1、历年大学英语六级真题集2008年6月大学英语六级真题Section BPassage OneQuestions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.Imagine waking up and finding the value of your assets has been halved. No, youre not an investor in one of those hedge funds that failed completely. With the dollar slumping to a 26-year low against
2、the pound, already-expensive London has become quite unaffordable. A coffee at Starbucks, just as unavoidable in England as it is in the United States, runs about $8.The once all-powerful dollar isnt doing a Titanic against just the pound. It is sitting at a record low against the euro and at a 30-y
3、ear low against the Canadian dollar. Even the Argentine peso and Brazilian real are thriving against the dollar.The weak dollar is a source of humiliation, for a nations self-esteem rests in part on the strength of its currency. Its also a potential economic problem, since a declining dollar makes i
4、mported food more expensive and exerts upward pressure on interest rates. And yet there are substantial sectors of the vast U.S. economy-from giant companies like Coca-Cola to mom-and-pop restaurant operators in Miami-for which the weak dollar is most excellent news.Many Europeans may view the U.S.
5、as an arrogant superpower that has become hostile to foreigners. But nothing makes people think more warmly of the U.S. than a weak dollar. Through April, the total number of visitors from abroad was up 6.8 percent from last year. Should the trend continue, the number of tourists this year will fina
6、lly top the 2000 peak? Many Europeans now apparently view the U.S. the way many Americans view Mexico-as a cheap place to vacation, shop and party, all while ignoring the fact that the poorer locals cant afford to join the merrymaking. The money tourists spend helps decrease our chronic trade defici
7、t. So do exports, which thanks in part to the weak dollar, soared 11 percent between May 2006 and May 2007. For first five months of 2007, the trade deficit actually fell 7 percent from 2006.If you own shares in large American corporations, youre a winner in the weak-dollar gamble. Last week Coca-Co
8、las stick bubbled to a five-year high after it reported a fantastic quarter. Foreign sales accounted for 65 percent of Cokes beverage business. Other American companies profiting from this trend include McDonalds and IBM.American tourists, however, shouldnt expect any relief soon. The dollar lost st
9、rength the way many marriages break up- slowly, and then all at once. And currencies dont turn on a dime. So if you want to avoid the pain inflicted by the increasingly pathetic dollar, cancel that summer vacation to England and look to New England. There, the dollar is still treated with a little r
10、espect.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。 52. Why do Americans feel humiliated?A) Their economy is plunging B) They cant afford trips to EuropeC) Their currency has slumped D) They have lost half of their assets.53.How does the current dollar affect the life of ordinary Americans?A)They have to cancel their vacatio
11、ns in New England.B)They find it unaffordable to dine in mom-and-pop restaurants.C)They have to spend more money when buying imported goods.D)They might lose their jobs due to potential economic problems.54 How do many Europeans feel about the U.S with the devalued dollar?A)They feel contemptuous of
12、 itB)They are sympathetic with it.C)They regard it as a superpower on the decline.D)They think of it as a good tourist destination.55 what is the authors advice to Americans?A.They treat the dollar with a little respectB.They try to win in the weak-dollar gambleC.They vacation at home rather than ab
13、roadD.They treasure their marriages all the more.56 What does the author imply by saying “currencies dont turn on a dime” (Line 2,Para 7)?A.The dollars value will not increase in the short term.B.The value of a dollar will not be reduced to a dimeC.The dollars value will drop, but within a small mar
14、gin.D.Few Americans will change dollars into other currencies.Passage TwoQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage. In the college-admissions wars, we parents are the true fights. We are pushing our kids to get good grades, take SAT preparatory courses and build resumes so they can get i
15、nto the college of our first choice. Ive twice been to the wars, and as I survey the battlefield, something different is happening. We see our kids college background as e prize demonstrating how well weve raised them. But we cant acknowledge that our obsession(痴迷) is more about us than them. So wev
16、e contrived various justifications that turn out to be half-truths, prejudices or myths. It actually doesnt matter much whether Aaron and Nicole go to Stanford. We have a full-blown prestige panic; we worry that there wont be enough prizes to go around. Fearful parents urge their children to apply t
17、o more schools than ever. Underlying the hysteria(歇斯底里) is the belief that scarce elite degrees must be highly valuable. Their graduates must enjoy more success because they get a better education and develop better contacts. All that is plausibleand mostly wrong. We havent found any convincing evid
18、ence that selectivity or prestige matters. Selective schools dont systematically employ better instructional approaches than less selective schools. On two measuresprofessors feedback and the number of essay examsselective schools do slightly worse. By some studies, selective schools do enhance thei
19、r graduates lifetime earnings. The gain is reckoned at 2-4% for every 100-poinnt increase in a schools average SAT scores. But even this advantage is probably a statistical fluke(偶然). A well-known study examined students who got into highly selective schools and then went elsewhere. They earned just
20、 as much as graduates from higher-status schools. Kids count more than their colleges. Getting into Yale may signify intelligence, talent and ambition. But its not the only indicator and, paradoxically, its significance is declining. The reason so many similar people go elsewhere. Getting into colle
21、ge is not life only competition. Old-boy networks are breaking down. Princeton economist Alan Krueger studied admissions to one top Ph.D. program high scores on the GRE helped explain who got in degrees of prestigious universities didnt.So, parents lighten up the stakes have been vastly exaggerated
22、up to a point, we can rationalize our pushiness. America is a competitive society; our kids need to adjust to that. but too much pushiness can be destructive. he very ambition we impose on our children may get some into Harvard but may also set them up for disappointment.one study found that, other
23、things being equal, graduates of highly selective schools experienced more job dissatisfaction. They may have been so conditioned to being on top that anything less disappoints.注意 此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。57.Why dose the author say that parengs are the true fighters in the college-admissions wars? A.They have
24、 the final say in which university their children are to attend. B.They know best which universities are most suitable for their children. C.they have to carry out intensive surveys of colleges before children make an application. D.they care more about which college their children go to than the ch
25、ildren themselves.58.Why do parents urge their children to apply to more school than ever? A.they want to increase their children chances of entering a prestigious college. B.they hope their children can enter a university that offers attractive scholarships. C.Their children eill have have a wider
26、choice of which college to go to. D.Elite universities now enroll fewer syudent than they used to.59.What does the author mean by kids count more than their college(Line1,para.4? A.Continuing education is more important to a person success. B.A person happiness should be valued more than their educa
27、tion. C.Kids actual abilities are more importang than their college background. D.What kids learn at college cannot keep up with job market requirements.60.What does Krueger study tell us? A.GETting into Ph.d.programs may be more competitive than getting into college. B.Degrees of prestigious univer
28、sities do not guarantee entry to graduate programs. C.Graduates from prestigious universities do not care much about their GRE scores. D.Connections built in prestigious universities may be sustained long after graduation.61.One possible result of pushing children into elite universities is that_ A.
29、they earb less than their peers from other institutions B.they turn out to be less competitive in the job market C.they experience more job dissatisfaction after graduation D.they overemphasize their qualifications in job application2008年12月大学英语六级真题Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (2
30、5 minutes)Section B Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a sin
31、gle line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the w
32、ay the concept is put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the sole measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives.To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so .medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a predominantly rural society with a much lower populati
