英语六级真题的听力部分，作为衡量学生英语实际应用能力的重要标尺，涵盖了短对话、长对话及短文理解三大板块，这些题型着重考察考生捕捉关键信息并深入理解语境的能力。因此，深入掌握并熟练运用真题听力材料，对于提升六级考试成绩具有举足轻重的意义。此次，我们精心整理了2023年12月大学英语六级真题听力部分（卷二）的详细内容及答案解析，旨在为广大考生提供宝贵的备考资源与参考！

Section A

Directions: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.

Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

1. A) Renting a car instead of driving their own. 

B) Surfing online to check out the best deals. 

C) Exploring more summer holiday resorts.

D) Spending their holidays in a novel way.

2. A) He once owned a van. 

B) He was well travelled. 

C) He did not find holiday homes appealing.

D) He did not like to be locked into one place.

3. A) Ensure the safety of passengers. 

B) Drive under any weather condition. 

C) Receive instructions via computers.

D) Generate their own electricity.

4. A) Having one's basic needs covered while away from home.

B) Enjoying the freedom to choose where to go and work.

C) Slowing down in one's increasingly hectic life.

D) Riding one's mountain bike on vacation.

Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

5. A) She has missed several important appointments lately.

B) Her job performance has worsened over the past month.

C) She has lagged behind most of her co-workers in output.

D) Her physical health has deteriorated these past few weeks.

6. A) Serious health issues. 

B) Disturbance of her mind.  

C) Some problems at home.

D) Penalty for curtailed output.

7. A) The woman's work proficiency. 

B) The woman's whole-hearted support. 

C) His engaging personality.

D) His management capability.

8. A) The woman will resume her work in two weeks.

B) The man will be back at his 100% in a couple of weeks.

C) The woman will be off work on the next two Mondays.

D) The man will help the woman get back to her usual self.

Section B

Directions: In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.

Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.

9. A) It can have an impact on our moods and emotions.

B) It can enable us to live a healthier and longer life.

C) It can improve our financial status significantly.

D) It can help us achieve better work performance.

10. A) One's health tends to differ before and after marriage.

B) One's health status is related to one's social background.

C) The wealthier one's spouse is, the healthier one becomes.

D) The spouse's level of education can impact one's health.

11. A) They benefited a lot from their career achievements.

B) They showed interest in their spouse's occupations.

C) They had much in common with their spouses.

D) They had more education than their spouses.

Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.

12. A) Eliminating their root cause.  

B) Forecasting flood risks accurately.  

C) Identifying the cities' geological features.

D) Finding out the changing climate patterns.

13. A) To validate his hypothesis about the gravity of floods.

B) To determine the frequency of high tides causing floods.

C) To improve his mathematical flooding model.

D) To see the feasibility of his project on flooding.

14. A) To study the consequences of high tides on flooded areas.

B) To teach local citizens how to collect data of incoming floods.

C) To forecast rapid floods in real time.

D) To classify the flooding data processed.

15. A) They set up Internet-connected water-level sensors.

B) They tracked the rising tides with video-cameras.

C) They used newly-developed supercomputing facilities.

D) They observed the direction of water flow on the spot.

Section C

Directions: In this section, you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet I with a single line through the centre.

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

16. A) To argue about the value of a college degree.

B) To debate the validity of current survey data.

C) To account for the drastic decline in employment among men.

D) To compare men without college degrees with those who have.

17. A) The increase in women taking up jobs. 

B) The issue of changing job requirements. 

C) The factor of wages.

D) The impact of inflation.

18. A) Men's unwillingness to accept low wages in times of growing inflation.

B) The wage gap between those with college degrees and those without.

C) More jobs requiring their holders to have a college degree nowadays.

D) The sharp decline in marriage among men with no college degrees.

Questions 19 to 21 are based on the recording you have just heard.

19. A) More and more people attach importance to protecting endangered animals.

B) More and more people prioritize animal welfare when buying things to wear.

C) An increasing number of people demand to free animals being kept in cages.

D) An increasing number of people follow the latest trend of becoming vegetarians.

20. A) Avoided the use of leather and fur.  

B) Labelled all their products as vegan.  

C) Refrained from using chemicals in their products.

D) Utilized a silk substitute made from mushrooms.

21. A) Whether they actually signify a substantial change. 

B) Whether they effectively protect animals at large. 

C) Whether they can be considered sustainable. 

D) Whether they can be regarded as ethical.

Questions 22 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.

22. A) The era we live in is the most peaceful in history.

B) The world has seen more violence in recent years.

C) The environmental welfare has worsened in the world.

D) The belief is less prevalent that the world is going to hell.

23. A) They were actually not in their right mind.

B) They believed the world was deteriorating.

C) They did not wish to live in the previous century.

D) They were convinced by the statistics presented to them.

24. A) The subjectivity of mass media. 

B) The current state of affairs. 

C) Our psychological biases.

D) Our ancestors' influence.

25. A) Spreading exciting news around us far and wide. 

B) Vacuuming up depressing or enraging stories.  

C) Calculating dangerous risks to our survival.

D) Paying attention to negative information.

Section A

Conversation One

W: So,[1]I've been thinking, this summer, instead of our usual holiday rental, I'd like to try renting a camp er van and exploring a bit more.

M: A camper van? You mean to spend the summer living out of a car?

W: Yes,a camper van. And no, it's nothing like living out of a car. These are proper vans with full-size beds to sleep in.Some even have kitchens. This way, we wouldn't have to be locked into one place during our holiday. We'd be able to visit so many more places and travel at our own pace. The rates of most hotels and holiday homes really soar in the summer anyway. We'd probably save a lot of money as well.

M: [2] I think my grandfather had a van like that. It doesn't sound that appealing to me.

W: Today's camper vans are completely different. These days, they' re equipped with all the modern comforts.[3]I've seen quite a few with solar panels that provide electricity for when you' re stopped. This way, you can still use your computer or charge your phone. And most even have Wi-Fi, so if the weather's not great, you could stream videos.

M: I'm warming up to the idea. Keep talking.

W: Loads of people are committing to this trend full time. Check it out online. Lots of people stream videos of their alternative lifestyles and actually earn a salary.[4] Imagine having that kind of freedom to go anywhere you want and work from anywhere in the world.

M: Okay, we can consider it. As long as the basic needs like toilet and showers are covered, I'm definitely in. Do you think there will be enough room for my mountain bike? What about food delivery? Will we be able to order to the van? Will there be enough space for the dog? We wouldn't want to leave him behind.

W: Slow down. Glad you' re excited about it. Let's start by looking at what's available first.

1. What has the woman been thinking of doing for this summer?

2. What do we learn about the man's grandfather from the conversation?

3. What can many camper vans do nowadays according to the woman?

4. What idea does the woman find attractive?

Conversation Two

W: You wanted to see me?

M: Yes,I'll get straight to the point.[5] Over the past month or so, it has become apparent that your performance has dipped. You' ve been late to work several times these past few weeks, which is very uncharacteristic of you. But what really concerns me is your curtailed output. Lately, you seem to be constantly one step behind. What's going on?

W: I'm sorry.[6] I'm going through some unfortunate family issues at the moment. It's a personal matter, so if you don't mind, I much prefer we don't get into it. Nevertheless, I expect it to have all blown over in another month or so.

M: Do you need some time off?

W: Actually, yes. Would it be possible to take the next two Mondays off? I was deliberating whether I should ask for this, but now that we' re here...

M: Sure thing. But if you needed some leave, why didn't you ask for it earlier?

W: I'm not sure why. I guess I kind of felt bad asking for it.

M: You shouldn't feel bad asking for leave, especially if you need it.

W: I know. You' re right. I'm sorry.

M: Look, you' ve been with us almost five years [7] and I personally really value your proficiency at your job. It makes my job far easier. In addition,I can assure you that management as a whole also holds you in high regard.

W: Thank you.

M: [8] What I need is for you to be back at your 100%. Are you sure taking two Mondays off will suffice?

W: [8] It'll be enough. I'm sure of it.

M: [8] Okay, good. So this is what we' re going to do. You will take those days off, and I expect that you will gradually come back to your usual self. Then in two months' time, we will catch up again to see how you are faring.

W: Sounds good. Thank you for your understanding.

5. What do we learn about the woman from the man's description?

6. What does the woman say she's experiencing at the moment?

7. What does the man say makes his job far easier?

8. What agreement have the speakers reached by the end of the conversation?

Section B

Passage One

There are many factors that impact our health. These include our finances, our emotions and the way we work. Education is one such factor. [9] Research suggests that higher levels of education can lead to better health and even greater longevity. But what about the education of your partner? New research seeks to answer this question. Researchers use data from a longitudinal study. The data came from surveys first administered to high school seniors in 1957. The surveys ended in 2011.[10] The team found that a person whose spouse had a higher level of education tended to report better health. This remained the case when adjusting for other factors, such as participants’ own education, social background and health status before and after marriage. The authors suggest that high levels of education provide shared social, intellectual, emotional and financial resources. These include things like higher levels of emotional intelligence, particular skills or knowledge, or more money. The researchers concede that an individual's own level of education is clearly important for their health, but they assert that individuals also can reap the benefits of their partner's education. It is noteworthy that the effects vary by gender. For women, health was more closely correlated to their spouse's education than for men. The team suggests this may be related to the time period of the study. [11] Women in this sample had lower levels of education and lower occupational achievements than the men. The researchers' hypothesis is that this made the husband's resources more likely to have a shared impact.

9. What does research suggest about a higher level of education?

10. What do we learn from the finding of the new research?

11. What does the passage say about the men in the sample of the new research?

Passage Two

Climate scientists predict that many parts of the world will be increasingly prone to floods. This is a serious risk to human lives and property.[12] So understanding and accurately forecasting flood risks is a key challenge for vulnerable cities around the globe. In 2017, Derek Loftis of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science started a project called Catch the King. It uses a smartphone app to collect the data of ordinary citizens during high tides.[13] He' ll use those data to validate and improve his mathematical flooding model, called TideWatch.[14] Loftis's mission is to know where the water goes before it goes there. But collecting necessary data and then processing that information quickly enough to make usable forecasts is anything but easy. Accurate flood forecasts require an understanding of the situation on the ground. By the early 2000s, supercomputing had advanced enough that scientists could integrate weather forecasting models with such measurements. But they still didn't have the critically important ability to forecast fast-moving floods in real time.[15] So, in 2017, Loftis and colleagues set up a group of 28 Internet-connected water-level sensors throughout the flood risk community of Norfolk, Virginia. The new sensors relayed rough measurements about water height and movement to a computer at the Virginia Institute. Along with those sensors, hundreds of local citizens take photos of rising tides and transmit them in real time to the institute. Scientists hope that the data collected by these citizens can help sharpen the ability to forecast exactly when and where damaging floods will occur.

12. What is said to be a key challenge for cities prone to floods?

13. For what purpose does Derek Loftis collect the data of ordinary citizens during high tides?

14. What does the passage say is Derek Loftis's mission?

15. What did Loftis and his colleagues do to obtain data about water height and movement?

Section C

Recording One

[16] 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. One popular theory is that it's a case of too 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. Let's look at that paper now.[17] 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.

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,2/3 of jobs are filled by workers with at least some college education. However, the authors of the paper argue that there are other factors amplifying the problem.

[18] 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. 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.

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

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

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

Recording Two

While an increasing number of people are trying to eat less meat, a market research team has found in its latest fashion and sustainability report that the trend is now spreading from kitchen to closet. [19] It found animal welfare came top of a list of issues that people considered before buying clothes, with 42% saying it was important to them. The researchers of the team predicted that the next year would see a boom in animal-free shoe collections, since they heard shoppers of all ages say they would buy footwear designated as“vegan”, meaning the goods were produced without using any animal or animal part.

As well as being on trend, and with a much better r ing to it than synthetic leather, the vegan label does convey an important extra distinction. If you label something as vegan, then the whole product needs to be animal free. That means checking things like the glue that holds the shoe together, for example, and the chemicals used for finishing them.[20] At the top end, some of the world-renowned fashion designers have avoided leather and fur for some time. In fact, some of the companies are now exploring a leather substitute and a silk replacement made from mushrooms.

The Animal Free Product Society says they' ve seen a boom in products registered with the vegan trademark. In2018, there were 119. So far this year, it says an unprecedented 1,956 have been registered. New products are being added daily. There are fur coats that are vegan, plastic vegan belts and shoes made from tree bark or natural rubber labelled vegan. These new products aren't coming at an extra cost to consumers though. Vegan boots cost the same as the leather originals. New Look, one of the first reputable store chains to use the vegan trademark, prices ballet shoes at£7.99 and a vegan laptop handbag at£29.99, comparable with its other products.

This signifies a change. In the past, ethical products, whether they were fair trade or organic, came at a premium.[21] However, it is unclear whether these new products can be considered ethical. The debate over durability, crop- growing impacts, pollution and recyclability is a complicated one, not to mention the ethics around the working conditions for people making the products, whatever the component materials. Environmental campaigners advise that the best approach is to buy less, never mind what the item is made of.

19. What has a market research team found in its latest fashion and sustainability report?

20. What have some world-renowned fashion designers done for some time?

21. What does the speaker say is unclear concerning vegan products?

Recording Three

By the end of 2016, anyone who had been paying even passing attention to the news headlines was highly likely to conclude that everything was terrible, and that the world was going to hell. It was easy to feel depressed by the wars in different parts of the world, the spread of deadly viruses or terror attacks.

Yet, 2016 was the best year in the history of humanity. Child mortality was roughly half what it was as recently as 1990. And 300,000 more people gained access to electricity each day. Every single measure of material and environmental welfare in America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the world as a whole has improved rather than deteriorated.[22] We are living in history's most peaceful era, with violence of all kinds in steep decline. Those are the facts. So why aren't we all optimists?

[23] In a 2015 survey for YouGov,65% of British people and 81% of the French said they thought the world was getting worse. However, according to numerous sensible statistics, these people are simply wrong. Nobody in their right mind should wish to have lived in a previous century. Yet people do. Why?

[24] Our prevailing mood of despair is irrational. It says more about us than it does about how things really are. It is best explained as the result of various psychological biases that served a purpose for our evolutionary ancestors— but now, in a media-saturated era, constantly mislead us. Once upon a time, it was of great survival value to be worried about everything that could go wrong. This is what makes bad news especially compelling.

[25] In our evolutionary past, it was a very good thing that our attention could be easily seized by negative information, since it might well indicate a dangerous risk to our own survival. The caveman who always assumed there was a lion behind the next rock would usually be wrong, but he'd be much more likely to survive and reproduce than one who always assumed the opposite. But that was all before newspapers, television and the internet. In today's hyper connected times, our addiction to bad news just leads us to vacuum up depressing or enraging stories from across the globe. Whether these news stories threaten us or not, we conclude that things are much worse than they actually are. Really good news, on the other hand, can be a lot harder to spot in a newspaper because predictable daily events by definition aren't news.

22. What is one of the facts stated by the speaker?

23. What do we learn about most British and French people in a 2015 survey for YouGov?

24. What does our prevailing mood of despair indicate? 

25. What was a very good thing in our evolutionary past?

1.D)【解析】对话开头女士说：“我一直在想，今年夏天，我们不像往常一样租房度假了，我想试试租一辆露营车，多探索一些地方。”由此可知，今年夏天女士想通过租露营车这种新方式来度过，D项与对话内容相符，故为正确答案。

2.A)【解析】对话中男士提到：“我记得我爷爷也有过一辆那样的面包车，听起来不怎么吸引我。”由此可知，男士的爷爷曾经有一辆面包车，因此A项为正确答案，选项中的once owned是对对话中had的同义替换。

3.D)【解析】对话中女士表示，现在的露营车已经完全不同了，配备了所有现代化的舒适设施，接着说道：“我见过不少露营车装了太阳能电池板，可以在停车时提供电力。”由此可知，如今许多露营车都配备了太阳能电池板这类自动发电的装置，可以自己发电，故D项为正确答案。

4.A)【解析】对话中女士提到：“想象一下，你可以自由地去任何你想去的地方，在世界上任何地方工作。”由此可知，B项与对话内容相符，故为正确答案。对话中男士提到，只要能满足如厕和淋浴等基本需求，他绝对加入，并非女士，故排除A项。其他两项在对话中均未提及，故均排除。

5.B)【解析】对话开头，男士就开门见山地指出女士的问题：“在过去的一个月左右，你的工作业绩明显下滑了。”由此可知，B项与对话内容相符，故为正确答案，选项中的worsened是对对话中dipped的同义替换。

6.C)【解析】对话中男士询问女士最近怎么了，女士回答说：“抱歉，我目前正在经历一些不幸的家庭问题。”由此可知, C项与对话内容相符, 故为正确答案, 选项是对对话中some unfortunate family issues的同义改写。

7.A)【解析】对话中男士对女士说：“我个人非常看重你的工作能力。这让我的工作轻松多了。”由此可知，A项与对话内容相符, 故为正确答案, 选项中的work proficiency是对对话中proficiency at your job的同义替换。

8.C)【解析】对话末尾，男士对女士说：“我需要你恢复到100%的状态。你确定请两个周一的假就够了吗? ”随后女士给予了肯定回答，然后男士说：“嗯，很好。那我们就这么办。”由此可知，女士接下来两个周一会请假，并获得了男士的许可，C项与对话内容相符，故为正确答案。对话中女士请的是两个周一的假，并非两周，A项说法错误。恢复到100%的状态是男士对女士的期望，并非男士自身，故B项也排除。D项对话中未提及。

9.B)【解析】文章开头即指出，研究表明，受教育程度越高，健康状况就越好，甚至更长寿，故选项B正确，选项中的live a healthier and longer life是对原文中lead to better health and even greater longevity的同义转述。文中并未提及受教育程度对情绪、情感、财务状况和工作业绩的影响，因此，其他三项均排除。

10.D)【解析】文章在提到这项新研究的结果时指出，研究团队发现，配偶受教育程度较高的人往往报告健康状况较好，这与选项D的说法相符，故D项正确。社会背景、婚前婚后的健康状况都是新研究参考的因素，不是该研究的结果，故排除选项A和B；选项C在文中未提及，故排除。

11.D)【解析】文章结尾处提到，这个样本中的女性受教育程度和职业成就都低于男性，选项D是对这句话的反向推理，故选项D正确。选项A是根据文中词汇 reap the benefits设置的干扰项，文中指出研究人员认为个人可以从伴侣的受教育程度中获益，而不是男性从自己的事业成就中获益，故排除；选项B是根据文中词汇occupational achievements设置的干扰项，文中指出样本中的女性职业成就低于男性，并没有提到男性对自己配偶的职业感兴趣，故排除；选项C在文中并未提及，故排除。

12.B)【解析】文章开头即指出，气候科学家预测，世界许多地区将越来越容易发生洪灾，而了解并准确预报洪水风险是全球易受洪水侵袭的城市所面临的关键挑战，故选项B正确。其他三项文中并未提及，均排除。

13.C)【解析】文章提到，2017年，德里克·洛夫蒂斯启动了一个项目，该项目利用一款智能手机应用程序在涨潮时收集普通市民的数据。而他这样做的目的是利用这些数据来验证和改进他的洪水数学模型。选项C为文中原词复现，故为正确选项。其他三项文章中未提及，故均排除。

14.C)【解析】文章中间部分明确提到Loftis's mission，说洛夫蒂斯的任务是在洪水到达某地之前就知道它要流向那里。know where the water goes before it goes there即选项C总结的forecast rapid floods in real time, 因此, 选项C正确。关于涨潮对洪涝地区的影响、教当地居民收集数据、对数据进行分类的信息文中并未提及，故均排除。

15.A)【解析】文章指出，在2017年，洛夫蒂斯及其同事在弗吉尼亚州诺福克的洪水高风险社区安装了一组共28个联网的水位传感器。这些新传感器将水位和流动情况的粗略测量结果传送到弗吉尼亚研究所的一台计算机上。由此可知，洛夫蒂斯及其同事是通过联网的水位传感器获取水位和流动情况的数据的，选项A正确。涨潮情况是当地居民拍摄照片传送给研究所的，故选项B错误；文中虽然提到了超级计算机，但只是提供背景信息，与洛夫蒂斯获取数据的方式无关，故C项排除；选项D文中未提及，故排除。

16.A)【解析】在讲话开头，讲话者便提到，现在讨论大学学位的价值已经成为一种惯例，由此很容易得出正确答案为A。讲话中虽然提到了选项C所述的经济学家们一直致力于弄清男性就业率下降的根源，但这并不是讲话者所说的惯例，故排除。选项B、D都和本题所问问题无关，故排除。

17.C)【解析】讲话者在讲话中间提到，美国国家经济研究局最近发表的一份研究报告对解释男性就业率下降的一些理论进行了回顾，研究人员首先考虑了工资问题。由此可知，正确答案选C。

18.D)【解析】讲话者在讲话最后提到，研究人员发现了两个新的可能的解释：首先是自20世纪60年代以来，没有大学文凭的男性结婚率大幅下降。由此可知，选项D为正确答案。

19.B)【解析】讲话者在一开头就提到，一个市场研究团队在其最新的时尚和可持续发展报告中发现，少吃肉的趋势正在从厨房蔓延到衣橱，人们在购买衣服前考虑的一系列问题中，动物福祉排在首位。由此很容易得出， 选项B为正确答案。

20.A)【解析】讲话者在讲话中间提到，在高端时装领域，一些世界知名时装设计师已经有一段时间不使用皮革和毛皮了。由此可知, 选项A为正确答案。选项B中的label和vegan, 选项C中的chemicals以及选项D中的silk substitute和mushrooms讲话中虽有提及，但都不符合题干针对世界知名时装设计师的行为进行的提问，故均可排除。

21.D)【解析】讲话者在讲话最后明确提到，目前尚不清楚这些新产品，即前面提到的被注册了纯素商标的产品，是否可以被认为是道德产品，故选项D为正确答案。

22.A)【解析】讲话者在讲话中提到，2016年是人类历史上最好的一年，我们生活在历史上最和平的时代，各种暴力事件都急剧减少。故选项A为正确答案，同时排除选项B。讲话者还提到，在美洲、欧洲、亚洲、非洲乃至整个世界，物质福利和环境福利的每一项指标都得到了改善，而不是恶化，故选项C错误。讲话者提到任何稍微关注新闻头条的人都极有可能得出结论：一切都糟透了，世界正在走向地狱，选项D与此相反，可排除。

23.B)【解析】讲话者在讲话中提到，在2015年舆观调查网的一项调查中，65%的英国人和81%的法国人表示，他们认为世界正在变得更糟，故选项B为正确答案。

24.C)【解析】讲话者在讲话中提到，我们普遍的绝望情绪是不理性的。这种情绪更多地反映了我们自身，而不是真正的现实。最好的解释是，这是各种心理偏差造成的结果。由此可知，我们如今普遍的绝望情绪其实来源于心理偏差，故选项C为正确答案，同时排除选项B。讲话中提到当今社会媒体饱和，但并未提到大众媒体的主观性，故排除选项A。讲话中提到各种心理偏差对我们逐步进化的祖先产生了一定的影响，而非我们的祖先对普遍的绝望情绪产生了影响，故排除选项D。

25.D)【解析】讲话者在讲话后半部分提到，在我们进化的历史上，负面信息很容易吸引我们的注意力，这是一件好事。因此选项D为正确答案。选项A讲话中未提及，故排除。选项C是“关注负面消息”有一定好处的原因，选项B是它的一个后果，故排除这两项。