Passage One

　　Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.

　　Call it the “l(fā)earning paradox”, the more you struggle and even fail while you’re trying to learn new information, the better you’re likely to recall and apply that information later.

　　The learning paradox is at the heart of “productive failure”.a phenomenon identified by researcher Manu Kapur. Kapur points outthat while the model adopted by many teachers when introducing students to new knowledge―providing lots of structure and guidance early on, until the students show that they can do it on their own―makes intuitive sense, it may not be the best way to promote learning. Rather, it’s better to let the learners wrestle (較勁)with the material ontheir own for a while, refraining from giving them any assistance at the start. In a paper published recently, Kapur applied the principle of productive failure to mathematical problem solving in three schools.

　　With one group of students, the teacher provided strong “scaffolding”―instructional support—and feedback. With the teacher’s help, these pupils were able to find the answers to their set of problems. Meanwhile, a second group was directed to solve the same problems by collaborating with one another, without any prompts from their instructor. These students weren’t able to complete the problems correctly. But in the course of trying to do so, they generated a lot of ideas about the nature of the problems and about what potential solutions would look like. And when the two groups were tested on what they’d learned, the second group “significantly outperformed” the first. The apparent struggles of the floundering (掙扎的)grouphave what Kapurcalls a “hidden efficacy”: they lead people to understand the deep structure of problems, not simply their correct solutions. When these students encounter a new problem of the same type on a test, they’re able to transfer the knowledge they’ve gathered more effectively than those who were the passive recipients of someone else’s expertise.

　　In the real world, problems rarely come neatly packaged, so being able to discern their deep structure is key. But, Kapur notes, none of us like to fail, no matter how often Silicon Valley entrepreneurs praise the beneficial effects of an idea that fails or a start-up company that crashesand burns. So we need to “design for productive failure” by building it into the learning process. Kapur has identified three conditions that promote this kind of beneficial struggle. First, choose problems to work on that“challenge but do not frustrate”. Second, provide learners with opportunities to explain and elaborate on what they’re doing. Third, give learners the chance to compare and contrast good and bad solutions to the problems. And to those students who protest this tough-love teaching style: you'll thank me later.

　　注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。

　　56. Why does the author call the learning process a paradox?

　　A) Pains do not necessarily lead to gains.

　　B) What is learned is rarely applicable in life.

　　C) Failure more often than not breeds success.

　　D) The more is taught, the less is learnt.

　　57. What does Kapur disapprove of in teaching?

　　A) Asking students to find and solve problems on their own.

　　B) Developing students’ ability to apply what they learn.

　　C) Giving students detailed guidance and instruction.

　　D) Allowing students a free hand in problem solving.

　　58. What do people tend to think of providing strong “scaffolding” in teaching?

　　A) It will make teaching easier. C) It can motivate average students.

　　B) It is a sensible way of teaching. D) It will enhance students’ confidence.

　　59. What kind of problem should be given to students to solve according to Kapur?

　　A) It should be able to encourage collaborative learning.

　　B) It should be easy enough so as not to frustrate students.

　　C) It should be solvable by average students with ease.

　　D) It should be difficult enough but still within their reach.

　　60. What can be expected of “this tough-love teaching style” (Lines 8-9, Para. 5)?

　　A) Students will be grateful in the long run.

　　B) Teachers will meet with a lot of resistance.

　　C) Parents will think it too harsh on their kids.

　　D) It may not be able to yield the desired results.

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.

　　Vernon Bowman, a 75-year-old farmer from rural Indiana, did something that got him sued. He planted soybeans (大豆)sold as cattle feed. But Monsanto, the agricultural giant, insists it has a patent on the kind of genetically modified seeds Bowman used―and that the patent continues to all of the progeny (后代)of those seeds.

　　Have we really gotten to the point that planting a seed can lead to a high-stakes Supreme Court patent lawsuit? We have, and that case is Bowman vs. Monsanto, which is being argued on Tuesday. Monsanto’s critics have attacked the company for its “merciless legal battles against small farmers,” and they are hoping this will be the case that puts it in its place. They are also hoping the court’s ruling will rein in patent law, which is increasingly being used to claim new life forms as private property.

　　Monsanto and its supporters, not surprisingly, see the case very differently. They argue that when a company like Monsanto goes to great expense to create a valuable new genetically modi­fied seed, it must be able to protect its property interests. If farmers like Bowman are able to use these seeds without paying the designated fee, it will remove the incentives for companies like Monsanto to innovate.

　　Monsanto accused Bowman of patent infringement and won an $84,456 damage award. Rather than pay up or work out a settlement, Bowman decided to appeal—all the way to the Supreme Court. He said “Monsanto should not be able, just because they’ve got billions of dollars to spend on legal fees, to try to terrify farmers into obeying their agreements by massive force and threats.”

　　The central issue in the case is whether patent rights to living things extend to the progeny ofthose things. Monsanto argues that itspatents extend to later generations. But Bowman's supporters argue that Monsanto is trying to expand the scope of patents in ways that would enrich big corporations and hurt small farmers. They say that if Monsanto wins, the impact will extend far beyond agriculture―locking up property rights in an array of important areas. Knowledge Ecology International contends that the Supreme Court’s ruling could have “profound effects” on other biotech industries.

　　If this were a Hollywood movie, the courageous old Indiana farmer would beat the profit-minded corporation before the credits rolled. But this is a real-life argument before a Supreme Court that has a well-earned reputation for looking out for the interests of large corporations. This case gives the court an opportunity to rein in the growing use of patents to protect genetically engineered crops and other life forms―but the court may well use it to give this trend a powerful new endorsement.

　　注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答

　　61. Why did Vernon Bowman get sued?

　　A) He used genetically modified seeds to feed his cattle.

　　B) He planted soybeans without paying for the patent.

　　C) He made a profit out of Monsanto’s commercial secrets.

　　D) He obtained Monsanto’s patented seeds by illegal means.

　　62. What are Monsanto’s critics hoping the Supreme Court will do?

　　A) Allow small farmers to grow genetically modified soybeans.

　　B) Punish Monsanto for infringing on small farmers' interests.

　　C) Rule against Monsanto’s excessive extension of its patent rights.

　　D) Abolish the patent law concerning genetically engineered seeds.

　　63. What is the argument of Monsanto and its supporters?

　　A) Patent rights should be protected to encourage innovation.

　　B) Bowman cannot plant the seeds without Monsanto's consent.

　　C) Monsanto has the right to recover the costs of its patented seeds.

　　D) Patent law on genetically modified seeds should not be challenged.

　　64. What is the key issue in the Bowman vs. Monsantocase?

　　A) Whether patent for seeds is harmful to agricultural production.

　　B) Whether the biotech industry should take priority over agriculture.

　　C) Whether measures should be introduced to protect small farmers.

　　D) Whether patent for living things applies to their later generations.

　　65. What do we learn from the last paragraph?

　　A) Hollywood movies usually have an unexpected, dramatic impact on real-life arguments.

　　B) The Supreme Court will try to change its reputation for supporting large corporations.

　　C) The Supreme Court is likely to persuade the parties concerned to work out a settlement.

　　D) The ruling would be in Bowman’s favor if the case were argued in a Hollywood movie.

　　Part IV Translation(30 minutes)

　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.

　　聞名于世的絲綢之路是一系列連接?xùn)|西方的路線。絲綢之路延伸6,000多公里，得名于古代中國的絲綢貿(mào)易。絲綢之路上的貿(mào)易在中國、南亞、歐洲和中東文明發(fā)展中發(fā)揮了重要作用。正是通過絲綢之路，中國的造紙、火藥、指南針、印刷術(shù)等四大發(fā)明才被引介到世界各地。同樣，中國的絲綢、茶葉和瓷器(porcelain)也傳遍全球。物質(zhì)文化的交流是雙向的，歐洲也通過絲綢之路出口各種商品和植物，滿足中國市場的需求。

　　注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。

　　答案　　1~5 DCBCD 6~10 ABABD 11~15 ACBCA 16~20 BCCDA 21~25 DACDB

　　26. addition 27. recognize 28. challenges 29. identify 30. secret

　　31. specific 32. giving instructions 33. shed light on 34. acquisition 35. caught up with

　　36~40 NJOLB 41~45 HKFIC 46~50 ONHOA 51~55 JGBEL 56~60 CCBDA

　　61~65 BCADD

　　2013年12月英語六級作文題目：

　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on happiness by referring to the saying “Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them.” You can cite examples to illustrate your point and then explain how you can develop your ability to deal with problems and be happy. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.

　　老師楊競歐給出的英語六級作文范文

　　Happiness, as the saying has it, is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them. In other words, people can never be happy if they focus on their difficulties and challenges. Simple as the remark may sound, it conveys a thought-provoking notion that happiness is a state of mind not an absence of problems.

　　First and foremost, it is well known that in order to be a strong individual, one needs obstacles to develop one’s strength, just like butterflies which struggle to be free of their cocoon in order for their wings to become strong enough to fly. Furthermore, just because people have a disadvantaged childhood, it does not mean they cannot be successful. Steve Jobs is a case in point. He was abandoned by his biological parents and dropped out of university but still managed to change the world.

　　To conclude, as the saying goes “You cannot run away from your problems. There is not a place far enough away.” Consequently, it is advisable for everyone to have a positive attitude toward their problems if they really want to be happy.

　　作文題Directions：

　　For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay about the impact of information explosion by referring to the saying "a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention". You can cite examples to illustrate your point and then explain what you can do to avoid being distracted by irrelevant information? You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.

　　Ways to Get Over Information Explosion

　　As a famous saying goes, “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention”. Nowadays we are in the Information Age. Some people keep complaining about distraction by the information explosion.

　　Admittedly, the new information age has brought us so much convenience that we are allowed to get enough information just with a simple click sitting in front of the computers. Nevertheless, we are also confused, annoyed, distracted and upset by an incredibly large quantity of information. For example, when searching for something online, people are easily carried away by irrelevant information and forget their original plan. Besides, some information often turns out to be useless and actually advertisement. Therefore, it can be time-consuming and troublesome to search information online.

　　Then what we can do to avoid being distracted by irrelevant information? Here I have some useful tips: Firstly, make a list of what you really want before your searching. This will help you to refuse some appealing, yet irrelevant information. Secondly, find some trustful and professional sources or websites and then save and categorize them. In this case, you can easily leave some ads and useless information behind.

　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the remark “the greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.” You can give examples to illustrate your point and then explain what you will do to make your life more meaningful. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.

　　How to Live a Meaning Life

　　Among all the highlighted topics, there is “how to live a meaning life?” Everyone has his or her own opinion. As the saying has it, “the greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.” I cannot agree any more.

　　If our life is just to pursue something for ourselves, we will surely feel fruitless and meaningless when we grow old. From Steve Jobs’s bibliography, we can get that the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do. Steve Jobs has brought a great many changes to our world. His life, although short, definitely outlast. That’s a life worth living.

　　Therefore, if there is a way to make my life meaningful, it should be to find something I’m interested in and also helpful to others or the whole society. Only in this way can I keep my passion throughout my life until I finally fulfil my life.

　　【2013年12月英語六級翻譯真題】中國人自古以來就在中秋時節(jié)慶祝豐收，這與北美地區(qū)慶祝感恩節(jié)的習(xí)俗十分相似，過中秋節(jié)的習(xí)俗與唐代早期在中國各地開始流行，中秋節(jié)在農(nóng)歷八月十五，是人們拜月的節(jié)日，這天夜晚皓月當(dāng)空，人們合家團聚，共賞明月。2006年，中秋節(jié)被列為中國的文化遺產(chǎn)，2008年又被定為公共假日，月餅被視為中秋節(jié)不可或缺的美食，人們將月餅作為禮物饋贈親友或在家庭聚會上享用。傳統(tǒng)的月餅上帶有“壽”(longevity)、“�！被颉昂汀钡茸謽印�

　　【2013年12月英語六級翻譯答案參考】Since ancient times, the Chinese people usually celebrate harvest in the Mid-Autumn, which is similar to the custom of celebrating Thanksgiving in the North America. The tradition of celebrating Mid-Autumn festival became popular throughout China in the early Tang dynasty. The lunar August 15 is a day for people worshiping the moon. On this day, under the dazzling bright moon, families reunite and enjoy the moon’s beauty. In 2006, Mid-Autumn festival was listed as one of China's cultural heritage, and in 2008, it was classified as a public holiday. Moon cakes, as indispensable delicious food of the festival, were gifts people sent to families and friends during the festival and usually eaten on family gatherings. There are characters of “l(fā)ongevity”,“good fortune”and “harmony” on the Traditional moon cakes.