12月大學(xué)英語六級(jí)考試真題PartIWriting(30minutes)Direction:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteashortessayentitledMyViewsonUniversityRanking.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsfollowingtheoutlinegivenbelow.目前高校排名相當(dāng)盛行;對(duì)于這種做法人們看法不一;在我看來……MyViewsonUniversityRankingDirections:Inthispart,youwillhave15minutestogooverthepassagequicklyandanswerthequestionsonAnswerSheet1.Forquestions1-7,choosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarked[A],[B],[C]and[D].Forquestions8-10,completethesentenceswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage.IntotheUnknownTheworldhasneverseenpopulationageingbefore.Canitcope?Untiltheearly1990snobodymuchthoughtaboutwholepopulationsgettingolder.TheUNhadtheforesighttoconvenea“worldassemblyonageing”backin1982,butthatcameandwent.By1994theWorldBankhadnoticedthatsomethingbigwashappening.Inareportentitled“AvertingtheOldAgeCrisis”,itarguedthatpensionarrangementsinmostcountrieswereunsustainable.Sincethenthedebatehasbecomelessemotional,notleastbecausealotmoreisknownaboutthesubject.Books,conferencesandresearchpapershavemultiplied.InternationalorganisationssuchastheOECDandtheEUissueregularreports.Populationageingisoneveryagenda,fromG8economicconferencestoNATOsummits.TheWorldEconomicForumplanstoconsiderthefutureofpensionsandhealthcareatitsprestigiousDavosconferenceearlynextyear.Themedia,includingthisnewspaper,aregivingthesubjectextensivecoverage.Whetherallthatattentionhastranslatedintosufficientactionisanotherquestion.Governmentsinrichcountriesnowacceptthattheirpensionandhealth-carepromiseswillsoonbecomeunaffordable,andmanyofthemhaveembarkedonreforms,butsofaronlytimidly.Thatisnotsurprising:politicianswithaneyeonthenextelectionwillhardlyrushtointroduceunpopularmeasuresthatmaynotbearfruitforyears,perhapsdecades.Youngerpeopletodaymostlyacceptthattheywillhavetoworkforlongerandthattheirpensionswillbelessgenerous.Employersstillneedtobepersuadedthatolderworkersareworthholdingonto.Thatmaybebecausetheyhavehadplentyofyoungeronestochoosefrom,partlythankstothepost-warbaby-boomandpartlybecauseoverthepastfewdecadesmanymorewomenhaveenteredthelabourforce,increasingemployers’choice.Butthereservoirofwomenableandwillingtotakeuppaidworkisrunninglow,andthebaby-boomersaregoinggrey.Inmanycountriesimmigrantshavebeenfillingsuchgapsinthelabourforceashavealreadyemerged(andrememberthattherealshortageisstillaroundtenyearsoff).Immigrationinthedevelopedworldisthehighestithaseverbeen,anditismakingausefuldifference.Instill-fertileAmericaitcurrentlyaccountsforabout40%oftotalpopulationgrowth,andinfast-ageingwesternEuropeforabout90%.Totackletheproblemofageingpopulationsatitsroot,“old”countrieswouldhavetorejuvenate(使年輕)themselvesbyhavingmoreoftheirownchildren.Anumberofthemhavetried,somemoresuccessfullythanothers.Butitisnotasimplematterofofferingfinancialincentivesorprovidingmorechildcare.Modernurbanlifeinrichcountriesisnotwelladaptedtolargefamilies.Womenfindithardtocombinefamilyandcareer.Theyoftencompromisebyhavingjustonechild.Andiffertilityinageingcountriesdoesnotpickup?Itwillnotbetheendoftheworld,atleastnotforquiteawhileyet,buttheworldwillslowlybecomeadifferentplace.Oldersocietiesmaybelessinnovativeandmorestronglydisinclinedtotakerisksthanyoungerones.By2025atthelatest,abouthalfthevotersinAmericaandmostofthoseinwesternEuropeancountrieswillbeover50—andolderpeopleturnouttovoteinmuchgreaternumberthanyoungerones.Academicstudieshavefoundnoevidencesofarthatoldervotershaveusedtheirpowerattheballotboxtopushforpoliciesthatspecificallybenefitthem,thoughifinfuturetherearemanymoreofthemtheymightstartdoingso.Noristhereanysignoftheintergenerationalwarfarepredictedinthe1990s.Afterall,olderpeoplethemselvesmostlyhavefamilies.Inarecentstudyofparentsandgrown-upchildrenin11Europeancountries,KarstenHankofMannheimUniversityfoundthat85%ofthemlivedwithin25kmofeachotherandthemajorityofthemwereintouchatleastonceaweek.Evenso,theshiftinthecentreofgravitytoolderagegroupsisboundtohaveaprofoundeffectonsocieties,notjusteconomicallyandpoliticallybutinallsortsofotherwaystoo.RichardJacksonandNeilHoweofAmerica’sCSIS,inathoughtfulbookcalledTheGrayingoftheGreatPowers,arguethat,amongotherthings,theageingofthedevelopedcountrieswillhaveanumberofserioussecurityimplications.Forexample,theshortageofyoungadultsislikelytomakecountriesmorereluctanttocommitthefewtheyhavetomilitaryservice.Inthedecadesto2050,Americawillfinditselfplayinganever-increasingroleinthedevelopedworld’sdefenceeffort.BecauseAmerica’spopulationwillstillbegrowingwhenthatofmostotherdevelopedcountriesisshrinking,Americawillbetheonlydevelopedcountrythatstillmattersgeopolitically（地緣政治上）.Askmein2020Thereislittlethatcanbedonetostoppopulationageing,sotheworldwillhavetolivewithit.Butsomeoftheconsequencescanbealleviated.Manyexpertsnowbelievethatgiventherightpolicies,theeffects,thoughgrave,neednotbecatastrophic.Mostcountrieshaverecognisedtheneedtodosomethingandarebeginningtoact.Buteventhenthereisnoguaranteethattheireffortswillwork.Whatishappeningnowishistoricallyunprecedented.RonaldLee,directoroftheCentreontheEconomicsandDemographyofAgeingattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,putsitbrieflyandclearly:“Wedon’treallyknowwhatpopulationageingwillbelike,becausenobodyhasdoneityet.“注意：此部分試題請(qǐng)?jiān)诖痤}卡1上作答。Inits1994report,theWorldBankarguedthatthecurrentpensionsysteminmostcountriescould .notbesustainedinthelongtermfurtheracceleratetheageingprocesshardlyhaltthegrowthofpopulationhelptideoverthecurrentageingcrisisWhatmessageisconveyedinbookslikeYoungvsOld?Thegenerationgapisboundtonarrow.Intergenerationalconflictswillintensify.Theyoungergenerationwillbeattheold.Oldpeopleshouldgivewaytotheyoung.Onereasonwhypensionandhealthcarereformsareslowincomingisthat .nobodyiswillingtosacrificetheirownintereststotackletheproblemmostpeopleareagainstmeasuresthatwillnotbearfruitimmediatelytheproposedreformswillaffecttoomanypeople’sinterestspoliticiansareafraidoflosingvotesinthenextelectionTheauthorbelievesthemosteffectivemethodtosolvethepensioncrisisisto allowpeopletoworklonger[C]cutbackonhealthcareprovisionsincreasetaxrevenues[D]startreformsrightawayThereasonwhyemployersareunwillingtokeepolderworkersisthat .theyaregenerallydifficulttomanagethelongertheywork,thehighertheirpensiontheirpayishigherthanthatofyoungeronesyoungerworkersarereadilyavailableTocompensateforthefast-shrinkinglabourforce,Japanwouldneed .toreviseitscurrentpopulationcontrolpolicylargenumbersofimmigrantsfromoverseastoautomateitsmanufacturingandserviceindustriesapoliticallyfeasiblepolicyconcerningpopulationWhydomanywomeninrichcountriescompromisebyhavingonlyonechild?Smallfamiliesarebecomingmorefashionable.Theyfindithardtobalancecareerandfamily.Itistooexpensivetosupportalargefamily.Childcareistoobigaproblemforthem.Thepredictedintergenerationalwarfareisunlikelybecausemostoftheolderpeoplethemselves .CountriesthathaveashortageofyoungadultswillbelesswillingtocommitthemtoSectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,oneormorequestionswillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestiontherewillbeapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoicesmarked[A],[B],[C]and[D],anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.注意：此部分試題請(qǐng)?jiān)诖痤}卡2上作答。[A]Themanisthemanageroftheapartmentbuilding.Thewomanisverygoodatbargaining.Thewomanwillgettheapartmentrefurnished.Themanislookingforanapartment.[A]Howthepictureswillturnout.[C]Whatthemanthinksoftheshots.Wherethebotanicalgardenis.[D]Whythepicturesarenotready.[A]Thereisnoreplacementforthehandle.Thereisnomatchforthesuitcase.Thesuitcaseisnotworthfixing.[A]Heneedsavehicletobeusedinharshweather.Hehasafairlylargecollectionofqualitytrucks.Hehashadhistruckadaptedforcoldtemperatures.Hedoesroutinetruckmaintenanceforthewoman.[A]Shecannotstandherboss’sbadtemper.Shehasoftenbeencriticizedbyherboss.Shehasmadeuphermindtoresign.Sheneverregretsanydecisionsshemakes.[A]Lookforashirtofamoresuitablecolorandsize.Replacetheshirtwithoneofsomeothermaterial.Visitadifferentstoreforasilkorcottonshirt.Getadiscountontheshirtsheisgoingtobuy.[A]Ata“LostandFound”.[C]Atatradefair.Atareceptiondesk.[D]Atanexhibition.[A]Repairitandmovein.[C]Convertitintoahotel.Passitontohisgrandson.[D]Sellitforagoodprice.Questions19to21arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.[A]Uniquedescriptiveskills.[C]Colourfulworldexperiences.Goodknowledgeofreaders’tastes.[D]Carefulplottingandclueing.[A]Apeacefulsetting.[C]Tobeintherightmood.Aspaciousroom.[D]Tobeentirelyalone.[A]Theyrelyheavilyontheirownimagination.TheyhaveexperiencessimilartothecharactersTheylookattheworldinadetachedmanner.Theyareoverwhelmedbytheirownprejudices.Questions22to25arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.[A]Goodorbad,theyaretheretostay.Likeitornot,youhavetousethem.Believeitornot,theyhavesurvived.Gainorlose,theyshouldbemodernised.[A]Thefrequenttraindelays.[C]Thefoodsoldonthetrains.Thehightrainticketfares.[D]ThemonopolyofBritishRailways.[A]Thelowefficiencyoftheiroperation.Constantcomplaintsfrompassengers.Thepassingofthenewtransportact.[A]Theywillbede-nationalised.[C]Theyarefastdisappearing.Theyprovideworseservice.[D]Theylosealotofmoney.SectionBDirections:Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsomequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarked[A],[B],[C]and[D].ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.注意：此部分試題請(qǐng)?jiān)诖痤}卡2上作答。PassageOneQuestions26to29arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.[A]ThewholeAntarcticregionwillbesubmerged.Somepolaranimalswillsoonbecomeextinct.Manycoastalcitieswillbecoveredwithwater.Theearthwillexperienceextremeweathers.[A]Howhumansaretocopewithglobalwarming.HowunstabletheWestAntarcticicesheetis.Howvulnerablethecoastalcitiesare.Howpolariceimpactsglobalweather.[A]Itcollapsedatleastonceinthepast1.3millionyears.Itsitsfirmlyonsolidrockatthebottomoftheocean.Itmeltedattemperaturesabithigherthanthoseoftoday.Itwillhavelittleimpactonsealevelwhenitbreaksup.[A]TheWestAntarcticregionwasonceanopenocean.TheWestAntarcticicesheetwasabout7,000feetthick.TheWestAntarcticicesheetwasoncefloatingice.TheWestAntarcticregionusedtobewarmerthantoday.PassageTwoQuestions30to32arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.[A]WhetherwecandevelopsocialtiesontheInternet.Whetheradeletedphotoisimmediatelyremovedfromtheweb.Whetherourblogscanbereneweddaily.Whetherwecansetupourownwebsites.[A]Thenumberofvisitstheyreceive.[C]Thefilestheyhavecollected.Thewaytheystoredata.[D]Themeanstheyusetogetinformation.[A]Whenthesystemisdown.[C]WhentheURLisreused.Whennewlinksaresetup.[D]Whentheserverisrestarted.PassageThreeQuestions33to35arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.[A]Someicedcoffeeshaveasmanycaloriesasahotdinner.Icedcoffeessoldbysomepopularchainsarecontaminated.Drinkingcoffeeafteramealismorelikelytocauseobesity.Somebrand-namecoffeescontainharmfulsubstances.[A]Havesomefreshfruit.[C]Takeahotshower.Exerciseatthegym.[D]Eatahotdinner.[A]Theycouldenjoyahappierfamilylife.Theycouldgreatlyimprovetheirworkefficiency.Manycancercasescouldbeprevented.Manyembarrassingsituationscouldbeavoided.SectionC注意：此部分試題在答題卡2上作答。Psychologistsarefindingthathopeplaysasurprisinglyvitalroleingivingpeopleameasurableadvantageinrealmsas(36) asacademicachievement,bearingupintoughjobsandcopingwith(37) illness.And,bycontrast,thelossofhopeisturningouttobeastrongersignthatapersonmay(38) suicidethanotherfactorslongthoughttobemorelikelyrisks.“Hopehasprovenapowerfulpredictorof(39) ineverystudywe’vedonesofar,”saidDr.CharlesR.Snyder,apsychologistwhohasdeviseda(40) toassesshowmuchhopeapersonhas.Forexample,inresearchwith3,920collegestudents,Dr.Snyderandhis(41) foundthatthelevelofhopeamongfreshmenatthebeginningoftheirfirstsemesterwasamore(42) predictoroftheircollegegradesthanweretheirS.A.T.scoresortheirgradepoint(43) inhighschool,thetwomeasuresmostcommonlyusedtopredictcollegeperformance.(44) ” ,”Dr.Snydersaid.“Whenyoucomparestudentsofequivalentintelligenceandpastacademicachievements,whatsetsthemapartishope.”Indevisingawaytoassesshopescientifically,Dr.Snyder(45) .“Thatnotionisnotconcreteenough,anditblurstwokeycomponentsofhope,” Dr.Snydersaid.(46) ”SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereisashortpassagewith5questionsorincompletestatements.Readthepassagecarefully.Thenanswerthequestionsorcompletethestatementsinthefewestpossiblewords.PleasewriteyouranswersonAnswerSheet2.Questions47to51arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Males’difficultywith“tender”emotionshasseriousconsequences.First,suppressedemotionscancontributetostress-relateddisorders.Andworse,menarelesslikelythanwomentoseekhelpfromhealthprofessionals.Second,men’semotionalinexpressivenesscancauseproblemsintheirrelationshipswithpartnersandchildren.Forexample,menwhoendorsetraditionalmasculinenormsreportlowerrelationshipsatisfaction,asdotheirfemalepartners.Further,childrenwhosefathersarewarm,loving,andacceptingtowardthemhavehigherself-esteemandlowerratesofaggressionandbehaviorproblems.Onapositivenote,fathersareincreasinglyinvolvingthemselveswiththeirchildren.And30percentoffathersreportthattheytakeequalorgreaterresponsibilityfortheirchildrenthantheirworkingwivesdo.注意：此部分試題請(qǐng)?jiān)诖痤}卡2上作答。Mostyoungboyshavebeentrainedtobelievethatmenwhoshowtenderfeelingsareconsideredtobe .SomemenbelievethatiftheyexpressedtheiremotionsopenlytheymightAccordingtotheauthor,menwhosuppresstheiremotionsmaydevelopMenwhoobservetraditionalmasculinenormsaresaidtoderivelesssatisfactionfromWhenmalesgetangry,theycanbecome orevencommitviolence.SectionBDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.Foreachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarked[A],[B],[C]and[D]YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions52to56arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Intheearly20thcentury,fewthingsweremoreappealingthanthepromiseofscientificknowledge.Inaworldstrugglingwithrapidindustrialization,scienceandtechnologyseemedtooffersolutionstoalmosteveryproblem.Newlycreatedstatecollegesanduniversitiesdevotedthemselvesalmostentirelytoscientific,technological,andengineeringfields.ManyAmericanscametobelievethatscientificcertaintycouldnotonlysolvescientificproblems,butalsoreformpolitics,government,andbusiness.TwoworldwarsandaGreatDepressionrockedtheconfidenceofmanypeoplethatscientificexpertisealonecouldcreateaprosperousandorderedworld.AfterWorldWarII,theacademicworldturnedwithnewenthusiasmtohumanisticstudies,whichseemedtomanyscholarsthebestwaytoensurethesurvivalofdemocracy.Americanscholarsfannedoutacrossmuchoftheworld—withsupportfromtheFordFoundation,theFulbrightprogram,etc.—topromotetheteachingofliteratureandtheartsinanefforttomakethecasefordemocraticfreedoms.UndoubtedlyAmericaneducationshouldtrainmorescientistsandengineers.MuchoftheconcernamongpoliticiansaboutthestateofAmericanuniversitiestodayisfocusedontheabsenceof“realworld”education—whichmeanspreparationforprofessionalandscientificcareers.Buttheideathatinstitutionsortheirstudentsmustdecidebetweenhumanitiesandscienceisfalse.Oursocietycouldnotsurvivewithoutscientificandtechnologicalknowledge.Butwewouldbeequallyimpoverished（貧困的）withouthumanisticknowledgeaswell.Scienceandtechnologyteachuswhatwecando.Humanisticthinkinghelpsusunderstandwhatweshoulddo.Itisalmostimpossibletoimagineoursocietywithoutthinkingoftheextraordinaryachievementsofscientistsandengineersinbuildingourcomplicatedworld.Buttrytoimagineourworldaswellwithouttheremarkableworksthathavedefinedourcultureandvalues.Wehavealwaysneeded,andwestillneed,both.注意：此部分試題請(qǐng)?jiān)诖痤}卡2上作答。Intheearly20thcenturyAmericansbelievedscienceandtechnologycould .solvevirtuallyallexistingproblems[C]helpraisepeople’slivingstandardsquickenthepaceofindustrialization[D]promotethenation’ssocialprogressWhydidmanyAmericanscholarsbecomeenthusiasticabouthumanisticstudiesafterWorldWarII?Theywantedtoimprovetheirownstatuswithinthecurrenteducationsystem.Theybelievedthestabilityofasocietydependedheavilyonhumanisticstudies.Theycouldgetfinancialsupportfromvariousfoundationsforhumanisticstudies.Theyrealizedscienceandtechnologyalonewerenoguaranteeforabetterworld.WhyareAmericanscholarsworriedabouteducationtoday?TheSTEMsubjectsaretoochallengingforstudentstolearn.SomeAsiancountrieshaveovertakenAmericainbasicsciences.AmericaislaggingbehindintheSTEMdisciplines.Therearenotenoughscholarsinhumanisticstudies.Whataccountsforthesignificantdeclineinhumanisticstudiestoday?Insufficientfunding.[C]Shortageofdevotedfaculty.Shrinkingenrollment.[D]Dimprospectsforgraduates.Whydoestheauthorattachsomuchimportancetohumanisticstudies?Theypromotethedevelopmentofscienceandtechnology.Theyhelppreparestudentsfortheirprofessionalcareers.Humanisticthinkinghelpsdefineourcultureandvalues.Humanisticthinkinghelpscultivatestudents’creativity.PassageTwoQuestions57to61arebasedonthefollowingpassage.ManyphysicistssaythenextEinsteinhasn’tbeenbornyet,orisababynow.That’sbecausethequestforaunifiedtheorythatwouldaccountforalltheforcesofnaturehaspushedcurrentmathematicstoitslimits.Newmathmustbecreatedbeforetheproblemcanbesolved.Foronething,physicsisamuchdifferentfieldtoday.InEinstein’sday,therewereonlyafewthousandphysicistsworldwide,andthetheoreticianswhocouldintellectuallyrivalEinsteinprobablywouldfitintoastreetcarwithseatstospare.“Theindependencecreatedbyphilosophicalinsightis—inmyopinion—themarkofdistinctionbetweenamereartisan（工匠）orspecialistandarealseekeraftertruth,”Einsteinwrotein1944.Andhewasanaccomplishedmusician.Theinterplaybetweenmusicandmathiswellknown.Einsteinwouldfuriouslyplayhisviolinasawaytothinkthroughaknottyphysicsproblem.Today,universitieshaveproducedmillionsofphysicists.Therearen’tmanyjobsinscienceforthem,sotheygotoWallStreetandSiliconValleytoapplytheiranalyticalskillstomorepractical—andrewarding—efforts.“MaybethereisanEinsteinouttheretoday,”saidColumbiaUniversityphysicistBrianGreene,“butitwouldbealotharderforhimtobeheard.”EspeciallyconsideringwhatEinsteinwasproposing.PerhapsthebestexamplesarethefivescientificpapersEinsteinwroteinhis“miracleyear”of1905.These“thoughtexperiments”werepagesofcalculationssignedandsubmittedtotheprestigiousjournalAnnalenderPhysikbyavirtualunknown.Therewerenofootnotesorcitations.Whatmighthappentosuchasubmissiontoday?“Weallgetpaperslikethoseinthemail,”Greenesaid.“Weputtheminthejunkfile.”注意：此部分試題請(qǐng)?jiān)诖痤}卡2上作答。Whatdoscientistsseemtoagreeupon,judgingfromthefirsttwoparagraphs?Einsteinpushedmathematicsalmosttoitslimits.ItwilltakeanotherEinsteintobuildaunifiedtheory.NophysicistislikelytosurpassEinsteininthenext200years.WhatwascriticaltoEinstein’ssuccess?Histalentasanaccomplishedmusician.Hisindependentandabstractthinking.Hisuntiringefforttofulfillhispotential.Hissolidfoundationinmaththeory.Whatdoestheauthortellusaboutphysiciststoday?Theytendtoneglecttraininginanalyticalskills.Theyareverygoodatsolvingpracticalproblems.Theyattachgreatimportancetopublishingacademicpapers.Theyoftengointofieldsyieldinggreaterfinancialbenefits.WhatdoesBrianGreeneimplybysaying“...itwouldbealotharderforhimtobeheard”(Lines1-2,Para.9)?Peoplehavetocompeteinordertogettheirpaperspublished.Itishardforascientisttohavehispaperspublishedtoday.PaperslikeEinstein’swouldunlikelygetpublishedtoday.Nobodywillreadpapersonapparentlyridiculoustheories.Whenhesubmittedhispapersin1905,Einstein .forgottomakefootnotesandcitationswaslittleknowninacademiccircleswasknownasayounggeniusinmathcalculationsknewnothingabouttheformatofacademicpapersPartVCloze(15minutes)Directions:Thereare20blanksinthefollowingpassage.Foreachblanktherearefourchoicesmarked[A],[B],[C]and[D]ontherightsideofthepaper.YoushouldchoosetheONEthatbestfitsintothepassage.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.注意：此部分試題請(qǐng)?jiān)诖痤}卡2上作答。America’smostpopularnewspaperwebsitetodayannouncedt