2021年6月英语六级真题 第1套
长篇新闻
Section B
Directions: In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four 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.
Scientists often use specialized jargon terms while communicating with laymen. Most of them don’t realize the harmful efects of this practice. [9] In a new study, people exposed to jargon, when reading about subjects like autonomous vehicles and surgical robots, later said they were less interested in science than others who read about the same topics, but without the use of specialized terms. They also felt less informed about science and less qualified to discuss science topics. It’s noteworthy that it made no dif erence if the jargon terms were defined in the text. Even when the terms were defined, readers still felt the same lack of engagement as readers who read jargon that wasn’t explained. The problem is that the mere presence of jargon sends a discouraging message to readers.
Hillary Schulman, the author of the study, asserts that specialized words are a signal. Jargon tells people that the message isn’t for them. There’s an even darker side to how people react to jargon. [10] In another study, researchers found that reading scientific articles containing jargon led people to doubt the actual science. They found the opposite when a text is easier to read. Then people are more persuaded. Thus, it’s important to communicate clearly when talking about complex science subjects. This is especially true with issues related to public health, like the safety of new medications and the benefits of vaccines. Schulman concedes that the use of jargon is appropriate with scientific audiences. [11] But scientists who want to communicate with the general public need to modify their language. They need to eliminate jargon.
科学家在与非专业人员交流时经常使用专业术语。他们中的大多数人没有意识到这种做法的危害。在一项新的研究中,阅读如自动驾驶汽车和手术机器人等主题时接触到专业术语人们后来说,他们对科学的兴趣不如那些阅读不含专业术语的相同主题的人高。他们还觉得自己对科学了解较少,没有资格讨论科学话题。值得注意的是,文本中是否对专业术语进行定义解释,并没有什么区别。即使对这些术语进行定义解释,读者仍然会感到缺乏参与感,就像那些阅读没有解释的术语的读者一样。问题在于,仅仅是术语的出现就会给读者传递一种令人沮丧的信息。
这项研究的作者希拉里·舒尔曼声称,专业词汇是一种信号。专业术语告诉人们,这条信息不适合他们。人们对术语的反应还有更不好的一面。在另一项研究中,研究人员发现,阅读含有术语的科学文章会让人怀疑真正的科学。他们发现,当文本更容易阅读时,情况恰恰相反。这样,人们更容易被说服。因此,在谈论复杂的科学问题时,清晰地沟通是很重要的。在公共卫生问题上尤其如此,比如新药的安全性和疫苗的好处。舒尔曼承认,面对科学学者使用术语是合适的。但是,想要与公众交流的科学家需要调整他们的语言。他们需要停止使用专业术语。
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, on the Gulf Coast in the US state of Texas, there was a hill where gas leakage was so noticeable that schoolboys would sometimes set the hill on fire. [12] Patillo Higgins, a disreputable local businessman,became convinced that there was oil below the gassy hill. Oil wells weren’t drilled back then. They were essentially dug.[13] The sand under the hill defeated several attempts by Higgins’ workers to make a proper hole. Higgins had forecast oil at 1,000 feet, a totally made-up figure. Higgins subsequently hired a mining engineer—captain Anthony Lucas. [14] After encountering several setbacks, captain Lucas decided to use a drill, and his innovations created the modern oil drilling industry. In January 1901, at 1,020 feet, almost precisely the depth predicted by Higgins’ wild guess, the well roared and suddenly ejected mud and six tons of drilling pipe out of the ground, terrifying those present. For the next nine days until the well was capped, the well poured out more oil than all the wells in America combined.
In those days, Texas was almost entirely rural, with no large cities and practically no industry. [15] Cotton and beefwere the foundation of the economy. Higgins’ well changed that. The boom made some prospectors millionaires,but the sudden surplus of petroleum was not entirely a blessing for Texas. In the 1930s, prices crashed to the point that in some parts of the country, oil was cheaper than water. That would become a familiar pattern of the boom or bust Texas’ economy.
20世纪初,在美国德克萨斯州的墨西哥湾沿岸,有一座小山,那里的天然气泄漏非常明显,以至于学生们有时会点燃这座山。帕基·希金斯是一个声名狼藉的当地商人,他开始相信在充满天然气的山底下有石油。那时还不钻油井。他们本来是挖井的。希金斯的工人们几次尝试,想挖个合适的洞,但山下的沙子挡住了他们。希金斯预测石油在1000英尺深的地方,这完全是一个随便想出来的数字。希金斯随后雇了一名采矿工程师——船长安东尼·卢卡斯在经历了几次挫折后,卢卡斯船长决定使用钻机,他的创新方法创造了现代石油钻探行业。1901年1月,在1020英尺的地方,几乎和希金斯天然气公司预测的一样深,油井咆哮着,突然从地下喷出泥浆和六吨重的钻杆,吓坏了在场的人。在接下来的9天里,直到油井被封堵为止,该井的出油量超过了美国所有油井的总和。
那个时候,德州几乎完全是农村,没有大城市,也几乎没有工业。棉花和牛肉是经济的基础。希金斯改变了这一点。经济繁荣使一些采矿者成为了百万富翁,但是石油的突然过剩对德州来说并不完全是好事。20世纪30年代,油价暴跌到在美国某些地区,石油比水还便宜的地步。这将成为德州经济繁荣或萧条的常见模式。
Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
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