1、大学英语六级-171 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)Universities have started giving away their content free as “massive open online courses“, with the acronym (首字母缩略词) MOOC. Eleven top UK universities recently announced they were joining the Open University to launch FutureLearn, in a bid to catch up with the el
2、ite US institutions that have led the way in teaching huge numbers online. It all sounds great for people who, for one reason or another, can“t go to a traditional university. But do MOOCs have anything to offer students who already study at a bricks-and-mortar institution, people like me who hate t
3、he niggling (烦人的) feeling that they might be missing out on a bargain? Well, I“ve signed up for a MOOC in microeconomics. I did it because I“m thinking about whether to do a master degree, and what to study. I“m testing my resolve: If I enjoy it enough to study in my own time, maybe I“m ready for ma
4、sters. Better to find out before I hand over the money. Why else would a university student consider a MOOC? You could use it to boost CVit shows you“re motivated and you have a variety of interests and you“re not struggling with your workload. And before you can use online courses to help you get a
5、 job, employers have to learn what they are and respect them. University isn“t just about what you learn but proving you know it. The only proof you did your MOOC is that you clicked on “I promise not to cheat“ on the honor code. This is changing though: One of the biggest MOOC organizers, Coursera,
6、 is trialing facial recognition software to monitor students, and charging a small fee for verification. Do MOOCs pose a threat to old school universities? Should we fear that, before we“ve even paid them off, traditional university degrees will go the way of floppy (松软的，垂下的) disks? Probably not. As
7、 Patrick McGee writes, they are a long way from ready to replace traditional degrees. A MOOC versus traditional university mega-battle to the death is unlikelyinstead online courses offer another option on higher education“s menu of delights. MOOCs still have teething problems. A Coursera courseoh s
8、o ironically about planning online coursescrashed recently, unable to cope with the thousands of students trying to join online discussions. MOOCs are limited to subjects that can be assessed with multiple choice exams, marked automatically. Written any essays in your degree? Your professor“s critiq
9、ue of them can“t be replicated by a MOOCyet. As for me, despite not making a single friend in a cohort (一批人) of 37000, I revelled in the chance to learn what I was interested in, on my own terms. MOOCs are a new take on educationand we traditional university students needn“t miss out.（分数：25.00）(1).W
10、hat did eleven top UK universities intend to get by launching FutureLearn?（分数：5.00）A.Equal access to education for all people.B.The same successful result US universities have got in online courses.C.Cultivating more elite graduates for the society.D.Attracting more people to enrol on traditional co
11、urses.(2).Why did the author make a decision to sign up for an online course?（分数：5.00）A.Because he wanted to save money on his study.B.Because he wanted to use it to test his decision.C.Because he enjoyed the experience of studying in his own time.D.Because he thought online courses could boost his
12、CV.(3).What prompts Coursera to try the facial recognition software to monitor students?（分数：5.00）A.The economic benefits to be produced by the software.B.The need of a solid proof that one has done his study.C.A number of cheating cases in online courses.D.The request from the government and other M
13、OOC organizers.(4).What does the author think about traditional universities and MOOCs?（分数：5.00）A.He fears the value of traditional university degrees will go down.B.He thinks traditional universities can also make use of high-tech facilities.C.He feels online courses and traditional education will
14、coexist for a long time.D.He regards online courses as unnecessary.(5).What does the author think is a big weakness of online courses?（分数：5.00）A.They are easily attacked by hackers through the Internet.B.Students can“t make friends with each other.C.The forms of assessment of the courses are limited
15、.D.They follow the same pattern as traditional courses.The experts warn that the world could run out of helium (氦) within 25 to 30 years, potentially spelling disaster for hospitals, whose magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners are cooled by the gas in liquid form, and anti-terrorist authorities
16、who rely on helium for their radiation monitors, as well as the millions of children who love to watch their helium-filled balloons float into the sky. Helium is made either by the nuclear fusion process of the Sun or by the slow and steady radioactive decay of terrestrial (陆地上的) rock, which account
17、s for all of the Earth“s store of the gas. There is no way of manufacturing it artificially, and practically all of the world“s reserves have been derived as a by-product from the extraction of natural gas, mostly in the giant oil-and gas-fields of the American South-west, which historically have ha
18、d the highest helium concentrations. Liquid helium is critical for cooling infrared detectors, nuclear reactors and the machinery of wind tunnels. The space industry uses it in sensitive satellite equipment and spacecraft, and NASA uses helium in huge quantities to purge the potentially explosive fu
19、el from its rockets. In the form of its isotope (同位素) helium-3, helium is also crucial for research into the next generation of clean, waste-free nuclear reactors powered by nuclear fusion, the nuclear reaction that powers the Sun. Despite the critical role that the gas plays in the modern world, it
20、 is being depleted as an unprecedented rate and reserves could dwindle to virtually nothing within a generation, warns Nobel laureate Robert Richardson, professor of physics at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. “In 1996, the US Congress decided to sell off the strategic reserve and the consequ
21、ence was that the market was swelled with cheap helium because its price was not determined by the market. The motivation was to sell it all by 2015,“ Professor Richardson said. The basic problem is that helium is too cheap. The Earth is 4.7 billion years old and it has taken that long to accumulate
22、 our helium reserves, which we will dissipate in about 100 years. Soon after helium mining was developed at the turn of the previous century, the US established a National Helium Reserve in 1925. During the Second World War, helium was strategically important because of its use in military airships.
23、 When the Cold War came along, it became even more important because of its uses in the purging of rocket fuel in intercontinental ballistic missiles. The national reserve was established in the porous rock of a disused natural gas-field 30 miles north of Amarillo, which soon became known as the Hel
24、ium Capital of the World. A billion cubic metresor about half of the world“s reservesare now stored in this cluster of mines, pipes and vats that extend underground for more than 200 miles from Amarillo to Kansas.（分数：25.00）(1).Why is the depletion of helium a disaster for anti-terrorist authorities?
25、（分数：5.00）A.Because MRI scanners can“t be cooled.B.Because children can“t watch the helium-filled balloons.C.Because Helium might run out within 30 years.D.Because their radiation monitors will be influenced.(2).What can we infer from the second paragraph?（分数：5.00）A.Helium is a renewable resource man
26、ufactured artificially.B.Helium is a non-renewable natural resource.C.Helium is widely distributed all over the world.D.Helium can be exploited in most parts of America.(3).What can we learn about nuclear fusion?（分数：5.00）A.It is a kind of waste-free nuclear reactor.B.It is significant for research i
27、nto nuclear reactors.C.It is a kind of nuclear reaction providing energy for the Earth.D.It is a kind of nuclear reaction powering nuclear reactors.(4).What was the consequence of the US Congress“ decision on helium in 1996?（分数：5.00）A.The price of helium was not very low.B.Abundant cheap helium appe
28、ared in the market.C.America lost its strategic resource.D.Helium was sold out soon.(5).Amarillo is called the Helium Capital of the World because _.（分数：5.00）A.it has a huge reserve of heliumB.American national reserve was established thereC.it has a disused gas-fieldD.it is rich in mineralsIn its s
29、eemingly unending quest to tick off as many of its customers as often as possible, the airline industry has added another chapter: Spirit Air announced it will charge passengers for carry-on bags. You get the first one on board for free, assuming it fits under the seat in front of you. The fee for t
30、he second will be as high as $45 if you just show up with it at the airport with your rolling bag thinking you can walk on the plane with it. The price is cheaper ($30) if you register it online or call ahead. The airline“s explanation is simple: Bring less. Pay less. Me, I“m with Spirit on this one
31、. You? Here“s why. Boarding an airliner today is no more difficult than trying to get to a seat on a crowded bus while a moving company simultaneously carts the contents of three apartment buildings through the same space. By trying to beat the current charges for checking their bags, people lug rid
32、iculously large bags on board. Seemingly this works for the airlines because they need fewer personnel to handle bags. The carry-on-everything approach sure doesn“t work for me. It“s irritating: The overhead space often gets used up before you get to your seat, meaning that you“ve got to rush the ga
33、teway as soon as the flight is called to make sure you grab some. It“s dangerous: You risk getting whacked (重击) by stuff or being dragged past you by tired travelers. It“s slow: How often have you waited as the last couple of passengers to board play seek-and-hide with their carry-ons. Don“t you wan
34、t to just throw them off the jet? Don“t you hate it when it“s you? By charging passengers for bringing second and third bags on board, Spirit will discourage the human camels. And that“s great. It will make the flight just a little less worse, but it“s also a fare increase, since there are very few
35、passengers who can travel with one bag, be it carry-on or not. Leisure travelers tend to bring way too muchparticularly on their way back from vacations. Adults traveling with children are pack animalsthey carry everything. They have to be to keep the kiddies moving, happy, and not otherwise wailing
36、 (大声呼叫) in aisle 8. So we have to pay up. The real question is will other airlines follow, and will this actually be good for air travel? Planes will load faster if people don“t bring carry-ons on board. The other question is, when will more shoes drop? Surely, pay toilets are on the horizoncredit c
37、ards accepted.（分数：25.00）(1).According to the first paragraph, what is the new policy of Spirit Air?（分数：5.00）A.All the bags carried by passengers will be charged.B.Only the first bag carried by passengers will not be charged.C.Passengers should register their luggage online.D.Passengers should call t
38、he airline in advance about their luggage.(2).What is the author“s attitude toward this new policy?（分数：5.00）A.Positive.B.Negative.C.Neutral.D.Indifferent.(3).Passengers get large luggage on board because _.（分数：5.00）A.airlines begin to charge for carry-on bagsB.airlines need fewer people to check bag
39、sC.they want to avoid checking their luggageD.they are worried that their luggage might get lost(4).What does the phrase “play seek-and-hide“ (Line 5, Para. 3) suggest?（分数：5.00）A.Some passengers want to play a game with their luggage.B.Some passengers bring too much luggage.C.Some passengers try to
40、find the luggage they bring.D.Some passengers try to hide the luggage they bring.(5).What can we infer from the last paragraph?（分数：5.00）A.We have to pay toilets on the plane.B.We have to pay for all the luggage on the plane.C.We could not use credit cards to pay for the charges on the plane.D.The ai
41、rlines are likely to charge for other things in the near future.As the January hangover continues to stretch both belts and bank balances, would you give up your favourite food brands for own-label alternatives? If so then you“re not alone. According to market researchers him! nearly a quarter (22%)
42、 of shoppers plan to buy more own-brand food and drink in 2013. In fact, with more own-label products launched in 2011 than branded equivalents, own-label has moved from the margins to become the rising star of the supermarket shelves. Once aimed at those on a low income, the leveling effect of a gr
43、im economy means today own-brand is popular with everyoneso much so that upmarket grocer Waitrose got in on the act, launching its “essential“ range as a response to the recession. Own-label“s rise has been nothing short of spectacular. David Bird from retail analysts Datamonitor says that in most o
44、f the food and drink categories they analyse, own-label outperforms well-known household brands. And it“s not (entirely) about the money. According to Bird the own-label market in the UK is one of the world“s most maturewhich means the supermarkets have had plenty of time to discover exactly what co
45、nsumers want. The supermarkets have been picking up some hints from big brands about presentation too. Anyone old enough to remember Tesco“s original Value range will recall the feelings of deep despair engendered by its unglamorous blue and white stripes. They ditched the stripes of doom last year
46、for an appealing look for its own-label range. So could the success of own-label mean the end of brands altogether? Supermarkets love own-label because they often make better margins than on branded products. This is bad news for new producers who need to get on their shelves to reach the mass marke
47、t. Supermarkets can also let small food companies take risks with new products, then replicate them in a cheaper format if they“re successful. However, an era of Stepford Wives-style shopping, in which the only choice is the supermarket“s choice, is still a way away. Companies such as Heinz have spe
48、nt millions of pounds in marketing that makes us feel warm and fuzzy about their products. For most of us the thrifty buzz of getting a good deal can“t compare. “Retailer own-labels are still slightly behind brands when it comes to loyalty,“ says Jill Livesey from him! “Our research shows shoppers a
49、re more than happy to switch back to national brands if they are available at a similar or better price than the equivalent private label product.“ In fact, it may only be a matter of time before own-label wine breaks through to respectability too, as the supermarkets learn how to tweak (稍稍调整) the way alcohol is packaged. Rather than a bottle “provided by“ a supermarket, wines are now often “selected for“ a retailer to help partially retain its snob value.（分数：25.00）(1).What change does the popularity of own-label goods bring to supermarkets?（分数：5.00）A.They increase the p
