英语六级真题及其答案2010.6-08.6

2010.6月大学英语六级考试真题及答案

Part I Writing (30 minutes)

注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上。

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the topic of Due Attention Should Be Given to the Study of Chinese. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below:

1.近年来在学生中出现了忽视中文学习的现象；

2.出现这种现象的原因和后果；

3.我认为…

Due Attention Should Be Given to the Study of Chinese

Do you remember these famous litterateurs: Luxun, Zhu zi qing, Lao she or Bing xin? How familiar these names are! Unfortunately, countless students pay no attention to the study of Chinese. Nowadays,Internet, English and game occupy students’ time and attention. For the majority of students, the study of Chinese has become a remote memory。

Why such a phenomenon emerges? Educators attribute it to the ignorance of university administration. Chinese is inessential course for college students in China. However, for a long time there has been a neglect in the study of Chinese. Taking a look around, every teacherencourages students to spend all time on learning English. On the contrary,none of them promotes students to learn Chinese. In the wake of this situation,students will make growing Chinese mistakes in spelling, reading and speaking. Maybesomeday, Chinese would fade from historical stage。

In my opinion, some drastic measures shouldbe taken. First of all, we can raise students’ awareness that the study of Chineseis indispensable to us. In addition, teachers can offer more courses related toChinese or Chinese culture. Finally, we can promote CCT(college Chinesetesting) . In a word, due attention should be given to the study of Chinese。

Due Attention Should Be Given To the Study of Chinese

With China‘s opening up, intercultural communication has become more and more frequent between Chinese and foreigners. A good command of at least one foreign language has increasingly been an essential skill for us. People, especially the youths, pay much more attention to foreign language acquisition than Chinese study.

Various factors can account forth‘s situation. First of all, a good command of a foreign language may help young people to get a good job while Chinese skills may be of no significance in one‘s job hunting and even their career. Consequently, some students may not treasure Chinese language any longer. Apart from that, nowadays fewer and fewer universities stimulate Chinese language study in campus, which has caused it to be marginalized. Under this circumstance, Chinese language becomes less and less popular in universities. It is clear that professors in the field of Chinese study are not so respected than they were before.

In view of this situation, effective measures should be taken to change it. First, the whole society should emphasize the importance of Chinese language in order to make it clear that it is one indispensable part of Chinese culture and Chinese race. Second, schools should promote Chinese language study and research. In addition, we individuals should contribute our own efforts to the study and protection of Chinese language.

To conclude, we should pay great attention to Chinese language, since the importance of it is never too great to be exaggerated.

Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes)

Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.

Obama's success isn't all good news for black Americans

As Erin White watched the election results head towards victory for Barack Obama, she felt a burden lifting from her shoulders. "In that one second, it was a validation for my whole race," she recalls.

"I've always been an achiever," says White, who is studying for an MBA at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. "But there had always been these things in the back of my mind questioning whether I

really can be who I want. It was like a shadow, following me around saying you can only go so far. Now it's like a barrier has been let down."

White's experience is what many psychologists had expected - that Obama would prove to be a powerful role model for African Americans. Some hoped his rise to prominence would have a big impact on white Americans, too, challenging those who still harbor racist sentiments. "The traits that characterize him are very contradictory to the racial stereotypes that black people are aggressive and uneducated," says Ashby Plant of Florida State University. "He's very intelligent and eloquent."

Sting in the tail

Ashby Plant is one of a number of psychologists who seized on Obama's candidacy to test hypotheses about the power of role models. Their work is already starting to reveal how the "Obama effect" is changing people's views and behavior. Perhaps surprisingly, it is not all good news: there is a sting in the tail of the Obama effect.

But first the good news. Barack Obama really is a positive role model for African Americans, and he was making an impact even before he got to the White House. Indeed, the Obama effect can be surprisingly immediate and powerful, as Ray Friedman of Vanderbilt University and his colleagues discovered.

They tested four separate groups at four key stages of Obama's presidential campaign. Each group consisted of around 120 adults of similar age and education, and the test assessed their language skills. At two of these stages, when Obama's success was less than certain, the tests showed a clear difference between the scores of the white and black participants—an average of 12.1 out of 20, compared to 8.8, for example. When the Obama fever was at its height, however, the black participants performed much better. Those who had watched Obama's acceptance speech as the Democrats' presidential candidate performed just as well, on average, as the white subjects. After his election victory, this was true of all the black participants.

Dramatic shift

What can explain this dramatic shift? At the start of the test, the participants had to declare their race and were told their results would be used to assess their strengths and weaknesses. This should have primed the subjects with "stereotype threat" – an anxiety that their results will confirm negative stereotypes, which has been shown to damage the performance of African Americans.

Obama's successes seemed to act as a shield against this. "We suspect they felt inspired and energized by his victory, so the stereotype threat wouldn't prove a distraction," says Friedman.

Lingering racism

If the Obama effect is positive for African Americans, how is it affecting their white compatriots (同胞)? Is the experience of having a charismatic (有魅力的) black president modifying lingering racist attitudes? There is no easy way to measure racism directly; instead psychologists assess what is known as "implicit bias", using a computer-based test that measures how quickly people associate positive and negative words—such as "love" or "evil"—with photos of black or white faces. A similar test can also measure how quickly subjects associate stereotypical traits—such as athletic skills or mental ability—with a particular group.

In a study that will appear in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Plant's team tested 229 students during the height of the Obama fever. They found that implicit bias has fallen by as much as 90% compared with the level found in a similar study in 2006. "That's an unusually large drop," Plant says.

While the team can't be sure their results are due solely to Obama, they also showed that those with the lowest bias were likely to subconsciously associate black skin color with political words such as "government" or "president". This suggests that Obama was strongly on their mind, says Plant.

Drop in bias

Brian Nose of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, who runs a website that measures implicit bias using similar test, has also observed a small drop in bias in the 700,000 visitors to the site since January 2007, which might be explained by Obama's rise to popularity. However, his preliminary results suggest that change will be much slower coming than Plant's results suggest.

Talking honestly

"People now have the opportunity of expressing support for Obama every day," says Daniel Affront at Stanford University in California. "Our research arouses the concern that people may now be more likely to raise negative views of African Americans." On the other hand, he says, it may just encourage people to talk

more honestly about their feelings regarding race issues, which may not be such a bad thing.

Another part of the study suggests far more is at stake than the mere expression of views. The Obama effect may have a negative side. Just one week after Obama was elected president, participants were less ready to support policies designed to address racial inequality than they had been two weeks before the election.

Huge obstacles

It could, of course, also be that Obama's success helps people to forget that a disproportionate number of black Americans still live in poverty and face huge obstacles when trying to overcome these circumstances. "Barack Obama's family is such a salient (出色的) image, we generalize it and fail to see the larger picture—that there's injustice in every aspect of American life," says Cheryl Kaiser of the University of Washington in Seattle. Those trying to address issues of racial inequality need to constantly remind people of the inequalities that still exist to counteract the Obama's effect, she says.

Though Plant's findings were more positive, she too warns against thinking that racism and racial inequalities are no longer a problem. "The last thing I want is for people to think everything's solved."

These findings do not only apply to Obama, or even just to race. They should hold for any role model in any country. "There's no reason we wouldn't have seen the same effect on our views of women if Hillary Clinton or Sarah Plain had been elected," says Affront. So the election of a female leader might have a downside for other women.

Beyond race

We also don't yet know how long the Obama effect—both its good side and its bad—will last. Political sentiment is notoriously changeable: What if things begin to go wrong for Obama, and his popularity slumps?

And what if Americans become so familiar with having Obama as their president that they stop considering his race altogether? "Over time he might become his own entity," says Plant. This might seem like the ultimate defeat for racism, but ignoring the race of certain select individuals—a phenomenon that psychologists call sub typing—also has an insidious (隐伏的) side. "We think it happens to help people preserve their beliefs, so they can still hold on to the previous stereotypes." That could turn out to be the cruelest of all the twists to the Obama effect.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

1. How did Erin White feel upon seeing Barack Obama's victory in the election?

A) Excited.

B) Victorious.

C) Anxious.

D) Relieved.

2. Before the election, Erin White has been haunted by the question of whether ______.

A) she could obtain her MBA degree

B) she could go as far as she wanted in life

C) she was overshadowed by her white peers

D) she was really an achiever as a student

3. What is the focus of Ashby Plant's study?

A) Racist sentiments in America.

B) The power of role models.

C) Personality traits of successful blacks.

D) The dual character of African Americans.

4. In their experiments, Ray Friedman and his colleagues found that ______.

A) blacks and whites behaved differently during the election

B) whites' attitude towards blacks has dramatically changed

C) Obama's election has eliminated the prejudice against blacks

D) Obama's success impacted blacks' performance in language tests

5. What do Brian Nose’s preliminary results suggest?

A) The change in bias against blacks is slow in coming.

B) Bias against blacks has experienced an unusual drop.

C) Website visitor's opinions are far from being reliable.

D) Obama's popularity may decline as time passes by.

6. A negative side of the Obama effect is that ______.

A) more people have started to criticize President Obama's racial policies

B) relations between whites and African Americans may become tense again

C) people are now less ready to support policies addressing racial inequality

D) white people are likely to become more critical of African Americans

7. Cheryl Kaiser holds that people should be constantly reminded that ______.

A) Obama's success is sound proof of black's potential

B) Obama is but a rare example of black's excellence

C) racial inequality still persists in American society

D) blacks still face obstacles in political participation

8. According to Affront, if Hillary Clinton or Sarah Plain had been elected, there would also have been a negative effect on ______.

9. It is possible that the Obama effect will be short-lived if there is a change in people's ______.

10. The worst possible aspect of the Obama effect is that people could ignore his race altogether and continue to hold on to their old racial ______.

Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)

Section A

Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

11. A) The man failed to keep his promise.

B) The woman has a poor memory.

C) The man borrowed the book from the library.

D) The woman does not need the book any more.

12. A) The woman is making too big a fuss about her condition.

B) Fatigue is a typical symptom of lack of exercise.

C) The woman should spend more time outdoors.

D) People tend to work longer hours with artificial lighting.

13. A) The printing on her T-shirt has faded.

B) It is not in fashion to have a logo on a T-shirt.

C) She regrets having bought one of the T-shirts.

D) It is not a good idea to buy the T-shirt.

14. A) He regrets having published the article.

B) Most readers do not share his viewpoints.

C) Not many people have read his article.

D) The woman is only trying to console him.

15. A) Leave Daisy alone for the time being.

B) Go see Daisy immediately.

C) Apologize to Daisy again by phone.

D) Buy Daisy a new notebook.

16. A) Batteries.

B) Garden tools.

C) Cameras.

D) Light bulbs.

17. A) The speakers will watch the game together.

B) The woman feels lucky to have got a ticket.

C) The man plays center on the basketball team.

D) The man can get the ticket at its original price.

18. A) The speakers will dress formally for the concert.

B) The man will return home before going to the concert.

C) It is the first time the speakers are attending a concert.

D) The woman is going to buy a new dress for the concert.

Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

19. A) He wants to sign a long-term contract.

B) He is good at both language and literature.

C) He prefers teaching to administrative work.

D) He is undecided as to which job to go for.

20. A) They hate exams.

B) The all plan to study in Cambridge.

C) They are all adults.

D) They are going to work in companies.

21. A) Difficult but rewarding.

B) Varied and interesting.

C) Time-consuming and tiring.

D) Demanding and frustrating.

Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

22. A) Interviewing a moving star.

B) Discussing teenage role models.

C) Hosting a television show.

D) Reviewing a new biography.

23. A) He lost his mother.

B) He was unhappy in California.

C) He missed his aunt.

D) He had to attend school there.

24. A) He delivered public speeches.

B) He got seriously into acting.

C) He hosted talk shows on TV.

D) He played a role in East of Eden.

25. A) He made numerous popular movies.

B) He has long been a legendary figure.

C) He was best at acting in Hollywood tragedies.

D) He was the most successful actor of his time.

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 Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

Passage One

Questions 26 to 29 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

26. A) It carried passengers leaving an island.

B) A terrorist forced it to land on Tenerife.

C) It crashed when it was circling to land.

D) 18 of its passengers survived the crash.

27. A) He was kidnapped eight months ago.

B) He failed in his negotiations with the Africans.

C) He was assassinated in Central Africa.

D) He lost lots of money in his African business.

28.A) The management and union representatives reached an agreement.

B) The workers' pay was raised and their working hours were shortened.

C) The trade union gave up its demand.

D) The workers on strike were all fired.

29. A) Sunny.

B) Rainy.

C) Windy.

D) Cloudy.

Passage Two

Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.

30. A) Some of them had once experienced an earthquake.

B) Most of them lacked interest in the subject.

C) Very few of them knew much about geology.

D) A couple of them had listened to a similar speech before.

31.A) By reflecting on Americans' previous failures in predicting earthquakes.

B) By noting where the most severe earthquake in U. S. history occurred.

C) By describing the destructive power of earthquakes.

D) By explaining some essential geological principles.

32. A) Interrupt him whenever he detected a mistake.

B) Focus on the accuracy of the language he used.

C) Stop him when he had difficulty understanding.

D) Write down any points where he could improve.

Passage Three

Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

33. A) It was invented by a group of language experts in the year of 1887.

B) It is a language that has its origin in ancient Polish.

C) It was created to promote economic globalization.

D) It is a tool of communication among speakers of different languages.

34. A) It aims to make Esperanto a working language in the U. N.

B) It has increased its popularity with the help of the media.

C) It has encountered increasingly tougher challenges.

D) It has supporters from many countries in the world.

35.

A) It is used by a number of influential science journals.

B) It is widely taught at schools and in universities.

C) It has aroused the interest of many young learners.

D) It has had a greater impact than in any other country.

Section C

Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

George Herbert Mead said that humans are talked into humanity. He meant that we gain personal identity as we communicate with others. In the earliest years of our lives, our parents tell us who we are. "You're (36) ______." "You're so strong." We first see ourselves through the eyes of others, so their messages form important (37) ______ of our self-concepts. Later we interact with teachers, friends, (38) ______ partners, and co-workers who communicate their views of us. Thus, how we see ourselves (39) ______ the views of us that others communicate.

The (40) ______ connection between identity and communication is (41) ______ evident in children who are (42) ______ of human contact. Case studies of children who were isolated from others reveal that they lack a firm self-concept, and their mental and psychological development is severely (43) ______ by lack of language.

Communication with others not only affects our sense of identity but also directly influences our physical and emotional well-being. Consistently, (44) ________________________________________________.

People who lack close friends have greater levels of anxiety and depression than people who are close to others. (45) ________________________________________________. The conclusion was that social isolation is statistically as dangerous as high blood pressure, smoking and obesity. Many doctors and researchers believe that (46) ________________________________________________.

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 the statements in the fewest possible words. Please write your answers on Answer Sheet 2.

Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.

Question: My ninth-grade art teacher doesn't give any grade above 94% because, she says, "There's always room for improvement." In previous years, I earned a 99% and a 100%. The 94 I received this term does not reflect the hard work that I put into this course. Because of her "improvement" theory, I got a lower grade than I deserve. Is her grading philosophy ethical (符合职业道德规范的)?

Answer: Your teacher's grading system may be unwise, but it is not unethical. A teacher deserves wide latitude in selecting the method of grading that best promotes learning in her classroom; that is, after all, the prime function of grades. It is she who has the training and experience to make this decision. Assuming that your teacher is neither biased nor corrupt and that her system conforms to school rules, you can't fault her ethics.

You can criticize her methodology. A 100 need not imply that there is no possibility of improvement, only that a student successfully completed the course work. A ninth grader could get a well-earned 100 in English class but still have a way to go before she writes as well as Jane Austen. What's more, grades are not only an educational device but are also part of a screening system to help assign kids to their next class or program. By capping her grades at 94 while most other teachers grade on a scale that tops out at 100, your teacher could jeopardize a student's chance of getting a scholarship or getting into a top college.

What it is wrong to condemn her for is overlooking your hard work. You diligence is worthy of encouragement, but effort does not equal accomplishment. If scholars suddenly discovered that Rembrandt had dashed off "The Night Watch" in an afternoon, it would still be "The Night Watch."

I could spend months sweating over my own "paintings", but I'd produce something you wouldn't want to hang in your living room. Or your garage.

One feature of a good grading system is that those measured by it generally regard it as fair and reasonable—not the case here. Simmering (难以平息的) resentment is seldom an aid to education. And so your next step should be to discuss your concerns with your teacher or the principal.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

47. The ninth-grader thought that his art teacher should have given him ______.

48. According to the answer, a teacher should have the freedom to ______ to encourage learning.

49. We learn from the answer that a student who gets a 100 should still work hard and keep ______.

50. The example of Rembrandt's painting suggests that a distinction should be made between ______.

51. The ninth-grader is advised to go to his teacher or the principal to ______.

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 single line through the centre. Passage One

Questions 51 to 56 are based on the following passage.

Only two countries in the advanced world provide no guarantee for paid leave from work to care for a newborn child. Last spring one of the two, Australia, gave up the dubious distinction by establishing paid family leave starting in 2011. I wasn't surprised when this didn't make the news here in the United States—we're now the only wealthy country without such a policy.

The United States does have one explicit family policy, the Family and Medical Leave Act, passed in

1993. It entitles workers to as much as 12 weeks' unpaid leave for care of a newborn or dealing with a family medical problem. Despite the modesty of the benefit, the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups fought it bitterly, describing it as "government-run personnel management" and a "dangerous precedent". In fact, every step of the way, as (usually) Democratic leaders have tried to introduce work-family balance measures into the law, business groups have been strongly opposed.

As Yale law professor Anne Alcott argues, justifying parental support depends on defining the family as a social good that, in some sense, society must pay for. In her book No Exit: What Parents Owe Their Children and What Society Owes Parents, she argues that parents are burdened in many ways in their lives: there is "no exit" when it comes to children. "Society expects—and needs—parents to provide their children with continuity of care, meaning the intensive, intimate care that human beings need to develop their intellectual, emotional and moral capabilities. And society expects—and needs—parents to persist in their roles for 18 years, or longer if needed."

While most parents do this out of love, there are public penalties for not providing care. What parents do, in other words, is of deep concern to the state, for the obvious reason that caring for children is not only morally urgent but essential for the future of society. The state recognizes this in the large body of family laws that govern children' welfare, yet parents receive little help in meeting the life-changing obligations society imposes. To classify parenting as a personal choice for which there is no collective responsibility is not merely to ignore the social benefits of good parenting; really, it is to steal those benefits because they accrue (不断积累) to the whole of society as today's children become tomorrow's productive citizenry (公民). In fact, by some estimates, the value of parental investments in children, investments of time and money (including lost wages), is equal to 20-30% of gross domestic product. If these investments generate huge social benefits—as they clearly do—the benefits of providing more social support for the family should be that much clearer.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

52. What do we learn about paid family leave from the first paragraph?

A) America is now the only developed country without the policy.

B) It has now become a hot topic in the United States.

C) It came as a surprise when Australia adopted the policy.

D) Its meaning was clarified when it was established in Australia.

53. What has prevented the passing of work-family balance laws in the United States?

A) The incompetence of the Democrats.

B) The existing Family and Medical Leave Act.

C) The lack of a precedent in American history.

D) The opposition from business circles.

54. What is Professor Anne Alcott’s argument for parental support?

A) The cost of raising children in the U. S. has been growing.

B) Good parenting benefits society.

C) The U. S. should keep up with other developed countries.

D) Children need continuous care.

55. What does the author think of America's large body of family laws governing children's welfare?

A) They fail to ensure children's healthy growth

B) The fail to provide enough support for parents

C) They emphasize parents' legal responsibilities.

D) They impose the care of children on parents.

56. Why does the author object to classifying parenting as a personal choice?

A) It is regarded as a legal obligation.

B) It relies largely on social support.

C) It generates huge social benefits.

D) It is basically a social undertaking.

Passage Two

Questions 57 to 62 are based on the following passage.

A new study from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University shows that today's youth vote in larger numbers than previous generations,

and a 2008 study from the Center for American Progress adds that increasing numbers of young voters and activists support traditionally liberal causes. But there's no easy way to see what those figures mean in real life. During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama assembled a racially and ideologically diverse coalition with his message of hope and change; as the reality of life under a new administration settles in, some of those supporters might become disillusioned. As the nation moves further into the Obama presidency, will politically engaged young people continue to support the president and his agenda, or will they gradually drift away?

The writers of Generation O (short for Obama), a new Newsweek blog that seeks to chronicle the lives of a group of young Obama supporters, want to answer that question. For the next three months, Michelle Kremer and 11 other Obama supporters, ages 19 to 34, will blog about life across mainstream America, with one twist: by tying all of their ideas and experiences to the new president and his administration, the bloggers will try to start a conversation about what it means to be young and politically active in America today. Malian Amuse, a 24-year-old writer and dancer from St. Louis sees the project as a way to preserve history as it happens. Amuse, who is traveling to India this spring to finish a book, then to Senegal to teach English, has ongoing conversations with her friends about how the Obama presidency has changed their daily lives and hopes to put some of those ideas, along with her global perspective, into her posts. She's excited because, as she puts it, "I don't have to wait [until] 15 years from now" to make sense of the world.

Henry Flores, a political-science professor at St. Mary's University, credits this younger generation's political strength to their embrace of technology. "[The Internet] exposes them to more thinking," he says, "and groups that are like-minded in different parts of the country start to come together." That's exactly what the Generation O bloggers are hoping to do. The result could be a group of young people that, like their boomer (二战后生育高峰期出生的美国人) parents, grows up with a strong sense of purpose and sheds the image of apathy (冷漠) they've inherited from Generation X (60 年代后期和70 年代出生的美国人). It's no small challenge for a blog run by a group of ordinary—if ambitious—young people, but the members of Generation O are up to the task.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

57. What is the finding of a new study by CIRCLE?

A) More young voters are going to the polls than before.

B) The young generation supports traditionally liberal causes.

C) Young voters played a decisive role in Obama's election.

D) Young people in America are now more diverse ideologically.

58. What is a main concern of the writers of Generation O?

A) How Obama is going to live up to young people's expectations.

B) Whether America is going to change during Obama's presidency.

C) Whether young people will continue to support Obama's policy.

D) How Obama's agenda is going to affect the life of Americans.

59. What will the Generation O bloggers write about in their posts?

A) Their own interpretation of American politics.

B) Policy changes to take place in Obama's administration.

C) Obama's presidency viewed from a global perspective.

D) Their lives in relation to Obama's presidency.

60. What accounts for the younger generation's political strength according to Professor Henry Flores?

A) Their embrace of radical ideas.

B) Their desire to change America.

C) Their utilization of the Internet.

D) Their strong sense of responsibility.

61. What can we infer from the passage about Generation X?

A) They are politically conservative.

B) They reject conventional values.

C) They dare to take up challenges.

D) They are indifferent to politics.

Part V Cloze (15 minutes)

Directions: There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D) on the right side of the paper. You should choose the ONE that best fits into the passage. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

A new study found that inner-city kids living in neighborhoods with more green space gained about 13% less weight over a two-year period than kids living amid more concrete and fewer trees. Such __62__ tell a powerful story. The obesity epidemic began in the 1980s, and many people __63__ it to increased portion sizes and inactivity, but that can't be everything. Fast foods and TVs have been __64__ us for a long time. "Most experts agree that the changes were __65__ to something in the environment," says social epidemiologist Thomas Glass of The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. That something could be a __66__ of the green.

The new research, __67__ in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, isn't the first to associate greenery with better health, but it does get us closer __68__ identifying what works and why. At its most straightforward, a green neighborhood __69__ means more places for kids to play – which is __70__ since time spent outdoors is one of the strongest correlates of children's activity levels. But green space is good for the mind __71__: research by environmental psychologists has shown that it has cognitive __72__ for children with attention-deficit disorder. In one study, just reading __73__ in a green setting improved kids' symptoms.

__74__ to grassy areas has also been linked to __75__ stress and a lower body mass index (体重指数) among adults. And an __76__ of 3,000 Tokyo residents associated walk able green spaces with greater longevity (长寿) among senior citizens.

Glass cautions that most studies don't __77__ prove a causal link between greenness and health, but they're nonetheless helping spur action. In September the U. S. House of Representatives __78__ the delightfully named No Child Left Inside Act to encourage public initiatives aimed at exposing kids to the outdoors.

Finding green space is not __79__ easy, and you may have to work a bit to get your family a little grass and trees. If you live in a suburb or a city with good parks, take __80__ of what's there. Your children in particular will love it – and their bodies and minds will be __81__ to you.

62. A) findings B) theses

C) hypotheses D) abstracts

63. A) adapt B) attribute

C) allocate D) alternate

64. A) amongst B) along

C) beside D) with

65. A) glued B) related

C) tracked D) appointed

66. A) scraping B) denying

C) depressing D) shrinking

67. A) published B) simulated

C) illuminated D) circulated

68. A) at B) to C) for D) over

69. A) fully B) simply

C) seriously D) uniquely

70. A) vital B) casual

C) fatal D) subtle

71. A) still B) already C) too D) yet

72. A) benefits B) profits

C) revenues D) awards

73. A) outward B) apart

C) aside D) outside

74. A) Immunity B) Reaction

C) Exposure D) Addiction

75. A) much B) less

C) more D) little

76. A) installment B) expedition

C) analysis D) option

77. A) curiously B) negatively

C) necessarily D) comfortably

78. A) relieved B) delegated

C) approved D) performed

79. A) merely B) always

C) mainly D) almost

80. A) advantage B) exception

C) measure D) charge

81. A) elevated B) merciful

C) contented D) grateful

Part VI Translation (5 minutes)

Directions: Complete the sentences by translating into English the Chinese given in brackets. Please write you translation on Answer Sheet 2.

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. __________________ (他们的独生儿子从未想过) to leave them and strike out on his own though he is in his late twenties.

83. Before you take any action, please remember to __________________ (权衡你的决定会产生的后果).

84. He assured his friend that under no circumstances __________________ (他会违背还钱的承诺).

85. Most educators advise that kids __________________ (不要沉溺于电脑游戏).

86. Business major as he is, he has __________________ (从未考虑过从事推销员工作).

快速阅读

1. D Relieved

2. B she could go as far as she wanted in life

3. B The power of role models

4. D Obama's success impacted blacks' performance in language tests

5. A The change in bias against black is slow in coming

6. C people are now less ready to support policies addressing racial inequality

7. C racial inequality still persists in American society

8. our views of women

9. political sentiment

10. stereotypes

听力

Section A

11. A) The man failed to keep his promise。

12. C) The woman should spend more time outdoors。

13. D) It is not a good idea to buy the T-shirt。

14. B) Most readers do not share his viewpoints。

15. A) Leave Daisy alone for the time being。

16. A) Batteries。

17. D) The man can get the ticket at its original price。

18. A) The speakers will dress formally for the concert。

19. D) He is undecided as to which job to go for。

20. C) They are all adults。

21. B) Varied and interesting。

22. C) Hosting a television show。

23. A) He lost his mother。

24. B) He got seriously into acting。

25. B) He has long been a legendary figure。

Section B

26 C) It crashed when it was circling to land。

27 A) He was kidnapped eight months ago。

28 A) The management and union representatives reached an agreement。

29 B) rainy

30 C) Very few of them knew much about geology。

31 B) By noting where the most severe earthquake in U.S. history occurred。

32 C) Stop him when he had difficulty understanding。

33 D) It is a tool of communication among speakers of different languages。

34 D) It has supporters from many countries in the world。

35 D) It has had greater impact than in any other country。

Section C

36. intelligent

37. foundations

38. romantic

39. reflects

40. profound

41. dramatically

42. deprived

43. hindered

44. research shows that communicating with others promotes health, whereas social isolation is linked to stress, disease, and early death。

45. A group of researchers reveal scores of studies that trace the relationship between health and interaction with others。

46. loneliness harms the immune system, making us more vulnerable to a range of miner and major illnesses。

Section A

47 a grade above 94%/ a higher grade

48 select the method of grading

49 improving

50 effort and accomplishment

51 discuss his concerns

Section B

Passage 1

52 A) America

is now the only developed country without the policy。

53 D) The opposition from business circles。

54 B) Good parenting benefits society。

55 B) They fail to provide enough support for parents。

56 D) It is basically a social undertaking。

Passage 2

57 A) More young voters are going to the polls than before。

58 C) Whether young people will continue to support Obama’s policy。

59 D) Their lives in relation to Obama’s presidency。

60 C) Their utilization of the Internet。

61 D) They are indifferent to politics。

完形填空

62.A findings

63.B attribute

64.D with

65.B related

66.D shrinking

67.A published

68.B to

69.B simply

70.A vital

71.C too

72.A benefits

73.D outside

74.C Exposure

75.B less

76.C analysis

77.C necessarily

78.C approved

79.B always

80.A advantage

81.D grateful

翻译

82. Their only son has never thought

83. weigh your decision against its possible consequences

84. would he break/breach his promise/commitment to pay back the money.

85. should not be addicted to computer games. / should not indulge themselves in computer games / should not abandon themselves to computer games.

86. never considered working as a salesman

附：

Section A

Short Conversation

11. M: Oh, I’m so sorry I forgot to bring along the book you borrowed from the library。

W: What a terrible memory you have! Anyway, I won’t need it until Friday night. As long as I can get it by then, OK?

Q: What do we learn from this conversation?

12. W: Doctor, I haven’t been able to get enough sleep lately, and I’m too tired to concentrate in class。

M: Well, you know, spending too much time indoors with all that artificial lighting can do that to you. Your body loses track of whether it’s day or night。

Q: What does the man imply?

13. M: I think I’all get one of those new T-shirts, you know, with the school’s logo on both the front and back。

W: You’all regret it. They are expensive, and I’vet heard the printing fades easily when you wash them。

Q: What does the woman mean?

14. W: I think your article in the school newspaper is right on target, and your viewpoints have certainly convinced me。

M: Thanks, but in view of the general responses, you and I are definitely in the minority。

Q: What does the man mean?

15. M: Daisy was furious yesterday because I lost her notebook. Should I go see her and apologize to again?

W: Well, if I were you, I’d let her cool off a few days before I approach her。

Q: What does the woman suggest the man do?

16. M: Would you please tell me where I can get batteries for this brand of camera?

W: Let me have a look. Oh, yes, go down this aisle, pass the garden tools, you’all find them on the shelf next to the light bulbs。

Q: What is the man looking for?

17. M: Our basketball team is playing in the finals but I don’t have a ticket. I guess I’all just watch it on

TV. Do you want to come over?

W: Actually I have a ticket. But I’m not feeling well. You can have it for what it cost me。

Q: What do we learn from the conversation?

18. M: Honey, I’all be going straight to the theatre from work this evening. Could you bring my suit and tie along?

W: Sure, it’s the first performance of the State Symphony Orchestra in our city, so suit and tie is a must。

Q: What do we learn from the conversation?

Long Conversations

Conversation 1

M: I got two letters this morning with job offers, one from the Polytechnic, and the other from the Language School in Pistoia, Italy。

W: So you are not sure which to go for?

M: That’s it. Of course, the conditions of work are very different: The Polytechnic is offering two-year contract which could be renewed, but the language school is only offering a year’s contract, and that’s a different minus. It could be renewed, but you never know。

W: I see. So it’s much less secure. But you don’t need to think too much about steady jobs when you are only 23.

M: That’s true。

W: What about the salaries?

M: Well, the Pistoia job pays much better in the short term. I’all be getting the equivalent of about ￡22,000 a year there, but only ￡20,000 at the Polytechnic. But then the hours are different. At the Polytechnic I’d have to do 35 hours a week, 20 teaching and 15 administration, whereas the Pistoia school is only asking for 30 hours teaching。

W: Mom…

M: Then the type of teaching is so different. The Polytechnic is all adults and mostly preparation for exams like the Cambridge certificates. The Language School wants me to do a bit of exam preparation, but also quite a lot of work in companies and factories, and a couple of children’s classes. Oh, and a bit of literature teaching。

W: Well, that sounds much more varied and interesting. And I’d imagine you would be doing quire a lot of teaching outside the school, and moving around quite a bit。

M: Yes, whereas with the Polytechnic position, I’d be stuck in the school all day。

Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard:

Q19. What do we learn about the man from the conversation?

Q20. What do we learn about the students at the Polytechnic?

Q21. What does the woman think of the job at the Language school?

Conversation 2

Good evening and welcome to tonight's edition of Legendary Lives. Our subject this evening is James Dean, actor and hero for the young people of his time. Edward Murray is the author of a new biography of Dean。

W: Good evening, Edward。

M: Hello Tina。

W: Edward, tell us what you know about Dean's early life。

M: He was born in Indiana in 1931, but his parents moved to California when he was five. He wasn't there long though because his mother passed away just four years later. Jimmy's father sent him back to Indiana after that to live with his aunt。

W: So how did he get into acting?

M: Well, first he acted in plays at high school, then he went to college in California where he got seriously into acting. In 1951 he moved to New York to do more stage acting。

W: Then when did his movie career really start?

M: 1955. His first starring role was in East of Eden. It was fabulous. Dean became a huge success. But the movie that really made him famous was his second one, Rebel Without a Cause, that was about

teenagers who felt like they didn't fit into society。

W: So how many more movies did he make?

M: Just one more, then he died in that car crash in California in 1955.

W: What a tragedy! He only made three movies! So what made him the legend he still is today?

M: Well I guess his looks, his acting ability, his short life, and maybe the type of character he played in his movies. Many young people saw him as a symbol of American youths。

Q22 What is the woman doing?

Q23 Why did James Dean move back to Indiana when he was young?

Q24 What does the man say James Dean did at college in California?

Section B

Passage 1

The time is 9 o’clock and this is Marian Snow with the news。

The German authorities are sending investigators to discover the cause of the plane crash late yesterday on the island of Tenerife. The plane, a Boeing 737, taking German holiday makers to the island crashed into a hillside as it circled while preparing to land. The plane was carrying 180 passengers. It’s thought there are no survivors. Rescue workers were at the scene。

The British industrialist James Louis, held by kidnapper in central Africa for the past 8 months, was released unharmed yesterday. The kidnappers had been demanding 1 million pounds for the release of Mr. Louis. The London Bank and their agents who had been negotiating with the kidnappers have not said whether any amount of money has been paid。

The 500 UK motors workers who had been on strike in High Town for the past 3 three weeks went back to work this morning. This follows successful talks between management and union representatives, which resulted in a new agreement on working hour and conditions. A spokesman for the management said they’d hope they could now get back to producing cars, and that they lost lots of money and orders over this dispute。

And finally the weather. After a code start, most of the country should be warm and sunny. But towards late afternoon, rain will spread from Scotland to cover most parts by midnight。

Questions 26 –29 are based on the passage you have just heard。

26 What does the news say about the Boeing 737 plane?

27 What happened to British industrialist James Louis?

28 How did the 3-week strike in High Town end?

29 What kind of weather will be expected by midnight in most parts of the country?

Passage 2

Juan Louis, a junior geology major, decided to give an informative speech about how earthquakes occur. From his audience and analysis he learned that only 2 or 3 of his classmates knew much of anything about geology. Juan realized then that he must present his speech at an elementary level and with a minimum of scientific language. As he prepared the speech, Juan kept asking himself, “How can I make this clear and meaningful to someone who knows nothing about earthquakes or geological principles?”Since he was speaking in the Midwest, he decided to begin by noting that the most severe earthquake in American history took place not in California or Alaska but at New Madrid, Missouri in 1811. If such an earthquake happened today, it would be felt from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean and would flatten most of the cities in the Mississippi valley. That, he figured, should get his classmates’attention. Throughout the body of the speech, Juan dealt only with the basic mechanics of the earthquakes, carefully avoid technical terms. He also prepared visual aids, diagramming photo line, so his classmates would’t get confused. T o be absolutely safe, Juan asked his roommate, who was not a geology major, to listen to the speech. “Stop me,”he said, “any time I say something you don’t understand。”Juan’s roommate stopped him four times. And at each spot, Juan worked out a way to make his point more clearly. Finally, he had a speech that was interesting and perfectly understandable to his audience。

Questions 30 –32 are based on the passage you have just heard。

Q30 What did Juan Louis learn from the analysis of his audience?

Q31 How did Juan Louis start his speech?

Q32 What did Juan ask his roommate to do when he was making his trial speech?

Passage 3

Esperanto is an artificial language, designed to serve internationally as an auxiliary means of communication among speakers of different languages. It was created by Ludwig Lazar Zamenhof, a polish Jewish doctor specialized in eye diseases. Esperanto was first presented in 1887. An international movement was launched to promote its use. Despite arguments and disagreements, the movement has continued to flourish and has members in more than 80 countries. Esperanto is used internationally across language boundaries by at least 1 million people, particularly in specialized fields. It is used in personal contexts, on radio broadcasts and in a number of Its popularity has spread form Europe, both east and west, to such countries as Brazil and Japan. It is, however, in China that Esperanto has had its greatest impact. It is taught in universities and used in many translations, often in scientific or technological works. EL POPOLA CHINIO, which means from people’s China, it’s a monthly magazine in Esperanto and it’s read worldwide. Radio Beijing’s Esperanto program is the most popular program in Esperanto in the world. Esperanto vocabulary is drawn primarily from Latin, the Roman’s languages, English and German. Spelling is completely regular. A simple and consistent set of endings indicates grammatical functions of words. Thus for example, every noun ends in “o”，every adjective in “a”，and basic form of every verb in “I”. Esperanto also has a highly productive system of constructing new words from old ones。

Questions 33 –35 are based on the passage you have just heard。

Q33 What does the speaker tell us about Esperanto?

Q34 What is said about the international movement to promote the use of Esperanto?

Q35 What does the speaker say about Esperanto in China?

Section C

George Herbert Mead said that humans are "talked into" humanity. He meant that we gain personal identity as we communicate with others. In the earliest years of our lives, our parents tell us who we are:” You’re intelligent." "You're so strong."

We first see ourselves through the eyes of others. So their messages form important foundations of our self-concepts. Later, we interact with teachers, friends, romantic partners and coworkers who communicate their views of us. Thus, how we see ourselves reflects the views of us that others communicate。

The profound connection between identity and communication is dramatically evident in children who are deprived of human contact. Case studies of children who are isolated from others reveal that they lack a firm self-concept, and their mental and psychological development is severely hindered by lack of language。

Communications with others not only affects our sense of identity, but also directly influences our physical and emotional well-being. Consistently, research shows that communicating with others promotes health, whereas social isolation is linked to stress, disease, and early death。

People who lack close friends have greater levels of anxiety and depression than people who are close to others. A group of researchers reveal scores of studies that trace the relationship between health and interaction with others。

The conclusion was that social isolation is statistically as dangerous as high blood pressure, smoking and obesity. Many doctors and researchers believe that loneliness harms the immune system, making us more vulnerable to a range of miner and major illnesses。

2009年12月大学英语六级考试真题及答案

Part ⅠWriting (30 minutes)

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Should Parents Send Their Kids to Art Classes? You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below.

1. 现在有不少家长送孩子参加各种艺术班

2. 对这种做法有人表示支持，也有人并不赞成

3. 我认为……

Should Parents Send Their Kids to Art Classes?

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, skeptical of whether they could trust their employees to work to full capacity without supervision, or concerned about the additional expenses teleporting 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 Houlton, e-business advisor at Business Link for Berkshire and Wiltshire. ―There are some very excit ing 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 e ven the most remote exchanges). ―This is the enabler,‖ Houlton 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 provider based in the north-east of England. ―Providers offering broadband for rock-bottom prices are notorious for poor service, with regular breakdowns and heavily congested (拥堵的) networks. It is always advisable for businesses to look beyond the price tag and look for a

business-only provider that can offer more reliability, with good support.‖ Such services don‘t cost too much—quality services can be found for upwards of ￡30 a month.

The benefits of broadband to the occasional home worker are that they can access email in real time, and take full advantage of services such as internet-based backup or even internet-based phone services.

Internet-based telecoms, or V oIP (V oice over IP) to give it its technical title, is an interesting tool to any business supporting remote working. Not necessarily because of the promise of free or reduced price phone calls (which experts point out is misleading for the average business), but because of the sophisticated voice services that can be exploited by the remote worker—facilities such as voicemail and call forwarding, which provide a continuity of the company image for customers and business partners.

By law, companies must ―consider seriously‖ requests to work flexibly made by a parent with a child under the age of six, or a disabled child under 18. It was the need to accommodate employees with young children that motivated accountancy firm Wright Vigor to begin promoting teleporting recently. The company, which needed to upgrade its IT infrastructure (基础设施) to provide connectivity with a new, second office, decided to introduce support for remote working at the same time.

Marketing director Jack O‘Hare explains that the company has a relatively young workforce, many of whom are parents: ―One of the triggers was when one of our tax managers returned from maternity leave. She was intending to work part time, but could only manage one day a week in the office due to childcare. By offering her the ability to work from home, we have doubled her capacity—now she works a day a week from home, and a day in the office. This is great for her, and for us as we retain someone highly qualified.‖

For Wright Vigor, which has now equipped all of its fee-earners to be able to work at maximum productivity when away from the offices (whether that‘s from home, or while on the road), this strategy is not just about saving on commute time or cutting them loose from the office, but enabling them to work more flexible hours that fit around their home life.

O‘Hare says: ―Although most of our work is client-based and must fit around this, we can‘t see any reason why a parent can‘t be on hand to deal with something important at home, if they have the ability to complete a project later in the day.‖

Supporting this new way of working came with a price, though. Although the firm was updating its systems anyway, the company spent 10-15% more per user to equip them with a laptop rather than a PC, and about the same to upgrade to a server that would enable remote staff to connect to the company networks and access all their usual resources.

Although Wright Vigor hasn‘t yet quantified the business benefits, it claims that, in addition to being able to retain key staff with young families, it is able to save fee-earners a substantial amount of ―dead‖ time in their working days.

That staff can do this without needing a fixed telephone line provides even more efficiency savings. ―With Wi-Fi (fast, wireless internet connections) popping up all over the place, even on trains, our fee-earners can be productive as they travel, and between meetings, instead of having to kill time at the shops,‖ he adds.

The company will also be able to avoid the expense of having to relocate staff to temporary offices

for several weeks when it begins disruptive office renovations soon.

Financial recruitment specialist Lynne Hargreaves knows exactly how much her firm has saved by adopting a teleporting strategy, which has involved handing her company‘s data management over to a remote hosting company, Dataset, so it can be accessible by all the company‘s consultants over broadband internet connections.

It has enabled the company to dispense with its business premises altogether, following the realization that it just didn‘t need them any more. ―The main motivation behind adopting home working was to increase my own productivity, as a single mum to an 11-year-old,‖ says Hargreaves. ―But I soon realized that, as most of our business is done on the phone, email and at off-site meetings, we didn‘t need our offices at all. We‘re now saving ￡16,000 a year on rent, plus the cost of utilities, not to mention wh at would have been spent on commuting.‖

1. What is the main topic of this passage?

A) How business managers view hi-tech.

B) Relations between employers and employees.

C) How to cut down the costs of small businesses.

D) Benefits of the practice of teleporting.

2. From the research conducted by the communications provider Inter-Tel, we learn that .

A) more employees work to full capacity at home

B) employees show a growing interest in small businesses

C) more businesses have adopted remote working solutions

D) attitudes toward IT technology have changed

3. What development has made flexible working practices possible according to Andy Houlton?

A) Reduced cost of telecommunications.

B) Improved reliability of internet service.

C) Availability of the V oIP service.

D) Access to broadband everywhere.

4. What is Neil Stephenson‘s advice to firms contracting internet services?

A) They look for reliable business-only providers.

B) They contact providers located nearest to them.

C) They carefully examine the contract.

D) They contract the cheapest provider.

5. Internet-based telecoms facilitates remote working by __________.

A) offering sophisticated voice services

B) giving access to emailing in real time

C) helping clients discuss business at home

D) providing calls completely free of charge

6. The accountancy firm Wright Vigor promoted teleporting initially in order to __________.

A) present a positive image to prospective customers

B) support its employees with children to take care of

C) attract young people with IT expertise to work for it

D) reduce operational expenses of a second office

7. According to marketing director Jack O‘Hare, teleporting enabled the company to __________.

A) enhance its market image

B) reduce recruitment costs

C) keep highly qualified staff

D) minimize its office space

8. Wright Vigor‘s practice of allowing for more flexible working hours not only benefits the

company but helps improve employees‘ .

9. With fast, wireless internet connections, employees can still be __________ while traveling.

10. Single mother Lynne Hargreaves decided to work at home mainly to __________.

Part ⅢListening Comprehension (35 minutes)

Section A

Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

11. A) They would rather travel around than stay at home.

B) They prefer to carry cash when traveling abroad.

C) They usually carry many things around with them.

D) They don‘t like to spend much money on traveling.

12. A) The selection process was a little unfair.

B) He had long dreamed of the dean‘s position.

C) Rod was eliminated in the selection process.

D) Rod was in charge of the admissions office.

13. A) Applause encourages the singer.