroded the diversity of chimp behavior.
Where we flourish, their cultures wither. It is a bitterly ironic thing to learn on the 20th
anniversary of Whiten's classic study.
“It's amazing to think that just 60 years ago, we knew next to nothing of the behavior of our
sister species in the wild,”Whiten says.“But now, just as we are truly getting to know our
primate(灵长类)cousins, the actions of humans are closing the window on all we have
discovered."
“Sometimes in the rush to conserve the species, I think we forget about the individuals,”
says Cat Hobaiter, a professor at the University of St. Andrews.“Each population, each
community, even each generation of chimps is unique. An event might only have a small impact
on the total population of chimps, but it may wipe out an entire community—an entire culture.
No matter what we do to restore habitat or support population growth, we may never be able to
restore that culture.”
No one knows whether the destruction of chimp culture is getting worse. Few places have
tracked chimp behavior over long periods, and those that have are also more likely to have
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 87 页 共 223 页protected their animals from human influence.
Obviously, conservationists need to think about saving species in a completely new way—
by preserving animal traditions as well as bodies and genes.“Instead of focusing only on the
conservation of genetically based entities like species, we now need to also consider culturally
based entities," says Andrew Whiten.
51.What does the author say we humans have been doing to chimps?
A)Ruining their culture.
B) Accelerating their extinction.
C) Treating them as alien species.
D) Homogenizing their living habits.
52.What is the finding of Andrew Whiten's team?
A)Chimps demonstrate highly developed skills of communication.
B) Chimps rely heavily upon their body language to communicate.
C) Chimps behave in ways quite similar to those of human beings.
D) Different chimp groups differ in their way of communication.
53.What did Ammie Kalan and her colleagues find through their intensive fieldwork?
A)Whiten's classic study has little impact on the diversity of chimp behavior.
B) Chimp behavior becomes less varied with the increase of human activity.
C) Chimps alter their culture to quickly adapt to the changed environment.
D) It might already be too late to prevent animal cultures from extinction.
54.What does Cat Hobaiter think we should do for chimp conservation?
A) Try to understand our sister species' behavior in the wild.
B) Make efforts to preserve each individual chimp community.
C) Study the unique characteristics of each generation of chimps.
D) Endeavor to restore chimp habitats to expand its total population.
55.What does the author suggest conservationists do?
A) Focus entirely on culturally-based entities rather than genetically-based ones.
B) Place more stress on animal traditions than on their physical conservation.
C) Conserve animal species in a novel and all-round way.
D) Explore the cultures of species before they vanish.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 88 页 共 223 页2020年09月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
It is not controversial to say that an unhealthy diet causes bad health. Nor are the basic
elements of healthy eating disputed. Obesity raises susceptibility to cancer, and Britain is the
sixth most obese country on Earth. That is a public health emergency. But naming the problem is
the easy part. No one disputes the costs in quality of life and depleted health budgets of an obese
population,but the quest for solutions gets diverted by ideological arguments around
responsibility and choice. And the water is muddied by lobbying from the industries that profit
from consumption of obesity-inducing products.
Historical precedent suggests that science and politics can overcome resistance from
businesses that pollute and poison but it takes time, and success often starts small. So it is
heartening to note that a programme in Leeds has achieved a reduction in childhood obesity,
becoming the first UK city to reverse a fattening trend. The best results were among younger
children and in more deprived areas. When 28of English children aged two to 15 are obese, a
national shift on the scale achieved by Leeds would lengthen hundreds of thousands of lives. A
significant factor in the Leeds experience appears to be a scheme called HENRY, which helps
parents reward behaviours that prevent obesity in children.
Many members of parliament are uncomfortable even with their own government's anti-
obesity strategy, since it involves a“sugar tax” and a ban on the sale of energy drinks to under-
16s. Bans and taxes can be blunt instruments, but their harshest critics can rarely suggest better
methods. These critics just oppose regulation itself.
The relationship between poor health and inequality is too pronounced for governments to
be passive about large-scale intervention. People living in the most deprived areas are four times
more prone to die from avoidable causes than counterparts in more affluent places. As the
structural nature of public health problems becomes harder to ignore, the complaint about over
protective government loses potency.
In fact, the polarised debate over public health interventions should have been abandoned
long ago. Government action works when individuals are motivated to respond. Individuals need
governments that expand access to good choices. The HENRY programme was delivered in part
through children's centres. Closing such centres and cutting council budgets doesn't magically
increase reserves of individual self-reliance. The function of a well-designed state intervention is
not to deprive people of liberty but to build social capacity and infrastructure that helps people
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 89 页 共 223 页take responsibility for their wellbeing. The obesity crisis will not have a solution devised by left
or right ideology—but experience indicates that the private sector needs the incentive of
regulation before it starts taking public health emergencies seriously.
46.Why is the obesity problem in Britain so difficult to solve?
A)Government health budgets are depleted.
B) People disagree as to who should do what.
C) Individuals are not ready to take their responsibilities.
D) Industry lobbying makes it hard to get healthy foods.
47. What can we learn from the past experience in tackling public health emergencies?
A)Governments have a role to play.
B) Public health is a scientific issue.
C) Priority should be given to deprived regions.
D) Businesses'responsibility should be stressed.
48.What does the author imply about some critics of bans and taxes concerning unhealthy drinks?
A)They are not aware of the consequences of obesity.
B) They have not come up with anything more constructive.
C) They are uncomfortable with parliament'anti-obesity debate.
D) They have their own motives in opposing government regulation.
49.Why does the author stress the relationship between poor health and inequality?
A) To demonstrate the dilemma of people living in deprived areas.
B) To bring to light the root cause of widespread obesity in Britain.
C) To highlight the area deserving the most attention from the public.
D) To justify government intervention in solving the obesity problem.
50.When will government action be effective?
A)When the polarised debate is abandoned.
B) When ideological differences are resolved.
C) When individuals have the incentive to act accordingly.
D) When the private sector realises the severity of the crisis.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 90 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Home to virgin reefs, rare sharks and vast numbers of exotic fish, the Coral Sea is a unique
haven of biodiversity off the northeastern coast of Australia. If a proposal by the Australian
government goes ahead, the region will also become the world's largest marine protected area,
with restrictions or bans on fishing, mining and marine farming.
The Coral Sea reserve would cover almost 990,000 square kilometres and stretch as far as
1,100 kilometres from the coast. Unveiled recently by environment minister Tony Burke, the
proposal would be the last in a series of proposed marine reserves around Australia's coast.
But the scheme is attracting criticism from scientists and conservation groups, who argue
that the government hasn't gone far enough in protecting the Coral Sea, or in other marine
reserves in the coastal network.
Hugh Possingham, director of the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions at the
University of Queensland, points out that little more than half of the Coral Sea reserve is
proposed as 'no take' area, in which all fishing would be banned. The world's largest existing
marine reserve,established last year by the British government in the Indian Ocean, spans
554,000 km2and is a no-take zone throughout. An alliance of campaigning conservation groups
argues that more of the Coral Sea should receive this level of protection.
“I would like to have seen more protection for coral reefs,” says Terry Hughes, director of
the Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University in Queensland.“More
than 20 of them would be outside the no-take area and vulnerable to catch-and-release fishing".
As Nature went to press, the Australian government had not responded to specific criticisms
of the plan. But Robin Beaman, a marine geologist at James Cook University, says that the
reserve does “broadly protect the range of habitats" in the sea."I can testify to the huge effort that
government agencies and other organisations have put into trying to understand the ecological
values of this vast area," he says.
Reserves proposed earlier this year for Australia's southwestern and northwestern coastal
regions have also been criticised for failing to give habitats adequate protection. In August, 173
marine scientists signed an open letter to the government saying they were"greatly concerned"
that the proposals for the southwestern region had not been based on the “core science principles”
of reserves—the protected regions were not, for instance, representative of all the habitats in the
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 91 页 共223 页region, they said
Critics say that the southwestern reserve offers the greatest protection to the offshore areas
where commercial opportunities are fewest and where there is little threat to the environment, a
contention also levelled at the Coral Sea plan.
51. What do we learn from the passage about the Coral Sea?
A) It is exceptionally rich in marine life.
B) It is the biggest marine protected area.
C) It remains largely undisturbed by humans.
D) It is a unique haven of endangered species.
52. What does the Australian government plan to do according to Tony Burke?
A)Make a new proposal to protect the Coral Sea.
B) Revise its conservation plan owing to criticisms.
C) Upgrade the established reserves to protect marine life.
D) Complete the series of marine reserves around its coast.
53. What is scientists' argument about the Coral Sea proposal?
A)The government has not done enough for marine protection.
B) It will not improve the marine reserves along Australia's coast.
C) The government has not consulted them in drawing up the proposal.
D) It is not based on sufficient investigations into the ecological system.
54. What does marine geologist Robin Beaman say about the Coral Sea plan?
A)It can compare with the British government's effort in the Indian Ocean.
B) It will result in the establishment of the world's largest marine reserve.
C) It will ensure the sustainability of the fishing industry around the coast.
D) It is a tremendous joint effort to protect the range of marine habitats.
55. What do critics think of the Coral Sea plan?
A)It will do more harm than good to the environment.
B) It will adversely affect Australia's fishing industry.
C) It will protect regions that actually require little protection.
D) It will win little support from environmental organisations.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 92 页 共 223 页2020年09月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
Danielle Steel, the 71-year-old romance novelist is notoriously productive, having published
179 books at a rate of up to seven a year. But a passing reference in a recent profile by Glamour
magazine to her 20-hour workdays prompted an outpouring of admiration.
Steel has given that 20-hour figure when describing her“exhausting" process in the past:“I
start the book and don't leave my desk until the first draft is finished.” She goes from bed, to desk,
to bath, to bed, avoiding all contact aside from phone calls with her nine children.“I don't comb
my hair for weeks,”she says. Meals are brought to her desk, where she types until her fingers
swell and her nails bleed.
The business news website Quartz held Steel up as an inspiration, writing that if only we all
followed her“actually extremely liberating” example of industrious sleeplessness, we would be
quick to see results
Well, indeed. With research results showing the cumulative effects of sleep loss and its
impact on productivity, doubt has been voiced about the accuracy of Steel's self-assessment. Her
output maybe undeniable, but sceptics have suggested that she is guilty of erasing the role of
ghostwriters (代笔人) at worst, gross exaggeration at best.
Steel says working 20 hours a day is“pretty brutal physically.”But is it even possible?
“No,”says Maryanne Taylor of the Sleep Works. While you could work that long, the impact on
productivity would make it hardly worthwhile. If Steel was routinely sleeping for four hours a
night, she would be drastically underestimating the negative impact,says Alison Gardiner,
founder of the sleep improvement programme Sleep station.“It's akin to being drunk.”
It's possible that Steel is exaggerating the demands of her schedule. Self-imposed
sleeplessness has “become a bit of a status symbol”, says Taylor, a misguided measure to prove
how powerful and productive you are. Margaret Thatcher was also said to get by on four hours a
night, while the 130-hour workweeks endured by tech heads has been held up as key to their
success.
That is starting to change with increased awareness of the importance of sleep for mental
health.“People are starting to realise that sleep should not be something that you fit in between
everything else," says Taylor.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 93 页 共 223 页But it is possible—if statistically extremely unlikely—that Steel could be born a“short
sleeper”with an unusual body clock, says sleep expert Dr. Sophie Bostock.“It's probably present
in fewer than 1of the population.”
Even if Steel does happen to be among that tiny minority, says Bostock, it's“pretty
irresponsible” to suggest that 20-hour days are simply a question of discipline for the rest of us.
46.What do we learn from the passage about Glamour magazine readers?
A) They are intrigued by the exotic romance in Danielle Steel's novels.
B) They are amazed by the number of books written by Danielle Steel.
C) They are deeply impressed by Danielle Steel's daily work schedule.
D) They are highly motivated by Danielle Steel's unusual productivity.
47.What did the business news website Quartz say about Danielle Steel?
A) She could serve as an example of industriousness.
B) She proved we could liberate ourselves from sleep.
C) She could be an inspiration to novelists all over the world.
D) She showed we could get all our work done without sleep.
48.What do sceptics think of Danielle Steel's work schedule claims?
A) They are questionable.
B)They are alterable
C) They are irresistible.
D) They are verifiable.
49.What does Maryanne Taylor think of self-imposed sleeplessness?
A) It may turn out to be key to a successful career.
B) It may be practiced only by certain tech heads.
C) It may symbolise one's importance and success.
D) It may well serve as a measure of self-discipline.
50.How does Dr. Sophie Bostock look at the 20-hour daily work schedule?
A) One should not adopt it without consulting a sleep expert.
B) The general public should not be encouraged to follow it.
C) One must be duly self-disciplined to adhere to it.
D) The majority must adjust their body clock for it.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 94 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Organic agriculture is a relatively untapped resource for feeding the Earth's population,
especially in the face of climate change and other global challenges. That's the conclusion I
reached in reviewing 40 years of science comparing the long-term prospects of organic and
conventional farming.
The review study,"Organic Agriculture in the 21st Century," is featured as the cover story
for the February issue of the journal Nature Plants. It is the first to compare organic and
conventional agriculture across the main goals of sustainability identified by the National
Academy of Sciences: productivity, economics and environment.
Critics have long argued that organic agriculture is inefficient, requiring more land to yield
the same amount of food. It's true that organic farming produces lower yields, averaging 10 to 20
percent less than conventional. Advocates contend that the environmental advantages of organic
agriculture far outweigh the lower yields, and that increasing research and breeding resources for
organic systems would reduce the yield gap. Sometimes excluded from these arguments is the
fact that we already produce enough food to more than feed the world's 7.4 billion people but do
not provide adequate access to all individuals.
In some cases, organic yields can be higher than conventional. For example, in severe
drought conditions, which are expected to increase with climate change in many areas, organic
farms can produce as good, if not better, yields because of the higher water-holding capacity of
organically farmed soils.
What science does tell us is that mainstream conventional farming systems have provided
growing supplies of food and other products but often at the expense of other sustainability goals.
Conventional agriculture may produce more food, but it often comes at a cost to the
environment. Biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and severe impacts on ecosystem
services have not only accompanied conventional farming systems but have often extended well
beyond their field boundaries. With organic agriculture, environmental costs tend to be lower and
the benefits greater.
Overall, organic farms tend to store more soil carbon, have better soil quality and reduce soil
erosion compared to their conventional counterparts. Organic agriculture also creates less soil and
water pollution and lower greenhouse gas emissions. And it's more energy-efficient because it
doesn't rely on synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
Organic agriculture is also associated with greater biodiversity of plants, animals, insects
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 95 页 共 223 页and microorganisms as well as genetic diversity. Biodiversity increases the services that nature
provides and improves the ability of farming systems to adapt to changing conditions.
Despite lower yields, organic agriculture is more profitable for farmers because consumers
are willing to pay more. Higher prices, called price premiums, can be justified as a way to
compensate farmers for providing ecosystem services and avoiding environmental damage or
external costs.
51.What do we learn from the conclusion of the author's review study?
A)More resources should be tapped for feeding the world's population.
B) Organic farming may be exploited to solve the global food problem.
C) The long-term prospects of organic farming are yet to be explored.
D) Organic farming is at least as promising as conventional farming.
52. What is the critics' argument against organic farming?
A)It cannot meet the need for food.
B) It cannot increase farm yields.
C) It is not really practical.
D) It is not that productive.
53. What does the author think should be taken into account in arguing about organic farming?
A)Growth in world population.
B) Deterioration in soil fertility.
C) Inequality in food distribution.
D)Advance in farming technology.
54. What does science tell us about conventional farming?
A)It will not be able to meet global food demand.
B) It is not conducive to sustainable development.
C) It will eventually give way to organic farming.
D) It is going mainstream throughout the world.
55.Why does the author think higher prices of organic farm produce are justifiable?
A)They give farmers going organic a big competitive edge.
B) They motivate farmers to upgrade farming technology.
C) Organic farming costs more than conventional farming.
D) Organic farming does long-term good to the ecosystem.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 96 页 共 223页2020年07月大学英语六级仔细阅读全1套
Passage One
People often discuss the dangers of too much stress, but lately a very different view of stress
is gaining popularity: this view of stress, held by members of the positive stress movement,
argues that stress might actually be beneficial. The positive stress movement is made up of people
such as Zachary Rapp who are looking for an edge in a competitive world, and Rapp's routine is
a good example of followers of the movement. He wakes up most mornings at dawn, goes for a
run, sips black coffee while ripping through emails, and then steps into a freezing cold shower.
This is a routine designed to reduce the stress of running simultaneously three different health
and biotechnology companies for 18 hours a day.
Although Rapp's practices may sound extreme, he is part of a growing movement,
consisting largely of tech industry workers who claim that such radical tactics will help them live
better and longer. Inspired by influential figures in different fields, including entertainers, athletes,
entrepreneurs and scientists, positive stress practitioners seek out some combination of extreme
temperatures, restrictive diets, punishing exercise routines and general discomfort.
Rapp argues that positive stress keeps him balanced. In addition to running and freezing
showers, Rapp uses ice baths, hot yoga, and unconventional eating practices such as eliminating
dairy,sugar, alcohol and various other foods high in carbohydrates. He believes that these
practices, which put stress on his body, actually make him feel less stress from work. However,
Rapp does not credit anyone in particular for his choices: he said he started using these methods
in college, where he got into the habit of taking ice baths to recover from sports. He got back into
it while trying to get his three companies off the ground.
Rapp works long hours and sleeps only five to seven hours a night but he said he only gets
sick once a year. For him, the difference between day-to-day stress, like the kind we feel when
moving apartments, and positive stress is that the latter involves pushing the body to extremes
and forcing it to build up a tolerance.
One thought leader in the positive stress world is Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof, who
earned the name“ice man” for his ability to withstand severe cold using deep breathing exercises.
Hofs ideas have become popular among tech industry elites and, thanks to Hof, cold showers are
now a trend; indeed, some even call it a form of therapy.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 97 页 共 223 页But it is important to note that not everyone agrees with these practitioners; indeed, some
medical professionals argue that positive stress is not for everyone, and that it might even be
dangerous for people who are unhealthy or older.
46. What do we learn about followers of the positive stress movement?
A) They are usually quite sensitive to different types of stress.
B) They hold a different view on stress from the popular one.
C) They derive much pleasure from living a very hectic life.
D) They gain a competitive edge by enjoying good health.
47.What do followers of the positive stress movement usually do to put their ideas into practice?
A)They keep changing their living habits.
B) They network with influential figures.
C) They seek jobs in tech industries.
D) They apply extreme tactics.
48.What does Zachary Rapp say about his unconventional practices?
A)They help him combat stress from work.
B) They enable him to cut down living expenses.
C) They enable him to recover from injuries and illnesses.
D) They help him get three companies enlisted all at once.
49.What can be inferred from the passage about day-to-day stress?
A) It is harmful to one's physical and mental health.
B) It does not differ in essence from positive stress.
C) It is something everybody has to live with.
D) It does not help build up one's tolerance.
50.What do some medical professionals think of positive stress?
A)Its true effect remains to be verified.
B) Its side effect should not be ignored.
C) Its effect varies considerably from person to person.
D) Its practitioners should not take it as a form of therapy.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 98 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Is hunting good or bad for the environment? Like so many hot button issues, the answer to
this question depends upon who you ask. On the one hand, some say, nothing could be more
natural than hunting, and indeed just about every animal species—including humans—has been
either predator or prey at some point in its evolution. And, ironic as it sounds, since humans have
wiped out many animal predators, some see hunting as a natural way to reduce the herds of prey
animals that now reproduce beyond the environment's carrying capacity.
On the other hand, many environmental and animal advocates see hunting as savage,
arguing that it is morally wrong to kill animals, regardless of practical considerations. According
to Glenn Kirk of the California-based The Animals'Voice, hunting "causes immense suffering to
individual wild animals…”and is“irrationally cruel because unlike natural predation(捕食),
hunters kill for pleasure…”He adds that, despite hunters' claims that hunting keeps wildlife
populations in balance, hunters' license fees are used to“manipulate a few game species into
overpopulation at the expense of a much larger number of non-game species, resulting in the loss
of biological diversity, genetic integrity and ecological balance.”
Beyond moral issues, others contend that hunting is not practical. According to the Humane
Society of the United States, the vast majority of hunted species—such as waterfowl, rabbits,
upland birds and mourning doves—“provide minimal nutrition and do not require population
control.” Author Gary E. Varner suggests in his book, In Nature's Interests, that some types of
hunting may be morally justifiable while others may not be. Hunting"designed to secure the
aggregate welfare of the target species, the integrity of its ecosystem, or both"—what Varner
terms “therapeutic hunting”—is defensible, while subsistence and sport hunting—both of which
only benefit human beings—is not.
Regardless of one's individual stance, fewer Americans hunt today than in recent history.
Data gathered by the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service in 2006 show that only five percent of
Americans—some 12.5 million individuals—consider themselves hunters today, down from nine
percent in 2001 and 15 percent in 1996.
Public support for hunting, however, is on the rise. A 2007 survey by Responsive
Management Inc.found that eighty percent of respondents agreed that "hunting has a legitimate
place in modern society," and the percentage of Americans indicating disapproval of hunting
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 99 页 共223 页declined from 22 percent in 1995 to 16 percent in 2007.
Perhaps matching the trend among the public, green leaders are increasingly advocating
cooperation between hunters and environmental groups: After all, both deplore urban sprawl and
habitat destruction.
51. What does the author say sounds ironic?
A) Some predators may often turn out to be prey of other predators.
B) Hunting may also be a solution to the problem caused by hunting.
C) The species of prey animals continue to vary despite humans' hunting.
D) The number of prey animals keeps rising despite environmental change.
52.What does Glenn Kirk think of charging hunters license fees?
A) It keeps game population under control.
B) It turns hunting into a sport of the rich.
C) It leads to ecological imbalance.
D) It helps stop killing for pleasure.
53. What is the argument of the Humane Society of the United States against hunting?
A)Overpopulation is not an issue for most hunted animals.
B) Hunting deprives animal populations of their food sources.
C) Many birds and small animals are being irrationally killed.
D) Hunting is universally acknowledged as a savage behavior.
54.When is hunting morally justifiable according to Gary E. Varner?
A) When it benefits animals and their ecosystem.
B)When it serves both human and animal interests.
C) When it is indispensable to humans' subsistence.
D) When it stabilizes the population of animal species.
55.What concept are green leaders trying to promote?
A)Effective protection of animal habitats.
B) Strict control over urban development.
C) Coordinated efforts of hunters and environmentalists.
D)A compromise between development and animal protection.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 100 页 共 223 页2019年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
“The dangerous thing about lying is people don't understand how the act changes us,” says
Dan Ariely,behavioural psychologist at Duke University. Psychologists have documented
children lying as early as the age of two. Some experts even consider lying a developmental
milestone, like crawling and walking, because it requires sophisticated planning, attention and the
ability to see a situation from someone else's perspective to manipulate them. But, for most
people, lying gets limited as we develop a sense of morality and the ability to self-regulate.
Harvard cognitive neuroscientist Joshua Greene says, for most of us, lying takes work. In
studies, he gave study subjects a chance to deceive for monetary gain while examining their
brains in a functional MRI machine, which maps blood flow to active parts of the brain. Some
people told the truth instantly and instinctively. But others opted to lie, and they showed
increased activity in their frontal parietal(颅腔壁的)control network, which is involved in
difficult or complex thinking. This suggests that they were deciding between truth and
dishonesty—and ultimately opting for the latter. For a follow-up analysis, he found that people
whose neural(神经的)reward centres were more active when they won money were also more
likely to be among the group of liars—suggesting that lying may have to do with the inability to
resist temptation
External conditions also matter in terms of when and how often we lie. We are more likely
to lie, research shows, when we are able to rationalise it, when we are stressed and fatigued or see
others being dishonest. And we are less likely to lie when we have moral reminders or when we
think others are watching."We as a society need to understand that, when we don't punish lying,
we increase the probability it will happen again.” Ariely says.
In a 2016 study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, Ariely and colleagues showed
how dishonesty alters people's brains, making it easier to tell lies in the future. When people
uttered a falsehood, the scientists noticed a burst of activity in their amygdala. The amygdala is a
crucial part of the brain that produces fear, anxiety and emotional responses—including that
sinking, guilty feeling you get when you lie. But when scientists had their subjects play a game
—in which they won money by deceiving their partner, they noticed the negative signals from the
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 101 页 共 223 页amygdala began to decrease. Not only that, but when people faced no consequences for
dishonesty, their falsehoods tended to get even more sensational. This means that if you give
people multiple opportunities to lie for their own benefit, they start with little lies which get
bigger over time.
46.Why do some experts consider lying a milestone in a child's development?
A) It shows they have the ability to view complex situations from different angles.
B) It indicates they have an ability more remarkable than crawling and walking.
C) It represents their ability to actively interact with people around them.
D) It involves the coordination of both their mental and physical abilities.
47. Why does the Harvard neuroscientist say that lying takes work?
A) It is hard to choose from several options.
B) It is difficult to sound natural or plausible.
C) It requires speedy blood flow into one's brain.
D) It involves lots of sophisticated mental activity.
48.Under what circumstances do people tend to lie?
A)When they become too emotional.
B) When they face too much peer pressure.
C) When the temptation is too strong.
D)When the consequences are not imminent.
49.When are people less likely to lie?
A)When they are worn out and stressed.
B) When they are under watchful eyes.
C) When they think in a rational way.
D)When they have a clear conscience.
50.What does the author say will happen when a liar does not get punished?
A) They may feel justified.
B) They will tell bigger lies.
C) They will become complacent.
D) They may mix lies and truths.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 102 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Here's how the Pacific Northwest is preparing for "The Big One". It's the mother of all
disaster drills for what could be the worst disaster in American history. California has spent years
preparing for“The Big One”—the inevitable earthquake that will undoubtedly unleash all kinds
of havoc along the famous San Andreas fault(断层). But what if the fault that runs along the
Pacific Northwest delivers a gigantic earthquake of its own? If the people of the Cascadia region
have anything to do with it, they won't be caught unawares.
The region is engaged in a multi-day earthquake-and-isumami(海啸)drill involving around
20,000 people. The Cascadia Rising drill gives area residents and emergency responders a chance
to practice what to do in case of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami along one of the
nation's dangerous—and underestimated—faults.
The Cascadia Earthquake Zone is big enough to compete with San Andreas (it's been called
the most dangerous fault in America), but it's much lesser known than its California cousin.
Nearly 700 miles long, the earthquake zone is located by the North American Plate off the coast
of Pacific British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Northern California.
Cascadia is what's known as a“megathrust"fault. Megathrusts are created in earthquake
zones—land plate boundaries where two plates converge. In the areas where one plate is beneath
another, stress builds up over time. During a megathrust event, all of that stress releases and some
of the world's most powerful earthquakes occur. Remember the 9.1 earthquake and tsunami in
the Indian Ocean off Sumatra in 2004? It was caused by a megathrust event as the India plate
moved beneath the Burma micro-plate.
The last time a major earthquake occurred along the Cascadia fault was in 1700, so officials
worry that another event could occur any time. To prevent that event from becoming a catastrophe,
first responders will join members of the public in rehearsals that involve communication,
evacuation, search and rescue, and other scenarios.
Thousands of casualties are expected if a 9.0 earthquake were to occur. First, the earthquake
would shake metropolitan areas including Seattle and Portland. This could trigger a tsunami that
would create havoc along the coast. Not all casualties can necessarily be prevented—but by
coordinating across local, state, and even national borders, officials hope that the worst-case
scenario can be averted. On the exercise's website, officials explain that the report they prepare
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 103 页 共 223 页during this rehearsal will inform disaster management for years to come.
For hundreds of thousands of Cascadia residents,"The Big One" isn't a question of if, only
when. And it's never too early to get ready for the inevitable.
51. What does "The Big One" refer to?
A)A gigantic geological fault.
B) A large-scale exercise to prepare for disasters.
C) A massive natural catastrophe.
D)A huge tsunami on the California coast.
52. What is the purpose of the Cascadia Rising drill?
A)To prepare people for a major earthquake and tsunami.
B) To increase residents' awareness of imminent disasters.
C) To teach people how to adapt to post-disaster life.
D) To cope with the aftermath of a possible earthquake.
53. What happens in case of a megathrust earthquake according to the passage?
A)Two plates merge into one.
B) A variety of forces converge.
C) Boundaries blur between plates.
D) Enormous stress is released.
54.What do the officials hope to achieve through the drills?
A)Coordinating various disaster-relief efforts.
B) Reducing casualties in the event of a disaster.
C) Minimizing property loss caused by disasters.
D) Establishing disaster and emergency management.
55.What does the author say about “The Big One”?
A)Whether it will occur remains to be seen.
B) How it will arrive is too early to predict.
C) Its occurrence is just a matter of time.
D) It keeps haunting Cascadia residents.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 104 页 共 223 页2019年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
Last year, a child was born at a hospital in the UK with her heart outside her body. Few
babies survive this rare condition, and those who do must endure numerous operations and are
likely to have complex needs. When her mother was interviewed, three weeks after her
daughter's birth, she was asked if she was prepared for what might be a daunting(令人生畏的)
task caring for her. She answered without hesitation that, as far as she was concerned, this would
be a“privilege”.
Rarely has there been a better example of the power of attitude, one of our most powerful
psychological tools. Our attitudes allow us to turn mistakes into opportunities, and loss into the
chance for new beginnings. An attitude is a settled way of thinking, feeling and/ or behaving
towards particular objects, people, events or ideologies. We use our attitudes to filter, interpret
and react to the world around us. You weren't born with attitudes; rather they are all learned, and
this happens in a number of ways.
The most powerful influences occur during early childhood and include both what happened
to you directly, and what those around you did and said in your presence. As you acquire a
distinctive identity, your attitudes are further refined by the behavior of those with whom you
identify—your family, those of your gender and culture, and the people you admire, even though
you may not know them personally. Friendships and other important relationships become
increasingly important, particularly during adolescence. About that same time and throughout
adulthood, the information you receive, especially when ideas are repeated in association with
goals and achievements you find attractive, also refines your attitudes.
Many people assume that our attitudes are internally consistent, that is, the way you think
and feel about someone or something predicts your behavior towards them. However, many
studies have found that feelings and thoughts don't necessarily predict behavior. In general, your
attitudes will be internally consistent only when the behavior is easy, and when those around you
hold similar beliefs. That's why, for example, many say they believe in the benefits of recycling
or exercise, but don't behave in line with their views, because it takes awareness, effort and
courage to go beyond merely stating that you believe something is a good idea.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 105 页 共 223 页One of the most effective ways to change an attitude is to start behaving as if you already
feel and think the way you'd prefer to. Take some time to reflect on your attitudes, to think about
what you believe and why. Is there anything you consider a burden rather than a privilege? If so,
start behaving—right now—as if the latter is the case.
46.What do we learn from the passage about attitude?
A)It shapes our beliefs and ideologies.
B) It improves our psychological wellbeing.
C) It determines how we respond to our immediate environment.
D) It changes the way we think, feel and interact with one another.
47. What can contribute to the refinement of one's attitude, according to the passage?
A) Their idols' behaviors.
B) Their educational level.
C) Their contact with the opposite gender.
D) Their interaction with different cultures.
48.What do many studies find about people's feelings and thoughts?
A) They may not suggest how a person is going to behave.
B) They are in a way consistent with a person's mentality.
C) They may not find expression in interpersonal relations.
D) They are in line with a person's behavior no matter what.
49.How come many people don't do what they believe is good?
A) They can't afford the time.
B) They have no idea how to.
C) They are hypocritical.
D) They lack willpower.
50.What is proposed as a strategy to change attitude?
A)Changing things that require one's immediate attention.
B) Starting to act in a way that embodies one's aspirations.
C) Adjusting one's behavior gradually over a period of time.
D) Considering ways of reducing one's psychological burdens.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 106 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Industrial fishing for krill (磷虾) in the unspoilt waters around Antarctica is threatening the
future of one of the world's last great wildernesses, according to a new report.
The study by Greenpeace analysed the movements of krill fishing vessels in the region and
found they were increasingly operating"in the immediate vicinity of penguin colonies and whale
feeding grounds”.It also highlights incidents of fishing boats being involved in groundings, oil
spills and accidents, which posed a serious threat to the Antarctic ecosystem.
The report, published on Tuesday, comes amid growing concern about the impact of fishing
and climate change on the Antarctic. A global campaign has been launched to create a network of
ocean sanctuaries to protect the seas in the region and Greenpeace is calling for an immediate halt
to fishing in areas being considered for sanctuary status.
Frida Bengtsson from Greenpeace's Protect the Antarctic campaign said:“If the krill
industry wants to show it's a responsible player, then it should be voluntarily getting out of any
area which is being proposed as an ocean sanctuary, and should instead be backing the protection
of these huge tracts of the Antarctic."
A global campaign has been launched to turn a huge tract of Antarctic seas into ocean
sanctuaries, protecting wildlife and banning not just krill fishing, but all fishing. One was created
in the Ross Sea in 2016, another reserve is being proposed in a vast area of the Weddell Sea, and
a third sanctuary is under consideration in the area west of the Antarctic Peninsula—a key krill
fishing area.
The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
manages the seas around Antarctica. It will decide on the Weddell Sea sanctuary proposal at a
conference in Australia in October, although a decision on the peninsula sanctuary is not
expected until later
Keith Reid, a science manager at CCAMLR, said that the organisation sought“a balance
between protection, conservation and sustainable fishing in the Southern Ocean.” He said
although more fishing was taking place nearer penguin colonies it was often happening later in
the season when these colonies were empty.
“The creation of a system of marine protected areas is a key part of ongoing scientific and
policy discussions in CCAMLR," he added.“Our long-term operation in the region depends on a
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 107 页 共 223 页healthy and thriving Antarctic marine ecosystem, which is why we have always had an open
dialogue with the environmental non-governmental organisations. We strongly intend to continue
this dialogue, including talks with Greenpeace, to discuss improvements based on the latest
scientific data. We are not the ones to decide on the establishment of marine protected areas, but
we hope to contribute positively with our knowledge and experience."
51. What does Greenpeace's study find about krill fishing?
A) It caused a great many penguins and whales to migrate.
B) It was depriving penguins and whales of their habitats.
C) It was carried out too close to the habitats of penguins and whales.
D)It posed an unprecedented threat to the wildlife around Antarctica.
52. For what purpose has a global campaign been launched?
A) To reduce the impact of climate change on Antarctica.
B) To establish conservation areas in the Antarctic region.
C) To regulate krill fishing operations in the Antarctic seas.
D) To publicise the concern about the impact of krill fishing.
53. What is Greenpeace's recommendation to the krill industry?
A) Opting to operate away from the suggested conservation areas.
B) Volunteering to protect the endangered species in the Antarctic.
C) Refraining from krill fishing throughout the breeding season.
D) Showing its sense of responsibility by leading the global campaign.
54.What did CCAMLR aim to do according to its science manager?
A) Raise public awareness of the vulnerability of Antarctic species.
B) Ban all commercial fishing operations in the Southern Ocean.
C) Keep the penguin colonies from all fishing interference.
D) Sustain fishing without damaging the Antarctic ecosystem.
55. How does CCAMLR define its role in the conservation of the Antarctic environment?
A)A coordinator in policy discussions.
B) An authority on big data analysis.
C) A provider of the needed expertise.
D)An initiator of marine sanctuaries.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 108 页 共 223 页2019年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第3套
Passage One
Schools are not just a microcosm(缩影)of society; they mediate it too. The best seek to
alleviate the external pressures on their pupils while equipping them better to understand and
handle the world outside-at once sheltering them and broadening their horizons. This is ambitious
in any circumstances, and in a divided and unequal society the two ideals can clash outright(直
接地)
Trips that many adults would consider the adventure of a lifetime—treks in Borneo, a sports
tour to Barbados-appear to have become almost routine at some state schools. Parents are being
asked for thousands of pounds. Though schools cannot profit from these trips, the companies that
arrange them do. Meanwhile, pupils arrive at school hungry because their families can't afford
breakfast. The Child Poverty Action Group says nine out of 30 in every classroom fall below the
poverty line. The discrepancy is startlingly apparent. Introducing a fundraising requirement for
students does not help, as better-off children can tap up richer aunts and neighbours.
Probing the rock pools of a local beach or practising French on a language exchange can fire
children's passions, boost their skills and open their eyes to life's possibilities. Educational
outings help bright but disadvantaged students to get better scores in A-level tests. In this
globalised age, there is a good case for international travel, and some parents say they can
manage the cost of a school trip abroad more easily than a family holiday. Even in the face of
immense and mounting financial pressures, some schools have shown remarkable determination
and ingenuity in ensuring that all their pupils are able to take up opportunities that may be truly
life-changing. They should be applauded. Methods such as whole-school fundraising, with the
proceeds(收益) pooled, can help to extend opportunities and fuel community spirit.
But f3,000 trips cannot be justified when the average income for families with children is
just over f30,000. Such initiatives close doors for many pupils. Some parents pull their children
out of school because of expensive field trips. Even parents who can see that a trip is little more
than a party or celebration may well feel guilt that their child is left behind.
The Department for Education's guidance says schools can charge only for board and
lodging if the trip is part of the syllabus, and that students receiving government aid are exempt
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 109 页 共 223 页from these costs. However, many schools seem to ignore the advice; and it does not cover the
kind of glamorous, exotic trips, which are becoming increasingly common. Schools cannot be
expected to bring together communities single-handed. But the least we should expect is that they
do not foster divisions and exclude those who are already disadvantaged.
46.What does the author say best schools should do?
A) Prepare students to both challenge and change the divided unequal society.
B) Protect students from social pressures and enable them to face the world.
C) Motivate students to develop their physical as well as intellectual abilities.
D) Encourage students to be ambitious and help them to achieve their goals.
47. What does the author think about school field trips?
A) They enable students from different backgrounds to mix with each other.
B) They widen the gap between privileged and disadvantaged students.
C) They give the disadvantaged students a chance to see the world.
D) They only benefit students with rich relatives and neighbours.
48.What does the author suggest can help build community spirit?
A) Events aiming to improve community services.
B) Activities that help to fuel students' ingenuity.
C) Events that require mutual understanding.
D) Activities involving all students on campus.
49.What do we learn about low-income parents regarding school field trips?
A)They want their children to participate even though they don't see much benefit.
B) They don't want their kids to participate but find it hard to keep them from going.
C) They don't want their kids to miss any chance to broaden their horizons despite the cost.
D) They want their children to experience adventures but they don't want them to run risks.
50.What is the author's expectation of schools?
A) Bringing a community together with ingenuity.
B) Resolving the existing discrepancies in society.
C) Avoiding creating new gaps among students.
D) Giving poor students preferential treatment.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 110 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Rising temperatures and overfishing in the pristine(未受污染的)waters around the
Antarctic could see king penguin populations pushed to the brink of extinction by the end of the
century, according to a new study. The study's report states that as global warming transforms the
environment in the world's last great wilderness, 70 percent of king penguins could either
disappear or be forced to find new breeding grounds.
Co-author Celine Le Bohec, from the University of Strasbourg in France,warned:“If
there're no actions aimed at halting or controlling global warming, and the pace of the current
human-induced changes such as climate change and overfishing stays the same, the species may
soon disappear.” The findings come amid growing concern over the future of the Antarctic.
Earlier this month a separate study found that a combination of climate change and industrial
fishing is threatening the krill (磷虾)population in Antarctic waters, with a potentially disastrous
impact on whales, seals and penguins. But today's report is the starkest warning yet of the
potentially devastating impact of climate change and human exploitation on the Antarctic's
delicate ecosystems.
Le Bohec said:“Unless current greenhouse gas emissions drop, 70 percent of king penguins
—1.I million breeding pairs—will be forced to relocate their breeding grounds, or face extinction
by 2100.”King penguins are the second—largest type of penguin and only breed on specific
isolated islands in the Southern Ocean where there is no ice cover and easy access to the sea. As
the ocean warms, a body of water called the Antarctic Polar Front—an upward movement of
nutrient—rich sea that supports a huge abundance of marine life—is being pushed further south.
This means that king penguins, which feed on fish and krill in this body of water, have to travel
further to their feeding grounds, leaving their hungry chicks for longer. And as the distance
between their breeding grounds and their food grows, entire colonies could be wiped out.
Le Bohec said:“The plight of the king penguin should serve as a warning about the future of
the entire marine environment in the Antarctic. Penguins, like other seabirds and marine
mammals, occupy higher levels in the food chain and they are what we call bio-indicators of their
ecosystems.”Penguins are sensitive indicators of changes in marine ecosystems. As such, they
are key species for understanding and predicting impacts of global change on Antarctic and sub-
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 111 页 共 223 页Antarctic marine ecosystems. The report found that although some king penguins may be able to
relocate to new breeding grounds closer to their retreating food source, suitable new habitats
would be scarce. Only a handful of islands in the Southern Ocean are suitable for sustaining large
breeding colonies
51. What will happen by 2100, according to a new study?
A) King penguins in the Antarctic will be on the verge of dying out.
B) Sea water will rise to a much higher level around the Antarctic.
C) The melting ice cover will destroy the great Antarctic wilderness.
D) The pristine waters around the Antarctic will disappear forever.
52. What do we learn from the findings of a separate study?
A)Shrinking krill population and rising temperatures could force Antarctic whales to migrate.
B) Human activities have accelerated climate change in the Antarctic region in recent years.
C) Industrial fishing and climate change could be fatal to certain Antarctic species.
D) Krill fishing in the Antarctic has worsened the pollution of the pristine waters.
53. What does the passage say about king penguins?
A) They will turn out to be the second-largest species of birds to become extinct.
B) Many of them will have to migrate to isolated islands in the Southern Ocean.
C) They feed primarily on only a few kinds of krill in the Antarctic Polar Front.
D) The majority of them may have to find new breeding grounds in the future.
54.What happens when sea levels rise in the Antarctic?
A) Many baby king penguins can't have food in time.
B) Many king penguins could no longer live on krill.
C) Whales will invade king penguins' breeding grounds.
D) Whales will have to travel long distances to find food.
55. What do we learn about the Southern Ocean?
A) The king penguins there are reluctant to leave for new breeding grounds.
B) Its conservation is key to the sustainable propagation of Antarctic species.
C) It is most likely to become the ultimate retreat for species like the king penguin.
D) Only a few of its islands can serve as huge breeding grounds for king penguins.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 112 页 共 223 页2019年 06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
Professor Stephen Hawking has warned that the creation of powerful artificial intelligence
(AI) will be"either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity", and praised the
creation of an academic institute dedicated to researching the future of intelligence as“ crucial to
the future of our civilisation and our species”.
Hawking was speaking at the opening of the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of
Intelligence(LCFI) at Cambridge University, a multi-disciplinary institute that will attempt to
tackle some of the open-ended questions raised by the rapid pace of development in AI research.
“We spend a great deal of time studying history,” Hawking said,“which, let's face it, is mostly
the history of stupidity. So it's a welcome change that people are studying instead the future of
intelligence.”
While the world-renowned physicist has often been cautious about Al, raising concerns that
humanity could be the architect of its own destruction if it creates a super-intelligence with a will
of its own, he was also quick to highlight the positives that AI research can bring."The potential
benefits of creating intelligence are huge,” he said.“We cannot predict what we might achieve
when our own minds are amplified by AI.
Perhaps with the tools of this new technological revolution, we will be able to undo some of
the damage done to the natural world by the last one—industrialisation. And surely we will aim to
finally eradicate disease and poverty. And every aspect of our lives will be transformed. In short,
success in creating AI could be the biggest event in the history of our civilisation."
Huw Price, the centre's academic director and the Bertrand Russell professor of philosophy
at Cambridge University, where Hawking is also an academic, said that the centre came about
partially as a result of the university's Centre for Existential Risk. That institute examined a wider
range of potential problems for humanity, while the LCFI has a narrow focus.
AI pioneer Margaret Boden, professor of cognitive science at the University of Sussex,
praised the progress of such discussions. As recently as 2009, she said, the topic wasn't taken
seriously, even among AI researchers.“Al is hugely exciting," she said,"but it has limitations,
which present grave dangers given uncritical use."
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 113 页 共 223 页The academic community is not alone in warning about the potential dangers of Al as well
as the potential benefits. A number of pioneers from the technology industry, most famously the
entrepreneur Elon Musk, have also expressed their concerns about the damage that a super-
intelligent AI could do to humanity.
46.What did Stephen Hawking think of artificial intelligence?
A)It would be vital to the progress of human civilisation.
B) It might be a blessing or a disaster in the making.
C) It might present challenges as well as opportunities.
D) It would be a significant expansion of human intelligence.
47.What did Hawking say about the creation of the LCFI?
A) It would accelerate the progress of AI research.
B) It would mark a step forward in the Al industry.
C) It was extremely important to the destiny of humankind.
D) It was an achievement of multi-disciplinary collaboration.
48.What did Hawking say was a welcome change in Al research?
A) The shift of research focus from the past to the future.
B) The shift of research from theory to implementation.
C) The greater emphasis on the negative impact of AI.
D) The increasing awareness of mankind's past stupidity.
49.What concerns did Hawking raise about Al?
A)It may exceed human intelligence sooner or later.
B) It may ultimately over-amplify the human mind.
C) Super-intelligence may cause its own destruction.
D) Super-intelligence may eventually ruin mankind.
50.What do we learn about some entrepreneurs from the technology industry?
A)They are much influenced by the academic community.
B) They are most likely to benefit from AI development.
C) They share the same concerns about Al as academics.
D) They believe they can keep Al under human control.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 114 页 共 223 页Passage Two
The market for products designed specifically for older adults could reach $30 billion by
next year, and startups(初创公司) want in on the action.What they sometimes lack is feedback
from the people who they hope will use their products. So Brookdale, the country's largest owner
of retirement communities, has been inviting a few select entrepreneurs just to move in for a few
days, show off their products and hear what the residents have to say.
That's what brought Dayle Rodriguez, 28, all the way from England to the dining room of
Brookdale South Bay in Torrance, California. Rodriguez is the community and marketing
manager for a company called Sentab. The startup's product, SentabTV, enables older adults who
may not be comfortable with computers to access email, video chat and social media using just
their televisions and a remote control.
“It's nothing new, it's nothing too complicated and it's natural because lots of people have
TV remotes,” says Rodriguez.
But none of that is the topic of conversation in the Brookdale dining room. Instead,
Rodriguez solicits residents'advice on what he should get on his cheeseburger and how he
should spend the afternoon. Playing cards was on the agenda, as well as learning to play mahjong
(麻将).
Rodriguez says it's important that residents here don't feel like he's selling them something.
“I've had more feedback in a passive approach,” he says.“Playing pool, playing cards, having
dinner, having lunch," all work better “than going through a survey of questions. When they get
to know me and to trust me, knowing for sure I'm not selling them something—there'll be more
honest feedback from them.”
Rodriguez is just the seventh entrepreneur to move into one of Brookdale's 1,100 senior
living communities. Other new products in the program have included a kind of full-body blow
dryer and specially designed clothing that allows people with disabilities to dress and undress
themselves.
Mary Lou Busch, 93, agreed to try the Sentab system. She tells Rodriguez that it might be
good for someone, but not for her.
“I have the computer and FaceTime, which I talk with my family on,”she explains. She also
has an iPad and a smartphone.“So I do pretty much everything I need to do.”
To be fair, if Rodriguez had wanted feedback from some more technophobic (害怕技术的)
seniors, he might have ended up in the wrong Brookdale community. This one is located in the
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 115 页 共 223 页heart of Southern California's aerospace corridor. Many residents have backgrounds in
engineering, business and academic circles.
But Rodriguez says he's still learning something important by moving into this Brookdale
community:“People are more tech-proficient than we thought.”
And besides, where else would he learn to play mahjong?
51.What does the passage say about the startups?
A)They never lose time in upgrading products for seniors.
B) They want to have a share of the seniors' goods market.
C) They invite seniors to their companies to try their products.
D) They try to profit from promoting digital products to seniors.
52. Some entrepreneurs have been invited to Brookdale to.
A) have an interview with potential customers
B) conduct a survey of retirement communities
C) collect residents' feedback on their products
D) show senior residents how to use IT products
53. What do we know about SentabTV?
A) It is a TV program catering to the interest of the elderly.
B) It is a digital TV which enjoys popularity among seniors.
C) It is a TV specially designed for seniors to view programs.
D) It is a communication system via TV instead of a computer.
54.What does Rodriguez say is important in promoting products?
A) Winning trust from prospective customers.
B) Knowing the likes and dislikes of customers.
C) Demonstrating their superiority on the spot.
D) Responding promptly to customer feedback.
55.What do we learn about the seniors in the Brookdale community?
A)Most of them are interested in using the Sentab.
B) They are quite at ease with high-tech products.
C) They have much in common with seniors elsewhere.
D) Most of them enjoy a longer life than average people.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 116 页 共 223 页2019年 06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
Effective Friday, Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
(SAG-AFTRA) has declared a strike against 11 video game publishers over games that went into
production after Feb.17,2015. The companies include some of the heavyweights of the industry,
like Electronic Arts Productions, Insomniac Games, Activision and Disney.
The strike comes in light of an unsuccessful 19 months of negotiations after the existing
labor contract known as the Interactive Media Agreement expired in late 2014.overall, the strike
is an effort to provide more secondary compensation along with other concerns, such as
transparency upon hiring talent and on-set (制作中) safety precautions.
The video gaming industry has ballooned in recent years. The Los Angeles Times reports
that the industry is in the midst of an intense increase in cash flow. In 2015, gaming produced
$23.5 billion in domestic revenue.
But SAG-AFTRA says voice actors don't receive residuals(追加酬金)for their gaming
work. Instead, they receive a fixed rate, which is typically about $825 for a standard four-hour
vocal session. So the voice actors are pushing for the idea of secondary compensation—a
performance bonus every time a game sells 2 million copies or downloads, or reaches 2 million
subscribers, with a cap at 8 million.
“It's a very small number of games that would trigger this secondary compensation issue,”
said voice actor Crispin Freeman, who's a member of the union's negotiating committee."This is
an important aspect of what it means to be a freelance(从事自由职业的) performer, who isn't
regularly employed every single day working on projects."
Another major complaint from the actors is the secrecy of the industry.“I can't imagine if
there's any other acting job in the world where you don't know what show you're in, when
you're hired," says voice actor Keythe Farley, who chairs the SAG-AFTRA negotiating
committee.
“And yet that happens every day in the video game world,” Farley told reporters during a
press conference Friday.“I was a main character in Fallout 4, a character by the name of Kellogg,
and I never knew that I was doing vocal recording for that game throughout the year and a half.”
Scott Witlin, the lawyer representing the video game companies, says voice actors
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 117 页 共 223 页“represent less than one tenth of I percent of the work that goes into making a video game.”So
“even though they're the top craftsmen in their field,” Witlin says, ”if we pay them under a vastly
different system than the people who do the 99.9 percent of the work, that's going to create far
more problems for the video game companies.”
46.Why did SAG-AFTRA declare a strike against some video game publishers?
A) The labor contract between them had been violated.
B) Its appeal to renegotiate the contract had been rejected.
C) It had been cheated repeatedly in the 19 months of talks.
D) The negotiations between them had broken down.
47.What do we learn from the passage about the video gaming industry?
A)It has reaped huge profits in recent years.
B)It has become more open and transparent.
C) It has attracted many famous voice actors.
D) It has invested a lot in its domestic market.
48.What are the voice actors demanding?
A)More regular employment.
B) A non-discriminatory contract.
C) Extra pay based on sales revenues.
D)A limit on the maximum work hours.
49.What does Keythe Farley say about voice actors?
A)They are kept in the dark about many details of their job.
B) They are discriminated against in the gaming industry.
C) They are not paid on a regular basis.
D) They are not employed full-time.
50.What is the argument of lawyer Scott Witlin?
A)Voice actors should have a pay raise if they prove to be top craftsmen.
B) Changing the pay system would cause the industry more problems.
C) Voice actors are mere craftsmen, not professional performers.
D) Paying voice actors on an hourly basis is in line with the law.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 118 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Officials at the White House announced a new space policy focused on managing the
increasing number of satellites that companies and governments are launching into space. Space
Policy Directive-3 lays out general guidelines for the United States to mitigate(缓解)the effects
of space debris and track and manage traffic in space.
This policy sets the stage for the Department of Commerce to take over the management of
traffic in space. The department will make sure that newly launched satellites don't use radio
frequencies that would interfere with existing satellites, and schedule when such new satellites
can be launched. This only applies to American space activities, but the hope is that it will help
standardize a set of norms in the dawning commercial spaceflight industry throughout the world.
Space, especially the space directly around our planet, is getting more crowded as more
governments and companies launch satellites. One impetus for the policy is that companies are
already starting to build massive constellations(星座), comprising hundreds or thousands of
satellites with many moving parts among them. With so much stuff in space, and a limited area
around our planet, the government wants to reduce the chances of a collision. Two or more
satellites slamming into each other could create many more out-of-control bits that would pose
even more hazards to the growing collection of satellites in space.
And it's not like this hasn't happened before. In 2009 an old Russian craft slammed into a
communications satellite,creating a cloud of hundreds of pieces of debris and putting other
hardware at risk. Journalist Sarah Scoles reports that NASA currently tracks about 24,000 objects
in space, and in 2016 the Air Force had to issue 3,995,874 warnings to satellite owners alerting
them to a potential nearby threat from another satellite or bit of debris.
That's why this new policy also includes directions to update the current U.S. Government
Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices, which already require any entity that launches a
satellite or spacecraft to vigorously analyze the likelihood that any of their actions, from an
unexpected failure or normal operations, will create more space debris. It includes accounting for
any piece of debris they plan to release over 5mm that might stay in orbit for 25 years or more. It
might seem surprising to think about an item staying in space for that long, but the oldest satellite
still in orbit-Vanguard 1—turned 60 in 2018.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 119 页 共 223 页Agencies and companies throughout the world are working on developing technology that
would dispose of or capture space debris before it causes serious damage. But for now, the U.S.
government is more focused on preventing new debris from forming than taking the trash out of
orbit
51. What is the purpose of the new U.S. space policy?
A) To lay out general guidelines for space exploration.
B) To encourage companies to join in space programs.
C) To make the best use of satellites in space.
D) To improve traffic conditions in space.
52. What is the Department of Commerce expected to do under the new policy?
A)Reduce debris in space.
B) Monitor satellite operations.
C) Regulate the launching of new satellites.
D) Update satellite communications technology.
53. What does the U.S. government hope to do with the new space policy?
A)Set international standards for the space flight industry.
B) Monopolize space industry by developing a set of norms.
C) Facilitate commercial space flights throughout the world.
D) Promote international collaboration in space exploration.
54. What is a space vehicle launching entity required to do according to the current U.S.
Government Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices?
A) Give an estimate of how long its debris will stay in space.
B) Account for the debris it has released into space at any time.
C) Provide a detailed plan for managing the space debris it creates.
D) Make a thorough analysis of any possible addition to space debris.
55.What are space agencies and companies aiming to do at present?
A) Recycle used space vehicles before they turn into debris.
B) Develop technology to address the space debris problem.
C) Limit the amount of debris entering space.
D) Cooperate closely to retrieve space debris.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 120 页 共 223 页2019年 06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第3套
Passage One
When I re-entered the full-time workforce a few years ago after a decade of solitary self-
employment, there was one thing I was looking forward to the most: the opportunity to have
work friends once again. It wasn't until I entered the corporate world that I realized, for me at
least, being friends with colleagues didn't emerge as a priority at all. This is surprising when you
consider the prevailing emphasis by scholars and trainers and managers on the importance of
cultivating close interpersonal relationships at work. So much research has explored the way in
which collegial(同事的)ties can help overcome a range of workplace issues affecting
productivity and the quality of work output such as team-based conflict, jealousy, undermining,
anger,and more
Perhaps my expectations of lunches, water-cooler gossip and caring, deep-and-meaningful
conversations were a legacy of the last time I was in that kind of office environment. Whereas
now, as I near the end of my fourth decade, I realize work can be fully functional and entirely
fulfilling without needing to be best mates with the people sitting next to you.
In an academic analysis just published in the profoundly-respected Journal of Management,
researchers have looked at the concept of"indifferent relationships". It's a simple term that
encapsulates(概括)the fact that relationships at work can reasonably be non-intimate,
inconsequential, unimportant and even, dare I say it, disposable or substitutable.
Indifferent relationships are neither positive nor negative. The limited research conducted
thus far indicates they're especially dominant among those who value independence over
cooperation, and harmony over confrontation.Indifference is also the preferred option among
those who are socially lazy. Maintaining relationships over the long term takes effort. For some
of us, too much effort.
As noted above, indifferent relationships may not always be the most helpful approach in
resolving some of the issues that pop up at work. But there are nonetheless several empirically
proven benefits. One of those is efficiency. Less time chatting and socializing means more time
working and churning(产出).
The other is self-esteem. As human beings, we're primed to compare ourselves to each other
in what is an anxiety-inducing phenomenon. Apparently, we look down on acquaintances more
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 121 页 共 223页so than friends. Since the former is most common among those inclined towards indifferent
relationships, their predominance can bolster individuals' sense of self-worth.
Ego aside, a third advantage is that the emotional neutrality of indifferent relationships has
been found to enhance critical evaluation, to strengthen one's focus on task resolution, and to
gain greater access to valuable information. None of that might be as fun as after-work
socializing but, hey, I'll take it anyway.
46.What did the author realize when he re-entered the corporate world?
A)Making new friends with his workmates was not as easy as he had anticipated.
B) Cultivating positive interpersonal relationships helped him expel solitary feelings.
C) Working in the corporate world requires more interpersonal skills than self-employment.
D) Building close relationships with his colleagues was not as important as he had expected.
47.What do we learn from many studies about collegial relationships?
A)Inharmonious relationships have an adverse effect on productivity.
B) Harmonious relationships are what many companies aim to cultivate.
C) Close collegial relationships contribute very little to product quality.
D) Conflicting relationships in the workplace exist almost everywhere.
48.What can be inferred about relationships at work from an academic analysis?
A) They should be cultivated.
B) They are virtually irrelevant.
C) They are vital to corporate culture.
D) They should be reasonably intimate.
49.What does the author say about people who are socially lazy?
A) They feel Uncomfortable when engaging in social interactions.
B) They often find themselves in confrontation with their colleagues.
C) They are unwilling to make efforts to maintain workplace relationships.
D) They lack basic communication skills in dealing with interpersonal issues.
50.What is one of the benefits of indifferent relationships?
A) They provide fun at work. C) They help resolve differences.
B) They help control emotions. D)They improve work efficiency.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 122 页 共 223 页Passage Two
In a few decades, artificial intelligence(Al) will surpass many of the abilities that we believe
make us special. This is a grand challenge for our age and it may require an"irrational" response.
One of the most significant pieces of news from the US in early 2017 was the efforts of
Google to make autonomous driving a reality. According to a report, Google's self-driving cars
clocked 1,023,330 km, and required human intervention 124 times. That is one intervention about
every 8,047 km of autonomous driving. But even more impressive is the progress in just a single
year: human interventions fell from 0.8 times per thousand miles to 0.2, a 400improvement.
With such progress, Google's cars will easily surpass my own driving ability later this year.
Driving once seemed to be a very human skill. But we said that about chess, too. Then a
computer beat the human world champion, repeatedly. The board game Go (围棋) took over from
chess as a new test for human thinking in 2016, when a computer beat one of the world's leading
professional Go players. With computers conquering what used to be deeply human tasks, what
will it mean in the future to be human? I worry about my six-year-old son. What will his place be
in a world where machines beat us in one area after another? He'll never calculate faster, never
drive better, or even fly more safely. Actually, it all comes down to a fairly simple question:
What's so special about us? It can't be skills like arithmetic, which machines already excel in. So
far, machines have a pretty hard time emulating creativity, arbitrary enough not to be predicted
by a computer, and yet more than simple randomness.
Perhaps, if we continue to improve information-processing machines, we'll soon have
helpful rational assistants. So we must aim to complement the rationality of the machine, rather
than to compete with it. If I'm right, we should foster a creative spirit because a dose of illogical
creativity will complement the rationality of the machine. Unfortunately, however, our education
system has not caught up to the approaching reality. Indeed, our schools and universities are
structured to mould pupils to be mostly obedient servants of rationality, and to develop outdated
skills in interacting with outdated machines. We need to help our children learn how to best work
with smart computers to improve human decision-making. But most of all we need to keep the
long-term perspective in mind: that even if computers will outsmart us, we can still be the most
creative. Because if we aren't, we won't be providing much value in future ecosystems, and that
may put in question the foundation for our existence.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 123 页 共 223 页51. What is the author's greatest concern about the use of AI?
A)Computers are performing lots of creative tasks.
B) Many abilities will cease to be unique to human beings.
C) Computers may become more rational than humans.
D) Many human skills are fast becoming outdated.
52. What impresses the author most in the field of AI?
A) Google's experimental driverless cars require little human intervention.
B) Google's cars have surpassed his driving ability in just a single year.
C) Google has made huge progress in autonomous driving in a short time.
D) Google has become a world leader in the field of autonomous driving.
53. What do we learn from the passage about creativity?
A)It is rational
B)It is predictable
C) It is human specific.
D) It is yet to be emulated by AI.
54.What should schools help children do in the era of Al?
A) Cultivate original thinking.
B) Learn to work independently.
C) Compete with smart machines.
D) Understand how AI works.
55. How can we humans justify our future existence?
A) By constantly outsmarting computers.
B) By adopting a long-term perspective.
C) By rationally compromising with AI.
D)By providing value with our creativity.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 124 页 共 223 页2018年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
Perhaps it is time for farmers to put their feet up now that robots are used to inspect crops,
dig up weeds, and now have become shepherds, too. Commercial growing fields are
astronomically huge and take thousands of man-hours to operate. One prime example is one of
Australia's most isolated cattle stations, Suplejack Downs in the Northern Territory, extending
across 4,000 square kilometers, taking over 13 hours to reach by car from the nearest major
town—Alice Springs.
The extreme isolation of these massive farms leaves them often unattended, and monitored
only once or twice a year, which means if the livestock falls ill or requires assistance, it can be a
long time for farmers to discover.
However, robots are coming to the rescue.
Robots are currently under a two-year trial in Wales which will train 'farmbots'to herd,
monitor the health of livestock, and make sure there is enough pasture for them to graze on. The
robots are equipped with many sensors to identify conditions of the environment, cattle, and food,
using thermal and vision sensors that detect changes in body temperature.
“You've also got color, texture and shape sensors looking down at the ground to check
pasture quality," says Salah Sukkarieh of the University of Sydney, who will carry out trials on
several farms in central New South Wales.
During the trials, the robots algorithms(算法) and mechanics will be fine-tuned to make it
better suited to ailing livestock and ensure it safely navigates around potential hazards including
trees, mud, swamps, and hills.
“We want to improve the quality of animal health and make it easier for farmers to maintain
large landscapes where animals roam free,” says Sukkarieh.
The robots are not limited to herding and monitoring livestock. They have been created to
count individual fruit, inspect crops, and even pull weeds.
Many robots are equipped with high-tech sensors and complex learning algorithms to avoid
injuring humans as they work side by side. The robots also learn the most efficient and safest
passages, and allow engineers and farmers to analyze and better optimize the attributes and tasks
of the robot, as well as provide a live stream giving real-time feedback on exactly what is
happening on the farms.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 125 页 共 223 页Of course, some worry lies in replacing agricultural workers. However, it is farmers that are
pushing for the advancements due to ever-increasing labor vacancies, making it difficult to
maintain large-scale operations.
The robots have provided major benefits to farmers in various ways, from hunting and
pulling weeds to monitoring the condition of every single fruit. Future farms will likely
experience a greater deal of autonomy as robots take up more and more farm work efficiently.
46.What may farmers be able to do with robots appearing on the farming scene?
A)Upgrade farm produce. C) Modify the genes of crops.
B) Enjoy more leisure hours. D) Cut down farming costs.
47.What will 'farmbots' be expected to do?
A)Take up many of the farmers' routines.
B) Provide medical treatments for livestock.
C) Lead the trend in farming the world over.
D) Improve the quality of pastures for grazing.
48.What can robots do when equipped with high-tech sensors and complex learning algorithms?
A) Help farmers choose the most efficient and safest passages.
B) Help farmers simplify their farming tasks and management.
C) Allow farmers to learn instantly what is occurring on the farm.
D) Allow farmers to give them real-time instructions on what to do.
49.Why are farmers pressing for robotic farming?
A)Farming costs are fast increasing.
B) Robotics technology is maturing.
C) Robotic farming is the trend.
D)Labor shortage is worsening.
50.What does the author think future farms will be like?
A)More and more automated.
B) More and more productive.
C) Larger and larger in scale.
D)Better and better in condition.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 126 页 共 223 页Passage Two
The public must be able to understand the basics of science to make informed decisions.
Perhaps the most dramatic example of the negative consequences of poor communication
between scientists and the public is the issue of climate change, where a variety of factors, not the
least of which is a breakdown in the transmission of fundamental climate data to the general
public, has contributed to widespread mistrust and misunderstanding of scientists and their
research
The issue of climate change also illustrates how the public acceptance and understanding of
science(or the lack of it) can influence governmental decision-making with regard to regulation,
science policy and research funding.
However, the importance of effective communication with a general audience is not limited
to hot issues like climate change. It is also critical for socially charged neuroscience issues such
as the genetic basis for a particular behavior, the therapeutic potential of stem cell therapy for
neurodegenerative diseases, or the use of animal models, areas where the public understanding of
science can also influence policy and funding decisions. Furthermore, with continuing advances
in individual genome(基因组)sequencing and the advent of personalized medicine, more non-
scientists will need to be comfortable analyzing complex scientific information to make decisions
that directly affect their quality of life.
Science journalism is the main channel for the popularization of scientific information
among the public. Much has been written about how the relationship between scientists and the
media can shape the efficient transmission of scientific advances to the public. Good science
journalists are specialists in making complex topics accessible to a general audience, while
adhering to scientific accuracy.
Unfortunately, pieces of science journalism can also oversimplify and generalize their
subject material to the point that the basic information conveyed is obscured or at worst,
obviously wrong. The impact of a basic discovery on human health can be exaggerated so that the
public thinks a miraculous cure is a few months to years away when in reality the significance of
the study is far more limited.
Even though scientists play a part in transmitting information to journalists and ultimately
the public, too often the blame for ineffective communication is placed on the side of the
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 127 页 共 223 页journalists. We believe that at least part of the problem lies in places other than the interaction
between scientists and members of the media, and exists because for one thing we underestimate
how difficult it is for scientists to communicate effectively with a diversity of audiences, and for
another most scientists do not receive formal training in science communication.
51. What does the example of climate change serve to show?
A) The importance of climate data is increasingly recognized.
B) Adequate government funding is vital to scientific research.
C) Government regulation helps the public understand science.
D) Common folks'scientific knowledge can sway policy making.
52. What should non-scientists do to ensure their quality of life?
A)Seek personalized medical assistance from doctors.
B) Acquire a basic understanding of medical science.
C) Have their individual genome sequenced.
D) Make informed use of animal models.
53. Why is it important for scientists to build a good relationship with the media?
A)It helps them to effectively popularize new scientific information.
B) It enables the public to develop a positive attitude toward science.
C) It helps them to establish a more positive public image.
D) It enables them to apply their findings to public health.
54. What does the author say is the problem with science journalism?
A)It is keen on transmitting sensational information.
B) It tends to oversimplify people's health problems.
C) It may give inaccurate or distorted information to the public.
D)It may provide information open to different interpretations.
55.What should scientists do to impart their latest findings to the public more effectively?
A) Give training to science journalists.
B) Stimulate public interest in science.
C) Seek timely assistance from the media.
D) Improve their communication skills.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 128 页 共 223 页2018年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
While human achievements in mathematics continue to reach new levels of complexity,
many of us who aren't mathematicians at heart (or engineers by trade) may struggle to remember
the last time we used calculus (微积分).
It's a fact not lost on American educators, who amid rising math failure rates are debating
how math can better meet the real-life needs of students. Should we change the way math is
taught in schools, or eliminate some courses entirely?
Andrew Hacker, Queens College political science professor, thinks that advanced algebra
and other higher-level math should be cut from curricula in favor of courses with more routine
usefulness, like statistics.
“We hear on all sides that we're not teaching enough mathematics, and the Chinese are
running rings around us,” Hacker says.“I'm suggesting we're teaching too much mathematics to
too many people…not everybody has to know calculus. If you're going to become an
aeronautical (航空的) engineer, fine. But most of us aren't.”
Instead, Hacker is pushing for more courses like the one he teaches at Queens College:
Numeracy 101. There, his students of “citizen statistics” learn to analyze public information like
the federal budget and corporate reports. Such courses, Hacker argues, are a remedy for the
numerical illiteracy of adults who have completed high-level math like algebra but are unable to
calculate the price of, say, a carpet by area.
Hacker's argument has met with opposition from other math educators who say what's
needed is to help students develop a better relationship with math earlier, rather than teaching
them less math altogether.
Maria Droujkova is a founder of Natural Math, and has taught basic calculus concepts to 5-
year-olds. For Droujkova, high-level math is important, and what it could use in American
classrooms is an injection of childlike wonder.
“Make mathematics more available,” Droujkova says.“Redesign it so it's more accessible to
more kinds of people: young children, adults who worry about it, adults who may have had bad
experiences"
Pamela Harris, a lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin, has a similar perspective.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 129 页 共 223 页Harris says that American education is suffering from an epidemic of “fake math”—an emphasis
on the rote memorization(死记硬背) of formulas and steps, rather than an understanding of how
math can influence the ways we see the world.
Andrew Hacker, for the record, remains skeptical.
“I'm going to leave it to those who are in mathematics to work out the ways to make their
subject interesting and exciting so students want to take it,” Hacker says.“All that I ask is that
alternatives be offered instead of putting all of us on the road to calculus."
46.What does the author say about ordinary Americans?
A) They struggle to solve math problems.
B) They think math is a complex subject.
C) They find high-level math of little use.
D) They work hard to learn high-level math.
47.What is the general complaint about America's math education according to Hacker?
A)America is not doing as well as China.
B) Math professors are not doing a good job.
C) It doesn't help students develop their literacy.
D) There has hardly been any innovation for years.
48.What does Andrew Hacker's Numeracy 101 aim to do?
A) Allow students to learn high-level math step by step.
B) Enable students to make practical use of basic math.
C) Lay a solid foundation for advanced math studies.
D) Help students to develop their analytical abilities.
49.What does Maria Droujkova suggest math teachers do in class?
A) Make complex concepts easy to understand.
B) Start teaching children math at an early age.
C) Help children work wonders with calculus.
D) Try to arouse students' curiosity in math.
50.What does Pamela Harris think should be the goal of math education?
A)To enable learners to understand the world better.
B) To help learners to tell fake math from real math.
C) To broaden Americans' perspectives on math.
D) To exert influence on world development.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 130 页 共 223 页Passage Two
For years, the U.S. has experienced a shortage of registered nurses. The Bureau of Labor
Statistics projects that while the number of nurses will increase by 19 percent by 2022, demand
will grow faster than supply, and that there will be over one million unfilled nursing jobs by then.
So what's the solution? Robots.
Japan is ahead of the curve when it comes to this trend. Toyohashi University of Technology
has developed Terapio, a robotic medical cart that can make hospital rounds, deliver medications
and other items, and retrieve records. It follows a specific individual, such as a doctor or nurse,
who can use it to record and access patient data. This type of robot will likely be one of the first
to be implemented in hospitals because it has fairly minimal patient contact.
Robots capable of social engagement help with loneliness as well as cognitive functioning,
but the robot itself doesn't have to engage directly—it can serve as an intermediary for human
communication. Telepresence robots such as MantaroBot, Vgo, and Giraff can be controlled
through a computer, smartphone, or tablet, allowing family members or doctors to remotely
monitor patients or Skype them, often via a screen where the robot's 'face' would be. If you can't
get to the nursing home to visit grandma, you can use a telepresence robot to hang out with her.A
2016 study found that users had a "consistently positive attitude" about the Giraff robot's ability
to enhance communication and decrease feelings of loneliness.
A robot's appearance affects its ability to successfully interact with humans, which is why
the RIKEN-TRI Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research decided to
develop a robotic nurse that looks like a huge teddy bear. RIBA(Robot for Interactive Body
Assistance), also known as"Robear," can help patients into and out of wheelchairs and beds
with its strong arms.
On the less cute and more scary side there is Actroid F, which is so human-like that some
patients may not know the difference. This conversational robot companion has cameras in its
eyes, which allow it to track patients and use appropriate facial expressions and body language in
its interactions. During a month-long hospital trial, researchers asked 70 patients how they felt
being around the robot and"only three or four said they didn't like having it around."
It's important to note that robotic nurses don't decide courses of treatment or make
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 131 页 共 223 页diagnoses(though robot doctors and surgeons may not be far off). Instead, they perform routine
and laborious tasks, freeing nurses up to attend to patients with immediate needs. This is one
industry where it seems the integration of robots will lead to collaboration, not replacement.
51. What does the author say about Japan?
A)It delivers the best medications for the elderly.
B) It takes the lead in providing robotic care.
C) It provides retraining for registered nurses.
D) It sets the trend in future robotics technology.
52.What do we learn about the robot Terapio?
A) It has been put to use in many Japanese hospitals.
B) It provides specific individualized care to patients.
C) It does not have much direct contact with patients.
D) It has not revolutionized medical service in Japan.
53. What are telepresence robots designed to do?
A) Directly interact with patients to prevent them from feeling lonely.
B) Cater to the needs of patients for recovering their cognitive capacity.
C) Closely monitor the patients'movements and conditions around the clock.
D) Facilitate communication between patients and doctors or family members.
54. What is one special feature of the robot Actroid F?
A)It interacts with patients just like a human companion.
B) It operates quietly without patients realizing its presence.
C) It likes to engage in everyday conversations with patients.
D) It uses body language even more effectively than words.
55.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A) Doctors and surgeons will soon be laid off.
B) The robotics industry will soon take off.
C) Robots will not make nurses redundant.
D) Collaboration will not replace competition.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 132 页 共 223 页2018年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第3套
Passage One
Children with attention problems in early childhood were 40less likely to graduate from
high school, says a new study from Duke University.
The study included 386 kindergarteners from schools in the Fast Track Project, a multi-site
clinical trial in the U.S. that in 1991 began tracking how children developed across their lives.
With this study, researchers examined early academic attention and socio-emotional skills
and how each contributed to academic success into young adulthood.
They found that early attention skills were the most consistent predictor of academic success,
and that likability by peers also had a modest effect on academic performance.
By fifth grade,children with early attention difficulties had lower grades and reading
achievement scores than their peers. As fifth-graders, children with early attention problems
obtained average reading scores at least 3lower than their contemporaries'and grades at least
8lower than those of their peers. This was after controlling for IQ, socio-economic status and
academic skills at school entry.
Although these may not seem like large effects, the impact of early attention problems
continued throughout the children's academic careers. Lower reading achievement scores and
grades in fifth grade contributed to reduced grades in middle school and thereby contributed to a
40lower high school graduation rate.
“The children we identified as having attention difficulties were not diagnosed with
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(注意力缺乏多动症)(ADHD), although some may have
had the disorder. Our findings suggest that even more modest attention difficulties can increase
the risk of negative academic outcomes," said David Rabiner, an associate dean of Duke's Trinity
College of Arts & Sciences, whose research has focused on ADHD and interventions to improve
academic performance in children with attention difficulties.
Social acceptance by peers in early childhood also predicted grades in fifth grade. Children
not as liked by their first-grade peers had slightly lower grades in fifth grade, while those with
higher social acceptance had higher grades.
“This study shows the importance of so-called 'non-cognitive' or soft skills in contributing
to children's positive peer relationships, which, in turn, contribute to their academic success,”
said Kenneth Dodge, director of the Duke Center for Child and Family Policy.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 133 页 共 223 页The results highlight the need to develop effective early interventions to help those with
attention problems stay on track academically and for educators to encourage positive peer
relationships, the researchers said.
“We're learning that student success requires a more comprehensive approach, one that
incorporates not only academic skills but also social, self-regulatory and attention skills," Dodge
said.“If we neglect any of these areas, the child's development lags. If we attend to these areas, a
child's success may reinforce itself with positive feedback loops."
46. What is the focus of the new study from Duke University?
A)The contributors to children's early attention.
B) The predictors of children's academic success.
C) The factors that affect children's emotional well-being.
D) The determinants of children's development of social skills.
47. How did the researchers ensure that their findings are valid?
A) By attaching equal importance to all possible variables examined.
B) By collecting as many typical samples as were necessary.
C) By preventing them from being affected by factors not under study.
D) By focusing on the family background of the children being studied.
48.What do we learn from the findings of the Duke study?
A)Modest students are generally more attentive than their contemporaries.
B) There are more children with attention difficulties than previously thought.
C) Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder accounts for most academic failures.
D) Children's academic performance may suffer from even slight inattention.
49.What does the Duke study find about children better accepted by peers?
A)They do better academically.
B) They are easy to get on with.
C) They are teachers' favorites.
D) They care less about grades.
50.What can we conclude from the Duke study?
A) Children's success is related to their learning environment.
B) School curriculum should cover a greater variety of subjects.
C) Social skills are playing a key role in children's development.
D) An all-round approach should be adopted in school education.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 134 页 共 223 页Passage Two
On Jan.9, 2007, Steve Jobs formally announced Apple's “revolutionary mobile phone"-a
device that combined the functionality of an iPod, phone and Internet communication into a
single unit, navigated by touch.
It was a huge milestone in the development of smartphones, which are now owned by a
majority of American adults and are increasingly common across the globe.
As smartphones have multiplied, so have questions about their impact on how we live and
how we work. Often the advantages of convenient, mobile technology are both obvious and taken
for granted, leaving more subtle topics for concerned discussion: Are smartphones disturbing
children's sleep? Is an inability to get away from work having a negative impact on health? And
what are the implications for privacy?
But today, on the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, let's take a moment to consider a less
obvious advantage: the potential for smartphone technology to revolutionize behavioral science.
That's because,for the first time in human history, a large proportion of the species is in
continuous contact with technology that can record key features of an individual's behavior and
environment.
Researchers have already begun to use smartphones in social scientific research, either to
query people regularly as they engage in their normal lives or to record activity using the device's
built-in sensors. These studies are confirming, challenging and extending what's been found
using more traditional approaches, in which people report how they behaved in real life or
participate in relatively short and artificial laboratory-based tasks.
Such studies are just first steps. As more data are collected and methods for analysis
improve, researchers will be in a better position to identify how different experiences, behaviors
and environments relate to each other and evolve over time, with the potential to improve
people's productivity and wellbeing in a variety of domains. Beyond revealing population-wide
patterns, the right combination of data and analysis can also help individuals identify unique
characteristics of their own behavior, including conditions that could indicate the need for some
form of intervention—such as an unusual increase in behaviors that signal a period of depression.
Smartphone-based data collection comes at an appropriate time in the evolution of
psychological science. Today, the field is in transition, moving away from a focus on laboratory
studies with undergraduate participants towards more complex, real-world situations studied with
more diverse groups of people. Smartphones offer new tools for achieving these ambitions,
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 135 页 共 223 页providing rich data about everyday behaviors in a variety of contexts.
So here's another way in which smartphones might transform the way we live and work: by
offering insights into human psychology and behavior and, thus, supporting smarter social
science.
51. What does the author say about the negative impact of smartphones?
A)It has been overshadowed by the positive impact.
B) It has more often than not been taken for granted.
C) It is not so obvious but has caused some concern.
D) It is subtle but should by no means be overstated.
52. What is considered a less obvious advantage of smartphone technology?
A)It systematically records real human interactions.
B) It helps people benefit from technological advances.
C) It brings people into closer contact with each other.
D)It greatly improves research on human behavior.
53.What characterizes traditional psychological research?
A) It is based on huge amounts of carefully collected data.
B) It relies on lab observations and participants' reports.
C) It makes use of the questionnaire method.
D) It is often expensive and time-consuming.
54. How will future psychological studies benefit individuals?
A)By helping them pin down their unusual behaviors.
B) By helping them maintain a positive state of mind.
C) By helping them live their lives in a unique way.
D) By helping them cope with abnormal situations.
55. What do we learn about current psychological studies?
A) They are going through a period of painful transition.
B) They are increasingly focused on real-life situations.
C) They are conducted in a more rigorous manner.
D) They are mainly targeted towards undergraduates.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 136 页 共 223 页2018年06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
The Ebro Delta, in Spain, famous as a battleground during the Spanish Civil War, is now the
setting for a different contest, one that is pitting rice farmers against two enemies: the rice-eating
giant apple snail, and rising sea levels. What happens here will have a bearing on the future of
European rice production and the overall health of southern European wetlands.
Located on the Mediterranean just two hours south of Barcelona, the Ebro Delta produces
120 million kilograms of rice a year, making it one of the continent's most important rice-
growing areas. As the sea creeps into these fresh-water marshes, however, rising salinity(盐分)
is hampering rice production. At the same time, this sea-water also kills off the greedy giant apple
snail, an introduced pest that feeds on young rice plants. The most promising strategy has become
to harness one foe against the other.
The battle is currently being waged on land, in greenhouses at the University of Barcelona.
Scientists working under the banner“Project Neurice”are seeking varieties of rice that can
withstand the increasing salinity without losing the absorbency that makes European rice ideal for
traditional Spanish and Italian dishes.
“The project has two sides,” says Xavier Serrat, Neurice project manager and researcher at
the University of Barcelona,"the short-term fight against the snail, and a mid- to long- term fight
against climate change. But the snail has given the project greater urgency."
Originally from South America, the snails were accidentally introduced into the Ebro Delta
by Global Aquatic Technologies, a company that raised the snails for fresh-water aquariums (水
族馆),but failed to prevent their escape. For now, the giant apple snail's presence in Europe is
limited to the Ebro Delta. But the snail continues its march to new territory, says Serrat.“The
question is not whether it will reach other rice-growing areas of Europe, but when."
Over the next year and a half investigators will test the various strains of salt-tolerant rice
they've bred. In 2018, farmers will plant the varieties with the most promise in the Ebro Delta
and Europe's other two main rice-growing regions—along the Po in Italy, and France's Rh?ne. A
season in the field will help determine which, if any, of the varieties are ready for
commercialization.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 137 页 共 223 页As an EU-funded effort, the search for salt-tolerant varieties of rice is taking place in all
three countries. Each team is crossbreeding a local European short-grain rice with a long-grain
Asian variety that carries the salt-resistant gene. The scientists are breeding successive
generations to arrive at varieties that incorporate salt tolerance but retain about 97 percent of the
European rice genome (基因组).
46.Why does the author mention the Spanish Civil War at the beginning of the passage?
A)It had great impact on the life of Spanish rice farmers.
B) It is of great significance in the records of Spanish history.
C) Rice farmers in the Ebro Delta are waging a battle of similar importance.
D) Rice farmers in the Ebro Delta are experiencing as hard a time as in the war.
47.What may be the most effective strategy for rice farmers to employ in fighting their enemies?
A)Striking the weaker enemy first.
B) Killing two birds with one stone.
C) Eliminating the enemy one by one.
D) Using one evil to combat the other.
48.What do we learn about “Project Neurice”?
A)Its goals will have to be realized at a cost.
B) It aims to increase the yield of Spanish rice.
C) Its immediate priority is to bring the pest under control.
D) It tries to kill the snails with the help of climate change.
49.What does Neurice project manager say about the giant apple snail?
A) It can survive only on southern European wetlands.
B) It will invade other rice-growing regions of Europe.
C) It multiplies at a speed beyond human imagination.
D) It was introduced into the rice fields on purpose.
50.What is the ultimate goal of the EU-funded program?
A)Cultivating ideal salt-resistant rice varieties.
B) Increasing the absorbency of the Spanish rice.
C) Introducing Spanish rice to the rest of Europe.
D) Popularizing the rice crossbreeding technology.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 138 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Photography was once an expensive, laborious ordeal reserved for life's greatest milestones.
Now, the only apparent cost to taking infinite photos of something as common as a meal is the
space on your hard drive and your dining companion's patience.
But is there another cost, a deeper cost, to documenting a life experience instead of simply
enjoying it?“You hear that you shouldn't take all these photos and interrupt the experience, and
it's bad for you, and we're not living in the present moment,”says Kristin Diehl, associate
professor of marketing at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.
Diehl and her fellow researchers wanted to find out if that was true, so they embarked on a
series of nine experiments in the lab and in the field testing people's enjoyment in the presence or
absence of a camera. The results, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
surprised them. Taking photos actually makes people enjoy what they're doing more, not less.
“What we find is you actually look at the world slightly differently, because you're looking
for things you want to capture, that you may want to hang onto,”Diehl explains.“That gets
people more engaged in the experience, and they tend to enjoy it more.”
Take sightseeing. In one experiment, nearly 200 participants boarded a double-decker bus
for a tour of Philadelphia. Both bus tours forbade the use of cell phones but one tour provided
digital cameras and encouraged people to take photos. The people who took photos enjoyed the
experience significantly more, and said they were more engaged, than those who didn't.
Snapping a photo directs attention, which heightens the pleasure you get from whatever
you're looking at, Diehl says. It works for things as boring as archaeological(考古的)
museums, where people were given eye-tracking glasses and instructed either to take photos or
not.“People look longer at things they want to photograph,”Diehl says. They report liking the
exhibits more, too.
To the relief of Instagrammers(Instagram 用户)everywhere, it can even make meals more
enjoyable. When people were encouraged to take at least three photos while they ate lunch, they
were more immersed in their meals than those who weren't told to take photos.
Was it the satisfying click of the camera? The physical act of the snap? No, they found; just
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 139 页 共 223页the act of planning to take a photo—and not actually taking it—had the same joy-boosting effect.
“If you want to take mental photos, that works the same way," Diehl says."Thinking about what
you would want to photograph also gets you more engaged.”
51. What does the author say about photo-taking in the past?
A)It was a painstaking effort for recording life's major events.
B) It was a luxury that only a few wealthy people could enjoy.
C) It was a good way to preserve one's precious images.
D)It was a skill that required lots of practice to master.
52. Kristin Diehl conducted a series of experiments on photo-taking to find out
A) what kind of pleasure it would actually bring to photo-takers
B) whether people enjoyed it when they did sightseeing
C) how it could help to enrich people's life experiences
D) whether it prevented people enjoying what they were doing
53. What do the results of Diehl's experiments show about people taking pictures?
A)They are distracted from what they are doing.
B) They can better remember what they see or do.
C) They are more absorbed in what catches their eye.
D) They can have a better understanding of the world.
54. What is found about museum visitors with the aid of eye-tracking glasses?
A) They come out with better photographs of the exhibits.
B) They focus more on the exhibits when taking pictures.
C) They have a better view of what are on display.
D) They follow the historical events more easily.
55.What do we learn from the last paragraph?
A) It is better to make plans before taking photos.
B) Mental photos can be as beautiful as snapshots.
C)Photographers can derive great joy from the click of the camera.
D) Even the very thought of taking a photo can have a positive effect.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 140 页 共 223 页2018年06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
Human memory is notoriously unreliable. Even people with the sharpest facial-recognition
skills can only remember so much.
It's tough to quantify how good a person is at remembering. No one really knows how many
different faces someone can recall, for example, but various estimates tend to hover in the
thousands-based on the number of acquaintances a person might have.
Machines aren't limited this way, Give the right computer a massive database of faces, and
it can process what it sees—then recognize a face it's told to find-with remarkable speed and
precision. This skill is what supports the enormous promise of facial-recognition software in the
2lst century. It's also what makes contemporary surveillance systems so scary.
The thing is, machines still have limitations when it comes to facial recognition. And
scientists are only just beginning to understand what those constraints are. To begin to figure out
how computers are struggling, researchers at the University of Washington created a massive
database of faces—they call it MegaFace—and tested a variety of facial-recognition algorithms
(算法)as they scaled up in complexity. The idea was to test the machines on a database that
included up to 1 million different images of nearly 700,000 different people-and not just a large
database featuring a relatively small number of different faces, more consistent with what's been
used in other research.
As the databases grew, machine accuracy dipped across the board. Algorithms that were
right 95of the time when they were dealing with a 13, 000-image database, for example,
were accurate about 70of the time when confronted with I million images. That's still pretty
good,says one of the researchers, Ira Kemelmacher-Shlizerman.“Much better than we
expected." she said
Machines also had difficulty adjusting for people who look a lot alike—either
doppelgangers(长相极相似的人),whom the machine would have trouble identifying as two
separate people, or the same person who appeared in different photos at different ages or in
different lighting, whom the machine would incorrectly view as separate people.
“Once we scale up, algorithms must be sensitive to tiny changes in identities and at the same
time invariant to lighting, pose, age,” Kemelmacher-Shlizerman said.
The trouble is, for many of the researchers who'd like to design systems to address these
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 141 页 共 223 页challenges, massive datasets for experimentation just don't exist—at least, not in formats that are
accessible to academic researchers. Training sets like the ones Google and Facebook have are
private. There are no public databases that contain millions of faces. MegaFace's creators say it's
the largest publicly available facial-recognition dataset out there.
“An ultimate face recognition algorithm should perform with billions of people in a dataset,”
the researchers wrote.
46.Compared with human memory, machines can
A)identify human faces more efficiently
B) tell a friend from a mere acquaintance
C) store an unlimited number of human faces
D) perceive images invisible to the human eye
47. Why did researchers create MegaFace?
A) To enlarge the volume of the facial-recognition database.
B) To increase the variety of facial-recognition software.
C) To understand computers' problems with facial recognition.
D) To reduce the complexity of facial-recognition algorithms.
48.What does the passage say about machine accuracy?
A)It falls short of researchers' expectations.
B) It improves with added computing power.
C) It varies greatly with different algorithms.
D) It decreases as the database size increases.
49.What is said to be a shortcoming of facial-recognition machines?
A) They cannot easily tell apart people with near-identical appearances.
B) They have difficulty identifying changes in facial expressions.
C) They are not sensitive to minute changes in people's mood.
D) They have problems distinguishing people of the same age.
50. What is the difficulty confronting researchers of facial-recognition machines?
A) No computer is yet able to handle huge datasets of human faces.
B) There do not exist public databases with sufficient face samples.
C) There are no appropriate algorithms to process the face samples.
D) They have trouble converting face datasets into the right format.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 142 页 共 223 页Passage Two
There are currently 21.5 million students in America, and many will be funding their
college on borrowed money. Given that there's now over $1.3 trillion in student loans on the
books, it's pretty clear that many students are far from sensible. The average student's debt
upon graduation now approaches $40,000, and as college becomes ever more expensive, calls
to make it“free” are multiplying. Even Hillary Clinton says that when it comes to college,
“Costs won't be a barrier.”
But the only way college could be free is if the faculty and staff donated their time, the
buildings required no maintenance, and the campuses required no utilities. As long as it's
impossible to produce something from nothing, costs are absolutely a barrier.
The actual question we debate is who should pay for people to go to college. If taxpayers are
to bear the cost of forgiving student loans, shouldn't they have a say in how their money is used?
At least taxpayers should be able to decide what students will study on the public dime. If
we are going to force taxpayers to foot the bill for college degrees, students should only study
those subjects that are of greatest benefit to taxpayers. After all, students making their own
choices in this respect is what caused the problem in the first place. We simply don't need more
poetry, gender studies, or sociology majors. How do we know which subjects benefit society?
Easy.
Average starting salaries give a clear indication of what type of training society needs its
new workers to have. Certainly, there are benefits to a college major beyond the job a student can
perform. But if we're talking about the benefits to society, the only thing that matters is what the
major enables the student to produce for society. And the value of what the student can produce is
reflected in the wage employers are willing to pay the student to produce it.
A low wage for elementary school teachers, however, doesn't mean elementary education
isn't important. It simply means there are too many elementary school teachers already.
Meanwhile, there are few who are willing and able to perform jobs requiring a petroleum
engineering major, so the value of one more of those people is very high.
So we can have taxpayers pick up students' tuition in exchange for dictating what those
students will study. Or we can allow students both to choose their majors and pay for their
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 143 页 共 223 页education themselves. But in the end, one of two things is true:
Either a college major is worth its cost or it isn't. If yes, taxpayer financing isn't needed. If
not, taxpayer financing isn't desirable. Either way, taxpayers have no business paying for
students' college education.
51.What does the author think of college students funding their education through loans?
A) They only expect to get huge returns.
B) They are acting in an irrational way.
C) They benefit at taxpayers' expense.
D) They will regret doing so someday.
52. In the author's opinion, free college education is.
A)impractical
B)unsustainable
C) a goal to strive for
D) a way to social equality
53. What should students do if taxpayers are to bear their college costs?
A)Work even harder to repay society.
B) Choose their subjects more carefully.
C) Choose majors that will serve society's practical needs.
D)Allow taxpayers to participate in college administration.
54.What does the author say about the value of a student's college education?
A) It is underestimated by profit-seeking employers.
B) It is to be proved by what they can do on the job.
C) It is well reflected in their average starting salary.
D) It is embodied in how they remove social barriers.
55. What message does the author want to convey in the passage?
A)Students should think care fully whether to go to college.
B) Taxpayers should only finance the most gifted students.
C) The worth of a college education is open to debate.
D)College students should fund their own education.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 144 页 共 223 页2018年06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第3套
Passage One
Economically speaking, are we better off than we were ten years ago? Twenty years ago?
In their thirst for evidence on this issue, commentators seized on the recent report by the
Census Bureau, which found that average household income rose by 5.2in 2015. Unfortunately,
that conclusion puts too much weight on a useful, but flawed and incomplete, statistic. Among
the more significant problems with the Census's measure are that:1) it excludes taxes, transfers,
and compensation like employer-provided health insurance; and 2) it is based on surveys rather
than data. Even if precisely measured,income data exclude important determinants of economic
well-being, such as the hours of work needed to earn that income.
While thinking about the question, we came across a recently published article by Charles
Jones and Peter Klenow, which proposes an interesting new measure of economic welfare. While
by no means perfect, it is considerably more comprehensive than average income, taking into
account not only growth in consumption per person but also changes in working time, life
expectancy, and inequality. Moreover, it can be used to assess economic performance both across
countries and over time.
The Jones-Klenow method can be illustrated by a cross-country example. Suppose we want
to compare the economic welfare of citizens of the U.S. and France in 2005.
In 2005,as the authors observe, real consumption per person in France was only 60s
high as the U.S., making it appear that Americans were economically much better off than the
French on average. However, that comparison omits other relevant factors: leisure time, life
expectancy,and economic inequality. The French take longer vacations and retire earlier, so
typically work fewer hours;they enjoy a higher life expectancy,presumably reflecting advantages
with respect to health care, diet, lifestyle,and the like; and income and consumption are
somewhat more equally distributed there than in the U.S. Because of these differences,
comparing France's consumption with the U.S.'s overstates the gap in economic welfare.
Similar calculations can be used to compare the U.S. and other countries. For example, this
calculation puts economic welfare in the United Kingdom at 97of U.S. levels, but estimates
Mexican well-being at 22%.
The Jones-Klenow measure can also assess an economy's performance over time. According
to this measure, as of the early-to-mid-2000s, the U.S. had the highest economic welfare of any
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 145 页 共 223 页large country. Since 2007, economic welfare in the U.S. has continued to improve. However, the
pace of improvement has slowed markedly.
Methodologically, the lesson from the Jones-Klenow research is that economic welfare is
multi-dimensional. Their approach is flexible enough that in principle other important quality-of-
life changes could be incorporated—for example, decreases in total emissions of pollutants and
declines in crime rates.
46.What does the author think of the 2015 report by the Census Bureau?
A)It is based on questionable statistics.
B) It reflects the economic changes.
C) It evidences the improved welfare.
D) It provides much food for thought.
47.What does the author say about the Jones-Klenow method?
A) It is widely used to compare the economic growth across countries.
B) It revolutionizes the way of measuring ordinary people's livelihood.
C) It focuses on people's consumption rather than their average income.
D) It is a more comprehensive measure of people's economic well-being.
48.What do Jones and Klenow think of the comparison between France and the U.S. in terms of
real consumption per person?
A) It reflected the existing big gap between the two economies.
B) It neglected many important indicators of people's welfare.
C) It covered up the differences between individual citizens.
D) It failed to count in their difference in natural resources.
49.What is an advantage of the Jones-Klenow method?
A)It can accurately pinpoint a country's current economic problems.
B) It can help to raise people's awareness of their economic well-being.
C) It can diagnose the causes of a country's slowing pace of economic improvement.
D) It can compare a country's economic conditions between different periods of time.
50.What can we infer from the passage about American people's economic well-being?
A)It is much better than that of their European counterparts.
B) It has been on the decline ever since the turn of the century.
C) It has not improved as much as reported by the Census Bureau.
D)It has not been accurately assessed and reported since mid-2000s.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 146 页 共 223 页Passage Two
If you've ever started a sentence with, "If I were you…"or found yourself scratching your
head at a colleague's agony over a decision when the answer is crystal-clear, there's a scientific
reason behind it. Our own decision-making abilities can become depleted over the course of the
day causing indecision or poor choices, but choosing on behalf of someone else is an enjoyable
task that doesn't suffer the same pitfalls.
The problem is“decision fatigue,”a psychological phenomenon that takes a toll on the
quality of your choices after a long day of decision making, says Evan Polman, a leading
psychologist
Physicians who have been on the job for several hours, for example, are more likely to
prescribe antibiotics to patients when it's unwise to do so.“Presumably it's because it's simple
and easy to write a prescription and consider a patient case closed rather than investigate further,"
Polman says
But decision fatigue goes away when you are making the decision for someone else. When
people imagine themselves as advisers and imagine their own choices as belonging to someone
else, they feel less tired and relyless on decision shortcuts to make those choices.“By taking upon
the role of adviser rather than decision maker,one does not suffer the consequences of decision
fatigue,” he says.“It's as if there's something fun and liberating about making someone else's
choice."
Getting input from others not only offers a fresh perspective and thought process, it often
also includes riskier choices. While this sounds undesirable, it can be quite good, says Polman.
“when people experience decision fatigue—when they are tired of making choices—they have a
tendency to choose to go with the status quo(现状),”he says.“ But the status quo can be
problematic, since a change in the course of action can sometimes be important and lead to a
positive outcome."
In order to achieve a successful outcome or reward, some level of risk is almost always
essential.“People who are susceptible to decision fatigue will likely choose to do nothing over
something,” he says.“That's not to say that risk is always good, but it is related to taking action,
whereas decision fatigue assuredly leads to inaction and the possible chagrin(懊恼) of a decision
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 147 页 共 223 页maker who might otherwise prefer a new course but is unfortunately hindered.”
Just because you can make good choices for others doesn't mean you'll do the same for
yourself, polman cautions.“Research has found that women negotiate higher salaries for others
than they do for themselves," he says, adding that people slip in and out of decision roles.
51.What does the author say about people making decisions?
A) They may become exhausted by making too many decisions for themselves.
B) They are more cautious in making decisions for others than for themselves.
C) They tend to make decisions the way they think advantageous to them.
D) They show considerable differences in their decision-making abilities.
52.What does the example about the physicians illustrate?
A)Patients seldom receive due care towards the end of the day.
B) Prescription of antibiotics can be harmful to patients'health.
C) Decision fatigue may prevent people making wise decisions.
D)Medical doctors are especially susceptible to decision fatigue.
53.When do people feel less decision fatigue?
A)When they take decision shortcuts.
B)When they help others to make decisions.
C) When they have major decisions to make.
D)When they have advisers to turn to.
54.What are people likely to do when decision fatigue sets in?
A)They turn to physicians for advice.
B) They tend to make risky decisions.
C) They adopt a totally new perspective.
D) They refrain from trying anything new.
55.What does the passage say about taking some risk in decision making?
A)It is vital for one to reach the goal desired.
B) It is likely to entail serious consequences.
C) It will enable people to be more creative.
D) It will more often than not end in regret.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 148 页 共 223 页2017年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
You may have heard that Coca-Cola once contained an ingredient capable of sparking
particular devotion in consumers: cocaine. The “coca” in the name referred to the extracts of coca
leaf that the drink's originator, chemist John Pemberton, mixed with his sugary syrup(浆汁).At
the time, coca leaf extract mixed with wine was a common tonic(滋补品),and Pemberton's
sweet brew was a way to get around local laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol. But the other half
of the name represents another ingredient, less infamous(名 声不好的), perhaps, but also
strangely potent: the kola nut.
In West Africa, people have long chewed kola nuts as stimulants, because they contain
caffeine that also occurs naturally in tea, coffee, and chocolate. They also have heart stimulants.
Historian Paul Lovejoy relates that the cultivation of kola nuts in West Africa is hundreds of
years old. The leafy, spreading trees were planted on graves and as part of traditional rituals.
Even though the nuts, which need to stay moist, can be somewhat delicate to transport, traders
carried them hundreds of miles throughout the forests and grasslands.
Europeans did not know of them until the 1500s, when Portuguese ships arrived on the coast
of what is now Sierra Leone. And while the Portuguese took part in the trade, ferrying nuts down
the coast along with other goods, by 1620, when English explorer Richard Jobson made his way
up the Gambia, the nuts were still peculiar to his eyes.
By the late 19th century, kola nuts were being shipped by the tonne to Europe and the US.
Many made their way into medicines, intended as a kind of energy boost. One such popular
medicinal drink was Vin Mariani, a French product consisting of coca extract mixed with red
wine. It was created by a French chemist, Angelo Mariani, in 1863. So when Pemberton created
his drink, it represented an ongoing trend. When cocaine eventually fell from grace as a beverage
ingredient, kola-extract colas became popular.
The first year it was available, Coca-Cola averaged nine servings a day across all the Atlanta
soda fountains where it was sold. As it grew more popular, the company sold rights to bottle the
soda, so it could travel easily. Today about 1.9 billion Cokes are purchased daily. It's become so
iconic that attempts to change its taste in 1985—sweetening it in a move projected to boost
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 149 页 共 223 页sales—proved disastrous, with widespread anger from consumers.“Coca-Cola Classic”returned
to store shelves just three months after the "New Coke" was released.
These days, the Coca-Cola recipe is a closely guarded secret. But it's said to no longer
contain kola nut extract, relying instead on artificial imitations to achieve the flavour.
46.What do we learn about chemist John Pemberton?
A)He used a strangely potent ingredient in a food supplement.
B) He created a drink containing alcohol without breaking law.
C) He became notorious because of the coca drink he developed.
D) He risked breaking local law to make a drink with coca leaves.
47.What does the passage say about kola nuts?
A) Their commercial value was first discovered by Portuguese settlers.
B) They contain some kind of energy boost not found in any other food.
C) Many were shipped to Europe in the late 19th century for medicinal use.
D) They were strange to the Europeans when first imported from West Africa.
48.How come kola-extract colas became popular ?
A)Cocaine had become notorious.
B) Alcoholic drinks were prohibited.
C) Fountains were set up to sell them.
D)Rights were sold to bottle the soda.
49.What is known about the taste of Coca-Cola?
A)It was so designed as to create addiction in consumers.
B) It still relies on traditional kola nut extract.
C) It has become more popular among the old.
D) It has remained virtually unchanged since its creation.
50. What is the passage mainly about?
A) The evolution of Coca-Cola.
B) The medicinal value of Coca-Cola.
C) The success story of Coca-Cola.
D) The business strategy of Coca-Cola.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 150 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Twenty years ago, the Urban Land Institute defined the two types of cities that dominated
the US landscape: smaller cities that operated around standard 9-5 business hours and large
metropolitan areas that ran all 24 hours of the day. Analyzing and comparing cities using the lens
of this basic divide gives interesting context to how investment capital flows and housing prices
have shifted.
In recent years, many mid-sized cities have begun to adopt a middle-of-the-road approach
incorporating the excitement and opportunity of large cities with small cities' quiet after midnight.
These18-hour cities are beginning to make waves in real estate rankings and attract more real
estate investment.What is underlying this new movement in real estate, and why do these cities
have so much appeal?
18-hour cities combine the best of 24-hour and 9-5 cities, which contributes to downtown
revitalization. For decades, many downtown cores in small to mid-sized cities were abandoned
after work hours by workers who lived in the suburbs. Movement out of city centers was
widespread, and downtown tenants were predominantly made up of the working poor. This
generated little commerce for downtown businesses in the evenings, which made business and
generating tax revenue for municipal upkeep difficult. With the rise of a new concept in urban
planning that aims to make life easier and more convenient, however, increasing popularity for
urban areas that caused the real estate pushes, in major cities like San Francisco or New York, has
inspired a type of forward thinking urbanity and policy in smaller cities.
Transforming downtown areas so that they incorporate modern housing and improved
walkability to local restaurants, retail,and entertainment—especially when combined with
improved infrastructure for cyclists and public transit—makes them appeal to a more affluent
demographic. These adjustments encourage employers in the knowledge and talent industries to
keep their offices downtown. Access to foot traffic and proximity to transit allow the type of
entertainment-oriented businesses such as bars and restaurants to stay open later, which attracts
both younger, creative workers and baby boomers nearing retirement alike. Because of their
smaller size, most keep hours that allow people to enjoy themselves, then have some quiet after
midnight, as opposed to large major cities like New York, where the buzz of activity is ongoing.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 151 页 共 223 页These 18-hour cities are rapidly on the rise and offer great opportunities for homeowner
investment. In many of these cities such as Denver, a diverse and vigorous economy attracted to
the urban core has offered stable employment for residents. The right urban mix has propped up
home occupancy, increased property values, and attracted significant investment capital.
51. What do we learn about American cities twenty years ago?
A) They were divided into residential and business areas.
B) Their housing prices were linked with their prosperity.
C) There was a clear divide between large and small cities.
D) They were places where large investment capital flowed.
52.What can be inferred from the passage about 18-hour cities?
A) They especially appeal to small businesses.
B) They have seen a rise in property prices.
.
C) They have replaced quiet with excitement.
D) They have changed America's landscape.
53.Years ago, many downtown cores in small to mid-sized cities
A) had hardly any business activity
B) were crowded in business hours
C) exhibited no signs of prosperity
D) looked deserted in the evenings
54. What characterizes the new downtown areas in 18-hour cities?
A)A sudden emergence of the knowledge industry.
B) Flooding in of large crowds of migrant workers.
C) Modernized housing and improved infrastructure.
D) More comfortable life and greater upward mobility.
55. What have 18-hour cities brought to the local residents?
A)More chances for promotion.
B) Healthier living environment.
C) Greater cultural diversity.
D) Better job opportunities.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 152 页 共 223 页2017年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
In the beginning of the movie I, Robot, a robot has to decide whom to save after two cars
plunge into the water-Del Spooner or a child. Even though Spooner screams“Save her! Save
her!” the robot rescues him because it calculates that he has a 45 percent chance of survival
compared to Sarah's 11 percent. The robot's decision and its calculated approach raise an
important question: would humans make the same choice? And which choice would we want our
robotic counterparts to make?
Isaac Asimov evaded the whole notion of morality in devising his three laws of robotics,
which hold that 1. Robots cannot harm humans or allow humans to come to harm; 2. Robots must
obey humans, except where the order would conflict with law 1; and 3. Robots must act in self-
preservation, unless doing so conflicts with laws 1 or 2. These laws are programmed into
Asimov's robots—they don't have to think, judge, or value. They don't have to like humans or
believe that hurting them is wrong or bad. They simply don't do it.
The robot who rescues Spooner's life in I, Robot follows Asimov's zero law: robots cannot
harm humanity(as opposed to individual humans) or allow humanity to come to harm—an
expansion of the first law that allows robots to determine what's in the greater good. Under the
first law, a robot could not harm a dangerous gunman, but under the zeroh law, a robot could kill
the gunman to save others.
Whether it's possible to program a robot with safeguards such as Asimov's laws is debatable.
A word such as“harm”is vague(what about emotional harm? Is replacing a human employee
harm?), and abstract concepts present coding problems. The robots in Asimov's fiction expose
complications and loopholes in the three laws, and even when the laws work, robots still have to
assess situations.
Assessing situations can be complicated. A robot has to identify the players, conditions, and
possible outcomes for various scenarios. It's doubtful that a computer program can do that—at
least, not without some undesirable results. A roboticist at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory
programmed a robot to save human proxies(替身)called“H-bots”from danger. When one H-bot
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 153 页 共 223 页headed for danger, the robot successfully pushed it out of the way. But when two H-bots became
imperiled, the robot choked 42 percent of the time, unable to decide which to save and letting
them both“die.” The experiment highlights the importance of morality: without it, how can a
robot decide whom to save or what's best for humanity, especially if it can't calculate survival
odds?
46.What question does the example in the movie raise?
A)Whether robots can reach better decisions.
B) Whether robots follow Asimov's zero law.
C) How robots may make bad judgments.
D)How robots should be programmed.
47. What does the author think of Asimov's three laws of robotics?
A)They are apparently divorced from reality.
B) They did not follow the coding system of robotics.
C) They laid a solid foundation for robotics.
D) They did not take moral issues into consideration.
48.What does the author say about Asimov's robots?
A) They know what is good or bad for human beings.
B) They are programmed not to hurt human beings.
C) They perform duties in their owners' best interest.
D) They stop working when a moral issue is involved.
49.What does the author want to say by mentioning the word "harm" in Asimov's laws?
A)Abstract concepts are hard to program.
B) It is hard for robots to make decisions.
C) Robots may do harm in certain situations.
D)Asimov's laws use too many vague terms.
50.What has the roboticist at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory found in his experiment?
A) Robots can be made as intelligent as human beings some day.
B) Robots can have moral issues encoded into their programs.
C) Robots can have trouble making decisions in complex scenarios.
D)Robots can be programmed to perceive potential perils.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 154 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Our world now moves so fast that we seldom stop to see just how far we have come in just a
few years. The latest iPhone 6s, for example, has a dual-core processor and fits nicely into your
pocket. By comparison, you would expect to find a technological specification like this on your
standard laptop in an office anywhere in the world.
It's no wonder that new applications for the Internet of Things are moving ahead fast when
almost every new device we buy has a plug on the end of it or a wireless connection to the
internet. Soon, our current smartphone lifestyle will expand to create our own smart home
lifestyle too
All researches agree that close to 25 billion devices, things and sensors will be connected
by 2020 which incidentally is also the moment that Millennials(千禧一代)are expected to
make up 75 percent of our overall workforce, and the fully connected home will become a reality
for large numbers of people worldwide.
However, this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg as smart buildings and even cities
increasingly become the norm as leaders and business owners begin to wake up to the massive
savings that technology can deliver through connected sensors and new forms of automation
coupled with intelligent energy and facilities management.
Online security cameras, intelligent lighting and a wealth of sensors that control both
temperature and air quality are offering an unprecedented level of control, efficiency, and
improvements to what were once classed necessary costs when running a business or managing a
large building.
We can expect that the ever-growing list of devices, systems and environments remain
connected, always online and talking to each other. The big benefit will not only be in the
housing of this enormous and rapidly growing amount of data, but will also be in the ability to
run real time data analytics to extract actionable and ongoing knowledge.
The biggest and most exciting challenge of this technology is how to creatively leverage this
ever-growing amount of data to deliver cost savings, improvements and tangible benefits to both
businesses and citizens of these smart cities.
The good news is that most of this technology is already invented. Let's face it, it wasn't too
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 155 页 共 223 页long ago that the idea of working from anywhere and at anytime was some form of a distant
utopian(乌托邦式的) dream,and yet now we can perform almost any office-based task from any
location in the world as long as we have access to the internet.
It's time to wake up to the fact that making smart buildings, cities and homes will
dramatically improve our quality of life in the years ahead.
51.What does the example of iPhone 6s serve to show?
A) The huge capacity of the smartphones people now use.
B) The widespread use of smartphones all over the world.
C) The huge impact of new technology on people's everyday life.
D) The rapid technological progress in a very short period of time.
52. What can we expect to see by the year 2020?
A)Apps for the Internet of Things.
B) The popularization of smart homes.
C) The emergence of Millennials.
D) Total globalization of the world.
53. What will business owners do when they become aware of the benefits of the internet of Things?
A)Employ fewer workers in their operations.
B) Gain automatic control of their businesses.
C) Invest in more smart buildings and cities.
D) Embrace whatever new technology there is.
54. What is the most exciting challenge when we possess more and more data?
A)How to turn it to profitable use.
B) How to do real time data analysis.
C) How to link the actionable systems.
D) How to devise new ways to store it.
55.What does the author think about working from anywhere and at anytime?
A) It is feasible with a connection to the internet.
B) It will thrive in smart buildings, cities and homes.
C) It is still a distant utopian dream for ordinary workers.
D) It will deliver tangible benefits to both boss and worker.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 156 页 共 223 页2017年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第3套
Passage One
At the base of a mountain in Tanzania's Gregory Rift, Lake Natron burns bright red,
surrounded by the remains of animals that were unfortunate enough to fall into the salty water.
Bats, swallows and more are chemically preserved in the pose in which they perished, sealed in
the deposits of sodium carbonate in the water. The lake's landscape is bizarre and deadly—and
made even more so by the fact that it's the place where nearly 75 percent of the world's flamingos
(火烈鸟) are born.
The water is so corrosive that it can burn the skin and eyes of unadapted animals. Flamingos,
however, are the only species that actually makes life in the midst of all that death. Once every
three or four years, when conditions are right, the lake is covered with the pink birds as they stop
flight to breed. Three-quarters of the world's flamingos fly over from other salt lakes in the Rift
Valley and nest on salt-crystal islands that appear when the water is at a specific level—too high
and the birds can't build their nests, too low and predators can move briskly across the lake bed
and attack. When the water hits the right level, the baby birds are kept safe from predators by a
corrosive ditch.
“Flamingos have evolved very leathery skin on their legs so they can tolerate the salt
water,” says David Harper, a professor at the University of Leicester.“ Humans cannot, and
would die if their legs were exposed for any length of time." So far this year, water levels have
been too high for the flamingos to nest.
Some fish, too, have had limited success vacationing at the lake as less salty lagoons(泻湖)
form on the outer edges from hot springs flowing into Lake Natron. Three species of tilapia(罗
非鱼) thrive there part-time.“Fish have a refuge in the streams and can expand into the lagoons
when the lake is low and the lagoons are separate,” Harper said.“All the lagoons join when the
lake is high and fish must retreat to their stream refuges or die.” Otherwise, no fish are able to
survive in the naturally toxic lake.
This unique ecosystem may soon be under pressure. The Tanzanian government has once
again started mining the lake for soda ash, used for making chemicals, glass and detergents.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 157 页 共 223 页Although the planned operation will be located more than 40 miles away, drawing the soda ash in
through pipelines, conservationists worry it could still upset the natural water cycle and breeding
grounds. For now, though, life prevails—even in a lake that kills almost everything it touches.
46. What can we learn about Lake Natron?
A) It is simply uninhabitable for most animals.
B) It remains little known to the outside world.
C) It is a breeding ground for a variety of birds.
D)It makes an ideal habitat for lots of predators.
47.Flamingos nest only when the lake water is at a specific level so that their babies can
A) find safe shelter more easily
B) grow thick feathers on their feet
C) stay away from predators
D) get accustomed to the salty water
48.Flamingos in the Rift Valley are unique in that
A)they can move swiftly across lagoons
B) they can survive well in salty water
C) they breed naturally in corrosive ditches
D) they know where and when to nest
49.Why can certain species of tilapia sometimes survive around Lake Natron?
A) They can take refuge in the less salty waters.
B) They can flee quick enough from predators.
C) They can move freely from lagoon to lagoon.
D) They can stand the heat of the spring water.
50.What may be the consequence of Tanzanian government's planned operation?
A) The accelerated extinction of flamingos.
B) The change of flamingos' migration route.
C) The overmining of Lake Natron's soda ash.
D) The disruption of Lake Natron's ecosystem.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 158 页 共 223 页Passage Two
It is the season for some frantic last-minute math—across the country, employees of all
stripes are counting backward in an attempt to figure out just how much paid time-off they have
left in their reserves. More of them, though, will skip those calculations altogether and just power
through the holidays into 2017: More than half of American workers don't use up all of their
allotted vacation days each year.
Not so long ago, people would have turned up their noses at that kind of dedication to the
job.As marketing professors Silvia Bellezza, Neeru Paharia, and Anat Keinan recently explained
in Harvard Business Review(HBR), leisure time was once seen as an indicator of high social
status, something attainable only for those at the top. Since the middle of the 20th century, though,
things have turned the opposite way—these days, punishing hours at your desk, rather than days
off, are seen as the mark of someone important.
In a series of several experiments, the researchers illustrated just how much we've come to
admire busyness, or at least the appearance of it. Volunteers read two passages, one about a man
who led a life of leisure and another about a man who was over-worked and over-scheduled;
when asked to determine which of the two had a higher social status, the majority of the
participants said the latter. The same held true for people who used products that implied they
were short on time: In one experiment, for example, customers of the grocery-delivery service
Peapod were seen as of higher status than people who shopped at grocery stores that were equally
expensive; in another, people wearing wireless headphones were considered further up on the
social ladder than those wearing regular headphones, even when both were just used to listen to
music.
In part, the authors wrote in HBR, this pattern may have to do with the way work itself has
changed over the past several decades.
We think that the shift from leisure-as-status to busyness-as-status may be linked to the
development of knowledge-intensive economics. In such economies, individuals who possess the
human capital characteristics that employers or clients value(e.g., competence and ambition) are
expected to be in high demand and short supply on the job market. Thus, by telling others that we
are busy and working all the time, we are implicitly suggesting that we are sought after, which
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 159 页 共 223 页enhances our perceived status.
Even if you feel tempted to sacrifice your own vacation days for fake busyness, though, at
least consider leaving your weekends unscheduled. It's for your own good.
51.What do most employees plan to do towards the end of the year?
A)Go for a vacation.
B) Keep on working.
C) Set an objective for next year.
D)Review the year's achievements.
52. How would people view dedication to work in the past?
A)They would regard it as a matter of course.
B) They would consider it a must for success.
C) They would look upon it with contempt.
D) They would deem it a trick of businessmen.
53. What did the researchers find through a series of experiments?
A) The busier one appears, the more respect one earns.
B) The more one works, the more one feels exploited.
C) The more knowledge one has, the more competent one will be.
D) The higher one's status, the more vacation time one will enjoy.
54.What may account for the change of people's attitude towards being busy?
A) The fast pace of life in modern society.
B) The fierce competition in the job market.
C) The widespread use of computer technology.
D) The role of knowledge in modern economy.
55.What does the author advise us to do at the end of the passage?
A) Schedule our time properly for efficiency.
B) Plan our weekends in a meaningful way.
C) Find time to relax however busy we are.
D)Avoid appearing busy when we are not.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 160 页 共 223 页2017年06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
Open data sharers are still in the minority in many fields. Although many researchers
broadly agree that public access to raw data would accelerate science, most are reluctant to post
the results of their own labours online.
Some communities have agreed to share online—geneticists, for example, post DNA
sequences at the GenBank repository(库), and astronomers are accustomed to accessing images
of galaxies and stars from, say, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a telescope that has observed some
500 million objects—but these remain the exception, not the rule. Historically, scientists have
objected to sharing for many reasons: it is a lot of work; until recently, good databases did not
exist; grant funders were not pushing for sharing; it has been difficult to agree on standards for
formatting data; and there is no agreed way to assign credit for data.
But the barriers are disappearing, in part because journals and funding agencies worldwide
are encouraging scientists to make their data public. Last year, the Royal Society in London said
in its report that scientists need to“shift away from a research culture where data is viewed as a
private preserve". Funding agencies note that data paid for with public money should be public
information, and the scientific community is recognizing that data can now be shared digitally in
ways that were not possible before. To match the growing demand, services are springing up to
make it easier to publish research products online and enable other researchers to discover and
cite them.
Although calls to share data often concentrate on the moral advantages of sharing, the
practice is not purely altruistic(利他的). Researchers who share get plenty of personal benefits,
including more connections with colleagues, improved visibility and increased citations. The
most successful sharers—those whose data are downloaded and cited the most often—get noticed,
and their work gets used. For example, one of the most popular data sets on multidisciplinary
repository Dryad is about wood density around the world; it has been downloaded 5,700 times.
Co-author Amy Zanne thinks that users probably range from climate-change researchers wanting
to estimate how much carbon is stored in biomass, to foresters looking for information on
different grades of timber.“I'd much prefer to have my data used by the maximum number of
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 161 页 共 223 页people to ask their own questions,"she says.“It's important to allow readers and reviewers to see
exactly how you arrive at your results. Publishing data and code allows your science to be
reproducible"
Even people whose data are less popular can benefit. By making the effort to organize and
label files so that others can understand them, scientists become more organized and better
disciplined themselves, thus avoiding confusion later on.
46.What do many researchers generally accept?
A)It is imperative to protect scientists' patents.
B) Repositories are essential to scientific research.
C) Open data sharing is most important to medical science.
D)Open data sharing is conducive to scientific advancement.
47.What is the attitude of most researchers towards making their own data public?
A)Opposed. B)Ambiguous
C) Liberal. D)Neutral.
48.According to the passage, what might hinder open data sharing?
A) The fear of massive copying.
B) The lack of a research culture.
C) The belief that research data is private intellectual property.
D) The concern that certain agencies may make a profit out of it
49.What helps lift some of the barriers to open data sharing?
A)The ever-growing demand for big data.
B) The advancement of digital technology.
C) The changing attitude of journals and funders.
D) The trend of social and economic development.
50.Dryad serves as an example to show how open data sharing.
A)is becoming increasingly popular
B) benefits sharers and users alike
C) makes researchers successful
D) saves both money and labor
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 162 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Macy's reported its sales plunged 5.2in November and December at stores open more
than a year, a disappointing holiday season performance that capped a difficult year for a
department store chain facing wide-ranging challenges. Its flagship stores in major U.S. cities
depend heavily on international tourist spending, which shrank at many retailers due to a strong
dollar. Meanwhile, Macy's has simply struggled to lure consumers who are more interested in
spending on travel or dining out than on new clothes or accessories.
The company blamed much of the poor performance in November and December on
unseasonably warm weather.“About 80of our company's year-over-year declines in
comparable sales can be attributed to shortfalls(短缺)in cold-weather goods,”said chief
executive Terry Lundgren in a press release. This prompted the company to cut its forecasts for
the full fourth quarter.
However,it's clear that Macy's believes its troubles run deeper than a temporary
aberration(偏离)off the thermometer. The retail giant said the poor financial performance this
year has pushed it to begin implementing $400 million in cost-cutting measures. The company
pledged to cut 600 back-office positions, though some 150 workers in those roles would be
reassigned to other jobs. It also plans to offer“voluntary separation” packages to 165 senior
executives. It will slash staffing at its fleet of 770 stores, a move affecting some 3,000 employees.
The retailer also announced the locations of 36 stores it will close in early 2016. The
company had previously announced the planned closures, but had not said which locations would
be affected. None of the chain's stores in the Washington metropolitan area are to be closed.
Macy's has been moving aggressively to try to remake itself for a new era of shopping. It
has plans to open more locations of Macy's Backstage, a newly-developed off-price concept
which might help it better compete with ambitious T.J.Maxx. It's also pushing ahead in 2016
with an expansion of Bluemercury, the beauty chain it bought last year. At a time when young
beauty shoppers are often turning to Sephora or Ulta instead of department store beauty counters,
Macy's hopes Bluemercury will help strengthen its position in the category.
One relative bright spot for Macy's during the holiday season was the online channel, where
it rang up“double-digit” increases in sales and a 25increase in the number of orders it filled.
That relative strength would be consistent with what was seen in the wider retail industry during
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 163 页 共 223 页the early part of the holiday season. While Thanksgiving. Black Friday and Cyber Monday all
saw record spending online, in-store sales plunged over the holiday weekend.
51. What does the author say about the shrinking spending of international tourists in the U. S.?
A)It is attributable to the rising value of the U. S. dollar.
B) It is a direct result of the global economic recession.
C) It reflects a shift of their interest in consumer goods.
D) It poses a potential threat to the retail business in the U. S.
52.What does Macy's believe about its problems?
A) They can be solved with better management.
B) They cannot be attributed to weather only.
C) They are not as serious in its online stores.
D) They call for increased investments.
53. In order to cut costs, Macy's decided to
A) cut the salary of senior executives
B) relocate some of its chain stores
C) adjust its promotion strategies
D) reduce the size of its staff
54. Why does Macy's plan to expand Bluemercury in 2016?
A) To experiment on its new business concept.
B) To focus more on beauty products than clothing.
C) To promote sales of its products by lowering prices.
D) To be more competitive in sales of beauty products.
55.What can we learn about Macy's during the holiday season?
A) Sales dropped sharply in its physical stores.
B) Its retail sales exceeded those of T.J.Maxx.
C) It helped Bluemercury establish its position worldwide.
D) It filled its stores with abundant supply of merchandise.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 164 页 共 223 页2017年06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
We live today indebted to McCardell, Cashin, Hawes, Wilkins, and Maxwell, and other
women who liberated American fashion from the confines of Parisian design. Independence came
in tying, wrapping, storing, harmonizing, and rationalizing that wardrobe. These designers
established the modern dress code, letting playsuits and other active wear outfits suffice for
casual clothing, allowing pants to enter the wardrobe, and prizing rationalism and versatility in
dress, in contradiction to dressing for an occasion or allotment of the day. Fashion in America
was logical and answerable to the will of the women who wore it. Implicitly or explicitly,
American fashion addressed a democracy, whereas traditional Paris-based fashion was
prescriptive and imposed on women, willing or not.
In an earlier time, American fashion had also followed the dictates of Paris, or even copied
and pirated specific French designs. Designer sportswear was not modeled on that of Europe, as
“modern art”would later be; it was genuinely invented and developed in America. Its designers
were not high-end with supplementary lines. The design objective and the business commitment
were to sportswear, and the distinctive traits were problem-solving ingenuity and realistic
lifestyle applications. Ease of care was most important: summer dresses and outfits, in particular,
were chiefly cotton, readily capable of being washed and pressed at home. Closings were simple,
practical, and accessible, as the modern woman depended on no personal maid to dress her.
American designers prized resourcefulness and the freedom of the women who wore the clothing.
Many have argued that the women designers of this time were able to project their own
clothing values into a new style. Of course,much of this argument in the 1930s-40s was
advanced because there was little or no experience in justifying apparel(服装)on the basis of
utility. If Paris was cast aside, the tradition of beauty was also to some degree slighted. Designer
sportswear would have to be verified by a standard other than that of pure beauty; the emulation
of a designer's life in designer sportswear was a crude version of this relationship. The consumer
was ultimately to be mentioned as well, especially by the likes of Dorothy Shaver, who could
point to the sales figures at Lord & Taylor.
Could utility alone justify the new ideas of the American designers? Fashion is often
regarded as a pursuit of beauty, and some cherished fashion's trivial relationship to the fine arts.
What the designers of American sportswear proved was that fashion is a genuine design art,
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 165 页 共 223 页answering to the demanding needs of service. Of course these practical, insightful designers have
determined the course of late twentieth-century fashion. They were the pioneers of gender equity,
in their useful, adaptable clothing, which was both made for the masses and capable of self-
expression.
46.What contribution did the women designers make to American fashion?
A) They made some improvements on the traditional Parisian design.
B) They formulated a dress code with distinctive American features.
C) They came up with a brand new set of design procedures.
D) They made originality a top priority in their fashion design.
47.What do we learn about American designer sportswear?
A)It imitated the European model.
B) It laid emphasis on women's beauty.
C) It represented genuine American art.
D) It was a completely new invention.
48.What characterized American designer sportswear?
A)Pursuit of beauty
B) Decorative closings.
C) Ease of care.
D) Fabric quality.
49.What occurred in the design of women's apparel in America during the 1930s-40s?
A)A shift of emphasis from beauty to utility.
B) The emulation of traditional Parisian design.
C) A search for balance between tradition and novelty.
D) The involvement of more women in fashion design.
50.What do we learn about designers of American sportswear?
A)They catered to the taste of the younger generation.
B) They radically changed people's concept of beauty.
C) They advocated equity between men and women.
D) They became rivals of their Parisian counterparts.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 166 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Massive rubbish dumps and sprawling landfills constitute one of the more uncomfortable
impacts that humans have on wildlife. They have led some birds to give up on migration. Instead
of flying thousands of miles in search of food, they make the waste sites their winter feeding
grounds.
Researchers in Germany used miniature GPS tags to track the migrations of 70 white storks
(鹳)from different sites across Europe and Asia during the first five months of their lives. While
many birds travelled along well-known routes to warmer climates, others stopped short and spent
the winter on landfills, feeding on food waste, and the multitudes of insects that thrive on the
dumps.
In the short-term, the birds seem to benefit from overwintering(过冬)on rubbish dumps.
Andrea Flack of the Max Planck Institute found that birds following traditional migration routes
were more likely to die than German storks that flew only as far as northern Morocco, and spent
the winter there on rubbish dumps.“For the birds it's a very convenient way to get food. There
are huge clusters of organic waste they can feed on,"said Flack. The meals are not particularly
appetising, or even safe. Much of the waste is discarded rotten meat, mixed in with other human
debris such as plastic bags and old toys.
“It's very risky. The birds can easily eat pieces of plastic or rubber bands and they can die,”
said Flack.“And we don't know about the long-term consequences. They might eat something
toxic and damage their health. We cannot estimate that yet.”
The scientists tracked white storks from different colonies in Europe and Africa. The
Russian, Greek and Polish storks flew as far as South Africa, while those from Spain, Tunisia and
Germany flew only as far as the Sahel.
Landfill sites on the Iberian peninsula have long attracted local white storks, but all of the
Spanish birds tagged in the study flew across the Sahara desert to the western Sahel. Writing in
the journal, the scientists describe how the storks from Germany were clearly affected by the
presence of waste sites, with four out of six birds that survived for at least five months
overwintering on rubbish dumps in northern Morocco, instead of migrating to the Sahel.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 167 页 共 223 页Flack said it was too early to know whether the benefits of plentiful food outweighed the
risks of feeding on landfills. But that's not the only uncertainty. Migrating birds affect
ecosystems both at home and at their winter destinations, and disrupting the traditional routes
could have unexpected side effects. White storks feed on locusts (蝗虫)and other insects that can
become pests if their numbers get out of hand.“They provide a useful service,” said Flack.
51. What is the impact of rubbish dumps on wildlife?
A) They have forced white storks to search for safer winter shelters.
B) They have seriously polluted the places where birds spend winter.
C) They have accelerated the reproduction of some harmful insects.
D) They have changed the previous migration habits of certain birds.
52. What do we learn about birds following the traditional migration routes?
A)They can multiply at an accelerating rate.
B) They can better pull through the winter.
C) They help humans kill harmful insects.
D) They are more likely to be at risk of dying.
53. What does Andrea Flack say about the birds overwintering on rubbish dumps?
A) They may end up staying there permanently.
B) They may eat something harmful.
C) They may evolve new feeding habits.
D) They may have trouble getting adequate food.
54. What can be inferred about the Spanish birds tagged in the study?
A) They gradually lose the habit of migrating in winter.
B) They prefer rubbish dumps far away to those at home.
C) They are not attracted to the rubbish dumps on their migration routes.
D) They join the storks from Germany on rubbish dumps in Morocco.
55. What is scientists' other concern about white storks feeding on landfills?
A)The potential harm to the ecosystem.
B) The genetic change in the stork species.
C) The spread of epidemics to their homeland.
D)The damaging effect on bio-diversity.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 168 页 共 223 页2017年06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第3套
Passage One
Tennessee's technical and community colleges will not outsource(外包)management of
their facilities to a private company, a decision one leader said was bolstered by an analysis of
spending at each campus.
In an email sent Monday to college presidents in the Tennessee Board of Regents system,
outgoing Chancellor John Morgan said an internal analysis showed that each campus'spending
on facilities management fell well below the industry standards identified by the state. Morgan
said those findings—which included data from the system's 13 community colleges, 27 technical
colleges and six universities—were part of the decision not to move forward with Governor Bill
Haslam's proposal to privatize management of state buildings in an effort to save money.
“While these numbers are still being validated by the state, we feel any adjustments they
might suggest will be immaterial,” Morgan wrote to the presidents.“System institutions are
operating very efficiently based on this analysis, raising the question of the value of pursuing a
broad scale outsourcing initiative.”
Workers'advocates have criticized Haslam's plan, saying it would mean some campus
workers would lose their jobs or benefits. Haslam has said colleges would be free to opt in or out
of the outsourcing plan, which has not been finalized.
Morgan notified the Haslam administration of his decision to opt out in a letter sent last
week. That letter, which includes several concerns Morgan has with the plan, was originally
obtained by The Commercial Appeal in Memphis.
In an email statement from the state's Office of Customer Focused Government, which is
examining the possibility of outsourcing, spokeswoman Michelle R. Martin said officials were
still working to analyze the data from the Board of Regents. Data on management expenses at the
college system and in other state departments will be part of a"business justification"the state
will use as officials deliberate the specifics of an outsourcing plan.
“The state's facilities management project team is still in the process of developing its
business justification and expects to have that completed and available to the public at the end of
February,”Martin said.“At this time there is nothing to take action on since the analysis has yet
to be completed.”
Morgan's comments on outsourcing mark the second time this month that he has come out
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 169 页 共 223 页against one of Haslam's plans for higher education in Tennessee. Morgan said last week that he
would retire at the end of January because of the governor's proposal to split off six universities
of the Board of Regents system and create separate governing boards for each of them. In his
resignation letter, Morgan called the reorganization “unworkable.”
46.What do we learn about the decision of technical and community colleges in Tennessee?
A) It is backed by a campus spending analysis.
B) It has been flatly rejected by the governor.
C) It has neglected their faculty's demands.
D)It will improve their financial situation.
47.What does the campus spending analysis reveal?
A) Private companies play a big role in campus management.
B) Facilities management by colleges is more cost-effective.
C) Facilities management has greatly improved in recent years.
D) Colleges exercise full control over their own financial affairs.
48.Workers'supporters argue that Bill Haslam's proposal would
A)deprive colleges of the right to manage their facilities
B) make workers less motivated in performing duties
C) render a number of campus workers jobless
D) lead to the privatization of campus facilities
49.What do we learn from the state spokeswoman's response to John Morgan's decision?
A) The outsourcing plan is not yet finalized.
B) The outsourcing plan will be implemented.
C) The state officials are confident about the outsourcing plan.
D) The college spending analysis justifies the outsourcing plan.
50. Why did John Morgan decide to resign?
A) He had lost confidence in the Tennessee state government.
B) He disagreed with the governor on higher education policies.
C) He thought the state's outsourcing proposal was simply unworkable.
D) He opposed the governor's plan to reconstruct the college board system.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 170 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Beginning in the late sixteenth century, it became fashionable for young aristocrats to visit
Paris, Venice, Florence, and above all, Rome,as the culmination(终极)of their classical
education. Thus was born the idea of the Grand Tour, a practice which introduced Englishmen,
Germans, Scandinavians, and also Americans to the art and culture of France and Italy for the
next 300 years. Travel was arduous and costly throughout the period, possible only for a
privileged class—the same that produced gentlemen scientists, authors, antique experts, and
patrons of the arts
The Grand Tourist was typically a young man with a thorough grounding in Greek and Latin
literature as well as some leisure time, some means, and some interest in art. The German traveler
Johann Winckelmann pioneered the field of art history with his comprehensive study of Greek
and Roman sculpture; he was portrayed by his friend Anton Raphael Mengs at the beginning of
his long residence in Rome. Most Grand Tourists, however, stayed for briefer periods and set out
with less scholarly intentions, accompanied by a teacher or guardian, and expected to return home
with souvenirs of their travels as well as an understanding of art and architecture formed by
exposure to great masterpieces.
London was a frequent starting point for Grand Tourists, and Paris a compulsory destination;
many traveled to the Netherlands, some to Switzerland and Germany, and a very few adventurers
to Spain, Greece, or Turkey. The essential place to visit, however, was Italy. The British traveler
Charles Thompson spoke for many Grand Tourists when in 1744 he described himself as“being
impatiently desirous of viewing a country so famous in history, a country which once gave laws
to the world, and which is at present the greatest school of music and painting, contains the
noblest productions of sculpture and architecture, and is filled with cabinets of rarities, and
collections of all kinds of historical relics."Within Italy, the great focus was Rome, whose
ancient ruins and more recent achievements were shown to every Grand Tourist. Panini's Ancient
Rome and Modern Rome represent the sights most prized, including celebrated Greco-Roman
statues and views of famous ruins, fountains, and churches. Since there were few museums
anywhere in Europe before the close of the eighteenth century, Grand Tourists often saw
paintings and sculptures by gaining admission to private collections, and many were eager to
acquire examples of Greco-Roman and Italian art for their own collections. In England, where
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 171 页 共 223 页architecture was increasingly seen as an aristocratic pursuit, noblemen often applied what they
learned from the villas of Palladio in the Veneto and the evocative(唤起回忆的) ruins of Rome
to their own country houses and gardens.
51. What is said about the Grand Tour?
A)It was fashionable among young people of the time.
B) It was unaffordable for ordinary people.
C) It produced some famous European artists.
D)It made a compulsory part of college education.
52. What did Grand Tourists have in common?
A)They had much geographic knowledge.
B) They were courageous and venturesome.
C) They were versed in literature and interested in art.
D) They had enough travel and outdoor-life experience.
53. How did Grand Tourists benefit from their travel?
A) They found inspiration in the world's greatest masterpieces.
B) They got a better understanding of early human civilization.
C) They developed an interest in the origin of modern art forms.
D) They gained some knowledge of classical art and architecture.
54. Why did many Grand Tourists visit the private collections?
A)They could buy unique souvenirs there to take back home.
B) Europe hardly had any museums before the 19th century.
C) They found the antiques there more valuable.
D)Private collections were of greater variety.
55. How did the Grand Tour influence the architecture in England?
A)There appeared more and more Roman-style buildings.
B) Many aristocrats began to move into Roman-style villas.
C) Aristocrats' country houses all had Roman-style gardens.
D) Italian architects were hired to design houses and gardens.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 172 页 共 223 页2016年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
The Paris climate agreement finalised in December last year heralded a new era for climate
action. For the first time, the world's nations agreed to keep global warming well below 2℃.
This is vital for climate-vulnerable nations. Fewer than 4of countries are responsible for
more than half of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. In a study published in Nature Scientific
Reports, we reveal just how deep this injustice runs.
Developed nations such as Australia, the United States, Canada, and European countries
are essentially climate“free-riders”: causing the majority of the problems through high
greenhouse gas emissions, while incurring few of the costs such as climate change's impact on
food and water. In other words, a few countries are benefiting enormously from the
consumption of fossil fuels, while at the same time contributing disproportionately to the global
burden of climate change.
On the flip side, there are many “forced riders”, who are suffering from the climate change
impacts despite having scarcely contributed to the problem. Many of the world's most climate-
vulnerable countries, the majority of which are African or small island states, produce a very
small quantity of emissions. This is much like a non-smoker getting cancer from second-hand
smoke, while the heavy smoker is fortunate enough to smoke in good health.
The Paris agreement has been widely hailed as a positive step forward in addressing climate
change for all, although the details on addressing“climate justice” can be best described as
sketchy.
The goal of keeping global temperature rise“well below”2℃ is commendable but the
emissions-reduction pledges submitted by countries leading up to the Paris talks are very unlikely
to deliver on this.
More than $ 100 billion in funding has been put on the table for supporting developing
nations to reduce emissions. However, the agreement specifies that there is no formal distinction
between developed and developing nations in their responsibility to cut emissions, effectively
ignoring historical emissions. There is also very little detail on who will provide the funds or,
importantly, who is responsible for their provision. Securing these funds, and establishing who is
responsible for raising them will also be vital for the future of climate-vulnerable countries.
The most climate-vulnerable countries in the world have contributed very little to creating
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 173 页 共 223页the global disease from which they now suffer the most. There must urgently be a meaningful
mobilisation of the policies outlined in the agreement if we are to achieve national emissions
reductions while helping the most vulnerable countries adapt to climate change.
And it is clearly up to the current generation of leaders from high-emitting nations to decide
whether they want to be remembered as climate change tyrants or pioneers.
46.The author is critical of the Paris climate agreement because
A) it is unfair to those climate-vulnerable nations
B) it aims to keep temperature rise below 2℃ only
C) it is beneficial to only fewer than 4of countries
D) it burdens developed countries with the sole responsibility
47.Why does the author call some developed countries climate“ free-riders”?
A) They needn't worry about the food and water they consume.
B) They are better able to cope with the global climate change.
C) They hardly pay anything for the problems they have caused.
D) They are free from the greenhouse effects affecting“forced riders”.
48.Why does the author compare the“ forced riders” to second-hand smokers?
A) They have little responsibility for public health problems.
B) They are vulnerable to unhealthy environmental conditions.
C) They have to bear consequences they are not responsible for.
D) They are unaware of the potential risks they are confronting.
49.What does the author say about the $ 100 billion funding?
A) It will motivate all nations to reduce carbon emissions.
B) There is no final agreement on where it will come from.
C) There is no clarification of how the money will be spent.
D) It will effectively reduce greenhouse emissions worldwide.
50.What urgent action must be taken to realise the Paris climate agreement?
A) Encouraging high-emitting nations to take the initiative.
B) Calling on all the nations concerned to make joint efforts.
C) Pushing the current world leaders to come to a consensus.
D) Putting in effect the policies in the agreement at once.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 174 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Teenagers at risk of depression, anxiety and suicide often wear their troubles like a neon(霓
虹灯)sign.Their risky behaviors—drinking too much alcohol, using illegal drugs, smoking
cigarettes and skipping school—can alert parents and teachers that serious problems are brewing.
But a new study finds that there's another group of adolescents who are in nearly as much
danger of experiencing the same psychiatric symptoms: teens who use tons of media, don't get
enough sleep and have a sedentary (不爱活动的) lifestyle.
Of course, that may sound like a description of every teenager on the planet. But the study
warns that it is teenagers who engage in all three of these practices in the extreme who are truly
in jeopardy. Because their behaviors are not usually seen as a red flag, these young people have
been dubbed the“invisible risk"group by the study's authors.
“In some ways they're at greater risk of falling through the cracks,” says researcher Vladimir
Carli.“While most parents, teachers and clinicians would react to an adolescent using drugs or
geting drunk, they may easily overlook teenagers who are engaging in inconspicuous behaviors.”
The study's authors surveyed 12,395 students and analyzed nine risk behaviors, including
excessive alcohol use, illegal drug use, heavy smoking, high media use and truancy (逃学). Their
aim was to determine the relationship between these risk behaviors and mental health issues in
teenagers.
About 58of the students demonstrated none or few of the risk behaviors. Some 13%
scored high on all nine of the risk behaviors. And 29?he"invisible risk"group, scored high on
three in particular: They spent five hours a day or more on electronic devices. They slept six
hours a night or less. And they neglected "other healthy activities."
The group that scored high on all nine of the risk behaviors was most likely to show
symptoms of depression; in all, nearly 15of this group reported being depressed, compared
with just 4of the low-risk group. But the invisible group wasn't far behind the high-risk set,
with more than 13of them exhibiting depression.
The findings caught Carli off guard.“We were very surprised," he says."The high-risk group
and low-risk group are obvious. But this third group was not only unexpected, it was so distinct
and so large—nearly one third of our sample—that it became a key finding of the study."
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 175 页 共 223 页Carli says that one of the most significant things about his study is that it provides new early-
warning signs for parents, teachers and mental health-care providers. And early identification,
support and treatment for mental health issues, he says, are the best ways to keep them from
turning into full-blown disorders.
51.What does the author mean by saying“Teenagers at risk of depression, anxiety and suicide
often wear their troubles like a neon sign”(Lines 1-2, Para. 1)?
A)Mental problems can now be found in large numbers of teenagers.
B) Teenagers'mental problems are getting more and more attention.
C) Teenagers'mental problems are often too conspicuous not to be observed.
D) Depression and anxiety are the most common symptoms of mental problems.
52.What is the finding of the new study?
A) Teenagers' lifestyles have changed greatly in recent years.
B) Many teenagers resort to drugs or alcohol for mental relief.
C) Teenagers experiencing psychological problems tend to use a lot of media.
D) Many hitherto unobserved youngsters may have psychological problems.
53.Why do the researchers refer to teens who use tons of media, don't get enough sleep and have
a sedentary lifestyle as the“ invisible risk”group?
A) Their behaviors can be an invisible threat to society.
B) Their behaviors do not constitute a warning signal.
C) Their behaviors do not tend towards mental problems.
D) Their behaviors can be found in almost all teenagers on earth.
54.What does the new study find about the invisible group?
A)They are almost as liable to depression as the high-risk group.
B) They suffer from depression without showing any symptoms.
C) They do not often demonstrate risky behaviors as their peers.
D) They do not attract the media attention the high-risk group does.
55.What is the significance of Vladimir Carli's study?
A)It offers a new treatment for psychological problems among teenagers.
B) It provides new early-warning signals for identifying teens in trouble.
C) It may have found an ideal way to handle teenagers with behavioral problems.
D) It sheds new light on how unhealthy behaviors trigger mental health problems.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 176 页 共 223 页2016年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
Dr. Donald Sadoway at MIT started his own battery company with the hope of changing the
world's energy future. It's a dramatic endorsement for a technology most people think about only
when their smartphone goes dark. But Sadoway isn't alone in trumpeting energy storage as a
missing link to a cleaner, more efficient, and more equitable energy future.
Scientists and engineers have long believed in the promise of batteries to change the world.
Advanced batteries are moving out of specialized markets and creeping into the mainstream,
signaling a tipping point for forward-looking technologies such as electric cars and rooftop
solar panels.
The ubiquitous(无所不在的) battery has already come a long way, of course. For better or
worse, batteries make possible our mobile-first lifestyles, our screen culture, our increasingly
globalized world. Still, as impressive as all this is, it may be trivial compared with what comes
next. Having already enabled a communications revolution, the battery is now poised to
transform just about everything else.
The wireless age is expanding to include not just our phones, tablets, and laptops, but also
our cars, homes, and even whole communities. In emerging economies, rural communities are
bypassing the wires and wooden poles that spread power. Instead, some in Africa and Asia are
seeing their first lightbulbs illuminated by the power of sunlight stored in batteries.
Today, energy storage is a $ 33 billion global industry that generates nearly 100 gigawatt-
hours of electricity per year. By the end of the decade, it's expected to be worth over $ 50 billion
and generate 160 gigawatt-hours, enough to attract the attention of major companies that might
not otherwise be interested in a decidedly pedestrian technology. Even utility companies, which
have long viewed batteries and alternative forms of energy as a threat, are learning to embrace the
technologies as enabling rather than disrupting.
Today's battery breakthroughs come as the world looks to expand modern energy access to
the billion or so people without it, while also cutting back on fuels that warm the planet. Those
simultaneous challenges appear less overwhelming with increasingly better answers to a
centuries-old question: how to make power portable.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 177 页 共 223页To be sure, the battery still has a long way to go before the nightly recharge completely
replaces the weekly trip to the gas station. A battery-powered world comes with its own risks, too.
What happens to the centralized electric grid, which took decades and billions of dollars to build, as
more and more people become“prosumers,” who produce and consume their own energy onsite?
No one knows which—if any—battery technology will ultimately dominate, but one thing
remains clear: The future of energy is in how we store it.
46.What does Dr.Sadoway think of energy storage?
A) It involves the application of sophisticated technology.
B) It is the direction energy development should follow.
C) It will prove to be a profitable business.
D) It is a technology benefiting everyone.
47.What is most likely to happen when advanced batteries become widely used?
A)Mobile-first lifestyles will become popular.
B) The globalization process will be accelerated.
C) Communications will take more diverse forms.
D) The world will undergo revolutionary changes.
48.In some rural communities of emerging economies, people have begun to
A)find digital devices simply indispensable
B) communicate primarily by mobile phone
C) light their homes with stored solar energy
D) distribute power with wires and wooden poles
49.Utility companies have begun to realize that battery technologies
A)benefit their business
B) transmit power faster
C) promote innovation
D) encourage competition
50.What does the author imply about the centralized electric grid?
A)It might become a thing of the past.
B) It might turn out to be a"prosumer".
C) It will be easier to operate and maintain.
D) It will have to be completely transformed.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 178 页 共 223 页Passage Two
More than 100 years ago, American sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois was concerned that race
was being used as a biological explanation for what he understood to be social and cultural
differences between different populations of people. He spoke out against the idea of"white" and
“black”as distinct groups, claiming that these distinctions ignored the scope of human diversity.
Science would favor Du Bois. Today, the mainstream belief among scientists is that race is a
social construct without biological meaning. In an article published in the journal Science, four
scholars say racial categories need to be phased out.
“Essentially, I could not agree more with the authors,”said Svante Paabo, a biologist and
director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany. In one example
that demonstrated genetic differences were not fixed along racial lines, the full genomes (基因组)
of James Watson and Craig Venter, two famous American scientists of European ancestry, were
compared to that of a Korean scientist, Seong-Jin Kim. It turned out that Watson and Venter
shared fewer variations in their genetic sequences than they each shared with Kim.
Michael Yudell, a professor of public health at Drexel University in Philadelphia, said that
modern genetics research is operating in a paradox: on the one hand, race is understood to be a
useful tool to illuminate human genetic diversity, but on the other hand, race is also understood to
be a poorly defined marker of that diversity.
Assumptions about genetic differences between people of different races could be
particularly dangerous in a medical setting.“If you make clinical predictions based on
somebody's race, you're going to be wrong a good chunk of the time," Yudell told Live Science.
In the paper, he and his colleagues used the example of cystic fibrosis, which is underdiagnosed
in people of African ancestry because it is thought of as a"white" disease.
So what other variables could be used if the racial concept is thrown out? Yudell said
scientists need to get more specific with their language, perhaps using terms like“ancestry”or
“population” that might more precisely reflect the relationship between humans and their genes,
on both the individual and population level. The researchers also acknowledged that there are a
few areas where race as a construct might still be useful in scientific research: as a political and
social, but not biological, variable.
“While we argue phasing out racial terminology(术语)in the biological sciences, we also
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 179 页 共 223 页acknowledge that using race as a political or social category to study racism, although filled with
lots of challenges, remains necessary given our need to understand how structural inequities and
discrimination produce health disparities (差异)between groups," Yudell said.
51. Du Bois was opposed to the use of race as .
A) a basis for explaining human genetic diversity
B) an aid to understanding different populations
C) an explanation for social and cultural differences
D) a term to describe individual human characteristics
52.The study by Svante Paabo served as an example to show.
A)modern genetics research is likely to fuel racial conflicts
B) race is a poorly defined marker of human genetic diversity
C) race as a biological term can explain human genetic diversity
.
D) genetics research should consider social and cultural variables
53. The example of the disease cystic fibrosis underdiagnosed in people of African ancestry
demonstrates that .
A) it is absolutely necessary to put race aside in making diagnosis
B) it is important to include social variables in genetics research
C) racial categories for genetic diversity could lead to wrong clinical predictions
D)discrimination against black people may cause negligence in clinical treatment
54. What is Yudell's suggestion to scientists?
A) They be more precise with the language they use.
B) They refrain from using politically sensitive terms.
C) They throw out irrelevant concepts in their research.
D) They examine all possible variables in their research.
55.What can be inferred from Yudell's remark in the last paragraph?
A) Clinging to racism prolongs inequity and discrimination.
B) Physiological disparities are quite striking among races.
C) Doing away with racial discrimination is challenging.
D) Racial terms are still useful in certain fields of study.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 180 页 共 223 页2016年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第3套
Passage One
Any veteran nicotine addict will testify that fancy packaging plays no role in the decision to
keep smoking. So, it is argued, stripping cartons of their branding will trigger no mass movement
to quit.
But that isn't why the government—under pressure from cancer charities, health workers
and the Labour party—has agreed to legislate for standardised packaging. The theory is that
smoking should be stripped of any appeal to discourage new generations from starting in the first
place. Plain packaging would be another step in the reclassification of cigarettes from inviting
consumer products to narcotics (麻醉剂).
Naturally, the tobacco industry is violently opposed. No business likes to admit that it sells
addictive poison as a lifestyle choice. That is why government has historically intervened,
banning advertising, imposing health warnings and punitive(惩罚性的)duties. This approach
has led over time to a fall in smoking with numbers having roughly halved since the 1970s.
Evidence from Australia suggests plain packaging pushes society further along that road. Since
tobacco is one of the biggest causes of premature death in the UK, a measure that tames the habit
even by a fraction is worth trying.
So why has it taken so long? The Department of Health declared its intention to consider the
move in November 2010 and consulted through 2012. But the plan was suspended in July 2013.
It did not escape notice that a lobbying firm set up by Lynton Crosby, David Cameron's election
campaign director, had previously acted for Philip Morris International.(The prime minister
denied there was a connection between his new adviser's outside interests and the change in
legislative programme.) In November 2013, after an unnecessary round of additional consultation,
health minister Jane Ellison said the government was minded to proceed after all. Now we are
told Members of Parliament (MPs) will have a free vote before parliament is dissolved in March.
Parliament has in fact already authorised the government to tame the tobacco trade. MPs
voted overwhelmingly in favour of Labour amendments to the children and families bill last
February that included the power to regulate for plain packaging. With sufficient will in Downing
Street this would have been done already. But strength of will is the missing ingredient where Mr.
Cameron and public health are concerned. His attitude to state intervention has looked confused
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 181 页 共 223 页ever since his bizarre 2006 lament(叹 惜)that chocolate oranges placed seductively at
supermarket checkouts fueled obesity.
The government has moved reluctantly into a sensible public health policy, but with such
obvious over-cautiousness that any political credit due belongs to the opposition. Without
sustained external pressure it seems certain Mr. Cameron would still be hooked on the interests of
big tobacco companies.
46.What do chain smokers think of cigarette packaging?
A) Fancy packaging can help to engage new smokers.
B) It has little to do with the quality or taste of cigarettes.
C) Plain packaging discourages non-smokers from taking up smoking.
D) It has little impact on their decision whether or not to quit smoking.
47.What has the UK government agreed to do concerning tobacco packaging?
A)Pass a law to standardise cigarette packaging.
B) Rid cigarette cartons of all advertisements.
C) Subsidise companies to adopt plain packaging.
D) Reclassify cigarettes according to packaging.
48.What has happened in Australia where plain packaging is implemented?
A) Premature death rates resulting from smoking have declined.
B) The number of smokers has dropped more sharply than in the UK.
C) The sales of tobacco substitutes have increased considerably.
D) Cigarette sales have been falling far more quickly than in the UK.
49.Why has it taken so long for the UK government to consider plain packaging?
A) Prime Minister Cameron has been reluctant to take action.
B) There is strong opposition from veteran nicotine addicts.
C) Many Members of Parliament are addicted to smoking.
D) Pressure from tobacco manufacturers remains strong.
50.What did Cameron say about chocolate oranges at supermarket checkouts?
A) They fueled a lot of controversy. C) They made more British people obese.
B) They attracted a lot of smokers. D) They had certain ingredients missing.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 182 页 共 223 页Passage Two
What a waste of money! In return for an average of f 44,000 of debt, students get an
average of only 14 hours of lecture and tutorial time a week in Britain. Annual fees have risen
from f1,000 to f 9,000 in the last decade, but contact time at university has barely risen at all.
And graduating doesn't even provide any guarantee of a decent job: six in ten graduates today are
in non-graduate jobs.
No wonder it has become fashionable to denounce many universities as little more than
elaborate con-tricks(骗术). There's a lot for students to complain about: the repayment threshold
for paying back loans will be frozen for five years, meaning that lower-paid graduates have to
start repaying their loans; and maintenance grants have been replaced by loans, meaning that
students from poorer backgrounds face higher debt than those with wealthier parents.
Yet it still pays to go to university. If going to university doesn't work out, students pay very
little—if any—of their tuition fees back: you only start repaying when you are earning f 21,000
a year. Almost half of graduates—those who go on to earn less—will have a portion of their debt
written off. It's not just the lectures and tutorials that are important. Education is the sum of what
students teach each other in between lectures and seminars. Students do not merely benefit while
at university; studies show they go on to be healthier and happier than non-graduates, and also far
more likely to vote.
Whatever your talents, it is extraordinarily difficult to get a leading job in most fields
without having been to university. Recruiters circle elite universities like vultures(兀鹰).Many
top firms will not even look at applications from those who lack a 2.1, i.e., an upper-second class
degree, from an elite university. Students at university also meet those likely to be in leading jobs
in the future, forming contacts for life. This might not be right, but school-leavers who fail to
acknowledge as much risk making the wrong decision about going to university.
Perhaps the reason why so many universities offer their students so little is they know
studying at a top university remains a brilliant investment even if you don't learn anything.
Studying at university will only become less attractive if employers shift their focus away from
where someone went to university—and there is no sign of that happening anytime soon. School-
leavers may moan, but they have little choice but to embrace university and the student debt that
comes with it
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 183 页 共 223页51. What is the author's opinion of going to university?
A) It is worthwhile after all.
B) It is simply a waste of time.
C) It is hard to say whether it is good or bad.
D) It is too expensive for most young people.
52. What does the author say about the employment situation of British university graduates?
A) Few of them are satisfied with the jobs they are offered.
B) It usually takes a long time for them to find a decent job.
C) Graduates from elite universities usually can get decent jobs.
D) Most of them take jobs which don't require a college degree.
53. What does the author say is important for university students besides classroom instruction?
A) Making sure to obtain an upper-second class degree.
B) Practical skills they will need in their future careers.
C) Interactions among themselves outside the classroom.
D) Devloping independent and creative thinking abilities.
54.What is said to be an advantage of going to university?
A) Learning how to take risks in an ever-changing world.
B) Meeting people who will be helpful to you in the future.
C) Having opportunities of playing a leading role in society.
D) Gaining up-to-date knowledge in science and technology.
55.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A) It is natural for students to make complaints about university education.
B) Few students are willing to bear the burden of debt incurred at university.
C) University education is becoming attractive to students who can afford it.
D) The prestige of the university influences employers' recruitment decisions.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 184 页 共 223 页2016年06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
Interactive television advertising, which allows viewers to use their remote controls to click
on advertisements, has been pushed for years. Nearly a decade ago it was predicted that viewers
of“Friends”, a popular situation comedy, would soon be able to purchase a sweater like Jennifer
Aniston's with a few taps on their remote control.“ It's been the year of interactive television
advertising for the last ten or twelve years," says Colin Dixon of a digital-media consultancy.
So the news that Cablevision, an American cable company, was rolling out interactive
advertisements to all its customers on October 6th was greeted with some skepticism. During
commercials, an overlay will appear at the bottom of the screen, prompting viewers to press a
button to request a free sample or order a catalogue. Cablevision hopes to allow customers to buy
things with their remote controls early next year.
Television advertising could do with a boost. Spending fell by 10in the first half of the
year. The popularization of digital video recorders has caused advertisers to worry that their
commercials will be skipped. Some are turning to the Internet, which is cheaper and offers
concrete measurements like click-through rates—especially important at a time when marketing
budgets are tight. With the launch of interactive advertising,"many of the dollars that went to the
Internet will come back to the TV," says David Kline of Cablevision. Or so the industry hopes.
In theory, interactive advertising can engage viewers in a way that 30-second spots do not.
Unilever recently ran an interactive campaign for its Axe deodorant(除臭剂), which kept
viewers engaged for more than three minutes on average.
The amount spent on interactive advertising on television is still small. Magna,an
advertising agency, reckons it will be worth about $ 138 million this year. That falls far short of
the billions of dollars people once expected it to generate. But DirecTV, Comcast and Time
Warner Cable have all invested in it. A new effort led by Canoe Ventures, a coalition of leading
cable providers, aims to make interactive advertising available across America later this year.
BrightLine iTV, which designs and sells interactive ads, says interest has surged: it expects its
revenues almost to triple this year. BSkyB, Britain's biggest satellite-television service, already
provides 9 million customers with interactive ads.
Yet there are doubts whether people watching television, a“lean back” medium, crave
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 185 页 共 223 页interaction. Click-through rates have been high so far(around 3-4?compared with less than
0.3online), but that may be a result of the novelty. Interactive ads and viewers might not go
well together.
46.What does Colin Dixon mean by saying“It's been the year of interactive television
advertising for the last ten or twelve years”(Lines 4, Para.1)?
A)Interactive television advertising will become popular in 10-12 years.
B) Interactive television advertising has been under debate for the last decade or so.
C) Interactive television advertising is successful when incorporated into situation comedies.
D) Interactive television advertising has not achieved the anticipated results.
47.What is the public's response to Cablevision's planned interactive TV advertising program?
A)Pretty positive
B) Totally indifferent.
C) Somewhat doubtful.
D)Rather critical.
48.What is the impact of the wide use of digital video recorders on TV advertising?
A)It has made TV advertising easily accessible to viewers.
B) It helps advertisers to measure the click-through rates.
C) It has placed TV advertising at a great disadvantage.
D)It enables viewers to check the sales items with ease.
49.What do we learn about Unilever's interactive campaign?
A) It proves the advantage of TV advertising.
B) It has done well in engaging the viewers.
C) It helps attract investments in the company.
D) It has boosted the TV advertising industry.
50.How does the author view the hitherto high click-through rates?
A) They may be due to the novel way of advertising.
B) They signify the popularity of interactive advertising.
C) They point to the growing curiosity of TV viewers.
D) They indicate the future direction of media reform.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 186 页 共 223 页Passage Two
What can be done about mass unemployment? All the wise heads agree: there're no quick or
easy answers. There's work to be done, but workers aren't ready to do it—they're in the wrong
places, or they have the wrong skills. Our problems are" structural," and will take many years to
solye
But don't bother asking for evidence that justifies this bleak view. There isn't any. On the
contrary, all the facts suggest that high unemployment in America is the result of inadequate
demand. Saying that there're no easy answers sounds wise,but it's actually foolish: our
unemployment crisis could be cured very quickly if we had the intellectual clarity and political
will to act. In other words, structural unemployment is a fake problem, which mainly serves as an
excuse for not pursing real solutions.
The fact is job openings have plunged in every major sector, while the number of workers
forced into part-time employment in almost all industries has soared. Unemployment has surged
in every major occupational category. Only three states, with a combined population not much
larger than that of Brooklyn, have unemployment rates below 5?So the evidence contradicts the
claim that we're mainly suffering from structural unemployment. Why, then, has this claim
become so popular?
Part of the answer is that this is what always happens during periods of high
unemployment—in part because experts and analysts believe that declaring the problem deeply
rooted, with no easy answers, makes them sound serious.
I've been looking at what self-proclaimed experts were saying about unemployment during
the Great Depression; it was almost identical to what Very Serious People are saying now.
Unemployment cannot be brought down rapidly,declared one 1935 analysis, because the
workforce is“ unadaptable and untrained. It cannot respond to the opportunities which industry
may offer.” A few years later, a large defense buildup finally provided a fiscal stimulus adequate
to the economy's needs—and suddenly industry was eager to employ those"unadaptable and
untrained”workers.
But now, as then, powerful forces are ideologically opposed to the whole idea of
government action on a sufficient scale to jump-start the economy. And that, fundamentally, is
why claims that we face huge structural problems have been multiplying: they offer a reason to
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 187 页 共 223 页do nothing about the mass unemployment that is crippling our economy and our society.
So what you need to know is that there's no evidence whatsoever to back these claims. We
aren't suffering from a shortage of needed skills; we're suffering from a lack of policy resolve.
As I said, structural unemployment isn't a real problem, it's an excuse—a reason not to act on
America's problems at a time when action is desperately needed.
51. What does the author think is the root cause of mass unemployment in America?
A) Corporate mismanagement.
B) Insufficient demand.
C) Technological advances.
D)Workers' slow adaptation.
52. What does the author think of the experts' claim concerning unemployment?
A)Self-eyident
B) Thought-provoking.
C) Irrational.
D)Groundless
53.What does the author say helped bring down unemployment during the Great Depression?
A) The booming defense industry.
B) The wise heads' benefit package.
C) Nationwide training of workers.
D)Thorough restructuring of industries.
54. What has caused claims of huge structural problems to multiply?
A) Powerful opposition to government's stimulus efforts.
B) Very Serious People's attempt to cripple the economy.
C) Evidence gathered from many sectors of the industries.
D) Economists'failure to detect the problems in time.
55. What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?
A) To testify to the experts' analysis of America's problems.
B) To offer a feasible solution to the structural unemployment.
C) To show the urgent need for the government to take action.
D) To alert American workers to the urgency for adaptation.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 188 页 共 223 页2016年06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
Manufacturers of products that claim to be environmentally friendly will face tighter rules
on how they are advertised to consumers under changes proposed by the Federal Trade
Commission.
The commission's revised "Green Guides”warn marketers against using labels that make
broad claims, like “eco-friendly”. Marketers must qualify their claims on the product packaging
and limit them to a specific benefit, such as how much of the product is recycled.
“This is really about trying to cut through the confusion that consumers have when they are
buying a product and that businesses have when they are selling a product," said Jon Leibowitz,
chairman of the commission.
The revisions come at a time when green marketing is on the rise. According to a new study,
the number of advertisements with green messages in mainstream magazines has risen since 1987,
and peaked in 2008 at 10.4?In 2009, the number dropped to 9%.
But while the number of advertisements may have dipped, there has been a rapid spread of
eco-labeling. There are both good and bad players in the eco-labeling game.
In the last five years or so, there has been an explosion of green claims and environmental
claims. It is clear that consumers don't always know what they are getting.
A handful of lawsuits have been filed in recent years against companies accused of using
misleading environmental labels.In 2008 and 2009, class-action lawsuits (集体诉讼)were filed
against SC Johnson for using“ Greenlist”labels on its cleaning products. The lawsuits said that
the label was misleading because it gave the impression that the products had been certified by a
third party when the certification was the company's own.
“We are very proud of our accomplishments under the Greenlist system and we believe that
we will prevail in these cases," Christopher Beard, director of public affairs for SC Johnson, said,
while acknowledging that“ this has been an area that is difficult to navigate.”
Companies have also taken it upon themselves to contest each other's green claims.
David Mallen, associate director of the Council of Better Business Bureau, said in the last
two years the organization had seen an increase in the number of claims companies were bringing
against each other for false or misleading environmental product claims.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 189 页 共 223 页“About once a week, I have a client that will bring up a new certification I've never even
heard of and I'm in this industry," said Kevin Wilhelm, chief executive officer of Sustainable
Business Consulting.“It's kind of a Wild West, anybody can claim themselves to be green.”Mr.
Wilhelm said the excess of labels made it difficult for businesses and consumers to know which
labels they should pay attention to.
46.What do the revised “Green Guides” require businesses to do?
A) Manufacture as many green products as possible.
B) Indicate whether their products are recyclable.
C) Specify in what way their products are green.
D)Attach green labels to all of their products.
47. What does the author say about consumers facing an explosion of green claims?
A) They can easily see through the businesses' tricks.
B) They have to spend lots of time choosing products.
C) They have doubt about current green certification.
D) They are not clear which products are truly green.
48.What was SC Johnson accused of in the class-action lawsuits?
A)It gave consumers the impression that all its products were truly green.
B) It gave a third party the authority to label its products as environmentally friendly.
C) It misled consumers to believe that its products had been certified by a third party.
D) It sold cleaning products that were not included in the official "Greenlist".
49. How did Christopher Beard defend his company's labeling practice?
A) There were no clear guidelines concerning green labeling.
B) His company's products had been well received by the public.
C) It was in conformity to the prevailing practice in the market.
D) No law required the involvement of a third party in certification.
50.What does Kevin Wilhelm imply by saying “It's kind of a Wild West”(Line 3, Para.11)?
A) Businesses compete to produce green products.
B) Each business acts its own way in green labeling.
C) Consumers grow wild with products labeled green.
D) Anything produced in the West can be labeled green.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 190 页 共 223 页Passage Two
America's education system has become less a ladder of opportunity than a structure to
transmit inequality from one generation to the next.
That's why school reform is so critical. This is an issue of equality, opportunity and national
conscience. It's not just about education, but about poverty and justice.
It's true that the main reason inner-city schools do poorly isn't teachers' unions, but poverty.
Southern states without strong teachers' unions have schools at least as awful as those in union
states. Some Chicago teachers seem to think that they shouldn't be held accountable until poverty
is solved. There're steps we can take that would make some difference, and Mayor Rahm
Emanuel is trying some of them—yet the union is resisting.
I'd be sympathetic if the union focused solely on higher compensation. Teachers need to be
much better paid to attract the best college graduates to the nation's worst schools. But, instead,
the Chicago union seems to be using its political capital primarily to protect weak performers.
There's solid evidence that there are huge differences in the effectiveness of teachers. The
gold standard study by Harvard and Columbia University scholars found that even in high-
poverty schools, teachers consistently had a huge positive or negative impact.
Get a bottom 1teacher, and the effect is the same as if a child misses 40of the school
year. Get a teacher from the top 20?nd it's as if a child has gone to school for an extra month
or two. The study found that strong teachers in the fourth through eighth grades raised the skills
of their students in ways that would last for decades. Just having a strong teacher for one
elementary year left pupils a bit less likely to become mothers as teenagers, a bit more likely to
go to college and earning more money at age 28.
How does one figure out who is a weak teacher? Yes, that's a challenge. But researchers are
improving systems to measure a teacher's performance throughout the year, and, with three years
of data, it's usually possible to tell which teachers are failing.
Unfortunately, the union in Chicago is insisting that teachers who are laid off—often for
being ineffective—should get priority in new hiring. That's an insult to students.
Teaching is so important that it should be like other professions, with high pay and good
working conditions but few job protections for bottom performers.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 191 页 共 223 页This isn't a battle between garment workers and greedy bosses. The central figures in the
Chicago schools strike are neither strikers nor managers but 350,000 children. Protecting the
union demand sacrifices those students, in effect turning a blind eye to the injustice in the
education system.
51. What do we learn about America's education system?
A)It provides a ladder of opportunity for the wealthy.
B) It contributes little to the elimination of inequality.
C) It has remained basically unchanged for generations.
D) It has brought up generations of responsible citizens.
52. What is chiefly responsible for the undesirable performance of inner-city schools?
A)Unqualified teachers.
B) Lack of financial resources.
C) Unfavorable learning environment.
D)Subconscious racial discrimination.
53.What does the author think the union should do to win popular support?
A) Assist the city government in reforming schools.
B) Give constructive advice to inner-city schools.
C) Demand higher pay for teachers.
D) Help teachers improve teaching.
54.What is the finding of the gold standard study by Harvard and Columbia University scholars?
A)Many inner-city school teachers are not equal to their jobs.
B)A large proportion of inner-city children often miss classes.
C) Many students are dissatisfied with their teachers.
D) Student performance has a lot to do with teachers.
55.Why does the author say the Chicago union's demand is an insult to students?
A)It protects incompetent teachers at the expense of students.
B) It underestimates students' ability to tell good teachers from poor ones.
C) It makes students feel that they are discriminated against in many ways.
D)It totally ignores students' initiative in the learning process.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 192 页 共 223 页2016年06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第3套
Passage One
Facing water shortages and escalating fertilizer costs, farmers in developing countries are
using raw sewage(下水道污水) to irrigate and fertilize nearly 49 million acres of cropland,
according to a new report—and it may not be a bad thing.
While the practice carries serious health risks for many, those dangers are outweighed by the
social and economic gains for poor urban farmers and consumers who need affordable food.
“There is a large potential for wastewater agriculture to both help and hurt great numbers of
urban consumers,”said Liqa Raschid-Sally, who led the study.
The report focused on poor urban areas, where farms in or near cities supply relatively
inexpensive food. Most of these operations draw irrigation water from local rivers or lakes.
Unlike developed cities, however, these areas lack advanced water-treatment facilities, and rivers
effectively become sewers (下水道).
When this water is used for agricultural irrigation, farmers risk absorbing disease-causing
bacteria, as do consumers who eat the produce raw and unwashed. Nearly 2.2 million people die
each year because of diarrhea-related(与腹泻相关的)diseases, according to WHO statistics.
More than 80of those cases can be attributed to contact with contaminated water and a lack of
proper sanitation. But Pay Drechsel, an environmental scientist, argues that the social and
economic benefits of using untreated human waste to grow food outweigh the health risks.
Those dangers can be addressed with farmer and consumer education, he said, while the
free water and nutrients from human waste can help urban farmers in developing countries to
escape poverty.
Agriculture is a water-intensive business, accounting for nearly 70of global fresh water
consumption
In poor, dry regions, untreated wastewater is the only viable irrigation source to keep
farmers in business. In some cases, water is so scarce that farmers break open sewage pipes
transporting waste to local rivers.
Irrigation is the primary agricultural use of human waste in the developing world. But
frequently untreated human waste harvested from lavatories is delivered to farms and spread as
fertilizer
In most cases, the human waste is used on grain crops, which are eventually cooked,
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 193 页 共 223 页minimizing the risk of transmitting water-borne diseases. With fertilizer prices jumping nearly
50per metric ton over the last year in some places, human waste is an attractive, and often
necessary, alternatiye
In cases where sewage mud is used, expensive chemical fertilizer use can be avoided. The
mud contains the same critical nutrients.
“Overly strict standards often fail,” James Bartram, a WHO water-health expert, said.“We
need to accept that fact across much of the planet, so waste with little or no treatment will be used
in agriculture for good reason.”
46.What does the author say about the use of raw sewage for farming?
A)Its risks cannot be overestimated.
B) It should be forbidden altogether.
C) Its benefits outweigh the hazards involved.
D) It is polluting millions of acres of cropland.
47.What is the main problem caused by the use of wastewater for irrigation?
A)Rivers and lakes nearby will gradually become contaminated.
B) It will drive producers of chemical fertilizers out of business.
C) Farmers and consumers may be affected by harmful bacteria.
D) It will make the farm produce less competitive on the market.
48.What is environmental scientist Pay Drechsel's attitude towards the use of untreated human
waste in agriculture?
A)Favorable B)Skeptical C) Indifferent. D)Responsible
49.What does Pay Dreschsel think of the risks involved in using untreated human waste for
farming?
A)They have been somewhat exaggerated.
B) They can be dealt with through education.
C) They will be minimized with new technology.
D) They can be addressed by improved sanitation.
50.What do we learn about James Bartram's position on the use of human waste for farming?
A) He echoes Pay Drechsel's opinion on the issue.
B) He challenges Liqa Raschid-Sally's conclusion
C) He thinks it the only way out of the current food crisis.
D) He deems it indispensable for combating global poverty.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 194 页 共 223 页Passage Two
These days, nobody needs to cook. Families graze on high-cholesterol take-aways and
microwaved ready-meals. Cooking is an occasional hobby and a vehicle for celebrity chefs.
Which makes it odd that the kitchen has become the heart of the modern house: what the great
hall was to the medieval castle, the kitchen is to the 21st-century home.
The money spent on kitchens has risen with their status. In America the kitchen market is
now worth $ 170 billion, five times the country's film industry. In the year to August 2007, IKEA,
a Swedish furniture chain, sold over one million kitchens worldwide. The average budget for a
“major”kitchen overhaul in 2006, calculates Remodeling magazine, was a staggering $ 54,000;
even a“minor” improvement cost on average S 18,000.
Exclusivity, more familiar in the world of high fashion, has reached the kitchen: Robinson &
Cornish, a British manufacturer of custom-made kitchens, offers a Georgian-style one which
would cost f 145,000-155,000—excluding building, plumbing and electrical work. Its big selling
point is that nobody else will have it:“You won't see this kitchen anywhere else in the world.”
The elevation of the room that once belonged only to the servants to that of design showcase
for the modern family tells the story of a century of social change. Right into the early 20th
century, kitchens were smoky, noisy places, generally located underground, or to the back of the
house, and as far from living space as possible. That was as it should be: kitchens were for
servants, and the aspiring middle classes wanted nothing to do with them.
But as the working classes prospered and the servant shortage set in, housekeeping became a
matter of interest to the educated classes. One of the pioneers of a radical new way of thinking
about the kitchen was Catharine Esther Beecher, sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe. In American
Woman's Home, published in 1869, the Beecher sisters recommended a scientific approach to
household management, designed to enhance the efficiency of a woman's work and promote
order
Many contemporary ideas about kitchen design can be traced back to another American,
Christine Frederick, who set about enhancing the efficiency of the housewife. Her 1919 work,
Household Engineering: Scientific Management in the Home, was based on detailed observation
of a housewife's daily routine. She borrowed the principle of efficiency on the factory floor and
applied it to domestic tasks on the kitchen floor.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 195 页 共 223 页Frederick's central idea, that“stove, sink and kitchen table must be placed in such a relation
that useless steps are avoided entirely”, inspired the first fully fitted kitchen, designed in the
1920s by Margarete Schütte-Lihotsky. It was a modernist triumph, and many elements remain
central features of today's kitchen.
51. What does the author say about the kitchen of today?
A) It is where housewives display their cooking skills.
B) It is where the family entertains important guests.
C) It has become something odd in a modern house.
D) It is regarded as the center of a modern home.
52. Why does the Georgian-style kitchen sell at a very high price?
A)It is believed to have tremendous artistic value.
B) No duplicate is to be found in any other place.
C) It is manufactured by a famous British company.
D) No other manufacturer can produce anything like it.
53. What does the change in the status of the kitchen reflect?
A) Improved living conditions.
B) Women's elevated status.
C) Technological progress.
D)Social change
54. What was the Beecher sisters' idea of a kitchen?
A)A place where women could work more efficiently.
B) A place where high technology could be applied.
C) A place of interest to the educated people.
D) A place to experiment with new ideas.
55. What do we learn about today's kitchen?
A)It represents the rapid technological advance in people's daily life.
B) Many of its central features are no different from those of the 1920s.
C) It has been transformed beyond recognition.
D) Many of its functions have changed greatly.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 196 页 共 223 页2015年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
One hundred years ago,“Colored” was the typical way of referring to Americans of African
descent. Twenty years later, it was purposefully dropped to make way for "Negro." By the late
1960s, that term was overtaken by“Black.”And then, at a press conference in Chicago in 1988,
Jesse Jackson declared that“African American”was the term to embrace. This one was chosen
because it echoed the labels of groups, such as"Italian Americans"and"Irish Americans," that
had already been freed of widespread discrimination.
A century's worth of calculated name changes point to the fact that naming any group is a
politically freighted exercise. A 2001 study cataloged all the ways in which the term“Black”
carried connotations(涵义) that were more negative than those of “African American.”
But if it was known that “Black”people were viewed differently from"African Americans,"
researchers, until now, hadn't identified what that gap in perception was derived from. A recent
study, conducted by Emory University's Erika Hall, found that “Black” people are viewed more
negatively than“African Americans” because of a perceived difference in socioeconomic status.
As a result,“Black” people are thought of as less competent and as having colder personalities.
The study's most striking findings shed light on the racial biases permeating the professional
world. Even seemingly harmless details on a resume, it appears, can tap into recruiters' biases. A
job application might mention affiliations with groups such as the"Wisconsin Association of
African-American Lawyers"or the"National Black Employees Association," the names of which
apparently have consequences, and are also beyond their members' control.
In one of the study's experiments, subjects were given a brief description of a man from
Chicago with the last name Williams. To one group, he was identified as“African-American,”
and another was told he was “Black.”With little else to go on, they were asked to estimate Mr.
Williams's salary, professional standing, and educational background.
The“African-American”group estimated that he earned about $37,000 a year and had a
two-year college degree. The"Black"group, on the other hand, put his salary at about $29,000,
and guessed that he had only“some” college experience. Nearly three-quarters of the first group
guessed that Mr.Williams worked at a managerial level, while only 38.5 percent of the second
group thought so
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 197 页 共 223 页Hall's findings suggest there's an argument to be made for electing to use“African
American,”though one can't help but get the sense that it's a decision that papers over the
urgency of continued progress. Perhaps a new phrase is needed, one that can bring everyone one
big step closer to realizing Du Bois's original, idealistic hope:“It's not the name—it's the Thing
that counts.”
46.Why did Jesse Jackson embrace the term“African American”for people of African descent?
A)It is free from racial biases.
B) It represents social progress.
C) It is in the interest of common Americans.
D) It follows the standard naming practice.
47.What does the author say about the naming of an ethnic group?
A)It advances with the times.
B) It is based on racial roots.
C) It merits intensive study.
D) It is politically sensitive.
48.What do Erika Hall's findings indicate?
A)Racial biases are widespread in the professional world.
B) Many applicants don't attend to details on their resumes.
C) Job seekers should all be careful about their affiliations.
D) Most recruiters are unable to control their racial biases.
49.What does Erika Hall find in her experiment about a man with the last name Williams?
A)African Americans fare better than many other ethnic groups.
B) Black people's socioeconomic status in America remains low.
C) People's conception of a person has much to do with the way he or she is labeled.
D) One's professional standing and income are related to their educational background.
50.What is Dr. Du Bois's ideal?
A)All Americans enjoy equal rights.
B) A person is judged by their worth.
C)A new term is created to address African Americans.
D)All ethnic groups share the nation's continued progress.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 198 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Across the board, American colleges and universities are not doing a very good job of
preparing their students for the workplace or their post-graduation lives. This was made clear by
the work of two sociologists, Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa.In 2011 they released a landmark
study titled “Academically Adrift,” which documented the lack of intellectual growth
experienced by many people enrolled in college. In particular, Arum and Roksa found, college
students were not developing the critical thinking, analytic reasoning and other higher-level skills
that are necessary to thrive in today's knowledge-based economy and to lead our nation in a time
of complex challenges and dynamic change.
Arum and Roksa placed the blame for students'lack of learning on a watered-down college
curriculum and lowered undergraduate work standards. Although going to college is supposed to
be a full-time job, students spent, on average, only 12 to 14 hours a week studying and many
were skating through their semesters without doing a significant amount of reading and writing.
Students who take more challenging classes and spend more time studying do learn more. But the
priorities of many undergraduates are with extracurricular activities, playing sports, and partying
and socializing.
Laura Hamilton, the author of a study on parents who pay for college, will argue in a
forthcoming book that college administrations are overly concerned with the social and athletic
activities of their students. In Paying for the Party, Hamilton describes what she calls the“party
pathway,” which eases many students through college, helped along by various clubs that send
students into the party scene and a host of easier majors. By sanctioning this water-down version
of college, universities are “catering to the social and educational needs of wealthy students at the
expense of others" who won't enjoy the financial backing or social connections of richer students
once they graduate
These students need to build skills and knowledge during college if they are to use their
degrees as a stepping-stone to middle-class mobility. But more privileged students must not waste
this opportunity either. As recent graduates can testify, the job market isn't kind to candidate who
can't demonstrate genuine competence, along with a well-cultivated willingness to work hard.
Nor is the global economy forgiving of an American workforce with increasingly weak literacy,
math and science abilities. College graduates will still fare better than those with only a high
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 199 页 共 223 页school education, of course. But a university degree unaccompanied by a gain in knowledge or
skills is an empty achievement indeed. For students who have been coasting through college, and
for American universities that have been demanding less work, offering more attractions and
charging higher tuition, the party may soon be over.
51. What is Arum and Roksa's finding about higher education in America?
A)It aims at stimulating the intellectual curiosity of college students.
B) It fails to prepare students to face the challenges of modern times.
C) It has experienced dramatic changes in recent years.
D) It has tried hard to satisfy students' various needs.
52. What is responsible for the students' lack of higher-level skills?
A)The diluted college curriculum.
B) The boring classroom activities.
C) The absence of rigorous discipline.
D) The outdated educational approach.
53. What does Laura Hamilton say about college administrations?
A)They fail to give adequate help to the needy students.
B) They tend to offer too many less challenging courses.
C) They seem to be out of touch with society.
D) They prioritize non-academic activities.
54. What can be learned about the socially and financially privileged students?
A) They tend to have a sense of superiority over their peers.
B) They can afford to choose easier majors in order to enjoy themselves.
C) They spend a lot of time building strong connections with businesses.
D) They can climb the social ladder even without a degree.
55.What does the author suggest in the last paragraph?
A)American higher education has lost its global competitiveness.
B) People should not expect too much from American higher education.
C) The current situation in American higher education may not last long.
D) It will take a long time to change the current trend in higher education.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 200 页 共 223 页2015年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
Saying they can no longer ignore the rising price of health care, some of the most influential
medical groups in the nation are recommending that doctors weigh the costs, not just the
effectiveness of treatments, as they make decisions about patient care.
The shift, little noticed outside the medical establishment but already controversial inside it,
suggests that doctors are starting to redefine their roles, from being concerned exclusively about
individual patients to exerting influence on how healthcare dollars are spent.
In practical terms, the new guidelines being developed could result in doctors choosing one
drug over another for cost reasons or even deciding that a particular treatment—at the end of life,
for example—is too expensive. In the extreme, some critics have said that making treatment
decisions based on cost is a form of rationing.
Traditionally,guidelines have heavily influenced the practice of medicine, and the latest
ones are expected to make doctors more conscious of the economic consequences of their
decisions, even though there's no obligation to follow them. Medical society guidelines are also
used by insurance companies to help determine reimbursement (报销) policies.
Some doctors see a potential conflict in trying to be both providers of patient care and
financial overseers.“There should be forces in society who should be concerned about the budget,
but they shouldn't be functioning simultaneously as doctors," said Dr. Martin Samuels at a
Boston hospital. He said doctors risked losing the trust of patients if they told patients,"T'm not
going to do what I think is best for you because I think it's bad for the healthcare budget in
Massachusetts.”
Doctors can face some grim trade-offs. Studies have shown, for example, that two drugs are
about equally effective in treating macular degeneration, an eye disease. But one costs $50 a dose
and the other close to $2,000. Medicare could save hundreds of millions of dollars a year if
everyone used the cheaper drug, Avastin, instead of the costlier one, Lucentis.
But the Food and Drug Administration has not approved Avastin for use in the eye, and
using it rather than the alternative, Lucentis, might carry an additional, although slight, safety risk.
Should doctors consider Medicare's budget in deciding what to use?
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 201 页 共 223 页“I think ethically (在道德层面上) we are just worried about the patient in front of us and not
trying to save money for the insurance industry or society as a whole." said Dr. Donald Jensen.
Still, some analysts say that there's a role for doctors to play in cost analysis because not
many others are doing so.“In some ways,” said Dr. Daniel Sulmasy,“it represents a failure of
wider society to take up the issue.”
46.What do some most influential medical groups recommend doctors do?
A)Reflect on the responsibilities they are supposed to take.
B) Pay more attention to the effectiveness of their treatments.
C) Take costs into account when making treatment decisions.
D) Readjust their practice in view of the cuts in health care.
47.What were doctors mainly concerned about in the past?
A)Specific medicines to be used.
B) Effects of medical treatment.
C) Professional advancement.
D)Patients' trust.
48.What may the new guidelines being developed lead to?
A)The redefining of doctors' roles.
B) Overuse of less effective medicines.
C) Conflicts between doctors and patients.
D) The prolonging of patients'suffering.
49.What risk do doctors see in their dual role as patient care providers and financial overseers?
A) They may be involved in a conflict of interest.
B) They may be forced to divide their attention.
C) They may have to use less effective drugs.
D) They may lose the respect of patients.
50.What do some experts say about doctors' involvement in medical cost analysis?
A)It may add to doctors' already heavy workloads.
B) It will help to save money for society as a whole.
C) It results from society's failure to tackle the problem.
D) It raises doctors' awareness of their social responsibilities.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 202 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Economic inequality is the“defining challenge of our time,” President Barack Obama
declared in a speech last month to the Center for American Progress. Inequality is dangerous, he
argued, not merely because it doesn't look good to have a large gap between the rich and the poor,
but because inequality itself destroys upward mobility, making it harder for the poor to escape
from poverty."Increased inequality and decreasing mobility pose a fundamental threat to the
American Dream,” he said.
Obama is only the most prominent public figure to declare inequality Public Enemy No.1
and the greatest threat to reducing poverty in America. A number of prominent economists have
also argued that it's harder for the poor to climb the economic ladder today because the rungs (横
档) in that ladder have grown farther apart.
For all the new attention devoted to the I percent, a new dataset from the Equality of
Opportunity Project at Harvard and Berkeley suggests that, if we care about upward mobility
overall, we're vastly exaggerating the dangers of the rich-poor gap. Inequality itself is not a
particularly strong predictor of economic mobility, as sociologist Scott Winship noted in a recent
article based on his analysis of this data.
So what factors, at the community level, do predict if poor children will move up the
economic ladder as adults? What explains, for instance, why the Salt Lake City metro area is one
of the 100 largest metropolitan areas most likely to lift the fortunes of the poor and the Atlanta
metro area is one of the least likely?
Harvard economist Raj Chetty has pointed to economic and racial segregation, community
density, the size of a community's middle class, the quality of schools, community religiosity,
and family structure, which he calls the“single strongest correlate of upward mobility.” Chetty
finds that communities like Salt Lake City, with high levels of two-parent families and religiosity,
are much more likely to see poor children get ahead than communities like Atlanta, with high
levels of racial and economic segregation.
Chetty has not yet issued a comprehensive analysis of the relative predictive power of each
of these factors. Based on my analyses of the data, of the factors that Chetty has highlighted, the
following three seem to be most predictive of upward mobility in a given community:
1.Per-capita(人均)income growth
2. Prevalence of single mothers (where correlation is strong, but negative)
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 203 页 共 223 页3. Per-capita local government spending
In other words, communities with high levels of per-capita income growth, high percentages
of two-parent families, and high local government spending—which may stand for good
schools—are the most likely to help poor children relive the Horatio Alger's rags-to-riches story.
51. How does Obama view economic inequality?
A) It is the biggest obstacle to social mobility.
B) It is the greatest threat to social stability.
C) It is the No. I enemy of income growth.
D) It is the most malicious social evil of our time.
52. What do we learn about the inequality gap from Scott Winship's data analysis?
A) It is fast widening across most parts of America.
B) It is not a reliable indicator of economic mobility.
C) It is not correctly interpreted.
D) It is overwhelmingly ignored.
53. Compared with Atlanta, metropolitan Salt Lake City is said to.
A) have placed religious beliefs above party politics
B) have bridged the gap between the rich and the poor
C) offer poor children more chances to climb the social ladder
D) suffer from higher levels of racial and economic segregation
54.What is strongly correlated with social mobility according to economist Raj Chetty?
A)Family structure.
B) Racial equality.
C) School education.
D) Community density.
55. What does the author seem to suggest?
A) It is important to increase the size of the middle class.
B) It is highly important to expand the metropolitan areas.
C) It is most imperative to focus our efforts on the elimination of income inequality.
D) It is better to start from the community to help poor children move up the social ladder.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 204 页 共 223 页2015年12月大学英语六级仔细阅读第3套
Passage One
More than a decade ago, cognitive scientists John Bransford and Daniel Schwartz, both then
at Vanderbilt University, found that what distinguished young adults from children was not the
ability to retain facts or apply prior knowledge to a new situation but a quality they called
“preparation for future learning.” The researches asked fifth graders and college students to create
a recovery plan to protect bald eagles from extinction. Shockingly, the two groups came up with
plans of similar quality(though the college students had better spelling skills). From the
standpoint of a traditional educator, this outcome indicated that schooling had failed to help
students think about ecosystems and extinction, major scientific ideas.
The researchers decided to go deeper, however. They asked both groups to generate
questions about important issues needed to create recovery plans. On this task, they found large
differences. College students focused on critical issues of interdependence between eagles and
their habitat(栖息地).Fifth graders tended to focus on features of individual eagles (“How big
are they?" and“What do they eat?”). The college students had cultivated the ability to ask
questions, the cornerstone of critical thinking. They had learned how to learn.
Museums and other institutions of informal learning may be better suited to teach this skill
than elementary and secondly schools. At the Exploratorium in San Francisco, we recently
studied how learning to ask good questions can affect the quality of people's scientific inquiry.
We found that when we taught participants to ask“What if?” and“How can?”questions that
nobody present would know the answer to and that would spark exploration, they engaged in
better inquiry at the next exhibit—asking more questions, performing more experiments and
making better interpretations of their results. Specially, their questions became more
comprehensive at the new exhibit. Rather than merely asking about something they wanted to
try, they tended to include both cause and effect in their question. Asking juicy questions
appears to be a transferable skill for deepening collaborative inquiry into the science content
found in exhibits.
This type of learning is not confined to museums or institutional settings. Informal learning
environment tolerate failure better than schools. Perhaps many teachers have too little time to
allow students to form and pursue their own questions and too much ground to cover in the
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 205 页 共 223 页curriculum. But people must acquire this skill somewhere. Our society depends on them being
able to make critical decisions about their own medical treatment, say, or what we must do about
global energy needs and demands. For that, we have a robust informal system that gives no
grades, takes all comers, and is available even on holidays and weekends.
46.What is traditional educators' interpretation of the research outcome mentioned in the first
paragraph?
A)Students are not able to apply prior knowledge to new problems.
B) College students are no better than fifth graders in memorizing issues.
C) Education has not paid enough attention to major environmental issues.
D) Education has failed to lead students to think about major scientific ideas.
47. In what way are college students different from children?
A) They have learned to think critically.
B)They are concerned about social issues.
C) They are curious about specific features.
D) They have learned to work independently.
48.What is benefit of asking questions with no ready answers?
A)It arouses students' interest in things around them.
B) It cultivates students' ability to make scientific inquiries.
C) It trains students'ability to design scientific experiments.
D) It helps students realize not every question has an answer.
49.What is said to be the advantage of informal learning?
A)It allows for failures.
B) It is entertaining.
C) It charges no tuition.
D) It meets practical need.
50.What does the author seem to encourage educators to do at the end of the passage?
A) Train students to think about global issues.
B) Design more interactive classroom activities.
C) Make full use of informal learning resources.
D)Include collaborative inquiry in the curriculum.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 206 页 共 223 页Passage Two
“There's an old saying in the space world: amateurs talk about technology, professionals talk
about insurance.”In an interview last year with The Economist, George Whitesides, chief
executive of space-tourism firm Virgin Galactic, was placing his company in the latter category.
But insurance will be cold comfort following the failure on October 31st of VSS Enterprise,
resulting in the death of one pilot and the severe injury to another.
On top of the tragic loss of life, the accident in California will cast a long shadow over the
future of space tourism, even before it has properly begun.
The notion of space tourism took hold in 2001 with a $ 20 million flight aboard a Russian
spacecraft by Dennis Tito, a millionaire engineer with an adventurous streak. Just half a dozen
holiday-makers have reached orbit since then, for similarly astronomical price tags. But more
recently, companies have begun to plan more affordable“suborbital”flights—briefer ventures
just to the edge of space's vast darkness. Virgin Galactic had, prior to this week's accident,
seemed closest to starting regular flights. The company has already taken deposits from around
800 would-be space tourists, including Stephen Hawking.
After being dogged by technical delays for years, Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic's
founder, had recently suggested that a SpaceShipTwo craft would carry its first paying customers
as soon as February 2015. That now seems an impossible timeline.In July, a sister craft of the
crashed spaceplane was reported to be about half-finished. The other half will have to wait, as
authorities of America's Federal Aviation Administration(FAA)and National Transportation
Safety Board work out what went wrong.
In the meantime, the entire space tourism industry will be on tenterhooks(坐立不安). The
2004 Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act, intended to encourage private space vehicles
and services, prohibits the transportation secretary(and thereby the FAA)from regulating the
design or operation of private spacecraft, unless they have resulted in a serious or fatal injury to
crew or passengers. That means that the FAA could suspend Virgin Galactic's license to fly. It
could also insist on checking private manned spacecraft as thoroughly as it does commercial
aircraft. While that may make suborbital travel safer, it would add significant cost and complexity
to an emerging industry that has until now operated largely as the playground of billionaires and
dreamy engineers.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 207 页 共 223 页How Virgin Galactic, regulators and the public respond to this most recent tragedy will
determine whether and how soon private space travel can transcend that playground. There is no
doubt that spaceflight entails risks, and to pioneer a new mode of travel is to free those risks, and
to reduce them with the benefit of hard-won experience.
51. What is said about the failure of VSS Enterprise?
A) It may lead to the bankruptcy of Virgin Galactic.
B) It has a strong negative impact on space tourism.
C) It may discourage rich people from space travel.
D) It has aroused public attention to safety issues.
52. What do we learn about the space-tourism firm Virgin Galactic?
A) It has just built a craft for commercial flights.
B) It has sent half a dozen passengers into space.
C) It was about ready to start regular business.
D)It is the first to launch“suborbital” flights.
53. What is the purpose of the 2004 Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act?
A) To ensure space travel safety.
B) To limit the FAA's functions.
C) To legalize private space explorations.
D) To promote the space tourism industry.
54. What might the FAA do after the recent accident in California?
A)Impose more rigid safety standards.
B) Stop certifying new space-tourist agencies.
C) Amend its 2004 Commercial Space Launch Amendments Act.
D) Suspend Virgin Galactic's licence to take passengers into space.
55.What does the author think of private space travel?
A) It is worth promoting despite the risks involved.
B)It should not be confined to the rich only.
C) It should be strictly regulated.
D) It is too risky to carry on.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 208 页 共 223 页2015年 06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第1套
Passage One
When the right person is holding the right job at the right moment, that person's influence is
greatly expanded. That is the position in which Janet Yellen, who is expected to be confirmed as
the next chair of the Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) in January, now finds herself. If you believe, as
many do, that unemployment is the major economic and social concern of our day, then it is no
stretch to think Yellen is the most powerful person in the world right now.
Throughout the 2008 financial crisis and the recession and recovery that followed, central
banks have taken on the role of stimulators of last resort, holding up the global economy with
vast amounts of money in the form of asset buying. Yellen, previously a Fed vice chair, was one
of the principal architects of the Fed's $3.8 trillion money dump. A star economist known for her
groundbreaking work on labor markets, Yellen was a kind of prophetess early on in the crisis for
her warnings about the subprime(次级债)meltdown.Now it will be her job to get the Fed and
the markets out of the biggest and most unconventional monetary program in history without
derailing the fragile recovery.
The good news is that Yellen, 67, is particularly well suited to meet these challenges. She
has a keen understanding of financial markets, an appreciation for their imperfections and a
strong belief that human suffering was more related to unemployment than anything else.
Some experts worry that Yellen will be inclined to chase unemployment to the neglect of
inflation. But with wages still relatively flat and the economy increasingly divided between the
well-off and the long-term unemployed, more people worry about the opposite, deflation (通货紧
缩) that would aggravate the economy's problems.
Either way, the incoming Fed chief will have to walk a fine line in slowly ending the
stimulus. It must be steady enough to deflate bubbles(去泡沫)and bring markets back down to
earth but not so quick that it creates another credit crisis.
Unlike many past Fed leaders, Yellen is not one to buy into the finance industry's argument
that it should be left alone to regulate itself. She knows all along the Fed has been too slack on
regulation of finance
Yellen is likely to address the issue right after she pushes unemployment below 6%,
stabilizes markets and makes sure that the recovery is more inclusive and robust. As Princeton
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 209 页 共 223 页Professor Alan Blinder says,“She's smart as a whip, deeply logical, willing to argue but also a
good listener. She can persuade without creating hostility." All those traits will be useful as the
global economy's new power player takes on its most annoying problems.
46.What do many people think is the biggest problem facing Janet Yellen?
A)Lack of money
B) Subprime crisis.
C) Unemployment.
D)Social instability.
47. What did Yellen help the Fed do to tackle the 2008 financial crisis?
A) Take effective measures to curb inflation.
B) Deflate the bubbles in the American economy.
C) Formulate policies to help financial institutions.
D) Pour money into the market through asset buying.
48.What is a greater concern of the general public?
A)Recession.
B) Deflation.
C) Inequality.
D) Income.
49. What is Yellen likely to do in her position as the Fed chief?
A)Develop a new monetary program.
B) Restore public confidence.
C) Tighten financial regulation.
D) Reform the credit system.
50.How does Alan Blinder portray Yellen?
A)She possesses strong persuasive power.
B) She has confidence in what she is doing.
C) She is one of the world's greatest economists.
D) She is the most powerful Fed chief in history.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 210 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Air pollution is deteriorating in many places around the world. The fact that public parks in
cities become crowded as soon as the sun shines proves that people long to breathe in green, open
spaces. They do not all know what they are seeking but they flock there, nevertheless. And, in
these surroundings, they are generally both peaceful and peaceable. It is rare to see people
fighting in a garden. Perhaps struggle unfolds first, not at an economic or social level, but over
the appropriation of air, essential to life itself. If human beings can breathe and share air, they
don't need to struggle with one another.
Unfortunately, in our western tradition, neither materialist nor idealist theoreticians give
enough consideration to this basic condition for life. As for politicians, despite proposing curbs
on environmental pollution, they have not yet called for it to be made a crime. Wealthy countries
are even allowed to pollute if they pay for it.
But is our life worth anything other than money? The plant world shows us in silence what
faithfulness to life consists of. It also helps us to a new beginning, urging us to care for our breath,
not only at a vital but also at a spiritual level. The interdependence to which we must pay the
closest attention is that which exists between ourselves and the plant world. Often described as
“the lungs of the planet”, the woods that cover the earth offer us the gift of breathable air by
releasing oxygen. But their capacity to renew the air polluted by industry has long reached its
limit. If we lack the air necessary for a healthy life, it is because we have filled it with chemicals
and undercut the ability of plants to regenerate it. As we know, rapid deforestation combined with
the massive burning of fossil fuels is an explosive recipe for an irreversible disaster.
The fight over the appropriation of resources will lead the entire planet to hell unless
humans learn to share life, both with each other and with plants. This task is simultaneously
ethical and political because it can be discharged only when each takes it upon herself or himself
and only when it is accomplished together with others. The lesson taught by plants is that sharing
life expands and enhances the sphere of the living, while dividing life into so-called natural or
human resources diminishes it. We must come to view the air, the plants and ourselves as the
contributors to the preservation of life and growth, rather than a web of quantifiable objects or
productive potentialities at our disposal. Perhaps then we would finally begin to live, rather than
being concerned with bare survival.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 211 页 共 223 页51.What does the author assume might be the primary reason that people would struggle with
each other?
A)To get their share of clean air
B) To pursue a comfortable life.
C) To gain a higher social status.
D) To seek economic benefits.
52. What does the author accuse western politicians of?
A) Depriving common people of the right to clean air.
B) Giving priority to theory rather than practical action.
C) Offering preferential treatment to wealthy countries.
D) Failing to pass laws to curb environmental pollution.
53.What does the author try to draw our closest attention to?
A)The massive burning of fossil fuels.
B) Our relationship to the plant world.
C) The capacity of plants to renew polluted air.
D) Large-scale deforestation across the world.
54. How can human beings accomplish the goal of protecting the plant according to the author?
A)By showing respect for plants.
B) By preserving all forms of life.
C) By tapping all natural resources.
D) By pooling their efforts together.
55. What does the author suggest we do in order not just to survive?
A) Expand the sphere of living.
B) Develop nature's potentials.
C) Share life with nature.
D)Allocate the resources.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 212 页 共 223 页2015年 06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第2套
Passage One
I'll admit I've never quite understood the obsession(难以破除的成见)surrounding
genetically modified (GM) crops. To environmentalist opponents, GM foods are simply evil, an
understudied, possibly harmful tool used by big agricultural businesses to control global seed
markets and crush local farmers. They argue that GM foods have never delivered on their
supposed promise, that money spent on GM crops would be better channeled to organic farming
and that consumers should be protected with warning labels on any products that contain
genetically modified ingredients. To supporters, GM crops are a key part of the effort to
sustainably provide food to meet a growing global population. But more than that, supporters see
the GM opposition of many environmentalists as fundamentally anti-science, no different than
those who question the basics of man-made climate change.
For both sides, GM foods seem to act as a symbol: you're pro-agricultural business or anti-
science. But science is exactly what we need more of when it comes to GM foods, which is why I
was happy to see Nature devote a special series of articles to the GM food controversy. The
conclusion: while GM crops haven't yet realized their initial promise and have been dominated
by agricultural businesses, there is reason to continue to use and develop them to help meet the
enormous challenge of sustainably feeding a growing planet.
That doesn't mean GM crops are perfect, or a one-size-fits-all solution to global agriculture
problems.But anything that can increase farming efficiency—the amount of crops we can
produce per acre of land—will be extremely useful. GM crops can and almost certainly will be
part of that suite of tools, but so will traditional plant breeding, improved soil and crop
management—and perhaps most important of all, better storage and transport infrastructure (基
础设施), especially in the developing world.(It doesn't do much good for farmers in places like
sub-Saharan Africa to produce more food if they can't get it to hungry consumers.) I'd like to see
more non-industry research done on GM crops—not just because we'd worry less about bias, but
also because seed companies like Monsanto and Pioneer shouldn't be the only entities working to
harness genetic modification. I'd like to see GM research on less commercial crops, like corn. I
don't think it's vital to label GM ingredients in food, but I also wouldn't be against it—and
industry would be smart to go along with labeling, just as a way of removing fears about the
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 213 页 共 223 页technology.
Most of all, though, I wish a tenth of the energy that's spent endlessly debating GM crops
was focused on those more pressing challenges for global agriculture. There are much bigger
battles to fight.
46.How do environmentalist opponents view GM foods according to the passage?
A) They will eventually ruin agriculture and the environment.
B) They are used by big businesses to monopolize agriculture.
C) They have proved potentially harmful to consumers'health.
D) They pose a tremendous threat to current farming practice.
47.What does the author say is vital to solving the controversy between the two sides of the
debate?
A)Breaking the GM food monopoly.
B) More friendly exchange of ideas.
C) Regulating GM food production.
D)More scientific research on GM crops.
48.What is the main point of the Nature articles?
A) Feeding the growing population makes it imperative to develop GM crops.
B) Popularizing GM technology will help it to live up to its initial promises.
C) Measures should be taken to ensure the safety of GM foods.
D) Both supporters and opponents should make compromises.
49.What is the author's view on the solution to agricultural problems?
A) It has to depend more and more on GM technology.
B) It is vital to the sustainable development of human society.
C) GM crops should be allowed until better alternatives are found.
D) Whatever is useful to boost farming efficiency should be encouraged.
50.What does the author think of the ongoing debate around GM crops?
A) It arises out of ignorance of and prejudice against new science.
B) It distracts the public attention from other key issues of the world.
C) Efforts spent on it should be turned to more urgent issues of agriculture.
D)Neither side is likely to give in until more convincing evidence is found.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 214 页 共 223 页Passage Two
Early decision—you apply to one school? and admission is binding—seems like a great
choice for nervous applicants. Schools let in a higher percentage of early-decision applicants,
which arguably means that you have a better chance of getting in. And if you do, you're done
with the whole agonizing process by December. But what most students and parents don't realize
is that schools have hidden motives for offering early decision.
Early decision, since it's binding, allows schools to fill their classes with qualified students;
it allows admissions committees to select the students that are in particular demand for their
college and know those students will come. It also gives schools a higher yield rate, which is
often used as one of the ways to measure college selectivity and popularity.
The problem is that this process effectively shortens the window of time students have to
make one of the most important decisions of their lives up to that point. Under regular admissions,
seniors have until May l to choose which school to attend; early decision effectively steals six
months from them, months that could be used to visit more schools, do more research, speak to
current students and alumni(校友)and arguably make a more informed decision.
There are, frankly, an astonishing number of exceptional colleges in America, and for any
given student, there are a number of schools that are a great fit. When students become too
fixated(专注)on a particular school early in the admissions process, that fixation can lead to
severe disappointment if they don't get in or, if they do? the possibility that they are now bound
to go to a school that, given time for further reflection, may not actually be right for them.
Insofar as early decision offers a genuine admissions edge, that advantage goes largely to
students who already have numerous advantages. The students who use early decision tend to be
those who have received higher-quality college guidance, usually a result of coming from a more
privileged background. In this regard, there's an argument against early decision, as students from
lower-income families are far less likely to have the admissions know-how to navigate the often
confusing early deadlines.
Students who have done their research and are confident that there's one school they would
be thrilled to get into should, under the current system, probably apply under early decision. But
for students who haven't yet done enough research, or who are still constantly changing their
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 215 页 共 223 页minds on favorite schools, the early-decision system needlessly and prematurely narrows the field
of possibility just at a time when students should be opening themselves to a whole range of
thrilling options.
51. What are students obliged to do under early decision?
A) Look into a lot of schools before they apply.
B) Attend the school once they are admitted.
C) Think twice before they accept the offer.
D) Consult the current students and alumni.
52. Why do schools offer early decision?
A) To make sure they get qualified students.
B) To avoid competition with other colleges.
C) To provide more opportunities for applicants.
D) To save students the agony of choosing a school.
53. What is said to be the problem with early decision for students?
A) It makes their application process more complicated.
B) It places too high a demand on their research ability.
C) It allows them little time to make informed decisions.
D) It exerts much more psychological pressure on them.
54.Why are some people opposed to early decision?
A) It interferes with students' learning in high school.
B) It is biased against students at ordinary high schools.
C) It causes unnecessary confusion among college applicants.
D) It places students from lower-income families at a disadvantage.
55.What does the author advise college applicants to do?
A)Refrain from competing with students from privileged families.
B) Avoid choosing early decision unless they are fully prepared.
C) Find sufficient information about their favorite schools.
D) Look beyond the few supposedly thrilling options.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 216 页 共 223 页2015年 06月大学英语六级仔细阅读第3套
Passage One
What's the one word of advice a well-meaning professional would give to a recent college
graduate? China? India? Brazil? How about trade?
When the Commerce Department reported last week that the trade deficit in June
approached $50 billion, it set off a new round of economic doomsaying. Imports, which soared to
$200.3 billion in the month, are subtracted in the calculation of gross domestic product. The
larger the trade deficit, the smaller the GDP. Should such imbalances continue, pessimists say,
they could contribute to slower growth.
But there's another way of looking at the trade data. Over the past two years, the figures on
imports and exports seem not to signal a double-dip recession—a renewed decline in the broad
level of economic activity in the United States—but an economic expansion.
The rising volume of trade—more goods and services shuttling in and out of the United
States—is good news for many sectors. Companies engaged in shipping, trucking, rail freight,
delivery, and logistics(物流)have all been reporting better than expected results. The rising
numbers signify growing vitality in foreign markets—when we import more stuff, it puts more
cash in the hands of people around the world, and U.S. exports are rising because more foreigners
have the ability to buy the things we produce and market. The rising tide of trade is also good
news for people who work in trade-sensitive businesses, especially those that produce
commodities for which global demand sets the price-agricultural goods, mining, metals, oil.
And while exports always seem to lag, U.S. companies are becoming more involved in the
global economy with each passing month. General Motors sells as many cars in China as in
America each month. While that may not do much for imports, it does help GM's balance sheet—
and hence makes the jobs of U.S.-based executives more stable.
One great challenge for the U.S. economy is slack domestic consumer demand. Americans
are paying down debt, saving more, and spending more carefully. That's to be expected, given
what we've been through. But there's a bigger challenge. Can U.S.-based businesses, large and
small, figure out how to get a piece of growing global demand? Unless you want to pick up and
move to India, or Brazil, or China, the best way to do that is through trade. It may seem obvious,
but it's no longer enough simply to do business with our friends and neighbors here at home.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 217 页 共 223 页Companies and individuals who don't have a strategy to export more,or to get more
involved in foreign markets, or to play a role in global trade, are shutting themselves out of the
lion's share of economic opportunity in our world.
46.How do pessimists interpret the U,S. trade deficit in June?
A)It reflects Americans'preference for imported goods.
B)It signifies a change in American economic structure.
C) It could lead to slower growth of the national economy.
D) It is the result of America's growing focus on domestic market.
47.What does the author say about the trade data of the past two years?
A)It indicates that economic activities in the U.S. have increased.
B) It signals decreasing domestic demand for goods and services.
C) It reflects the fluctuations in the international market.
D) It shows that U.S. economy is slipping further into recession.
48.Who particularly benefit from the rising volume of trade?
A)People who have expertise in international trade.
B) Consumers who favor imported goods and services.
C) Producers of agricultural goods and raw materials.
D)Retailers dealing in foreign goods and services.
49. What is one of the challenges facing the American economy?
A)Decreasing productivity.
B) Competition from overseas.
C) People's reluctance to spend.
D)Slack trade activities.
50.What is the author's advice to U.S.companies and individuals?
A) To import more cheap goods from developing countries.
B)To increase their market share overseas.
C) To be alert to fluctuations in foreign markets.
D) To move their companies to where labor is cheaper.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 218 页 共 223 页Passage Two
A recurring criticism of the UK's university sector is its perceived weakness in translating
new knowledge into new products and services.
Recently, the UK National Stem Cell Network warned the UK could lose its place among
the world leaders in stem cell research unless adequate funding and legislation could be
assured.We should take this concern seriously as universities are key in the national innovation
system
However, we do have to challenge the unthinking complaint that the sector does not do
enough in taking ideas to market. The most recent comparative data on the performance of
universities and research institutions in Australia, Canada, USA and UK shows that, from a
relatively weak starting position, the UK now leads on many indicators of commercialisation
activity.
When viewed at the national level, the policy interventions of the past decade have helped
transform the performance of UK universities. Evidence suggests the UK's position is much
stronger than in the recent past and is still showing improvement. But national data masks the
very large variation in the performance of individual universities. The evidence shows that a large
number of universities have fallen off the back of the pack, a few perform strongly and the rest
chase the leaders.
This type of uneven distribution is not peculiar to the UK and is mirrored across other
economies. In the UK, research is concentrated: less than 25of universities receive 75of the
research funding. These same universities are also the institutions producing the greatest share of
PhD graduates, science citations, patents and licence income. The effect of policies generating
long-term resource concentration has also created a distinctive set of universities which are
research-led and commercially active. It seems clear that the concentration of research and
commercialisation work creates differences between universities.
The core objective for universities which are research-led must be to maximise the impact of
their research efforts. These universities should be generating the widest range of social,
economic and environmental benefits. In return for the scale of investment, they should share
their expertise in order to build greater confidence in the sector.
Part of the economic recovery of the UK will be driven by the next generation of research
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 219 页 共 223页commercialisations pilling out of our universities. There are three dozen universities in the UK
which are actively engaged in advanced research training and commercialisation work.
If there was a greater coordination of technology transfer offices within regions and a
simultaneous investment in the scale and functions of our graduate schools, universities could,
and should, play a key role in positioning the U K for the next growth cycle.
51. What does the author think of UK universities in terms of commercialisation?
A)They still have a place among the world leaders.
B) They have lost their leading position in many ways.
C) They do not regard it as their responsibility.
D) They fail to convert knowledge into money.
52. What does the author say about the national data on UK universities' performance in
commercialisation?
A) It masks the fatal weaknesses of government policy.
B) It does not reflect the differences among universities.
C) It does not rank UK universities in a scientific way.
D) It indicates their ineffective use of government resources.
53.We can infer from Paragraph 5 that “policy interventions”(Line 1, Para.4) refers to
A) concentration of resources in a limited number of universities
B) compulsory cooperation between universities and industries
C) government aid to non-research-oriented universities
D) fair distribution of funding for universities and research institutions
54. What does the author suggest research-led universities do?
A) Fully utilise their research to benefit all sectors of society.
B) Generously share their facilities with those short of funds.
C) Publicise their research to win international recognition.
D) Spread their influence among top research institutions.
55. How can the university sector play a key role in the UK's economic growth?
A) By establishing more regional technology transfer offices.
B) By asking the government to invest in technology transfer research.
C) By promoting technology transfer and graduate school education.
D) By increasing the efficiency of technology transfer agencies.
英语六级仔细阅读真题2015-2023 第 220 页 共 223 页
