2014年12月六級閱讀答案

　　It is easy to miss amid the day-to-day headlines of global economic recession, but there is a less conspicuous kind of social upheaval(劇變)underway that is fast altering both the face of the planet and the way human beings live. That change is the rapid acceleration of urbanization. In 2008, for the first time in human history, more than half the world’s population was living in towns and cities. And as a recently published paper shows, the process of urbanization will only accelerate in the decades to come—with an enormous impact on biodiversity and potentially on climate change.

　　As Karen Seto, the led author of the paper, points out, the wave of urbanization isn’t just about the migration of people into urban environments, but about the environments themselves becoming bigger to accommodate all those people. The rapid expansion of urban areas will have a huge impact on biodiversity hotspots and on carbon emissions in those urban areas.

　　Humans are the ultimate invasive species—when the move into new territory, the often displace the wildlife that was already living there. And as land is cleared for those new cities—especially in the dense tropical forests—carbon will be released into the atmosphere as well. It’s true that as people in developing nations move from the countryside to the city, the shift may reduce the pressure on land, which could in turn be good for the environment. This is especially so in desperately poor countries, where residents in the countryside slash and burn forests each growing season to clear space for farming. But the real difference is that in developing nations, the move from rural areas to cities often leads to an accompanying increase in income — and that increase leads to an increase in the consumption of food and energy, which in turn causes a rise in carbon emissions. Getting enough to eat and enjoying the safety and comfort of living fully on the grid is certainly a good thing — but it does carry an environmental price.

　　The urbanization wave can’t be stopped — and it shouldn’t be. But Seto’s paper does underscore the importance of managing that transition. If we do it the right way, we can reduce urbanization’s impact on the environment. “There’s an enormous opportunity here, and a lot of pressure and responsibility to think about how we urbanize,” says Seto. “One thing that’s clear is that we can’t build cities the way we have over the last couple of hundred years. The scale of this transition won’t allow that.” We’re headed towards an urban planet no matter what, but whether it becomes heaven or hell is up to us.

　　56. What issue does the author try to draw people’s attention to?

　　A. The shrinking biodiversity worldwide.

　　B. The rapid increase of world population.

　　C. The ongoing global economic recession.

　　D. The impact of accelerating urbanization.

　　【答案】D

　　57. In what sense are humans the ultimate invasive species?

　　A. They are much greedier than other species.

　　B. They are a unique species born to conquer.

　　C. They force other species out of their territories.

　　D. They have an urge to expand their living space.

　　【答案】C

　　58. In what way is urbanization in poor countries good for the environment?

　　A. More land will be preserved for wildlife.

　　B. The pressure on farmland will be lessened.

　　C. Carbon emissions will be considerably reduced.

　　D. Natural resources will be used more effectively.

　　【答案】B

　　59. What does the author say about living comfortably in the city?

　　A. It incurs a high environmental price.

　　B. It brings poverty and insecurity to an end.

　　C. It causes a big change in people’s lifestyle.

　　D. It narrows the gap between city and country.

　　【答案】A

　　60. What can be done to minimize the negative impact of urbanization according to Seto?

　　A. Slowing down the speed of transition.

　　B. Innovative use of advanced technology.

　　C. Appropriate management of the process.

　　D. Enhancing people’s sense of responsibility.

　　【答案】C

　　2015年6月英語六級模擬試題及答案：

　　Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage. 　　Yet with economies in free fail, managers also need up-to-date information　about what is happening to their businesses, so that they can change course　rapidly if necessary. Cisco, an American network-equipment giant, has invested over many years in the technology needed to generate such data .Frank Caideroni, the firm's CFO, says that every day its senior executives can track exactly what orders are coming in from sales teams around the world, and identify emerging trends in each region and market segment. And at the end of each month, the firm can get reliable financial results within four hours of closing its books. Most firms have to wait days or even weeks for such certainty. 　　Admittedly, Cisco's financial results have not made happy reading recently because, in common with many other large technology companies, it has seen demand for its products decline in the downturn. In early February it announced that its fiscal second-quarter revenues of $ 9.1 billion were 7.5% lower than the same period in 2008 and that its profit had fallen by 27%, to $1.5 billion. 　　In response to hard times, Cisco plans to cut $1 billion of costs this year by, among other things, making use of its own video-conferencing and other communications technologies to reduce the amount its executives travel. It is also using these facilities to relay information from employees on the ground to its senior managers, and to get instructions from Cisco's leaders back out to its 67,000 staff. A rapid exchange of information and instructions is especially valuable if the company wants to alter course in stormy times. 　　If everybody in a company can rapidly grasp what they have to do and how it is changing, they are more likely to get the job done. But some firms are reluctant to share their goals with the wider world. Unilever, a big Anglo-Dutch consumer-goods group, has decided against issuing a 2009 financial forecast to investors, arguing that it is difficult to predict what is going to happen, given the dangerous state of the world economy. "We're not just going to provide numbers for the sake of it," explains James Allison, the company's head of investor relations. 　　Other companies that have decided not to provide annual earnings estimates for 2009 include Costco, a big American retailer, and Union Pacific, an American railway company. 　　Some firms, such as Intel, seem to have chosen to take things quarter by quarter. The giant chipmaker(芯片制造商) said in January that it would not issue an official forecast for the first quarter of 2009 after its fourth-quarter 2008 profit decreased by 90%. Several retail chains have also stopped providing monthly sales estimates because they cannot see what the future holds. Retailers, chipmakers and firms in many other industries may have a long wait before the economic fog finally lifts.