[NextPage2007年新东方大学英语六级讲义(阅读部分)1]
新东方在线六级阅读电子教材
主讲：张登
第一部分 阅读理解全真题
Unit 1
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
What has the telephone done to us, or for us, in the hundred years of its existence? A few effects suggest themselves at once. It has saved lives by getting rapid word of illness, injury, or fire from remote places. By joining with the elevator to make possible the multi-story residence or office building, it has made possible — for better or worse — the modern city. By bringing about a great leap in the speed and ease with which information moves from place to place, it has greatly accelerated the rate of scientific and technological changes and growth in industry. Beyond doubt it has seriously weakened if not killed the ancient art of letter writing. It has made living alone possible for persons with normal
; by so doing, it has played a role in one of the greatest social changes of this century, the breakup of the multi-generational household. It has made the war chillingly more efficient than formerly. Perhaps, though not provably (可证实)，it has prevented wars that might have arisen out of international misunderstanding caused by written communication. Or perhaps — again not provably — by magnifying and extending irrational personal conflicts based on voice contact, it has caused wars. Certainly it has extended the scope of human conflicts, since it impartially disseminates (传播) the useful knowledge of scientists and the nonsense of the ignorant, the affection of the affectionate and the malice (恶意) of the malicious.
21. What is the main idea of this passage?
A) The telephone has helped to save people from illness and fire.
B) The telephone has helped to prevent wars and conflicts.
C) The telephone has made the modern city neither better nor worse.
D) The telephone has had positive as well as negative effects on us.
22. According to the passage, it is the telephone that .
A) has made letter writing an art
B) has prevented wars by avoiding written communication
C) has made the world different from what it was
D) has caused wars by magnifying and extending human conflicts
23. The telephone has intensified conflicts among people because .
A) it increases the danger of war
B) it provides services to both the good and the malicious
C) it makes distant communication easier
D) it breaks up the multi-generational household
24. The author describes the telephone as impartial because it .
A) saves lives of people in remote places
B) enables people to live alone if they want to
C) spreads both love and ill will
D) replaces much written communication
25. The writer's attitude towards the use of the telephone is .
A) affectionate C) approving
B) disapproving D) neutral
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
To say that the child learns by imitation and that the way to teach is to set a good example oversimplifies. No child imitates every action he sees. Sometimes, the example the parent wants him to follow is ignored while he takes over contrary patterns from some other example. Therefore we must turn to a more subtle theory than “Monkey see, monkey do.”
Look at it from the child's point of view. Here he is in a new situation, lacking a ready response. He is seeking a response which will gain certain ends. If he lacks a ready response for the situation, and cannot reason out what to do, he observes a model who seems able to get the right result. The child looks for an authority or expert who can show what to do.
There is a second element at work in this situation. The child may be able to attain his immediate goal only to find that his method brings criticism from people who observe him. When shouting across the house achieves his immediate end of delivering a message, he is told emphatically that such a racket(叫嚷) is unpleasant, that he should walk into the next room and say his say quietly. Thus, the desire to solve any objective situation is overlaid with the desire to solve it properly. One of the early things the child learns is that he gets more affection and approval when his parents like his response. Then other adults reward some actions and criticize others. If one is to maintain the support of others and his own self-respect, he must adopt responses his social group approves.
In finding trial responses, the learner does not choose models at random. He imitates the person who seems a good person to be like, rather than a person whose social status he wishes to avoid. If the pupil wants to be a good violinist, he will observe and try to copy the techniques of capable players; while some other person may most influence his approach to books.
Admiration of one quality often leads us to admire a person as a whole, and he becomes an identifying figure. We use some people as models over a wide range of situations, imitating much that they do. We learn that they are dependable and rewarding models because imitating them leads to success.
26. The statement that children learn by imitation is incomplete because .
A) they only imitate authorities and experts
B) they are not willing to copy their parents
C) the process of identification has been ignored
D) the nature of their imitation as a form of behaviour has been neglected
27. For a child the first element in his learning by imitation is .
A) the need to find an authority
B) the need to find a way to achieve the desired result
C) the need for more affection from his parents
D) the desire to meet the standards of his social group
28. Apart from achieving his desired results, a child should also learn to .
A) behave properly C) show his affection for his parents
B) attain his goal as soon as possible D) talk quietly
29. Children tend to imitate their models .
A) who do not criticize them
B) who bring them unexpected rewards
C) whom they want to be like
D) whose social status is high
30. “An identifying figure”(Line 2, Para. 5) refers to a person .
A) who serves as a model for others
B) who is always successful
C) who can be depended upon
D) who has been rewarded for his success
Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
When imaginative men turn their eyes towards space and wonder whether life exist in any part of it, they may cheer themselves by remembering that life need not resemble closely the life that exists on Earth. Mars looks like the only planet where life like ours could exist, and even this is doubtful. But there may be other kinds of life based on other kinds of chemistry, and they may multiply on Venus or Jupiter. At least we cannot prove at present that they do not.
Even more interesting is the possibility that life on their planets may be in a more advanced stage of evolution. Present-day man is in a peculiar and probably temporary stage. His individual units retain a strong sense of personality. They are, in fact, still capable under favorable circumstances of leading individual lives. But man's societies are already sufficiently developed to have enormously more power and effectiveness than the individuals have.
It is not likely that this transitional situation will continue very long on the evolutionary time scale. Fifty thousand years from now man's societies may have become so close-knit that the individuals retain no sense of separate personality. Then little distinction will remain between the organic parts of the multiple organism and the inorganic parts (machines) that have been constructed by it. A million years further on man and his machines may have merged as closely as the muscles of the human body and the nerve cells that set them in motion.
The explorers of space should be prepared for some such situation. If they arrive on a foreign planet that has reached an advanced stage (and this is by no means impossible), they may find it being inhabited by a single large organism composed of many closely cooperating units.
The units may be “secondary” — machines created millions of years ago by a previous form of life and given the will and ability to survive and reproduce. They may be built entirely of metals and other durable materials. If this is the case, they may be much more tolerant of their environment, multiplying under conditions that would destroy immediately any organism made of carbon compounds and dependent on the familiar carbon cycle.
Such creatures might be relics(遗物) of a past age, many millions of years ago, when their planet was favorable to the origin of life, or they might be immigrants from a favored planet.
31. What does the word “cheer” (Line 2, Para. 1) imply?
A) Imaginative men are sure of success in finding life on other planets.
B) Imaginative men are delighted to find life on other planets.
C) Imaginative men are happy to find a different kind of life existing on other planets.
D) Imaginative men can be pleased with the idea that there might exist different forms of life on other planets.
32. Humans on Earth today are characterized by .
A) their existence as free and separate beings
B) their capability of living under favorable conditions
C) their great power and effectiveness
D) their strong desire for living in a close-knit society
33. According to this passage, some people believe that eventually .
A) human societies will be much more cooperative
B) man will live in a highly organized world
C) machines will replace man
D) living beings will disappear from Earth
34. Even most imaginative people have to admit that .
A) human societies are as advanced as those on some other planets
B) planets other than Earth are not suitable for life like ours to stay
C) it is difficult to distinguish between organic parts and inorganic parts of the human body
D) organism are more creative than machines
35. It seems that the writer .
A) is interested in the imaginary life forms
B) is eager to find a different form of life
C) is certain of the existence of a new life form
D) is critical of the imaginative people
Passage Four
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
The American baby boom after the war made unconvincing U.S. advice to poor countries that they restrain their births. However, there has hardly been a year since 1957 in which birth rates have not fallen in the United States and other rich countries, and in 1976 the fall was especially sharp. Both East Germany and West Germany have fewer births than they have deaths, and the United States is only temporarily able to avoid this condition because the children of the baby boom are now an exceptionally large group of married couples.
It is true that Americans do not typically plan their births to set an example for developing nations. We are more affected by women's liberation: once women see interesting and well-paid jobs and careers available, they are less willing to provide free labor for child raising. From costing nothing, children suddenly come to seem impossibly expensive. And to the high cost of children are added the uncertainties introduced by divorce; couples are increasingly unwilling to subject children to the terrible experience of marital (婚姻的) breakdown and themselves to the difficulty of raising a child alone.
These circumstances — women working outside the home and the instability of marriage — tend to spread with industrial society and they will affect more and more countries during the remainder of this century. Along with them goes social mobility, ambition to rise in the urban world, a main factor in bringing down the births in Europe in the nineteenth century.
Food shortage will happen again when the reserves resulting from the good harvests of 1976 and 1977 have been consumed. Urbanization is likely to continue, with the cities of the developing nations struggling under the weight of twice their present populations by the year 2000. The presently rich countries are approaching a stable population largely because of the changed place of women, and they incidentally are setting an example of restraint to the rest of the world. Industrial society will spread to the poor countries, and aspirations (渴望) will exceed resources. All this will lead to a population in the twenty-first century that is smaller than was feared a few years ago. For those anxious to see world population brought under control the news is encouraging.
36. During the years from 1957 to 1976, the birth rate of the United States .
A) increased C) experienced both falls and rises
B) was reduced D) remained stable
37. What influences the birth rate most in the United States is .
A) highly paid jobs C) expenses of child raising
B) women's desire for independence D) high divorce rate
38. The sentence “From costing nothing, children suddenly come to seem impossibly expensive.” (Line 4, Para. 2) implies that .
A) food and clothing for babies are becoming incredibly expensive
B) prices are going up dramatically all the time
C) to raise children women have to give up interesting and well-paid jobs
D) social development has made child-raising inexpensive
39. A chief factor in bringing down the births in Europe in the 19th century is .
A) birth control C) the instability of marriage
B) the desire to seek fortune in cities D) the changed place of women
40. The population in the 21st century, according to the writer, .
A) will be smaller than a few years ago
B) will not be as small as people expect
C) will prove to be a threat to the world
D) will not constitute as serious a problem as expected
[NextPage2007年新东方大学英语六级讲义(阅读部分)2]
Unit 2
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 reading passages in this part. 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Questions 21 to 24 are based on the following passage:
Automation refers to the introduction of electronic control and automatic operation of productive machinery. It reduces the human factors, mental and physical in production, and is designed 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 employment, 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
, maintaining, 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. Also, 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 never doubts 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”(Para. 3, Line 8) implies roughly .
A) wages should be paid on the basis of length of service
B) the benefit of the 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) 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.
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 responsible 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 numerous, and more obvious. College graduates are selling shoes and driving taxis; college students interfere with each other's experiments and writes 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 completion 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 successful 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 author, .
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 for intelligent people
C) the less schooling one has the better it is for him
D) most people have sweet memories of college life
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 requiring intellectual and technical skills. Indeed, two things have characterized 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 oldest child of the Industrial Revolution, has been losing in numerical importance despite the expansion of industrial production.
Yet you will find 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 abilities or professional knowledge.
31. It is implied that fifty years ago .
A) eighty per cent of American working people were employed in factories
B) twenty per cent of American intellectuals were employees
C) the percentage of intellectuals in the total work force was almost the same as that of industrial workers
D) the percentage of intellectuals working as employees was not so large as that of industrial 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” (Para. 2, Line 2) most probably means .
A) valuable C) doubtful
B) useful 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 C) to solve technical problems
B) to be more specialized in his field D) to develop his professional skill
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 alternating 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 adapted 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 reversed routine, and this could be used as a basis for selection. So far, however, such a form of selection 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” no mere academic one?
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 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 employ people who 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 alternates
B) body temperature changes when he changes to night shift or back
C) the temperature reverses when the routines 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 t he 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.
[NextPage2007年新东方大学英语六级讲义(阅读部分)3]
Unit 3
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 reading passages in this part. 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
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 your parents, into doing things the way 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 C) teenagers
B) newspaper readers D) those who give advice to 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 irritate their parents
B) have a strong desire to be leaders in style and taste
C) have no other way to enjoy themselves better
D) want to show their existence by creating a culture of their own
24. Teenagers do not want their parents to approve of whatever they do because they .
A) have a desire to be independent
B) feel that they are superior in a small way to the adults
C) are not likely to win over the adults
D) have already been accepted into the adult world
25. To improve parent-child relationships, teenagers are advised to be .
A) obedient C) independent
B) responsible D) co-operative
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 wide-spread 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 in 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) Despite the abundance, food prices keep rising.
C) Britain is importing less food.
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) imported food is driving prices higher
C) domestic food production has decreased
D) the government is providing less support for agriculture
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 whether foreign markets could be found for their produce.
D) Because the older generation of farmers were strongly against the programme.
29. The decrease in world food prices 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) It looks depressing despite government guarantees .
B) An expansion of food production was at hand.
C) British food producers would receive more government financial support.
D) The fall in world food prices would benefit British food producers.
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 illuminating 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 be wildering 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 help people to make the right choice in advance
C) will produce results which cannot be foreseen
D) will bring about disturbing results
32. It can be inferred from the passage that scientists of the 18th century .
A) knew that they were ignorant and wanted to know more about nature
B) were afraid of facing up to the realities of scientific research
C) thought that they knew a great deal and could solve most problems of science
D) did more harm than good in promoting man's understanding of nature
33. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about 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 confident though he is aware of the enormous difficulties in scientific research.
B) He is doubtful because of the enormous difficulties in scientific research.
C) He is depressed because of the ignorance of scientists.
D) He is delighted because of the illuminating scientific findings.
35. The author believes that .
A) man can not solve all the problems he can think up because of the limits of human intellect
B) man can find solutions sooner or later to whatever questions concerning nature he can think up
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 lectureor 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 green space 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 green spaces in the urban environment .
A) is still unknown C) is being closely studied
B) has been fully recognized D) is usually neglected
37. The theoretical separation of living, working, traffic and recreation has led to .
A) the disproportion of recreation facilities in the neighbourhood
B) the improvement of recreative possibilities in the neighbourhood
C) relatively little attention for recreative possibilities
D) the location of recreation facilities far from home
38. The author suggests that the recreative possibilities of greenspace should be provided .
A) in the neighbourhood of the house C) in special areas
B) in the suburbs D) in gardens and parks
39. According to the author, greenspace facilitties should be designed in such a way that .
A) an increasing number of recreative activities might be developed
B) more and more people might have access to them
C) more obligatory activities might take on a recreative aspect
D) recreative activities might be brought into our homes
40. The main idea of this passage is that .
A) attention must be directed to the improvement of recreative possibilities
B) better use of greenspace facilities should be made so as to improve the quality of our life
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
[NextPage2007年新东方大学英语六级讲义(阅读部分)4]
Unit 4
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 reading passages in this part. 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
“There is a senseless notion that children grow up and leave home when they're 18, and the truth is far from that,” says sociologist Larry Bumpass of the University of Wisconsin. Today, unexpected numbers of young adults are living with their parents.“There is a major shift in the middle class,”declares sociologist Allan Schnaiberg of Northwestern University, whose son, 19, moved back in after an absence of eight months.
Analysts cite a variety of reasons for this return to the nest. The marriage age is rising, a condition that makes home and its pleasantness particularly attractive to young people. A high divorce rate and a declining remarriage rate are sending economically pressed and emotionally hurt survivors back to parental shelters. For some, the expense of an away-from-home college education has become so excessively great that many
attend local schools. Even after graduation, young people find their wings clipped by skyrocketing housing costs.
Living at home, says Knighton, a school teacher, continues to give her security and moral support. Her mother agreed,“It's ridiculous for the kids to pay all that money for rent. It makes sense for kids to stay at home.” But sharing the family home requires adjustments for all. There are the hassles over bathrooms, telephones and privacy. Some families, however, manage the delicate balancing act. But for others, it proves too difficult. Michelle Del Turco, 24, has been home three times — and left three times. “What I considered a social drink, my dad considered an alcohol problem,” she explains. “He never liked anyone I dated, so I either had to hide away or meet them at friends' houses.”
Just how long should adult children live with their parents before moving on? Most psychologists feel lengthy homecomings are a mistake. Children struggling to establish separate identities, can end up with “a sense of inadequacy, defeat and failure.” And aging parents, who should be enjoying some financial and personal freedom, find themselves stuck with responsibilities. Many agree that brief visits, however, can work beneficially.
21. According to the author, there was once a trend in the U.S. .
A) for middle class young adults to stay with their parents
B) for young adults to leave their parents and live independently
C) for married young adults to move back home after a lengthy absence
D) for young adults to get jobs nearby in order to live with their parents
22. Which of the following does not account for young adults returning to the nest?
A) Young adults find housing costs too high.
B) Quite a number of young adults attend local schools.
C) Young adults seek parental comfort and moral support.
D) Young adults are psychologically and intellectually immature.
23. One of the disadvantages of young adults returning to stay with their parents is that .
A) the young adults tend to be overprotected by their parents
B) most parents find it difficult to keep a bigger family going
C) there will inevitably be inconveniences in everyday life
D) public opinion is against young adults staying with their parents
24. The word “hassles” in the passage (Para. 3, Line 4) probably means .
A) quarrels C) disadvantages
B) worries D) agreements
25. According to the passage what is the best for both parents and children?
A) They should adjust themselves to sharing the family expenses.
B) Children should leave their parents when they are grown up.
C) Adult children should visit their parents from time to time.
D) Parents should support their adult children when they are in trouble.
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
The word conservation has a thrifty (节俭) meaning. To conserve is to save and protect, to leave what we ourselves enjoy in such good condition that others may also share the enjoyment. Our forefathers had no idea that human population would increase faster than the supplies of raw materials; most of them, even until very recently, had the foolish idea that the treasures were “limitless” and “inexhaustible”. Most of the citizens of earlier generations knew little or nothing about the complicated and delicate system that runs all through nature, and which means that, as in a living body, an unhealthy condition of one part will sooner or later be harmful to all the others.
Fifty years ago nature study was not part of the school work; scientific forestry was a new idea; timber was still cheap because it could be brought in any quantity from distant woodlands; soil destruction and river floods were not national problems; nobody had yet studied long-term climatic cycles in relation to proper land use; even the word “conservation” had nothing of the meaning that it has for us today.
For the sake of ourselves and those who will come after us, we must now set about repairing the mistakes of our forefathers. Conservation should, therefore, be made a part of everyone's daily life. To know about the water table (水位) in the ground is just as important to us as a knowledge of the basic arithmetic formulas. We need to know why all watersheds (上游源头森林地带集水区) need the protection of plant life and why the running current of streams and rivers must be made to yield their full benefit to the soil before they finally escape to the sea. We need to betaught the duty of planting trees as well as of cutting them. We need to know the importance of big, mature trees, because living space for most of man's fellow creatures on this planet is figured not only in square measure of surface but also in cubic volume above the earth. In brief, it should be our goal to restore as much of the original beauty of nature as we can.
26. The author's attitude towards the current situation in the exploitation of natural resources is .
A) critical C) positive
B) neutral D) suspicious
27. According to the author, the greatest mistake of our forefathers was that .
A) they had no idea about scientific forestry
B) they were not aware of the significance of nature study
C) they had little or no sense of environmental protection
D) they had no idea of how to make good use of raw materials
28. It can be inferred from the third paragraph that earlier generations didn't realize .
A) the importance of the proper use of land
B) the value of the beauty of nature
C) the harmfulness of soil destruction and river floods
D) the interdependence of water, soil, and living things
29. To avoid the mistakes of our forefathers, the author suggests that .
A) we plant more trees
B) we return to nature
C) natural sciences be taught to everybody
D) environmental education be directed toward everyone
30. What does the author imply by saying “living space...is figured...also in cubic volume above the earth” (Para. 3, Lines 8-10)?
A) We need to take some measures to protect space.
B) Our living space should be measured in cubic volume.
C) Our living space on the earth is getting smaller and smaller.
D) We must preserve good living conditions for both birds and animals.
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
Judging from recent surveys, most experts in sleep behavior agree that there is virtually an epidemic (流行病) of sleepiness in the nation. “I can't think of a single study that hasn't found Americans getting less sleep than they ought to,”says Dr. David. Even people who think they are sleeping enough would probably be better off with more rest.
The beginning of our sleep-deficit (睡眠不足) crisis can be traced to the invention of the light bulb a century ago. From diary entries and other personal accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries, sleep scientists have reached the conclusion that the average person used to sleep about 9.5 hours a night. “The best sleep habits once were forced on us, when we had nothing to do in the evening down on the farm, and it was dark.” By the 1950s and 1960s, that sleep schedule had been reduced dramatically, to between 7.5 and eight hours, and most people had to wake to an alarm clock. “People cheat on their sleep, and they don't even realize they're doing it,” says Dr. David. “They think they're okey because they can get by on 6.5 hours, when they really need 7.5, eight or even more to feel ideally vigorous.”
Perhaps the most merciless robber of sleep, researchers say, is the complexity of the day. Whenever pressures from work, family, friends and community mount, many people consider sleep the least expensive item on his programme. “In our society, you're considered dynamic if you say you only need 5.5 hours' sleep. If you've got to get 8.5 hours, people think you lack drive and ambition.”
To determine the consequences of sleep deficit, researchers have put subjects through a set of psychological and performance tests requiring them, for instance, to add columns of numbers or recall a passage read to them only minutes earlier. “We've found that if you're in sleep deficit, performance suffers,” says Dr.David. “Short-term memory is weakened, as are abilities to make decisions and to concentrate.”
31. People in the 18th and 19th centuries used to sleep about 9.5 hours a night because they had .
A) no electric lighting C) the best sleep habits
B) no drive and ambition D) nothing to do in the evening
32. According to Dr. David, Americans .
A) are ideally vigorous even under the pressure of life
B) can get by on 6.5 hours of sleep
C) do not know how to relax themselves properly
D) often neglect the consequences of sleep deficit
33. Many Americans believe that .
A) they need more sleep to cope with the complexities of everyday life
B) sleep is the first thing that can be sacrificed when one is busy
C) to sleep is something one can do at any time of the day
D) enough sleep promotes people's drive and ambition
34. The word “subjects”(Para. 4, Line 1) refers to .
A) the psychological consequences of sleep deficit
B) special branches of knowledge that are being studied
C) people whose behavior or reactions are being studied;
D) the psychological consequences of sleep definit
35. It can be concluded from the passage that one should sleep as many hours as is necessary to .
A) maintain one's daily schedule C) feel energetic and perform adequately
B) improve one's memory dramatically D) be considered dynamic by other people
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
The concept of personal choice in relation to health behaviors is an important one. An estimated 90 percent of all illnesses may be preventable if individuals would make sound personal health choices based upon current medical knowledge. We all enjoy our freedom of choice and do not like to see it restricted when it is within the legal and moral boundaries of society. The structure of American society allows us to make almost all our own personal decisions that may concern our health. If we so desire, we can smoke, drink excessively, refuse to wear seat belts, eat whatever foods we want, and live a completely sedentary life-style without any exercise. The freedom to make such personal decisions is a fundamental aspect of our society, although the wisdom of these decisions can be questioned. Personal choices relative to health often cause a difficulty. As one example, a teenager may know the facts relative to smoking cigarettes and health but may be pressured by friends into believing it is the socially accepted thing to do.
A multitude of factors, both inherited and environmental, influence the development of health-related behaviors, and it is beyond the scope of this text to discuss all these factors as they may affect any given individual. However, the decision to adopt a particular health-related behavior is usually one of personal choice. There are healthy choices and there are unhealthy choices. In discussing the morals of personal choice, Fries and Crapo drew a comparison. They suggest that to knowingly give oneself over to a behavior that has a statistical probability of shortening life is similar to attempting suicide. Thus, for those individuals who are interested in preserving both the quality and quantity of life, personal health choices should reflect those behaviors that are associated with a statistical probability of increased vitality and longevity.
36. The concept of personal choice concerning health is important because .
A) wrong decisions could lead to poor health
B) it helps raise the level of our medical knowledge
C) it is essential to personal freedom in American society
D) personal health choices help cure most illnesses
37. To “live a completely sedentary life-style”(Para.1, Line 7-8) in the passage means .
A) to “live a decent life” C) to “live a life of vice”
B) to “live an inactive life” D) to “live a life with complete freedom”
38. Sound personal health choice is often difficult to make because .
A) few people are willing to trade the quality of life for the quantity of life B) people are usually influenced by the behavior of their friends
C) current medical knowledge is still insufficient
D) there are many factors influencing our decisions
39. To knowingly allow oneself to pursue unhealthy habits is compared by Fries and Crapo to .
A) deliberately ending one's life C) limiting one's personal health choice
B) improving the quality of one's life D) breaking the rules of social behavior
40. According to Fries and Crapo sound health choices should be based on .
A) personal decisions C) friends' opinions
B) statistical evidence D) society's laws
[NextPage2007年新东方大学英语六级讲义(阅读部分)5]
Unit 5
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 reading passages in this part. 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
There are desert plants which survive the dry season in the form of inactive seeds. There are also desert insects which survive as inactive larvae (幼虫). In addition, difficult as it is to believe, there are desert fish which can survive through years of drought (干旱) in the form of inactive eggs. These are the shrimps (小虾) that live in the Mojave Desert, an intensely dry region in the south-west of the United States where shade temperatures of over 50℃ are often recorded.
The eggs of the Mojave shrimps are the size and have the appearance of grains of sand. When sufficient spring rain falls to form a lake, once every two to five years, these eggs hatch (孵化). Then the water is soon filled with millions of tiny shrimps about a millimetre long which feed on tiny plant and animal organisms which also grow in the temporary desert lake. Within a week, the shrimps grow from their original 1 millimetre to a length of about 1.5 centimetres.
Throughout the time that the shrimps are rapidly maturing, the water in the lake equally rapidly evaporates. Therefore, for the shrimps it is a race against time. By the twelfth day, however, when they are about 3 centimetre long, hundreds of tiny eggs form on the underbodies of the females. Usually by this time, all that remains of the lake is a large, muddy patch of wet soil. On the thirteenth day and the next, during the final hours of their brief lives, the shrimps lay their eggs in the mud. Then, having ensured that their species will survive, the shrimps die as the last of the water evaporates.
If sufficient rain falls the next year to form another lake, the eggs hatch, and once again the shrimps pass rapidly through their cycle of growth, adulthood, egg-laying, and death. Some years there is insufficient rain to form a lake: in this case, the eggs will remain dormant for another year, or even longer if necessary. Very, very occasionally, perhaps twice in a hundred years, sufficient rain falls to form a deep lake that lasts a month or more. In this case, the species passes through two cycles of growth, egg-laying, and death. Thus, on such occasions, the species multiplies considerably, which further ensures its survival.
21. Which of the following is the MOST distinctive feature of Mojave shrimps?
A) Their lives are brief.
B) They feed on plant and animal organisms.
C) Their eggs can survive years of drought.
D) They lay their eggs in the mud.
22. By saying “for the shrimps it is a race against time” (Para. 3, Line 2) the author means .
A) they have to swim fast to avoid danger in the rapidly evaporating lake
B) they have to swim fast to catch the animal organisms on which they survive
C) they have to multiply as many as possible within thirteen days
D) they have to complete their life cycle within a short span of time permitted by the environment
23. The passage mainly deals with .
A) the life span of the Mojave shrimps C) the importance of water to life
B) the survival of desert shrimps D) life in the Mojave Desert
24. The word “dormant” (Para. 4, Line 3) most probably means .
A) inactive B) strong C) alert D) soft
25. It may be inferred from the passage that .
A) appearance and size are most important for life to survive in the desert
B) a species must be able to multiply quickly in order to survive
C) for some species one life cycle in a year is enough to survive the desert drought
D) some species develop a unique life pattern to survive in extremely harsh conditions
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
Opportunities for rewarding work become fewer for both men and women as they grow older. After age 40, job hunting becomes even more difficult. Many workers stay at jobs they are too old for rather than face possible rejection. Our youth-oriented, throw-away culture sees little value in older people. In writer Lilian Hellman's words, they have “the wisdom that comes with age that we can't make use of.”
Unemployment and economic need for work is higher among older women, especially minorities, than among younger white women. A national council reports these findings: Though unemployed longer when seeking work, older women job-hunt harder, hold a job longer with less absenteeism (缺勤), perform as well or better, are more reliable, and are more willing to learn than men or younger women. Yet many older women earn poor pay and face a future of poverty in their retirement years. When “sexism meets ageism, poverty is no longer on the doorstep — it moves in,” according to Tish Sommers, director of a special study on older women for the National Organization for Women.
Yet a 1981 report on the White House Conference on Aging shows that as a group, older Americans are the “wealthiest, best fed, best housed, healthiest, most self-reliant older population in our history.” This statement is small comfort to those living below the poverty line, but it does explode some of the old traditional beliefs and fears. Opportunities for moving in and up in a large company may shrink but many older people begin successful small businesses, volunteer in satisfying activities, and stay active for many years. They have few role models because in previous generations the life span was much shorter and expectations of life were fewer. They are ploughing new ground.
Employers are beginning to recognize that the mature person can bring a great deal of stability and responsibility to a position. One doesn't lose ability and experience on the eve of one's 65th or 70th birthday any more than one grows up instantly at age 21.
26. After the age of 40, .
A) most workers are tired of their present jobs
B) many workers tend to stick to their present jobs
C) people find their jobs more rewarding than before
D) people still wish to hunt for more suitable jobs
27. From Heilman's remark, we can see that .
A) full use has been made of the wisdom of older people
B) the wisdom of older people is not valued by American society
C) older people are no less intelligent than young people
D) the wisdom of older people is of great value to American society
28. Tish Sommers argues that .
A) older women find it hard to escape poverty
B) older women usually perform better in their jobs
C) the major cause of the poverty of older women is sexism
D) more people have come to believe in sexism and ageism
29. According to the third paragraph, it can be seen that older Americans .
A) have more job opportunities than young people
B) live below the poverty line
C) have new opportunities to remain active in society
D) no longer believe in the promise of a happy life upon retirement
30. It can be concluded from the passage that the writer .
A) calls attention to the living conditions of older Americans
B) believes that the value of older people is gaining increasing recognition
C) attempts to justify the youth-oriented, throw-away culture of the United States
D) argues people should not retire at the age of 65 or 70
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
The most exciting kind of education is also the most personal. Nothing can exceed the joy of discovering for yourself something that is important to you! It may be an idea or a bit of information you come across accidentally—or a sudden insight, fitting together pieces of information or working through a problem. Such personal encounters are the “payoff” in education. A teacher may direct you to learning and even encourage you in it—but no teacher can make the excitement or the joy happen. That's up to you.
A research paper, assigned in a course and perhaps checked at various stages by an instructor, leads you beyond classrooms, beyond the texts for classes and into a process where the joy of discovery and learning can come to you many times. Preparing the research paper is an active and individual process, and ideal learning process. It provides a structure within which you can make exciting discoveries, of knowledge and of self, that are basic to education. But the research paper also gives you a chance to individualize a school assignment, to suit a piece of work to your own interests and abilities, to show others what you can do. Writing a research paper is more than just a classroom exercise. It is an experience in searching out, understanding and synthesizing, which forms the basis of many skills applicable to both academic and nonacademic tasks. It is, in the fullest sense, a discovering, an education. So, to produce a good research paper is both a useful and a thoroughly satisfying experience!
To some, the thought of having to write an assigned number of pages, often more than ever produced before, is disconcerting. To others, the very idea of having to work independently is threatening. But there is no need to approach the research paper assignment with anxiety, and nobody should view the research paper as an obstacle to overcome. Instead, consider it a goal to accomplish, a goal within reach if you use the help this book can give you.
31. According to the writer, personal discoveries .
A) will give one encouragement and direction
B) are helpful in finding the right information
C) are the most valuable part of one's personal education
D) will help one to successfully complete school assignments
32. It can be inferred from the passage that writing a research paper gives one chances .
A) to fully develop one's personal abilities
B) to use the skills learnt in the classroom
C) to prove that one is a productive writer
D) to demonstrate how well one can accomplish school assignment
33. From the context, the word “disconcerting”(Para. 3, Line 2) most probably means .
A) misleading B) embarrassing C) stimulating D) upsetting
34. The writer argues in the passage that .
A) one should explore new areas in research
B) one should trust one's own ability to meet course requirements
C) one should consider research paper writing a pleasure, not a burden
D) one should use all one's knowledge and skills when doing research
35. What will probably follow this passage?
A) How to write a research paper.
B) The importance of research in education.
C) How to make new discoveries for oneself.
D) The skill of putting pieces of information together.
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
In our culture, the sources of what we call a sense of “mastery” — feeling important and worthwhile — and the sources of what we call a sense of “pleasure” — finding life enjoyable — are not always identical. Women often are told“You can't have it all.” Sometimes what the speaker really is saying is:“You chose a career, so you can't expect to have closer relationships or a happy family life.” or “You have a wonderful husband and children — what's all this about wanting a career?” But women need to understand and develop both aspects of well-being, if they are to feel good about themselves.
Our study shows that, for women, well-being has two dimensions. One is mastery, which includes self-esteem (自尊), a sense of control over your life, and low levels of anxiety and depression. Mastery is closely related to the “doing” side of life, to work and activity. Pleasure is the other dimension, and it is composed of happiness, satisfaction and optimism (乐观). It is tied more closely to the “feeling” side of life. The two are independent of each other. A woman could be high in mastery and low in pleasure, and vice versa. For example, a woman who has a good job, but whose mother has just died, might be feeling very good about herself and in control of her work life, but the pleasure side could be damaged for a time.
The concepts of mastery and pleasure can help us identify the sources of well-being for women, and remedy past mistakes. In the past, women were encouraged to look only at the feeling side of life as the source of all well-being. But we know that both mastery and pleasure are critical. And mastery seems to be achieved largely through work. In our study, all the groups of employed women rated significantly higher in mastery than did women who were not employed.
A woman's well-being is enhanced (增进) when she takes on multiple roles. At least by middle adulthood, the women who were involved in a combination of roles—marriages, motherhood, and employment—were the highest in well-being, despite warnings about stress and strain.
36. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that .
A) for women, a sense of “mastery” is more important than a sense of “pleasure”
B) for women, a sense of “pleasure” is more important than a sense of “mastery”
C) women can't have a sense of “mastery” and a sense of “pleasure” at the same time
D) a sense of “mastery” and a sense of “pleasure” are both indispensable to women
37. The author's attitude towards women having a career is .
A) critical B) positive C) neutral D) realistic
38. One can conclude from the passage that if a woman takes on several social roles, .
A) it will be easier for her to overcome stress and strain
B) she will be more successful in her career
C) her chances of getting promoted will be greater
D) her life will be richer and more meaningful
39. Which of the following can be identified as a source of “pleasure” for women?
A) Family life. C) Multiple roles in society.
B) Regular employment. D) Freedom from anxiety.
40. The most appropriate title for the passage would be .
A) The well-being of Career Women C) Two Aspects of Women's Well-Being
B) Sources of Mastery and Pleasure D) Multiple Roles of Women in Society
[NextPage2007年新东方大学英语六级讲义(阅读部分)6]
Unit 6
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 reading passages in this part. 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
The process of perceiving other people is rarely translated (to ourselves or others) into cold, objective terms. “She was 5 feet 8 inches tall, had fair hair, and wore a colored skirt.” More often, we try to get inside the other person to pinpoint his or her attitudes, emotions, motivations, abilities, ideas and characters. Furthermore, we sometimes behave as if we can accomplish this difficult job very quickly — perhaps with a two-second glance.
We try to obtain information about others in many ways. Berger suggests several methods for reducing uncertainties about others: watching, without being noticed, a person interacting with others, particularly with others who are known to you so you can compare the observed person's behavior with the known others' behavior; observing a person in a
social behavior is relatively unrestrained or where a wide variety of behavioral responses are called for; deliberately structuring the physical or social environment so as to observe the person's responses to specific stimuli; asking people who have had or have frequent contact with the person about him or her; and using various strategies in face-to-face interaction to uncover information about another person — questions, self-disclosures (自我表露)，and so on. Getting to know someone is a never-ending task, largely because people are constantly changing and the methods we use to obtain information are often imprecise. You may have known someone for ten years and still know very little about him. If we accept the idea that we won't ever fully know another person, it enables us to deal more easily with those things that get in the way of accurate knowledge such as secrets and deceptions. It will also keep us from being too surprised or shocked by seemingly inconsistent behavior. Ironically (讽刺性地), those things that keep us from knowing another person too well (e.g., secrets and deceptions) may be just as important to the development of a satisfying relationship as those things that enable us to obtain accurate knowledge about a person (e.g., disclosures and truthful statements).
21. The word “pinpoint” (para. 1, Line 3) basically means .
A) appreciate B) obtain C) interpret D) identify
22. What do we learn from the first paragraph?
A) People are better described in cold, objective terms.
B) The difficulty of getting to know a person is usually underestimated.
C) One should not judge people by their appearances.
D) One is usually subjective when assessing other people's personality.
23. It can be inferred from Berger's suggestions that .
A) People do not reveal their true self on every occasion.
B) in most cases we should avoid contacting the observed person directly.
C) the best way to know a person is by making comparisons.
D) face-to-face interaction is the best strategy to uncover information about a person
24. In developing personal relationships, secrets and deceptions, in the author's opinion, are .
A) personal matters that should be seriously dealt with
B) barriers that should be done away with.
C) as significant as disclosures and truthful statements
D) things people should guard against
25. The author's purpose in writing the passage is .
A) to give advice on appropriate conduct for social occasions
B) to provide ways of how to obtain information about people
C) to call the reader's attention to the negative side of people's characters
D) to discuss the various aspects of getting to know people
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
The competition among producers of personal computers is essentially a race to get the best, most innovative products to the marketplace. Marketers in this environment frequently have to make a judgment as to their competitors' role when making marketing strategy decisions. If major competitors are changing their products, then a marketer may want to follow suit to remain competitive. Apple Computer, Inc. has introduced two new, faster personal computers, the Mackintosh Ⅱ and Mackintosh SE, in anticipation of the introduction of a new PC by IBM, one of Apple's major competitors.
Apple's new computers are much faster and more powerful than its earlier models. The improved Mackintosh is able to run programs that previously were impossible to run on an Apple PC, including IBM-compatible (兼容的) programs. This compatibility feature illustrates computer manufacturers' new attitude of giving customers the features they want. Making Apple computers capable of running IBM software is Apple's effort at making the Mackintosh compatible with IBM computers and thus more popular in the office, where Apple hopes to increase sales. Users of the new Apple can also add accessories (附件) to make their machines specialize in specific uses, such as engineering and writing.
The new computers represent a big improvement over past models, but they also cost much more. Company officials do not think the higher price will slow down buyers who want to step up to a more powerful computer. Apple wants to stay in the High-price end of the personal computer market to finance research for even faster, more sophisticated computers.
Even though Apple and IBM are major competitors, both companies realize that their competitor's computers have certain features that their own models do not. The Apple line has always been popular for its sophisticated color graphics (图形), whereas the IBM machines have always been favored in offices. In the future, there will probably be more compatibility between the two companies' products, which no doubt will require that both Apple and IBM change marketing strategies.
26. According to the passage, Apple Computer, Inc, has introduced the Mackintosh Ⅱ and the Mackintosh SE because .
A) IBM is changing its computer models continuously
B) it wants to make its machines specialize in specific uses
C) it wants to stay ahead of IBM in the competitive computer market
D) it expects its major competitor IBM to follow its example
27. Apple hopes to increase Mackintosh sales chiefly by .
A) making its new models capable of running IBM software
B) improving the color graphics of its new models
C) copying the marketing strategies of IBM
D) giving the customers what they want
28. Apple sells its new computer models at a high price because .
A) they have new features and functions
B) they are more sophisticated than other models
C) they have new accessories attached
D) it wants to accumulate funds for future research
29. It can be inferred from the passage that both Apple and IBM try to gain a competitive advantage by .
A) copying each other's technology
B) incorporating features that make their products distinctive
C) making their computers more expensive
D) making their computers run much faster
30. The best title for the passage would be .
A) Apple's Efforts to Stay Ahead of IBM C) Apple's New personal Computers
B) Apple's New Computer Technology D) Apple's Research Activities
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
It is a curious paradox that we think of the physical sciences as “hard”, the social sciences as “soft”, and the biological sciences as somewhere in between. This is interpreted to mean that our knowledge of physical systems is more certain than our knowledge of biological systems, and these in turn are more certain than our knowledge of social systems. In terms of our capacity to sample the relevant universes, however, and the probability that our images of these universes are at least approximately correct, one suspects that a reverse order is more reasonable. We are able to sample earth's social systems with some degree of confidence that we have a reasonable sample of the total universe being investigated. Our knowledge of social systems, therefore, while it is in many ways extremely inaccurate, is not likely to be seriously overturned by new discoveries. Even the folk knowledge in social systems on which ordinary life is based in earning, spending, organizing, marrying, taking part in political activities, fighting and so on, is not very dissimilar from the more sophisticated images of the social system derived from the social sciences, even though it is built upon the very imperfect samples of personal experience.
In contrast, our image of the astronomical universe, or even of earth's geological history, can easily be subject to revolutionary changes as new data comes in and new theories are worked out. If we define the “security” our image of various parts of the total system as the probability of their suffering significant changes, then we would reverse the order of hardness and see the social sciences as the most secure, the physical sciences as the least secure, and again the biological sciences as somewhere in between. Our image of the astronomical universe is the least secure of all simply because we observe such a fantastically small sample of it and its record-keeping is trivial as compared with the rich records of the social systems, or even the limited records of biological systems. Records of the astronomical universe, despite the fact that we see distant things as they were long ago, are limited in the extreme.
Even in regard to such a close neighbour as the moon, which we have actually visited, theories about its origin and history are extremely different, contradictory, and hard to choose among. Our knowledge of physical evolution is incomplete and highly insecure.
31. The word “paradox”(Para. 1, Line 1) means “ ”
A) implication B) contradiction C) interpretation D) confusion
32. According to the author, we should reverse our classification of the physical sciences as “hard” and the social sciences as “soft” because .
A) a reverse ordering will help promote the development of the physical sciences
B) our knowledge of physical systems is more reliable than that of social systems
C) our understanding of the social systems is approximately correct
D) we are better able to investigate social phenomena than physical phenomena
33. The author believes that our knowledge of social systems is more secure than that of physical systems because .
A) it is not based on personal experience
B) new discoveries are less likely to occur in social sciences
C) it is based on a fairly representative quantity of data
D) the records of social systems are more reliable
34. The chances of the physical sciences being subject to great changes are the biggest because .
A) contradictory theories keep emerging all the time
B) new information is constantly coming in
C) the direction of their development is difficult to predict
D) our knowledge of the physical world is inaccurate
35. We know less about the astronomical universe than we do about any social system because .
A) theories of its origin and history are varied
B) our knowledge of it is highly insecure
C) only a very small sample of it has been observed
D) few scientists are involved in the study of astronomy
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
In the early days of nuclear power, the United States made money on it. But today opponents have so complicated its development that no nuclear plants have been ordered or built here in 12 years.
The greatest fear of nuclear power opponents has always been a reactor “meltdown”(堆内熔化). Today, the chances of a meltdown that would threaten U.S. public health are very little. But to even further reduce the possibility, engineers are testing new reactors that rely not on human judgment to shut them down but on the laws of nature. Now General Electric is already building two advanced reactors in Japan. But don't expect them ever on U.S. shores unless things change in Washington.
The procedure for licensing nuclear power plants is a bad dream. Any time during, or even after, construction, an objection by any group or individual can bring everything to a halt while the matter is investigated or taken to court. Meanwhile, the builder must add nice-but-not-necessary improvements, some of which force him to knock down walls and start over. In every case where a plant has been opposed, the Nuclear Regulation Commission has ultimately granted a license to construct or operate. But the victory often costs so much that the utility ends up abandoning the plant anyway.
A case in point is the Shoreham plant on New York's Long Island. Shoreham was a virtual twin to the Millstone plant in Connecticut, both ordered in the mid-'60s. Millstone, completed for $101 million, has been generating electricity for two decades. Shoreham, however, was singled out by anti-nuclear activists who, by sending in endless protests, drove the cost over $5 billion and delayed its use for many years.
Shoreham finally won its operation license. But the plant has never produced a watt of power. Governor Mario Cuomo, an opponent of a Shoreham start-up, used his power to force New York's public-utilities commission to accept the following settlement: the power company could pass the cost of Shoreham along to its consumers only if it agreed not to operate the plant! Today, a perfectly good facility, capable of servicing hundreds of thousands of homes, sits rusting.
36. What has made the procedure for licensing nuclear power plants a bad dream? A) The inefficiency of the Nuclear Regulation commission.
B) The enormous cost of construction and operation.
C) The length of time it takes to make investigations.
D) The objection of the opponents of nuclear power.
37. It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that .
A) it is not technical difficulties that prevent the building of nuclear power plants in the U.S.
B) there are not enough safety measures in the U.S. for running new nuclear power plants
C) there are already more nuclear power plants than necessary in the U.S.
D) the American government will not allow Japanese nuclear reactors to be installed in the U.S.
38. Any objection, however trivial it may be, can .
A) force the power companies to cancel the project
B) delay the construction or operation of a nuclear plant
C) cause a serious debate within the Nuclear Regulation Commission
D) take the builders to court
39. Governor Mario's chief intention in proposing the settlement was to .
A) stop the Shoreham plant from going into operation
B) help the power company to solve its financial problems
C) urge the power company to further increase its power supply
D) permit the shoreham plant to operate under certain conditions
40. The author's attitude towards the development of nuclear power is .
A) negative B) neutral C) positive D) questioning
[NextPage2007年新东方大学英语六级讲义(阅读部分)7]
Unit 6
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 reading passages in this part. 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
The process of perceiving other people is rarely translated (to ourselves or others) into cold, objective terms. “She was 5 feet 8 inches tall, had fair hair, and wore a colored skirt.” More often, we try to get inside the other person to pinpoint his or her attitudes, emotions, motivations, abilities, ideas and characters. Furthermore, we sometimes behave as if we can accomplish this difficult job very quickly — perhaps with a two-second glance.
We try to obtain information about others in many ways. Berger suggests several methods for reducing uncertainties about others: watching, without being noticed, a person interacting with others, particularly with others who are known to you so you can compare the observed person's behavior with the known others' behavior; observing a person in a situation where social behavior is relatively unrestrained or where a wide variety of behavioral responses are called for; deliberately structuring the physical or social environment so as to observe the person's responses to specific stimuli; asking people who have had or have frequent contact with the person about him or her; and using various strategies in face-to-face interaction to uncover information about another person — questions, self-disclosures (自我表露)，and so on. Getting to know someone is a never-ending task, largely because people are constantly changing and the methods we use to obtain information are often imprecise. You may have known someone for ten years and still know very little about him. If we accept the idea that we won't ever fully know another person, it enables us to deal more easily with those things that get in the way of accurate knowledge such as secrets and deceptions. It will also keep us from being too surprised or shocked by seemingly inconsistent behavior. Ironically (讽刺性地), those things that keep us from knowing another person too well (e.g., secrets and deceptions) may be just as important to the development of a satisfying relationship as those things that enable us to obtain accurate knowledge about a person (e.g., disclosures and truthful statements).
21. The word “pinpoint” (para. 1, Line 3) basically means .
A) appreciate B) obtain C) interpret D) identify
22. What do we learn from the first paragraph?
A) People are better described in cold, objective terms.
B) The difficulty of getting to know a person is usually underestimated.
C) One should not judge people by their appearances.
D) One is usually subjective when assessing other people's personality.
23. It can be inferred from Berger's suggestions that .
A) People do not reveal their true self on every occasion.
B) in most cases we should avoid contacting the observed person directly.
C) the best way to know a person is by making comparisons.
D) face-to-face interaction is the best strategy to uncover information about a person
24. In developing personal relationships, secrets and deceptions, in the author's opinion, are .
A) personal matters that should be seriously dealt with
B) barriers that should be done away with.
C) as significant as disclosures and truthful statements
D) things people should guard against
25. The author's purpose in writing the passage is .
A) to give advice on appropriate conduct for social occasions
B) to provide ways of how to obtain information about people
C) to call the reader's attention to the negative side of people's characters
D) to discuss the various aspects of getting to know people
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
The competition among producers of personal computers is essentially a race to get the best, most innovative products to the marketplace. Marketers in this environment frequently have to make a judgment as to their competitors' role when making marketing strategy decisions. If major competitors are changing their products, then a marketer may want to follow suit to remain competitive. Apple Computer, Inc. has introduced two new, faster personal computers, the Mackintosh Ⅱ and Mackintosh SE, in anticipation of the introduction of a new PC by IBM, one of Apple's major competitors.
Apple's new computers are much faster and more powerful than its earlier models. The improved Mackintosh is able to run programs that previously were impossible to run on an Apple PC, including IBM-compatible (兼容的) programs. This compatibility feature illustrates computer manufacturers' new attitude of giving customers the features they want. Making Apple computers capable of running IBM software is Apple's effort at making the Mackintosh compatible with IBM computers and thus more popular in the office, where Apple hopes to increase sales. Users of the new Apple can also add accessories (附件) to make their machines specialize in specific uses, such as engineering and writing.
The new computers represent a big improvement over past models, but they also cost much more. Company officials do not think the higher price will slow down buyers who want to step up to a more powerful computer. Apple wants to stay in the High-price end of the personal computer market to finance research for even faster, more sophisticated computers.
Even though Apple and IBM are major competitors, both companies realize that their competitor's computers have certain features that their own models do not. The Apple line has always been popular for its sophisticated color graphics (图形), whereas the IBM machines have always been favored in offices. In the future, there will probably be more compatibility between the two companies' products, which no doubt will require that both Apple and IBM change marketing strategies.
26. According to the passage, Apple Computer, Inc, has introduced the Mackintosh Ⅱ and the Mackintosh SE because .
A) IBM is changing its computer models continuously
B) it wants to make its machines specialize in specific uses
C) it wants to stay ahead of IBM in the competitive computer market
D) it expects its major competitor IBM to follow its example
27. Apple hopes to increase Mackintosh sales chiefly by .
A) making its new models capable of running IBM software
B) improving the color graphics of its new models
C) copying the marketing strategies of IBM
D) giving the customers what they want
28. Apple sells its new computer models at a high price because .
A) they have new features and functions
B) they are more sophisticated than other models
C) they have new accessories attached
D) it wants to accumulate funds for future research
29. It can be inferred from the passage that both Apple and IBM try to gain a competitive advantage by .
A) copying each other's technology
B) incorporating features that make their products distinctive
C) making their computers more expensive
D) making their computers run much faster
30. The best title for the passage would be .
A) Apple's Efforts to Stay Ahead of IBM C) Apple's New personal Computers
B) Apple's New Computer Technology D) Apple's Research Activities
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
It is a curious paradox that we think of the physical sciences as “hard”, the social sciences as “soft”, and the biological sciences as somewhere in between. This is interpreted to mean that our knowledge of physical systems is more certain than our knowledge of biological systems, and these in turn are more certain than our knowledge of social systems. In terms of our capacity to sample the relevant universes, however, and the probability that our images of these universes are at least approximately correct, one suspects that a reverse order is more reasonable. We are able to sample earth's social systems with some degree of confidence that we have a reasonable sample of the total universe being investigated. Our knowledge of social systems, therefore, while it is in many ways extremely inaccurate, is not likely to be seriously overturned by new discoveries. Even the folk knowledge in social systems on which ordinary life is based in earning, spending, organizing, marrying, taking part in political activities, fighting and so on, is not very dissimilar from the more sophisticated images of the social system derived from the social sciences, even though it is built upon the very imperfect samples of personal experience.
In contrast, our image of the astronomical universe, or even of earth's geological history, can easily be subject to revolutionary changes as new data comes in and new theories are worked out. If we define the “security” our image of various parts of the total system as the probability of their suffering significant changes, then we would reverse the order of hardness and see the social sciences as the most secure, the physical sciences as the least secure, and again the biological sciences as somewhere in between. Our image of the astronomical universe is the least secure of all simply because we observe such a fantastically small sample of it and its record-keeping is trivial as compared with the rich records of the social systems, or even the limited records of biological systems. Records of the astronomical universe, despite the fact that we see distant things as they were long ago, are limited in the extreme.
Even in regard to such a close neighbour as the moon, which we have actually visited, theories about its origin and history are extremely different, contradictory, and hard to choose among. Our knowledge of physical evolution is incomplete and highly insecure.
31. The word “paradox”(Para. 1, Line 1) means “ ”
A) implication B) contradiction C) interpretation D) confusion
32. According to the author, we should reverse our classification of the physical sciences as “hard” and the social sciences as “soft” because .
A) a reverse ordering will help promote the development of the physical sciences
B) our knowledge of physical systems is more reliable than that of social systems
C) our understanding of the social systems is approximately correct
D) we are better able to investigate social phenomena than physical phenomena
33. The author believes that our knowledge of social systems is more secure than that of physical systems because .
A) it is not based on personal experience
B) new discoveries are less likely to occur in social sciences
C) it is based on a fairly representative quantity of data
D) the records of social systems are more reliable
34. The chances of the physical sciences being subject to great changes are the biggest because .
A) contradictory theories keep emerging all the time
B) new information is constantly coming in
C) the direction of their development is difficult to predict
D) our knowledge of the physical world is inaccurate
35. We know less about the astronomical universe than we do about any social system because .
A) theories of its origin and history are varied
B) our knowledge of it is highly insecure
C) only a very small sample of it has been observed
D) few scientists are involved in the study of astronomy
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
In the early days of nuclear power, the United States made money on it. But today opponents have so complicated its development that no nuclear plants have been ordered or built here in 12 years.
The greatest fear of nuclear power opponents has always been a reactor “meltdown”(堆内熔化). Today, the chances of a meltdown that would threaten U.S. public health are very little. But to even further reduce the possibility, engineers are testing new reactors that rely not on human judgment to shut them down but on the laws of nature. Now General Electric is already building two advanced reactors in Japan. But don't expect them ever on U.S. shores unless things change in Washington.
The procedure for licensing nuclear power plants is a bad dream. Any time during, or even after, construction, an objection by any group or individual can bring everything to a halt while the matter is investigated or taken to court. Meanwhile, the builder must add nice-but-not-necessary improvements, some of which force him to knock down walls and start over. In every case where a plant has been opposed, the Nuclear Regulation Commission has ultimately granted a license to construct or operate. But the victory often costs so much that the utility ends up abandoning the plant anyway.
A case in point is the Shoreham plant on New York's Long Island. Shoreham was a virtual twin to the Millstone plant in Connecticut, both ordered in the mid-'60s. Millstone, completed for $101 million, has been generating electricity for two decades. Shoreham, however, was singled out by anti-nuclear activists who, by sending in endless protests, drove the cost over $5 billion and delayed its use for many years.
Shoreham finally won its operation license. But the plant has never produced a watt of power. Governor Mario Cuomo, an opponent of a Shoreham start-up, used his power to force New York's public-utilities commission to accept the following settlement: the power company could pass the cost of Shoreham along to its consumers only if it agreed not to operate the plant! Today, a perfectly good facility, capable of servicing hundreds of thousands of homes, sits rusting.
36. What has made the procedure for licensing nuclear power plants a bad dream? A) The inefficiency of the Nuclear Regulation commission.
B) The enormous cost of construction and operation.
C) The length of time it takes to make investigations.
D) The objection of the opponents of nuclear power.
37. It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that .
A) it is not technical difficulties that prevent the building of nuclear power plants in the U.S.
B) there are not enough safety measures in the U.S. for running new nuclear power plants
C) there are already more nuclear power plants than necessary in the U.S.
D) the American government will not allow Japanese nuclear reactors to be installed in the U.S.
38. Any objection, however trivial it may be, can .
A) force the power companies to cancel the project
B) delay the construction or operation of a nuclear plant
C) cause a serious debate within the Nuclear Regulation Commission
D) take the builders to court
39. Governor Mario's chief intention in proposing the settlement was to .
A) stop the Shoreham plant from going into operation
B) help the power company to solve its financial problems
C) urge the power company to further increase its power supply
D) permit the shoreham plant to operate under certain conditions
40. The author's attitude towards the development of nuclear power is .
A) negative B) neutral C) positive D) questioning
[NextPage2007年新东方大学英语六级讲义(阅读部分)8]
Unit 8
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
Material culture refers to the touchable, material “things” — physical objects that can be seen, held, felt, used — that a culture produces. Examining a culture's tools and technology can tell us about the group's history and way of life. Similarly, research into the material culture of music can help us to understand the music-culture. The most vivid body of “things” in it, of course, are musical instruments. We cannot hear for ourselves the actual sound of any musical performance before the 1870s when the phonograph (留声机) was invented, so we rely on instruments for important information about music-cultures in the remote past and their development. Here we have two kinds of evidence: instruments well preserved and instruments pictured in art. Through the study of instruments, as well as paintings, written documents, and so on, we can explore the movement of music from the Near East to China over a thousand years ago, or we can outline the spread of Near Eastern influence to Europe that resulted in the development of most of the instruments on the symphony orchestra.
Sheet music or printed music, too, is material culture. Scholars once defined folk music cultures as those in which people learn and sing music by ear rather than from print, but research shows mutual influence among oral and written sources during the past few centuries in Europe, Britain, and America. Printed versions limit variety because they tend to standardize any song, yet they stimulate people to create new and different songs. Besides, the ability to read music notation (乐谱) has a far-reaching effect on musicians and, when it becomes widespread, on the music-culture as a whole.
One more important part of music's material culture should be singled out: the influence of the electronic media — radio, record player, tape recorder, television, and videocassette, with the future promising talking and singing computers and other developments. This is all part of the “information revolution,” a twentieth-century phenomenon as important as the industrial revolution was in the nineteenth. These electronic media are not just limited to modern nations; they have affected music-cultures all over the globe.
21. Research into the material culture of a nation is of great importance because .
A) it helps produce new cultural tools and technology
B) it can reflect the development of the nation
C) it helps understand the nation's past and present
D) it can demonstrate the nation's civilization
22. It can be learned from this passage that .
A) the existence of the symphony was attributed to the spread of Near Eastern and Chinese music
B) Near Eastern music had an influence on the development of the instruments in the symphony orchestra
C) the development of the symphony shows the mutual influence of Eastern and Western music
D) the musical instruments in the symphony orchestra were developed on the basis of Near Eastern music
23. According to the author, music notation is important because .
A) it has a great effect on the music-culture as more and more people are able to read it
B) it tends to standardize folk songs when it is used by folk musicians
C) it is the printed version of standardized folk music
D) it encourages people to popularize printed versions of songs
24. It can be concluded from the passage that the introduction of electronic media into the world of music .
A) has brought about an information revolution
B) has speeded up the arrival of a new generation of computers
C) has given rise to new forms of music culture
D) has led to the transformation of traditional musical instruments
25. Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
A) Musical instruments developed through the years will sooner or later be replaced by computers.
B) Music cannot be passed on to future generations unless it is recorded.
C) Folk songs cannot be spread far unless they are printed on music sheets.
D) The development of music culture is highly dependent on its material aspect.
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
The question of whether war is inevitable is one which has concerned many of the world's great writers. Before considering this question, it will be useful to introduce some related concepts. Conflict, defined as opposition among social entities directed against one another, is distinguished from competition, defined as opposition among social entities independently striving for something which is in inadequate supply. Competitors may not be aware of one another, while the parties to a conflict are. Conflict and competition are both categories of opposition, which has been defined as a process by which social entities function in the disservice of one another. Opposition is thus contrasted with cooperation, the process by which social entities function in the service of one another. These definitions are necessary because it is important to emphasize that competition between individuals or groups is inevitable in a world of limited resources, but conflict is not. Conflict, nevertheless, is very likely to occur, and is probably an essential and desirable element of human societies.
Many authors have argued for the inevitability of war from the premise that in the struggle for existence among animal species, only the fittest survive. In general, however, this struggle in nature is competition, not conflict. Social animals, such as monkeys and cattle, fight to win or maintain leadership of the group. The struggle for existence occurs not in such fights, but in the competition for limited feeding areas and for the occupancy (占有) of areas free from meat-eating animals. Those who fail in this competition starve to death or become victims to other species. This struggle for existence does not resemble human war, but rather the competition of individuals for jobs, markets, and materials. The essence of the struggle is the competition for the necessities of life that are insufficient to satisfy all.
Among nations there is competition in developing resources, trades, skills, and a satisfactory way of life. The successful nations grow and prosper (繁荣);the unsuccessful decline. While it is true that this competition may induce efforts to expand territory at the expense of othes, and thus lead to conflict, it cannot be said that war-like conflict among nations is inevitable, although competition is.
26. In the first paragraph, the author gives the definitions of some terms in order to .
A) argue for the similarities between animal societies and human societies
B) smooth out the conflicts in human societies
C) distinguish between two kinds of opposition
D) summarize the characteristic features of opposition and cooperation
27. According to the author, competition differs from conflict in that .
A) it results in war in most cases
B) it induces efforts to expand territory
C) it is a kind of opposition among social entities
D) it is essentially a struggle for existence
28. The phrase “function in the disservice of one another” (Para 7, Line.1) most probably means “ ”.
A) betray each other C) help to collaborate with each other
B) harm one another D) benefit one another
29. The author indicates in the passage that conflict .
A) is an inevitable struggle resulting from competition
B) reflects the struggle among social animals
C) is an opposition among individual social entities
D) can be avoided
30. The passage is probably intended to answer the question “ ”.
A) Is war inevitable? C) Is conflict desirable?
B) Why is there conflict and competition? D) Can competition lead to conflict?
Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
As Dr. Samuel Johnson said in a different era about ladies preaching, the surprising thing about computers is not that they think less well than a man, but that they think at all. The early electronic computer did not have much going for it except a marvelous memory and some good math skills. But today the best models can be wired up to learn by experience, follow an argument, ask proper questions and write poetry and music. They can also carry on somewhat puzzling conversations.
Computers imitate life. As computers get more complex, the imitation gets better. Finally, the line between the original and the copy becomes unclear. In another 15 years or so, we will see the computer as a new form of life.
The opinion seems ridiculous because, for one thing, computers lack the drives and emotions of living creatures. But drives can be programmed into the computer's brain just as nature programmed them into our human brains as a part of the equipment for survival.
Computers match people in some roles, and when fast decisions are needed in a crisis, they often surpass them. Having evolved when the pace of life was slower, the human brain has an inherent defect that prevents it from absorbing several streams of information simultaneously and acting on them quickly. Throw too many things at the brain at one time and it freezes up.
We are still in control, but the capabilities of computers are increasing at a fantastic rate, while raw human intelligence is changing slowly, if at all. Computer power has increased ten times every eight years since 1946. In the 1990s, when the sixth generation appears, the reasoning power of an intelligence built out of silicon will begin to match that of the human brain.
That does not mean the evolution of intelligence has ended on the earth. Judging by the past, we can expect that a new species will arise out of man, surpassing his achievements as he has surpassed those of his predecessor. Only a carbon chemistry enthusiast would assume that the new species must be man's flesh-and-blood descendants. The new kind of intelligent life is more likely to be made of silicon.
31. What do you suppose was the attitude of Dr. Samuel Johnson towards ladies preaching?
A) He believed that ladies were born worse preachers than men.
B) He was pleased that ladies could preach, though not as well as men.
C) He disapproved of ladies preaching.
D) He encouraged ladies to preach.
32. Today, computers are still inferior to man in terms of .
A) decision making C) growth of reasoning power
B) drives and feelings D) information absorption
33. In terms of making quick decisions, the human brain cannot be compared with the computer because .
A) in the long process of evolution the slow pace of life didn't require such ability of the human brain
B) the human brain is influenced by other factors such as motivation and emotion
C) the human brain may sometimes freeze up in a dangerous situation
D) computers imitate life while the human brain does not imitate computers
34. Though he thinks highly of the development of computer science, the author doesn't mean that .
A) computers are likely to become a new form of intelligent life
B) human beings have lost control of computers
C) the intelligence of computers will eventually surpass that of human beings
D) the evolution of intelligence will probably depend on that of electronic brains
35. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A) Future man will be made of silicon instead of flesh and blood.
B) Some day it will be difficult to tell a computer from a man.
C) The reasoning power of computers has already surpassed that of man.
D) Future intelligent life may not necessarily be made of organic matter.
Passage Four
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
Video recorders and photocopiers, even ticket machines on the railways, often seem unnecessarily difficult to use. Last December I bought myself a video cassette recorder (VCR) described as “simple to use”. In the first three weeks I failed repeatedly to program the machine to record from the TV, and after months of practice I still made mistakes. I am not alone. According to a survey last year by Ferguson, the British manufacturer, more than one in four VCR owners never use the timer (定时器) on their machines to record a programme: they don't use it because they've found it far too hard to operate.
So why do manufacturers keep on designing and producing VCRS that are awkward to use if the problems are so obvious? First, the problems we notice are not obvious to technically minded (有技术思想的) designers with years of experience and trained to understand how appliances work. Secondly, designers tend to add one or two features at a time to each model, whereas you or I face all a machine's features at once. Thirdly, although finding problems in a finished product is easy, it is too late by then to do anything about the design. Finally, if manufacturers can get away with selling products that are difficult to use, it is not worth the effort of any one of them to make improvements.
Some manufacturers say they concentrate on providing a wide range of features rather than on making the machines easy to use. But that gives rise to the question, “Why can't you have features that are easy to use?” The answer is you can. Good design practice is a mixture of specific procedures and general principles. For a start, designers should build an original model of the machine and try it out on typical members of the public—not on colleagues in the development laboratory. Simple public trials would quickly reveal many design mistakes. In an ideal world, there would be some ways of controlling quality such as that the VCR must be redesigned repeatedly until, say, 90 per cent of users can work 90 per cent of the features correctly 90 per cent of the time.
36. The author had trouble operating his VCR because .
A) he had neglected the importance of using the timer
B) the machine had far more technical features than necessary
C) he had set about using it without proper training
D) its operation was far more difficult than the designer intended it to be
37. According to the author, manufacturers .
A) should add more useful features to their machines
B) often fail to make their products easy to use
C) should make their appliances as attractive as possible
D) often fail to provide proper training in the use of their products
38. It seems that manufacturers will remain reluctant to make improvements unless .
A) they can do so at a very low cost
B) they find their machines hard to operate
C) they have difficulty selling their products
D) they receive a lot of complaints about their machines
39. According to the passage, before a VCR is sold on the market, its original model should be tried out .
A) among ordinary consumers who are not technically minded
B) among people who are technically minded
C) among experienced technicians and potential users
D) among people who are in charge of public relations
40. One of the reasons why VCRs are so difficult to use is that .
A) the designers are often insensitive to the operational complexities of their machines.
B) the range of features provided is unlimited
C) there is no ideal way of controlling quality
D) their designers often ignore the complaints of their users
[NextPage2007年新东方大学英语六级讲义(阅读部分)9]
Unit 9
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 reading passages in this part. 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
Three English dictionaries published recently all lay claim to possessing a “new” feature. The BBC English Dictionary contains background information on 1,000 people and places prominent in the news since 1988; the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary: Encyclopedic (百科全书的) Edition is the OALD plus encyclopedic entries; the Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture is the LDOCE plus cultural information.
The key fact is that all three dictionaries can be seen to have a distinctly “cultural” as well as language learning content. That being said, the way in which they approach the cultural element is not identical, making direct comparisons between the three difficult.
While there is some common ground between the encyclopedic/cultural entries for the Oxford and Longman dictionaries, there is a
. Oxford lays claim to being encyclopedic on content whereas Longman distinctly concentrates on the language and culture of the English-speaking world. The Oxford dictionary can therefore stand more vigorous scrutiny (审视) for cultural bias than the Longman publication because the latter does not hesitate about viewing the rest of the world from the cultural perspectives of the English-speaking world. The cultural objectives of the BBC dictionary are in turn more distinct still. Based on an analysis of over 70 million words recorded from the BBC World Service and National Public Radio of Washington over a period of four years, their 1,000 brief encyclopedic entries are based on people and places that have featured (占显著地位) in the news recently. The intended user they have in mind is a regular listener to the World Service who will have a reasonable standard of English and a developed skill in listening comprehension.
In reality, though, the BBC dictionary will be purchased by a far wider range of language learners, as will the other two dictionaries. We will be faced with a situation where many of the users of these dictionaries will at the very least have distinct socio-cultural perspectives and may have world views which are totally opposed and even hostile to those of the West. Advanced learners from this kind of background will not only evaluate a dictionary on how user-friendly it is but will also have definite views about the scope and appropriateness of the various socio-cultural entries.
21. What feature sets apart the three dictionaries discussed in the passage from traditional ones?
A) The combination of two dictionaries into one
B) The new approach to defining words
C) The inclusion of cultural content
D) The increase in the number of entries
22. The Longman dictionary is more likely to be criticized for cultural prejudice because .
A) its scope of cultural entries goes beyond the culture of the English-speaking world
B) it pays little attention to the cultural content of the non-English-speaking countries
C) it views the world purely from the standpoint of the English-speaking people
D) it fails to distinguish language from culture in its encyclopedic entries
23. The BBC dictionary differs from Oxford and Longman in that .
A) it has a wider selection Of encyclopedic entries
B) it is mainly designed to meet the needs of radio listeners
C) it lays more emphasis on language than on culture
D) it is intended to help listeners develop their listening comprehension skills
24. It is implied in the last paragraph that, in approaching socio-cultural content in a dictionary, special thought should be given to .
A) the language levels of its users
B) the number of its prospective purchasers
C) the different tastes of its users
D) the various cultural backgrounds of its users
25. What is the passage mainly about?
A) Different ways of treating socio-cultural elements in the three new English dictionaries.
B) A comparison of people's opinions on the cultural content in the three new English dictionaries.
C) The advantages of the BBC dictionary over Oxford and Longman.
D) The user-friendliness of the three new English dictionaries.
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
Real policemen hardly recognize any resemblance between their lives and what they see on TV.
The first difference is that a policeman's real life revolves round criminal law. He has to know exactly what actions are crimes and what evidence can be used to prove them in court. He has to know nearly as much law as a professional lawyer, and what is more, he has to apply it on his feet, in the dark and rain, running down a street after someone he wants to talk to.
Little of his time is spent in chatting. He will spend most of his working life typing millions of words on thousands of forms about hundreds of sad, unimportant people who are guilty of stupid, petty crimes.
Most television crime drama is about finding the criminal: as soon as he's arrested, the story is over. In real life, finding criminals is seldom much of a problem. Except in very serious cases like murders and terrorist attacks little effort is spent on searching.
Having made an arrest, a detective really starts to work. He has to prove his case in court and to do that he often has to gather a lot of different evidence.
A third big difference between the drama detective and the real one is the unpleasant pressures: first, as members of a police force they always have to behave absolutely in accordance with the law. Secondly, as expensive public servants they have to get results. They can hardly ever do both. Most of the time some of them have to break the rules in small ways.
If the detective has to deceive the world, the world often deceives him. Hardly anyone he meets tells him the truth. And this separation the detective feels between himself and the rest of the world is deepened by the simple-mindedness — as he sees it — of citizens, social workers, doctors, law-makers, and judges, who, instead of eliminating crime punish the criminals less severely in the hope that this will make them reform. The result, detectives feel, is that nine-tenths of their work is re-catching people who should have stayed behind bars. This makes them rather cynical (愤世嫉俗的).
26. A policeman has to be trained in criminal law because .
A) he must work hard to help reform criminals
B) he must behave as professional lawyers do
C) he must be able to tell when and where a crime is committed
D) he must justify the arrests he makes of criminals
27. What is the most suitable word that describes the work of a policeman according to the passage?
A) Dangerous B) Demanding C) Distressing D) Dramatic
28. According to the passage, policemen spend most of their time and efforts .
A) patrolling the street, rain or shine C) collecting and providing evidence
B) tracking and arresting criminals D) consulting the rules of law
29. What's the policeman's biggest headache?
A) He has to get the most desirable results without breaking the law in any way.
B) He has to justify his arrests while unable to provide sufficient evidence in most cases.
C) He can hardly find enough time to learn criminal law while burdened with numerous criminal cases
D) He has to provide the best possible public service at the least possible expense
30. Why do policemen feel separated from the rest of the world?
A) Because they do not receive due support from society.
B) Because they find people insincere to them.
C) Because they feel superior to simple-minded people around them.
D) Because they are suspicious of the people around them.
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
To live in the United States today is to gain an appreciation for Dahrendorf's assertion that social change exists everywhere. Technology, the application of knowledge for practical ends, is a major source of social change.
Yet we would do well to remind ourselves that technology is a human creation; it does not exist naturally. A spear or a robot is as much a cultural as a physical object. Until humans use a spear to hunt game or a robot to produce machine parts, neither is much more than a solid mass of matter. For a bird looking for an object on which to rest, a spear or robot serves the purpose equally well. The explosion of the Challenger space shuttle (挑战者号航天飞机) and the Russian nuclear accident at Chernobyl drive home the human quality of technology; they provide cases in which well-planned systems suddenly went haywire (变得混乱) and there was no ready hand to set them right. Since technology is a human creation, We are responsible for what is done with it. Pessimists worry that we will use out technology eventually to blow our world and ourselves to pieces. But they have been saying this for decades, and so far we have managed to survive and even flourish. Whether we will continue to do so in the years ahead remains uncertain. Clearly, the impact of technology on our lives deserves a closer examination.
Few technological developments have had a greater impact on our lives than the computer revolution. Scientists and engineers have designed specialized machines that can do the tasks that once only people could do. There are those who assert that the switch to an information-based economy is in the same camp as other great historical milestones, particularly the Industrial Revolution. Yet when we ask why the Industrial Revolution was a revolution, we find that it was not the machines. The primary reason why it was revolutionary is that it led to great social change. It gave rise to mass production and, through mass production, to a society in which wealth was not confined to the few.
In somewhat similar fashion, computers promise to revolutionize the structure of American life, particularly as they free the human mind and open new possibilities in knowledge and communication. The Industrial Revolution supplemented and replaced the muscles of humans and animals by mechanical methods. The computer extends this development to supplement and replace some aspects of the mind of human beings by electronic methods. It is the capacity of the computer for solving problems and making decisions that represents its greatest potential and that poses the greatest difficulties in predicting the impact on society.
31. A spear or a robot has the quality of technology only when it .
A) is used both as a cultural and a physical object
B) serves different purposes equally well
C) is utilized by man
D) can be of use to both man and animal
32. The examples of the Challenger and Chernobyl cited by the author serve
to show that .
A) if not given close examination, technology could be used to destroy our world B) technology is a human creation, so we are responsible for it
C) technology usually goes wrong, if not controlled by man
D) being a human creation, technology is liable to error
33. According to the author, the introduction of the computer is a revolution mainly because .
A) the computer has revolutionized the workings of the human mind
B) the computer can do the tasks that could only be done by people before
C) it has helped to switch to an information technology
D) it has a great potential impact on society
34. By using the phrase “the human quality of technology” (Para. 2, Lines6-7), the author refers to the fact that technology .
A) has a great impact on human life
B) has some characteristics of human nature
C) can replace some aspects of the human mind
D) does not exist in the natural world
35. The passage is based on the author's .
A) keen insight into the nature of technology
B) prejudiced criticism of the role of the Industrial Revolution
C) cautious analysis of the replacement of the human mind by computers
D) exaggerated description of the negative consequences of technology
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
Now custom has not been commonly regarded as a subject of any great importance. The inner workings of our own brains we feel to be uniquely worthy of investigation, but custom, we have a way of thinking, is behavior at its most common place. As a matter of fact, it is the other way around. Traditional custom, taken the world over, is a mass of detailed behavior more astonishing than what any one person can ever evolve in individual actions. Yet that is a rather trivial aspect of the matter. The fact of first-rate importance is the predominant role that custom plays in experience and in belief and the very great varieties it may manifest.
No man ever looks at the world with pristine(未受外界影响的) eyes. He sees it edited by a definite set of customs and institutions and ways of thinking. Even in his philosophical probings he cannot go behind these stereotypes (固定的模式);his very concepts of the true and the false will still have reference to his particular traditional customs. John Dewey has said in all seriousness that the part played by custom in shaping the behavior of the individual as over against any way in which he can affect traditional custom, is as the proportion of the total vocabulary of his mother tongue over against those words of his own baby talk that are taken up into the language of his family. When one seriously studies social orders that have had the opportunity to develop independently, the figure (这种比喻) becomes no more than an exact and matter-of-fact observation. The life history of the individual is first and foremost an adjustment to the patterns and standards traditionally handed down in his community. From the moment of his birth the customs into which he is born shape his experience and behavior. By the time he can talk, he is the little creature of his culture, and by the time he is grown and able to take part in its activities, its habits are his habits, its beliefs his beliefs, its impossibilities his impossibilities.
36. The author thinks the reason why custom has been ignored in the academic world is that .
A) custom reveals only the superficial nature of human behavior
B) the study of social orders can replace the study of custom
C) people are still not aware of the important role that custom plays in forming our world outlook
D) custom has little to do with our ways of thinking
37. Which of the following is true according to John Dewey?
A) An individual can exercise very little influence on the cultural tradition into which he is born.
B) Custom is the direct result of the philosophical probings of a group of people.
C) An individual is strongly influenced by the cultural tradition even before he is born.
D) Custom represents the collective wisdom which benefits the individual.
38. The word “custom” in this passage most probably means .
A) the concept of the true and the false of a society
B) the independently developed social orders
C) the adjustment of the individual to the new social environment
D) the patterns and standards of behavior of a community
39. According to the passage, a person's life, from his birth to his death, .
A) is constantly shaping the cultural traditions of his people
B) is predominated by traditional custom
C) is continually influenced by the habits of other communities
D) is chiefly influenced by the people around him.
40. The author's purpose in writing this passage is .
A) to urge individuals to follow traditional customs
B) to stress the strong influence of customs on an individual
C) to examine the interaction of man and social customs
D) to show man's adjustment to traditional customs
[NextPage2007年新东方大学英语六级讲义(阅读部分)10]
Unit 10
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
More and more, the operations of our businesses, governments, and financial institutions are controlled by information that exists only inside computer memories. Anyone clever enough to modify this information for his own purposes can reap substantial rewards. Even worse, a number of people who have done this and been caught at it have managed to get away without punishment.
It's easy for computer crimes to go undetected if no one checks up on what the computer is doing. But even if the crime is detected, the criminal may walk away not only unpunished but with a glowing recommendation from his former employers. Of course, we have no statistics on crimes that go undetected. But it's disturbing to note how many of the crimes we do know about were detected by accident, not by systematic inspections or other security procedures. The computer criminals who have been caught may be the victims of uncommonly bad luck.
For example, a certain keypunch (键盘打孔) operator
to stay overtime to punch extra cards. Investigation revealed that the extra cards she was being asked to punch were for dishonest transactions. In another case, dissatisfied employees of the thief tipped off (向……透露) the company that was being robbed.
Unlike other lawbreakers, who must leave the country, commit suicide, or go to jail, computer criminals sometimes escape punishment, demanding not only that they not be charged but that they be given good recommendations and perhaps other benefits. All too often, their demands have been met.
Why? Because company executives are afraid of the bad publicity that would result if the public found out that their computer had been misused. They hesitate at the thought of a criminal boasting in open court of how he juggled (耍弄) the most confidential records right under the noses of the company's executives, accountants, and security staff. And so another computer criminal departs with just the recommendations he needs to continue his crimes elsewhere.
21. It can be concluded from the passage that .
A) it is still impossible to detect computer crimes today
B) computer crimes are the most serious problem in the operation of financial institutions
C) computer criminals can escape punishment because they can't be detected
D) people commit computer crimes at the request of their company
22. It is implied in the third paragraph that .
A) many more computer crimes go undetected than are discovered
B) the rapid increase of computer crimes is a troublesome problem
C) most computer criminals are smart enough to cover up their crimes
D) most computer criminals who are caught blame their bad luck
23. Which of the following is mentioned in the passage?
A) A strict law against computer crimes must be enforced.
B) Companies need to impose restrictions on confidential information.
C) Companies will guard against computer crimes to protect their reputation.
D) Companies usually hesitate to uncover computer crimes.
24. What may happen to computer criminals once they are caught?
A) With a bad reputation they can hardly find another job.
B) They will be denied access to confidential records.
C) They may walk away and easily find another job.
D) They must leave the country or go to jail.
25. The passage is mainly about .
A) why computer crimes are difficult to detect by systematic inspections
B) why computer criminals are often able to escape punishment
C) how computer criminals manage to get good recommendation from their former employers
D) why computer crimes can't be eliminated
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
It is often claimed that nuclear energy is something we cannot do without. We live in a consumer society where there is an enormous demand for commercial products of all kinds. Moreover, an increase in industrial production is considered to be one solution to the problem of mass unemployment. Such an increase presumes an abundant and cheap energy supply. Many people believe that nuclear energy provides an inexhaustible and economical source of power and that it is therefore essential for an industrially developing society. There are a number of other advantages in the use of nuclear energy. Firstly, nuclear power, except for accidents, is clean. A further advantage is that a nuclear power station can be run and maintained by relatively few technical and administrative staff. The nuclear reactor represents an enormous step in our scientific evolution and, whatever the anti-nuclear group says, it is wrong to expect a return to more primitive sources of fuel. However, opponents of nuclear energy point out that nuclear power stations bring a direct threat not only to the environment but also to civil liberties. Furthermore, it is questionable whether ultimately nuclear power is a cheap source of energy. There have, for example, been very costly accidents in America, in Britain and, of course, in Russia. The possibility of increases in the cost of uranium(铀) in addition to the cost of greater safety provisions could price nuclear power out of the market. In the long run, environmentalists argue, nuclear energy wastes valuable resources and disturbs the ecology to an extent which could bring about the destruction of the human race. Thus if we wish to survive, we cannot afford nuclear energy. In spite of the case against nuclear energy outlined above, nuclear energy programmes are expanding. Such an expansion assumes a continual growth in industrial production and consumer demands. However, it is doubtful whether this growth will or can continue. Having weighed up the arguments on both sides, it seems there are good economic and ecological reasons for sources of energy other than nuclear power.
26. The writer's attitude toward nuclear energy is .
A) indifferent C) favorable
B) tolerant D) negative
27. According to the opponents of nuclear energy, which of the following is TRUE of nuclear energy?
A) Primitive. C) Exhaustible.
B) Cheap. D) Unsafe.
28. Some people claim that nuclear energy is essential because .
A) it provides a perfect solution to mass unemployment
B) it represents an enormous step forward in our scientific evolution
C) it can meet the growing demand of an industrially developing society
D) nuclear power stations can be run and maintained by relatively few technical and administrative staff
29. Which of the following statements does the writer support?
A) The demand for commercial products will not necessarily keep increasing.
B) Nuclear energy is something we cannot do without.
C) Uranium is a good source of energy for economic and ecological reasons.
D) Greater safety provisions can bring about the expansion of nuclear energy programmes.
30. The function of the last sentence is to .
A) advance the final argument
B) reflect the writer's attitude
C) reverse previously expressed thoughts
D) show the disadvantages of nuclear power
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
Clothes play a critical part in the conclusions we reach by providing clues to who people are, who they are not, and who they would like to be. They tell us a good deal about the wearer's background, personality, status, mood, and social outlook.
Since clothes are such an important source of social information, we can use them to manipulate people's impression of us. Our appearance assumes particular significance in the initial phases of interaction that is likely to occur. An elderly middle-class man or woman may be alienated(疏远……) by a young adult who is dressed in an unconventional manner, regardless of the person's education, background, or interests.
People tend to agree on what certain types of clothes mean. Adolescent girls can easily agree on the lifestyles of girls who wear certain outfits (套装)，including the number of boyfriends they likely have had and whether they smoke or drink. Newscasters, or the announcers who read the news on TV, are considered to be more convincing, honest, and competent when they are dressed conservatively. And college students who view themselves as taking an active role in their interpersonal relationships say they are concerned about the costumes they must wear to play these roles successfully. Moreover, many of us can relate instances in which the clothing we wore changed the way we felt about ourselves and how we acted. Perhaps you have used clothing to gain confidence when you anticipated a stressful situation, such as a job interview, or a court appearance.
In the workplace, men have long had well-defined precedents and role models for achieving success. It has been otherwise for women. A good many women in the business world are uncertain about the appropriate mixture of “masculine” and “feminine” attributes they should convey by their professional clothing. The variety of clothing alternatives to women has also been greater than that available for men. Male administrators tend to judge women more favorably for managerial positions when the women display less “feminine” grooming (打扮)—shorter hair, moderate use of make-up, and plain tailored clothing. As one male administrator confessed, “An attractive woman is definitely going to get a longer interview, but she won't get a job.”
31. According to the passage, the way we dress .
A) provides clues for people who are critical of us
B) indicates our likes and dislikes in choosing a career
C) has a direct influence on the way people regard us
D) is of particular importance when we get on in age
32. From the third paragraph of the passage, we can conclude that young adults tend to believe that certain types of clothing can .
A) change people's conservative attitudes towards their lifestyles
B) help young people make friends with the opposite sex
C) make them competitive in the job market
D) help them achieve success in their interpersonal relationships
33. The word “precedent” (Line 1, Para.4) probably refers to .
A) early acts for men to follow as examples
B) particular places for men to occupy especially because of their importance
C) things that men should agree upon
D) men's beliefs that everything in the world has already been decided
34. According to the passage, many career women find themselves in difficult situations because .
A) the variety of the professional clothing is too wide for them to choose
B) women are generally thought to be only good at being fashion models
C) men are more favorably judged for managerial positions
D) they are not sure to what extent they should display their feminine qualities through clothing
35. What is the passage mainly about?
A) Dressing for effect. C) Managerial positions and clothing.
B) How to dress appropriately. D) Dressing for the occasion.
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
The more women and minorities make their way into the ranks of management, the more they seem to want to talk about things formerly judged to be best left unsaid. The newcomers also tend to see office matters with a fresh eye, in the process sometimes coming up with critical analyses of the forces that shape everyone's experience in the organization.
Consider the novel views of Harvey Coleman of Atlanta on the subject of getting ahead. Coleman is black. He spent 11 years with IBM, half of them working in management development, and now serves as a consultant to the likes of AT&T, Coca-Cola, Prudential, and Merch. Coleman says that based on what he's seen at big companies, he weighs the different elements that make for long-term career success as follows: performance counts a mere 10%, image, 30%; and exposure, a full 60%. Coleman concludes that excellent job performance is so common these days that while doing your work well may win you pay increases, it won't secure you the big promotion. He finds that advancement more often depends on how many people know you and your work, and how high up they are.
Ridiculous beliefs? Not to many people, especially many women and members of minority races who, like Coleman, feel that the scales (障眼物) have dropped from their eyes. “Women and blacks in organizations work under false beliefs,” says Kaleel Jamison, a New York-based management consultant who helps corporations deal with these issues. “They think that if you work hard, you'll get ahead—that someone in authority will reach down and give you a promotion.” she adds, “Most women and blacks are so frightened that people will think they've gotten ahead because of their sex or color that they play down (使……不突出) their visibility.” Her advice to those folks: learn the ways that white males have
traditionally used to find their way into the spotlight.
36. According to the passage, “things formerly judged to be best left unsaid”(Line 2, Para. 1) probably refers to “ ”.
A) criticisms that shape everyone's experience
B) the opinions which contradict the established beliefs
C) the tendencies that help the newcomers to see office matters with a fresh eye D) the ideas which usually come up with new ways of management in the organization
37. To achieve success in your career, the most important factor, according to the passage, is to .
A) let your superiors know how good you are
B) project a favorable image to the people around you
C) work as a consultant to your superiors
D) perform well your tasks given by your superiors
38. The reason why women and blacks play down their visibility is that they .
A) know that someone in authority will reach down and give them a promotion
B) want to give people the impression that they work under false beliefs
C) don't want people to think that their promotions were due to sex or color
D) believe they can get promoted by reason of their sex or color.
39. The author is of the opinion that Coleman's beliefs are .
A) biased C) insightful
B) popular D) superficial
40. The best title for this passage would be .
A) Role of Women and Minorities in Management
B) The Importance of Being Visible
C) Job Performance and Advancement
D) Sex and Career Success
[NextPage2007年新东方大学英语六级讲义(阅读部分)11]
Unit 11
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 reading passages in this part. 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
It is said that the public and Congressional concern about deceptive (欺骗性的) packaging rumpus(喧嚣) started because Senator Hart discovered that the boxes of cereals consumed by him, Mrs. Hart, and their children were becoming higher and narrower, with a decline of net weight from 12 to 10 1/2 ounces, without any reduction in price. There were still twelve biscuits, but they had been reduced in size. Later, the Senator rightly complained of a store-bought pie in a handsomely illustrated box that pictured, in a single slice, almost as many cherries as there were in the whole pie.
The manufacturer who increases the unit price of his product by changing his package size to lower the quantity delivered can, without undue hardship, put his product into boxes, bags, and tins that will contain even 4-ounce, 8-ounce, one-pound, two-pound quantities of breakfast foods, cake mixes, etc. A study of drugstore(杂货店) and supermarket shelves will convince any observer that all possible sizes and shapes of boxes, jars, bottles, and tins are in use at the same time, and, as the package journals show, week by week, there is never any hesitation in introducing a new size and shape of box or bottle when it aids in product differentiation. The producers of packaged products argue strongly against changing sizes of packages to contain even weights and volumes, but no one in the trade comments unfavorably on the huge costs incurred by endless changes of package sizes, materials, shape, art work, and net weights that are used for improving a product's market position.
When a packaging expert explained that he was able to multiply the price of hard sweets by 2.5, from $1 to $ 2.50 by changing to a fancy jar, or that he had made a 5_ounce bottle look as though it held 8 ounces, he was in effect telling the public that packaging can be a very expensive luxury. It evidently does come high, when an average family pays about $ 200 a year for bottles, cans, boxes, jars and other containers, most of which can't be used for anything but stuffing the garbage can.
21. What started the public and Congressional concern about deceptive packaging rumpus?
A) Consumers' complaints about the changes in package size.
B) A senator's discovery of the tricks in packaging.
C) Expensive packaging for poor quality products.
D) The rise in the unit price for many products.
22. The word “undue”(Line 2,Para.2) means“ ”.
A) improper C) excessive
B) adequate D) unexpected
23. Consumers are concerned about the changes in package size, mainly because .
A) the unit price for a product often rises as a result
B) they hate to see any changes in things they are familiar with
C) they have to pay for the cost of changing package sizes
D) this entails an increase in the cost of packaging
24. According to this passage, various types of packaging come into existence to .
A) meet the needs of consumers
B) suit all kinds of products
C) introduce new products
D) enhance the market position of products
25. The author is critical mainly of .
A) inferior packaging C) the changes in package size
B) dishonest packaging D) exaggerated illustrations on packages
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
If sustainable competitive advantage depends on work-force skills, American firms have a problem. Human-resource management is not traditionally seen as central to the competitive survival of the firm in the United States. Skill acquisition is considered an individual responsibility. Labour is simply another factor of production to be hired — rented at the lowest possible cost — much as one buys raw materials or equipment.
The lack of importance attached to human-resource management can be seen in the corporate hierarchy. In an American firm the chief financial officer is almost always second in command. The post of head of human-resource management is usually a specialized job, off at the edge of the corporate hierarchy. The executive who holds it is never consulted on major strategic decisions and has no chance to move up to Chief Executive Officer (CEO). By way of contrast, in Japan the head of human-resource management is central — usually the second most important executive, after the CEO, in the firm's hierarchy.
While American firms often talk about the vast amounts spent on training their work forces, in fact they invest less in the skills of their employees than do either Japanese or German firms. The money they do invest is also more highly concentrated on professional and managerial employees. And the limited investments that are made in training workers are also much more narrowly focused on the specific skills necessary to do the next job rather than on the basic background skills that make it possible to absorb new technologies.
As a result, problems emerge when new breakthrough technologies arrive. If American workers, for example, take much longer to learn how to operate new flexible manufacturing stations than workers in Germany (as they do), the effective cost of those stations is lower in Germany than it is in the United States. More time is required before equipment is up and running at capacity, and the need for extensive retraining generates costs and creates bottlenecks that limit the speed with which new equipment can be employed. The result is a slower pace of technological change. And in the end the skills of the bottom half of the population affect the wages of the top half. If the bottom half can't effectively staff the processes that have to be operated, the management and professional jobs that go with these processes will disappear.
26.Which of the following applies to the management of human resources in American companies?
A) They hire people at the lowest cost regardless of their skills.
B) They only hire skilled workers because of keen competition.
C) They attach more importance to workers than to equipment.
D) They see the gaining of skills as their employees' own business.
27. What is the position of the head of human-resource management in an American firm?
A) He is one of the most important executives in the firm.
B) His post is likely to disappear when new technologies are introduced.
C) He has no say in making important decisions in the firm.
D) He is directly under the chief financial exective.
28. The money most American firms put in training mainly goes to .
A) technological and managerial staff
B) workers who can operate new equipment
C) workers who lack basic background skills
D) top executives
29. According to the passage, the decisive factor in maintaining a firm's competitive advantage is .
A) the introduction of new technologies
B) the improvement of workers' basic skills
C) the rational composition of professional and managerial employees
D) the attachment of importance to the bottom half of the employees
30. What is the main idea of the passage?
A) American firms are different from Japanese and German firms in human-resource management.
B) Extensive retraining is indispensable to effective human-resource management. C) The human-resource management strategies of American firms affect their competitive capacity.
D) The head of human-resource management must be in the central position in a firm's hierarchy.
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
The biographer has to dance between two shaky positions with respect to the subject (研究对象). Too close a relation, and the writer may lose objectivity. Not close enough, and the writer may lack the sympathy necessary to any effort to portray a mind, a soul — the quality of life. Who should write the biography of a family, for example? Because of their closeness to the subject, family members may have special information, but by the same token, they may not have the distance that would allow them to be fair. Similarly, a king's servant might not be the best one to write a biography of that king. But a foreigner might not have the knowledge and sympathy necessary to write the king's biography — not for areadership from within the kingdom, at any rate.
There is no ideal position for such a task. The biographer has to work with the position he or she has in the world, adjusting that position as necessary to deal with the subject. Every position has strengths and weaknesses: to thrive, a writer must try to become aware of these, evaluate them in terms of the subject, and select a position accordingly.
When their subjects are heroes or famous figures, biographies often reveal a democratic motive: they attempt to show that their subjects are only human, no better than anyone else. Other biographies are meant to change us, to invite us to become better than we are. The biographies of Jesus (耶稣) found in the Bible are in this class.
Biographers may claim that their account is the “authentic” one. In advancing this claim, they are helped if the biography is “authorized” by the subject; this presumably allows the biographer special access to private information. “Unauthorized” biographies also have their appeal, however, since they can suggest an independence of mind in the biographer. In book promotions, the “unauthorized” characterization usually suggests the prospect of juicy gossip that the subject had hoped to suppress. A subject might have several biographies, even several “authentic” ones. We sense intuitively that no one is in a position to tell“the” story of a life, perhaps not even the subject, and this has been proved by the history of biography.
31. According to the author, an ideal biographer would be one who .
A) possesses special private information and is sympathetic toward the subject
B) is close to the subject and knows the techniques of biography writing
C) is independent and treats the subject with fairness and objectivity
D) knows the subject very well and yet maintains a proper distance from him
32. The author cites the biographies of Jesus in the Bible in order to show that .
A) biographies can serve different purposes
B) biographies are authentic accounts of their subjects' lives
C) the best biographies are those of heroes and famous figures
D) the best biographies are meant to transform their readers
33. Which of the following statements is true, according to the passage?
A) An authentic biography seldom appeals to its readers.
B) An authentic biography is one authorized by the subject.
C) Authorized biographies have a wider readership.
D) No one can write a perfect biography.
34. An unauthorized biography is likely to attract more readers because . A) it portrays the subject both faithfully and vividly
B) it reveals a lot of accurate details unknown to outsiders
C) it contains interesting information about the subject's private life
D) it usually gives a sympathetic description of subject's character
35. In this passage, the author focuses on .
A) the secret of a biographer to win more readers
B) the difficulty of a biographer in finding the proper perspective to do his job
C) the techniques required of a biographer to write a good biography
D) the characteristics of different kinds of biographies
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
Whether the eyes are “the windows of the soul” is debatable; that they are intensely important in interpersonal communication is a fact. During the first two months of a baby's life, the stimulus that produces a smile is a pair of eyes. Theeyes need not be real: a mask with two dots will produce a smile. Significantly, a real human face with eyes covered will not motivate a smile, nor will the sight of only one eye when the face is presented in profile. This attraction to eyes as opposed to the nose or mouth continues as the baby matures. In one study, when American four-year-olds were asked to draw people, 75 percent of them drew people with mouths, but 99 percent of them drew people with eyes. In Japan, however, where babies are carried on their mother's back, infants do not acquire as much attachment to eyes as they do in other cultures. As a result, Japanese adults make little use of the face either to encode (把…编码) or decode(理解) meaning. In fact, Argyle reveals that the“proper place to focus one's gaze during a conversation in Japan is on the neck of one's conversation partner.”The role of eye contact in a conversational exchange between two Americans is well defined: speakers make contact with the eyes of their listener for about one second, then glance away as they talk; in a few moments they re-establish eye contact with the listener or reassure themselves that their audience is still attentive, then shift their gaze away once more. Listeners, meanwhile, keep their eyes on the face of the speaker, allowing themselves to glance away only briefly. It is important that they be looking at the speaker at the precise moment when the speaker reestablishes eye contact: if they are not looking, the speaker assumes that they are disinterested and either will pause until eye contact is resumed or will terminate the conversation. Just how critical this eye maneuvering is to the maintenance of conversational flow becomes evident when two speakers are wearing dark glasses: there may be a sort of traffic jam of words caused by interruption, false starts, and unpredictable pauses.
36. The author is convinced that the eyes are .
A) something the value of which is largely a matter of long debate
B) something through which one can see a person's inner world
C) of considerable significance in making conversations interesting
D) of extreme importance in expressing feelings and exchanging ideas
37. Babies will not be stimulated to smile by a person .
A) whose face is seen from the side C) whose front view is fully perceived
B) whose face is covered with a mask D) whose face is free of any covering
38. According to the passage, the Japanese fix their gaze on their conversation partner's neck because .
A) they don't like to keep their eyes on the face of the speaker
B) they need not communicate through eye contact
C) they didn't have much opportunity to communicate through eye contact in babyhood
D) they don't think it polite to have eye contact
39. According to the passage, a conversation between two Americans may break down due to .
A) improperly-timed ceasing of eye contact
B) eye contact of more than one second
C) one temporarily glancing away from the other
D) constant adjustment of eye contact
40. To keep a conversation flowing smoothly, it is better for the participants .
A) not to make any interruptions C) not to glance away from each other
B) not to wear dark spectacles D) not to make unpredictable pauses
[NextPage2007年新东方大学英语六级讲义(阅读部分)12]
Unit 12
Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension
(35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 reading passages in this part. 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
A few common misconceptions. Beauty is only skin-deep. One's physical assets and liabilities don't count all that much in a managerial career. A woman should always try to look her best.
Over the last 30 years, social scientists have conducted more than 1,000 studies of how we react to beautiful and not-so-beautiful people. The virtually unanimous conclusion: Looks do matter, more than most of us realize. The data suggest, for example, that physically attractive individuals are more likely to be treated well by their parents, sought out as friends, and pursued romantically. With the possible exception of women seeking managerial jobs, they are also more likely to be hired, paid well, and promoted.
Un-American, you say, unfair and extremely unbelievable? Once again, the scientists have caught us mouthing pieties (虔诚) while acting just the contrary. Their typical experiment works
. They give each member of a group — college students, perhaps, or teachers or corporate personnel managers —a piece of paper relating an individual's accomplishments. Attached to the paper is a photograph. While the papers all say exactly the same thing the pictures are different. Some show a strikingly attractive person, some an average-looking character, and some an unusually unattractive human being. Group members are asked to rate the individual on certain attributes, anything from personal warmth to the likelihood that he or she will be promoted.
Almost invariably, the better looking the person in the picture, the higher the person is rated. In the phrase, borrowed from Sappho, that the social scientists use to sum up the common perception, what is beautiful is good.
In business, however, good looks cut both ways for women, and deeper than for men. A Utah State University professor, who is an authority on the subject, explains: In terms of their careers, the impact of physical attractiveness on males is only modest. But its potential impact on females can be tremendous, making it easier, for example, for the more attractive to get jobs where they are in the public eye. On another note, though, there is enough literature now for us to conclude that attractive women who aspire(追求) to managerial positions do not get on as well as women who may be less attractive.
21. According to the passage, people often wrongly believe that in pursuing a career as a manager .
A) a person's property or debts do not matter much
B) a person's outward appearance is not a critical qualification
C) women should always dress fashionably
D) women should not only be attractive but also high-minded
22. The result of research carried out by social scientists show that .
A) people do not realize the importance of looking one's best
B) women in pursuit of managerial jobs are not likely to be paid well
C) good-looking women aspire to managerial positions
D) attractive people generally have an advantage over those who are not
23. Experiments by scientists have shown that when people evaluate individuals on certain attuibrtes .
A) they observe the principle that beauty is only skin-deep
B) they do not usually act according to the views they support
C) they give ordinary-looking persons the lowest ratings
D) they tend to base their judgment on the individual's accomplishments
24. “Good looks cut both ways for women” (Line 1,Para. 5) means that . A) attractive women have tremendous potential impact on public jobs
B) good-looking women always get the best of everything
C) being attractive is not always an advantage for women.
D) attractive women do not do as well as unattractive women in managerial positions
25. It can be inferred from the passage that in the business world .
A) handsome men are not affected as much by their looks as attractive women are B) physically attractive women who are in the public eye usually do quite well
C) physically attractive men and women who are in the public eye usually get along quite well
D) good looks are important for women as they are for men
Question 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
Not content with its doubtful claim to produce cheap food for our own population, the factory farming industry also argues that “hungry nations are benefiting from advances made by the poultry (家禽) industry”. In fact, rather than helping the fight against malnutrition (营养不良) in “hungry nations”, the spread of factory farming has, inevitably aggravated the problem.
Large-scale intensive meat and poultry production is a waste of food resources. This is because more protein has to be fed to animals in the form of vegetable matter than can ever be recovered in the form of meat. Much of the food value is lost in the animal's process of digestion and cell replacement. Neither, in the case of chicken, can one eat feathers, blood, feet or head. In all, only about 44% of the live animal fits to be eaten as meat.
This means one has to feed approximately 9_10 times as much food value to the animal than one can consume from the carcass. As a system for feeding the hungry, the effects can prove disastrous. At times of crisis, grain is the food of life .Nevertheless, the huge increase in poultry production throughout Asia and Africa continues. Normally British or US firms are involved. For instance, an American based multinational company has this year announced its involvement in projects in several African countries. Britain's largest suppliers of chickens, Ross Breeders, are also involved in projects all over the world.
Because such trade is good for exports, Western governments encourage it. In 1979, a firm in Bangladesh called Phoenix Poultry received a grant to set up a unit of 6,000 chickens and 18,000 laying hens. This almost doubled the number of poultry kept in the country all at once.
But Bangladesh lacks capital, energy and food and has large numbers of unemployed. Such chicken-raising demands capital for building and machinery, extensive use of energy resources for automation, and involves feeding chickens with potential famine-relief protein food. At present, one of Bangladesh's main imports is food grains, because the country is unable to grow enough food to feed its population. On what then can they possibly feed the chicken?
26. In this passage the author argues that .
A) efficiency must be raised in the poultry industry
B) raising poultry can provide more protein than growing grain
C) factory farming will do more harm than good to developing countries
D) hungry nations may benefit from the development of the poultry industry
27. According to the author, in factory farming, vegetable food .
A) is easy for chickens to digest
B) is insufficient for the needs of poultry
C) is fully utilized in meat and egg production
D) is inefficiently converted into meat and eggs
28. Western governments encourage the poultry industry in Asia because they regard it as an effective way to .
A) boost their own exports
B) alleviate malnutrition in Asian countries
C) create job opportunities in Asian countries
D) promote the exports of Asian countries
29. The word “carcass” (Line 2, Para. 3) most probably means “ ”.
A) vegetables preserved for future use
B) the dead body of an animal ready to be cut into meat
C) expensive food that consumers can hardly afford
D) meat canned for future consumption
30. What the last paragraph tells us is the author's .
A) detailed analysis of the ways of raising poultry in Bangladesh
B) great appreciation of the development of poultry industry in Bangladesh
C) critical view on the development of the poultry industry in Bangladesh
D) practical suggestion for the improvement of the poultry industry in Bangladesh
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
We all have offensive breath at one time or another. In most cases, offensive breath emanates from bacteria in the mouth, although there are other, more surprising causes.
Until a few years ago, the most doctors could do was to counsel patients with bad breath about oral cleanliness. Now they are finding new ways to treat the usually curable condition.
Bad breath can happen whenever the normal flow of saliva (唾液) slows. Our mouths are full of bacteria feeding on protein in bits of food and shed tissue. The bacteria emit evil-smelling gases, the worst of which is hydrogen sulfide(硫化物).Mouth bacteria thrive in airless conditions. Oxygen-rich saliva keeps their numbers down. When we sleep, for example, the saliva stream slows, and sulfur-producing bacteria gain the upper hand, producing classic “morning breath”.Alcohol, hunger, too much talking, breathing through the mouth during exercise — anything that dries the mouth produces bad breath. So can stress, though it's not understood why. Some people's breath turns sour every time they go on a job interview.
Saliva flow gradually slows with age, which explains why the elderly have more bad-breath trouble than younger people do. Babies, however, who make plenty of saliva and whose mouths contain relatively few bacteria have characteristically sweet breath.
For most of us, the simple, dry-mouth variety of bad breath is easily cured. Eating or drinking starts saliva and sweeps away many of the bacteria. Breakfast often stops morning breath.
Those with chronic dry mouth find that it helps to keep gum, hard candy, or a bottle of water or juice around. Brushing the teeth wipes out dry-mouth bad breath because it clears away many of the offending bacteria.
Surprisingly, one thing that rarely works is mouthwash. The liquid can mask bad-breath odor with its own smell, but the effect lasts no more than an hour. Some mouthwashes claim to kill the bacteria responsible for bad breath. The trouble is, they don't necessarily reach all offending germs. Most bacteria are well protected from mouthwash under thick layers of mucus (粘液). If the mouthwash contains alcohol — as most do — it can intensify the problem by drying out the mouth.
31. The phrase “emanate from” in Paragraph 1 most probably means “ ”.
A) thrive on B) account for C) originate from D) descend from
32. Which of the following is mentioned as one of the causes of bad breath?
A) Tooth trouble. C) Too much exercise.
B) Sulfur-rich food. D) Mental strain.
33. According to the passage, alcohol has something to do with bad breath mainly because .
A) it keeps offending bacteria from reproducing
B) its smell adds to bad breath
C) it kills some helpful bacteria
D) it affects the noumal flow of saliva
34. Mouthwashes are not an effective cure for bad breath mainly because . A) they can't mask the bad odor long enough
B) they can't get to all the offending bacteria
C) their strong smell mixes with bad breath and makes it worse
D) they can't cover the thick layers of mucus
35. We can infer from this passage that .
A) offensive breath can't easily be cured
B) elderly people are less offended by bad breath
C) heavy drinkers are less affected by bad breath
D) offensive breath is less affected by alcohol
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
“Welcome to the U.S.A.! Major Credit cards accepted!”
By the millions they are coming no longer the tired, the poor, the wretched masses longing for a better living. These are the wealthy. “We don't have a budget，” says a biologist from Brazil, as she walks with two companions through New York City's South Street. “We just use our credit cards.”
The U.S. has long been one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, but this year has been exceptional. First there was the World Cup, which drew thousands from every corner of the globe; then came the weakening of the U.S. dollar against major currencies. Now the U.S., still the world's superpower, can also claim to be the world's bargain basement (廉价商品部). Nobody undersells America these days on just about everything, from consumer electronics to fashion clothes to tennis rackets. Bottom retail prices — anywhere from 30% to 70% lower than those in Europe and Asia — have attracted some 47 million visitors, who are expected to leave behind $79 billion in 1994. That's up from $74 billion the year before.
True, not everyone comes just for bargains. There remains an undeniable fascination in the rest of the world with all things American, nourished by Hollywood films and U.S. television series. But shopping the U.S.A. is proving irresistible. Every week thousands arrive with empty suitcases ready to be filled; some even rent an additional hotel room to hold their purchases. The buying binge (无节制) has become as important as watching Old Faithful fountains erupt in Yellowstone Park or sunbathing on a beach in Florida.
The U.S. has come at last to appreciate what other countries learned long ago: the pouring in of foreign tourists may not always be convenient, but it does put money in the bank. And with a trade deficit at about $ 130 billion and growing for the past 12 months, the U.S. needs all the deposits it can get. Compared with American tourists abroad, visitors to the U.S. stay longer and spend more money at each stop; an average of 12.2 night and $1624 a traveller versus the Americans' four nights and $298.
36. From what the Brazilian biologist says, we know that tourists like her .
A) are reluctant to carry cash with them
B) simply don't care how much they spend
C) are not good at planning their expenditure
D) often spend more money than they can afford
37. The reason why 1994 was exceptional is that .
A) it saw an unusually large number of tourists to the U.S.
B) it witnessed a drop in the number of tourists to the U.S.
C) tourism was hardly affected by the weakening of the U.S. dollar that year
D) tourists came to the U.S. for sightseeing rather than for bargains that year
38. By saying “nobody undersells America”(Line 4, Para. 3), the author means that .
A) no other country underestimates the competitiveness of American products
B) nobody expects the Americans to cut the prices of their commodities
C) nobody restrains the selling of American goods
D) no other country sells at a lower price than America
39. Why does the author assert that all things American are fascinating to foreigners?
A) Because they have gained much publicity through the American media.
B) Because they represent the world's latest fashions.
C) Because they embody the most sophisticated technology.
D) Because they are available at all tourist destinations.
40. From the passage we can conclude that the U.S. has come to realize .
A) the weakening if the U.S. dollar can result in trade deficits
B) the lower the retail prices, the greater the profits
C) tourism can make great contributions to its economy
D) visitors to the U.S. are wealthier than U.S. tourists abroad
