2011年6月英语六级真题及答案详解

2011

年

6

月大学英语六级真题及答案详解

Part

Ⅰ

Writing

(30minutes)

Directions:

For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short

essay entitled

The Certificate Craze

. You should write at least 150

words following the outline given below

.

1

．现在许多人热衷于各类证书考试

2

．其目的各不相同

3

．在我看来

……

The Certificate Craze

注意：此部分试题在

答题卡

1

上。

Part II

Reading Comprehension (Skimming and

Scanning)

(15 minutes)

Directions:

In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the

passage quickly and answer the questions on

Answer Sheet 1.

For

questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked

A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the seen tenses with

the information given in the passage.

Minority Report

American universities are accepting more minorities than ever.

Graduating them is another matter.

Barry Mills, the president of Bowdoin College, was justifiably proud

of Bowdoin's efforts to recruit minority students. Since 2003 the

small, elite liberal arts school in Brunswick, Maine, has boosted the

proportion of so-called under- represented minority students in

entering freshman classes from 8% to 13%.

reach out and attract students to come to our kinds of places,

a

NEWSWEEK

reporter. But Bowdoin has not done quite as well

when it comes to actually graduating minorities. While 9 out of 10

white students routinely get their diplomas within six years, only 7

out of 10 black students made it to graduation day in several recent

classes.

Hilary Pennington, director of postsecondary programs for the Bill &

Melinda Gates Foundation, which has closely studied enrollment

patterns in higher education.

stage for a diploma, it's still largely the white, upper-income

population.

The United States once had the highest graduation rate of any nation.

Now it stands 10th. For the first time in American history, there is the

risk that the rising generation will be less well educated than the

previous one. The graduation rate among 25- to 34-year-olds is no

better than the rate for the 55- to 64-year-olds who were going to

college more than 30 years ago. Studies show that more and more

poor and non- white students want to graduate from college

–

but their

graduation rates fall far short of their dreams. The graduation rates for

blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans lag far behind the graduation

rates for whites and Asians. As the minority population grows in the

United States, low college graduation rates become a threat to

national prosperity.

The problem is pronounced at public universities. In 2007 the

University of Wisconsin-Madison

–

one of the top five or so

prestigious public universities

–

graduated 81% of its white students

within six years, but only 56% of its blacks. At less-selective state

schools, the numbers get worse. During the same time frame, the

University of Northern Iowa graduated 67% of its white students, but

only 39% of its blacks. Community colleges have low graduation

rates generally

–

but rock-bottom rates for minorities. A recent review

of California community colleges found that while a third of the

Asian students picked up their degrees, only 15% of

African- Americans did so as well.

Private colleges and universities generally do better, partly because

they offer smaller classes and more personal attention. But when it

comes to a significant graduation gap, Bowdoin has company. Nearby

Colby College logged an 18-point difference between white and black

graduates in 2007 and 25 points in 2006. Middlebury College in

Vermont, another top school, had a 19-point gap in 2007 and a

22-point gap in 2006. The most selective private schools

–

Harvard,

Yale, and Princeton

–

show almost no gap between black and white

graduation rates. But that may have more to do with their ability to

select the best students. According to data gathered by Harvard Law

School professor Lain Gainer, the most selective schools are more

likely to choose blacks who have at least one immigrant parent from

Africa or the Caribbean than black students who are descendants of

American slaves.

particularly the more selective schools, by saying the responsibility is

on the individual student,

–

students admitted with lower test scores and grades from shaky high

schools often struggle at elite schools. But a bigger problem may be

that poor high schools often send their students to colleges for which

they are

schools, but instead go to community colleges and low-rated state

schools that lack the resources to help them. Some schools out for

profit cynically increase tuitions and count on student loans and

federal aid to foot the bill

–

knowing full well that the students won't

make it.

of debt and no degree and no ability to get a better job. Colleges are

not holding up their end,

A college education is getting ever more expensive. Since 1982

tuitions have been rising at roughly twice the rate of inflation. In 2008

the net cost of attending a four-year public university

–

after financial

aid

–

equaled 28% of

median

(

中间的

)family income, while a

four-year private university cost 76% of median family income. More

and more scholarships are based on merit, not need. Poorer students

are not always the best-informed consumers. Often they wind up

deeply in debt or simply unable to pay after a year or two and must

drop out.

There once was a time when universities took pride in their dropout

rates. Professors would begin the year by saying,

and look to the left. One of you is not going to be here by the end of

the year.

least a few colleges face up to the graduation gap. At the University

of Wisconsin-Madison, the gap has been roughly halved over the last

three years. The university has poured resources into peer counseling

to help students from inner-city schools adjust to the

rigor

(

严格要

求

)and faster pace of a university classroom

–

and also to help

minority students overcome the stereotype that they are less qualified.

Wisconsin has a

first three months, according to vice

provost

(

教务长

)Damon

Williams.

State and federal governments could sharpen that focus everywhere

by broadly publishing minority graduation rates. For years private

colleges such as Princeton and MIT have had success bringing

minorities onto campus in the summer before freshman year to give

them some prepare Tory courses. The newer trend is to start

recruiting poor and non-white students as early as the seventh grade,

using innovative tools to identify kids with sophisticated verbal skills.

Such programs can be expensive, of course, but cheap compared with

the millions already invested in scholarships and grants for kids who

have little chance to graduate without special support.

With effort and money, the graduation gap can be closed. Washington

and Lee is a small, selective school in Lexington, Va. Its student body

is less than 5% black and less than 2% Latino. While the school

usually graduated about 90% of its whites, the graduation rate of its

blacks and Latinos had dipped to 63% by 2007.

dramatic shift,

affairs. The school aggressively pushed

mentoring

(

辅导

) of

minorities by other students and

pre-enrollment session. The school had its first-ever black

homecoming. Last spring the school graduated the same proportion of

minorities as it did whites. If the United States wants to keep up in the

global economic race, it will have to pay systematic attention to

graduating minorities, not just enrolling them.

注意：此部分试题请在

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1.

What is the author's main concern about American higher

education?

A) The small proportion of minority students.

B) The low graduation rates of minority students.

C) The growing conflicts among ethnic groups.

D) The poor academic performance of students.

2.

What was the pride of President Barry Mills of Bowdoin

College?

A) The prestige of its liberal arts programs.

B) Its ranking among universities in Maine.

C) The high graduation rates of its students.

D) Its increased enrollment of minority students.

3.

What is the risk facing America?

A) Its schools will be overwhelmed by the growing number of illegal

immigrants.

B) The rising generation will be less well educated than the previous

one.

C) More poor and non-white students will be denied access to

college.

D) It is going to lose its competitive edge in higher education.

4.

How many African-American students earned their degrees in

California community colleges according to a recent review?

A) Fifty-six percent.

B) Thirty-nine percent.

C) Fifteen percent

D) Sixty-seven percent.

5.

Harvard, Yale, and Princeton show almost no gap between black

and white graduation rates mainly because

.

A) Their students work harder

B) They recruit the best students

C) Their classes are generally smaller

D) They give students more attention

6. How does Amy Wilkins of the Education Trust view minority

students' failure to get a degree?

A) Universities are to blame.

B) Students don't work hard.

C) The government fails to provide the necessary support.

D) Affirmative action should be held responsible.

7.

Why do some students drop out after a year or two according to

the author?

A) They have lost confidence in themselves.

B) They cannot afford the high tuition.

C) They cannot adapt to the rigor of the school.

D) They fail to develop interest in their studies.

8. To tackle the problem of graduation gap, the University of

Wisconsin- Madison helps minority students get over the stereotype

that _______.

9.

For years, private colleges such as Princeton and MIT have

provided minority students with _______ during the summer before

freshman year.

10.

Washington and Lee University is cited as an example to show

that the gap of graduation rates between whites and minorities can

_______.

Partial Listening Comprehension (35minutes)

Section A

Directions:

In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2

long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more

questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation

and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there

will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices

marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which the best answer is. Then

mark the correspond in letter on

Answer Sheet

2

with a single line

through the centre.

注意：此部分试题请在

答题卡

2

上作答。

11. A) She will give him the receipt later.

B) The man should make his own copies.

C) She has not got the man's copies ready.

D) The man forgot to make the copies for her.

12. A) She phoned Fred about the book.

B) She was late for the appointment.

C) She ran into Fred on her way here.

D) She often keeps other people waiting.

13. A) Mark is not fit to take charge of the Student Union.

B) Mark is the best candidate for the post of chairman.

C) It won't be easy for Mark to win the election.

D) Females are more competitive than males in elections.

14. A) It failed to arrive at its destination in time.

B) It got seriously damaged on the way.

C) It got lost at the airport in Paris.

D) It was left behind in the hotel.

15. A) Just make use of whatever information is available.

B) Put more effort into preparing for the presentation.

C) Find more relevant information for their work.

D) Simply raise the issue in their presentation.

16. A) the man has decided to choose Language Studies as his major.

B) The woman isn't interested in the psychology of language.

C) The man is still trying to sign up for the course he is interested

in.

D) The woman isn't qualified to take the course the man

mentioned.

17. A) They are both to blame.

B) They are both easy to please.

C) They can manage to get along.

D) They will make peace in time.

18. A) They are in desperate need of financial assistance.

B) They hope to do miracles with limited resources.

C) They want to borrow a huge sum from the bank.

D) They plan to buy out their business partners.

Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just

heard.

19. A) We simply cannot help reacting instinctively that way.

B) We wish to hide our indifference to their misfortune.

C) We derive some humorous satisfaction from their misfortune.

D) We think it serves them right for being mean to other people.

20. A) They want to show their genuine sympathy.

B) They have had similar personal experiences.

C) They don't know how to cope with the situation.

D) They don't want to reveal their own frustration.

21. A) They themselves would like to do it but don't dare to.

B) Its an opportunity for relieving their tension.

C)

it‘s

a rare chance for them to see the boss lose face.

D) They have seen this many times in old films.

22. A) to irritate them.

B) To teach them a lesson.

C) To relieve her feelings.

D) To show her courage.

Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just

heard.

23. A) Smuggling drugs into Hong Kong.

B) Having committed armed robbery.

C) Stealing a fellow passenger's bag.

D) Bringing a handgun into Hong Kong.

24. A) He said not a single word during the entire flight.

B) He took away Kumar's baggage while he was asleep.

C) He was travelling on a scholarship from Delhi University.

D) He is suspected of having slipped something in Kumar's bag.

25. A) Give him a lift.

B) Find Alfred

Foster.

C) Check the passenger list.

D) Search all suspicious cars.

Section B

Directions:

In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end

of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and

the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you

must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C)

and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on

Answer Sheet 2

with

a single line through the centre.

注意：此部分试题请在

答题卡

2

上作答。

Passage One

Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.

26. A) they think travel has become a trend.

B) They think travel gives them their money's worth.

C) They find many of the banks untrustworthy.

D) They lack the expertise to make capital investments.

27. A) Lower their prices to attract more customers.

B) Introduce travel packages for young travelers.

C) Design programs targeted at retired couples.

D) Launch a new program of adventure trips.

28. A) the role of travel agents.

B) The way people travel.

C) The number of last-minute bookings.

D) The prices of polar

expeditions.

Passage Two

Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.

29.

A)

the old stereotypes about men and women.

B) The changing roles played by men and women.

C) The division of labor between men and women.

D) The widespread prejudice against women.

30. A) Offer more creative and practical ideas than men.

B) Ask questions that often lead to controversy.

C) Speak loudly enough to attract attention.

D) Raise issues on behalf of women.

31. A) to prove that she could earn her living as a gardener.

B) To show that women are more hardworking than men.

C) To show that women are capable of doing what men do.

D) To prove that she was really irritated with her husband.

Passage Three

Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

32. A) Covering major events of the day in the city.

B) Reporting criminal offenses in Greenville.

C) Hunting news for the daily headlines.

D) Writing articles on family violence.

33. A) It is a much safer place than it used to be.

B) Rapes rarely occur in the downtown areas.

C) Assaults often happen on school campuses.

D) It has fewer violent crimes than big cities.

34. A) there are a wide range of cases.

B) They are very destructive.

C) There has been a rise in such crimes.

D) They have aroused fear among the residents.

35. A) Write about something pleasant.

C) Offer help to

crime victims.

B) Do some research on local politics?

D) Work as a

newspaper editor.

Section C

Directions:

In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When

the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its

general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are

required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact

words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you

are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you

can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the

main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for

the third time, you should check what you have written.

注意：此部分试题请在

答题卡

2

上作答。

In America, people are faced with more and more decisions every day,

whether it's picking one of 31 ice cream (36) _____ or deciding

whether and when to get married. That sounds like a great thing. But

as a recent study has shown, too many choices can make us (37)

_____, unhappy

–

even paralyzed with indecision.

That's (38) _____ true when it comes to the workplace, says Barry

Schwartz, an author of six books about human (39) _____. Students

are graduating with a (40) _____ of skills and interests, but often find

themselves (41) _____ when it comes to choosing an ultimate career

goal.

In a study, Schwartz observed decision-making among college

students during their (42) _____ year. Based on answers to questions

regarding their job-hunting (43) _____ and career decisions, he

divided the students into two groups:

every possible option, and

option that is good enough.

You might expect that the students (44)

_________________________________. But it turns out that's not

true. Schwartz found that while maximizes ended up with better

paying jobs than satisfiers on average, they weren't as happy with

their decision.

The reason (45) _________________________________. When you

look at every possible option, you tend to focus more on what was

given up than what was gained. After surveying every option, (46)

_________________________________.

Part IV

Reading Comprehension (Reading in

Depth)

(25 minutes)

Section A

Directions:

In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions

or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully. Then answer

the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words.

Please write your answers on

Answer Sheet 2.

Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.

How good are you at saying

This is especially true of editors, who by nature tend to be eager and

engaged participants in everything they do. Consider these scenarios:

It's late in the day. That front-page package you've been working on is

nearly complete; one last edit and it's finished. Enter the executive

editor, who makes a suggestion requiring a more-than- modest

rearrangement of the design and the addition of an information box.

You want to scream:

The first rule of saying no to the boss is doing say no. She probably

has something in mind when she makes suggestions, and it's up to

you to find out what. The second rule is doing raise the stakes by

challenging her authority. That issue is already decided. The third rule

is to be ready to cite options and consequences. The boss's

suggestions might be appropriate, but there are always consequences.

She might not know about the pages backing up that need attention,

or about the designer who had to go home sick. Tell her she can have

what she wants, but explain the consequences. Understand what she's

trying to accomplish and propose a Plan B that will make it happen

without destroying what you've done so far.

Here's another case. Your least- favorite reporter suggests a dumb

story idea. This one should be easy, but it's not. If you say no, even

politely, you risk inhibiting further ideas, not just from that reporter,

but from others who heard that you turned down the idea. This

scenario is common in newsrooms that lack a systematic way to filter

story suggestions.

Two steps are necessary. First, you need a system for how stories are

proposed and reviewed. Reporters can tolerate rejection of their ideas

if they believe they were given a fair hearing. Your

gut reaction

(

本

能反应

) and dismissive rejection, even of a worthless idea, might not

qualify as systematic or fair.

Second, the people you work with need to negotiate a

agreement covering

people expected to react? Is there an appeal process? Can they refine

the idea and resubmit it? By anticipating

before they happen, you can reach understanding that will help ease

you out of confrontations.

47.

Instead of directly saying no to your boss, you should find out

__________.

48.

The author's second warning is that we should avoid running a

greater risk by __________.

49.

one way of responding to your boss's suggestion is to explain

the __________ to her and offer an alternative solution.

50.

To ensure fairness to reporters, it is important to set up a system

for stories to __________.

51.

People who learn to anticipate

able to reach understanding and avoid __________.

Section B

Directions:

There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is

followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of

them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should

decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on

Answer Sheet 2

with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.

At the heart of the debate over illegal immigration lies one key

question: are immigrants good or bad for the economy? The

American public overwhelmingly thinks they're bad. Yet the

consensus among most economists is that immigration, both legal and

illegal, provides a small net boost to the economy. Immigrants

provide cheap labor, lower the prices of everything from farm

produce to new homes, and leave consumers with a little more money

in their pockets. So why is there such a discrepancy between the

perception of immigrants' impact on the economy and the reality?

There are a number of familiar theories. Some argue that people are

anxious and feel threatened by an inflow of new workers. Others

highlight the strain that undocumented immigrants place on public

services, like schools, hospitals, and jails. Still others emphasize the

role of race, arguing that foreigners add to the nation's fears and

insecurities. There's some truth to all these explanations, but they

aren't quite sufficient.

To get a better understanding of what's going on; consider the way

immigration's impact is felt. Though its overall effect may be positive,

its costs and benefits are distributed unevenly. David Card, an

economist at UC Berkeley, notes that the ones who profit most

directly from immigrants' low-cost labor are businesses and

employers

–

meatpacking plants in Nebraska, for instance, or

agricultural businesses in California. Granted, these producers'

savings probably translate into lower prices at the grocery store, but

how many consumers make that mental connection at the checkout

counter? As for the drawbacks of illegal immigration, these, too, are

concentrated. Native low- skilled workers suffer most from the

competition of foreign labor. According to a study by George Boras,

a Harvard economist, immigration reduced the wages of American

high-school dropouts by 9% between 1980-2000.

Among high-skilled, better-educated employees, however, opposition

was strongest in states with both high numbers of immigrants and

relatively generous social services. What worried them most, in other

words, was the

fiscal

(

财政的

)burden of immigration. That

conclusion was reinforced by another finding: that their opposition

appeared to soften when that fiscal burden decreased, as occurred

with welfare reform in the 1990s, which curbed immigrants' access to

certain benefits.

The irony is that for all the overexcited debate, the net effect of

immigration is minimal. Even for those most acutely affected

–

say,

low-skilled workers, or California residents

–

the impact isn't all that

dramatic.

perceptions,

the University of Oregon.

and the economists calculate the numbers, it ends up being a net

positive, but a small one.

< /p>

注意：此部分试题请在

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