2019年12月英语六级第1套听力原文及题目
2019年12月英语六级第1套听力原文及题目
Section A
Direction: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.
Conversation 1
M: Today our guest is Rosie Melinda who works as a features editor for Fashion magazine. Hi Rosie, you’re a features editor at one of the most widely read women’s magazines in the U.K. What kind of responsibilities does that job entail?
W: We spend our days looking at ideas from journalists, writing copy for the magazine and website and editing. We do random things like asking people in the street questions and testing sports clothing. We also do less tangible things like understanding what our readers want. It’s certainly varied and sometimes bizarre.
M: During your working day what kind of work might you typically do?
W: My day mainly incorporates responding to emails, writing and editing stories and coming up with new feature ideas.
M: How does the job of features editor differ from that of fashion editor or other editorial positions?
W: The feature’s team deals with articles such as careers, reports, confidence and confessions. Everything except to fashion and beauty.
M: A lot of people believe that working at a magazine is a glamorous job. Is this an accurate representation of what you do?
W: I’d say it’s glamorous to an extent, but not in the way it’s portrayed in films. We do have our moments such as interviewing celebrities and attending parties which is a huge thrill. Ultimately though, we’re the same as our readers. But working in a job we’re all very lucky to have.
M: Did you have to overcome any difficulties to reach this point in your career? How did you manage to do this?
W: I had to be really persistent and it was very hard work. After three years of working in a petrol station and doing unpaid work I still hadn’t managed to get an entry level job. I was lucky that my last desperate attempt led to a job. I told myself that all experiences make you a better journalist in the long run and luckily, I was right.
Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 1: What is the woman’s profession?
Question 2: What is one of the woman’s main responsibilities?
Question 3: What do many people think about the woman’s job?
Question 4: What helped the woman to get her current position?
1.
A) Magazine reporter.
B) Fashion designer.
C) Website designer.
D) Features editor.
2.
A) Designing sports clothing.
B) Consulting fashion experts.
C) Answering daily emails.
D) Interviewing job-seekers.
3.
A) It is challenging.
B) It is fascinating.
C) It is tiresome.
D) It is fashionable.
4.
A) Her persistence.
B) Her experience.
C) Her competence.
D) Her confidence.
Conversation 2
W: Are you watching any good shows these days?
M: Actually, yes. I’m watching a great satire called Frankie. I think you’d like it.
W: Really? What’s it about?
M: It’s about a real guy named Frankie. He is a famous comedian in New York and shows a mixture of comedy and drama loosely depicting his life.
W: I’m sorry, do you mean to say, it’s a real-life series about a real person? It’s non-fiction, isn’t it?
M: No … Not really, no. It’s fiction, as what happens in every episode is made up. However the lead role is a comedian by the name of Frankie, and he plays himself. So Frankie in both real life and in the TV show lives in New York City, is a comic, is divorced, and has two little daughters. All those things are true, but aside from him, all his friends and family are played by actors. And the plots and the events that take place are also invented.
W: Oh, I think I see now. That sounds like a very original concept.
M: Yes, it is. In fact, the whole show is written, directed, edited and produced by him, and is very funny and has won many awards.
W: That’s cool. I will try to download it. I’m watching a comedy called The Big Bang Theory. It’s a huge hit around the world.
M: Oh yes. I’ve heard of it, but never actually watched it.
W: Well, then you should check it out. It’s also very funny. It’s about four male scientists and a female waitress. The men are very socially awkward but very bright. And this is contrasted by the lady’s social skills and common sense. The show has been running for over ten years, and some of the actors are practically global super stars. Now that they are such famous celebrities.
Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
Question 5: What does the man think of the satire Frankie he recently watched?
Question 6: What does the man say especial about the satire Frankie?
Question 7: What does the woman say she is going to do with the satire Frankie?
Question 8: What does the woman say about the comedy The Big Bang Theory?
5.
A) It is enjoyable.
B) It is educational.
C) It is divorced from real life.
D) It is adapted from a drama.
6.
A) All the roles are played by famous actors and actress.
B) It is based on the real-life experiences of some celebrities.
C) Its plots and events reveal a lot about Frankie’s actual life.
D) It is written, directed, edited and produced by Frankie himself.
7.
A) Go to the theater and enjoy it.
B) Recommend it to her friends.
C) Watch it with the man.
D) Download and watch it.
8.
A) It has drawn criticisms from scientists.
B) It has been showing for over a decade.
C) It is a ridiculous piece of satire.
D) It is against common sense.
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
Related to the ‘use-it-or-lose-it law’ is the ‘keep-moving principle’. We learned about stagnation from nature. A river that stops moving gets smelly. The same thing happens to people who stop moving, either mentally or physically. Those who play contact sports know that the player who usually gets hurt the most is the one who is standing still. Of course, you’ll need some time to catch your breath every so often, but the essential massage is keep moving, extending and learning. Ships last a lot longer when they go to sea than when they stay in the harbor. The same is true for the airplanes. You don’t preserve an airplane by keeping it on the ground, you preserve it by keeping it in service. We also get to live a long healthy life by staying in service. Longevity statistics reveal that the average person doesn’t last very long after retirement. The more we’ll hear is don’t retire. If a fellow says “I’m 94 years old and I worked all my life”, we need to realize, that is how he got to be 94, by staying involved. George Bernard Shaw won a Nobel Prize when he was nearly 70. Benjamin Franklin produced some of his best writings at the age of 84, and Pablo Picasso put brush to canvas right through his eighties. Isn’t the issue how old we think we are? A bonus with the ‘keep-moving principle’ is that while we keep moving, we don’t have a chance to worry. Hence we avoid the dreaded paralyses by analysis.
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 9: What does the speaker say about players of contact sports?
Question 10: What do longevity statistics reveal about the average person?
Question 11: What bonus does the keep moving principle bring us according to the speaker?
9.
A) They are likely to get hurt when moving too fast.
B) They believe in team spirit.
C) They need to keep moving to avoid getting hurt.
D) They have to learn how to avoid body contact.
10.
A) They do not have many years to live after retirement.
B) They tend to live longer with early retirement.
C) They do not start enjoying life until full retirement.
D) They keep themselves busy even after retirement.
11.
A) It prevents us from worrying.
B) It slows down our aging process.
C) It enables us to accomplish in life.
D) It provides us with more chances to learn.
Passage 2
In 2014, one in sixteen Americans visited the hospital emergency room for home injuries. One of the main causes of these accidents? A wandering mind! By one estimate, people daydream through nearly half of their waking hours. Psychologists have recently focused on the tendency to think about something other than the task one is doing. For one experiment, researchers developed an app to analyze the relationship between daydreaming and happiness. They found that the average person’s mind wandered most frequently about 65% of the time during personal activities, such as brushing their teeth and combing their hair. Respondents’ minds tended to wander more when they felt upset rather than happy. They were more likely to wander toward pleasant topics than unpleasant ones. How do daydreams affect daydreamers? A wandering mind leaves us vulnerable when driving. In one study, researchers interview 955 people involved in traffic accidents, the majority of them reported having daydream just before the accident. Yet other research suggests that daydreaming has benefits. Researches have found that it gives us a chance to think about our goals and it also seems to increase creativity. In one experiment, 145 undergraduates completed four unusual uses tasks, each requiring them to list as many uses as possible for everyday object. After the first pair of tasks was completed, one group of participants was assigned an undemanding activity intended to cause their minds to wander. When all the participants proceeded to the second pair of tasks, the daydreamers performed 40% better than the others.
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Question 12: What does the passage say about people’s mind?
Question 13: For what purpose did the researchers develop the new app?
Question 14: How does daydreaming benefit people according to some researchers?
Question 15: What was the finding of the experiment with 145 undergraduates?
12.
A) It tends to dwell upon their joyous experiences.
B) It wanders for almost half of their waking time.
C) It has trouble concentrating alter a brain injury.
D) It tends to be affected by their negative feelings.
13.
A) To find how happiness relates to daydreaming.
B) To observe how one’s mind affects one’s behavior.
C) To see why daydreaming impacts what one is doing.
D) To study the relation between health and daydreaming.
14.
A) It helps them make good decisions.
B) It helps them tap their potentials.
C) It contributes to their creativity.
D) It contributes to their thinking.
15.
A) Subjects with clear goals in mind outperformed those without clear goals.
B) The difference in performance between the two groups was insignificant.
C) Non-daydreamers were more confused on their tasks than daydreamers.
D) Daydreamers did better than non-daydreamers in task performance.
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
Dating from as far back as the 12th century, they are claimed to be the rarest historic buildings in western Europe. These buildings offer vital insight into Scandinavia’s Viking past. But now, with only 30 wooden churches remaining and their condition deteriorating, experts are working to preserve the structures for future generations.
Some of these spectacular churches are no more than small buildings, barely 4 meters wide and 6 meters tall. Others are much larger structures. They soar up to 40 meters into the cold air. Most consist of timber frames that rest on stone blocks. This means that they have no foundations. Although many of the churches appear from the outside to be complex structures, they normally feature only a single storey but numerous different roof levels.
Staff from the Norwegian government have carried out conservation work on 10 of the churches over the past two years. Most of these churches date from between the 12th and 14th centuries. Other churches were conserved in previous years. So far, specialists have worked to add preservative materials to the churches’ exteriors. They also replaced rotting roots and halted the sinking of the churches into the ground. In two cases, huge machines have been used to lift the buildings up to 30 centimeters into the air. This was accomplished so that the team could examine and repair the churches’ original medieval stone blocks. The team plans to return to around a dozen of the buildings to assess progress and consider further action.
The earliest free-standing wooden church was probably built in Norway in around 1080. However, the largest known wooden churches were built from the 1130s onwards. This period was one of inter-elite rivalry, in which nobles sought to increase their influence by funding the construction of churches and other buildings. The reason for constructing the buildings from wood is probably that ideally proportioned straight and slender timber was available in large quantities in Scandinavia’s vast pine forests. As wood was so plentiful, it was cheaper to use than the stone used in the buildings of other European cultures. The area’s ship building tradition, partly established by the Vikings, also meant that sophisticated carpentry was a major aspect of the local culture. The complex style of the medieval wooden church carvings and the skills used to make them almost certainly to derive from the ancient Viking tradition.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 16: What does the speaker say about the Viking wooden churches?
Question 17: What is special about most of the Viking wooden churches?
Question 18: Why were the Viking churches constructed from wood?
16.
A) They are the oldest buildings In Europe.
B) They are part of the Christian tradition.
C) They are renovated lo attract tourists.
D) They are in worsening condilion.
17.
A) They have a historry of 14 centuries.
B) They are 40 metres tall on average.
C) They are without foundations.
D) They consist of several storeys.
18.
A) Wood was harmonious with nature.
B) Wooden buildings kept the cold out.
C) Timber was abundant in Scandinavia.
D) The Vikings liked wooden structures.
Recording 2
In last week’s lecture, we discussed the characteristics of the newly born offspring of several mammals. You probably remember that human infants are less developed physically than other mammals of the same age. But in today’s lecture, we’ll look at three very interesting studies that hint at surprising abilities of human babies.
In the first study, three-year-olds watch two videos shown side by side. Each featuring a different researcher, one of whom they’d met once two years earlier. The children spend longer watching the video showing the researcher they hadn’t met. This is consistent with young children’s usual tendency to look longer at things that aren’t familiar. And really this is amazing. It suggests the children remember the researcher they’ve met just one time when they were only one-year-olds. Of course, as most of us forget memories from our first few years as we grow older, this early long-turn memories will likely be lost in subsequent years.
Our second study is about music, for this study researchers play music to babies through speakers located on either side of a human face. They waited until the babies got bored and inverted their gaze from the face. And then they change the mood in the music either from sad to happy or the other way around. This mood switch made no difference to the three-month-olds; but for the nine-month-olds, it was enough to renew their interest and they started looking again in the direction of the face. This suggests that babies of that age can tell the difference between a happy melody and a sad tune.
Our final study is from 1980, but it’s still relevant today. In fact, it’s one of the most famous pieces of research about infant emotion ever published. The study involved ordinary adults watching video clips of babies nine months or younger. In the video clips, the babies made various facial expressions in response to real life events including playful interactions and painful ones. The adult observers were able to reliably discern an assortment of emotions on the babies faces. These emotions included interest, joy, surprise, sadness, anger, disgust, contempt, and fear.
Next week, we’ll be looking at this last study more closely. In fact, we will be viewing some of the video clips from that study. And together, see how well we do in discerning the babies’ emotions.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 19: What are the three interesting studies about?
Question 20: What does the second study find about nine-month-old babies?
Question 21: What is the 1980 study about?
19.
A) Similarities between human babies and baby animals.
B) Cognitive features of different newly born mammals.
C) Adults’ influence on children.
D) Abilities of human babies.
20.
A) They can distinguish a happy tune from a sad one.
B) They love happy melodies more lhan sad ones.
C) They fall asleep easily while listening to music.
D) They are already sensitive lo beats and rhythms.
21.
A) Infants’ facial expressions.
B) Babies’ emotions.
C) Babies’ interaction with adults.
D) Infants’ behaviors.
Recording 3
Today I’d like to talk about the dangers of being too collaborative. Being a good team player is a central skill in our modern workplace. The ability to work well with others and collaborate on projects is a sought-after ability in nearly every position. However, placing too much emphasis on being a good team player can negatively affect your career growth. Don’t be overly focused on gaining consensus. Don’t be too concerned with the opinions of others. This can hinder your ability to make decisions, speak up and gain recognition for your individual skills and strengths. Some people are too subordinate to others’ opinions, too focused on decision consensus, too silent about their own point of view, too agreeable to take things on when they don’t have time or energy. This leads to building a brand of underconfident, submissive, low-impact non-leaders and hampers their growth and career advancement.
Collaboration certainly makes your individual competencies and contributions more difficult for outsiders to identify. Collaborative projects mean you’re sharing the spotlight with others. Outsiders may then find it difficult to determine your contributions and strengths. This may end up costing you opportunities for promotions or pay raises. You certainly shouldn’t ditch teamwork, but how can you avoid the hazards of being an over-collaborator?
Working in a team can have huge benefits. Your team may have repeated successes and often gain recognition. You then have more opportunities to expand your professional network than if you worked alone. However, finding a balance between team efforts and individual projects that give you independent recognition is important for making a name for yourself and providing opportunities for advancement.
Be selective in who you work with. This will maximize the benefits and minimize the downsides of being a team player. Collaborate with people who have complementary expertise. Select projects where there’s potential for mutual benefit. Perhaps you’re bringing your unique knowledge and gaining access to someone else’s professional network, or maybe you’re able to learn a new skill by working with someone. Seek out your teammates purposefully rather than jumping on every new group project opportunity. When we’re too collaborative, we want everyone to agree with a decision before we proceed. This can create unnecessary delays as you hold meetings trying to achieve consensus. It’s fine to be collaborative when seeking input. But put a deadline on the input stage and arrive at a decision, even if it’s a decision that doesn’t have consensus.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
Question 22: What does the speaker say about being over collaborative?
Question 23: What does the speaker say about people engaged in collaborative projects?
Question 24: How do people benefit from working in a team?
Question 25: Why is it undesirable to spend too much time trying to reach consensus?
22.
A) It may harm the culture of today’s workplace.
B) It may hinder individual career advancement.
C) It may result in unwillingness to take risks.
D) It may put too much pressure on team members.
23.
A) They can hardly give expression lo their original views.
B) They can become less motivated to do projects of their own.
C) They may find it hard to get their contributions recognized.
D) They may eventually lose their confidence and creativity.
24.
A) They can enlarge their professional circle.
B) They can get chances to engage in research.
C) They can make the best use of their expertise.
D) They can complete the project more easily.
25.
A) It may cause lots of arguments in a team.
B) It may prevent making a timely decision.
C) It may give rise to a lot of unnecessary expenses.
D) It may deprive a team of business opportunities.
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