2021年6月大學英語六級考試聽力真題及答案（一）

Section A

Conversation One 

1-M:It's my last day at work tomorrow.Ill start my new job in two weeks,My human resources manager wantsto conduct an interview with me before I leave.

2-W:Ah,an exit interview.Are you looking forward to it?

3-M:I'm not sure how I feel about it.I resigned because I've been unhappy at that company for a long time,but I'm not sure if I should tell them how I really feel.

4-W:To my way of thinking,there are two main potential benefits that come from unleashing an agitated stream of truth during an exit interview.The first is release.Unburdening yourself of frustration,and perhaps even anger to someone who isn't a friend or close colleague can be wonderfully freeing.

5-M:And let me guess.The second isthat the criticism will,theoretically,help the organization I'm eaving to improve,making sure employees of the future are less likely to encounter what I did? 

6-W:That's right.But the problem with the company improvement part is that very often it doesn't happen.An exit interview is suposed to be private,but often isn't.In my company,the information gained from these interviews is often not confidential.And the information is used as dirt against another manager,or can be traded among senior managers.

7-M:Now you've got me rethinking what Ill disclose in the interview.There is always a chance that it could affect my reputation and my ability to network in the industry.It is a prett small industry after all. 

8-W:Anything you initially gain from the instantsatisfaction of tellingit like it is,you mightlose down the track by injuring your future career prospects.

9-M:Right. Perhaps it would be better getting things off my chest by going to one of those rate-your employer websites. 

10-W:You could.And don't do the interview at all,Exit interviews are not mandatory. 

Q1:What do we learn about the man from the conversation?

Q2:What does the woman think about the information gained from an exit interview?

Q3:Why does theman want to rethink what he will say in the coming exit interview?

Q4:What does the man think he had better do?

Conversation Two

1-M:Today,I'm talking to the renowned botanist,Jane Forster. 

2-W:Thank you for inviting me to join you on the show,Henry.

3-M:Recently,Jane,you've become quite a celebrity since the release of your latest documentary. Can you tell us a little about it?

4-W:Well,it follows my expedition to study the vegetation indigenous to the rainforest in equatorial areas of Southeast Asia.

5-M:You certainly get to travel to some very exotic locations.

6-W:It was far from glamorous,to be honest.The area we visited was accessible only by canoe and the living conditions in the hut were primitive,to say the least.There was no electricity.And our water supply was a nearby stream.

7-M:How were the weather conditions while you were there?

8-W:The weather was not conducive to our workat all,since the humidity was almost unbearable.At midday,we stayed in the hut and did nothingIt was too humid to either work or sleep.

9-M:How long didyour team spend in the jungle?

10-W:Originally,we planned to be there for a month.But in the end,westayed foronly two weeks. 

11-M:Why did you cut the expedition short?

12-W:Halfway through the trip,we received news that a hurricane was approaching.And we had to evacuate at very short notice.

13-M:That sounds like a fascinating anecdote.

14-W:It was frightening.The fastest evacuation route was through river rapids,We had to navigate them carrying all of our equipment.

15-M:So overall,was the journey unsuccessful?

16-W:Absolutely not.We gathered a massive amount of data about the local plant life. 

17-M:Why do you put up with such adverse conditions?

18-W:Botany is an obsession for me.Many of the destinations I visit have stunning scenery.And I get to meet a variety of people from all over the world.

19-M:So where will your next destinationbe?

20-W:I haven't decided yet.

21-M:Then we can leave it for another oceasion,Thanks.

Q5;Whatdoes theman wantJane Forster to talk about?

Q6:Why does the woman describe her experience as“far from glamorous”?

Q7:Why did the woman and those who went with her end their trip halfway?

Q8:What does the woman think of the journey?

Section B

Passage One

I Scientists often use specialized jargon terms while communicating with laymen.Most of them don't realize the harmful effects of this practice.In a new study,people exposed to jargon when reading about subjects like autonomous vehicles and surgical robots later said they were less interested in science than others who read about the same topics,but without the use of specialized terms.They also felt less informed about science and less qualified to discuss science topics.It's noteworthy that it made no difference if the jargon terms were defined in the text,Even when the terms were defined,readers still felt the same lack of engagement as readers who read jargon that wasn't explained.

Ⅱ The problem is that the mere presence of jargon sends a discouraging mesage to readers.Hillary Schulman,the author of the study,asserts that specialized wordsare a signal.Jargon tells people that the message isn't for them.

Ⅲ There's an even darker side to howpeople react to jargon.In another study,researchers found that reading scientific articles containing jargon led people to doubt the actual science.They found the opposite—when a text is easier to read,then.people are more persuaded.

IV Thus,it's important to communicate clearly when talking about complex science subjects.This is especially true with issues related to public health,like the safety of new medications and the benefits of vaccines.Schulman concedes that the use of jargon is appropriate with scientific audiences.But scientists who want to communicate with the general public need to modify their language.They need to eliminate jargon.

Q9:What does the passage say about the use o jargon terms by experts?

Q10:What do researchers find about people reading scienific articles containing jargon terms?

Q11:What does Schulman suggest scientists do when communicating with the general public?

Passage Two 

I At the beginning of the twentieth century,onthe Gulf Coast in the US state of Texas,there was a hill where gas leakage was so noticeable that schoolboys would sometimes set the hill on fire.

Ⅱ Patillo Higgins,a disreputable local businessman,became convinced that there was oil below the gassy hill.Oil wells weren't drilled back then:they were essentially dug.The sand under the hill defeated several attempts by Higgins'workers to make a proper hole.Higgins had forecast oil at 1,000 feet,a totally made-up figure.

Ⅲ Higgins subsequently hired a mining enginer,Captain Anthony Lucas.After encountering several setbacks,Captain Lucas decided to use a drill,and his innovations created the modern oil dilling industry.

IV In January 1901,at1.020 feet—almost precisely the depth predicted by Higgins wild guess—the well roared and suddenly ejected mud and six tons of drilling pipe out of theground,terrifying those present.For thenext nine days,until the well was capped,the well poured out more oil than all the wells in America combined.

V In those days,Texas was almost entirely rural,with no large cities and practically no industry; cotton and beef were the foundation of the economy.Higgins'well changed that.The boom made some prospectors millionaires,but the sudden surplus of petroleum was not entirely a blessing for Texas.In the 1930s,prices crashed,to the point that in some parts of the country oil wascheaper than water. That would become a familiar pattern of the boom-or-bust Texas economy.

Q12:What did Texas businessman Pattillo Higgins believe?

Q13:What prevented Higgins'workers from digging a proper hole to get the oil?

Q14:What does the passage say about Captain Lucas'drilling method?

Q15:What do we learn about Texas'oil industry boom?

Section C

Recording One

I Most people dislike their jobs.It's an astonishing but statistical fact.A primary cause of employee dissatisfaction,according to fresh research,is that many believe they have terrible managers. Few describe their managers as malicious or manipulative though.While those types certainly exist,they are minority.The majority of managers,seemingly,just don't know any better.They are often emulating bad managers they've had in the past.It's likely they've never reada management book or attended a management course.They might not have even reflectedon what good managemen looks like and how it would influence their own management style.

Ⅱ The researchers interviewed employees about their managers,beginning with a question about the worst manager they had ever had,From this,the researchers came up with four main causes of why some managers are perceived as being simply awful at their jobs.

Ⅲ The first cause was company culture,which was seen by employees as enabling poor management practices.It was specifically stressful work environments,minimal training and a lack of accountability that werefound to be the most blameworthy.Often a manager's superiors can effectively encourage a manager's distasteful behavior when they fail to discipline the person's wrongdoings.Such workplaces are sometimes described as toxic.

IV The second cause was attributed to the managers'characteristics.Thosedeemed to be most destructive were odd people—those without drive,those who allow personal problems into the workplace,and those with an unpleasant temperament or personality in general.

V The third cause of poor management was associated with a deficiency of qualifications—not so much the formal variety one obtains from auniversity,but theinformal varietythat comes from credible work experience and professional accomplishments.

VI The fourth cause concerned managers who've been promoted for reasons other than potential. One reason in particular why these people had been promoted was that they had been around the longest. It wasn't their skill set or other merits that got them the job;it was their tenure.

VII A point worth making is that the study was based only on the perspective of employees.The researchers didn't asksenior leaders what they thought of their frontline managers.It's quite possible they're content with how the individuals they promoted are now performing,merrily ignorant of the damage they're actually causing,which might explain why,as the researchers conclude,those same middle managers are usually unaware that they are a bad manager.

Q16:What is a primary cause of employeedissatisfaction accordingto recent research?

Q17:Whatis one of the causes for poor management practices?

Q18:What do we learn about the study on job dissatisfaction?

Recording Two 

I With the use of driverless vehicles seemingly inevitable,mining companies in the vast Australian desert state of Western Australia are definitely taking the lead.

Ⅱ Iron ore is a key ingredient in stecl-making.The mining companies here produce almost 300 million tons of iron ore a year.The 240 giant autonomous trucks in use,in theWestern Australian mines,can weigh 400 tons,fully loaded,and travel at speeds ofup to 60 kilometers per hour.They are a technological leap, transporting iron ore along routes which run forhundreds of kilometers from mines to their destinations.Here when thetruck arrives at its destination,staff in the operationcenter direct it precisely where to unload.Vast quantities of iron ore are then transported by autonomous trains to ocean ports

Ⅲ Advocates argue these automated vehicles will change mining forever.It may only be five years before the use of automation technology leads to a fully robotic mine.

IV A range of factors has pushed Western Australia's desert region to the lead of this automation revolution.These include the huge size of the mines,the scale of equipment and the repetitive nature of some of the work.Then there's the area's remoteness.At 502,000 square kilometers,it can sometimes make recruiting staffa challenge.Another consideration is the risks when humans interact with large machinery.There are also the financial imperatives.The ongoing push by the mining corporations to be more productive and more efficient is another powerful driver in embracing automation technology.

V The concept of a fully autonomous mine is a bit of a misleading term,however.This is because the more technology is put into the field,the more people are needed to deploy,maintainand improve it.

VI The automation and digitization of the industry is creating a need for different jobs.These include data scientists and engineers in automation and artificial intelligence.The mining companies claim automation and robotics present opportunities to make mining more sustainable and safer.Employees will be offered a career that is even more fulfilling and more rewarding.

VII Workers'unions have accepted the inevitability of the introduction of new technology.But they still have reservations about the rise of automation technology.Their main concern isthe potential impact on remote communities.As automation spreads further,the question is how theseremote communities will survive when the oldjobs are eliminated.And this may well prove to bethe most significantimpact of robotic technology in many places around the world.

Q19:What does the passage say about the mining industry in Western Australia?

Q20:What is the impact of the digitization of the mining industry?

Q21:What is the attitude of workers'unions towards the introduction of newtechnology?

Recording Three 

I According to official statistics,Thailand's annual road-death rate is almost double the global average. Thai people know that their roads are dangerous,but they don't know this could easily be changed.

II Globally,road accidents kill more people every year than any infectious disease,Researchers at the Institutefor Health Metrics and Evaluation in America put the death toll in 2017 at 1.24 million. According to the institute,the overallnumber of deaths has been more or less static since the turn of the century. But that disguises a lot of changes in individual countries.

Ⅲ In many poor countries,road accidents are killing more people than ever before.Those countries have swelling,young populations,a fast-growing fleet of cars and motorbikes,and a limited supply of surgeons.It is impossible to know for sure because official statistics are so inadequate,but deaths are thought to have risen by 40% since 1990 in many low-income countries.In many rich countries,by contrast,roads are becoming even safer.In Estonia and Ireland,for example,thenumber of deaths has allen by about two-thirds since the late 1990s.

IV But the most important and intriguing changes are taking place in middle-income countries,which contain most of the world's people and have some of the most dangerous roads. According to researchers,in China and South Africa,traffic deaths have been falling since 2000,and in India since 2012,and the Philippines reached its peak four years ago.The question is whether Thailand can soon follow suit.

V Rob McInerney,head of the International Road Assessment Programme,says that allcountries end to go through three phases.They begin with poor,slow roads.In the second phase,as they grow wealthier,they pave the roads,allowing traffic to move faster and pushing up thedeath rate.Lastly,in the third phase,countries act to make their roads safer.The trick,then,is to reach the thirdstage sooner,by focusing earlier and more closely on fatal accidents.

VI How to do that?The solution lies not just in better infrastructure,but in better social incentives. Safe driving habits are practices which people know they should follow but often don't.Dangerous driving is not a fixed cultural trait,as some imagine.People respond to incentives,such as traffic laws that are actually enforced.

Q22:What does the speaker say about traffic accidents inThailand?

Q23:What do we learn from an American institute's statistics regarding road deaths?

Q24:What is said about middle-income countrics? 

Q25;What clse could be done to reduce fatal road accidentsin addition to safer roads?