大学英语六级分类模拟题318

大学英语六级分类模拟题318

ReadingComprehension

Womenarehalfthepopulationbutonly15%ofboardmembersatbigAmerican

firms,and10%inEurope.Companiesthatfishinonlyhalfofthetalentpool

willloseouttothosethatcasttheirnetmorewidely.Thereisalsoevidence

thatmixedboardsmakebetterdecisions.

MindfulofthiszEuropeancountriesarepassinglawsthatwouldforce

companiestopromotemorewomentotheexecutivesuite.AnewFrenchlaw

requireslistedfirmstoreserve40%ofboardseatsforwomenby2017.Norway

andSpainhavesimilarlaws;Germanyisconsideringone.TheEuropean

Parliamentdeclaredthismonththatsuchquotasshouldbeappliedthroughout

theEuropeanUnion.

Therearetwomainargumentsforcompulsoryquotas.Oneisthatthemen

whodominatecorporateboardsarehopelesslysexist:theypromotepeoplelike

themselvesandignoreanyfemaletalent.

Thesecondargumentismoresubtle.Talentedexecutivesneedmentors（导

师）tohelpthemclimbtheladder.Maledirectorsmentoryoungmenbutare

reluctanttogetfriendlywithyoungwomen,lesttherelationshipbe

misinterpreted.Quotaswillbreakthisviciouscyclebyputtinglotsofwomen

atthetop,whocanthenoffertheirsistersalegup.

Theremaybesomethinginbothargumentsfbutinmostrichcountriessexism

isnolongerthemainobstacletowomen1scareers.Childrenare.Mostwomen

takecareerbreakstolookafterthem.Manycareforelderlyrelatives,too.

Onestudyfoundthattwo-thirdsofAmericanwomenhadatsomepointswitched

fromfull-timeworktopart-timeorflexibletimetobalanceworkandfamily.

Suchchoicesmakeitharderforwomentogaintheexperiencenecessaryto

makeittotheverytop.

Whatismore,bigcompaniesareincreasinglyglobal.Manywantabosswho

hasworkedinmorethanonecountry.Suchforeignpostingsdisruptfamilies;

manywomenturnthemdown.Andmany,anticipatingacareerbreakatsomepoint

inthefuture,enterfieldswheretheirskillswillnotquicklybecomeoutdated,

suchaslaworhumanresources.Somelawyersmakegoodchiefexecutives.But

firmsoftenwantpeoplewithfinancialoroperationalexperienceforthetop

jobs,andthesefieldsarestillmale-dominated.

Quotasaretoobluntatoolforsuchatangledproblem.Thewomencompanies

arecompelledtoputonboardsareunlikelytobeasusefulasthosethey

placetherevoluntarily.Quotasforcefirmseithertcpadtheirboardswith

tokennon-executivedirectors,ortoallocaterealpoweronthebasisofsex

ratherthanmerit.Enforcingquotasforwomenhasledtolargenumbersof

inexperiencedwomenbeingappointedtoboards,andseriouslydamagedthose

firms*performance.

1、Whatwillhappentoacompanyifmendominateitsexecutiveboard?

A.Itstalentpoolwilldryoutsooner.

B.Itscompetitivenesswillbeweakened.

C.Itswomenemployeeswillcomplain.

D.Itisboundtomakeunwisedecisions.

2、Whatseemstopreventwomenfrombecomingboardmembersapartfromsexism?

A.Manyofthemlacktheccuragetofacethechallengeintheboardroom.

B.Maledirectorsareafraidofwomen'spotentialthreattotheir

authority.

C.Fewofthemhavethetrainingandqualificationsneededforexecutive

duties.

D.Maledirectorsrefrainfromgivingthemguidancetoavoid

misunderstanding.

3、Whatdoestheauthorsayistherealbarriertowomen*scareers?

A.Anapparentlackofnecessarylegislation.

B.Fiercecompetitionfrommalecolleagues.

C.Theburdenoftakingcareoftheirfamily.

D.Thewidespreadsexismintheworkplace.

4、Whydomanywomenchoosetoentersuchfieldsaslaworhumanresources?

A.Theyallowwomencareerbreaksifneedbe.

B.Theycanbringawoman'stalentintofullplay.

C.Theyofferhighsalariesandattractivebenefits.

D.TheypavethewayforwomentobecomeCEOs.

5、Whatdoestheauthorthinkofthepracticeofenforcingquotasforwomen

executives?

A.Itisasimplesolutiontoatangledproblem.

B.Itisaneffectivetooltocombatsexism.

C.Ithelpsfilltheexecutiveboardwithtalents.

D.Itadverselyaffectsafirm'sperformance.

Internationalgovernments*inactionconcerningsustainabledevelopmentis

clearlyworryingbuttheproac二ive（主动出击的）approachesofsomeleading-edge

companiesareencouraging.Toyota,Wal-Mart,DuPont,M&SandGeneralElectric

havemadetacklingenvironmentalwastesakeyeconomicdriver.

DuPontcommitteditselftoa65%reductioningreenhousegasemissions

inthe10yearspriorto2010.By2007,DuPontwassaving$2.2billionayear

throughenergyefficiency,thesameasitstotaldeclaredprofitsthatyear.

GeneralElectricaimstoreducetheenergyintensityofitsoperationsby

50%by2015.Theyhaveinvestedheavilyinprojectsdesignedtochangethe

wayofusingandconservingenergy.

CompanieslikeToyotaandWal-Martarenotcommittingtoenvironmental

goalsoutofthegood-nessoftheirhearts.Thereasonfortheiractionsis

asimpleyetpowerfulrealizationthattheenviron-mentalandeconomic

footprintsfitwelltogether.WhenM&Slaunchedits"PlanA"sustainability

programmein2007zitwasbelievedthatitwouldcostover$200millionin

thefirstfiveyears.However,theinitiativehadgenerated$105millionby

2011/12.

Whenwepreventphysicalwaste,increaseenergyefficiencyorimprove

resourceproductivity,wesavemoney,improveprofitabilityandenhance

competitiveness.Infact,thereareoftenhuge*,quickwin”opportunities,

thankstoyearsofneglect.

However,thereisaconsiderablegapbetweenleading-edgecompaniesand

therestofthepace.Therearefartoomanycompaniesstilldelayingcreating

aleanandgreenbusinesssystem,arguingthatitwillcostmoneyorrequire

sizablecapitalinvestment.Theyremainstuckinthe"environmentiscost"

mentality.Beingenvironmentallyfriendlydoesnothavetocostmoney.In

fact,goingbeyondcompliancesavescostatthesametimethatitgenerates

cash,providedthatmanagementadoptsthenewleanandgreenmodel.

Leanmeansdoingmorewithless.Nonetheless^inmostcompanies,economic

andenviron-mentalcontinuousimprovementisviewedasbeinginconflictwith

eachother.Thisisoneofthebig-gestopportunitiesmissedacrossmost

industries.Thesizeoftheopportunityisenormous.The3%Reportrecently

publishedbyWorldWildlifeFundandCDPshowsthat二heeconomicprizefor

curbingcarbonemissionsintheUSeconomyis$780billionbetweennowand

2020.Itsuggeststhatoneofthebiggestleversfordeliveringthis

oppurLuniLyis^increasedefficiencyLhroughniciiiagenienLandbehavioural

change"—inotherwords,leanandgreenmanagement.

Some50studiesshowthatcompaniesthatcommittosuchaspirationalgoals

aszerowaste,zeroharmfulemissions,andzerouseofnon-renewableresources

arefinanciallyoutperformingtheircompetitors.Conversely^itwasfound

thatclimatedisruptionisalreadycosting$1.2trillionannually,cutting

globalGDPby1.6%.Unaddressed,thiswilldoubleby2030.

6、Whatdoestheauthorsayaboutsomeleading-edgecompanies?

A.Theyoperateinaccordancewithgovernmentpolicies.

B.Theytakeinitiativesinhandlingenvironmentalwastes.

C.Theyarekeydriversintheirnations*economicgrowth.

D.Theyaremajorcontributorstoenvironmentalproblems.

7、WhatmotivatesToyotaandWal-Marttomakecommitmentstoenvironmental

protection?

A.Thegoodnessoftheirhearts.B.Astrongsenseof

responsibility.

C.Thedesiretogenerateprofits.D.Pressurefrom

environmentalists.

8、Whyaresomanycompaniesreluctanttocreateanenvironment-friendly

businesssystem?

A.Theyarebentonmakingquickmoney.

B.Theydonothavethecapitalfortheinvestment.

C.Theybelievebuildingsuchasystemistoocostly.

D.Theylacktheincentivetochangebusinesspractices.

9、Whatissaidabouttheleanandgreenmodelofbusiness?

A.Ithelpsbusinessestosaveandgainatthesametime.

B.Itisaffordableonlyforafewleading-edgecompanies.

C.Itislikelytostartanewroundofintensecompetition.

D.Itwilltakealongtimeforallcompaniestoembraceit.

10、Whatisthefindingofthestudiesaboutcompaniescommittedto

environmentalgoals?

A.Theyhavegreatlyenhancedtheirsenseofsocialresponsibility.

B.Theydomuchbetterthantheircounterpartsintermsofrevenues.

C.Theyhaveabandonedalltheout-datedequipmentandtechnology.

D.Theymakegreatercontributionstohumanprogressthantheirrivals.

Ifyouaskedmetodescribetherisingphilosophyoftheday,11dsayitis

data-ism.Wenowhavetheabilitytogatherhugeamountsofdata.Thisability

seemstocarrywithitcertainculturalassumptions—thateverythingthatcan

bemeasuredshouldbemeasured;thatdataisatransparentandreliablelens

thatallowsustofilteroutemotionalismandideology;thatdatawillhelp

usdoremark-ablethings—likeforetellthefuture.

Overthenextyear,I*mhopingtogetabettergripcnsomeofthequestions

raisedbythedatarevolution:inwhatsituationsshouldwerelyonintuitive

patternrecognitionandinwhichsituationsshouldweignoreintuitionand

followthedata?whatkindsofeventsarepredictableusingstatistical

analysisandwhatsortsofeventsarenot?

IconfessIenterthisinaskepticalframeofmindbelievingthatwetend

togetcarriedawayinourdesiretoreduceeverythingtothequantifiable.

Butattheoutsetletmecelebratetwothingsdatadoesreallywell.

First,it*sreallygoodatexposingwhenourintuitiveviewofreality

iswrong.Forexample,nearlyeverypersonwhorunsfcrpoliticalofficehas

anintuitivesensethattheycanpowerfullyinfluencetheiroddsofwinning

theelectioniftheycanjustraiseandspendmoremoney.Butthisislargely

wrong.

Afterthe2006election,SeanTrendsconstructedagraphcomparingthe

incumbent（在任者的）campaignspendingadvantageswiththeireventualmargins

ofvictory.Therewasbarelyanyrelationshipbetweenmorespendinganda

biggervictory.

Likewise,manyteachershaveanintuitivesensethatdifferentstudents

havedifferentlearningstyles:someareverbalandsomearevisual;some

arelinear,someareholistic（整体的）.Teachersimaginetheywillimprove

outcomesiftheytailortheirpresentationstoeachstudent.Butthere1sno

evidencetosupportthiseither.

Second,datacanilluminatepatternsofbehaviorwehaven11yetnoticed.

Forexample,I'vealwaysassumedpeoplewhofrequentlyusewordslike**工”，

“me"，and**mine**areprobablymoreself-centeredthanpeoplewhodon*t.But

asJamesPennebakeroftheUniversityofTexasnotesinhisbook,TheSecret

LifeofPronouns,whenpeoplearefeelingconfident,theyarefocusedonthe

taskathand,notonthemselves.High-status,confidentpeopleusefewernI"

words,notmore.

Ourbrainsoftendon*tnoticesubtleverbalpatterns,butPennebaker*s

computerscan.Youngerwritersusemorenegativeandpast-tensewordsthan

olderwriterswhousemorepositiveandfuture-tensewords.

Insum,thedatarevolutionisgivinguswonderfulwaystounderstandthe

presentandthepast.Willittransformourabilitytopredictandmake

decisionsaboutthefuture?We*11see.

11、Whatdodata-istsassumetheycando?

A.Transformpeople1sculturalidentity.

B.Changethewayfutureeventsunfold.

C.Getafirmgriponthemostimportantissues.

D.Eliminateemotionalandideologicalbias.

12、Whatdopeoplerunningforpoliticalofficethinktheycando?

A.Usedataanalysistopredicttheelectionresults.

B.Wintheelectioniftheycanraiseenoughfunds.

C.Manipulatepublicopinionwithfavorabledata.

D.Increasethechancesofwinningbyfoulmeans.

13>Whydomanyteachersfavortheideaoftailoring二heirpresentationsto

differentstudents?

A.Theythinkstudentspreferflexibleteachingmethods.

B.Theywillbeabletotrydifferentapproaches.

C.Theybelievestudents*learningstylesvary.

D.Theycanaccommodatestudentswithspecialneeds.

14、WhatdoesJamesPennebakerrevealinTheSecretLifeofPronouns?

A.Theimportanceofusingpronounsproperly.

B.Repeateduseoffirst-personpronounsbyself-centeredpeople.

C.Frequentuseofpronounsandfuturetensebyyoungpeople.

D.Apatterninconfidentpeople'suseofpronouns.

15、Whyistheauthorskepticalofthedatarevolution?

A.Datamaynotbeeasilyaccessible.

B.Errorsmayoccurwithlargedatasamples.

C.Datacannotalwaysdowhatweimagineitcan.

D.Somedatamayturnouttobeout-dated.

Itiseasytomissamidtheday-to-dayheadlinesofglobaleconomicrecession,

butthereisalessconspicuouskindofsocialupheaval（居U变）underwaythat

isfastalteringboththefaceoftheplanetandthewayhumanbeingslive.

Thatchangeistherapidaccelerationofurbanization.In2008,forthefirst

timeinhumanhistory,morethanhalftheworld*spopulationwaslivingin

townsandcities.Andasarecentlypublishedpapershowsrtheprocessof

urbanizationwillonlyaccelerateinthedenselytocome—withanenormous

impactonbiodiversityandpotentiallyonclimatechange.

AsKarenSeto,theleadauthorofthepaper,pointsout,thewaveof

urbanizationisn'tjustaboutthemigrationofpeopleintourbanenvironments,

butabcuttheenvironmentsthemselvesbecomingbiggertoaccommodateallthose

people.Therapidexpansionofurbanareaswillhaveahugeimpacton

biodiversityhotspotsandoncarbonemissionsinthoseurbanareas.

Humansaretheultimateinvasivespecies—whentheymoveintonewterritory,

theyoftendis-placethewildlifethatwasalreadylivingthere.Andasland

isclearedforthosenewcities—especiallyinthedensetropical

forests—carbonwillbereleasedintotheatmosphereaswell.It*struethat

aspeopleindevelopingnationsmovefromthecountrysidetothecity,the

shiftmayreducethepressureonland,whichcouldinturnbegoodforthe

environment.ThisisespeciallysoindesperatelypoorcountriesAwhere

residentsinthecountrysideslashandbumforestseachgrowingseasonto

clearspaceforfanning.Buttherealdifferenceisthatindevelopingnations,

themovefromruralareastocitiesoftenleadstoanaccompanyingincrease

inincome-andthatincreaseleadstoanincreaseintheconsumptionoffood

andenergy,whichinturncausesariseincarbonemissions.Gettingenough

toeatandenjoyingthesafetyandcomfortoflivingfullyonthegridis

certainlyagoodthing—butitdoescarryanenvironmentalprice.

Theurbanizationwavecan11bestopped—anditshouldn*tbe.ButSeto*s

paperdoesunderscoretheimportanceofmanagingthattransition.Ifwedo

ittherightway,wecanreduceurbanization1simpactsontheenvironment.

"There'sanenormousopportunityhere,andalotofpressureandresponsibility

tothinkabouthowweurbanize,”saysSeto."Theonethingthat1sclearis

thatwecan11buildcitiesthewaywehaveoverthelastcoupleofhundred

years.Thescaleofthistransitionwon*tallowthat.*'We1reheadedtowards

anurbanplanetnomatterwhat,butwhetheritbecomesheavenorhellisup

tous.

16>Whatissuedoestheauthortrytodrawpeople1sattentionto?

A.Theshakingbiodiversityworldwide.

B.Therapidincreaseofworldpopulation.

C.Theongoingglobaleconomicrecession.

D.Theimpactofacceleratingurbanization.

17、Inwhatsensearehumanstheultimateinvasivespecies?

A.Theyaremuchgreedierthanotherspecies.

B.Theyareauniquespeciesborntoconquer.

C.Theyforceotherspeciesoutoftheirterritories.

D.Theyhaveanurgetoexpandtheirlivingspace.

18、Inwhatwayisurbanizationinpoorcountriesgoodfortheenvironment?

A.Morelandwillbepreservedforwildlife.

B.Thepressureonfarmlandwillbelessened.

C.Carbonemissionswillbeconsiderablyreduced.

D.Naturalresourceswillbeusedmoreeffectively.

19、Whatdoestheauthorsayaboutlivingcomfortablyinthecity?

A.Itincursahighenvironmentalprice.

B.Itbringspovertyandinsecuritytoanend.

C.Itcausesabigchangeinpeople'slifestyle.

D.Itnarrowsthegapbetweencityandcountry.

20、Whatcanbedonetominimizethenegativeimpactofurbanizationaccording

toSeto?

A.Slowingdownthespeedoftransition.

B.Innovativeuseofadvancedtechnology.

C.Appropriatemanagementoftheprocess.

D.Enhancingpeople1ssenseofresponsibility.

WhenHarvardstudentMarkZuckerberglaunchedtheface-book,corninFeb.

2004,evenhecouldnotimaginetheforcesitwouldletloose.Hisintent

wastoconnectcollegestudents.Face-book,whichiswhatthiswebsiterapidly

evolvedinto,endedupconnectingtheworld.

Tothechildrenofthisconnectedera,theworldisonegiantsocialnetwork.

Theyarenotbound—aswerepreviousgenerationsofhumans—bywhattheywere

taught.Theyareonlylimitecbytheircuriosityandambition.Duringmy

childhood,allknowledgewaslocal.Youlearnedevery-thingyouknewfrom

yourparents,teachers,preachersandfriends.

Withthehigh-qualityandtimelyinformationattheirfingertips,today*s

childrenarerisingabovethefearsandbiasesoftheirparents.Adultsare

alsoparticipatinginthisrevolution.India1snormallytamemiddleclass

isspeakingupagainstsocialills.Siliconvalleyexecutivesarebeingshamed

intoaddingwomentotheirboards.Politicalleadersaremarshallingtheenergy

ofmillionsforelectionsandpoliticalcauses,Allofthisisbeingdone

withsocialmediatechnologiesthatFacebookanditscompetitorssetfree.

Asdoeseveryadvancingtechnology,socialmediahascreatedmanynew

problems.Itiscommonlyaddictiveandcreatesrisksforyoungerusers.Social

mediaisusedbyextremistsintheMiddleEastandelsewheretoseekand

brainwashrecruits.Anditexposesusandourfriendstodisagreeablespying,

wemayleaveourlightsonin二hehousewhenweareonvacation,butthrough

socialmediawetellcriminalsexactlywhereweare,whenweplantoreturn

home,andhowtoblackmail（敲诈）us.

Governmentsdon'tneedinformersanymore.Socialmediaallowsgovernment

agenciestospyontheirowncitizens.Werecordourthoughts,emotions/likes

anddislikesonFacebook;weshareourpoliticalviews,socialpreferences,

andplans.Wepostintimatephotographsofourselves.Nospyagencyorcriminal

organizationcouldactivelygatherthetypeofdatathatwevoluntarilypost

forthem.

Themarketersarealsoseeingbigopportunities.Amazonistryingto

predictwhatwewillorder.Googleistryingtojudgeourneedsandwants

basedonoursocial-mediaprofiles.Weneedtobeawareoftherisksandkeep

workingtoalleviatethedancers.

Regardlessofwhatsocialmediapeopleuse—onethingiscertain:weare

inaperiodofacceleratingchange.Thenextdecadewillbeevenmoreamazing

andunpredictablethanthelast.Justasnoonecouldpredictwhatwouldhappen

withsocialmediainthelastdecade,noonecanaccuratelypredictwhere

thistechnologywilltakeus.Iamoptimistic,however,thataconnected

humanitywillfindawaytoupliftitself.

21、WhatwasthepurposeofFacebookwhenitwasfirstcreated?

A.Tohelpstudentsconnectwiththeoutsideworld.

B.Tobringuniversitystudentsintoclosercontact.

C.Tohelpstudentslearntoliveinaconnectedera.

D.Tocombinetheworldintoanintegralwhole.

22、Whatdifferencedoessocialmediamaketolearning?

A.Localknowledgeandglobalknowledgewillmerge.

B.Studentswillbecomemorecuriousandambitious.

C.Peopleareabletolearnwherevertheytravel.

D.Sourcesofinformationaregreatlyexpanded.

23、Whatistheauthor1sgreatestconcernwithsocialmediatechnology?

A.Individualsandorganizationsmayuseitforevilpurposes.

B.Governmentwillfindithardtoprotectclassifiedinformation.

C.Peoplemaydisclosetheirfriends'informationunintentionally.

D.People'sattentionwillbeeasilydistractedfromtheirworkinhand.

24、Whatdobusinessesusesocialmediafor?

A.Creatingagoodcorporateimage.

B.Anticipatingtheneedsofcustomers.

C.Conductinglarge-scalemarketsurveys.

D.Minimizingpossiblerisks