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Section C
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
English is the leading international language. In different countries around the globe, English is acquired as the mother (36) ________, in others it‘s used as a second language. Some nations use English as their (37) ________ language, performing the function of (38) ________; in others it‘s used as an international language for business, (39) ________ and industry.
What factors and forces have led to the (40) ________ of English? Why is English now considered to be so prestigious that, across the globe, individuals and societies feel (41) ________ if they do not have (42) ________ in this language? How has English changed through 1,500 Years? These are some of the questions that you (43) ________ when you study English.
You also examine the immense variability of English and (44) ________. You develop in-depth knowledge of the intricate structure of the language. Why do some non-native speakers of English claim that it‘s a difficult language to learn, while (45) ________? At the University of Sussex, you are introduced to the nature and grammar of English in all aspects. This involves the study of sound structures, the formation of words, the sequencing words and the construction of meaning, as well as examination of the theories explaining the aspects of English usage. (46) ________, which are raised by studying how speakers and writers employ English for a wide variety of purposes.
Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes) Section A
Directions: In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete statements in the fewest possible words. Please write your answers on Answer Sheet 2.
Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.
There is nothing new about TV and fashion magazines giving girls unhealthy ideas about how thin they need to be in order to be considered beautiful. What is surprising is the method psychologists at the University of Texas have come up with to keep girls from developing eating disorders. Their main weapon against super skinny (role) models: a brand of civil disobedience dubbed ―body activism.‖
Since 2001, more than 1,000 high school and college students in the U.S. have participated in the Body Project, which works by getting girls to understand how they have been buying into the notion that you have to be thin to be happy or successful. After critiquing (评论) the so-called thin ideal by writing essays and role-playing with their peers, participants are directed to come up with and execute small, nonviolent acts. They include slipping notes saying ―Love your body the way it is‖ into dieting books at stores like Borders and writing letters to Mattel, makers of the impossibly proportioned Barbie doll.
According to a study in the latest issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, the risk of developing eating disorders was reduced 61% among Body Project participants. And they continued to exhibit positive body-image attitudes as long as three years after completing the program, which consists, of four one-hour sessions. Such lasting effects may be due to girls‘ realizing not only how they were being influenced but also who was benefiting from the societal pressure to be thin. ―These people who promote the perfect body really don‘t care about you at all,‖ says Kelsey Hertel, a high school junior and Body Project veteran in Eugene, Oregon. ―They purposefully make you feel like less of a person so you‘ll buy their stuff and they‘ll make money.‖
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
47. Were do girls get the notion that they need to be thin in order to be considered beautiful? 48. By promoting ―body activism,‖ University of Texas psychologists aim to prevent ________. 49. According to the author, Mattel‘s Barbie dolls are ________.
50. The positive effects of the Body Project may last up to ________.
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51. One Body Project participant says that the real motive of those who promote the perfect body is to
________.
Section B Passage One
Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.
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 long line 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.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
52. We can learn from the first paragraph that ________. A．human activities have changed the way turtles survive B．efforts have been made to protect turtles from dying out
C．government bureaucracy has contributed to turtles‘ extinction
D．marine biologists are looking for the secret of turtles‘ reproduction
53. What does the author mean by ―Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness‖ (Line 1, Para. 2)? A．Nature is quite fair regarding the survival of turtles. B．Turtles are by nature indifferent to human activities.
C．The course of nature will not be changed by human interference. D．The turtle population has decreased in spite of human protection.
54. What constitutes a major threat to the survival of turtles according to Elizabeth Griffin? A．Their inadequate food supply. B．Unregulated commercial fishing. C．Their lower reproductively ability. D．Contamination of sea water
55. How does global warming affect the survival of turtles?
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A．It threatens the sandy beaches on which they lay eggs.
B．The changing climate makes it difficult for their eggs to hatch. C．The rising sea levels make it harder for their hatchlings to grow. D．It takes them longer to adapt to the high beach temperature. 56. The last sentence of the passage is meant to ________. A．persuade human beings to show more affection for turtles B．stress that even the most ugly species should be protected C．call for effective measures to ensure sea turtles‘ survival D．warn our descendants about the extinction of species
Passage Two Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.
There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum. But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four years of partying, as well as studying, can console themselves with the knowledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should yield huge dividends.
A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the ―labor-market premium to skill‖—or the amount college graduates earned that‘s greater than what high-school graduate earned—decreased for much of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance (报复性地) since the 1980s. In 2005, The typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college degree earned $50,900, 62% more than the $31,500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma.
There‘s no question that going to college is a smart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesn‘t come down merely to dollars and cents. Does going to Columbia University (tuition, room and board $49,260 in 2007-08) yield a 40% greater return than attending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student ($35,542)? Probably not. Does being an out-of-state student at the University of Colorado at Boulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state student ($17,380) there? Not likely.
No, in this consumerist age, most buyers aren‘t evaluating college as an investment, but rather as a consumer product—like a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is only one of many crucial factors to consider.
As with automobiles, consumers in today‘s college marketplace have vast choices, and people search for the one that gives them the most comfort and satisfaction in line with their budgets. This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different types of experiences (such as attending a private liberal-arts college or going to an out-of-state public school that has a great marine-biology program). And just as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of money on very different cars, college students (or, more accurately, their parents) often show a willingness to pay essentially the same price for vastly different products. So which is it? Is college an investment product like a stock or a consumer product like a car? In keeping with the automotive world‘s hottest consumer trend, maybe it‘s best to characterize it as a hybrid (混合动力汽车); an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
57. What‘s the opinion of economists about going to college?
A．Huge amounts of money is being wasted on campus socializing. B．It doesn‘t pay to run into debt to receive a college education. C．College education is rewarding in spite of the startling costs. D．Going to college doesn‘t necessarily bring the expected returns.
58. The two Harvard economists note in their study that, for much of the 20th century, ________. A．enrollment kept decreasing in virtually all American colleges and universities B．the labor market preferred high-school to college graduates
C．competition for university admissions was far more fierce than today
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D．the gap between the earnings of college and high-school graduates narrowed
59. Students who attend an in-state college or university can ________. A．save more on tuition B．receive a better education C．take more liberal-arts courses D．avoid traveling long distances
60. In this consumerist age, most parents ________. A．regard college education as a wise investment B．place a premium on the prestige of the College C．think it crucial to send their children to college D．consider college education a consumer product
61. What is the chief consideration when students choose a college today? A．Their employment prospects after graduation. B．A satisfying experience within their budgets. C．Its facilities and learning environment. D．Its ranking among similar institutions.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。cloze
Some historian say that the most important contribution of Dwight Eisenhower‘s presidency (总统任期) in the 1950s was the U.S. interstate highway system. It was a __62__ project, easily surpassing the scale of such previous human __63__ as the Panama Canal. Eisenhower‘s interstate highways __64__ the nation together in new ways and __65__ major economic growth by making commerce less __66__. Today, an information superhighway has been built—an electronic network that __67__ libraries, corporations, government agencies and __68__. This electronic superhighway is called the Internet, __69__ it is the backbone (主干) of the World Wide Web.
The Internet had its __70__ in a 1969 U.S. Defense Department computer network called ARPAnet, which __71__ Advanced Research Projects Agency Network. The Pentagon built the network for military contractors and universities doing military research to __72__ information. In 1983 the National Science Foundation (NSF), __73__ mission is to promote science, took over.
This new NSF network __74__ more and more institutional users, may of __75__ had their own internal networks. For example, most universities that __76__ the NSF network had intracampus computer networks. The NSF network __77__ became a connector for thousands of other networks. __78__ a backbone system that interconnects networks, internet was a name that fit.
So we can see that the Internet is the wired infrastructure (基础设施) on which web __79__ move. It began as a military communication system, which expanded into a government-funded __80__ research network.
Today, the Internet is a user-financed system tying intuitions of many sorts together __81__ an ―information superhighway.‖
62. A．concise C．massive B．radical D．trivial
63. A．behaviors C．inventions B．endeavors D．elements 64. A．packed C．suppressed B．stuck D．bound
65. A．facilitated C．mobilized B．modified D．terminated 66. A．competitive C．exclusive B．comparative D．expensive 67. A．merges C．relays B．connects D．unifies
68. A．figures C．individuals B．personalities D．humans 69. A．and C．or B．yet D．while
70. A．samples C．origins B．sources D．precedents
71. A．stood by C．stood against B．stood for D．stood over
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72. A．exchange C．switch B．bypass D．interact
73. A．their C．when B．that D．whose
74. A．expanded C．attracted B．contracted D．extended 75. A．what C．these B．which D．them
76. A．joined C．participated B．attached D．involved 77. A．moreover C．likewise B．however D．then 78. A．With C．In B．By D．As
79. A．contexts C．messages B．signs D．leaflets 80. A．citizen C．amateur B．civilian D．resident 81. A．into C．over B．amid D．toward Part VI Translation (5 minutes)
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答，只需写出译文部分。
82. With the oil prices ever rising, she tried to talk ________ (说服他不买车).
83. ________ (保持幽默有助于) reduce stress and promote creative thinking in today‘s competitive society..
84. When confronted with the evidence, ________ (他不得不坦白自己的罪行).
85. When people say, ―I can feel my ears burning,‖ it means they think ________ (一定有人在说他们坏话).
86. She has decided to go on a diet, but finds ________ (很难抵制冰淇淋的诱惑).
2009年12月大学英语六级考试真题及答案
Part ⅡReading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes)
Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage. Bosses Say ―Yes‖ to Home Work
Rising costs of office space, time lost to stressful commuting, and a slow recognition that workers have lives beyond the office—all are strong arguments for letting staff work from home.
For the small business, there are additional benefits too—staff are more productive, and happier, enabling firms to keep their headcounts (员工数) and their recruitment costs to a minimum. It can also provide
competitive advantage, especially when small businesses want to attract new staff but don‘t have the budget to offer huge salaries.
While company managers have known about the benefits for a long time, many have done little about it, sceptical of whether they could trust their employees to work to full capacity without supervision, or concerned about the additional expenses teleworking policies might incur as staff start charging their home phone bills to the business.
Yet this is now changing. When communications provider Inter-Tel researched the use of remote working solutions among small-and-medium-sized UK businesses in April this year, it found that 28% more companies claimed to have introduced flexible working practices than a year ago.
The UK network of Business Links confirms that it too has seen a growing interest in remote working solutions from small businesses seeking its advice, and claims that as many as 60-70% of the businesses that come through its doors now offer some form of remote working support to their workforces.
Technology advances, including the widespread availability of broadband, are making the introduction of remote working a piece of cake.
―If systems are set up properly, staff can have access to all the resources they have in the office wherever they have an internet connection,‖ says Andy Poulton, e-business advisor at Business Link for Berkshire and Wiltshire. ―There are some very exciting developments which have enabled this.‖
One is the availability of broadband everywhere, which now covers almost all of the country (BT claims that, by July, 99.8% of its exchanges will be broadband enabled, with alternative plans in place for even the most remote exchanges). ―This is the enabler,‖ Poulton says.
Yet while broadband has come down in price too, those service providers targeting the business market warn against consumer services masquerading (伪装) as business-friendly broadband.
―Broadband is available for as little as ￡15 a month, but many businesses fail to appreciate the hidden costs of such a service,‖ says Neil Stephenson, sales and marketing director at Onyx Internet, an internet service