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2014年12月大学英语六级考试真题(二）
2014 年 12 月大学英语六级考试真题(二）
PartI Writing (30minutes)
Directions：Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaybasedonthepicturebelow.Youshouldstartyour
essaywithabriefdescriptionofthepictureandthendiscusswhetherthereisashortcuttolearning.Youshouldgivesound
argumentstosupportyourviewsandwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.
“‘How To Do Well In School Without
Studying’isoverthereinthefictionsection.”
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 1上作答。
PartⅡ ListeningComprehension (30minutes)
SectionA
Directions： Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,
oneormorequestionswillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.
Aftereachquestiontherewillbeapause.Duringthepause，youmustreadthefourchoicesmarkedA)
9
B) 9C)andD),and
decidewhichisthebestanswer.Thenmarkthecorrespondingletter onAnswer Sheet 1 withasinglelinethroughthe
centre.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 1上作答。
1. A)Inaparkinglot. C)Atafastfoodrestaurant.
B) Atagrocery. D)Inacarshowroom.
2. A) Changeherpositionnowandthen. C) Havealittlenapafterlunch.
B) Stretchherlegsbeforestandingup. D) Getupandtakeashortwalk.
3. A) Thestudentsshouldpracticelong-distancerunning.
B) Thestudents’physicalconditionisnotdesirable.
C) Hedoesn’tquitebelievewhatthewomansays.
D) Hethinkstheraceistoohardforthestudents.
4. A)Theywillgettheirdegreesintwoyears.
B) Theyarebothpursuinggraduatestudies.
C) Theycannotaffordtogetmarriedrightnow.
D) Theydonotwanttohaveababyatpresent.
5. A) HemusthavebeenmistakenforJack. C) Jackiscertainlynotashealthyasheis.
B) Twinsusuallyhavealotincommon. D) HehasnotseenJackforquiteafew days.
6. A)Thewomanwillattendtheopeningofthe museum.
B) Thewomanisaskingthewayatthecrossroads.
C) Themanknowswherethemuseumislocated.
D) Themanwilltakethewomantothemuseum.
7. A)Theycannotasktheguytoleave. C)Theguymustbefeelingextremelylonely.
B) Theguyhasbeencominginforyears. D)Theyshouldnotlookdownupontheguy.
12014年12月大学英语六级考试真题(二）
8. A)Collecttimepieces. C) Learntomendclocks.
B) Becometime-conscious. D)Keeptrackofhisdailyactivities.
Questions9to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.
9. A)Itiseatingintoitsbanks. C) Itis wideanddeep.
B) Itwindsitswaytothesea. D) Itis quicklyrising.
10. A)Trytospeeduptheoperationbyanymeans.
B) Taketheequipmentapartbeforebeingferried.
C) Reducethetransportcostasmuchaspossible.
D) Getthetrucksovertotheothersideoftheriver.
11. A)Findasmanyboatsaspossible. C) Halt theoperationuntilfurtherorders.
B) Cuttreesandbuildrowingboats. D) Askthecommandertosendahelicopter.
Questions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.
12. A)Talkabouthisclimbingexperiences. C) Giveupmountainclimbingaltogether.
B) HelphimjoinanIndianexpedition. D) Savemoneytobuyclimbingequipment.
13. A)HewasthefirsttoconquerMt.Qomolangma.
B) Hehadanunusualreligiousbackground.
C) Heclimbedmountainstoearnaliving.
D) Hewasverystrictwithhischildren.
14. A)Theyaretobeconquered. C) Theyaresacredplaces.
B) Theyaretobeprotected. D) Theyarelikehumans.
15. A) Itwashisfather’strainingthatpulledhimthrough.
B) Itwasamilestoneinhismountainclimbingcareer.
C) IthelpedhimunderstandtheSherpaviewofmountains.
D) Itwashisfatherwhogavehimthestrengthtosucceed.
SectionB
Directions： Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsomequestions.Both
thepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthe
fourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethrough
thecentre.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 1上作答 Passage
6
One
Questions16to19arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.
16.A)Byshowingamemorandum’sstructure.
B) Byanalyzingtheorganizationofaletter.
C) Bycomparingmemorandumswithletters.
D) Byreviewingwhathehassaidpreviously.
17.A)Theyignoredmanyofthememorandumstheyreceived.
B) Theyplacedemphasisontheformatofmemorandums.
C) Theyseldomreadamemorandumthroughtotheend.
D) Theyspentalotoftimewritingmemorandums.
18. A)Styleandwording. C)Structureandlength.
B) Directnessandclarity. D)Simplicityandaccuracy.
19. A)Inclusionofappropriatehumor. C)Professionallook.
B) Directstatementofpurpose. D)Accuratedating.
PassageTwo
Questions20to22arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.
20. A)Theygivetopprioritytotheirworkefficiency.
B) Theymakeanefforttolightentheirworkload.
22014年12月大学英语六级考试真题(二）
C) Theytryhardtomakethebestuseoftheirtime.
D) Theyneverchangeworkhabitsunlessforcedto.
21. A)Senseofduty. C)Workefficiency.
B) Self-confidence. D)Passionforwork.
22. A)Theyfindnopleasureintheworktheydo.
B) Theytrytoavoidworkwheneverpossible.
C) Theyareaddictedtoplayingonlinegames.
D) Theysimplyhavenosenseofresponsibility.
PassageThree
Questions23to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.
23. A)Helostallhisproperty. C) Heranawayfromhisfamily.
B) Hewassoldtoacircus. D) Hewasforcedintoslavery.
24. A)Acarpenter. C) Abusinessman.
B) Amasterofhis. D) Ablackdrummer.
25. A)ItnameditstownhallafterSolomonNorthup.
B) Itfreedallblacksinthetownfromslavery.
C) ItdeclaredJuly24SolomonNorthupDay.
D) IthostedareunionfortheNorthupfamily.
SectionC
Directions：Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefirsttime,youshouldlisten
carefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblankswiththe
exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have
written.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 1上作答。
Intoleranceistheartofignoringanyviewsthatdifferfromyourown.It 26 itselfinhatred,stereotypes,prejudice,and27
Onceitintensifiesinpeople,intoleranceisnearlyimpossibletoovercome.Butwhywouldanyonewanttobelabeledintolerant?
Whywouldpeoplewanttobe 28 abouttheworldaroundthem?WhywouldonewanttobepartoftheprobleminAmerica,
insteadofthesolution?
Therearemanyexplanationsforintolerantattitudes,some 29 childhood.Itislikelythatintolerantfolksgrewup 30
intolerantparentsandthecycleofprejudicehassimplycontinuedfor 31 .Perhapsintolerantpeoplearesosetintheirwaysthat
theyfinditeasiertoignoreanythingthatmightnot 32 theirlimitedviewoflife.Ormaybeintolerantstudentshavesimplynever
been 33 toanyonedifferentfromthemselves.Butnoneofthesereasonsisanexcuseforallowingtheintolerancetocontinue.
Intoleranceshouldnotbeconfusedwithdisagreement.Itis,ofcourse,possibletodisagreewithanopinionwithoutbeing
intolerantofit/Ifyouunderstandabeliefbutstilldon’tbelieveinthatspecificbelief,that’sfine.Youare 34 youropinion.Asa
matteroffact, 35 dissenters(持异议者)areimportantforanybelief.Ifweallbelievedthesamethings,wewouldnevergrow?
andwewouldneverlearnabouttheworldaroundus.Intolerancedoesnotstemfromdisagreement.Itstemsfromfear.Andfear
stemsfromignorance.
PartⅢ ReadingComprehension (40minutes)
SectionA
Directions： Inthissection
9
thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfroma
listofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.
Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet 2
withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.
Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
HisfuturesubjectshavenotalwaystreatedthePrinceofWaleswiththerespectonemightexpect.Theylaughedaloudin
1986whentheheirtotheBritish 36 toldaTVreporterthathetalkedtohisplantsathiscountryhouse,Highgrove,tostimulate
32014年12月大学英语六级考试真题(二）
theirgrowth.ThePrincewasbeinghumorous—“Mysenseofhumorwillgetmeintotroubleoneday,“hesaidtohisaids（随从）
—butlisteningtoCharlesWindsorcanindeedprovestimulating.Theroyal 37 hasbeenpromotingradicalideasformostofhis
adultlife.Someofhis 38 ，whichoncesoundedabitweird,weresimplyaheadoftheirtime.Now,finally,theworldseemsto
becatchingupwithhim.
Takehisviewsonfarming.PrinceCharles’DuchyHomeFarmwent 39 backin1986,whenmostshopperscaredonly
aboutthelowpricetagonsuspiciouslyblemish-free(无瑕戚的）vegetablesand 40 largechickenspiledhighinsupermarkets.
Hiswarningsonclimatechangeprovedfarsighted,too.Charlesbegan 41 actiononglobalwarmingin1990andsayshe
hasbeenworriedaboutthe 42 ofmanontheenvironmentsincehewasateenager.
Althoughhehasgraduallygainedinternational 43 asoneoftheworld’sleadingconservationists,manyBritishpeoplestill
thinkofhimasan 44 personwhotalkstoplants.Thisyear,asithappens,SouthKoreanscientistsprovedthatplantsreallydo
45 tosound.SoCharleswasaheadofthegamethere,too.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 2上作答。
A)conform F)notions K)subordinate
B)eccentric G)organic L)suppressing
C)environmentalist H)originally M)throne
D)expeditions I)recognition N)unnaturally
E)impact J)respond O)urging
SectionB
Directions： In this section, you aregoing to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains
informationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychoose
aparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.Answerthequestionsbymarkingthecorresponding
letteronAnswerSheet2.
HighSchoolSportsAren’tKillingAcademics
A) InthismonthsAtlanticcoverarticle,“TheCaseAgainstHigh-SchoolSports,”AmandaRipleyarguesthatschool-sponsored
sports programs should be seriously cut. She writes that, unlike most countries that outperform the United States on
internationalassessments,Americanschoolsputtoomuchofanemphasisonathletics.“SportsareembeddedinAmerican
schoolsinaway theyare notalmost anywhere else，”shewrites. “Yet thisdifferencehardlyever comes upindomestic
debatesaboutAmerica’sinternationalmediocrity(平庸)ineducation.”
B) Americanstudent-athletesreapmanybenefitsfromparticipatinginsports,butthecoststotheschoolscouldoutweightheir
benefits,sheargues.Inparticular,Ripleycontendsthatsportscrowdouttheacademicmissionsofschools：Americashould
learn from South Korea and Finland and every other country at the top level of international test scores, all of whom
emphasizeathletics far less in school. “Even in eighth grade, American kidsspendmore than twice the time Korean kids
spendplayingsports，”shewrites,citinga2010studypublishedintheJournalofAdvancedAcademics.
C) It might well betruethat sports arefar more rooted inAmerican high schoolsthanin other countries. But our readingof
internationaltestscoresfindsnosupportfortheargumentagainstschoolathletics.Indeed,ourownresearchandthatofothers
leadustomaketheoppositecase.School-sponsoredsportsappeartoprovidebenefitsthatseemtoincrease,notdetract(减
少)from,academicsuccess.
D) Ripleyindulgesapopularobsession(痴迷)withinternationaltestscorecomparisons,whichshowwideandfrighteninggaps
betweentheUnitedStatesandothercountries.Sheignores,however,thefactthatstatesvaryatleastasmuchintestscoresas
dodevelopedcountries.A2011reportfromHarvardUniversityshowsthatMassachusettsproducesmathscorescomparable
toSouthKoreaandFinland,whileMississippiscoresareclosertoTrinidadandTobago.Ripley’sthesisaboutsportsfalls
apart in light of this fact. Schools in Massachusetts provide sports programs while schools in Finland do not. Schools in
MississippimaylovefootballwhileinTobagointerscholasticsportsarenowherenearasprominent.Sportscannotexplain
42014年12月大学英语六级考试真题(二）
thesesimilaritiesinperformance.Theycan’texplaininternationaldifferenceseither.
E) IfitistruethatsportsunderminetheacademicmissionofAmericanschools,wewouldexpecttoseeanegativerelationship
betweenthecommitmenttoathleticsandacademicachievement.However,theUniversityofArkansas’sDanielBowenand
JayGreeneactuallyfindtheopposite.Theyexaminethisrelationshipbyanalyzingschools’sportswinningpercentagesas
well as student-athletic participation rates compared to graduation rates and standardized test score achievement over a
five-yearperiodforallpublichighschoolsinOhio.Controllingforstudentpovertylevels,demographics(人口统计4大况），
anddistrictfinancialresources,bothmeasuresofaschool’scommitmenttoathleticsaresignificantlyandpositivelyrelatedto
lowerdropoutratesaswellashighertestscores.
F) On-the-fieldsuccessandhighparticipationinsportsisnotrandom—itrequiresfocusanddedicationtoathletics.Onemight
thinkthiswouldleadschoolsobsessedwithwinningtodeemphasizeacademics.BowenandGreene’sresultscontradictthat
argument.Alikelyexplanationforthisseeminglycounterintuitive(与直觉相反的）resultisthatsuccessinsportsprograms
actuallyfacilitatesorrejectsgreatersocialcapitalwithinaschool’scommunity.
G) RipleycitesthewritingsofrenownedsociologistJamesColeman,whoseresearchineducationwasgroundbreaking.Coleman
inhisearlyworkheldathleticsincontempt,arguingthattheycrowdedoutschools’academicmissions.Ripleyquoteshis1961
study,TheAdolescentSociety,whereColemanwrites,“Altogether,thetrophy（奖品）casewouldsuggesttotheinnocent
visitorthathewasenteringanathleticclub,notaneducationalinstitution.
H) However,inlaterresearchColemanwouldshowhowthesuccessofschoolsishighlydependentonwhathetermedsocial
capital, “thenorms, thesocialnetworks, andtherelationshipsbetween adultsandchildren thatareofvalue for thechild’s
growingup.”
I) According to a 2013 evaluation conducted by the Crime Lab at the University of Chicago, a program called Becoming a
Mari—SportsEditioncreateslastingimprovementsintheboys’studyhabitsandgradepointaverages.Duringthefirstyearof
theprogram,studentswerefoundtobelesslikelytotransferschoolsorbeengagedinviolentcrime.Ayearaftertheprogram,
participantswerelesslikelytohavehadanencounterwiththejuvenilejusticesystem.
J) Ifschool-sponsoredsportswerecompletelyeliminatedtomorrow,manyAmericanstudentswouldstillhaveopportunitiesto
participateinorganizedathleticselsewhere,muchliketheydoincountriessuchasFinland,Germany,andSouthKorea.The
same is not certain when it comes to students from more disadvantaged backgrounds. In an overview of the research on
non-school based after-school programs, researchers find that disadvantaged children participate in these programs at
significantlylowerrates.Theyfindthatlow-incomestudentshavelessaccessduetochallengeswithregardtotransportation,
non-nominalfees,andoff-campussafety.Therefore,reducingoreliminatingtheseopportunitieswouldmostlikelydeprive
disadvantagedstudentsofthebenefitsfromathleticparticipation,notleastofwhichistheopportunitytointeractwithpositive
rolemodelsoutsideofregularschoolhours.
K) AnotherunfoundedcriticismthatRipleymakesisbringingupthestereotypethatathleticcoachesaretypicallylousy(蹩脚的）
classroom teachers. “American principals, unlike the vast majority of principals around the world, make many hiring
decisions with their sports teams in mind, which does not always end well for students.” she writes. Educators who seek
employmentatschoolsprimarilyforthepurposeofcoachingarelikelytoshirk(推卸)teachingresponsibilities,theargument
goes. Moreover, even in the cases where the employee is a teacher first and athletic coach second, the additional
responsibilities that come with coaching likely come at the expense of time otherwise spent on planning, grading, and
communicatingwithparentsandguardians.
L) Thedata,however,donotseemtoconfirmthisstereotype.Inthemostrigorousstudyontheclassroomresultsofhighschool
coaches,theUniversityofArkansas’sAnnaEgalitefindsthatathleticcoachesinFloridamostlytendtoperformjustaswellas
theirnon-coachingcounterparts,withrespecttoraisingstudenttestscores.Wedonotdoubtthatteacherswhoalsocoachface
serioustradeoffsthatlikelycomeattheexpenseoftimetheycoulddedicatetotheiracademicobligations.However,aswith
sporting events, athletic coaches gain additional opportunities for communicating and serving as mentors (导师）that
potentiallyhelpstudentssucceedandmakeupforthecostsofcoachingcommitments.
M)Ifschoolsallowstudent-athletestoregularlymissoutoninstructionaltimeforthesakeoftravelingtoathleticcompetitions,
that’s bad. However, such issues would be better addressed by changing school and state policies with regard to the
schedulingofsportingeventsasopposedtototalelimination.Iftheempiricalevidencepointstoanything,itpointstowards
52014年12月大学英语六级考试真题(二）
school-sponsoredsportsprovidingassetsthatarewellworththecosts.
N)DespitenegativestereotypesaboutsportscultureandRipley’spresumptionthatacademicsandathleticsareatoddswithone
another,webelievethatthegreaterbodyofevidenceshowsthatschool-sponsoredsportsprogramsappeartobenefitstudents.
Successesontheplayingfieldcancarryovertotheclassroomandviceversa(反之亦然）.Moreimportantly,findingways
toincreaseschoolcommunities’socialcapitalisimperativetothesuccessoftheschoolasawhole,notjusttheathletes.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 2上作答。
46. Studentsfromlow-incomefamilieshavelessaccesstooff-campussportsprograms.
47. Amanda Ripley argues that America should learn from other countries that rank high in international tests and lay less
emphasisonathletics.
48. Accordingtotheauthor,AmandaRipleyfailstonotethatstudents’performanceinexamsvariesfromstatetostate.
49. AmandaRipleythinksthatathleticcoachesarepooratclassroominstruction.
50. JamesColeman’slaterresearchmakesanargumentforaschool’ssocialcapital.
51. Researchersfindthatthereisapositiverelationshipbetweenaschool’scommitmenttoathleticsandacademicachievements.
52. Arigorousstudyfindsthatathleticcoachesalsodowellinraisingstudents’testscores.
53. Accordingtoanevaluation,sportsprogramscontributetostudents’academicperformanceandcharacterbuilding.
54. Amanda Ripley believes the emphasis on school sports should be brought up when trying to understand why American
studentsaremediocre.
55. JamesColemansuggestsinhisearlierwritingsthatschoolathleticswouldundermineaschool’simage.
SectionC
Directions：Thereare2passagesinthissection•Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.For
eachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthe
correspondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOne
Questions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
Itiseasytomissamidtheday-to-dayheadlinesofglobaleconomicrecession,butthereisalessconspicuouskindofsocial
upheaval(剧变)underwaythatisfastalteringboththefaceoftheplanetandthewayhumanbeingslive.Thatchangeistherapid
accelerationofurbanization.In2008,forthefirsttimeinhumanhistory,morethanhalftheworld’spopulationwaslivingintowns
andcities.Andasarecentlypublishedpapershows,theprocessofurbanizationwillonlyaccelerateinthedecadestocome-withan
enormousimpactonbiodiversityandpotentiallyonclimatechange.
AsKarenSeto,theleadauthorofthepaper,pointsout,thewaveofurbanizationisn’tjustaboutthemigrationofpeopleinto
urban environments, but about the environments themselves becoming bigger to accommodate all those people. The rapid
expansionofurbanareaswillhaveahugeimpactonbiodiversityhotspotsandoncarbonemissionsinthoseurbanareas.
Humans are the ultimate invasive species—when they move into new territory, they often displace the wildlife that was
alreadylivingthere.Andaslandisclearedforthosenewcities—especiallyinthedensetropicalforests—carbonwillbereleased
intotheatmosphereaswell. It’s truethataspeopleindevelopingnationsmove from thecountrysideto thecity, theshift may
reducethepressureonland,whichcouldinturnbegoodfortheenvironment.Thisisespeciallysoindesperatelypoorcountries,
whereresidentsinthecountrysideslashandburnforestseachgrowingseasontoclearspaceforfarming.Buttherealdifferenceis
that in developing nations, the move from rural areas to cities often leads to an accompanying increase in income —and that
increase leads to an increase in the consumption of food and energy, which in turn causes a rise in carbon emissions. Getting
enough to eat and enjoying the safety and comfort of living fully on the grid is certainly a good thing —but it does carry an
environmentalprice.
Theurbanizationwavecan’tbestopped—anditshouldn’tbe.ButSeto’spaperdoesunderscoretheimportanceofmanaging
that transition. If we do it the right way, we can reduce urbanization’s impact on the environment. “There’s an enormous
opportunityhere,andalotofpressureandresponsibilitytothinkabouthowweurbanize,”saysSeto.“Onethingthat’sclearisthat
wecan’tbuildcitiesthewaywehaveoverthelastcoupleofhundredyears.Thescaleofthistransitionwon’tallowthat.”We’re
headedtowardsanurbanplanetnomatterwhat,butwhetheritbecomesheavenorhellisuptous.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 2上作答。
62014年12月大学英语六级考试真题(二）
56. Whatissuedoestheauthortrytodrawpeopledattentionto?
A) Theshrinkingbiodiversityworldwide.
B) Therapidincreaseofworldpopulation.
C) Theongoingglobaleconomicrecession.
D) Theimpactofacceleratingurbanization.
57. Inwhatsensearehumanstheultimateinvasivespecies?
A) Theyaremuchgreedierthanotherspecies.
B) Theyareauniquespeciesborntoconquer.
C) Theyforceotherspeciesoutoftheirterritories.
D) Theyhaveanurgetoexpandtheirlivingspace.
58. Inwhatwayisurbanizationinpoorcountriesgoodfortheenvironment?
A) Morelandwillbepreservedforwildlife.
B) Thepressureonfarmlandwillbelessened.
C) Carbonemissionswillbeconsiderablyreduced.
D) Naturalresourceswillbeusedmoreeffectively.
59. Whatdoestheauthorsayaboutlivingcomfortablyinthecity?
A) Itincursahighenvironmentalprice.
B) Itbringspovertyandinsecuritytoanend.
C) Itcausesabigchangeinpeople’slifestyle.
D) Itnarrowsthegapbetweencityandcountry.
60. WhatcanbedonetominimizethenegativeimpactofurbanizationaccordingtoSeto?
A) Slowingdownthespeedoftransition.
B) Innovativeuseofadvancedtechnology.
C) Appropriatemanagementoftheprocess.
D) Enhancingpeople’ssenseofresponsibility.
PassageTwo
Questions61to65arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
WhenHarvardstudentMarkZuckerberglaunchedthefacebook.cominFeb.2004,evenhecouldnotimaginetheforcesit
wouldletloose.Hisintentwastoconnectcollegestudents. Facebook, whichiswhatthiswebsiterapidlyevolvedinto,endedup
connectingtheworld.
To the children of this connected era, the world is one giant social network. They are not bound —as were previous
generationsofhumans一bywhattheyweretaught.Theyareonlylimitedbytheircuriosityandambition.Duringmychildhood,all
knowledgewaslocal.Youlearnedeverythingyouknewfromyourparents,teachers,preachers,andfriends.
Withthehigh-qualityandtimelyinformationattheirfingertips,today’schildrenarerisingabovethefearsandbiasesoftheir
parents. Adults are also participating in this revolution. India’s normally tame middle class is speaking up against social ills.
Silicon Valley executives are being shamed into adding women to their boards. Political leaders are marshalling theenergy of
millions for elections and political causes. All of this is being done with social media technologies that Facebook and its
competitorssetfree.
Asdoeseveryadvancingtechnology,socialmediahascreatedmanynewproblems.Itiscommonlyaddictiveandcreates
risksforyoungerusers.SocialmediaisusedbyextremistsintheMiddleEastandelsewheretoseekandbrainwashrecruits.Andit
exposesusandourfriendstodisagreeablespying.Wemayleaveourlightsoninthehousewhenweareonvacation,butthrough
socialmediawetellcriminalsexactlywhereweare,whenweplantoreturnhome,andhowtoblackmail（敲诈）us.
Governmentsdon’t needinformers anymore. Social mediaallows government agencies tospyontheir own citizens. We
recordourthoughts,emotions,likesanddislikesonFacebook；weshareourpoliticalviews,socialpreferences,andplans.Wepost
intimate photographs of ourselves. No spy agency or criminal organization could actively gather the type of data that we
voluntarilypostforthem.
Themarketersarealsoseeingbigopportunities.Amazonistryingtopredictwhatwewillorder.Googleistryingtojudgeour
72014年12月大学英语六级考试真题(二）
needsandwantsbasedonoursocial-mediaprofiles.Weneedtobeawareoftherisksandkeepworkingtoalleviatethedangers.
Regardlessofwhatsocialmediapeopleuse,onethingiscertain：weareinaperiodofacceleratingchange.Thenextdecade
willbeevenmoreamazingandunpredictablethanthelast.Justasnoonecouldpredictwhatwouldhappenwithsocialmediainthe
lastdecade,noonecanaccuratelypredictwherethistechnologywilltakeus.Iamoptimistic,however,thataconnectedhumanity
willfindawaytoupliftitself.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 2上作答。
61. WhatwasthepurposeofFacebookwhenitwasfirstcreated?
A) Tohelpstudentsconnectwiththeoutsideworld.
B) Tobringuniversitystudentsintoclosercontact.
C) Tohelpstudentslearntoliveinaconnectedera.
D) Tocombinetheworldintoanintegralwhole.
62. Whatdifferencedoessocialmediamaketolearning?
A) Localknowledgeandglobalknowledgewillmerge.
B) Studentswillbecomemorecuriousandambitious.
C) Peopleareabletolearnwherevertheytravel.
D) Sourcesofinformationaregreatlyexpanded.
63. Whatistheauthor’sgreatestconcernwithsocialmediatechnology?
A) Individualsandorganizationsmayuseitforevilpurposes.
B) Governmentwillfindithardtoprotectclassifiedinformation.
C) Peoplemaydisclosetheirfriends’informationunintentionally.
D) People’sattentionwillbeeasilydistractedfromtheirworkinhand.
64. Whatdobusinessesusesocialmediafor?
A) Creatingagoodcorporateimage.
B) Anticipatingtheneedsofcustomers.
C) Conductinglarge-scalemarketsurveys.
D) Minimizingpossiblerisksanddangers.
65. Whatdoestheauthorthinkofsocialmediaasawhole?
A) Itwillenablehumansocietytoadvanceatafasterpace.
B) Itwillposeagravethreattoourtraditionalwaysoflife.
C) Itisboundtobringaboutanotherinformationrevolution.
D) Itbreaksdownthefinalbarriersinhumancommunication.
PartⅣ Translation (30minutes)
Directions： Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestotranslateapassagefromChineseintoEnglish.Youshouldwrite
youransweronAnswerSheet2.
自从1978年启动改革以来，中国已从计划经济转为以市场为基础的经济，并经历了经济和社会的快速发展。年均
10%的GDP增长已使五亿多人脱贫。联合国的“千年(millennium)发展目标”在中国均已达到或即将达到。目前，中国
的第十二个五年规划强调发展服务业和解决环境及社会不平衡的问题。政府已设定目标减少污染，提高能源效率，改善
得到教育和医保的机会，并扩大社会保障。中国现在7%的经济年增长目标表明政府意在重视生活质量而不是增长速度。
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡 2上作答。
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