2010年12月英语六级考试预测试题及答案4.doc

2010年12月英语六级考试预测试题及答案 Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic: Travel-mate Wanted. You should write at least 150 word following the outline given below:假设你是李明，假期即将到来，你打算做一次为期三周的旅行，希望找个外国朋友作为游伴(Travel-mate)。拟一个寻游伴的启事，交代清楚日程安排、费用分担情况、对对方的要求等，并说明对方和你一起出游的好处。Travel-mate WantedPart 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 1-4, markY (for YES) if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage;N (for NO) if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage;NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage.For questions 5-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.Is College Really Worth the Money?The Real WorldEste Griffith had it all figured out. When she graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in April 2001, she had her sights set on one thing: working for a labor union.The real world had other ideas. Griffith left school with not only a degree, but a boatload of debt. She owed $15,000 in student loans and had racked up $4,000 in credit card debt for books, groceries and other expenses. No labor union job could pay enough to bail her out.So Griffith went to work instead for a Washington, D.C. firm that specializes in economic development. Problem solved? Nope. At age 24, she takes home about $1,800 a month, $1,200 of which disappears to pay her rent. Add another $180 a month to retire her student loans and $300 a month to whittle down her credit card balance. You do the math, she says.Griffith has practically no money to live on. She brown-bags(自带午餐)her lunch and bikes to work. Above all, she fears shell never own a house or be able to retire. Its not that she regrets getting her degree. But they dont tell you that the trade-off is the next ten years of your income, she says.Thats precisely the deal being made by more and more college students. Theyre mortgaging their futures to meet soaring tuition costs and other college expenses. Like Griffith, theyre facing a one-two punch at graduation: hefty(深重的)student loans and smothering credit card debtnot to mention a job market that, for now anyway, is dismal.We are forcing our children to make a choice between two evils, says Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard Law professor and expert on bankruptcy. Skip college and face a life of diminished opportunity. or go to college and face a life shackled(束缚)by debt.Tuition HikesFor some time, colleges have insisted their steep tuition hikes are needed to pay for cutting-edge technologies, faculty and administration salaries, and rising health care costs. Now theres a new culprit(犯人): shrinking state support. Caught in a severe budget crunch, many states have sharply scaled back their funding for higher education.Someone had to make up for those lost dollars. And you can guess whoespecially if you live in Massachusetts, which last year hiked its tuition and fees by 24 percent, after funding dropped by 3 percent, or in Missouri, where appropriations(拨款)fell by 10 percent, but tuition rose at double that rate. About one-third of the states, in fact, have increased tuition and fees by more than 10 percent.One of those states is California, and Janet Burrells family is feeling the pain. A bookkeeper in Torrance, Burrell has a daughter at the University of California at Davis Meanwhile, her sons attend two-year colleges because Burrell cant afford to have all of them in four-year schools at once.Meanwhile, even with tuition hikes, Californias community colleges are so strapped for cash they dropped thousands of classes last spring. The result: 54,000 fewer students.Collapsing InvestmentsMany families thought they had a surefire plan: even if tuition kept skyrocketing, they had invested enough money along the way to meet the costs. Then a funny thing happened on the way to Wall Street. Those investments collapsed with the stock market. Among the losers last year: the wildly popular 529 plansfederal tax-exempt college savings plans offered by individual states, which have attracted billions from families around the country. We hear from many parents that what they had set aside declined in value so much that they now dont have enough to see their students through, says Penn State financial aid director Anna Griswold, who witnessed a 10 percent increase in loan applications last year. Even with a market that may be slowly recovering, it will take time, perhaps several years, for people to recoup(补偿)their losses.Nadine Sayegh is among those who didnt have the luxury of waiting for her college nest egg to grow back. Her father had invested money toward her tuition, but a large chunk of it vanished when stocks went south. Nadine was then only partway through college. By graduation, she had taken out at least $10,000 in loans, and her mother had borrowed even more on her behalf. Now 22, Nadine is attending law school, having signed for yet more loans to pay for that. There wasnt any way to do it differently, she says, and Im not happy about it. Ive sat down and calculated how long it will take me to pay off everything. Ill be 35 years old. Thats if shes very lucky: Nadine based her calculation on landing a job right out of law school that will pay her at least $120,000 a year.Dependent on Loans and Credit CardsThe American Council on Education has its own calculation that shows how students are more and more dependent on loans. In just five years, from 1995 to 2000, the median loan debt at public institutions rose from $10,342 to $15,375. Most of this comes from federal loans, which Congress made more tempting in 1992 by expanding eligibility (home equity no longer counts against your assets) and raising loan limits (a dependent undergraduate can now borrow up to $23,000 from the federal government).But students arent stopping there. The College Board estimates that they also borrowed $4.5 billion from private lenders in the 2000-2001 academic year, up from $1.5 billion just five years earlier.For lots of students, the worst of it isnt even the weight of those direct student loans. Its what they rack up on all those plastic cards in their wallets. As of two years ago, according to a study by lender Nellie Mae, more than eight out of ten undergrads had their own credit cards, with the typical student carrying four. Thats no big surprise, given the in-your-face marketing by credit card companies, which set up tables on campus to entice(诱惑)students to sign up. Some colleges ban or restrict this hawking, but others give it a boost. You know those credit cards emblazoned with a schools picture or its logo? For sanctioning such a carda must-have for some studentsa college department or association gets payments from the issuer. Meanwhile, from freshman year to graduation, according to the Nellie Mae study, students triple the number of credit cards they own and double their debt on them. As of 2001, they were in the hole an average $2,327.A Wise Choice?One day, Moyer sat down with his mother, Janne ODonnell, to talk about his goal of going to law school. Dont count on it, ODonnell told him. She couldnt afford the cost and Moyer doubted he could get a loan, given how much he owed already. He said he felt like a failure, ODonnell recalls. He didnt know how he had gotten into such a mess.A week later, the 22-year-old hanged himself in his bedroom, where his mother found him. ODonnell is convinced the money pressures caused his suicide. Sean tried to pay his debts off, she says. And he couldnt take it.To be sure, suicides are exceedingly rare. But despair is common, and it sometimes leads students to rethink whether college was worth it. In fact, there are quite a few jobs that dont require a college degree, yet pay fairly well. On average, though, college graduates can expect to earn 80 percent more than those with only a high school diploma. Also, all but two of the 50 highest paying jobs (the exceptions being air traffic controllers and nuclear power reactor operators) require a four-year college degree. So foregoing a college education is often not a wise choice.Merit Mikhail, who graduated last June from the University of California, Riverside, is glad she borrowed to get through school. But she left Riverside owing $20,000 in student loans and another $7,000 in credit card debt. Now in law school, Merit hopes to become a public-interest attorney, yet she may have to postpone that goal, which bothers her. To handle her debt, shell probably need to start with a more lucrative(有利的)legal job.Like so many other students. Mikhail took out her loans on a kind of blind faith that she could deal with the consequences. You say to yourself, I have to go into debt to make it work, and whatever it takes later, Ill manage. Later has now arrived, and Mikhail is finding out the true cost of her college degree.1. Griffith worked for a firm that specialized in economic development in Washington D.C. because she needed money to pay for her debt.2. The only problem the students are facing at graduation is the dismal job market.3. One reason why colleges increase tuition and fees is that the state support is shrinking.4. Nearly all the families can manage to meet the soaring tuition costs through various investment plans.5. According to Nadines calculation, she can pay off all her debt when she is _ if she can get a salary of $120,000 a year right out of law school.6. Students get money from not only federal loans but also _.7. The college department or association can get payments from the issuer if it sanctions credit cards decorated with _.8. ODonnell thinks that the cause of her 22-year-old sons suicide is _.9. The author says that foregoing a college education is often not a wise choice because _ of the 50 highest paying jobs require a four-year college degree except for air traffic controllers and nuclear power reactor operators.10. Merit will have to start with a more lucrative legal job instead of her favorite positiona public-interest attorney because she has to _.Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)Section ADirections: 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 center.11. A Husband and wife. B Doctor and nurse.C Sales clerk and customer. D Airline agent and customer.12. A Hes a secretary. B Hes a novelist.C Hes newspaperman. D Hes a worker.13. A On a mountain path. B In a supermarket.C On a road. D In a railway station.14. A Monday morning. B Monday afternoon.C Wednesday morning. D Friday afternoon.15. A To encourage them. B To stop them immediately.C To give some explanation. D To leave them alone.16. A She has bad study habits. B She sleeps too much.C She wakes up late. D Shes an excellent student.17. A 4 hours. B 6 hours. C 12 hours. D 18 hours.18. A How primitive people used flags.B What the ancient means of communication was.C Why the torch towers were built.D How the Great Wall came into being.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. A By attending a class. B From her parents.C Through a gardening magazine. D From her neighbors.20. A Sunlight. B Location. C Soil. D Drainage.21. A Tomatoes, beets, eggplant, and cabbages.B Strawberries, green peppers, and okra.C Basil, onions, cantaloupe, and banana peppers.D Green beans, bananas, corn, and pumpkins.22. A You can grow vegetables vertically.B You can raise plants in a confined area.C You can plant a wide variety of plants together.D You can enjoy the beautiful scenery.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. A E-commerce. B Wireless communications.C Business and the web. D New technology.24. A High bandwidth Internet connectionsB Cable.C Related technologies.D Electronic devices.25. A Online business. B Some new products.C Cable modems. D A new high-speed network.Section BDirections: 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 center.Passage OneQuestions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. A Rent is within the budget of university students.B Both room and board are often provided.C Student housing is located on campus.D The maintenance is usually handled by someone else.27. A They may have to follow certain housing rules.B A deposit may be required to rent an apartment.C On -campus apartments are limited.D They have to devote all their time to the academics.28. A To pay a refundable deposit.B To provide their own furnishings.C To sign a housing contract.D To cook by themselves.Passage TwoQuestions 29 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.29. A At 9:00. B At 9:15. C At 9:50. D At 9:30.30. A In 1397. B In 1379. C In 1339. D In 1030.31. A Its trees. B Its stone walls. C Its rock garden. D Its pronunciation.32. A 45 minutes. B 60 minutes. C 90 minutes. D 40 minutes.Passage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33. A Benjamin Franklin was a great scientist.B Benjamin Franklin signed four historic documents in his lifetime.C Benjamin Franklin didnt leave school until he was twenty.D Benjamin Franklin once had his own print shop.34. A After he bought his own print shop.B After he signed some historic documents.C When he invented the lightning rod.D When Pennsylvania Gazette became successful.35. A He helped establish the citys first university.B He helped establish the citys first post office.C He helped establish the citys first library.D He helped open a hospital.Section CDirections: 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.To be successful in a job (36) _, you should (37) _ certain personal and professional qualities. You need to create a good image in the limited time (38) _, usually from 30 to 45 minutes. You must make a positive (39) _ which the interviewer will remember while he interviews other (40) _. The following are some qualities you should especially pay attention to during an interview. First of all, you should take care to appear to be properly dressed. The right clothes worn at the right time can win the respect of the (41) _ and his (42) _ in your judgment. It may not be true that clothes make the man. But the first and often last impression of you is (43) _ by the clothes you wear. Secondly, (44) _. You should reflect confidence by speaking in a clear voice, (45) _. You should be prepared to talk knowledgeably about the requirements of the position you are applying for. Finally, to be really impressive (46) _. If you display these characteristics, with just a little luck, youll certainly succeed in the typical personal interview.Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)Section ADirections: 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 on Answer Sheet 2.Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.Scientists say they have high hopes for a drug that could one day provide a new form of treatment for HIV-AIDS. A compound, which interferes with an elusive protein used by the HIV virus to infect human cells, has worked extremely well in monkeys. If the drug proves effective in human trials, scientists say, it could bolster(加强)the effectiveness of two existing AIDS drugs, particularly in fighting drug-resistant strains of the virus.Researchers at the pharmaceutical(制药的)company Merck are very excited about an experimental drug, which has worked as well in monkeys infected with a primate version of the virus as any of the existing anti-AIDS drugs.It works by blocking one of three proteins, or enzymes, the HIV virus uses to gain entrance into and infect human imm