CET6 2024年6月 第2套

CET6 2024年6月 第2套 · 听力

• 00:00:36 - Section A · 第 1 篇 · 1–4 题
• 00:03:47 - Section A · 第 2 篇 · 5–8 题
• 00:07:40 - Section B · 第 1 篇 · 9–11 题
• 00:10:31 - Section B · 第 2 篇 · 12–15 题
• 00:13:59 - Section C · 第 1 篇 · 16–18 题
• 00:17:47 - Section C · 第 2 篇 · 19–21 题
• 00:21:34 - Section C · 第 3 篇 · 22–25 题

• 原页面：https://english-exam.lazynote.cn/cet6/sections/listening/2024-06-2/
• 音频包含开场说明；第一个正式分段从 00:36 开始。

Transcript

Questions 1–4

1 M: I’ve just bought a new blender.

2 W: What’s that?

3 M: A blender, you know, a machine that blends food.

4 W: Uh, yes, of course, the electric kitchen appliance.

5 M: Exactly, this one is state-of-the-art. I’ve been meaning to buy one for a while, and I did thorough research on which specific model to get. I read through maybe hundreds of online user reviews. Anyway, it’s amazing.

6 W: Really? What could be so special about it? I mean it’s just a blender.

7 M: Well, basically, it’s just a very good one. It feels heavy and sturdy and well made. It also has lots of power and can easily cut and crush practically anything. This way, the soups and juices I make come out really fine and smooth, with no lumpy bits.

8 W: Um, I see. I’ve never thought of getting one myself. It sounds like the kind of thing that, for me personally, I would rarely use.

9 M: I’ve never had one before, and now that I do. I use it all the time. I make a fresh fruit juice in the morning, maybe not every morning, but three or four times a week, and it feels fantastic. It’s a really healthy habit.

10 W: I can imagine that must feel quite satisfying. I can picture you getting all creative in the kitchen and trying out a multitude of different ingredient combinations, and it’s obviously going to be healthier than buying packaged juice from a supermarket.

11 M: It’s so much healthier. It’s not even close. Did you know that store-bought juice is like 10% sugar?

12 W: Right, so then you bought it for the health benefits?

13 M: Mostly yes. Basically, it allows me to have a more varied diet with a far wider assortment of nutrients, because it’s not only fruit in my morning juices you see. I can also throw in vegetables, nuts, yogurts, cereals, anything that tickles my fancy.

tickle sb’s ˈfancy
(informal) to please or amuse sb 使觉得好玩；使开心
See if any of these tickle your fancy.
看看这里面是否有你喜欢的。

Questions 5–8

1 W: Today we have a very interesting guest. Mr. Thomas Benjamin Grimm, the mayor of Berkton, is here to talk about his job and responsibilities overseeing this charming village. Mr. Grimm, thank you for being here.

2 M: Thank you for having me.

3 W: I’d like to start by stating the obvious. Berkton has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, and this has happened under your watch. Just how did you achieve this?

4 M: The achievement belongs to all the residents of Berkton. It was a shared effort where everybody pitched in for the communal good.

5 W: But how did this change happen? In about 10 years, Berkton has gone from a relatively unheard-of sleepy village to a must-see destination.

6 M: Yes, the change has truly been remarkable. Berkton was always fortunate to be endowed with such a beautiful natural allure. The Ambury Hills above the village remain untouched by human development, and the Sonora Valley just below it is equally stunning. The transformation commenced in a town hall meeting in spring 2008 over 10 years ago now, when an overwhelming majority of neighbors voted in favor of “Motion 836”. This legislative proposal essentially set out to harmonize the aesthetic appearance of all the houses in Berkton. The idea was that if all the properties looked a certain way with shared design features, then a village as a whole would look more beautiful. And it worked.

7 W: It certainly did. I’m looking now at a before-and-after photo, and the change is truly remarkable. It’s hard to believe it’s the same place. And how do the neighbors feel now?

8 M: Great pride, I would say.

9 W: But what about the multitudes of visitors now crowding the streets? Is everyone happy about that?

10 M: The tourists we receive are a blessing, as they have completely revitalized our local economy. Every visitor is warmly welcome.

Questions 9–11

1 Researchers in the US have created a remote-controlled robot that is so small it can walk on the top of a US penny. In research published in the journal Science Robotics, a team at Northwestern University said the crab-like robot is 0.5mm wide. Researchers described it as the smallest-ever remote-controlled walking robot.

2 The tiny robot can bend, twist, crawl, walk, turn, and even jump without the use of complex hardware or special power. The engineers said this is because the robot is powered by the elastic property of its body. To construct the robot, the researchers used a shape-memory alloy material that transforms to its remembered shape when heated.

3 Using a laser, the team is able to heat the robot at specific parts of its body, causing it to change shape. As the robot deforms and goes back to its original shape, it creates movement from one place to another. “Because these structures are so tiny, the rate of cooling is very fast,” project lead Professor John A. Rogers said. “In fact, reducing the sizes of these robots allows them to run faster.”

4 While the research is still in the exploratory phase, the team believes that technology could lead to micro-sized robots that can perform practical tasks in tightly confined spaces. “You might imagine micro-robots as agents to repair or assemble small structures or machines in industry or as surgical assistants to clear clogged arteries, to stop internal bleeding, or to eliminate cancerous tumours—all in minimally invasive procedures,” Rogers said.

Questions 12–15

1 I don’t want to boast or anything, but I have always considered myself something of an elite sleeper. Given the opportunity, I will sleep for marathon stretches, and can doze through the most extreme situations. On one very rough ferry crossing, on the route to the Isles of Scilly, for example, my traveling companion spent the entire 3-hour-ride throwing up in the bathroom, while I dozed happily on a plastic chair.

2 Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that I am not an elite sleeper after all. It seems I am just lazy, because elite sleepers are defined as the approximately 3 percent of the population who are biologically programmed to need less sleep than the rest of us. According to a study that came out in March, elite sleepers have rare genetic changes, which means they can sleep fewer hours than mere mortals, without any risk of cognitive decline.

3 It may not be possible to change your own genes, but can you train yourself to need less sleep? Is there a non-biological way to reach elite sleeper status? I have spent the past year trying to answer that question. Not for fun, I should add, but because having a baby has severely disrupted my sleep, for which I still have a great passion.

4 For a while, I assumed I’d be forced to become one of those people who jump out of bed at the crack of dawn. After a year of tough scientific study, however, I have discovered being forced to get up early in the morning is very different from being an early bird.

Questions 16–18

1 If you read an article about a controversial issue, do you think you’d realise if it had changed your beliefs? No one knows your own mind like you do—it seems obvious that you would know if your beliefs had shifted. And yet a new paper in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology suggests that we actually have very poor awareness of our own belief change, meaning that we will tend to underestimate how much we’ve been swayed by a convincing article.

2 The researchers recruited over two hundred undergraduates across two studies and focused on their beliefs about whether physical punishment of kids is an effective form of discipline. The students reported their initial beliefs about whether physical punishment is an effective way to discipline a child on a scale from “1” completely disbelieve to “9” completely believe. Several weeks later they were given one of two research-based texts to read: each was several pages long and either presented the arguments and data in favour of physical punishment or against it. After this, the students answered some questions to test their comprehension and memory of the text. Then, the students again scored their belief about whether physical punishment is effective or not. Finally, the researchers asked them to recall what their belief had been at the start of the study.

3 The students’ belief about physical punishment changed when they read a text that argued against their own initial position. Crucially, the memory of their initial belief was shifted in the direction of their new belief—in fact, their memory was closer to their current belief than their original belief. The more their belief had changed, the larger this memory bias tended to be, suggesting the students were relying on their current belief to deduce the initial belief. The memory bias was unrelated to the measures of how well they’d understood or recalled the text, suggesting these factors didn’t play a role in memory of initial belief or awareness of belief change.

4 The researchers concede that this research was about changes to mostly moderate beliefs—it’s likely the findings would be different in the context of changes to extreme or deeply held beliefs. However, our beliefs on most topics are in the moderate range, and as we go about our daily lives reading informative material, these intriguing findings suggest we are mostly ignorant of how what we just read has updated and altered our own position.

Questions 19–21

1 As the American population grows, so does the number of American moms. But, more than a century after Mother’s Day became an official holiday, even as that number increases, the share of the American population who are mothers is at the lowest point in a quarter century.

2 It’s frequently noted that fertility rates are falling sharply in richer countries. But the less-observed consequence of this trend is that the decline in births can also mean a decline in motherhood in America. According to my analysis of data from the Census Bureau, the decline of American motherhood is real, occurring very quickly, and may continue for some time yet.

3 Not only are moms making up less of the population, but their characteristics are changing too, and in a way that might be linked to their proportional decline. Moms today tend to be older than in the past. Just looking at recent years, the change in age-specific birth rates has been drastic.

4 In just the past few years, the peak childbearing age range for American women has advanced from that of 25-29 to that of 30-34. Meanwhile, childbearing among women under 20 has fallen by half or more, while childbearing among women 35 and older is rising.

5 One positive consequence of this age shift is that a larger proportion of new mothers are economically prepared to raise children. Less positively, however, many women find that, as they age, they can’t have as many kids as they would like. Plus, having children later in life can increase the risk of health complications. These finer points aside, one major consequence of the older-moms trend is that fewer years of a woman’s life are spent as a mother. This means that, at any given time, a larger share of women, and thus of the whole population, will report not having children in government surveys. In other words, later motherhood means less motherhood.

6 Even as motherhood rates decline, Mother’s Day, of course, will endure. In fact, despite the demographic shift, retail spending on the holiday appears to be rising. It is hard to say if Mother’s Day spending is rising more than one would expect, given that the American population keeps growing, but one factor might be that the proportion of women who are the mothers of adult children is rising. And those adult children may spend more generously when it comes to celebrating the moms they no longer live with.

Questions 22–25

1 Since NASA published a paper in 1989 claiming that houseplants can soak up pollution and toxic chemicals, businesses and homeowners have increasingly invested in greenery to help clean their air. But, a new analysis suggests it could actually take more than 1,000 plants per square meter to gain a benefit any greater than simply opening a couple of windows.

2 The problem lies in the fact that NASA conducted their tests in sealed containers that do not simulate the conditions in most people’s homes or offices. The space agency was primarily concerned about keeping the air fresh for astronauts cut off in biospheres or space stations and helping to combat “sick building syndrome”, which had become a problem due to the super insulated and energy efficient offices of the late 1970s. By the early 1980s, workers regularly complained of skin rashes, sleeplessness, headaches, and allergies as they breathed in toxic chemicals from paints and plastics.

3 NASA found that certain plants could remove chemicals from the air, and even today, garden centers recommend the plants for air cleaning properties. However, a new evaluation of dozens of studies spanning 30 years found that houseplants in a normal environment have little impact. In fact, natural ventilation is far better at cleaning the air. The researchers also calculated the clean air delivery rate for plants in the studies they analyzed and found that the rate at which plants disperse the compounds was well below the usual rate of air exchange in a normal building, caused by the movement of people coming and going, opening doors and windows.

4 Many of the studies did show a reduction in the concentration of volatile organic compounds over time, which is likely why people have seized on them to praise the air purifying virtues of plants. But the researchers’ calculation showed it would take 10 to 1,000 plants per square meter of floor space to compete with the air cleaning capacity of a building’s air handling system or even just a couple of open windows in a house. In contrast, NASA’s sealed experiment recommended one pot plant per 100 square feet.

5 This is certainly an example of how scientific findings can be misleading or misinterpreted over time. But it’s also a great example of how scientific research should continually reexamine and question findings to get closer to the ground truth of understanding what’s actually happening.

Questions, Answers & Analysis

Section A · Long Conversations

1. What does the man say he did before buying the blender?

• A. Read numerous comments users put online.
• B. Blended all his food without using a machine.
• C. Searched for the state-of-the-art models of blenders.
• D. Did thorough research on the price of kitchen appliances.

Answer: A — Read numerous comments users put online.

I did thorough research on which specific model to get. I read through maybe hundreds of online user reviews.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• read through maybe hundreds of online user reviews ↔ Read numerous comments users put online.

Why the other options are wrong

• C.
• D.
• B.

2. What does the woman say she has never thought of doing?

• A. Eating any blended food.
• B. Buying a blender herself.
• C. Using machines to do her cooking.
• D. Making soups and juices for herself.

Answer: B — Buying a blender herself.

I’ve never thought of getting one myself.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• never thought of getting one myself ↔ Buying a blender herself.

Why the other options are wrong

• D.
• C.
• A.

3. What does the man say is a really healthy habit?

• A. Cooking every meal creatively in the kitchen.
• B. Paying due attention to his personal hygiene.
• C. Eating breakfast punctually every morning.
• D. Making his own fresh fruit juice regularly.

Answer: D — Making his own fresh fruit juice regularly.

I make a fresh fruit juice in the morning, maybe not every morning, but three or four times a week, and it feels fantastic. It’s a really healthy habit.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• I make a fresh fruit juice in the morning, maybe not every morning, but three or four times a week ↔ Making his own fresh fruit juice regularly.

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• C.
• B.

4. What do we learn about store-bought juice from the conversation?

• A. One-tenth of it is sugar.
• B. It looks healthy and attractive.
• C. One’s fancy may be tickled by it.
• D. It contains an assortment of nutrients.

Answer: A — One-tenth of it is sugar.

Did you know that store-bought juice is like 10% sugar?

Analysis

Paraphrase

• store-bought juice is like 10% sugar ↔ One-tenth of it is sugar.

Why the other options are wrong

• D.
• C.
• B.

5. What is the question the woman asked Mr. Grimm after the introduction?

• A. How he has made himself popular as the mayor of Berkton.
• B. How the residents will turn Berkton into a tourist attraction.
• C. How charming he himself considers the village of Berkton to be.
• D. How he has led people of Berkton to change the village radically.

Answer: D — How he has led people of Berkton to change the village radically.

Berkton has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, and this has happened under your watch. Just how did you achieve this?

Analysis

Paraphrase

• how did you achieve this ↔ How he has led people of Berkton to change the village radically
• this has happened under your watch ↔ he has led people of Berkton

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• B.
• C.

6. What do we learn about Berkton 10 years ago?

• A. It was developed only to a limited extent.
• B. It was totally isolated as a sleepy village.
• C. It was relatively unknown to the outside.
• D. It was endowed with rare natural resources.

Answer: C — It was relatively unknown to the outside.

In about 10 years, Berkton has gone from a relatively unheard-of sleepy village to a must-see destination.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• a relatively unheard-of sleepy village ↔ It was relatively unknown to the outside

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• B.
• D.

7. What resulted from the passing of the legislative proposal “Motion 836”?

• A. All the properties in Berkton were designed by the same architect.
• B. The majority of residents lived in harmony with their neighbours.
• C. The majority of residents enjoyed cosy housing conditions.
• D. All the houses in Berkton looked aesthetically similar.

Answer: D — All the houses in Berkton looked aesthetically similar.

This legislative proposal essentially set out to harmonize the aesthetic appearance of all the houses in Berkton. The idea was that if all the properties looked a certain way with shared design features, then a village as a whole would look more beautiful. And it worked.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• harmonize the aesthetic appearance of all the houses in Berkton ↔ All the houses in Berkton looked aesthetically similar
• shared design features ↔ aesthetically similar

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• B.
• C.

8. Why does the man say the tourists are a blessing to Berkton?

• A. They have helped boost the local economy.
• B. They have made the residents unusually proud.
• C. They have contributed considerably to its popularity.
• D. They have brought happiness to everyone in the village.

Answer: A — They have helped boost the local economy.

The tourists we receive are a blessing, as they have completely revitalized our local economy.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• they have completely revitalized our local economy ↔ They have helped boost the local economy

Why the other options are wrong

• B.
• C.
• D.

Section B · Passages

9. What does the passage say about a team of researchers at Northwestern University?

• A. They have created the smallest remote-controlled walking robot in the world.
• B. They are going to publish their research findings in the journal Science Robotics.
• C. They are the first to build a robot that can bend, crawl, walk, turn and even jump.
• D. They are engaged in research on a remote-controlled robot which uses special power.

Answer: A — They have created the smallest remote-controlled walking robot in the world.

Researchers described it as the smallest-ever remote-controlled walking robot.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• the smallest-ever remote-controlled walking robot ↔ the smallest remote-controlled walking robot in the world
• created a remote-controlled robot ↔ They have created

Why the other options are wrong

• B.
• C.
• D.

10. What did the researchers say about the robot they created?

• A. It changes its shape by complex hardware.
• B. It is operated by a special type of tiny motor.
• C. It moves from one place to another by memory.
• D. It is powered by the elastic property of its body.

Answer: D — It is powered by the elastic property of its body.

The engineers said this is because the robot is powered by the elastic property of its body.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• powered by the elastic property of its body ↔ powered by the elastic property of its body

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• B.
• C.

11. What do the researchers expect their robots to do in the future?

• A. Replace humans in exploratory tasks.
• B. Perform tasks in tightly confined spaces.
• C. Explore the structure of clogged arteries.
• D. Assist surgeons in highly complex surgery.

Answer: B — Perform tasks in tightly confined spaces.

While the research is still in the exploratory phase, the team believes that technology could lead to micro-sized robots that can perform practical tasks in tightly confined spaces.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• perform practical tasks in tightly confined spaces ↔ Perform tasks in tightly confined spaces

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• C.
• D.

12. What does the speaker say she did on her ride to the Isles of Scilly?

• A. She threw up in the bathroom.
• B. She slept during the entire ride.
• C. She dozed off for a few minutes.
• D. She boasted of her marathon race.

Answer: B — She slept during the entire ride.

On one very rough ferry crossing, on the route to the Isles of Scilly, for example, my traveling companion spent the entire 3-hour-ride throwing up in the bathroom, while I dozed happily on a plastic chair.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• I dozed happily on a plastic chair ↔ She slept during the entire ride.

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• C.
• D.

13. What do we learn from the passage about elite sleepers?

• A. They are mostly immune to cognitive impairment.
• B. They can sleep soundly during a rough ride at sea.
• C. They are genetically determined to need less sleep.
• D. They constitute about 13 percent of the population.

Answer: C — They are genetically determined to need less sleep.

elite sleepers are defined as the approximately 3 percent of the population who are biologically programmed to need less sleep than the rest of us.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• biologically programmed to need less sleep ↔ They are genetically determined to need less sleep.

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• B.
• D.

14. What has the speaker been trying to find out over the past year?

• A. Whether there is a way to reach elite status.
• B. Whether it is possible to modify one’s genes.
• C. Whether having a baby impacts one’s passion.
• D. Whether one can train themselves to sleep less.

Answer: D — Whether one can train themselves to sleep less.

It may not be possible to change your own genes, but can you train yourself to need less sleep? Is there a non-biological way to reach elite sleeper status? I have spent the past year trying to answer that question.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• can you train yourself to need less sleep? ↔ Whether one can train themselves to sleep less.

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• B.
• C.

15. What has the speaker discovered after a year of tough scientific study?

• A. It is in fact quite possible to nurture a passion for sleep.
• B. Babies can severely disrupt their parents’ sleep patterns.
• C. Being forced to rise early differs from being an early bird.
• D. New parents are forced to jump out of bed at the crack of dawn.

Answer: C — Being forced to rise early differs from being an early bird.

After a year of tough scientific study, however, I have discovered being forced to get up early in the morning is very different from being an early bird.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• being forced to get up early in the morning is very different from being an early bird ↔ Being forced to rise early differs from being an early bird.

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• B.
• D.

Section C · Lectures

16. What does a new paper in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology suggest?

• A. We have poor awareness of how many controversial issues are being debated.
• B. No one knows better than yourself what you are thinking about at the moment.
• C. No one can change your opinions more than those who speak in a convincing tone.
• D. We are likely to underestimate how much we can be swayed by a convincing article.

Answer: D — We are likely to underestimate how much we can be swayed by a convincing article.

And yet a new paper in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology suggests that we actually have very poor awareness of our own belief change, meaning that we will tend to underestimate how much we’ve been swayed by a convincing article.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• we will tend to underestimate how much we’ve been swayed by a convincing article ↔ We are likely to underestimate how much we can be swayed by a convincing article.

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• B.
• C.

17. What happened when the students read a text that argued against their own initial position?

• A. Their belief about physical punishment changed.
• B. Their memory pushed them toward a current belief.
• C. The memory of their initial belief came back to them.
• D. Their experiences of physical punishment haunted them.

Answer: A — Their belief about physical punishment changed.

The students’ belief about physical punishment changed when they read a text that argued against their own initial position.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• The students’ belief about physical punishment changed ↔ Their belief about physical punishment changed.

Why the other options are wrong

• B.
• C.
• D.

18. What did the researchers concede concerning their findings?

• A. They apparently have little to do with moderate beliefs.
• B. They don’t reflect the change of view on physical punishment.
• C. They may not apply to changes to extreme or deeply held beliefs.
• D. They are unlikely to alter people’s position without more evidence.

Answer: C — They may not apply to changes to extreme or deeply held beliefs.

The researchers concede that this research was about changes to mostly moderate beliefs—it’s likely the findings would be different in the context of changes to extreme or deeply held beliefs.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• it’s likely the findings would be different in the context of changes to extreme or deeply held beliefs ↔ They may not apply to changes to extreme or deeply held beliefs.

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• B.
• D.

19. What does the speaker conclude from her analysis of the Census Bureau’s data?

• A. American moms have been increasingly inclined to live alone.
• B. The American population has been on the rise in the past 25 years.
• C. American motherhood has actually been on the decline.
• D. The fertility rates in America have in fact been falling sharply.

Answer: C — American motherhood has actually been on the decline.

According to my analysis of data from the Census Bureau, the decline of American motherhood is real, occurring very quickly, and may continue for some time yet.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• the decline of American motherhood is real ↔ American motherhood has actually been on the decline

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• B.
• D.

20. What does the speaker say is a positive consequence of the age shift in childbearing?

• A. More new mothers tend to take greater care of their children.
• B. More new mothers are economically able to raise children.
• C. A larger proportion of women take pride in their children.
• D. A larger proportion of women really enjoy motherhood.

Answer: B — More new mothers are economically able to raise children.

One positive consequence of this age shift is that a larger proportion of new mothers are economically prepared to raise children.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• a larger proportion of new mothers are economically prepared to raise children ↔ More new mothers are economically able to raise children

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• C.
• D.

21. What might be one explanation for the rise in retail spending on Mother’s Day?

• A. The meaning of motherhood has changed considerably.
• B. More and more mothers go shopping to treat themselves.
• C. More mothers have adult children celebrating the holiday.
• D. The number of American mothers has been growing steadily.

Answer: C — More mothers have adult children celebrating the holiday.

It is hard to say if Mother’s Day spending is rising more than one would expect … but one factor might be that the proportion of women who are the mothers of adult children is rising. And those adult children may spend more generously when it comes to celebrating the moms they no longer live with.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• those adult children may spend more generously when it comes to celebrating the moms ↔ More mothers have adult children celebrating the holiday

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• B.
• D.

22. What does NASA’s 1989 paper claim houseplants can do?

• A. A) Add to indoor toxic pollutants.
• B. Absorb poisonous chemicals.
• C. Beautify the home environment.
• D. Soak up surrounding moisture.

Answer: B — Absorb poisonous chemicals.

Since NASA published a paper in 1989 claiming that houseplants can soak up pollution and toxic chemicals, businesses and homeowners have increasingly invested in greenery to help clean their air.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• soak up pollution and toxic chemicals ↔ Absorb poisonous chemicals.

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• C.
• D.

23. What is said to be the problem with NASA’s study reported in its 1989 paper?

• A. NASA did experiments in sealed containers resembling the super insulated offices of 1970s.
• B. It was based on experiments under conditions unlike those in most homes or offices.
• C. NASA conducted tests in outer space whose environment is different from ours.
• D. It drew its conclusion without any contrastive data from other experiments.

Answer: B — It was based on experiments under conditions unlike those in most homes or offices.

The problem lies in the fact that NASA conducted their tests in sealed containers that do not simulate the conditions in most people’s homes or offices.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• sealed containers that do not simulate the conditions in most people’s homes or offices ↔ It was based on experiments under conditions unlike those in most homes or offices.

Why the other options are wrong

• A.
• C.
• D.

24. What is the finding of a new evaluation of dozens of studies spanning 30 years?

• A. Natural ventilation proves much more efficient for cleaning the air than houseplants.
• B. Houseplants disperse chemical compounds more quickly with people moving around.
• C. Natural ventilation turns out to be most effective with doors and windows wide open.
• D. Houseplants in a normal environment rarely have any adverse impact on the air.

Answer: A — Natural ventilation proves much more efficient for cleaning the air than houseplants.

However, a new evaluation of dozens of studies spanning 30 years found that houseplants in a normal environment have little impact. In fact, natural ventilation is far better at cleaning the air.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• natural ventilation is far better at cleaning the air ↔ Natural ventilation proves much more efficient for cleaning the air than houseplants.

Why the other options are wrong

• B.
• C.
• D.

25. What does NASA’s sealed experiment recommendation exemplify in scientists’ pursuit of truth?

• A. The root cause for misinterpretations of scientific findings.
• B. The difficulty in understanding what’s actually happening.
• C. The steps to be taken in arriving at any conclusion with certainty.
• D. The necessity of continually reexamining and challenging findings.

Answer: D — The necessity of continually reexamining and challenging findings.

This is certainly an example of how scientific findings can be misleading or misinterpreted over time. But it’s also a great example of how scientific research should continually reexamine and question findings to get closer to the ground truth of understanding what’s actually happening.

Analysis

Paraphrase

• scientific research should continually reexamine and question findings ↔ The necessity of continually reexamining and challenging findings.

Why the other options are wrong

• A.

• B.

• C.

• Source: Lazynote listening page

• Chinese text is stored as Obsidian comments (“).