2014年12月大学英语六级考试样题及答案

Part I Writing (30minutes)

Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaycommenting ontheremark“Earthprovidesenoughtosatisfyeveryman’sneed,but noteveryman’sgreed.”Youcanciteexamplestoillustrateyourpoint. Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.Write youressayonAnswerSheet1.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1 上作答。

Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations. Atthe end ofeachconversation,oneor more questions will beaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Boththeconversationandthequestions willbespokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestiontherewillbeapause. Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)and D),anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.Thenmarkthecorresponding

letteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1 上作答。

1. A)Themanhappened to seeAnna fall on her back.

B) TheseriousaccidentmayleaveAnnaparalyzed.

C) Thedoctor’stherapyhasbeenverysuccessful.

D) The injurywill confineAnna to bed for quite a while.

2. A)Givehiscontributionsome time later.

B) Borrow some money fromthe woman.

C) Buy an expensive gift for Gemma.

D) Takeupacollectionnextweek.

3. A)Addmore fruits andvegetablestoherdiet.

B) AskTonytoconveythankstohismother.

C) TellTony’s mother that she eats no meat.

D) Declinetheinvitationasearlyaspossible.

4. A) She phoned Fred about the book.

B) Shewaslatefortheappointment.

C) SheranintoFredonherwayhere.

D) Sheoftenkeepsotherpeoplewaiting.

5. A)Simplyraisetheissueintheirpresentation.

B) Findmore relevantinformation for their work.

C) Putmoreeffortintopreparingforthepresentation.

D) Justmake use of whateverinformationisavailable.

6. A)Heneedsavehicletobeusedinharshweather.

B) He has a fairly large collectionofqualitytrucks.

C) Hehashadhistruckadaptedforcoldtemperatures.

D) He does routine truck maintenance for the woman.

7. A)Visit a different store for a silk or cotton shirt.

B) Getadiscountontheshirtsheisgoingtobuy.

C) Lookforashirtofamoresuitablecolorandsize.

D) Replace the shirt withone of some other material.

8. A) Not many people have read his article.

B) Heregretshavingpublishedthearticle.

C) Most readers do not share his viewpoints.

D) Thewomanisonlytryingtoconsolehim.

Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

9. A)To test how responsive dolphinsaretovarioussignals.

B) To examine how long it takes dolphins to acquire a skill.

C) To see if dolphins can learnto communicate with each other.

D) To find out if the female dolphinisclevererthanthemaleone.

10. A) Press the right-hand lever first. C)Raisetheirheadsabovethewater.

B) Produce the appropriate sound. D)Swimstraightintothesame tank.

11. A) Both dolphins were put in the same tank.

B) The male dolphin received more rewards.

C) The lever was beyond the dolphins’reach.

D) Onlyonedolphinwasabletoseethelight.

Questions12to15arebasedonthe conversation you have just heard.

12. A) Good or bad, they are there to stay.

B) Believeitornot,they have survived.

C) Likeitornot,youhavetousethem.

D) Gain or lose, they should be modernised.

13. A)The frequent train delays. C)Thefoodsoldonthetrains.

B) The monopoly of British Railways. D)Thehightrainticketfares.

14. A) Competition fromother modes of transport.

B) The low efficiency of their operation.

C) Constantcomplaintsfrompassengers.

D) Thepassingofthenewtransportact.

15. A)Theywillbede-nationalised. C)Theyarefastdisappearing.

B) They lose a lot of money. D)They provide worse service.

SectionB

Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 shortpassages.Attheendof eachpassage, youwillhearsomequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbe spokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebest answerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Thenmarkthe

correspondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethrough

thecentre.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1 上作答。

Passage One

Questions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

16. A) Iced coffees sold by some popular chains are contaminated.

B) Some iced coffees have asmany calories as a hot dinner.

C) Some brand-name coffeescontainharmfulsubstances.

D) Drinkingcoffee after a meal ismore likely to cause obesity.

17. A) Have some fresh fruit. C) Exerciseat the gym.

B) Takeahotshower. D)Eatahotdinner.

18. A)They could enjoy a happier family life.

B) Theycouldgreatlyimprovetheirworkefficiency.

C) Many embarrassing situations could be avoided.

D) Many cancer cases could be prevented.

PassageTwo

Questions19to21arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

19. A) It has attracted worldwide attention.

B) It will change the concept of food.

C) It can help solve global food crises.

D) It will become popular gradually.

20. A) It comes regularly from its donors.

B) It has been drastically cut by NASA.

C) Ithasbeenincreasedovertheyears.

D) Itisstillfarfrombeingsufficient.

21. A)Theyarelesshealthythanweexpected.

B) Theyarenotasnaturalaswebelieved.

C) Theyarenotasexpensiveasbefore.

D) Theyaremorenutritiousanddelicious.

Passage Three

Questions22to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

22. A)Writing articles on family violence.

B) Hunting news for the daily headlines.

C) Reporting criminal offenses in Greenville.

D) Covering major eventsof the day in the city.

23. A) It has fewer violentcrimesthanbigcities.

B) Itisamuchsaferplacethanitusedtobe.

C) Assaultsoftenhappenonschoolcampuses.

D) Rapesrarelyoccurinthedowntownareas.

24. A)Theyareverydestructive.

B) There are a wide range of cases.

C) There has been a rise in such crimes.

D) They have aroused fear among the residents.

25. A) Offer help to crime victims.

B) Work as a newspaper editor.

C) Write about something pleasant.

D) Dosomeresearchonlocalpolitics.

SectionC

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageis readforthefirsttime,youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea. Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillin theblankswiththeexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Finally,whenthe passageisreadforthethirdtime,youshouldcheckwhatyouhave written.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1 上作答。

GeorgeHerbertMeadsaidthathumansaretalkedintohumanity.Hemeantthat wegainpersonalidentityaswecommunicatewithothers.Intheearliestyearsofour lives,ourparentstelluswhoweare.“You’re 26.”“You’resostrong.”Wefirst seeourselvesthroughtheeyesofothers,sotheirmessagesformimportant 27of ourself-concepts.Laterweinteractwithteachers,friends,28partners, and co-workerswhocommunicatetheirviewsofus.Thus,howweseeourselvesreflects the views of us that others communicate.

The29connection betweenidentity and communication is dramatically evidentinchildrenwho30humancontact.Casestudiesofchildrenwhowere isolatedfromothersrevealthattheylackafirmself-concept,andtheirmentaland psychological development is severelyhinderedbylackoflanguage.

Communicationwithothersnotonlyaffectsoursenseof identitybutalsodirectly influences our physical and emotional31 . Consistently, research shows that communicatingwithotherspromoteshealth,whereassocialisolation32stress, disease,andearlydeath.Peoplewholackclosefriendshavegreaterlevelsofanxiety anddepressionthanpeoplewhoareclosetoothers.A groupofresearchersreviewed

33studiesthattracedtherelationshipbetweenhealthandinteractionwithothers. Theconclusionwasthatsocialisolation is34 as dangerous as high blood pressure,smokingandobesity.Manydoctorsandresearchersbelievethatloneliness harmstheimmunesystem,makingusmore35toarangeofminorandmajor illnesses.

PartIII ReadingComprehension (40minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredto selectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbank followingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemaking yourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.Please

markthe correspondingletter foreach itemon AnswerSheet2with

asinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthe

bank more than once.

Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.

Tounderstandwhyweshouldbeconcernedabouthowyoungpeopleread,it helpstoknowsomethingaboutthewaytheabilitytoreadevolved.Unliketheability tounderstandandproducespokenlanguage,theabilitytoreadmustbepainstakingly

36 byeachindividual.The“readingcircuits”weconstructinthebraincanbe

37 or they can be robust, depending on how often and how 38 we use them.

Thedeepreader entersa state of hypnotic trance (心醉神迷的状态). When

readersareenjoyingtheexperiencethemost,thepaceoftheirreading 39 slows. Thecombinationoffast,fluentdecodingofwordsandslow,unhurriedprogresson thepagegivesdeepreaderstimetoenrichtheirreadingwithreflectionandanalysis.It givesthemtimetoestablishan40 relationshipwiththeauthor,thetwoofthem

41 inalongandwarmconversationlike people falling in love.

Thisisnotreadingasmanyyoungpeopleknowit.Theirreadingisinstrumental: thedifferencebetweenwhatliterarycriticFrankKermodecalls“carnal(肉体的)

reading”and“spiritualreading.”Ifweallowouroffspringtobelievecarnalreadingis allthereis—ifwedon’topenthedoortospiritualreading,throughanearly 42 ondisciplineandpractice—wewillhave 43themofanenjoyableexperience theywouldnototherwiseencounter.Observingyoungpeople’s 44 todigital

devices, some progressive educators talk about “meeting kids where they are,” molding instruction around their onscreen habits. This ismistaken. We need,

45 ,toshowthemsomeplacethey’veneverbeen,aplaceonlydeepreadingcan take them.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2 上作答。

A) acquired I) intimate

B) actually J) notwithstanding

C) attachment K) petition

D) cheated L) rather

E) engaged M)scarcely

F) feeble N) swayed

G) illicit O) vigorously

H) insistence

word/media/image1.gifSectionB

Directions:

Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatements attachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneofthe paragraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationis derived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraph ismarkedwithaletter.Answerthequestionsbymarkingthe correspondingletteronAnswerSheet2.

IntotheUnknown

The world has never seen populationageing before. Can it cope?

[A]Untiltheearly1990snobodymuchthoughtaboutwholepopulationsgettingolder.

TheUNhadtheforesighttoconvenea“worldassemblyonageing”backin1982, butthatcameandwent.By1994theWorldBankhadnoticedthatsomethingbig washappening.Inareportentitled“AvertingtheOldAgeCrisis”,itarguedthat pension arrangements in most countries were unsustainable.

[B]Forthenexttenyearsasuccessionofbooks,mainlybyAmericans,soundedthe alarm.TheyhadtitleslikeYoungvsOld,GrayDawnandTheComing GenerationalStorm,andtheirmessagewasblunt:health-caresystemswere headingfortherocks,pensionersweretakingyoungpeopletothecleaners,and soon there would be intergenerational warfare.

[C]Sincethenthedebatehasbecomelessemotional,notleastbecausealotmoreis knownaboutthesubject.Books,conferencesandresearchpapershavemultiplied. InternationalorganisationssuchastheOECDandtheEUissueregularreports. Populationageingisoneveryagenda,fromG8economicconferencestoNATO summits.TheWorldEconomicForumplanstoconsiderthefutureofpensions andhealthcareatitsprestigiousDavosconferenceearlynextyear.Themedia, including this newspaper, are giving the subject extensive coverage.

[D]Whetherallthatattentionhastranslatedintosufficientactionisanotherquestion.

Governments in rich countries now accept that their pension and health-care promiseswillsoonbecomeunaffordable,andmanyofthemhaveembarkedon reforms,butsofaronlytimidly.Thatisnotsurprising:politicianswithaneyeon thenextelectionwillhardlyrushtointroduceunpopularmeasuresthatmaynot bear fruit for years, perhaps decades.

[E]Theoutlineofthechangesneededisclear.Toavoidfiscal(财政的)meltdown, public pensions and health-care provision will have to be reined back severely and taxesmayhavetogoup.Byfarthemosteffectivemethodtorestrainpension spendingistogivepeopletheopportunitytoworklonger,becauseitincreasestax revenuesandreducesspendingonpensionsatthesametime.Itmayevenkeep themalivelonger.JohnRother,theAARP’sheadofpolicyandstrategy,pointsto studiesshowingthatotherthingsbeingequal,peoplewhoremainatworkhave lowerdeathratesthantheirretiredpeers.

[F]Youngerpeopletodaymostlyacceptthattheywillhavetoworkforlongerand that their pensions will be less generous.Employersstillneedtobepersuadedthat olderworkersareworthholdingonto.Thatmaybebecausetheyhavehadplenty ofyoungeronestochoosefrom,partlythankstothepost-warbaby-boomand partlybecauseoverthepastfewdecadesmanymorewomenhaveenteredthe labourforce,increasingemployers’choice.Butthereservoirofwomenableand willingtotakeuppaidworkisrunninglow, andthe baby-boomers are going grey.

[G]Inmanycountriesimmigrantshavebeenfillingsuchgapsinthelabourforceas havealreadyemerged(andrememberthattherealshortageisstillaroundten yearsoff).Immigrationinthedevelopedworldisthehighestithaseverbeen,and itismakingausefuldifference.Instill-fertileAmericaitcurrentlyaccountsfor about40%oftotalpopulationgrowth,andinfast-ageingwesternEuropefor about 90%.

[H]Onthefaceofit,itseemstheperfectsolution.Manydevelopingcountrieshave lotsofyoungpeopleinneedofjobs;manyrichcountriesneedhelpinghandsthat willboosttaxrevenuesandkeepupeconomicgrowth.Butoverthenextfew decadeslabourforcesinrichcountriesaresettoshrinksomuchthatinflowsof immigrantswouldhavetoincreaseenormouslytocompensate:toatleasttwice theircurrentsizeinwesternEurope’smostyouthfulcountries,andthreetimesin theolderones.Japanwouldneedalargemultipleofthefewimmigrantsithasat present.Publicopinionpollsshowthatpeopleinmost richcountriesalreadythink thatimmigrationistoohigh.Furtherbigincreaseswouldbepoliticallyunfeasible.

[I] Totackletheproblemofageingpopulationsatitsroot,“old”countrieswould havetorejuvenate(使年轻)themselvesbyhavingmoreoftheirownchildren.A

numberofthemhavetried,somemoresuccessfullythanothers.Butitisnota simplematterofofferingfinancialincentivesorprovidingmorechildcare. Modernurbanlifeinrichcountriesisnotwelladaptedtolargefamilies.Women findithardtocombinefamilyandcareer.Theyoftencompromisebyhavingjust one child.

[J]Andiffertilityinageingcountriesdoesnotpickup?Itwillnotbetheendofthe world,atleastnotforquiteawhileyet,buttheworldwillslowlybecomea differentplace.Oldersocietiesmaybelessinnovativeandmorestrongly disinclinedtotakerisksthanyoungerones.By2025atthelatest,abouthalfthe votersinAmericaandmostofthoseinwesternEuropeancountrieswillbeover 50—andolderpeopleturnouttovoteinmuchgreaternumbersthanyoungerones. Academicstudieshavefoundnoevidencesofarthatoldervotershaveusedtheir powerattheballotboxtopushforpoliciesthatspecificallybenefitthem,though if in future there are many more ofthemthey might start doing so.

[K]Noristhereanysignof theintergenerationalwarfarepredictedinthe1990s.After all,olderpeoplethemselvesmostlyhavefamilies.Inarecentstudyofparentsand grown-upchildrenin11Europeancountries,KarstenHankofMannheim Universityfoundthat85%ofthemlivedwithin25kmofeachotherandthe majority of themwere in touch at least once a week.

[L]Evenso,theshiftinthecentreofgravitytoolderagegroupsisboundtohavea profoundeffectonsocieties,notjusteconomicallyandpoliticallybutinallsorts ofotherwaystoo.RichardJacksonandNeilHoweofAmerica’sCSIS,ina thoughtfulbookcalledTheGrayingoftheGreatPowers,arguethat,amongother things,theageingofthedevelopedcountrieswillhaveanumberofserious security implications.

[M]Forexample,theshortageofyoungadultsislikelytomakecountriesmore reluctanttocommitthefewtheyhavetomilitaryservice.Inthedecadesto2050, Americawillfinditselfplayinganever-increasingroleinthedevelopedworld’s defenceeffort.BecauseAmerica’spopulationwillstillbegrowingwhenthatof mostotherdevelopedcountriesisshrinking,Americawillbetheonlydeveloped

countrythatstillmatters geopolitically (地缘政治上).

Askmein2020

[N]Thereislittlethatcanbedonetostoppopulationageing,sotheworldwillhaveto livewithit.Butsomeoftheconsequencescanbealleviated.Manyexpertsnow believethatgiventherightpolicies,theeffects,thoughgrave,neednotbe catastrophic.Mostcountrieshaverecognisedtheneedtodosomethingandare beginningtoact.

[O]Buteventhenthereisno guaranteethattheireffortswillwork.Whatishappening nowishistoricallyunprecedented.RonaldLee,directoroftheCentreonthe EconomicsandDemographyofAgeingattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley, putsitbrieflyandclearly:“Wedon’treallyknowwhatpopulationageingwillbe like, because nobody has done it yet.”

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2 上作答。

46. Employers should realiseit is important tokeep older workers in the workforce.

47. A recent study found that most old people insome European countries had regular weekly contact with their adult children.

48. Fewgovernmentsinrichcountrieshavelaunchedboldreformstotacklethe problemof population ageing.

49. Inareportpublishedsome20yearsago,thesustainabilityofold-agepension systems in most countries was called into doubt.

50. Countries thathaveashortageofyoungadults will be less willingtosendthemto war.

51. One-childfamiliesaremorecommoninageingsocietiesduetothestressof urban life and the difficulties ofbalancing family and career.

52. Aseriesofbooks,mostlyauthoredbyAmericans,warnedofconflictsbetween the older and younger generations.

53. Comparedwithyoungerones,oldersocietiestendtobelessinnovativeandtake fewer risks.

54. Thebestsolutiontothepensioncrisis is to postpone the retirement age.

55. Immigration as a means to boost the shrinking labourforce may meet with resistance in some rich countries.

SectionC

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysome

questions

or unfinishedstatements.For eachof them there are four

choicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthebestchoice andmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2witha single linethrough the centre.

Passage One

Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.

Formostofthe20thcentury,Asiaaskeditselfwhatitcouldlearnfromthe modern,innovatingWest.Nowthequestionmustbereversed:whatcantheWest’s

overlyindebtedand sluggish(经济滞长的) nations learn from a flourishing Asia?

Justafewdecadesago,Asia’stwogiantswerestagnating(停滞不前)under

faultyeconomicideologies.However,onceChinabeganembracingfree-market reformsinthe1980s,followedbyIndiainthe1990s,bothcountriesachievedrapid growth.Crucially,astheyopeneduptheirmarkets,theybalancedmarketeconomy withsensiblegovernmentdirection.AstheIndianeconomistAmartyaSenhaswisely said,“Theinvisiblehandofthemarkethasoftenreliedheavilyonthevisiblehandof government.”

Contrast this middle path with America and Europe, which have each gone ideologicallyoverboardintheirownways.Sincethe1980s,Americahasbeen increasinglyclingingtotheideologyofuncontrolledfreemarketsanddismissingthe roleofgovernment—followingRonaldReagan’sideathat“governmentisnotthe solutiontoourproblem;governmentistheproblem.”Ofcourse,whenthemarkets camecrashingdownin2007,itwasdecisivegovernmentinterventionthatsavedthe day.Despitethisfact,manyAmericansarestillstronglyopposedto“big government.”

IfAmericanscouldonlyfreethemselvesfromtheirantigovernmentdoctrine, theywouldbegintoseethatAmerica’sproblemsarenotinsoluble.Afewsensible federalmeasurescouldputthecountrybackontherightpath.Asimpleconsumption taxof,say,5%wouldsignificantlyreducethecountry’shugegovernmentdeficit withoutdamagingproductivity.AsmallgasolinetaxwouldhelpfreeAmericafrom itsdependenceonoilimportsandcreateincentivesforgreenenergydevelopment.In thesameway,asignificantreductionofwastefulagriculturalsubsidiescouldalso lowerthedeficit.Butinordertotakeadvantageofthesecommon-sensesolutions, Americanswillhavetoputasidetheirownattachmenttotheideaofsmaller governmentandlessregulation.Americanpoliticianswillhavetodevelopthe couragetofollowwhatistaughtinallAmericanpublic-policyschools:thatthereare goodtaxesandbadtaxes.Asiancountrieshaveembracedthiswisdom,andhavebuilt

sound long-termfiscal (财政的)policiesasaresult.

Meanwhile,Europehasfallenpreytoadifferentideologicaltrap:thebeliefthat

European governmentswould always have infinite

resources and could continue

borrowingasiftherewerenotomorrow.UnliketheAmericans,whofeltthatthe marketsknewbest,theEuropeansfailedtoanticipatehowthemarketswouldreactto theirendlessborrowing.Today,theEuropeanUnioniscreatinga$580billionfundto ward off sovereign collapse. This will buy theEU time,butitwillnotsolvethebloc’s larger problem.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2 上作答。

56. Whathascontributedtotherapideconomic growth in China and India?

A) Free market plus government intervention.

B) Heavy reliance on the hand of government.

C) Copying western-style economic behavior.

D) Timelyreformofgovernmentatalllevels.

57. WhatdoesRonaldReaganmeanbysaying“governmentistheproblem”(Line5, Para. 3)?

A) Governmentactioniskeytosolvingeconomic problems.

B) Many social problems arisefromgovernment inefficiency.

C) Manysocialillsarecaused by wrong government policies.

D) Government regulation hinders economic development.

58. What stopped theAmerican economyfromcollapsingin2007?

A) Cooperationbetweenthegovernmentandbusinesses.

B) Self-regulatory repairmechanisms ofthe free market.

C) Effective measures adopted by the government.

D) Abandonment of big government by the public.

59. Whatistheauthor’ssuggestiontotheAmericanpublicinfaceofthegovernment deficit?

A) They give up the idea of smaller government and less regulation.

B) Theyputupwiththeinevitablesharpincreaseofdifferenttaxes.

C) They urge the government to revise its existing public policies.

D) Theydevelopgreenenergytoavoiddependenceonoilimport.

60. What is the problemwith the European Union?

A) Conservativeideology. C)Lackofresources.

B) Excessive borrowing. D) Shrinkingmarket.

PassageTwo

Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.

PictureatypicalMBAlecturetheatretwentyyearsago.Initthemajorityof studentswillhaveconformedtothestandardmodelofthetime:male,middleclass andWestern.Walkintoaclasstoday,however,andyou’llgetacompletelydifferent impression.Forastart,youwillnowseeplentymorewomen—theUniversityof Pennsylvania’sWhartonSchool,forexample,boaststhat40%ofitsnew enrolmentis female.Youwillalsoseeawiderangeofethnicgroupsandnationalsofpractically every country.

Itmightbetempting,therefore,tothinkthattheoldbarriershavebeenbroken downandequalopportunityachieved.But,increasingly,thisapparentdiversityis becomingamaskforanewtypeofconformity.Behindthedifferencesinsex,skin tonesandmothertongues,therearecommonattitudes,expectationsandambitions whichriskcreatingasetofclonesamongthebusinessleadersofthefuture.

Diversity,itseems,hasnothelpedtoaddressfundamentalweaknessesin businessleadership.Sowhatcanbedonetocreatemoreeffectivemanagersofthe commercialworld?AccordingtoValerieGauthier,associatedeanatHECParis,the keyliesintheprocessbywhichMBAprogrammesrecruittheirstudents.Atthe momentcandidatesareselectedonafairlynarrowsetofcriteriasuchasprior academicandcareerperformance,andanalyticalandproblemsolvingabilities.This isthencoupledtoaschool’spictureofwhatadiverseclassshouldlooklike,withthe resultthatpassport,ethnicoriginandsexcanallbecomeinfluencingfactors.But schoolsrarelydigdowntofindoutwhatreallymakesanapplicantsucceed,tocreate aclasswhichalsocontainsdiversityofattitudeandapproach—arguablytheonly diversitythat,inabusiness context, really matters.

ProfessorGauthierbelievesschoolsshouldnotjustbeselectingcandidatesfrom traditionalsectorssuchasbanking,consultancyandindustry.Theyshouldalsobe seekingindividualswhohavebackgroundsinareassuchaspoliticalscience,the

creativearts,historyorphilosophy,whichwillallowthemtoputbusinessdecisions intoawidercontext.

Indeed,theredoesseemtobeademandforthemoreroundedleaderssuch diversity might create. AstudybyMannaz,aleadershipdevelopmentcompany, suggeststhat,whilethebully-boychiefexecutiveofoldmaynothavebeen eradicatedcompletely,thereisadefiniteshiftinemphasistowardslesstoughstyles ofmanagement—atleastinAmericaandEurope.Perhapsmostsignificant,according toMannaz,istheincreasinginterestlargecompanieshaveinmorecollaborative managementmodels,suchasthoseprevalentinScandinavia,whichseektointegrate thehardandsoftaspectsofleadershipandencouragedelegatedresponsibilityand accountability.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2 上作答。

61. Whatcharacterisesthebusinessschool student population of today?

A) Greater diversity. C) Exceptional diligence.

B) Intellectual maturity. D) Higher ambition.

62. Whatistheauthor’s concernabout current business school education?

A) It will arouse students’unrealisticexpectations.

B) It stresses competition rather thancooperation.

C) It focuses on theory ratherthanonpracticalskills.

D) It will produce business leaders ofa uniformstyle.

63. What aspect of diversity does Valerie Gauthier think is most important?

A) Attitude andapproachtobusiness.

B) Social and professional experience.

C) Ageandeducationalbackground.

D) Ethnic origin and gender.

64. WhatapplicantsdoestheauthorthinkMBAprogrammesshouldconsiderrecruiting?

A) Applicants with priorexperienceincorporateactivities.

B) Applicants with sound knowledge in math and statistics.

C) Applicants fromless developedregionsandareas.

D) Applicants fromoutside the traditional sectors.

65. What does Mannaz say about the current management style?

A) Itiseradicatingthetough aspects of management.

B) Itisshiftingtowardsmorecollaborativemodels.

C) Itadoptsthebully-boychiefexecutivemodel.

D) Itencouragesmaleandfemaleexecutivestoworksidebyside.

PartIV Translation (30minutes)

Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestotranslateapassagefrom ChineseintoEnglish.YoushouldwriteyouransweronAnswerSheet2.

中国新年是中国最重要的传统节日，在中国也被称为春节。新年的庆祝活动从除夕开始一直延续到元宵节（theLantern Festival），即从农历（lunar calendar）最后一个月的最后一天至新年第一个月的第十五天。各地欢度春节的习俗和传统有很大差异，但通常每个家庭都会在除夕夜团聚，一起吃年夜饭。为驱厄运、迎好运，家家户户都会进行大扫除。人们还会在门上粘贴红色的对联（couplets），对联的主题为健康、发财和好运。其他的活动还有放鞭炮、发红包和探亲访友等。

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2 上作答。

Tape Script of Listening Comprehension

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2long conversations. Atthe end ofeachconversation,oneor more questionswill beaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Boththeconversationandthequestions willbespokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestiontherewillbeapause. Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)and D),anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.Thenmarkthecorresponding

letteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

1. W: DidyouhearthatAnnaneedstostayinbedforfourweeks?

M:Yeah.Sheinjuredherspineinafall.Andthedoctortoldhertolieflatonherback for a month, so it can mend.

Q:What can we learn from the conversation?

2. W:We’retakingupacollectiontobuyagiftforGemma.She’llhavebeenwiththe company25yearsnextweek.

M:Well, count me in, but I’ma bit short on cash now.When do you need it? Q:What is the man going to do?

3. W:Tony’smotherhasinvitedmetodinner.DoyouthinkIshouldtellherin advance that I’ma vegetarian?

M:Ofcourse.Ithinkshe’dappreciateit—imaginehowyou’dbothfeelifshefixeda turkey dinner or something.

Q:What does the man suggest the woman do?

4. W:Ihopeyou’renottooputoutwithmeforthedelay.IhadtostopbyFred’s home to pick up a book on my way here.

M:Well,that’snotabigdeal.Butyoumightatleastphoneifyouknowyou’regoing to keep someone waiting.

Q:What do we learn about the woman fromthe conversation?

5. W:Idon’tthinkwehaveenoughinformationforourpresentation.Butwehaveto giveittomorrow.Theredoesn’t seemtobemuchwecandoaboutit.

M:Yeah.Atthispoint,we’llhave to make do with what we’ve got. Q:What does the man suggest they do?

6. M:ThistrucklookslikewhatIneed,butI’mworriedaboutmaintenance.Forus, it’llhavetooperateforlongperiodsoftimeinverycoldtemperatures.

W:Wehaveseveralmodelsthatarespeciallyadaptedforextremeconditions.Would youliketoseethem?

Q:What do we learn about the man fromthe conversation?

7. W:I’dliketoexchangethisshirt.I’velearnedthatthepersonIboughtitforis allergic to wool.

M:Maybewecanfindsomethingincotton or silk. Please come this way. Q:What does the woman want to do?

8. W:Ithinkyourarticleintheschoolnewspaperisrightontarget.Andyour viewpoints have certainly convinced me.

M:Thanks.Butinviewofthegeneralresponses,youandIaredefinitelyinthe minority.

Q:What does the man mean?

Conversation One

W:OneofthemostinterestingexperimentswithdolphinsmustbeonedonebyDr JarvisBastian.WhathetriedtodowastoteachamaledolphincalledBuzzanda female called Doris to communicate witheachotheracrossasolidbarrier.

M: So how did he do it exactly?

W:Well,firstofallhekeptthetwodolphinstogetherinthesametankandtaught themtopressleverswhenevertheysawalight.Theleverswerefittedtothesideof thetanknexttoeachother.Ifthelightflashedonandoffseveraltimes,thedolphins weresupposedtopresstheleft-handleverfollowedbytheright-handone.Ifthelight waskeptsteady,thedolphinsweresupposedtopresstheleversinreverseorder. Whenever they responded correctly they were rewarded with fish.

M: Sounds terribly complicated …

W:Well,thatwasthefirststage.Inthesecondstage,DrBastianseparatedthe dolphinsintotwotanks.Theycouldstillhearoneanotherbuttheycouldn’tactually seeeachother.Theleversandthelightweresetupinexactlythesameway,except thatthistimeitwasonlyDoriswhocouldseethelightindicating whichleverto press first.Butinordertogettheirfishbothdolphinshadtopresstheleversinthecorrect order.ThismeantofcoursethatDorishadtotellBuzzwhetheritwasaflashinglight orwhetheritwasasteadylight.

M: So did it work?

W:Well – amazingly enough, the dolphins achieveda100%successrate…

Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

9. What is the purpose of Dr Jarvis Bastian’s experiment?

10. Whatwerethedolphinssupposedto dowhentheysawthesteadylight?

11. Howdidthesecondstageoftheexperiment differ fromthe first stage?

ConversationTwo

W:There’sanelementthereaboutcompetition,though,isn’tthere?BecauseBritish Railways are a nationalised industry,there’sonlyonerailwaysysteminthecountry.If youdon’tlikeaparticularcanofbakedbeans,youcangoandbuyanother,butifyou don’tlikeaparticularrailway,youcan’tgoanduseanother.

M:Somepeoplewhowritetomesaythis.Theysaythatifyoudidn’thavea monopoly,youwouldn’tbeabletodothethingsyoudo.Well,Idon’tthinkwedo anythingdeliberatelytoupsetourcustomers.Wehaveparticularproblems.Since 1946 when theTransportAct came in, we were nationalised.

W:Doyouthinkthat’sagoodthing?Hasitbeenagoodthingfortherailways,do you think, to benationalised?

M:Oh,Ithinkso,yes.Becauseingeneral,modesoftransportareallaround,let’s facethefact.Thecararrived,thecarisheretostay.There’snoquestionaboutthat. W:Sowhatyou’resayingthenisthatiftherailwayshadn’tbeennationalised,they would simply have disappeared.

M:Oh,Ithinktheywouldhave.They’redisappearingfastinAmerica.Er,theFrench railwayslose£1billionayear,theGermanrailways£2billionayear.Butyousee, thosegovernmentsarepreparedtopourmoneyintothetransportsystemtokeepit going.

W:Soinasenseyou’recaughtbetweentwoextremes,ontheonehandyou’retrying nottolosetoomuchmoney,andontheotherhandyou’vegottoprovidethebest service.

M:Yes, you’re right.

Questions12to15arebasedonthe conversation you have just heard.

12. WhatdoesthewomansayaboutBritishRailways?

13. Whatdosome peoplewhowritetothemancomplainabout?

14. What does the man say threatenstheexistenceofrailways?

15. What does the man say about railways in other countries?

SectionB

Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 shortpassages.Attheendof eachpassage, youwillhearsomequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbe spokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebest answerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Thenmarkthe

correspondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethrough

thecentre.

Passage One

Enjoyinganicedcoffee?Betterskipdinnerorhitthegymafterwards,witha cancercharitywarningthatsomeicedcoffeescontainasmanycaloriesasahot dinner.

TheWorldCancerResearchFund(WCRF)conductedasurveyoficedcoffees soldbysomepopularchainsinBritainincludingStarbucks,CaffeNeroandCosta Coffee to gauge the calories as studies increasingly link obesity with cancer.

Theworstoffender—acoffeefromStarbucks—had561calories.Othericed coffees contained more than 450 calories andthemajorityhadinexcessof200.

Healthexpertsadvisethattheaveragewomanshouldconsumeabout2,000 caloriesadayandamanabout2,500caloriestomaintainahealthyweight.Dieters

aimfor 1,000 to 1,500 calories a day.

“Thefactthatthereisanicedcoffeeonthemarketwithoveraquarterofa woman’sdailycaloriesallowanceisalarming,”Dr.RachelThompson,science program manager at London-basedWCRF, said in a widely-reported statement.

“Thisistheamountofcaloriesyoumightexpecttohaveinaneveningmeal,not in a drink.”

TheWCRFhasestimatedthat19,000cancersayearinBritaincouldbe preventedifpeoplelosttheirexcessweight,withgrowingevidencethatexcessbody fat increases the risk of various cancers.

“Ifyouarehavingthesetypesofcoffeeregularly,thentheywillincreasethe chancesofyoubecomingoverweight,whichinturnincreasesyourriskofdeveloping cancer,aswellasotherdiseasessuch as heart disease,” she added.

Questions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

16. What warning did some health experts give?

17. What does the speaker suggest people do after they have an iced coffee?

18. What could British people expect if they maintained a normal body weight according totheWCRF?

PassageTwo

InasmalllaboratoryattheMedicalUniversityofSouthCarolina,Dr.Vladimir Mironovhasbeenworkingforadecadetogrowmeat.

Adevelopmentalbiologistandtissueengineer,Dr.Mironovisoneofonlyafew scientistsworldwideinvolvedinbioengineering“cultured”meat.

It’saproducthebelievescouldhelpsolvefutureglobalfoodcrisesresulting fromshrinking amounts of land available for growing meat the old-fashioned way.

GrowthofculturedmeatisalsounderwayintheNetherlands,Mironovtold Reutersinaninterview,butintheUnitedStates,itisscienceinsearchoffundingand demand.

ThenewNationalInstituteofFoodandAgriculturewon’tfundit,theNational Institutes of Health won’t fund it, and NASAfunded it only briefly,Mironov said.

“It’sclassicdisruptivetechnology,”Mironovsaid.“Bringinganynew technologyonthemarket,onaverage,costs$1billion.Wedon’tevenhave$1 million.”

DirectoroftheAdvancedTissueBiofabricationCenterintheDepartmentof RegenerativeMedicineandCellBiologyatthemedicaluniversity,Mironovnow primarily conducts research on tissue engineering, or growing, of human organs.

“There’sanunpleasantfactorwhenpeoplefindoutmeatisgrowninalab.They don’tliketoassociatetechnologywithfood,”saidNicholasGenovese,avisiting scholarincancercellbiology.

“Butthere’realotofproductsthatweeattodaythatareconsiderednaturalthat are produced in a similar manner,” Genovese said.

Questions19to21arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

19. What does Dr. Mironov think ofbioengineeringculturedmeat?

20. What does Dr. Mironov say aboutthefundingfortheirresearch?

21. WhatdoesNicholasGenovesesayabouta lot of products we eat today?

Passage Three

FlorenceHayesisajournalistfortheGreenvilleJournal,thedailynewspaperin town.Specifically,shecoverscrimeintheGreenvillearea.Thisresponsibilitytakes hertomanydifferentplaceseveryweek—thepolice station, the courtandthehospital. Mostofthecrimesthatshewritesaboutfallintotwogroups:violentcrimesand crimes against property.

Thereisn’tmuchviolentcrimeinasmalltownlikeGreenville,oratleastnotas muchasinlargeurbanareas.ButassaultsoftenoccuronFridayandSaturdaynights nearthebarsdowntown.There’realsooneortworapesoncampuseverysemester. Florenceisveryinterestedinthistypeofcrimeandtriestowritealongarticleabout eachone.Sheexpectsthatthiswillmakewomenmorecarefulwhentheywalk aroundGreenvillealoneatnight.Fortunately,there’reusuallynomurdersin Greenville.

CrimesagainstpropertymakeupmostofMs.Hayes’reporting.Theyrangefrom minorcasesofdeliberatedamagingofthingstomuchmoreseriousoffenses,suchas caraccidentsinvolvingdrunkdrivers,orbankrobberies.ButFlorencehastoreport alloftheseviolations,fromthethiefwhotooktypewritersfromeveryunlockedroom inadormitorytothethiefwhostole$1millionworthofartworkfromtheuniversity museum.

Ms.Hayesenjoysworkingforanewspaper,butshesometimesgetsunhappy aboutallthecrimesshehastoreport.Shewouldprefertostartwritingabout somethingmoreinterestingandlessunpleasant, suchaslocalnewsorpolitics.Maybe next year!

Questions22to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

22. What is Florence Hayes’mainresponsibilityasajournalist?

23. What does the speaker say aboutsecurityinGreenville?

24. What do we learn about crimes againstpropertyintheGreenvillearea?

25. What would Florence Hayes prefer to do?

SectionC

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageis readforthefirsttime,youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea. Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillin theblankswiththeexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Finally,whenthe passageisreadforthethirdtime,youshouldcheckwhatyouhave written.

GeorgeHerbertMeadsaidthathumansaretalkedintohumanity.Hemeantthat wegainpersonalidentityaswecommunicatewithothers.Intheearliestyearsofour lives,ourparentstelluswhoweare.“You’re(26)intelligent.”“You’resostrong.” Wefirstseeourselvesthroughtheeyesofothers,sotheirmessagesformimportant

(27) foundations ofour self-concepts. Later we interact with teachers, friends,

(28) romanticpartners,andco-workerswhocommunicatetheirviewsofus.Thus, how we see ourselves reflects the views of us that others communicate.

The (29) profound connection between identity and communication is dramaticallyevidentinchildrenwho(30)aredeprivedofhumancontact. Case studiesofchildrenwhowereisolatedfromothersrevealthattheylackafirm self-concept,andtheirmentalandpsychologicaldevelopmentisseverelyhinderedby lack of language.

Communicationwithothersnotonlyaffectsoursenseof identitybutalsodirectly influencesourphysicalandemotional(31)well-being.Consistently,researchshows thatcommunicatingwithotherspromoteshealth,whereassocialisolation(32)islinkedtostress,disease,andearlydeath.Peoplewholackclosefriendshavegreaterlevels ofanxietyanddepressionthanpeoplewhoareclosetoothers.Agroupofresearchers reviewed(33)scores ofstudiesthattracedtherelationshipbetweenhealthand interactionwithothers.Theconclusionwasthatsocialisolationis(34)statisticallyas dangerousashighbloodpressure,smokingandobesity.Manydoctorsand researchers believe that loneliness harms the immune system, making us more

(35)vulnerableto a range of minor and major illnesses.

参考答案

PartII ListeningComprehension

SectionA

SectionC

26. intelligent 27. foundations

28. romantic 29. profound

30.are deprived of 31.well-being

32. is linked to 33. scores of

34.statistically 35.vulnerable

PartIII ReadingComprehension

SectionA

PartIV Translation

ChineseNewYearisthemostimportanttraditionalChineseholiday.InChina,it isalsoknownastheSpringFestival.NewYearcelebrationsrunfromChineseNew Year’sEve,thelastdayofthelastmonthofthelunarcalendar,totheLanternFestival onthe15thdayofthefirstmonth.Customsandtraditionsconcerningthecelebration oftheChineseNewYearvarywidelyfromplacetoplace.However,NewYear’sEve isusuallyanoccasionforChinesefamiliestogatherfortheannualreuniondinner.It isalsotraditionalforeveryfamilytothoroughlycleanthehouseinordertosweep awayillfortuneandtobringingoodluck.Anddoorswillbedecoratedwithred coupletswiththemesofhealth,wealthandgoodluck.Otheractivitiesincludelighting firecrackers,givingmoneyinredenvelopes, and visiting relativesandfriends.

2014年12月大学英语六级考试样题及答案