英语六级真题及答案详解.docx
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英语六级真题及答案详解
2012年12月英语六级真题及答案详解
Part I Writing (30minutes)
ManandComputer
PartII ReadingComprehension (SkimmingandScanning) (15minutes)
Thirstgrowsforlivingunplugged
MorepeoplearetakingbreaksfromtheconnectedlifeamidthestillnessandquietofretreatsliketheJesuitCenterinWernersville,Pennsylvania.
Aboutayearago,IflewtoSingaporetojointhewriterMalcolmGladwell,thefashiondesignerMarcEckoandthegraphicdesignerStefanSagmeisterinaddressingagroupofadvertisingpeopleon“MarketingtotheChildofTomorrow.”SoonafterIarrived,thechiefexecutiveoftheagencythathadinvitedustookmeaside.Whathewasmostinterestedin,hebegan,wasstillnessandquiet.
Afewmonthslater,Ireadaninterviewwiththewell-knowncutting-edgedesignerPhilippeStarck.
Whatallowedhimtoremainsoconsistentlyaheadofthecurve?
“IneverreadanymagazinesorwatchTV,”hesaid,perhapswithalittleexaggeration.“NordoIgotococktailparties,dinnersoranythinglikethat.”Helivedoutsideconventionalideas,heimplied,because“Ilivealonemostly,inthemiddleofnowhere.”
Aroundthesametime,Inoticedthatthosewhopartwith$2,285anighttostayinacliff-toproomatthePostRanchInninBigSur,California,paypartlyfortheprivilegeofnothavingaTVintheirrooms;thefutureoftravel,I’mreliablytold,liesin“black-holeresorts,”whichchargehighpricespreciselybecauseyoucan’tgetonlineintheirrooms.
Hasitreallycometothis?
Themorewayswehavetoconnect,themoremanyofusseemdesperatetounplug.InternetrescuecampsinSouthKoreaandChinatrytosavekidsaddictedtothescreen.
WriterfriendsofminepaygoodmoneytogettheFreedomsoftwarethatenablesthemtodisabletheveryInternetconnectionsthatseemedsoemancipatingnotlongago.EvenIntelexperimentedin2007withconferringfouruninterruptedhoursofquiettime(nophoneore-mail)everyTuesdaymorningon300engineersandmanagers.Workerswerenotallowedtousethephoneorsende-mail,butsimplyhadthechancetocleartheirheadsandtohearthemselvesthink.
TheaverageAmericanspendsatleasteightandahalfhoursadayinfrontofascreen,NicholasCarrnotesinhisbook TheShallows.TheaverageAmericanteenagersendsorreceives75textmessagesaday,thoughonegirlmanagedtohandleanaverageof10,000every24hoursforamonth.
Sinceluxuryisafunctionofscarcity,thechildrenoftomorrowwilllongfornothingmorethanintervalsoffreedomfromalltheblinkingmachines,streamingvideosandscrollingheadlinesthatleavethemfeelingemptyandtoofullallatonce.
Theurgencyofslowingdown—tofindthetimeandspacetothink—isnothingnew,ofcourse,andwisersoulshavealwaysremindedusthatthemoreattentionwepaytothemoment,thelesstimeandenergywehavetoplaceitinsomelargercontext.“Distractionistheonlythingthatconsolesusforourmiseries,”theFrenchphilosopherBlaisePascalwroteinthe17thcentury,“andyetitisitselfthegreatestofourmiseries.”Healsofamouslyremarkedthatallofman’sproblemscomefromhisinabilitytositquietlyinaroomalone.
Whentelegraphsandtrainsbroughtintheideathatconveniencewasmoreimportantthancontent,HenryDavidThoreauremindedusthat“themanwhosehorse trots (奔跑),amileinaminutedoesnotcarrythemostimportantmessages.”
MarshallMcLuhan,whocamecloserthanmosttoseeingwhatwascoming,warned,“Whenthingscomeatyouveryfast,naturallyyoulosetouchwithyourself.”
Wehavemoreandmorewaystocommunicate,butlessandlesstosay.Partlybecausewearesobusycommunicating.Andwearerushingtomeetsomanydeadlinesthatwehardlyregisterthatwhatweneedmostarelifelines.
Sowhattodo?
MoreandmorepeopleIknowseemtobeturningtoyoga,or meditation (沉思),or taichi (太极);thesearen’tNewAge fads (时尚的事物)somuchaswaystoconnectwithwhatcouldbecalledthewisdomofoldage.Twofriendsofmineobservean“Internet sabbath (安息日)”everyweek,turningofftheironlineconnectionsfromFridaynighttoMondaymorning.Otherfriendstakewalksand“forget”theircellphonesathome.
Aseriesoftestsinrecentyearshasshown,Mr.Carrpointsout,thatafterspendingtimeinquietruralsettings,subjects“exhibitgreaterattentiveness,strongermemoryandgenerallyimprovedcognition.Theirbrainsbecomebothcalmerandsharper.”Morethanthat, empathy (同感,共鸣),aswellasdeepthought,depends(asneuroscientistslikeAntonioDamasiohavefound)onneuralprocessesthatare“inherentlyslow.”
IturntoeccentricmeasurestotrytokeepmymindsoberandensurethatIhavetimetodonothingatall(whichistheonlytimewhenIcanseewhatIshouldbedoingtherestofthetime).IhaveyettouseacellphoneandIhaveneverTweetedorenteredFacebook.Itrynottogoonlinetillmyday’swritingisfinished,andImovedfromManhattantoruralJapaninpartsoIcouldmoreeasilysurviveforlongstretchesentirelyonfoot.
Noneofthisisamatterof asceticism (苦行主义);itisjustpureselfishness.Nothingmakesmefeelbetterthanbeinginoneplace,absorbedinabook,aconversation,ormusic.Itisactuallysomethingdeeperthanmerehappiness:
itisjoy,whichthe monk (僧侣)DavidSteindl-Rastdescribesas“thatkindofhappinessthatdoesn’tdependonwhathappens.”
Itisvital,ofcourse,tostayintouchwiththeworld.Butitisonlybyhavingsomedistancefromtheworldthatyoucanseeitwhole,andunderstandwhatyoushouldbedoingwithit.
Formorethan20years,therefore,Ihavebeengoingseveraltimesayear—oftenfornolongerthanthreedays—toaBenedictine hermitage (修道院),40minutesdowntheroad,asithappens,fromthePostRanchInn.Idon’tattendserviceswhenIamthere,andIhavenevermeditated,thereoranywhere;Ijusttakewalksandreadandlosemyselfinthestillness,recallingthatitisonlybysteppingbrieflyawayfrommywifeandbossesandfriendsthatIwillhaveanythingusefultobringtothem.ThelasttimeIwasinthehermitage,threemonthsago,Ihappenedtomeetwithayoungish-lookingmanwitha3-year-oldboyaroundhisshoulders.
“You’rePico,aren’tyou?
”themansaid,andintroducedhimselfasLarry;wehadmet,Igathered,19yearsbefore,whenhehadbeenlivinginthehermitageasanassistanttooneofthemonks.
“Whatareyoudoingnow?
”Iasked.
Wesmiled.Nowordswerenecessary.
“ItrytobringmykidshereasoftenasIcan,”hewenton.Thechildoftomorrow,Irealized,mayactuallybeaheadofus,intermsofsensingnotwhatisnew,butwhatisessential.
1.WhatisspecialaboutthePostRanchInn?
A)Itsroomsarewellfurnishedbutdimlylit.
B)Itmakesguestsfeellikefallingintoablackhole.
C)Thereisnoaccesstotelevisioninitsrooms.
D)Itprovidesalltheluxuriesitsguestscanthinkof.
2.Whatdoestheauthorsaythechildrenoftomorrowwillneedmost?
A)Convenienceandcomfortineverydaylife.
B)Timeawayfromallelectronicgadgets.
C)Moreactivitiestofillintheirleisuretime.
D)Greaterchancesforindividualdevelopment.
3.WhatdoestheFrenchphilosopherBlaisePascalsayaboutdistraction?
A)Itleadsustolotsofmistakes.
B)Itrendersusunabletoconcentrate.
C)Ithelpsreleaseourexcessenergy.
D)Itisourgreatestmiseryinlife.
4.AccordingtoMarshallMcLuhan,whatwillhappenifthingscomeatusveryfast?
A)Wewillnotknowwhattodowithourownlives.
B)Wewillbebusyreceivingandsendingmessages.
C)Wewillfinditdifficulttomeetourdeadlines.
D)Wewillnotnoticewhatisgoingonaroundus.
5.Whatdoestheauthorsayaboutyoga,meditationand taichi?
A)Theyhelppeopleunderstandancientwisdom.
B)Theycontributetophysicalandmentalhealth.
C)Theyarewaystocommunicatewithnature.
D)Theykeeppeoplefromvariousdistractions.
6.WhatisneuroscientistAntonioDamasio’sfinding?
A)Quietruralsettingscontributealottolonglife.
B)One’sbrainbecomessharpwhenitisactivated.
C)Eccentricmeasuresareneededtokeepone’smindsober.
D)Whenpeoplethinkdeeply,theirneuralprocessesareslow.
7.TheauthormovedfromManhattantoruralJapanpartlybecausehecould_______.
A)stayawayfromthenoiseofthebigcity.
B)livewithoutmoderntransportation.
C)enjoythebeautifulviewofthecountryside.
D)practiceasceticisminalocalhermitage
8.Inordertoseetheworldwhole,theauthorthinksitnecessaryto__________.
9.Theauthortakeswalksandreadsandloseshimselfinthestillnessofthehermitagesothathecanbringhiswifeandbossesandfriends___________.
10.Theyoungish-lookingmantakeshislittleboytothehermitagefrequentlysothatwhenhegrowsuphewillknow__________.
Part Ⅳ ReadingComprehension (ReadinginDepth) (25minutes)
SectionA
Questions47to54arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
Akeyprocessininterpersonalinteractionisthatofsocialcomparison,inthatweevaluateourselvesintermsofhowwecomparetoothers.Inparticular,weengageintwotypesofcomparison.First,wedecidewhetherwearesuperiororinferiortoothersoncertaindimensions,suchasattractiveness,intelligence,popularity,etc.Here,theimportantaspectistocomparewithanappropriatereferencegroup.Forexample,modestjoggersshouldnotcomparetheirperformancewithOlympicstandard marathon (马拉松)runners.Second,wejudgetheextenttowhichwearethesameasordifferentfromothers.Atcertainstagesoflife,especiallyadolescence,thepressuretobeseenassimilartopeersisimmense.Thus,wearingtherightbrandofclothesorshoesmaybeoftheutmostimpor