2011年12月大学英语六级真题
Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)
Google's Plan for World's Biggest Online Library: Philanthropy Or Act of Piracy?
In recent years, teams of workers dispatched by Google have been working hard to make digital copies of books. So far, Google has scanned more than 10 million titles from libraries in America and Europe - including half a million volumes held by the Bodleian in Oxford. The exact method it uses is unclear; the company does not allow outsiders to observe the process.
Why is Google undertaking such a venture? Why is it even interested in all those out-of-printlibrary books, most of which have been gathering dust on forgotten shelves for decades? Thecompany claims its motives are essentially public-spirited. Its overall mission, after all, is to "organise the world's information", so it would be odd if that information did not include books.
The company likes to present itself as having lofty aspirations. "This really isn't about making money. We are doing this for the good of society." As Santiago de la Mora, head of Google Books for Europe, puts it: "By making it possible to search the millions of books that exist today, we hope to expand the frontiers of human knowledge."
Dan Clancy, the chief architect of Google Books, does seem genuine in his conviction that thisis primarily a philanthropic (慈善的) exercise. "Google's core business is search and find, soobviously what helps improve Google's search engine is good for Google," he says. "But we havenever built a spreadsheet (电子数据表) outlining the financial benefits of this, and I have neverhad to justify the amount I am spending to the company's founders."
It is easy, talking to Clancy and his colleagues, to be swept along by their missionary passion. But Google's book-scanning project is proving controversial. Several opponents have recently emerged, ranging from rival tech giants such as Microsoft and Amazon to small bodies representing authors and publishers across the world. In broad terms, these opponents have levelled two sets of criticisms at Google.
First, they have questioned whether the primary responsibility for digitally archiving the world's books should be allowed to fall to a commercial company. In a recent essay in the New YorkReview of Books, Robert Darnton, the head of Harvard University's library, argued that because such books are a common resource – the possession of us all – only public, not-for-profit bodiesshould be given the power to control them.
The second related criticism is that Google's scanning of books is actually illegal. This allegation has led to Google becoming mired in (陷入) a legal battle whose scope and complexity makes the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case in Charles Dickens' Bleak House look straightforward.
At its centre, however, is one simple issue: that of copyright. The inconvenient fact about most books, to which Google has arguably paid insufficient attention, is that they are protected by copyright. Copyright laws differ from country to country, but in general protection extends for the duration of an author's life and for a substantial period afterwards, thus allowing the author's heirs to benefit. (In Britain and America, this post-death period is 70 years.) This means, of course, that almost all of the books published in the 20th century are still under copyright – and the last century saw more books published than in all previous centuries combined. Of the roughly 40 million books in US libraries, for example, an estimated 32 million are in copyright. Of these, some 27 million are out of print.
Outside the US, Google has made sure only to scan books that are out of copyright and thus in the "public domain" (works such as the Bodleian's first edition of Middlemarch, which anyone canread for free on Google Books Search).
But, within the US, the company has scanned both in-copyright and out-of-copyright works. Inits defence, Google points out that it displays only small segments of books that are in copyright– arguing that such displays are "fair use". But critics allege that by making electronic copies of these books without first seeking the permission of copyright holders, Google has committed piracy.
"The key principle of copyright law has always been that works can be copied only once authors have expressly given their permission," says Piers Blofeld, of the Sheil Land literary agency in London. "Google has reversed this – it has simply copied all these works without bothering toask."
In 2005, the Authors Guild of America, together with a group of US publishers, launched aclass action suit (集团诉讼) against Google that, after more than two years of negotiation, endedwith an announcement last October that Google and the claimants had reached an out-of-courtsettlement. The full details are complicated - the text alone runs to 385 pages– and trying tosummarise it is no easy task. "Part of the problem is that it is basically incomprehensible," saysBlofeld, one of the settlement's most vocal British critics.
Broadly, the deal provides a mechanism for Google to compensate authors and publishers whose rights it has breached (including giving them a share of any future revenue it generates fromtheir works). In exchange for this, the rights holders agree not to sue Google in future.
This settlement hands Google the power - but only with the agreement of individual rights holders – to exploit its database of out-of-print books. It can include them in subscription deals sold to libraries or sell them individually under a consumer licence. It is these commercial provisions that are proving the settlement's most controversial aspect.
Critics point out that, by giving Google the right to commercially exploit its database, thesettlement paves the way for a subtle shift in the company's role from provider of information to seller. "Google's business model has always been to provide information for free, and sell advertising on the basis of the traffic this generates," points out James Grimmelmann, associate professor at New York Law School. Now, he says, because of the settlement's provisions, Google could become a significant force in bookselling.
Interest in this aspect of the settlement has focused on "orphan" works, where there is noknown copyright holder – these make up an estimated 5-10% of the books Google has scanned. Under the settlement, when no rights holders come forward and register their interest in a work, commercial control automatically reverts to Google. Google will be able to display up to 20% oforphan works for free, include them in its subscription deals to libraries and sell them to individual buyers under the consumer licence.
It is by no means certain that the settlement will be enacted (执行) – it is the subject of afairness hearing in the US courts. But if it is enacted, Google will in effect be off the hook as far as copyright violations in the US are concerned. Many people are seriously concerned by this - and the company is likely to face challenges in other courts around the world.
No one knows the precise use Google will make of the intellectual property it has gained byscanning the world's library books, and the truth, as Gleick, an American science writer and member of the Authors Guild, points out, is that the company probably doesn't even know itself. But what is certain is that, in some way or other, Google's entrance into digital bookselling will have a significant impact on the book world in the years to come.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
1. Google claims its plan for the world's biggest online library is _____.
A) to serve the interest of the general public
B) to encourage reading around the world
C) to save out-of-print books in libraries
D) to promote its core business of searching
2. According to Santiago de la Mora, Google's book-scanning project will _____.
A) broaden humanity's intellectual horizons
B) help the broad masses of readers
C) revolutionise the entire book industry
D) make full use of the power of its search engine
3. Opponents of Google Books believe that digitally archiving the world's books should be controlled by _____.
A) non-profit organisations C) multinational companies
B) the world's leading libraries D) the world's tech giants
4. Google has involved itself in a legal battle as it ignored _____.
A) the copyright of authors of out-of-print books
B) the copyright of the books it scanned
C) the interest of traditional booksellers
D) the differences of in-print and out-of-print books
5. Google defends its scanning in-copyright books by saying that _____.
A) it displays only a small part of their content
B) it is willing to compensate the copyright holders
C) making electronic copies of books is not a violation of copyright
D) the online display of in-copyright books is not for commercial use
6. What do we learn about the class action suit against Google?
A) It ended in a victory for the Authors Guild of America.
B) It was settled after more than two years of negotiation.
C) It failed to protect the interests of American publishers.
D) It could lead to more out-of-court settlements of such disputes.
7. What remained controversial after the class action suit ended?
A) The compensation for copyright holders.
B) The change in Google's business model.
C) Google's further exploitation of its database.
D) The commercial provisions of the settlement.
8. While _____, Google makes money by selling advertising.
9. Books whose copyright holders are not known are called _____.
10. Google's entrance into digital bookselling will tremendously _____ in the future.
PartⅣ Reading Comprehension(Reading in Depth) (25minutes)
Leadership is the most significant word in today's competitive business environment because it directs the manager of a business to focus inward on their personal capabilities and style. Experts on leadership will quickly point out that "how things get done" influences the success of the outcomes and indicates a right way and a wrong way to do things. When a noted leader on the art of management, Peter Drucker, coined the phrase "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things," he was seeking to clarify the distinctions he associates with the terms.
When Stephen Covey, founder and director of the Leadership Institute, explored leadership styles in the past decade, he focused on the habits of a great number of highly effective individuals. His Seven Habits of Highly Effective People became a popular bestseller very quickly. His ideas forced a reexamination of the early leadership paradigm (范例), which he observed centered on traits found in the character ethic and the personality ethic. The former ethic suggested success was founded on integrity, modesty, loyalty, courage, patience, and so forth. The personality ethic suggested it was one's attitude, not behavior, that inspired success, and this ethic was founded on a belief of positive mental attitude. In contrast to each of these ideas, Covey advocates that leaders need to understand universal principles of effectiveness, and he highlights how vital it is for leaders to first personally manage themselves if they are to enjoy any hope of outstanding success in their work environments. To achieve a desired vision for your business, it is vital that you have a personal vision of where you are headed and what you value. Business leadership means that managers need to "put first things first," which implies that before leading others, you need to be clear on your own values, abilities, and strengths and be seen as trustworthy.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
47. To be good leaders, managers must pay close attention to their own _____.
48. According to Peter Drucker, leaders should be good at _____.
49. The personality ethic suggests that people are likely to succeed if they have _____.
50. According to Stephen Covey, leaders who hope to achieve outstanding success need first of all to _____.
51. Good leadership requires one to know one's own strengths and be able to win people's _____.
Section B
Passage One
What's the one word of advice a well-meaning professional would give to a recent college graduate? China"} India! Brazil! How about trade!
When the Commerce Department reported last week that the trade deficit in June approached $50 billion, it set off a new round of economic doomsaying. Imports, which soared to $200.3 billion in the month, are subtracted in the calculation of gross domestic product. The larger the trade deficit, the smaller the GDP. Should such imbalances continue, pessimists say, they could contribute to slower growth.
But there's another way of looking at the trade data. Over the past two years, the figures on imports and exports seem not to signal a double-dip recession – a renewed decline in the broad level of economic activity in the United States – but an economic expansion.
The rising volume of trade – more goods and services shuttling in and out of the United States – is good news for many sectors. Companies engaged in shipping, trucking, rail freight, delivery,and logistics (物流) have all been reporting better than expected results.The rising numbers sig nify growing vitality in foreign markets – when we import more stuff, it puts more cash in the hands of people around the world, and U.S. exports are rising because more foreigners have the ability to buy the things we produce and market. The rising tide of trade is also good news for people who work in trade-sensitive businesses, especially those that produce commodities for which global demand sets the price – agricultural goods, mining, metals, oil.
And while exports always seem to lag, U.S. companies are becoming more involved in the global economy with each passing month. General Motors sells as many cars in China as in America each month. While that may not do much for imports, it does help GM's balance sheet – and hence makes the jobs of U.S.-based executives more stable.
One great challenge for the U.S. economy is slack domestic consumer demand. Americans are paying down debt, saving more, and spending more carefully. That's to be expected, given what we've been through. But there's a bigger challenge. Can U.S.-based businesses, large and small, figure out how to get a piece of growing global demand? Unless you want to pick up and move to India, or Brazil, or China, the best way to do that is through trade. It may seem obvious, but it's no longer enough simply to do business with our friends and neighbors here at home.
Companies and individuals who don't have a strategy to export more, or to get more involved in foreign markets, or to play a role in global trade, are shutting themselves out of the lion's share of economic opportunity in our world.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
52. How do pessimists interpret the U.S. trade deficit in June?
A) It reflects Americans' preference for imported goods.
B) It signifies a change in American economic structure.
C) It is the result of America's growing focus on domestic market.
D) It could lead to slower growth of the national economy.
53. What does the author say about the trade data of the past two years?
A) It indicates that economic activities in the U.S. have increased.
B) It shows that U.S. economy is slipping further into recession.
C) It signals decreasing domestic demand for goods and services.
D) It reflects the fluctuations in the international market.
54. Who particularly benefit from the rising volume of trade?
A) People who have expertise in international trade.
B) Consumers who favor imported goods and services.
C) Producers of agricultural goods and raw materials.
D) Retailers dealing in foreign goods and services.
55. What is one of the challenges facing the American economy?
A) Competition from overseas. C) Slack trade activities.
B) People's reluctance to spend. D) Decreasing productivity.
56. What is the author's advice to U.S. companies and individuals?
A) To import more cheap goods from developing countries.
B) To move their companies to where labor is cheaper.
C) To increase their market share overseas.
D) To be alert to fluctuations in foreign markets.
Passage Two
A recurring criticism of the UK's university sector is its perceived weakness in translating new knowledge into new products and services.
Recently, the UK National Stem Cell Network warned the UK could lose its place among the world leaders in stem cell research unless adequate funding and legislation could be assured. We should take this concern seriously as universities are key in the national innovation system.
However, we do have to challenge the unthinking complaint that the sector does not do enough in taking ideas to market. The most recent comparative data on the performance of universities and research institutions in Australia, Canada, USA and UK shows that, from a relatively weak startingposition, the UK now leads on many indicators of commercialisation activity.
When viewed at the national level, the policy interventions of the past decade have helpedtransform the performance of UK universities. Evidence suggests the UK's position is much stronger than in the recent past and is still showing improvement. But national data masks the very largevariation in the performance of individual universities. The evidence shows that a large number ofuniversities have fallen off the back of the pack, a few perform strongly and the rest chase theleaders.
This type of uneven distribution is not peculiar to the UK and is mirrored across other economies. In the UK, research is concentrated: less than 25% of universities receive 75% of the research funding. These same universities are also the institutions producing the greatest share of PhD graduates, science citations, patents and licence income. The effect of policies generating long-term resource concentration has also created a distinctive set of universities which are research-led and commercially active. It seems clear that the concentration of research and commercialisation work creates differences between universities.
The core objective for universities which are research-led must be to maximise the impact oftheir research efforts. These universities should be generating the widest range of social, economic and environmental benefits. In return for the scale of investment, they should share their expertise in order to build greater confidence in the sector.
Part of the economic recovery of the UK will be driven by the next generation of research commercialisation spilling out of our universities. There are three dozen universities in the UKwhich are actively engaged in advanced research training and commercialisation work.
If there was a greater coordination of technology transfer offices within regions and a simultaneous investment in the scale and functions of our graduate schools, universities could, and should, play a key role in positioning the UK for the next growth cycle.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
57. What does the author think of UK universities in terms of commercialisation?
A) They fail to convert knowledge into money.
B) They do not regard it as their responsibility.
C) They still have a place among the world leaders.
D) They have lost their leading position in many ways.
58. What does the author say about the national data on UK universities' performance in commercialisation?
A) It masks the fatal weaknesses of government policy.
B) It does not rank UK universities in a scientific way.
C) It does not reflect the differences among universities.
D) It indicates their ineffective use of government resources.
59. We can infer from Paragraph 5 that "policy interventions" (Line 1, Para. 4) refers to _____.
A) government aid to non-research-oriented universities
B) compulsory cooperation between universities and industries
C) fair distribution of funding for universities and research institutions
D) concentration of resources in a limited number of universities
60. What does the author suggest research-led universities do?
A) Publicise their research to win international recognition.
B) Fully utilise their research to benefit all sectors of society.
C) Generously share their facilities with those short of funds.
D) Spread their influence among top research institutions.
61. How can the university sector play a key role in the UK's economic growth?
A) By establishing more regional technology transfer offices.
B) By asking the government to invest in technology transfer research.
C) By promoting technology transfer and graduate school education.
D) By increasing the efficiency of technology transfer agencies.
Part V Cloze
If you know where to find a good plastic-free shampoo, can you tell Jeanne Haegele? Last September, the 28-year-old Chicago resident __62__ to cut plastics out of her life. The marketing coordinator was concerned about __63__ the chemicals coming out of some common types of plastic might be doing to her body. She was also worried about the damage all the plastic __64__ was doing to the environment. So she __65__ on her bike and rode to the nearest grocery store to see what she could find that didn't __66__ plastic. "I went in and __67__ bought anything," Haegele says. She did __68__ some canned food and a carton (纸盒) of milk – to discover later that both containers were __70__ with plastic resin (树脂). "Plastic," she says, "just seemed like it was in everything."
She's right. Back in the 1960s, plastic was well __71__ its way to becoming a staple of American life. The U.S. produced 28 million tons of plastic waste in 2005 – 27 million tons of which __72__ in landfills (垃圾填埋场). Our food and water come __73__ in plastic. It's used in our phones and our computers, the cars we drive and the planes we ride in. But the __74__ adaptable substance has its dark side. Environmentalists feel worried about the petroleum needed to make it. Parents worry about the possibility of __75__ chemicals making their way from 76plastic into children's bloodstreams. Which means Haegele isn't the only person trying to cut plastic out of her life – she isn't __77__ the only one blogging about this kind of __78__. Butthose who've tried know it's __79__ from easy to go plastic-free. "These things seem to be so common __80__ it is practically impossible to avoid coming into __81__ with them," says Frederick vom Saal, a biologist at the University of Missouri.
62. A) resolved B) recovered C) removed D) retreated
63. A) when B) what C) who D) why
64. A) essence B) unit C) crust D) rubbish
65. A) hinged B) hopped C) stretched D) dipped
66. A) include B) induce C) compose D) consist
67. A) slightly B) nearly C) roughly D) barely
68. A) pursue B) prescribe C) preserve D) purchase
69. A) rather B) ever C) merely D) only
70. A) probed B) coupled C) lined D) combined
71. A) by B) over C) on D) under
72. A) ended up B) pulled up C) put up D) set up
73. A) trapped B) adapted C) wrapped D) adopted
74. A) interactively B) remotely C) infinitely D) resolutely
75. A) sensible B) toxic C) attractive D) absurd
76. A) household B) family C) internal D) civil
77. A) hardly B) largely C) even D) still
78. A) endeavor B) recreation C) accomplishment D) diligence
79. A) well B) little C) far D) much
80. A) while B) which C) but D) that
81. A) fashion B) approach C) contact D) agreement
Part VI Translation
82. You shouldn't have run across the road without looking. You ______________________________ (也许会被车撞倒的).
33. By no means ______________________________ (他把自己当成专家) although he knows a lot aboutthe field.
84. He doesn't appreciate the sacrifice his friends have made for him,______________________________ (把他们所做的视作理所当然).
85. Janet told me that she would rather her mother ______________________________ (不干涉她的婚姻).
86. To keep up with the expanding frontiers of scholarship, Edward Wilson found himself______________________________ (经常上网查找信息).
