六级真题2022年6月第一套 Passage Two
六级真题2022年6月第一套 Passage Two


①　When a group of Australians was asked why they believed climate change was not happening, about 36% said it was “common sense”, according to a report published last year by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. This was the most popular reason for their opinion, with only 11% saying their belief that climate change was not happening was based on scientific research.

②　But what do we mean by an appeal to common sense? Presumably it’s an appeal to rationality of some sort that forms the basis of more complex reasoning. The appeal to common sense, however, is usually nothing more than an appeal to thinking that just feels right, but what feels right to one person may not feel right to another. Whether it feels right is usually a reflection of the world view and ideologies we have internalised, and that frames how we interact with new ideas. When new ideas are in accord with what we already believe, they are more readily accepted. When they are not, they, and the arguments that lead to them, are more readily rejected.
③　We often mistake this automatic compatibility testing of new ideas with existing beliefs as an application of common sense, but, in reality, it is more about judging than thinking. As Nobelist Daniel Kahneman notes in Thinking, Fast and Slow, when we arrive at conclusions in this way, the outcomes also feel true, regardless of whether they are. We are not psychologically well equipped to judge our own thinking.
④　We are also highly susceptible to a range of cognitive biases such as giving preference to the first things that come to mind when making decisions or giving weight to evidence.
⑤　One way we can check our internal biases and inconsistencies is through the social verification of knowledge, in which we test our ideas in a rigorous and systematic way to see if they make sense not just to us, but to other people. The outstanding example of this socially shared cognition is science.
⑥　That does not mean that individuals are not capable of excellent thinking, nor does it mean no individual is rational. But the extent to which individuals can do this on their own is a function of how well integrated they are with communities of systematic inquiry in the first place. You can’t learn to think well by yourself.
⑦　In matters of science at least, those who value their common sense over methodological, collaborative investigation imagine themselves to be more free in their thinking, unbound by involvement with the group, but in reality they are tightly bound by their capabilities and perspectives. We are smarter together than we are individually, and perhaps that’s just common sense.

1.1.What does the author intend to show by citing the findings from the report published last year?

A People seldom appeal to rationality in their thinking.

B It is often the case that truth lies in the hands of a few.

C Common sense and science are the two sides of a coin.

D Few people know if climate change is really happening.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。由题干中的 the report published last year定位到第一段。文章第一段指出,当一组澳大利亚人被问及为什么相信气候变化没有发生时，大约36%的人称这是“常识”，而只有11%的人认为这是基于科学研究得出的结论，由此可知只有少数人会将一些现象和问题用科学来解释;同时结合第二段前两句话可知，诉诸常识其实是在呼吁某种理性,这恰恰说明实际上人们是缺乏理性思考的。故答案为 A。

2.2.What is the appeal to common sense according to the author?

A It is the basis for the internalisation of individuals’ ideologies.

B It is a series of conceptions formulated from complex reasoning.

C It is collective wisdom that helps people interact with new ideas.

D It is something subjective based on what one perceives to be right.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。由题干中的 the appeal to common sense定位到第二段第三句。文章第二段第三句提到,通常来讲,诉诸常识不过是诉诸那些感觉上认为正确的想法,但一个人感觉正确的想法在另一个人眼中可能并非如此,说明这种诉诸常识的做法其实是带有主观色彩的,它基于一个人自己所认为正确的想法。故答案为 D。

3.3.What does Daniel Kahneman think is the problem of testing new ideas with existing beliefs?

A It may lead to incorrect judgment.

B It makes no use of common sense.

C It fails to correct mistakes through serious reasoning.

D It can produce psychologically unacceptable outcomes.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。由题干中的 Daniel Kahneman 和 testing new ideas with existing beliefs定位到第三段第一、二句。文章第三段第一句指出,我们经常误以为这种将新想法与现有信念自动兼容的测试是对常识的应用,但实际上这更多的是判断而非思考。第二句接着说，丹尼尔·卡尼曼在其著作中表示,当我们以这种方式得出结论时，不管它们是否的确真实,我们心里也会感觉是真实的,由此可知,这种方式有可能会导致不正确的判断。故答案为 A。

4.4.What can we do to be less susceptible to cognitive biases?

A Give equal weight to evidence of both sides in a conflict.

B Provide convincing examples in developing an argument.

C Establish socially shared cognition via scientific methods.

D Avoid inconsistencies when addressing controversial issues.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。由题干中的susceptible和 cognitive biases定位到第四段并读至第五段。文章第五段提到，对知识进行社会验证是我们可以检查自己内在偏见和不一致的一个方法,科学是这种社会共享认知的范例，说明要通过科学方法来建立社会共享的认知，故答案为 C。

5.5.What message does the author try to convey at the end of the passage?

A Multiple perspectives stimulate people’s interest in exploring the unknown.

B Individuals can enhance their overall capabilities by interacting with others.

C Individuals should think freely to break from the restrictions of common sense.

D Collaborative efforts can overcome individuals limitations in scientific inquiry.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。由题干中的 at the end of the passage定位到最后一段。文章最后一段指出,至少在科学问题上,那些把常识看得比有方法的合作调查更重要的人以为自己在思考上更加自由，但实际上却被自己的能力和观点所束缚,而众人协力合作会比个人行动更聪明,可以看出协作能够克服个人在科学探索中可能存在的不足。故答案为 D。