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六级阅读试题
2019年6月大学生英语六级考试真题
第一套
TheBestRetailersCombineBricksandClicks
A)Retailprofitsarefallingsharply.Storesareclosing.Mallsareemptying.Thedepressingstoriesjustkeepcoming.ReadingtheearningsannouncementsoflargeretailstoreslikeMacy’s,Nordstrom,andTargetisaboutasupliftingasatourofanintensivecareunit.Theinteractisapparentlytakingdownyetanotherindustry.Brickandmortarstores(实体店)seemtobegoingthewayoftheyellowpages.Sureenough,theCensusBureaujustreleaseddatashowingthatonlineretailsalessurged15.2percentbetweenthefirstquarterof2015andthefirstquarterof2016.
B)Butbeforeyoudumpallofyourretailstocks,therearemorefactsyoushouldconsider.Lookingonlyatthat15.2percent"surge"wouldbemisleading.Itwasanincreasethatwasonasmallbaseof6.9percent.Evenwhenatinynumbergrowsbyalargepercentageterms,itisoftenstilltiny.
C)Morethan20yearsaftertheinternetwasopenedtocommerce,theCensusBureautellsusthatbrickandmortarsalesaccountedfor92.3percentofretailsalesinthefirstquarterof2016.Theirdatashowthatonly0.8percentofretailsalesshiftedfromofflinetoonlinebetweenthebeginningof2015and2016.
D)So,despiteallthetalkaboutdrone(无人机)deliveriestoyourdoorstep,alltheretailexecutivesexpressinganxietyoverconsumersgoingonline,andevenaPresidentialcandidateexclaimingthatAmazonhasa"hugeantitrustproblem,"theCensusdatasuggestthatphysicalretailisthriving.Ofcourse,theclosedstores,depressedexecutives,andsinkingstockssuggestotherwise.What'stherealstory?
E)Manyfirmsoperatingbrickandmortarstoresareintrouble.Theretailindustryisgettingreinvented,aswedescribeinournewbookMatchmakers.It'sstandinginthePathofwhatSchumpetercalledagale(大风)ofcreativedestruction.Thatstormhasbeenbrewingforsometime,andasithasreachedgaleforce,mostlargeretailersaresearchingforaresponse.AstheCFOofMacy’sputitrecently,“We’refranklyscratchingourheads.”
F)Butit’snothappeningasexpertspredicted.Inthepeakofthedot.combubble,brickandmortarretailwasoneofthoseindustriestheinternetwasgoingtokill-andquickly.Thedot.cornbustdiscreditedmostpredictionsofthatsortandintheyearsthatfollowed,onventionalretailers’confidenceinthefutureincreasedasCensuscontinuedtoreportweakonlinesales.Andthenthegalehit.
G)Itisbecomingincreasinglyclearthatretailreinventionisn’tasimplebattletothedeathbetweenbricksandclicks.Itisaboutdevisingretailmodelsthatworkforpeoplewhoaremakingincreasinguseofagrowingarrayofinternet-connectedtoolstochangehowtheysearch,shop,andbuy.Creativeretailersareusingthenewtechnologiestoinnovatejustabouteverythingstoresdofrommanaginginventory,tomarketing,togettingpaid.
H)Morethandronesdroppinganewsupplyofunderwearonyourdoorstep,Apple’smassivelysuccessfulbrick-and-mortar-and-glassretailstoresandAmazon’ssmallstepsinthesamedirectionarewhatshouldkeepold-fashionedretailersawakeatnight.Nottomentionthelargenumberofcreativenewretailers,likeBonobos,thatareblendingonlineandofflineexperiencesincreativeways.
I)Retailreinventionisnotasimpleprocess,andit’salsonothappeningonwhatusedtobecalled"InternetTime."Someinternet-drivenchangeshavehappenedquickly,ofcourse.Craigslistquicklyovertooknewspaperclassifiedadsandturnednewspapereconomicsupsidedown.Butmanywidelyanticipatedchangesweren’tquick,andsomehaven’treallystarted.Withthebenefitofhindsight(后见之明),itlooksliketheinteractwilltransformtheeconomyatsomethinglikethepaceofothergreatinventionslikeelectricity.B2Bcommerce,forexample,didn’tmovemainlyonlineby2005asmanyhadpredictedin2000,norevenby2016,butthatdoesn’tmeanitwon’tdosooverthenextfewdecades.
J)Butthegaleisstillblowing.Thesuddendeclineinfoottrafficinrecentyears,eventhoughithasn’tbeenaccompaniedbyamassivedeclineinphysicalsales,isacriticalwarning.Peoplecanshopmoreefficientlyonlineandthereforedon’tneedtogotoasmanystorestofindwhattheywant.There’sasurplusofphysicalshoppingspaceforthecrowds,whichisonereasonwhystoresaredownsizingandclosing.
K)Theriseofthemobilephonehasrecentlyaddedanewlevelofcomplexitytotheprocessofretailreinvention.Evenfiveyearsagomostpeoplefacedachoice.Sitatyourcomputer,probablyathomeorattheoffice,searchandbrowse,andbuy.Orheadouttothemall,orMainStreet,lookandshop,andbuy.Now,justabouteveryonehasasmartphone,connectedtotheinternetalmosteverywherealmostallthetime.Evenwhenaretailergetsacustomertowalkinthestore,shecaneasilyseeifthere’sabetterdealonlineoratanotherstorenearby.
L)Sofar,themainthingmanylargeretailershavedoneinresponsetoallthisistoopenonlinestores,sopeoplewillcometothemdirectlyratherthantoAmazonanditssmalleronlinerivals.Manyarehavingthesameproblemthatnewspapershave.Eveniftheygetonlinetraffic,theystruggletomakeenoughmoneyonlinetocompensateforwhattheyarelosingoffline.
M)Afewseemtobemakingthiswork.Amonglargetraditionalretailers,Walmartrecentlyreportedthebestresults,leadingitsstockpricetosurge,whileMacy’s,Target,andNordstrom’sdropped.YetWalmart’syear-over-yearonlinesalesonlygrew7percent,leadingitsCEOtolament(哀叹),“Growthhereistooslow.”PartoftheproblemisthatalmosttwodecadesafterAmazonfiledtheone.clickpatent,theonlineretailshoppingandbuyingexperienceisfilledwithfrictions.Arecentstudygradedmorethan600internetretailersonhoweasyitwasforconsumerstoshop,buy,andpay.Almosthalfofthesitesdidn’tgetapassinggradeandonly18percentgotanAorB.<
N)TheturmoilonthegroundinphysicalretailishardtosquarewiththeCensusdata.Unfortunately,partoftheexplanationisthattheCensusretaildataareunreliable.Ourdeep100kintothosedataandtheirpreparationrevealedseriousproblems.ItseemslikelythatCensussimplymisclassifiesalargechunkofonlinesales.ItiscertainthattheCensusprocedures,whichlumptheonlinesalesofmajortraditionalretailerslikeWalmartwith“non-storeretailers"1ikefoodtrucks.canmaskmajorchangesinindividualretailcategories.Thebureaucouldeasilypresenttheirdatainmoreusefulways.buttheyhavechosennotto.
O)Despitetheturmoil,brickandmortarwon’tdisappearanytimesoon.Thebigquestionsarewhich,ifany,ofthelargetraditionalretailerswillstillbeonthesceneinadecadeortwobecausetheyhavesuccessfullyreinventedthemselves,whichnewplayerswilloperatebusystoresonMainStreetsandmaybeeveninshoppingmalls,andhowtheshoppingandbuyingexperiencewillhavechangedineachretailcategory.Investorsshouldn’twriteoffbrickandmortar.Whethertheyshouldbetonthetraditionalplayerswhorunthosestoresnowisanothermatter
36.Althoughonlineretailinghasexistedforsometwentyyears,nearlyhalfoftheinternetretailersstillfailtoreceivesatisfactoryfeedbackfromconsumers,accordingtoarecentsurvey.
37.Innovativeretailersintegrateinternettechnologieswithconventionalretailingtocreatenewretailmodels.
38.DespitewhattheCensusdatasuggest,thevalueofphysicalretail’sstockshasbeendropping.
39.Innovative—drivenchangesintheretailindustrydidn’ttakeplaceasquicklyaswidelyanticipated.
40.Statisticsindicatethatbrickandmortarsalesstillmadeupthelion’sshareoftheretailbusiness.
41.Companiesthatsuccessfullycombineonlineandofflinebusinessmodelsmayprovetobeabigconcernfortraditionalretailers.
42.Brickandmortarretailers’faithintheirbusinesswasstrengthenedwhenthedotcombubbleburst.
43.Despitethetremendouschallengesfromonlineretailing,traditionalretailingwillbeheretostayforquitesometime.
44.Withtheriseofonlinecommerce,physicalretailstoresarelikelytosufferthesamefateasitheyellowpages.
45.Thewideuseofsmartphoneshasmadeitmorecomplexfortraditionalretailerstoreinventtheirbusiness.
Passageone
ProfessorStephenHawkinghaswarnedthatthecreationofpowerfulartificialintelligence(AI)willbe“eitherthebest,ortheworstthing,evertohappentohumanity”,andpraisedthecreationofanacademicinstitutededicatedtoresearchingthefutureofintelligenceas“crucialtothefutureofourcivilizationandourspecies.”
HawkingwasspeakingattheopeningoftheLeverhulmeCentrefortheFutureofIntelligence(LCFI)atCambridgeUniversity,amulti-disciplinaryinstitutethatwillattempttotacklesomeoftheopen-endedquestionsraisedbytherapidpaceofdevelopmentinAIresearch.“Wespendagreatdealoftimestudyinghistory,”Hawkingsaid,“which,let’sfaceit,ismostlythehistoryofstupidity.Soit’sawelcomechangethatpeoplearestudyinginsteadthefutureofintelligence.”
Whiletheworld-renownedphysicisthasoftenbeencautiousaboutAI,raisingconcernsthathumanitycouldbethearchitectofitsowndestructionifitcreatesasuper-intelligencewithawillofitsown,hewasalsoquicktohighlightthepositivesthatAIresearchcanbring.“Thepotentialbenefitsofcreatingintelligencearehuge,”hesaid.“WecannotpredictwhatwemightachievewhenourownmindsareamplifiedbyAI.Perhapswiththetoolsofthisnewtechnologicalrevolution,wewillbeabletoundosomeofthedamagedonetothenaturalworldbythelastone–industrialization.Andsurelywewillaimtofinal