2010年12月大学英语六级考试全真预测试题

　　Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.

　　Education is a long process that not only provides us with basic skills such as literacy and numeracy, but is also essential in shaping our future lives. From the moment we enter 47 as small children, and as we progress through primary and secondary education, we are laying the foundation for the life ahead of us. We must 48 ourselves to work hard so that we can pass exams and gain the qualifications we will need to 49 a good job. We must also acquire 50 life skills so that we can fit in and work with those around us. And of course health education helps us to understand how we can stay 51 and healthy.

　　For most people, this process ends when they are in their mid-to-late teens. For others, however, it is the beginning of a(n) 52 of learning. After they finish school, many progress to 53 education where they will learn more useful skills such as computer li teracy or basic business management. Others will enroll in a program of 54 education at a university where, with hard work, they will have the opportunity to graduate after three or four years with a well-earned degree. After that, they may work for a while before 55 to study for a higher degree—an M.A., for example, or a PhD. And if they live a long way from a college or university, they might follow a correspondence course using mail and the Internet. In fact, it is 56 due to the proliferation of computers that many people, who have not been near a school for many years, have started to study again and can proudly class themselves as mature students.

　　[A] changing [I] discipline

　　[B] secure [J] fit

　　[C] longer [K] opting

　　[D] kindergarten [L] school

　　[E] higher [M] valuable

　　[F] lifetime [N] heavily

　　[G] deepen [O] further

　　[H] largely

　　Section B

　　Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center.

　　Passage One

　　Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

　　The Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday that it is trying to track down as many as 386 piglets that may have been genetically engineered and wrongfully sold into the U.S. food supply.

　　The focus of the FDA investigation is on pigs raised by researchers at the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign. They engineered the animals with two genes: one is a cow gene that increases milk production in the sow; the other, a synthetic gene, makes the milk easier for piglets to digest. The goal was to raise bigger pigs faster.

　　There has been no evidence that either genetically altered plants or animals actually trigger human illness, but critics warn that potential side effects remain unknown. University officials say their tests showed the piglets were not born with the altered genes, but FDA rules require even the offspring of genetically engineered animals to be destroyed so they won't get into the food supply.

　　The FDA, in a quickly arranged news conference on Wednesday prompted by inquiries by USA TODAY, said the University of Illinois would face possible sanctions and fines for selling the piglets to a livestock broker, who in turn sold them to processing plants.

　　Both the FDA and the university say the pigs that entered the market do not pose a risk to consumers. But the investigation follows action by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in December to fine a Texas company that contaminated 500,000 bushels of soybeans with corn that had been genetically altered to produce a vaccine for pigs.

　　Critics see such cases as evidence of the need for more government oversight of a burgeoning(新兴的)area of scientific research. "This is a small incident, but it's incidents like this that could destroy consumer confidence and export confidence," says Stephanie Childs of the Grocery Manufacturers of America. "We already have Europe shaky on biotech. The countries to which we export are going to look at this."

　　The University of Illinois says it tested the DNA of every piglet eight times to make sure that the animal hadn't inherited the genetic engineering of its mother. Those piglets that did were put back into the study. Those that didn't were sold to the pig broker. "Any pig that was tested negative for the genes since 1999 has been sent off to market," says Charles Zukoski, vice chancellor for research.

　　But FDA deputy commissioner Lester Crawford says that under the terms of the university's agreement with the FDA, the researchers were forbidden to remove the piglets without FDA approval. "The University of Illinois failed to check with FDA to see whether or not the animals could be sold on the open market. And they were not to be used under any circumstance for food."

　　The FDA is responsible for regulating and overseeing transgenic animals because such genetic manipulation is considered an unapproved animal drug.