2020年12月大学英语六级阅读真题以及答案（三）

英语六级阅读真题，不仅强化词汇与句型理解，更提升阅读速度与综合分析能力。实战演练，让考生熟悉题型变化，掌握解题技巧，是冲刺六级高分不可或缺的宝贵资源。今天，小编将分享2020年12月大学英语六级阅读真题以及答案（卷三）相关内容，希望能为大家提供帮助！

Section A

Directions:In this section,there is a passage with ten blanks.You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a wordbank following the passage.Read the passage through carefully before making your choices.Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter.Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with asingle line through the centre.You may not use any ofthe words in the bank more than once.

Social distancing is putting people out of work,canceling school and tanking the stock market.It has been  26  by fear,and it is creating even more fear as money problems and uncertainty grow. However,at its core is love,and a sacrifice to protect those most  27  tothe coronatirus(冠状病毒 )effects—the elderly,people with compromised immune systems,and those whose life-saving resources would be used up by a  28  epidemic.

Americans make life-saving decisions every day as a matter of course.We cut food into bite-sized pieces,we wear seatbelts,and we take care not to exceed the speed limit.But social distancing is  29  in that it is completely self-sacrificing.Those who will benefitmay be the elderly relatives of the  30  person we didn't pass in Starbucks,on the subway,or in the elevator.

Social distancing is millions of people making hundreds of sacrifices to keep the elderly alive.It doesn't inchude the  31  to run from society ormakean excuse to avoid one's obligations—such as life-saving medical work or the parental obligation to buy groceries.What it does includeis applying  love through caution.And in doing so,it offers an  32  opportunity for thosewho care about the elderly to find newways to lovethem.

If we're not  33  as much in our normal work or school,we haveextratime to call parents and grandparents.We can also ask elderly relatives how to best support them  34  and useour sacrifices as an opportunity tobringus,our community and the world  35  .

A)amazing

B)closer

C)driven

D)engaged

E)malignant

F)oppressing

G)premises

H)random

I)sentimentally

J)spiritually

K)temptations

L)thriftier

M)tickled

N)unique

O)vulnerable

Section B

Directions: In this section,youare going to reada passage with ten statements attached to it.Each statement contains information given inone of the paragraphs.Identify theparagraph from which the information is derived.You may choose a paragraph more than once.Each paragraph is markedwith a letter.Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.

Why Lifelong Learning Is the International Passport to Success

A)Picture yourself at a college graduation day,with a fresh cohort(一群)of students about to set sail for new horizons.What are they thinking while they throw their caps in the air?What is it with this thin shet of paperthat makes it so precious?It's not only the proof of acquied knowledge but plays into the reputation game of where you were trained.Being a graduate fromHarvard Law School carries that extra glamour,doesn't it?Yet take a closer look,and the diploma is the perfect ending to the modern tragedy of education.

B)Why?Because universities and curricula are designed along the three unities of French classical tragedy:time,action,and place.Students meet at the university campus (unity of place)for classes (unity of action)during their 20s (unityof time).This classical model has traditionally produced prestigious universities,but it is now challenged by the digitalisation of society—which allows everybody who is connected to the internet to access learning—and by the need to acquire skills in step with a fast-changing world.Universities must realise that learning in your 20s won't be enough.If technological diffusion and  implementation develop faster,workers will have to constantly refresh their skills.

C)The university model needs to evolve.It must equip students with the right skils and knowledge to compete in a world*where value will be derived largely from human interaction and the ability to invent and interpret things that machines cannot',as the English futurist Richard Watson puts it.By teaching foundational knowledge and up-to-date gkills,universities will provide students with the future-proof skills of lifelong learning,notjust get them‘job-ready'.

D)Some universities already play a critical role in lifelong learning as they want to keep the value of their diplomas.This new role comes with a huge set of challenges,and needs largely to be invented.One way to start this transformation process could be to go beyond the'five-year diploma model'to adapt curricula to lifelong learning.We call this model the lifelong passport.

E)The Bachelor's degree could be yourpassport to lifelong learning.For the first few years,students would‘leam to learn'and get endowed with reasoning skills that remain with them for the rest of their lives.For instance,physics allows you to observe and rationalise the world,but also to integrate observations into models and,sometimes,models into theories or laws that can be used to make predictions.Mathematics is the language used to formulate the laws of physics or economy, and to make rigorous computations that turm into predictions.These two disciplines naturally form the foundational pillars of education in technical universities.

F)Recent advances in computational methods and data science push us into rethinking science and engineering.Computers increasingly become principal actors in leveraging data to formulate questions,which requires radically new ways of reasoning.Therefore,a new discipline blending computer science,programming,statistics and machine learming should be added to the traditional foundational topics of mathematics and physics.These three pillars would allow you to keep learning complex technical subjects all your life because numeracy(计算)is the foundation upon which everything else is eventually built

G)According to this new model,the Master of Science (MSc)would become the first stamp in the lifelong learning journey.The MSc curriculum should prepare students for their professional career by allowing them to focus on acquiring practical skills through projects.

H)Those projects are then interwoven with fast-paced technical modules(模块)learned‘on-the-fly' and*at  will'depending on the nature of the project.If,for instance,your project is developing an integrated circuit,you will have to take a module on advanced concepts in microelectronics.The most critical skills will be developed before the project even starts,in the form of boot camps (短期强化训练),while the rest can be fostered along with the project,puting them to immediate  use and thus providing a rich leaning context.

I)In addition to technical capabilities,the very natureof projects develops social and entrepreneurial skills,such as design thinking,initiative taking,team leading,activity reporting or resource planning.Not only will those skills be actually integrated into the curriculum but they will be very important to have in the future because they are dficult to automate.

J)After the MSc diploma is earned,there would be many more stamps of lifelong learning over the years.If universities decide to engage in this learning model,they will have to cope with many organisational challenges that might shake their unity of place and action.First,the number of studens would be unpredictable.If all of a university's alumni(往届毕业生)were to become studentsagain,the student body would be much bigger than it is  now,and it could become unsustainable for the campus in terms of both size and resources.Second,freshly  graduated students would mix with professionally experienced ones.This would change the classroom dynamics,perhaps for the best.Project-based learning with a mixed team reflects the reality of the professional world and could therefore be a better preparation for it

K)Sound like science fiction?In many countries,part-time studying is not exceptional:on average across OECD countries,part-time students in 2016 represented 20 per cent of enrolment in tertiary education.In manycountries,this share is higher and can exceed 40 per cent in Australia,New Zealand and Sweden.

L)If lifelong leaning were to become a priority and the new norm,diplomas,just like passports, could be revalidated periodically.A time-determinedrevalidation would ease administration for everybody.Universities as well as employers and employees would know when they have to retrain.For instance,graduates from the year 2000 would have to come back in 2005.

M)This could fix the main organisational challenges for the university,but not for the learmers,due to lack of time,family obligations or funds.Here,online learning might be an option because it allows you to save your‘travel time',but it has its limits.So far,none of the major employers associated withonline learning platforms such as Coursera and Udacity has committed to hire or even interview graduates of their newonline programmes.

N)Even if time were not an issue,who will pay for lifelong learning?That's the eternal debate: should it be  the learner's responsibility,that of his employer,or of the state?For example,in Massachusetts,the healthcare professions require continuing education credits,which arecarefully evidenced and documented.Yet the same state's lawyers don't require continuing legaleducation, although most lawyers do participate in it informally.One explanation is that technology is less of a factor in law than it is in healthcare.

O)Europe has many scenarios,but the French and Swiss ones are interesting to compare.In France,every individual has a right to lifelong learning organised via a personal learning account that is credited as you work.In  Switzerland,lifelong learning is a personal responsibilityand not a govemment one.However,employers and the  state encourage continuing education either by funding parts of it or by allowing employees to attend it.

P)Universities have a fundamental role to play in this journey,and higher education is in fora change.Just like classical theatre,the old university model produced talent and value for society. We are not advocating its abolition butrather calling for the adaptaion of its characteristics to meet the needs of today.

36.Students should develop the key skills before they start a project. 

37.By acquiringreasoning skills in the first few years of college,students can lay a foundation for lifelong learning.

38.The easy access to learning and rapid technological changes have brought the traditional model of education under challenge.

39.Unbelievable as it may seem,part-time students constitute a considerable portion of the student body inmany universities across the world.

40.Some socialand managerial skills,which are not easily automated,will be ofgreat importance to students'future  careers.

41.A newmodel of college education should provide students with the knowledge and skill thatwill makethem more inventive and capable of lifelong learming.

42.A mixed student body may change the classroom dynamics and benefit learning.

43.Thequestion of who will bearthe cost of lifelong learningis a topic of constant debate.

44.To the traditional subjectsof math and physics should be added a new discipline which combines computer science with statistics and other components.

45.Students who are burdened with family duties might choose to take online courses.

Section C

Directions: There are 2 passages in this section.Each passage is folloued by some questions or unfinished statements.Foreach 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 throughthecentre.

Passage One

Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.

Why does social media trigger feelings of loneliness and inadequacy?Because instead of being real life,it  is,for the most part,impression management,a way of marketing yourself,carefully choosing and filtering the pictures and words to put your best face forward.

Online“friends”made through social media do not follow the normal psychological progression of an interpersonalrelationship.You share neither physical time nor emotional conversations over the Intermet.You simply communicatephotographs and catchy posts to a diverse group of people whom you have“friended”or“followed”basedon an accidental interaction.This is not to say that your social media friends can't be  real friends.They absolutely can,but the two are not synonymous.

Generally speaking,there are no unfiltered comments or casually taken photos on our social media pages.And,rightfully so,because it wouldn't feel safe to be completely authentic andvulnerable with some of our "friends"whom we don't actually know or with whom trust has yet to be built.

Social media can certainly be an escape from the daily grind,but we must be cautioned against the negative effects,such as addiction,on a person's overall psychological well-being.

As humans,we yearn for social connection.Scrolling(滚动)through pages of pictures and comments,however,does not provide the samedegree of fulfllment as face-to-face interactions do. Also,we tend to idealize others'lives and compare our downfalls to their greatest accomplishments, ending in feelings of loneliness and inadequacy.

Social media can lead people on the unhealthy quest for perfection.Some people begin to attend certain events or travel to different places so that they can snap that“perfect”photo.They begin to seek validation through  the number of people who“like”their posts.In order for it to play a psychologically healthy role in your social life,social media should supplement an already healthy social network.Pictures and posts should be byproducts of life's treasured moments and fun times,not the planned and calculated image that one is putting out into cyberspace in an attempt to fll insecurities or unmet needs.

Ultimately,social media has increased our ability to connect with various typesof people all over the globe.It has opened doors for businessesand allowed us to stay connected to people whom we may not otherwise get to follow.However,social media should feel like a fun experience,not one that contributes to negative thoughts and feelings.If the latter is the case,increasing face-to-face time with trusted friends,and minimizing time scrolling online,will prove to be a reminder that your social network is much more rewarding than any  “like,"“follow”or“share”can be.

46.What does the author imply social media may do to our life?

A)It may facilitate our interpersonal relationships.   

B)It may filter our negative impressions of others. 

C)It may make us feel isolated and incompetent.

D)It may render us vulnerable and inauthentic.

47.Why do people post comments selectively on social media? 

A)They do not find all their online friends trustworthy.

B)They want to avoid offending any of their audience.

C)They do not want to lose their followers.

D)They are eager to boost their popularity.

48.Whatare humans inclined to do according to the passage?

A)Exaggerate their life's accomplishments.     

B)Strive for perfection regardless of the cost.

C)Paint a rosy picture of other people's lives.

D)Learn lessons from other people's downfalls.

49.What is the author's view of pictures and posts on social media?

A)They should record the memorable moments in people's lives. 

B)They should be carefully edited so as topresent the best image

C)They should be shown in a way that meets one's security needs.   

D)They should keep people from the unhealthy quest for perfection.

50.What does the author advise people to do when they find their online experience unconstructive?

A)Usesocial media to increase their ability to connec with various types ofpeople. 

B)Stayconnected tothose whom they may not otherwise get to know and befriend.   

C)Try to prevent negative thoughts and feelings from getting into the online pages.

D)Strengthen tieswith real-life friends instead of caring about their online image.

Passage Two

Questions 5l to 55 are based on the following passage.

Imaginethat an alien species landed on Earth and,through their mere presence,those aliens caused our art to vanish,ourmusic to homogenize,and our technological know-how to disappear. That is effectively what humans have been doing to our closest relatives—chimps(大猩猩).

Back in 1999,a team of scientists led by Andrew Whiten showed that chimps from different parts of Africa  behave very differently from one another.Some groups would get each other's attention by rapping branches with their knuckles(指关节),while othersdid it by loudly ripping leaves with theirteeth.The team identified 39 of thesetraditions that are practiced by some communitiesbut notothers—a pattern that,atthe time,hadn't been  seen in any animal except humans.Itwas evidence,the team said,thatchimps have their own cultures.

It took a long time to convince skeptics that such cultures exist,but nowwehave plenty of examples of animals learning local traditions from one another.

Butjust when many scientists have come to accept the existence of animal cultures,many of those cultures might vanish.Ammie Kalan and her colleagues have shown,through years of intensive fieldwork,that the very presence of humans has eroded the diversity of chimp behavior.Where we flourish,their cultures wither.It is a bitterly ironic thing to learn on the 20th anniversary of Whiten's classic study.

“It's amazing to think that just 60 years ago,we knew next to nothing of the behavior of our sister species  inthewild,"Whiten says.“But now,justasweare truly gettingtoknow our primate(灵长类)cousins,the actions of humans are closing the window on all we have discovered.”

“Sometimes in the rush t conserve the species,I think we forget about the individuals,”says Cat Hobaiter,a professor at the University of St.Andrews.“Each population,each community,even each generation of chimps is unique.An event might only have asmall impact on the total population of chimps,but it may wipe out an entire community—an entire culture.No matter what we do to restore habitator support populationgrowth,we may never be able to restore that culture."

No one knows whether the destruction of chimp culture is getting worse.Few places have tracked chimpbehavior over longperiods,and those that have are also more likely to have protected their animals from human influence.

Obviously,conservationists need to think about saving species in a completely new way—by preserving animal traditions as well as bodies and genes.“Instead of focusing only on the conservation of genetically based entities like species,we now need to also consider culturally based entities,"says Andrew Whiten.

51.What does the author say we humans have been doing to chimps?

A)Ruining their culture. 

B)Accelerating their extinction.

C)Treating them as alien species.

D)Homogenizing their living habits.

52.What is the finding of Andrew Whiten's team?

A)Chimps demonstrate highly developed skills of communication.   

B)Chimps rely heavily upon their body language to communicate. 

C)Chimps behave in ways quite similar to those of human beings.  

D)Different chimp groups differ in their way of communication.

53.What did Ammie Kalan and hercolleagues find through their intensive fieldwork?

A)Whiten's classic study has little impacton the diversity of chimp behavior.

B)Chimp behavior becomes less variedwith the increaseof human activity. 

C)Chimps alter their culture to quickly adapt to the changed environment.

D)It might already be too late to prevent animal cultures from extinction.

54.Whatdoes Cat Hobaiter think we should do for chimpconservation? 

A)Try to understand our sister species'behavior in the wild

B)Makeefforts to preserve each individual chimp community.

C)Study the uniquecharacteristics of each generation of chimps.

D)Endeavor to restore chimp habitats to expandits total population.

55.What does the author suggestconservationists do?

A)Focus entirely on culturally-based entities rather than genetically-based ones. 

B)Place more stress on animal traditions than on their physical conservation.

C)Conserve animal species in a novel and all-round way.

D)Explore the cultures of species before they vanish.