1、 专硕网-专硕考研社区 合理利用 切勿成为资料下载狂 ！考研同学-专业硕士社区 不定期更新复习资料、真题！ 2011 年 12 月大学英语六级真题及答案Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled The Way to Success by commenting on Abraham Lincolns famous remark, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and
2、 I will spend, the first four sharpening the axe.“ You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.The Way to Success注 意 ： 此 部 分 试 题 请 在 答 题 卡 1 上 作 答 。Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes)Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the p
3、assage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.Googles Plan for Worlds Biggest Online Library: Philanthropy Or Ac
4、t 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 i
5、t 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-print library books, most of which have been gathering dust on forgotten shelves for decades? The company claims its motives are esse
6、ntially public-spirited. Its overall mission, after all, is to “organize the worlds 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 isnt about making money. We are doing this for the good of soci
7、ety.“ 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 this is prima
8、rily a philanthropic (慈 善 的 ) exercise. “Googles core business is search and find, so obviously what helps improve Googles search engine is good for Google,“ he says. “But we have never built a spreadsheet (电 子 数 据 表 ) outlining the financial benefits of this, and I have never had to justify the amo
9、unt I am spending to the companys founders.“It is easy, talking to Clancy and his colleagues, to be swept along by their missionary passion. But Googles book-scanning project is proving controversial. Several opponents have recently emerged, ranging from rival tech giants such as Microsoft and Amazo
10、n to small bodies representing authors and publishers across the world. In broad terms, these opponents have leveled two sets of criticisms at Google.First, they have questioned whether the primary responsibility for digitally archiving the worlds books should be allowed to fall to a commercial comp
11、any. In a recent essay in the New York Review of Books, Robert Danton, the head of Harvard Universitys library, argued that because such books are a common resource the possession of us all only public, not-for-profit bodies should be given the power to control them.The second related criticism is t
12、hat Googles 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 Jaundice and Jaundice case in Charles Dickens Bleak House look straightforward.At its centre, however, is one simple issue: that of copyri
13、ght. 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 专硕网-专硕考研社区 合理利用 切勿成为资料下载狂 ！考研同学-专业硕士社区 不定期更新复习资料、真题！ country to country, but in general protection extends for the duration of a
14、n authors life and for a substantial period afterwards, thus allowing the authors 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
15、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 th
16、e “public domain“ (works such as the Bodleians first edition of Middlemarch, which anyone can read for free on Google Books Search).But, within the US, the company has scanned both in-copyright and out-of-copyright works. In its defense, Google points out that it displays only small segments of book
17、s 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 on
18、ly once authors have expressly given their permission,“ says Piers Bluffed, of the Sheila Land literary agency in London. “Google has reversed this it has simply copied all these works without bothering task.“In 2005, the Authors Guild of America, together with a group of US publishers, launched a c
19、lass action suit (集 团诉 讼 ) against Google that, after more than two years of negotiation, ended with an announcement last October that Google and the claimants had reached an out-of-court settlement. The full details are complicated - the text alone runs to 385 pages and trying to summarize it is no
20、 easy task. “Part of the problem is that it is basically incomprehensible,“ says Bluffed, one of the settlements 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
21、 revenue it generates from their 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 dea
22、ls sold to libraries or sell them individually under a consumer license. It is these commercial provisions that are proving the settlements most controversial aspect.Critics point out that, by giving Google the right to commercially exploit its database, the settlement paves the way for a subtle shi
23、ft in the companys role from provider of information to seller. “Googles business model has always been to provide information for free, and sell advertising on the basis of the traffic this generates,“ points out James Grimmelman, associate professor at New York Law School. Now, he says, because of
24、 the settlements provisions, Google could become a significant force in bookselling.Interest in this aspect of the settlement has focused on “orphan“ works, where there is no known copyright holder these make up an estimated 5-10% of the books Google has scanned. Under the settlement, when no rights
25、 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% of orphan works for free, include them in its subscription deals to libraries and sell them to individual buyers under the consumer license.It is
26、by no means certain that the settlement will be enacted (执 行 ) it is the subject of fairness 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
27、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 by scanning the worlds library books, and the truth, as Gerick, an American science writer and member of the Authors Guild, points out, is that the comp
28、any probably doesnt even know itself. But what is certain is that, in some way or other, Googles 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。 专硕网-专硕考研社区 合理利用 切勿成为资料下载狂 ！考研同学-专业硕士社区 不定期更新复习资料、真题！ 1. Google claims its pl
29、an for the worlds biggest online library is _.A) to serve the interest of the general publicB) to encourage reading around the worldC) to save out-of-print books in librariesD) to promote its core business of searching2. According to Santiago de la Mora, Googles book-scanning project will _.A) broad
30、en humanitys intellectual horizonsB) help the broad masses of readersC) revolutionize the entire book industryD) make full use of the power of its search engine3. Opponents of Google Books believe that digitally archiving the worlds books should be controlled by _.A) non-profit organizations C) mult
31、inational companiesB) the worlds leading libraries D) the worlds tech giants4. Google has involved itself in a legal battle as it ignored _.A) the copyright of authors of out-of-print booksB) the copyright of the books it scannedC) the interest of traditional booksellersD) the differences of in-prin
32、t and out-of-print books5. Google defends its scanning in-copyright books by saying that _.A) it displays only a small part of their contentB) it is willing to compensate the copyright holdersC) making electronic copies of books is not a violation of copyrightD) the online display of in-copyright bo
33、oks is not for commercial use6. 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-o
34、f-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 Googles business model.C) Googles further exploitation of its database.D) The commercial provisions of the settlement.8. While _, Google ma
35、kes money by selling advertising.9. Books whose copyright holders are not known are called _.10. Googles entrance into digital bookselling will tremendously _ in the 专硕网-专硕考研社区 合理利用 切勿成为资料下载狂 ！考研同学-专业硕士社区 不定期更新复习资料、真题！ Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)Section ADirections: In this sectio
36、n, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the
37、four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.注 意 ： 此 部 分 试 题 请 在 答 题 卡 2 上 作 答 。11. A) Cancel the trip to prepare for the test.B) Review his notes once he arrives in Chicago.C) L
38、isten to the recorded notes while driving.D) Prepare for the test after the wedding.12. A) The woman will help the man remember the lines.B) The man lacks confidence in playing the part.C) The man hopes to change his role in the play.D) The woman will prompt the man during the show.13. A) Preparatio
39、ns for an operation. C) Arranging a bed for a patient.B) A complicated surgical case. D) Rescuing the womans uncle.14. A) He is interested in improving his editing skills.B) He is eager to be nominated the new editor.C) He is sure to do a better job than Simon.D) He is too busy to accept more respon
40、sibility.15. A) He has left his position in the government.B) He has already reached the retirement age.C) He made a stupid decision at the cabinet meeting.D) He has been successfully elected Prime Minister.16. A) This years shuttle mission is a big step in space exploration.B) The man is well infor
41、med about the space shuttle missions.C) The shuttle flight will be broadcast live worldwide.D) The man is excited at the news of the shuttle flight.17. A) At an auto rescue center. C) At a suburban garage.B) At a car renting company. D) At a mountain camp.18. A) He got his speakers fixed. C) He list
42、ened to some serious musicB) He went shopping with the woman. D) He bought a stereo system.Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. A) Providing aid to the disabled.B) Printing labels for manufactured goods.C) Promoting products for 专硕网-专硕考研社区 合理利用 切勿成为资料下载狂 ！考研同学-专业
43、硕士社区 不定期更新复习资料、真题！ D) Selling products made for left-handers.20. A) Most of them are specially made for his shop.B) All of them are manufactured in his own plant.C) The kitchenware in his shop is of unique design.D) About half of them are unavailable on the market.21. A) They specialize in one produ
44、ct only. C) They run chain stores in central London.B) They have outlets throughout Britain. D) They sell by mail order only.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.22. A) It publishes magazines. B) It sponsors trade fairs. C) It runs sales promotion campaigns. D) It is
45、engaged in product design.23. A) The ad specifications had not been given in detail.B) The womans company made last-minute changes.C) The womans company failed to make payments in time.D) Organizing the promotion was really time-consuming.24. A) Extend the campaign to next year. B) Cut the fee by ha
46、lf for this year. C) Run another four-week campaign.D) Give her a 10 percent discount.25. A) Stop negotiating for the time being. B) Calm down and make peace. C) Reflect on their respective mistakes D) Improve their promotion plans.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages
47、. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.注 意 ： 此 部 分 试 题 请 在 答 题 卡 2 上 作 答 。Passage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are base
