1、大学英语六级模拟试卷 514及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the topic of Should Enterprises Hold an Annual Meeting? You should write at least 150 words according to the outline given below. 现在有不少单位热衷于组织年会 1对这种做法有人表示支持 2有人并不赞成 3我认为 Should
2、Enterprises Hold an Annual Meeting? _ 二、 Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions attached to the passage. For questions 1-4, mark： Y (for YES) if the statement agrees
3、 with the information given in the passage; N (for NO) if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 1 Choice blindness: You dont know what you want We have all heard of experts who fail basic tests of sensory di
4、scrimination in their own field: wine snobs (自命不凡的人 ) who cant tell red from white wine (though in blackened cups), or art critics who see deep meaning in random lines drawn by a computer. We delight in such stories since anyone claiming to be an authority is fair game. But what if we shine the spot
5、light on choices we make about everyday things? Experts might be forgiven for being wrong about the limits of their skills as experts, but could we be forgiven for being wrong about the limits of our skills as experts on ourselves? We have been trying to answer this question using techniques from ma
6、gic performances. Rather than playing tricks with alternatives presented to participants, we secretly altered the outcomes of their choices, and recorded how they react. For example, in an early study we showed our volunteers pairs of pictures of faces and asked them to choose the most attractive. I
7、n some trials, immediately after they made their choice, we asked people to explain the reasons behind their choices. Unknown to them, we sometimes used a double-card magic trick to secretly exchange one face for the other so they ended up with the face they did not choose. Common sense dictates tha
8、t all of us would notice such a big change in the outcome of a choice. But the result showed that in 75 per cent of the trials our participants were blind to the mismatch, even offering “reasons“ for their “choice“. We called this effect “choice blindness“, echoing change blindness, the phenomenon i
9、dentified by psychologists where a remarkably large number of people fail to spot a major change in their environment. Recall the famous experiments where X asks Y for directions; while Y is struggling to help, X is switched for Z - and Y fails to notice. Researchers are still pondering the full imp
10、lications, but it does show how little information we use in daily life, and undermines the idea that we know what is going on around us. When we set out, we aimed to weigh in on the enduring, complicated debate about selfknowledge and intentionality. For all the intimate familiarity we feel we have
11、 with decisionmaking, it is very difficult to know about it from the “inside“: one of the great barriers for scientific research is the nature of subjectivity. As anyone who has ever been in a verbal disagreement can prove, people tend to give elaborate justifications for their decisions, which we h
12、ave every reason to believe are nothing more than rationalisations (文过饰非 ) after the event. To prove such people wrong, though, or even provide enough evidence to change their mind, is an entirely different matter: who are you to say what my reasons are? But with choice blindness we drive a large we
13、dge between intentions and actions in the mind. As our participants give us verbal explanations about choices they never made, we can show them beyond doubt - and prove it - that what they say cannot be true. So our experiments offer a unique window into confabulation (虚伪 ) (the story-telling we do
14、to justify things after the fact) that is otherwise very difficult to come by. We can compare everyday explanations with those under lab conditions, looking for such things as the amount of detail in descriptions, how coherent the narrative is, the emotional tone, or even the timing or flow of the s
15、peech. Then we can create a theoretical framework to analyse any kind of exchange. This framework could provide a clinical use for choice blindness: for example, two of our ongoing studies examine how malingering (装病 ) might develop into true symptoms, and how confabulation might play a role in obse
16、ssive-compulsive disorder (强迫症 ). Importantly, the effects of choice blindness go beyond snap judgments. Depending on what our volunteers say in response to the mismatched outcomes of choices (whether they give short or long explanations, give numerical rating or labelling, and so on) we found this
17、interaction could change their future preferences to the extent that they come to prefer the previously rejected alternative. This gives us a rare glimpse into the complicated dynamics of self-feedback (“I chose this, I publicly said so, therefore I must like it“), which we suspect lies behind the f
18、ormation of many everyday preferences. We also want to explore the boundaries of choice blindness. Of course, it will be limited by choices we know to be of great importance in everyday life. Which bride or bridegroom would fail to notice if someone switched their partner at the altar through amazin
19、g sleight of hand (巧妙的手段 )? Yet there is ample territory between the absurd idea of spouse-swapping, and the results of our early face experiments. For example, in one recent study we invited supermarket customers to choose between two paired varieties of jam and tea. In order to switch each partici
20、pants choice without them noticing, we created two sets of “magical“ jars, with lids at both ends and a divider inside. The jars looked normal, but were designed to hold one variety of jam or tea at each end, and could easily be flipped over. Immediately after the participants chose, we asked them t
21、o taste their choice again and tell us verbally why they made that choice. Before they did, we turned over the sample containers, so the tasters were given the opposite of what they had intended in their selection. Strikingly, people detected no more than a third of all these trick trials. Even when
22、 we switched such remarkably different flavors as spicy cinnamon and apple for bitter grapefruit jam, the participants spotted less than half of all switches. We have also documented this kind of effect when we simulate online shopping for consumer products such as laptops or cellphones, and even ap
23、artments. Our latest tests are exploring moral and political decisions, a domain where reflection and deliberation are supposed to play a central role, but which we believe is perfectly suited to investigating using choice blindness. Throughout our experiments, as well as registering whether our vol
24、unteers noticed that they had been presented with the alternative they did not choose, we also quizzed them about their beliefs about their decision processes. How did they think they would feel if they had been exposed to a study like ours? Did they think they would have noticed the switches? Consi
25、stently, between 80 and 90 per cent of people said that they believed they would have noticed something was wrong. Imagine their surprise, even disbelief, when we told them about the nature of the experiments. In everyday decision-making we do see ourselves as knowing a lot about our selves, but lik
26、e the wine buff or art critic, we often overstate what we know. The good news is that this form of decision snobbery should not be too difficult to treat. Indeed, after reading this article you might already be cured. 2 What does the author say about some experts? （ A） They are authorities only in t
27、heir own fields. （ B） They arent easily fooled by the tricky tests. （ C） The mistakes theyve made are inevitable. （ D） They sometimes fail to do well as claimed. 3 What did the researchers do to participants in the experiments? （ A） They put on a magic performance to the participants. （ B） They dive
28、rted the participants attention and disrupted their choosing. （ C） They changed the things participants chose without their noticing. （ D） They added confusion to the two options the participants faced. 4 What does the result of the face choosing experiments reveal? （ A） People could explain well wh
29、y they made their choices. （ B） Only a few of participants had choice blindness in making decision. （ C） Usually participants were aware of the limits of their skills. （ D） Most participants didnt realize that their choices had been switched. 5 Change blindness refers to the phenomenon that _. （ A）
30、many people fail to notice the big change around them （ B） people tend to ignore the small changes in the surroundings （ C） peoples choices can be easily interrupted by a big change （ D） quite a few people do not have a good sense of directions 6 Whats peoples tendency to do for their decisions? （ A
31、） Refusing to admit they made wrong decisions. （ B） Trying to find reasons to explain the decisions. （ C） Changing the decisions on second thoughts. （ D） Seeking others advice when making the decisions. 7 What do researchers think is the drive for many everyday preferences? （ A） The haste judgment.
32、（ B） The mechanism of self-feedback. （ C） The interaction with others. （ D） The expectation for the future. 8 What do we learn about the boundaries of choice blindness? （ A） The boundaries are impossible to be marked. （ B） It occurs only when decisions are not important. （ C） It could happen even in
33、 the significant events. （ D） Brides wont have choice blindness in the weddings. 9 In their latest tests researchers are investigating peoples decisions in the fields of _ with choice blindness. 10 From the quiz researchers find that most people are quite confident about their feelings in the _. 11
34、The volunteers were surprised at the fact that in everyday decision-making, peoples beliefs are often _. Section A Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both
35、 the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. （ A） Make some copies for her. （ B） Buy copy paper for her. （ C） Show her how to use th
36、e copy machine. （ D） Show her where the stationery store is. （ A） By taxi. （ B） By bus. （ C） By subway. （ D） By train. （ A） Leave a message. （ B） Wait and talk to Mr. Wolf. （ C） Contact the Mr. Wolf later. （ D） Come in and visit Mr. Wolf. （ A） He was stuck at the embassy. （ B） He lost his travel doc
37、uments. （ C） His passport expired. （ D） He overstayed his visa. （ A） Have more people work on the report. （ B） Finish the report himself. （ C） Write the report this afternoon. （ D） Allow more time to finish the report. （ A） Enrolling in a business class. （ B） Airline reservations. （ C） Concert ticke
38、ts. （ D） An important meeting. （ A） Talking to their attorneys. （ B） Discussing a contract. （ C） Signing an agreement. （ D） Paying off a debt. （ A） They will need a large location. （ B） Not many will attend the seminar. （ C） Theyd better find a location quickly. （ D） The convention center may not be
39、 available. （ A） Students receive credit for work experience. （ B） The Professor videotapes class lectures for review. （ C） Classes are held at various locations throughout the area. （ D） Students are not required to attend regular class lectures. （ A） It doesnt require any examinations. （ B） It pro
40、motes the concept of self-learning. （ C） It allows more flexibility in students schedule. （ D） It allows students to meet teachers from other universities. （ A） It will increase class size. （ B） It limits interaction among students. （ C） It requires too much traveling to different cities. （ D） It wi
41、ll force students to watch too much television. （ A） New foods to try when traveling. （ B） Making reservations for the best travel. （ C） Avoiding gaining weight while traveling. （ D） Adjusting to time changes when traveling （ A） It changes the bodys metabolism through rapid weight gain. （ B） It tric
42、ks the body into responding as if it were in a different time zone. （ C） It promotes increased alertness by adding snacks to the diet. （ D） It builds resistance to illness by increasing intake of vitamins. （ A） He feels rushed. （ B） He hates to pack. （ C） He doesnt like to restrict his diet. （ D） He
43、s worried about his lecture. （ A） He has a big appetite. （ B） He eats only at regular mealtimes. （ C） He avoids new foods. （ D） He eats only healthful foods. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the pass
44、age 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. （ A） It made people save less money. （ B） It increased the number of the poor. （ C） It made people consume less. （ D） It encouraged luxury consumptio
45、n. （ A） Food, education and automobiles. （ B） Education, entertainment and marriage. （ C） Food, automobiles and entertainment. （ D） Education, automobiles and entertainment. （ A） People were more money-conscious. （ B） People were more health-conscious. （ C） The price of fruit dropped dramatically. （
46、 D） People had to spend more on transportation and furniture. （ A） They thought she was too young. （ B） They thought she was small in size. （ C） They thought she did not play well enough. （ D） They thought she did not show much interest. （ A） They were both famous actresses. （ B） They were both popu
47、lar all their lives. （ C） They were both rich and kind-hearted. （ D） They were both successful when very young. （ A） Turning herself into a legend. （ B） Collecting money for the poor. （ C） Doing business and helping others. （ D） Going about research and education work. （ A） Reading magazine articles
48、. （ B） Reviewing book reports. （ C） Writing research papers. （ D） Selecting information sources. （ A） Hand in assignments late. （ B） Steal another persons ideas. （ C） Gather non-relevant materials. （ D） Share notes with someone else. （ A） In shorthand. （ B） In short phrases. （ C） In direct quotation
49、s. （ D） In the students own words. （ A） It should be assimilated thoroughly. （ B） It should be authorized by the source. （ C） It should be paraphrased by the authors. （ D） It should be enclosed in quotation marks. Section C Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words yo
