英語考級-2015年12月六級真題（第3套）

大學英語六級考試2015年12月真題(第三套)PartⅠWriting (30minutes)Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteashortessaybasedonthepicturebelow.Youshouldfocusonthedifficultyinacquiringusefulinformationinspiteofadvancedinformationtechnology.Youarerequiredtowriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.Wejustdon’thavemuchusefulinformation.”PartⅡListeningComprehension (30minutes)SectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,youwillhearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.ConversationOneQuestions1to4arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.1. A)Totesthowresponsivedolphinsaretovarioussignals. B)Toseeifdolphinscanlearntocommunicatewitheachother. C)Toexaminehowlongittakesdolphinstoacquireaskill. D)Tofindoutifthefemaledolphinisclevererthanthemaleone.2. A)Raisetheirheadsabovethewater. C)Presstheright-handleverfirst. B)Swimstraightintothesametank. D)Producetheappropriatesound.3. A)Bothdolphinswereputinthesametank. B)Themaledolphinreceivedmorerewards. C)Onlyonedolphinwasabletoseethelight. D)Theleverwasbeyondthedolphins’reach.4. A)Boththedolphinsdidaperfectjobandwererewardedwithfish. B)Themaledolphinfailedtopresstheleversinthecorrectorder. C)Thefemaledolphinmadeamistakewhencommunicatingwiththemaledolphin. D)Dr.Bastianwassurprisedtoseethedolphinsweren’tassmartasexpected.ConversationTwoQuestions5to8arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.5. A)Inaresorttown. C)Onacattlefarm. B)Inalectureroom. D)Inabotanicalgarden.6. A)Itisanidealplaceforpeopletoretireto. B)IthaskeptmanytraditionsfromVictoriantimes. C)Itisatthecentreofthefashionindustry. D)Itremainsveryattractivewithitsmineralwaters.7. A)ItislocatedintheeasternpartofHarrogate. B)Itwillbeusedasacentreforathletictraining. C)Itwasnamedafteralandownerintheolddays. D)itisprotectedasparklandbyaspeciallaw.8. A)Thebeautifulflowers. C)Therefreshingair. B)Thevastgrassland. D)Themineralwaters.SectionBDirections:Inthissection,youwillheartwopassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearthreeorfourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions9to12arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.9. A)Heprovidescounselingforuniversitystudents. B)HeteachespsychologyatOhioStateUniversity. C)Hespecializesininterpersonalrelationships. D)Hehasexperiencetutoringblackstudents.10. A)Studentswhoscoredlowonstandardizedtests. B)Studentswhoareaccustomedtolivingindorms. C)Blackstudentsfromfamilieswithlowincomes. D)Blackfreshmenwithhighstandardizedtestscores.11. A)Theygenerallyspentmoretimetogetherthanwhitepairs. B)Theymovedoutofthecollegedormsattheendofthesemester. C)Theyweremoreappreciativeoftheuniversity’shousingpolicy. D)Theybrokeupmoreoftenthansame-raceroommates.12. A)Theirtestscoresrosegradually. B)Theystarteddoingsimilaractivities. C)Theygrewboredofeachother. D)Theirracialattitudesimproved.PassageTwoQuestions13to15arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.13. A)Itcanhelpsolveglobalfoodcrises. C)Ithasattractedworldwideattention.B)Itwillchangetheconceptoffood. D)Itwillbecomepopulargradually.14. A)IthasbeendrasticallycutbyNASA. C)Ithasbeenincreasedovertheyears. B)Itcomesregularlyfromitsdonors. D)Itisstillfarfrombeingsufficient.15. A)Theyarenotasnaturalaswebelieved. C)Theyaremorenutritiousanddelicious. B)Theyarelesshealthythanweexpected. D)Theyarenotasexpensiveasbefore.SectionCDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearthreerecordingsoflecturesortalksfollowedbythreeorfourquestions.Therecordingswillbeplayedonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Questions16to18arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.A)Exhaustingjobsandwastedtime. B)Wrongeatinghabitsandwastedtime. C)Pollutionandcognitivedecline. D)Exhaustingjobsandwrongeatinghabits.17. A)Adequatesleep. C)Music. B)Laughorsmile. D)Exercise.18. A)Massagehelpstoimprovephysicalfunctionandreducestress. B)Massageplaysaroleinmood-boostingandisgoodforsleep. C)Essentialoilsusedinmassagehelptoeliminatevariousdiseases. D)Essentialoilsusedinmassagedogoodtoyourmemoryandthinking.Questions19to22arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.19. A)Theyspentmoremoneyinpromotingtheirpoliticalcandidates.B)Theyattractedmoremembersandfocusedoncandidates’characters. C)Theyhadmoreinfluenceovertheselectionofpoliticalcandidates. D)Theyreceivedmoremoneyfromsponsorsascampaignfunds.20. A)Itmadepoliticsseemmoreintimatetocitizens. B)Itprovideddetailedinformationaboutacandidate’sbehaviour. C)Itallowednewscoverageofpoliticalcandidates. D)Itplacedpoliticalissueswithinahistoricalcontext.21. A)Politiciansdislikeexplainingtheirownpositionsonspecificissuestocitizens. B)Politiciansmakeclaimswithoutprovidingargumentsfortheclaims. C)Politiciansenjoyexplainingissuesandarguingwithcompetitors. D)Politicianstakestrongerpositionsonpoliticalissuesthaninthepast.22. A)Theycanobtainmoretelevisioncoverageforthemselves. B)Theycancreatemoretimetodiscusspoliticalissues. C)Theycanspendmoretimetalkingtocitizensinperson. D)Theycanengageindebateswiththeiropponents.Questions23to25arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.A)Theyarenotbasedonarepresentativesampling. B)Theyareusedonlyontelevisionbroadcasting. C)Theyarenotcarefullywordedandorganized. D)Theyreflectpoliticalopinionsfromthepublic.24. A)Alargenumberofrespondentstakingpartinthesurvey. B)Carefullywordedandunderstandablequestions. C)Aninterviewer’sabilitytounderstandrespondents’feelings. D)Asociologistwhoisabletointerprettheresults.25. A)Liveinterviewscostlessmoneyandenergy. B)Liveinterviewscanobtainmoreinformation. C)Liveinterviewsareeasiertocarryout. D)Liveinterviewsminimizetheinfluenceoftheresearcher.PartⅢReadingComprehension (40minutes)SectionADirections：Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions26to35arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Asitis,sleepissoundervaluedthatgettingbyonfewerhourshasbecomeabadgeofhonor.Plus,weliveinaculturethat__26__tothelate-nighter,from24-hourgrocerystorestoonlineshoppingsitesthatneverclose.It’snosurprise,then,thatmorethanhalfofAmericanadultsdon’tgetthe7to9hoursofshut-eyeeverynightas__27__bysleepexperts.Whetherornotwecancatchuponsleep—ontheweekend,say—isahotly__28__topicamongsleepresearchers.Thelatestevidencesuggeststhatwhileitisn’t__29__,itmighthelp.WhenLiu,theUCLAsleepresearcherandprofessorofmedicine,brought__30__sleep-restrictedpeopleintothelabforaweekendofsleepduringwhichtheyloggedabout10hourspernight,theyshowed__31__intheabilityofinsulin(胰島素)toprocessbloodsugar.Thatsuggeststhatcatch-upsleepmayundosomebutnotallofthedamagethatsleep__32__causes,whichisencouraginggivenhowmanyadultsdon’tgetthehourstheyneedeachnight.Still,Liuisn’t__33__toendorsethehabitofsleepinglessandmakingupforitlater.Sleepingpills,whilehelpfulforsome,arenot__34__aneffectiveremedyeither.“Asleepingpillwill__35__oneareaofthebrain,butthere’snevergoingtobeaperfectsleepingpill,becauseyoucouldn’treallyreplicate(復制)thedifferentchemicalsmovinginandoutofdifferentpartsofthebraintogothroughthedifferentstagesofsleep,”saysDr.NancyCollop,directoroftheEmoryUniversitySleepCenter.presumptionpresumptionreadyrecommendedsurpassestargetalternativelycaterschronicallydebateddeprivationidealimprovementsnecessarilynegotiatedpierceSectionBDirections：Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.Climatechangemaybereal,butit’sstillnoteasybeinggreenHowdoweconvinceourinnercavemantobegreener?Weasksomeoutstandingsocialscientists.[A]Theroadtoclimatehellispavedwithourgoodintentions.Politiciansmaytacklepolluterswhilescientistsdobattlewithcarbonemissions.Butthemostpervasiveproblemislessobvious:ourownbehaviour.Wegetdistractedbeforewecanturndowntheheating.Webreakourpromisenottoflyafterhearingaboutaneighbour’striptoIndia.Ultimately,wecan’tbebotheredtochangeourattitude.Fortunatelyfortheplanet,socialscienceandbehaviouraleconomicsmaybeabletodothatforus.[B]Despitemournfulpolarbearsandchartsshowingcarbonemissionssoaring,mostpeoplefindithardtobelievethatglobalwarmingwillaffectthempersonally.RecentpollsbythePewResearchCentreinWashington,DC,foundthat75-80percentofparticipantsregardedclimatechangeasanimportantissue.Butrespondentsrankeditlastonalistofpriorities.[C]Thisinconsistencylargelystemsfromafeelingofpowerlessness.“Whenwecan’tactuallyremovethesourceofourfear,wetendtoadaptpsychologicallybyadoptingarangeofdefensemechanisms,”saysTomCrompton,changestrategistfortheenvironmentalorganizationWorldWideFundforNature.[D]Partofthefaultlieswithourinnercaveman.Evolutionhasprogrammedhumanstopaymostattentiontoissuesthatwillhaveanimmediateimpact.“Weworrymostaboutnowbecauseifwedon’tsurviveforthenextminute,we’renotgoingtobearoundintenyears’time,”saysProfessorElkeWeberoftheCentreforResearchonEnvironmentalDecisionsatColumbiaUniversityinNewYork.IftheThameswerelappingaroundBigBen,Londonerswouldfaceuptotheproblemofemissionsprettyquickly.Butinpractice,ourbraindiscountstherisks—andbenefits—associatedwithissuesthatliesomewayahead.[E]MatthewRushworth,oftheDepartmentofExperimentalPsychologyattheUniversityofOxford,seesthisinhislabeveryday.“Oneofthewaysinwhichallagentsseemtomakedecisionsisthattheyassignalowerweightingtooutcomesthataregoingtobefurtherawayinthefuture,”hesays.“Thisisaverysensiblewayforananimaltomakedecisionsinthewildandwouldhavebeenveryhelpfulforhumansforthousandsofyears.”[F]Notanylonger.Bythetimewewakeuptothethreatposedbyclimatechange,itcouldwellbetoolate.Andifwe’renotgoingtomakerationaldecisionsaboutthefuture,othersmayhavetohelpustodoso.[G]FewpoliticallibrariesarewithoutacopyofNudge:ImprovingDecisionsAboutHealth,WealthandHappiness,byRichardThalerandCassSunstein.Theyarguethatgovernmentsshouldpersuadeusintomakingbetterdecisions—suchassavingmoreinourpensionplans—bychangingthedefaultoptions.ProfessorWeberbelievesthatenvironmentalpolicycanmakeuseofsimilartactics.If,forexample,buildingcodesincludedgreenconstructionguidelines,mostdeveloperswouldbetoolazytochallengethem.[H]Defaultsarecertainlypartofthesolution.Butsocialscientistsaremostconcernedaboutcraftingmessagesthatexploitourgroupmentality(心態(tài)).“Weneedtounderstandwhatmotivatespeople,whatitisthatallowsthemtomakechange,”saysProfessorNeilAdger,oftheTyndallCentreforClimateChangeResearchinNorwich.“Itisactuallyaboutwhattheirpeersthinkofthem,whattheirsocialnormsare,whatisseenasdesirableinsociety.”Inotherwords,ourinnercavemaniscontinuallylookingoverhisshouldertoseewhattherestofthetribeareupto.[I]Thepassiveattitudewehavetoclimatechangeasindividualscanbealteredbycountingusin—andmeasuringusagainst—ourpeergroup.“Socialnormsareprimitiveandelemental,”saysDr.RobertCialdini,authorofInfluence:ThePsychologyofPersuasion.“Birdsflocktogether,fishschooltogether,cattleherdtogether...justperceivingnormsisenoughtocausepeopletoadjusttheirbehaviorinthedirectionofthecrowd.[J]Thesenormscantakeusbeyondgoodintentions.CialdiniconductedastudyinSanDiegoinwhichcoathangersbearingmessagesaboutsavingenergywerehungonpeople’sdoors.Someofthemessagesmentionedtheenvironment,somefinancialsavings,otherssocialresponsibility.Butitwastheonesthatmentionedtheactionsofneighboursthatdrovedownpoweruse.[K]Otherstudiesshowthatsimplyprovidingthefacilityforpeopletocomparetheirenergyusewiththelocalaverageisenoughtocausethemtomodifytheirbehaviour.TheConservativesplantoadoptthisstrategybymakingutilitycompaniesprinttheaveragelocalelectricityandgasusageonpeople’sbills.[L]Socialsciencecanalsoteachpoliticianshowtoavoidourcollectivecapacityforself-destructivebehaviour.EnvironmentalcampaignsthattellushowmanypeopledriveSUVsunwittingly(不經意地)implythatthisbehaviouriswidespreadandthuspermissible.Cialdinirecommendssomecarefulframingofthemessage.“Insteadofnormalisingtheundesirablebehaviour,themessageneedstomarginaliseit,forexample,bystatingthatifevenonepersonbuysyetanotherSUV,itreducesourabilitytobeenergy-independent.”[M]Tappingintohowwealreadyseeourselvesiscrucial.Themostsuccessfulenvironmentalstrategywillmarrythegreenmessagetoourownsenseofidentity.Takeyouraveragetradeunionmember,chancesaretheywillbepoliticallymotivatedandbeusedtocollectiveaction—muchlikeEricaGregory.AretiredmemberofthePublicandCommercialServicesUnion,sheissettinguponeof1,100actiongroupswiththesupportofClimateSolidarity,atwo-yearenvironmentalcampaignaimedattradeunionists.[N]Ericaisproofthatagreat-grandmothercanhelptoleadtherevolutionifyougetthepsychologyright—inthiscase,bymatchingherenthusiasmfortheenvironmentwithafondnessfororganisinggroups.“Ithinkit’saterrificidea,”shesaysofthecampaign.“Theunionbackingitmakesmembersthinktheremustbesomethinginit.”Sheisexpectingupto20peopleatthefirstmeetingshehascalled,atherlocalpubintheCornishvillageofPolperro.[O]NickPerks,projectdirectorforClimateSolidarity,believesthissortofactivityiswherethefutureofenvironmentalactionlies.“Usingexistingcivilsocietystructuresornetworksisamoreeffectivewayofcreatingchange...andobviouslytradeunionsareoneofthebiggestcivilsocietynetworksintheUK,”hesays.The“LoveFood,HateWaste”campaignenteredintoacollaborationlastyearwithanothersuchnetwork—theWomen’sInstitute.LondonerRachelTaylorjoinedthecampaignwiththeaimofmakingnewfriends.Ayearon,themeetingshavemadelastingchangestowhatshethrowsawayinherkitchen.“It’salwaysmoreofanincentiveifyou’redoingitwithotherpeople,”shesays.“Itmotivatesyoumoreifyouknowthatyou’vegottoprovidefeedbacktoagroup.”[P]Thepowerofsuchsimplepsychologyinfightingclimatechangeisattractingattentionacrossthepoliticalestablishment.IntheUS,theHouseofRepresentativesScienceCommitteehasapprovedabillallocating$10millionayeartostudyingenergy-relatedbehaviour.IntheUK,newstudiesareindevelopmentandsocialscientistsareregularlyspottedinBritishgovernmentoffices.Withthehelpofpsychologists,thereisfreshhopethatwemightgogreenafterall.36.Whenpeoplefindtheyarepowerlesstochangeasituation,theytendtolivewithit.37.Tobeeffective,environmentalmessagesshouldbecarefullyframed.38.Itisthegovernment’sresponsibilitytopersuadepeopleintomakingenvironment-friendlydecisions.39.Politiciansarebeginningtorealisetheimportanceofenlistingpsychologists,helpinfightingclimatechange.40.Tofindeffectivesolutionstoclimatechange,itisnecessarytounderstandwhatmotivatespeopletomakechange.41.Intheirevolution,humanshavelearnedtopayattentiontothemosturgentissuesinsteadoflong-termconcerns.42.Onestudyshowsthatourneighbours’actionsareinfluentialinchangingourbehaviour.43.Despiteclearsignsofglobalwarming,itisnoteasyformostpeopletobelieveclimatechangewillaffecttheirownlives. 44.Weshouldtakeourfutureintoconsiderationinmakingdecisionsconcerningclimatechangebeforeitistoolate.45.Existingsocialnetworkscanbemoreeffectiveincreatingchangeinpeople’sbehaviour.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Morethanadecadeago,cognitivescientistsJohnBransfordandDanielSchwartz,boththenatVanderbiltUniversity,foundthatwhatdistinguishedyoungadultsfromchildrenwasnottheabilitytoretainfactsorapplypriorknowledgetoanewsituationbutaqualitytheycalled“preparationforfuturelearning.”Theresearchesaskedfifthgradersandcollegestudentstocreatearecoveryplantoprotectbaldeaglesfromextinction.Shockingly,thetwogroupscameupwithplansofsimilarquality(thoughthecollegestudentshadbetterspellingskills).Fromthestandpointofatraditionaleducator,thisoutcomeindicatedthatschoolinghadfailedtohelpstudentsthinkaboutecosystemsandextinction,majorscientificideas.Theresearchersdecidedtogodeeper,however.Theyaskedbothgroupstogeneratequestionsaboutimportantissuesneededtocreaterecoveryplans.Onthistask,theyfoundlargedifferences.Collegestudentsfocusedoncriticalissuesofinterdependencebetweeneaglesandtheirhabitat(棲息地)Fifthgraderstendedtofocusonfeaturesofindividualeagles(“Howbigarethey?”and“Whatdotheyeat?”).Thecollegestudentshadcultivatedtheabilitytoaskquestions,thecornerstoneofcriticalthinking.Theyhadlearnedhowtolearn.Museumsandotherinstitutionsofinformallearningmaybebettersuitedtoteachthisskillthanelementaryandsecondlyschools.AttheExploratoriuminSanFrancisco,werecentlystudiedhowlearningtoaskgoodquestionscanaffectthequalityofpeople’sscientificinquiry.Wefoundthatwhenwetaughtparticipantstoask“Whatif?”and“Howcan?”questionsthatnobodypresentwouldknowtheanswertoandthatwouldsparkexploration,theyengagedinbetterinquiryatthenextexhibit—askingmorequestions,performingmoreexperimentsandmakingbetterinterpretationsoftheirresults.Specially,theirquestionsbecamemorecomprehensiveatthenewexhibit.Ratherthanmerelyaskingaboutsomethingtheywantedtotry,theytendedtoincludebothcauseandeffectintheirquestion.Askingjuicyquestionsappearstobeatransferableskillfordeepeningcollaborativeinquiryintothesciencecontentfoundinexhibits.Thistypeoflearningisnotconfinedtomuseumsorinstitutionalsettings.Informallearningenvironmenttoleratefailurebetterthanschools.Perhapsmanyteachershavetoolittletimetoallowstudentstoformandpursuetheirownquestionsandtoomuchgroundtocoverinthecurriculum.Butpeoplemustacquirethisskillsomewhere.Oursocietydependsonthembeingabletomakecriticaldecisionsabouttheirownmedicaltreatment,say,orwhatwemustdoaboutglobalenergyneedsanddemands.Forthat,wehavearobustinformalsystemthatgivesnogrades,takesallcomers,andisavailableevenonholidaysandweekends.46.Whatistraditionaleducators’interpretationoftheresearchoutcomementionedinthefirstparagraph?A)Studentsarenotabletoapplypriorknowledgetonewproblems.B)Collegestudentsarenobetterthanfifthgradersinmemorizingissues.C)Educationhasnotpaidenoughattentiontomajorenvironmentalissues.D)Educationhasfailedtoleadstudentstothinkaboutmajorscientificideas.47.Inwhatwayarecollegestudentsdifferentfromchildren?A)Theyhavelearnedtothinkcritically. B)Theyareconcernedaboutsocialissues. C)Theyarecuriousaboutspecificfeatures.D)Theyhavelearnedtoworkindependently.48.Whatisbenefitofaskingquestionswithnoreadyanswers?A)Itarousesstudents’interestinthingsaroundthem.B)Itcultivatesstudents’abilitytomakescientificinquiries.C)Ittrainsstudents’abilitytodesignscientificexperiments.D)Ithelpsstudentsrealizenoteveryquestionhasananswer.49.Whatissaidtobetheadvantageofinformallearning?A)Itallowsforfailures. C)Itchargesnotuition.B)Itisentertaining. D)Itmeetspracticalneed.50.Whatdoestheauthorseemtoencourageeducatorstodoattheendofthepassage?A)Trainstudentstothinkaboutglobalissues.B)Designmoreinteractiveclassroomactivities.C)Makefulluseofinformallearningresources.D)Includecollaborativeinquiryinthecurriculum.PassageTwoQuestions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.“There’sanoldsayinginthespaceworld:amateurstalkabouttechnology,professionalstalkaboutinsurance.”InaninterviewlastyearwithTheEconomist,GeorgeWhitesides,chiefexecutiveofspace-tourismfirmVirginGalactic,wasplacinghiscompanyinthelattercategory.ButinsurancewillbecoldcomfortfollowingthefailureonOctober31stofVSSEnterprise,resultinginthedeathofonepilotandthesevereinjurytoanother.Ontopofthetragiclossoflife,theaccidentinCaliforniawillcastalongshadowoverthefutureofspacetourism,evenbeforeithasproperlybegun.Thenotionofspacetourismtookholdin2001witha$20millionflightaboardaRussianspacecraftbyDennisTito,amillionaireengineerwithanadventurousstreak.Justhalfadozenholiday-makershavereachedorbitsincethen,forsimilarlyastronomicalpricetags.Butmorerecently,companieshavebeguntoplanmoreaffordable“suborbital”flights—brieferventuresjusttotheedgeofspace’svastdarkness.VirginGalactichad,priortothisweek’saccident,seemedclosesttostartingregularflights.Thecompanyhasalreadytakendepositsfromaround800would-bespacetourists,includingStephenHawking.Afterbeingdoggedbytechnicaldelaysforyears,SirRichardBranson,VirginGalactic’sfounder,hadrecentlysuggestedthataSpaceShipTwocraftwouldcarryitsfirstpayingcustomersassoonasFebruary2015.Thatnowseemsanimpossibletimeline.InJuly,asistercraftofthecrashedspaceplanewasreportedtobeabouthalf-finished.Theotherhalfwillhavetowait,asauthoritiesofAmerica’sFederalAviationAdministration(FAA)andNationalTransportationSafetyBoardworkoutwhatwentwrong.Inthemeantime,theentirespacetourismindustrywillbeonte