卷三 2015年12月大學(xué)英語六級考試真題

2015年12月英語六級真題及答案PartIWriting(30minutes)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteashortessaybasedonthepicturebelow.Youshouldfocusontheharmcausedbymisleadinginformationonline.Youarerequiredtowriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.PartⅡListeningComprehension(30minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,oneormorequestionswillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestiontherewillbeapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C.andD),anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheetIwithasinglelinethroughthecentre.1.A)Shehascompletelyrecovered.B)Shewentintoshockafteranoperation.C)Sheisstillinacriticalcondition.D)Sheisgettingmuchbetter.2.A)Orderingabreakfast.B)Bookingahotelroom.C)Buyingatrainticket.D)Fixingacompartment.3.A)Mostborrowersneverreturnedthebookstoher.B)Themanistheonlyonewhobroughtherbookback.C)Sheneverexpectedanyonetoreturnthebookstoher.D)Mostofthebooksshelentoutcamebackwithoutjackets.4.A)SheleftherworkearlytogetsomebargainslastSaturday.B)Sheattendedthesupermarket'sgrandopeningceremony.C)Shedroveafullhourbeforefindingaparkingspace.D)ShefailedtogetintothesupermarketlastSaturday.5.A)Heisbotheredbythepaininhisneck.B)Hecannotdohisreportwithoutacomputer.C)Hecannotaffordtohaveacoffeebreak.D)Hefeelssorrytohavemissedthereport.6.A)Onlytopartstudentscanshowtheirworksinthegallery.B)Thegalleryspaceisbigenoughfortheman'spaintings.C)Thewomanwouldliketohelpwiththeexhibitionlayout.D)Themanisuncertainhowhisartworkswillbereceived.7.A)Thewomanneedsatemporaryreplacementforherassistant.B)Themanworksinthesamedepartmentasthewomandoes.C)Thewomanwillhavetostayinhospitalforafewdays.D)Themaniscapableofdealingwithdifficultpeople.8.A)Itwasbetterthanthepreviousone.B)Itdistortedthemayor'sspeech.C)Itexaggeratedthecity'seconomicproblems.D)Itreflectedtheopinionsofmosteconomists.Questions9to12arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.9.A)Toinformhimofaproblemtheyface.B)Torequesthimtopurchasecontroldesks.C)Todiscussthecontentofaprojectreport.D)ToaskhimtoflXthedictatingmachine.10.A)Theyquotethebestpriceinthemarket.B)Theymanufactureandsellofficefurniture.C)Theycannotdeliverthesteelsheetsontime.D)Theycannotproducethesteelsheetsneeded.11.A)Bymarkingdownthetraitprice.B)Byacceptingthepenaltyclauses.C)Byallowingmoretimefordelivery.D)Bypromisingbetterafter-salesservice.12.A)Givethecustomeratenpercentdiscount.B)Claimcompensationfromthesteelsuppliers.C)AsktheBuyingDepartmenttochangesuppliers.D)Cancelthecontractwiththecustomer.Questions13to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.13.A)Stockbroker.B)Physicist.C)Mathematician.D)Economist.14.A)Improvecomputerprogramming.B)Explaincertainnaturalphenomena.C)Predictglobalpopulationgrowth.D)Promotenationalfinancialhealth.15.A)Theirdifferenteducationalbackgrounds.B)Changingattitudestowardnature.C)Chaostheoryanditsapplications.D)Thecurrentglobaleconomiccrisis.SectionBDirections:Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsomequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C.andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.16.A)Theylaygreatemphasisonhardwork.B)Theyname150starengineerseachyear.C)Theyrequirehighacademicdegrees.D)TheyhavepeoplewithaveryhighIQ.17.A)Longyearsofjobtraining.B)Highemotionalintelligence.C)Distinctiveacademicqualifications.D)Devotiontotheadvanceofscience.18.A)Goodinterpersonalrelationships.B)Richworkingexperience.C)Sophisticatedequipment.D)Highmotivation.Questions19to21arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.19.A)Adiary.B)Afairytale.C)Ahistorytextbook.D)Abiography.20.A)Hewasasportsfan.B)Helovedadventures.C)Hedislikedschool.D)Helikedhair-raisingstories.21.A)Encouragepeopletoundertakeadventures.B)Publicizehiscolorfulanduniquelifestories.C)Raisepeople'senvironmentalawareness.D)AttractpeopletoAmerica'snationalparks.Questions22to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.22.A)Thefirstinfectedvictim.B)AcoastalvillageinAfrica.C)Thedoctorwholustidentifiedit.D)AriverrunningthroughtheCongo.23.A)Theyexhibitsimilarsymptoms.B)Theycanbetreatedwiththesamedrug.C)Theyhavealmostthesamemortalityrate.D)Theyhavebothdisappearedforgood.24.A)Byinhalingairpollutedwiththevirus.B)Bycontactingcontaminatedbodyfluids.C)BydrinkingwaterfromtheCongoRiver.D)ByeatingfoodgrowninSudanandZalre.25.A)MorestrainswillevolvefromtheEbolavirus.B)ScientistswilleventuallyfredcuresforEbola.C)AnotherEbolaepidemicmayeruptsoonerorlater.D)Onceinfected,onewillbecomeimmunetoEbola.SectionCDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadfortheirsttime,youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblankswiththeexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Finally,whenthepassageisreadforthethirdtime,youshouldcheckwhatyouhavewritten.Theidealcompanionmachinewouldnotonlylook,feel,andsoundfriendlybutwouldalsobeprogrammedtobehaveinanagreeablemanner.Those26thatmakeinteractionwithotherpeopleenjoyablewouldbesimulatedascloselyaspossible,andthemachinewould27charming,stimulating,andeasygoing.Itsinformalconversationalstylewouldmakeinteractioncomfortable,andyetthemachinewouldremainslightly28andthereforeinteresting.Initsfirstencounteritmightbesomewhathesitantandunassuming,butasitcametoknowtheuseritwouldprogresstoamore29andintimatestyle.Themachinewouldnotbeapassive30butwouldadditsownsuggestions,information,andopinions;itwouldsometimes31developingorchangingthetopicandwouldhaveapersonalityofitsown.Themachinewouldconveypresence:Wehaveallseenhowacomputer'suseofpersonalnamesoften32peopleandleadsthemtotreatthemachineasifitwerealmosthuman.Suchfeaturesareeasilywrittenintothesoftware.Byintroducing33forcefulnessandhumor,themachinecouldbepresentedasavividanduniquecharacter.Friendshipsarenotmadeinaday,andthecomputerwouldbemoreacceptableasafriendifit34thegradualchangesthatoccurwhenonepersonisgettingtoknowanother.Atan35timeitmightalsoexpressthekindofaffectionthatstimulatesattachmentandintimacy.PartIIIReadingComprehension(40minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Asitis,sleepissoundervaluedthatgettingbyonfewerhourshasbecomeabadgeofhonor.Plus,weliveinaculturethat36tothelate-nighter,from24-hourgrocerystorestoonlineshoppingsitesthatneverclose.It'snosurprise,then,thatmorethanhalfofAmericanadultsdon'tgetthe7to9hoursofshut-eyeeverynightas37bysleepexperts.Whetherornotwecancatchuponsleep--ontheweekend,say--isahotly38topicamongsleepresearchers.Thelatestevidencesuggeststhatwhileitisn't39,itmighthelp.WhenLiu,theUCLAsleepresearcherandprofessorofmedicine,brought40sleep-restrictedpeopleintothelabforaweekendofsleepduringwhichtheyloggedabout10hourspernight,theyshowed41intheabilityofinsulin(胰島素)toprocessbloodsugar.Thatsuggeststhatcatch-upsleepmayundosomebutnotallofthedamagethatsleep42causes,whichisencouraging,givenhowmanyadultsdon'tgetthehourstheyneedeachnight.Still,Liuisn't43toendorsethehabitofsleepinglessandmakingupforitlater.Sleepingpills,whilehelpfulforsome,arenot44aneffectiveremedyeither."Asleepingpillwill45oneareaofthebrain,butthere'snevergoingtobeaperfectsleepingpill,becauseyoucouldn'treallyreplicate(復(fù)制)thedifferentchemicalsmovinginandoutofdifferentpartsofthebraintogothroughthedifferentstagesofsleep,"saysDr.NancyCollop,directoroftheEmoryUniversitySleepCenter.AlternativelyCatersChronicallyDebatedDeprivationIdealImprovementsNecessarilyNegotiatedPiercePresumptionReadyRecommendedSurpassesTargetSectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.Climatechangemaybereal,butit'sstillnoteasybeinggreenHowdoweconvinceourinnercavemantobegreener?Weasksomeoutstandingsocialscientists.[A]Theroadtoclimatehellispavedwithourgoodintentions.Politiciansmaytacklepolluterswhilescientistsdobattlewithcarbonemissions.Butthemostpervasiveproblemislessobvious:ourownbehaviour.Wegetdistractedbeforewecanturndowntheheating.Webreakourpromisenottoflyafterhearingaboutaneighbour'striptoIndia.Ultimately,wecan'tbebotheredtochangeourattitude.Fortunatelyfortheplanet,socialscienceandbehaviouraleconomicsmaybeabletodothatforus.[B]Despitemournfulpolarbeatsandchartsshowingcarbonemissionssoaring,mostpeoplefindithardtobelievethatglobalwarmingwillaffectthempersonally.RecentpollsbythePewResearchCentreinWashington,DC,foundthat75-80percentofparticipantsregardedclimatechangeasanimportantissue.Butrespondentsrankeditlastonalistofpriorities.[C]Thisinconsistencylargelystemsfromafeelingofpowerlessness."Whenwecan'tactuallyremovethesourceofourfear,wetendtoadaptpsychologicallybyadoptingarangeofdefencemechanisms,"saysTomCrompton,changestrategistfortheenvironmentalorganisationWorldWideFundforNature.[D]Partofthefaultlieswithourinnercaveman.Evolutionhasprogrammedhumanstopaymostattentiontoissuesthatwillhaveanimmediateimpact."Weworrymostaboutnowbecauseifwedon'tsurviveforthenextminute,we'renotgoingtobearoundintenyears'time,"saysProfessorElkeWeberoftheCentreforResearchonEnvironmentalDecisionsatColumbiaUniversityinNewYork.IftheThameswerelappingaroundBigBen,Londonerswouldfaceuptotheproblemofemissionsprettyquickly.Butinpractice,ourbraindiscountstherisksandbenefitsassociatedwithissuesthatliesomewayahead.[E]MatthewRushworth,oftheDepartmentofExperimentalPsychologyattheUniversityofOxford,seesthisinhislabeveryday."Oneofthewaysinwhichallagentsseemtomakedecisionsisthattheyassignalowerweightingtooutcomesthataregoingtobefurtherawayinthefuture,"hesays."Thisisaverysensiblewayforananimaltomakedecisionsinthewildandwouldhavebeenveryhelpfulforhumansforthousandsofyears."[F]Notanylonger.Bythetimewewakeuptothethreatposedbyclimatechange,itcouldwellbetoolate.Andffwe'renotgoingtomakerationaldecisionsaboutthefuture,othersmayhavetohelpustodoso.[G]FewpoliticallibrariesarewithoutacopyofNudge:ImprovingDecisionsAboutHealth,WealthandHappiness,byRichardThalerandCassSunstein.Theyarguethatgovernmentsshouldpersuadeusintomakingbetterdecisions--suchassavingmoreinourpensionplans--bychangingthedefaultoptions.ProfessorWeberbelievesthatenvironmentalpolicycanmakeuseofsimilartactics.If,forexample,buildingcodesincludedgreenconstructionguidelines,mostdeveloperswouldbetoolazytochallengethem.[H]Defaultsarecertainlypartofthesolution.Butsocialscientistsaremostconcernedaboutcraftingmessagesthatexploitourgroupmentality."Weneedtounderstandwhatmotivatespeople,whatitisthatallowsthemtomakechange,"saysProfessorNeilAdger,oftheTyndallCentreforClimateChangeResearchinNorwich."Itisactuallyaboutwhattheirpeersthinkofthem,whattheirsocialnormsare,whatisseenasdesirableinsociety."Inotherwords,ourinnercavemaniscontinuallylookingoverhisshouldertoseewhattherestofthetribeareupto.[I]Thepassiveattitudewehavetoclimatechangeasindividualscanbealteredbycountingusin--andmeasuringusagainst--ourpeergroup."Socialnormsareprimitiveandelemental,"saysDr.RobertCialdini,authorofInfluence:ThePsychologyofPersuasion."Birdsflocktogether,fishschooltogether,cattleherdtogether...justperceivingnormsisenoughtocausepeopletoadjusttheirbehaviourinthedirectionofthecrowd."[J]Thesenormscantakeusbeyondgoodintentions.CialdiniconductedastudyinSanDiegoinwhichcoathangersbearingmessagesaboutsavingenergywerehungonpeople'sdoors.Someofthemessagesmentionedtheenvironment,somefinancialsavings,otherssocialresponsibility.Butitwastheonesthatmentionedtheactionsofneighboursthatdrovedownpoweruse.[K]Otherstudiesshowthatsimplyprovidingthefacilityforpeopletocomparetheirenergyusewiththelocalaverageisenoughtocausethemtomodifytheirbehaviour.TheConservativesplantoadoptthisstrategybymakingutilitycompaniesprinttheaveragelocalelectricityandgasusageonpeople'sbills.[L]Socialsciencecanalsoteachpoliticianshowtoavoidourcollectivecapacityforserfdestructivebehaviour.EnvironmentalcampaignsthattellushowmanypeopledriveSUVsunwittingly(不經(jīng)意的)implythatthisbehaviouriswidespreadandthuspermissible.Cialdinirecommendssomecarefulframingofthemessage."Insteadofnormalisingtheundesirablebehaviour,themessageneedstomarginaliseit,forexample,bystatingthatifevenonepersonbuysyetanotherSUV,itreducesourabilitytobeenergy-independent."[M]Tappingintohowwealreadyseeourselvesiscrucial.Themostsuccessfulenvironmentalstrategywillmarrythegreenmessagetoourownsenseofidentity.Takeyouraveragetradeunionmember,chancesaretheywillbepoliticallymotivatedandbeusedtocollectiveactionmuchlikeEricaGregory.AretiredmemberofthePublicandCommercialServicesUnion,sheissettinguponeof1,i00actiongroupswiththesupportofClimateSolidarity,atwo-yearenvironmentalcampaignaimedattradeunionists.[N]Ericaisproofthatagreat-grandmothercanhelptoleadtherevolutionifyougetthepsychologyright--inthiscase,bymatchingherenthusiasmfortheenvironmentwithafondnessfororganisinggroups."Ithinkit'saterrificidea,"shesaysofthecampaign."Theunionbackingitmakesmembersthinktheremustbesomethinginit."Sheisexpectingupto20peopleatthefirstmeetingshehascalled,atherlocalpubintheCornishvillageofPolperro.[O]NickPerks,projectdirectorforClimateSolidarity,believesthissortofactivityiswherethefutureofenvironmentalactionlies."Usingexistingcivilsocietystructuresornetworksisamoreeffectivewayofcreatingchange..,andobviouslytradeunionsareoneofthebiggestcivilsocietynetworksintheUK,"hesays.The"LoveFood,HateWaste"campaignenteredintoacollaborationlastyearwithanothersuchnetwork--theWomen'sInstitute.LondonerRachelTaylorjoinedthecampaignwiththeaimofmakingnewfriends.Ayearon,themeetingshavemadelastingchangestowhatshethrowsawayinherkitchen."It'salwaysmoreofanincentiveifyou'redoingitwithotherpeople,"shesays."Itmotivatesyoumoreifyouknowthatyou'vegottoprovidefeedbacktoagroup."[P]Thepowerofsuchsimplepsychologyinfightingclimatechangeisattractingattentionacrossthepoliticalestablishment.IntheUS,theHouseofRepresentativesScienceCommitteehasapprovedabillallocating$10millionayeartostudyingenergy-relatedbehaviour.IntheUK,newstudiesareindevelopmentandsocialscientistsareregularlyspottedinBritishgovernmentoffices.Withthehelpofpsychologists,thereisfreshhopethatwemightgogreenafterall.46.Whenpeoplefindtheyarepowerlesstochangeasituation,theytendtolivewithit.47.Tobeeffective,environmentalmessagesshouldbecarefullyframed.48.Itisthegovernment'sresponsibilitytopersuadepeopleintomakingenvironment-friendlydecisions.49.Politiciansarebeginningtorealisetheimportanceofenlistingpsychologists'helpinfightingclimatechange.50.Tofindeffectivesolutionstoclimatechange,itisnecessarytounderstandwhatmotivatespeopletomakechange.51.Intheirevolution,humanshavelearnedtopayattentiontothemosturgentissuesinsteadoflong-termconcerns.52.Onestudyshowsthatourneighbours'actionsareinfluentialinchangingourbehaviour.53.Despiteclearsignsofglobalwarming,itisnoteasyformostpeopletobelieveclimatechangewillaffecttheirownlives.54.Weshouldtakeourfutureintoconsiderationinmakingdecisionsconcerningclimatechangebeforeitistoolate.55.Existingsocialnetworkscanbemoreeffectiveincreatingchangeinpeople'sbehaviour.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C.andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Morethanadecadeago,cognitivescientistsJohnBransfordandDanielSchwartz,boththenatVanderbiltUniversity,foundthatwhatdistinguishedyoungadultsfromchildrenwasnottheabilitytoretainfactsorapplypriorknowledgetoanewsituationbutaqualitytheycalled"preparationforfuturelearning."Theresearchersaskedfifthgradersandcollegestudentstocreatearecoveryplantoprotectbaldeaglesfromextinction.Shockingly,thetwogroupscameupwithplansofsimilarquality(althoughthecollegestudentshadbetterspellingskills).Fromthestandpointofatraditionaleducator,thisoutcomeindicatedthatschoolinghadfailedtohelpstudentsthinkaboutecosystemsandextinction,majorscientificideas.Theresearchersdecidedtogodeeper,however.Theyaskedbothgroupstogeneratequestionsaboutimportantissuesneededtocreaterecoveryplans.Onthistask,theyfoundlargedifferences.Collegestudentsfocusedoncriticalissuesofinterdependencebetweeneaglesandtheirhab/tats(棲息地).Fifthgraderstendedtofocusonfeaturesofindividualeagles("Howbigarethey?"and"Whatdotheyeat?").Thecollegestudentshadcultivatedtheabilitytoaskquestions,thecornerstoneofcriticalthinking.Theyhadlearnedhowtolearn.Museumsandotherinstitutionsofinformallearningmaybebettersuitedtoteachthisskillthanelementaryandsecondaryschools.AttheExploratoriuminSanFrancisco,werecentlystudiedhowlearningtoaskgoodquestionscanaffectthequalityofpeople'sscientificinquiry.Wefoundthatwhenwetaughtparticipantstoask"Whatif?"and"Howcan?"questionsthatnobodypresentwouldknowtheanswertoandthatwouldsparkexploration,theyengagedinbetterinquiryatthenextexhibit--askingmorequestions,performingmoreexperimentsandmakingbetterinterpretationsoftheirresults.Specifically,theirquestionsbecamemorecomprehensiveatthenewexhibit.Ratherthanmerelyaskingaboutsomethingtheywantedtotry,theytendedtoincludebothcauseandeffectintheirquestion.Askingjuicyquestionsappearstobeatransferableskillfordeepeningcollaborativeinquiryintothesciencecontentfoundinexhibits.Thistypeoflearningisnotconfinedtomuseumsorinstitutionalsettings.Informallearningenvironmentstoleratefailurebetterthanschools.Perhapsmanyteachershavetoolittletimetoallowstudentstoformandpursuetheirownquestionsandtoomuchgroundtocoverinthecurriculum.Butpeoplemustacquirethisskillsomewhere.Oursocietydependsonthembeingabletomakecriticaldecisionsabouttheirownmedicaltreatment,say,orwhatwemustdoaboutglobalenergyneedsanddemands.Forthat,wehavearobustinformallearningsystemthatgivesnogrades,takesallcomers,andisavailableevenonholidaysandweekends.Whatistraditionaleducators'interpretationoftheresearchoutcomementionedinthefirstparagraph?A)Studentsarenotabletoapplypriorknowledgetonewproblems.B)Collegestudentsarenobetterthanfifthgradersinmemorizingfacts.C)Educationhasnotpaidenoughattentiontomajorenvironmentalissues.D)Educationhasfailedtoleadstudentstothinkaboutmajorscientificideas.57.Inwhatwayarecollegestudentsdifferentfromchildren?A)Theyhavelearnedtothinkcritically.B)Theyareconcernedaboutsocialissues.C)Theyarecuriousaboutspecificfeatures.D)Theyhavelearnedtoworkindependently.58.Whatisthebenefitofaskingquestionswithnoreadyanswers?A)Itarousesstudents'interestinthingsaroundthem.B)Itcultivatesstudents'abilitytomakescientificinquiries.C)Ittrainsstudents'abilitytodesignscientificexperiments.D)Ithelpsstudentsrealizenoteveryquestionhasananswer.59.Whatissaidtobetheadvantageofinformallearning?A)Itallowsforfailures.B)Itisentertaining.C)Itchargesnotuition.D)Itmeetspracticalneeds.60.Whatdoestheauthorseemtoencourageeducatorstodoattheendofthepassage?A)Trainstudentstothinkaboutglobalissues.B)Designmoreinteractiveclassroomactivities.C)Makefulluseofinformallearningresources.D)Includecollaborativeinquiryinthecurriculum.PassageTwoQuestions61to65arebasedonthefollowingpassage."There'sanoldsayinginthespaceworld:amateurstalkabouttechnology,professionalstalkaboutinsurance."InaninterviewlastyearwithTheEconomist,GeorgeWhitesides,chiefexecutiveofspace-tourismfu'mVirginGalactic,wasplacinghiscompanyinthelattercategory.ButinsurancewillbecoldcomfortfollowingthefailureonOctober31stofVSSEnterprise,resultinginthedeathofonepilotandthesevereinjurytoanother.Ontopofthetragiclossoflife,theaccidentinCaliforniawillcastalongshadowoverthefutureofspacetourism,evenbeforeithasproperlybegun.Thenotionofspacetourismtookholdin2001witha$20millionflightaboardaRussianspacecraftbyDennisTito,amillionaireengineerwithanadventurousstreak.Justhaftadozenholiday-makershavereachedorbitsincethen,forsimilarlyastronomicalpricetags.Butmorerecently,companieshavebeguntoplanmoreaffordable"suborbital"flights--brieferventuresjusttotheedgeofspace'svastdarkness.VirginGalactichad,priortothisweek'saccident,seemedclosesttostartingregularflights.Thecompanyhasalreadytakendepositsfromaround800would-bespacetourists,includingStephenHawking.Afterbeingdoggedbytechnicaldelaysforyears,SirRichardBranson,VirginGalactic'sfounder,hadrecentlysuggestedthataSpaceShipTwocraftwouldcarryitsfirstpayingcustomersassoonasFebruary2015.Thatnowseemsanimpossibletimeline.InJuly,asistercraftofthecrashedspaceplanewasreportedtobeabouthalf-finished.Theotherhalfwillhavetowalt,asauthoritiesofAmerica'sFederalAviationAdministration(FAA.andNationalTransportationSafetyBoardworkout:whatwentwrong.Inthemeantime,theentirespacetourismindustrywillbeontenterhooks(坐立不安).The2004CommercialSpaceLaunchAmendmentsAct,intendedtoencourageprivatespacevehiclesandservices,prohibitsthetransportationsecretary(andtherebytheFAA.fromregulatingthedesignoroperationofprivatespacecraft,unlesstheyhaveresultedinaseriousorfatalinjurytocrewor.passengers.ThatmeansthattheFAAcouldsuspendVirginGalactic'slicencetofly.Itcouldalsoinsistoncheckingprivatemannedspacecraftasthoroughlyasitdoescommercialaircraft.Whilethatmay:makesuborbitaltravelsafer,itwouldaddsignificantcostandcomplexitytoanemergingindustrythathasuntilnowoperatedlargelyastheplaygroundofbillionairesanddreamyengineers.HowVirginGalactic,regulatorsandthepublicrespondtothismostrecenttragedywilldeterminewhetherandhowsoonprivatespacetravelcantranscendthatplayground.Thereisnodoubtthatspaceflightentailsrisks,andtopioneeranewmodeoftravelistofacethoserisks,andtoreducethem.withthebenefitofhard-wonexperience.WhatissaidaboutthefailureofVSSEnterprise?A)ItmayleadtothebankruptcyofVirginGalactic.B)Ithasastrongnegativeimpactonspacetourism.C)Itmaydiscouragerichpeoplefromspacetravel.D)Ithasarousedpublicattentiontosafetyissues.62.Whatdowelearnaboutthespace-tourismfirmVirginGalactic?A)Ithasjustbuiltacraftforcommercialflights.B)Ithassenthalfadozenpassengersintospace.C)Itwasaboutreadytostartregularbusiness.D)Itisthefirsttolaunch"suborbital"flights.63.Whatisthepurposeofthe2004CommercialSpaceLaunchAmendmentsAct?A)Toensurespacetravelsafety.B)TolimittheFAA'sfunctions.C)Tolegalizeprivatespaceexplorations.D)Topromotethespacetourismindustry.64.WhatmighttheFAAdoaftertherecentaccidentinCalifornia?A)Imposemorerigidsafetystandards.B)Stopcertifyingnewspace-touristagenc