2020年12月英语六级第2套听力原文及题目

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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