大学英语六级阅读历年真题训练unit10(A)

2012年6月六级考试详细阅读理解第2题[D] The goals most people set are unrealistic.2.What does Maurice Schweitzer want to show by citing the example of Enron?[A] Setting realistic goals can turn a failing business into success.4.考霸解析：正确答案为[C] 。

事实细节题。

定位句表明，Schweitzer的研究团队利用新闻报道作为证据来证明他的上，故答案为A 。

2011年12月六级考试详细阅读理解第3题A recurring criticism of the UK's university sector is its perceived weakness in translating new knowledge into new products concentrated: less than 25% of universities receive 75% of the research funding. These same universities are also the institutions producing the greatest share of PhD graduates, science citations, patents and licence income. The effect of policies generating long-term resource concentration has also created a distinctive set of universities which are research-led and commercially active. It seems clear that the concentration of research and commercialisation work creates differences between universities.The core objective for universities which are research-led must be to maximise the impact of their research efforts. These universities should be generating the widest range of social, economic and environmental benefits. In return for the scale of investment, they should share their expertise in order to build greater confidence in the sector.Part of the economic recovery of the UK will be driven by the next generation of research commercialisation spilling out of4. What does the author suggest research-led universities do?[A] Publicise their research to win international recognition.[B] Fully utilise their research to benefit all sectors of society.[C] Generously share their facilities with those short of funds.的，不到25%的大学获得了75%的研究基金；第五段末句总结：很明显，在科研和商业化操作上的集中导致了大学好地发挥作用",也就是技术转让和研究生教育这两个方面。

2015.06【1】Passage OneWhen the right person is holding the right job at the right moment, that person's influence is greatly expanded. That is the position in which Janet Yellen, who is expected to be confirmed as the next chair of the Federal Reserve Bank (FeD. in January, now finds herself. If you believe, as many do, that unemployment is the major economic and social concern of our day, then it is no stretch to think Yellen is the most powerful person in the world right now.56. What do many people think is the biggest problem facing Janet Yellen?【C】A. Lack ofmoney.B. Subprime crisis.C. Unemployment.D. Social instability.57. What did Yellen help the Fed do to tackle the 2008 financial crisis?【D】AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFA. Take effective measures to curb inflation.B. Deflate the bubbles in the American economy.C. Formulate policies to help financial institutions.D. Pour money into the market through asset buying.58. What is a greater concern of the general public?【B】A.Recession.B. Deflation.C.Inequality.D. Income.59. What is Yellen likely to do in her position as the Fed chief?【C】A. Develop a new monetaryprogram. B. Restore public confidence.AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFC. Tighten financialregulation.D. Reform the credit system.60. How does Alan Blinder portray Yellen?【A】A. She possesses strong persuasive power.B. She has confidence in what she is doing.C. She is one of the world's greatest economists.D. She is the most powerful Fed chief in history. Passage TwoAir pollution is deteriorating in many places around the world. The fact that public parks in cities become crowded as soon as the sun shines proves that people long to breathe in green, open spaces. They do not all know what they are seeking but they flock there, nevertheless. And, in these surroundings, they are generally both peaceful and peaceable. It is rare to see people fighting in a garden. Perhaps struggle unfolds first, not at an economic or social level, but over the appropriation of air, essential to life itself.AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAF61. What does the author assume might be the primary reason that people would struggle with each other【A】A. To get their share of cleanair. B. To pursue a comfortable life.C. To gain a higher social status.D. To seek economic benefits.62. What does the author accuse western politicians of?【D】A. Depriving common people of the right to clean air.B. Giving priority to theory rather than practical action.C. Offering preferential treatment to wealthy countries.D. Failing to pass laws to curb environmental pollution.63. What does the author try to draw our closest attention to?【B】A. The massive burning of fossil fuels.B. Our relationship to the plant world.AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFC. The capacity of plants to renew polluted air.D. Large-scale deforestation across the world.64. How can human beings accomplish the goal of protecting the planet according to the a?【D】A. By showing respect forplants. B. By preserving all forms of life.C. By tapping all natural resources.D. By pooling their efforts together.65. What does the author suggest we do in order not just to survive?【C】A. Expand the sphere ofliving. B. Develop nature's potentials.C. Share life with nature.D. Allocate the resources.2015.06【2】Passage OneAHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFI'll admit I've never quite understood the obsession (难以破除的成见 ) surrounding genetically modified (GM) crops.56. How do environmentalist opponents view GM foods according to the passage?【B】A. They will eventually ruin agriculture and the environment.B. They are used by big businesses to monopolize agriculture.C. They have proved potentially harmful to consumers' health.D. They pose a tremendous threat to current farming practice.57. What does the author say is vital to solving the controversy between the two sides of the debate? 【D】A. Breaking the GM food monopoly. B. More friendly exchange of ideas.C. Regulating GM food production.D. More scientific research on GM crops.58. What is the main point of the Nature articles? 【A】A. Feeding the growing population makes it imperativeAHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFto develop GM crops.B. Popularizing GM technology will help it to live up to its initial promises.C. Measures should be taken to ensure the safety of GM foods.D. Both supporters and opponents should make compromises.59. What is the author's view on the solution to agricultural problems? 【D】A. It has to depend more and more on GM technology.B. It is vital to the sustainable development of human society.C. GM crops should be allowed until better alternatives are found.D. Whatever is useful to boost farming efficiency should be encouraged.60.What does the author think of the ongoing debate around GM crops? 【C】A. It arises out of ignorance of and prejudice against new science.B. It distracts the public attention from other key issues of the world.C. Efforts spent on it should be turned to more urgentAHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFissues of agriculture.D. Neither side is likely to give in until more convincing evidence is found.Passage TwoEarly decision--you apply to one school, and admission is binding--seems like a great choice for nervous applicants.61. What are students obliged to do under early decision? 【B】A. Look into a lot of schools before theyapply. B. Attend the school once they are admitted.C. Think twice before they accept the offer.D. Consult the current students and alumni.62. Why do schools offer early decision? 【A】A. To make sure they get qualified students.B. To avoid competition with other colleges.C. To provide more opportunities for applicants.D. To save students the agony of choosing a school.63. What is said to be the problem with early decision for students? 【C】AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFA. It makes their application process more complicated.B. It places too high a demand on their research ability.C. It allows them little time to make informed decisions.D. It exerts much more psychological pressure on them.64. Why are some people opposed to early decision? 【D】A. It interferes with students' learning in high school.B. It is biased against students at ordinary high schools.C. It causes unnecessary confusion among college applicants.D. It places students from lower-income families at a disadvantage.65. What does the author advise college applicants to do? 【B】A. Refrain from competing with students from privileged families.B. Avoid choosing early decision unless they are fully prepared.AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFC. Find sufficient information about their favorite schools.D. Look beyond the few supposedly thrilling options. 2015.06【3】Passage OneThe report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was just as gloomy as anticipated．Unemployment in January jumped to a l6一year high of 7．6 percent，as 598 000 jobs were slashed from US payrolls in the worst single-month decline since December，1974．With l．8 million iobs lost in the last three months． there is urgent desire to boost the economy as quickly as possible．But Washington would do well to take a deep breath before reacting to the grim numbers．56．What d0 we learn from the first paragraph?【A】A.1me US economic situation is going from bad to worse．B.Washington is taking drastic measures to provide more jobs．C.111e US government is slashing more jobs from its payrolls．D.The recent economic crisis has taken the US by surprise．AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAF57．、Ⅳhat does the author think of the unemployment figures and other statistics? 【D】A.They form a solid basis for policymakin9． B.The．y represent the current situation．C.They signal future economic trend．D.They do not fully reflect the reality．58．One problem with the payroll survey isthat________．【B】A.it does not include all thebusinesses B.it fails to count in the self—employedC.it magnifies the number of the joblessD.it does not treat all companies equally59．111e household survey can be faulty inthat_________．【C】A)people tend to lie when talking on the phone B.not everybody is willing or ready to respondC.some people won’t provide truthful informationD.the definition of unemployment is too broad60．At the end of the passage，the author suggests that_______．【B】A.statisticians improve their data assembling methodsAHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFB.decision makers view the statistics with a critical eyeC.politicians listen more before making policy decisionsD.Democrats and Republicans cooperate on crucial issuesPassage TwoAt some point in 2008，someone，probably in either Asia or Africa，made the decision to move from the countryside to the city．This nameless person pushed the human race over a historic threshold，for it was in that year that mankind became，for the first time in its history，a predominantly urban species．61．In what way is the year 2008 historic? 【A】A.For the first time in history，urban people outnumbered rural people．B.An influential figure decided to move from the countryside to the city．C.It is in this year that urbanisation made a start in Asia and Africa．D.The population increase in cities reached a new peak in Asia and Africa．62．What does the author say about urbanisation? 【B】AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFA.Its impact is not easy to predict．B.Its process will not slow down．C.It is a milestone in human progress．D.It aggravates the squalor of cities．63．How does the author comment on Peter Smith’s new book? 【D】A.It is but an ordinary coffee—table book．B.It is flavoured with humourous stories．C.It serves as a guide to arts and commerce．D.It is written in a lively and interesting style．64．What does the author say in the chapter on skyscrapers? 【D】A.The automatic lift is indispensable in skyscrapers．B.People enjoy living in skyscrapers with a view．C.Skyscrapers are a sure sign of a city’s prosperity．D.Recession closely follows a skyscraper boom．65．What may be one criticism of Mr．Smith’s book? 【C】A)It does not really touch on anything serious．B.It is too long for people to read from cover to cover．AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFC.It does not deal with any aspect of city life in depth．D.It fails to provide sound advice to city dwellers．2014.12【1】Passage OneInternational governments’ inaction concerning sustainable development is clearly worrying but the proactive (主动出击的) approaches of some leading-edge companies are encouraging. Toyota, Wal-Mart, DuPont, M&S and General Electric have made tackling environmental wastes a key economic driver.56.What does the author say about some leading-edge companies? 【B】A. They operate in accordance with government policies.B. They take initiatives in handling environmental wastes.C. They are key drivers in their nations’ economic growth.D. They are major contributors to environmentalAHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFproblems.57.What motivates Toyota and Wal-Mart to make commitments to environmental protection? 【C】A. The goodness of their hearts.B. A strong sense of responsibility.C. The desire to generate profits.D. Pressure from environmentalists.58.Why are so many companies reluctant to create an environment-friendly business system? 【C】A. They are bent on making quick money.B. They do not have the capital for the investment.C. They believe building such a system is too costly.D. They lack the incentive to change business practices.59.What is said about the lean and green model of business? 【A】A. It helps businesses to save and gain at the same time.B. It is affordable only for a few leading-edge companies.C. It is likely to start a new round of intense competition.D. It will take a long time for all companies to embrace it.AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAF60.What is the finding of the studies about companiescommitted to environmental goals? 【B】A. They have greatly enhanced their sense of social responsibility.B. They do much better than their counterparts in terms of revenues.C. They have abandoned all the outdated equipment and technology.D. They make greater contributions to human progress than their rivals.Passage TwoIf you asked me to describe the rising philosophy of the day, I’d say it is data-ism. We now have the ability to gather huge amounts of data. This ability seems to carry with it certain cultural assumptions —that everything that can be measured should be measured; that data is a transparent and reliable lens that allows us to filter out emotionalism and ideology; that data will help us do remarkable things — like foretell the future.61.What do data-ists assume they can do? 【D】A. Transform people’s cultural identity.B. Change theway future events unfold.AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFC. Get a firm grip on the most important issues.D. Eliminate emotional and ideological bias.62.What do people running for political office think they can do? 【B】A. Use data analysis to predict the election result.B. Win the election if they can raise enough funds.C. Manipulate public opinion with favorable data.D. Increase the chances of winning by foul means.63.Why do many teachers favor the idea of tailoring their presentations to different students? 【C】A. They think students prefer flexible teaching methods.B. They will be able to try different approaches.C. They believe students’ learning styles vary.D. They can accommodate students with special needs.64.What does James Pennebaker reveal in The Secret Life of Pronouns? 【D】A. The importance of using pronouns properly.B. Repeated use of first-person pronouns by self-centered people.C. Frequent use of pronouns and future tense by young people.D. A pattern in confident people’s use of pronouns.AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAF65.Why is the author skeptical of the data revolution? 【C】A. Data may not be easily accessible.B. Errors may occur with large data samples.C. Data cannot always do what we imagine it can.D. Some data may turn out to be outdated.2014.12【2】Passage OneNothing succeeds in business books like th e study of success. The current business-book boom was launched in 1982 by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman with In Search of Excellence. The trend has continued with a succession of experts and would-be experts who promise to distil the essenceof excellence into three (or five or seven) simple rules.56.What kind of business books are most likely to sell well?【A】A. Books on excellence.B. Guides to management.C. Books on business rules.D. Analyses of market trends.AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAF57.What does the author imply about books on success so far?【C】A. They help businessmen one way or another.B. They are written by well-recognised experts.C. They more or less fall into the same stereotype.D. They are based on analyses of corporate leaders.58.How does The Three Rules differ from other success books according to the passage? 【B】A. It focuses on the behaviour of exceptional businessmen.B. It bases its detailed analysis on large amounts of data.C. It offers practicable advice to businessmen.D. It draws conclusions from vivid examples.59.What does the passage say contributes to the success of exceptional companies? 【A】A. Focus on quality and revenue.B. Management and sales promotion.C. Lower production costs and competitive prices.D. Emphasis on after-sale service and maintenance.60.What is the author’s comment on The Three Rules?【D】A. It can help to locate profitable niches.AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFB. It has little to offer to business people.C. It is noted for its detailed data analysis.D. It fails to identify the keys to success.Passage TwoUntil recently, the University of Kent prided itself on its friendly image. Not any more.Over the past few months it has been working hard, with the help of media consultants, to play down its cosy reputation in favour of something more academic and serious.61.What was the University of Kent famous for?【A】A. Its comfortable campus life.B. Its up-to-date course offerings.C. Its distinguished teaching staff.D. Its diverse academic programmes.62.What are universities trying to do to attract students? 【D】A. Improve their learning environment.B. Offer more scholarships to the gifted.C. Upgrade their campus facilities.D. Present a better academic image.63.What does Rob Behrens suggest universities do inAHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFmarketing themselves? 【C】A. Publicise the achievements of their graduates.B. Go to extra lengths to cater to students’ needs.C. Refrain from making promises they cannot honour.D. Survey the expectations of their prospective students.64.What is students’ chief consideration in choosinga university? 【B】A. Whether it promises the best job prospects.B. Whether it is able to deliver what they want.C. Whether it ranks high among similar institutions.D. Whether it offers opportunities for practical training.65.What must universities show to win recruitment campaigns? 【D】A. They are positioned to meet the future needs of society.B. They are responsible to students for their growth.C. They are ever ready to improve themselves.D. They are unique one way or another.2014.12【3】Passage OneAHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFIt is easy to miss amid the day-to-day headlines of global economic recession,but there is a less conspicuous kind of social upheaval (剧变) underway that is fast altering both the face of the planet and the way human beings live. That change is the rapid acceleration of urbanization.56.What issue does the author try to draw people’s attention to?【D】A. The shrinking biodiversity worldwide.B. The rapid increase of world population.C. The ongoing global economic recession.D. The impact of accelerating urbanization.57.In what sense are humans the ultimate invasive species?【C】A. They are much greedier than other species.B. They are a unique species born to conquer.C. They force other species out of their territories.D. They have an urge to expand their living space.AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAF58.In what way is urbanization in poor countries goodfor the environment?【B】A. More land will be preserved for wildlife.B. The pressure on farmland will be lessened.C. Carbon emissions will be considerably reduced.D. Natural resources will be used more effectively.59.What does the author say about living comfortably in the city?【A】A. It incurs a high environmental price.B. It brings poverty and insecurity to an end.C. It causes a big change in people’s lifestyle.D. It narrows the gap between city and country.60.What can be done to minimize the negative impact of urbanization according to Seto?【C】A. Slowing down the speed of transition.B. Innovative use of advanced technology.C. Appropriate management of the process.D.Enhancing people’s sense of responsibility.AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFPassage TwoWhen Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg launched in Feb. 2004, even he could not imagine the forces it would let loose. His intent was to connect college students. Facebook, which is what this website rapidly evolved into, ended up connecting the world.61.What was the purpose of Facebook when it was first created?【B】A. To help students connect with the outside world.B. To bring university students into closer contact.C. To help students learn to live in a connected era.D. To combine the world into an integral whole.62.What difference does social media make to learning?【D】A. Local knowledge and global knowledge will merge.B. Students will become more curious and ambitious.C. People are able to learn wherever they travel.D. Sources of information are greatly expanded.63. What is the author’s gre atest concern with social media technology?【A】A. Individuals and organizations may use it for evilAHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFpurposes.B. Government will find it hard to protect classified information.C. People may disclose their friends’ information unintentionally.D. People’s attention will be easily distracted from their work in hand.64.What do businesses use social media for?【B】A. Creating a good corporate image.B. Anticipating the needs of customers.C. Conducting large-scale market surveys.D. Minimizing possible risks and dangers.65.What does the author think of social media as a whole?【A】A. It will enable human society to advance at a faster pace.B. It will pose a grave threat to our traditional ways of life.C. It is bound to bring about another information revolution.D. It breaks down the final barriers in human communication.AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAF2014.06【1】Passage OneTexting has long been bemoaned (哀叹) as the downfall of the written word, "penmanship for illiterates," as one critic called it. To which the proper response is LOL. Texting properly isn't writing at all. It's a "spoken" language that is getting richer and more complex by the year.56. What do critics say about texting?【C】A．It is mainly confined to youngsters. B．It competes with traditional writing.C． It will ruin the written language. D． It is often hard to understand.57. In what way does the author say writing is different from talking? 【A】A． It is crafted with specific skills. B．It expresses ideas more accurately.C． It does not have as long a history. D． It is notAHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFas easy to comprehend.58. Why is LOL much used in texting? 【A】A． It brings texters closer to each other. B．It shows the texter's sophistication.C． It is a trendy way to communicate D． It adds to the humor of the text.59.Examples like meat and silly are cited to show . 【D】A． the difference between writing and talking B．how differently words are used in textingC． why people use the words the way they do D． the gradual change of word meaning60. What does the author think of texting? 【B】A． It facilitates exchange of ideas among people. B．It is a new form of verbal communication.C．It deteriorates people's composition skills. D． It hastens the decline of the written word. Passage TwoIt's possible to admire Oprah Winfrey and stillAHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFwish Harvard hadn't awarded her an honorary doctor of law degree and the commencement (毕业典礼) speaker spot at yesterday's graduation.61. What do we learn about Oprah Winfrey from the passage? 【B】A． She was a distinguished graduate of Harvard School of Law.B．She worked her way to success in the entertainment industry.C． She used to abuse her children when she was a young mother.D． She achieved her fame through persistent advocacy of fake science.62. Why does the author deem it inappropriate for Harvard to confer an honorary degree on Oprah Winfrey? 【B】A． She did not specialize in the study of law. B．She was known as s supporter of fake science. C． She was an icon of the entertainment industry. D． She had not distinguished herself academically.63. How did Harry Lewis react to Harvard's decision in his blog post? 【A】AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFA．He was strongly against it. B．He considered it unpopular.C．He thought it would help enhance Harvard's reputation.D． He thought it represented the will of the Harvard community.64.What is the author's regret about many American universities? 【C】A． They show inadequate respect for evidence-based inquiry.B．They fall short of expectations in teaching and research.C． They attach too much importance to public relations. D．They are tolerant of political and religious nonsense.65. What does the author think a prestigious university like Harvard should focus on? 【D】A． Cultivation of student creativity. B．Defense of the scientific method.C． Liberation of the human mind. D． Pursuit of knowledge and truth.2014.06【2】AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFPassage OneTechnology can make us smarter or stupider, and we need to develop a set of principles to guide our everyday behavior and make sure that tech is improving and not hindering our mental processes. One of the big questions being debated today is: What kind of information do we need to have stored in our heads, and what kind can we leave "in the cloud," to be accessed as necessary?56. What is the author's concern about the use of technology?【D】A．It may leave knowledge "in the cloud". B． It may misguide our everyday behavior.C． It may cause a divide in the circles of education.D． It may hinder the development of thinking skills.57. What is the view of educators who advocate digital literacy? 【D】A． It helps kids to navigate the virtual world at will.B． It helps kids to broaden their scope of knowledge.AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFC． It increases kids' efficiency of acquiring knowledge.D．It liberates kids from the burden of memorizing facts.58. What does evidence from cognitive science show? 【B】A．Knowledge is better kept in long-term memory.B．Critical thinking is based on factual knowledge.C． Study skills are essential to knowledge acquisition.D．Critical thinking means challenging existing facts.59. What does the author think is key to making evaluations? 【C】A． Gathering enough evidence before drawing conclusions.B． Mastering the basic rules and principles for evaluation.C．Connecting new information with one's accumulated knowledge.D． Understanding both what has happened and why it has happened.AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAF60. What is the author's purpose in writing the passage? 【D】A． To warn against learning through memorizing facts.B．To promote educational reform in the information age.C． To explain human brains' function in storing information.D． To challenge the prevailing overemphasis on digital literacy.Passage TwoAmerica's recent history has been a persistent tilt to the West--of people, ideas, commerce and even political power. California and Texas are the twin poles of the West, but very different ones. For most of the 20th century the home of Silicon Valley and Hollywood has been the brainier and trendier of the two.61. What does the author say about California and Texas in Paragraph 17【B】A． They have been competing for the leading position. B． California has been superior to Texas in many ways. C． They are both models of development for other states.AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAFD． Texas's cowboy culture is less known than California's.62. What does the author say about today's California? 【C】A． Its debts are pushing it into bankruptcy. B． Its budgets have been cut by $26 billion.C． It is faced with a serious financial crisis. D． It is trying hard to protect the vulnerable.63. In what way is Texas different from California? 【A】A． It practices smallgovernment.B． It is home to traditionalindustries.C． It has a large Hispanic population. D． It has an enviable welfare system.64. What problem is Texas confronted with? 【C】A． Its Hispanic population is mostly illiterate. B． Its sunrise industries are shrinking rapidly. C． Its education cannot meet the needs of the knowledge economy.D． Its immigrants have a hard time adapting to its cowboy culture.AHA12GAGGAGAGGAFFFFAFAF。

2019年英语六级阅读理解试题库及答案（10）Its no secret that many children would be healthier and happier with adoptive parents than with the parents that nature dealt them. Thats especially true of children who remain in abusive homes because the law blindly favors biological parents. Its also true of children who suffer for years in foster homes (收养孩子的家庭) because of parents who cant or wont care for them but refuse to give up custody (监护)rights.Fourteen-year-old Kimberly Mays fits neither description, but her recent court victory could eventually help children who do. Kimberly has been the object of an angry custody baffle between the man who raised herand her biological parents, with whom she has never lived. A Florida judge ruled that the teenager can remain with the only father shes ever known and that her biological parents have no legal claim on her.The ruling, though it may yet be reversed, sets aside the principle that biology is the primary determinant of parentage. Thats an important development, one thats long overdue.Shortly after birth in December 1978, Kimberly Mays and another infant were mistakenly switched and sent home with the wrong parents. Kimberlys biological parents, Ernest and Regina Twigg, received a child who died of a heart disease in 1988. Medical tests showed that the child wasnt the Twiggs own daughter, but Kimtonly was, thus sparking a custody battle with Robert Mays. In 1989, the two families agreed that Mr.Mays would maintain custody with the Twiggs getting visiting fights. Those rights were ended when Mr. Mays decided that Kimberly was being harmed.The decision to leave Kimberly with Mr. Mays rendered her suit debated. But the judge made clear that Kimberly did have standing to sue ( 起诉) on her own behalf. Thus he made clear that she was more than just property to be handled as adults saw fit.Certainly, the biological link between parent and child is fundamental. But biological parents arent always preferable to adoptive ones, and biological parentage does not convey an absolute ownership that cancels all the rights of children.练习题：Choose correct answers to the question:1. What was the primary consideration in the Florida judges ruling?A. The biological link.B. The childs benefits.C.The traditional practice.D. The parents feelings.2. We can learn from the Kimberly case thatA. children are more than just personal possessions of theirparentsB. the biological link between parent and child should be emphasizedC. foster homes bring children more pain and suffering than careD. biological parents shouldnt claim custody rights after their child is adopted3. The Twiggs claimed custody rights to Kimberly becauseA. they found her unhappy in Mr. Mays custodyB. they regarded her as their propertyC. they were her biological parentsD. they felt guilty about their past mistake4. Kimberly had been given to Mr. MaysA. by sheer accidentB. out of charityC. at his requestD. for better care5. The authors attitude towards the judges ruling could be described asA. doubtfulB. CriticalC. cautiousD. supportive参考答案及解析1.[B] 推理判断题。

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羽天全国英语六级阅读理解阅读理解专项练习3 5 篇1.2007 年12 月英语六级阅读专项训练（1）Giving Credit Where Credit Is Not Due The big identity-theft bust last week was just a taste of what's to come. Here's how to protect your good name HERE'S THE SCARY THING about the identity-theft ring that the feds cracked last week: there was nothing any of its estimated 40,000 victims could have done to prevent it from happening. This was an inside job, according to court documents. A lowly help-desk worker at Teledata Communications, a software firm that helps banks access credit reports online, allegedly stole passwords for those reports and sold them to a group of 20 thieves at $60 a pop. That allowed the gang to cherry-pick consumers with good credit and apply for all kinds of accounts in their names. Cost to the victims: $3 million and rising. Even scarier is that this, the largest identity-theft bust to date, is just a drop in the bit bucket. More than 700,000 Americans have their credit hijacked every year. It's one of crime's biggest growth markets. A name, address and Social Security number--which can often be found on the Web--is all anybody needs to apply for a bogus line of credit. Credit companies make $1.3 trillion annually and lose less than 2% of that revenue to fraud, so there's little financial incentive for them to make the application process more secure. As it stands now, it's up to you to protect your identity. The good news is that there are plenty of steps you can take. Most credit thieves are opportunists, not well-organized gangs. A lot of them go Dumpster diving for those millions of "pre-approved" credit-card mailings that go out every day. Others steal wallets and return them, taking only a Social Security number. Shredding your junk mail and leaving your Social Security card at home can save a lot of agony later. But the most effective way to keep your identity clean is to check your credit reports once or twice a year. There are three major credit-report outfits: Equifax (at ), Trans-Union () and Experian (). All allow you to order reports online, which is a lot better than wading through voice-mail hell on their 800 lines. Of the three, I found TransUnion's website to be the cheapest and most comprehensive--laying out state-by-state prices, rights and tips for consumers in easy-to-read fashion. If you're lucky enough to live in Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey or V ermont, you are entitled to one free report a year by law. Otherwise it's going to cost $8 to $14 each time. A void services that offer to monitor your reports year-round for about $70; that's $10 more than the going rate among thieves. If you think第1 页共52 页羽天全国英语六级阅读理解you're a victim of identity theft, you can ask for fraud alerts to be put on file at each of the three credit-report companies. Y ou can also download a theft-report form at /idtheft, which, along with a local police report, should help when irate creditors come knocking. Just don't expect justice. That audacious help-desk worker was one of the fewer than 2% of identity thieves who are ever caught. 1.What is the trend of credit-theft crime?[A]Tightly suppressed. [B]More frightening. [C]Rapidly increasing. [D]loosely controlled. 2.The expression “inside job”(Line 6, Paragraph 1) most probably means . [A]a crime that is committedby a person working for the victim [B]a crime that should be punished severely [C]a crime that does great harm to the victim [D]a crime that poses a great threat to the society 3.The creditors can protect their identity in the following way except . [A]destroying your junk mail [B]leaving your Social Security card at home [C]visiting the credit-report website regularly [D]obtaining the free report from the government 4.Why is it easy to have credit-theft? [A]More people are using credit service. [B]The application program is not safe enough. [C]Creditors usually disclose their identity.[D]Creditors are not careful about their identity. 5.What is the best title of the text? [A]The danger of credit-theft [B]The loss of the creditors [C]How to protect your good name [D]Why the creditors lose their identity 2. 2007 年12 月英语六级阅读专项训练（2）Opinion polls are now beginning to show that,whoever is to blame and whatever happens from now on,high unemployment is probably here to say.This means we shall have to find ways of sharing the available employment more widely. But we need to go further. We must ask some fundamental questions about the future work. Should we continue to treat employment as the norm? Should we not rather encourage many ways for self-respecting people to work? Should we not create conditions in which many of us can work for ourselves, rather than for an employer? Should we not aim to revive the household and the neighborhood, as well as the factory and the office, as centers of production and work? The industrial age has been the only period of human history in which第2 页共52 页羽天全国英语六级阅读理解most people’s work has taken the form of jobs. The industrial age may now becoming to an end, and some of the changes in work patterns which it brought may have to be reversed. This seems a daunting thought. But, in fact, it could offer the prospect of a better future for work. Universal employment, as its history shows, has not meant economic freedom. Employment became widespread when the enclosures of the 17th and 18th centuries made many people dependent on paid work by depriving them of the use of the land, and thus of the means to provide a living for themselves. Then the factory system destroyed the cottage industries and removed work fr om people’s homes. Later, as transport improved first by rail and then by road, people commuted longer distances to their places of employment until, eventually, many people’s work lost all connection with their home lives and the places in which they live. Meanwhile, employment put women at a disadvantage. In preindustrial times, men and women had shared the productive work of the household and village community. Now it became customary for the husband to go out to paid employment, leaving the unpaid work of the home and families to his wife. Tax and benefit regulations still assume this norm today, and restrict more flexible sharing of work roles between the sexes. It was not only women whose work status suffered. As employment became the dominant form of work, young people and old people were excluded—a problem now, as more teenagers become frustrated at school and more retired people want to live active lives. All this may now have to change. The time has certainly come to switch some effort and resources away from the idealist goal creating jobs for all, to the urgent practical task of helping many people to manage without full-time jobs. 21.What is the main idea of the passage? A）Employment became widespread in the 17th and 18th centuries. B）Unemployment will remain a major problem for industrialized nations. C）The industrial age may now be coming to an end. D）Some efforts and resources should be devoted to helping morepeople cope with the problem of unemployment. 22.Which of the following was NOT mentioned as a factor contributing to the spread of employment? A）The enclosures of the 17th and 18th centuries. B ）The development of factories. C）Relief from housework on the part of women. D）Development of modern means of transportation.第3 页共52 页羽天全国英语六级阅读理解23.It can be inferred from the passage that. A）most people who have been polled believe that the problem of unemployment may not be solved within a short period of time B）many farmers lost their land when new railways and factories were being constructed C）in preindustrial societies housework and community service were mainly carried out by women D）some of the changes in work pattern that the industrial age brought have been reversed 24.What does the word “daunting”in the third paragraph mean? A）Shocking B）Interesting C）Confusing D）Stimulating 25.Which of the following is NOT suggested as a possible means to cope with the current situation? A）Create situations in which people work for themselves. B）Treat employment as the norm. C ）Endeavor to revive the household and the neighborhood as centers of production. D）Encourage people to work in circumstances other than normal working conditions. 3.2007 年12 月英语六级阅读专项训练（3）No one should be forced to wear a uniform under any circumstance. Uniforms are demanding to the human spirit and totally unnecessary in a democratic society. Uniforms tell the world that the person who wears one has no value as an individual but only lives to function as a part of a whole. The individual in a uniform loses all self-worth. There are those who say that wearing a uniform gives a person a sense of identification with a larger, more important concept. What could be more important than the individual himself? If an organization is so weak that it must rely on cloth and buttons to inspire its members, that organization has no right to continue its existence. Others say that the practice of making persons wear uniforms, say in a school, eliminates all envy and competition in the matter of dress, such that a poor person who cannot afford good-quality clothing is not to be belittled by a wealthy person who wears expensive quality clothing. Those persons conveniently ignore such critical concepts as freedom of choice, motivation, and individuality. If all persons were to wear the same clothing, why would anyone strive to be better? It is only a short step from forcing everyone to drive the same car, have the same type of foods. When this happens, all incentive to improve one’s life is removed. Why would parents bother to work hard so that their children could have a better life than they had when they know that their children are going to be forced to have exactly the same life that they had?第4 页共52 页羽天全国英语六级阅读理解Uniforms also hurt the economy. Right now, billions of dollars are spent on the fashion industry yearly. Thousands of persons are employed in designing, creating and marketing different types of clothing. If everyone were forced to wear uniforms, artistic personnel would be unnecessary. Sales persons would be superfluous as well; why bother to sell the only items that are available? The wearing of uniforms would destroy the fashion industry, which in turn would have a ripple effect on such industries as advertising and promotion. Without advertising, newspapers, magazines, and television would not be able to remain in business. One entire information andentertainment industry would collapse. 26.The author’s primary purpose in writing this passage was to . A）plead for the abolishment of uniforms B）show that uniforms are not possible in a democratic society C ）advocate stronger governmental controls on the wearing of uniforms D）convince the reader that uniforms have more disadvantages than advantages 27.Why does the author discuss forcing everyone to buy the same car or eat the same food? A) To show that freedom of choice is absolute. B) To show that the government has interfered too much in the lives of individual. C) To suggest what would happen if uniforms became compulsory. D) To predict the way the society will be in the next few generations. 28.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the author? A) The person who wears a uniform has no self-worth. B) Wearing a uniform gives a person a sense of identification with a larger concept. C) Uniforms will hurt one entire information and entertainment industry. D) Envy and competition are incentive to improve one’s life. 29.The word “superfluous”(Para. 3) most probably means . A) indispensable B) available C) surplus D) supplementary 30.The next paragraph in this passage might discuss. A) the positive effects of wearing uniforms B) more negative effects of wearing uniforms C) alternative to wearing uniforms D) the legal rights of those not wishing to wear uniforms 4.2007 年12 月英语六级阅读专项训练（4）A strange thing about humans is their capacity for blind rage. Rage is presumably an emotion resulting from survival instinct, but the第5 页共52 页羽天全国英语六级阅读理解surprising thing about it is that we do not deploy it against other animals. If we encounter a dangerous wild animal - a poisonous snake or a wild cat - we do not fly into a temper. If we are unarmed, we show fear and attempt to back away; if we are suitably armed, we attack, but in a rational manner not in a rage. We reserve rage for our own species. It is hard to see any survival valu e in attacking one’s own, but if we take account of the long competition, which must have existed between our own subspecies and others like Neanderthal man - indeed others still more remote from us than Neanderthal man human rage becomes more comprehensible. In our everyday language and behavior there are many reminders of those early struggles. We are always using the words “us and them”. “Our”side is perpetually trying to do down the “other” side. In games we artificially create other subspecies we ca n attack. The opposition of “us” and “them” is the touchstone of the two-party system of “democratic” politics. Although there are no very serious consequences to many of these modern psychological representations of the “us and them”emotion, it is as well to remember that the original aim was not to beat the other subspecies in a game but to exterminate it. The readiness with which humans allow themselves to be regimented has permitted large armies to be formed, which, taken together with the “us and them” blind rage, has led to destructive clashes within our subspecies itself. The First World War is an example in which Europe divided itself into two imaginary subspecies. And there is a similar extermination battle now in Northern Ireland. The idea that there is a religious basis for this clash is illusory, for not even the Pope has been able to control it. The clash is much more primitive than the Christian religion, much older in its emotional origin. The conflict in Ireland is unlikely to stop until a greater primitive fear is imposed from outside the community, or until the combatants become exhausted. 31.A suitable title for this passage would be. A) Why Human Armies Are Formed B) Man’s Anger Against Rage C) The Human Capacity for Rage D) EarlyStruggles of Angry Man 32.According to the author, the surprising aspect of human anger is.A) its lengthy and complex development B) a conflict such as is now going on in Northern Ireland C) that we do not fly into a temper more often D) that we reserve anger for mankind 33.The passage suggests that. A) historically, we have created an “us”versus “them”society B) humans have had a natural disinclination toward formal grouping 第6 页共52 页羽天全国英语六级阅读理解C) the First World War is an example of how man has always avoided domination D) the emotional origin of the war in Ireland is lost in time 34.From the passage we can infer that .A) the artificial creation of a subspecies unlike us is something that never happens B) games are psychologically unhealthy C) any artificially created subspecies would be our enemy D) the real or imagined existence of an opposing subspecies is inherent in man’s activities 35.The author believes that a religious explanation for the war in Northern Ireland is.A) founded in historical fact B) deceptive C) apparent D) probably accurate 5.2007 年12 月英语六级阅读专项训练（5）The first way we can approach language is as a phenomenon of the individual person. It is concerned with describing and explaining language as a matter of human behavior. People speak and write; they also evidently read and understand what they hear. They are not born doing so; they have to acquire these skills. Not everybody seems to develop them to the same degree. People may suffer accidents or diseases, which impair their performance. Language is thus seen as part of human psychology, a particular sort of behavior, the behavior, which has as its principal, function that of communication. The trouble with the term “behavior”is that it is often taken to refer only to more or less overt, and describable, physical movements and acts. Y et part of language behavior-that of understanding spoken or written language, for example-has little or no physically observable signs. It is true we can sometimes infer that understanding has taken place by the changes that take place in the other person’s behavior. When someone has been prohibited from doing something, we may infer that he has understood the prohibition by observing that thereafter he never behaves in that way. We cannot, of course, be absolutely sure that his subsequent behavior is a result of his understanding; it might be due to a loss of interest or inclination. So behavior must be taken to include unobservable activity, often only to be inferred from other observable behavior. Once we admit that the study of language behavior involves describing and explaining the unobservable, the situation becomes much more complicated, because we have to postulate some set of processes, some internal mechanism, which operates when we speak and understand. We have to postulate something we can call a mind. The study of language from this point of view can then be seen as a study of the specific properties, processes and states of the mind第7 页共52 页羽天全国英语六级阅读理解whose outward manifestations are observable behavior; what we have to know in order to perform linguistically. This approach to language, as a phenomenon of the individual, is thus principally concerned with explaining how we acquire language, and its relation to general human cognitive systems, and with the psychological mechanisms underlying the comprehension and production of speech; much less with the problem of what language is for, that is, its function ascommunication, since this necessarily involves more than a single individual. 36.What is the best title for this passage? A) Language as Means of Communication. B) Language and Psychology. C) Language and the Individual. D) Language as a Social Phenomenon.37.According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true? A) Language is often regarded as part of human psychology. B) People develop language skills of different degrees as a result of different personal experiences. C) Language is a special kind of psychological behavior that is born with an individual. D) People learn to speak and write through imitation and training. 38.What does the term “behavior ”in the second paragraph especially refer to in this passage? A) It refers to observable and physical movements and acts.B) It refers to the part of language behavior that involves understanding or interpretation. C) It refers to both the overt and the unobservable language behaviors in communicating. D) It refers to acts of speaking and writing. 39.What does “internal mechanism”(Line 3, Para. 3) mean? A) Secret machine. B) Mental processes. C) Overt system. D) Mechanic operation.40.What can you infer from the passage? A) Its individualistic approach to language is meant to study the psychological processes of language acquisition. B) The individualistic approach to language is mainly concerned with how language functions in society. C) The study of language is sure to involve more than a single individual. D) Psychological approach to language is concerned with the comprehension and production of speech. 6.2007 年12 月英语六级阅读专项训练（6）The American economic system is organized around a basically 第8 页共52 页羽天全国英语六级阅读理解private-enterprise，market-oriented economy in which consumers largely determine what shall be produced by spending their money in the marketplace for those goods and services that they want most. Private businessmen，striving to make profits，produce these goods and services in competition with other businessmen；and the profit motive，operating under competitive pressures，largely determines how these goods and services are produced. Thus，in the American economic system it is the demand of individual consumers，coupled with the desire of businessmen to maximize profits and the desire of individuals to maximize their incomes，that together determine what shall be produced and how resources are used to produce it. An important factor in a market-oriented economy is the mechanism by which consumer demands can be expressed and responded to by producers. In the American economy ，this mechanism is provided by a price system，a process in which prices rise and fall in response to relative demands of consumers and supplies offered by seller-producers. If the product is in short supply relative to the demand，the price will be bid up and some consumers will be eliminated from the market. If，on the other hand，producing more of a commodity results in reducing its cost，this will tend to increase the supply offered by seller-producers，which in turn will lower the price and permit more consumers to buy the product. Thus，price is the regulating mechanism in the America economic system. The important factor in a private-enterprise economy is that individual are allowed to own productive resources （private property），and they are permitted to hire labor，gain control over natural resources，and produce goods and services for sale at a profit. In the American economy，the concept of private property embraces not only the ownership of productive resources but also certain rights，including the right to determine the price of a product or to make a free contract with another private individual. 1.In Para. 1，“the desire ofindividuals to maximize their incomes”means . A.Americans never feel satisfied with their incomes. B.Americans tend to overstate the amount of their incomes. C.Americans want to have their incomes increased. D.Americans want to increase the purchasing power of their incomes.2.The first two sentences in the second paragraph clarity the idea to us that . A.producers can satisfy the consumers by mechanized production. B.consumers can express their demands through producers. C.producers decide the prices of products. D.supply and demand regulate prices.3.The word “embraces” in Para. 3 probably parallels .第9 页共52 页羽天全国英语六级阅读理解A.enfoldB.hugprehendD.support 4.According to the passage ， a private-enterprise economy is characterized by . A.private property and rights concerned.B.manpower and natural resources control.C.ownership of productive resourcesD.free contracts and prices. 5.The passage is mainly talking about . A.how American goods are produced. B.how American consumers buy their goods. C.how American economic system works. D.how American businessman make their profits 7.2007 年12 月英语六级阅读专项训练（7）There are various ways in which individual economic units can interact with one another. Three basic ways may be described as the market system，the administered system，and the traditional system. In a market system individual economic units are free to interact among each other in the marketplace. It is possible to buy commodities from other economic units or sell commodities to them. In a market ，transactions may take place via barter or money exchange. In a barter economy，real goods such as automobiles，shoes，and pizzas are traded against each other. Obviously，finding somebody who wants to trade my old car in exchange for a sailboat may not always be an easy task. Hence，the introduction of money as a medium of exchange eases transactions considerably. In the modern market economy，goods and services are bought or sold for money. An alternative to the market system is administrative control by some agency over all transactions. This agency will issue edicts or commands as to how much of each good and service should be produced ，exchanged ，and consumed by each economic unit. Central planning may be one way of administering such an economy. The central plan，drawn up by the government，shows the amounts of each commodity produced by the various firms and allocated to different households for consumption. This is an example of complete planning of production，consumption，and exchange for the whole economy. In a traditional society，production and consumption patterns are governed by tradition；every person‘s place within the economic system is fixed by parentage，religion，and custom. Transactions take place on the basis of tradition，too. People belonging to a certain group or caste may have an obligation to care for other persons，provide them with food and shelter ，care for their health ，and provide for their education. Clearly，in a system where every decision第10 页共52 页羽天全国英语六级阅读理解is made on the basis of tradition alone，progress may be difficult to achieve. A stagnant society may result. 1.What is the main purpose of the passage？ A.To outline contrasting types of economic systems. B.To explain the science of economics. C.To argue for the superiority of one economic system. D.To compare barter and money-exchange markets. 2.In the second paragraph，the word “real”in “real goods”could best be replaced by ，A.high quality B.concrete C.utter D.authentic. 3.According to the passage，a barter economy can generate . A.rapid speed of transactions. B.misunderstandings. C.inflation D.difficulties for the traders. 4.According to the passage，who has the greatest degree of control in the administered system？A.Individual households B.Small businesses. C.Major corporations. D.The government. 5.Which of the following is not mentioned by the author as a criterion for determining a person‘s position in a traditional society？ A.Family background B.Age C.Religious beliefs. D.Custom 8.2007 年12 月英语六级阅读专项训练（8）Western airliner manufacturers seem to be tripping over themselves in their eagerness to sign collaborative agreements with Asian partners as a low-cost route to developing new airliners. Their potential Asian partners seem to be tripping over themselves to sign such agreements ，as a low-cost route to acquiring new airliner technology. If they are not careful the two sides will end up tripping over each other：the one by selling its birth-right for short-term gain，the other by trying to break into a market which isn‘t big enough to sustain it. Technology transfer works in a growing market ，where the aspirations of the new entrant receiving that technology can be met through expansion. The airliner market is not such a device. Even the most optimistic projections of airliner sales for the next 20 years show that airliner manufacture can only be profitable if a small number of aircraft builders share the available sales. It follows that if new manufacturers come into the market and take sales，their sales must come from substitution，not expansion. Given the complexity of today‘s airliners，it is unlikely that any new entrant will have both the financial and technical resources to come into the market without the involvement of an established manufacturer. In the short term，such involvement may not be to the exclusive benefit of the new entrant ：most of the established manufacturers are searching for ways to reduce costs of manufacture.第11 页共52 页羽天全国英语六级阅读理解In the short term ，，it can be of benefit to an established Western manufacturer to have either components of complete air –frames made or assembled in lower-wage economics such a China，Taiwan or Korea ，while retaining the design ，development and marketing of aircraft for itself. It would be a very unwise Western manufacturer which did not heed the fact that these developing economies are acquiring skills （like computing ）at least as quickly as they are acquiring skills in metallbashing. The danger comes when the new entrant no longer needs the established Western partner because it has acquired the technical and intellectual ability to design and build its own aircraft. An Asian partner may well find itself in the happy position of having the low-cost labour base，the high-cost technology base and the vital financ ial base to build a new airliner. 1.The author‘s attitude towards Western/eastern collaboration can be depicted as .A.positiveB.progressiveC.conservativeD.negative 2.“The airliner market is not such a device ” means that the airliner market . A.does not encourage technology transfer B.is too limited to offer chances of success C.requires hi-tech rather than unaccepted devices D.is full of competitions even for new entrants 3.Established manufacturers search for partners in order to . A.save the cost of the airframe B.improve some aircraft components C.save the cost of labour D.develop new technology 4.According to the author，a wise established manufacturer should . A.try to benefit from both financial and technical resources B.break up his partnership with the East once profits are made C.keep a tight told over hi-tech development and marketing of airliners D.collaborate。

历年英语六级阅读真题(2012,6---2006,12)2012 年12 月英语六级阅读真题(1) Passage OneAmid all the job losses of the Great Recession, there is one category of worker that the economic disruption has been good for: nonhumans.From self-service checkout lines at the supermarket to industrial robots armed with saws and taught to carve up animal carcasses in slaughter-houses, these ever-more-intelligent machines are now not just assisting workers but actually kicking them out of their jobs.Automation isn’t just affecti ng factory workers, either. Some law firms now use artificial intelligence software to scan and read mountains of legal documents, work that previously was performed by highly paid human lawyers.“Robots continue to have an impact on blue-collar jobs, and white-collar jobs are under attack by microprocessors,” says Edward Leamer, an economics professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast, a survey of the U.S. and California economies. Leamer says the recession permanently wiped out 2.5 million jobs. U.S. gross domestic product has climbedback to pre-recession levels, meaning we’re producing as much as before, only with 6 percent fewer workers. To be sure, robotics are not the only job killers out there, with outsourcing stealing far more gigs than automation.Jeff Burnstein, president of the Robotics Industry Association, a trade group in Ann Arbor, Mich., argues that robots actually save U.S. jobs. His logic: companies that embrace automation might use fewe r workers, but that’s still better than firing everyone and moving the work overseas.It’s not that robots are cheaper than humans, though often they are. It’s that they are better. “In some cases the quality requirements are so stringent that even if you wanted to have a human do the job, you couldn’t,” Burnstein says.Same goes for surgeons, who are using robotic systems to perform an ever-growing list of operations—not because the machines save money but because, thanks to the greater precision of robots, the patients recover in less time and have fewer complications, says Dr. Myriam Curet.Surgeons may survive the robot invasion, but others at the hospital might not be so lucky, as iRobot, maker of the Roomba, a robot vacuum cleaner, has been showing off Ava, a three-foot-tall droid on wheels that carries a tablet computer. iRobot reckons Ava could be used as a courier in a hospital.And once you’re home, recovering, Ava could let you talk to your doctor, so there’s no need to send someone to your h ouse. That “mobile telepresence” could be useful at the office. If you’re away on a trip, you can still attend a meeting. Just connect via videoconferencing software, so your face appears on Ava’s screen.Is any job safe? I was hoping to say “journalist,” but researchers are already developing algorithms that can gather facts and write a news story. Which means that a few years from now, a robot could be writing this column. And who will read it? Well, there might be a lot of us hanging around with lots of free time on our hands.(2) Passage TwoYou've now heard it so many times, you can probably repeat it in your sleep. President Obama will no doubt make the point publicly when he gets to Beijing: the Chinese need to spend more; they need to consume more; they need —believe it or not — to become more like Americans, for the sake of the global economy.And it's all true. But the other side of that equation is that the U.S. needs to save more. For the moment, American households actually are doing so. After the personal-savingsrate dipped to zero in 2005, the shock of the economic crisis last year prompted people to snap shut their wallets.In China, the household-savings rate exceeds 20%. It is partly for policy reasons. As we've seen, wage earners are expected to care for not only their children but also their aging parents. And there is, to date, only the flimsiest（脆弱的）of publicly-funded health care and pension systems, which increases incentives for individuals to save while they are working. But China is a society that has long esteemed personal financial prudence（谨慎）for centuries. There is no chance that will change anytime soon, even if the government creates a better social safety net and successfully encourages greater consumer spending.Why does the U.S. need to learn a little frugality(节俭). Because healthy savings rates are one of the surest indicators of a country's long-term financial health. High savings lead, over time, to increased investment, which in turn generates productivity gains, innovation and job growth. In short, savings are the seed corn of a good economic harvest.The U.S. government thus needs to act as well. By running constant deficits, it is dis-saving, even as households save more. Peter Orszag, Obama's Budget Director, recently called the U.S. budget deficits unsustainable and he's right. Todate, the U.S. has seemed unable to have what Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has called an "adult conversation" about the consequences of spending so much more than is taken in. That needs to change. And though Hu Jintao and the rest of the Chinese leadership aren't inclined to lecture visiting Presidents, he might gently hint that Beijing is getting a little nervous about the value of the dollar —which has fallen 15% since March, in large part because of increasing fears that America's debt load is becoming unmanageable.That's what happens when you're the world's biggest creditor: you get to drop hints like that, which would be enough by themselves to create international economic chaos if they were ever leaked. (Every time any official in Beijing deliberately publicly about seeking an alternative to the U.S. dollar for the $2.1 trillion China holds in reserve, currency traders have a heart attack.) If Americans saved more and spent less, consistently over time, they wouldn't have to worry about all that.2012 年6 月英语六级阅读真题(3)Passage OneAs anyone who has tried to lose weight knows, realisticgoal-setting generally produces the best results. That's partially because it appears people who set realistic goals actually work more efficiently, and exert more effort, to achieve those goals.What's far less understood by scientists, however, are the potentially harmful effects of goal-setting.Newspapers relay daily accounts of goal-setting prevalent in industries and businesses up and down both Wall Street and Main Street , yet there has been surprisingly little research on how the long-trumpeted practice of setting goals may have contributed to the current economic crisis , and unethical （不道德的）behavior in general.“Goals are widely used and promoted as having really beneficial effects. And yet, the same motivation that can push people to exert more effort in a constructive way could also motivate people to be more likely to engage in unethical behaviors,” says Maurice Schweitzer, an associate professor at Penn’s WhartonSchool.“It turns out there’s no economic benefit to just having a goal---you just get a psychological benefit” Schweitzer says.“But in many cases, go als have economic rewards that make them more powerful.”A prime example Schweitzer and his colleagues cite is the 2004 collapse of energy-trading giant Enron, where managers used financial incentives to motivate salesmen to meet specific revenue goals. The problem, Schweitzer says, is the actual trades were not profitable.Other studies have shown that saddling employees with unrealistic goals can compel them to lie, cheat or steal. Such was the case in the early 1990s when Sears imposed a sales quota on its auto repair staff. It prompted employees to overcharge for work and to complete unnecessary repairs on a companywide basis.Schweitzer concedes his research runs counter to a very large body of literature that commends the many benefits ofgoal-setting. Advocates of the practice have taken issue with his team’s use of such evidence as news accounts to support his conclusion that goal-setting is widely over-prescribedIn a rebuttal (反驳) paper, Dr. Edwin Lockewrites:“Goal-setting is not going away. Organizations cannot thrive without being focused on their desired end results anymore than an individual can thrive without goals to provide a sense of purpose.”But Schweitzer contends the “mounting causal evidence” linking goal-setting and harmful behavior should be studied to help spotlight issues that merit caution and further investigation. “Even a few negative effects could be so large that they outweigh many positive effects,” he says.“Goal-setting does help coordinate and motivate people. My idea would be to combine that with careful oversight, a strong organizational culture, and make sure the goals that you use are going to be constructive and not significantly harm the organization,” Schweitzer says.(4) Passage twoFor most of the 20th century, Asia asked itself what it could learn from the modern, innovating West. Now the question must be reversed. What can the West’s overly indebted and sluggish (经济滞长的) nations learn from a flourishing Asia?Just a few decades ago, Asia’s two giants were stagnati ng(停滞不前) under faulty economic ideologies. However, once China began embracing free-market reforms in the 1980s, followed by India in the 1990s, both countries achieved rapidgrowth. Crucially, as they opened up their markets, they balanced market economy with sensible government direction. As the Indian economist Amartya Sen has wisely said, “The invisible hand of the market has often relied heavily on the visible hand of government.”Contrast this middle path with America and Europe, which have each gone ideologically over-board in their own ways. Since the 1980s, America has been increasingly clinging to the ideology of uncontrolled free markets and dismissing the role of government---following Ronald Regan’s idea that “government is not the solution to o ur problem; governmentis the problem. “Of course, when the markets came crashing down in 2007, it was decisive government intervention that saved the day. Despite this fact, many Americans are still strongly opposed to “big government.”If Americans could only free themselves from their antigovernment doctrine, they would begin to see that the America’s problems are not insoluble. A few sensible federal measures could put the country back on the right path. A simple consumption tax of, say, 5% would significantly reduce the country’s huge government deficit without damaging productivity. A small gasoline tax would help freeAmerica from its dependence on oil imports and create incentives for green energy development. In the same way, a significant reduction of wasteful agricultural subsidies could also lower the deficit. But in order to take advantage of these common-sense solutions, Americans will have to put aside their own attachment to the idea of smaller government and less regulation. American politicians will have to develop the courage to follow what is taught in all American public-policy schools: that there are good taxes and bad taxes. Asian countries have embraced this wisdom, and have built sound long-term fiscal (财政的) policies as a result.Meanwhile, Europe has fallen prey to a different ideological trap: the belief that European governments would always have infinite resources and could continue borrowing as if there were no tomorrow. Unlike the Americans, who felt that the markets knew best, the Europeans failed to anticipate how the markets would react to their endless borrowing. Today, the European Union is creating a $580 billion fund to ward off sovereign collapse. This will buy the EU time, but it will not solve the bloc’s larger problem.2011 年12 月英语六级阅读真题(5) Passage OneQuestions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.What's the one word of advice a well-meaning professional would give to a recent college graduate? China"} India! Brazil! How about trade!When the Commerce Department reported last week that the trade deficit in June approached $50 billion, it set off a new round of economic doomsaying. Imports, which soared to $200.3 billion in the month, are subtracted in the calculation of gross domestic product. The larger the trade deficit, the smaller the GDP. Should such imbalances continue, pessimists say, they could contribute to slower growth.But there's another way of looking at the trade data. Over the past two years, the figures on imports and exports seem not to signal a double-dip recession – a renewed decline in the broad level of economic activity in the United States – but an economic expansion.The rising volume of trade – more goods and services shuttling in and out of the United States – is good news for many sectors. Companies engaged in shipping, trucking, rail freight, delivery,and logistics (物流) have all been reporting better than expected results. The rising numbers signify growing vitality in foreign markets – when we import more stuff, it puts more cash in the hands of people around the world, and U.S. exports are rising because more foreigners have the ability to buy the things we produce and market. The rising tide of trade is also good news for people who work in trade-sensitive businesses, especially those that produce commodities for which global demand sets the price – agricultural goods, mining, metals, oil.And while exports always seem to lag, U.S. companies are becoming more involved in the global economy with each passing month. General Motors sells as many cars in China as in America each month. While that may not do much for imports, it does help GM's balance sheet – and hence makes the jobs of U.S.-based executives more stable.One great challenge for the U.S. economy is slack domestic consumer demand. Americans arepaying down debt, saving more, and spending more carefully. That's to be expected, given what we've been through. But there's a bigger challenge. Can U.S.-based businesses, large and small, figure out how to get a piece of growing global demand? Unless you want to pick up and move to India, orBrazil, or China, the best way to do that is through trade. It may seem obvious, but it's no longer enough simply to do business with our friends and neighbors here at home.Companies and individuals who don't have a strategy to export more, or to get more involved in foreign markets, or to play a role in global trade, are shutting themselves out of the lion's share of economic opportunity in our world.(6) Passage TwoA recurring criticism of the UK's university sector is its perceived weakness in translating new knowledge into new products and services.Recently, the UK National Stem Cell Network warned the UK could lose its place among the world leaders in stem cell research unless adequate funding and legislation could be assured. We should take this concern seriously as universities are key in the national innovation system.However, we do have to challenge the unthinking complaint that the sector does not do enough in taking ideas to market. The most recent comparative data on the performance of universities and research institutions in Australia, Canada, USA and UKshows that, from a relatively weak starting position, the UK now leads on many indicators of commercialisation activity.When viewed at the national level, the policy interventions of the past decade have helped trans form the performance of UK universities. Evidence suggests the UK's position is much stronger than in the recent past and is still showing improvement. But national data masks the very large variation in the performance of individual universities. The evidence shows that a large number of universities have fallen off the back of the pack, a few perform strongly and the rest chase the leaders.This type of uneven distribution is not peculiar to the UK and is mirrored across other economies. In the UK, research is concentrated: less than 25% of universities receive 75% of the research funding. These same universities are also the institutions producing the greatest share of PhD graduates, science citations, patents and licence income. The effect of policies generating long-term resource concentration has also created a distinctive set of universities which areresearch-led and commercially active. It seems clear that the concentration of research and commercialisation work creates differences between universities.The core objective for universities which are research-led must be to maximise the impact oftheir research efforts. These universities should be generating the widest range of social, economic and environmental benefits. In return for the scale of investment, they should share their expertise in order to build greater confidence in the sector.Part of the economic recovery of the UK will be driven by the next generation of research commercialisation spilling out of our universities. There are three dozen universities in the UKwhich are actively engaged in advanced research training and commercialisation work.If there was a greater coordination of technology transfer offices within regions and a simultaneous investment in the scale and functions of our graduate schools, universities could, and should, play a key role in positioning the UK for the next growth cycle.2011 年6 月英语六级阅读真题(7) Passage OneQuestions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.At the heart of the debate over illegal immigration lies one key question: are immigrants good or bad for the economy? The American public overwhelmingly thinks they're bad. Yet the consensus among most economists is that immigration, both legal and illegal, provides a small net boost to the economy. Immigrants provide cheap labor, lower the prices of everything from farm produce to new homes, and leave consumers with a little more money in their pockets. So why is there such a discrepancy between the perception of immigrants' impact on the economy and the reality?There are a number of familiar theories. Some argue that people are anxious and feel threatened by an inflow of new workers. Others highlight the strain that undocumented immigrants place on public services, like schools, hospitals, and jails. Still others emphasize the role of race, arguing that foreigners add to the nation's fears and insecurities. There's some truth to all these explanations, but they aren't quite sufficient.To get a better understanding of what's going on, consider the way immigration's impact is felt. Though its overall effect may be positive, its costs and benefits are distributed unevenly. David Card, an economist at UC Berkeley, notesthat the ones who profit most directly from immigrants'low-cost labor are businesses and employers – meatpacking plants in Nebraska, for instance, or agricultural businesses in California. Granted, these producers' savings probably translate into lower prices at the grocery store, but how many consumers make that mental connection at the checkout counter? As for the drawbacks of illegal immigration, these, too, are concentrated. Native low-skilled workers suffer most from the competition of foreign labor. According to a study by George Borjas, a Harvard economist, immigration reduced the wages of American high-school dropouts by 9% between 1980-2000.Among high-skilled, better-educated employees, however, opposition was strongest in states with both high numbers of immigrants and relatively generous social services. What worried them most, in other words, was the fiscal (财政的)burden of immigration. That conclusion was reinforced by another finding: that their opposition appeared to soften when that fiscal burden decreased, as occurred with welfare reform in the 1990s, which curbed immigrants' access to certain benefits.The irony is that for all the overexcited debate, the net effect of immigration is minimal. Even for those most acutely affected – say, low-skilled workers, or California residents –the impact isn't all that dramatic. "The unpleasant voices have tended to dominate our perceptions," says Daniel Tichenor, a political science professor at the University of Oregon. "But when all those factors are put together and the economists calculate the numbers, it ends up being a net positive, but a small one." Too bad most people don't realize it.(8) Passage TwoPicture a typical MBA lecture theatre twenty years ago. In it the majority of students will have conformed to the standard model of the time: male, middle class and Western. Walk into a class today, however, and you'll get a completely different impression. For a start, you will now see plenty more women – the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, for example, boasts that 40% of its new enrolment is female. You will also see a wide range of ethnic groups and nationals of practically every country.It might be tempting, therefore, to think that the old barriers have been broken down and equal opportunity achieved. But,increasingly, this apparent diversity is becoming a mask for a new type of conformity. Behind the differences in sex, skin tones and mother tongues, there are common attitudes, expectations and ambitions which risk creating a set of clones among the business leaders of the future.Diversity, it seems, has not helped to address fundamental weaknesses in business leadership. So what can be done to create more effective managers of the commercial world? According to Valerie Gauthier, associate dean at HEC Paris, the key lies in the process by which MBA programmes recruit their students. At the moment candidates are selected on a fairly narrow set of criteria such as prior academic and career performance, and analytical and problem solving abilities. This is then coupled to a school's picture of what a diverse class should look like, with the result that passport, ethnic origin and sex can all become influencing factors. But schools rarely dig down to find out what really makes an applicant succeed, to create a class which also contains diversity of attitude and approach – arguably the only diversity that, in a business context, really matters.Professor Gauthier believes schools should not just be selecting candidates from traditional sectors such as banking,consultancy and industry. They should also be seeking individuals who have backgrounds in areas such as political science, the creative arts, history or philosophy, which will allow them to put business decisions into a wider context.Indeed, there does seem to be a demand for the more rounded leaders such diversity might create. A study by Mannaz, a leadership development company, suggests that, while the bully-boy chief executive of old may not have been eradicated completely, there is a definite shift in emphasis towards less tough styles of management – at least in America and Europe. Perhaps most significant, according to Mannaz, is the increasing interest large companies have in more collaborative management models, such as those prevalent in Scandinavia, which seek to integrate the hard and soft aspects of leadership and encourage delegated responsibility and accountability.2010 年12 月英语六级阅读真题(9) Passage OneIn the early 20th century, few things were more appealing than the promise of scientific knowledge. In aworld struggling with rapid industrialization, science and technology seemed to offer solutions to almost every problem. Newly created state colleges and universities devoted themselves almost entirely to scientific, technological, and engineering fields. Many Americans came to believe that scientific certainty could not only solve scientific problems, but also reform politics, government, and business. Two world wars and a Great Depression rocked the confidence of many people that scientific expertise alone could create a prosperous and ordered world. After World War Ⅱ, the academic world turned with new enthusiasm to humanistic studies, which seemed to many scholars the best way to ensure the survival of democracy. American scholars fanned out across much of the world—with support from the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright program, etc.—to promote the teaching of literature and the arts in an effort to make the case for democratic freedoms.In the America of our own time, the great educational challenge has become an effort to strengthen the teaching of what is now known as the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math). There isconsiderable and justified concern that the United States is falling behind much of the rest of the developed world in these essential disciplines. India, China, Japan, and other regions seem to be seizing technological leadership.At the same time, perhaps inevitably, the humanities—while still popular in elite colleges and universities—have experienced a significant decline. Humanistic disciplines are seriously underfunded, not just by the government and the foundations but by academic institutions themselves. Humanists are usually among the lowest-paid faculty members at most institutions and are often lightly regarded because they do not generate grant income and because they provide no obvious credentials (资质) for most nonacademic careers.Undoubtedly American education should train more scientists and engineers. Much of the concern among politicians about the state of American universities today is focused on the absence of “real world” education—which means preparation for professional and scientific careers. But the idea that institutions ortheir students must decide between humanities and science is false. Our society could not survive without scientific and technological knowledge. But we would be equally impoverished (贫困的) without humanistic knowledge as well. Science and technology teach us what we can do. Humanistic thinking helps us understand what we should do.It is almost impossible to imagine our society without thinking of the extraordinary achievements of scientists and engineers in building our complicated world. But try to imagine our world as well without the remarkable works that have defined our culture and values. We have always needed, and we still need, both.(10) Passage TwoWill there ever be another Einstein? This is the undercurrent of conversation at Einstein memorial meetings throughout the year. A new Einstein will emerge, scientists say. But it may take a long time. After all, more than 200 years separated Einstein from his nearest rival, Isaac Newton.Many physicists say the next Einstein hasn’t been born yet, or is a baby now. That’s because the quest for a unified theory that would account for all the forces of nature has pushed current mathematics to its limits. New math must be created before the problem can be solved.But researchers say there are many other factors working against another Einstein emerging anytime soon.For one thing, physics is a much different field today. In Einstein’s day, there were only a few thousand physicists worldwide, and the theoreticians who could intellectually rival Einstein probably would fit into a streetcar with seats to spare.Education is different, too. One crucial aspect of Einstein’s training that is overlooked is the years of philosophy he read as a teenager—Kant, Schopenhauer and Spinoza, among others. It taught him how to think independently and abstractly about space and time, and it wasn’t long before he became a philosopher himself.“The independence created by philosophical insight is—in my opinion—the mark of distinction between a mere artisan (工匠) or specialist and a real seeker after。

大学英语六级（阅读）模拟试卷10(题后含答案及解析) 题型有： 4. Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)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.Over a century ago, Alfred Russell Wallace wrote that “we live in a zoologically poor world, from which all the hugest, fiercest and strangest forms have recently disappeared. “Researchers seeking to explain this “marvelous fact”, as Wallace called it, fall into two camps, one invoking global climatic change and the other human hunting as the cause. Over the past few decades, the debate has become deadlocked, in part because most researchers have focused their attention on the Americas and northern Eurasia, where the extinction of the huge, fierce, and strange creatures, such as mammoths, and giant sloths(大树懒), occurred between 12, 500 and about 11, 000 years ago. This was a time of rapid climatic change, but it was also when humans first arrived in these regions, making it difficult to discern causality. Australia provides the only separate, continent-sized natural laboratory in which dramatic Quaternary extinctions occurred. It is thus of exceptional importance as a testing ground for extinction theories, but until now problems with dating have limited its potential. Miller and some people have now documented the extinction of the gigantic Australian bird and so have broken new ground in dating huge creatures extinction in Australia. At the same time, these authors have broken the current deadlock in the great huge creature extinction debate. It has long been appreciated that the intensity of Quaternary extinctions varied greatly around the world. In the oceans, Africa, and Southeast Asia, they were nonexistent or mild. Europe experienced moderate extinction rates, whereas the Americas, Australia, Madagascar, and many Oceanic islands suffered dramatic extinctions. North America lost 73% of all forms weighing more than 44 kg, but Australia suffered the most severely of all the continents, losing every terrestrial vertebrate(脊椎动物)species larger than a human, as well as many smaller mammals, reptiles, and flightless birds, the latter down to about a kilogram in weight. In all, about 60 vertebrate species were lost, including bizarre marsupials(有袋类动物)that resembled giant sloths, kangaroos, and a terrestrial horned tortoise that approached the size of a V olkswagen Beetle car. Establishing just when this bizarre array of creatures last trod Australia’s outback has been an intricate business, with many false leads and sites that are difficult to interpret. For decades, it was believed that the huge creatures survived until close to the time of the glacial maximum, some 20, 000 years ago, when temperatures were up to 9t cooler than at present and the continent was extremely arid. Conditions were so extreme that trees virtually disappeared from the inland, and 40% of Australia wastransformed into a vast active dune field.1．Alfred Russell Wallace thought our world is zoologically poor because of______.正确答案：the disappearing of the hugest, fiercest and strangest forms解析：根据线索词zoologically poor定位在第一段第一句话上，文中说我们生活在一个物种数量减少的时代，所有那些最大、最凶猛、最奇怪的物种近来都从世界上消失了…，本题将原文中的from which…非限制性定语从句转化成一个原因状语，需用disappear的动名词形式。

历年英语六级阅读真题及翻译（2009.06-1999.01 ）2009 年6 月英语六级阅读真题Passage One：For hundreds of millions of years, turtles (海龟) have struggled out of the sea to lay their eggs on sandy beaches, long before there were nature documentaries to celebrate them, or GPS satellites and marine biologists to track them, or volunteers to hand-carry the hatchlings (幼龟) down to the water’s edge lest they become disoriented by headlights and crawl towards a motel parking lot instead. A formidable wall of bureaucracy has been erected to protect their prime nesting on the Atlantic coastlines. With all that attention paid to them, you’d think these creatures would at least have the gratitude not to go extinct. But Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness, and a report by the Fish and Wildlife Service showed a worrisome drop in the populations of several species of North Atlantic turtles, notably loggerheads, which can grow to as much as 400 pounds. The South Florida nesting population, the largest, has declined by 50% in the last decade, according to Elizabeth Griffin, a marine biologist with the environmental group Oceana. The figures prompted Oceana to petition the government to upgrade the level of protection for the North Atlantic loggerheads from “threatened”to “endangered”—meaning they are in danger of disappearing without additional help. Which raises the obvious question: what else do these turtles want from us, anyway? It turns out, according to Griffin, that while we have done a good job of protecting the turtles for the weeks they spend on land (as egg-laying females, as eggs and as hatchlings), we have neglected the years spend in the ocean. “The threat is from commercial fishing,”says Griffin. Trawlers (which drag large nets through the water and along the ocean floor) and longline fishers (which can deploy thousands of hooks on lines that can stretch for miles) take a heavy toll on turtles. Of course, like every other environmental issue today, this is playing out against the background of global warming and human interference with natural ecosystems. The narrow strips of beach on which the turtles lay their eggs are being squeezed on one side by development and on the other by the threat of rising sea levels as the oceans warm. Ultimately we must get a handle on those issues as well, or a creature that outlived the dinosaurs (恐龙) will meet its end at the hands of humans, leaving our descendants to wonder how creature so ugly could have won so much affection.在数亿年前的时间里，海龟一直在挣扎着离开大海道海滩上产卵，时间远远遭遇自然纪录片的赞扬，或全球定位通讯卫星和海洋生物学家的追踪，又或者志愿者们用手把幼龟放在海边以避免它们受到光线的影响迷失方向，爬向汽车旅馆的停车场。

大学英语六级阅读理解考试真题训练附答案大学英语六级阅读理解考试真题训练附答案A bad workman quarrels with his tools.以下是店铺为大家搜索整理的大学英语六级阅读理解考试真题训练附答案，希望能给大家带来帮助!Most people would probably agree that many individual consumer adverts function on the level of the daydream. By picturing quite unusually happy and glamorous people whose success in either career of sexual terms, or both, is obvious, adverts construct an imaginary world in which the reader is able to make come true those desires which remain unsatisfied in his or her everyday life.An advert for a science fiction magazine is unusually explicit about this. In addition to the primary use value of the magazine, the reader is promised access to a wonderful universe through the product—access to other mysterious and tantalizing worlds and epochs, the realms of the imagination. When studying advertising, it is therefore unreasonable to expect readers to decipher adverts as factual statements about reality. Most adverts are just too meagre in informative content and too rich in emotional suggestive detail to be read literally. If people read then literally, they would soon be forced to realize their error when the glamorous promises held out by the adverts didn’t materialize.The average consumer is not surprised that his purchase of the commodity does not redeem the promise of the advertisement, for this is what he is used to in life: the individual’s pursuit of happiness and success is usually in vain. But the fantasy is his to keep; in his dream world he enjoys a“future endlessly deferred”.The Estivalia advert is quite explicit about the fact that advertising shows us not reality, but a fantasy; it does so by openly admitting the daydream but in a way that insists on the existence of a bridge linking daydream to reality—Estivalia, which is “for daydream believers”, those who refuse to give up trying to make the hazy ideal of natural beauty and harmony come true.If adverts function on the daydream level, it clearly becomes in adequate to merely condemn advertising for channeling readers’ attention and desires towards an unrealistic, paradisiacal nowhere land. Advertising certainly does that, but in order for people to find it relevant, the utopia visualized in adverts must be linked to our surrounding reality by a casual connection1.The people in adverts are in most coves ___.A.happy and glamorousB.successfulC.obviousD.both A and B2.When the glamorous promises held out by the adverts didn’t materialize the average consu mer is not surprised, because ___.A.The consumer is used to the fact that the individual’s pursuit of happiness and success is usually in vain.B.Adverts are factual statements about reality.C.The consumer can come into the realms of imagination pictured by adverts.D.Adverts can make the consumer’s dreams come true.3.What’s the bridge linking daydream to reality in adverts?A.The product.B.Estivalia.C.Pictures.D.Happy and glamorous people.4.Why does the consumer accept the daydream in adverts?A.Because the consumer enjoys a “future endlessly deferred.”B.Because the consumer gives up trying to make his dream come true.C.Because the utopia is visualized in adverts.D.Because his purchased of the commodity does not redeem the promise of the advertisement.5.What is this passage mainly concerned with?A.Many adverts can be read literally.B.Everyone has a daydream.C.Many adverts function on the level of the daydream.D.Many adverts are deceitful because they can not make good their promises.答案：DABAC。

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 usB) indicates our likes and dislikes in choosing a careerC) has a direct influence on the way people regard usD) is of particular importance when we get on in age32. 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 lifestylesB) help young people make friends with the opposite sexC) make them competitive in the job marketD) help them achieve success in their interpersonal relationships33. The word “precedent” (Line 1, Para.4) probably refers to .A) early acts for men to follow as examplesB) particular places for men to occupy especially because of their importanceC) things that men should agree uponD) men's beliefs that everything in the world has already been decided34. 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 chooseB) women are generally thought to be only good at being fashion modelsC) men are more favorably judged for managerial positionsD) they are not sure to what extent they should display their feminine qualities through clothing35. What is the passage mainly about?A) Dressing for effect.B) How to dress appropriately.C) Managerial positions and clothing.D) Dressing for the occasion.。

练习：Now let us look at how we read. When we read a printed text, our eyes move across a page in short, jerky movement. We recognize words usually when our eyes are still when they fixate. Each time they fixate, we see a group of words. This is known as the recognition span or the visual span. The length of time ofr which the eyes stop ---the duration of the fixation ----varies considerably from person to person. It also vaies within any one person according to his purpose in reading and his familiarity with the text.….Arthur von Wiesenberger, who carries the title Water Master, is one of the few water critics in North America. As a boy, he spent time in the larger cities of Italy, France and Switzerland where bottled water is consumed daily. Even then, he kept a water journal, noting the brands he liked best. “My dog could tell the difference between bottled and tap water,” he says……By saying “My dog could tell the difference between bottled and tap water”, von Wiesenberger wants to convey the message that _________.A. plain tap water is certainly unfit for drinkingB. bottled water is clearly superior to tap waterC. bottled water often appeals more to dogs’ tasteD. dogs can usually detect a fine difference in taste选B文章提到von Wiesenberger从小就对瓶装水很有研究，并记录下那些他最喜欢和的瓶装水牌子。