大学英语六级考试精解真题

Part I Listening Comprehension (20 minutes) Section A

Directions: In this section,you will hear 10 short conversations. At the end of each conversaiton, a question will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the question will be spoken only once.After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked [A],[B],[C] and [D], and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

1

W：I'm trying to find how the dishwasher works. The manual is in French. I can't wait for Bill to translate it for me．

M：Don't worry，Mary. I can do the dishes before the machine starts to work． Q: What does the man mean?

A. He will tell Mary how to operate the dishwasher. B. He will wash the dishes himself instead.

C. He will help Bill to translate the manual. D. He himself will operate the dishwasher. BestAnswer: B

详解：［答案］B)。信息明示。男士说在洗碗机可以使用之前他来洗碗，故选B)。 2

M：The doctor said if I kept smoking I would increase my chances of having a heart attack． W：Did he suggest reducing weight，too?

Q: What does the woman think the man should also do?

A. Lose weight. B. Quit smoking. C. Weigh himself frequently. D. Have a talk with the doctor. BestAnswer: A

详解：[答案]A）。推断题。男士说：医生说如果我继续吸烟会增加得心脏病的可能。女士问了一句：他还建议你减肥吗？这也实际是女士的观点，故选A）。

3

大学英语六级考试精解真题全解

W：The people next door are making so much noise. I just can't concentrate on. M：Why didn't you stay at the library? It’s much quieter there. Q：What does the man mean?

A. The woman should have complained to her neighbor. B. The woman should stay out until the neighbors are quiet. C. The woman should have stayed at the library. D. The lab will be a better place for reading. BestAnswer: C

详解：［答案］C)。信息明示。女士说隔壁的人噪声太大，她无法集中注意力。男士说：你为什么不去图书馆？那里安静多了。故C)为正确答案。

4

M：This is hopeless. These figures still don't add up right．Let's do the calculations over again. W：Yes，but why not do them tomorrow? It's very late now. Q：What does the woman suggest they do?

A. Check the figures later today. B. Do the calculations again tomorrow. C. Bring a calculator tomorrow. D. Calculate the number right now. BestAnswer: B

详解：[答案]B)。信息明示。男士说这些数字加得不对，建议再算一遍。女士说：何不明天再做呢，现在太晚了。故选B）。

5

M：To collect data for my report，I need to talk to someone who knows that small city very well．I was told that you lived there for quite a long time.

W：Oh，I wish I could help．But I was only a child then. Q：What does the woman imply?

A. She doesn't remember much about the city. B. She's never been to the city. C. She would find someone else to help. D. She would talk to the man later. BestAnswer: A

详解：[答案］A）。推断题。男士说为了收集报告的资料，需要跟非常了解这个小城的人谈谈，而他还听说女士在那里生活了很长时间。女士说：我希望我能帮上忙。但那时我还是个孩子。女士的言外之意是她对小城已记不得多少了，故选A）。

6

M：Are you moving into a new house? Need a hand for those boxes? W：That's O.K．I can manage．They look big but they aren't heavy actually. Q：What does the woman mean?

A. She thinks the man should have helped earlier.

B. She doesn't need the man's help. C. She doesn't know the boxes are heavy. D. She wants the man to help with the boxes. BestAnswer: B

详解：[答案]B)。综合理解题。男士问女士在搬家时是否需要帮助搬那些箱子。女士说：我能行。这些箱子实际上并不重。可见，她并不需要男士的帮助，故选B)。

7

M: It's good you brought the books back.

W：I thought you might need them at the weekend．Thanks for letting me use them． Q：What do we know about the woman from the conversation? A. She let the man use her books for the weekend. B. She brought the books the man asked for. C. She borrowed the books from the man. D. She offered to help the man. BestAnswer: C

详解：[答案] C)。信息明示。女士说：我想你在周末可能会需要这些书。谢谢你让我用这些书。所以，女士是从男士那儿借了这些书，故选C）。

8

M：Do you want to turn on the air-conditioner or open the windows? W：I love fresh air，if you don't mind． Q: What can be inferred from the woman’s answer?

A. She'd like to have the windows open. B. She likes to have the air conditioner on. C. The air is heavily polluted. D. The windows are already open. BestAnswer: A

详解：答案］A）。推断题。男士问女士是想开空调还是打开窗子。女士说她喜欢新鲜空气。言外之意是她想打开窗子，故选 A）。

9

W：Hi，Michael．I can hardly recognize you．Why are you so dressed up today? Are you going to the theatre?

M：No，actually，I just had an interview at a photo studio this morning. Q: What do we learn about Michael from this conversation?

A. He's going to visit a photo studio. B. He's just had his picture taken. C. He's on the way to the theater. D. He's just returned from a job interview. BestAnswer: D

详解：[答案]D)。信息明示。男士说他今天上午刚去摄影工作室进行了面试,D)与题意相符。

10

M：Good morning，what can I do for you?

W: I'd like to have my emergency brake fixed．The car rolls when I park it on the hill． Q：Where does the conversation most probably take place?

A. At a gas station. B. In a park. C. In an emergency room. D. At a garage. BestAnswer: D

详解：[答案]D）。推断题。女士说得让男士修理一下她的紧急刹车。车子停在山上时自己就滑动。另外根据男士的职业用语我们可知对话应是在修理厂进行的，故选D)。

Section B

Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked [A],[B],[C] and [D]. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

Passage A

Last August Susan and 42 other students got wet and dirty while removing 6 tons of garbage from the river running across their city. They cleaned up the river as a part of a week-long environmental camp．Like one in three American rivers，this river is so polluted that it is unsafe for swimming and fishing. Still，Susan，who has just completed her third summer on the river clean-up，has seen the change in this river. “Since we started three years ago，the river is getting a lot cleaner，”she says. Environmental scientists praised the teenagers for removing garbage that can

harm wildlife. Water-birds，for example，can choke on plastic bottle rings and get cut by scrap metal．Three years ago，when the clean-up started，garbage was everywhere．But this year the teenagers had to hunt for garbage．They turned the clean-up into a competition to see who could find the most garbage，and unload their boats fastest．

By the end of the six-hour shift，they had removed enough garbage to fill more than two large trucks.“Seeing all that garbage in the river makes people begin to care about the environmental issues，”Susan says. She hopes that when others read that she and her pees care enough to clean it up，maybe they will think twice before they throw garbage in the river.

11.What does the passage tell us about American rives? A. One sixth of them are seriously polluted. B. One third of them are seriously polluted. C. Half of them are seriously polluted. D. Most of them are seriously polluted. BestAnswer: B

详解： 答案］B)。此题测试学生回答细节题的能力。美国三分之一的河流受到严重污染，故选B)。

12.What did the students find when they came to the river this year? A. There was no garbage left to clean up.

B. There was more garbage than before and they had to work harder. C. The river had become so clean that a lot of water-birds came back. D. The river was much cleaner and they had to search for garbage. BestAnswer: D

详解： 答案］D）。此题主要测试学生抓住文中重要事实的能力。原文提到,“但今年他们得去找寻垃圾了。”原文中的hunt for对应选项 D）中的search for。

13.What is the expected reaction of the local people to the students' efforts? A. Most of them would be indifferent and keep on throwing garbage into the river. B. They would join the students in changing the situation. C. They would become more aware of the pollution problem.

D. They would think twice before they went swimming or fishing in the river. BestAnswer: B

详解： 答案］B)。推断题。也许人们在向河里扔垃圾时会三思，由此可见，通过学生们的努力，人们会更清楚地意识到污染问题，并做出努力，故选B)。

Passage B

Why do we cry? Can you imagine life without tears?

Not only do tears keep your eyes lubricated，they also contain a substance that kills certain bacteria，so they can't infect your eyes．Give up your tears and you lose this on-the-spot defense．Nor would you want to give up the flood of actual tears you produce．When you get something physical or chemical in your eyes，tears are very．good at washing this irritating stuff out．Another thing you couldn’t do without your tears is cry from joy, anger or sadness．Humans are the only animals that produce tears in respond to emotions. And most people say a good cry makes them feel better: Many scientists therefore believe that crying somehow helps them cope with emotional situations. Tear researcher William Free is trying to figure out how it happens．“One possibility，”he says，“is that tears discharge certain chemicals from your body，chemicals that build up during stress.”

“When people talk about crying it out，I think that may actually be what they're doing，”he says．If Free is right，what do you think will happen to people who restrain their tears? Boys，for example，cry only about a quarter as often as girls once they reach their teenages. And we all cry a lot less now than we did as babies. Could it possibly be that we face less stress? Maybe we found other ways to deal with it or maybe we just feel embarrassed．

14.What's the topic discussed in this passage?

A. Why people hold back their tears. B. Why people cry. C. How to restrain one's tears. D. How tears are produced. BestAnswer: B

详解： [答案]B〕。本题考查考生抓住主题的能力。文章一开始就开门见山“Why do we cry?”整篇文章都是对这一问题的回答，故选B〕。

15.What is William Free trying to find out?

A. What chemicals tears are composed of. B. Whether crying really helps us feel better. C. Why some people tend to cry more often than others. D. How tears help people cope with emotional problems. BestAnswer: D

详解： ［答案］D）。综合理解题。许多科学家因此认为哭在一定程度上有助于人们解决感情问题。眼泪研究专家William Free正试图弄明白哭是怎样做到这一点的，故选D）。

16.What does the passage say about teenage boys and girls? A. Only one out of four girls cries less often than boys B. Of four boys, only one cries very often. C. Girls cry four times as often as boys. D. Only one out of four babies doesn't cry often. BestAnswer: C

详解： ［答案］C］。细节题。只有四分之一的少年男孩像女孩子一样经常哭泣，故选C)。

17.What's the difference between human beings and other animals when shedding tears? A. Only humans respond to emotions by shedding tears.

B. Only humans shed tears to get rid of irritating stuff in their eyes. C. Only human tears can resist the invading bacteria. D. Only human tears can discharge certain chemicals. BestAnswer: A

详解： [答案]A〕。细节题。人类是惟一通过流泪而对感情做出反应的动物，故A〕为正确答案。

Passage C

Imagine this：you wake up each morning to find your sister lying beside you．To get dressed and tie your shoes，you use one hand and she uses another．You do everything out together too，even sitting on the same chair at lunch and riding on the same bicycle. That’s what life is like for six-year-old Betty and Abbeys.

Like most twins the two girls look very much alike. But unlike most twins，Betty and Abbeys share parts of the same body. Twins like Betty and Abbeys are rare．Only about 40 sets are born in the U. S. each year．Few survive as long as Betty and Abbeys. That's because twins often share vital organs，like a heart or brain. Their shared organs are often badly shaped and may not be

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strong enough to support both twins. But Betty and Abbeys each has her own head，heart and stomach which function normally. The girls share three or four lungs which provide plenty of oxygen for both twins. Most of their completely shared organs lie below the waist. Betty and Abbeys live relatively normal lives. They attend a regular school and each does her own school work．They prefer to do some projects together，though．For example，to cut out .paper dolls，one twin holds the paper while the other uses the scissors. And sometimes the girls don't wart to do the same thing. For example，sometimes they want to play with their different toys．What do they do then? “We toss a coin，” says Abbeys.

18.In what aspect do Betty and Abbeys differ from most twins? A. They make decisions by tossing coins. B. They are not physically separated. C. They think exactly the same way. D. They share most of their vital organs. BestAnswer: B

详解： [答案]B)。本题考查考生抓住主要事实的能力。由Betty and Abbeys share parts of the same body.可知Betty和Abbeys为连体双胞胎，故B)为正确答案。

19.What does the passage tell us about twins who share parts of the same body? A. Few of them can live long.

B. Few of them get along well with each other. C. Most of them live a normal life.

D. Most of them differ in their likes and dislikes. BestAnswer: A

详解： [答案]A）。本题考查考生记住细节的能力。没有几对连体双胞胎能活到Betty和Abbeys这样大。故选A)。

20.What does the passage say about the education of the twin girls? A. They go to a regular school. B. They attend a special school. C. They are taught by their parents. D. They have a private tutor. BestAnswer: A

详解： ［答案］ A)。细节题。Betty和Abbeys上的是一所正规学校，故选A)。 Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)

Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked [A], [B],[C] and [D]. You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

Passage A

Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language is universal but that the gestures we use are understood by everyone. We do not realize that waving good-bye is the way to summon a person from the Philippines to one's side, or that in Italy and some Latin American countries, curling the finger to oneself is a sign of farewell.

Those private citizens who sent packages to our troops occupying Germany after World War II and marked them GIFT to escape duty payments did not bother to find out that

“Gift” means poison in German. Moreover, we like to think of ourselves as friendly, yet we prefer to be at least 3 feet or an arm's length away from others. Latins and Middle Easterners like to come closer and touch, which makes Americans uncomfortable.

Our linguistic (语言上的) and cultural blindness and the casualness with which we take notice of the developed tastes, gestures, customs and languages of other countries, are losing us friends, business and respect in the world.

Even here in the United States, we make few concessions to the needs of foreign visitors. There are no information signs in four languages on our public buildings or monuments; we do not have multilingual (多语的) guided tours. Very few restaurant menus have translations, and multilingual waiters, bank clerks and policemen are rare. Our transportation systems have maps in English only and often we ourselves have difficulty understanding them.

When we go abroad, we tend to cluster in hotels and restaurants where English is spoken. The attitudes and information we pick up are conditioned by those natives—usually the richer—who speak English. Our business dealings, as well as the nation's diplomacy, are conducted through interpreters.

For many years, America and Americans could get by with cultural blindness and linguistic ignorance. After all, America was the most powerful country of the free world, the distributor of

needed funds and goods.

But all that is past. American dollars no longer buy all good things, and we are slowly beginning to realize that our proper role in the world is changing. A 1979 Harris poll reported that 55 percent of Americans want this country to play a more significant role in world affairs ： we want to have a hand in the important decisions of the next century, even though it may not always be the upper hand.

21. It can be inferred that Americans being approached too closely by Middle Easterners would most probably_________.

A. stand still B. jump aside C. step forward D. draw back BestAnswer:D

详解:D）。推断题。本题问美国人如果被中东人靠得太近，最有可能干什么，根据第二段最后两句可知，“而且，我们往往认为自己很友好，却喜欢与别人保持至少3英尺或一臂之长的距离。拉丁和中东国家的人喜欢离得很近并有身体接触，而这样却会使美国人感到极不舒服。”由此可知，中东国家的人离美国人很近的时候，美国人会后退以保持一定的间距，故选 D）。

22.The author gives many examples to criticize Americans for their ________. A. cultural self-centeredness B. casual manners C. indifference towards foreign visitors D. draw back arrogance towards other cultures BestAnswer:A

详解:A）。推断题。本题问作者举例批评美国人的什么，作者开始就提及美国人不仅觉得自己的语言是通用的，甚至自己的手势也是尽人皆知的。在第二段中作者又列举了几个例子，均是批评美国人在文化上的以自我为中心的态度，故选 A）。本文讲的是美国人盲目的文化中心主义，而不是对其他文化的傲慢，因此D）选项中的arrogance用词不够准确；B）、C）都只是细节。

23.In countries other than their own most Americans __________. A. are isolated by the local people

B. are not well informed due to the language barrier C. tend to get along well with the natives D. need interpreters in hotels and restaurants BestAnswer:A

详解:A）。推断题。由第五段可知，美国人去国外时总是聚集在讲英语的饭店、宾馆中，获得的信息和抱有的态度极大地受到讲英语的比较有钱的当地人的影响。除了国家外交场合，连做生意也是通过翻译进行的，可见，在别的国家，大多数美国人是与当地人脱离开的，故选A）。

24.According to the author, Americans'cultural blindness and linguistic ignorance will ________.

A. affect their image in the new era B. cut themselves off from the outside world C. limit their role in world affairs D. weaken the position of the US dollar BestAnswer:C

详解:C）。推断题。该题考美国人文化盲目和语言无知带来的后果。文章第三段指出，我们在语言和文化上的盲目性和随意性正在使我们在世界上失去朋友，生意和尊重。在文章最后两段，作者进一步指出，美国人在文化和语言上的盲目性在过去还行得通，但现在却不同了。美元不再能买到所有好东西，美国人慢慢地开始意识到他们在世界上所起的作用在改变。1979年Harris，测验表明55％的美国人想让美国在世界事务上发挥更重要的作用。由此可见，美国人在文化和语言上的无知和盲目会他们在世界事务中的作用，这正是C）的内容。

25.The author’s intention in writing this article is to make Americans realize that _______ A. it is dangerous to ignore their foreign friends

B. it is important to maintain their leading role in world affairs C. it is necessary to use several languages in public places D. it is time to get acquainted with other cultures BestAnswer:D

详解:D）。结论题。本题问了作者写文章的目的。作者在文章中指出美国人无视别国文化，这在现在行不通了，所以为了继续保持自己在世界事务中所发挥的重要作用，该是美国人了解别国文化的时候了，故选D）。其他选项过于细节化，起不到概括作者目的的作用。

Passage B

In department stores and closets all over the world, they are waiting. Their outward appearance seems rather appealing because they come in a variety of styles, textures, and colors. But they are ultimately the biggest deception that exists in the fashion industry today. What are they? They are high heels—a woman's worst enemy (whether she knows it or not). High heel shoes are the downfall of modern society. Fashion myths have led women to believe that they are more beautiful or sophisticated for wearing heels, but in reality, heels succeed in posing short as well as long term hardships. Women should fight the high heel industry by refusing to use or purchase them in order to save the world from unnecessary physical and psychological suffering.

For the sake of fairness, it must be noted that there is a positive side to high heels. First, heels are excellent for aerating(使通气) lawns. Anyone who has ever worn heels on grass knows what I am talking about. A simple trip around the yard in a pair of those babies eliminates all need to call for a lawn care specialist, and provides the perfect-sized holes to give any lawn oxygen

without all those messy chunks of dirt lying around. Second, heels are quite functional for defense against oncoming enemies, who can easily be scared away by threatening them with a pair of these sharp, deadly fashion accessories.

Regardless of such practical uses for heels, the fact remains that wearing high heels is harmful to one's physical health. Talk to any podiatrist（足病医生）and you will hear that the majority of their business comes from high-heel-wearing women. High heels are known to cause problems such as deformed feet and torn toenails. The risk of severe back problems and twisted or broken ankles is three times higher for a high heel wearer than for a flat shoe wearer. Wearing heels also creates the threat of getting a heel caught in a sidewalk crack or a sewer-grate(阴沟栅) and being thrown to the ground-possibly breaking a nose, back, or neck. And of course, after wearing heels for a day, any woman knows she can look forward to a night of pain as she tries to comfort her swollen, aching feet.

26. What makes women blind to the deceptive nature of high heels?

A. The multi-functional use of high heels. B. Their attempt to show off their status. C. The rich variety of high heel styles. D. Their wish to improve their appearance. BestAnswer:D

详解:D）。细节题。本题考原因，问的是什么使得妇女注意不到高跟鞋的欺骗性本质。

文章第一段讲高跟鞋是最大的欺骗（deception），而倒数第二句“Fashion myths have led woman to believe...”指出，“服装神话使得女士们认为穿上高跟鞋会更漂亮或更成熟。”说明妇女穿高跟鞋主要是觉得漂亮，是为了改善自己的外表。D）与题意符合。至于其他高跟鞋的多功能、多样式以及妇女为了炫耀地位都没有在本段中表达。

27. The author's presentation of the positive side of high heels is meant ________. A. to be ironic B. to poke fun at women C. to be fair to the fashion industry D. to make his point convincing BestAnswer:A

详解:A）。推断题。本题问作者提出高跟鞋的好的方面是为了什么。作者在第一段和第三段指出，高跟鞋是女士们最大的敌人；穿高跟鞋对身体健康极为有害。但在第二段中，作者写道：“为公平起见，必须指出穿高跟鞋还具有其积极的一面。首先，高跟极有利于草坪通气。其次，高跟对抵御敌人十分有效，用这么两只尖尖的可致人于死地的鞋跟威胁敌人可轻易地吓得他们逃之夭夭。”作者在这一段中用词幽默，实则具有讽刺意味，故选A)。B)取笑妇女：C)体现公平：D)使自己更有说服力，都不可能是作者的目的。

28. The author uses the expression “those babies” (Line 3, Para. 2) to refer to high heels ________.

A. to be ironic to show their fragile characteristics B. to indicate their feminine features C. to show women's affection for them D. to emphasize their small size BestAnswer:C

详解:C）。推断题。本题考第二段中作者用those babies指高跟鞋的目的。由27题题解可知，作者在第二段通过讽刺语气实则要传达他真正的意图：高跟鞋对身体有害。可女士们依然喜欢穿高跟鞋，“穿着这双宝贝只在院子里走上一圈就没必要再请草坪养护专家，高跟鞋走过会在地上留下大小正合适的一个个小洞，这给草坪提供了氧气，⋯dblquote 。baby一词在文章中不是一般的意义，而是用了比喻意义，美国人把自己的恋人，情人或者喜欢的事物称作

baby,可见，作者运用这个短语是为表示女士对高跟鞋的钟爱，故选C)。这也不是像D)所说为了强调高跟鞋的小巧(small size)。

29.The author's chief argument against high heels is that ________. A. they pose a threat to lawns B. they are injurious to women's health C. they don't necessarily make women beautiful D. they are ineffective as a weapon of defense BestAnswer:B

详解:B)。细节题。这道题目问了作者反对高跟鞋的主要论点是什么。此题考查了主题句的作用。由第三段第一句可知，“不管高跟鞋是否具有这些实际用途，事实是穿高跟鞋对身体健康有害。”这是本段的主题句，接下来便围绕这一主题展开，论述高跟鞋对妇女健康的伤害，B)与题意吻合。

30.It can be inferred from the passage that women should ________. A. see through the very nature of fashion myths

B. boycott the products of the fashion industry C. go to a podiatrist regularly for advice D. avoid following fashion too closely BestAnswer:A

详解:A）。结论题。由第一段可知，女士们认为穿上高跟鞋会更漂亮或更成熟，这都是因为她们相信了这些服装神话。在第三段中作者指出穿高跟鞋对身体有害。所以从文章中可推断出，女士们应该看透服装神话的真正本质，这正是A)的内容。B)讲让妇女抵制流行行业的产品:D)说妇女应该避免太紧跟潮流，文中都没有提及。

Passage C

It is hardly necessary for me to cite all the evidence of the depressing state of literacy. These figures from the Department of Education are sufficient: 27 million Americans cannot read at all, and a further 35 million read at a level that is less than sufficient to survive in our society.

But my own worry today is less that of the overwhelming problem of elemental literacy than it is of the slightly more luxurious problem of the decline in the skill even of the middle-class reader, of his unwillingness to afford those spaces of silence, those luxuries of domesticity and time and concentration, that surround the image of the classic act of reading. It has been suggested that almost 80 percent of America’s literate, educated teenagers can no longer read without an accompanying noise (music) in the background or a television screen flickering( 闪烁) at the corner of their field

of perception. We know very little about the brain and how it deals with simultaneous conflicting input, but every common-sense intuition suggests we should be profoundly alarmed. This violation of concentration, silence, solitude (独处的状态) goes to the very heart of our notion of literacy；this new form of part-reading, of part-perception against background distraction, renders impossible certain essential acts of apprehension and concentration，let alone that most important tribute any human being can pay to a poem or a piece of prose he or she really loves, which is to learn it by heart. Not by brain, by heart；the expression is vital.

Under these circumstances, the question of what future there is for the arts of reading is a real one. Ahead of us lie technical, psychic (心理的), and social transformations probably much more dramatic than those brought about by Gutenberg, the German inventor in printing. The Gutenberg revolution, as we now know it, took a long time；its effects are still being debated. The information revolution will touch every facet of composition, publication, distribution, and

reading. No one in the book industry can say with any confidence what will happen to the book as we've known it.

31.The picture of the reading ability of the American people, drawn by the author, is ________. A. rather bleak B. fairly bright C. very impressive D. quite encouraging BestAnswer:A

详解:A）。细节题。作者在第一段指出，“我没有必要列举出所有的证据说明美国人受教育的状况是多么令人沮丧（depressing）。”然后作者用两个具体的数字论证他的观点，证明了美国人的读写能力不容乐观。原文中的depressing“使人沮丧的，使人悲观的”对应选项A）中的bleak“相当黯淡的；凄惨的”。

32. The author's biggest concern is _______.

A. elementary school children's disinterest in reading classics B. the surprisingly low rate of literacy in the U. S. C. the musical setting American readers require for reading D. the reading ability and reading behavior of the middle class BestAnswer:D

详解:D）。细节题。本题实际考查考生理解长难句的能力。由第二段第一句可知，“但我今天担忧的不是美国人最基本的认字问题，而是另外一个更奢华的问题，即美国中产阶层读者阅读艺术的衰退，他们不愿意给自己留出安静的空间，呆在家里，花费时间专注地阅读，这是围绕着古典阅读技巧形象的问题。”D）与题意吻合。

33.A major problem with most adolescents who can read is ________. A. their fondness of music and TV programs

B. their ignorance of various forms of art and literature C. their lack of attentiveness and basic understanding D. their inability to focus on conflicting input BestAnswer:C

详解:C）。推断题。本题问大部分能够阅读的青少年存在的主要问题是什么。从第二段第二句起，作者指出：“有人指出几乎80的有文化的，受过教育的年轻人阅读理解时必须伴有背景音乐和闪烁的电视荧屏。⋯43 .阅读的核心观念不再是专注，安静和独处，这种没有完全沉浸于阅读，没有完全理解，不排除背景干扰的行为不可能使人完全理解和专注。”C).与题意吻合，其中的attentiveness和understanding对应原文中的concentration和

apprehension.

34.The author claims that the best way a reader can show admiration for a piece of poetry or prose is ______.

A. to be able to appreciate it and memorize it B. to analyze its essential features C. to think it over conscientiously D. to make a fair appraisal of its artistic value BestAnswer:A

详解:A）。细节题。本题问读者如何最好地欣赏诗歌和散文。作者第二段最后一句指出，一个人如果真的喜欢一首诗或一篇散文，那他就会背诵下来（learn by heart）。A)与题意符合。learn it by heart就是memorize。

35.About the future of the arts of reading the author feels ________. A. upset B. uncertain C. alarmed D. pessimistic BestAnswer:B

详解:B)。推断题。本题考读者对最后一段的理解。第三段第一句为一承上启下的过渡 句：“在这种情况下，真正的问题是未来的阅读艺术会是什么样子。我们将来还会面对更富戏剧性的技术，心理和社会变革。⋯dblquote 接着说“信息会涉及写作，出版，发行和阅读的每个方面。在书籍产业没有人能满怀信心地说对我们所熟知的书籍来说会发生些什么.”“No one in the book industry can say with any confidence...”的意思就是“不确定”，故选B) uncertain。

Passage D

For centuries, explorers have risked their lives venturing into the unknown for reasons that were to varying degrees economic and nationalistic. Columbus went west to look for better trade routes to the Orient and to promote the greater glory of Spain. Lewis and Clark journeyed into the American wilderness to find out what the U. S. had acquired when it purchased Louisiana, and the Apollo astronauts rocketed to the moon in a dramatic show of technological muscle during the cold war.

Although their missions blended commercial and political-military imperatives, the explorers involved all accomplished some significant science simply by going where no scientists had gone before.

Today Mars looms(隐约出现) as humanity's next great terra incognita(未探明之地). And with doubtful prospects for a short-term financial return, with the cold war a rapidly fading memory

and amid a growing emphasis on international cooperation in large space ventures, it is clear that imperatives other than profits or nationalism will have to compel human beings to leave their tracks on the planet's reddish surface. Could it be that science, which has long played a minor role in exploration, is at last destined to take a leading role? The question naturally invites a couple of others: Are there experiments that only humans could do on Mars? Could those experiments provide insights profound enough to justify the expense of sending people across interplanetary space?

With Mars the scientific stakes are arguably higher than they have ever been. The issue of Whether life ever existed on the planet, and whether it persists to this day, has been highlighted by mounting evidence that the Red Planet once had abundant stable, liquid water and by the continuing controversy over suggestions that bacterial fossils rode to Earth on a meteorite (陨石) from Mars. A more conclusive answer about life on Mars, past or present, would

give researchers invaluable data about the range of conditions under which a planet can generate the complex chemistry that leads to life. If it could be established that life arose independently on Mars and Earth, the finding would provide the first concrete clues in one of the deepest mysteries in all of science: the prevalence of life in the universe.

36.According to the passage, the chief purpose of explorers in going to unknown places in the past was ________.

A. to display their country's military might B. to accomplish some significant science C. to find new areas for colonization D. to pursue commercial and state interests BestAnswer:D

详解:D）。细节题。本题问过去探索未知的主要目的是什么。根据第一段第一句“For centuries, explorers have risked their lives venturing into the unknown for reasons that were to varying degrees economic and nationalistic.”可知，“几百年来，探索者们冒着生命危险探索未知领域，在不同程度上是出于经济和国家利益的动机。”D）与题意吻合。

37.At present, a probable inducement for countries to initiate large-scale space ventures is ________.

A. international cooperation B. nationalistic reasons C. scientific research D. long-term profits BestAnswer:C

详解:C)。推断题。本题问现在促进各国进行大规模空间探索的可能原因。作者在第三

段指出，火星是今天人类的下一个伟大的未探明之地。在人们不是为了短期的金钱回报，淡忘了冷战，在大型太空探险中更加注重国际合作的情况下，除了利益或国家利益，人类显然还有别的动机去探索火星。是不是科学终于要在探索中起主要作用？这一问句实则是作者的观点，故选C)。A）“国际合作”不是原因，不能说过去为了国家利益，现在为了国际合作，逻辑上不通。

38.What is the main goal of sending human missions to Mars? A. To find out if life ever existed there. B. To see if humans could survive there.

C. To prove the feasibility of large-scale space ventures. D. To show the leading role of science in space exploration. BestAnswer:A

详解:A）。题目问人类登上火星的主要目标是什么。C),D)两项很容易排除。文章最后一段第二句话说，因为越来越多的证据，火星上是否曾经存在生命并且是否仍持续到现在这个问题已变得十分紧要了。对火星上是否存在生命作出一个更令人信服的回答会给研究者们宝贵的生命如何产生的数据。如果可以确定生命在火星和地球上是分别出现的，就会进一步解开生命在宇宙中是普遍存在的这个谜。综上所述应选A）。

39.By saying “With Mars the scientific stakes are arguably higher than they have ever been” (Line 1, Para. 4) the author means that_______.

A. with Mars the risks involved are much greater than any previous space ventures B. in the case of Mars, the rewards of scientific exploration can be very high C. in the case of Mars, much more research funds are needed than ever before D. with Mars, scientists argue, the fundamental interests of science are at issue BestAnswer:B

详解:B）。stakes原指游戏的赌注，比喻为在某件事情上，风险很大，回报可能也很大，文章提到以前的探险都是受经济和政治、国家利益的驱使，但是现在对火星的探索则在近期内看不到经济效益，是科学探索。在最后一段又提到，这可以帮助人们解决关于生命起源的难题，也就是会给科学家研究带来回报。另外，原句中arguably是probably的意思，与选择项B)中的can对应stake和reward对应，因此应该选B)。A)项是最大干扰项，错误地解释stake一词。

40.The passage tells us that proof of life on Mars would ________.

A. make clear the complex chemistry in the development of life

B. confirm the suggestion that bacterial fossils traveled to Earth on a meteorite C. reveal the kind of conditions under which life originates D. provide an explanation why life is common in the universe BestAnswer:D

详解:D）。题目问火星上存在生命的证据的作用。参照以上题目的分析，最后一段与D）项相符。A）项没有提及，主要内容是生命的条件而不是化学物质。B)项化石只是用来证实火星上有生命。C)项也不对，最后一句是说宇宙中存在生命，而不是生命起源的条件。

Part III Vocabulary (20 minutes)

Directions: There are 30 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there are four choices marked [A],[B],[C] and [D]. Choose the ONE that best completes the sentence. Then mark the correspondeing letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

41.A visitor to a museum today would notice ________ changes in the way museums are operated.

A.cognitive B. rigorous C.conspicuous D. exclusive BestAnswer:C

详解:C)。［译文］今天去博物馆的参观者都会注意到博物馆运作方式上的明显改变。［注释］难词辨义。conspicuous意为“显眼的，明显的”，与题意吻合。cognitive意为“认知的”；rigorous意为“严格的”exclusive意为“排除的”。

42.The ______ from childhood to adulthood is always a critical time for everybody. A.conversion B. transition C.turnover D. transformation BestAnswer:B

详解:B）。［译文］从童年到成年时期的过渡对每个人来说总是关键时期。［注释］近义词辨析。transition意为“转变；过渡”，与题意吻合。conversion为动词convert的名词形式，常表示从一种形式到另一种形式的转变，作此时与transformation意义相同，conversion还可表示信仰的改变；turnover意为“翻转（物），翻倒（物）；周转”。

43.It is hard to tell whether we are going to have a boom in the economy or a ________. A.concession B. recession C.submission D. transmission BestAnswer:B

详解:B）。［译文］我们很难说经济会繁荣还是衰退。 [注释]形近易混词辨析。recession

意为“（经济的）衰退”，与题意吻合。如：economic recession and depression经济衰退与萧条。concession意为“迁就，让步”，其动词形式为concede： submission意为“归顺，服从”；transmission意为“传播”，其动词形式为transmit.

44.His use of color, light and form quickly departed from the conventional style of his _____ as he developed his own technique.

A.descendants B. predecessors C.successors D. ancestors BestAnswer:B

详解:B）。［译文］他发展自己的方法时对色彩，光和形式的运用很快使他背离了前辈们的传统风格。 [注释]近义词辨析。predecessor意为“前任，前辈”，与题意吻合。descendant意为“子孙，后代”；successor意为“继承者”； ancestor意为“祖先”。

45.Failure in a required subject may result in the ______ of a diploma. A.refusal B. betrayal C.denial D. burial BestAnswer:C

详解:C）。[译文]必修课不及格可能会拿不到毕业文凭。 [注释]形近易混词辨析。denial为动词deny的名词形式，意为“拒绝给予”，与题意吻合。refusal意为“拒绝”；betrayal意为“背叛，”；burial意为“埋葬”。

46.To help students understand how we see, teachers often draw an ______ between an eye and a camera.

A.image B. analogy C.imitation D. axis BestAnswer:B

详解:B)。［译文］为帮助学生理解我们是如何看的，教师经常把眼睛比成照相机。 [注释]难词辨义。analogy意为“类比”,draw an analogy意为“做比喻，打比方”，与题意吻合。image意为“形象”；imitation意为“模仿”； axis意为“轴，轴线”。

47.A 1994 World Bank report concluded that ______ girls in school was probably the single most effective antipoverty policy in the developing world today.

A.assigning B. admitting C.involving D. enrolling BestAnswer:D

详解:D）。［译文]1994年世界银行报告说招收女孩子上学可能是今天发展中世界惟一最有效的对付贫穷的。 [注释]难词辨义。enroll意为“招收”，与题意吻合。assign意为“分配，委派”；admit意为“吸纳”；involve意为“包含；卷入”。

48.The author of the report is well _______ with the problems in the hospital because he has been working there formany years.

A.acquainted B. informed C.accustomed D. known BestAnswer:A

详解:A)。[译文]报告作者非常熟悉医院的问题，因为他在那里工作了很多年。 [注释]固定搭配。be acquainted with意为“知道，熟悉”。inform常用于inform sb. of sth.搭配；accustomed用于be accustomed to搭配，意为“习惯于⋯dblquote ；be known as/for意为“因/作为⋯而”