2013年12月六级考试真题（二）

2013年12月六级考试真题（第二套）PartⅠ WritingDirections:Forthispartyouareallowed30minutestowriteanessayonhappinessbyreferringtothesaying“Happinessisnottheabsenceofproblems,buttheabilitytodealwiththem.”Youcanciteexamplestoillustrateyourpointandthenexplainhowyoucandevelopyourabilitytodealwithproblemsandbehappy.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________PartⅡ ListeningComprehensionSectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,oneormorequestionswillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestiontherewillbeapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoicesmarkedA)，B)，C)andD),anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.1.A)Therockbandneedsmorehoursofpractice. B)Therockbandisgoingtoplayhereforamonth. C)Heappreciatesthewoman’shelpwiththeband. D)Theirhardworkhasresultedinabigsuccess.2.A)Traveloverseasonhisown. C)GoonadivingtourinEurope. B)JoinapackagetourtoMexico. D)Add300dollarstohisbudget.3.A)Somethingunexpectedhashappened. C)Toavoidmoreworklateron. B)Incasesomeproblemshouldoccur. D)Tomakebetterpreparations.4.A)Themanisgoingtorenewhismembershipinafitnesscenter. B)Thewomanaskedforafreepasstotryoutthefacilities. C)Themancantryoutthefacilitiesbeforehebecomesamember. D)Thewomancangivethemanadiscountifhejoinstheclubnow.5.A)Heisnotfittostudyscience. C)Heisworriedaboutthetest. B)Heisnotafraidofchallenge. D)Heisgoingtodropthephysicscourse.6.A)BuysomethingspecialforGary. C)Payforpartofthepicnicfood. B)InviteGary’sfamilytodinner. D)Takesomefoodtothepicnic.7.Alabordisputeatabuscompany. C)Acorporatetakeover. B)Busdrivers’workingconditions. D)Publictransportation.8.A)Theirsalesoverseas. C)Thecheckjustdeposited. B)Thebankstatement. D)Thepaymentforanorder.Questions9to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.9.A)Aprivatesecretary. C)Ashopassistant. B)Ahotelreceptionist. D)Asalesmanager.10.A)Appearance. C)Voice. B)Intelligence. D)Manners.11.A)Arrangeonemoreinterview. C)OfferthejobtoDavidWallace. B)Reportthemattertotheirboss. D)HireBarbaraJonesonatrailbasis.Questions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.12.A)Heinventedtherefrigerator. C)Hewasadmittedtouniversity. B)Hepatentedhisfirstinvention. D)HegotadegreeinMathematics.13.A)Hestartedtoworkonrefrigeration. B)HebecameaprofessorofMathematics. C)HefellinlovewithNatashaWilloughby. D)Hedistinguishedhimselfinlowtemperaturephysics.14.A)Findingthetruenatureofsubatomicparticles. B)Theirdiscoveryofthelawsofcauseandeffect. C)Layingthefoundationsofmodemmathematics. D)Theirworkonveryhighfrequencyradiowaves.15.A)Tohaveathree-weekholiday. C)Topatenthisinventions. B)Tospendhisremainingyears. D)Toteachatauniversity.SectionBDirections:Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsomequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.16.A)Theyhavefallenpreytowolves. B)Theyhavebecomeatouristattraction. C)Theyhavecausedlotsofdamagetocrops. D)Theyhavebecomeaheadachetothecommunity.17.A)Tocelebratetheirvictory. C)Toscarethewolves. B)Tocheerupthehunters. D)Toalertthedeer.18.A)Theywouldhelptospreadafataldisease. B)Theywouldposeathreattothechildren. C)Theywouldendangerdomesticanimals. D)Theywouldeventuallykilloffthedeer.PassageTwoQuestions19to22arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.19.A)Sheisaninterpreter. C)Sheisadomesticservant. B)Sheisatouristguide. D)Sheisfromtheroyalfamily.20.A)Itwasusedbythefamilytoholddinnerparties. B)Itissituatedatthefootofabeautifulmountain. C)Itwasfrequentlyvisitedbyheadsofstate. D)Itisfurnishedlikeoneinaroyalpalace.21.A)Itiselaboratelydecorated. C)Itisverybig,withonlysixslimlegs. B)Ithassurvivedsome2,000years. D)ItisshapedlikeanancientSpanishboat.22.A)Theyareuncomfortabletositinforlong. B)Theydonotmatchtheovaltableatall. C)Theyhavelostsomeoftheirlegs. D)Theyareinterestingtolookat.PassageThreeQuestions23to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.23.A)Itisanuncommoninfectiousdisease. B)Itdestroysthepatient’sabilitytothink. C)Itisadiseaseverydifficulttodiagnose. D)Itisthebiggestcripplerofyoungadults.24.A)Searchforthebestcure. C)Writeabookaboutherlife. B)Hurryupandlivelife. D)Exercisemoreandworkharder.25.A)Aggressive. C)Sophisticated. B)Adventurous. D)Self-centered.SectionCDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefirsttime,youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblankswiththeexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Finally,whenthepassageisreadforthethirdtime,youshouldcheckwhatyouhavewritten.It’sdifficulttoestimatethenumberofyoungstersinvolvedinhomeschooling,wherechildrenarenotsenttoschoolandreceivetheirformaleducationfromoneorbothparents.26andcourtdecisionshavemadeitlegallypossibleinmoststatesforparentstoeducatetheirchildrenathome,andeachyearmorepeopletakeadvantageofthatopportunity.Somestatesrequireparentsorahometutortomeetteachercertificationstandards,andmanyrequireparentstocompletelegalformstoverifythattheirchildrenarereceiving27instate-approvedcurricula.Supportersofhomeeducationclaimthatit’slessexpensiveandfarmore28thanmasspubliceducation.Moreover,theyciteseveraladvantages:alleviationofschoolovercrowding,strengthenedfamilyrelationships,lower29rates,thefactthatstudentsareallowedtolearnattheirownrate,increased30,higherstandardizedtestscores,andreduced31problems.Criticsofthehomeschoolingmovement32thatitcreatesasmanyproblemsasitsolves.Theyacknowledgethat,inafewcases,homeschoolingofferseducationalopportunitiessuperiortothosefoundinmostpublicschools,butfewparentscanprovidesucheducationaladvantages.Someparentswhowithdrawtheirchildrenfromtheschools33homeschoolinghaveaninadequateeducationalbackgroundandinsufficientformaltrainingtoprovideasatisfactoryeducationfortheirchildren.Typically,parentshavefewertechnologicalresources34thandoschools.However,therelativelyinexpensivecomputertechnologythatisreadilyavailabletodayiscausingsometochallengethenotionthathomeschoolingisinanyway35morehighlystructuredclassroomeducation.PartⅢReadingComprehensionSectionADirections：Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordfareachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Cellphonesprovideinstantaccesstopeople.Theyarecreatingamajor36inthesocialexperiencesofbothchildrenandadolescents.InonerecentU.S.survey,abouthalftheteenspolledsaidthattheircellphonehad37theircommunicationswithfriends.Almostallsaidthattheircellphonewasthewaytheystayedintouchwithpeers,one-thirdhadusedthecellphonetohelpapeerinneed,andabout80%saidthephonemadethemfeelsafer.TeenagersinAustralia,38,saidthattheirmobilephonesprovidednumerousbenefitsandwerean39partoftheirlives;somewereso40totheirphonesthattheresearchersconsidereditanaddiction.InJapan,too,researchersareconcernedaboutcellphoneaddiction.ResearchersinonestudyinTokyofoundthatmorethanhalfofjuniorhighschoolstudentsusedtheirphonestoexchangee-mailswithschoolmatesmorethan10timesaday.Cellphones41socialconnectionswithpeersacrosstimeandspace.Theyallowyoungpeopletoexchangemoment-by-momentexperiencesintheirdailyliveswithspecialpartnersandthustohaveamore42senseofconnectionwithfriends.Cellphonesalsocan43socialtolerancebecausetheyreducechildren’sinteractionswithotherswhoaredifferentfromthem.Inadditiontoconnectingpeers,cellphonesconnectchildrenandparents.ResearchersstudyingteenagersinIsraelconcludedthat,inthat44environment,mobilephoneswereregardedas“securityobjects”inparent-teenrelationships—importantbecausetheyprovidedthepossibilityof45andcommunicationatalltimes.A)affiliatedI)hazardousB)attachedJ)improvedC)contactK)instantaneousD)contendL)intrinsicE)continuousM)relativelyF)diminishN)shiftG)enduranceO)similarlyH)fosterSectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.WasteNot,WantNotFeedingthe9Billion:TheTragedyofWaste[A]By2075,theUnitedNations’mid-rangeprojectionforglobalpopulationisabout9.5billion.Thismeansthattherecouldbeanextrathreebillionmouthstofeedbytheendofthecentury,aperiodinwhichsubstantialchangesareanticipatedinthewealth,calorieintakeanddietarypreferencesofpeopleindevelopingcountriesacrosstheworld.Suchaprojectionpresentsmankindwithwide-rangingsocial,economic,environmentalandpoliticalissuesthatneedtobeaddressedtodaytoensureasustainablefutureforall.Onekeyissueishowtoproducemorefoodinaworldoffiniteresources.[B]Today,weproduceaboutfourbillionmetrictonesoffoodperyear.Yetduetopoorpracticesinharvesting,storageandtransportation,aswellasmarketandconsumerwastage,itisestimatedthat30-50%ofallfoodproducedneverreachesahumanstomach.Furthermore,thisfiguredoesnotreflectthefactthatlargeamountsofland,energy,fertilisersandwaterhavealsobeenlostintheproductionoffoodstuffswhichsimplyendupaswaste.Thislevelofwastageisatragedythatcannotcontinueifwearetosucceedinthechallengeofsustainablymeetingourfuturefooddemands.WhereFoodWasteHappens[C]In2010,theInstitutionofMechanicalEngineersidentifiedthreeprincipalemergingpopulationgroupsacrosstheworld,basedoncharacteristicsassociatedwiththeircurrentandprojectedstageofeconomicdevelopment.·Fullydeveloped,mature,post-industrialsocieties,suchasthoseinEurope,characterisedbystableordecliningpopulationswhichareincreasinginage.·Late-stagedevelopingnationsthatarecurrentlyindustrialisingrapidly,forexampleChina,whichwillexperiencedecliningratesofpopulationgrowth,coupledwithincreasingaffluence(富裕）andageprofile.·Newlydevelopingcountriesthatarebeginningtoindustrialise,primarilyinAfrica,withhightoveryhighpopulationgrowthrates,andcharacterisedbyapredominantlyyoungageprofile.[D]Eachgroupoverthecomingdecadeswillneedtoaddressdifferentissuessurroundingfoodproduction,storageandtransportation,aswellasconsumerexpectations,ifwearetocontinuetofeedallourpeople.[E]Inless-developedcountries,suchasthoseofsub-SaharanAfricaandSouth-EastAsia,wastagetendstooccurprimarilyatthefarmer-producerendofthesupplychain.Inefficientharvesting,inadequatelocaltransportationandpoorinfrastructure（基础设施）meanthatproduceisfrequentlyhandledinappropriatelyandstoredunderunsuitablefarmsiteconditions.[F]Inmature,fullydevelopedcountriessuchastheUK,more-efficientfanningpracticesandbettertransport,storageandprocessingfacilitiesensurethatalargerproportionofthefoodproducedreachesmarketsandconsumers.However,characteristicsassociatedwithmodemconsumerculturemeanproduceisoftenwastedthroughretailandcustomerbehaviour.[G]Majorsupermarkets,inmeetingconsumerexpectations,willoftenrejectentirecropsofperfectlyediblefruitandvegetablesatthefarmbecausetheydonotmeetexactingmarketingstandardsfortheirphysicalcharacteristics,suchassizeandappearance.[H]Oftheproducethatdoesappearinthesupermarket,commonlyusedsalespromotionsfrequentlyencouragecustomerstopurchaseexcessivequantitieswhich,inthecaseofperishablefoodstuffs,inevitablygeneratewastageinthehome.Overallbetween30%and50%ofwhathasbeenboughtindevelopedcountriesisthrownawaybythepurchaser.BetterUseofOurFiniteResources[I]Wastingfoodmeanslosingnotonlylife-supportingnutritionbutalsopreciousresources,includingland,waterandenergy.Asaglobalsociety,therefore,tacklingfoodwastewillhelpcontributetowardsaddressinganumberofkeyresourceissues.[J]LandUsage:Overthelastfivedecades,improvedfarmingtechniquesandtechnologieshavehelpedtosignificantlyincreasecropyieldsalongwitha12%expansionof.farmedlanduse.However,afurtherincreaseinfarmingareawithoutimpactingunfavourablyonwhatremainsoftheworldsnaturalecosystemsappearsunlikely.Thechallengeisthatanincreaseinanimal-basedproductionwillrequiremoreland,andresources,aslivestock(牲畜)farmingdemandsextensivelanduse.[K]WaterUsage:Overthepastcentury,humanuseoffreshwaterhasincreasedatmorethandoubletherateofpopulationgrowth.Currentlyabout3.8trillionm3ofwaterisusedbyhumansperyear.About70%ofthisisconsumedbytheglobalagriculturesector,andthelevelofusewillcontinuetoriseoverthecomingdecades.[L]Betterirrigationcandramaticallyimprovecropyieldandabout40%oftheworldsfoodsupplyiscurrentlyderivedfromirrigatedland.However,waterusedinirrigationisoftensourcedunsustainably.Inprocessingfoodsaftertheagriculturalstage,therearelargeadditionalusesofwaterthatneedtobetackledinaworldofgrowingdemand.Thisisparticularlycrucialinthecaseofmeatproduction,wherebeefusesabout50timesmorewaterthanvegetables.Inthefuture,moreeffectivewashingtechniques,managementprocedures,andrecyclingandpurificationofwaterwillbeneededtoreducewastage.[M]EnergyUsage:Energyisanessentialresourceacrosstheentirefoodproductioncycle,withestimatesshowinganaverageof7-10caloriesofinputbeingrequiredintheproductionofonecalorieoffood.Thisvariesdramaticallydependingoncrop,fromthreecaloriesforplantcropsto35caloriesintheproductionofbeef.Sincemuchofthisenergycomesfromtheutilisationoffossilfuels,wastageoffoodpotentiallycontributestounnecessaryglobalwarmingaswellasinefficientresourceutilisation.[N]Inthemodernindustrialisedagriculturalprocess—whichdevelopingnationsaremovingtowardsinordertoincreasefutureyields—energyusageinthemakingandapplicationoffertilisersandpesticidesrepresentsthesinglebiggestcomponent.Wheatproductiontakes50%ofitsenergyinputforthesetwoitemsalone.Indeed,onaglobalscale,fertilisermanufacturingconsumesabout3-5%oftheworld’sannualnaturalgassupply.Withproductionanticipatedtoincreaseby25%betweennowand2030,sustainableenergysourcingwillbecomeanincreasinglymajorissue.Energytopowermachinery,bothonthefarmandinthestorageandprocessingfacilities,addstotheenergytotal,whichcurrentlyrepresentsabout3.1%ofannualglobalenergyconsumption.Recommendations[O]Risingpopulationcombinedwithimprovednutritionstandardsandshiftingdietarypreferenceswillexertpressureforincreasesinglobalfoodsupply.Engineers,scientistsandagriculturalistshavetheknowledge,toolsandsystemsthatwillassistinachievingproductivityincreases.However,pressurewillgrowonfiniteresourcesofland,energyandwater.Thepotentialtoprovide60-100%morefoodbysimplyeliminatinglosses,whilesimultaneouslyfreeingupland,energyandwaterresourcesforotheruses,isanopportunitythatshouldnotbeignored.Inordertobegintacklingthechallenge,theInstitutionrecommendsthat:·TheUNFoodandAgricultureOrganisationworkwiththeinternationalengineeringcommunitytoensuregovernmentsofdevelopednationsputinplaceprogrammesthattransferengineeringknowledge,designknow-how,andsuitabletechnologytonewlydevelopingcountries.Thiswillhelpimproveproducehandlingintheharvest,andimmediatepost-harveststagesoffoodproduction.·Governmentsofrapidlydevelopingcountriesincorporatewasteminimisationthinkingintothetransportinfrastructureandstoragefacilitiescurrentlybeingplanned,engineeredandbuilt.·Governmentsindevelopednationsdeviseandimplementpolicythatchangesconsumerexpectations.Theseshoulddiscourageretailersfromwastefulpracticesthatleadtotherejectionoffoodonthebasisofcosmeticcharacteristics,andlossesinthehomeduetoexcessivepurchasingbyconsumers.46.Eliminationofwastealonecanpotentiallyprovideoversixtypercentmorefoodforthegrowingworldpopulation.47.Theproductionandapplicationoffertilisersandpesticidesaccountforthelargestpartofenergyuseinthemodemindustrialisedagriculturalprocess.48.Consumersindevelopedcountriesthrowawaynearlyhalfoftheirfoodpurchasesbecausetheytendtobuyinexcessivequantities.49.Itisrecommendedthatengineeringknowledgeandsuitabletechnologyindevelopedcountriesbeintroducedtodevelopingcountriestoimproveproducehandlingintheharvest.50.Thepredictedglobalpopulationgrowthmeansthatwayshavetobefoundtoproducemorefoodwithfiniteresources.51.Afurtherexpansionoffarmingareawilladverselyimpactontheworldsnaturalecosystems.52.Perfectlyeatablefruitandvegetablecropsoftenfailtoreachsupermarketsduetotheirsizeorphysicalappearance.53.Poorpracticesinharvesting,storageandtransportationhaveresultedinawasteofmuchofthefoodweproduceandthusawasteoflandandresources.54.Foodwasteinless-developedcountrieshappensmainlyattheproducers’end.55.Beefconsumesfarmorewatertoproducethanvegetables.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Callitthe“learningparadox”：themoreyoustruggleandevenfailwhileyou’retryingtolearnnewinformation,thebetteryou’relikelytorecallandapplythatinformationlater.Thelearningparadoxisattheheartof“productivefailure,”aphenomenonidentifiedbyresearcherManuKapur.Kapurpointsoutthatwhilethemodeladoptedbymanyteacherswhenintroducingstudentstonewknowledge—providinglotsofstructureandguidanceearlyon,untilthestudentsshowthattheycandoitontheirown—makesintuitivesense,itmaynotbethebestwaytopromotelearning.Rather,it5sbettertoletthelearnerswrestle（较劲）withthematerialontheirownforawhile,refrainingfromgivingthemanyassistanceatthestart.Inapaperpublishedrecently,Kapurappliedtheprincipleofproductivefailuretomathematicalproblemsolvinginthreeschools.Withonegroupofstudents,theteacherprovidedstrong“scaffolding”—instructionalsupport—andfeedback.Withtheteacher’shelp,thesepupilswereabletofindtheanswerstotheirsetofproblems.Meanwhile,asecondgroupwasdirectedtosolvethesameproblemsbycollaboratingwithoneanother,withoutanypromptsfromtheirinstructor.Thesestudentsweren’tabletocompletetheproblemscorrectly.Butinthecourseoftryingtodoso,theygeneratedalotofideasaboutthenatureoftheproblemsandaboutwhatpotentialsolutionswouldlooklike.Andwhenthetwogroupsweretestedonwhatthey’dlearned,thesecondgroup“significantlyoutperformed”thefirst.Theapparentstrugglesofthefloundering（挣扎的）grouphavewhatKapurcallsa“hiddenefficacy”：theyleadpeopletounderstandthedeepstructureofproblems,notsimplytheircorrectsolutions.Whenthesestudentsencounteranewproblemofthesametypeonatest,they’reabletotransfertheknowledgethey’regatheredmoreeffectivelythanthosewhowerethepassiverecipientsofsomeoneelse’sexpertise.Intherealworld,problemsrarelycomeneatlypackaged,sobeingabletodiscerntheirdeepstructureiskey.But,Kapurnotes,noneofusliketofail,nomatterhowoftenSiliconValleyentrepreneurspraisethebeneficialeffectsofanideathatfailsorastart-upcompanythatcrashesandbums.Soweneedto“designforproductivefailure”bybuildingitintothelearningprocess.Kapurhasidentifiedthreeconditionsthatpromotethiskindofbeneficialstruggle.First,chooseproblemstoworkonthat“challengebutdonotfrustrate.”Second,providelearnerswithopportunitiestoexplainandelaborateonwhatthey’redoing.Third,givelearnersthechancetocompareandcontrastgoodandbadsolutionstotheproblems.Andtothosestudentswhoprotestthistough-loveteachingstyle:you’llthankmelater.56.Whydoestheauthorcallthelearningprocessaparadox? A)Painsdonotnecessarilyleadtogains. B)Whatislearnedisrarelyapplicableinlife. C)Failuremoreoftenthannotbreedssuccess. D)Themoreistaught,thelessislearnt.57.WhatdoesKapurdisapproveofinteaching? A)Askingstudentstofindandsolveproblemsontheirown. B)Developingstudents’abilitytoapplywhattheylearn. C)Givingstudentsdetailedguidanceandinstruction. D)Allowingstudentsafreehandinproblemsolving.58.Whatdopeopletendtothinkofprovidingstrong“scaffolding”inteaching? A)Itwillmaketeachingeasier. B)Itisasensiblewayofteaching. C)Itcanmotivateaveragestudents. D)Itwillenhancestudents’confidence.59.WhatkindofproblemshouldbegiventostudentstosolveaccordingtoKapur? A)Itshouldbeabletoencouragecollaborativelearning. B)Itshouldbeeasyenoughsoasnottofrustratestudents. C)Itshouldbesolvablebyaveragestudentswithease. D)Itshouldbedifficultenoughbutstillwithintheirreach.60.Whatcanbeexpectedof“thistough-loveteachingstyle”(Lines8-9,Para.5)? A)Studentswillbegratefulinthelongrun. B)Teacherswillmeetwithalotofresistance. C)Parentswillthinkittooharshontheirkids. D)Itmaynotbeabletoyieldthedesiredresults.PassageTwoQuestions61to65arebasedonthefollowingpassage.VernonBowman,a75-year-oldfarmerfromruralIndiana,didsomethingthatgothimsued.Heplantedsoybeans（大豆）soldascattlefeed.ButMonsanto,theagriculturalgiant,insistsithasapatentonthekindofgeneticallymodifiedseedsBowmanused—andthatthepatentcontinuestoalloftheprogeny（后代）ofthoseseeds.Havewereallygottentothepointthatplantingaseedcanleadtoahigh-stakesSupremeCourtpatentlawsuit?Wehave,andthatcaseisBowmanvs.Monsanto,whichisbeingarguedonTuesday.Monsanto’scriticshaveattackedthecompanyforits“mercilesslegalbattlesagainstsmallfarmers,”andtheyarehopingthiswillbethecasethatputsitinitsplace.Theyarealsohopingthecourt’srulingwillreininpatentlaw,whichisincreasinglybeingusedtoclaimnewlifeformsasprivateproperty.Monsantoanditssupporters,notsurprisingly,seethecaseverydifferently.TheyarguethatwhenacompanylikeMonsantogoestogreatexpensetocreateavaluablenewgeneticallymodifiedseed,itmustbeabletoprotectitspropertyinterests.IffarmerslikeBowmanareabletousetheseseedswithoutpayingthedesignatedfee,itwillremovetheincentivesforcompanieslikeMonsantotoinnovate.MonsantoaccusedBowmanofpatentinfringementandwonan$84,456damageaward.Ratherthanpayuporworkoutasettlement,Bowmandecidedtoappeal—allthewaytotheSupremeCourt.Hesaid“Monsantoshouldnotbeable,justbecausethey’vegotbillionsofdollarstospendonlegalfees,totrytoterrifyfarmersintoobeyingtheiragreementsbymassiveforceandthreats.”Thecentralissueinthecaseiswhetherpatentrightstolivingthingsextendtotheprogenyofthosethings.Monsantoarguesthatitspatentsextendtolatergenerations.ButBowman’ssupportersarguethatMo