2023年6月大学英语六级试卷试题真题

2023年6月大学英语六级考试真题(第一套)

PartIWriting(30minutes)

Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaythatbeginswiththe

sentence"Todaythereisagrowingawarenessthatmentalwell-beingneedstobegivenasmuch

attentionasphysicalhealth.nYoucanmakecomments,citeexamplesoruseyourpersonal

experiencestodevelopyouressay.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.

PartII

ListeningComprehension(30minutes)

SectionA

Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,youwill

hearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryou

hearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).

ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Questions1to4arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

1.

A)Itwasspaciousandtranquil.

B)Itwaswarmandcomfortable.

C)Itwasshabbyandsolitary.

D)Itwastinyandnoisy.

2.

A)Shenolongerhatespeopletalkingloudlyinthedorm.

B)Shemissesherroommatessheusedtocomplainabout.

C)Shebeginstoenjoythemoviessheoncefoundirritating.

D)Shefindsthecrowdeddormascozyashernewapartment.

3.

A)Hefoundtheapartmentperfectlyfurnished.

B)Hehadafeelingofdespairandfrustration.

C)Hehadasimilarfeelingtothewoman's.

D)Hefeltthenewplacewaslikeparadise.

4.

A)Gotoseethewoman'sapartment.

B)Makeaphonecalltohisparents.

C)Buysomefurnitureforthewoman.

D)Decoratethewoman'sapartment.

Questions5to8arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

5.

A)Heworksasaliterarycritic.

B)Hehostsaneducationalprogram.

C)Hehasinitiatedauniversityreform.

D)Hehaspublishedabookrecently.

6.

A)Itfailstokeepupwiththeradicalchangesofsociety.

B)Itfailstoensureuniversitiesgetsufficientresources.

C)Ithasnotpreparedyoungpeopleforthejobmarket.

D)Ithasnotfosteredthegrowthoftheartsdisciplines.

7.

A)Moreofthebudgetshouldgotoscienceandtechnology.

B)Theunderfundedmusicdisciplineshouldbeprioritized.

C)Subdisciplineslikesculptureshouldgetmorefunding.

D)Literatureshouldgetasmuchfundingasengineering.

8.

A)Buildaprosperousnation.

B)Makeskilledprofessionals.

C)Createingeniousartists.

D)Cultivatebettercitizens.

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwopassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhear

threeorfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhear

aquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Then

markthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Questions9to11arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

9.

A)Itisquitecommon.

B)Itisrarelynoticed.

C)Itseldomannoyspeople.

D)Itoccurswhenoneisalone.

10.

A)Seeingthingsinblackandwhite.

B)Engaginginregularcontemplation.

C)Havingaspecialunderstandingofcreativity.

D)Knowinghowtomaketheirmentalbatterieswork.

11.

A)Engaginginintenseactivity.

B)Fantasizinginone'sdowntime.

C)Workingonaparticularproject.

D)Reflectingduringone'srelaxation.

Questions12to15arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

12.

A)FarmershelpedNativeAmericansgrowcrops.

B)Therewereexpansiveuniversitycampuses.

C)Thereexistedpostoffices.

D)Migrantsfoundgoldthere.

13.

A)IthelpedtoboosttheeconomyintheAmericanWest.

B)Itprovidedjobopportunitiesformanygoldseekers.

C)Itextendedtheinfluenceofthefederalgovernment.

D)Itkeptpeopleinthedesertsandplainsconnected.

14.

A)ItemployedNativeAmericanstoworkaspostmen.

B)Itcommissionedprivatewagonstocarrythemail.

C)Itsubsidizedthelocalswhoactedaspostmasters.

D)Itcentralizedpostalservicesinitsremoteareas.

15.

A)Heanalyzedinteractivemapsofmailroutes.

B)Hereadalargecollectionofbooksonthetopic.

C)Heexamineditshistoricaltrendswithdatascience.

D)Hecollecteddataaboutitsimpactonlocalbusiness.

SectionsC:

Directions;Inthissection,youwillhearthreerecordingsoflecturesortalksfollowedbythreeor

fourquestions.Therecordingswillbeplayedonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoose

thebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Thenmarkthecorrespondingletter

onAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Questions16to18arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

16.

A)Higherlevelsofanxietymayimprovepeople'smemory.

B)Someexperiencesareeasiertorememberthanothers.

C)Mostpeopletendtorememberthingsselectively.

D)Simplethingsmayleaveadeepimpressiononone'smemory.

17.

A)Theyclassifiedtheparticipants'mindset.

B)Theyshowedsomephotostotheparticipants.

C)Theymeasuredtheparticipants'anxietylevels.

D)Theytestedthesizeoftheparticipants'vocabulary.

18.

A)Anxietyhasbecomeaseriousproblemforanincreasingnumberofpeople.

B)Extremelevelsofanxietycanadverselyaffectcognitiveperformance.

C)Peoplediagnosedwithanxietydisordermayforgetthingsselectively.

D)Thereisnodirectcorrelationbetweenmemoryandlevelsofanxiety.

Questions19to21arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

19.

A)Theycompareproductsfromdifferentcompaniesbeforemakingachoice.

B)Theygetinformationfromotherconsumers*postingsandcomments.

C)Theylosepatiencewhentheirphonecallisnopromptlyanswered.

D)Theyexpecttogetinstantaneousresponsestotheirinquiry.

20.

A)Givingthemrewardsonthespot.

B)Broadeningtheirscopeofinterest.

C)Speakingdirectlytotheiremotions.

D)Focusingonthedetailsoftheproduct.

21.

A)Changetherulesofthegameinthemarketeveryyear.

B)Keepupwiththelatesttechnologicaldevelopments.

C)Learnfromtechnologicalinnovatorstodobusiness.

D)Makegreatereffortstobuildupconsumers*confidence.

Questions22to25arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

22.

A)Peoplehaveonlyonesocialengagementperweek.

B)Workingtogetherenhancesfriendship.

C)Fewpeoplehavedevotedfriends.

D)Friendshipsbenefitwork.

23.

A)Theimpactoffriendsonpeople'sself-esteem.

B)Howsupportivefriendscanbeintheworkplace.

C)Howtoboostone'ssenseofvalueandworthiness.

D)Theroleoffamilytiesinpeople'smentalwell-being.

24.

A)Theyshowlittleinterestintheirfriends*work.

B)Theytendtobemuchmoredifficulttomake.

C)Theyaremoretrustworthyandreliable.

D)Theyincreasepeople'sjobsatisfaction.

25.

A)Allowemployeestohaveaflexibleworkschedule.

B)Encourageemployeestobefriendswithcolleagues.

C)Helpemployeesbalanceworkandfamilyresponsibilities.

D)Organizeactivitiestonourishfriendshipsoutsideofwork.

PartIII

ReadingComprehension(40minutes)

SectionA

Directions;Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectoneword

foreachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassage

throughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.

PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthe

centre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.

Scientistsrecentlyexaminedstudiesondogintelligenceandcomparedthemwithresearchintothe

mindsofotherintelligentanimals.Theresearchersfoundthatdogsareamongthemoreintelligent

carnivores(食肉动物),socialhuntersanddomesticanimals,butthattheirintelligencedoesnot26

otherintelligentanimalsinanyofthosecategories.Thoughasignificantbodyofresearchhas

examineddogcognition27theauthorsofthisnewstudyfoundlittletowarrantthe28of

workthathasbeendevotedtothetopic.

StephenLea,leadauthorofthenewstudy,arguesthatmanyresearchersseemtohavedesignedtheir

studiesto29howcleverdogsare,ratherthansimplytostudydogs*brains.Leaandacolleague

examinedmorethan300studiesofdogcognition,comparingthestudies*resultswiththosefrom

researchintootheranimals.Theresearchersmadespecificcomparisonsbetweenthedifferent

speciesindifferentcategoriesofintelligence.Thesecomparisons30thatdogsareintelligent,

buttheirintelligenceisnotas31assomeresearchersmighthavebelieved.

Inmanyareas,though,comparisonswerenotpossible.Forexample,theresearchersnotedthatboth

dogsandcatsareknowntobeabletorecognizeand32humanvoices.Buttheinvestigators

couldnotfindanydatatoindicatewhichspeciescanrememberagreaternumberof33human

voices,soitwasimpossibletocomparethetwoonthatfront.However,notallresearchersagree

34withthefindingsofthisstudy.ZacharySilver,anAmericanresearcher,believestheauthors

ofthenewstudy35theideathatanexcessiveamountofresearchhasbeendevotedtodogs,as

thefieldofdogcognitionisyoung,andthereismuchtobelearnedabouthowdogsthink.

A.affirmedB.approximatelyC.completelyD.differentiateE.distinct

F.domainG.formidableH.outperformedI.overstatedJ.pledge

K.previouslyL.prospectiveM.proveN.surpassO.volume

SectionB

Directions;Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattached

toit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifythe

paragraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmore

thanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.Answerthequestionsbymarking

thecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.

Thelifesavingpowerofgratitude

A)Gratitudemaybemorebeneficialthanwecommonlysuppose.Onerecentstudyasked

participantstowriteanoteofthankstosomeoneandthenestimatehowsurprisedandhappythe

recipientwouldfeel-animpactthattheyconsistentlyunderestimated.Anotherstudyassessedthe

healthbenefitsofwritingthank-younotes.Theresearchersfoundthatwritingasfewasthreeweekly

thank-younotesoverthecourseofthreeweeksimprovedlifesatisfaction,increasedhappyfeelings

andreducedsymptomsofdepression.

B)Whilethisresearchintogratitudeisrelativelynew,theprinciplesinvolvedareanythingbut.

StudentsofmineinapoliticalphilosophycourseatIndianaUniversityarereadingDanielDefoe's

300-year-oldRobinsonCrusoe,oftenregardedasthefirstnovelpublishedinEnglish.Leftaloneon

anunknownislandwithnoapparentprospectofrescueorescape,Crusoehasmuchtolament(悲

叹).Butinsteadofgivingintodespair,hemakesalistofthingsforwhichheisgrateful,including

thefactthatheisthesolesurvivorfromtheshipwreck(海难)andhasbeenabletosalvagemany

usefulitemsfromthewreckage.

C)Defoe'smasterpiece,whichisoftenrankedasoneoftheworld'sgreatestnovels,providesa

portraitofgratitudeinactionthatisastimelyandrelevanttodayasithaseverbeen.Itisalsoone

withwhichcontemporarypsychologyandmedicinearejustbeginningtocatchup.Simplyput,for

mostofus,itisfarmorehelpfultofocusonthethingsinlifeforwhichwecanexpressgratitude

thanthosethatinclineustowardresentmentandlamentation.

D)Whenwefocusonthethingsweregret,suchasfailedrelationships,familydisputes,andsetbacks

incareerandfinance,wetendtobecomemoreregretful.Conversely,whenwefocusonthethings

wearegratefulfor,agreatersenseofhappinesstendstospreadthroughourlives.Andwhilenoone

wouldargueforcultivatingafalsesenseofblessedness,thereismountingevidencethatcounting

ourblessingsisoneofthebesthabitswecandeveloptopromotementalandphysicalhealth.

E)Gratitudehaslongenjoyedaprivilegedpositioninmanyoftheworld*sculturaltraditions.For

example,someancientWesternphilosopherscounselgratitudethatisbothenduringandcomplete,

andsomeEasternthinkersportrayitasnotmerelyanattitudebutavirtuetobeputintopractice.

F)Recentscientificstudiessupporttheseancientteachings.Individualswhoregularlyengagein

gratitudeexercises,suchascountingtheirblessingsorexpressinggratitudetoothers,exhibit

increasedsatisfactionwithrelationshipsandfewersymptomsofphysicalillness.Andthebenefits

arenotonlypsychologicalandphysical.Theymayalsobemoral-thosewhopracticegratitudealso

viewtheirliveslessmaterialisticallyandsufferfromlessenvy.

G)Therearemultipleexplanationsforsuchbenefitsofgratefulness.Oneisthefactthatexpressing

gratitudeencouragesotherstocontinuebeinggenerous,thuspromotingavirtuouscycleofgoodness

inrelationships.Similarly,gratefulpeoplemaybemorelikelytoreciprocate（回报）withactsof

kindnessoftheirown.Broadlyspeaking,acommunityinwhichpeoplefeelgratefultooneanother

islikelytobeamorepleasantplacetolivethanonecharacterizedbymutualsuspicionand

resentment.Thebeneficialeffectsofgratitudemayextendevenfurther.Forexample,whenmany

peoplefeelgoodaboutwhatsomeoneelsehasdoneforthem,theyexperienceasenseofbeinglifted

up,withacorrespondingenhancementoftheirregardforhumanity.Someareinspiredtoattemptto

becomebetterpeoplethemselves,doingmoretohelpbringoutthebestinothersandbringingmore

goodnessintotheworldaroundthem.

H）Gratitudealsotendstostrengthenasenseofconnectionwithothers.Whenpeoplewanttodo

goodthingsthatinspiregratitude,thelevelofdedicationinrelationshipstendstogrowand

relationshipsseemtolastlonger.Andwhenpeoplefeelmoreconnected,theyaremorelikelyto

choosetospendtheirtimewithoneanotheranddemonstratetheirfeelingsofaffectionindailyacts.

I）Ofcourse,actsofkindnesscanalsofosterdiscomfort.Forexample,ifpeoplefeeltheyarenot

worthyofkindnessorsuspectthatsomeulterior（另U有用心、的）motiveliesbehindit,thebenefitsof

gratitudewillnotberealized.Likewise,receivingakindnesscangiverisetoasenseofindebtedness,

leavingbeneficiariesfeelingthattheymustnowpaybackwhatevergoodtheyhavereceived.

Gratitudecanflourishonlyifpeoplearesecureenoughinthemselvesandsufficientlytrustingto

allowittodoso.Anotherobstacletogratitudeisoftencalledasenseofentitlement.Insteadof

experiencingabenefaction（善行）asagoodturn,peoplesometimesregarditasamerepaymentof

whattheyareowed,forwhichnoonedeservesanymoralcredit.

J）Thereareanumberofpracticalstepsanyonecantaketopromoteasenseofgratitude.Oneis

simplyspendingtimeonaregularbasisthinkingaboutsomeonewhohasmadeadifference,or

perhapswritingathank-younoteorexpressingsuchgratitudeinperson.Othersarefoundinancient

religiousdisciplines,suchasreflectingonbenefactionsreceivedfromanotherpersonoractually

prayingforthehealthandhappinessofabenefactor.Inadditiontobenefactionsreceived,itisalso

possibletofocusonopportunitiestodogoodoneself,whetherthoseactedoninthepastorhoped

forinthefuture.Somepeoplearemostgratefulnotforwhatothershavedoneforthembutfor

chancestheyenjoyedtohelpothers.Inregularlyreflectingonthethingsinhislifeheisgratefulfor,

Defoe'sCrusoebelievesthathebecomesafarbetterpersonthanhewouldhavebeenhadhe

remainedinthesocietyfromwhichheoriginallysetoutonhisvoyage.

K）Reflectingongenerosityandgratitude,thegreatbasketballcoachJohnWoodenonceofferedtwo

counselstohisplayersandstudents.First,hesaid,nItisimpossibletohaveaperfectdayunlessyou

havedonesomethingforsomeonewhowillneverbeabletorepayyou."Insayingthis,Wooden

soughttopromotepurelygenerousacts,asopposedtothoseperformedwithanexpectationof

reward.Second,hesaid,"Givethanksforyourblessingseveryday."

L）Somefaithtraditionsincorporatesuchpracticesintotherhythmofdailylife.Forexample,

adherentsofsomereligionsofferprayersofthanksgivingeverymorningbeforerisingandevery

nightbeforelyingdowntosleep.Othersofferthanksthroughouttheday,suchasbeforemeals.

Otherlessfrequentspecialevents,suchasbirths,deathsandmarriages,mayalsobeheraldedby

suchprayers.

M)WhenDefoedepictedRobinsonCrusoemakingthanksgivingadailypartofhisislandlife,he

wasanticipatingfindingsinsocialscienceandmedicinethatwouldnotappearforhundredsofyears.

Yethewasalsoreflectingthewisdomofreligiousandphilosophicaltraditionsthatextendback

thousandsofyears.Gratitudeisoneofthehealthiestandmostnourishingofallstatesofmind,and

thosewhoadoptitasahabitareenrichingnotonlytheirownlivesbutalsothelivesofthosearound

them.

36.Itdoesusfarmoregoodtofocusonthingswecanbegratefulforthanwhatmakesussadand

resentful.

37.Thebeneficialimpactsofgratitudecanextendfromindividualstotheircommunityandtothe

widersociety.

38.Theparticipantsinarecentstudyrepeatedlyunderestimatedthepositiveeffectonthosewho

receivedthank-younotes.

39.Gooddeedscansometimesmakepeoplefeeluncomfortable.

40.Peoplewhoregularlyexpressgratitudecanbenefitinmoralterms.

41.Abasketballcoachadvocatedperforminggenerousactswithoutexpectinganythinginreturn.

42.Moreandmoreevidenceshowsitmakesusmentallyandphysicallyhealthiertoroutinelycount

ourblessings.

43.Ofallstatesofmind,feelinggratefulisconsideredoneofthemosthealthyandbeneficial.

44.Theprinciplesunderlyingtheresearchintogratitudearenothingnewatall.

45.Gratitudeislikelytoenhanceone'ssenseofbeingconnectedwithotherpeople.

SectionC

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsor

unfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshould

decideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasingleline

throughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Technologyisneveraneutraltoolforachievinghumanends.Technologicalinnovationsreshape

peopleastheyusetheseinnovationstocontroltheirenvironment.Artificialintelligence,for

example,isalteringhumanity.

WhilethetermAIconjuresupanxietiesaboutkillerrobotsorcatastrophiclevelsofunemployment,

thereareother,deeperimplications.AsAIincreasinglyshapesthehumanexperience,howdoesthis

changewhatitmeanstobehuman?Centraltotheproblemisaperson'scapacitytomakechoices,

particularlyjudgmentsthathavemoralimplications.

Aristotlearguedthatthecapacityformakingpracticaljudgmentsdependsonregularlymaking

them~~onhabitandpractice.Weseetheemergenceofmachinesassubstitutejudgesinavarietyof

everydaycontextsasapotentialthreattopeoplelearninghowtoeffectivelyexercisejudgment

themselves.

Intheworkplace,managersroutinelymakedecisionsaboutwhotohireorfireandwhichloanto

approve,tonameafew.Theseareareaswherealgorithmic(算法的)prescriptionisreplacinghuman

judgment,andsopeoplewhomighthavehadthechancetodeveloppracticaljudgmentinthese

areasnolongerwill.

Recommendationengines,whichareincreasinglyprevalentintermediariesinpeople'sconsumption

ofculture,mayservetoconstrainchoiceandminimizeluck.Bypresentingconsumerswith

algorithmicallyselectedchoicesofwhattowatch,read,streamandvisitnext,companiesare

replacinghumantastewithmachinetaste.Inonesense,thisishelpful.Afterall,machinescan

surveyawiderrangeofchoicesthananyindividualislikelytohavethetimeorenergytodoon

theirown.

Atthesametime,though,thisselectionisoptimizingforwhatpeoplearelikelytopreferbasedon

whatthey'vepreferredinthepast.Wethinkthereissomeriskthatpeople'soptionswillbe

constrainedbytheirpastinanewandunanticipatedway.

Asmachinelearningalgorithmsimproveandastheytrainonmoreextensivedatasets,largerparts

ofeverydaylifearelikelytobecomeutterlypredictable.Thepredictionsaregoingtogetbetterand

better,andtheywillultimatelymakecommonexperiencesmoreefficientandpleasant.

Algorithmscouldsoon-iftheydon'talready-haveabetterideaaboutwhichshowyou'dliketo

watchnextandwhichjobcandidateyoushouldhirethanyoudo.Oneday,humansmayevenfind

awayformachinestomakethesedecisionswithoutsomeofthebiasesthathumanstypicallydisplay.

Buttotheextentthatunpredictabilityispartofhowpeopleunderstandthemselvesandpartofwhat

peoplelikeaboutthemselves,humanityisintheprocessoflosingsomethingsignificant.Asthey

becomemoreandmorepredictable,thecreaturesinhabitingtheincreasinglyAi-mediatedworld

willbecomelessandlesslikeus.

46.WhatdowelearnaboutthedeeperimplicationsofAI?

A)Itiscausingcatastrophiclevelsofunemployment.

B)Itisdoingphysicalharmtohumanoperators.

C)Itisalteringmoraljudgments.

D)Itisreshapinghumanity.

47.Whatistheconsequenceofalgorithmicprescriptionreplacinghumanjudgment?

A)Peoplelosethechancetocultivatetheabilitytomakepracticaljudgments.

B)Peoplearepreventedfromparticipatinginmakingmajordecisionsintheworkplace.

C)Managersnolongerhavethechancetodecidewhichloantoapprove.

D)Managersdonotneedtotakethetroubletodeterminewhotohireorfire.

48.Whatmayresultfromincreasingapplicationofrecommendationenginesinourconsumptionof

culture?

A)Consumerswillhavemuchlimitedchoice.C)Itwillbeeasiertodecideonwhattoenjoy.

B)Consumerswillactuallyenjoybetterluck.D)Humanswilldeveloptastessimilartomachines'.

49.Whatislikelytohappentolargerpartsofourdailylifeasmachinelearningalgorithmsimprove?

A)Theywillturnouttobemorepleasant.C)Theycanbecompletelyanticipated.

B)Theywillrepeatourpastexperience.D)Theymaybecomebetterandbetter.

50.WhydoestheauthorsaythecreatureslivinginthemoreandmoreAi-mediatedworldwill

becomeincreasinglyunlikeus?

A)Theywillhavelostthemostsignificanthumanelementofbeingintelligent.

B)Theywillnolongerpossessthehumancharacteristicofbeingunpredictable.

C)Theywillnotbeabletounderstandthemselvesaswecandotoday.

D)Theywillbedeprivedofwhattheirpredecessorswereproudofaboutthemselves.

PassageTwo

Questions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Phonics,whichinvolvessoundingoutwordssyllable(音节)bysyllable,isthebestwaytoteach

childrentoread.Butinmanyclassrooms,thiscanbeadirtyword.Somuchsothatsometeachers

havehadtosneakphonicsteachingmaterialsintotheclassroom.MostAmericanchildrenaretaught

toreadinawaythatstudyafterstudyhasfoundtobewrong.

Theconsequencesofthisarestriking.LessthanhalfofallAmericanadultswereproficientreaders

in2017.Americanfourthgradersrank15thontheProgressinInternationalLiteracyStudy,an

internationalexam.

Americaisstuckinadebateaboutteachingchildrentoreadthathasbeengoingonfordecades.

Someadvocateteachingsymbol-soundrelationships(thesoundkcanbespelledasc,k,ck,orch),

knownasphonics.Otherssupportanimmersiveapproach(usingpicturesofacattolearntheword

cat),knownasnwholelanguage".Mostteacherstoday,almostthreeoutoffouraccordingtoasurvey

bytheEdWeekResearchCentrein2019,useamixcalled"balancedliteracy".Thiscombinationof

methodsisineffective."Youcan*tsprinkleinalittlephonics,"saysTenetteSmith,executivedirector

ofelementaryeducationandreadingatMississippi'seducationdepartment."Ithastobesystematic

andexplicitlytaught.n

Mississippi,oftenbehindinsocialpolicy,hassetanexamplehere.Inastateoncenotoriousforits

lowreadingscores,theMississippistatelegislaturepassednewliteracystandardsin2013.Since

thenMississippihasseenremarkablegains.Itsfourthgradershavemovedfrom49th(outof50

states)to29thontheNationalAssessmentofEducationalProgress,anationwideexam.In2019it

wastheonlystatetoimproveitsscores.Forthefirsttimesincemeasurementbegan,Mississippi's

pupilsarenowaveragereaders,aremarkableachievementinsuchapoorstate.

Mississippi'ssuccessisattributedtoimplementingreadingmethodssupportedby