2015最新英语六级阅读真题

2021年2月12日发(作者：军事政变)

、

英语六级阅读真题（

2009.06-1997.01

）

2009

年

6

月英语六级阅 读真题

Passage One

For

hundreds of

millions

of

years,

turtles

(

海龟

)

have

struggled

out

of

the

sea

to

lay

their

eggs on sandy beaches, long before there were nature documentaries to celebrate them, or GPS

satellites

and

marine

biologists

to

track

them,

or

volunteers

to hand-carry

the

hatchlings

(

幼龟

)

down to the water?s edge lest they become disoriented by headlights and crawl towards a motel

parking

lot

instead.

A

formidable

wall

of

bureaucracy

has

been

erected

to

protect

their

prime

nesting on the Atlantic coastlines. With all that attention paid to them, you?d think these creatures

would at least have the gratitude not to go extinct.

But Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness, and a report by the Fish and Wildlife

Service showed a worrisome drop in the populations of several species of North Atlantic turtles,

notably

loggerheads,

which

can

grow

to

as

much

as

400

pounds.

The

South

Florida

nesting

population, the largest, has declined by 50% in the last decade, according to Elizabeth Griffin, a

marine biologist with the environmental group Oceana. The figures prompted Oceana to petition

the

government

to

upgrade

the

level

of

protection

for

the

North

Atlantic

loggerheads

from

“threatened”

to

“endangered”—

meaning

they

are

in

danger

of

disappearing

without

additional

help.

Which raises the obvious question: what else do these turtles want from us, anyway? It turns

out,

according

to

Griffin,

that

while

we

have

done

a

good

job

of

protecting

the

turtles

for

the

weeks they spend on land (as egg-laying females, as eggs and as hatchlings), we have neglected

the

years

spend

in

the

ocean.

“The

threat

is

from

commercial

fishing,”

says

Griffin.

Trawlers

(which drag large nets through the water and along the ocean floor) and longline fishers (which

can deploy thousands of hooks on lines that can stretch for miles) take a heavy toll on turtles.

Of

course,

like

every

other

environmental

issue

today,

this

is

playing

out

against

the

background of global warming and human interference with natural ecosystems. The narrow strips

of beach on which the turtles lay their eggs are being squeezed on one side by development and on

the other by the threat of rising sea levels as the oceans warm. Ultimately we must get a handle on

those issues as well, or a creature that outlived the dinosaurs (

恐龙

) will meet its end at the hands

of

humans,

leaving

our

descendants

to

wonder

how

creature

so

ugly

could

have

won

so

much

affection.

52. We can learn from the first paragraph that ________.

A

．

human activities have changed the way turtles survive

B

．

efforts have been made to protect turtles from dying out

C

．

government bureaucracy has contributed to turtles? extinction

D

．

marine biologists are looking for the secret of turtles? reproduction

53. What does

the author mean by “Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness” (Line 1,

Para. 2)?

A

．

Nature is quite fair regarding the survival of turtles.

B

．

Turtles are by nature indifferent to human activities.

C

．

The course of nature will not be changed by human interference.

D

．

The turtle population has decreased in spite of human protection.

54. What constitutes a major threat to the survival of turtles according to Elizabeth Griffin?

A

．

Their inadequate food supply.

B

．

Unregulated commercial fishing.

C

．

Their lower reproductively ability.

D

．

Contamination of sea water

55. How does global warming affect the survival of turtles?

A

．

It threatens the sandy beaches on which they lay eggs.

B

．

The changing climate makes it difficult for their eggs to hatch.

C

．

The rising sea levels make it harder for their hatchlings to grow.

D

．

It takes them longer to adapt to the high beach temperature.

、

56. The last sentence of the passage is meant to ________.

A

．

persuade human beings to show more affection for turtles

B

．

stress that even the most ugly species should be protected

C

．

call for effective measures to ensure sea turtles? survival

D

．

warn our descendants about the extinction of species

Passage Two

There

are

few

more

sobering

online

activities

than

entering

data

into

college-tuition

calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum. But economists say families about

to go into debt to fund four years of partying, as well as studying, can console themselves with the

knowledge

that

college

is

an

investment

that,

unlike

many

bank

stocks,

should

yield

huge

dividends.

A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the “labor

-

market premium to skill”—

or

the

amount

college

graduates

earned

that?s

greater

than

what

high

-school

graduate

earned

—

decreased for much of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance (

报复性地

)

since the 1980s. In 2005, The typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college

degree earned $$50,900, 62% more than the $$31,500 earned by a worker with only a high-school

diploma.

There?s

no

question

that

going

to

college

is

a

smart

economic

choice.

But

a

look

at

the

strange

variations

in

tuition

reveals

that

the

choice

about

which

college

to

attend

doesn?t

come

down merely to dollars and cents. Does going to Columbia University (tuition, room and board

$$49,260

in

2007-08)

yield

a

40%

greater

return

than

attending

the

University

of

Colorado

at

Boulder as an out-of-state student ($$35,542)? Probably not. Does being an out-of- state student at

the

University

of

Colorado

at

Boulder

yield

twice

the

amount

of

income

as

being

an

in-state

student ($$17,380) there? Not likely.

No,

in

this

consumerist

age,

most

buyers

aren?t

evaluating

college

as

an

investment,

but

rather as a consumer product

—

like a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is

only one of many crucial factors to consider.

As

with

automobiles,

consumers

in

today?s

college

marketplace

have

vast

choices,

and

people

search

for

the

one

that

gives

them

the

most

comfort

and

satisfaction

in

line

with

their

budgets. This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different types of experiences

(such as attending a private liberal-arts college or going to an out- of-state public school that has a

great marine-biology program). And just as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of

money

on

very

different

cars,

college

students

(or,

more

accurately,

their

parents)

often

show

a

willingness

to

pay

essentially

the

same

price

for

vastly

different

products.

So

which

is

it?

Is

college an investment product like a stock or a consumer product like a car? In keeping with the

automotive world?s hottest consumer trend, maybe it?s best to characterize it as a hybrid (

混合动

力汽车

); an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends.

57. What?s t

he opinion of economists about going to college?

A

．

Huge amounts of money is being wasted on campus socializing.

B

．

It doesn?t pay to run into debt to receive a college education.

C

．

College education is rewarding in spite of the startling costs.

D

．

Going to c

ollege doesn?t necessarily bring the expected returns.

58. The two Harvard economists note in their study that, for much of the 20th century, ________.

A

．

enrollment kept decreasing in virtually all American colleges and universities

B

．

the labor market preferred high-school to college graduates

C

．

competition for university admissions was far more fierce than today

D

．

the gap between the earnings of college and high-school graduates narrowed

59. Students who attend an in-state college or university can ________.

A

．

save more on tuition

B

．

receive a better education

C

．

take more liberal-arts courses

D

．

avoid traveling long distances

60. In this consumerist age, most parents ________.

、

A

．

regard college education as a wise investment

B

．

place a premium on the prestige of the

College

C

．

think it crucial to send their children to college

D

．

consider college education a consumer

product

61. What is the chief consideration when students choose a college today?

A

．

Their

employment

prospects

after

graduation.

B

．

A

satisfying

experience

within

their

budgets.

C

．

Its facilities and learning environment.

D

．

Its ranking among similar institutions.

2008

年

12

月英语六级阅读真题

Passage One

Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and

economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions

behind

it

or

the

way

the

concept

is

put

to

use.

This

is

especially

true

in

agriculture,

where

sustainable

development

is

often

taken

as

the

sole

measure

of

progress

without

a

proper

appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives.

To

start

with,

it

is

important

to

remember

that

the

nature

of

agriculture

has

changed

markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so .medieval agriculture in northern Europe

fed,

clothed

and

sheltered

a

predominantly

rural

society

with

a

much

lower

population

density

than it is today. It had minimal effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it caused was typically

localized.

In

terms

of

energy

use

and

the

< p>
nutrients

（

营养成分

< br>）

captured

in

the

product

it

was

relatively inefficient.

Contrast

this

with

farming

since

the

start

of

the

industrial

revolution.

Competition

from

overseas

led

farmers

to

specialize

and

increase

yields.

Throughout

this

period

food

became

cheaper, safe and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat

（

栖息地

）

loss and

to diminishing biodiversity.

What?s

more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growing so fast that

meeting it will require an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by the growth of cities

and industry is reducing the amount of water available for agriculture in many regions.

All this means that agriculture in the 21stcentury will have to be very different from how it

was in the ll require radical thinking. For example, we need to move away from the

idea

that

traditional

practices

are

inevitably

more

sustainable

than

new

ones.

We

also

need

to

abandon the notion that agriculture can be “zero impact”. The key

will be to abandon the rather

simple

and

static

measures

of

sustainability,

which

centre

on

the

need

to

maintain

production

without increasing damage.

Instead we need a more dynamic interpretation, one that looks at the pros and cons

（

正反两

方面

）

of all the various way land is used. There are many different ways to measure agricultural

performance

besides

food

yield:

energy

use,

environmental

costs,

water

purity,

carbon

footprint

and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to

the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we

do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity.

What is crucial is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food

production.

52. How do people often measure progress in agriculture?

A) By its productivity

C) By its impact on the environment

B) By its sustainability

D) By its contribution to economic growth

53. Specialisation and the effort to increase yields have resulted in________.

A) Localised pollution

C) competition from overseas

B) the shrinking of farmland

D) the decrease of biodiversity

54. What does the author think of traditional farming practices?

A)

They

have

remained

the

same

over

the

centuries

B)

They

have

not

kept

pace

with

population growth

、

C) They are not necessarily sustainable

D) They are environmentally friendly

55. What will agriculture be like in the 21st century

A) It will go through radical changes

B) It will supply more animal products

C)

It

will

abandon

traditional

farming

practices

D)

It

will

cause

zero

damage

to

the

environment

56 What is the

author?s purpose in writing this passage?

A) To remind people of the need of sustainable development

B) To suggest ways of ensuring sustainable food production

C) To advance new criteria for measuring farming progress

D) To urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture is

Passage Two

The percentage of immigrants (including those unlawfully present) in the United states has

been

creeping

upward

for

years.

At

12.6

percent,

it

is

now

higher

than

at

any

point

since

the

mid1920s.

We are not about to go back to the days when Congress openly worried about inferior races

polluting America?s bloodstream. But once

again we are wondering whether we have too many of

the wrong sort newcomers. Their loudest critics argue that the new wave of immigrants cannot,

and indeed do not want to, fit in as previous generations did.

We

now

know

that

these

racist

views

were

wrong.

In

time,

Italians,

Romanians

and

members of other so- called inferior races became exemplary Americans and contributed greatly, in

ways too numerous to detail, to the building of this magnificent nation. There is no reason why

these new immigrants should not have the same success.

Although

children

of

Mexican

immigrants

do

better,

in

terms

of

educational

and

professional

attainment,

than

their

parents

UCLA

sociologist

Edward

Telles

has

found

that

the

gains

don?t

continue.

Indeed,

the

fouth

generation

is

marginally

worse

off

than

the

third

James

Jackson,

of

the

University

of

Michigan,

has

found

a

similar

trend

among

black

Caribbean

immigrants,

Tells

fears

that

Mexican-Americans

may

be

fated

to

follow

in

the

footsteps

of

American

blacks-that

large

parts

of

the

community

may

become

mired

（陷入）

in

a

seemingly

permanent state of poverty and Underachievement. Like African-Americans, Mexican- Americans

are increasingly relegated to (

降入

)segregated, substandard schools, and their dropout rate is the

highest for any

ethnic group in the country.

We have learned much about the foolish idea of excluding people on the presumption of the

ethnic/racial

inferiority.

But

what

we

have

not

yet

learned

is

how

to

make

the

process

of

Americanization work for all. I am not talking about requiring people to learn English or to adopt

American

ways;

those

things

happen

pretty

much

on

their

own,

but

as

arguments

about

immigration

hear

up

the

campaign

trail,

we

also

ought

to

ask

some

broader

question

about

assimilation, about how

to ensure that people , once outsiders , don?t fo

rever remain marginalized

within these shores.

That

is

a

much

larger

question

than

what

should

happen

with

undocumented

workers,

or

how best to secure the border, and it is one that affects not only newcomers but groups that have

been here for generations. It will have more impact on our future than where we decide to set the

admissions bar for the latest ware of would-be Americans. And it would be nice if we finally got

the answer right.

57. How were immigrants viewed by U.S. Congress in early days?

A)

They

were

of

inferior

races.

B)

They

were

a

Source

of

political

corruption.

C)

They

were

a

threat

to

the

nation?s

security.

D)

They

were

part

of

the

nation?s

bloodstream.

58. What does the author think of the new immigrants?

A)

They

will

be

a

dynamic

work

force

in

the

U.S.

B)

They

can

do

just

as

well

as

their

predecessors.

、

C) They will be very disappointed on the new land.

D) They may find it hard to fit into the

mainstream.

59. What does Edward Telles? research say

about Mexican-Americans?

A) They may slowly improve from generation to generation.

B) They will do better in terms of educational attainment.

C) They will melt into the African-American community.

D) They may forever remain poor and underachieving.

60. What should be done to help the new immigrants?

A) Rid them of their inferiority complex.

B) Urge them to adopt American customs.

C) Prevent them from being marginalized.

D) Teach them standard American English.

61. According to the author, the burning issue concerning immigration is_______.

A) How to deal with people entering the U.S. without documents

B) How to help immigrants to better fit into American society

C) How to stop illegal immigrants from crossing the border

D) How to limit the number of immigrants to enter the U.S.

2008

年

6

月英语六级阅读真题

Passage One

Imagine waking up and finding the value of your assets has been halved. No, you?re not an

investor in one of those hedge funds that failed completely. With the dollar slumping to a 26-year

low

against

the

pound,

already-expensive

London

has

become

quite

unaffordable.

A

coffee

at

Starbucks, just as unavoidable in England as it is in the United States, runs about $$8.

The once all-

powerful dollar isn?t doing a Titanic against just the pound. It is sitting at a record

low against the euro and at a 30-year low against the Canadian dollar. Even the Argentine peso

and Brazilian real are thriving against the dollar.

The

weak

dollar

is

a

source

of

humiliation,

for

a

nation?s

self

-esteem

rests

in

part

on

the

strength

of

its

currency.

It?s

also

a

potential

economic

problem,

since

a

declining

dollar

makes

imported

food

more

expensive

and

exerts

upward

pressure

on

interest

rates.

And

yet

there

are

substantial

sectors

of

the

vast

U.S.

economy-from

giant

companies

like

Coca-Cola

to

mom- and-pop restaurant operators in Miami-for which the weak dollar is most excellent news.

Many Europeans may

view the U.S. as an arrogant superpower that has become hostile to

foreigners. But nothing makes people think more warmly of the U.S. than a weak dollar. Through

April, the total number of visitors from abroad was up 6.8 percent from last year. Should the trend

continue, the number of tourists this year will finally top the 2000 peak? Many Europeans now

apparently

view

the

U.S.

the

way

many

Americans

view

Mexico-as

a

cheap

place

to

vacation,

shop

and

party,

all

while

ignoring

the

fact

that

the

poorer

locals

can?t

afford

to

join

the

merrymaking.

The

money

tourists

spend

helps

decrease

our

chronic

trade

deficit.

So

do

exports,

which

thanks in part to the weak dollar, soared 11 percent between May 2006 and May 2007. For first

five months of 2007, the trade deficit actually fell 7 percent from 2006.

If you own shares in large American corporations, you?re a winner in the weak

-dollar gamble.

Last

week

Coca-

Cola?s

stick

bubbled

to

a

five

-year

high

after

it

reported

a

fantastic

quarter.

Foreign sales accounted for 65 percent of Coke?s beverage

business. Other American companies

profiting from this trend include McDonald?s and IBM.

American tourists, however, shouldn?t expect any relief soon. The dollar lost strength the way

many marriages break up- slowly, and then all at once. And currencies d

on?t turn on a dime. So if

you

want

to

avoid

the

pain

inflicted

by

the

increasingly

pathetic

dollar,

cancel

that

summer

vacation to England and look to New England. There, the dollar is still treated with a little respect.

52. Why do Americans feel humiliated?

A) Their economy is plunging

B) They can?t afford trips to Europe

C) Their currency has slumped

D) They have lost half of their assets.

53. How does the current dollar affect the life of ordinary Americans?

、

A) They have to cancel their vacations in New England.

B) They find it unaffordable to dine in mom-and-pop restaurants.

C) They have to spend more money when buying imported goods.

D) They might lose their jobs due to potential economic problems.

54 How do many Europeans feel about the U.S with the devalued dollar?

A) They feel contemptuous of it

B) They are sympathetic with it.

C)

They

regard

it

as

a

superpower

on

the

decline.

D)

They

think

of

it

as

a

good

tourist

destination.

55 what is the a

uthor?s advice to Americans?

A. They treat the dollar with a little respect

B. They try to win in the weak-dollar gamble

C. They vacation at home rather than abroad

D. They treasure their marriages all the more.

56 What does the author imply by saying

“currencies don?t turn on a dime” (Line 2,Para 7)?

A.

The dollar?s value will not increase in the short term.

B. The value of a dollar will not be reduced to a dime

C.

The dollar?s value will drop, but within a small margin.

D. Few Americans will change dollars into other currencies.

Passage Two

In the college-admissions wars, we parents are the true fights. We are pushing our kids to

get good grades, take SAT preparatory courses and build resumes so they can get into the college

of our first choice.

I?ve twice been to the wars, and as I surv

ey the battlefield, something different

is happening. We see our kids

’

college background as e prize demonstrating how well we

’

ve

raised them. But we can

’

t acknowledge that our obsession(

痴迷

) is more about us than them. So

we

’

ve

contrived

various

justifications

that

turn

out

to

be

half-truths,

prejudices

or

myths.

It

actually doesn?t matter much whether Aaron and Nicole go to Stanford.

We

have

a

full-blown

prestige

panic;

we

worry

that

there

won

’

t

be

enough

prizes

to

go

around.

Fearful

parents

urge

their

children

to

apply

to

more

schools

than

ever.

Underlying

the

hysteria(

歇斯底里

) is the belief that scarce elite degrees must be highly valuable. Their graduates

must

enjoy

more

success

because

they

get

a

better

education

and

develop

better

contacts.

All

that is plausible

——and mostly wrong. We haven?t found any convincing evidence that selectivity

or prestige matters. Selective schools don?t systematically employ better instructional approaches

than

less

selective

schools. On

two

measures

——professors?

feedback

and

the

number

of

essay

exams

——

selective schools do slightly worse.

By some studies, selective schools do enhance their graduates

’

lifetime earnings. The gain is

reckoned at 2-4% for every 100-poinnt increase in a school

’

s average SAT scores. But even this

advantage is probably a statistical fluke(

偶然

). A well-known study examined students who got

into highly selective schools and then went elsewhere. They earned just as much as graduates from

higher-status schools.

Kids

count

more

than

their

colleges.

Getting

into

Yale

may

signify

intelligence,

talent

and

Ambition.

But

it?s

not

the

only

indicator

and,

paradoxically,

its

significance

is

declining.

The

reason:

so

many

similar

people

go

elsewhere.

Getting

into

college

is

not

life

only

competition.

Old-boy

networks

are

breaking

down. Princeton

economist

Alan

Krueger

studied admissions

to

one top Ph.D. program. High scores on the GRE helped explain who got in; degrees of prestigious

universities didn?t.

So,

parents,

lighten

up.

the

stakes

have

been

vastly

exaggerated.

p

to

a

point,

we

can

rationalize our pushiness. America is a competitive society; our kids need to adjust to that. but too

much pushiness can be destructive. the very ambition we impose on our children may get some

into Harvard but may also set them up for disappointment. one study found that, other things being

equal, graduates of highly selective schools experienced more job dissatisfaction. They may have

been so conditioned to being on top that anything less disappoints.

57. Why dose the author say that parents are the true fighters in the college-admissions wars?

A. They have the final say in which university their children are to attend.

、

B. They know best which universities are most suitable for their children.

C. they have to carry out intensive surveys of colleges before children make an application.

D. they care more about which college their children go to than the children themselves.

58. Why do parents urge their children to apply to more school than ever?

A. they want to increase their children chances of entering a prestigious college.

B. they hope their children can enter a university that offers attractive scholarships.

C. Their children will have a wider choice of which college to go to.

D. Elite universities now enroll fewer student than they used to.

59. What does the author mean by kids count more than their college(Line1,para.4?

A. Continuing education is more important to a person success.

B.A person happiness should be valued more than their education.

C. Kids actual abilities are more important than their college background.

D. What kids learn at college cannot keep up with job market requirements.

60. What does Krueger study tell us?

A. Getting into Ph. d. programs may be more competitive than getting into college.

B. Degrees of prestigious universities do not guarantee entry to graduate programs.

C. Graduates from prestigious universities do not care much about their GRE scores.

D. Connections built in prestigious universities may be sustained long after graduation.

61. One possible result of pushing children into elite universities is that______

A. they earn less than their peers from other institutions

B. they turn out to be less competitive in the job market

C. they experience more job dissatisfaction after graduation

D. they overemphasize their qualifications in job application

2007

年

12

月英语六级阅读真题

Passage One

Like

most

people,

I?ve

long

understood

that

I

will

be

judged

by

my

occupation,

that

my

profession

is

a

gauge

people

use

to

see

how

smart

or

talented

I

am.

Recently,

however,

I

was

disappointed to see that it also decides how I?m treated as a person.

Last year I left a professional position as a small-town reporter and took a job waiting tables.

As someone paid to serve food to pe

ople. I had customers say and do things to me I suspect they?d

never

say

or

do

to

their

most

casual

acquaintances.

One

night

a

man

talking

on

his

cell

phone

waved me away, then beckoned (

示意

) me back with his finger a minute later, complaining he was

ready to order and asking where I

’

d been.

I had waited tables during summers in college and was treated like a peon(

勤杂工

) by plenty

of people. But at 19 years old. I believed I deserved inferior treatment from professional adults.

Besides, people responded to me differently after I told them I was in college. Customers would

joke that one day I?d be sitting at their table, waiting to be served.

Once

I

graduated

I

took

a

job

at

a

community

newspaper.

From

my

first

day,

I

heard

a

respectful tone from everyone who called me. I assumed this was the way the professional world

worked- cordially.

I soon found out differently, I sat several feet away from an advertising sales representative

with a similar name. Our calls would often get mixed up and someone asking for Kristen would be

transferred to Christie. The mistake was immediately evident. Perhaps it was because money was

involved, but people used a tone with Kristen that they never used with me.

My job title made people treat me with courtesy. So it was a shock to return to the restaurant

industry.

It?s no secret that there?s a lot to put up with when waiting tables, and fortunately, much of it

can be easily forgotten when you pocket the tips. The service industry, by definition, exists to cater

to

others?

needs.

Still,

it

seemed

that

many

of

my

customers

didn?t

get

the

difference

between

server and servant.

I?m now applying to graduate school, which means someday I?ll return to a profession where

、

people need to be nice to me in order to get what they want. I thin

k I?ll take them to dinner first,

and see how they treat someone whose only job is to serve them.

52. The author was disappointed to find that ___________________.

A) one?s position is used as a gauge to measure one?s intelligence.

B) talented people like her should fail to get a respectable job

C) one?s occupation affects the way one is treated as a person

D) professionals tend to look down upon manual workers

53. What does the author intend to say by the example in the second paragraph?

A) Some customers simply show no respect to those who serve them.

B) People absorbed in a phone conversation tend to be absent-minded.

C) Waitresses are often treated by customers as casual acquaintances.

D) Some customers like to make loud complaints for no reason at all.

54. How did the author feel when waiting tables at the age of 19?

A) She felt it unfair to be treated as a mere servant by professionals.

B) She felt badly hurt when her customers regarded her as a peon.

C) She was embarrassed each time her customers joked with her.

D) She found it natural for professionals to treat her as inferior.

55. What does the author imply by saying “…many of my customers didn?t get the difference

between server and servant” (Lines 3

-4, Para.7)?

A) Those who cater to others? needs a

re destined to be looked down upon.

B) Those working in the service industry shouldn?t be treated as servants.

C) Those serving others have to put up with rough treatment to earn a living.

D) The majority of customers tend to look on a servant as a server nowadays.

56. The author says she?ll one day take her clients to dinner in order to _______.

A) see what kind of person they are

B) experience the feeling of being served

C

）

show her generosity towards people inferior to her

D

）

arouse their sympathy for people living

a humble life

Passage Two

What?s hot for 2007 among the very rich? A S7.3 million diamond ring. A trip to Tanzania to

hunt wild animals. Oh. and income inequality.

Sure, some leftish billionaires like George Soros have been railing against income inequality

for years. But increasingly, centrist and right-wing billionaires are starting to worry about income

inequality and the fate of the middle class.

In December. Mortimer Zuckerman wrote a column in U.S News & World Report, which he

owns.

“

Our nation

’

s core bargain with the middle class is disintegrating,

”

lamented (

哀叹

) the

117th-richest man in America.

“

Most of our economic gains have gone to people at the very top

of the income ladder. Average income for a household of people of working age, by contrast, has

fallen five years in a row.” He noted that “Tens of millions of Americans live in fear that a major

health problem can reduce them to bankruptcy.”

Wilbur Ross Jr. has echoed Zuckerman?s anger over the bitter struggles face

d by middle-class

Americans. “It?s an outrage that any American?s life expectancy should be shortened simply

because the company they

worked for went bankrupt and ended health-

care coverage,” said the

former chairman of the International Steel Group.

Wha

t?s happening? The very rich are just as trendy as you and I, and can be so when it comes

to politics and policy. Given the recent change of control in Congress, popularity of measures like

increasing the minimum wage, and efforts by California? governor t

o offer universal health care,

these guys don?t need their own personal weathermen to know which way the wind blows.

It

’

s

possible

that

plu tocrats(

有钱有势的人

)

are

expressing

solidarity

with

the

struggling

middle class as part of an effort to insulate themselves from confiscatory (

没收性的

) tax policies.

But

the

prospect

that

income

inequality

will

lead

to

higher

taxes

on

the

we

althy

doesn?t

keep

plutocrats up at night. They can live with that.

、

No, what they fear was that the political challenges of sustaining support for global economic

integration

will

be

more

difficult

in

the

United

States

because

of

what

has

happened

to

the

distribution of income and economic insecurity.

In other words, if middle-class Americans continue to struggle financially as the ultrawealthy

grow ever wealthier, it will be increasingly difficult to maintain political support for the free flow

of goods, services, and capital across borders. And when the United States places obstacles in the

way of foreign investors and foreign goods, it?s

likely to encourage reciprocal action abroad. For

people who buy and sell companies, or who allocate capital to markets all around the world, that?s

the real nightmare.

57. What is the current topic of common interest among the very rich in America?

A) The fate of the ultrawealthy people.

B) The disintegration of the middle class.

C) The inequality in the distribution of wealth.

D) The conflict between the left and the

right wing.

58. What do we learn from Mortimer Zuckerman?s lamentation?

A) Many middle-income families have failed to make a bargain for better welfare.

B) The American economic system has caused many companies to go bankrupt.

C) The American nation is becoming more and more divided despite its wealth.

D) The majority of Amer

icans benefit little from the nation?s growing wealth.

59. From the fifth paragraph we can learn that ____________.

A) the very rich are fashion-conscious

B) the very rich are politically sensitive

C) universal health care is to be implemented throughout America

D) Congress has gained popularity by increasing the minimum wage

60. What is the real reason for plutocrats to express solidarity with the middle class?

A) They want to protect themselves from confiscatory taxation.

B) They know that the middle class contributes most to society.

C) They want to gain support for global economic integration.

D) They feel increasingly threatened by economic insecurity.

61.

What

may

happen

if

the

United

States

places

obstacles

in

the

way

of

foreign

investors

and

foreign goods?

A) The prices of imported goods will inevitably soar beyond control.

B) The investors will have to make great efforts to re-allocate capital.

C) The wealthy will attempt to buy foreign companies across borders.

D) Foreign countries will place the same economic barriers in return.

2007

年

6

月英语六级阅读真题

Passage One

You hear the refrain all the time: the U.S. economy looks good statistically, but it doesn

’

t feel

good. Why doesn

’

t ever-greater wealth promote ever-greater happiness? It is a question that dates

at least to the appearance in 1958 of The Affluent (

富裕的

)

Society by John Kenneth Galbraith,

who died recently at 97.

The

Affluent

Society

is

a

modern

classic

because

it

helped

define

a

new

moment

in

the

human

condition.

For

most

of

history,

“hunger,

sickness,

and

cold”

threatened nearly

everyone,

Galbraith wrote. “Poverty was found everywhere in that world. Obviously it is not of ours.” After

World War II, the dread of another Great Depression gave way to an economic boom. In the 1930s

unemployment had averaged 18.2 percent; in the 1950s it was 4.5 percent.

To Galbraith, materialism had gone mad and would breed discontent. Through advertising,

companies conditioned consumers to buy things they didn?t really want or need. Because so much

spending

was

artificial,

it

would

be

unfulfilling.

Meanwhile,

government

spending

that

would

make

everyone

better

off

was

being

cut

down

because

people

instinctively

—

and

wrongly

—labeled government only as “a necessary evil.”

It?s often said that only the rich are getting a

head; everyone else is standing still or falling

、

behind. Well, there are many undeserving rich

—

overpaid chief executives, for instance. But over

any

meaningful

period,

most

people?s

incomes

are

increasing.

From

1995

to

2004,

inflation-adjusted

average

fami

ly

income

rose

14.3

percent,

to

$$43,200.

people

feel

“squeezed”

because their rising incomes often don?t satisfy their rising wants—

for bigger homes, more health

care, more education, faster Internet connections.

The other great frustration is that it has not eliminated insecurity. People regard job stability

as

part

of

their

standard

of

living.

As

corporate

layoffs

increased,

that

part

has

eroded.

More

workers fear they?ve become “the disposable American,” as Louis Uchitelle puts it in his book by

the same name.

Because

so

much

previous

suffering

and

social

conflict

stemmed

from

poverty,

the

arrival

of

widespread

affluence

suggested

utopian

(

乌托邦式的

)

possibilities.

Up

to

a

point,

affluence

succeeds.

There

is

much

les

physical

misery

than

before.

People

are

better

off.

Unfortunately,

affluence also creates new complaints and contradictions.

Advanced societies need economic growth to satisfy the multiplying wants of their citizens.

But the quest for growth lets loose new anxieties and economic conflicts that disturb the social

order.

Affluence

liberates

the

individual,

promising

that

everyone

can

choose

a

unique

way

to

self- fulfillment. But the promise is so extravagant that it predestines many disappointments and

sometimes inspires choices that have anti-social consequences, including family breakdown and

obesity (

肥胖症

). Statistical indicators of happiness have not risen with incomes.

Should we be surprised? Not really. We?ve simply reaffirmed an old truth: the pursuit of affluence

does not always end with happiness.

52.

What question does John Kenneth Galbraith raise in his book The Affluent Society?

A)

Why

statistics

don?t

tell

the

truth

about

the

economy.

B) Why

affluence

doesn?t

guarantee

happiness.

C)

How

happiness

can

be

promoted

today.

D)

What

lies

behind

an

economic

boom.

53.

According to Galbraith, people feel discontented because ________.

A) public spending hasn?t been cut down as expected

B) the government has proved to be a

necessary evil

C) they are in fear of another Great Depression

D) materialism has run wild in modern

society

54.

Why do people feel squeezed when their average income rises considerably?

A) Their material pursuits have gone far ahead of their earnings.

B) Their purchasing power has dropped markedly with inflation.

C) The distribution of wealth is uneven between the r5ich and the poor.

D) Health care and educational cost have somehow gone out of control.

55.

What does Louis Uchitelle mean by “the disposable American” (Line 3, Para. 5)?

A) Those who see job stability as part of their living standard.

B) People full of utopian ideas resulting from affluence.

C) People who have little say in American politics.

D) Workers who no longer have secure jobs.

56.

What has affluence brought to American society?

A) Renewed economic security.

B) A sense of self-fulfillment.

C) New conflicts and complaints.

D) Misery and anti-social behavior.

Passage Two

The use of deferential (

敬重的

) language is symbolic of the Confucian ideal of the woman,

which

dominates

conservative

gender

norms

in

Japan.

This

ideal

presents

a

woman

who

withdraws quietly to the background, subordinating her life and needs to those of her family and

its male head. She is a dutiful daughter, wife, and mother, master of the domestic arts. The typical

refined

Japanese

woman

excels

in

modesty

and

delicacy;

she

“

treads

softly

(

谨言慎行

)in

the

world,

”

elevating feminine beauty and grace to an art form.

、

Nowadays, it is commonly observed that young women are not conforming to the feminine

linguistic (

语言的

) ideal. They are using fewer of the very deferential

“

women

’

s

”

forms, and

even using the few strong forms that are know as

“

men

’

s.

”

This, of course, attracts considerable

attention and has led to an outcry in the Japanese media against the defeminization of women?s

lan

guage. Indeed, we didn?t hear about “men?s language” until people began to respond to girls?

appropriation of forms normally reserved for boys and men. There is considerable sentiment about

the “corruption” of women?s language—

which of course is viewed as part of the loss of feminine

ideals

and

morality

—

and

this

sentiment

is

crystallized

by

nationwide

opinion

polls

that

are

regularly carried out by the media.

Yoshiko

Matsumoto

has

argued

that

young

women

probably

never

used

as

many

of

the

highly

deferential

forms

as

older

women.

This

highly

polite

style

is

no

doubt

something

that

young women have been expected to “grow into”—

after all, it is assign not simply of femininity,

but of maturity and refinement, and its use could be taken to indicate a change in the nature of

one?s social relations as well. One might well imagine little girls using exceedingly polite forms

when

playing

house

or

imitating

older

women

—in

a

fashion

analogous

to

little

girls?

use

of

a

high-

pitched voice to do “teacher talk” or “mother talk” in role play.

The

fact

that

young

Japanese

women

are

using

less

deferential

language

is

a

sure

sign

of

change

—

of

social

change

and

of

linguistic

change.

But

it

is

most

certainly

not

a

sign

of

the

“masculization” of girls. In some instances, it may be

a sign that girls are making the same claim

to

authority

as

boys

and

men,

but

that

is

very

different

from

saying

that

they

are

trying

to

be

“masculine.” Katsue Reynolds has argued that girls nowadays are using more assertive language

strategies in order to be able to compete with boys in schools and out. Social change also brings

not

simply

different

positions

for

women

and

girls,

but

different

relations

to

life

stages,

and

adolescent girls are participating in new subcultural forms. Thus what may, to an older speaker,

seem like “masculine” speech may seem to an adolescent like “liberated” or “hip” speech.

57.

The first paragraph describes in detail ________.

A) the standards set for contemporary Japanese women

B) the Confucian influence on gender

norms in Japan

C) the stereotyped role of women in Japanese families

D) the norms for traditional Japanese

women to follow

58.

What change has been observed in today?s young Japanese women?

A)

They

pay

less

attention

to

their

linguistic

behavior.

B)

The

use

fewer

of

the

deferential

linguistic forms.

C) They confuse male and female forms of language.

D) They employ very strong linguistic

expressions.

59.

How do some people react to women?s appropriation of men?s language forms as reported in

the Japanese media?

A)

They

call

for

a

campaign

to

stop

the

defeminization.

B)

The

see

it

as

an

expression

of

women?s sentiment.

C) They accept it as a modern trend.

D) They express strong disapproval.

60.

According to Yoshiko Matsumoto, the linguisti

c behavior observed in today?s young women

________.

A) may lead to changes in social relations

B) has been true of all past generations

C) is viewed as a sign of their maturity

D) is a result of rapid social progress

61.

The

author

believes

that

the

use

of

assertive

language

by

young

Japanese

women

is

________.

A) a sure sign of their defeminization and maturation

B) an indication of their defiance against social change

C) one of their strategies to compete in a male-dominated society

D) an inevitable trend of linguistic development in Japan today

2006

年

12

月英语六级阅读真题

(A)

、

Passage One

In a purely biological sense, fear begins with the body?s system for reacting to things that can

harm

us

—

the

so-called

fight- or-

flight

response.

“An

animal

that

can?t

detect

danger

can?t

stay

alive,”

says

Joseph

LeDoux.

Like

animals,

humans

evolved

with

an

elaborate

mechanism

for

processing information about potential threats. At its core is a cluster of neurons (

神经元

) deep in

the brain known as the amygdale (

扁桃核

).

LeDoux studies the way animals and humans respond to threats to understand how we form

memories of significant events in our lives. The amygdale receives input from many parts of the

brain, including regions responsible for retrieving memories. Using this information, the amygdale

appraises

a

situation

—

I

think

this

charging

dog

wants

to

bite

me

—

and

triggers

a

response

by

radiating nerve signals throughout the body. These signals produce the familiar signs of distress:

trembling, perspiration and fast-moving feet, just to name three.

This

fear

mechanism

is

critical

to

the

survival

of

all

animals,

but

no

one

can

say

for

sure

whether beasts other than humans know they?re afraid. That is, as LeDoux says, “if you put that

system into a brain that has co

nsciousness, then you get the feeling of fear.”

Humans,

says

Edward

M.

Hallowell,

have

the

ability

to

call

up

images

of

bad

things

that

happened in the past and to anticipate future events. Combine these higher thought processes with

our hardwired danger-detection systems, and you get a near-universal human phenomenon: worry.

That?s not necessarily a bad thing, says Hallowell. “When used properly, worry is an incredible

device,” he says. After all, a little healthy worrying is okay if it leads to constructi

ve action

—

like

having a doctor look at that weird spot on your back.

Hallowell insists, though, that there?s a right way to worry. “Never do it alone, get the facts

and then make a plan.” He says. Most of us have survived a recession, so we?re familiar wit

h the

belt-tightening strategies needed to survive a slump.

Unfortunately, few of us have much experience dealing with the threat of terrorism, so it?s

been difficult to get fact about how we should respond. That?s why Hallowell believes it was okay

for people to indulge some extreme worries last fall by asking doctors for Cipro (

抗炭疽菌的药物

)

and buying gas masks.

52.

The “so

-called fight-or-

flight response” (Line 2, Para. 1) refers to “________”.

A) the biological process in which human beings? sense of self

-defense evolves

B) the instinctive fear human beings feel when faced with potential danger

C) the act of evaluating a dangerous situation and making a quick decision

D) the elaborate mechanism in the human brain for retrieving information

53.

From the studies conducted by LeDoux we learn that ________.

A) reactions of humans and animals to dangerous situations are often unpredictable

B) memories of significant events enable people to control fear and distress

C) people?s unpleasant memories are derived from

their feeling of fear

D) the amygdale plays a vital part in human and animal responses to potential danger

54.

From the passage we know that ________.

A) a little worry will do us good if handled properly

B) a little worry will enable us to survive a recession

C) fear strengthens the human desire to survive danger

D) fear helps people to anticipate certain future events

55.

Which of the following is the best way to deal with your worries according to Hallowell?

A) Ask for help from the people around you.

B) Use the belt-tightening strategies for survival.

C) Seek professional advice and take action.

D) Understand the situation and be fully prepared.

56.

In Hallowell?s view, people?s reaction to the terrorist threat last fall was ________.

A) ridiculous

B) understandable

C) over- cautious

D) sensible

Passage Two

、

Amitai Etzioni is not surprised by the latest headings about scheming corporate crooks (

骗

子

).

As

a

visiting

professor

at

the

Harvard

Business

School

in

1989,

he

ended

his

work

there

disgusted with his students

’

overwhelming lost for money.

“

They

’

re taught that profit is all that

matters,

”

he says.

“

Many schools don

’

t even offer ethics

(

伦理学

) courses at all.

”

Etzioni expressed his frustration about the interests of his graduate stud

ents. “By and large, I

clearly had not found a way to help classes full of MBAs see that there is more to life than money,

power,

fame

and

self-

interest.”

He

wrote

at

the

time.

Today

he

still

takes

the

blame

for

not

educating these “business

-leaders-to-be.

” “I really like I failed them,” he says. “If I was a better

teacher maybe I could have reached them.”

Etzioni was a respected ethics expert when he arrived at Harvard. He hoped his work at the

university would give him insight into how questions of morality could be applied to places where

self-

interest flourished. What he found wasn?t encouraging. Those would be executives had, says

Etzioni,

little

interest

in

concepts

of

ethics

and

morality

in

the

boardroom

—

and

their

professor

was met with blank stares when he urged his students to see business in new and different ways.

Etzioni sees the experience at Harvard as an eye-

opening one and says there?s much about

business

schools

that

he?d

like

to

change. “A

lot

of

the

faculty

teaching

business

are

bad

news

th

emselves,”

Etzioni

says.

From

offering

classes

that

teach

students

how

to

legally

manipulate

contracts, to reinforcing the notion of profit over community interests, Etzioni has seen a lot that?s

left

him

shaking

his

head.

And

because

of

what

he?s

seen

taught

in

business

schools,

he?s

not

surprised by the latest rash of corporate scandals. “In many ways things have got a lot worse at

business schools, I suspect,” says Etzioni.

Etzioni is still teaching the sociology of right and wrong and still calling for ethical business

leadership.

“People

with

poor

motives

will

always

exist.”

He

says.

“Sometimes

environments

constrain those people and sometimes environments give those people opportunity.” Etzioni says

the booming economy of the last decade enabled those individuals with poor motives to get rich

before getting in trouble. His hope now: that the cries for reform will provide more fertile soil for

his long-standing messages about business ethics.

57.

What impressed Amitai Etzioni most about Harvard MBA students?

A) Their keen interest in business courses.

B) Their intense desire for money.

C) Their tactics for making profits.

D) Their potential to become business leaders.

58.

Why did Amitai Etzioni say “I really feel like I failed them” (Lin

e 4, Para. 2)?

A) He was unable to alert his students to corporate malpractice.

B) He didn?t teach his students to see business in new and different ways.

C) He could not get his students to understand the importance of ethics in business.

D) He didn?t off

er courses that would meet the expectations of the business-leaders-to-be.

59.

Most would-be executives at the Harvard Business School believed that ________.

A) questions of morality were of utmost importance in business affairs

B) self-interest should not be the top priority in business dealings

C) new and different principles should be taught at business schools

D) there was no place for ethics and morality in business dealings

60.

In Etzioni?s view, the latest rash of corporate scandals could be attribu

ted to ________.

A) the tendency in business schools to stress self- interest over business ethics

B) the executives? lack of knowledge in legally manipulating contracts

C) the increasingly fierce competition in the modern business world

D) the moral corruption of business school graduates

61.

We learn from the last paragraph that ________.

A) the calls for reform will help promote business ethics

B) businessmen with poor motives will gain the upper hand

C) business ethics courses should be taught in all business schools

D) reform in business management contributes to economic growth

2006

年

12

月英语六级阅读真题（

B

）

、

Passage One

Each summer, no matter how pressing my work schedule, I take off one day exclusively for

my

son.

We

call

it

dad-son

day.

This

year

our

third

stop

was

the

amusement

park,

where

be

discovered that he was tall enough to ride one of the fastest roller coasters (

过山车

) in the world.

We blasted through face-stretching turns and loops for ninety seconds. Then, as we stepped off the

ride, be shrugged and, in a distressingly calm voice, remarked that it was not as exciting as other

rides he

’

d been on. As I listened, I began to sense something seriously out of balance.

Throughout the season, I noticed similar events all around me. Parents seemed hard pressed

to find new thrills for indifferent kids. Surrounded by ever-greater stimulation, their young faces

were looking disappointed and bored.

Facing

their

children?s

complaints

of

“nothing

to

do“,

parents

were

shelling

out

large

numbers

of

dollars

for

various

forms

of

entertainment.

In

many

cases

the

money

seemed

to

do

little more than buy transient relief from the terrible moans of their bored children. This set me

pondering the obvious question:“ How can it be so hard for kids to find something to do when

there?s

never been such a range of stimulating entertainment available to them?”

What really worries me is the intensity of the stimulation. I watch my little daughter

’

s face as

she

absorbs

the

powerful

onslaught

(

冲击

)

of

arousing

visuals

and

bloody

special

effects

in

movies.

Why

do

children

immersed

in

this

much

excitement

seem

starved

for

more?

That

was,

I

realized, the point. I discovered during my own reckless adolescence that what creates excitement

is not going fast, but going faster. Thrills have less to do with speed than changes in speed.

I

’

m concerned about the cumulative effect of years at these levels of feverish activity. It is no

mystery to me why many teenagers appear apathetic (

麻木的

) and burned out, with a

“

been there,

done that

”

air of indifference toward much of life. As increasing

numbers of friends? children are

prescribed medications- stimulants to deal with inattentiveness at school or anti-depressants to help

with the loss of interest and joy in their lives-

I question the role of kids? boredom in

some of the

diagnoses.

My

own

work

is

focused

on

the

chemical

imbalances

and

biological

factors

related

to

behavioral and emotional disorders. These are complex problems. Yet I?ve been reflecting more

and more on how the pace of life and the intensity of stimulation may be contributing to the rising

rates of psychiatric problems among children and adolescents in our society.

21. The author tell surprised in the amusement park at fact that ________.

A) his son was not as thrilled by the roller coasters ride as expected

B) his son blasted through the turns and loops with his face stretched

C) his son appeared distressed but calm while riding the roller coasters

D) his son could keep his balance so well on the fast moving roller coasters

22.

According to the author, children are bored ________.

A) unless their parents can find new thrills for them

B) when they don?t have any access to stimulating fun games

C) when they are left alone at weekends by their working parents

D) even if they are exposed to more and more kinds of entertainment

23.

From

his

own

experience,

the

author

came

to

the

conclusion

that

children

seem

to

expect

________.

A) a much wider variety of sports facilities

B) activities that require sophisticated skills

C)

ever-changing

thrilling

forms

of

recreation

D)

physical

exercises

that

are

more

challenging

24.

In Para 6 the author expresses his doubt about the effectiveness of trying to change children?s

indifference toward much of life by ________.

A)

diverting

their

interest

from

electronic

visual

games

B)

prescribing

medications

for

their

temporary relief

C)

creating

more

stimulating

activities

for

them

D)

spending

more

money

on

their

、

entertainment

25.

In order to alleviate children?s boredom, the author would probably suggest

________.

A) adjusting the pace of life and intensity of stimulation

B) promoting the practice of dad-son

days

C)

consulting

a

specialist

in

child

psychology

D)

balancing

school

work

with

extracurricular activities

Passage Two

It used to be that people were proud to work for the same company for the whole of their

working lives. They?d get a gold watch at the end of their productive years and a dinner featuring

speeches by their bosses praising their loyalty. But today?s rich ca

pitalists have regressed (

倒退

) to

the

“

survival of the fittest

”

ideas and their loyalty extends not to their workers or even to their

stockholders

but

only

to

themselves.

Instead

of

giving

out

gold

watches

worth

a

hundred

or

so

dollars for forty or so years of word, they grab tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars as

they sell for their own profit the company they may have been with for only a few years.

The new rich selfishly act on their own to unfairly grab the wealth that the country as a whole

has produced. The top 1 percent of the population now has wealth equal to the whole bottom 95

percent and they want more. Their selfishness is most shamelessly expressed in downsizing and

outsourcing (

将产品包给分公司做

) because these business maneuvers don

’

t act to created new

jobs as the founder of new industries used to do, but only out jobs while keeping the money value

of what those jobs produced for themselves.

To keep the money machine working smoothly the rich have bought all the politicians from

the

top

down.

The

president

himself

is

constantly

leaving

Washington

and

the

business

at

the

nation

because

he

is

summoned

to

“fundraising

dinners”

where

fat

cats

pay

a

thousand

or

so

dollars a plate to worm their way into government not through service but through donations of

vast amounts of money. Once on the inside they have both political parties busily tearing up all the

regulations that protect the rest of us from the greed of the rich.

The middle class used to be loyal to the free enterprise system. In the past, the people of the

middle class mostly thought they?d be rich themselves someday or have a good shot at becoming

rich. But nowadays income is being distributed more and more unevenly and corporate loyalty is a

thing

of

the

past.

The

middle

class

may

also

wake

up

to

forget

its

loyalty

to

the

so-called

free

enterprise system altogether and the government which governs only the rest of us while letting

the corporations do what they please with our jobs. As things stand, if somebody doesn?t wake up,

the middle class is on a path to being downsized all the way to the bottom of society.

26.

It

can

be

inferred

from

the

first

paragraph

that

people

used

to

place

a

high

value

on

________.

A) job security

B) bosses? praise

C) corporate loyalty

D) retirement

benefits

27.

The author is strongly critical of today?s rich capitalists for ________.

A) not giving necessary assistance to laid-off workers

B) maximizing their profits at the expense of workers

C) not setting up long-term goals for their companies

D) rewarding only those who are considered the fittest

28.

The immediate consequence of the new capitalists? practice is ________.

A) loss of corporate reputation

B) lower pay for the employees

C) a higher rate of unemployment

D) a decline in business transactions

29.

The rich try to sway the policy of the government by ________.

A) occupying important positions in both political parties

B) making monetary contributions to decision-makers

C) pleasing the public with generous donations

D) constantly hosting fundraising dinners

30.

What is the author?s purpose in writing this passage?

、

A) to call on the middle class to remain loyal to the free enterprise system

B) to warn the government of the shrinking of the American middle class

C) to persuade the government to change its current economic policies

D) to urge the middle class to wake up and protect their own interests

Passage Three

Intel chairman Andy Grove has decided to cut the Gordian knot of controversy surrounding

stem cell research by simply writing a check.

The check, which he pledged last week, could be for as much as 55 million, depending on

how many donors make gifts of between 550,000 and 5,500,000, which he has promised to match.

It will be made out to the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF).

Thanks

in

part

to

such

private

donations,

university

research

into

uses

for

human

stem

cells

—

the cells at the earliest stages of development that can form any body part

—

will continue in

California.

With

private

financial

support,

the

state

will

be

less

likely

to

lose

talented

scientists

who

would

be

tempted

to

leave

the

field

or

even

leave

the

country

as

research

dependent

on

federal money slows to glacial (

极其缓慢的

) pace.

Hindered

by

limits

President

Bush

placed

on

stem

cell

research

a

year

age,

scientists

are

turning to laboratories that can carry out work without using federal money. This is awkward for

universities, which must spend extra money building separate labs and keeping rigor cots records

proving no federal funds were involved. Grove?s

donation, a first step toward a $$20 million target

at UCSF, will ease the burden.

The president?s decision a year ago to allow research on already existing stem cell lines was

portrayed

as

a

reasonable

compromise

between

scientists?

needs

for

cells

to

wor

k

with,

and

concerns

that

this

kind

of

research

could

lead

to

wholesale

creation

and

destruction

of

human

embryos (

胚胎

), cloned infants and a general contempt for human life.

But

Bush?s

effort

to

please

both

sides

ended

up

pleasing

neither.

And

it

certainly

didn?t

provide the basis for cutting edge research. Of the 78 existing stem cell lines which Bush said are

all that science would ever need, only one is in this country (at the University of Wisconsin) and

only five are ready for distribution to researchers. All were grown in conjunction with mouse cells,

making future therapeutic (

治疗的

) uses unlikely.

The Bush administration seems bent on satisfying the small but vocal group of Americans

who

oppose

stem

cell

research

under

any

conditions.

Fortunately,

Grove

and

others

are

more

interested in advancing scientific research that could benefit the large number of Americans who

suffer from Parkinson?s disease, nerve injuries, heart diseases and many other problems.

31.

When Andy Grove decided to cut the Gordian knot, he meat to ________.

A) put an end to stem cell research

B) end Intel?s relations with Gordian

C) settle the dispute on stem cell research quickly

D) expel Gordian from stem cell research for

good

32.

For UCSF to carry on stem cell research, new funds have to come from ________.

A) interested businesses and individuals

B) the United States federal government

C)

a

foundation

set

up

by

the

Intel

Company

D)

executives

of

leading

American

companies

33.

As

a

result

of

the

limit

Bust

placed

on

stem

cell

research.

American

universities

will

________.

A) conduct the research in laboratories overseas

B) abandon the research altogether in the

near future

C) have to carry out the research secretly

D) have to raise money to build separate labs

34.

We

may

infer

from

the

passage

that

future

therapeutic

uses

of

stem

cells

will

be

unlikely

unless ________.

A)

human

stem

cells

are

used

in

the

research

B)

a

lot

more

private

donations

can

be

secured

C)

more

federal

money

is

used

for

the

research

D)

talented

scientists

are

involved

in

the

、

research

35.

The

reason

lying

behind

President

Bush?s

placing

limits

on

stem

cell

research

is

that

________.

A) his administration is financially pinched

B) he did not want to offend its opponents

C) it amounts to a contempt for human life

D) it did not promise any therapeutic value

Passage Four

This

looks

like

the

year

that

hard- pressed

tenants

in

California

will

relief-not

just

in

the

marketplace, where tents have eased, but from the state capital Sacramento.

Two significant tenant reforms stand a good chance of passage. One bill, which will give

more

time

to

tenants

being

evicted

(

逐出

),

will

soon

be

heading

to

the

governor

’

s

desk.

The

other,

protecting security deposits, faces a vote in the Senate on Monday.

For more than a century, landlords in California have been able to force tenants out with only

30 days? notice. That will now double under SB 1403, which got through the Assembly recently.

The new protection will apply only to renters who have been in an apartment for at least a year.

Even

60

days

in

a

tight

housing

market

won

’

t

be

long

enough

for

some

families

to

find

an

apartment near where their kids go to school. But is will be an improvement in cities like San Jose,

where

renters

rights

groups

charge

that

unscrupulous

(

不择手段的

)

landlords

have

kicked

out

tenants on short notice to put up tents.

The California Landlords Association argued that landlords shouldn?t have to wait 60 days to

get rid of problem tenants. But the bill gained support when a Japanese real estate investor sent out

30-day

eviction

notices

to

550

families

renting

homes

in

Sacramento

and

Santa

Rosa.

The

landlords lobby eventually dropped its opposition and instead turned its forces against AB 2330,

regarding security deposits.

Sponsored by Assemblywoman Carole Migden of San Francisco, the bill would establish a

procedure and a timetable for tenants to get back security deposits.

Some landlords view security deposits as a free month?s rent, theirs for th

e taking. In most

cases, though, there are honest disputes over damages-what constitutes ordinary wear and tear

AB 2330 would give a tenant the right to request a walk-through with the

landlord and to

make

the

repairs

before

moving

out;

reputable

landlords

already

do

this.

It

would

increase

the

penalty for failing to return a deposit.

The

original

bill

would

have

required

the

landlord

to

pay

interest

on

the

deposit.

The

landlords

lobby

protested

that

it

would

involve

too

much

paperwork

over

too

little

money-less

than

$$10

a

year

on

a

$$1,000

deposit,

at

current

rates.

On

Wednesday,

the

sponsor

dropped

the

interest section to increase the chance of passage.

Even in its amended form, AB 2330 is, like SB 1403, vitally important for tenants and should

be made state law.

36.

We learn from the passage that SB 1403 will benefit ________.

A) long-term real estate investors

B) short-term tenants in Sacramento

C) landlords in the State of California

D) tenants renting a house over a year

37.

A 60-day notice before eviction may not be early enough for renters because ________.

A)

moving

house

is

something

difficult

to

arrange

B)

appropriate

housing

may

not

be

readily available

C)

more

time

is

needed

for

their

kids?

school

registration

D)

the

furnishing

of

the

new

house

often takes a long time

38.

Very often landlords don?t return tenants? deposits on the pretext that ________.

A) their rent has not been paid in time

B) there has been ordinary wear and tear

C) tenants have done damage to the house

D) the 30-day notice for moving out is over

39.

Why did the sponsor of the AB 2330 bill finally give in on the interest section?

A) To put an end to a lengthy argument.

B) To urge landlords to lobby for its passage.

C) To cut down the heavy paperwork for its easy passage.

、

D) To make it easier for the State Assembly to pass the bill.

40.

It can be learned from the passage that ________.

A) both bills are likely to be made state laws

B) neither bill will pass through the Assembly

C) AB 2330 stands a better chance of passage

D) Sacramento and San Jose support SB 1403

2006

年

6

月英语六级阅读真题

Passage One

There

are

good

reasons

to

be

troubled

by

the

violence

that

spreads

throughout

the

media.

Movies, Television and video games are full of gunplay and bloodshed, and one might reasonably

ask what?s wrong with a society that presents videos of domestic violence as entertainment.

Most researchers agree that the causes of real-world violence are complex. A 1993 study by the

U.S.

National

Academy

of

Science

s

listed

“biological,

individual,

family,

peer,

school,

and

community factors” as all playing their parts.

Viewing abnormally large amounts of violent television and video games may well contribute

to

violent

behavior

in

certain

individuals.

The

trouble

comes

when

researchers

downplay

uncertainties

in

their

studies

or

overstate

the

case

for

causality

(

因果关系

).

Skeptics

were

dismayed several years ago when a group of societies including the American Medical Association

tried to end the debate by issuing a join

t statement: “At this time, well over 1,000 studies... point

overwhelmingly to a causal connection between media violence and aggressive behavior in some

children.”

Freedom-of-speech

advocates

accused

the

societies

of

catering

to

politicians,

and

even

disputed the number of studies (most were review articles and essays, they said). When Jonathan

Freedman,

a

social

psychologist

at

the

University

of

Toronto,

reviewed

the

literature,

he

found

only 200 or so studies of television-watching and aggression. And wh

en he weeded out “the most

doubtful measures of aggression”, only 28% supported a connection.

The

critical

point

here

is

causality.

The

alarmists

say

they

have

proved

that

violent

media

cause

aggression.

But

the

assumptions

behind

their

observations

need

to

be

examined.

When

labeling

games

as

violent

or

non-violent,

should

a

hero

eating

a

ghost

really

be

counted

as

a

violent event? And when experimenters record the time it takes game players to read ?aggressive?

or ?non

-

aggressive? words from a list, can we

be sure what they are actually measuring? The intent

of the new Harvard Center on Media and Child Health to collect and standardize studies of media

violence

in

order

to

compare

their

methodologies,

assumptions

and

conclusions

is an

important

step in the right direction.

Another appropriate step would be to tone down the criticism until we know more. Several

researchers write, speak and testify quite a lot on the threat posed by violence in the media. That is,

of course, their privilege. But when doing so, they often come out with statements that the matter

has now been settled, drawing criticism from colleagues. In response, the alarmists accuse critics

and

news

reporters

of

being

deceived

by

the

entertainment

industry.

Such

clashes

help

neither

science nor society.

21.

Why is there so much violence shown in movies, TV and video games?

A)

There

is

a

lot

of

violence

in

the

real

world

today.

B)

Something

has

gone

wrong

with

today?s society.

C)

Many

people

are

fond

of

gunplay

and

bloodshed.

D)

Showing

violence

is

thought

to

be

entertaining.

22.

What is the skeptics (Line 3. Para. 3) view of media violence?

A) Violence on television is a fairly accurate reflection of real-world life.

B) Most studies exaggerate the effect of media violence on the viewers.

C) A causal relationship exists between media and real-world violence.

D) The influence of media violence on children has been underestimated.

23.

The author uses the term “alarmists” (Line 1. Para. 5) to refer to those who ________.

A) use standardized measurements in the studies of media violence

B) initiated the debate over the influence of violent media on reality

、

C) assert a direct link between violent media and aggressive behavior

D) use appropriate methodology in examining aggressive behavior

24.

In refuting the alarmists, the author advances his argument by first challenging ________.

A) the source and amount of their data

B) the targets of their observation

C) their system of measurement

D) their definition of violence

25.

What does the author think of the debate concerning the relationship between the media and

violence?

A) More studies should be conducted before conclusions are drawn.

B) It should come to an end since the matter has now been settled.

C) The past studies in this field have proved to be misleading.

D) He more than agrees with the views held by the alarmists.

Passage Two

You?re in trouble if you have to buy your own brand

-name prescription drugs. Over the past

decade, prices leaped by more than double the inflation rate. Treatments for chronic conditions can

easily

top

$$2,000

a

month-

no

wonder

that

one

in

four

Americans

can?s

afford

to

fill

their

prescriptions.

The

solution?

A

hearty

chorus

of

“O

Canada.”

North

of

the

border,

where

price

controls reign, those same brand-name drugs cost 50% to 80% less.

The Canadian option is fast becoming a political wake- up call,

“

If our neighbors can buy

drugs

at

reasonable

prices,

why

can

’

t

we?

Even

to

whisper

that

thought

provokes

anger.

“

Un- American!

”

And- the propagandists

’

trump card (

王牌

)

—

“

Wreck our brilliant health-care

system.” Supersize drug prices, they claim, fund the research that sparks the next generation of

wonder drugs. No sky-high drug price today, no cure for cancer tomorrow. So shut up and pay up.

Common sense tells

you that?s a false alternative. The reward for finding, say, a cancer cure is so

huge that no one?s going to hang it up. Nevertheless, if Canada

-level pricing came to the United

States,

the

industry?s

profit

margins

would

drop

and

the

pace

of

new

-drug

development

would

slow.

Here

lies

the

American

dilemma.

Who

is

all

this

splendid

medicine

for?

Should

our

health-care system continue its drive toward the best of the best, even though rising numbers of

patients can?t afford it? Or should we direct our wealth toward letting everyone in on today?s level

of care? Measured by saved lives, the latter is almost certainly the better course.

To

defend

their

profits,

the

drug

companies

have

warned

Canadian

wholesalers

and

pharmacies (

药房

) not to sell to Americans by mail, and are cutting back supplies to those who

dare.

Meanwhile,

the

administration

is

playing

the

fear

card.

Officials

from

the

Food

and

Drug

Administration

will

argue

that

Canadian

drugs

might

be

fake,

mishandled,

or

even

a

potential

threat to life.

Do bad drugs fly around the Internet? Sure-

and the more we look, the more we?ll find, But I

haven?t

heard

of

any

raging

epidemics

among

the

hundreds

of

thousands

of

people

buying

crossborder.

Most users of prescription drugs don?t worry about costs a lot. They?r

e sheltered by employee

insurance, owing just a $$20 co-pay. The financial blows rain, instead, on the uninsured, especially

the chronically ill who need expensive drugs to live, This group will still include middle-income

seniors on Medicare, who?ll have t

o dig deeply into their pockets before getting much from the

new drug benefit that starts in 2006.

26.

What is said about the consequence of the rocketing drug prices in the U.S.?

A) A quarter of Americans can?t afford their prescription drugs.

B) Many Ame

ricans can?t afford to see a doctor when they fall ill.

C) Many Americans have to go to Canada to get medical treatment.

D) The inflation rate has been more than doubled over the years.

27.

It

can

be

inferred

that

America

can

follow

the

Canadian

model

and

curb

its

soaring

drug

prices by ________.

A) encouraging people to buy prescription drugs online

、

B) extending medical insurance to all its citizens

C) importing low-price prescription drugs from Canada

D) exercising price control on brand-name drugs

28.

How do propagandists argue for the U.S. drug pricing policy?

A) Low prices will affect the quality of medicines in America.

B) High prices are essential to funding research on new drugs.

C) Low prices will bring about the anger of drug manufacturers.

D) High- price drugs are indispensable in curing chronic diseases.

29.

What should be the priority of America?s health

-care system according to the author?

A) To resolve the dilemma in the health-care system.

B) To maintain America?s lead in the drug industry.

C) To allow the vast majority to enjoy its benefits.

D) To quicken the pace of new drug development.

30.

What are American drug companies doing to protect their high profits?

A) Labeling drugs bought from Canada as being fakes.

B) Threatening to cut back funding for new drug research.

C) Reducing supplies to uncooperative Canadian pharmacies.

D) Attributing the raging epidemics to the ineffectiveness of Canadian drugs.

Passage Three

Age

has

its

privileges

in

America.

And

one

of

the

more

prominent

of

them

is

the

senior

citizen

discount.

Anyone

who

has

reached

a

certain

age

—

in

some

cases

as

low

as

55

—

is

automatically entitled to a dazzling array of price reductions at nearly every level of commercial

life.

Eligibility

is

determined

not

by

one?s

need

but

by

the

date

on

one?s

birth

certificate.

Practically

unheard

of

a

generation

ago,

the

discounts

have

become

a

routine

part

of

many

businesses

—

as common as color televisions in motel rooms and free coffee on airliners.

People

with

gray

hair

often

are

given

the

discounts

without

even

asking

for

them

；

yet,

millions

of

Americans

above

age

60

are

healthy

and

solvent

(

有支付能力的

).

Businesses

that

would never dare offer discounts to college students or anyone under 30 freely offer them to older

Americans.

The

practice

is

acceptable

because

of

the

widespread

belief

that

“

elderly

”

and

“

needy

”

are synonymous (

同义的

). Perhaps that once was true, but today elderly Americans as

a group have a lower poverty rate than the rest of the population. To be sure, there is economic

diversity with

in the elderly, and many older Americans are poor, But most of them aren?t.

It is impossible to determine the impact of the discounts on individual companies. For many

firms, they are a stimulus to revenue. But in other cases the discounts are given at the expense,

directly

or

indirectly,

of

younger

Americans.

Moreover,

they

are

a

direct

irritant

in

what

some

politicians and scholars see as a coming conflict between the generations.

Generational

tensions

are

being

fueled

by

continuing

debate

over

Social

Security

benefits,

which mostly involves a transfer of resources from the young to the old. Employment is another

sore

point,

Buoyed

(

支持

)

by

laws

and

court

decisions,

more

and

more

older

Americans

are

declining the retirement dinner in favor of staying on the job-thereby lessening employment and

promotion opportunities for younger workers.

Far from a kind of charity they once were, senior citizen discounts have become a formidable

economic privilege to a group with millions of members who don?t need them.

It no longer makes sense to treat the elderly as a single group whose economic needs deserve

priority

over

those

of

others.

Senior

citizen

discounts

only

enhance

the

myth

that

older

people

can

’

t take care of themselves and need special treatment

；

and they threaten the creation of a new

myth, that the elderly are ungrateful and taking for themselves at the expense of children and other

age groups. Senior citizen discounts are the essence of the very thing older Americans are fighting

against-discrimination by age.

31.

We learn from the first paragraph that ________.

A) offering senior citizens discounts has become routine commercial practice

、

B) senior citizen discounts have enabled many old people to live a decent life

C) giving senior citizens discounts has boosted the market for the elderly

D) senior citizens have to show their birth certificates to get a discount

32.

What assumption lies behind the practice of senior citizen discounts?

A) Businesses, having made a lot of profits, should do something for society in return.

B) Old people are entitled to special treatment for the contribution they made to society.

C) The elderly, being financially underprivileged, need humane help from society.

D) Senior citizen discounts can make up for the inadequacy of the Social Security system.

33.

According to some politicians and scholars, senior citizen discounts will ________.

A) make old people even more dependent on society

B) intensify conflicts between the young and the old

C) have adverse financial impact on business companies

D) bring a marked increase in the companies revenues

34.

How does the author view the Social Security system?

A) It encourages elderly people to retire in time.

B) It opens up broad career prospects for young people.

C) It benefits the old at the expense of the young.

D) It should be reinforced by laws and court decisions.

35.

Which of the following best summarizes the author?s main argument?

A) Senior citizens should fight hard against age discrimination.

B) The elderly are selfish and taking senior discounts for granted.

C) Priority should be given to the economic needs of senior citizens.

D) Senior citizen discounts may well be a type of age discrimination.

Passage Four

In 1854 my great-grandfather, Morris Marable, was sold on an auction block in Georgia for

$$500. For his white slave master, the sale was just “business as usual.” But to Morris Marable and

his heirs, slavery was a crime against our humanity. This pattern of human rights violations against

enslaved African-Americans continued under racial segregation for nearly another century.

The

fundamental

problem

of

American

democracy

in

the

21st

century

is

the

problem

of

“structural racism” the deep patterns of socio

-economic inequality and accumulated disadvantage

that are coded by race, and constantly justified in public speeches by both racist stereotypes and

white indifference. Do Americans have the capacity and vision to remove these structural barriers

that deny democratic rights and opportunities to millions of their fellow citizens?

This

country

has

previously

witnessed

two

great

struggles

to

achieve

a

truly

multicultural

democracy.

The First Reconstruction (1865-1877) ended slavery and briefly gave black men voting rights,

but gave no meaningful compensation for two centuries of unpaid labor. The promise of

“

40 acres

and a mule (

骡子

)

”

was for most blacks a dream deferred (

尚未实现的

).

The Second Reconstruction (1954-1968), or the modern civil rights movement, ended legal

segregation

in

public

accommodations

and

gave

blacks

voting

rights.

But

these

successes

paradoxically obscure the tremendous human costs of historically accumulated disadvantage that

remain central to black Americans? lives.

The

disproportionate

wealth

that

most

whites

enjoy

today

was

first

constructed

from

centuries

of

unpaid

black

labor.

Many

white

institutions,

including

some

leading

universities,

insurance companies and banks, profited from slavery. This pattern of white privilege and black

inequality continues today.

Demanding reparations (

赔偿

) is not just about compensation for slavery and segregation. It

is,

more

important,

an

educational

campaign

to

highlight

the

contemporary

reality

of

“

racial

deficits

”

of

all

kinds,

the

unequal

conditions

that

impact

blacks

regardless

of

class.

Structural

racism?s barriers include “equity inequity.” the absence of black capital formation that is a direct

consequence

of America?s

history.

One

third

of

all

black

households

actually

have

negative

net

、

wealth. In 1998 the typical black family?s net wealth was $$16,400, less than one fifth that of

white

families. Black families are denied home loans at twice the rate of whites.

Blacks remain the last hired and first fired during recessions. During the 1990-91 recession,

African-Americans suffered disproportionately. At Coca-Cola, 42 percent of employees who lost

their

jobs

were

blacks.

At

Sears,

54

percent

were

black,

Blacks

have

significantly

shorter

life

spans,

in

part

due

to

racism

in

the

health

establishment.

Blacks

are

statistically

less

likely

than

whites to be referred for kidney transplants or early-stage cancer surgery.

36.

To the author, the auction of his great-grandfather is a typical example of ________.

A) crime against humanity

B) unfair business transaction

C) racial conflicts in Georgia

D) racial segregation in America

37.

The barrier to democracy in 21st century America is ________.

A) widespread use of racist stereotypes

B) prejudice against minority groups

C) deep-rooted socio-economic inequality

D) denial of legal rights to ordinary blacks

38.

What problem remains unsolved in the two Reconstructions?

A) Differences between races are deliberately obscured

B) The blacks are not compensated for

their unpaid labor.

C)

There

is

no

guarantee

for

blacks

to

exercise

their

rights.

D)

The

interests

of

blacks

are

not

protected by law.

39.

It is clear that the wealth enjoyed by most whites ________.

A)

has

resulted

from

business

successes

over

the

years

B)

has

been

accompanied

by

black

capital formation

C)

has

derived

from

sizable

investments

in

education

D)

has

been

accumulated

from

generations of slavery

40.

What does the author think of the current situation regarding racial discrimination?

A) Racism is not a major obstacle to blacks? employment.

B) Inequality of many kinds remains

virtually untouched.

C)

A

major

step

has

been

taken

towards

reparations.

D)

Little

has

been

done

to

ensure

blacks? civil rights.

2005

年

12

月英语六级阅读真题

Passage one

Too

many

vulnerable

child-free

adults

are

being

ruthlessly

(

无情的

)

manipulated

into

parent-hood by their parents, who think that happiness among older people depends on having a

grand-child

to

spoil.

We

need

an

organization

to

help

beat

down

the

persistent

campaigns

of

grandchildless parents. It?s time to establish Planned Grandparenthood, which would have many

global and local benefits.

Part

of

its

mission

would

be

to

promote

the

risks

and

realities

associated

with

being

a

grandparent. The staff would include depressed grandparents who would explain how grandkids

break lamps, bite, scream and kick. Others would detail how an hour of baby- sitting often turns

into a crying marathon. More grandparents would testify that they had to pay for their grandchild?s

expensive college education.

Planned

grandparenthood?s

carefully

written

literature

would

detail

all

the

joys

o

f

life

grand-child-free

a

calm

living

room,

extra

money

for

luxuries

during

the

golden

years,

etc.

Potential grandparents would be reminded that, without grandchildren around, it?s possible to have

a conversation with your kids, who

—

incidentally< /p>

—

would have more time for their own parents.

Meanwhile,

most

children

are

vulnerable

to

the

enormous

influence

exerted

by

grandchildless

parents aiming to persuade their kids to produce children. They will take a call from a persistent

parent, even if they?re loaded

with works. In addition, some parents make handsome money offers

payable

upon

the

grandchild?s

birth.

Sometimes

these

gifts

not

only

cover

expenses

associated

with

the

infant?s

birth,

but

extras,

too,

like

a

vacation.

In

any

case,

cash

gifts

can

weaken

the

resolve of even the noblest person.

At

Planned

Grandparenthood,

children

targeted

by

their

parents

to

reproduce

could

obtain

、

non-biased

information

about

the

insanity

of

having

their

own

kids.

The

catastrophic

psychological

and

economic

costs

of

childbearing

would

be

emphasized.

The

symptoms

of

morning sickness would be listed and horrors of childbirth pictured. A monthly newsletter would

contain stories about overwhelmed parents and offer guidance on how childless adults can respond

to the different lobbying tactics that would-be grandparents employ.

When I think about all the problems of our overpopulated world and look at our boy grabbing

at the lamp by the sofa, I wish I could have turned to Planned Grandparenthood when my parents

were putting the grandchild squeeze on me.

If I could have, I might not be in this parenthood predicament (

窘境

). But here

’

s the crazy

irony, I don

’

t want my child-free life back. Dylan

’

s too much fun.

21.

What?s the purpose of the proposed organization Planned Grandparenthood?

A) To encourage childless couples to have children.

B) To provide facilities and services for grandchildless parents.

C) To offer counseling to people on how to raise grandchildren.

D) To discourage people from insisting on having grandchildren.

22.

Planned

Grandparenthood

would

include

depressed

grandparents

on

its

staff

in

order

to

________.

A) show them the joys of life grandparents may have in raising grandchildren

B) draw attention to the troubles and difficulties grandchildren may cause

C) share their experience in raising grandchildren in a more scientific way

D) help raise funds to cover the high expense of education for grandchildren

23.

According

to

the

passage,

some

couples

may

eventually

choose

to

have

children

because

________.

A) they find it hard to resist the carrot-and-stick approach of their parents

B) they have learn from other parents about the joys of having children

C) they feel more and more lonely ad they grow older

D) they have found it irrational to remain childless

24.

By saying “...

my parents were putting the grandchild squeeze on me” (Line 2

-3, Para. 6), the

author means that ________.

A) her parents kept pressuring her to have a child

B) her parents liked to have a grandchild in their arms

C) her parents asked her to save for the expenses of raising a child

D) her parents kept blaming her for her child?s bad behavior

25.

What does the author really of the idea of having children?

A) It does more harm than good.

B) It contributes to overpopulation.

C) It is troublesome but rewarding.

D) It is a psychological catastrophe.

Passage Two

Ask

most

people

how

they

define

the

American

Dream

and

chances

are

they?ll

say,

“Success.”

The

dream

of

individual

opportunity

has

been

home

in

American

since

Europeans

discovered

a “new world” in the Western Hemisphere. Early immigrants like Hector St. Jean de

Crevecoeur praised highly the freedom and opportunity to be found in this new land. His glowing

descriptions

of

a

classless

society

where

anyone

could

attain

success

through

honesty

and

hard

work fired the imaginations of many European readers: in Letters from an American Farmer (1782)

he wrote.

“

We are all excited at the spirit of an industry which is unfettered (

无拘无束的

) and

unrestrained, because each person works for himself ... We have no princes, for whom we toil (

干

苦力活

)

，

starve,

and

bleed:

we

are

th

e

most

perfect

society

now

existing

in

the

world.”

The

promise of a land where “the rewards of a man?s industry follow with equal steps the progress of

his

labor”

drew

poor

immigra

nts

from

Europe

and

fueled

national

expansion

into

the

western

territories.

Our

national

mythology

(

神化

)

is

full

of

illustration

the

American

success

story.

There

’

s

Benjamin

Franklin, the very model of the self-educated, self-made man, who rose from

modest

、

origins to become a well-known scientist, philosopher, and statesman. In the nineteenth century,

Horatio

Alger,

a

writer

of

fiction

for

young

boys,

became

American?s

best

-selling

author

with

rags- to-riches tales. The notion of success haunts us: we spend million every year reading about

the rich and famous, learning how to “make a fortune in real estate with no money down,” and

“dressing for success.” The myth of success has even invaded our personal relationships: today it?s

as important to be “successful”

in marriage or parenthoods as it is to come out on top in business.

But dreams easily turn into nightmares. Every American who hopes to “make it” also knows the

fear of failure, because the myth of success inevitably implies comparison between the haves and

the

have-nots,

the

stars

and

the

anonymous

crowd.

Under

pressure

of

the

myth,

we

become

indulged in status symbols: we try to live in the “right” neighborhoods, wear the “right” clothes,

eat the “right” foods. These symbols of distinction assure us and

others that we believe strongly in

the fundamental equality of all, yet strive as hard as we can to separate ourselves from our fellow

citizens.

26.

What is the essence of the American Dream according to Crevecoeur?

A) People are free to develop their power of imagination.

B) People who are honest and work hard can succeed.

C) People are free from exploitation and oppression.

D) People can fully enjoy individual freedom.

27.

By saying “the rewards of a man?s industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor”

(Line 10, Para. 1), the author means ________.

A) the more diligent one is, the bigger his returns

B) laborious work ensures the growth of an industry

C) a man?s business should be developed step by step

D) a company?s success depends on its employees? hard work

28.

The characters described in Horatio Alger?s novels are people who ________.

A) succeed in real estate investment

B) earned enormous fortunes by chances

C)

became

wealthy

after

starting

life

very

poor

D)

became

famous

despite

their

modest

origins

29.

It can be inferred from the last sentence of the second paragraph that ________.

A) business success often contributes to a successful marriage

B) Americans wish to succeed in every aspect of life

C) good personal relationships lead to business success

D) successful business people provide good care for their children

30.

What is the paradox of American culture according to the author?

A) The American road to success is full of nightmares.

B) Status symbols are not a real in

dicator of a person?s wealth.

C) The American Dream is nothing but an empty dream.

D) What Americans strive after often contradicts their beliefs.

Passage Three

Public distrust of scientists stems in part from the blurring of boundaries between science

and technology, between discovery and manufacture. Most government, perhaps all governments,

justify public expenditure on scientific research in terms of the economic benefits the scientific

enterprise ha brought in the past and will bring in the future. Politicians remind their voters of the

splendid machines

‘

our scientists

’

have invented, the new drugs to relieve old ailments (

病痛

),

and

the

new

surgical

equipment

and

techniques

by

which

previously

intractable

(

难治疗的

)

conditions

may

now

be

treated

and

lives

saved.

At

the

same

time,

the

politicians

demand

of

scientists that they tailor their research to

‘

economics needs

’

, that they award a higher priority to

research

proposals

that

are

?near

the

market?

and

can

be

translated

into

the

greatest

return

on

investment in the shortest time. Dependent, as they are, on politicians for much of their funding,

scientists have little choice but to comply. Like the rest of us, they are members of a society that

rates the creation of wealth as the greatest possible good. Many have reservations, but keep them

、

to themselves in what they perceive as a climate hostile to the pursuit of understanding for its own

sake and the idea of an inquiring, creative spirit.

In such circumstances no one should be too hard on people who are suspicious of conflicts

of interest. When we learn that the distinguished professor assuring us of the safety of a particular

product

holds

a

consultancy

with

the

company

making

it,

we

cannot

be

blamed

for

wondering

whether his fee might conceivably cloud his professional judgment. Even if the professor holds no

consultancy

with

any

firm,

some

people

many

still

distrust

him

because

of

his

association

with

those who do, or at least wonder about the source of some his research funding.

This attitude can have damaging effects. It questions the integrity of individuals working in

a

profession

that

prizes

intellectual

honesty

as

the

supreme

virtue,

and

plays

into

the

hands

of

those

who

would

like

to

discredit

scientists

by

representing

then

a

venal

(

可以收买的

).

This

makes

it

easier

to

dismiss

all

scientific

pronouncements,

but

especially

those

made

by

the

scientists who present themselves as

‘

experts

’

. The scientist most likely to understand the safety

of a nuclear reactor, for example, is a nuclear engineer declares that a reactor is unsafe, we believe

him, because clearly it is not to his advantage to lie about it. If he tells us it is safe, on the other

hand, we distrust him, because he may well be protecting the employer who pays his salary.

31.

What is the chief concern of most governments when it comes to scientific research?

A) Support from the votes.

B) The reduction of public expenditure.

C) Quick economics returns.

D) The budget for a research project.

32.

Scientist have to adapt their resear

ch to ?economic needs? in order to ________.

A) impress the public with their achievements

B) pursue knowledge for knowledge?s sake

C) obtain funding from the government

D) translate knowledge into wealth

33.

Why won?t scientists complain about the government?s policy concerning scientific research?

A) They think they work in an environment hostile to the free pursuit of knowledge.

B) They are accustomed to keeping their opinions to themselves.

C) They know it takes patience to win support from the public.

D) They think compliance with government policy is in the interests of the public.

34.

According

to

the

author,

people

are

suspicious

of

the

professional

judgment

of

scientists

because ________.

A) their pronouncements often turn out to be wrong

B) sometimes they hide the source of their research funding

C) some of them do not give priority to intellectual honesty

D) they could be influenced by their association with the project concerned

35.

Why does the author say that public distrust of scientists can have damaging effects?

A) It makes things difficult for scientists seeking research funds.

B) People would not believe scientists even when they tell the truth.

C) It may dampen the enthusiasm of scientists for independent research.

D) Scientists themselves may doubt the value of their research findings.

Passage Four

In many ways, today?s business environment has changed qualitatively since the late 1980s.

The end of the Cold War radically altered the very nature of the world?s politics and economi

cs. In

just a few short years, globalization has started a variety of trends with profound consequences:

the opening of markets, true global competition, widespread deregulation (

解除政府对…的控制

)

of industry, and an abundance of accessible capital. We have experienced both the benefits and

risks

of

a

truly

global

economy,

with

both

Wall

Street

and

Main

Street

(

平民百姓

)

feeling

the

pains of economic disorder half a world away.

At

the

same

time,

we

have

fully

entered

the

Information

Age,

Starting

breakthroughs

in

information technology have irreversibly altered the ability to conduct business unconstrained by

the

traditional

limitations

of

time

or

space.

Today,

it?s

almost

impossible

to

imagine

a

world

without intranets, e-mail, and portable computers. With stunning speed, the Internet is profoundly

changing the way we work, shop, do business, and communicate.

、

As a consequence, we have truly entered the Post- Industrial economy. We are rapidly shifting

from an economy based on manufacturing and commodities to one that places the greatest value

on

information,

services,

support,

and

distribution.

That

shift,

in

turn,

place

an

unprecedented

premium on “knowledge workers,” a new class of wealthy, educated, and mobile people who view

themselves as free agents in a seller?s ma

rket.

Beyond the realm of information technology, the accelerated pace of technological change in

virtually

every

industry

has

created

entirely

new

business,

wiped

out

others,

and

produced

a

Pervasive

(

广泛的

)

demand

for

continuous

innovation.

New

product,

process,

and

distribution

technologies provide powerful levers for creating competitive value. More companies are learning

the importance of destructive technologies

—

innovations that hold the potential to make a product

line, or even an entire business segment, virtually outdated.

Another major trend has been the fragmentation of consumer and business markets. There?s a

growing

appreciation

that

superficially

similar

groups

of

customers

may

have

very

different

preferences in terms of what they want to buy and how they want to buy it. Now, new technology

makes it easier, faster, and cheaper to identify and serve targeted micro-markets in ways that were

physically impossible or prohibitively expensive in the past. Moreover, the trend feeds on itself, a

business?

s ability to serve sub-

markets fuels customers? appetites for more and more specialized

offerings.

36.

According to the first paragraph, the chances in the business environment in the past decades

can be attributed to ________.

A) technological advances

B) worldwide economic disorder

C) the fierce competition in industry

D) the globalization of economy

37.

what idea does the author want to convey in the second paragraph?

A) The rapid development of information technology has taken businessmen by surprise.

B) Information technology has removed the restrictions of time and space in business transactions.

C)

The

Internet,

intranets,

e-mail,

and

portable

computers

have

penetrated

every

corner

of

the

world.

D)

The

way

we

do

business

today

has

brought

about

startling

breakthroughs

in

information

technology.

38.

If a business wants to thrive in the Post-Industrial economy, ________.

A) it has to invest more capital in the training of free agents to operate in a seller?s market

B) it should try its best to satisfy the increasing demands of mobile knowledgeable people

C) it should not overlook the importance of information, services, support, and distribution

D) it has to provide each of its employees with the latest information about the changing market

39.

In the author?s view, destructive technologies are innovations which ________.

A) can eliminate an entire business segment

B) demand a radical change in providing services

C) may destroy the potential of a company to make any profit

D) call for continuous improvement in ways of doing business

40.

With the fragmentation of consumer and business markets ________.

A) an increasing number of companies have disintegrated

B) manufacturers must focus on one special product to remain competitive in the market

C) it is physically impossible and prohibitively expensive to do business in the old way

D) businesses have to meet individual customers? specific needs in order to succeed

2005

年

6

月英语六级阅读真题

Passage One

Low-level slash- and-burn farming does

n?t harm rainforest. On the contrary, it helps farmers

and improves forest soils. This is the unorthodox view of a German soil scientist who has shown

that burnt clearings in the Amazon, dating back more than 1,000 years, helped create patches of

rich, fertile soil that farmers still benefit from today.

Most rainforest soils are thin and poor because they lack minerals and because the heat and

、

heavy rainfall destroy most organic matter in the soils within four years of it reaching the forest

floor. This means topsoil contains few of the ingredients needed for long-term successful farming.

But Bruno Glaser, a soil scientist of the University of Bayreuth, has studied unexpected patches of

fertile soils in the central Amazon. These soils contain lots of organic matter.

Glaser has shown that most of this fertile organic matter comes from

“

black carbon

”—

the

organic particles from camp fires and charred (

烧成炭的

) wood left over from thousands of years

of slash- and-burn farming.

“

The soils, known as Terra Preta, contained up to 70times more black

carbon than the surrounding soil, “says Glaser.

Unburnt

vegetation

rots

quickly,

but

black

carbon

persists

in

the

soil

for

many

centuries.

Radiocarbon dating shows that the charred wood in Terra Preta soils is typically more than 1,000

years old.

“

Slash-and-burn farming can be good for soils provided it doesn

’

t completely burn all the

vegetation, and leaves behind charred wood,

”

says Glaser.

“

It can be better than manure (

粪肥

).

”

Burning

the

forest

just

once

can

leave

behind

enough

black

carbon

to

keep

the

soil

fertile

for

thousands

of

years.

And

rainforests

easily

regrow

after

small-scale

clearing.

Contrary

to

the

conventional

view

that

human

activities

damage

the

environment,

Glaser

says:

“Black

carbon

combined with human wastes

is responsible for the richness of Terra Preta soils.”

Terra Preta soils turn up in large patches all over the Amazon, where they are highly prized

by farmers. All the patches fall within 500 square kilometers in the central Amazon. Glaser says

the widespread presence of pottery (

陶器

) confirms the soil

’

s human origins.

The findings add weight to the theory that large areas of the Amazon have recovered so well

from

past

periods

of

agricultural

use

that

the

regrowth

has

been

mistaken

by

generations

of

biologis

ts for “virgin” forest.

During the past decade, researchers have discovered hundreds of large earth works deep in

the jungle. They are up to 20 meters high and cover up to a square kilometer. Glaser claims that

these earth works, built between AD 400 and 1400, were at the heart of urban civilizations. Now it

seems the richness of the Terra Preta soils may explain how such civilizations managed to feed

themselves.

11.

We

learn

from

the

passage

that

the

traditional

view

of

slash- and-burn

farming

is

that

________.

A) it does no harm to the topsoil of the rainforest

B) it destroys rainforest soils

C)

it

helps

improve

rainforest

soils

D)

it

diminishes

the

organic

matter

in

rainforest soils

12.

Most rainforest soils are thin and poor because ________.

A) the composition of the topsoil is rather unstable

B) black carbon is washed away by heavy rains

C) organic matter is quickly lost due to heat and rain

D) long-term farming has exhausted the ingredients essential to plant growth

13.

Glaser made his discovery by ________.

A) studying patches of fertile soils in the central Amazon

B) examining pottery left over by ancient civilizations

C) test-burning patches of trees in the central Amazon

D) radiocarbon-dating ingredients contained in forest soils

14.

What does Glaser say about the regrowth of rainforests?

A) They take centuries to regrow after being burnt.

B) They cannot recover unless the vegetation is burnt completely.

C) Their regrowth will be hampered by human habitation.

D) They can recover easily after slash-and-burn farming.

15.

From the passage it can be inferred that ________.

A) human activities will do grave damage to rainforests

B) Amazon rainforest soils used to be the richest in the world

、

C) farming is responsible for the destruction of the Amazon rainforests

D) there once existed an urban civilization in the Amazon rainforests

Passage Two

As a wise man once said, we are all ultimately alone. But an increasing number of Europeans

are

choosing

to

be

so

at

an

ever

earlier

age.

This

isn?t

the

stuff

of

gloomy

philosophical

contemplations,

but

a

fact

of

Europe?s

new

economic

landscape,

embraced

by

sociologists,

real-estate developers and ad executives alike. The shift away from family life to solo lifestyle,

observes a French sociologist, is

part of the “irresistible momentum of individualism” over the last

century.

The

communications

revolution,

the

shift

from

a business culture

of

stability

to

one

of

mobility and the mass entry of women into the workforce have greatly wreaked havoc on (

扰乱

)

Europeans

’

private lives.

Europe?s

new

economic

climate

has

largely

fostered

the

trend

toward

independence.

The

current generation of home-

aloners came of age during Europe?s shift from social democracy to

the

sharper,

more

individualistic

climate

of

American

style

capitalism.

Raised

in

an

era

of

privatization

and

increased

consumer

choice,

today

’

s

tech-savvy

(

精通技术的

)

workers

have

embraced a free market in love as well as economics. Modern Europeans are rich enough to afford

to live alone, and temperamentally independent enough to want to do so.

Once

upon

a

time,

people

who

lived

alone

tended

to

be

those

on

either

side

of

marriage- twenty

something

professionals

or

widowed

senior

citizens.

While

pensioners,

particularly elderly women, make up a large proportion of those living alone, the newest crop of

singles

are

high

earners

in

their

30s

and

40s

who

increasingly

view

living

alone

as

a

lifestyle

choice. Living alone was conceived to be negative-dark and cold, while being together suggested

warmth and light. But then came along the idea of singles. They were young, beautiful, strong!

Now, young people want to live alone.

The booming economy means people are working harder than ever. And that doesn?t leave

much room for relationships. Pimpi Arroyo, a 35-year-old composer who lives alone in a house in

Paris, says he hasn?t got time to get lonely because he has too much work. “I have deadlines which

would

make

life

with

someone

else

fairly

difficult.”

Only

an

Ideal

Woman

would

make

him

change his lifestyle, he says.

Kaufmann, author of a recent book called “The Single Woman and

Prince Charming,” thinks this fierce new individualism means that people expect more and more

of mates, so relationships don?t last long

-if they start at all. Eppendorf, a blond Berliner with

a

deep tan, teaches grade school in the mornings. In the afternoon she sunbathes or sleeps, resting

up for going dancing. Just shy of 50, she says she?d never have wanted to do what her mother

did-

give

up

a

career

to

raise

a

family.

Instead,

“I?ve

always

d

one

what

I

wanted

to

do:

live

a

self-

determined life.”

16.

More and more young Europeans remain single because ________.

A) they are driven by an overwhelming sense of individualism

B) they have entered the workforce at a much earlier age

C) they have embraced a business culture of stability

D) they are pessimistic about their economic future

17.

What is said about European society in the passage?

A) It has fostered the trend towards small families.

B) It is getting closer to American- style capitalism.

C) It has limited consumer choice despite a free market.

D) It is being threatened by irresistible privatization.

18.

According to Paragraph 3, the newest group of singles are ________.

A)

warm

and

lighthearted

B)

on

either

side

of

marriage

C)

negative

and

gloomy

D)

healthy and wealthy

19.

The author quotes Eppendorf to show that ________.

A) some modern women prefer a life of individual freedom

B) the family is no longer the basic unit of society in present-day Europe

、

C) some professional people have too much work to do to feel lonely

D) most Europeans conceive living a single life as unacceptable

20.

What is the author?s purpose in writing the passage?

A) To review the impact of women becoming high earners.

B) To contemplate the philosophy underlying individualism.

C) To examine the trend of young people living alone.

D) To stress the rebuilding of personal relationships.

Passage Three

Supporters of

the

biotech

industry

have

accused

an

American

scientist

of

misconduct

after

she testified to the New Zealand government that a genetically

modified (GM) bacterium could

cause serious damage if released.

The

New

Zealand

Life

Sciences

Network,

an

association

of

pro-GM

scientists

and

organisations,

says

the

view

expressed

by

Elaine

Ingham,

a

soil

biologist

at

Oregon

State

University

in

Corvallis,

was

exaggerated

and

irresponsible.

It

has

asked

her

university

to

discipline her.

But Ingham stands by her comments and says the complaints are an attempt to silence her.

“They?re trying to cause trouble with my university

and get me fired,” Ingham told New Scientist.

The

controversy

began

on

1

February,

when

Ingham

testified

before

New

Zealand?s

Royal

Commission

on

Genetic

Modification,

which

will

determine

how

to

regulate

GM

organisms.

Ingham claimed that a GM version of a common soil bacterium could spread and destroy plants if

released into the wild. Other researchers had previously modified the bacterium to produce alcohol

from

organic

waste.

But

Ingham

says

that

when

she

put

it

in

soil

with

wheat

plants,

all

of

the

plants died within a week.

“

We would lose terrestrial (

陆生的

) plants... this is an organism that is potentially deadly to

the

continued

survival

of

human

beings,

”

she

told

the

commission.

She

added

that

the

U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) canceled its approval for field tests using the organism

once she had told them about her research in 1999.

But last week the New Zealand Life Sciences Network accused Ingham of

“

presenting inaccurate,

careless and exaggerated information

”

and

“

generating speculative doomsday scenarios (

世界

末日的局面

) that are not scientifically supportable

”

. They say that her study d

oesn?t even show

that the bacteria would survive in the wild, much less kill massive numbers of plants. What?s more,

the

network

says

that

contrary

to

Ingham?s

claims,

the

EPA

was

never

asked

to

consider

the

organism for field trials.

The

EPA

has

not

commented

on

the

dispute.

But

an

e-mail

to

the

network

from

Janet

Anderson, director of the EPA

’

s bio-pesticides (

生物杀虫剂

) division, says

“

there is no record of

a review and/or clearance to field test

”

the organism.

Ingham says EPA officials

had told her that the organism was approved for field tests, but

says she has few details. It?s also not clear whether the organism, first engineered by a German

institute for biotechnology, is still in use.

Whether Ingham is right or wrong, her supporters say opponents are trying unfairly to silence

her.

“

I think her concerns should be taken seriously. She shouldn?t be harassed in this way,” says

Ann Clarke, a plant biologist at the University of Guelph in Canada who also testified before the

commission. “It?s an attempt to silence the opposition.”

21.

The passage centers on the controversy ________.

A) between American and New Zealand biologists over genetic modification

B) as to whether the study of genetic modification should be continued

C) over the possible adverse effect of a GM bacterium on plants

D) about whether Elaine Ingham should be fired by her university

22.

Ingham insists that her testimony is based on ________.

A) evidence provided by the EPA of the United States

、

B) the results of an experiment she conducted herself

C) evidence from her collaborative research with German biologists

D) the results of extensive field tests in Corvallis, Oregon

23.

According to Janet Anderson, the EPA ________.

A) has cancelled its approval for field tests of the GM organism

B) hasn?t reviewed the findings of Ingham?s research

C) has approved field tests using the GM organism

D) hasn?t given permission to field test the GM organism

24.

According to Ann Clarke, the New Zealand Life Sciences Network ________.

A) should gather evidence to discredit Ingham?s claims

B) should require that the research by their biologists be regulated

C) shouldn?t demand that Ingham be disciplined for voicing her

views

D) shouldn?t appease the opposition in such a quiet way

25.

Which of the following statements about Ingham is TRUE?

A) Her testimony hasn?t been supported by the EPA.

B) Her credibility as a scientist hasn?t been undermined.

C) She is firmly supported by her university.

D) She has made great contributions to the study of GM bacteria.

Passage Four

Every fall, like clockwork, Linda Krentz of Beaverton, Oregon, felt her brain go on strike. “I

just couldn?t get going in the morning,” she says. “I?d get d

epressed and gain 10 pounds every

winter and lose them again in the spring.” Then she read about seasonal affective disorder, a form

of depression that occurs in fall and winter, and she saw the light- literally. Every morning now she

turns on a specially constructed light box for half an hour and sits in front of it to trick her brain

into thinking it?s still enjoying those long summer days. It seems to work.

Krentz

is

not

alone.

Scientists

estimate

that

10

million

Americans

suffer

from

seasonal

depression

and 25 million more develop milder versions. But there?s never been definitive proof

that treatment with very bright lights makes a difference. After all, it

’

s hard to do a double- blind

test when the subjects can see for themselves whether or not the light is on. That

’

s why nobody

has ever separated the real effects of light therapy from placebo (

安慰剂

) effects.

Until

now.

In

three

separate

studies

published

last

month,

researchers

report

not

only

that

light therapy works better than a placebo but that treatment is usually more effective in the early

morning than in the evening. In two of the groups, the placebo problem was resolved by telling

patients

they

were

comparing

light

boxes

to

a

new

anti- depressant

device

that

emits

negatively

charged ions (

离子

). The third used the timing of light therapy as the control.

Why does light therapy work? No one really knows. “Our research suggests it has something

to

do

with

shifting

the

body?s

internal

clock,”

says

psychiatrist

Dr.

Lewey.

The

body

is

programmed to start the day with sunrise, he explains, and this gets later as the days get shorter.

But why such subtle shifts make some people depressed and not others is a mystery.

That

hasn?t

stopped

thousands

of

winter

depressives

from

trying

to

heal

themselves.

Light

boxes

for

that

purpose

are

available

without

a

doctor?s

prescription.

That

bothers

psychologist

Michael Terman of Columbia University. He is worried that the boxes may be tried by patients

who

suffer

from

mental

illness

that

can?t

be

treated

with

light.

Terman

has

developed

a

questionnaire to help determine whether expert care is needed.

In any event, you should choose a reputable manufacturer. Whatever product you use should

emit only visible light, because ultraviolet light damages the eyes. If you are photosensitive (

对光

敏感的

), you may develop a rash. Otherwise, the main drawback is having to sit in front of the

light for 30 to 60 minutes in the morning. That?s an inconvenience many winter depressives can

live with.

26.

What is the probable cause of Krentz?s prob

lem?

A) An unexpected gain in body weight.

、

B) Unexplained impairment of her nervous system.

C) Weakening of her eyesight with the setting in of winter.

D) Poor adjustment of her body clock to seasonal changes.

27.

By

saying

that

Linda

Krentz

saw

the

light”

(Line

4,

Para.

1),

the

author

means

that

she

________.

A) learned how to lose weight

B) realized what her problem was

C) came to see the importance of light

D) became light-hearted and cheerful

28.

What

is

the

CURRENT

view

concerning

the

treatment

of

seasonal

depression

with

bright

lights?

A) Its effect remains to be seen.

B) It serves as a kind of placebo.

C) It proves to be an effective therapy.

D) It hardly produces any effects.

29.

What is psychologist Michael

Terman?s major concern?

A) Winter depressives will be addicted to using light boxes.

B) No mental patients would bother to consult psychiatrists.

C) Inferior light boxes will emit harmful ultraviolet lights.

D) Light therapy could be misused by certain mental patients.

30.

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Winter depressives prefer light therapy in spite of its inconvenience.

B) Light therapy increases the patient?s photosensitivity.

C) Eye damage is a side effect of light therapy.

D) Light boxes can be programmed to correspond to shifts in the body clock.

2005

年

1

月英语六级阅读真题< /p>

Passage One

Throughout

the

nation?s

more

than

15,000

school

districts,

widely

differing

approaches

to

teaching

science

and

math

have

emerged.

Though

there

can

be

strength

in

diversity,

a

new

international analysis suggests that this variability has instead contributed to lackluster (

平淡的

)

achievement scores by U.S. children relative to their peers in other developed countries.

Indeed,

concludes

William

H.

Schmidt

of

Michigan

State

University,

who

led

the

new

analysis, “no single intellectually coherent vision dominates U.S. educational practice in math or

science.” The reason, he said, “is because the system is deeply and fundamentally flawed.”

The

new

analysis,

released

this

week

by

the

National

Science

Foundation

in

Arlington,

Va.,

is

based on data collected from about 50 nations as part of the Third International Mathematics and

Science Study.

Not

only

do

approaches

to

teaching

science

and

math

vary

among

individual

U.S.

communi

ties, the report finds, but there appears to be little strategic focus within a school district?s

curricula,

its

textbooks,

or

its

teachers?

activities.

This

contrasts

sharply

with

the

coordinated

national programs of most other countries.

On average, U.S. students study more topics within science and math than their international

counterparts do. This creates an educational environment that “is a mile wide and an inch deep,”

Schmidt notes.

For instance, eighth graders in the United States cover about 33 topics in math versus just 19

in Japan. Among science courses, the international gap is even wider. U.S. curricula for this age

level

resemble

those

of

a

small

group

of

countries

including

Australia,

Thailand,

Iceland,

and

Bulgaria. Schmidt asks whether the United States wants to be classed with these nations, whose

educational systems

“

share our pattern of splintered (

支离破碎的

) visions

”

but which are not

economic leaders.

The new report “couldn?t come at a better time,” says Gerald Wheeler, executive director o

f

the

National

Science

Teachers

Association

in

Arlington.

“The

new

National

Science

Education

Standards provide that focused vision,” including the call “to do less, but in greater depth.”

Implementing the new science standards and their math counterparts will be the challenge, he

and

Schmidt

agree,

because

the

decentralized

responsibility

for

education

in

the

United

States

、

requires that any reforms be tailored and instituted one community at a time.

In

fact,

Schmidt

argues,

reforms

such

as

these

proposed

national

standards

“

face

an

almost

impossible

task,

because

even

though

they

are

intellectually

coherent,

each

becomes

only

one

more voice in the babble (

嘈杂声

).

”

21.

According to the passage, the teaching of science and math in America is ________.

A) losing its vitality gradually

B) characterized by its diversity

C) going downhill in recent years

D) focused on tapping students? potential

22.

The fundamental flaw of American school education is that ________.

A) it attaches too much importance to intensive study of school subjects

B) it relies heavily on the initiative of individual teachers

C) it sets a very low academic standard for students

D) it lacks a coordinated national program

23.

By saying that the U.S. educational envi

ronment is “a mile wide and an inch deep” (Line 2,

Para. 5), the author means U.S. educational practice ________.

A) scratches the surface of a wide range of topics

B) lays stress on quality at the expense of

quantity

C)

encourages

learning

both

in

depth

and

in

scope

D)

offers

an

environment

for

comprehensive education

24.

The new National Science Education Standards are good news in that they will ________.

A)

solve

most

of

the

problems

in

school

teaching

B)

provide

depth

to

school

science

education

C)

quickly

dominate

U.S.

educational

practice

D)

be

able

to

meet

the

demands

of

the

community

25.

Putting

the

new

science

and

math

standards

into

practice

will

prove

difficult

because

________.

A) many schoolteachers challenge the acceptability of these standards

B) there is always controversy in educational circles

C) not enough educators have realized the necessity for doing so

D) school districts are responsible for making their own decisions

Passage Two

I

had

an

experience

some

years

ago

which

taught

me

something

about

the

ways

in

which

people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I had to officiate at two

funerals

on

successive

days

for

two

elderly

women

in

my

community.

Both

had

died

“

full

of

years,

”

as the Bible would say; both yielded to the normal wearing out of the body after a long

and full life. Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence (

吊唁

) calls on the

two families on the same afternoon.

At the first home, the son of the deceased (

已故的

) woman said to me,

“

If only I had sent

my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It

’

s my

fault that she died.

”

At the second home, the son of the other deceased

woman said, “If only I

hadn?t insisted on my mother?

s going to Florida, she would be alive today. That long airplane ride,

the abrupt change of climate, was more than she could take. It?s my fault that she?s dead.”

When things don?t turn out as we would like them to, it is very tempting to assume that had

we done things differently, the story would have had a happier ending. Priests know that any time

there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out

badly,

they

believe

that

the

opposite

course-keeping

Mother

at

home,

postponing

the

operation

—

would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?

There

seem

to

be

two

elements

involved

in

our

readiness

to

feel

guilt.

The

first

is

our

pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a

reason for everything that happens. That leads us to find patterns and connections both where they

really exist and where they exist only in our minds.

The second element is the notion that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad

、

things

that

happen.

It

seems

to

be

a

short

step

from

believing

that

every

event

has

a

cause

to

believing

that

every

disaster

is

our

fault.

The

roots

of

this

feeling

may

lie

in

our

childhood.

Psychologists speak of the infantile myth of omnipotence (

万能

). A baby comes to think that the

world

exists

to

meet

his

needs,

and

that

he

makes

everything

happen

in

it. He

wakes

up

in

the

morning and summons the rest of the world to its tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to

him. When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we

do not completely outgrow that infantile notion that our wishes cause things to happen.

26.

What is said about the two deceased elderly women?

A)

They

lived

out

a

natural

life.

B)

They

died

due

to

lack

of

care

by

family members.

C)

They

died

of

exhaustion

after

the

long

plane

ride.

D)

They

weren?t

accustomed

to

the

change in weather.

27.

The author had to conduct the two women?s funerals probab

ly because ________.

A) he had great sympathy for the deceased

B) he wanted to console the two families

C) he was priest of the local church

D) he was an official from the community

28.

People feel guilty for the deaths of their loved ones because ________.

A) they believe that they were responsible

B) they had neglected the natural course of events

C) they couldn?t find a better way to express their grief

D) they didn?t know things often turn out in the opposite direction

29.

In the context

of the passage, “... the world makes sense” (Line 2, Para, 4) probably means

that ________.

A)

we

have

to

be

sensible

in

order

to

understand

the

world

B)

everything

in

the

world

is

predetermined

C) there?s an explanation for everything in the world

D) the world can be interpreted in

different ways

30.

People have been made to believe since infancy that ________.

A) every story should have a happy ending

B) their wishes are the cause of everything that

happens

C) life and death is an unsolved mystery

D) everybody is at their command

Passage Three

“

I?ve never met a human worth cloning,” says cloning expert Mark Westhusin from his lab

at

Texas

A&M

University.

“It?s

a

stupid

endeavor.”

That?s

an

interesting

choice

of

adjective,

coming from a

man who has spent millions of dollars trying to clone a 13-year-old dog named

Missy. So far, he and his team have not succeeded, though they have cloned two cows and expect

to

clone

a

cat

soon.

They

just

might

succeed

in

cloning

Missy

this

spring

—

or

perhaps

not

for

another 5 years. It seems the reproductive system of man?s best friend is one of the mysteries of

modern science.

Westhusin

’

s

experience

with

cloning

animals

leaves

him

upset

by

all

this

talk

of

human

cloning. In three years of work on the Missy project, using hundreds upon hundreds of dog

’

s eggs,

the A&M team has produced only a dozen or so embryos (

胚胎

) carrying Missy

’

s DNA. None

have

survived

the

transfer

to

a

surrogate

(

代孕的

)

mother.

The

wastage

of

eggs

and

the

many

spontaneously aborted fetuses (

胎

) may be acceptable when you

’

re dealing with cats or bulls, he

argues, but not with humans.

“

Cloning is incredibly ineffi

cient, and also dangerous,” he says.

Even so, dog cloning is a commercial opportunity, with a nice research payoff. Ever since Dolly

the sheep was cloned in 1997, Westhusin?s phone has been ringing with people calling in hopes of

duplicating their cats and dogs, cattle and horses. “A lot of people want to clone pets, especially if

the price is right,” says Westhusin. Cost is no obstacle

for Missy?s mysterious billionaire owner;

he?s put up $$3.7 million so far to fund A&M?s research.

Contrary

to

some

media

reports,

Missy

is

not

dead.

The

owner

wants

a

twin

to

carry

on

Missy?s fine qualities after she does die. The prototype is, by all acc

ounts, athletic, good-natured

、

and supersmart. Missy?s master does not expect an exact copy of her. He knows her clone may not

have her temperament. In a statement of purpose, Missy?s owner and the A&M team say they are

“both looking forward to studying the

ways that her clones differ from Missy.”

Besides cloning a great dog, the project may contribute insight into the old question of nature

vs, nurture. It could also lead to the cloning of special rescue dogs and many endangered animals.

However, Westhusin is cautious about his work. He knows that even if he gets a dog pregnant, the

offspring,

should

they

survive,

will

face

the

problems

shown

at

birth

by

other

cloned

animals:

abnormalities like immature lungs and heart and weight problems~ “Why would you eve

r want to

clone

humans,Westhusin

asks,

“when

we?re

not

even

close

to

getting

it

worked

out

in

animals

yet?”

31.

By “stupid endeavor” (Line 2, Para. 1), Westhusin means to say that ________.

A) human cloning is a foolish undertaking

B) animal cloning is absolutely impractical

C) human cloning should be done selectively

D) animal cloning is not worth the effort at all

32.

What does the first paragraph tell us about Westhusin?s dog cloning project?

A) Its success is already in sight.

B) It is doomed to utter failure.

C) It is progressing smoothly.

D) Its outcome remains uncertain.

33.

By cloning Missy, Mark Westhusin hopes to ________.

A) examine the reproductive system of the dog species

B) find out the differences between Missy and its clones

C) search for ways to temperament

D) study the possibility of cloning humans

34.

We learn from the passage that animal clones are likely to have ________.

A) an abnormal shape

B) a bad temper

C) defective organs

D) immune deficiency

35.

It can be seen that present cloning techniques ________.

A) provide insight into the question of nature vs, nurture

B) have been widely used in saving endangered species

C) have proved quite adequate for the cloning of humans

D) still have a long way to go before reaching maturity

Passage Four

Frustrated with delays in Sacramento, Bay Area officials said Thursday they planned to take

matters into their own hands to regulate the region?s growing pile of electronic trash.

A

San

Jose

councilwoman

and

a

San

Francisco

supervisor

said

they

would

propose

local

initiatives aimed at controlling electronic waste if the California law-making body fails to act on

two

bills

stalled

in

the

Assembly.

They

are

among

a

growing

number

of

California

cities

and

counties that have expressed the same intention.

Environmentalists and local governments are increasingly concerned about the toxic hazard

posed by old electronic devices and the cost of safely recycling those products. An estimated 6

million

televisions

and

computers

are

stocked

in

California

homes,

and

an

additional

6,000

to

7,000 computers become outdated every day. The machines contain high levels of lead and other

hazardous substances, and are already banned from California landfills (

垃圾填埋场

).

Legislation by Senator Byron Sher would require consumers to pay a recycling fee of up to

$$30

on

every

new

machine

containing

a

cathode

(

阴极

)

ray

tube.

Used

in

almost

all

video

monitors and televisions, those devices contain four to eight pounds of lead each. The fees would

go

toward

setting

up

recycling

programs,

providing

grants

to

non-profit

agencies

that

reuse

the

tubes and rewarding manufacturers that encourage recycling.

A

separate

bill

by

Los

Angeles-area

Senator

Gloria

Romero

would

require

high-tech

manufacturers to develop programs to recycle so-called e-waste.

If

passed,

the

measures

would

put

California

at

the

forefront

of

national

efforts

to

manage

the

refuse of the electronic age.

But high-tech groups, including the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group and the American

Electronics Association, oppose the measures, arguing that fees of up to $$30 will drive consumers

、

to online, out- of-state retailers.

“

What really needs to occur is consumer education. Most consumers are unaware they?re

not supposed to throw c

omputers in the trash,” said Roxanne Gould, vice president of government

relations for the electronics association.

Computer recycling should be a local effort and part of residential waste collection programs,

she added.

Recycling

electronic

waste

is

a

dangerous

and

specialized

matter,

and

environmentalists

maintain

the

state

must

support

recycling

efforts

and

ensure

that

the

job

isn

’

t

contracted

to

unscrupulous (

毫无顾忌的

) junk dealers who send the toxic parts overseas.

“

The

graveyard

of

the

high-tech

revolut

ion

is

ending up

in

rural China,”

said Ted

Smith,

director of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition. His group is pushing for an amendment to Sher?s

bill that would prevent the export of e-waste.

36.

What step were Bay Area officials going to take regarding e-waste disposal?

A) Rally support to pass the stalled bills.

B) Lobby the lawmakers of the California Assembly.

C) Lay down relevant local regulations themselves.

D) Exert pressure on manufacturers of electronic devices.

37.

The two bills stalled in the California Assembly both concern ________.

A) the reprocessing of the huge amounts of electronic waste in the state

B) regulations on dumping hazardous substances into landfills

C) the funding of local initiatives to reuse electronic trash

D) the sale of used electronic devices to foreign countries

38.

Consumers are not supposed to throw used computers in the trash because ________.

A) this is banned by the California government

B) some parts may be recycled for use elsewhere

C) unscrupulous dealers will retrieve them for profit

D) they contain large amounts of harmful substances

39.

High- tech groups believe that if an extra $$30 is charged on every TV or computer purchased

in California, consumers will ________.

A) hesitate to upgrade their computers

B) abandon online shopping

C) buy them from other states

D) strongly protest against such a charge

40.

We learn from the passage that much of California?s electronic waste has been ________.

A) dumped into local landfills

B) exported to foreign countries

C) collected by non-profit agencies

D) recycled by computer manufacturers

2004

年

6

月英语六级阅读真题

Passage One

Given the lack of fit between gifted students and their schools, it is not surprising that such

students often have

little good to say ?about their school experience. In one study of 400 adults

who

had

achieved

distinction

in

all

areas

of

life,

researchers

found

that

three-fifths

of

these

individuals either did badly in school or were unhappy in school. Few MacArthur Prize fellows,

winners of the MacArthur Award for creative accomplishment, had good things to say about their

precollegiate schooling if they had not been placed in advanced programs. Anecdotal (

名人轶事

)

reports support this. Pablo Picasso, Charles Darwin, Mark Twain, Oliver Goldsmith, and William

Butler Yeats all disliked school. So did Winston Churchill, who almost failed out of Harrow, an

elite

British school. About Oliver Goldsmith, one of his teachers remarked, “Never was so dull a

boy.” Often these childre

n realize that they know more than their teachers, and their teachers often

feel that these children are arrogant, inattentive, or unmotivated.

Some

of

these

gifted

people

may

have

done

poorly

in

school

because

their

gifts

were

not

scholastic.

Maybe

we

can

account

for Picasso

in

this

way.

But

most

fared

poorly

in

school

not

because

they

lacked

ability

but

because

they

found

school

unchallenging

and

consequently

lost

interest.

Yeats

described

the

lack

of

fit

between

his

mind

and

school:

“Because

I

had

found

it

、

difficult to attend to anything less interesting than my own thoughts, I was difficult to teach.” As

noted earlier, gifted children of all kinds tend to be strong-willed nonconformists. Nonconformity

and

stubbornness

(and

Yeats?s

level

of

arrogance

and

self-absorption)

are

likely

to

lead

to

Conflicts with teachers.

When highly gifted students in any domain talk about what was important to the development

of their abilities, they are far more likely to mention their families than their schools or teachers. A

writing prodigy (

神童

) studied by David Feldman and Lynn Goldsmith was taught far more about

writing by his journalist father than his English teacher. High-IQ children, in Australia studied by

Miraca Gross had much more positive feelings about their families than their schools. About half

of the mathematicians studied by Benjamin Bloom had little good to say about school. They all

did well in school and took honors classes when available, and some skipped grades.

21.

The main point the author is making about schools is that ________.

A) they should enroll as many gifted students as possible

B) they should organize their classes according to the students? ability

C) they are often incapable of catering to the needs of talented students

D) they should satisfy the needs of students from different family backgrounds

22.

The author quotes the remarks of one of Oliver Goldsmith?s teachers ________.

A) to show how poor Oliver?s performance was at school

B) to illustrate the strong will of some gifted children

C) to explain how dull students can also be successful

D) to provide support for his argument

23.

Pablo Picasso is listed among the many gifted children who ________.

A) could not cope with their studies at school successfully

B) paid no attention to their teachers in class

C) contradicted their teachers much too often

D) behaved arrogantly and stubbornly in the presence of their teachers

24.

Many gifted people attributed their success ________.

A) less to their systematic education than to their talent

B) mainly to parental help and their education at home

C) both to school instruction and to their parents? coaching

D) more to their parents? encouragement than to school training

25.

The

root

cause

of

many

gifted

students

having

bad

memories

of

their

school

years

is

that

________.

A) they were seldom praised by their teachers

B) school courses failed to inspire or motivate them

C) their nonconformity brought them a lot of trouble

D) teachers were usually far stricter than their parents

Passage Two

It?s

hardly

ne

ws

that

the

immigration

system

is

a

mess.

Foreign

nationals

have

long

been

slipping across the border with fake papers, and visitors who arrive in the U.S. legitimately often

overstay their legal welcome without being punished. But since Sept. 11, it

’

s become clear that

terrorists have been shrewdly factoring the weaknesses of our system into their plans. In addition

to their mastery of forging passports, at least three of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers (

劫机者

) were here

on expired visas. That

’

s been a safe bet until now. The Immigration and Naturalization Service

(INS)

(

移民归化局

)

lacks

the

resources,

and

apparently

the

inclination,

to

keep

track

of

the

estimated 2 million foreigners who have intentionally overstayed their welcome.

But

this

laxness

(

马虎

)

toward

immigration

fraud

may

be

about

to

change.

Congress

has

already

taken

some

modest

steps.

The

U.S.A.

Patriot

Act,

passed

in

the

wake

of

the

Sept.

11

tragedy, requires the FBI, the Justice Department, the State Department and the INS to share more

data, which will make it easier to stop watch-listed terrorists at the border.

But

what?s

really

needed,

critics

say,

is

even

tougher

laws

and

more

resources

aimed

at

、

tightening

up

border

security.

Reformers

are

calling

for

a

rollback

of

rules

that

hinder

law

enforcement. They also want the INS to hire hundreds more border patrol agents and investigators

to keep illegal immigrants out and to track them down once they?re here. Reformers also want to

see the INS set up a database to monitor whether visa holders actually leave the country when they

are required to.

All these proposed changes were part of a new border-security bill that passed the House of

Representatives but died in the Senate last week. Before Sept. 11, legislation of this kind had been

blocked by

two powerful lobbies: universities, which rely on

tuition from foreign students who

could be kept out by the new law, and business, which relies on foreigners for cheap labor. Since

the

attacks,

they?ve

backed

off.

The

bill

would

have

passed

this

time

but

for

congressi

onal

maneuverings and is expected to be reintroduced and to pass next year.

Also on the agenda for next year: a proposal, backed by some influential law-makers, to split

the

INS

into

two

agencies-a

good

cop

that

would

tend

to

service

functions

like

processing

citizenship

papers

and

a

bad

cop

that

would

concentrate

on

border

inspections,

deportation

and

other

functions.

One

reason

for

the

division,

supporters

say,

is

that

the

INS

has

in recent

years

become too focused on serving tourists and immigrants. After the Sept, 11 tragedy, the INS should

pay more attention to serving the millions of ordinary Americans who rely on the nation?s border

security to protect them from terrorist attacks.

26.

Terrorists have obviously taken advantage of ________.

A) the irresponsibility of the officials at border checkpoints

B) the legal privileges granted to foreigners

C) the excessive hospitality of the American people

D) the low efficiency of the Immigration and Naturalization Service

27.

We learn from the passage that coordinated efforts will be made by various U.S. government

agencies to ________.

A)

limit

the

number

Of

immigrants

to

the

U.S.

B)

prevent

the

forgery

of

immigration

papers

C) ward off terrorist suspects at the border

D) refuse the renewing of expired visas

28.

It can be inferred from the passage that before Sept. 11, aliens with expired visas ________.

A)

might

stay

on

for

as

long

as

[hey

wished

B)

would

be closely

watched

by

FBI

agents

C)

would

live

in

constant

fear

of

deportation

D)

might

have

them

extended

without

trouble

29.

It is believed by many that all these years the INS ________.

A) has been serving two contradictory functions

B) has ignored the pleas of the two powerful lobbies

C) has over-emphasized its service fu

nctions at the expense of the nation?s security

D) has been too liberal in granting visas to tourists and immigrants indiscriminately

30.

Before Sept. 11, the U.S. Congress had been unable to pass stricter immigration laws because

________.

A) education and business circles cared little about national security

B) resources were not available for their enforcement

C) it was difficult to coordinate the efforts of the congressmen

D) they might have kept away foreign students and cheap labor

Passage Three

It was the worst tragedy in maritime (

航海的

) history, six times more deadly than the Titanic.

When the German cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff was hit by torpedoes (

鱼雷

) fired from a Russian

submarine in the final winter of World War II, more than 10,000 people-mostly women, children

and old people fleeing the final Red Army push into Nazi Germany-were packed aboard. An ice

storm had turned the decks into frozen sheets that sent hundreds of families sliding into the sea as

the ship tilted and began to go down. Others desperately tried to put lifeboats down. Some who

、

succeeded fought off those in the water who had the strength to try to claw their way aboard. Most

people froze immediately. I?ll never forget the screams,” says Christa Ntitzmann, 87, one of the

1,200 survivors. She recalls watching the ship, brightly lit, slipping into its dark grave-and into

seeming nothingness, rarely mentioned for more than half a century.

Now Germany?s

Nobel Prize

-winning

author

Gtinter

Grass

has

revived

the

memory

of

the

9,000

dead,

including

more

than

4,000

children-with

his

latest

novel

Crab

Walk,

published

last

month. The book, which will be out in English next year, doesn?t dwell on the sinking; its heroine

is a pregnant young woman who survives the catastrophe only to say later: “N

obody wanted to

hear

about

it,

not

here

in

the

West

(of

Germany)

and

not

at

all

in

the

East.”

The

reason

was

obvious. As Grass put it in a recent interview with the weekly Die Woche: “Because the crimes we

Germans are responsible for were and are so domina

nt, we didn?t have the energy left to tell of our

own sufferings.”

The

long

silence

about

the sinking

of

the

Wilhelm

Gustloff

was

probably

unavoidable-and

necessary. By unreservedly owning up to their country

’

s monstrous crimes in the Second World

War, Germans have managed to win acceptance abroad, marginalize (

使…不得势

) the neo-Nazis

at home and make peace with their neighbors. Today?s unified Germany is more prosperous and

stable than at any time in its long, troubled history. For that, a half century of willful forgetting

about painful memories like the German Titanic was perhaps a reasonable price to pay. But even

the most politically correct Germans believe that they? ye now earned the right to discuss the full

historical

record.

Not

to

equate

German

suffering

with

that

of

its

victims,

but

simply

to

acknowledge a terrible tragedy.

31.

Why

does

the

author

say

the

sinking

of

the

Wilhelm

Gustloff

was

the

worst

tragedy

in

maritime history?

A)

It

was

attacked

by

Russian

torpedoes.

B)

It

caused

the

largest

number

of

casualties.

C)

Most

of

its

passengers

were

frozen

to

death.

D)

Its

victims

were

mostly

women

and

children.

32.

Hundreds of families dropped into the sea when ________.

A) the badly damaged ship leaned toward one side

B) a strong ice storm tilted the ship

C)

the

cruise

ship

sank

all

of

a

sudden

D)

the

frightened

passengers

fought

desperately for lifeboats

33.

The Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy was little talked about for more than half a century because

Germans ________.

A) were eager to win international acceptance

B) had been pressured to keep silent about it

C) were afraid of offending their neighbors

D) felt guilty for their crimes in World War II

34.

How does Gunter Grass revive the memory of the Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy?

A) By describing the ship?s sinking in great detail.

B) By giving an interview to the weekly Die Woche.

C) By presenting the horrible scene of the torpedo attack.

D) By depicting the survival of a young pregnant woman.

35.

It can be learned from the passage that Germans no longer think that ________.

A) the Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy is a reasonable price to pay for the nation?s past misdeeds

B) Germany is responsible for the horrible crimes it committed in World War II

C) they will be misunderstood if they talk about the Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy

D) it-is wrong to equate their sufferings with those of other countries

Passage Four

When we worry about who might be spying on our private lives, we usually think about the

Federal agents. But the private sect

or outdoes the government every time. It?s Linda Tripp, not the

FBI, who is facing charges under Maryland?s laws against secret telephone taping. It?s our banks,

not the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), that pass our private financial data to telemarketing firms.

Consumer activists are pressing Congress for better privacy laws without much result so far. The

、

legislators lean toward letting business people track our financial habits virtually at will.

As

an

example

of

what?s

going

on,

consider

U.S.

Bancorp,

w

hich

was

recently

sued

for

deceptive

practices

by

the

state

of

Minnesota.

According

to

the

lawsuit,

the

bank

supplied

a

telemarketer called Member Works with sensitive customer data such as names, phone numbers,

bank-account

and

credit-card

numbers,

Social

Security

numbers,

account

balances

and

credit

limits.

With

these

customer

lists

in

hand,

Member

Works

started

dialing

for

dollars-selling

dental

plans, videogames, computer software and other products and services. Customers who accepted a

“free trial offer” had 30 days to cancel. If the deadline passed, they were charged automatically

through their bank or credit-card accounts. U.S. Bancorp collected a share of the revenues.

Customers were doubly deceived, the lawsuit claims. They, didn?t know that the ba

nk was giving

account numbers to MemberWorks. And if customers asked, they were led to think the answer was

no.

The state sued MemberWorks separately for deceptive selling. The company denies that it did

anything wrong. For its part, U.S. Bancorp settled without admitting any mistakes. But it agreed to

stop

exposing

its

customers

to

nonfinancial

products

sold

by

outside

firms.

A

few

top

banks

decided to do the same. Many other banks will still do business with MemberWorks and similar

firms.

And banks will still be mining data from your account in order to sell you financial products,

including things of little value, such as credit insurance and credit-card protection plans.

You have almost no protection from businesses that use your personal accounts for profit. For

example,

no

federal

law

shields

“transaction

and

experience”

information

-mainly

the

details

of

your bank and credit-

card accounts. Social Security numbers are for sale by private firms. They?ve

generally

agreed

not

to

sell

to

the

public.

But

to

businesses,

the

numbers

are

an

open

book.

Self-

regulation doesn?t work. A firm might publish a privacy

-protection policy, but who enforces

it?

Take U.S. Bancorp again. Customers were told, in writing, that “all personal information you

supply to us will be

considered confidential.” Then it sold your data to MemberWorks. The bank

even claims that it doesn?t “sell” your data at all. It merely “shares” it and reaps a profit. Now you

know.

36.

Contrary to popular belief, the author finds that spying on people?s

privacy ________.

A) is practiced exclusively by the FBI

B) is more prevalent in business circles

C)

has

been

intensified

with

the

help

of

the

IRS

D)

is

mainly

carried

out

by

means

of

secret taping

37.

We know from the passage that ________.

A) the state of Minnesota is considering drawing up laws to protect private information

B) most states are turning a blind eye to the deceptive practices of private businesses

C) legislators are acting to pass a law to provide better privacy protection

D)

lawmakers

are

inclined

to

give

a

free

hand

to

businesses

to

inquire

into

customers?

buying

habits

38.

When

the

“free

trial”

deadline

is

over,

you?ll

be

charged

without

notice

for

a

product

or

service if ________.

A)

you

happen

to

reveal

your

credit

card

number

B)

you

fail

to

cancel

it

within

the

specified period

C)

you

fail

to

apply

for

extension

of

the

deadline

D)

you

find

the

product

or

service

unsatisfactory

39.

Businesses do not regard information concerning personal bank accounts as private because

________.

A) it is considered “transaction and experience” information unprotected by law

B) it has always been considered an open secret by the general public

C) its sale can be brought under control through self-regulation

、

D) its revelation will do no harm to consumers under the current protection policy

40.

We can infer from the passage that ________.

A) banks will have to change their ways of doing business

B) “free trial” practice will eventually be banned

C) privacy protection laws will soon be enforced

D) consumers? privacy will continue to be invaded

2003

年

12

月英语六级阅读真题

Passage One

For years, doctors advised their patients that the only thing taking multivitamins does is give

them

extensive

urine

(

尿

).

After

all,

true

vitamin

deficiencies

are

practically

unheard

of

in

industrialized

countries.

Now

it

seems

those

doctors

may

have

been

wrong.

The

results

of

a

growing number of studies suggest that even a modest vitamin shortfall can be harmful to your

health. Although proof of the benefits of multivitamins is still far from certain, the few dollars you

spend on them is probably a good investment.

Or at least that?s the argument put forward in the New England Journal of Medicine. Ideally,

say

Dr.

Walter

Willett

and

Dr.

Meir

Stampfer

of

Harvard,

all

vitamin

supplements

would

be

evaluated in scientifically rigorous clinical trials.

But those studies can take a long time and often raise more questions than they answer. At

some point, while researchers work on figuring out where the truth lies, it just makes sense to say

the potential benefit outweighs the cost.

The best evidence to date concerns folate, one of the B vitamins. It

’

s been proved to limit the

number

of

defects

in

embryos

(

胚胎

),

and

a

recent

trial

found

that

folate

in

combination

with

vitamin B 12 and a form of B6 also decreases the re-blockage of arteries after surgical repair.

The news on vitamin E has been more mixed. Healthy folks who take 400 international units

daily for at least two years appear somewhat less likely to develop heart disease. But when doctors

give vitamin E to patients who already have he art disease, the vitamin doesn?t seem to help. It

may turn out that vitamin E plays a role in prevention but cannot undo serious damage.

Despite

vitamin

C

’

s

great

popularity,

consuming

large

amounts

of

it

still

has

not

been

positively

linked

to

any

great

benefit.

The

body

quickly

becomes

saturated

with

C

and

simply

excretes (

排泄

) any excess.

The multivitamins question boils down to this: Do you need to wait until all the evidence is

i

n before you take them, or are you willing to accept that there?s enough evidence that they don?t

hurt and could help?

If

the

latter,

there?s

no

need

to

go

to

extremes

and

buy

the

biggest

horse

pills

or

the

most

expensive

bottles.

Large

doses

can

cause

trouble,

including

excessive

bleeding

and

nervous

system problems.

Multivitamins are no substitute for exercise and a balanced diet, of course.

As

long

as

you

understand

that

any

potential

benefit

is

modest

and

subject

to

further

refinement, taking a daily multivitamin makes a lot of sense.

21.

At

one

time

doctors

discouraged

taking

multivitamins

because

they

believed

that

multivitamins ________.

A) could not easily be absorbed by the human body

B) were potentially harmful to people?s

health

C) were too expensive for daily consumption

D) could not provide any cure for vitamin

deficiencies

22.

According to the author, clinical trials of vitamin supplements ________.

A)

often

result

in

misleading

conclusions

B)

take

time

and

will

not

produce

conclusive results

C) should be conducted by scientists on a larger scale

D) appear to be a sheer waste of time and

resources

23.

It has been found that vitamin E ________.

、

A) should be taken by patients regularly and persistently

B) can effectively reduce the recurrence of heart disease

C) has a preventive but not curative effect on heart disease

D) should be given to patients with heart disease as early as possible

24.

It can be seen that large doses of multivitamins ________.

A) may bring about serious side effects

B) may help prevent excessive bleeding

C)

are

likely

to

induce

the

blockage

of

arteries

D)

are

advisable

for

those

with

vitamin

deficiencies

25.

The author concludes the passage with the advice that ________.

A) the benefit of daily multivitamin intake outweighs that of exercise and a balanced diet

B) it?s risky to take multivitamins without knowing their specific function

C) the potential benefit of multivitamins can never be overestimated

D) it?s reasonable to take a ration

al dose of multivitamins daily

Passage Two

Some futurologists have assumed that the vast upsurge (

剧增

)

of women in the workforce

may

portend

a

rejection

of

marriage.

Many

women,

according

to

this

hypothesis,

would

rather

work

than

marry.

The

converse

(

反面

)

of

this

concern

is

that

the

prospects

of

becoming

a

multi- paycheck household could encourage marriages. In the past, only the earnings and financial

prospects

of

the

man

counted

in

the

marriage

decision.

Now,

however,

the

earning

ability

of

a

woman can make her more attractive as a marriage partner. Data show that economic downturns

tend to postpone marriage because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned

about rainy days ahead. As the economy rebounds, the number of marriages also rises.

Coincident with the increase in women working outside the home is the increase in divorce

rates. Yet, it may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect conclusions. The impact of a

wife?s work on divorce is no less cloudy than its

impact on marr

iage decisions. The realization

that she can be a good provider may increase the chances that a working wife will choose divorce

over

an

unsatisfactory

marriage.

But

the

reverse

is

equally

plausible.

Tensions

grounded

in

financial

problems

often

play

a

key

role

in

ending

a

marriage.

Given

high

unemployment,

inflationary problems, and slow growth in real earnings, a working wife can increase household

income

and

relieve

some

of

these

pressing

financial

burdens.

By

raising

a

family?s

standard

of

living, a wor

king wife may strengthen her family?s financial and emotional stability.

Psychological factors also should be considered. For example, a wife blocked from a career

outside the home may feel caged in the house. She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce.

On

the

other

hand,

if

she

can

find

fulfillment

through

work

outside

the

home,

work

and

marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union.

Also, a major part of women?s inequality in marriage has been due to the fact that, in most

cases,

men

have

remained

the

main

breadwinners.

With

higher

earning

capacity

and

status

occupations

outside

of

the

home

comes

the

capacity

to

exercise

power

within

the

family.

A

working

wife

may

rob

a

husband

of

being

the

master

of

the

house.

Depending

upon

how

the

couple reacts to these new conditions, it could create a stronger equal partnership or it could create

new insecurities.

26.

The word “portend” (Line 2, Para. 1) is closest in meaning to “________”.

A) defy

B) signal

C) suffer from

D) result from

27.

It is said in the passage that when the economy slides, ________.

A) men would choose working women as their marriage partners

B) more women would get married to seek financial security

C) even working women would worry about their marriages

D) more people would prefer to remain single for the time being

28.

If women find fulfillment through work outside the home, ________.

A) they are more likely to dominate their marriage partners

B) their husbands are expected to do more housework

、

C) their marriage ties can be strengthened

D) they tend to put their career before marriage

29.

One reason why women with no career may seek a divorce is that ________.

A) they feel that they have been robbed of their freedom

B) they are afraid of being bossed around by their husbands

C) they feel that their partners fail to live up to their expectations

D) they tend to suspect their husbands? loyalty to their marriage

30.

Which of the following statements can best summarize the author?s view in the passage?

A) The stability of marriage and the divorce rate may reflect the economic situation of the country.

B)

Even

when

economically

independent,

most

women

have

to

struggle

for

real

equality

in

marriage.

C)

In

order

to

secure

their

marriage

women

should

work

outside

the

home

and

remain

independent.

D) The impact of the growing female workforce on marriage varies from case to case.

Passage Three

For most thinkers since the Greek philosophers, it was self-evident that the re is something

called

human

nature,

something

that

constitutes

the

essence

of

man.

There

were

various

views

about what constitutes it, but there was agreement that such an essence exists

—

that is to say, that

there is something by virtue of which man is man. Thus man was defined as a rational being, as a

social animal, an animal that can make tools, or a symbol-making animal.

More recently, this traditional view has begun to be questioned. One reason for this change

was

the

increasing

emphasis

given

to

the

historical

approach

to

man.

An

examination

of

the

history of humanity suggested that man in our epoch is so different from man in previous times

that it seemed unrealistic to assume that men in every age have had in common something that can

be called “human nature.” The historical approach was reinfo

rced, particularly in the United States,

by

studies

in

the

field

of

cultural

anthropology

(

人类学

).

The

study

of

primitive

peoples

has

discovered such a diversity of customs, values, feelings, and thoughts that many anthropologists

arrived at the concept that man is born as a blank sheet of paper on which each culture writes its

text. Another factor contributing to the tendency to deny the assumption of a fixed human nature

was that the concept has so often been abused as a shield behind which the most inhuman acts are

committed.

In

the

name

of

human

nature,

for

example,

Aristotle

and

most

thinkers

up

to

the

eighteenth

century

defended

slavery.

Or

in

order

to

prove

the

rationality

and

necessity

of

the

capitalist form of society, scholars have tried to make a case for acquisitiveness, competitiveness,

and selfishness as innate (

天生的

) huma

n traits. Popularly, one refers cynically to “human nature”

in accepting the inevitability of such undesirable human behavior as greed, murder, cheating and

lying.

Another

reason

for

skepticism

about

the

concept

of

human

nature

probably

lies

in

the

influence

of

evolutionary

thinking.

Once

man

came

to

be

seen

as

developing

in

the

process

of

evolution,

the

idea

of

a

substance

which

is

contained

in

his

essence

seemed

untenable.

Yet

I

believe

it

is

precisely

from

an

evolutionary

standpoint

that

we

can

expect

new

insight

into

the

problem of the nature of man.

31.

The traditional view of “human nature” was strongly challenged by ________.

A) the emergence of the evolutionary theory

B) the historical approach to man

C) new insight into human behavior

D) the philosophical analysis of slavery

32.

According to the passage, anthropologists believe that human beings ________.

A) have some traits in common

B) are born with diverse cultures

C) are born without a fixed nature

D) change their characters as they grow up

33.

The author mentioned Aristotle, a great ancient thinker, in order to ________.

A) emphasize that he contributed a lot to defining the concept of “human nature”

B) show that the concept of “human nature” was used to justify social evils

C) prove that he had a profound influence on the concept of “human nature”

、

D) support the idea that some human traits are acquired

34.

The

word

“untenable”

(Line

3)

in

the

last

paragraph

of

the

passage

most

probably

means

________.

A) invaluable

B) imaginable

C) changeable

D) indefensible

35.

Most philosophers believed that human nature ________.

A) is the quality distinguishing man from other animals

B) consists of competitiveness and selfishness

C) is something partly innate and partly acquired

D) consists of rationality and undesirable behavior

Passage Four

Richard

Satava,

program

manager

for

advanced

medical

technologies,

has

been

a

driving

force in bringing virtual reality to medicine, where computers create a

“

virtual

”

or simulated

environment for surgeons and other medical practitioners (

从业者

).

“

With

virtual

reality

we?ll

be

able

to

put

a

surgeon

in

every

trench,”

said

Satava.

He

envisaged

a

time

when

soldiers

who

are

wounded

fighting

overseas

are

put

in

mobile

surgical

units equipped with computers.

The computers would transmit images of the soldiers to surgeons back in the U.S. The surgeons

would

look

at

the

soldier

through

virtual

reality

helmets

(

头盔

)

that

contain

a

small

screen

displaying the image of the wound. The doctors would guide robotic instruments in the battlefield

mobile surgical unit that operate on the soldier.

Although

Satava?s

vision

may

be

years

away

from

standard

operating

procedure,

scientists

are

progressing

toward

virtual

reality

surgery.

Engineers

at

an

international

organization

in

California are developing a tele-operating device. As surgeons watch a three-dimensional image of

the

surgery,

they

move

instruments

that

are

connected

to

a

computer,

which

passes

their

movements

to robotic instruments that perform

the surgery. The computer provides feedback to

the surgeon on force, textures, and sound.

These

technological

wonders

may

not

yet

be

part

of

the

community

hospital

setting

but

increasingly

some

of

the

machinery

is

finding

its

way

into

civilian

medicine.

At

Wayne

State

University Medical School, surgeon Lucia Zamorano takes images of the brain from computerized

scans

and

uses

a

computer

program

to

produce

a

3-D

image.

She

can

then

maneuver

the

3-D

image on the computer screen to map the shortest, least invasive surgical path to the tumor (

肿瘤

).

Zamorano is also using technology that attaches a probe to surgical instruments so that she can

track their positions. While cutting away a tumor deep in the brain, she watches the movement of

her surgical tools in a computer graphics image of the patient?s brain taken before surgery.

During these procedures

—

operations that are done through small cuts in the body in which a

miniature

camera

and

surgical

tools

are

maneuve red

—

surgeons

are

wearing

3-D

glasses

for

a

better

view.

And

they

are

commanding

robot

surgeons

to

cut

away

tissue

more

accurately

than

human surgeons can.

Satava says, “We are in the midst of a fundamental change in the field of medicine.”

36.

According to Richard Satava, the application of virtual reality to medicine ________.

A) will enable surgeons to be physically present on every battlefield

B) can raise the spirits of soldiers wounded on the battlefield

C) will greatly improve medical conditions on the battlefield

D) can shorten the time for operations on soldiers wounded on the battlefield

37.

Richard Satava has visions of ________.

A) using a remote- control technique to treat wounded soldiers fighting overseas

B) wounded soldiers being saved by doctors wearing virtual reality helmets on the battlefield

C) wounded soldiers being operated on by specially trained surgeons

D) setting up mobile surgical units overseas

38.

How is virtual reality surgery performed?

A) It is performed by a computer-designed high precision device.

、

B) Surgeons wear virtual reality helmets to receive feedback provided by a computer.

C) Surgeons move robotic instruments by means of a computer linked to them.

D) A 3-D image records the movements of the surgeons during the operation.

39.

During virtual reality operations, the surgeon can have a better view of the cuts in the body

because ________.

A) he is looking at the cuts on a computer screen

B) the cuts can be examined from different angles

C) the cuts have been highly magnified

D) he is wearing 3-D glasses

40.

Virtual reality operations are an improvement on conventional surgery in that they ________.

A) cause less pain to the wounded

B) allow the patient to recover more quickly

C) will make human surgeons? work

less tedious

D) are done by robot surgeons with greater precision

2003

年

< p>
9

月英语六级阅读真题

Passage One

In

1985

when

a

Japan

Air

Lines

(JAL)

jet

crashed,

its

president,

Yasumoto

Takagi,

called

each victim?s family to apologize, and then promptly resigned. And in 198

7, when a subsidiary of

Toshiba sole sensitive

military technology to the former Soviet Union, the chairman of Toshiba

gave up his post.

These

executive

actions,

which

Toshiba

calls

“the

highest

form

of

apology,”

may

seem

bizarre

to US

managers. No

one

at

Boeing

resigned

after

the JAL

crash,

which

may

have

been

caused by a faulty Boeing repair.

The

difference

between

the

two

business

cultures

centers

around

different

definitions

of

delegation.

While

US

executives

give

both

responsibility

and

authority

to

their

employees,

Japanese

executives delegate only authority

—

the responsibility is still theirs. Although the subsidiary that

sold the sensitive technology to the Soviets had its own management, the Toshiba top executives

said they “must take personal respon

sibility for not creating an atmosphere throughout the Toshiba

group that would make such activity unthinkable, even in an independently run subsidiary.”

Such

acceptance

of

community

responsibility

is

not

unique

to

businesses

in

Japan.

School

principals in Japan have resigned when their students committed major crimes after school hours.

Even if they do not quit, Japanese executives will often accept primary responsibility in other

ways, such as taking the first pay cut when a company gets into financial trouble. Such personal

sacrifices, even if they are largely symbolic, help to create the sense of community and employee

loyalty that is crucial to the Japanese way of doing business.

Harvard

Business

School

professor

George

Lodge

calls

the

ritual

acceptance

of

blame

“

almost a feudal (

封建的

) way of purging (

清除

) the community of dishonor,

”

and to some in

the United States, such resignations look cowardly. However, in an era in which both business and

governmental leaders seem particularly good at evading responsibility, many US managers would

probably welcome an infusion (

灌输

) of the Japanese sense of responsibility. If, for instance, US

automobile

company

executives

offered

to

reduce

their

own

salaries

before

they

asked

their

workers to take pay cuts, negotiations would probably take on a very different character.

21.

Why did the chairman of Toshiba resign his position in 1987?

A) Because in Japan, the leakage of a state secret to Russians is a grave crime.

B) Because he had been under attack for shifting responsibility to his subordinates.

C) Because in Japan, the chief executive of a corporation is held responsible for the mistake made

by its subsidiaries.

D) Because he had been accused of being cowardly towards crises that were taking place in his

corporation.

22.

According to the passage if you want to be a good manager in Japan, you have to ________.

、

A)

apologize

promptly

for

your

subordinates?

mistakes

B)

be

skillful

in

accepting

blames

from customers

C)

make

symbolic

sacrifices

whenever

necessary

D)

create

a

strong

sense

of

company

loyalty

23.

What?s

Professor

George

Lodge?s

attitude

towards

the

resignations

of

Japanese

corporate

leaders?

A) Sympathetic.

B) Biased.

C) Critical.

D) Approving.

24.

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Boeing had nothing to do with the JAL air crash in 1985.

B) American executives consider authority and responsibility inseparable.

C) School principals bear legal responsibility for students? crimes.

D) Persuading employees to take pay cuts doesn?t help so

lve corporate crises.

25.

The passage is mainly about ________.

A) resignation as an effective way of dealing with business crises

B) the importance of delegating responsibility to employees

C) ways of evading responsibility in times of crises

D) the difference between two business cultures

Passage Two

As machines go, the car is not terribly noisy, nor terribly polluting, nor terribly dangerous;

and

on

all

those

dimensions

it

has

become

better

as

the

century

has

grown

older.

The

main

problem is its prevalence, and the social costs that ensue from the use by everyone of something

that would be fairly harmless if, say, only the rich were to use it. It is a price we pay for equality.

Before becoming too gloomy, it is worth recalling why the car has been arguably the most

successful

and

popular

product

of

the

whole

of

the

past

100

years

—

and

remains

so.

The

story

begins with the environmental improvement it brought in the 1900s. In New York city in 1900,

according to the Car Culture, a 1975 book by J. Flink, a historian, horses deposited 2.5 million

pounds of manure (

粪

) and 60,000 gallons of urine (

尿

) every day. Every year, the city authorities

had to remove an average of 15,000 dead horses from the streets, it made cars smell of roses.

Cars were also wonderfully flexible. The main earlier solution to horse pollution and traffic

jams

was

the

electric

trolley

bus

(

电车

).

But

that

required

fixed

overhead

wires,

and

rails

and

platforms, which were expensive, ugly, and inflexible. The car could go from any A to any B, and

allowed

towns

to

develop

in

all

directions

with

low-density

housing,

rather

than

just

being

concentrated along the trolley or rail lines. Rural areas benefited too, for they became less remote.

However,

since

pollution

became

a

concern

in

the

1950s,

experts

have

pred icted

—

wrongly

—

that the car boom was about to end. In his book Mr. Flink argued that by

1973 the American market had become saturated, at one car for every 2.25 people, and so had the

markets

of

Japan

and

Western

Europe

(because

of

land

shortages).

Environmental

worries

and

diminishing oil reserves would prohibit mass car use anywhere else.

He

was

wrong. Between

1970

and

1990,

whereas

America?s

population

grew

by

23%,

the

number of cars on its roads grew by 60%. There is now one car for every 1.7 people there, one for

every 2.1 in Japan, one for every 5.3 in Britain. Around 550 million cars are already on the roads,

not to mention all the trucks and mocorcyeles, and about 50 million new ones are made each year

worldwide. Will it go on? Undoubtedly, because people want it to.

26.

As

is

given

in

the

first

paragraph,

the

reason

why

the

car

has

become

a

problem

is

that

________.

A) poor people can?t afford it

B) it is too expensive to maintain

C) too many people are using it

D) it causes too many road accidents

27.

According to the passage, the car started to gain popularity because ________.

A) it didn?t break down as easily as a horse

B) it had a comparatively pleasant odor

C) it caused less pollution than horses

D) it brightened up the gloomy streets

28.

What impact did the use of cars have on society?

、

A) People were compelled to leave downtown areas.

B) People were able to live in less crowded

suburban areas.

C) Business along trolley and rail lines slackened.

D) City streets were free of ugly overhead

wires.

29.

Mr. Flink argued in his book that cars would not be widely used in other countries because

________.

A) the once booming car market has become saturated

B) traffic jams in those countries are getting more and more serious

C) expensive motorways are not available in less developed countries

D) people worry about pollution and the diminishing oil resources

30.

What?s wrong with Mr. Flink?s prediction?

A) The use of automobiles has kept increasing worldwide.

B) New generations of cars are virtually pollution free.

C) The population of America has not increased as fast.

D) People?s environmental concerns are constantly increasing.

Passage Three

Crying is hardly an activity encouraged by society. Tears, be they of sorrow, anger, or joy,

typically make Americans feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. The shedder of tears is likely to

apologize,

even

when

a

devastating

(

毁灭性的

)

tragedy

was

the

provocation.

The

observer

of

tears is likely to do everything possible

to put an end to the emotional outpouring. But judging

from

recent

studies

of

crying

behavior,

links

between

illness

and

crying

and

the

chemical

composition

of

tears,

both

those

responses

to

tears

are

often

inappropriate

and

may

even

be

counterproductive.

Humans are the only animals definitely known to shed emotional tears. Since evolution has

given rise to few, if any, purposeless physiological responses, it is logical to assume that crying

has one or more functions that enhance survival.

Although some observers have suggested that crying is a way to elicit assistance from others

(as a crying baby

might from its mother), the shedding of tears is hardly necessary to get help.

V

ocal cries would have been quite enough, more likely than tears to gain attention. So, it appears,

there must be something special about tears themselves.

Indeed,

the

new

studies

suggest

that

emotional

tears

may

play

a

direct

role

in

alleviating

stress. University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears

have recently isolated two important chemicals from emotional tears. Both chemicals are found

only in tears that are shed in response to emotion. Tears shed because of exposure to cut onion

would contain no such substance.

Researchers at several other institutions are investigating the usefulness of tears as a means of

diagnosing human ills and monitoring drugs.

At Tulane University

’

s Teat Analysis Laboratory Dr. Peter Kastl and his colleagues report

that

they

can

use

tears

to

detect

drug

abuse

and

exposure

to

medication

(

药物

),

to

determine

whether a contact lens fits properly of why it may be uncomfortable, to stu

dy the causes of “dry

eye”

syndrome

and

the

effects

of

eye

surgery,

and

perhaps

even

to

measure

exposure

to

environmental pollutants.

At

Columbia

University

Dr.

Liasy

Faris

and

colleagues

are

studying

tears

for

clues

to

the

diagnosis of diseases away from the eyes. Tears can be obtained painlessly without invading the

body and only tiny amounts are needed to perform highly refined analyses.

31.

It is known from the first paragraph that ________.

A) shedding tears gives unpleasant feelings to American

B) crying may often imitate people or even result in tragedy

C) crying usually wins sympathy from other people

D) one who sheds tears in public will be blamed

32.

What does “both those responses to tears” (Line 5, Para, 1) refer to?

、

A) Crying out of sorrow and shedding tears for happiness.

B) The embarrassment and unpleasant sensation of the observers.

C) The tear shedder?s apology and the observer?s ef

fort to stop the crying.

D) Linking illness with crying and finding the chemical composition of tears.

33.

“Counterproductive” (Lines 5, Para, 1) very probably means “________”.

A) having no effect at all

B) leading to tension

C) producing disastrous impact

D)

harmful to health

34.

What does the author say about crying?

A) It is a pointless physiological response to the environment.

B) It must have a role to play in man?s survival.

C) It is meant to get attention and assistance.

D) It usually produces the desired effect.

35.

What can be inferred from the new studies of tears?

A) Emotional tears have the function of reducing stress.

B) Exposure to excessive medication may increase emotional tears.

C) Emotional tears can give rise to “dry eye” syndro

me in some cases.

D) Environmental pollutants can induce the shedding of emotional tears.

Passage Four

It is no secret among athletes that in order to improve performance you?ve got to work hard.

However,

hard

training

breaks

you

down

and

makes

you

weaker,

it

is

rest

that

makes

you

stronger.

Improvement only occurs during the rest period following hard training. This adaptation is

accomplished by improving efficiency of the heart and certain systems within the muscle cells.

During recovery periods these systems build to greater levels to compensate for the stress that

you have applied. The result is that you are now at a higher level of performance.

If sufficient rest is not included in a training program, imbalance between excess training and

inadequate rest will occur, and performance will decline. The

“

overtraining syndrome (

综合症

)

”

is

the

name

given

to

the

collection

of

emotional,

behavioral,

and

physical

symptoms

due

to

overtraining that has persisted for weeks to months. It is marked by cumulative exhaustion that

persists even after recovery periods.

The most common symptom is fatigue. This may limit workouts and may be present at rest.

The

athletes

may

also

become

moody,

easily

imitated,

have

altered

sleep

patterns,

become

depressed, or lose the competitive desire and enthusiasm for the sport. Some will report decreased

appetite

and

weight

loss.

Physical

symptoms

include

persistent

muscular

soreness,

increased

frequency of viral (

病毒性的

) illnesses, and increased incidence of injuries.

The treatment for the overtraining syndrome is rest. The longer the overtraining has occurred, the

more

rest

required,

therefore,

early

detection

is

very

important.

If

the

overtraining

has

only

occurred

for

a

short

period

of

time

(e.g.

3-4

weeks)

then

interrupting

training

for

3-5

days

is

usually

sufficient

rest.

It

is

important

that

the

factors

that

lead

to

overtraining

be

identified

and

corrected.

Otherwise,

the

overtraining

syndrome

is

likely

to

recur.

The

overtraining

syndrome

should

be

considered

in

any

athlete

who

manifests

symptoms

of

prolonged

fatigue

and

whose

performance

has

leveled

off

or

decreased.

It

is

important

to

exclude

any

underlying

illness

that

may be responsible for the fatigue.

36.

The first paragraph of the passage tells us that ________.

A) the harder an athlete trains, the better his performance will be

B) rest after vigorous training improves an athlete?s performance

C) strict systematic training is essential to an athlete?s top performance

D) improvement of an athlete?s performance occurs in the course of

training

37.

By “overtraining” the author means ________.

A) a series of physical symptoms that occur after training

B) undue emphasis on the importance of physical exertion

、

C) training that is not adequately compensated for by rest

D) training that has e

xceeded an athlete?s emotional limits

38.

What does the passage tell us about the “overtraining” syndrome?

A) It occurs when athletes lose interest in sports.

B) It appears right after a hard training session.

C) The fatigue it results in is unavoidable in

the athlete?s training process.

D) It manifests itself in fatigue which lingers even after a recovery period.

39.

What does the phrase “level off” (Line 5, Para. 4) most probably mean?

A) Slow down.

B) Become dull.

C) Stop improving.

D) Be on the decline.

40.

The author advises at the end of the passage that ________.

A) overtraining syndrome should be treated as a serious illness

B) overtraining syndrome should be prevented before it occurs

C) an athlete with overtraining syndrome should take a lengthy rest

D) illness causing fatigue should not be mistaken for overtraining syndrome

2 003

年

6

月英语六级阅读真题

Passage One

In the villages of the English countryside there are still people who remember the good old

days when no one bothered to lock their doors. T

here simply wasn?t any crime to worry about.

Amazingly, these happy times appear still to be with us in the world?s biggest community. A

new study by Dan Farmer, a gifted programmer, using an automated investigative program of his

own called SATAN, shows that the owners of well over half of all World Wide Web sites have set

up home without fitting locks to their doors.

SATAN can try out a variety of well-known hacking (

黑客的

) tricks on an Internet site without

actually

breaking

in.

Farmer

has

made

the

program

publicly

available,

amid

much

criticism.

A

person with evil intent could use it to hunt down sites that are easy to burgle (

闯入……行窃

).

But Farmer is very concerned about the need to alert the public to poor security and, so far,

events have proved him right. SATAN has done more to alert people to the risks than cause new

disorder. So is the Net becoming more secure? Far from it. In the early days, when you visited a

Web site your browser simply looked at the content. Now the Web is full of tiny programs that

automatically

download

when

you

look

at

a

Web

page,

and

run

on

your

own

machine.

These

programs could, if their authors wished, do all kinds of nasty things to your computer.

At

the

same

time,

the

Net

is

increasingly

populated

with

spiders,

worms,

agents

and

other

types of automated beasts designed to penetrate the sites and seek out and classify information. All

these

make

wonderful

tools

for

antisocial

people

who

want

to

invade

weak

sites

and

cause

damage.

But let?s look on the bright side. Given the lack of locks, the Internet is surely the world?s

biggest (almost) crime-free society. Maybe that is because hackers are fundamentally honest. Or

that there currently isn?t much to steal. Or because vandalism (

恶意破坏

) isn

’

t much fun unless

you have a peculiar dislike for someone.

Whatever

the

reason,

let?s

enjoy

it

while

we

can.

But

expect

it

all

to

change,

and

security

to

become the number one issue, when the most influential inhabitants of the Net are selling services

they want to be paid for.

21.

By saying “.

.. owners of well over half of all World Wide Web sites have set up home without

fitting locks to their doors” (Lines 3

-4, Para. 2), the author means that ________.

A) those happy times appear still to be with us

B) there simply wasn?t any crime to worry a

bout

C) many sites are not well-protected

D) hackers try out tricks on an Internet site without actually breaking in

22.

SATAN, a program designed by Dan Fanner can be used ________.

A) to investigate the security of Internet sites

B) to improve the security of the Internet

system

、

C)

to

prevent

hackers

from

breaking

into

websites

D)

to

download

useful

programs

and

information

23.

Fanner?s program has been criticized by the public because.

A) it causes damage to Net browsers

B) it can break into Internet sites

C) it can be used to cause disorder on all sites

D) it can be used by people with evil intent

24.

The author?s attitude toward SATAN is ________.

A) enthusiastic

B) critical

C) positive

D) indifferent

25.

The author suggests in the last paragraph that ________.

A) we should make full use of the Internet before security measures are strengthened

B) we should alert the most influential businessmen to the importance of security

C) influential businessmen should give priority to the improvement of Net security

D) net inhabitants should not let security measures affect their joy of surfing the Internet

Passage Two

I came away from my years of teaching on the college and university level with a conviction

that enactment (

扮演角色

), performance, dramatization are the most successful forms of teaching.

Students must be incorporated, made, so far as possible, an integral part of the learning process.

The notion that learning should have in it an element of inspired play would seem to the greater

part

of

the

academic

establishment

merely

silly,

but

that

is

nonetheless

the

case.

Of

Ezekiel

Cheever,

the

most

famous

schoolmaster

of

the

Massachusetts

Bay

Colony,

his

onetime

student

Cotton Mather wrote that he so planned his lessons that his

pupils “came to work as though they

came to play,” and Alfred North Whitehead, almost three hundred years later, noted that a teacher

should make his/her students “glad they were there.”

Since, we are told, 80 to 90 percent of all instruction in the typical university is by the lecture

method, we should give close attention to this form of education. There is, I think, much truth in

Patricia Nelson Limerick?s observation that “lecturing is an unnatural act, an act for which God

did not design humans. It is perfectly all right, now and then, for a human to be possessed by the

urge to speak, and to speak while others remain silent. But to do this regularly, one hour and 15

minutes at a time... for one person to drag on while others sit in silence?... I do not believe that this

is what the Creator... designed humans to do.”

The strange, almost incomprehensible fact is that many professors, just as they feel obliged to

write

dully,

believe

that

they

should

lecture

dully.

To

show

enthusiasm

is

to

risk

appearing

un

scientific, unobjective; it is to appeal to the students? emotions rather than their intellect. Thus

the ideal lecture is one filled with facts and read in an unchanged monotone.

The cult (

推崇

) of lecturing dully, like the cult of writing dully, goes back, of course, some

years. Edward Shils, professor of sociology, recalls the professors he encountered at the University

of

Pennsylvania

in

his

youth.

They

seemed

“

a

priesthood,

rather

uneven

in

their

merits

but

uniform

in

their

bearing;

they

never

referred

to

anything

personal.

Some

read

from

old

lecture

notes and then haltingly explained the thumb-worn last lines. Others lectured from cards that had

served for years, to judge by the worn edges... The teachers began on time, ended on time, and left

the

room

without

saying

a

word

more

to

their

students,

very

seldom

being

detained

by

questioners... The classes were not large, yet there was no discussion. No questions were raised in

class, and there were no office hours.”

26.

The author believes that a successful teacher should be able to ________.

A) make dramatization an important aspect of students? learning

B) make inspired play an integral part of the learning process

C) improve students? learning performance

D) make study just as easy as play

27.

The majority of university professors prefer the traditional way of lecturing in the belief that

________.

A) it draws the close attention of the students

B) it conforms in a way to the design of the Creator