2014年12月六級(jí)真題第1套

2014年12月英語六級(jí)考試真題試卷（第1套）PartI Writing (30minutes)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaybasedonthepicturebelow.Youshouldstartyouressaywithabriefdescriptionofthepictureandthendiscusswhethertechnologyisindispensableineducation.Youshouldgivesoundargumentstosupportyourviewsandwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.PartIIListeningComprehension(30minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,oneormorequestionswillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestiontherewillbeapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD),anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.注意：此部分試題請(qǐng)?jiān)诖痤}卡1上作答。1.A)Inaparkinglot.B)Atagrocery.C)Atafastfoodrestaurant.D)Inacarshowroom.2.A)Changeherpositionnowandthen.B)Stretchherlegsbeforestandingup.C)Havealittlenapafterlunch.D)Getupandtakeashortwalk.3.A)Thestudentsshouldpracticelong-distancerunning.B)Thestudents’physicalconditionisnotdesirable.C)Hedoesn’tquitebelievewhatthewomansays.D)Hethinkstheraceistoohardforthestudents.4.A)Theywillgettheirdegreesintwoyears.B)Theyarebothpursuinggraduatestudies.C)Theycannotaffordtogetmarriedrightnow.D)Theydonotwanttohaveababyatpresent.5.A)HemusthavebeenmistakenforJack.B)Twinsusuallyhavealotincommon.C)Jackiscertainlynotashealthyasheis.D)HehasnotseenJackforquiteafewdays.6.A)Thewomanwillattendtheopeningofthemuseum.B)Thewomanisaskingthewayatthecrossroads.C)Themanknowswherethemuseumislocated.D)Themanwilltakethewomantothemuseum.7.A)Theycannotasktheguytoleave.B)Theguyhasbeencominginforyears.C)Theguymustbefeelingextremelylonely.D)Theyshouldnotlookdownupontheguy.8.A)Collecttimepieces.B)Becometime-conscious.C)Learntomendclocks.D)Keeptrackofhisdailyactivities.Questions9to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.9.A)Itiseatingintoitsbanks.B)Itwindsitswaytothesea.C)Itiswideanddeep.D)Itisquicklyrising.10.A)Trytospeeduptheoperationbyanymeans.B)Taketheequipmentapartbeforebeingferried.C)Reducethetransportcostasmuchaspossible.D)Getthetrucksovertotheothersideoftheriver.11.A)Findasmanyboatsaspossible.B)Cuttreesandbuildrowingboats.C)Halttheoperationuntilfurtherorders.D)Askthecommandertosendahelicopter.Questions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.12.A)Talkabouthisclimbingexperiences.B)HelphimjoinanIndianexpedition.C)Giveupmountainclimbingaltogether.D)Savemoneytobuyclimbingequipment.13.A)HewasthefirsttoconquerMt.Qomolangma.B)Hehadanunusualreligiousbackground.C)Heclimbedmountainstoearnaliving.D)Hewasverystrictwithhischildren.14.A)Theyaretobeconquered.B)Theyaretobeprotected.C)Theyaresacredplaces.D)Theyarelikehumans.15.A)Itwashisfather’strainingthatpulledhimthrough.B)Itwasamilestoneinhismountainclimbingcareer.C)IthelpedhimunderstandtheSherpaviewofmountains.D)Itwashisfatherwhogavehimthestrengthtosucceed.SectionBDirections：Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsomequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.注意：此部分試題請(qǐng)?jiān)诖痤}卡1上作答。PassageOneQuestions16to19arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.16.A)Byshowingamemorandum’sstructure.B)Byanalyzingtheorganizationofaletter.C)Bycomparingmemorandumswithletters.D)Byreviewingwhathehassaidpreviously.17.A)Theyignoredmanyofthememorandumstheyreceived.B)Theyplacedemphasisontheformatofmemorandums.C)Theyseldomreadamemorandumthroughtotheend.D)Theyspentalotoftimewritingmemorandums.18.A)Styleandwording.B)Directnessandclarity.C)Structureandlength.D)Simplicityandaccuracy.19.A)Inclusionofappropriatehumor.B)Professionallook.C)Directstatementofpurpose.D)Accuratedating.PassageTwoQuestions20to22arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.20.A)Theygivetopprioritytotheirworkefficiency.B)Theymakeanefforttolightentheirworkload.C)Theytryhardtomakethebestuseoftheirtime.D)Theyneverchangeworkhabitsunlessforcedto.21.A)Senseofduty.B)Workefficiency.C)Self-confidence.D)Passionforwork.22.A)Theyfindnopleasureintheworktheydo.B)Theytrytoavoidworkwheneverpossible.C)Theyareaddictedtoplayingonlinegames.D)Theysimplyhavenosenseofresponsibility.PassageThreeQuestions23to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.23.A)Helostallhisproperty.B)Hewassoldtoacircus.C)Heranawayfromhisfamily.D)Hewasforcedintoslavery.24.A)Acarpenter.B)Amasterofhis.C)Abusinessman.D)Ablackdrummer.25.A)ItnameditstownhallafterSolomonNorthup.B)Itfreedallblacksinthetownfromslavery.C)ItdeclaredJuly24SolomonNorthupDay.D)IthostedareunionfortheNorthupfamily.SectionCDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefirsttime,youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblankswiththeexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Finally,whenthepassageisreadforthethirdtime,youshouldcheckwhatyouhavewritten.注意：此部分試題請(qǐng)?jiān)诖痤}卡1上作答。Intoleranceistheartofignoringanyviewsthatdifferfromyourown.It__26__itselfinhatred,stereotypes,prejudice,and27.Onceitintensifiespeople,intoleranceisnearlyimpossibletoovercome.Butwhywouldanyonewanttobelabeledasintolerance?Whywouldpeoplewanttobe__28__abouttheworldaroundthem?WhywouldonewanttobepartoftheprobleminAmerica,insteadofthesolution?Therearemanyoftheexplanationsforintolerantattitude,some__29__childhood.Itislikelythatintolerantforksgrewup__30__intolerantparentsandthecycleofprejudicehassimplycontinuedfor__31__.Perhapsintolerantpeoplearesosetintheirwaysthattheyfinditeasiertoignoreanythingthatmightnot__32__totheirlimitedviewoflife.Ormaybeintolerantstudentshavesimplyneverbeen__33__toanyonedifferentfromthemselves.Butnoneofthesereasonsisanexcuseforallowingtheintolerancetocontinue.Intoleranceshouldnotbeconfusedwithdisagreement.Itis,ofcourse,possibletodisagreewithanopinionwithoutbeingintolerantofit.Ifyouunderstandabeliefbutstilldon’tbelieveinthatspecificbelief,that’sfine.Youare__34__youropinion.Asamatteroffact,__35__dissenters(持異議者)areimportantforanybelief.Ifweallbelievedthesamethings,wewouldnevergrow,andwewouldneverlearnabouttheworldaroundus.Intolerancedoesnotstemfromdisagreement.Itstemsfromfear.Andfearstemsfromignorance.PartIIIReadingComprehension(40minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.HisfuturesubjectshavenotalwaystreatedthePrinceofWaleswiththerespectonemightexpect.Theylaughedin1986whentheheirtotheBritish__36__toldaTVreporterthathetalkedtohisplantsathiscountryhouse,Highgrove,tostimulatetheirgrowth.ThePrincewasbeinghumorous—“Mysenseofhumorwillgetmeintotroubleoneday,”hehasconfidedtoaides(隨從)—butlisteningtoCharlesWindsorcanindeedprovestimulating.Theroyal__37__hasbeenpromotingradicalideasformostofhisadultlife.Someofhis__38__whichoncesoundedabitweird,weresimplyaheadoftheirtime.Now,finally,theworldseemstobecatchingupwithhim.Takehisviewsonfarming.PrinceCharles’DuchyHomeFarmwent__39__backin1986,whenmostshopperscaredonlyaboutthelowpricetagonsuspiciouslyblemish-free(無瑕疵的)vegetablesand__40__largechickenspiledhighinsupermarkets.Hiswarningsonprovedfarsighted,too.Charlesbegan__41__actiononglobalwarmingin1990andsayshe’sbeenworriedaboutthe__42__ofmanontheenvironmentsincehewasateenager.Althoughhehasgraduallygainedinternational__43__asoneoftheworld’sleadingconservationists,manyBritishpeoplestillthinkofhimasa__44__personwhotalkstoplants.Thisyear,asithappens,SouthKoreanscientistsprovedthatplantsreallydo__45__tosound.SoCharleswasaheadofthegamethere,too.注意：此部分試題請(qǐng)?jiān)诖痤}卡2上作答。A)conformB)eccentricC)environmentalistD)expeditionsE)impactF)notionsG)organicH)originallyI)recognitionJ)respondK)subordinateL)suppressingM)throneN)unnaturallyO)urgingSectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.ShouldSingle-SexEducationBeEliminated?[A]Whyisaneuroscientistheredebatingsingle-sexschooling?Honestly,Ihadnofixedideasonthetopicwhen1startedresearchingitformybook,PinkBrain,BlueBrain.Butanydiscussionofgenderdifferencesinchildreninevitablyleadstothisdebate,soIfeltcompelledtodiveintotheresearchdataonsingle-sexschooling.IreadeverystudyIcould,weighedtheexistingevidence,andultimatelyconcludedthatsingle-sexeducationisnottheanswertogendergapsinachievement—orthebestwayforwardfortoday’syoungpeople.Aftermybookwaspublished,Imetseveraldevelopmentalandcognitivepsychologistswhoseworkwasaddressinggenderandeducationfromdifferentangles,andwepublishedapeer-reviewedEducationForumpieceinSciencemagazinewiththeprovocativetitle,“ThePseudoscienceofSingle-SexEducation.”[B]Weshowedthatthreelinesofresearchusedtojustifysingle-sexschooling—educational,neuroscience,andsocialpsychology—allfailtosupportitspurportedbenefits,andsothewidely-heldviewthatgenderseparationissomehowbetterforboys,girls,orbothisnothingmorethanamyth.TheResearchonAcademicOutcomes[C]First,wereviewedtheextensiveeducationalresearchthathascomparedacademicoutcomesinstudentsattendingsingle-sexversuscoeducationalschools.Theoverwhelmingconclusionwhenyouputthisenormousliteraturetogetheristhatthereisnoclearacademicadvantageofsittinginall-femaleorall-maleclasses,inspiteofmuchpopularbelieftothecontrary.Ibasethisconclusionnotonanyindividualstudy,butonlarge-scaleandsystematicreviewsofthousandsofstudiesconductedineverymajorEnglish-speakingcountry.[D]Ofcourse,therearemanyexcellentsingle-sexschoolsoutthere,butasthesecarefulresearchreviewshavedemonstrated,itisnottheirsingle-sexcompositionthatmakesthemexcellent.Itisalltheotheradvantagesthataretypicallypackedintosuchschools,suchasfinancialresources,qualityofthefaculty,andpro-academicculture,alongwiththefamilybackgroundandpre-selectedabilityofthestudentsthemselvesthatdeterminetheiroutcomes.[E]AcaseinpointisthestudybyLindaSaxatUCLA,whouseddatafromalargenationalsurveyofcollegefreshmentoevaluatetheeffectofsingle-sexversuscoeducationalhighschools.CommissionedbytheNationalCoalitionofGirls’Schools,therawfindingslookprettygoodfortheflinders—higherSATscoresandastrongeracademicorientationamongwomenwhohadattendedallgirls’highschools(menweren’tstudied).However,oncetheresearcherscontrolledforbothstudentandschoolattributes—measuressuchasfamilyincome,parents’education,andschoolresources—mostoftheseeffectswereerasedordiminished.[F]Whenitcomestoboysinparticular,thedatashowthatsingle-sexeducationisdistinctlyunhelpfulforthem.Amongtheminorityofstudiesthathavereportedadvantagesofsingle-sexschooling,virtuallyallofthemwerestudiesofgirls.There’renorigorousstudiesintheUnitedStatesthatfindsingle-sexschoolingisbetterforboys,andinfact,aseparatelineofresearchbyeconomistshasshownthatbothboysandgirlsexhibitgreatercognitivegrowthovertheschoolyearbasedonthe“dose”ofgirlsinaclassroom.Infact,boysbenefitevenmorethangirlsfromhavinglargernumbersoffemaleclassmates.Sosingle-sexschoolingisreallynottheanswertothecurrent“boycrisis”ineducation.BrainandCognitiveDevelopment[G]Thesecondlineofresearchoftenusedtojustifysingle-sexeducationfallssquarelywithinmyareaofexpertise:brainandcognitivedevelopment.It’sbeenmorethanadecadenowsincethe“brainsexmovement”beganinfiltratingA)ourschools,andthereareliterallyhundredsofschoolscaughtupinthefadPublicschoolsinWisconsin,Indiana,Floridaandmanyotherstatesnowproudlydeclareontheirwebsitesthattheyseparateboysandgirlsbecause“researchsolidlyindicatesthatboysandgirlslearndifferently,”dueto“hard-wired”differencesintheirbrains,eyes,ears,autonomicnervoussystems,andmore.[H]Allofthesestatementscanbetracedtojustafewwould-beneuroscientists,especiallyphysicianLeonardSaxandtherapistMichaelGurian.Eachgiveslectures,runsconferences,anddoesalotofprofessionaldevelopmentonso-called“gender-specificlearning.”Ianalyzedtheirvariousclaimsabouthearing,vision,language,math,stressresponses,and“l(fā)earningstyles”inmybookandalongpeer-reviewedpaper.Otherneuroscientistsandpsychologistshavesimilarlyexposedtheirwork.Inshort,themechanismsbywhichourbrainslearnlanguage,math,physics,andeveryothersubjectdon’tdifferbetweenboysandgirls.Ofcourse,learningdoesvaryalotbetweenindividualstudents,butresearchreliablyshowsthatthisvarianceisfargreaterwithinpopulationsofboysorgirlsthanbetweenthetwosexes.[I]TheequalprotectionclauseoftheU.S.Constitutionprohibitsseparationofstudentsbysexinpubliceducationthat’sbasedonpreciselythiskindof“overbroadgeneralizationsaboutthedifferenttalents,capacities,orpreferencesofmalesandfemales.”Andthereasonitisprohibitedisbecauseitleadsfartooeasilytostereotypingandsexdiscrimination.SocialDevelopmentalPsychology[J]Whichbringsmetothethirdareaofresearchthatfailstosupportsingle-sexschoolingandindeedsuggeststhepracticeisactuallyharmful:social-developmentalpsychology.[K]Itisawell-provenfindinginsocialpsychologythatsegregationpromotesstereotypingandprejudice,whereasintergroupcontactreducesthem—andtheresultsarethesamewhetheryoudividegroupsbyrace,age,gender,bodymassindex,sexualorientation,oranyothercategory.What’smore,childrenareespeciallyvulnerabletothiskindofbias,becausetheyaredependentonadultsforlearningwhichsocialcategoriesareimportantandwhywedividepeopleintodifferentgroups.[L]Youdon’thavetolookfartofindevidenceofstereotypingandsexdiscriminationinsingle-sexschools.Therewasthefailedsingle-sexexperimentinCalifornia,wheresixschooldistrictsusedgenerousstategrantstosetupseparateboys’andgirls’academiesinthelate1990s.Onceboysandgirlsweresegregated,teachersresortedtotraditionalgenderstereotypestoruntheirclasses,andwithinjustthreeyears,fiveofthesixdistrictshadgonebacktocoeducation.[M]Atthesametime,researchersareincreasinglydiscoveringbenefitsofgenderinteractioninyouth.AlargeBritishstudyfoundthatchildrenwithother-sexoldersiblings(兄弟姐妹)exhibitlessstereotypicalplaythanchildrenwithsame-sexoldersiblings,suchasgirlswholikesportsandbuildingtoysandboyswholikeartanddramaticplay.Anotherstudyofhighschoolsocialnetworksfoundlessbullyingandaggressionthehigherthedensityofmixed-sexfriendshipswithinagivenadolescentnetwork.ThenthereisthefindingwecitedinourSciencepaperofhigherdivorceanddepressionratesamongalargegroupofBritishmenwhoattendedsingle-sexschoolsasteenagers,whichmightbeexplainedbythelackofopportunitytolearnaboutrelationshipsduringtheirformativeyears.[N]Whetherinnurseryschool,highschool,orthebusinessworld,gendersegregationnarrowsourperceptionsofeachother,facilitatingstereotypingandsexistattitudes.It’sverysimple:themorewestructurechildrenandadolescents’environmentaroundgenderdistinctionsandseparation,themoretheywillusethesecategoriesastheprimarybasisforunderstandingthemselvesandothers.[O]Genderisanimportantissueineducation.Therearegapsinreading,writing,andscienceachievementthatshouldbenarrower.Therearegapsincareerchoicethatshouldbenarrower—ifwereallywanttomaximizehumanpotentialandAmericaneconomicgrowth.Butstereotypingboysandgirlsandseparatingtheminthenameoffictitious(虛構(gòu)的)braindifferencesisnevergoingtoclosethesegaps.注意：此部分試題請(qǐng)?jiān)诖痤}卡2上作答。46.Hundredsofschoolsseparateboysfromgirlsinclassontheallegedbrainandcognitivedifferences.47.Areviewofextensiveeducationalresearchshowsnoobviousacademicadvantageofsingle-sexschooling.48.Theauthordidnothaveanyfixedideasonsingle-sexeducationwhenshebeganherresearchonthesubject.49.Researchfoundmenwhoattendedsingle-sexschoolsintheirteensweremorelikelytosufferfromdepression.50.Studiedinsocialpsychologyhaveshownsegregationinschooleducationhasanegativeimpactonchildren.51.Reviewsofresearchindicatetherearemoredifferencesinbrainandcognitivedevelopmentwithinthesamesexthanbetweendifferentsexes.52.Thefindingsofthenationalsurveyofcollegefreshmenabouttheimpactofsingle-sexschoolingfailtotakeintoaccountstudentandschoolattributes.53.Itwasn’tlongbeforemostoftheschooldistrictsthatexperimentedwithsingle-sexeducationabandonedthepractice.54.Boysfromcoeducationalclassesdemonstrategreatercognitiveabilitiesaccordingtotheeconomists’research.55.Ascarefulresearchreviewsshow,academicexcellenceinsomesingle-sexschoolsisattributedtootherfactorsthansingle-sexeducation.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Internationalgovernments,inactionconcerningsustainabledevelopmentisclearlyworryingbuttheproactive(主動(dòng)出擊的)approachesofsomeleading-edgecompaniesareencouraging.Toyota,Wal-Mart,DuPont,M&SandGeneralElectrichavemadetacklingenvironmentalwastesakeyeconomicdriver.DuPontcommitteditselftoa65%reductioningreenhousegasemissionsinthe10yearspriorto2010.By2007,DuPontwassaving$2.2billionayearthroughenergyefficiency,thesameasitstotaldeclaredprofitsthatyear.GeneralElectricaimstoreducetheenergyintensityofitsoperationby50%by2015.Theyhaveinvestedheavilyinprojectsdesignedtochangethewayofusingandconservingenergy.CompanieslikeToyotaandWal-Martarcnotcommittingtoenvironmentalgoalsoutofthegoodnessoftheirhearts.Thereasonfortheiractionsisasimpleyetpowerfulrealisationthattheenvironmentalandeconomicfootprintsfitwelltogether.WhenM&Slaunchedits“PlanA”sustainabilityprogrammein2007,itwasbelievedthatitwouldcostover￡200millioninthefirstfiveyears.However,theinitiativehadgenerated￡105millionby2011/12.Whenwepreventphysicalwaste,increaseenergyefficiencyorimproveresourceproductivity,wesavemoney,improveprofitabilityandenhancecompetitiveness.Infact,thereareoftenhuge“quickwin”opportunities,thankstoyearsofneglect.However,thereisaconsiderablegapbetweenleading-edgecompaniesandtherestofthepack.Therearefartoomanycompaniesstilldelayingcreatingaleanandgreenbusinesssystem,arguingthatiswillcostmoneyorrequiresizablecapitalinvestments.Theyremainstuckinthe“environmentiscost”mentality.Beingenvironmentallyfriendlydoesnothavetocostmoney.Infact,goingbeyondcompliancesavescostatthesametimethatitgeneratescash,providedthatmanagementadoptsthenewleanandgreenmodel.Leanmeansdoingmorewithless.Nonetheless,inmostcompanies,economicandenviron-mentalcontinuousimprovementisviewedasbeinginconflictwitheachother.Thisisoneofthebiggestopportunitiesmissedacrossmostindustries.Thesizeoftheopportunityisenormous.The3%ReportrecentlypublishedbyWorldWildlifeFundandCDPshowsthattheeconomicprizeforcurbingcarbonemissionsintheUSeconomyis$780billionbetweennowand2020,Itsuggeststhatoneofthebiggestleversfordeliveringthisopportunityis“increasedefficiencythroughmanagementandbehaviouralchange”—inotherwords,leanandgreenmanagement.Some50studiesshowthatcompaniesthatcommittosuchaspirationalgoalsaszerowaste,zeroharmfulemissions,andzerouseofnoon-renewableresourcesarefinanciallyoutperformingtheircompetitors.Conversely,itwasfoundthatclimatedisruptionisalreadycostingSI.2trillionannually,cuttingglobalGDPby1.6%.Unaddressed,thiswilldoubleby2030.注意：此部分試題請(qǐng)?jiān)诖痤}卡2上作答。56.Whatdoestheauthorsayaboutsomeleading-edgecompanies?A)Theyoperateinaccordancewithgovernmentpolicies.B)Theytakeinitiativesinhandlingenvironmentalwastes.C)Theyarekeydriversintheirnations’economicgrowth.D)Theyaremajorcontributorstoenvironmentalproblems.57.WhatmotivatesToyotaandWal-Marttomakecommitmentstoenvironmentalprotection?A)Thegoodnessoftheirhearts.B)Astrongsenseofresponsibility.C)Thedesiretogenerateprofits.D)Pressurefromenvironmentalists.58.Whyaresomanycompaniesreluctanttocreateanenvironment-friendlybusinesssystem?A)Theyarebentonmakingquickmoney.B)Theydonothavethecapitalfortheinvestment.C)Theybelievebuildingsuchasystemistoocostly.D)Theylacktheincentivetochangebusinesspractices.59.Whatissaidabouttheleanandgreenmodelofbusiness?A)Ithelpsbusinessestosaveandgainatthesametime.B)Itisaffordableonlyforafewleading-edgecompanies.C)Itislikelytostartanewroundofintensecompetition.D)Itwilltakealongtimeforallcompaniestoembraceit.60.Whatisthefindingofthestudiesaboutcompaniescommittedtoenvironmentalgoals?A)Theyhavegreatlyenhancedtheirsenseofsocialresponsibility.B)Theydomuchbetterthantheircounterpartsintermsofrevenues.C)Theyhaveabandonedalltheoutdatedequipmentandtechnology.D)Theymakegreatercontributionstohumanprogressthantheirrivals.PassageTwoQuestions61to65arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Ifyouaskedmetodescribetherisingphilosophyoftheday,I’dsayitisdata-ism.Wenowhavetheabilitytogatherhugeamountsofdata.Thisabilityseemstocarrywithitcertainculturalassumptions—thateverythingthatcanbemeasuredshouldbemeasured;thatdataisatransparentandreliablelensthatallowsustofilteroutemotionalismandideology;thatdatawillhelpusdoremarkablethings—likeforetellthefuture.Overthenextyear,I’mhopingtogetabettergriponsomeofthequestionsraisedbythedatarevolution:Inwhatsituationsshouldwerelyonintuitivepatternrecognitionandinwhichsituationsshouldweignoreintuitionandfollowthedata?Whatkindsofeventsarepredictableusingstatisticalanalysisandwhatsortsofeventsarenot?IconfessIenterthisinaskepticalframeofmind,believingthatwetendtogetcarriedawayinourdesiretoreduceeverythingtothequantifiable.Butattheoutsetletmecelebratetwothingsdatadoesreallywell.First,it’sreallygoodatexposingwhenourintuitiveviewofrealityiswrong.Forexample,nearlyeverypersonwhorunsforpoliticalofficehasanintuitivesensethattheycanpowerfullyinfluencetheiroddsofwinningtheelectioniftheycanjustraiseandspendmoremoney.Butthisislargelywrong.Afterthe2006election,SeanTrendeconstructedagraphcomparingtheincumbent(在任者的)campaignspendingadvantageswiththeireventualmarginsofvictory.Therewasbarelyanyrelationshipbetweenmorespendingandabiggervictory.Likewise,manyteachersh