分类目录大学英语六级

2020年12月英语六级第1套听力原文及题目

Section A
Direction: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.

Conversation 1
M: Good morning, Safe House Insurance. My name is Paul. How can I help you today?
W: Morning. I wouldn’t say that it’s good from where I’m standing. This is Miss Wilson and this is the third time I’ve called this week since receiving your letter about our insurance claim. I’m getting a litte fed up with my calls about my claim being completely disregarded.
M: Miss Wilson, thank you for calling back. Can I take some details to help me look at your claim?
W: It’s Miss May Wilson of 15 South Sea Road in Cornwall, and the details are that our village was extensively flooded two months ago. The entire ground floor of our cottage was submerged in water, and five of us have been living in a caravan ever since. You people are still withholding the money we are entitled to over a bizarre technical detail. And it’s not acceptable, Paul!
M: Miss Wilson, according to the notes on your account, the bizarre technical detail that you mentioned refers to the fact that you hadn’t paid house insurance the month before the incident.
W: That money left our account, and now that you should be paying out, you’re suddenly saying that you didn’t receive it on time. I’m really skeptical about this claim.
M: The contract does say that any miss payment in a year will affect the terms and conditions of the insurance contract and may affect claims. Of course, I can pass you on to my manager to talk to you more about this.
W: I’ve already spoken to him and you can tell him I’m furious now and that your company has a lawsuit on its hands. You will be hearing from my lawyer. Goodbye.
Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Qucstion 1: What is the woman complaining about?
Question 2: What is the problem the woman’s family encountered?
Question 3: What has caused the so called “bizarre technical detail” according to the man?
Question 4: What did the woman say she would do at the end of the conversation?

1.
A) She has not received any letter from the man.
B) Her claim has been completely disregarded.
C) She has failed to reach the manager again.
D) Her house has not been repaired in time.

2.
A) Their caravan was washed away by the flood.
B) The ground floor of their cottage was flooded.
C) Their entire house was destroyed by the flood.
D) The roof of their cottage collapsed in the flood.

3.
A) The woman’s failure to pay her house insurance in time.
B) The woman’s inaccurate description of the whole incident.
C) The woman’s ignorance of the insurance company’s policy.
D) The woman’s misreading of the insurance company’s letter.

4.
A) Revise the terms and conditions of the contract.
B) Consult her lawyer about the insurance policy.
C) Talk to the manager of Safe House Insurance.
D) File a lawsuit against the insurance company.

Conversation 2
W: How do you feel about the future of artificial intelligence? Personally, I feel quite optimistic about it.
M: AI? I’m not so optimistic actually. In fact, it’s something we should be concerned about.
W: Well, it will help us humans understand ourselves better. And when we have a better understanding of ourselves, we can improve the world.
M: Well, one thing is for sure. Technology is evolving faster than our ability to understand it. And in the future AI will make jobs kind of pointless.
W: I think artificial intelligence will actually help create new kinds of jobs, which would require less of our time and allow us to be centered on creative tasks.
M: I doubt that very much. Probably the last job that will remain will be writing AI sofware. And then eventually, AI will just write its own software.
W: At that time, we’re going to have a lot of jobs which nobody would want to do. So, we’ll need artificial itelligence for the robots to take care of the old guys like us.
M: I don’t know. There’s a risk that human civilization could be replaced by a superior type of digital life. AI will be able to completely simulate a person in every way possible. In fact, some people think we’re in a simulation right now.
W: That’s impossible. Humans can’t even make a mosquito. Computers only have chips. People have brains and that’s where the wisdom comes from.
M: Once it’s fully developed, AI will become tired of trying to communicate with humans as we would be much slower thinkers in comparison.
W: I’m not so sure. A computer is a computer, and a computer is just a toy.
M: Computers can easily communicate incredibly fast, so the computer will just get impatient talking to humans. It will be barely getting any information out.
W: Well, I believe there’s a benevolent future with AI. I also think you watch too many science fiction films.
Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 5: What do we leam about the speakers from the conversation?
Question 6: What will new kinds of jobs be like according to the woman?
Question 7: What is the risk the man anticipates?
Question 8: What is the man’s concern about AI technology?

5.
A) They are both worried about the negative impact of technology.
B) They differ greatly in their knowledge of modem technology.
C) They disagree about the future of AI technology.
D) They work in different fields of AI technology.

6.
A) Stimulating and motivating.
B) Simply writing AI software.
C) More demanding and requiring special training.
D) Less time-consuming and focusing on creation.

7.
A) Old people would be taken care of solely by unfeeling robots.
B) Humans would be tired of communicating with one another.
C) Digital life could replace human civilization.
D) There could be jobs nobody wants to do.

8.
A) It will be smarter than human beings.
B) Chips will be inserted in human brains.
C) It will take away humans’ jobs altogether.
D) Life will become like a science fiction film.

Section B
Direction: In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Passage 1
To achieve financial security, how much you save is always more important than the amount you earn or how shrewdly you invest. If you’re under 30 years old, you goal should be to save 20% of your monthly income after tax deductions. This is irrespective of how much you earn. Approximately 50% should be reserved for the essentials like food and accommodation. The remaining 30% is for recreation and entertainment. But for many young people, it’ll be difficult to designate such a large proportion of their income for savings. If you find it hard to save any money at all, start by cutting all unnecessary spending, allocate a tiny amount of 1 or 2 percent for savings, and gradually increase that amount. Always keep that 20% goal in mind for prevent yourself from becoming complacent. It can be challenging to stick to such a strict plan. But if you adopt the right mindset, you should be able to make it work for you. So what should you be doing with the money that you are saving? Some must be kept easily accessible in case you need some cash in emergency. The largest proportion should be invested in retirement plans. Either for the young employer or privately. And you can keep some money for high risk but potentially lucrative investments. Dividends can be re-invested or used to purchase something you like. By following this plan, you should hopefully be able to enjoy your life now, and still be financially secure in the future.
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 9: What are people under 30 advised to do to achieve financial security?
Question 10: What should people do if they find it difficult to follow the speaker’s advice on their financial plan?
Question 11: What does the speaker think is important for achieving financial security?

9.
A) Try to earn as much money as possible.
B) Invest shrewdly in lucrative businesses.
C) Save one-fifth of their net monthly income.
D) Restrain themselves from high-risk investments.

10.
A) Cut 20% of their daily spending.
B) Ask a close friend for advice.
C) Try to stick to their initial plan.
D) Start by doing something small.

11.
A) A proper mindset.
B) An ambitious plan.
C) An optimistic attitude.
D) A keen interest.

Passage 2
I work in advertising and I like to keep up with current trends, mainly because I’m aware that we live in an image-obsessed world. However, when I first started my job, occasionally I’d catch a glimpse of myself in the lifts, and find myself thinking that I looked a total mess. Was I being held back by my choice of clothing? The sure answer is “yes”, especially when clients are quick to judge you on your style rather than your work. But no one can be unique with their outfit every day. I mean that’s why uniforms were invented. So, here’s what I did. I created my own uniform. To do this, I chose an appropriate outfit. Then I bought multiple items of the same style in different shades. Now, I never worry about what I’m wearing in the morning even if I do get a bit tired of just wearing the same classic pieces. Overall, when it comes to work, you have to ask yourself: will looking smarter enhance my ability to do my job? For some, this question may not be an issue at all, especially if you work remotely and rarely see your colleagues or clients face to face. But if your job involves interacting with other people, the answer to this is often “yes”. So rather than finding a system, I think we should just do whatever helps us to achieve our goals that work. If that means playing it safe with your image, then let’s face it. It’s probably worth it.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 12: What do we learn about the speaker when she first started her job?
Question 13: Why were uniforms invented according to the speaker?
Question 14: What does the speakers say about looking smarter?
Question 15: What does the speaker advise people to do in an image-obsessed world?

12.
A) She found her outfit inappropriate.
B) She was uninterested in advertising.
C) She often checked herself in a mirror.
D) She was unhappy with fashion trends.

13.
A) To save the expenses on clothing.
B) To keep up with the current trends.
C) To meet the expectations of fashion-conscious clients.
D) To save the trouble of choosing a unique outfit every day.

14.
A) It boosts one’s confidence when looking for employment.
B) It matters a lot in jobs involving interaction with others.
C) It helps people succeed in whatever they are doing.
D) It enhances people’s ability to work independently.

15.
A) Design their own uniform to appear unique.
B) Fight the ever-changing trends in fashion.
C) Do whatever is possible to look smart.
D) Wear classic pieces to impress their clients.

Section C
Direction: In this section, you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Recording 1
Did you know that Americans have approximately three times the amount of space we had 50 years ago? Therefore, you’d think we’d have sufficient room for all of our possessions. On the contrary, the personal storage business is now a growing industry. We’ve got triple the space, but we’ve become such enthusiastic consumers that we require even more. This phenomenon has resulted in significant credit card debt, enormous environmental footprints, and perhaps not coincidentally, our happiness levels have failed to increase over the same half century. I’m here to suggest an alternative that having less, might actually be a preferable decision. Many of us have experienced, at some stage, the pleasure of possessing less. I propose that less stuff and less space can not only help you economize, but also simplify your life. I recently started an innovative project to discover some creative solutions that offered me everything I required. By purchasing an apartment that was 40 square meters instead of 60, I admittedly saved $200,000. Smaller space leads to reduce utility bills, and also a smaller carbon footprint. Because it’s designed around an edited collection of possessions, limited to my favorite stuff, I’m really excited to live there. How can we live more basically? Firstly, we must ruthlessly cut the unnecessary objects out of our lives. To stem consumption, we should think before we buy, and ask ourselves: “Will it truly make me happier?” Obviously, we should possess some great stuff, but we want belongings that we’re going to love for years. Secondly, we require space efficiency. We want appliances that are designed for use most of the time, not for occasional use. Why own a six burners stove when you rarely use even three burners? Finally, we need multifunctional spaces and housewares. I combined a movable wall with transforming furniture to get more out of my limited space. Consider my coffee table. It increases in size to accommodate ten. My office is tucked away, easily hidden. My bed simply pops out the wall. For guests, I can relocate the movable wall and utilize the foldable guest beds I installed. I’m not saying we should all live in tinier apartments, but consider the benefits of an edited life. When you return home and walk through your front door, take a moment to ask yourselves: “Could I do with a little life editing? Would that give me more freedom and more time?”
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 16: What has prevented Americans happiness levels from increasing?
Question 17: What things should we possess according to the speaker?
Question 18: What do we learn about the items in the speaker’s home?

16.
A) Their failure to accumulate wealth.
B) Their obsession with consumption.
C) The deterioration of the environment.
D) The ever-increasing costs of housing.

17.
A) Things that we cherish most.
B) Things that boost efficiency.
C) Things that cost less money.
D) Things that are rare to find.

18.
A) They are mostly durable.
B) They are easily disposable.
C) They serve multiple purposes.
D) They benefit the environment.

Recording 2
Now, believe it or not, people sometimes lie in order to maintain a good honest reputation even if it hurts them to do so. At least, this is what a team of scientists is suggesting, with evidence to prove it. Picture this scenario: you often drive for work and can be compensated for up to 400 miles per month. Most people at your company drive about 300 miles each month. But this month you drove 400 miles. How many miles do you think you’d claim in your expense report? The scientist asked this exact question as part of the study we’re discussing today. With surprising results, they found that 12% of respondents reported the distance they drove as less than the actual figure, giving an average answer of 384 miles. In other words, they lied about their number of miles, even though they would forfeit money they were owed. The researchers believe this was to seem honest with the assumption being that others would be suspicious of a high expense claim. But why would people fabricate numbers to their own detriment? The researchers explained that many people care a great deal about their reputation and how they’ll be judged by others. If they care enough, they’re concerned about appearing honest and not losing the respect of others maybe greater than their desire to actually be honest. The researchers assert that the findings suggest that when people obtain very favorable outcomes, they anticipate other people’s suspicious reactions and prefer lying and appearing honest to telling the truth and appearing as selfish liars. So why is this research important? Well, experts generally agreed there are two main types of lie, selfish liars and liars that are meant to benefit others. The first, as you may predict, is for selfish gain, such as submitting a fraudulent claim to an insurance company. While the second involves lying to help others or not offend others, for example, telling a friend whose outfit you don’t like that they look great. But the researchers are suggesting a third type of lying: lying to maintain a good reputation. Now this hypothesis is new and some skeptics argue that this isn’t a whole new category of lie. But the findings seem intuitive to me. After all, one of the main motivations for lying is to increase our worth in the eyes of others. So it seems highly likely that people will lie to seem honest.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 19: What did the team of scientists find in their study?
Question 20: Why would people fabricate numbers to their own detriment according to the researchers?
Question 21: What does the speaker think of the researchers’ findings?

19.
A) All respondents were afraid of making a high expense claim.
B) A number of respondents gave an average answer of 400 miles.
C) Most of the respondents got compensated for driving 384 miles.
D) Over 10% of the respondents lied about the distance they drove.

20.
A) They endeavored to actually be honest.
B) They wanted to protect their reputation.
C) They cared about other people’s claims.
D) They responded to colleagues’ suspicion.

21.
A) They seem positive.
B) They are illustrative.
C) They seem intuitive.
D) They are conclusive.

Recording 3
Why do old people dislike new music? As I’ve grown older, I often hear people my age say things like “They just don’t make good music like they used to.” Why does this happen? Luckily, psychology can give us some insights into this puzzle. Musical taste begins crystallized as early as age 13 or 14. By the time we’re in our early 20s, these tastes get locked into place pretty firmly. In fact, studies have found that by the time we turned 33, most of us have stopped listening to new music. Meanwhile, popular songs released when you’re in your early teens are likely to remain quite popular among your age group for the rest of your life. There could be a biological explanation for this, as there’s evidence that the brain’s ability to make subtle distinctions between different chords, rhythms, and melodies deteriorate with age. So to older people, newer, less familiar songs might all sound the same. But there may be some simpler reasons for older people’s aversion to new music. One of the most researched laws of social psychology is something called the “mere exposure effect”, which in essence means that the more we’re exposed to something, the more we tend to like it. This happens with people we know, the advertisements we see, and the songs we listen to. When you’re in your early teens, you probably spend a fair amount of time listening to music or watching music videos. Your favorite songs and artists become familiar, comforting parts of your routine. For many people over 30, job and family obligations increase, so there’s less time to spend discovering new music. Instead, many will simply listen to old, familiar favorites from that period of their lives when they had more free time. Of course, those teen years weren’t necessarily carefree. They’re famously confusing, which is why so many TV shows and movies revolve around the high school turmoil. Psychology research has shown that the emotions that we experience as teens seem more intense than those that come later. And we also know that intense emotions are associated with stronger memories and preferences. Both of these might explain why the songs we listen to during this period become so memorable and beloved. So there’s nothing wrong with your parents because they don’t like your music. Rather it’s all part of the natural order of things.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 22: What does the speaker mainly discuss in this talk?
Question 23: What have studies found about most people by the time they turn 33?
Question 24: What do we learn from one of the most researched laws of social psychology?
Question 25: What might explain the fact that songs people listen to in their teen years are memorable and beloved?

22.
A) Older people’s aversion to new music.
B) Older people’s changing musical tastes.
C) Insights into the features of good music.
D) Deterioration in the quality of new music.

23.
A) They seldom listen to songs released in their teens.
B) They can make subtle distinctions about music.
C) They find all music sounds the same.
D) They no longer listen to new music.

24.
A) The more you experience something, the better you’ll appreciate it.
B) The more you experience something, the longer you’ll remember it.
C) The more you are exposed to something, the deeper you’ll understand it.
D) The more you are exposed to something, the more familiar it’ll be to you.

25.
A) Teenagers are much more sensitive.
B) Teenagers are much more sentimental.
C) Teenagers’ memories are more lasting.
D) Teenagers’ emotions are more intense.

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2020年12月英语六级第2套听力原文及题目

Section A
Direction: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.

Conversation 1
W: This is unbelievable. Unlike any video game I’ve ever played before, it’s so boring, yet so relaxing at the same time. How did you hear about this driving simulator?
M: My brother introduced it to me last year. I was surprised to find how educational and realistic it was. It’s called Euro Truck Simulator, but they have other versions as well for America and so on. I was really drawn to the scenery. The routes go through parts of the country you don’t normally see as a tourist.
W: Yeah, I can see that. It seems so simple, just transporting cargo from point A to point B, driving from one city to another. But I really appreciate all the details that go into the game. It’s even given me a new appreciation for the logistics industry and traffic on the road.
M: I completely agree. My brother also introduced me to some videos of someone that streams their game online. It was fascinating to watch, really. This guy drove very carefully, obeyed all the road signs and traffic rules — such a contrast to most violent games.
W: Honestly, playing has inspired me to look into the industry more. I’ve read articles about how self-driving trucks may soon be available and could greatly impact cargo logistics. Considering all that goes into driving these larger vehicles, it’s amazing that we could soon have that kind of technology.
M: Ha. I’ve got one step further. I registered to take a safe driving course to improve my real-life driving skills. In a way, I feel like I have a head start compared to other students in the class. Playing this video game has given me some maneuvering practices already.
W: I’m not sure how accurate the video game is compared to real-life situations. But if it results in more drivers looking both ways before entering an intersection, I’d say that’s a positive outcome.
Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 1: What are the speakers mainly talking about?
Question 2: What does the man say about the driving simulator?
Question 3: What does the woman say she really appreciates?
Question 4: What outcome does the woman expect from the driving simulator?

1.
A) driving test.
B) A video game.
C) Traffic routes.
D) Cargo logistics.

2.
A) He found it instructive and realistic.
B) He bought it when touring Europe.
C) He was really drawn to its other versions.
D) He introduced it to his brother last year.

3.
A) Traveling all over the country.
B) Driving from one city to another.
C) The details in the driving simulator.
D) The key role of the logistics industry.

4.
A) Clearer road sign.
B) More people driving safely.
C) Stricter traffic rules.
D) More self-driving trucks on the road.

Conversation 2
W: How do you like being self-employed?
M: There are obvious benefits, though I don’t seem to have the freedom I anticipated as I just don’t seem able to decline work offers. And working alone, there have been times when I’ve found that money alone provides insufficient motivation. Have you experienced the same since you began working for yourself?
W: Sometimes, yes. Unlike the rest of the workforce who have managers to prompt motivation whenever they’re feeling lazy or bored, we self-employed workers perform our jobs without a manager to lift our spirits. There’s no one around to offer praise or initiate collaboration, no one to make greater use of our interests and talents.
M: That’s a fact. Not every manager behaves with such awareness and care, of course. And certainly not all managers have a clue how to motivate people. Still, having a manager nearby at least indicates there’s an opportunity they’ll be decent enough to look out for you when your energy and focus begin to deplete.
W: The motivator I value most is autonomy. I’ve learned not to sacrifice my prized autonomy by working all hours of the day and by saying yes to every client request.
M: Yes. I need to remind myself that I selected this lifestyle for the independence. I don’t miss aspects of permanent full-time employment I disliked, such as the office politics, job insecurity, inflexible hours and so on. I wouldn’t mind a bit more in the form of praise though, praise which is on the record.
W: That’ll come with time. Relatedness is inevitably cultivated via human interaction. Engaging with clients, getting written testimony and recommendations, staying in contact with clients afterwards, these are things you’ll find will come in due course and provide you with motivation.
M: You’re right. That’s an area I do need to put some more effort into — building closer relationships with those who engage my services and skills.
Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 5: What does the man say about his life of being self-employed?
Question 6: What does the man say about managers?
Question 7: What do both speakers value most about self-employment?
Question 8: On what point does the man agree with the woman?

5.
A) It isn’t so enjoyable as he expected.
B) It isn’t motivating as he believed.
C) It doesn’t enable him to earn much money as he used to.
D) It doesn’t seem to offer as much freedom as he anticipated.

6.
A) Not all of them care about their employees’ behaviors.
B) Few of them are aware of their employees’ feelings.
C) Few of them offer praise and reward to their employees.
D) Not all of them know how to motivate their employees.

7.
A) Job satisfaction.
B) Self-awareness.
C) Autonomy.
D) Money.

8.
A) The importance of cultivating close relationship with clients.
B) The need for getting recommendations from their managers.
C) The advantages of permanent full-time employment.
D) The way to explore employees’ interest talents.

Section B
Direction: In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Passage 1
Weather is a constant force in our lives, but there is little marketing research on how it affects businesses. Now, a new study reveals how sunny and snowy conditions influence consumer behavior. Those weather conditions trigger consumers to mentally visualize using products associated with the respective weather. This leads to consumers placing a higher value on those products. That is, they’re willing to pay more money for them. But the correlation is only found with products related to being outside. How does this work? Researchers give the example of a beach towel. On a sunny day, consumers who see that product are not just looking at the towel itself, they are likely imagining themselves lying on the towel in the sun. This mental picture of using the towel increases the value of the product in the consumers’ mind. Researchers put forward the following hypothesis to explain their findings. They think the mental picture works in sunshine and snow because these weather conditions have a positive association with outside activities. The effect is not seen with rainy weather. Researchers assert this is because there aren’t many activities that are enabled by rain. Most products associated with rain, like umbrellas, are only used for protection from the weather, and not for any activities. Researchers believe that companies that sell a wide array of products online can benefit most from the insights this study provides. Online sellers often use complex mathematical formulas to determine what products to feature and how to price these products. Incorporating more data about weather would allow them to make better decisions. This could bolster sales.
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 9: What do we learn about the findings of the new study?
Question 10: What does the passage say may increase the value of products for consumers?
Question 11: How can the findings of the new study benefit online sellers according to the researchers?

9.
A) Consumers visualize their activities in different weather.
B) Good weather triggers consumers’ desire to go shopping.
C) Weather conditions influence consumers’ buying behavior.
D) Consumers’ mental states change with the prices of goods.

10.
A) Active consumption.
B) Direct correlation.
C) Individual association.
D) Mental visualization.

11.
A) Enabling them to simplify their mathematical formulas.
B) Helping them determine what to sell and at what price.
C) Enabling them to sell their products at a higher price.
D) Helping them advertise a greater variety of products.

Passage 2
Setting the office air-conditioning at about 22℃ has become standard practice across the world. Numerous guidebooks across the world on heating, ventilation and air-conditioning claim office performance peaks at 22 degrees. Many people indeed find relief from soaring summer temperatures in air-conditioned offices. But recent studies have challenged the accepted wisdom that a cool office is more productive. The reality is more complex. Researchers conducted a review of all studies relating to air-conditioning and productivity. They found that 22 degrees was probably a little chilly, even at the height of summer. For a person dressed in typical summer clothing, an optimal range would be between 23 and 26 degrees. And people can even tolerate temperatures beyond this comfort zone as long as they can adjust their clothing and expectations. In fact, even on very hot days, it makes sense to turn the air-conditioning up. People often chase just one optimum temperature, and this is understandable when people feel hot. But there is a range of at least three to four degrees which does not have any adverse impact. Another issue related to this is that people can become psychologically dependent on air conditioning. If they’re used to the environment which is air-conditioned, they tend to prefer lower temperatures. But the studies found that almost all humans became accustomed to the new temperature. It was only at the extreme ends of the temperature range where people’s productivity suffered. This range was above 26 degrees and below 19 degrees.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 12: What is the accepted wisdom concerning the office environment?
Question 13: What did researchers find from their review of all studies relating to air-conditioning and productivity?
Question 14: What do we learn about using a little less air-conditioning during hot weather?
Question 15: What happens when people are used to an air-conditioned environment?

12.
A) A naturally ventilated office is more comfortable.
B) A cool office will boost employees’ productivity.
C) Office air-conditioning should follow guidebooks.
D) Air-conditioning improves ventilation in the office.

13.
A) People in their comfort zone of temperature are more satisfied with their productivity.
B) People in different countries vary in their tolerance to uncomfortable temperatures.
C) Twenty-two degrees is the optimal temperature for office workers.
D) There is a range of temperature for people to feel comfortable.

14.
A) It will have no negative impact on work.
B) It will be immediately noticeable.
C) It will sharply decrease work efficiency.
D) It will cause a lot of discomfort.

15.
A) They tend to favor lower temperatures.
B) They suffer from rapid temperature change.
C) They are not bothered by temperature extremes.
D) They become less sensitive to high temperatures.

Section C
Direction: In this section, you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Recording 1
Psychology research has tended to portray solitude as a negative experience. Studies conducted in the 1970s and 1990s suggested that people felt less happy when alone as compared to being with others. However, a new paper shows an alternative view of solitude, one in which solitude can be positive. Let’s start by looking at the earlier research. It had a couple of shortcomings. First, it measured emotion on a scale from positive to negative, overlooking the possibility that our positive and negative emotions can fluctuate independently. Also, it categorized emotions as simply positive or negative. It didn’t consider that emotions arouse us to different degrees, and that both positive and negative emotions can arouse us a lot or a little. That is, whether positive or negative, emotions can be either high-arousal or low-arousal. High-arousal emotions include excitement on the positive side or anger on the negative side, while low-arousal ones include feeling calm on the positive side or lonely on the negative. This new research attempted to overcome these shortcomings. Researchers began with a simple study. They asked participants to spend 15 minutes sitting alone without engaging in any activity, and measured how this solitude influences their emotional state. This experiment specifically aimed to determine the effect of solitude on high-arousal emotions. It looked at positive emotions such as being excited or interested, and negative emotions including being scared or distressed. The results were clear. After 15 minutes of solitude, the participants showed reductions in both types of emotion. A second study measured the effects of solitude on low-arousal emotions. These included both positive and negative emotions, such as feeling calm, relaxed, sad or lonely. That experiment found that all of these emotions were increased by time alone. Thus it seems past depictions of solitude were wrong. It doesn’t have a simple emotional effect that can be characterized as good or bad. Rather, it changes the intensity of our inner experience. It amplifies quieter emotions, but it diminishes the intensity of stronger feelings. It’s worth clarifying that these findings relate to relatively brief periods of solitude. This is distinct from prolonged loneliness. Research has demonstrated that the latter is correlated with an assortment of negative physical and psychological effects. How can people benefit from being alone? The findings here suggest that people can use solitude to regulate their emotions. Solitude can help us become quiet after excitement, calm after an angry episode, or simply feel at peace.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 16: What is one of the criticisms directed at the early research on solitude?
Question 17: What do we learn about the results of the new research?
Question 18: What did the second experiment in the new research find about solitude?

16.
A) It overlooked the possibility that emotions may be controlled.
B) It ignored the fact that emotions are personal and subjective.
C) It classified emotions simply as either positive or negative.
D) It measured positive and negative emotions independently.

17.
A) Sitting alone without doing anything seemed really distressing.
B) Solitude adversely affected the participants’ mental well-being.
C) Sitting alone for 15 minutes made the participants restless.
D) Solitude had a reductive effect on high-arousal emotions.

18.
A) It proved hard to depict objectively.
B) It went hand in hand with sadness.
C) It helped increase low-arousal emotions.
D) It tended to intensify negative emotions.

Recording 2
In 1984, the World Chess Championship was called off abruptly, due to the withered frame of a player who was competing for the title. He wasn’t alone in experiencing the extreme physical effects of the game. Elite players can reportedly burn up to an absurd 6,000 calories in one day. Does that mean that thinking harder is a simple route to losing weight? Well, when the body is at rest, we know that the brain uses up a startling 20% to 25% of the body’s overall energy. This level of utilization actually makes the brain the most energy-expensive organ in the body, and yet it makes up only 2% of the body’s weight overall. So the more we put this organ to work, the more calories we’ll burn? Technically, the answer is yes, for cognitively difficult tasks. What counts as a “difficult” mental task varies between individuals. But generally, it could be described as something that the brain cannot solve easily using previously learned routines, or tasks that change the conditions continuously. However, deep thinking will not burn off the calories gained from eating a sugary snack. Because in relation to the brain’s huge overall energy usage, which is devoted to a multitude of tasks, the energy required just to think harder is actually comparatively tiny. We’re unconscious of most of what uses up the brain’s energy. A lot of that activity is unrelated to conscious activities like learning how to sing or play the guitar. The brain is able to allocate blood and thus energy to particular regions that are being active at that point. But the overall energy availability in the brain is thought to be constant. So, while there might be significant increases in energy use at localized regions of the brain when we perform difficult cognitive tasks, when it comes to the whole brain’s energy budget overall, these activities don’t significantly alter it. So why did the chess champion grow too skinny to compete in his chess competition? The general consensus is that it mostly comes down to stress and reduced food consumption, not mental exhaustion. Keeping your body pumped up for action for long periods of time is very energy demanding. If you can’t eat as often or as much as you can or would normally — then you might lose weight.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 19: What do we learn about the brain when the body is at rest?
Question 20: What does the speaker say about the consumption of the brain’s energy?
Question 21: What do we learn about the overall energy availability in the brain?

19.
A) It uses up much less energy than it does in deep thinking.
B) It remains inactive without burning calories noticeably.
C) It continues to burn up calories to help us stay in shape.
D) It consumes almost a quarter of the body’s total energy.

20.
A) Much of the consumption has nothing to do with conscious activities.
B) It has something to do with the difficulty of the activities in question.
C) Energy usage devoted to active learning accounts for a big part of it.
D) A significant amount of it is for performing difficult cognitive tasks.

21.
A) It is believed to remain basically constant.
B) It is a prerequisite for any mental activity.
C) It is conducive to relieving mental exhaustion.
D) It is thought to be related to food consumption.

Recording 3
“Tell me about yourself” may seem like an easy job interview question, but the open-ended nature of this question often leaves job seekers at a loss where to start. This common question is actually a critical test of a job candidate’s communication skills, so it’s important not to give an unprepared response or mess it up. “Tell me about yourself” is often the first question professional career coaches prepare people for when they give interview guidance. It’s the opportunity for the candidate to take control of the narrative and tell their story in a way that really matters to their audience. It takes hard work and extensive preparation to answer this question well. When a person goes to a job interview, their interviewer has presumably read their resume, so they don’t need to repeat the information. But that’s what most people will do, as it’s their instinct to recite things that are already on their resume. It’s important for job seekers to do their homework on two crucial aspects. First, they are not just telling someone a fact about themselves. They re telling a story, and stories take work to create. Coming up with a good story means getting reflective about what made their career accomplishments something they’re proud of and what strengths those accomplishments highlight. Candidates shouldn’t pick a broad general strength to elaborate on, such as “I’m smart, I work hard and I get things done.” To come up with multiple career accomplishments or examples for different interview questions, job seekers should talk with others, especially people who know them, partners, friends or co-workers who will bring up different stories than the ones they remember. Secondly, candidates should know what’s at stake for the company with this job opening. What they really are asking you is “Tell me why you are going to help me.” If the person is a prepared candidate, they should have already figured out those things. They’ve read the job description and researched the company on the Internet. What job applicants ought to be looking for is what the company is up to, what they are trying to accomplish and what is preventing them from accomplishing those things. How long should it take to answer? Around a minute. That’s about right for most people’s attention spans. Under a minute could seem rushed, while over two minutes will start to feel more like a speech. But the length of the answer is not an exact science, and candidates need to keep their career story focused and tailored to their audience.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 22: What does the speaker say about the job interview question “tell me about yourself”?
Question 23: What will most people do when they come to a job interview?
Question 24: Why should job seekers talk with partners, friends and co-workers?
Question 25: What other important preparations should job seekers make before an interview?

22.
A) Job candidates rarely take it seriously.
B) Job seekers tend to have a ready answer.
C) Job seekers often feel at a loss where to start in answering it.
D) Job candidates can respond freely due to its open-ended nature.

23.
A) Follow their career coaches’ guidelines.
B) Strive to take control of their narrative.
C) Do their best to impress the interviewer.
D) Repeat the information on their resume.

24.
A) To reflect on their past achievements as well as failures.
B) To produce examples for different interview questions.
C) To discuss important details they are going to present.
D) To identify a broad general strength to elaborate on.

25.
A) Getting acquainted with the human resources personnel.
B) Finding out why the company provides the job opening.
C) Figuring out what benefits the company is able to offer them.
D) Tailoring their expectations to the company’s long-term goals.

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2019年06月英语六级第1套听力原文及题目

Section A
Direction: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.

Conversation 1
Cathy: Hi, my name’s Cathy, nice to meet you.
John: Nice to meet you too Kathy, my name’s John. I’m a university friend of the bride. What about you? Who do you know at this party?
Cathy: I am a colleague of Brenda. I was a little surprised to be invited to be honest. We’ve only been working together the last six months, but we quickly became good friends. We just wrapped up a project with a difficult client last week. I bet Brenda is glad it’s done with, and she can focus on wedding preparations.
John: Oh, yes. So you are Cathy from the office. Actually I’ve heard a lot about you in that project, the client sounded like a real nightmare.
Cathy: Oh, he was, I mean we deal with all kinds of people on a regular basis, it’s part of the job, but he was especially particular. Enough about that, what line of work are you in?
John: Well, right out of college I worked in advertising for a while. Recently though, I turn my photography hobby into a small business. I’ll actually be taking photos during the big event as a wedding gift.
Cathy: That sounds wonderful and very thoughtful of you. I bake, just as a hobby. But Brenda has asked me to do the cake for the wedding. I was a bit nervous saying yes because I’m far from a professional.
John: Did you bake the cookies here at the party tonight?
Cathy: Yes, I got the idea from a magazine.
John: They’re delicious! You’ve got nothing to worry about. You are a natural.
Cathy: You really think so?
John: If you hadn’t told me that. I would have guessed they were baked by the restaurant. You know, with your event planning experience you could very well open your own shop.
Cathy: (laughing) One step at a time. First, I’ll see how baking the wedding cake goes. If it’s not a disaster, maybe I’ll give it some more thought.
Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 1: What did Cathy and Brenda finished doing last week?
Question 2: What is John going to do for Brenda?
Question 3: How did Kathy feel when asked to bake the cake?
Question 4: What does the man suggest the woman do?

1.
A) A six-month-long negotiation.
B) Preparations for the party.
C) A project with a troublesome client.
D) Gift wrapping for the colleagues.

2.
A) Take wedding photos.
B) Advertise her company.
C) Start a small business.
D) Throw a celebration party.

3.
A) Hesitant.
B) Nervous.
C) Flattered.
D) Surprised.

4.
A) Start her own bakery.
B) Improve her baking skill.
C) Share her cooking experience.
D) Prepare for the wedding.

Conversation 2
M: You are heading for a completely different world, now that you are about to graduate from high school.
W: I know it’s the end of high school, but many of classmates are going on to the same university, and we are still required to study hard. So what’s the difference?
M: Many aspects are different here at the university. The most important one is that you have to take more individual responsibility for your actions. It’s up to your own self-discipline—how much efforts you put into study. Living in college dormitories, there are no parents to tell you that study harder or stop wasting time. Lectures have hundreds of students and they are not going to follow you up or question you if you miss the lectures.
W: Nobody cares you mean?
M: It’s not that nobody concerned about you, it’s just that suddenly at the university you are expected to behave like an adult. That means concentrating on the direction of your life in general and your own academic performance specifically.
W: For example…?
M: Well, like you need to manage daily, weekly and monthly schedules, so that you study regularly. Be sure to attend all classes and leave enough time to finish your assignments and prepare well for examinations.
W: Ok, and what else is different?
M: Well, in college there are lots of distractions, and you need to control yourself. You will make interesting friends, but you need only keep the friends who respect your students’ commitments. Also, there are a lot of wonderful clubs, but you shouldn’t allocate too much time to club activities, unless they are directly related to your study. It’s also your choice if you want to go out at night, but you will be foolish to let that affect class performance during the day.
W: Well, I’m determined to do well at the university and I guess I’m going to have to grow up fast.
Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 5: What does the man say about college students as compared with high schoolers?
Question 6: What are college students expected to do according to the man?
Question 7: What kind of friends does the man suggest the woman make as a college student?
Question 8: What kind of club activities should college students engaging according to the man?

5.
A) They have to spend more time studying.
B) They have to participate in club activities.
C) They have to be more responsible for what they do.
D) They have to choose a specific academic discipline.

6.
A) Get ready for a career.
B) Make a lot of friends.
C) Set a long-term goal.
D) Behave like adults.

7.
A) Those who share her academic interests.
B) Those who respect her student commitments.
C) Those who can help her when she is in need.
D) Those who go to the same clubs as she does.

8.
A) Those helpful for tapping their potential.
B) Those conducive to improving their social skills.
C) Those helpful for cultivating individual interests.
D) Those conducive to their academic studies.

Section B
Direction: In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Passage 1
Most successful people are unorthodox persons whose minds wonder outside traditional ways of thinking. Instead of trying to refine old formulas, they invent new ones. When Jean-Claude Killy made the French national ski team in the early 1960s, he was prepared to work harder than anyone else to be the best. At the crack of dawn, he would run up the slopes with his skis on, an unbelievably backbreaking activity. In the evening, he would do weightlifting and running. But the other team members were working as hard and long as he was. He realized instinctively that simply training harder would never be enough. Killy then began challenging the basic theories of racing technique. Each week, he would try something different to see if he could find a better, faster way down the mountain. His experiments resulted in a new style that was almost exactly opposite the exact technique of the time. It involved skiing with his legs apart for better balance and sitting back on the skis when he came to a turn. He also used ski poles in an unorthodox way–to propel himself as he skied. The explosive new style helped cut Killy’s racing time dramatically. In 1966 and 1967, he captured virtually every major skiing trophy. The next year, he won three gold medals in the Winter Olympics, a record in ski racing that has never been topped. Killy learned an important secret shared by many creative people: innovations don’t require genius, just a willingness to question the way things have always been done.
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 9: What does the speaker say about most successful people?
Question 10: What does the speaker say about Killy’s experiments?
Question 11: What is said to be Killy’s biggest honor in his skiing career?

9.
A) They break away from traditional ways of thinking.
B) They are prepared to work harder than anyone else.
C) They are good at refining old formulas.
D) They bring their potential into full play.

10.
A) They contributed to the popularity of skiing worldwide.
B) They resulted in a brand-new style of skiing technique.
C) They promoted the scientific use of skiing poles.
D) They made explosive news in the sports world.

11.
A) He was recognized as a genius in the world of sports.
B) He competed in all major skiing events in the world.
C) He won three gold medals in one Winter Olympics.
D) He broke three world skiing records in three years.

Passage 2
Scientific experiments have demonstrated incredible ways to kill a guinea pig, a small furry animal. Emotional upsets generate powerful and deadly toxic substances. Blood samples taken from persons experiencing intense fear or anger when injected into guinea pigs have killed them in less than two minutes. Imagine what these poisonous substances can do to your own body. Every thought that you have affects your body chemistry within a split second. Remember how you feel when you are speeding down the highway and a big truck suddenly brakes twenty meters in front of you. A shock wave shoots through your whole system. Your mind produces instant reactions in your body. The toxic substances that fear, anger, frustration and stress produce not only kill guinea pigs but kill us off in a similar manner. It is impossible to be fearful, anxious, irritated and healthy at the same time. It is not just difficult, it is impossible. Simply put, your body’s health is a reflection of your mental health. Sickness will often then be a result of unresolved inner conflicts which in time show up in the body. It is also fascinating how our subconscious mind shapes our health. Do you recall falling sick on a day when you didn’t want to go to school? Headaches brought on by fear? The mind-body connection is such that if, for example, we want to avoid something, very often our subconscious mind will arrange it. Once we recognize that these things happen to us, we are half way to doing something about them.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 12: What happens to guinea pigs when blood samples of angry people are injected into them?
Question 13: What does the speaker say about every thought you have?
Question 14: What does the speaker say is impossible?
Question 15: What does the passage say about our mind and body?

12.
A) They appear restless.
B) They lose consciousness.
C) They become upset.
D) They die almost instantly.

13.
A) It has an instant effect on your body chemistry.
B) It keeps returning to you every now and then.
C) It leaves you with a long lasting impression.
D) It contributes to the shaping of your mind.

14.
A) To succeed while feeling irritated.
B) To feel happy without good health.
C) To be free from frustration and failure.
D) To enjoy good health while in dark moods.

15.
A) They are closely connected.
B) They function in a similar way.
C) They are too complex to understand.
D) They reinforce each other constantly.

Section C
Direction: In this section, you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Recording 1
Teachers and students alike have experienced the curious paradox that beginners, as a rule, tend to think too little about what they are doing because they think too much about what they are doing. Take for example people who are learning to play basketball or the piano. They have to give so much thought and attention to the low-level mechanics of handling the ball or fingering the keys or reading the music, that they are unable to give any thought to the thing that matters – the game, or the music, respectively. With experts, it’s just the other way around. They are open to the tactical possibilities and the musical challenges precisely because they are freed, through skill, from the need to pay attention to the low-level details of how to play. Indeed, when the expert pays attention to the mechanics, this is liable to disrupt performance. This has led some to say that the expert operates in a zone ‘beyond thought’, in a state of flow. But this is misleading. Expert performance is not beyond thought. Smart basketball players or skilled musicians need to pay close attention to the demands of high performance, to the challenges to be overcome. What they don’t need to do – what would be a distraction – is to have to think about where their fingers are, or how to control the ball while running. It’s not mechanics, but the play itself, that absorbs the experts’ intelligence. A nice video published online last month sheds light on expertise and the conscious mind. The video reports a new study using an eye-tracking device. It turns out that the less-skilled pianist spends more time looking at her fingers than does the expert who, in contrast, is more likely to be looking at the sheet music, or looking ahead at keys he’s not yet playing. In general, the expert’s gaze was calmer and more stable. This is not a surprising finding. It supports what we might almost think of as conventional wisdom. But it’s remarkable for all that, nonetheless. The eye tracker gives expert and learning performers a glimpse into what they do without thinking about it. The topic of the nature of skill – and the differences between beginners and experts – has been one of considerable discussion in cognitive science and philosophy.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 16: What does the speaker say about beginners and expert pianists?
Question 17: What do smart basketball players do according to the speaker?
Question 18: What do we learn about the new study published in an online video?

16.
A) They differ in their appreciation of music.
B) They focus their attention on different things.
C) They finger the piano keys in different ways.
D) They choose different pieces of music to play.

17.
A) They manage to cooperate well with their teammates.
B) They use effective tactics to defeat their competitors.
C) They try hard to meet the spectators’ expectations.
D) They attach great importance to high performance.

18.
A) It marks a breakthrough in behavioral science.
B) It adopts a conventional approach to research.
C) It supports a piece of conventional wisdom.
D) It gives rise to controversy among experts.

Recording 2
Every summer when I top up my selection of summer outfits from the department stores, my eyes would nearly pop out of my head. I’m overwhelmed with the wide range of different slimming products each year. And more shockingly, these products are often advocated by very slim models. Having lived in Asia for almost ten years now, I’ve seen various dieting tips come and go. I remember in Japan people heading directly to the food section in the supermarket when the banana diet was at its peak. Then, there was the black tea and oolong tea diet followed by the soybean diet and the tomato juice diet. The list goes on and on. Apart from what people eat, I’ve also seen many interesting slimming products. In Hongkong, I’ve seen girls wrapping their whole body or both legs up with a special type of slimming tape which is supposed to help make them thinner. But it just reminded me of the roasted ham my mother usually puts on the dinner table of Christmas. Then there were the face slimming rollers that were said to improve your blood circulation and make your face smaller. Personally, I do not believe in any of these slimming gadgets. And I think I have a very different perspective when it comes to the definition of what is beautiful. Asian women prefer to avoid the sun because being pale or white is considered beautiful, whereas a tanned complexion is considered much more beautiful and sexy in the west. It is most certainly shaped by a person’s culture as well as how they were raised in their childhood. As each summer season approaches, there’s no escape from it. But it’s not only women who are affected by this pressure to look good. Men aspire to be able to show off their six packs or their V-shape backs and there’s a growing market of slimming pills aimed at men too. I think no matter what diets we follow or what slimming products we obsess ourselves with, at the end of the day there’s no magic trick to shape up for the summer. Eat in a balance way and incorporate the right level of physical activity. For me, this still seems to be the best plan.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 19: What overwhelms the speaker when she buys her summer outfits each year?
Question 20: What does the speaker think of girls wrapping their legs up with slimming tape?
Question 21: What does the speaker think affects people’s interpretation of beauty?
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.

19.
A) People’s envy of slim models.
B) People’s craze for good health.
C) The increasing range of fancy products.
D) The great variety of slimming products.

20.
A) They appear vigorous.
B) They appear strange.
C) They look charming.
D) They look unhealthy.

21.
A) Culture and upbringing.
B) Wealth and social status.
C) Peer pressure.
D) Media influence.

Recording 3
Skin may seem like a superficial human attribute, but it is the first thing we notice about anyone we meet. As a zoologist focusing on the studies of apes and monkeys, I’ve been studying why humans evolved to become the naked ape, and why skin comes in so many different shades around the world. We can make a very good estimate from the fossil record that humans probably evolved naked skin around a million and a half years ago. And meanwhile, they mostly lost their coat of fur. Today, we have a few patches of hair remaining on various parts of our bodies. But compared with apes and monkeys, we have very little. Basically, we turned our skin darker to serve as a natural sun-protector in the place of the hair we lost. We think we lost this hair because of the need to keep ourselves cool, when we were moving around vigorously in a hot environment. We can’t really lose heat by breathing quickly and loudly like dogs. We have to do it by sweating. So we evolved the ability to sweat plentifully, and lost most of our fur. Most animals protect themselves from the sun with fur. What we did in our ancestry was to produce more permanent natural coloring in our skin cells. This was really an important revolution in human history, because it allowed us to continue to evolve in equatorial environments. It really made it possible for us to continue along the path toward modern humans in Africa. For most of the human history, we all had dark skin. What we see today is the product of evolutionary events, resulting from the dispersal of a few human populations out of Africa around 60,000 to 70,000 years ago. Our species originated around 200,000 years ago, and underwent tremendous diversification, culturally, technologically, linguistically, artistically, for 130,000 years. After that, a few small populations left Africa to populate the rest of the world. These early ancestors of modern Eurasians disperse into parts of the world that had more seasonal sunshine and much lower levels of sun radiation. It’s in these populations that we begin to see real changes in the genetic makeup of natural coloring. Today, skin color is evolving via new mixtures of people coming together and having children with new mixtures of skin color genes. We can see this in almost every large city worldwide. Not only the coloring genes, but lots of other genes are getting mixed up, too.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 22: What does the speaker mainly talk about?
Question 23: What had probably caused humans to lose most of their hair one and a half million years ago?
Question 24: What does the speaker say protected early humans from the sun?
Question 25: What happened after humans migrated from Africa to other parts of the world?

22.
A) The relation between hair and skin.
B) The growing interest in skin studies.
C) The color of human skin.
D) The need of skin protection.

23.
A) The necessity to save energy.
B) Adaptation to the hot environment.
C) The need to breathe with ease.
D) Dramatic climate changes on earth.

24.
A) Leaves and grass.
B) Man-made shelter.
C) Their skin coloring.
D) Hair on their skin.

25.
A) Their genetic makeup began to change.
B) Their communities began to grow steadily.
C) Their children began to mix with each other.
D) Their pace of evolution began to quicken.

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2019年06月英语六级第2套听力原文及题目

Section A
Direction: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.

Conversation 1
W: Wow, I would give anything to be more like Audrey Hepburn.
M: I never really understood why so many girls were such big fans of her. I mean I’ve seen the famous films, Roman Holiday, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and a few others, but I still don’t fully get it. Was she that great an actress?
W: Well, for me, my adoration goes beyond her movies. She has such a classic elegance about her. She was always so poised. In part, because she spent years training as a ballet dancer before becoming an actress.
M: Why didn’t she stick to dancing as a career?
W: It seems it was fate. She suffered from inadequate nutrition during the war, and therefore a career as a professional dancer would have been too demanding on her body. So she focused on acting instead. Roman Holiday was her first big break, which made her a star.
M: Was that the film that opened with her shopping for jewelry in New York City? You know, the scene she was wearing a black dress and dark sunglasses with a pearl necklace and long black gloves. I see the photo of her in that costume everywhere.
W: No, that was Breakfast at Tiffany’s. That costume is often referred to as the most famous little black dress of all time. Her character in that film is very outgoing and charming, even though in real life, Audrey always described herself as shy and quiet.
M: So, what did she do after her acting career?
W: She dedicated much of her life to helping children in need. Her family received international aid during the war when she was growing up. I think that left her big impression on her. That’s where I got the idea to volunteer for children’s charity next weekend.
M: I’ll join you. I may not be as charming as Audrey Hepburn, but I’m all for supporting a good cause.
Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 1: What does the man say he never really understood?
Question 2: What prevented Audrey Hepburn from becoming a professional dancer?
Question 3: What do we learn about Audrey Hepburn in real life?
Question 4: Why did Audrey Hepburn devote much of her life to charity after her acting career?

1.
A) Why Roman Holiday was more famous than Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
B) Why Audrey Hepburn had more female fans than male ones.
C) Why the woman wanted to be like Audrey Hepburn.
D) Why so many girls adored Audrey Hepburn.

2.
A) Her unique personality.
B) Her physical condition.
C) Her shift of interest to performing arts.
D) Her family’s suspension of financial aid.

3.
A) She was not an outgoing person.
B) She was modest and hardworking.
C) She was easy-going on the whole.
D) She was usually not very optimistic.

4.
A) She was influenced by the roles she played in the films.
B) Her parents taught her to sympathize with the needy.
C) She learned to volunteer when she was a child.
D) Her family benefited from other people’s help.

Conversation 2
W: So how is our presentation about the reconstructuring of the company coming along?
M: Fine, I am putting the finishing touches to it now, but we will have to be prepared for questions.
W: Yes, there is already a feeling that this is a top-down change, we really need to get everyone on board.
M: Well, there’s been an extensive consultation period.
W: I know, but there is always the feeling that if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
M: People are worried about their jobs too. I think we need to address that while there will be some job changes, there won’t be anyone getting dismissed. In fact, we are looking to take on more staff.
W: Agreed. You can hardly blame people for worrying, though. We need to make it clear that it’s not just change for change’s sake. In other words, we really must make the case for why we are doing it. So, what’s the outline of the presentation?
M: I’ll start with the brief review of the reasons for the change that we really need to make a clean break to restart growth. After that, I’ll outline the new company’s structures and who is going where. Then we will hand it over to you to discuss the timeline and summarize and we’ll take questions together at the end. Anything else?
W: Oh, yeah. We should let the staff know the channels of communication, you know, who they can contact or direct questions to about these changes.
M: Yes, and we can collect some frequently asked questions and present some general answers.
W: Hm, and we will make the presentation and questions available via the company’s own computer network, right?
M: Yes, we’ll make a page on the network where staff can download all the details.
W: Alright, perhaps we should do a practice run of the presentation first.
M: You bet.
Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 5: What is the man going to do?
Question 6: What does the man say about the restructuring?
Question 7: What will the man explain first?
Question 8: How can the staff learn more about the company’s restructuring?

5.
A) Give a presentation.
B) Raise some questions.
C) Start a new company.
D) Attend a board meeting.

6.
A) It will cut production costs.
B) It will raise productivity.
C) No staff will be dismissed.
D) No new staff will be hired.

7.
A) The timeline of restructuring.
B) The reasons for restructuring.
C) The communication channels.
D) The company’s new missions.

8.
A) By consulting their own department managers.
B) By emailing questions to the man or the woman.
C) By exploring various channels of communication.
D) By visiting the company’s own computer network.

Section B
Direction: In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Passage 1
Airline passengers have to deal with a lot these days, getting bumped from flights and losing luggage on top of the general line anxiety that nervous passengers always feel. At the Cincinnati northern Kentucky international airport, miniature horses deliver a calming force two times a month.
Denver and Ruby are two of the thirty-fourth therapy horses brought in from a local farm. They can usually be found in the ticket counter area interacting with travelers. More than thirty airports across the country now have therapy dogs. San Francisco has a therapy pig. San Jose, California, began a dog program after the terrorist attacks of September the eleventh.
Since its beginning, the program has now grown and has twenty-one therapy dogs and a therapy cat. The animals don’t get startled. They have had hundreds of hours of airport training, so they are used to having luggage and people crowding around them. These professional animals are probably better at finding their way in the airports than the most frequent of travelers. The passengers often say that seeing animals makes them feel much better and helps them to calm down before a flight.
This little bit of support can sometimes make a big difference. Some passengers enjoy the animals so much that they call the airport to schedule flights around their visits. Visits to nursing homes and schools are also a regular part of the horse’s schedule. Their owner is already working on a new idea for a therapy animal donkeys.
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 9: What is special about the Cincinnati northern Kentucky international airport?
Question 10: What are the trained animals probably capable of doing in an airport?
Question 11: What do some passengers try to do?

9.
A) It helps passengers to take care of their pet animals.
B) It has animals to help passengers carry their luggage.
C) It uses therapy animals to soothe nervous passengers.
D) It allows passengers to have animals travel with them.

10.
A) Avoiding possible dangers.
B) Finding their way around.
C) Identifying drug smugglers.
D) Looking after sick passengers.

11.
A) Schedule their flights around the animal visits.
B) Photograph the therapy animals at the airport.
C) Keep some animals for therapeutic purposes.
D) Bring their pet animals on board their plane.

Passage 2
Hello, viewers. Today I’m standing at a two-thousand-year-old Roman-era site. Here the brightly colored scenes that once decorated a mansion are being dug up. These scenes are turning up in the southern French city of Oral, surprising the historians who have been working here since two thousand fourteen, patches of paint still clinging to the stone walls of the bedroom and reception hall. Some of these painted walls are preserved in places to a height of one meter. In addition, thousands of fragments that fell off the walls have been recovered, these pieces have been put back together with great care and display a variety of images. Some of these images include figures never seen before in France, such as a woman playing a stringed instrument, possibly a character from mythology.
The paintings were done with such skill and with such expensive dyes that experts believe the artist originally came from Italy. They were likely hired by one of the city’s elite, perhaps a Roman official wanted Pompeii-like interior to remind him of home. He was probably stationed in this provincial trading port, founded in 46 B.C. as a colony for veterans of the Roman army. Or maybe a wealthy local wanted to show off his worldly sophistication. The paintings may yield even more stunning surprises as additional sections are put together, like pieces of a puzzle, whoever it was that created such magnificent pieces of art, they surely had no idea that their work would still be around thousands of years later.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 12: Where is the speaker standing?
Question 13: What do the thousands of fragments display when they are put back together?
Question 14: What makes experts think the paintings were done by artists from Italy?
Question 15: What do we learn from the passage about the owner of the mansion?

12.
A) Beside a beautifully painted wall in Arles.
B) Beside the gate of an ancient Roman city.
C) At the site of an ancient Roman mansion.
D) At the entrance to a reception hall in Rome.

13.
A) A number of different images.
B) A number of mythological heroes.
C) Various musical instruments.
D) Paintings by famous French artists.

14.
A) The originality and expertise shown.
B) The stunning images vividly depicted.
C) The worldly sophistication displayed.
D) The impressive skills and costly dyes.

15.
A) His artistic taste is superb.
B) His identity remains unclear.
C) He was a collector of antiques.
D) He was a rich Italian merchant.

Section C
Direction: In this section, you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Recording 1
Good afternoon, class. Today I want to discuss with you a new approach to empirical research. In the past, scientists often worked alone. They were confined to the university or research center where they worked. Today, though, we are seeing mergers of some of the greatest scientific minds, regardless of their location. There has never been a better time for collaborations with foreign scientists. In fact, the European Union is taking the lead. Spurred on by funding policies, half of European research articles had international co-authors in 2007, this is more than twice the level of two decades ago. The European Union’s level of international co-authorship is about twice that of the United States, Japan, and India. Even so, the levels in these countries are also rising. This is a sign of the continued allure of creating scientific coalitions across borders.
Andrew Schubert, a researcher at the institute for science policy research, says that the rising collaboration is partly out of necessity. This necessity comes with the rise of big science. Many scientific endeavors have become more complicated. These new complications require the money and labor of many nations. But he says collaborations have also emerged because of increased possibilities.
The internet allows like-minded scientists to find each other. Simultaneously, dramatic drops in communication costs ease long-distance interactions, and there’s a reward. Studies of citation counts show that international co-authored papers have better visibility. Schubert says international collaboration is a way to spread ideas in wider and wider circles. Caroline Wagner, a research scientist at George Washington University, notes that international collaborations offer additional flexibility. Whereas local collaborations sometimes persist past the point of usefulness, because of social or academic obligations, international ones can be cultivated and dropped more freely. The collaborative trend is true across scientific disciplines. Some feels though have a greater tendency for it. Particle physicist and astronomers collaborate often. This’s because they must share expensive facilities. Mathematicians, by contrast, tend historically towards solitude. As a consequence, they lag behind other disciplines. However, Wagner says partnerships are rising there too. The level of collaboration also varies from country to country. There are historical and political reasons as to why collaborations emerge, says Wagner. This rise is also apparently boosted by policies embedded in European framework funding schemes. These policies underlie funding requirements that often require teamwork.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 16: What do we learn about the research funding policies in the European Union?
Question 17: Why do researchers today favor international collaboration?
Question 18: What do we learn about the field of mathematics?

16.
A) They encourage international cooperation.
B) They lay stress on basic scientific research.
C) They place great emphasis on empirical studies.
D) They favour scientists from its member countries.

17.
A) Many of them wish to win international recognition.
B) They believe that more hands will make light work.
C) They want to follow closely the international trend.
D) Many of their projects have become complicated.

18.
A) It requires mathematicians to work independently.
B) It is faced with many unprecedented challenges.
C) It lags behind other disciplines in collaboration.
D) It calls for more research funding to catch up.

Recording 2
Good evening, in 1959, on the day that I was born, a headline in Life magazine proclaimed Target Venus, There May Be Life There. It told of how scientists rode a balloon to an altitude of 80,000 feet to make telescope observations of Venus’s atmosphere and how their discovery of water raised hopes that there could be living things there. As a kid, I thrilled to tales of adventure and Isaac as most juvenile science fiction novel, Lucky Starr and the Oceans of Venus. For many of my peers, though, Venus quickly lost its romance. The very first thing that scientists discovered with a mission to another planet was that Venus was not at all the earthly paradise that fiction had portrayed.
It is nearly identical to our own planet and bulk properties such as mass, density, and size. But its surface has been cooked and dried by an ocean of carbon dioxide, trapped in the burning death grip of a runaway greenhouse effect. Venus has long been held up as a cautionary tale for everything that could go wrong on a planet like earth. As a possible home for alien life, it has been voted the planet least likely to succeed. But I have refused to give up on Venus. And over the years, my stubborn loyalty has been justified. The rocky views glimpsed by the Nearer Nine and other Russian landers suggested a tortured volcanic history that was confirmed in the early 1990s by the American Magellan orbiter, which used radar to peer through the planet’s thick clouds and map out a rich, varied and dynamic surface. The surface formed mostly in the last billion years, which makes it fresher and more recently active than any rocky planet other than earth.
Russian and American spacecraft also found hints that its ancient climate might have been wetter, cooler, and possibly even friendly to life. Measurements of density and composition imply that Venus originally formed out of basically the same stuff as earth that presumably included much more water than the tiny trace we find blowing in the thick air today. Thus, our picture of Venus at around that time life was getting started on earth is one of warm oceans, probably rich with organic molecules splashing around rocky shores and volcanic vents. The sun was considerably less bright back then.
So, Venus was arguably a cozy, a habitat for life than earth.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 19: What do we learn from the Life magazine article?
Question 20: What are scientists’ findings about Venus?
Question 21: What information did Russian and American space probes provide about Venus?

19.
A) Scientists tried to send a balloon to Venus.
B) Scientists discovered water on Venus.
C) Scientists found Venus had atmosphere.
D) Scientists observed Venus from a space vehicle.

20.
A) It resembles Earth in many aspects.
B) It is the same as fiction has portrayed.
C) It is a paradise of romance for alien life.
D) It undergoes geological changes like Earth.

21.
A) It might have been hotter than it is today.
B) It might have been a cozy habitat for life.
C) It used to have more water than Earth.
D) It used to be covered with rainforests.

Recording 3
I’m a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia, I specialize in cultural psychology, examining similarities and differences between East Asians and North Americans. Our research team has been looking at cultural differences in self-enhancing motivations, help people have positive feelings towards not only themselves but things connected to themselves. For example, when you own something, you view it as more valuable than when you don’t own it. It’s called the endowment effect. The strength of that effect is stronger in western cultures than in East Asian cultures. So we’ve been looking at other ways of seeing whether this motivation to view oneself positively is shaped by cultural experiences.
We’ve also started to look at how culture shapes sleep. We are still in the exploratory stages of this project, although what’s noteworthy that East Asians on average sleep about an hour and a half less each night than North Americans do. And it’s not a more efficient sleep, not like they’re compressing relatively more value out of their hours. Other studies have found that even infants in East Asia sleep about an hour less than European infants. So we’re trying to figure out how culture shapes the way you sleep.
Our experiment does not take place in a sleep lab, instead, we lend people motion-detecting watches and they wear them for a week at a time. Whenever they are not having a shower or swimming, they keep it on. These kinds of watches are used in sleep studies as a way of measuring how long people are sleeping, how efficient the sleep is, and whether they are waking up in the night. Ideally, I’d like to take this into a controlled lab environment. We’ll see where the research points us. We usually start off with the more affordable methods. And if everything looks promising, then it will justify trying to build a sleep lab and study sleep across cultures that way. Why do we study sleep? Sleep is something that has really been an unexplored topic cross-culturally. I’m attracted to it because culture isn’t something that only shapes the way our minds operate, it shapes the way our bodies operate too, and sleep is at the intersection of those.
Question 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 22: What does the speaker mainly study?
Question 23: What does the speaker say about North Americans?
Question 24: How did the speaker conduct the sleep study?
Question 25: What does the speaker say about research on sleep?

22.
A) Causes of sleeplessness.
B) Cross-cultural communication.
C) Cultural psychology.
D) Motivation and positive feelings.

23.
A) They attach great importance to sleep.
B) They often have trouble falling asleep.
C) They pay more attention to sleep efficiency.
D) They generally sleep longer than East Asians.

24.
A) By asking people to report their sleep habits.
B) By observing people’s sleep patterns in labs.
C) By having people wear motion-detecting watches.
D) By videotaping people’s daily sleeping processes.

25.
A) It has made remarkable progress in the past few decades.
B) It has not yet explored the cross-cultural aspect of sleep.
C) It has not yet produced anything conclusive.
D) It has attracted attention all over the world.

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