大学英语六级考试特别预测卷3

Part II Listening Comprehension

Section A

Directions:

In this section, you will hear two long conversations.

At the end of each conversation, you will hear some 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 1 with a single line through the centre.

Now you will hear two long conversation.

Conversation One

W: Mr.Neilson, why were you selected to move the statue Little Mermaid?

M: There is a very small market for this kind of business and, 

though it might sound pretentious,

 I am the most experienced in this field.

It is impossible for me to keep track on how many statues and works of art 

I have moved but it must be several thousands.

W: Have you worked with the Little Mermaid before?

M: Not really, because she is made out of bronze and I work with stone. 

But I did remove some graffiti from her once in the early 80`s 

after she had been targeted by vandals.

W: She is a rather old lady from 1913.Is she fit to go on such a long journey?

M: She is very fit.She is almost new compared to some of the older statues 

you can find in Copenhagen.You can also say that bronze sculptures like her,

 generally speaking, stay fit for a long time.

W: Do you think the Little Mermaid will be safe during her journey and stay in Shanghai?

M: I think she will be very safe.I don`t think that anyone will try to steal the Little Mermaid 

because she is too famous. I mean, what would they do with her? 

No one would buy her knowing that it was the real Little Mermaid.

W: You have had a long career as a stone cutter.

Would you consider this one of your major challenges?

M: I would not say that this is one of my most difficult assignments.

The modern or postmodern sculptures are much more complicated to work on.

But she is by far the most famous.I cannot recall any other statue 

that has such a great history as the Little Mermaid.

W: You will go to China to make sure that the Mermaid arrives safely, 

but you actually have a close connection with China.How is that?

M: I started doing business in China eight years ago 

and now the basic work on many of my sculptures is done in China in Fujian Province.

I give the Chinese workers a step by step manual on how to make the sculptures 

and then I come to China around five times a year to supervise the work.

Conversation Two

Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

Questions 1

What does the man do?

Questions 2

Why the man is so sure about Little Mermaid`s safety?

Questions 3

What does the man say about his connection with China?

Questions 4

What is Little Mermaid?

Conversation Two

M:Good evening, everybody.Today we invite Kathleen Rogers for our interview spot.

She is the President of the Earth Day Network.So, Mrs Rogers, welcome.

W:Thank you very much.It`s nice to be here.

M:OK, Mrs.Rogers, can you tell us something about the Earth Day and your company, 

Earth Day Network.

W:Earth Day, celebrated on April 22 each year, marks the anniversary 

of the birth in 1970 of the modern environmental movement in the United States.

Today more than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day activities, 

making it the largest non religious civic event in the world.

The Earth Day Network, founded by the organizers of the first Earth Day, 

promotes environmental citizenship and yearround action worldwide.

M:When did Earth Day move from the United States to nations around the world?

W:Earth Day has been global since its inception but became truly global on its 20th anniversary in 1990.

M:Well, can you describe some of your major international programs and activities?

W:Some of the biggest Earth Day events this year are taking place in India and China.

In India, the American Cultural Centers across the country will host Earth Day events, 

and in China the State Department is using materials from our Education Department 

to teach university students about environmental issues and the history of Earth Day. 

We also have events planned with partners in Buenos Aires, Kolkata, Barcelona and Tokyo, to name a few.

M:Wow, the Earth Day is truly global! What`s next for the Earth Day Network?

W:Earth Day Network plans to build on the connections we have made this year, 

to deepen and broaden the scope of our activities and the mission of Earth Day.

For instance, We are working with more than 1,500 NGOs worldwide on climate change issues 

and building partnerships in many countries to create green schools.

We are also planting 1 million trees around the world in partnership with James Cameron`s film Avatar, 

and this vast undertaking will endure well after Earth Day. 

Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

Questions 5

What`s the mission of Earth Day Network?

Questions 6

When did Earth Day become global?

Questions 7

What is the activity held in China?

Questions 8

What is the long term undertaking of Earth Day Network?

Section B

Directions:

In this section, you will hear two passages.

At the end of each passage, you will hear some 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 One

A new study finds regular physical activity as a teenager may prevent cognitive 

impairment a decline in mental abilities decades later. Previous studies found 

that people who were physically active in later life were more likely to avoid mental decline as they aged.

This new study asked more than 9,000 American women over age 65 about their level of physical activity 

as teenagers, and at ages 30, 50, and late in life.Laura Middleton, the Canadian researcher who led the study, 

said: “people who were physically active on a regular basis had lower risk of cognitive impairments in late life, 

but it seemed that teenage physical activity was particularly important 

in terms of the prevention of cognitive impairments.”

The women in the study exercising just once a week showed less cognitive 

impairment as measured by a standard test, but the link was strongest among those who were active as teenagers.

Middleton points to a couple of longlasting effects that physical activity can have on still 

growing teenage bodies.One is that exercise could help strengthen the blood vessels in the head,

 which nourish the brain. “Physical activity is also known to affect the repair mechanisms in the brain.

So people who exercise more can actually improve the repair mechanisms in the brain,” she says.

The study involved women only, and speaking via Skype, 

Middleton said other studies researching the relationship between exercise and cognitive decline 

found the link stronger in women.She added there is still a message in her research for men.

“Most studies have still found that physical activity is beneficial for men.

And there`s no reason to suggest that the finding that teenage physical activity is most important 

of the four ages shouldn`t apply to men.”

Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.

Questions 9

What is the conclusion of the new study?

Questions 10

According to the researcher, how does physical activity affect growing teenagers?

Questions 11

What is the researcher`s opinion on men`s physical activity?

Passage Two

Consultancy is one of the top 10 graduate career choices, 

but what do these consultants do and how can someone who has never run a business tell someone else what to do?

The big management consultancy firms say they expend a lot of time and effort selecting the best graduates.

Then they spend years training them up as experts in specialist fields, such as technology, 

business consulting or outsourcing, so they become experts and can offer advice.

According to Accenture, one of the biggest graduate employers in the UK, 

consultancy is complex and students have limited knowledge of the career, other than its prestige and big salaries. 

So the global consultancy firm has come up with a scheme to give students 

and recent graduates first hand experience of the life of a consultant.

They have introduced three day “boot camps” where the would be consultants 

work on real life scenarios in a simulated environment and are coached in the skills they will need in employment.

There is no need to sign up with the company at the end of the boot camp, 

though so far most of those taking part have received and accepted a job offer.

They get an opportunity to work with some of our inspirational people and receive top quality coaching from experts.

They go away with presentation skills, problem solving techniques, teamworking and networking skills.

The 30 students chosen for each camp work in small teams to come up

 with a strategy to help a real retail company improve its profile and profitability. 

“All the sessions are delivered to take the students out of their comfort zone 

and help them to think differently,”says Nichols.“On the final day, 

they are expected to make a live presentation of their strategies.”

Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.

Questions 12

What do graduates know about consultancy?

Questions 13

What do students learn in “boot camp”?

Questions 14

What`s the final task of camp work?

Questions 15

What does the passage mainly talk about?

Section C

Directions:

In this section, you will hear recordings of lectures or talks followed by some 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.

Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 16 to 19.

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Never before have we had so many different ways to talk to one another.

In the distant past, written documents would be carried by hand 

across thousands of miles from China to Western Europe.Today, 

we access knowledge from all over the world, through our mobile phones, 

at the tap of a key.Wherever you are watching this programme—whether in this hall, 

at work, with your friends, or at home with your families; Xiexie (thank you).

Hen gaoxing he ni jianmian (I`m pleased to meet you).

Thank you for welcoming me into your homes.

Many of the most important conversations we have in our lives, 

take place in the family home.The home is where we learn from our parents and grandparents, 

teach our own children, and share our stories and hopes for the future.

It is where many of our ideas and values are first kindles.In that spirit, 

there is one subject I believe we have to discuss, 

around our family tables and across the generations.

It concerns the future, and I know the Chinese are a far sighted people.

It concerns particularly the environment, 

and I know that protecting China`s rich and beautiful natural heritage is 

important to all Chinese families.It is the mass destruction 

and trafficking of iconic endangered species.And it is time to talk 

about the growing human demand for illegal wildlife products that drives the trade and makes it profitable.

Today, we face an unprecedented surge in the brutal slaughter of iconic animals by poachers.

In South Africa, for example, one rhino was killed every month until 2005.But last year, 

three rhinos were killed every single day.In the 33 years since 

I was born we have lost around 70 percent of Africa`s elephant population.Of those that are left, 

20,000 are being killed every year—that is 54 elephants killed every single day.At this rate, 

children born this year—like my daughter Charlotte—will see the last wild elephants 

and rhinos die before their 25th birthdays.

Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 20 to 22.

What would be a good end of life? And I`m talking about the very end.

I`m talking about dying.

We all think a lot about how to live well.

I`d like to talk about increasing our chances of dying well.

I`m not a geriatrician.I design reading programs for preschoolers.

What I know about this topic comes from a qualitative study with a sample size of two.

In the last few years, I helped two friends have the end of life they wanted.

Jim and Shirley Modin spent their 68 years of marriage living off the grid 

on their 1,700 acre ranch in the mountains of Sonoma County.They kept just enough 

livestock to make ends meet so that the majority of their ranch would remain a refuge 

for the bears and lions and so many other things that lived there.This was their dream.

I met Jim and Shirley in their 80s.They were both only children who chose not to have kids.

As we became friends, I became their trustee and their medical advocate, but more importantly, 

I became the person who managed their end of life experiences.

And we learned a few things about how to have a good end.

In their final years, Jim and Shirley faced cancers, fractures, infections, 

neurological illness.It`s true.At the end, our bodily functions and independence are declining to zero.

What we found is that, with a plan and the right people, 

quality of life can remain high.The beginning of the end is triggered by a mortality awareness event, 

and during this time, Jim and Shirley chose ACR nature preserves to take their ranch over when they were gone.

This gave them the peace of mind to move forward.It might be a diagnosis.It might be your intuition.

But one day, you`re going to say, “This thing is going to get me.”

 Jim and Shirley spent this time letting friends know that their end was near 

and that they were okay with that.Dying from cancer and dying from neurological illness are different.

In both cases, last days are about quiet reassurance.

Jim died first.He was conscious until the very end, but on his last day he couldn`t talk.

Through his eyes, we knew when he needed to hear again, “It is all set, Jim.We`re going to 

take care of Shirley right here at the ranch, and ACR`s going to take care of your wildlife forever.” 

From this experience I`m going to share five practices.I`ve put worksheets online, so if you`d like, 

you can plan your own end.It starts with a plan.Most people say, “I`d like to die at home.”

 Eighty percent of Americans die in a hospital or a nursing home. 

Saying we`d like to die at home is not a plan.A lot of people say, 

“If I get like that, just shoot me.” This is not a plan either; 

this is illegal.

Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 23 to 25.

Oh my goodness! I`m at Harvard! Wow!

To President Faust, my fellow honor ands, Carl, that was so beautiful, thank you so much, 

and James Rothenberg, Stephanie Wilson, Harvard faculty with a special bow to my friend Dr.Henry Lewis Gates.

All of you alumni with a special bow to the class of `88, 

your hundred fifteen million dollars.And to you, members of the Harvard class of 2013! Hello!

I thank you for allowing me to be a part of the conclusion of this chapter of your lives 

and the commencement of your next chapter.

To say that I`m honored doesn`t even begin to quantify the depth 

of gratitude that really accompanies an honorary doctorate from Harvard.

Not too many little girls from rural Mississippi have made it all the way here to Cambridge.

And I can tell you that I consider today as I sat on the stage this morning getting teary 

for you all and then teary for myself, I consider today a defining milestone in a very long and a blessed journey.

My one hope today is that I can be a source of some inspiration.

I`m going to address my remarks to anybody who has ever felt inferior or felt disadvantaged,

 felt screwed by life, this is a speech for the quad.

Actually I was so honored I wanted to do something really special for you.

I wanted to be able to have you look under your seats and there would be free master and doctor degrees 

but I see you got that covered already.

I will be honest with you.I felt a lot of pressure over the past few weeks to come up with something 

that I could share with you that you hadn`t heard before because after all you all went to Harvard, 

I did not.But then I realized that you don`t have to necessarily go to Harvard 

to have a driven obsessive Type A personality.But it helps.And while I may not have graduated from here 

I admit that my personality is about as Harvard as they come.

You know my television career began unexpectedly.