四六级考试网

　　Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)

　　Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.

　　It is natural for young people to be critical of their parents at times and to blame them for most of the misunderstandings between them. They have always complained, more or less justly, that their parents are out of touch with modern ways; that they are possessive and dominant that they do not trust their children to deal with crises; that they talk too much about certain problems and that they have no sense of humour, at least in parent-child relationships.

　　I think it is true that parents often underestimate their teenage children and also forget how they themselves felt when young.

　　Young people often irritate their parents with their choices in clothes and hairstyles, in entertainers and music. This is not their motive. They feel cut off from the adult world into which they have not yet been accepted. So they create a culture and society of their own. Then, if it turns out that their music or entertainers or vocabulary or clothes or hairstyles irritate their parents, this gives them additional enjoyment. They feel they are superior, at least in a small way, and that they are leaders in style and taste.

　　Sometimes you are resistant, and proud because you do not want your parents to approve of what you do. If they did approve, it looks as if you are betraying your own age group. But in that case, you are assuming that you are the underdog: you can’t win but at least you can keep your honour. This is a passive way of looking at things. It is natural enough after long years of childhood, when you were completely under your parents’ control. But it ignores the fact that you are now beginning to be responsible for yourself.

　　If you plan to control your life, co-operation can be part of that plan. You can charm others, especially parents, into doing things the ways you want. You can impress others with your sense of responsibility and initiative, so that they will give you the authority to do what you want to do.

　　21. The author is primarily addressing ________.

　　A) parents of teenagers

　　B) newspaper readers

　　C) those who give advice to teenagers

　　D) teenagers

　　22. The first paragraph is mainly about ________.

　　A) the teenagers’ criticism of their parents

　　B) misunderstandings between teenagers and their parents

　　C) the dominance of the parents over their children

　　D) the teenagers’ ability to deal with crises

　　23. Teenagers tend to have strange clothes and hairstyles because they ________.

　　A) want to show their existence by creating a culture of their own

　　B) have a strong desire to be leaders in style and taste

　　C) have no other way to enjoy themselves better

　　D) want to irritate their parents

　　24. Teenagers do not want their parents to approve of whatever they do because they ________.

　　A) have already been accepted into the adult world

　　B) feel that they are superior in a small way to the adults

　　C) are not likely to win over the adults

　　D) have a desire to be independent

　　25. To improve parent-child relationships, teenagers are advised to be ________.

　　A) obedient

　　B) responsible

　　C) co-operative

　　D) independent

　　Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.

　　The long years of food shortage in this country have suddenly given way to apparent abundance. Stores and shops are choked with food. Rationing (定量供应) is virtually suspended, and overseas suppliers have been asked to hold back deliveries. Yet, instead of joy, there is widespread uneasiness and confusion. Why do food prices keep on rising, when there seems to be so much more food about? Is the abundance only temporary, or has it come to stay? Does it mean that we need to think less now about producing more food at home? No one knows what to expect.

　　The recent growth of export surpluses on the world food market has certainly been unexpectedly great, partly because a strange sequence of two successful grain harvests. North America is now being followed by a third. Most of Britain’s overseas suppliers of meat, too, are offering more this year and home production has also risen.

　　But the effect of all this on the food situation in this country has been made worse by a simultaneous rise in food prices, due chiefly to the gradual cutting down of government support for food. The shops are overstocked with food not only because there is more food available, but also because people, frightened by high prices, are buying less of it.

　　Moreover, the rise in domestic prices has come at a time when world prices have begun to fall, with the result that imported food, with the exception of grain, is often cheaper than the home-produced variety. And now grain prices, too, are falling. Consumers are beginning to ask why they should not be enabled to benefit from this trend.

　　The significance of these developments is not lost on farmers. The older generation have seen it all happen before. Despite the present price and market guarantees, farmers fear they are about to be squeezed between cheap food imports and a shrinking home market. Present production is running at 51 per cent above pre-war levels, and the government has called for an expansion to 60 per cent by 1956; but repeated Ministerial advice is carrying little weight and the expansion programme is not working very well.

　　26. Why is there “wide-spread uneasiness and confusion about the food situation in Britain?”

　　A) The abundant food supply is not expected to last.

　　B) Britain is importing less food.

　　C) Despite the abundance, food prices keep rising.

　　D) Britain will cut back on its production of food.

　　27. The main reason for the rise in food prices is that ________.

　　A) people are buying less food

　　B) the government is providing less financial support for agriculture

　　C) domestic food production has decreased

　　D) imported food is driving prices higher

　　28. Why didn’t the government’s expansion programme work very well?

　　A) Because the farmers were uncertain about the financial support the government guaranteed.

　　B) Because the farmers were uncertain about the benefits of expanding production.

　　C) Because the farmers were uncertain about whether foreign markets could be found for their produce.

　　D) Because the older generation of farmers were strongly against the programmer.

　　29. The decrease in world food price was a result of ________.

　　A) a sharp fall in the purchasing power of the consumers

　　B) a sharp fall in the cost of food production

　　C) the overproduction of food in the food-importing countries

　　D) the overproduction on the part of the main food-exporting countries

　　30. What did the future look like for Britain’s food production at the time this article was written?

　　A) The fall in world food prices would benefit British food producers.

　　B) An expansion of food production was at hand.

　　C) British food producers would receive more government financial support.

　　D) It looks depressing despite government guarantees.

　　Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.

　　It is hard to predict how science is going to turn out, and if it is really good science it is impossible to predict. If the things to be found are actually new, they are by definition unknown in advance. You cannot make choices in this matter. You either have science or you don’t, and if you have it you are obliged to accept the surprising and disturbing pieces of information, along with the neat and promptly useful bits.

　　The only solid piece of scientific truth about which I feel totally confident is that we are profoundly ignorant about nature. Indeed, I regard this as the major discovery of the past hundred years of biology. It is, in its way, an illumination piece of news. It would have amazed the brightest minds of the 18th century Enlightenment (启蒙运动) to be told by any of us how little we know and how bewildering seems the way ahead. It is this sudden confrontation with the depth and scope of ignorance that represents the most significant contribution of the 20th century science to the human intellect. In earlier times, we either pretended to understand how things worked or ignored the problem, or simply made up stories to fill the gaps. Now that we have begun exploring in earnest, we are getting glimpses of how huge the questions are, and how far from being answered. Because of this, we are depressed. It is not so bad being ignorant if you are totally ignorant; the hard thing is knowing in some detail the reality of ignorance, the worst spots and here and there the not-so-bad spots, but no true light at the end of the tunnel nor even any tunnels that can yet be trusted.

　　But we are making a beginning, and there ought to be some satisfaction. There are probably no questions we can think up that can’t be answered, sooner or later, including even the matter of consciousness. To be sure, there may well be questions we can’t think up, ever, and therefore limits to the reach of human intellect, but that is another matter. Within our limits, we should be able to work our way through to all our answers, if we keep at it long enough, and pay attention.

　　31. According to the author, really good science ________.

　　A) would surprise the brightest minds of the 18th century Enlightenment

　　B) will produce results which cannot be foreseen

　　C) will help people to make the right choice in advance

　　D) will bring about disturbing results

　　32. It can be inferred from the passage that scientists of the 18th century ________.

　　A) thought that they knew a great deal and could solve most problems of science

　　B) were afraid of facing up to the realities of scientific research

　　C) knew that they were ignorant and wanted to know more about nature

　　D) did more harm than good in promoting man’s understanding of nature

　　33. Which of the following statements is NOT true of scientists in earlier times?

　　A) They invented false theories to explain things they didn’t understand.

　　B) They falsely claimed to know all about nature.

　　C) They did not believe in results from scientific observation.

　　D) They paid little attention to the problems they didn’t understand.

　　34. What is the author’s attitude towards science?

　　A) He is depressed because of the ignorance of scientists.

　　B) He is doubtful because of the enormous difficulties confronting it.

　　C) He is confident though he is aware of the enormous difficulties confronting it.

　　D) He is delighted because of the illuminating scientific findings.

　　35. The author believes that ________.

　　A) man can find solutions to whatever questions concerning nature he can think up

　　B) man can not solve all the problems he can think up because of the limits of human intellect

　　C) sooner or later man can think up all the questions concerning nature and answer them

　　D) questions concerning consciousness are outside the scope of scientific research

　　Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.

　　Greenspace facilities are contributing to an important extent to the quality of the urban environment. Fortunately it is no longer necessary that every lecture or every book about this subject has to start with the proof of this idea. At present, it is generally accepted, although more as a self-evident statement than on the base of a closely-reasoned scientific proof. The recognition of the importance of greenspaces in the urban environment is a first step on the right way, this does not mean, however, that sufficient details are known about the functions of greenspace in towns and about the way in which the inhabitants are using these spaces. As to this rather complex subject I shall, within the scope of this lecture, enter into one aspect only, namely the recreative function of greenspace facilities.

　　The theoretical separation of living, working, traffic and recreation which for many years has been used in town-and-country planning, has in my opinion resulted in disproportionate attention for forms of recreation far from home, whereas there was relatively little attention for improvement of recreative possibilities in the direct neighbourhood of the home. We have come to the conclusion that this is not right, because an important part of the time which we do not pass in sleeping or working, is used for activities at and around home. So it is obvious that recreation in the open air has to begin at the street-door of the house. The urban environment has to offer as many recreation activities as possible, and the design of these has to be such that more obligatory activities can also have a recreative aspect.

　　The very best standard of living is nothing if it is not possible to take a pleasant walk in the district, if the children cannot be allowed to play in the streets, because the risks of traffic are too great, if during shopping you can nowhere find a spot for enjoying for a moment the nice weather, in short, if you only feel yourself at home after the street-door of your house is closed after you.

　　36. According to the author, the importance of greenspaces in the urban environment ________.

　　A) is still unknown

　　B) is usually neglected

　　C) is being closely studied

　　D) has been fully recognized

　　37. The theoretical separation of living, working, traffic and recreation has led to ________.

　　A) the disproportion of recreation facilities in the neighbourhood

　　B) the location of recreation facilities far from home

　　C) relatively little attention for recreative possibilities

　　D) the improvement of recreative possibilities in the neighbourhood

　　38. The author suggests that the recreative possibilities of green space should be provided ________.

　　A) in special areas

　　B) in the suburbs

　　C) in the neighbourhood of the house

　　D) in gardens and parks

　　39. According to the author, greenspace facilities should be designed in such a way that ________.

　　A) more obligatory activities might take on a recreative aspect

　　B) more and more people might have access to them

　　C) an increasing number of recreative activities might be developed

　　D) recreative activities might be brought into our homes

　　40. The main idea of this passage is that ________.

　　A) better use of greenspace facilities should be made so as to improve the quality of our life

　　B) attention must be directed to the improvement of recreative possibilities

　　C) the urban environment is providing more recreation activities than it did many years ago

　　D) priority must be given to the development of obligatory activities

21. A 22. B 23. A 24. D 25. C 26. D 27. B 28. A 29. C 30. D 31. B 32. B 33. A 34. C 35. D 36. D 37. B 38. C 39. A 40. A

　　Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)

　　Passage One

　　Merchant and passenger ships are generally required to have a life preserver for every person aboard and, in many cases, a certain percentage of smaller sizes for children. According to United States Coast Guard requirements, life preservers must be simple in design, reversible, capable of being quickly adjusted to fit the uninitiated individual, and must be so designed as to support the wearer in the water in an upright or slightly backward position.

　　Sufficient buoyancy (浮力) to support the wearer should be retained by the life preserver after 48 hour in the water, and it should be reliable even after long period of storage. Thus it should be made of materials resistant to sunlight, gasoline, and oils, and it should be not easily set on fire.

　　The position in which the life preserver will support a person who jumps or falls into the water is most important, as is its tendency to turn the wearer in the water from a face-down position to an upright or slightly backward position, with his face clear of the water, even when the wearer is exhausted or unconscious.

　　The method of adjustment to the body should be simple, and self-evident to uninitiated persons even in the dark under the confused conditions which follow a disaster. Thus, the life preserver should be reversible, so that it is nearly impossible to set it on wrong. Catches, straps, and ties should be kept to a minimum. In addition, the life preserver must be adjustable to the wide variety of shapes and sizes of wearers, since this greatly affects the position of floating and the self-righting qualities. A suitable life preserver should also be comfortable to wear at all times, in and out of the water, not so heavy as to encourage to take it off on shipboard while the ship is in danger, nor so burdensome that it hinders a person in the water while trying to swim.

　　21.The passage is mainly about ________.

　　A) the uses of life preservers

　　B) the design of life preservers

　　C) the materials for life preservers

　　D) the buoyancy of life preservers

　　22.According to the passage, a life preserver should be first of all, ________.

　　A) adjustable

　　B) comfortable

　　C) self-evident

　　D) self-righting

　　23.United States Coast Guard does NOT require the life preserver to the made ________.

　　A) with as few strings as possible

　　B) capable of being worn on both sides

　　C) according to each wearer’s size

　　D) comfortable and light to wear

　　24.By “the uninitiated individual” (Para. 1, line 6) the author refers to the person ________.

　　A) who has not been instructed how to use a life preserver

　　B) who has a little experience in using a life preserver

　　C) who uses a life preserver without permission

　　D) who becomes nervous before a disaster

　　25.What would happen if a person were supported by the life preserver in a wrong position?

　　A) The waves would move him backwards.

　　B) The water would choke him.

　　C) He would immediately sink to the bottom.

　　D) He would be exhausted or unconscious.

　　Passage Two

　　A hundred years ago it was assumed and scientifically “proved” by economists that the laws of society made it necessary to have a vast army of poor and jobless people in order to keep the economy going. Today, hardly anybody would dare to voice this principle. It is generally accepted that nobody should be excluded from the wealth Western industrialized countries, a system of insurance has been introduced which guarantees everyone a minimum of subsistence (生活维持费) in case of unemployment, sickness and old age. I would go one step further and argue that, even if these conditions are not present, everyone has the right to receive the means to subsist (维持生活), in other words, he can claim this subsistence minimum without having to have any “reason”. I would suggest, however, that it should be limited to a definite period of time, let’s say two years, so as to avoid the encouraging of an abnormal attitude which refused any kind of social obligation.

　　This may sound like a fantastic proposal, but so, I think, our insurance system would have sounded to people a hundred years ago. The main objection to such a scheme would be that if each person were entitled to receive minimum support, people would not work. This assumption rests on the fallacy of the inherent laziness in human nature, actually, aside from abnormally lazy people, there would be very few who would not want to earn more than the minimum, and who would prefer to do nothing rather than work.

　　However, the suspicions against a system of guaranteed subsistence minimum are not groundless, from the standpoint of those who want to use ownership of capital for the purpose of forcing others to accept the work conditions they offer. If nobody were forced to accept work in order not to starve, work would have to be sufficiently interesting and attractive to induce one to accept it. Freedom of contract is possible only if both parties are free to accept and reject it; in the present capitalist system this is not the case.

　　But such a system would not only be the beginning of real freedom of contract between employers and employees, its principal advantage would be the improvement of freedom in inter-personal relationships in every sphere of daily life.

　　26.People used to think that poverty and unemployment were due to ________.

　　A) the slow development of the economy

　　B) the poor and jobless people’s own faults

　　C) the lack of responsibility on the part of society

　　D) the large number of people who were not well-educated

　　27.Now it is widely accepted that ________.

　　A) the present system of social insurance should be improved

　　B) everybody should be granted a minimum of subsistence without any “reason”

　　C) everybody has the right to share in the wealth of the country

　　D) people have to change their attitude towards the poor

　　28.The writer argues that a system of social insurance should ________.

　　A) provide benefits for the sick, old and unemployed

　　B) encourage people to take on more social obligations

　　C) guarantee everyone the right to be employed

　　D) provide everyone with the right to a minimum subsistence for a certain period

　　29.The word “fallacy” (Para. 2. L. 6) means ________.

　　A) doubt

　　B) fact

　　C) strong argument

　　D) wrong belief

　　30.According to the writer, a system of guaranteed subsistence minimum ________.

　　A) demands too much from society

　　B) makes freedom of contract impossible

　　C) helps people take interest in their work

　　D) helps bring about changes in the relationship among people

　　Passage Three

　　Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.

　　The newborn can see the difference between various shapes and patterns from birth. He prefers patterns to dull or bright solid colors and looks longer at stripes and angles than at circular patterns. Within three weeks, however, his preference shifts dramatically to the human face.

　　Why should a baby with so little visual experience attend more to a human face than to any other kind of pattern’? Some scientists think this preference represents a built in advantage for the human species. The object of prime importance to the physically helpless infant is a human being. Babies seem to have a natural tendency to the human face as potentially rewarding. Researchers also point out that the newborn wisely relies more on pattern than on outline, size, or color. Pattern remains stable, while outline changes with point of view; size, with distance from an object; and brightness and color, with lighting.

　　Mothers have always claimed that they could see their newborns looking at them as they held them, despite what they have been told. The experts who thought that perception (知觉) had to await physical development and the consequence of action were wrong for several reasons. Earlier research techniques were less sophisticated than they are today. Physical skills were once used to indicate perception of objects-skills like visual tracking and reaching for an object, both of which the newborn does poorly. Then, too, assumptions that the newborn’s eye and brain were too immature for anything as sophisticated as pattern recognition caused opposing data to be thrown away. Since perception of form was widely believed to follow perception of more “basic” qualities such as color and brightness, the possibility of its presence from birth was rejected.

　　31.What does a newborn baby like to see most’?

　　A) Bright colors.

　　B) Circular patterns.

　　C) Stripes and angles.

　　D) Various shapes.

　　32.The newborn pays more attention to a human face than any other kind of objects because ________.

　　A) he sees a human face more often than any other kind of pattern

　　B) he has an inherent ability to regard a human being as helpful

　　C) a human face is the most complex pattern he can see

　　D) a human face is often accompanied by a pleasant voice

　　33.Contrary to what they believe, mothers have been told that newborns ________.

　　A) care little about a human face

　　B) can’t track their movements

　　C) can’t see their faces

　　D) can easily perceive brightness

　　34.In earlier researches on the newborn’s perception, scientists ________.

　　A) ignored evidence contrary to their assumptions

　　B) believed that perception of form comes before perception of color and brightness

　　C) opposed throwing away effective data

　　D) proved that physical skills come after visual perception

　　35.The main idea of the passage is that ________.

　　A) research techniques are of vital importance scientific investigation

　　B) the findings of earlier scientific researchers often prove wrong

　　C) newborns can perceive forms from birth

　　D) more often than not the claims of mothers are reliable

　　Passage Four

　　Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.

　　Albert Einstein recalled his learning problems philosophically: “My intellectual (智力的) development was slow, as a result of which I began to wonder about space and time only when I had already grown up. Naturally, I could go deeper into the problem than a child.” And so, 11 years after dismissal from school, young Albert Einstein published the theory of relativity that changed our understanding of the universe.

　　No one in this century has been more widely recognized as a genius than Einstein. Yet his problems with early intellectual development and his peculiar gifts cast great doubt on all our conventional ideas about genius, intelligence or “I.Q.” (智商). On the one hand, Einstein showed early defects in abilities that our mental tests value; on the other hand, his special intellectual faculties went far beyond most definitions of intelligence. Moreover, their growth appears peculiarly gradual, contradicting the popular conception of intelligence as something inborn and fixed. His resolute persistence and his skills in playing games with ideas were apparently as decisive to his genius as any cutting edge of intellect (智能).

　　These powerful aspects of intelligence that conventional definitions overlook are getting close attention in a new wave of research. This comes after years of earlier studies which exposed the narrowness of our usual measures of mental ability. Intelligence, it turns out, is multifaceted and marvelous; it includes personal characteristics, creativity skills and intellectual capabilities that show up on no test. What is most exciting is that some of these iii-defined abilities are possessed by many people. Just knowing about such neglected skills will help us discover and develop untapped (未开发的) potential-in ourselves and in our children.

　　36.This passage is about ________.

　　A) the development of Einstein’s intellect

　　B) the wide recognition of Einstein as a genius

　　C) conventional ideas concerning genius

　　D) an insight to the complexity of human intelligence

　　37.According to the passage, when Einstein was at school, he ________.

　　A) fell behind other pupils

　　B) was fond of studying philosophical problems

　　C) was proud of his own diligence

　　D) thought more deeply about the problems of space and time than his classmates

　　38.Which of the following led to Einstein’s success?

　　A) His good skills in game-playing.

　　B) His diligence and powerful mind.

　　C) His unusual insight into the conception of intelligence.

　　D) His decisiveness in taking actions.

　　39.“Multifaceted” (Para. 3, Line 6) probably means ________.

　　A) having many aspects

　　B) having many abilities

　　C) having many skills

　　D) having many uses

　　40.According to the passage which of the following statements is TRUE’?

　　A) Conventional intelligence tests are not reliable.

　　B) For ordinary people intelligence is something inborn and fixed.

　　C) Einstein was apparently a genius in playing games as well as in scientific research.

　　D) Einstein’s early defects in abilities contributed to his later mental development.

21. D	22. A	23. A	24. D	25. C
26. C	27. B	28. B	29. D	30. D
31. B	32. A	33. C	34. C	35. A
36. D	37. B	38. C	39. A	40. A

　　Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)

　　Passage One

　　Questions 21 to 24 are based on the following passage:

　　Automation refers to the introduction of electronic control and automatic operation of pro-ductive machinery. It reduces the human factors, mental and physical, in production, and is de-signed to make possible the manufacture of more goods with fewer workers. The development of automation in American industry has been called the “Second Industrial Revolution”.

　　Labour’s concern over automation arises from uncertainty about the effects on employ-ment, and fears of major changes in jobs. In the main, labour has taken the view that resistance to technical change is unfruitful. Eventually, the result of automation may well be an increase in employment, since it is expected that vast industries will grow up around manufacturing, main-taining, and repairing automation equipment. The interest of labour lies in bringing about the

　　transition with a minimum of inconvenience and distress to the workers involved. AI~, union spokesmen emphasize that the benefit of the increased production and lower costs made possible by automation should be shared by workers in the form of higher wages, more leisure, and improved living standards.

　　To protect the interests of their members in the era of automation, unions have adopted a number of new policies. One of these is the promotion of supplementary unemployment benefit plans. It is emphasized that since the employer involved in such a plan has a direct financial interest in preventing unemployment, he will have a strong drive for planning new installations so as to cause the least possible problems in jobs and job assignments. Some unions are working for dismissal pay agreements, requiring that permanently dismissed workers be paid a sum of money

　　based on length of service. Another approach is the idea of the “improvement factor”, which calls for wage increases based on increases in productivity. It is possible, however, that labour will rely mainly on reduction in working hours in order to gain a full share in the fruits of automation.

　　21. Though labour worries about the effects of automation, it does not doubt that

　　A) automation will eventually prevent unemployment

　　B) automation will help workers acquire new skills

　　C) automation will eventually benefit the workers no less than the employers

　　D) automation is a trend which cannot be stopped

　　22. The idea of the “improvement factor” ( Line 7, Para. 3)probably implies that

　　A) wages should be paid on the basis of length of service

　　B) the benefit of increased production and lower costs should be shared by workers

　　C) supplementary unemployment benefit plans should be promoted

　　D) the transition to automation should be brought about with the minimum of inconvenience and distress to workers

　　23. In order to get the full benefits of automation, labour will depend mostly on

　　A) additional payment to the permanently dismissed workers

　　B) the increase of wages in proportion to the increase in productivity

　　C) shorter working hours and more leisure time

　　D) a strong drive for planning new installations

　　24. Which of the following can best sum up the passage?

　　A) Advantages and disadvantages of automation.

　　B) Labour and the effects of automation.

　　C) Unemployment benefit plans and automation.

　　D) Social benefits of automation.

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 25 to 30 are based on the following passage:

　　The case for college has been accepted without question for more than a generation. All high school graduates ought to go, says conventional wisdom and statistical evidence, because college will help them earn more money, become “better” people, and learn to be more responsi-ble citizens than those who don’t go.

　　But college has never been able to work its magic for everyone. And now that close to half our high school graduates are attending, those who don’t fit the pattern are becoming more nu-merous, and more obvious. College graduates are selling shoes and driving taxis; college students interfere with each other’s experiments and write false letters of recommendation in the intense competition for admission to graduate school. Others find no stimulation in their studies, and drop out- often encouraged by college administrators.

　　Some observers say the fault is with the young people themselves- they are spoiled and they are expecting too much. But that’s a condemnation of the students as a whole, and doesn’ t explain all campus unhappiness. Others blame the state of the world, and they are partly right.

　　We’ve been told that young people have to go to college because our economy can’t absorb an army of untrained eighteen- year – olds. But disappointed graduates are learning that it can no longer absorb an army of trained twenty – two – year – olds, either.

　　Some adventuresome educators and campus watchers have openly begun to suggest that college may not be the best, the proper, the only place for every young person after the comple-tion of high school. We may have been looking at all those surveys and statistics upside down, it

　　seems, and through the rosy glow of our own remembered college experiences. Perhaps college doesn’t make people intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, or quick to learn things – maybe it’s just the other way around, and intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, quick – learning people are merely the ones who have been attracted to college in the first place. And perhaps all those suc-cessful college graduates would have been successful whether they had gone to college or not.

　　This is heresy(异端邪说) to those of us who have been brought up to believe that if a little schooling is good, more has to be much better. But contrary evidence is beginning to mount up.

　　25. According to the passage, the author believes that

　　A) people used to question the value of college education

　　B) people used to have full confidence in higher education

　　C) all high school graduates went to college

　　D) very few high school graduates chose to go to college

　　26. In the 2nd paragraph, “those who don’t fit the pattern” refers to

　　A) high school graduates who aren’t suitable for college education

　　B) college graduates who are selling shoes and driving taxis

　　C) college students who aren’t any better for their higher education

　　D) high school graduates who failed to be admitted to college

　　27. The drop- out rate of college students seems to go up because

　　A) young people are disappointed with the conventional way of teaching at college

　　B) many young people are required to join the army

　　C) young people have little motivation in pursuing a higher education

　　D) young people don’t like the intense competition for admission to graduate school

　　28. According to the passage the problems of college education partly arise from the fact that

　　A) society cannot provide enough jobs for properly trained college graduates

　　B) high school graduates do not fit the pattern of college education

　　C) too many students have to earn their own living

　　D) college administrators encourage students to drop out

　　29. In this passage the author argues that

　　A) more and more evidence shows college education may not be the best thing for high school graduates

　　B) college education is not enough if one wants to be successful

　　C) college education benefits only the intelligent, ambitious, and quick – learning people

　　D) intelligent people may learn quicker if they don’t go to college

　　30. The “surveys and statistics” mentioned in the last paragraph might have shown that

　　A) college- educated people are more successful than non – college – educated people

　　B) college education was not the first choice of intelligent people

　　C) the less schooling a person has the better it is for him

　　D) most people have sweet memories of college life

　　Passage Three

　　Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:

　　Ours has become a society of employees. A hundred years or so ago only one out of every five Americans at work was employed, i. e., worked for somebody else. Today only one out of five is not employed but working for himself. And when fifty years ago “being employed” meant working as a factory labourer or as a farmhand, the employee of today is increasingly a middle-class person with a substantial formal education, holding a professional or management job re-quiring intellectual and technical skills. Indeed, two things have characteried American society during these last fifty years: middle – class and upper – class employees have been the fastest- growing groups in our working population- growing so fast that the industrial worker, that old- est child of the Industrial Revolution, has been losing in numerical importance despite the ex- pans/on of industrial production.

　　Yet you will fine little if anything written on what it is to be an employee. You can find a great deal of very dubious advice on how to get a job or how to get a promotion. You can also find a good deal of work in a chosen field, whether it be the mechanist’ s trade or bookkeeping (簿记). Every one of these trades requires different skills, sets different standards, and requires a different preparation. Yet they all have employeeship in common. And increasingly, especially in the large business or in government, employeeship is more important to success than the special professional knowledge or skill. Certainly more people fail because they do not know the requirements of being an employee than because they do not adequately possess the skills of their trade; the higher you climb the ladder, the more you get into administrative or executive work,the greater the emphasis on ability to work within the organization rather than on technical a-bilities or professional knowledge.

　　31. It is implied that fifty years ago

　　A) eighty percent of American working people were employed in factories

　　B) twenty percent of American intellectuals were employees

　　C) the percentage of intellectuals in the total work force was almost the same as that of in-dustrial workers

　　D) the percentage of intellectuals working as employees was not so large as that of industri-al workers

　　32. According to the passage, with the development of modern industry,

　　A) factory labourers will overtake intellectual employees in number

　　B) there are as many middle – class employees as factory labourers

　　C) employers have attached great importance to factory labourers

　　D) the proportion of factory labourers in the total employee population has decreased

　　33. The word “dubious” ( L. 2, Para. 2) most probably means

　　A) valuable B) useful C) doubtful D) helpful

　　34. According to the writer, professional knowledge or skill is

　　A) less important than awareness of being a good employee

　　B) as important as the ability to deal with public relations

　　C) more important than employer- employee relations

　　D) as important as the ability to co- operate with others in the organization

　　35. From the passage it can be seen that employeeship helps one

　　A) to be more successful in his career B) to be more specialized in his field

　　C) to solve technical problems D) to develop his professional skill

　　Passage Four

　　Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:

　　We all know that the normal human daily cycle of activity is of some 7 – 8 hours’ sleep al-ternating with some 16 – 17 hours’ wakefulness and that, broadly speaking, the sleep normally coincides with the hours of darkness. Our present concern is with how easily and to what extent this cycle can be modified.

　　The question is no mere academic one. The ease, for example, with which people can change from working in the day to working at night is a question of growing importance in industry where automation calls for round – the- clock working of machines. It normally takes from five days to one week for a person to adapt to a reversed routine of sleep and wakefulness,sleeping during the day and working at night. Unfortunately, it is often the case in industry that shifts are changed every week; a person may work from 12 midnight to 8 a.m. one week, 8 a.

　　m. to 4 p.m. the next, and 4 p.m. to 12 midnight the third and so on. This means that no sooner has he got used to one routine than he has to change to another, so that much of his time is spent neither working nor sleeping very efficiently,

　　The only real solution appears to be to hand over the night shift to a number of permanent night workers. An interesting study of the domestic life and health of night – shift workers was carried out by Brown in 1957. She found a high incidence (发生率) of disturbed sleep and other disorders among those on alternating day and night shifts, but no abnormal occurrence of these phenomena among those on permanent night work.

　　This latter system then appears to be the best long – term policy, but meanwhile something may be done to relieve the strains of alternate day and night work by selecting those people who can adapt most quickly to the changes of routine. One way of knowing when a person has adapt-ed is by measuring his body temperature. People engaged in normal daytime work will have a high temperature during the hours of wakefulness and a low one at night; when they change to night work the pattern will only gradually go back to match the new routine and the speed with which it does so parallels, broadly speaking, the adaptation of the body as a whole, particularly in terms of performance. Therefore, by taking body temperature at intervals of two hours throughout the period of wakefulness it can be seen how quickly a person can adapt to a re-versed routine, and this could be used as a basis for selection. So far, however, such a form of se-

　　lection does not seem to have been applied in practice.

　　36. Why is the question of “how easily people can get used to working at night” not a mere a cademic question?

　　A) Because few people like to reverse the cycle of sleep and wakefulness.

　　B) Because sleep normally coincides with the hours of darkness.

　　C) Because people are required to work at night in some fields of industry.

　　D) Because shift work in industry requires people to change their sleeping habits.

　　37. The main problem of the round – the – clock working system lies in

　　A) the inconveniences brought about to the workers by the introduction of automation

　　B) the disturbance of the daily life cycle of workers who have to change shifts too frequently

　　C) the fact that people working at night are often less effective

　　D) the fact that it is difficult to find a number of good night workers

　　38. The best solution for implementing the 24 – hour working system seems to be

　　A) to change shifts at longer intervals

　　B) to have longer shifts

　　C) to arrange for some people to work on night shifts only

　　D) to create better living conditions for night workers

　　39. It is possible to find out if a person has adapted to the changes of routine by measuring his

　　body temperature because

　　A) body temperature changes when the cycle of sleep and wakefulness altermates

　　B) body temperature changes when he changes to night shift or back

　　C) the temperature reverses when the routine is changed

　　D) people have higher temperatures when they are working efficiently

　　40. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?

　　A) Body temperature may serve as an indication of a worker’s performance.

　　B) The selection of a number of permanent night shift workers has proved to be the best solution to problems of the round- the – clock working system.

　　C) Taking body temperature at regular intervals can show how a person adapts to the changes of routine.

　　D) Disturbed sleep occurs less frequently among those on permanent night or day shifts.

21. D 22. B 23. C 24. B 25. B 26. C 27. C 28. A 29. A 30. A 31. D 32. D 33. C 34. A 35. A 36. D 37. B 38. C 39. D 40. B

Part I Writing (30 minutes)

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled On the Importance of a Name. you shuold write at least 150 words following the outline given below.

1. 有人说名字或名称很重要

2. 也有人觉得名字或名称无关紧要

3. 我认为

On the Importance of a Name

Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Read the rest of this entry »

　　1996年6月大学英语六级(CET-6)真题试卷

　　Part I Listening comprehension (20 minutes)

　　Section A

　　Directions: In this section, you will hear 10 short conversations. At the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the question 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 is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

　　1. A) To change the tennis shoes in the sportswear department.

　　B) To help his friend find the right department.

　　C) To find his lost shoes on the tennis court.

　　D) To buy himself a pair of tennis shoes.

　　2. A) They produce part of their own food.

　　B) They sell their own produce.

　　C) They feed their family on cheap food.

　　D) They buy food from farmers.

　　3. A) Mr. White’s reason for leaving.

　　B) Mr. White’s new appointment.

　　C) A vacant position.

　　D) How to apply for a job.

　　4. A) Be hostile to Nancy.

　　B) Ask Nancy to come out.

　　C) Talk to Nancy herself.

　　D) Write Nancy a letter.

　　5. A) To serve as her tour guide.

　　B) To serve as her bodyguard.

　　C) To serve as her driver.

　　D) To serve as her porter.

　　6. A) He is often asked to go and see exhibits.

　　B) He would like to go and see the exhibit.

　　C) He went to see the exhibit last year.

　　D) He definitely does not want to go.

　　7. A) The environmental problem.

　　B) The health problem.

　　C) The educational problem.

　　D) The international problem.

　　8. A) Bob will see Susan tomorrow evening.

　　B) Bob might be at home late tomorrow evening.

　　C) Bob and Susan have decided to go on a holiday.

　　D) Bob asked the woman to come another time.

　　9. A) They think cinemas are too far away from their homes.

　　B) They are disappointed with the films produced these days.

　　C) They both dislike films about adventure stories.

　　D) They both like the idea of going to the cinema at night.

　　10. 见附图1

　　Section B

　　Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

　　Passage One

　　Questions 11 to 14 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　11. A) Because he was a cook at a country-music club.

　　B) Because he performed for guests while he worked as a cook.

　　C) Because he often sang while cooking.

　　D) Because he liked singing better than cooking.

　　12. A) His brother.

　　B) His manager.

　　C) His father.

　　D) A businesswoman.

　　13. A) At a club.

　　B) On a farm.

　　C) At a construction site.

　　D) In a record company.

　　14. A) His ability to live independently.

　　B) His sense of responsibility in whatever he did.

　　C) His courage in the face of rejections.

　　D) His hard work in his early days.

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 15 to 17 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　15. A) How to handle spiders.

　　B) Spiders in the United States.

　　C) People’s fear of spiders.

　　D) A special kind of spider.

　　16. A) Most spiders will not bite even when handled.

　　B) Most spiders are poisonous and dangerous.

　　C) Most spiders are likely to attack people.

　　D) Most spiders have sharp eyes.

　　17. A) Because she cannot find a husband for herself.

　　B) Because the female spider is larger than the male one.

　　C) Because the female spider often eats her husband.

　　D) Because she is a black female spider.

　　Passage Three

　　Questions 18 to 20 are be on the passage you have just heard

　　18. A) Instructions.

　　B) Medicine.

　　C) Money.

　　D) The draft of his speech.

　　19. A) Because she had to type Mr. Bascomb’s speech.

　　B) Because she had a headache.

　　C) Because she had to meet some businessmen.

　　D) Because she had to get her car fixed.

　　20. A) The problem of the city.

　　B) Himself and his problems.

　　C) Things he had planned to say to his audience.

　　D) The plan for his future work as mayor.