新东方：2008年12月英语六级考试模拟冲刺试卷

　　56. We learn from the first paragraph that _______.

　　A ) offering senior citizens discounts has become routine commercial practice

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

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

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

　　57. What assumption lies behind the practice of senior citizen discounts?

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

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

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

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

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

　　A ) make old people even more dependent on society

　　B ) intensify conflicts between the young and the old

　　C ) have adverse financial impact on business companies

　　D ) bring a marked increase in the companies’ revenues

　　59. How does the author view the Social Security system?

　　A ) It encourages elderly people to retire in time.

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

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

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

　　60. Which of the following best summarizes the author’s main argument?

　　A ) Senior citizens should fight hard against age discrimination.

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

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

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

　　Part V Cloze (15 minutes)

　　Directions: There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D) on the right side of the paper. You should choose the ONE that best fits into the passage. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

　　The homeless make up a growing percentage of American’s population. ___61__, homelessness has reached such proportions that local governments can’t possibly ___62___. To help homeless people ___63___independence, the federal government must support job training programs, ___64___the minimum wage, and fund more low-cost housing.

　　___65___everyone agrees on the number of Americans who are homeless. Estimates __66___ anywhere from 600000 to 3 million. ____67___ the figure may vary, analysts do agree on another matter: that the number of the homeless is ___68___. One of the federal government’s studies ___69__ that the number of the homeless will reach nearly 19 million by the end of this decade.

　　Finding ways to ___70__this growing homeless population has become increasingly difficult.

　　___71__when homeless individuals manage to find a ___72___that will give them three meals a day and a place to sleep at night, a good number still spend the bulk of each day __73__the street. Part of the problem is that many homeless adults are addicted to alcohol or drugs. And a significant number of the homeless have serious mental disorders. Many others, __74__ not addicted or mentally ill, simply lack the everyday __75__ skills needed to turn their lives__76__. Boston globe reporter Chris reidy notes that the situation will improve only when there are __77__ programs that address the many needs of the homeless. __78__Edward Zlotkoski, director of community service at Bentley college in Massachusetts, __79__it , “ there has to be__80__of programs. What’s needed is a package deal.