分类目录大学英语六级

2022年06月英语六级第1套听力原文及题目

2022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
W: Mr. David Jackson, a staff writer at the New Yorkcer, is known for his non-fiction books of adventure. Today, we go on a different kind of adventure: Jackson’s life of parenting his offspring. David, as a parent of an 11- and a 14-year-old, what is the most interesting issue you are dealing with right now?
M: It’s easy to focus on the challenges, but so far, I find these ages to be kind of wonderful. They are independent, and they have their own curiosities and obsessions. You can talk to them about fairly sophisticated subject matter such as politics.
W: Yes, that does sound refreshing compared with talking to younger children. Do they ask you to proofread their essays?
M: Certainly, with writing they do. I really just try to be encouraging. I think at this age, editorial guidance is less important than encouragement.
W: Are there books that you think are important that your children read, and that all children read?
M: My general thought is to read widely and to incorporate a love for reading. Learning to love to read, I think, is the optimal thing, because it gives you a skill you can take anywhere.
W: So you’re not too concerned like some parents with the content they’re reading? I know I have some worries about that.
M: Yeah, read what you like. If a child loves graphic novels or comic books, whatever it is, that is turning them on to read and turning on their imagination.
W: I feel that children’s tastes in books change as they reach adolescence. I know that mine certainly did when I was a teenager. What do you think?
M: I think it’s especially important as they get older to read subject matter that’ll open their eyes to the world and people. So I think both fiction and non-fiction are really important because they give you the power to begin to perceive the world through the lives of others.
Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 1: What do we learn about David Jackson from the conversation?
Question 2: What does the man think of young teenagers?
Question 3: How does the man help his kids with their essays?
Question 4: What does the woman say about herself when she was a teenager?

1.
A) He is a staff writer.
B) He is an adventurer.
C) He is an author of fiction.
D) He is a father of four kids.

2.
A) They are interested in fairy tales.
B) They are curious and autonomous.
C) They are a headache to their parents.
D) They are ignorant of politics.

3.
A) He offers them ample editorial guidance.
B) He recommends model essays to them.
C) He gives them encouragement.
D) He teaches them proofreading.

4.
A) Her tastes in books changed.
B) She realized the power of reading.
C) Her reading opened her eyes to the world.
D) She began to perceive the world differently.

Conversation 2
M: In this episode of Money Talks, our guest is Molly Sanders, a university student and a successful young entrepreneur. Molly, tell us about your business.
W: Well, I sell specialty clothes through a website, mainly for women who have trouble finding suitable clothes in main street shops because of their height or weight. But I do some men’s clothes too.
M: How did you get started in this business at such a young age? Are you studying fashion design?
W: Actually, I’m majoring in finance, but I’ve always loved clothes. And I started making my own at 14.
M: Did you have any sort of training in design or sewing? Or was it a natural ability?
W: I’d have to say no to both. No one taught me to make clothes and most of the things I made at first were disasters.
M: Why did you persevere? I think most people would give up if they kept failing, especially at that age.
W: I kept on out of necessity. As you can see, I’m very tall and I couldn’t find clothes that fit me in ordinary shops, so I kept trying and developed my skills over time.
M: Well, my notes say you earned $50,000 in profits last year, an extraordinary amount for a 20- year-old student. How did that happen? Did you see a gap in the market and decide to fill it?
W: No. When I started university, some classmates complimented my clothes. And when I said I made them myself, other tall women started asking if I would make theirs. And I did. And before I knew it, I was an entrepreneur.
M: So what are your plans for the future? Do you intend to open a physical store?
W: No, I’ll keep things online to keep costs down, but I will add more clothes for children, both girls and boys, and possibly even for infants. And I hope to add to my range of designs for men.
Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 5: What do we learn about the woman?
Question 6: What does the woman say about the clothes she made at first?
Question 7: Why did the woman persevere in making clothes for herself?
Question 8: What does the woman plan to do in the future?

5.
A) She is a website designer.
B) She is a university graduate.
C) She is a main street store owner.
D) She is a successful entrepreneur.

6.
A) They were repeatedly rejected by shops.
B) They were popular with her classmates.
C) They showed her natural talent.
D) They were mostly failures.

7.
A) She had a strong interest in doing it.
B) She did not like ready-made clothes.
C) She could not find clothes of her size.
D) She found clothes in shops unaffordable.

8.
A) Study fashion design at college.
B) Improve her marketing strategy.
C) Add designs for women.
D) Expand her business.

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
Researchers have identified a potent new antibiotic compound using artificial intelligence. The antibiotic can kill very dangerous bacteria. According to a study published in the journal Cell, the compounds successfully removed deadly strains of bacteria in mice which are resistant to all known antibiotics. The researchers say this is the first time that artificial intelligence has been used to find a powerful new antibiotic molecule. Why does this matter? The answer is antibiotic resistance. This happens when bacteria developed the ability to survive the medications designed to kill them. Antibiotic resistance is a serious threat to health, and the problem is growing. This makes finding new antibiotics very important. However, in recent decades, very few have been developed. And those that have tend to be very similar to drugs already available. These searches also tend to only focus on a narrow spectrum of chemical compounds. But this is where artificial intelligence comes in. Why? To find new drugs, scientists screen molecules to predict how effective they might be. Typically, such screening is done by humans in the lab, which is both costly and slow. Artificial intelligence is different. It’s fast, and it can process a high volume. It can screen hundreds of millions of compounds to identify a few interesting candidates that require experimental testing. Artificial intelligence is also able to predict if compounds are likely to be toxic. Some experts assert that this work signifies a paradigm shift in antibiotic discovery. It could change drug discovery more generally.
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 9: What have researchers done for the first time in history?
Question 10: What makes it important to find new antibiotic drugs?
Question 11: What does the passage say artificial intelligence is able to do in antibiotic research?

9.
A) Utilizing artificial intelligence to find a powerful new antibiotic.
B) Discovering bacteria which are resistant to all known antibiotics.
C) Identifying bacterial strains that are most harmful to human health.
D) Removing a deadly strain of bacteria in humans with a new antibiotic.

10.
A) Ever-increasing strains of bacteria.
B) Bacteria’s resistance to antibiotics.
C) The similarity between known drugs.
D) The growing threat of bacteria to health.

11.
A) Dispense with experimental testing.
B) Predict whether compounds are toxic.
C) Foresee human reaction to antibiotics.
D) Combat bacteria’s resistance to antibiotics.

Passage 2
A recent study overturned what we think we know about lying. Most of us have a theory about how to tell if someone is telling a lie. We may develop that theory from observations of those people we know well and see regularly. But we tend to generalize what we gather from that unscientific daily research and make it a universal theory. So we might imagine that liars have evasive eyes or the opposite, they simply stare at you, or perhaps it is more generally nervous behavior we associate with lies. Whatever the particular theory, it’s usually based on close observation of people we know. And we get lots of practice. On average, we’re lied to some 200 times per day. These are mostly harmless lies, but lies are the lies. But there’s a problem with our theories, even though they’re based on all this observation. The average person, you and me tested rigorously on how well we detect lies fails to do better than chance. That’s well established over many studies and lots of attempts by researchers to work out reliable ways to detect lies. It’s even relatively easy to fool lie detectors, the gold standard of lie detection, by training yourself in breathing techniques and symptom suppression. Is there any way to get better at detecting lies? The new research offers some surprising advice. Stop looking and listen instead. It turns out that if we’re unable to see the face, but rather focus on the voice of the person in question, our accuracy rate improves considerably.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 12: According to the passage, how do most people detect lying?
Question 13: What does the passage say about most lies?
Question 14: What have many studies uncovered about the average person’s lie detection?
Question 15: What advice does the new research offer regarding lie detection?

12.
A) By theorization.
B) By generalization.
C) By observation.
D) By conversation.

13.
A) They are easy to detect.
B) They are well intended.
C) They are groundless.
D) They are harmless.

14.
A) Mostly by chance.
B) Basically objective.
C) Subject to their mental alertness.
D) Dependent on their analytical ability.

15.
A) Looking the speaker in the eye.
B) Listening carefully to the speaker.
C) Measuring the speaker’s breathing rate.
D) Focusing on the speaker’s facial expressions.

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
Appear to be submissive, humble, grateful, and undemanding, show great pleasure when a doctor comes into your room, even if the visit is brief and useless. Don’t challenge anyone with authority unless you’re famous or very rich. Those are a few strategies for dealing with today’s American medical establishment. What patients want is to be treated with respect and consideration. But in my experience, too few hospitals and doctors are ready to do that. In his book, A Whole New Life, novelist Reynolds Price recalls that his doctors chose a crowded hallway as the place to tell him he might have a tumor on his spinal cord. It did not occur to the two physicians that a hallway was not the most appropriate place for that particular piece of news. My surgeon who is in his mid-30s looks tired. He has been overwhelmed with patients who have fallen on the winter ice. He is a witty man, but sometimes his wit is unwelcome. “The health insurance company, Blue Cross, wants me to put you out in the snow tomorrow afternoon,” he tells me after I have been in the hospital for more than a week. I’m terrified because I have no idea where to go. I can not walk or even lift my leg a few inches. The hospital social worker strikes me as an idiot, but my complaints about her only annoy my surgeon. “I have to work with these people,” he tells my friend, Dr. Karen Brudney, when she mercifully intervenes on my behalf and arranges for me to be transferred to another hospital. “If you say one negative thing, they get defensive,” she tells me later. “They have this kind of institutional loyalty. Always bring in an advocate, that is, any other person with you to the hospital, and write down every single question and the answer, the name of every doctor and nurse. When people know you have their names, they behave better. And,” Brudney adds, “if you, as a patient, suggest that you might like to control even part of the situation or be consulted or informed, then you are considered difficult. They want you to be totally passive. The entire health care system, particularly hospitals and nursing homes, exists for reasons that have nothing to do with taking care of patients. Patients are incidental.”
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 16: What does the speaker say about most American hospitals?
Question 17: What does Karen Brudney suggest patients do?
Question 18: What do American doctors expect their patients to be according to Karen Brudney?

16.
A) They don’t treat patients with due respect.
B) They witness a lot of doctor-patient conflicts.
C) They have to deal with social workers’ strikes.
D) They don’t care how much patients have to pay.

17.
A) Appear submissive and grateful to doctors and nurses.
B) Express a strong desire to be consulted or informed.
C) Refrain from saying anything that sounds negative.
D) Note down the names of all the doctors and nurses.

18.
A) Cooperative.
B) Appreciative.
C) Passive.
D) Responsive.

Recording 2
There are probably teams you’ve worked with that you never want to work with again. But there must have also been other teams that you would prize reuniting with professionally. In other words, your team had vitality. Vitality comes about when the ties people form with their fellow team members are such that they stay connected even after the team breaks up. What characteristics of a team make its members more likely to stay in contact despite no longer working together? This question has been answered recently in a study published in a business journal. One of the two key factors the research team discovered is sameness, specifically sharing the same gender or ethnic origin. The more members of a team share similar demographics, the more inclined they’ll be to remain associates long after the team has served its purpose. After ties are established, similarity strengthens them. As a result, they regard these individuals with greater trust and mutual understanding, which motivates them to seek further opportunities for collaboration. In effect, people tend to create stronger and longer-lasting connections with similar others. Someone who looks and sounds different from us may have the resources we need to be more successful. Yet we find them to be significantly less credible, simply because they are different. If you are a fierce advocate of workplace diversity, you’ll no doubt be horrified by such a revelation. The second factor identified by the researchers is the quality of the relationships among the team members. The more they trust one another, share the same goals, and depend on each other for the achievement of those goals, the stronger their chances of maintaining their connections, despite no longer working as one team. Teams with quality relationships have a shared belief that it’s safe to take risks with each other, and members are obliged to share the workload and help out. From personal experience, I can see both the truth and the inconsistency of such studies. The truth is some of my closest friendships were formed as a result of having worked together on teams. And I actively seek opportunities to work with them again. The inconsistency, though, is that I’ve never worked for a team more successful and cohesive than the one of which I’m a member right now. And yet the four of us have very little in common and are completely different demographically. So I’m unlikely to question the value of a diverse workforce.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 19: What does the speakers say about a team with vitality?
Question 20: What do the researchers find out about members of a team?
Question 21: What do we learn about the team the speaker is currently working in?

19.
A) Its members work together despite risks of failure.
B) It prioritizes recruiting young energetic members.
C) Its members stay in touch even after it breaks up.
D) It grows more and more mature professionally.

20.
A) Their differences are likely to impact productivity.
B) Their similarity is conducive to future collaboration.
C) Their connections strengthen with the passage of time.
D) Their mutual understanding stems from a common goal.

21.
A) It is characterized by diversity.
B) Its goals are quite inconsistent.
C) Its members have similar backgrounds.
D) It is connected by a unique mechanism.

Recording 3
An American researcher who studied 600 millionaires found how rich you can get comes down to six wealth factors. She found that six behaviors are related to net worth potential, regardless of age or income. These were thriftiness, confidence, responsibility, planning, focus and social indifference. Being thrifty comes as no great surprise. Spending above your means, spending instead of saving for retirement, spending in anticipation of becoming wealthy, makes you a slave to the paycheck. “Even with an astronomical level of income,” she wrote, “to properly build wealth, experts recommend saving 20% of your income and living off the remaining 80%.” Having confidence is another key characteristic, as it helps people to be thrifty. It takes confidence to live within your means. It also takes confidence to invest properly, instead of making investing decisions with your emotions. Financial planners advise that you should leave your investments alone and focus on a long-term investment plan. But people can’t invest or manage their own money without accepting responsibility for the outcomes. Many millionaires take on personal responsibility, and most also happen to be self-made, meaning they didn’t acquire their wealth through luck. Millionaires don’t count on anyone else to make them rich, and they don’t blame anyone else if they fall short. They focus on things they can control and align their daily habits to the goals they have set for themselves. They tend to be goal-oriented and hard workers which enables them to plan financially and focus on seeing those plans through. 92% of the millionaires surveyed developed a long-term plan for their money and 97% almost always achieved the goals they set for themselves. And it is these behaviors that make it easy for them to be socially indifferent. They resist lifestyle creep, the tendency to spend more whenever one earns more. Essentially, they don’t yield to pressure to buy the latest thing or to keep up with others or what they have acquired. Instead of being focused on what might make them happy today, they’re focused on their long-term wealth building plan.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 22: What do experts recommend concerning being thrifty?
Question 23: How does confidence help people to be thrifty?
Question 24: How do millionaires react when they fail in their investment?
Question 25: Why does the speaker say millionaires are socially indifferent?

22.
A) Putting aside twenty percent of one’s earnings.
B) Spending in anticipation of becoming wealthy.
C) Living off a small proportion of one’s income.
D) Saving as much as one can possibly manage.

23.
A) It empowers them to cope with irrational emotions.
B) It will guarantee the profits from their investments.
C) It will turn them into successful financial planners.
D) It enables them to focus on long-term investments.

24.
A) They count on others to take the responsibility.
B) They change their investment strategy in time.
C) They think they themselves are to blame.
D) They persist rather than get discouraged.

25.
A) They do not resist novel lifestyles.
B) They do not try to keep up with others.
C) They do not care what they have acquired.
D) They do not pressure themselves to get rich.

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2022年09月英语六级第1套听力原文及题目

2022年09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: Welcome to money matters, a weekly program that helps you manage your money. Tonight, I’ll be talking to Marry Johnson about budgeting.
W: Hello everyone.
M: There’s a magic about money. When it’s not planned for tracked, kept a record of, it literally disappears. What are some of the steps we can take to prevent this from happening?
W: Well, it’s all about keeping track of your money. If you don’t do that, you’ll never be able to set any goals for your budget or have the discipline to stick to them.
M: That’s easier said than done. I read recently that only 41% of Americans adhere to a budget.
W: Yes, but knowing what you earn and what you spend can give you reassurance that you won’t get into debt in the first place. You can do this by adding up all of your sources of income you have and writing them all down on a piece of paper. On the same page, write down all of your monthly expenses.
M: I’m always amazed at how much my expenses add up, but designating each item as an income or an expense, really helps me have a much better sense of all my spending.
W: Right, most people have no idea how much they spend each day, let alone each week or month, no matter how careful they are. Next, subtract your monthly expenses from income. If the result is positive, you are living within your means. If the result is a negative number, you’re going to have to cut back on your spending.
M: I’m usually a negative number. I just can’t resist the allure of all those prestigious goods.
W: Well, It’s not a catastrophe, but you do have to make some changes. Try cutting back on those non-essential items, sell some stuff in your attic or shop online to avoid unnecessary temptations like chocolate. Failing that you can always find yourself a part time job.
Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 1: What does the man say about the weekly program?
Question 2: What did the man read recently?
Question 3: What does the woman suggest the man do first to avoid getting into debt?
Question 4: What does the woman say about online shopping?

1.
A) It enables people to earn more money.
B) It teaches the importance of financing.
C) It helps people with budgeting.
D) It introduces a novel way to invest.

2.
A) Many Americans are not satisfied with their income.
B) Many Americans have no idea about how to invest.
C) Most Americans do not know how to save money.
D) Most Americans do not stick to a budget.

3.
A) Keep track of his money.
B) Live within his means.
C) Find more sources of income.
D) Refrain from buying luxuries.

4.
A) It offers a greater variety of items.
B) It helps avoid unnecessary spending.
C) It changes one’s way of living.
D) It saves one’s time for shopping.

Conversation 2
M: Hi there, I’ve come to see the flat. My name is Mark Adams. We spoke on the phone on wednesday.
W: Hi Mark, come on up. I’ll buzz you in, green door on the second floor on the right side. Nice to meet you. I spoke to all your references and they all checked out Ok. So let me show you around. The place actually belongs to my mother, but her health isn’t great. We finally managed to persuade her to move in with us and rent this old place out.
M: It’s a great size, plenty of space, very versatile. I think it’s a winner for us.
W: Yes, all the appliances are brand new. There’s a washing machine and a tumble drier in the utility room next to the kitchen.
M: Lots of closet space too, which is fabulous. My wife has a ridiculous number of shoes.Now, the big question, what about noise and the neighbors?
W: Well, all the neighbors are elderly, so no noisy kids and the back of the house overlooks a clear and peaceful pond, so it’s perfect if tranquility is what you are looking for.
M: That’s good news. We’ve been living in a less than glamorous part of Aberdeen, constantly harassed day and night by noisy neighbors. Getting to work was a nightmare too, as we only have one car and my wife has to use it as she works nights at the hospital.
W: Well, if you like the place, it’s yours as soon as I get a contract drawn up with the solicitor, the first month’s rent and a deposit are mandatory on signing the contract, then we can work out when is the best day for you to pay rent each month.
M: We’ll be incredibly happy to be your new tenants. Thank you so much. My wife will be thrilled to get out of the shabby place we are now in and start filling those wardrobes with all those shoes.
Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 5: What does the woman say about the flat?
Question 6: What is the man’s chief consideration and looking for a flat?
Question 7: What does the man have to do on signing the contract?
Question 8. Why does the man say his wife will feel very excited if they move into the flat?

5.
A) It is brand-new.
B) It has plenty of rooms.
C) It belongs to her mother.
D) It has been vacant for months.

6.
A) Space.
B) Tranquility.
C) Appliances.
D) Location.

7.
A) Talk to his wife about the contract terms.
B) Pay the first month’s rent and a deposit.
C) Check the references of the flat owner.
D) Consult his solicitor one more time.

8.
A) She can have a wonderful view of the pond.
B) She will be much closer to her work place.
C) She can make friends with new neighbours.
D) She will have plenty of space for her shoes.

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
A new study has found a positive correlation between how much television children watch and their parents stresss levels. Why? Because the more television kids watch, the more they are exposed to advertising. The more advertising they see, the more likely they are to insist on purchasing items when they go with their parents to the store. This could generate conflict if the parents refuse. All that, researchers say, can contribute to parents’ overall stress levels. What’s the solution? Perhaps the most obvious is curtailing screen time. Commercial content is therefore a reason to elicit purchasing behavior. So, parents might want to shut off the TV. Researchers concede that this is easier said than done, so they suggest another option. Parents can change how they talk to their kids about purchases. The researchers suggest that parents seek input from their children on family purchasing decisions. They shouldn’t try to control all purchases. Instead, parents might tell their children things like “I will listen to your advice on certain products or brands”. This type of communication, the researchers assert, can lead to children making fewer purchasing demands that means less parents’ stress. However, the protective effect of this kind of communication diminishes with greater exposure to television. This is because advertising aimed at children is especially persuasive. Advertisers use an assortment of tactics such as bright colors, happy music and celebrity endorsements to appeal to children. Plus, children don’t have the cognitive ability to fully understand advertising’s intent. That makes them particularly vulnerable to advertisements.
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 9: What has the new study found about children watching television?
Question 10: What are parents advised to do to reduce the impact of TV commercials?
Question 11: What makes children particularly vulnerable to TV commercials?

9.
A) The more commercials they see, the more brands they get to know.
B) The more commercials they see, the more they adore celebrities.
C) The more television they watch, the fewer conflicts in the family.
D) The more television they watch, the greater their parents’ stress.

10.
A) Inform children of the family’s financial situation.
B) Shift children’s attention to interesting activities.
C) Involve children in making purchasing decisions.
D) Help children understand advertising’s intent.

11.
A) Their limited cognitive ability.
B) Their strong natural curiosity.
C) Their admiration for celebrities.
D) Their lack of social experience.

Passage 2
Everyone is supposed to cheer for good guys, and we should only punish the bad guys. But that’s not what we always do. Most of the time, we do indeed reward good people. We also often punish people who harm others, or who aren’t good team players. But sometimes the good guys also get punished or criticized specifically because they are so good. This seems baffling because it’s detrimental to group cooperation. However, the phenomenon has been discovered in multiple fields, and it has been found in every society. Why does this happen? Research suggests a simple reason. When one person looks really good, others look bad by comparison. Those others then have an incentive in stopping that person from looking good, especially if they can’t or won’t compete. After all, we’re all judged in comparison with others. When faced with someone better, what can a normal person do? One option is to actively compete. A second option is to bring that person down. That is to suppress their cooperation or work ethic, infer selfish motives for their actions, or imply real or imagine hypocrisy. Other tactics include attacking them on unrelated dimensions or punishing them outright. Why does this matter? Critics often attack the motives of people who protect the environment, donate money, or work too hard. Such good deeds are dismissed as naive or hypocritical by those who do not perform those deeds. This criticism may ultimately discourage people from doing good deeds. So it’s important to recognize these attacks for what they are.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 12: What baffling phenomenon is discussed in the passage?
Question 13: How are we all judged according to the passage?
Question 14: What can a normal person do when faced with people who perform better?
Question 15: What may discourage people from performing good deeds?

12.
A) Bad guys may do good deeds.
B) Bad guys may go unpunished.
C) Good guys may not always cooperate.
D) Good guys may get unfair treatment.

13.
A) By what we do.
B) By fair evaluation.
C) In comparison with others.
D) In accordance with set standards.

14.
A) Learn from them earnestly.
B) Compete with them actively.
C) Leave them alone temporarily.
D) Cooperate with them sincerely.

15.
A) Being dismissed as hypocritical.
B) Not getting the reward they deserve.
C) Having to make too many sacrifices.
D) Being misunderstood by people around.

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
In America, most researchers concede that boys and girls are brought up in different ways, taught different skills and rewarded for different acts. Women, it is agreed excel at certain tasks, men at others. There is little argument that some personality traits appear more dominant in one sex than in the other. All of this not withstanding, gender differences are very much in the media these days. Since the rise of the women’s movement, gender role behavior has come under closer scrutiny. How has this affected friendship? How do the sexes differ in their friendship relations? Most preteen children have a best friend who is usually some one of the same sex and similar age. Both sexes share an essentially positive recollection of these childhood friendships. They do not differ in this respect. However, the type of play engaged in during these early friendships is telling of the difference to come. Boys tend to form playgroups that are competitive in nature. Girls groups more frequently revolve around cooperative enterprises. Thus at an early age, boys become concerned with trying hard and winning. While girls by contrast, playhouse and school, engaging in roles that require complementary support. Speaking of their childhood, men recall being highly responsive to and aware of the gender role opinions of other boys. Girls in preteen years appear to be less susceptible to gender role pressure. It is not until the dating years that women report being concerned with feminine behavior. Males for the most part, are responsive to the suggestion that their behavior is unmanly at almost any age. These early attitudes reinforced by social conditioning continue to play an active part in the friendships of both sexes during adolescence. This is a period when the majority of males, once again, report a close alliance with same sex friends. Now, however, with heightened intensity, considerable energy is devoted to competing for position and a definite undercurrent of competition permeates the relationship. Although in dissimilar fashion, females share equally fragile relationships at this age. For them, the bond of loyalty extends only to the line of romantic involvement. This is most apt to be the case in late adolescence when dating and relationships with boys take sharp precedence over sisterhood. Actually dating dilutes the intensity of same sex friendships for men also. For the majority of us the moment we begin to date seriously, there’s a competition between romance and friendship.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 16: What does the speaker say about most preteen children?
Question 17: What do most males devote much of their energy to during adolescence?
Question 18: What do children do when they reach late adolescence?

16.
A) They are increasingly aware of gender differences.
B) They engage themselves in positive recollection.
C) They begin to see the importance of friendship.
D) They make friends with peers of the same sex.

17.
A) Competing for position.
B) Pursuing fashion.
C) Forging close ties with friends.
D) Fulfilling family obligations.

18.
A) They prioritize romance over friendship.
B) They try to strengthen same-sex friendships.
C) They begin to take friendship more seriously.
D) They compete intensely for romantic partners.

Recording 2
Good afternoon. Today’s lecture, we’ll be talking about how and when to disclose a disability when applying for a job. On average, about 20% of the population has some form of disability. Most countries these days have equal opportunity and non-discrimination laws, yet disabled people often find it hard to decide when, how, and if at all, to raise their disability problem with a potential employer. There is uncertainty about how a recruiter will perceive their disability. As such many candidates fear they wouldn’t be considered for a position as a result of disclosing this personal information. And research has validated this as a genuine concern for many job applicants. It’s a natural reaction, but it shouldn’t be a reason to stay quiet. People need to remember that they are applying for a position they have the skills and experience to excel in. Discussing a disability with potential employer may help them make reasonable workplace adjustments in their favor. It’s most appropriate to discuss a disability when they reply to confirm an interview, this information needn’t be put up front in their cover letter or resume, because it’s probably not relevant to the position itself. Candidates with disabilities should feel they have the power to make their own decisions around sharing this information free from prejudice. If they find an organization that doesn’t celebrate diversity and inclusion, it could say a lot about the company’s culture, perhaps the organization isn’t the right fit. It’s important for them to remember that they are seeking a manager and employer that’s going to be supportive and continue to give them a great employment experience. Companies sometimes offer candidates the chance to disclose disabilities on their application form, but people shouldn’t feel restricted by this method or timing. People should avoid sharing the name of their disability or condition. There is always the risk that the recruiter will research information that is inaccurate or irrelevant. If people don’t think their disability will impact their ability to perform in the advertised position, then it’s entirely their entitlement to choose when and whether to share this information.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 19: Why do disable job applicants feel reluctant to disclose their disability?
Question 20: When does the speaker suggest applicants reveal their disability information?
Question 21: What are people advised to do when filling out their job application form?

19.
A) They regard it as a matter of sheer privacy.
B) They are worried about being turned down.
C) They fear that their condition will be made widely known.
D) They are afraid to be discriminated against once recruited.

20.
A) After receiving a job offer.
B) During a job interview.
C) When confirming an interview.
D) Upon completing a cover letter.

21.
A) Describe the true state of their health.
B) Provide all the information required.
C) Stress the irrelevance of their disability to the job.
D) Avoid mentioning the name of their disability.

Recording 3
Smartphones distract attention and reduce learning because of their potential to offer activities more inviting than study. But what about background sound alone? A group of American researchers compared students’ comprehension of verbal material when reading in the presence of background speech, instrumental music or general noise. General noise is neutral, such as that from the sound of an air conditioner or fan. Students scores were most depressed in the presence of background speech. Comprehension was slightly better with the presence of music than with speech. However, when they were asked to identify melodies rather than understand text, background music interfered more. When the background speech was in a language unfamiliar to participants, there was little if any hindrance of reading comprehension. British researchers compared the effects of background speech, vocal music, instrumental music, general background noise, and silence on short term memory. Background speech had the biggest negative effect. Vocal music was slightly more disruptive than instrumental. In general background noise and silence were least disruptive. It seems the degree of interference from background noise depends on the overlap between the processing required on the task, and the processing required to screen out the background noise. The studies suggest that when people read and when they try to remember any verbal material, background speech will inhibit their ability. Instrumental music will have at worst a slight effect. When students write essays, however, other research has found it is best to reduce all background noise as much as possible. Not everyone reacts in the same way to distractions. Other studies suggest some aspects of personality may make a difference. The researchers subjected shy, quiet people and confident, outgoing ones to high arousal or low arousal background music, general noise or silence while asking them to remember words. Everyone performed best in the silent condition, but less sociable people were more negatively affected by each of the distractions. So when children are reading and trying to incorporate new material, parents could consider allowing some background music, particularly if it is instrumental, and their child is the outgoing type.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 22: What did some American researchers find about students reading comprehension in the presence of background noise?
Question 23: What do we learn from the British researchers about the degree of interference from background noise?
Question 24: What is best for students to do when writing essays according to some research?
Question 25: How do people of different personalities react to distractions according to other studies?

22.
A) Their scores were least affected by music with speech.
B) It was the poorest when there was background speech.
C) Their scores were most depressed with instrumental music.
D) It was disrupted by the sound of an air conditioner or fan.

23.
A) It has to do with the type and volume of the background noise.
B) It has to do with short-term memory for listening comprehension.
C) It depends on the overlap in processing different kinds of information.
D) It depends on the participants’ ability to concentrate on the task at hand.

24.
A) Keep everything as quiet as possible.
B) Play nothing but instrumental music.
C) Use vocal material as little as possible.
D) Wear a pair of earphones or headphones.

25.
A) Sociable people were immune to all distractions.
B) Shy quiet people were most adversely impacted.
C) Less outgoing people were more affected by silence.
D) Confident people were unaffected by high-arousal music.

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2021年06月英语六级第1套听力原文及题目

2021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
M: It’s my last day at work tomorrow. I’ll start my new job in 2 weeks. My human resources manager wants to conduct an interview with me before I leave.
W: Ah, an exit interview. Are you looking forward to it?
M: I’m not sure how I feel about it. I resigned because I’ve been unhappy at that company for a long time, but I’m not sure if I should tell them how I really feel.
W: To my way of thinking, there are two main potential benefits that come from unleashing an agitated stream of truth during an exit interview. The first is release. Unburdening yourself of frustration, and perhaps even anger to someone who isn’t a friend or close colleague can be wonderfully free.
M: And let me guess. The second is that the criticism will, theoretically, help the organization I’m leaving to improve, making sure employees of the future are less likely to encounter what I did?
W: That’s right. But the problem with the company improvement part is that very often it doesn’t happen. And exit interview is supposed to be private, but often isn’t. In my company, the information gained from these interviews is often not confidential, and the information is used as dirt against another manager, or can be traded among senior managers.
M: Now you’ve got me rethinking what I’ll disclose in the interview. There is always a chance that it could affect my reputation and my ability to network in the industry. It is a pretty small industry after all.
W: Anything you initially gained from the instant satisfaction of telling it like it is, you might lose down the track by injuring your future career prospects.
M: Right. Perhaps I would be better getting things off my chest by going to one of those rate-your-employer websites.
W: You could. And don’t do the interview at all. Exit interviews are not mandatory.
Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 1: What do we learn about the man from the conversation?
Question 2: What does the woman think of the information gained from an exit interview?
Question 3: Why does the man want to rethink what he will say in the coming exit interview?
Question 4: What does the man think he had better do?

1.
A) He will tell the management how he really feels.
B) He will meet his new manager in two weeks.
C) He is going to attend a job interview.
D) He is going to leave his present job.

2.
A) It should be kept private.
B) It should be carefully analyzed.
C) It can be quite useful to senior managers.
D) It can improve interviewees’ job prospects.

3.
A) It may leave a negative impression on the interviewer.
B) It may adversely affect his future career prospects.
C) It may displease his immediate superiors.
D) It may do harm to his fellow employees.

4.
A) Prepare a comprehensive exit report.
B) Do some practice for the exit interview.
C) Network with his close friends to find a better employer.
D) Pour out his frustrations on a rate-your-employer website.

Conversation 2
M: Today, I’m talking to the renowned botanist, Jane Foster.
W: Thank you for inviting me to join you on the show, Henry.
M: Recently, Jane, you’ve become quite a celebrity, since the release of your latest documentary. Can you tell us a little about it?
W: Well, it follows my expedition to study the vegetation indigenous to the rain forest in equatorial areas of southeast Asia.
M: You certainly get to travel to some very exotic locations.
W: It was far from glamorous, to be honest. The area we visited was accessible only by canoe, and the living conditions in the hut were primitive to say the least. There was no electricity, and our water supply was a nearby stream.
M: How were the weather conditions while you were there?
W: The weather was not conducive to our work at all, since the humidity was almost unbearable. At midday, we stayed in the hut and did nothing. It was too humid to either work or sleep.
M: How long did your team spend in the jungle?
W: Originally, we planned to be there for a month. But in the end, we stayed for only two weeks.
M: Why did you cut the expedition short?
W: Halfway through the trip, we received news that a hurricane was approaching. And we had to evacuate on very short notice.
M: That sounds like a fascinating anecdote.
W: It was frightening. The fastest evacuation route was through river rapids. We had to navigate them carrying all of our equipment.
M: So overall, was the journey unsuccessful?
W: Absolutely not. We gathered a massive amount of data about the local plant life.
M: Why do you put up with such adverse conditions?
W: Botany is an obsession for me. Many of the destinations I visit have a stunning scenery, and I get to meet a variety of people from all over the world.
M: So where will your next destination be?
W: I haven’t decided yet.
M: Then we can leave it for another vacation. Thanks.
Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 5: What does the man want Jane Foster to talk about?
Question 6: Why does the woman describe her experience as far from glamorous?
Question 7: Why did the woman and those who went with her end their trip halfway?
Question 8: What does the woman think of the journey?

5.
A) Her unsuccessful journey.
B) Her month-long expedition.
C) Her latest documentary.
D) Her career as a botanist.

6.
A) She had to live like a vegetarian.
B) She was caught in a hurricane.
C) She had to endure many hardships.
D) She suffered from water shortage.

7.
A) A hurricane was coming.
B) A flood was approaching.
C) They had no more food in the canoe.
D) They could no longer bear the humidity.

8.
A) It was memorable.
B) It was unbearable.
C) It was uneventful.
D) It was fruitful.

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
Scientists often use specialized jargon terms while communicating with laymen. Most of them don’t realize the harmful effects of this practice. In a new study, people exposed to jargon when reading about subjects like autonomous vehicles and surgical robots later said they were less interested in science than others who read about the same topics, but without the use of specialized terms. They also felt less informed about science and less qualified to discuss science topics. It’s noteworthy that it made no difference if the jargon terms were defined in the text. Even when the terms were defined, readers still felt the same lack of engagement as readers who read jargon that wasn’t explained. The problem is that the mere presence of jargon sends a discouraging message to readers. Hillary Schulman, the author of the study, asserts that specialized words are a signal. Jargon tells people that the message isn’t for them. There’s an even darker side to how people react to jargon. In another study, researchers found that reading scientific articles containing jargon led people to doubt the actual science. They found the opposite when a text is easier to read. Then, people are more persuaded. Thus, it’s important to communicate clearly when talking about complex science subjects. This is especially true with issues related to public health, like the safety of new medications and the benefits of vaccines. Schulman concedes that the use of jargon is appropriate with scientific audiences. But scientists who want to communicate with the general public need to modify their language. They need to eliminate jargon.
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 9: What does the passage say about the use of jargon terms by experts?
Question 10: What do researchers find about people reading scientific articles containing jargon terms?
Question 11: What does Schulman suggest scientists do when communicating with the general public?

9.
A) It diminishes laymen’s interest in science.
B) It ensures the accuracy of their arguments.
C) It makes their expressions more explicit.
D) It hurts laymen’s dignity and self-esteem.

10.
A) They can learn to communicate with scientists.
B) They tend to disbelieve the actual science.
C) They feel great respect towards scientists.
D) They will see the complexity of science.

11.
A) Find appropriate topics.
B) Stimulate their interest.
C) Explain all the jargon terms.
D) Do away with jargon terms.

Passage 2
At the beginning of the 20th century, on the Gulf Coast in the US state of Texas, there was a hill where gas leakage was so noticeable that schoolboys would sometimes set the hill on fire. Patio Higgins, a disreputable local businessman, became convinced that there was oil below the gassy hill. Oil wells weren’t drilled back then, they were essentially dug. The sand under the hill defeated several attempts by Higgins’ workers to make a proper hole. Higgins had forecast oil at 1000 feet, a totally made-up figure. Higgins subsequently hired a mining engineer, captain Anthony Lucas. After encountering several setbacks, captain Lucas decided to use a drill, and his innovations created the modern oil drilling industry. In January 1901, at 1020 feet, almost precisely the depth predicted by Higgins wild guess, the well roared and suddenly ejected mud and six tons of drilling pipe out of the ground, terrifying those present. For the next nine days until the well was capped, the well poured out more oil than all the wells in America combined. In those days, Texas was almost entirely rural, with no large cities and practically no industry. Cotton and beef were the foundation of the economy. Higgins’ well changed that. The boom made some prospectors millionaires, but the sudden surplus of petroleum was not entirely a blessing for Taxas. In the 1930s, prices crashed, to the point that in some parts of the country, oil was cheaper than water. That would become a familiar pattern of the boom or bust Texas economy.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 12: What did Texas businessmen Patio Higgins believe?
Question 13: What prevented Higgins’ workers from digging a proper hole to get the oil?
Question 14: What does the passage say about Captain Lucas’ drilling method?
Question 15: What do we learn about Texas’s oil industry boom?

12.
A) The local gassy hill might start a huge fire.
B) There was oil leakage along the Gulf Coast.
C) The erupting gas might endanger local children.
D) There were oil deposits below a local gassy hill.

13.
A) The massive gas underground.
B) Their lack of the needed skill.
C) The sand under the hill.
D) Their lack of suitable tools.

14.
A) It rendered many oil workers jobless.
B) It was not as effective as he claimed.
C) It gave birth to the oil drilling industry.
D) It was not popularized until years later.

15.
A) It radically transformed the state’s economy.
B) It resulted in an oil surplus all over the world.
C) It totally destroyed the state’s rural landscape.
D) It ruined the state’s cotton and beef industries.

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
Most people dislike their jobs. It’s an astonishing but statistical fact. A primary cause of employed dissatisfaction, according to fresh research, is that many believe they have terrible managers. Few describe their managers as malicious or manipulative, while those types certainly exist, they are minority. The majority of managers seemingly just don’t know any better. They’re often emulating bad managers they’ve had in the past, it’s likely they’ve never read a management book or attended a management course. They might not have even reflected on what good management looks like and how it would influence their own management style. The researchers interviewed employees about their managers, beginning with a question about the worst manager they had ever had. From this, the researchers came up with four main causes of why some managers are perceived as being simply awful at their jobs. The first cause was company culture, which was seen by employees as enabling poor management practices. It was specifically stressful work environments, minimal training, and a lack of accountability that were found to be the most blameworthy. Often a manager superiors can effectively encourage a manager’s distasteful behavior when they fail to discipline the person’s wrongdoings. Such workplaces are sometimes described as toxic. The second cause was attributed to the managers characteristics. Those deemed to be most destructive were odd people, those without drive, those allow personal problems into the workplace, and those with an unpleasant temperament or personality in general. The third cause of poor management was associated with their deficiency of qualifications. Not so much the formal variety one obtains from a university, but the informal variety that comes from credible work experience and professional accomplishments. The fourth cause concerned managers who’ve been promoted for reasons other than potential. One reason in particular why these people had been promoted was that they had been around the longest. It wasn’t their skillset, or other merits that got them the job, it was their tenure. A point worth making is that the study was based only on the perspective of employees. The researchers didn’t ask senior leaders what they thought of their front-line managers. It’s quite possible they’re content with how the individuals they promoted are now performing, merrily ignorant of the damage they’re actually causing, which might explain why, as the researchers conclude, those same middle managers are usually unaware that they are a bad manager.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 16: What is a primary cause of employee dissatisfaction according to recent research?
Question 17: What is one of the causes for poor management practices?
Question 18: What do we learn about the study on job dissatisfaction?

16.
A) Unsuitable jobs.
B) Bad managers.
C) Insufficient motivation.
D) Tough regulations.

17.
A) Ineffective training.
B) Toxic company culture.
C) Lack of regular evaluation.
D) Overburdening of managers.

18.
A) It collected feedback from both employers and employees.
B) It was conducted from frontline managers’ point of view.
C) It provided meaningful clues to solving the problem.
D) It was based only on the perspective of employees.

Recording 2
With the use of driverless vehicles seemingly inevitable, mining companies in the vast Australian desert state of Western Australia are definitely taking the lead. Iron ore is a key ingredient in steel making. The mining companies here produce almost 300 million tons of iron ore a year. The 240 giant autonomous trucks in use, in the Western Australian mines, can weigh 400 tons fully loaded, and travel at speeds of up to sixty kilometers per hour. They are a technological leap, transporting iron ore along routes which run for hundreds of kilometers from mines to their destinations. Here, when the truck arrives at its destination, staff in the operation center direct it precisely where to unload. Vast quantities of iron ore are then transported by autonomous trains to ocean ports. Advocates argue these automated vehicles will change mining forever. It may only be five years before the use of automation technology leads to a fully robotic mine. A range of factors has pushed Western Australia’s desert region to the lead of this automation revolution. These include the huge size of the mines, the scale of equipment, and the repetitive nature of some of the work. Then there’s the area’s remoteness, at 502,000 square kilometers, it can sometimes make recruiting staff a challenge. Another consideration is the risks when humans interact with large machinery. There are also the financial imperatives. The ongoing push by the mining corporations to be more productive and more efficient is another powerful driver in embracing automation technology. The concept of a fully autonomous mind is a bit of a misleading term, however. This is because the more technology is put into the field, the more people are needed to deploy, maintain and improve it. The automation and digitization of the industry is creating a need for different jobs. These include data scientists and engineers in automation and artificial intelligence. The mining companies claim automation and robotics present opportunities to make mining more sustainable and safer. Employees will be offered a career that is even more fulfilling and more rewarding. Workers’ union have accepted the inevitability of the introduction of new technology, but they still have reservations about the rise of automation technology. Their main concern is the potential impact on remote communities. As automation spreads further, the question is how these remote communities will survive when the old jobs are eliminated? And this may well prove to be the most significant impact of robotic technology in many places around the world.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 19: What does the passage say about the mining industry in Western Australia?
Question 20: What is the impact of the digitization of the mining industry?
Question 21: What is the attitude of workers’ union towards the introduction of new technology?

19.
A) It is seeing an automation revolution.
B) It is bringing prosperity to the region.
C) It is yielding an unprecedented profit.
D) It is expanding at an accelerating speed.

20.
A) It exhausts resources sooner.
B) It creates a lot of new jobs.
C) It causes conflicts between employers and employees.
D) It calls for the retraining of unskilled mining workers.

21.
A) They welcome it with open arms.
B) They will wait to see its effect.
C) They are strongly opposed to it.
D) They accept it with reservations.

Recording 3
According to official statistics, Thailand’s annual road death rate is almost double the global average. Thai people know that their roads are dangerous, but they don’t know this could easily be changed. Globally, road accidents kill more people every year than any infectious disease. Researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in America, put the death toll in 2017 at 1.24 million. According to the institute, the overall number of deaths has been more or less static since the turn of the century. But that disguises a lot of changes in individual countries. In many poor countries, road accidents are killing more people than ever before. Those countries have swelling, young populations are fast-growing fleet of cars and motorbikes and a limited supply of surgeons. It is impossible to know for sure, because official statistics are so inadequate. But deaths are thought to have risen by 40% since 1990 in many low income countries. In many rich countries, by contrast, roads are becoming even safer. In Estonia and Ireland, for example, the number of deaths has fallen by about two thirds since the late 1990s. But the most important and intriguing changes are taking place in middle income countries, which contain most of the world’s people and have some of the most dangerous roads. According to researchers, in China and South Africa, traffic deaths have been falling since 2000, and in India since 2012, and the Philippines reached its peak four years ago. The question is whether Thailand can soon follow suit. Rob Mckinney, head of the International Road Assessment Program, says that all countries tend to go through three phases. They begin with poor, slow roads. In the second phase, as they grow wealthier, they pave the roads, allowing traffic to move faster and pushing up the death rate. Lastly, in the third phase, countries act to make their roads safer. The trick, then, is to reach the third stage sooner by focusing earlier and more closely on fatal accidents. How to do that? The solution lies not just in better infrastructure, but in better social incentives. Safe driving habits are practices which people know they should follow that often don’t. Dangerous driving is not a fixed cultural trait as some imagine. People respond to incentives such as traffic laws that are actually enforced.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 22: What does the speaker say about traffic accidents in Thailand?
Question 23: What do we learn from an American institutes statistics regarding road deaths?
Question 24: What is said about middle income countries?
Question 25: What else could be done to reduce fatal road accidents in addition to safer roads?

22.
A) Their cost to the nation’s economy is incalculable.
B) They kill more people than any infectious disease.
C) Their annual death rate is about twice that of the global average.
D) They have experienced a gradual decline since the year of 2017.

23.
A) They show a difference between rich and poor nations.
B) They don’t reflect the changes in individual countries.
C) They rise and fall from year to year.
D) They are not as reliable as claimed.

24.
A) Many of them have increasing numbers of cars on the road.
B) Many of them are following the example set by Thailand.
C) Many of them have seen a decline in road-death rates.
D) Many of them are investing heavily in infrastructure.

25.
A) Foster better driving behavior.
B) Provide better training for drivers.
C) Abolish all outdated traffic rules.
D) Impose heavier penalties on speeding.

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2021年06月英语六级第2套听力原文及题目

2021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
M: How are you enjoying your new job?
W: So far, so good. I don’t miss having managers who deliver blunt, harsh feedback in the name of efficiency.
M: From the way you described your last company, no wonder they had a problem with high staff turnover.
W: Yeah. I couldn’t wait to get out of there once my contract expired. The problem with a company culture that prizes directness above all else is that it creates a toxic culture of brilliant jerks that drives people out and erodes itself from within.
M: My company’s managers tend to be accommodating and kind, overlooking mistakes or issues so as not to hurt feelings. Issues often get ignored there until they build up and reach a crisis point.
W: That’s not surprising. My new company seems to employ a feedback policy that combines compassion and directness. Employees have the power to speak up, give feedback, disagree and discuss problems in real time. It seems to help us to course correct, improve and meet challenges while also building teams that collaborate and care for one another.
M: But that would be based on an atmosphere of mutual trust, wouldn’t it? Otherwise people might interpret feedback as some kind of personal attack.
W: True, without an atmosphere of trust, feedback can create stress and self-doubt. But I think when we get feedback from someone we trust, we understand that the feedback isn’t some kind of personal attack. It’s actually a kind of support because it’s offered in the spirit of helping us improve. I think sometimes people need to shift their mindsets around how they receive feedback.
M: Yes, constructive feedback, after all, is how we learn and grow. It’s the basis for healthy parenting, lasting friendships, career development, and so much more. If we shelter our children, friends and colleagues from information that might enrich and enhance their lives, we’re not being caring, we’re actually doing harm to them.
W: That’s exactly right.
Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 1: How does the woman describe her previous company’s culture?
Question 2: What does the man say about his company’s managers?
Question 3: What does the woman say the employees in her new company can do?
Question 4: What does the man say about constructive feedback?

1.
A) Weird.
B) Efficient.
C) Tolerant.
D) Toxic.

2.
A) They are arrogant.
B) They are ignorant.
C) They are ambitious.
D) They are accommodating.

3.
A) They can think big.
B) They can air their views.
C) They can break conventions.
D) They can work flexible hours.

4.
A) It can alter people’s mindsets.
B) It can lead to new discoveries.
C) It enables people to learn and grow.
D) It is conducive to critical thinking.

Conversation 2
W: How was your holiday? Not too many other tourists around, were there?
M: No, very few, relatively. But I found myself moving from one accommodation to another, trying to find the perfect place. It made me realize that indecision is a big problem for me. Instead of relaxing, I was looking for the best spot.
W: It seems you suffer from “Fear of Better Options.” I’ve read about it. It describes this loop of indecision as part of our programming. Essentially, we have this tendency to keep stretching out the decision-making process. Because as human beings, we are hard-wired to optimize. We have always looked to get the best things we can as a sort of survival of the fittest. Optimizing isn’t the problem, but rather the process that we go through.
M: Well, that makes me feel better. But I think thanks to technology, we can make comparisons more easily and have more access to choice and customization. We can now see what we could have, how we might get it and what others have that we might want. We keep looking over and return to the same options, again and again.
W: Yes. Fear of better options offers little benefit. It’s an ailment of abundance. You must have choices to have that fear of missing out on better options.
M: Yes, I need to note when I’m worrying about inconsequential things, I guess. If I’m spending too much time worrying over what to have for lunch, I’m robbing myself of the energy to focus on the things that matter.
W: Exactly. But for more important matters, I think gut instinct might be overrated. When you have 30 odd options, trusting your gut is not practical. What you need to do is research — have a process, invest time exploring your options, and eliminate as many things as you can. The most toxic part of decision making is going over the same options time and time again.
Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 5: What does the man say about his holiday?
Question 6: What does the woman say people tend to do when making decisions?
Question 7: What has made decision making increasingly difficult?
Question 8: According to the woman, what should people do when making important decisions?

5.
A) He kept looking for the best place to stay.
B) He met many tourists from other counties.
C) He had a great time sightseeing and relaxing.
D) He managed to visit a different city each day.

6.
A) Prioritize what is essential to their best advantage.
B) Stretch out the process in search of the optimal.
C) Deliberate the consequences that may occur.
D) Take all relevant factors into consideration.

7.
A) Time pressure.
B) Tight budget.
C) Modern technology.
D) Fierce competition.

8.
A) Research as many different options as possible.
B) Avoid going over the same options repeatedly.
C) Focus on what is practical.
D) Trust their gut instinct.

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
The role of homework in classrooms is not a new debate. Many parents and teachers are ardent supporters of homework. But do all students benefit from homework? A 2006 research paper suggested some correlation between the amount of homework done by a student and future academic achievement for middle and high school students. But not so much for younger kids. A Stanford study in 2014 suggested the same was true for students in California’s affluent communities. The findings challenged the idea that homework was inherently good. The researchers concluded that there was an upper limit to the correlation between homework and achievement, suggesting that high school students shouldn’t be doing more than two hours of homework a night. And the most valuable kind of homework for elementary level children was simply assigned free reading. The topic gets more complicated when we talk about the divide between rural and urban communities. Studies found that in remote areas, the poor quality or lack of Internet access can put students at a disadvantage, because 70% of teachers in these areas assign homework that requires Internet access. But one in three households doesn’t have Internet. Experts assert homework requiring the Internet isn’t fair. While the debate continues about the effect of homework on academic achievements, there are studies focusing on other benefits of homework. A study in Germany found that homework could have an effect on students’ personalities, suggesting that doing homework might help kids to become more conscientious and independent learners.
Questions 9 and 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 9: What did the 2006 research find about homework?
Question 10: What do experts think of homework requiring Internet access?
Question 11: What conclusion could be drawn from the study in Germany?

9.
A) It is beneficial to poor as well as rich communities.
B) It is conducive to children’s future development.
C) It is welcome to parents but not to children.
D) It is not of much help to younger children.

10.
A) It may put some students in remote areas at a disadvantage.
B) It gives the majority of students ready access to their teachers.
C) It effectively improves the learning quality of students in rural areas.
D) It can bridge the learning gap between kids of different backgrounds.

11.
A) Diligent students tend to do their homework independently.
B) The focus of homework should always be on school subjects.
C) Doing homework exerts a positive effect on kids’ personality development.
D) The benefits of doing home work vary widely from individual to individual.

Passage 2
Robert Goddard, an American born in 1882, is widely regarded as the world’s first rocket scientist. At age 27, Goddard published his first book, in which he hypothesized that a rocket launched from Earth could reach the moon. Like many visionaries, the young scientist encountered numerous skeptics. In January 1920, the New York Times ridiculed Goddard’s theory that rockets could be utilized for space exploration. 49 years later, Apollo 11 reached the moon, and the famed newspaper published an apology to Goddard. Goddard launched his first rocket from an aunt’s farm in his native Massachusetts in March 1926. His maiden rocket voyage lasted a mere three seconds. It scaled an altitude of only 12 meters. Nonetheless, it was a milestone in rocket science. Goddard later consulted with a weather expert and determined that the climate of New Mexico was ideal for year-round rocket launches. In 1930, Goddard and his family relocated there to a remote valley in the southwest of the country. There he established a laboratory and test range. However, the ambitious scientist received negligible support from the government. For four years, wealthy businessman Daniel Guggenheim provided Goddard with an annual $25,000 grant to pursue his dreams. Other rocket enthusiasts also raised funds for him. Over time, Goddard’s rockets grew more sophisticated and included the installation of instruments. In spite of his many successes, Goddard was never able to interest the US military in rocket-propelled weapons. He was granted over 200 patents and continued to pioneer rocket technology until his death in 1945.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 12: What do we learn about Goddard’s idea of using rockets for space exploration?
Question 13: What does the passage say about Goddard’s first rocket launch?
Question 14: Why did Goddard move to New Mexico?
Question 15: What does the passage say about Goddard’s achievements?

12.
A) It was something he apologized for later.
B) It was ridiculed by the New York Times.
C) It was a forty-nine-year plan.
D) It was considered visionary.

13.
A) It was of great significance to rocket science.
B) It was completed in the state of New Mexico.
C) It was somehow delayed about 12 minutes.
D) It failed due to a sudden change of weather.

14.
A) A laboratory and test range was already set up there.
B) Its climate was ideal for year-round rocket launching.
C) A weather expert invited him to go there for his mission.
D) Its remote valleys were appealing to him and his family.

15.
A) He won an award from the US government for his work.
B) He gained recognition from rocket scientists worldwide.
C) He was granted over 200 patents in rocket technology.
D) He boosted the military strength of the United States.

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
Working for a new venture comes with a lot of risks — that is, instability, unclear responsibilities and the need to be a master of all trades. But the primary benefit is usually the passion and excitement associated with playing a role in a promising new company. The person to thank for that passion and excitement is almost always the entrepreneur. There’s something about the founder’s energy and enthusiasm that infects the rest of the team. The willingness to take risks may inspire others to be more courageous. The optimism and positivity may motivate people to focus less on trivial and unimportant matters. The celebration of milestones may prompt staff to be more grateful about their own accomplishments and privileges. What becomes set in the firm’s culture is a contagious collection of affirmative and positive emotions which are usually shared among the team. Science has already done a good job of proving the results that follow. These include better processes, greater team cohesion, reduced conflict and sharper alertness. But what is yet to be demonstrated is whether the founder’s passion leads to increased team performance. This was recently tested in research, which analyzed the teams of 73 new companies across a range of industries such as IT, medicine and energy. The CEOs were consulted once again, years after the initial analysis, and most shared their firm’s performance reports, so that their success could be more objectively measured. Entrepreneurial teams generally progress through three phases. The first is inventing a product or service, the second is founding the venture to sell that product or service, and the third is developing the firm so it continues to grow. The researchers discovered that when the team is passionate about the third phase — developing a firm — there’s a clear link to performance. But the first phase — a passion for invention — is not a reliable indicator that the firm will still be open for business a few years later. Likewise, the second — a passion for founding the venture — doesn’t necessarily translate into great success. The solution to great team performance stems from a willingness to recruit others who could direct their passion towards the third phase of entrepreneurialism — developing the business. Employing more staff can in itself be a risk for an entrepreneur, as is paying them big dollars to attract them. On many occasions, the entrepreneurs reported not paying themselves a wage at all initially in order to cover salaries and expenses.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 16: What does the speaker say about working for a new venture?
Question 17: What has science demonstrated regarding the positive culture of a new venture?
Question 18: What does the speaker say about entrepreneurs at the initial stage of a new venture?

16.
A) It requires entrepreneurial experience.
B) It is usually financially rewarding.
C) It can be quite frustrating.
D) It can be rather risky.

17.
A) It contributes to rapid business expansion.
B) It inspires willingness to make sacrifices.
C) It reduces conflict among team members.
D) It encourages creation and innovation.

18.
A) They have unrealistic expectations.
B) They often work without any pay.
C) Few can find willing investors.
D) Many are idealistic dreamers.

Recording 2
Ageing is a curious thing, and people’s desire to beat it, and death has become an industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Despite the huge investment into research, ageing remains somewhat obscure, although there are certain things researchers do understand. They know that women tend to have longer life spans, living on average six years longer than men. No one is really certain of the reason for this, although the speculation centers around the idea that women are more capable of surviving or handling disease than men. For virtually every disease, the effects are greater on men than they are on women. Some suggest that women’s immune systems benefit from their tendency to prioritize and nurture social connections. But for me, this explanation is hardly convincing. Researchers also know to an extent what causes ageing. For 60 years, it was believed that cells would continue to divide forever. It was only uncovered in relatively recent times that older people’s cells divide a smaller number of times than younger people’s. Only cancer cells, in fact, are capable of dividing forever. Human cells have a limited reproductive ability. To an extent, we can postpone the eventual stop of cells’ dividing through nutrition, exercise, good sleep and even relaxation techniques, but we cannot stop the ageing process. And researchers are yet to answer the ultimate question of ageing: why does the body ultimately fall to pieces? In the opinion of some of the world’s best scientific minds on the subject, part of the reason we don’t yet have any answer is because many researchers are looking in the wrong direction. Many public health policymakers believe that the resolution of age-associated disease will tell us something fundamental about the ageing process, but, say some top scientists, “that’s completely erroneous.” The point to win the diseases of childhood were eliminated, but this did not provide any insight into childhood development. In the same way, the idea that the resolution of age-associated diseases like heart disease and stroke will inform us about ageing is not based on sound science or logic. At best, if the major causes of death in developed countries were eliminated, this would only add a decade to average life expectancy. But while there is money available to be spent on it, the search to understand the secrets of ageing will be ongoing.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 19: What do we learn about the possible reason why women tend to live longer?
Question 20: What is the recent discovery about human cells?
Question 21: What do many public health policymakers believe?

19.
A) They have better dietary habits.
B) They bear fewer social responsibilities.
C) They are born with a stronger ability to socialize.
D) They are better able to survive or handle disease.

20.
A) They have a limited reproductive ability.
B) They depend on adequate sleep to thrive.
C) They keep dividing throughout one’s life.
D) They strengthen with regular exercise.

21.
A) The process of ageing can ultimately be brought under control.
B) Improved health care for the elderly will contribute to longevity.
C) Prevention of heart disease and stroke will increase life expectancy.
D) The resolution of age-related diseases will solve the mystery of ageing.

Recording 3
Good afternoon. In today’s talk, we’ll discuss how managers can get their staff to do what they are asked. Much to their frustration, managers often struggle to get their staff to comply with even simple instructions. Often they blame their employees: “They don’t read emails, they don’t listen, they don’t care” — that kind of thing. But according to recent research conducted in Australia, it looks like it’s not the employees’ fault, but the managers’. It’s easy to understand why people sometimes disobey procedures intentionally. Occasionally, it’s because they’re pressured to finish in a short time. At other times, they may disagree with the spirit of the procedure — the effort demanded, the time consumed, the lack of potential effectiveness. And every now and then, they just don’t want to, maybe deliberately or out of stubbornness. So apart from that, what else gets in the way of procedural compliance? The research scholars surveyed 152 blue-collar workers from two separate sites in the mining industry. They asked the workers a range of procedure-related questions, such as whether they found the procedures useful, how confident they felt in their job, how comfortable they were to speak up in the workplace, and how closely they followed any new procedures set by their managers. They were also asked to rate the extent to which they perceived their supervisors to be helpful. That last statement was the most instructive because, as the researchers found, there was a remarkably strong correlation between how helpful supervisors were perceived to be and how likely their employees were to follow their directors. Supervisors’ helping behavior was found to be motivational in nature. It increased employees’ perception of the likelihood of success in the attainment of job goals, and therefore fostered a willingness to dedicate their effort and ability to their work. In short, managers should be ongoing role models for the change. As the saying goes: Do as I do, not as I say. To affect behavioral change, what’s most required is interaction and involvement — the human touch — and naturally, processes that add value. Although procedures are designed to guide and support employees’ work, employees, it seems, can’t always be expected to comply with procedures that are not seen as useful. And of course, managers shouldn’t keep resending emails. They are an effective tool for the sharing of data reports, but they are a hopeless tool if what a manager’s desiring is a change in behavior.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 22: Why are managers often frustrated with their employees?
Question 23: Why do employees sometimes disobey procedures intentionally?
Question 24: When are employees more likely to follow instructions according to the researchers?
Question 25: What does the speaker say about emails?

22.
A) They are reluctant to follow instructions.
B) They fail to answer emails promptly.
C) They cannot understand directives.
D) They do not show due respect.

23.
A) They have not been trained to follow the rules.
B) They are not satisfied with the management.
C) They want to avoid unnecessary losses.
D) They find their voice go unheeded.

24.
A) When they are on good terms with their managers.
B) When they find their job goals easily attainable.
C) When they find their supervisors helpful.
D) When they are financially motivated.

25.
A) They are a useless tool for managers to change employee behavior.
B) They prove to be a good means for managers to give instructions.
C) They should be reserved for urgent communication.
D) They are seldom used for sharing confidential data.

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