当提及六级听力时，尤其是英语六级真题听力，我们不禁会想起那些考验英语学习者听力理解能力的挑战。作为英语六级考试的重要组成部分，六级听力部分不仅要求考生能够捕捉和识别出基本的语言信息，更需要他们在有限的时间内对复杂的语境进行准确理解，并快速作出反应。小编为大家整理了2023年12月英语六级真题听力第二套recording one的内容，希望能对您有所帮助！

英文原文

recording one

录音一

Now it's become something of a ritual to debate the value of a college degree. But as current Population Survey data show, there has been a sharp decline in employment among men without college degrees, compared with those who have them. This decline began in the 1960s and has become more serious over time. What has actually caused this decline? Well, economists have been working to ascertain the roots of the decline for decades, and have come up with several theories.

如今，关于大学学历价值的辩论已经成为了一种惯例。但根据当前的人口普查数据显示，与拥有学位的人相比，没有大学学历的男性的就业率已经大幅下降。这种下降始于20世纪60年代，并随着时间的推移变得更加严重。这种下降的真正原因是什么？多年来，经济学家一直在努力确定这种下降的根本原因，并提出了几种理论。

One popular theory is that it's a case of two-tiered wages: low wages for jobs that don't require a degree. An alternate theory is that there were more jobs not requiring a college degree in the past than now. A recent working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research reviewed those theories and put forward additional hypotheses about the causes of the problem.

一个流行的理论是，这是一个两级工资制度的情况：不需要学位的工作工资较低。另一种理论是，过去不需要大学学历的工作比现在多。国家经济研究局最近的一份工作论文回顾了这些理论，并提出了关于问题原因的额外假设。

Let's look at that paper now. First, the researchers considered the issue of wages. As the wage gap has grown between those with college degrees and those without, economists have suggested that men aren't as interested in taking some of the less lucrative jobs. While the authors of the paper found truth in this explanation, they assert that low wages can't be the only factor. As wages for men without college degrees, adjusting for inflation, haven't changed much since the 1960s, making it hard to see why fewer men seem willing to accept those wages.

现在让我们来看看这篇论文。首先，研究人员考虑了工资问题。随着拥有大学学历和没有大学学历的人之间的工资差距扩大，经济学家们认为男性对从事一些收入较低的工作不太感兴趣。尽管论文的作者认为这一解释有一定的道理，但他们断言低工资不能是唯一的因素。自20世纪60年代以来，没有大学学历的男性的工资（经通货膨胀调整后）并没有太大变化，这让人难以理解为什么越来越少的男性似乎愿意接受这些工资。

This leads to the second theory, that more jobs require a college degree today than in the past. Indeed, that theory seems valid because in America today, two-thirds of jobs are filled by workers with at least some college education.

这引出了第二个理论，即今天需要大学学历的工作比过去多。事实上，这一理论似乎是有根据的，因为如今在美国，三分之二的工作都是由至少接受过一些大学教育的工人来完成的。

However, the authors of the paper argue that there are other factors amplifying the problem. They identified two new potential explanations. The first being the tremendous decline in marriage among men without college degrees since the 1960s. And the second being the increase in women participating in the workforce that was concurrent with the decline in marriage. These two changes mean that men might not have families to support, or if they do, their wives might be doing more of the providing. Both of which might remove the financial incentive to work.

然而，这篇论文的作者认为还有其他因素加剧了这个问题。他们提出了两个新的潜在解释。首先是自20世纪60年代以来，没有大学学历的男性的婚姻率大幅下降。第二个是与婚姻率下降同时发生的女性参与劳动力市场的增加。这两个变化意味着男性可能没有家庭需要支持，或者即使有，他们的妻子也可能承担了更多的养家责任。这两者都可能消除了工作的经济激励。

The authors of the paper concede that research on the subject isn't complete, but they argue that their work supports the value of a college education.

论文的作者承认，关于这个主题的研究还不完整，但他们认为他们的工作支持了大学学历的价值。

question 16 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard

问题16至18是基于您刚刚听到的录音内容。

question 16: What does the speaker say has become something of a ritual?

问题16：说话者说什么是已经成为了一种惯例？

question 17: What did the researchers of a recent working paper consider first?

问题17：最近的一份工作论文的研究人员首先考虑了什么？

question 18: What did the recent paper identify as a new potential explanation of the problem concerning men's employment?

问题18：最近的一篇论文将什么视为关于男性就业问题的新的潜在解释？