圣杰漫大学英语六级测试

Q1:一.Passage oneIt is easy to miss amid the day-to-day headlines of global economic recession, but there is a less conspicuous kind of social upheaval(剧变)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 worlds 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 comewith 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 isnt 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 specieswhen the move into new territory, the often displace the wildlife that was already living there. And as land is cleared for those new citiesespecially in the dense tropical forestscarbon will be released into the atmosphere as well. Its 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 cant be stopped and it shouldnt be. But Setos paper does underscore the importance of managing that transition. If we do it the right way, we can reduce urbanizations impact on the environment. Theres an enormous opportunity here, and a lot of pressure and responsibility to think about how we urbanize, says Seto. One thing thats clear is that we cant build cities the way we have over the last couple of hundred years. The scale of this transition wont allow that. Were headed towards an urban planet no matter what, but whether it becomes heaven or hell is up to us.1. What issue does the author try to draw peoples attention to?

Q2:2In what sense are humans the ultimateinvasive species?

Q3:3 Inwhat way is urbanization in poor countries good for the environment?

Q4:4 What does the author say about livingcomfortably in the city?

Q5:4 What can be done to minimize the negativeimpact of urbanization according to Seto?

Q6:二.Passage Two 　　When Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched thefacebook.com in Feb. 2004, even he could not imagine the forces it would let loose. His intent was to connect college students. Facebook, which is what this website rapidly evolved into, ended up connecting the world. 　　To the children of this connected era, the world is one giant social network. They are not bound as were previous generations of humans by what they were taught. They are only limited by their curiosity and ambition. During my childhood, all knowledge was local. You learned everything you knew from your parents, teachers, preachers, and friends. 　　With the high-quality and timely information at their fingertips, todays children are rising normally tame middle class is speaking up against social ills. Silicon Valley executives are being shamed into adding women to their boards. Political leaders are marshalling the energy of millions for elections and political causes. All of this is being done with social media technologies that Facebook and its competitors set free. 　　As does every advancing technology, social media has created many new problems. It is commonly addictive and creates risks for younger users. Social media is used by extremists in the Middle East and elsewhere to seek and brainwash recruits. And it exposes us and our friends to disagreeable spying. We may leave our lights on in the house when we are on vacation, but through social media we tell criminals exactly where we are, when we plan to return home, and how to blackmail(敲诈)us. 　　Governments dont need informers any more. Social media allows government agencies to spy on their own citizens. We record our thoughts, emotions, likes and dislikes on Facebook; we share our political views, social preferences, and plans. We post intimate photographs of ourselves. No spy agency or criminal organization could actively gather the type of data that we voluntarily post for them. 　　The marketers are also seeing big opportunities. Amazon is trying to predict what we will order. Google is trying to judge our needs and wants based on our social-media profiles. We need to be aware of the risks and keep working to alleviate the dangers. Regardless of what social media people use, one thing is certain: we are in a period of accelerating change. The next decade will be even more amazing and unpredictable than the last. Just as no one could predict what would happen with social media in the last decade, no one can accurately predict where this technology will take us. I am optimistic, however, that a connected humanity will find a way to uplift itself. 5What was the purpose of Facebook when it was first created?

Q7:6What difference does social media make tolearning?

Q8:7 What is the author’s greatest concern withsocial media technology?

Q9:8 What do businesses use social media for?

Q10:9 Whatdoes the author think of social media as a whole?