2025 年 06 月大学英语六级考试真题（第 1 套）

A)Librarians know the value of their community services, and their patrons appreciate their importance as well. But in an increasingly digital world, we see the role of libraries as community and cultural centers at times undervalued. When shrinking municipal budgets combine with the nonstop technological revolution, public library services that focus on building communities face-to-face, inspiring and educating patrons about art, literature, and music, and helping patrons engage in civil discourse can seem old-fashioned. But it is precisely those shrinking budgets and the assault of technologically mediated life that make public libraries' cultural and community offerings more important than ever.

B)Many people point out the value public libraries bring to their communities. More than just books and banks of computers, libraries are still places where individuals gather to explore, interact, and imagine. Some of the specific ways in which libraries add value to our communities and serve as cultural centers for our patrons are community builders, centers for the arts, and champions of youth. Libraries serve in these capacities and are more than just about information.

C)As community builders, libraries are engaged in incredible work. From tiny public libraries to huge city institutions with multiple branches, libraries across the United States are building community and supporting local culture in exciting ways. These are inspiring and hopefully will encourage librarians interested in community services and cultural outreach to make connections with each other, share ideas, and build partnerships. Supporters of libraries as community builders claim that unless you are out there changing neighborhoods, you are not completing the work you are to do. Strengthening neighborhoods and championing the cultural lives of communities are big responsibilities.

D)Place-based economic development stresses the importance of offering attractive, functional, and community-based places, such as libraries, in town squares and depressed neighborhoods. Like a major department store in a mall, libraries attract large numbers of people, creating economic opportunities for numerous businesses and organizations in the surrounding area. Large cities, medium-sized ones, and even small towns have successfully transformed their libraries into the hubs (枢纽) of vibrant neighborhoods.

E)As key municipal agencies, and focal points for community education, libraries are major players in creating livable, environmentally friendly cities and towns. The Urban Libraries Council released a report detailing the unique ways in which libraries can further sustainability at the local level. Beyond ensuring that library construction projects consider environmental impact, libraries can take a lead in supporting local foods and craftsmen—like the Peabody Institute Library's partnering with local businesses to pioneer a farmers' market in their courtyard, or the Richmond Public Library's seed lending library which "nurtures locally-adapted plant varieties, and fosters community resilience (韧性), self-reliance and a culture of sharing."

F)Archives preserve historic artifacts, oral histories, digital history projects, and scholarly writings relevant to the community, including minority groups. Communities lucky enough to have archivists have a great advantage when it comes to organizing historical records and artifacts. An organized archive is a place where people can research their ancestry and immigration history, do environmental research, and more. An archivist is an advocate for preservation who, among other things, coordinates the restoration of maps and paintings, the digitization of vital records, and the creation of oral history projects. With projects like the Massachusetts Memories Road Show and the Veterans History Project, evidence of the importance of archives is everywhere.

G)In the words of Robert Putnam, "People may go to the library looking mainly for information, but they find each other there." New moms connect at baby story-times; elderly people, often facing difficult life transitions, attend events and find that they make new friends; teenagers meet up in libraries' teen spaces after school; and readers discuss current events in the periodicals room. In libraries, community-building connections are happening all the time.

H)As Keith Richards said, "The public library is the great equalizer." Despite the rising costs of concert and theater tickets, public library events (including concerts, author visits, and gallery displays) are often offered free of charge, enabling people of any income level to attend. In addition, library book groups allow people to explore and discuss the literary arts, and the Great Stories Club introduces at-risk youth to literature. The best part: it's all free and open to the public.

I)In a time when education is increasingly expensive, public libraries provide information and educational opportunities free for all people, regardless of their socio-economic status. Offered by libraries across the country, American Library Association's Let's Talk about It programs are wonderful examples of scholar-facilitated learning opportunities in libraries. In addition, many libraries present classes and discussion programs, and some even provide online continuing education courses such as the Universal Class database.

J)Librarians know that patrons aren't just information consumers, they're information producers. Patrons use the library to gain knowledge in order to create their own new and independent works. Increasing numbers of libraries provide spaces and services that meet the needs of people who want to learn how to edit Wikipedia, set up blogs or podcasts, create their own magazines, and so much more. Many libraries offer art or writing workshops and groups, and some provide music practice rooms for patrons. Programs like ImaginOn in Charlotte, North Carolina, provide exciting models that take community partnership, creativity, and creation to a new level.

K)The decline of civil discourse stems in part from the fact that it is so easy for people to watch news about, buy products from, and engage in both the virtual and real worlds—only with those of similar backgrounds and ideologies. Public libraries, through such programs as The Human Library and Socrates Cafe, can help build small communities of difference that encourage people to interact with and learn from each other through dialogue. By both actively promoting civil discourse through these programs, and modeling and upholding the principles of free inquiry and expression for all, libraries help individuals rediscover the importance of an increased need for civil discourse in American life.

L)Free tutoring, homework help programs, and summer reading programs for kids and teens help bridge the economic divide that impacts students' academic performance. The cost of hiring a private tutor is well beyond what many library patrons can afford, so libraries offer homework help and tutoring online, by phone, in person, and even through social media and homework apps. Annual summer reading programs also have a positive impact on student performance and, according to a 2010 study conducted by Dominican University's Graduate School of Library and Information Science, students' reading skills get a boost from these popular nationwide events.

M)Through library collections, programs, and physical spaces, children learn to share, to be engaged in their communities, to participate in the arts, and to explore their immediate world and the world at large. There are surely endless examples of innovative library services for children, including the Middle Country Public Library's Nature Explorium, which engages children in learning about the natural world.

N)N) These examples are just a few of the many amazing things that public libraries around the United States (and the world) are doing to build and maintain strong community connections. We encourage you to try some of these ideas in your own libraries, and we hope that these ideas will help you be better able to convince your community leaders of the important role that public libraries play in communities large and small.

Nationally, one in six children miss 15 or more days of school in a year. Education officials have deplored all this missed instruction. These chronically absent students suffer academically because of all the classroom instruction they miss out on. In 2015, the U.S. secretary of education responded to this crisis, urging communities to support every student to attend every day and be successful in school. His open letter stated that missing 10% of school days in a year for any reason—excused or unexcused—is a primary cause of low academic achievement. Worrying about whether children attend school makes sense. After all, if students don't show up, teachers can't teach them. But what if America's attendance crisis is about much more than students missing class? What if, instead, it is a reflection of family and community crises these students face—such as being ejected from the family apartment, fearing for their safety in their neighborhood or suffering an illness? As social scientists we investigated how excused and unexcused absences relate to children's academic achievement. We find that absences excused by a parent do little to harm children's learning. In fact, children with no unexcused absences—but 15 to 18 excused absences—have test scores equal to their peers who have no absences. Meanwhile, the average child with even just one unexcused absence does much worse academically than peers with none. We believe unexcused absence is a strong signal of the many challenges children and families face, including economic and medical hardships. Unexcused absences can be a powerful signal of how those out-of-school challenges affect children's academic progress. Our evidence suggests unexcused absences are problematic, but for a different reason than people often think. Absence from school, and especially unexcused absence, matters mainly as a signal of many crises children and their families may be facing. It matters less as a cause of lower student achievement due to missed instruction. How we choose to think of school absences matters for educational policy. School attendance policies typically hold schools and families accountable for the days children miss, regardless of whether they were excused or unexcused absences. These policies assume that missing school for any reason harms children academically because they are missing classroom instruction. They also assume that schools will be able to effectively intervene by reducing student absences. We find neither to be the case. As a result, these attendance policies end up disproportionately punishing families dealing with out-of-school crises in their lives and pressuring schools who serve them to get students to school more often. We instead suggest using unexcused absence from school as a signal to channel resources to the children and families who need them most.

After earning a bachelor's degree, I was determined to do what I love. I headed straight to graduate school to pursue a doctorate. For almost a decade, I told everyone I encountered that they should do the same. "Follow your passion," I counseled. "You can figure out the employment stuff later." It wasn't until I began to research this widely accepted career advice that I understood how problematic it really was. As a sociologist, I interviewed college students and professional workers to learn what it really meant to pursue their dreams, which I will refer to here as the passion principle. I was stunned by what I found out about this principle in the research for my new book. Surveys show the American public has long held the passion principle in high regard as a career decision-making priority. And its popularity is even stronger among those facing job instability. Advocates of the passion principle found it compelling because they believed that following one's passion can provide workers with both the motivation necessary to work hard and a place to find fulfillment. Yet, what I found is that following one's passion does not necessarily lead to fulfillment, but is one of the most powerful cultural forces perpetuating overwork. I also found that promoting the pursuit of one's passion helps perpetuate social inequalities due to the fact that not everyone has the same economic resources to allow them to pursue their passion with ease. While the passion principle is broadly popular, not everyone has the necessary resources to turn their passion into a stable, good-paying job. Passion-seekers from wealthy families are better able to wait until a job they are passionate about comes along without worrying about student loans in the meantime. They are also better situated to take unpaid internships to get their foot in the door while their parents pay their rent. And they often have access to parents' social networks to help them find jobs. Surveys revealed that working-class and first-generation college graduates, regardless of their career field, are more likely than their wealthier peers to end up in low-paying unskilled jobs when they pursue their passion. Colleges, workplaces and career counselors who promote the "follow your passion" path for everyone, without leveling the playing field, help perpetuate socioeconomic inequalities among career aspirants. It's not just well-off passion-seekers who benefit from the passion principle. Employers of passionate workers do, too. Potential employers showed greater interest in passionate applicants in part because they believed the applicants would work hard at their jobs without expecting an increase in pay. They even sacrifice a good salary, job stability and leisure time to work in a job they love.