星火：2008年12月英语六级考试预测试题

　　Section B

　　Passage One

　　Jim Thorpe was an American Indian, born on May 28, 1888 in Oklahoma.(26) When he had his education at the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania,his athletic coach considered him a splendid athlete and encouraged him to concentrate on sports. From then on, Thorpe participated in almost every aspect of athletics. Whenever he competed in any event, he easily won first place.

　　In the years that followed, he took part in football games against such renowned teams as Harvard and West Point. Thorpe again and again brought his team to victory. In 1912 he was invited to compete in the Olympic Games in Stockholm. There he excelled in several tack events and was presented with first place gold medals. He was the first athlete to capture first place awards in so many track events.

　　When Thorpe returned home from the Olympic Games,(27)he was welcomed with parades and celebration. The president called him the highest type of citizen.(28)However, this was all short-lived because it was found out that at one time Thorpe had been a professional athlete. Since an athlete must be an amateur in order to participate in the Olympic Games, Thorpe did not qualify. Therefore, all of his medals were taken away from him.

　　In later years, Thorpe played baseball and football professionally. His admirers often tried to have his medals returned to him, but in vain. Thorpe died a lonely man in California on May 28, 1953.Today, as always, many still believe Thorpe was the best athlete that ever lived.

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

　　26. Where was Thorpe’s athletic talent discovered?

　　C)。【解析】四个选项都是表示地点的状语，由此可以推测，本题的内容可能跟某件事情发生的地点有关。

　　早在Thorpe还在Carlisle Indian School上学的时候(had his education at the Carlisle Indian School)，他的体育教练(athletic coach)就发现了他卓越的运动才能(splendid athlete)，并鼓励他专心从事运动(concentrate on sports)。故正确答案为C)。

　　27. How did American people receive Thorpe when he came back from Stockholm in 1912?

　　B)。【解析】四个选项都是They开头，都是对待某人的态度，由此可以推测，本题的内容可能是关于一些人怎么对待某个人的。 当Thorpe 1912年从Stockholm回来的时候，美国人民为他举行了游行(parades)和庆祝(celebration)。故正确答案为B)。

　　28. Why were Thorpe’s medals taken away from him?

　　D)。【解析】四个选项都是Because开头的，由此可以推测，本题的内容是关于某件事情发生的原因。按照当时的规则，参加奥林匹克运动会的运动员必须是业余选手(an amateur)，Thorpe曾经是职业选手(professional athlete)，这并不符合规定，所以他的奖牌被收回(taken away)。故正确答案为D)。

　　Passage Two

　　About three hundred words in the English language come from the names of people. Many of these words are technical words. When there is a new invention of discovery, a new word may be coined after the inventor or scientist.

　　It is interesting to observe how many common English words have found their way into the language from the names of people. For example, “sandwich”, you may eat everyday. Lord Sandwich who lived from 1718 to 1792 used to sit at the gambling table eating slices of bread with meat in between. This kind of eating tastes delicious.(29)As the Lord was the only one among his friends who ate bread in that way, his friends began to call the“bread-Sandwich”for fun. Later on the word became part of the English language.

　　The word “boycott” means to refuse to have anything to do with somebody or something. This word is another example. The word comes from a man called Captain Boycott. He was a land agent in 1880 and he collected rents and taxes for an English landowner in Ireland.(30)But the Captain was a very harsh man. He treated his poor tenants very badly. His tenants decided not to speak to him at all. (31)Eventually word got back to the landowner and the Captain was removed. The word “boycott” became popular and was used by everyone to mean the kind of treatment that was received by Captain Boycott.

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

　　29. Who coined the word “sandwich”?

　　【解析】C)。四个选项都是关于人物的词，由此可以推测，本题内容与人物有关。 由于Lord Sandwich是他的朋友里面唯一一个那样吃面包的人(only one among his friends who ate bread in that way)，他的朋友们开始叫这种食物“bread-Sandwich”(Sandwich面包)。可见最初使用sandwich这个词的人是Lord Sandwich的朋友们。

　　30. What didn’t the tenants like?

　　【解析】B)。四个选项中有两个是不定式，有两个是人物身份，由此可以推测，本题的内容可能与人物的态度有关系。佃农们都不喜欢Boycott，因为他对待佃农的态度很差(treated his poor tenants very badly)，佃农们于是决定不和他说话(not to speak to him)。故正确答案为B)。

　　31. What did the landowner do when he found out that the tenants were boycotting his agent?

　　【解析】A)。四个选项都是He开头描述某人的行动，由此可以推测，本题的内容是关于某个人采取的行动。 当地主发现佃农抵制Captain Boycott后，地主就把他换掉了(the Captain was removed)，故正确答案为A)。