08年英语六级及答案

2008年6月大学英语六级考试听力原文及参考答案Section 111. M: Good news, I'm not going to have surgery after all. The doctor says I can start working out again soon and maybe play football like before in a few weeks.W: That's terrific. It would be great if you could get back in shape in time for the world cup.Q：What do we learn from the conversation?12. M: I really need to make some extra money. You know I've practically spent my entire budget for this semester.W: Why not check out the new cafeteria at Market Street? I think there are still a few openingssuitable for seniors like you.Q: What does the woman suggest the man do?13. M: I hear John left his cat in your care while he's on vacation abroad. How were you getting along with it?W: Well, it never comes when I call it. It spills its food and sheds all over the place. I can't wait till John gets back.Q: How does the woman find the cat?14. W: Hello, Professor White, I got my grade in the mail this morning, but I think there might be a mistake in my mark.M: Yeah, I've got several calls just like yours. There must be a problem with the computing system. It should be straightened out in a couple of hours.Q: What does the man mean?15. M: Professor Johnson, last night when I was putting the finishing touches on my paper, a computer failure completely wiped out my files, do you think I can have another day to retype it?W: I'm sorry, Rod. I'm leaving for a conference tomorrow and I'll be away two weeks.I suppose you can send me an E-copy.Q: Why does the man say he can't submit his assignment on time?16. W: I just called the travel agency, it's all set. On 1st June, we are heading for the mountains and will be camping there for a whole week.M：Have you checked the academic calendar？My classes aren't over until the 8th.Q: What does the man imply?17. W: I thought there was still time for me to apply for a student loan, but someone just told me that the closing date was last Tuesday.M: Are you sure? I thought we still had another month. Wait, I've got a brochure right here. Last Tuesday was the opening date.Q: What does the man imply?18. W: Look at the all the pollutants going into the air from those factories. Do you think they'll ever get that under control?M: Now with the new laws in effect and social awareness increasing, we are sure to turn things around.Q: What does the man mean?Conversation OneW: Tell me, Peter, what makes Harrods so famous?M: Well, it's the biggest department store in the UK. And its food hall and Egyptian hall are very famous. People come to Harrods just to see them.W: What is special about the Food Hall?M: It sells many different kinds of food. For example, it has 250 kinds of cheese from all over the world and more than 180 kinds of bread. Customers also love all the different kinds of chocolate. They buy 100 tons every year.W: That's amazing! And why is the Egyptian Hall so famous?M: Well, when people see it, they feel they are in another world. It looks like Egyptian building from 4, 000 years ago and it sells beautiful objects. They are not 4,000 years old, of course.W: Is it true that Harrods produces its own electricity?M: Yes, it does. 70%. Enough for a small town. To light the outside of the building, we use 11,500 light bulbs.W: Really? Tell me, how many customers do you have on an average day? And how much do they spend?M: About 30,000 people come on an average day, but during the sales the number increases to 300,000 customers a day. How much do they spend? Well, on average, customers spend about 1.5 million pounds a day. The record for one day is 9 million pounds.W: 9 million pounds in one day?M: Yes! On the first day of the January sales.W: Harrods says it sells everything to everybody everywhere. Is that really true?M: Oh yes, of course! Absolutely everything.Q19. What is the Food Hall of Harrods noted for?Q20. What does the Egyptian hall seem like to the customers?Q21. What make customers find surprising about Harrods?Q22. About how many customers come to Harrods on an average day?Conversation TwoW: Hi Kevin!M: Hi Laura, long time no see! What have you been up to lately?W: Not much, I can assure you, and you?M: Much the same except I do have some big news.W: Come on this suspense is killing me.M: No, really, what have you been doing these past few weeks? The last time I saw you, you were looking for a new job.W: Well, that's not exactly true. I was thinking about changing jobs. Luckily, they offered me a new position in the accounting department.M: A step up in the big business world.W: ??? exaggerate, but I am pleased. I had been hoping to get a promotion for a while. So when it finally came through, I was relieved. Actually, that's why I was looking for a new job. I just didn't want to work there anymore if they weren't going to recognize my efforts.M: Right, sometimes you can do your best and it seems like the others don't know you exist. I hope the money's better.W: I got an reasonable raise, now enough about me, I'm dying to hear your news.M: I getting married.W: No, you said you'd never get married.M: That was then and this is now. You've got to meet Andrea , she's great!W: This is all news to me. I didn't even know you were dating.M: We weren't, we've just been dating for two weeks now.W: And you getting married?M: I know, I can't help it. I just know she's the one.W: Well, congratulations! That's fantastic!M: Thanks, I'm glad to hear you feel that way.Q23. What was the woman doing when the man last saw her?Q24 Why does the woman say she was relived?Q25 Why is the woman surprised at the man's news?Passage 1Water scooters are water vehicles that look very much like motorcycles. Nowadays, speedy, colorful water scooters are gaining in popularity. They can travel anywhere a small boat can and particularly popular with young people. The rising popularity of the craft has raised the question of water scooter regulation. In this case, the argument for strict regulation is compelling. Water scooters are a particularly deadly form of water recreation. For example, two women were vacationing in Longboat Key while they were floating on the rubber boat along the shore, a water scooter crashed into them and kill them. Also water scooter operators have been killed or seriously injured in collisions with other water craft. Others have been stranded at the sea when their scooters either failed or sank far from shore. Many water scooter operators are inexperienced and ignorant of navigational rules, which increases the potential for accidents. The increasing popularity of the scooter has aggravated the problem, providing more water vehicles to compete for the same space. Crowded water waves are simply an open invitation to disaster.In addition to the inherent operational hazards of water scooters, they are proving to be an environmental nuisance. Beach residents complain of the noise of the scooters. The Pacific Whale Foundation on the west coast expressed concern that the scooters are frightening away an endangered species of whale that migrates to Hawaii for breeding. Regulations such as minimum operating age, restricted operating areas and compulsory classes in water safety are essential. Without such regulations, tragedies involving water scooters are sure to multiply, which makes many beaches unsafe for recreation.26. What does the speaker say about water scooters?27. What was mentioned as one of the causes of water accident?28. In what way are water scooters said to be an environmental nuisance?29. What does the speaker propose to ensure the safety of beaches for recreation?Passage 2It seems to me that neighbors are going out of style in America. The friend next door from whom you borrowed for eggs or a ladder has moved and people in there now are strangers.Some of the traditional stories of neighborliness are impractical or silly and maybe just as well that our relations with our neighbors are changing. The saying in the Bible "Love thy neighbor" was probably a poor translation, of what must have originally been, "respect thy neighbor". Love can be called up on order. Fewer than half of the people in U.S. live in the same house they lived in five years ago. So there is no reason to love the people who live next door to you, just because they happen to wander into a real estate office that listed the place next door to yours. The only thing neighbors have in common, to begin with, is proximity and unless something more develops that isn't reason enough to be best friends. It sometimes happens naturally, but the chances are very small that your neighbors will be your choice friends or that you will be theirs either. The best relationship with neighbors is one of friendly distance. You say "hello", use small talk if you see them in the yard, you discuss problems as they arise and you help each other in an emergency. The drive way or the fence between you is not really a cold shoulder but a clear boundary. We all like clearly-defined boundaries for ourselves.30. What does the speak say about the relations among neighbors nowadays?31. Why does the speak say it may be difficult for people to love their neighbors?32. What should neighbors do in the speaker's opinion?Passage 3Articles in magazines and newspapers and special reports on radio and television reflect the concern of many Americans about the increasing drop-out rate in our junior and senior high schools. Coupled with this fact is the warning that soon we will no longer have a work force to fill the many jobs that require properly educated personnel. The high student drop-out rate is not a recent development. Ten years ago, many urban schools were reporting drop-out rates between 35 and 50 percent. Some administrators maintain that drop-outs remain the single greatest problem in their schools. Consequently, much effort has been spent on identifying students with problems in order to give them more attention before they become failures. Since the drop-out problem doesn't start in senior high school, special programs in junior high school focus on students who show promise but have a record of truancy, that is staying away from school without permission. Under the guidance of counselors, these students are placed in classes with teachers who have had success in working with similar young people. Strategies to motivate students in a high school include rewarding academic excellence by designating scholars of the month, or by issuing articles of clothing, such as school letter jackets formerly given only to athletes. No one working with these students claims to know how to keep all students in schools. Counselors, teachers and administrators are in the frontlines of what seems at times to be a losing battle. Actually, this problem should be everyone’s concern since uneducated, unemployed citizens affect us all.33. Why are many Americans concerned with the increasing drop-out rate in school?34. What do we learn about the student drop-out problem in America?35. What is mentioned as one of the strategies used to motivate students?Compound DictationI'm interested in the criminal justice system of our country. It seems to me that something has to be done if we are to survive as a country. I certainly don't know whatthe answers to our problems are. Things certainly get complicated in a hurry when you get into them. But I wonder if something couldn't be done to deal with some of these problems.One thing I'm concerned about is our practice of putting offenders in jail who haven't harmed anyone. Why not work out some system whereby they can pay back the debts they owe society instead of incurring another debt by going to prison, and of course, coming under the influence of hardened criminals? I'm also concerned about the short prison sentences people are serving for serious crimes. Of course, one alternative to this is to restore capital punishment, but I'm not sure I would be for that. I'm not sure it's right to take an eye for eye.The alternative to capital punishment is longer sentences, but they would certainly costthe tax payers much money.I also think we must do something about the insanity plea. In my opinion, any one who takes another person's life intentionally is insane. However, that does not mean that the person isn't guilty of the crime, or that he shouldn't pay society the debt he owes.It's sad, of course, that a person may have to spend the rest of his life, or a large part of it, in prison for acts that he committed while not in full control of his mind.听力A卷参考答案北京导航、北京领航李勇全庄延君提供11. A) The man mightbe able to play in the World Cup.12. D) Solve his problem by doing a part-time job.13. C) A real nuisance.14. A) The errors will be corrected soon.15. B) He has to type his paper once more.16. A) They might have to change their plan.17. D) They are not late for a loan application.18. C) The quality of air will surely change for the better.Conversation19. B) Numerous varieties of food.20. A) An ancient building.21. D) It generates 70% of the electricity it uses.22. B) 30,00023. C) Thinking about doing a different job.24. A) She has finally got a promotion and a pay raise.25. B) He changed his mind about marriage unexpectedly.Passage One北京导航、北京领航李勇全庄延君提供26.D) They are getting more popular as a means or water recreation.27.A) Waterscooter operators’ lack of experience.28. B)They produce too much noise.29. D) Enforce necessary regulations.Passage Two北京导航、北京领航提供30.D) They are changing.31.B) Not many of them stay in the same place for long.32. C) Keep a friendly distance.Passage Three33. D) It may lead to a lack of properly educated workers.34． B)It affects both junior and senior high schools.35. C)Rewarding excellent academic performance.Section C37. complicated38. offenders39. whereby40. incurring41. influence42. serving43. restore44. The alternative to capital punishment is longer sentences. But they would certainly cost the tax payers much money.45. that does not mean that person isn't guilty of the crime, or that he shouldn't pay society the debt he owes.46. a large part of it in prison for acts that he committed while not in full control of his mind.。

之2008年12月大学英语六级真题试题及答案(A卷)2008年12月大学英语六级真题试题及答案(A卷)一、阅读理解第1题：sustainable development is applied to just about eberything from energy to clean water and economic growth,and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is put to use.this is especially true in agriculture,where sustainable development is often taken as the sole measure of progress without a proper appreciation of histrorcal and cultural perspectives.To start with,it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history,and will continue to do so .medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed,clothed and shelered a predominantly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today.it had minimal effect on biodiversity,and any pollution it caused was typically localized.in termsof energy use and the nutrients captured in the product it was relatively inefficient.Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial petion from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields.throughout this period food became cheaper,safe and more reliable.however,these changes have alsoled to habitat loss and to diminishing biodiversity.What’smore,demand for animal products in d eveloping countrics is growing so fast that meeting it will require an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by 2050.yet the growth of cities and in dustry is reducing the amount of water available for agriculture in many regions.All this means that agriculture in the 21st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th.this will require radical thinking.for example,we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are inevitably more sustainable than new ones.we also need to abandon the notion that agriculture can be “zero impact”. The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static measures of sustainability,which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage.instead we need a more dynamic interpretation,one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various way land is used.there are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield:energy use, environmental costs,water purity,carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example,that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from spain to the UK Is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting.but we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity.What is crucial is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production.1. How do people ofen measure progress in agriculture?A) By its productivity C) By its impact on the environmetB) By its sustainability D) By its contribution to economic growth2. Specialisation and the effort to incease yields have esulted in________.A) Localised pollution C) competition from overseasB) the shrinking of farmland D) the decrease of biodiversity3.What does the author think of traditional farming practices?A)They have remained the same over the centuriesB)They have not kept pace with population growthC)They are not necessarily sustainableD)They are environmentally friendly4.What will agriculture be like in the 21st centuryA) It will go through radical changesB) It will supply more animal productsC) It will abandon traditional farming practicesD) It will cause zero damage to the environment5 What is the author’s purpose in writing this pass age?A) To remind people of the need of sustainable developmentB) To suggest ways of ensuring sustainable food productionC) To adance new criteria for measuring farming progressD) To urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture is1小题>、【正确答案】：B2小题>、【正确答案】：D3小题>、【正确答案】：C4小题>、【正确答案】：A5小题>、【正确答案】：D【参考解析】：无第2题：The percentage of immigrants(including those unlawfully present) in the United states has been creeping upward for years. At 12.6 percent, it is now higher than at any point ince the mid1920s We are not about to go back to the days when Congress openly worried about inferior races polluing America’s bloodstream. But once again we are wondering whether we have too many of the wrong sort fo necomers.Their loudest citecs argue that the new wave of immigrants cannot,and indeed do not want to, fit in as previous generations did.We now know that these racist views were wrong.In time, Italians, Romanians and members of other so-called inferior races became exemplary Americans and contributed greatly, in ways too numerous to detail , to the building of this magnificent nation. There is no reason why these new immigrants should not have the same success.Although children of Mexican immigrants do better, in terms of educational and professional attainment, than thir parents UCLA sociologist Edward Telles has found that the gains don’t continme. Indeed, the fouth generation is marginally worse off than the third James Jackson,of the University of Michigan,has foud a simila rend among black Caribbean immigrants,Tells fears that Mexican-Americans may be fated to follow in the footsteps of American blacks-that largeparts of the community may become mired in a seemingly state of poverty and Underachievement . Like African-Americans, Mexican-americans are increasingly relegated to (降入)segregated, substandyrd schools, and their dropout rate is the highest for any 儿童会nic group in the country.We have learned much about the foolish idea of excluding people on the presumption of the ethnic/racial inferiority. But what we have not yet learned is how to make the process of Americanization work for all. I am not talking about requiring people to learn English or to adoptAmerican ways; those things happen pretty much on their own, but as arguments about immigration hear up the campaign trail, we also ought to ask some broader question about assimilation, about ho wto ensure that people , once outsiders , don’t fovever remain marginalized within these shores.That is a much larger question than what should happen with undocumented workers, or how best to secure the border, and it is one that affects not only newcomers but groups that have been here for generations. It will have more impact on our future than where we decide to set the admissions bar for the lasest ware of would-be Americans. And it would be nice if we finally got the answer right。

2008年6月21日大学英语六级真题及答案Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)Passage OneQuestions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.Imagine waking up and finding the value of your assets has been halved. No, you’re not an investor in o ne of those hedge funds that failed completely. With the dollar slumping to a 26-year low against the pound, already-expensive London has become quite unaffordable. A coffee at Starbucks, just as unavoidable in England as it is in the United States, runs about $8.The once all-powerful dollar isn’t doing a Titanic against just the pound. It is sitting at a record low against the euro and at a 30-year low against the Canadian dollar. Even the Argentine peso and Brazilian real are thriving against the dollar.The weak dollar is a source of humiliation, for a nation’s self-esteem rests in part on the strength of its currency. It’s also a potential economic problem, since a declining dollar makes imported food more expensive and exerts upward pressure on interest rates. And yet there are substantial sectors of the vast U.S. economy-from giant companies like Coca-Cola to mom-and-pop restaurant operators in Miami-for which the weak dollar is most excellent news.Many Europeans may view the U.S. as an arrogant superpower that has become hostile to foreigners. But nothing makes people think more warmly of the U.S. than a weak dollar. Through April, the total number of visitors from abroad was up 6.8 percent from last year. Should the trend continue, the number of tourists this year will finally top the 2000 peak? Many Europeans now apparently view the U.S. the way many Americans view Mexico-as a cheap place to vacation, shop and party, all while ignoring the fact that the poorer locals can’t afford to join the merrymaking.The money tourists spend helps decrease our chronic trade deficit. So do exports, which thanks in part to the weak dollar, soared 11 percent between May 2006 and May 2007. For first five months of 2007, the trade deficit actually fell 7 percent from 2006.If you own shares in large American corporations, you’re a winner in the weak-dollar gamble. Last week Coca-Cola’s stick bubbled to a five-year high after it reported a fantastic quarter. Foreign sales accounted for 65 percent of Coke’s beverage business. Other American companies profiting from this trend include McDonald’s and IBM.American tourists, however, shouldn’t expect any relief soon. The dollar lost strength the way many marriages break up- slowly, and then all at once. And currencies don’t turn on a dime. So if you want to avoid the pain inflicted by the increasingly pathetic dollar, cancel that summer vacation to England and look to New England. There, the dollar is still treated with a little respect.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

2008年12月大学英语六级真题一、Writing （本大题1小题．每题14.0分，共14.0分。

For this part, you are allowed thirty minutes to write a composition . You should write at least 100 words, and base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below: ）第1题1.掌心生理健康的重要性2. 学校应该怎样做3. 学生自己应该怎样做How to Improve Psychological Health?【正确答案】：How to Improve Psychological Health?There was a time when people, due to various reasons, only value physical health. Yet, recently, owing to the amazing rise of living standard, they begin to focus more emphasis upon psychological health, which carries more weight in the development of students' personality and character.Apparently, it is absolutely necessary for universities to implement effective and efficient measures to improve students' psychological health. Psychological courses and activities should be offered to enhance students' awareness of psychological health and to serve as an outlet of their negative pressure. Moreover, it is highly suggested for universities to establish psychological consult centers that students can gain help easily from experts with rich knowledge in this field.Nevertheless, nothing can play a more essential role than students' own effort in improving psychological health. Based on what I know, we students may attach more attention to books and physical education so that we can have an optimistic attitude toward life. Also, we, if suffering a great pain or torture in mind, should not hesitate to consult an expert. All in all, with our efforts, I cherish a belief that good psychological health is not a dream but a reality.二、Cloze（共20小题,共10.0分）There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D] on the right side of the paper. You should choose the ONE that best fits into the passage. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.第1题Individuals and businesses have legal protection for intellectual property they create and own. Intellectual property (1) from creative thinking and may include products, (2) , processes, and ideas. Intellectual property is protected (3) misappropriation (盗用). Misappropriation is taking the intellectual property of others without (4) compensation and using it for monetary gain.Legal protection is provided for the (5) of intellectual property. The three common types of legal protection are patents, copyrights, and trademarks.Patents provide exclusive use of inventions. If the U.S. Patent Office (6) a patent, it is confirming that the intellectual property is (7) . The patent prevents others from making, using, or selling the invention without the owner's (8 for a period of 20 years.Copyrights are similar to patents (9) that they are applied to artistic works. A copyright protects the creator of an (10) artisitic or intellectual work, such as a song or a novel. A copyright gives the owner exclusive rights to copy, (11) , display, or perform the work. The copyright prevents others from using and selling the work. The (12) ofa copyright is typically the lifetime of the author (13) an additional70 years.Trademarks are words, names, or symbols that identify the manufacturer of a product and (14) it from similar goods of others. A servicemark is similar to a trademark (15) is used to identify services. A trademark prevents others from using the (16) or a similar word, name, or symbol to take advantage of the recognition and (17) of the brand or to create confusion in the marketplace. 18) registration, a trademark is usually granted for a period of ten years. It can be (19) for additional ten-year periods indefinitely as (20) as the mark's use continues.A retrievesB deviatesC resultsD departs【正确答案】：C【本题分数】：0.5分【答案解析】。

2008年6月大学英语六级考试A卷真题及答案Part ⅠWriting (30 minutes)注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上Part ⅡReading Comprehension(Skimming and Scanning)(15 minutes)Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1 For questions 1-7,choose the best answer from the four choices marked A),B),C)and D. For questions 8-10,complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.What will the world be like in fifty years?This week some top scientists, including Nobel Prize winners, gave their vision of how the world will look in 2056,fron gas-powered cars to extraordinary health advances, John Ingham reports on what the world’s finest minds believe our futures will be.For those of us lucky enough to live that long,2056 will be a world of almost perpetual youth, where obesity is a remote memory and robots become our companions.We will be rubbing shoulders with aliens and colonizing outer space. Better still, our descendants might at last live in a world at peace with itself.The prediction is that we will have found a source of inexbaustible, safe, green energy, and that science will have killed off religion. If they are right we will have removed two of the main causes of war-our dependence on oil and religious prejudice.Will we really, as today’s scientists claim, be able to live for ever or at least cheat the ageing process so that the average person lives to 150?Of course, all these predictions come with a scientific health warning. Harvard professor Steven Pinker says: “This is an invitation to look foolish, as with the predictions of domed cities and nuclear-powered vacuum cleaners that were made 50 year ago.”Living longerAnthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute in North Carolina, belives failing organs will be repaired by injecting cells into the body. They will naturally to straight to the injury and help heal it. A system of injections without needles could also slow the ageing process by using thesa me process to “tune” cells.Bruce Lahn, professor of human genetics at the University of Chicago, anticipates the ability to produce“unlimited supplies” of transplantable human organs without the needed a new organ,such as kidney, the surgeon would contac t a commercial organ producer, give him the patient’s immuno-logical profile and would then be sent a kidney with the correct tissue type.These organs would be entirely composed of human cells, grown by introducing them into animal hosts, and alloweing th em to deveoop into and organ in place of the animal’s own. But Prof. Lahn believes that farmed brains would be “off limits”.He says: “Very few people would want to have their brains replaced by someone else’s and we probably don’t want to put a human brain ing an animal body.”Richard Miller, a professor at the University of Michigan, thinks scientist could develop“an thentic anti-ageing drugs” by working out how cells in larger animals such as whales and human resist many forms of injuries. He says:“It’s i s now routine, in laboratory mammals, to extend lifespan by about 40%. Turning on the same protective systems in people should, by 2056, create the first class of 100-year-olds who are as vigorous and productive as today’s people in their 60s”AliensConli n Pillinger ,professor of planerary sciences at the Open University,says:”I fancy that at least we will be able to show that life didi start to evolve on Mars well as Earth.”Within 50years he hopes scientists will prove that alien life came here in Martian meteorites(陨石).Chris McKay,a planetary scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center.believes that in 50 years we may find evidence of alien life in ancient permanent forst of Mars or on other planers.He adds:”There is even a chance we will find alien life f orms here on Earth.It mightbe as different as English is to Chinese.Priceton professor Freeman Dyson thinks it “likely” that life form outer space will be discovered defore 2056 because the tools for finding it, such as optical and radio detection and data processing,are improving.He ays:”As soon as the first evidence is found,we will know what to look for and additional discoveries are likely to follow quickly.Such discoveries are likely to have revolutionary consequences for biology, astronomy and philosophy. They may change the way we look at ourselves and our place in the universe.Colonies in spaceRichard Gottprofessor of astrophysics at Princeton,hopes man will set up a self-sufficient colony on Mars,which would be a “life insurance policy against w hatever catastrophes,natural or otherwise,might occur on Earth.“The real space race is whether we will colonise off Earth on to other worlds before money for the space programme runs out.”Spinal injuriesEllen Heber-Katz,a professor at the Wistar Institude in Philadelphia,foresees cures for inijuries causing paralysis such as the one that afflicated Superman star Christopher Reeve.She says:”I believe that the day is not far off when we will be able to profescribe drugs that cause severes(断裂的) spinal cords to heal,hearts to regenerate and lost limbs to regrow.“People will come to expect that injured or diseased organs are meant to be repaired from within,inmuch the same way that we fix an appliance or automobile:by replancing the damaged part with a manufacturer-certified new part.”She predict that within 5 to 10 years fingers and toes will be regrown and limbs will start to be regrown a few years later. Reparies to the nervous system will start with optic nerves and,in time,the spinal cord.”Within 50years whole body replacement will be routine,”Prof.Heber-Katz adds.ObesitySydney Brenner,senior distinguished fellow of the Crick-Jacobs Center in California,won the 2002 Noblel Prize for Medicine and says that if there is a global disaster some humans will survive-and evolition will favour small people with bodies large enough to support the required amount of brain power.”Obesity,”he says.”will have been solved.”RobotsRodney Brooks,professor of robotice at MIT,says the problems of developing artificial intelligence for robots will be at least partly overcome.As a result,”the possibilities for robots working with people will open up immensely”EnergyBill Joy,green technology expert in Califomia,says:”The most significant breakthrought would be to have an inexhaustible source of safe,green energy that is substantially cheaper than any existing energy source.”Ideally,such a source would be safe in that it could not be made into weapons and would not make hazardous or toxic waste or carbon dioxide,the main greenhouse gas blamed for global warming.SocietyGeoffrey Miller,evolutionary psychologist at the University of New Mexico,says:”The US will follow the UKin realizing that religion is nor a prerequisite (前提)for ordinary human decency.“This,sci ence will kill religion-not by reason challenging faith but by offering a more practical,uniwersal and rewarding moral frameworkfor human interaction.”He also predicts that “ahsurdly wasteful”displays of wealth will become umfashionable while the importance of close-knit communities and families will become clearer.These there changer,he says,will help make us all”brighe\ter,wiser,happier and kinder”.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

.D) 2.B) 3.A) 4.C) 5.C) 6.A ) 7.D) 8.artificial intelligence 9.weapons 10.religion 听⼒听写 I am interested in criminal justice system of our country. It seems to me that something has to be done if we are to survive as a country. I certainly don't know what the answers to our problems are. Things certainly get complicated in a hurry when you get into them. But I wonder something could be done to deal with some of these problems. One thing I am concerned about is our practice of putting offenders in jail who haven't harmed anyone. Why not work out some system whereby they can pay back the debts they owe society instead of incuring another debt by going to prison and of course coming under the influence of hardened criminals. I am also concerned about the short prison sentences people are serving for serious crimes. of course one alternative to this is to restore capital punishment. but I am not sure I would be for that. I am not sure it's right to take an eye for an eye. The alternative to capital punishment is longer sentences. But they would certainly cost the tax payers much money. I also think we must do something about the insanity plea. In my opinion, anyone who takes another person's life intentionally is insane. However, that does not mean that person isn't guilty of the crime, or that he shouldn't pay society the debt he owes. It's said of course that the person may have to spend the rest of his life or a large part of it in prison for acts that he committed while not in full control of his mind. 听⼒听写答案 36. survive 37. complicated 38. offenders 39. whereby 40. incurring 41. influence 42. serving 43. restore 44. The alternative to capital punishment is longer sentences. But they would certainly cost the tax payers much money. 45. that does not mean that person isn't guilty of the crime, or that he shouldn't pay society the debt he owes. 46. a large part of it in prison for acts that he committed while not in full control of his mind. 简答 47. causing a reaction 48. an emotional debate 49. the approval of every victim’s family 50. exploiting a national tragedy 51. raise awareness 快速阅读1. D）2. B）3. A）4. C)5. C)6. A )7. D)8. artificial intelligence9. weapons 10. religion 仔细阅读 47. causing a reaction 48. an emotional debate 49. the approval of every victim’s family 50. exploiting a national tragedy 51. raise awareness 52. B) 53. C) 54. D) 55. C) 56. A) 57. D They care more about which college their children go to than the children themselves 58. A They want to increase their children’s chances of entering a prestigious college 59. C Kids’ actual abilities are more important than their college backgrounds 60. B Degrees of prestigious universities do not guarantee entry to graduate programs. 61. C they experience more job dissatisfactions in job applications 翻译 1.We can say a lot of things about those who are devoted to poems in their whole lives (毕⽣致⼒于诗歌的⼈). They are passionate, impulsive and unique. 2.Mary couldn’t have received my letter, or she should have made a reply/replied it last week. (否则她上周就该回信了). 3.Nancy is supposed to have finished (conducting) her chemistry experiment(做完化学实验) at least two weeks ago. 4.Never once have the old couple quarreled with each other (⽼两⼝相互争吵)since they were married 40 years ago. 5.The prosperity of a nation/country depends largely on (⼀个国家未来的繁荣在很⼤程度上有赖于) the quality of education. 六级作⽂ 电⼦书是否能够取代传统的书？ 1、随着信息技术的发展，电⼦图书越来越多 2、有⼈认为电⼦图书会取代传统图书，理由是-- 3、我的看法 With the development of the information technology, electric books (e-books) have attracted the attention from all our society. Wherever we go, we can see them, such as in the libraries, in the classroom as well as on the Internet. Just some experts predicted in a rectent TV interview, e-books would possibly dominate the reading the next few decades. Some people claim that the e-books will substitute the traditional ones. For one thing, the e-books can not only bring them great amount of convenience, but also free them from going to the bookstores to selecting traditional books. For another, e-books save them lots of space as well as money. They can just put them in computers and take them whiletraveling. However, traditional books are too heavy and bulk for us to carry. From my perspective, I firmly believe the e-books can not replace the traditional books totally. They will unquestionably co-exist for a long period. Although the e-books offer us lots of favorable consequences, the traditional books can provide us opportunities to take note on them and to be easy for collection. Therefore, the e-books and the traditional books are preferable to different people, and both of them can bring us benefits.。

2008年12月大学英语六级考试真题Part I Writing （30 minutes）Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled How To Improve Student's Mental Health?.You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below.1.大学生的心理健康十分重要2.因此，学校可以……3.我们自己应当……How To Improve Student's Mental Health?________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions:In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1.For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D].For questions 8 -10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.Supersize SurpriseAsk anyone why there is an obesity epidemic and they will tell you that it’s al down to eating too much and burning too few calories. That explanation appeals to common sense and has dominated efforts to get to the root of the obesity epidemic and reverse it. Yet obesity researchers are increasingly dissatisfied with it. Many now believe that something else must have changed in our environment to precipitate(促成) such dramatic rises in obesity over the past 40 years or so. Nobody is saying that the “big two” – reduced physical activity and increased availability of food – are not important contributors to the epidemic, but they cannot explain it all.Earlier this year a review paper by 20obesity experts set out the 7 most plausible alternative explanations for the epidemic. Here they are.1.Not enough sleepIt is widely believed that sleep is for the brain, not the body. Could a shortage of shut-eye also be helping to make us fat?Several large-scale studies suggest there may be a link. People who sleep less than 7 hours a night tend to have a higher body mass index than people who sleep more, according to data gathered by the US National Health and Nutrition Ex amination Survey. Similarly, the US Nurses’ Health Study, which tracked 68,000 women for 16 years, found that those who slept an average of 5 hours a night gained more weight during the study period than women who slept 6 hours, who in turn gained more than whose who slept 7.It’s well known that obesity impairs sleep, so perhaps people get fat first and sleep less afterwards. But the nurses’ study suggests that it can work in the other direction too: sleep loss may precipitate weight gain.Although getting figures is difficult, it appears that we really are sleeping less. In 1960 people in the US slept an average of 8.5 hours per night. A 2002 poll by the National Sleep Foundation suggests that the average has fallen to under 7 hours, and the decline is mirrored by the increase in obesity.2.Climate controlWe humans, like all warm-blooded animals, can keep our core body temperatures pretty much constant regardless of what’s going on in the world around us. We do this by altering our metabolic(新陈代谢的) rate, shivering or sweating. Keeping warm and staying cool take energy unless we are in the “thermo-neutral zone”,which is increasingly where we choose to live and work.There is no denying that ambient temperatures(环境温度) have changed in the past few decades. Between 1970 and 2000, the average British home warmed from a chilly 13C to 18C. In the US, the changes have been at the other end of the thermometer as the proportion of homes with air conditioning rose from 23% to 47% between 1978 and 1997. In the southern states – where obesity rates tend to be highest – the number of houses with air conditioning has shot up to 71% from 37% in 1978.Could air conditioning in summer and heating in winter really make a difference to our weight?Sadly，there is some evidence that it does-at least with regard to heating. Studies show that in comfortable temperatures we use less energy.3.Less smokingBad news: smokers really do tend to be thinner than the rest of us, and quitting really does pack on the pounds, though no one is sure why. It probably has something to do with the fact that nicotine is an appetite suppressant and appears to up your metabolic rate.Katherine Flegal and colleagues at the US National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, have calculated that people kicking the habit have been responsible for a small but significant portion of the US epidemic of fatness. From data collected around 1991 by the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, they worked out that people who had quit in the previous decade were much more likely to be overweight than smokers and people who had never smoked .Among men, for example, nearly half of quitters were overweight compared with 37% of non-smokers and only 28%of smokers.4.Genetic effectsYours chances of becoming fat may be set, at least in part, before you were even born. Children of obese mothers are much more likely to become obese themselves later in life. Offspring of mice fed a high-fat diet during pregnancy are much more likely to become fat than the offspring of identical mice fed a normal diet. Intriguingly, the effect persists for two or three generations. Grandchildren of mice fed a high-fat diet grow up fat even if their own mother is fed normally-so you fate may have been sealed even before you were conceived.5.A little older…Some groups of people just happen to be fatter than others. Surveys carried out by the US national center for health statistics found that adults aged 40 to 79 were around three times as likely to be obese as younger people. Non-white females also tend to fall at the fatter end of the spectrum: Mexican-American women are 30% more likely than white women to be obsess, and black women have twice the risk.In the US, these groups account for an increasing percentage of the population. Between 1970 and 2000 the US population aged 35 to 44 grew by43%.the proportion of Hispanic-Americans also grew, from under 5% to 12.5% of the population, while the proportion of black Americans increased from 11% to12.3%.these changes may account in part for the increased prevalence of obesity.6.Mature mumsMothers around the world are getting older. in the UK, the mean age for having a first child is 27.3,compared with 23.7 in 1970 .mean age at first birth in the US has also increased, rising from 21.4 in 1970 to 24.9 in 2000.This would be neither here nor there if it weren’t for the observation that having an older mother seems to be an independent risk factor for obesity. Results from the US national heart, lung and blood institute’s study found that the odds of a child being obese increase 14% for every five ex tra years of their mother’s age, though why this should be so is not entirely clear.Michael Symonds at the University of Nottingham, UK, found that first-born children have more fat than younger ones. As family size decreases, firstborns account for a greater share of the population. In 1964, British women gave birth to an average of 2.95 children; by 2005 that figure had fallen to 1.79. In the US in1976, 9.6% of woman in their 40s had only one child; in 2004 it was 17.4%. this combination of older mothers and more singlechildren could be contributing to the obesity epidemic.7.Like marrying likeJust as people pair off according to looks, so they do for size. Lean people are more likely to marry lean and fat more likely to marry fat. On its own, like marrying like cannot account for any increase in obesity. But combined with others—particularly the fact that obesity is partly genetic, and that heavier people have more children—it amplifies the increase form other causes.1. What is the passage mainly about?A) E ffects of obesity on people’s healthB) The link between lifestyle and obesityC) New explanations for the obesity epidemicD) Possible ways to combat the obesity epidemic2. In the US N urse’ Health Study, women who slept an average of 7 hours a night_______.A) gained the least weightB) were inclined to eat lessC) found their vigor enhancedD) were less susceptible to illness3. The popular belief about obesity is that___________.A) it makes us sleepyB) it causes sleep lossC) it increases our appetiteD) it results from lack of sleep4. How does indoor heating affect our life?A) it makes us stay indoors moreB) it accelerates our metabolic rateC) it makes us feel more energeticD) it contributes to our weight gain5. What does the author say about the effect of nicotine on smokers?A) it threatens their healthB) it heightens their spiritsC) it suppresses their appetiteD) it slows down their metabolism6. Who are most likely to be overweight according to Katherine Fergal’s study?A) heavy smokersB) passive smokersC) those who never smokeD) those who quit smoking7. According to the US National Center for Health Statistics, the increased obesity in the US is a result of_______.A) the growing number of smokers among young peopleB) the rising proportion of minorities in its populationC) the increasing consumption of high-calorie foodsD) the improving living standards of the poor people8. According to the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the reason why older mothers’ children tend to be obese remains __________.9. According to Michael Symonds, one factor contributing to the obesity epidemic is decrease of ___________.10. When two heavy people get married, chances of their children getting fat increase, because obesity is_____________.Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)Section ADirections:In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D], and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.11. A) He is quite easy to recognizeB) He is an outstanding speakerC) He looks like a movie starD) He looks young for his age12. A) consult her dancing teacherB) take a more interesting classC) continue her dancing classD) improve her dancing skills13. A) the man did not believe what the woman saidB) the man accompanied the woman to the hospitalC) the woman may be suffering from repetitive strain injuryD) the woman may not followed the doctor’s instructions14. A) they are not in style any moreB) they have cost him far too muchC) they no longer suit his eyesightD) they should be cleaned regularly15. A) he spilled his drink onto the floorB) he has just finished wiping the floorC) he was caught in a shower on his way homeD) he rushed out of the bath to answer the phone16. A) fixing some furnitureB) repairing the toy trainC) reading the instructionsD) assembling the bookcase17. A) urge Jenny to spend more time on studyB) help Jenny to prepare for the coming examsC) act towards Jenny in a more sensible wayD) send Jenny to a volleyball training center18. A) The building of the dam needs a large budgetB) The proposed site is near the residential areaC) The local people feel insecure about the damD) The dam poses a threat to the local environmentQuestions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. A. It saw the end of its booming years worldwideB. Its production and sales reached record levels.C. It became popular in some foreign countriesD. Its domestic market started to shrink rapidly.20. A. They cost less. C. They were in fashion.B. They tasted better. D. They were widely advertised.21. A. It is sure to fluctuate. C. It will remain basically stable.B. It is bound to revive. D. It will see no more monopolyQuestions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.22. A. Organising protests C. Acting as its spokesman.B. Recruiting members D. Saving endangered animals.23. A. Anti-animal-abuse demonstrations B. Anti-nuclear campaignsC. Surveying the Atlantic Ocean floorD. Removing industrial waste.24. A. By harassing them. C. By taking legal action.B. By appealing to the public D. By resorting to force.25. A. Doubtful C. Indifferent.B. Reserved D. SupportiveSection BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. A. The air becomes still. C. The clouds block the sun.B. The air pressure is low. D. The sky appears brighter.27. A. Ancient people were better at foretelling the weather.B. Sailors’ saying about the weather are unreliable.C. People knew long ago how to predict the weather.D. It was easier to forecast the weather in the old days.28. A. Weather forecast is getting more accurate today.B. People can predict the weather by their sensesC. Who are the real experts in weather forecast.D. Weather changes affect people’s life remarkablyPassage TwoQuestions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.29. A. They often feel insecure about their jobs.B. They are unable to decide what to do first.C. They feel burdened with numerous tasks every day.D they feel burdened with numerous tasks every day30. A. Analyze them rationally. C. Turn to others for help.B. Draw a detailed to-do list. D. Handle them one by one.31. A. They have accomplished little. C. They have worked out a way to relax.B. They feel utterly exhausted. D. They no longer feel any sense of guilt.Passage ThreeQuestions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.32. A. Their performance may improve.B. Their immune system may be reinforcedC. Their blood pressure may rise all of a sudden.D. Their physical development may be enhanced.33. A. Improved mental functioning C. Speeding up of blood circulationB. Increased susceptibility to disease D. Reduction of stress-related hormones34. A. Pretend to be in better shape. C. Turn more often to friends for helpB. Have more physical exercise. D. Pay more attention to bodily sensations.35. A. Different approaches to coping with stress.B. Various causes for serious health problems.C. The relationship between stress and illness.D. New finding of medical research on stress.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.One of the most common images of an advanced, Western-style culture is that of a busy, traffic-filled city. Since their first (36) ______ on American roadways, automobiles have become a (37) ______ of progress, a source of thousands of jobs and an almost inalienable right for citizens’ personal freedom of movement. In recent (38) _______, our “love affair” with the car is being (39) ________ directly to the developing world, and it is increasingly (40) _______ that this transfer is leading to disaster.American’s almost complete dependence on automobiles has been a terrible mistake. As late as the 1950s, a large (41) ________ of the American public used mass transit. A (42) ________ of public policy decisions and corporate scheming saw to it that countless (43) ________ and efficient urban streetcar and intra-city rail systems were dismantled. (44) ___________________________________________________. Our lives have been planned along a road grid—homes far from work, shopping far from everything, with ugly stretches of concrete and blacktop in between.Developing countries are copying Western-style transportation systems down to the last detail. (45) _________________________________________________________. Pollution control measures are either not strict or nonexistent, leading to choking clouds of smog. Gasoline still contains lead, which is extremely poisonous to humans. (46) _____________________________________________________________________.In addition to pollution and traffic jams, auto safety is a critical issue in developing nations.Part IV Reading Comprehension （Reading in Depth）（25 minutes）Section ADirections:In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words. Please write your answers on Answer sheet 2.Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.One of the major producers of athletic footwear, with 2002 sales of over $10 billion, is a company calledNike, with corporate headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. Forbes magazine identified Nike’s president, Philip Knight, as the 53rd-richestman in the world in 2004. But Nike has not always been a large multimillion-dollar organization. In fact, Knight started the company by selling shoes from the back of his car at track meets.In the late1950s Philip Knight was a middle-distance runner on the University of Oregon track team, coached by Bill Bowerman. One of the top track coaches in the U.S., Bowerman was also known for experimenting with the design of running shoes in an attempt to make them lighter and more shock-absorbent. After attending Oregon, Knight moved on to do graduate work at Stanford University; his MBA thesis was on marketing athletic shoes. Once he received his degree, Knight traveled to Japan to contact the Onitsuka Tiger Company, a manufacturer of athletic shoes. Knight convinced the company’s officials of the potential for its product in the U.S. In 1963 he received his first shipment of Tiger shoes, 200 pairs in total.In 1964, Knight and Bowerman contributed $500 each to from Blue Ribbon Sports, the predecessor of Nike. In the first few years, Knight distributed shoes out of his car at local track meets. The first employees hired by Knight were former college athle tes. The company did not have the money to hire “experts”, and there was no established athletic footwear industry in North America from which to recruit those knowledgeable in the field. In its early years the organization operated in an unconventional manner that characterized its innovative and entrepreneurial approach to the industry. Communication was informal; people discussed ideas and issues in the hallways, on a run, or over a beer. There was little task differentiation. There were no job descriptions, rigid reporting systems, or detailed rules and regulations. The team spirit and shared values of the athletes on Bowerman’s teams carried over and provided the basis for the collegial style of management that characterized the early years of Nikes.47. While serving as a track coach, Bowerman tried to design running shoes that were _____________________.48. During his visit to Japan, Knight convinced the officials of the Onitsuka Tiger Company that its product would have____________________________________.49. Blue Ribbon Sports as unable to hire experts due to the absence of____________________ in North America.50. In the early years of Nike, communication within the company was usually carried out____________.51. What qualities of Bowerman’s tea ms formed the basis of Nike’s early management style?_______________________________________________________________.Section BDirections:There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the sole measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives.To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so .medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a predominantly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. It had minimal effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it caused was typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients（营养成分）captured in the product it was relatively inefficient.Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. Competition from overseas led farmersto specialize and increase yields. Throughout this period food became cheaper, safe and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat（栖息地）loss and to diminishing biodiversity.What’s more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growing so fast that meeting it will require an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by 2050.yet the growth of cities and industry is reducing the amount of water available for agriculture in many regions.All this means that agriculture in the 21stcentury will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th.thiswill require radical thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are inevitably more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the not ion that agriculture can be “zero impact”. The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage.Instead we need a more dynamic interpretation, one that looks at the pros and cons（正反两方面）of all the various way land is used. There are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity.What is crucial is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production.52. How do people often measure progress in agriculture?A) By its productivity C) By its impact on the environmentB) By its sustainability D) By its contribution to economic growth53. Specialisation and the effort to increase yields have resulted in________.A) Localised pollution C) competition from overseasB) the shrinking of farmland D) the decrease of biodiversity54. What does the author think of traditional farming practices?A) They have remained the same over the centuriesB) They have not kept pace with population growthC) They are not necessarily sustainableD) They are environmentally friendly55. What will agriculture be like in the 21st centuryA) It will go through radical changesB) It will supply more animal productsC) It will abandon traditional farming practicesD) It will cause zero damage to the environment56 What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?A) To remind people of the need of sustainable developmentB) To suggest ways of ensuring sustainable food productionC) To advance new criteria for measuring farming progressD) To urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture isPassage TwoQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.The percentage of immigrants (including those unlawfully present) in the United states has been creeping upward for years. At 12.6 percent, it is now higher than at any point since the mid1920s.We are not about to go back to the days when Congress openly worried about inferior races polluting America’s bloodstream. But once again we are wondering whether we have too many of the wrong sort newcomers. Their loudest critics argue that the new wave of immigrants cannot, and indeed do not want to, fit inas previous generations did.We now know that these racist views were wrong. In time, Italians, Romanians and members of other so-called inferior races became exemplary Americans and contributed greatly, in ways too numerous to detail, to the building of this magnificent nation. There is no reason why these new immigrants should not have the same success.Although children of Mexican immigrants do better, in terms of educational and professional attainment, than their parents UCLA sociologist Edward Telles has found that the gains don’t continue. Indeed, the fouth generation is marginally worse off than the third James Jackson, of the University of Michigan, has found a similar trend among black Caribbean immigrants, Tells fears that Mexican-Americans may be fated to follow in the footsteps of American blacks-that large parts of the community may become mired（陷入）in a seemingly permanent state of poverty and Underachievement. Like African-Americans, Mexican-Americans are increasingly relegated to (降入)segregated, substandard schools, and their dropout rate is the highest for any ethnic group in the country.We have learned much about the foolish idea of excluding people on the presumption of the ethnic/racial inferiority. But what we have not yet learned is how to make the process of Americanization work for all. I am not talking about requiring people to learn English or to adopt American ways; those things happen pretty much on their own, but as arguments about immigration hear up the campaign trail, we also ought to ask some broader question about assimilation, about how to ensure that people , once outsider s , don’t fo rever remain marginalized within these shores.That is a much larger question than what should happen with undocumented workers, or how best to secure the border, and it is one that affects not only newcomers but groups that have been here for generations. It will have more impact on our future than where we decide to set the admissions bar for the latest ware of would-be Americans. And it would be nice if we finally got the answer right.57. How were immigrants viewed by U.S. Congress in early days?A) They were of inferior races.B) They were a Source of political corruption.C) They were a threat to the nation’s security.D) They were part of the nation’s bloodstream.58. What does the author think of the new immigrants?A) They will be a dynamic work force in the U.S.B) They can do just as well as their predecessors.C) They will be very disappointed on the new land.D) They may find it hard to fit into the mainstream.59. What does Edward Telles’ research say about Mexican-Americans?A) They may slowly improve from generation to generation.B) They will do better in terms of educational attainment.C) They will melt into the African-American community.D) They may forever remain poor and underachieving.60. What should be done to help the new immigrants?A) Rid them of their inferiority complex.B) Urge them to adopt American customs.C) Prevent them from being marginalized.D) Teach them standard American English.61. According to the author, the burning issue concerning immigration is_______.A) How to deal with people entering the U.S. without documents。

2008年6月大学英语六级A卷真题Part III Listening Comprehension (35minutes)Section A11. A) The man might be able to play in the World Cup. B) The man’s football career seems to be at an end.C) The man was operated on a few weeks ago. D) The man is a fan of world-famous football players.12. A) Work out a plan to tighten his budget B) Find out the opening hours of the cafeteria.C) Apply for a senior position in the restaurant. D) Solve his problem by doing a part-time job.13. A) A financial burden. B) A good companion C) A real nuisance. D) A well-trained pet.14. A) The errors will be corrected soon. B) The woman was mistaken herself.C) The computing system is too complex. D) He has called the woman several times.15. A) He needs help to retrieve his files. B) He has to type his paper once more.C) He needs some time to polish his paper. D) He will be away for a two-week conference.16. A) They might have to change their plan. B) He has got everything set for their trip.C) He has a heavier workload than the woman. D) They could stay in the mountains until June 8.17. A) They have to wait a month to apply for a student loan. B) They can find the application forms in the brochure.C) They are not eligible for a student loan. D) They are not late for a loan application.18. A) New laws are yet to be made to reduce pollutant release. B) Pollution has attracted little attention from the public.C) The quality of air will surely change for the better. D) It’ll take years to bring air pollution under control. Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. A) Enormous size of its stores. B) Numerous varieties of food.C) Its appealing surroundings. D) Its rich and colorful history.20. A) An ancient building. B) A world of antiques.C) An Egyptian museum. D) An Egyptian Memorial.21. A) Its power bill reaches £9 million a year. B) It sells thousands of light bulbs a day.C) It supplies power to a nearby town. D) It generates 70% of the electricity it uses.22. A) 11,500 B) 30,000 C) 250,000 D) 300,000Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. A) Transferring to another department. B) Studying accounting at a universityC) Thinking about doing a different job. D) Making preparations for her wedding.24. A) She has finally got a promotion and a pay raise. B) She has got a satisfactory job in another company.C) She could at last leave the accounting department. D) She managed to keep her position in the company.25. A) He and Andrea have proved to be a perfect match. B) He changed his mind about marriage unexpectedly.C) He declared that he would remain single all his life. D) He would marry Andrea even without meeting her. Section BPassage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26.A) They are motorcycles designated for water sports.B) They are speedy boats restricted in narrow waterways.C) They are becoming an efficient form of water transportation.D) They are getting more popular as a means or water recreation.27.A) Water scooter operators’ lack of experience. B) Vacationers’ disregard of water safety rules.C) Overloading of small boats and other craft. D) Carelessness of people boating along the shore.28.A) They scare whales to death. B) They produce too much noise.C) They discharge toxic emissions. D) They endanger lots of water life.29.A)Expand operating areas. B) Restrict operating hours.C) Limit the use of water scooters. D) Enforce necessary regulations.Passage TwoQuestions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30.A) They are stable. B) They are close. C) They are strained. D) They are changing.31.A) They are fully occupied with their own business. B) Not many of them stay in the same place for long.C) Not many of them can win trust from their neighbors. D) They attach less importance to interpersonal relations.32.A) Count on each other for help. B) Give each other a cold shoulder.C) Keep a friendly distance. D) Build a fence between them.Passage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33.A) It may produce an increasing number of idle youngsters.B) It may affect the quality of higher education in America.C) It may cause many schools to go out of operation.D) It may lead to a lack of properly educated workers.34. A）It is less serious in cities than in rural areas. B) It affects both junior and senior high schools.C) It results from a worsening economic climate. D) It is a new challenge facing American educators.35. A) Allowing them to choose their favorite teachers. B) Creating a more relaxed learning environment.C) Rewarding excellent academic performance. D) Helping them to develop better study habits. Section CI'm interested in the criminal justice system of our cou ntry. It seems to me that something has to be done if we’re to (36) __ ____________as a country. I certainly don't know what the answers to our problems are. Things certainly get (37) ________________in a hurry when you get into them. But I wonder if something couldn't be done to deal with some of these problems. One thing I'm concerned about is our practice of putting (38) ____________ _____ in jail who haven't harmed anyone. Why not work out some system (39) _________________ they can pay back the debts they owe society instead of (40) ___ ____________another debt by going to prison, and of course, coming under the (41) ________________of hardened criminals? I'm also concerned about the short prison sentences people are (42) ____________ ______ for serious crimes. Of course, one alternative to this is to (43) __________________ capital punishment, but I'm not sure I would be for that. I'm not sure it's right to take an eye for eye. (44) _________________. I also think we must do something about the insanity plea. In my opinion, anyone who takes another person’s life intentionally is insane; however, (45) _________________________________________________________________. It’s sad, of course, that a person may have to spend the rest of his life, or (46) __________________________________.2008年6月大学英语六级A卷参考答案Part 3 Listening ComprehensionSection A11. D) The man is a fan of world-famous football players.12. D) Solve his problem by doing a part-time job.13. C) A real nuisance.14. A) The errors will be corrected soon.15. B) He has to type his paper once more.16. A) They might have to change their plan.17. D) They are not late for a loan application.18. C) The quality of air will surely change for the better.19. B) Numerous varieties of food.20. B) A world of antiques.21. D) It generates 70% of the electricity it uses.22. B) 30,00023. C) Thinking about doing a different job.24. A) She has finally got a promotion and a pay raise.25. B) He changed his mind about marriage unexpectedly.Section BPassage 126. D) They are getting more popular as a means of water recreation.27. A) Water scooter operators lack of experience.28. B) They produce too much noise.29. D) Enforce necessary regulations.Passage 230. D) They are changing.31. B) Not many of them stay in the same place for long.32. C) Keep a friendly distance.Passage 333. D) It may lead to a lack of properly educated workers.34. B) It affects both junior and senior high schools.35. C) Rewarding excellent academic performance.Section C36. survive37. complicated38. offenders39. whereby40. incurring41. influence42. serving43. restore44. The alternative to capital punishment is longer sentences. But they would certainly cost the tax payers much money.45. that does not mean that person isn't guilty of the crime, or that he shouldn't pay society the debt he owes.46. a large part of it in prison for acts that he committed while not in full control of his mind.。

2008年6月大学英语六级考试A卷真题及答案Part ⅠWriting (30 minutes)注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上Part ⅡReading Comprehension(Skimming and Scanning)(15 minutes)Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1 For questions 1-7,choose the best answer from the four choices marked A),B),C)and D. For questions 8-10,complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.What will the world be like in fifty years?This week some top scientists, including Nobel Prize winners, gave their vision of how the world will look in 2056,fron gas-powered cars to extraordinary health advances, John Ingham reports on what the world‟s finest minds believe our futures will be.For those of us lucky enough to live that long,2056 will be a world of almost perpetual youth, where obesity is a remote memory and robots become our companions.We will be rubbing shoulders with aliens and colonizing outer space. Better still, our descendants might at last live in a world at peace with itself.The prediction is that we will have found a source of inexbaustible, safe, green energy, and that science will have killed off religion. If they are right we will have removed two of the main causes of war-our dependence on oil and religious prejudice.Will we really, as today‟s scientists claim, be able to live for ever or at least cheat the ageing process so that the average person lives to 150?Of course, all these predictions come with a scientific health warning. Harvard professor Steven Pinker says: “This is an invitation to look foolish, as with the predictions of domed cities and nuclear-powered vacuum cleaners that were made 50 year ago.”Living longerAnthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute in North Carolina, belives failing organs will be repaired by injecting cells into the body. They will naturally to straight to the injury and help heal it. A system of injections without needles could also slow the ageing process by using thesa me process to “tune” cells.Bruce Lahn, professor of human genetics at the University of Chicago, anticipates the ability to produce“unlimited supplies” of transplantable human organs without the needed a new organ,such as kidney, the surgeon would contac t a commercial organ producer, give him the patient‟s immuno-logical profile and would then be sent a kidney with the correct tissue type.These organs would be entirely composed of human cells, grown by introducing them into animal hosts, and alloweing th em to deveoop into and organ in place of the animal‟s own. But Prof. Lahn believes that farmed brains would be “off limits”.He says: “Very few people would want to have their brains replaced by someone else‟s and we probably don‟t want to put a human brain ing an animal body.”Richard Miller, a professor at the University of Michigan, thinks scientist could develop“an thentic anti-ageing drugs” by working out how cells in larger animals such as whales and human resist many forms of injuries. He says:“It‟s i s now routine, in laboratory mammals, to extend lifespan by about 40%. Turning on the same protective systems in people should, by 2056, create the first class of 100-year-olds who are as vigorous and productive as today‟s people in their 60s”AliensConli n Pillinger ,professor of planerary sciences at the Open University,says:”I fancy that at least we will be able to show that life didi start to evolve on Mars well as Earth.”Within 50years he hopes scientists will prove that alien life came here in Martian meteorites(陨石).Chris McKay,a planetary scientist at NASA‟s Ames Research Center.believes that in 50 years we may find evidence of alien life in ancient permanent forst of Mars or on other planers.He adds:”There is even a chance we will find alien life f orms here on Earth.It mightbe as different as English is to Chinese.Priceton professor Freeman Dyson thinks it “likely” that life form outer space will be discovered defore 2056 because the tools for finding it, such as optical and radio detection and data processing,are improving.He ays:”As soon as the first evidence is found,we will know what to look for and additional discoveries are likely to follow quickly.Such discoveries are likely to have revolutionary consequences for biology, astronomy and philosophy. They may change the way we look at ourselves and our place in the universe.Colonies in spaceRichard Gottprofessor of astrophysics at Princeton,hopes man will set up a self-sufficient colony on Mars,which would be a “life insurance policy against w hatever catastrophes,natural or otherwise,might occur on Earth.“The real space race is whether we will colonise off Earth on to other worlds before money for the space programme runs out.”Spinal injuriesEllen Heber-Katz,a professor at the Wistar Institude in Philadelphia,foresees cures for inijuries causing paralysis such as the one that afflicated Superman star Christopher Reeve.She says:”I believe that the day is not far off when we will be able to profescribe drugs that cause severes(断裂的) spinal cords to heal,hearts to regenerate and lost limbs to regrow.“People will come to expect that injured or diseased organs are meant to be repaired from within,inmuch the same way that we fix an appliance or automobile:by replanc ing the damaged part with a manufacturer-certified new part.”She predict that within 5 to 10 years fingers and toes will be regrown and limbs will start to be regrown a few years later. Reparies to the nervous system will start with optic nerves and,in time,the spinal cord.”Within 50years whole body replacement will be routine,”Prof.Heber-Katz adds.ObesitySydney Brenner,senior distinguished fellow of the Crick-Jacobs Center in California,won the 2002 Noblel Prize for Medicine and says that if there is a global disaster some humans w ill survive-and evolition will favour small people with bodies large enough to support the required amount of brain power.”Obesity,”he says.”will have been solved.”RobotsRodney Brooks,professor of robotice at MIT,says the problems of developing artificia l intelligence for robots will be at least partly overcome.As a result,”the possibilities for robots working with people will open up immensely”EnergyBill Joy,green technology expert in Califomia,says:”The most significant breakthrought would be to have an inexhaustible source of safe,green energy that is substantially cheaper than any existing energy source.”Ideally,such a source would be safe in that it could not be made into weapons and would not make hazardous or toxic waste or carbon dioxide,the main greenhouse gas blamed for global warming.SocietyGeoffrey Miller,evolutionary psychologist at the University of New Mexico,says:”The US will follow the UKin realizing that religion is nor a prerequisite (前提)for ordinary human decency.“This,scien ce will kill religion-not by reason challenging faith but by offering a more practical,uniwersal and rewarding moral frameworkfor human interaction.”He also predicts that “ahsurdly wasteful”displays of wealth will become umfashionable while the importance of close-knit communities and families will become clearer.These there changer,he says,will help make us all”brighe\ter,wiser,happier and kinder”.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

2008年6月21日大学英语六级真题PartⅠWriting (30 minutes)Will E-books Replace Traditional Books?1.随着信息技术的发展，电子图书越来越多2.有人认为电子图书会取代传统图书，理由是……3.我的看法注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上Part ⅡReading Comprehension(Skimming and Scanning)(15 minutes)Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1 For questions 1-7,choose the best answer from the four choices marked A),B),C)and D. For questions 8-10,complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.What will the world be like in fifty years?This week some top scientists, including Nobel Prize winners, gave their vision of how the world will look in 2056,fron gas-powered cars to extraordinary health advances, John Ingham reports on what the world‟s finest minds believe our futures will be.For those of us lucky enough to live that long,2056 will be a world of almost perpetual youth, where obesity is a remote memory and robots become our companions.We will be rubbing shoulders with aliens and colonizing outer space. Better still, our descendants might at last live in a world at peace with itself.The prediction is that we will have found a source of inexbaustible, safe, green energy, and that science will have killed off religion. If they are right we will have removed two of the main causes of war-our dependence on oil and religious prejudice.Will we really, as today‟s scientists claim, be able to live for ever or at least cheat the ageing process so that the average person lives to 150?Of course, all these predictions come with a scientific health warning. Harvard professor Steven Pinker says: “This is an invitation to look foolish, as with the predictions of domed cities and nuclear-powered vacuum cleaners that were made 50 year ag o.”Living longerAnthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute in North Carolina, belives failing organs will be repaired byinjecting cells into the body. They will naturally to straight to the injury and help heal it. A system of injections wit hout needles could also slow the ageing process by using the same process to “tune” cells.Bruce Lahn, professor of human genetics at the University of Chicago, anticipates the ability to produce“unlimited supplies” of transplantable human organs without the needed a new organ, such as kidney, the surgeon would contact a commercial organ producer, give him the patient‟s immuno-logical profile and would then be sent a kidney with the correct tissue type.These organs would be entirely composed of human cells, grown by introducing them into animal hosts, and alloweing them to deveoop into and organ in place of the animal‟s own. But Prof. Lahn believes that farmed brains would be “off limits”.He says: “V ery few people would want to have their brains replaced by someone else‟s and we probably don‟t want to put a human brain ing an animal body.”Richard Miller, a professor at the University of Michigan, thinks scientist could develop“an thentic anti-ageing drugs” by working out how cells in larger animals such as whales and human resist many forms of injuries. He says:“It‟s is now routine, in laboratory mammals, to extend lifespan by about 40%. Turning on the same protective systems in people should, by 2056, create the first class of 100-year-olds who are as vigorous and productive as today‟s people in their 60s”AliensConlin Pillinger ,professor of planerary sciences at the Open University,says:”I fancy that at least we will be able to show that life didi start to evolve on Mars well as Earth.”Within 50years he hopes scientists will prove that alien life came here in Martian meteorites(陨石).Chris McKay,a planetary scientist at NASA‟s Ames Research Center.believes that in 50 years we may find evidence of alien life in ancient permanent forst of Mars or on other planers.He adds:”There is even a chance we will find alien life forms here on Earth.It mightbe as different as English is to Chinese.Priceton professor Freeman Dyson thinks it “likely” that life form outer space will be discovered defore 2056 because the tools for finding it, such as optical and radio detection and data processing,are improving.He ays:”As soon as the first evidence is found,we will know what to look for and additional discoveries are likely to follow quickly.Such discoveries are likely to have revolutionary consequences for biology, astronomy and philosophy. They may change the way we look at ourselves and our place in the universe.Colonies in spaceRichard Gottprofessor of astrophysics at Princeton,hopes man will set up a self-sufficient colony on Mars,which would be a “life insurance policy against whateve r catastrophes,natural or otherwise,might occur on Earth.“The real space race is whether we will colonise off Earth on to other worlds before money for the spaceprogramme runs out.”Spinal injuriesEllen Heber-Katz,a professor at the Wistar Institude in Philadelphia,foresees cures for inijuries causing paralysis such as the one that afflicated Superman star Christopher Reeve.She says:”I believe that the day is not far off when we will be able to profescribe drugs that cause severes(断裂的) spinal cords to heal,hearts to regenerate and lost limbs to regrow.“People will come to expect that injured or diseased organs are meant to be repaired from within,inmuch the same way that we fix an appliance or automobile:by replancing the damaged part with a manufacturer-certified new part.”She predict that within 5 to 10 years fingers and toes will be regrown and limbs will start to be regrown a few years later. Reparies to the nervous system will start with optic nerves and,in time,the spinal cord.”Within 50years whole body replacement will be routine,”Prof.Heber-Katz adds.ObesitySydney Brenner,senior distinguished fellow of the Crick-Jacobs Center in California,won the 2002 Noblel Prize for Medicine and says that if there is a global disaster some humans will survive-and evolition will favour small people with bodies large enough to support the required amount of brain power.”Obesity,”he says.”will have been solved.”RobotsRodney Brooks,professor of robotice at MIT,says the problems of developing artificial intelligence for robots will be at least partly overcome.As a result,”the possibilities for robots working with people will open up immensely”EnergyBill Joy,green technology expert in Califomia,says:”The most significant breakthrought would be to have an inexhaustible source of safe,green energy that is substantially cheaper than any existing energy source.”Ideally,such a source would be safe in that it could not be made into weapons and would not make hazardous or toxic waste or carbon dioxide,the main greenhouse gas blamed for global warming.SocietyGeoffrey Miller,evolutionary psychologist at the University of New Mexico,says:”The US will follow the UKin realizing that religion is nor a prerequisite (前提)for ordinary human decency.“This,s cience will kill religion-not by reason challenging faith but by offering a more practical,uniwersal and rewarding moral frameworkfor human interaction.”He also predicts that “ahsurdly wasteful”displays of wealth will become umfashionable while the imp ortance of close-knit communities and families will become clearer.These there changer,he says,will help make us all”brighe\ter,wiser,happier and kinder”.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。