Section C

Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. . You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

Passage one

It is easy to miss amid the day-to-day headlines of global economic recession, but there is a less conspicuous kind of social upheaval(剧变)underway that is fast altering both the face of the planet and the way human beings live. That change is the rapid acceleration of urbanization. In 2008, for the first time in human history, more than half the world’s population was living in towns and cities. And as a recently published paper shows, the process of urbanization will only accelerate in the decades to come—with an enormous impact on biodiversity and potentially on climate change.

As Karen Seto, the led author of the paper, points out, the wave of urbanization isn’t just about the migration of people into urban environments, but about the environments themselves becoming bigger to accommodate all those people. The rapid expansion of urban areas will have a huge impact on biodiversity hotspots and on carbon emissions in those urban areas.

Humans are the ultimate invasive species—when the move into new territory, the often displace the wildlife that was already living there. And as land is cleared for those new cities—especially in the dense tropical forests—carbon will be released into the atmosphere as well. It’s true that as people in developing nations move from the countryside to the city, the shift may reduce the pressure on land, which could in turn be good for the environment. This is especially so in desperately poor countries, where residents in the countryside slash and burn forests each growing season to clear space for farming. But the real difference is that in developing nations, the move from rural areas to cities often leads to an accompanying increase in income — and that increase leads to an increase in the consumption of food and energy, which in turn causes a rise in carbon emissions. Getting enough to eat and enjoying the safety and comfort of living fully on the grid is certainly a good thing — but it does carry an environmental price.

The urbanization wave can’t be stopped — and it shouldn’t be. But Seto’s paper does underscore the importance of managing that transition. If we do it the right way, we can reduce urbanization’s impact on the environment. “There’s an enormous opportunity here, and a lot of pressure and responsibility to think about how we urbanize,” says Seto. “One thing that’s clear is that we can’t build cities the way we have over the last couple of hundred years. The scale of this transition won’t allow that.” We’re headed towards an urban planet no matter what, but whether it becomes heaven or hell is up to us.

56. What issue does the author try to draw people’s attention to?

A. The shrinking biodiversity worldwide.

B. The rapid increase of world population.

C. The ongoing global economic recession.

D. The impact of accelerating urbanization.

57. In what sense are humans the ultimate invasive species?

A. They are much greedier than other species.

B. They are a unique species born to conquer.

C. They force other species out of their territories.

D. They have an urge to expand their living space.

58. In what way is urbanization in poor countries good for the environment?

A. More land will be preserved for wildlife.

B. The pressure on farmland will be lessened.

C. Carbon emissions will be considerably reduced.

D. Natural resources will be used more effectively.

59. What does the author say about living comfortably in the city?

A. It incurs a high environmental price.

B. It brings poverty and insecurity to an end.

C. It causes a big change in people’s lifestyle.

D. It narrows the gap between city and country.

60. What can be done to minimize the negative impact of urbanization according to Seto?

A. Slowing down the speed of transition.

B. Innovative use of advanced technology.

C. Appropriate management of the process.

D. Enhancing people’s sense of responsibility.

Passage Two

When Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched thefacebook.com in Feb. 2004, even he could not imagine the forces it would let loose. His intent was to connect college students. Facebook, which is what this website rapidly evolved into, ended up connecting the world.

To the children of this connected era, the world is one giant social network. They are not bound — as were previous generations of humans — by what they were taught. They are only limited by their curiosity and ambition. During my childhood, all knowledge was local. You learned everything you knew from your parents, teachers, preachers, and friends.

With the high-quality and timely information at their fingertips, today’s children are rising normally tame middle class is speaking up against social ills. Silicon Valley executives are being shamed into adding women to their boards. Political leaders are marshalling the energy of millions for elections and political causes. All of this is being done with social media technologies that Facebook and its competitors set free.

As does every advancing technology, social media has created many new problems. It is commonly addictive and creates risks for younger users. Social media is used by extremists in the Middle East and elsewhere to seek and brainwash recruits. And it exposes us and our friends to disagreeable spying. We may leave our lights on in the house when we are on vacation, but through social media we tell criminals exactly where we are, when we plan to return home, and how to blackmail(敲诈)us.

Governments don’t need informers any more. Social media allows government agencies to spy on their own citizens. We record our thoughts, emotions, likes and dislikes on Facebook; we share our political views, social preferences, and plans. We post intimate photographs of ourselves. No spy agency or criminal organization could actively gather the type of data that we voluntarily post for them.

The marketers are also seeing big opportunities. Amazon is trying to predict what we will order. Google is trying to judge our needs and wants based on our social-media profiles. We need to be aware of the risks and keep working to alleviate the dangers.

Regardless of what social media people use, one thing is certain: we are in a period of accelerating change. The next decade will be even more amazing and unpredictable than the last. Just as no one could predict what would happen with social media in the last decade, no one can accurately predict where this technology will take us. I am optimistic, however, that a connected humanity will find a way to uplift itself.

61. What was the purpose of Facebook when it was first created?

A. To help students connect with the outside world.

B. To bring university students into closer contact.

C. To help students learn to live in a connected era.

D. To combine the world into an integral whole.

62. What difference does social media make to learning?

A. Local knowledge and global knowledge will merge.

B. Student will become more curious and ambitious.

C. People are able to learn wherever they travel.

D. Sources of information are greatly expanded.

63. What is the author’s greatest concern with social media technology?

A. Individuals and organizations may use it for evil purposes.

B. Government will find it hard to protect classified information.

C. People may disclose their friends’ information unintentionally.

D. People’s attention will be easily distracted

from their work in hand.

64. What do businesses use social media for?

A. Creating a good corporate image.

B. Conducting large-scale market surveys.

C. Anticipating the needs of customers.

D. Minimizing possible risks and dangers.

65. What does the author think of social media as a whole?

A. It will enable human society to advance at a faster pace.

B. It will pose a grave threat to our traditional ways of life.

C. It is bound to bring about another information revolution.

D. It breaks down the final barriers in human communication.

Part IV Translation

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.

翻译题一：自从1978年启动改革以来，中国已从计划经济转为以市场为基础的经济，经历了经济和社会的快速发展。平均10%的GDP增长已使五亿多人脱贫。联合国的“千年(millennium)发展目标”在中国均已达到或即将达到。目前，中国的第十二个五年规划强调发展服务业和解决环境及社会不平衡的问题。政府已设定目标减少污染，提高能源效率，改善得到教育和医保的机会，并扩大社会保障。中国现在7%的经济年增长目标表明政府是在重视生活质量而不是增长速度。

翻译题二：反应在艺术和文学中的乡村生活理想是中国文明的重要特征。这在很大程度上归功于道家对自然的感情。传统中国画有两个最受青睐的主题，一是家庭生活的各种幸福场景，画中往往有老人在下棋饮茶，男人在耕耘收割，妇女在织布缝衣，小孩在户外玩耍。另一个则是乡村生活的种种乐趣，画有渔夫在湖上打渔，农夫在山上砍柴采药，或是书生坐在松树下吟诗作画。这两个主题可以分别代表儒家和道家的生活理想。

翻译题三：中国将努力确保到2015年就业者接受过平均13.3年的教育。如果这一目标得以实现，今后大部分进入劳动力市场的人都需获得大学文凭。

在未来几年，中国将着力增加职业学院的招生人数：除了关注高等教育外，还将寻找新的突破以确保教育制度更加公平。中国正在努力最佳地利用教育资源，这样农村和欠发达地区将获得更多的支持。

教育部还决定改善欠发达地区学生的营养，并为外来务工人员的子女提供在城市接受教育的同等机会。

以上就是我们为大家提供的2014年12月英语六级考试真题试卷的全部内容，希望对大家的考试备考有所帮助。

引申阅读：

2014年12月英语六级考试真题答案（一卷）  

2014年12月英语六级考试真题与答案（一卷）