考试吧恩波：2008年12月六级预测试卷及解析(四)

　　Passage Three

　　The Gobi Desert in Asia is one of the largest desert areas in the world. It stretches across most of Mongolia and the north of China. It is shut in by mountains to the north, south and west. In summer, it is very hot during the day, but at night the temperature falls steeply. In winter, it is very cold and there are snowstorms.

　　There is very little water in the Gobi Desert. It rains very little and there are just a few streams and no big rivers at all. Most of the area is bare rock. In summer, a little coarse grass and some thorny bushes grow there. In some places, there is just enough grass to feed a few sheep, horses and camels.

　　About 1,300 years ago, a young Chinese traveler set out to cross the desert. His name was Hsuan-Tsang and he was just 19 years old. His friends and the guide all turned back. They did not want to risk crossing the desert. So Hsuan-Tsang went on alone. He rode a horse which had crossed the desert many times before.

　　Hsuan-Tsang tried to follow the tracks of camels and other animals. He was in danger of losing his way. Several times he nearly died of thirst. Once he went for five days without water before he was saved by a sudden shower. Once, he was saved by his horse. It refused to go the way Hsuan-Tsang wanted and took him to a pool of water.

　　Sixteen years later, Hsuan-Tsang went back to China across the desert.

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

　　32. What is the weather like in the Gobi Desert in summer?

　　33. What do we learn about the Gobi Desert from the passage?

　　34. How did Hsuan-Tsang manage to find his way in the desert?

　　35. How old was Hsuan-Tsang when he came back to China across the desert?

　　Section C

　　Dustmen have one of the most important jobs in the world, and when there are no dustmen to take away the rubbish the general public soon becomes (36) aware that something is wrong.

　　Recently, the dustmen of England went on strike for higher (37) wages. It was reported that thousands of dustmen refused to work because they were often overworked and underpaid. Many dustmen (38) complained that their living conditions were (39) unbearable and asked for welfare improvement. During the first few days it was regarded as a joke.For some reason, jokes have always been made about dustmen, and some people thought this strike was very (40) amusing.But when the first two weeks had passed, and the dustbins were (41) overflowing in nearly every (42) backyard in the country, the joke did not seem so (43) funny any more.As the strike continued, people could not bear the accumulation of rubbish around their dustbins, and they looked for other places in which to get rid of it. Even Leicester Square was piled high with plastic sacks full of smelly rubbish.(44) This was a tourist attraction that the people of London were not at all happy to see.Even when the strike was over, (45) it took several weeks for the country to get cleaned up completely, as so much rubbish had accumulated; perhaps now (46) the English people appreciated the work of their dustmen rather more highly and won’t take them for granted any more.

　　Part ⅣReading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)

　　47. 【答案】anyone

　　【解析】根据文章第一句“Dog training is a business for some people, a serious hobby for others, and once-in-a-lifetime experience for many.”可知此处作者是在泛指任何人。

　　48. 【答案】consistency

　　【解析】根据文章第一段第二句“Individuals in all… in this venture from the beginning.(在所有这些范畴的人可能都会注意：从一开始，一致性就是尝试成功的关键。)”可得出答案。

　　49. 【答案】be socialized

　　【解析】根据文章第二段第一句“If puppies are to be socialized, they must learn to control the impulse to use the carpet as a bathroom, chew shoes, and nip at fingers.”可以得到本题的答案。

　　50. 【答案】He will not understand what he has done wrong.

　　【解析】根据第四段最后一句“A puppy who is punished several hours after he has chewed the rug will not understand what he has done wrong.”可以得到答案。

　　51. 【答案】a firm tone of voice

　　【解析】根据文章倒数第二段第三句“Since they are usually anxious to please, most dogs are duly chastised by harsh words and tone of voice.”可知多数狗可以用严厉的话和声调来惩罚。