12月英语六级模拟试题及答案

xx年12Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteapositiononthetopic:Travel-mateWanted.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordfollowingtheoutlinegivenbelow: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。Directions:Inthispart,youwillhave15minutestogooverthepassagequicklyandanswerthequestionsonAnswerSheet1.Forquestions1-4,markY(forYES)ifthestatementagreeswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage;N(forNO)ifthestatementcontradictstheinformationgiveninthepassage;NG(forNOTGIVEN)iftheinformationisnotgiveninthepassage.Forquestions5-10,pletethesentenceswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage.IsCollegeReallyWorththeMoney?TheRealWorldEsteGriffithhaditallfiguredout.WhenshegraduatedfromtheUniversityofPittsburghinAprilxx,shehadhersightssetononething:workingforalaborunion.Therealworldhadotherideas.Griffithleftschoolwithnotonlyadegree,butaboatloadofdebt.Sheowed$15,000instudentloansandhadrackedup$4,000increditcarddebtforbooks,groceriesandotherexpenses.Nolaborunionjobcouldpayenoughtobailherout.SoGriffithwenttoworkinsteadforaWashington,D.C.firmthatspecializesineconomicdevelopment.Problemsolved?Nope.Atage24,shetakeshomeabout$1,800amonth,$1,200ofwhichdisappearstopayherrent.Addanother$180amonthtoretireherstudentloansand$300amonthtowhittledownhercreditcardbalance."Youdothemath,"shesays.Griffithhaspracticallynomoneytoliveon.Shebrown-bags(自带午餐)herlunchandbikestowork.Aboveall,shefearsshe'llneverownahouseorbeabletoretire.It'snotthatsheregretsgettingherdegree."Buttheydon'ttellyouthatthetrade-offisthenexttenyearsofyourine,"shesays.That'spreciselythedealbeingmadebymoreandmorecollegestudents.They'remortgagingtheirfuturestomeetsoaringtuitioncostsandothercollegeexpenses.LikeGriffith,they'refacingaone-twopunchatgraduation:hefty(深重的)studentloansandsmotheringcreditcarddebt—nottomentionajobmarketthat,fornowanyway,isdismal."Weareforcingourchildrentomakeachoicebetweentwoevils,"saysElizabethWarren,aHarvardLawprofessorandexpertonbankruptcy."Sotocollegeandfacealifeshackled(束缚)bydebt."TuitionHikesForsometime,collegeshaveinsistedtheirsteeptuitionhikesareneededtopayforcutting-edgetechnologies,facultyandadministrationsalaries,andrisinghealthcarecosts.Nowthere'sanewshrinkingstatesupport.Caughtinaseverebudgetcrunch,manystateshavesharplyscaledbacktheirfundingforhighereducation.Someonehadtomakeupforthoselostdollars.Andyoucanguesswho—especiallyifyouliveinMassachusetts,whichlastyearhikeditstuitionandfeesby24percent,afterfundingdroppedby3percent,orinMissouri,whereappropriations(拨款)fellby10percent,buttuitionroseatdoublethatrate.Aboutone-thirdofthestates,infact,haveincreasedtuitionandfeesbymorethan10percent.OneofthosestatesisCalifornia,andJaBurrell'sfamilyisfeelingthepain.AbookkeeperinTorrance,BurrellhasadaughterattheUniversityofCaliforniaatDavisMeanwhile,hersonsattendtwo-yearcollegesbecauseBurrellcan'taffordtohavealloftheminfour-yearschoolsatonce.Meanwhile,evenwithtuitionhikes,California'smunitycollegesaresostrappedforcashtheydroppedthousandsofclasseslastspring.Theresult:54,000fewerstudents.CollapsingInvestmentsManyfamiliesthoughttheyhadasurefireplan:eveniftuitionkeptskyrocketing,theyhadinvestedenoughmoneyalongthewaytomeetthecosts.ThenafunnythinghappenedonthewaytoWallStreet.Thoseinvestmentscollapsedwiththestockmarket.Amongtheloserslastyear:thewildlypopular"529"tax-exemptcollegesavingsplansofferedbyindividualstates,whichhaveattractedbillionsfromfamiliesaroundthecountry."Wehearfrommanyparentsthatwhattheyhadsetasidedeclinedinvaluesomuchthattheynowdon'thaveenoughtoseetheirstudentsthrough,"saysPennStatefinancialaiddirectorAnnaGriswold,whowitnesseda10percentincreaseinloanapplicationslastyear.Evenwithamarketthatmaybeslowlyrecovering,itwilltaketime,perhapsseveralyears,forpeopletolosses.NadineSayeghisamongthosewhodidn'thavetheluxuryofwaitingforhercollegenesteggtogrowback.Herfatherhadinvestedmoneytowardhertuition,butalargechunkofitvanishedwhenstockswentsouth.Nadinewasthenonlypartwaythroughcollege.Bygraduation,shehadtakenoutatleast$10,000inloans,andhermotherhadborrowedevenmoreonherbehalf.Now22,Nadineisattendinglawschool,havingsignedforyetmoreloanstopayforthat."Therewasn'tanywaytodoitdifferently,"shesays,"andI'mnothappyaboutit.I'vesatdownandcalculatedhowlongitwilltakemetopayoffeverything.I'llbe35yearsold."That'sifshe'sverylucky:Nadinebasedhercalculationonlandingajobrightoutoflawschoolthatwillpayheratleast$120,000ayear.DependentonLoansandCreditCardsTheAmericanCouncilonEducationhasitsowncalculationthatshowshowstudentsaremoreandmoredependentonloans.Injustfiveyears,from1995to2000,themedianloandebtatpublicinstitutionsrosefrom$10,342to$15,375.Mostofthisesfromfederalloans,whichCongressmademoretemptingin1992byexpandingeligibility(homeequitynolongercountsagainstyourassets)andraisingloanlimits(adependentundergraduatecannowborrowupto$23,000fromthefederalgovernment).Butstudentsaren'tstoppingthere.TheCollegeBoardestimatesthattheyalsoborrowed$4.5billionfromprivatelendersinthe2000-xxacademicyear,upfrom$1.5billionjustfiveyearsearlier.Forlotsofstudents,theworstofitisn'teventheweightofthosedirectstudentloans.It'swhattheyrackuponallthoseplasticcardsintheirwallets.Asoftwoyearsago,aordingtoastudybylenderNellieMae,morethaneightoutoftenundergradshadtheirowncreditcards,withthetypicalstudentcarryingfour.That'snobigsurprise,giventhein-your-facemarketingbycreditcardpanies,whichsetuptablesoncampusto惑)studentstosignup.Somecollegesbanorrestrictthishawking,butothersgiveitaboost.Youknowthosecreditcardsemblazonedwithaschool'spictureoritslogo?Forsanctioningsuchamust-haveforsomecollegedepartmentorassociationgetspaymentsfromtheissuer.Meanwhile,fromfreshmanyeartograduation,aordingtotheNellieMaestudy,studentstriplethenumberofcreditcardstheyownanddoubletheirdebtonthem.Asofxx,theywereintheholeanaverage$2,327.AWiseChoice?Oneday,Moyersatdownwithhismother,JanneO'Donnell,totalkabouthisgoalofgoingtolawschool.Don'tcountonit,O'Donnelltoldhim.Shecouldn'taffordthecostandMoyerdoubtedhecouldgetaloan,givenhowmuchheowedalready."Hesaidhefeltlikeafailure,"O'Donnellrecalls."Hedidn'tknowhowhehadgottenintosuchamess."Aweeklater,the22-year-oldhangedhimselfinhisbedroom,wherehismotherfoundhim.O'Donnellisconvincedthemoneypressurescausedhissuicide."Seantriedtopayhisdebtsoff,"shesays."Andhecouldn'ttakeit."Tobesure,suicidesareexceedinglyrare.Butdespairismon,anditsometimesleadsstudentstorethinkwhethercollegewasworthit.Infact,therearequiteafewjobsthatdon'trequireacollegedegree,yetpayfairlywell.Onaverage,though,collegegraduatescanexpecttoearn80percentmorethanthosewithonlyahighschooldiploma.Also,allbuttwoofthe50highestpayingjobs(theexceptionsbeingairtrafficcontrollersandnuclearpowerreactoroperators)requireafour-yearcollegedegree.Soforegoingacollegeeducationisoftennotawisechoice.MeritMikhail,whograduatedlastJunefromtheUniversityofCalifornia,Riverside,isgladsheborrowedtogetthroughschool.ButsheleftRiversideowing$20,000instudentloansandanother$7,000increditcarddebt.Nowinlawschool,Merithopestobeeapublic-interestattorney,yetshemayhavetopostponethatgoal,whichbothersher.Tohandleherdebt,she'llprobablyneedtostartwithamorelucrative(有利的)legaljob.Likesomanyotherstudents.Mikhailtookoutherloansonakindofblindfaiththatshecoulddealwiththeconsequences."Yousaytoyourself,'Ihavetogointodebttomakeitwork,andwhateverittakeslater,I'llmanage.'"Laterhasnowarrived,andMikhailisfindingoutthetruecostofhercollegedegree.1.GriffithworkedforafirmthatspecializedineconomicdevelopmentinWashingtonD.C.becausesheneededmoneytopayforherdebt.2.Theonlyproblemthestuden