2025年12月大学英语六级考试真题第3套(含答案)

2025年12月大学英语六级考试真题第3套(含答案)PartIWriting(30minutes).Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaythatbeginswiththesentence"Itisbelievedthatteacherscanexertaprofoundinfluenceontheirstudents'academicpursuitandpersonaldevelopment."Youcanmakecomments,citeexamplesoruseyourpersonalexperiencestodevelopyouressay.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.Youshouldcopythesentencegiveninquotesatthebeginningofyouressay.PartIIListeningComprehension(30minutes).SectionA.Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,youwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions1to4arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.1.A)Itisabsurdlyexpensive.B)Itisappropriatelypriced.C)Itbringsshameontheuniversity.D)Itcaterstostudentsandteachers.2.A)Theyneverreallyappealtoher.B)Theyareneveractuallygoodvalue.C)Theyarewithinstudents'budgets.D)Theyalwayscomeatahighspeed.3.A)Thefood.B)Thespace.C)Thespeed.D)Theenvironment.4.A)Acompleterefurnishing.B)Aruinousburningdown.C)Asubstantialexpansion.D)Amassiverenovation.Questions5to8arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.5.A)Theyhaveapoorworkethic.B)Theydon'tgetalongwithmanagers.C)Theyarestrugglingintheworkplace.D)Theyaren'tasvariedastheirpredecessors.6.A)Learningaboutthewaytheyadheretotheirownvalues.B)Recognizinghowtheytrytostrikeawork-lifebalance.C)Knowinghowtheystruggletoconnectwithmanagers.D)Understandingthewaytheyseekcareeradvancement.7.A)Intermsofthenumberofhoursspent.B)Bytheamountofworktheyperform.C)Intermsoftheworkdonein8hours.D)Bythequalityoftheworktheydo.8.A)Thosewhoseculturefacilitatestheiradvancement.B)Thoseallowingthemtodoprojectsoftheirchoice.C)Thosewhosevaluesalignwiththeirown.D)Thoserefrainingfromdiscreditingtheirperspectives.SectionB.Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwopassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearthreeorfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions9to11arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.9.A)Theymayunconsciouslyhelpcustomerschoosegreenerdishes.B)Theymayunintentionallyencouragecustomerstoeatmeat.C)Theyraisecustomers'environmentalawareness.D)Theyenablecustomerstoeatinahealthyway.10.A)Byinvitingthemtotastedifferentkindsoffood.B)Byobservingtheeatingbehaviourofstrictvegetarians.C)Bycomparingparticipantseatingvegetarianfoodfrequentlywiththosedoingsorarely.D)Byrequiringparticipantstochooseamealasiftheywerefeastingatafamilygathering.11.A)Theyarelesslikelytochooseavegetariandish.B)Theyfindvegetariandishesbecomemoreappealing.C)Theytendtoconsumelargerportionsofunhealthyfood.D)Theyarelesslikelytochoosedishesrecommendedbychefs.Questions12to15arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.12.A)Theyhavefoundasolutiontotheglobalproblemofairpollution.B)Theyhavemanagedtofreezepollutingparticlestoaround-18℃.C)Theyhavebeenseekingawaytopreventpollutantsfrompenetratingindoors.D)Theyhavebeencooperatingcloselyondevelopinganewtypeofair-conditioner.13.A)Theycanbecostlyandinefficient.B)Theyareconstantlybeingperfected.C)Theyareby-productsofhealthresearch.D)Theycansaveover40,000liveseachyear.14.A)Theykeeptheirwindowsclosed.B)Theyspendalotmoretimeindoors.C)Theymakemoreuseofair-conditioners.D)Theytryvariouswaystopurifyindoorair.15.A)Itshowstheimportanceofeliminatingindoorpollution.B)Itmaychangethewayoffutureenvironmentalresearch.C)ItdemonstratesthefruitfulcooperationbetweenUKandChinesescientists.D)Itmaymakehouseholdappliancesserveanadditionalaircleanerfunction.SectionC.Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearthreerecordingsoflecturesortalksfollowedbythreeorfourquestions.Therecordingswillbeplayedonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswersheet1withasinglelinethoughthecentre.Questions16to18arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.16.A)Itdistinguishesdifferentspeciesofanimals.B)Itreflectsdistincttraitsinanimalbehaviour.C)Itdemonstratesanimals'abilitytorecognisethemselves.D)Itgaugesthelevelofintelligenceofvariousanimalspecies.17.A)Itmeetsfewofthebehaviouralcriteriasetinthemirrortest.B)Itbehavessimilarlytoanimalscapableofself-recognition.C)Itremovesmarksfromitselftoshowself-awareness.D)Itmatcheschildrenover18monthsinintelligence.18.A)Theyhaveconclusivelyestablishedthecriteriaofanimalintelligence.B)Theyhaveadvancedtheconceptofself-awarenesstoahigherlevel.C)Theyincorporatemoreperspectivesthanone.D)Theyraisemorequestionsthananswers.Questions19to21arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.19.A)Smallchildrenareevenmorekeenonscreensthantheirelders.B)Bothparentsandchildrenpreferredtoreadelectronicbooks.C)Parentsdifferedfromchildreninreadingbehavior.D)Childrenreadingelectronicbookslearnedmore.20.A)Theycametoconflictingconclusions.B)Theywerebasedonsmallsamples.C)Theyyieldedunanticipatedfindings.D)Theywerefocusedonyoungerkids.21.A)Thosethatprovesimpleenoughforthemtocomprehend.B)Thosethatproducebothaudioandvisualeffectsonthem.C)Thosethatdrawtheirattentiontotheeducationalcontent.D)Thosethatcontributetotheirincreasedinterestinreading.Questions22to25arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.22.A)Regrethavingwastedmuchtimeinmakingthem.B)Thinkhowdifferentwecouldhavemadethem.C)Keepourselvesfromregrettingthem.D)Livewiththemforthetimebeing.23.A)Ithasmadeusthepersonwearenow.B)Ithasbeenmadewithalotofthinking.C)Itstemsfromourvaluableknowledge.D)Itbenefitsusgreatlyonewayoranother.24.A)Challengingthingstodo.B)Beautifulthingstoshare.C)Choicestomake.D)Lessonstolearn.25.A)Foreseeingthepossibilityforregretlater.B)Makingproperuseofthelessonslearned.C)Perfectingthedecision-makingstrategies.D)Seeingthemasobstaclestomovingforward.PartIIIReadingComprehension(40minutes).SectionA.Directions:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.It'sbesttothinkofanaccentasadistinct,systematicandrule-governedwayofspeaking.Accentisnota____26____fordialect,butit'srelated.Dialectisanumbrellatermforthewayacommunitypronounceswords,createswords,andorderswords;accentreferstothatfirstpartonly.Many____27____presumethatthereisasinglestandardwayofspeakingineachcountry,withonesinglestandardaccent,andthatthisperceivedstandardis____28____thebestformofspeech,butlinguists(语言学家)oftenpointoutthattheconceptofastandardaccentisbetterunderstoodasanidealratherthana____29____.Inotherwords,noonespeaks"standardEnglish";rather,itisanimaginedwayofusinglanguagethatexistsonlyingrammarandstylebooks.Onereasonlinguistsagreethereisnoonetruestandardisthat,throughtheyears,therehavebeen____30____supposedstandards,dependingontimeandplace.ThestandardforEnglishinBritishnewsreels(新闻片)fromthe1950s,forexample,differsgreatlyfromthestandardfoundonAmericannationalnewsbroadcaststoday.Infact,therehasneverbeenasinglestandardthat'sbeenfullyagreedupon--andbroadcastoutletsacrossthe____31____haveneverconsistentlyheldtothosestandardsanyway.Evenso,thisideaofastandardaccentis____32____andmanyworkplaceandeducationalenvironmentsperpetuatetheideathataccentsthat____33____fromthecurrentstandardarelessappropriate,oreveninappropriate.ScholarshavefoundthatsouthernU.S.accentfeaturesaremoreacceptedin____34____suchasgovernment,lawandservice-orientedworkplaces,butlessacceptedinthetechnologysector.Theacceptabilityofnonstandardaccentsmay____35____withdifferencesinclassandculture,withnewerorhigherprestigeindustriesexpectingmorestandardspeechintheworkplace.A)affix.B)correlate.C)deviate.D)domains.E)influential.F)inherently.G)laymen.H)multiple.I)properties.J)reality.K)reciprocally.L)specimen.M)spectrum.N)synonym.O)unanimous.SectionB.Directions:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.TheHistoryandMeaningofColoredTrafficLights.A)Timedtrafficlightsaresetaccordingtoschedulesthataresupposedtocoordinatewithpeaktraffichours.Citiesneedtomonitorandupdatesignallighttimeschedulesatleasteverytwoyearstokeepthesesystemseffective.InLosAngeles,California,anambitiousprojecttogoastepfurtherandsynchronize(使同步)everyredlightinLosAngelescostover400milliondollars.Askaresidentofthecityandtheyarelikelytoagreethatsavingtimeontheroadiswellworthit.Ifimplementednationwide,synchronizationcouldshave10%offtrafficcongestion(堵塞)and20%offairpollution.Congestioncoststime,money,andlives.Bigdatacanhelpimprovehowmillionsofpeoplesafelysharetheroad.However,noneofthiswouldbepossiblewithoutthetrafficlight!B)ThefirsttrafficlightwasinventedinLondoninthe1860's,butitwashardlyrecognizable-oreffective.Ithadbeenadaptedfromtherailroadsignalsystembyarailwaymanager,JohnPeakKnight,in1868.Therailroadsusedredgaslightsatnighttosignalstopsandgreengaslightsduringthedaytime.Knightinstalledasimilargaslight,semaphore(臂板信号)systemnearLondon'sWestminsterBridgeinDecemberof1868.C)Thelifeofthefirsttrafficlightsignalwasshort-lived.Agasleakcausedoneofthesignallightstoexplodeonitspoliceofficeroperatorwithinamonthofbeinginstalled.D)AutomatingtrafficsignalsstalledaftertheLondonincident.FortyyearspassedbeforecarscrowdingcitystreetsurgedthedevelopmentoftrafficlightsintheUnitedStates.Londonwouldnotseeanothertrafficlightuntil1929.E)TheUnitedStatesisacarculturelikenoothercountry.UnlikemostEuropeancitiesthatstartedurbanplanningwhenhorseswerehigh-tech,manycitiesintheUnitedStatesweredesignedaroundurbansprawl,suburbantracts,andmotorcars.F)Astrafficandcitiesgrew,sodidtheracetosolvegrowingtrafficproblems.Thefirsttrafficsignalsweresemaphores.Semaphoresaretowerswithmovingarmssignalingfortraffictostoporgo.Theycouldbemanualorautomatic.Therewasnoconsistentdesign.Variousmodelswereinventedandputintoplaceincitiesastheneedarose.G)In1912,LesterWirewasapoliceofficerexhaustedbytrafficatMainStreetand200South.Hedevelopedamanuallyswitchedstoplight.Thefour-sidedbox,raisedonaten-footpole,lookedlikeabirdhouseandwasoperatedmanuallybyanofficer.Theofficerwouldflipaswitchtochangebetweenthedippedredandgreenlights.H)Likethe1910semaphore,thefirstelectricsignalusedwords.However,thewordswerenolongerwrittenonarmsthatraisedandfell.Thewords"stop"or"move"wereonlights.Thepostslituponeachoffourcorner-postsaroundanintersection(十字路口).Itwasnotautomated,though.Aboothwithanoperatorwasrequiredtofliptheswitches.I)Thesystemallowedpoliceofficerstomovefromthemiddleofthestreettoacorner.Fromthatvantage(有利地位),anofficercouldoverseethecrowd.Ifanemergencyvehiclecame,theofficercouldflipaswitchandcleartheintersectionbytriggeringallredlights.Theemergencyvehiclecouldnowpasseffortlessly.Finally,inSanFranciscothefirstredandgreenelectriclightsystemthatcouldbeoperatedautomatically(ormanually)wasintroducedin1917.J)In1920,thefirstthree-colorlightsystemwasintroducedinDetroit--alsoknownasMotorCity,USA.TheevolutionoftrafficlightsignalscouldnothaveamoreappropriatecontextthanMotorCity.FordMotorCompanywasfoundedinDetroitin1903(andothermotorcompaniesfollowed).Fordmadecarsaffordableformorecommonpeople,ratherthanthewealthy,bycreatinglargerscalefactoryproduction.K)Stopandgowereinsufficientforthenewvolumesofcarszoomingthroughintersections.Streetswerefullofnewnumbersofcarsinadditiontodeliverywagons,bustlingcrowds,bicyeles,horse-drawncarriages,andstreetcars.Theintroductionofthecautionaryyellowlighthelpedincreasedriversafety,decreasingaccidentsthatcomefromrunningredlights.L)Stoplightswereincrediblyimportantinchaoticcitystreets.Crosswalksweren'tevenintroduceduntil1951.ThefirstpedestrianfatalityintheUnitedStateswasin1899.M)ThedevelopmentofthemoderntrafficlightmayhavestartedinLondon,butitgrewupintheUnitedStates.InCleveland,anAfrican-AmericaninventornamedGarrettMorgancameupwithanaffordable,patentedtrafficsignal.Theyellowlightmadeintersectionssaferthantheoldstopandgosystem.Thenewdesignwasinexpensiveenoughthatitallowedtheinstallationofalotmorelights.N)MorgansoldthepatenttoGeneralElectric-andthespreadofthetrafficlightwasgreenlighted.Greenmeansgo.Itisthatsimple,butit'sstillbesttocheckbothwaysforoncomingtrafficthatmaynotbepayingattentionorisrunningthelight.Yellowmeansslowdownandpreparetostop.Itdoesnotmeanfull-throttle(全速)ahead.Whileyoumaygetawaywithgunningitintotheintersection,runningayellowcanleadtoticketsanddangerousaccidents.Redlightsareaclearandconsistentwarningtostop.Evenwhererightturnsareallowedonredlights,youmustcometoacompletestopbeforeturningright.Youmustalsoyieldtoanythroughtraffic,whichhastherightofway.Inmoststatesandcities,youcantakearightonredunlessotherwiseindicated.NewYorkCitydoesnotallowarightonred.O)Redarrowsmeanyoucannotturnrightonaredinmoststates.Thegreenarrow,inthesecases,istheonlytimeyoucanmaketheturn.However,youcantakearightonaredarrowafterafullstopinthestatesofIllinois,Kansas,Louisiana,Maryland,Michigan,NewHampshire,NorthDakota,Oregon,SouthCarolina,Utah,WashingtonStateandWyoming.P)FlashingRedisthesameasastopsign,generallyusedatfour-wayintersectionswherethereisminimaltraffic.Whenarrivingataflashingredlight,makeafullandcompletestop.FlashingRedArrowssimilarlymeantostopandthenproceedtotaketheturn.FlashingYellowlightsmeanyieldorsignalcaution,likeoutsideofafirestation.Therearenoall-directionflashingyellowlights,sinceitisprohibitedintheUnitedStates.Ifyouhaveaflashingyellowlight,youaretoyieldtooncomingtraffic.Q)FlashingYellowArrowsarepartofafour-signaltrafficlight.Theseareusedinsomestatesafteraprotectedgreenturnsignal,orarrow,butbeforeasteadyyellowarrow.Whenaflashingyellowarrowisshown,youcantaketheturnafteryieldingtopedestriansandtraffic.SteadyYellowArrowsmaintainthenormalyellowlightcautioninthree-lightsignals,meaningtostoporpreparetostop.Inafour-signalsystemthathasaflashingyellowarrow,thesteadyyellowarrowisasignalthattheyieldperiodisending.Theredarrowisabouttostart.Vehiclesshouldstopifsafelypossible.Trafficticketsarepossibleforrunningasteadyyellowarrow.R)Trafficlightmeaningisfairlyconsistentacrosstheboardwithvariousdeviations.Greenmeansit'ssafetoproceed(thoughyoushouldstillexercisecaution).Yellowmeanscautionandyield.Redmeansdangerandstop.Alwaysdrivedefensivelyandobeytrafficsignals.36.Uponseeingaflashingyellowarrow,adrivershouldletpedestriansandtrafficpassfirstbeforetakingtheturn.37.TheredandgreenautomatictrafficlightsystemoriginatedinanAmericancity.38.ResidentsofanAmericancitytendtosharetheopinionthattimesavedontheroadjustifiesthecostofupgradingitstrafficlightsystem.39.Massproductionofcarsmadeitpossibleforordinarypeopletobuythem.40.Whatatrafficlightmeansisalmostthesameeverywheredespitesomevariations.41.Pedestriancrossingscameintobeingonlyinthemid-twentiethcentury.42.Peopleracedtoaddressincreasingtrafficproblemsalongwiththeexpansionofcitiesandtraffic.43.Whenthewarningyellowlightwasintroduced,drivingbecamesaferandtrafficaccidentsreduced.44.Thesignalsystemontherailroadservedasthebasisforthefirsttrafficlight.45.Eventhoughagreenlightsignals"go",attentionshouldbepaidtotrafficoneithersideincasesomedriverisbeingcarelessorignoringaredlight.SectionC.Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOne.Questions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Mindfulnesshasbeenshowntohaveanumberofmeaningfulhealthbenefits-itcanhelpreduceanxietyandpromotehealinginthosesufferingfromchronicillness.ThepracticeisbasedonaninsightfirstdescribedinancientBuddhisttextsthathumanbeingshavethecapacitytoobserveexperiencewithoutbeingcaughtupinit.Thismeanssimplythatitispossibletoobserveourselveshavingacraving,orahappythought,orevenascaryemotion,withoutreactinginthemomentinawaythatamplifiesthefeelingorsendsthemindspiralingoffintothinkingaboutoldmemoriesoranticipatingevents.Thispracticeofmindfulnesscanhelpcalmthemindandthebodyaswelearnnottoreacttoexperiencewithlikesanddislikesorjudgmentsofgoodandbad.Itdoesnotmakeuscoldorindifferentbutmorefullypresent.Oneofthechallengesofpracticingmindfulnessinourcontemporaryworldisthattherehasbeenaprofoundtransformationinhumanattention.TheartistJennyOdellarguesthatinour"attentioneconomy"humanattentionhasbeentransformedintoacommoditythatbigcorporationsbuyandsell.Thiseconomyrestsonatechnologicalrevolutionofmobilephonesandsocialmediathatmakesitpossibleforcorporationstotargetourattentionwiththeircontentateverymoment.Thedevicesmostpeopleuseareaperpetualdiversionfromthepresentmoment.Theresultisthatitcanfeelasthoughourabilitytofocus,andbefullypresent,hasbeenstolen.Butmindfulnesscanhelpusresisttheattentioneconomyandrelishthethingsthatmakelifespecial,likebeingtogetherwiththosewelove.Mostmindfulnessresearchfocusesontheindividualbenefitsofthepractice,butsomescholarsassertthatwecannotonlypracticemindfulnessforourselvesbutalsopracticeitforothers.Itcanhelpusbuildstronger,healthierrelationships.Thesadtruthisthatlivingintheattentioneconomy,mostofushavebecomebadlisteners.However,justasitispossibletowatchourselveshavinganexperiencewithoutreacting,it'spossibletowatchanotherpersonhaveanexperiencewithoutgettingtiedupinreactivityandjudgment.Thegiftofmindfulnessisapracticeoflisteningwithcompassiontoothersdescribetheirexperiences.Togivethisgiftmeansputtingawayyourphone,turningoffsocialmedia,andsettingasideothercommondistractions.Itmeanspracticingbeingfullypresentinanotherperson'spresenceandlisteningtothemwithcompleteattentionwithoutjudgment,whileresistingtheurgetomaketheinteractionaboutyou.Ifwejudgethevalueofgiftsbasedontheirprice,thisgiftmayseemworthless,butinadistractedworld,itisapreciousone.46.Whatdowelearnfromthepassageaboutpracticingmindfulness?A)Ittriggersourmindtoreflectonpastexperiencesoranticipatefutureevents.B)Itfocusesourattentiononthepresentmomentwithoutmakingjudgments.C)Itconcentratesourmindonourpersonalfeelings,happyorscary.D)Ithelpsourmindtostaycalmwhenfacingjudgmentsfromothers.47.Whatdoweseeintoday's"attentioneconomy"accordingtoJennyOdell?A)Focusontechnologicaladvancescontinuouslyupdatesproductsandservices.B)People'sattentionisturnedintosomethingthatcanbeboughtandsold.C)Businessesprofitfromsellingmobilephonesandrevolutionizingsocialmedia.D)Peopletendtopurchaseproductsandserviceswithoutcarefulthinking.48.Whathappenswiththeprevalentuseofmobilephonesorsocialmedia?A)Theykeepdistractingusersfromthehereandnow.B)Theyrenderusersincapableofresistingtemptation.C)Theyrobusersoftheirabilitytoobserveexperience.D)Theytemptuserstoendorsetheattentioneconomy.49.Whatbenefitcanpracticingmindfulnessbringtousaccordingtosomescholars?A)Itpreventsusfrommakingarbitraryjudgmentsaboutothers.B)Itshiftsourattentionfrommaterialthingstospiritualpursuits.C)Itisconducivetoourforgingbetterinterpersonalrelationships.D)Itishelpfulinregainingourabilitytoenjoywhatwehaveinlife.50.Whatdoestheauthorsuggestwedoinanotherperson'spresence?A)Shareeachother'sexperiencefranklyandcompassionately.B)Payfullattentiontoestablishingcloserelationshipswiththem.C)Beattentivelistenerswhilerefrainingfrommakingjudgments.D)Remindthemofthedistractionfrommobilephonesandsocialmedia.PassageTwo.Questions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.TheotherdayIhadtologintoaserviceIhadn'tusedbefore.SinceIwasanewuser,thewebsitedecidedthatitneededtocheckIwasn'tarobotandsosetmeaCaptchatesttodeterminewhethertheuserisapersonoramachine.Iwaspresentedwithanimageofaroadsidesceneoverwhichwaslaidagrid.My"challenge"wastoclickoneachcellinthegridthatcontainedatrafficsign.Ididso,abitirritated.ThenIwaspresentedwithanotherimageandanothergrid-alsowitharequesttoidentifyroadsigns.Likealamb,Icomplied,afterwhichthewebsiteacceptedmyinput.AndthenIrealisedwhatIhadbeendoingwasaddingtoadatasetfortrainingthemachine-learningsoftwarethatguidesself-drivingcars.So,togainaccesstoanautomatedservicethatwillbenefitfinanciallyfrommyinput,Ifirsthavetodosomeunpaidlabourtohelpimprovetheperformanceofautonomousvehicles.Neat,eh?ButnotealsothedeliciousadditionalironythattheCaptchaisdescribedasan"automatedTuringtest".TheTuringtestwasconceived,youmayrecall,asawayofenablinghumanstodeterminewhetheramachinecouldrespondinsuchawaythatonecouldn'ttellwhetheritwasahumanorarobot.Sowehavewanderedintoaworldinwhichmachinesmakeusdotrickstoprovethatwearehumans!Thestrangestaspectofthisunparalleledshiftishowunder-discussedithasbeen.Themetaphoroftheboilingfrogcomestomind.Havewebecomesosubtlyconditionedbydigitaltechnologythatwedon'tseewhat'sbeenhappeningtous?Havewebeenconditionedtoacceptaworldgovernedby"smart"tech,tradingconveniencetothepointwherewebecomeabitlikemachinesourselves?Inarecentstartlingandthoughtfulbook,twoscholars-BrettFrischmann,alawprofessor,andEvanSelinger,aphilosopher-arguethattheanswertothatquestionis"yes".Andthey'reright.There'snothingtechnophobic(技术恐惧的)aboutthat.Weshapeourtoolsandthenourtoolsshapeus.Technologyissupposedtoprovidetoolsthatservehumanends.But,asthemachine-learningCaptchademonstrates,asignificantproportionofdigitaltechnowsees(anduses)humansasmeanstoendsthatarenotours.Intheprocess,theyreduceustothestatusofcheeryratsrunningontreadmills(踏车)designedbypeoplewhodonothaveourinterestsatheart.Sobacktothefrogmetaphor.Arewesmartenoughtojumpoutbeforeit'stoolate?Youdon'tevenhavetoGoogleittoknowtheanswer.51.HowdidtheauthorrespondtotheCaptchatest?A)Heclickedonthecellsrandomly.B)Heacceptedthechallengereadily.C)Hecompleteditconfidently.D)Heworkedonitsubmissively.52.WhatisironicabouttheCaptchatest?A)Amachinecanrespondtothetestaswellashumansdo.B)Amachinecanoutperformhumansinobjectidentification.C)Atestdesignedtotestmachinesisnowusedbymachinestotesthumans.D)Atestconceivedtotellahumanfromarobotcannowdotrickshumanscan't.53.Whydoestheauthorusethemetaphoroftheboilingfrog?A)Toshowthathumansareunwillingtotradeconvenienceforcontrolbysmarttech.B)Toshowthathumansareunawareofthepotentialdangerbroughtbysmarttech.C)Toquestionwhetherhumansareconditionedtoacceptdigitaltech.D)Toquestionwhetherhumansareasvulnerableastheboilingfrog.54.WhydoestheauthorthinkthatBrettFrischmannandEvanSelingerareright?A)Alargepartofdigitaltechisnowmakinguseofhumanstomeetitsownends.B)Humansarenowfastlockedinaraceagainstdigitaltechtocontroltheworld.C)Digitaltechcanservehumanneedsinwayspreviouslythou