2024年6月大学英语六级真题卷+听力原文+答案详解

2024年6月高校英语六级真题

PartIWriting<30

minutes)

Directions:Forthispari,youareallowed30minutestowriteashortessayentitledThe

CertificateCraze.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsfollowingtheoutlinegivenbelow.1.现

在很多人热衷于各类证书考试

2.其目的各不相同

3.在我看来……

TheCertificateCraze

留意：此部分试题在答题卡1上。

PartIIReadingComprehension(SkimmingandScanning)(15minutes)

Directions:Inthispart,youwillhave15minutestogooverthepassagequicklyandanswerthe

questionsonAnswerSheet1.Forquestions1-7,choosethebestanswerfromthefourchoices

markedA),B),C)andD),Forquestions8-10,completethesentenceswiththeinformation

giveninthepassage.

MinorityReport

Americanuniversitiesarcacceptingmoreminoritiesthanever.Graduatingthemisanother

mailer.

BarryMills,thepresidentofBowdoinCollege,wasjustifiablyproudofBowdoinseffortsto

recruitminoritystudents.Since2024thesmall,eliteliberalartsschoolinBrunswick,Maine,

hasboostedtheproportionofso-calledunder-representedminoritystudentsinentering

freshmanclassesfrom8%to13%."Itisourresponsibilitytoreachoutandattractstudentsto

cometoourkindsofplaces,"hetoldaNEWSWEEKreporter.ButBowdoinhasnotdonequite

aswellwhenitconicstoactuallygraduatingminorities.While9outof10whitestudents

routinelygettheirdiplomaswithinsixyears,only7outof10blackstudentsmadeitto

graduationdayinseveralrecentclasses.

"Ifyoulookatwhoenterscollege,itnowlookslikeAmerica,"saysHilaryPennington,director

ofpostsecondaryprogramsfbrtheBill&MelindaGatesFoundation,whichhascloselystudied

enrollmentpatternsinhighereducation."Butifyoulookatwhowalksacrossthestagefora

diploma,it'sstilllargelythewhite,upper-incomepopulation"

TheUnitedStatesoncehadthehighestgraduationrateofanynation.Nowitstands10th.For

thefirstlimeinAmericanhistory,thereis(heriskthat(herisinggenerationwillbelesswell

educatedthanthepreviousone.Thegraduationrateamong25-to34-year-oldsisnobetterthan

therateforthe55-to64-year-oldswhoweregoingtocollegemore(han30yearsago.Studies

showthatmoreandmorepoorandnon-whitestudentswanttograduatefromcollege-buttheir

graduationratesfallfarshortoftheirdreams.Thegraduationratesforblacks,Latinos,and

NativeAmericanslagfarbehindthegraduationratesforwhitesandAsians.Astheminority

populationgrowsintheUnitedStates,lowcollegegraduationratesbecomeathreattonational

prosperity.

Theproblemispronouncedatpublicuniversities.In2024theUniversityofWisconsin-Madison

-oneofthetopfiveorsoprestigiouspublicuniversities-graduated81%ofitswhitestudents

withinsixyears,butonly56%ofitsblacks.Atless-selectivestateschools,thenumbersget

worse.Duringthesametimeframe,theUniversityofNorthernIowagraduated67%ofitswhite

students,butonly39%ofitsblacks.Communitycollegeshavelowgraduationratesgenerally-

butrock-bottomratesforminorities.ArecentreviewofCaliforniacommunitycollegesfound

thatwhileathirdoftheAsianstudentspickeduptheirdegrees,only15%ofAfrican-Americans

didsoaswell.

Privatecollegesanduniversitiesgenerallydobetter,partlybecause（heyoffersmallerclasses

andmorepersonalattention.Butwhenitcomestoasignificantgraduationgap,Bowdoinhas

company.NearbyColbyCollegeloggedan18-pointdifferencebetweenwhiteandblack

graduatesin2024and25pointsin2024.MiddleburyCollegeinVermont,anothertopschcol,

hada19-pointgapin2024anda22-pointgapin2024.Themostselectiveprivateschools

Harvard,Yale,andPrinceton-showalmostnogapbetweenblackandwhitegraduationrates.

Butthatmayhavemoretodowiththeirabilitytoselectthebeststudents.Accordingtodata

gatheredbyHarvardLawSchoolprofessorLaniGuinier,themostselectiveschoolsaremore

likelytochooseblackswhohaveatleastoneimmigrantparentfromAfricaortheCaribbean

thanblackstudentswhoaredescendantsofAmericanslaves.

"Highereducationhasbeenabletoduckthisissueforyears,particularlythemoreselective

schools,bysayingtheresponsibilityisontheindividualstudent,"saysPenningtonoftheGates

Foundation."Iftheyfail,it'stheirfault."Somecriticsblameaffirmativeaction—students

admittedwithlowertestscoresandgradesfromshakyhighschoolsoftenstruggleatelite

schools.Butabiggerproblemmaybe（hatpoorhighschoolsoftensendtheirstudentsto

collegesfbrwhichtheyare"iinderniatched":theycouldgetintomoreelite,richerschools,but

insteadgotocommunitycollegesandlow-ratedstateschoolsthatlacktheresourcestohelp

them.Someschoolsoutforprofitcynicallyincreasetuitionsandcountonstudentloansand

federalaidtofootthebill-knowingfullwellthatthestudentswon'tmakeit."Theschoolkeeps

themoney,butthekidleaveswithloadsofdebtandnodegreeandnoabilitytogetabetterjob.

Collegesarenotholdinguptheirend,"saysAmyWilkinsoftheEducationTrust.

Acollegeeducationisgellingevermoreexpensive.Since1982tuitionshavebeenrisingal

roughlytwicetherateofinflation.In2024thenetcostofattendingafour-yearpublicuniversity

一afterfinancialaid-equaled28%ofmedian（中间的）familyincome,whileafour-yearprivate

universitycost76%ofmedianfamilyincome.Moreandmorescholarshipsarebasedonmerit,

notneed.Poorerstudentsarenotalwaysthebest-informedconsumers.Oftentheywindup

deeplyindebtorsimplyunabletopayafterayearortwoandmustdropout.

Thereoncewasatimewhenuniversitiestookprideintheirdropoutrates.Professorswould

begintheyearbysaying,"Looktotherightandlookto（heleft.Oneofyouisnotgoingtobe

herebytheendoftheyear."ButsuchaDarwinianspiritisbeginningtogivewayasatleasta

fewcollegesfaceuptothegraduationgap.AltheUniversityofWisconsin-Madison,thegap

hasbeenroughlyhalvedoverthelastthreeyears.Theuniversityhaspouredresourcesintopeer

counselingtohelpstudentsfrominner-cityschoolsadjusttotherigor（严格要求）andfaster

paceofauniversityclassroom-andalsotohelpminoritystudentsovercomethestereotype（hat

theyarclessqualified.Wisconsinhasa"laserlikefocus"onbuildingupstudentskillsinthefirst

threemonths,accordingtoviceprovost（教务长）DamonWilliams.

Stateandfederalgovernmentscouldsharpenthatfocuseverywherebybroadlypublishing

minoritygraduationrates.ForyearsprivatecollegessuchasPrincetonandMIThavehad

successbringingminoritiesontocampusinthesummerbeforefreshmanyeartogivethem

somepreparatorycourses.Thenewertrendistostartrecruitingpoorandnon-whitcstudentsas

earlyastheseventhgrade,usinginnovativetoolstoidentifykidswithsophisticatedverbal

skills.Suchprogramscanbeexpensive,ofcourse,butcheapcomparedwiththemillions

alreadyinvestedinscholarshipsandgrantsforkidswhohavelittlechancetograduatewithout

specialsupport.

Witheffortandmoney,thegraduationgapcanbeclosed.WashingtonandLeeisasmall,

selectiveschoolinLexington,Va.Itsstudentbodyislessthan5%blackandlessthan2%

Latino.Whiletheschoolusuallygraduatedabout90%ofitswhites,thegraduationrateofits

blacksandLatinoshaddippedto63%by2024."Wewentthroughadramaticshift,"saysDawn

Watkins,thevicepresidentforstudentaffairs.Theschoolaggressivelypushedmentoring(犍导)

ofminoritiesbyotherstudentsand"partnering"withparentsataspecialpre-enrollmentsession.

Theschoolhaditsfirst-everblackhomecoming.Lastspringtheschoolgraduatedthesame

proportionofminoritiesasitdidwhites.IftheUnitedStateswantstokeepupintheglobal

economicrace,itwillhavetopaysystematicattentiontograduatingminorities,notjust

enrollingthem.

留意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

1.Whatistheauthor'smainconcernaboutAmericanhighereducation?

A)Thesmallproportionofminoritystudents.

B)Thelowgraduationratesofminoritystudents.

C)Thegrowingconflictsamongethnicgroups.

D)Thepooracademicperformanceofstudents.

2.WhatwastheprideofPresidentBarryMillsofBowdoir.College?

A)Theprestigeofitsliberalartsprograms.

B)ItsrankingamonguniversitiesinMaine.

C)Thehighgraduationratesofitsstudents.

D)Itsincreasedenrollmentofminoritystudents.

3.WhatistheriskfacingAmerica?

A)Itsschoolswillbeoverwhelmedbythegrowingnumberofillegalimmigrants.

B)Therisinggenerationw：llbelesswelleducatedthanthepreviousone.

C)Morepoorandnon-whi:estudentswillbedeniedaccesstocollege.

D)Itisgoingtoloseitscompetitiveedgeinhighereducation.

4.HowmanyAfrican-AmericanstudentsearnedtheirdegreesinCaliforniacommunity

collegesaccordingtoarecentreview?

A)Fifty-sixpercent.C)Fifteenpercent.

B)Thirty-ninepercent.D)Sixty-sevenpercent.

5.Harvard,Yale,andPrincetonshowalmostnogapbetweenblackandwhitegraduationrates

mainlybecause.

A)theirstudentsworkharderC)theirclassesaregenerallysmaller

B)theyrecruitthebeststudentsD)theygivestudentsmoreattention

6.HowdoesAmyWilkinsoftheEducationTrustviewminoritystudents'failuretogeta

degree?

A)Universitiesaretoblame.

B)Studentsdon'tworkhard.

C)Thegovernmentfailstoprovidethenecessarysupport.

17.A)Theyarcbothtoblame.

B)Theyarebotheasytoplease.

C)Theycanmanagetogetalong.

D)Theywillmakepeaceintime.

18.A)Theyareindesperateneedoffinancialassistance.

B)Theyhopetodomiracleswithlimitedresources.

C)Theywanttoborrowahugesumfromthebank.

D)Theyplantobuyouttheirbusinesspartners.

Questions19to22arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

19.A)Wcsimplycannothelpreactinginstinctivelythatway.

B)Wewishtohideourindifferencetotheirmisfortune.

C)Wederivesomehumoroussatisfactionfromtheirmisfortune.

D)Wethinkitservesthemrightfbrbeingmeantootherpeople.

20.A)Theywanttoshowtheirgenuinesympathy.

B)Theyhavehadsimilarpersonalexperiences.

C)Theydon'tknowhowtccopewiththesituation.

D)Theydon'twanttorevealtheirownfrustration.

21.A)Theythemselveswouldliketodoitbutdon'tdareto.

B)It'sanopportunityforrelievingtheirtension.

C)Il'sararechancefor(hemtosee(hebossloseface.

D)Theyhaveseenthismanytimesinoldfilms.

22.A)Toirritatethem.C)Torelieveherfeelings.

B)Toteachthemalesson.D)Toshowhercourage.

Questions23to25arcbasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

23.A)SmugglingdrugsintoHongKong.C)Stealingafellowpassenger's

bag.

B)Havingcommittedarmedrobbery.D)BringingahandgunintoHongKong.

24.A)Hesaidnotasinglewordduringtheentireflight.

B)HetookawayKumar'sbaggagewhilehewasasleep.

C)HewastravellingonascholarshipfromDelhiUniversity.

D)HeissuspectedofhavingslippedsomethinginKumar'sbag.

25.A)Givehimalift.C)Cheekthepassengerlist.

B)FindAlfredFoster.D)Searchallsuspiciouscars.

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youv/ill

hearsomequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.After>ou

hearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthetburchoicesmarkedA),B),C)and

D).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

留意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

PassageOne

Questions26to28arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

26.A)Theythinktravelhasbecomeatrend.

B)Theythinktravelgivesthemtheirmoney'sworth.

C)Theyfindmanyofthebanksuntrustworthy.

D)Theylacktheexpertisetomakecapitalinvestments.

27.A)Lowertheirpricestoattractmorecustomers.

B)Introducetravelpackagesforyoungtravelers.

C)Designprogramstargetedatretiredcouples.

D)Launchanewprogramofadventuretrips.

28.A)Theroleoftravelagents.C)Thenumberoflast-minutebookings.

B)Thewaypeopletravel.D)Thepricesofpolarexpeditions.

PassageTwo

Questions29to31arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

29.A)Theoldstereotypesaboutmenandwomen.

B)Thechangingrolesplayedbymenandwomen.

C)Thedivisionoflaborbetweenmenandwomen.

D)Thewidespreadprejudiceagainstwomen.

30.A)Offermorecreativeandpracticalideasthanmen.

B)Askquestionsthatoftenleadtocontroversy.

C)Speakloudlyenoughtoattractattention.

D)Raiseissuesonbehalfofwomen.

31.A)Toprovethatshecouldearnherlivingasagardener.

B)Toshowthatwomenaremorehardworkingthanmen.

C)Toshowthatwomenarecapableofdoingwhatmendo.

D)Toprovethatshewasreallyirritatedwithherhusband.

PassageThree

Questions32to35arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

32.A)Coveringmajoreventsofthedayinthecity.

B)ReportingcriminaloffensesinGreenville.

C)Huntingnewsforthedailyheadlines.

D)Writingarticlesonfamilyviolence.

33.A)Itisamuchsaferplacethanitusedtobe.

B)Rapesrarelyoccurinthedowntownareas.

C)Assaultsoftenhappenonschoolcampuses.

D)Ithasfewerviolentcrimesthanbigcities.

34.A)Thereareawiderangeofcases.

B)Theyarcverydestructive.

C)Therehasbeenariseinsuchcrimes.

D)Theyhavearousedfearamongtheresidents.

35.A)Writeaboutsomethingpleasant.C)Offerhelptocrimevictims.

B)Dosomeresearchonlocalpolitics.D)Workasanewspapereditor.

SectionC

Directions:In(hissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadfor；he

firsttime,youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthe

secondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblanksnumberedfrom36to43withtheexactwords

youhavejustheard.Forblanksnumberedfrom44to46youarerequiredtofillinthemissing

information.Fortheseblanks,youcaneitherusetheexactwordsyouhavejustheardorwrite

downthemainpointsinyourownwords.Finally,whenthepassageisreadforthethirdtime,

youshouldcheckwhatyouhavewritten.

留意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

InAmerica,peoplearcfacedwithmoreandmoredecisionseveryday,whetherit'spickingone

of31icecream(36)ordecidingwhetherandwhentogetmarried.Thatsoundslikea

greatthing.Butasarecentstudyhasshown,toomanychoicescanmakeus(37),

unhappy-evenparalyzedv/ithindecision.

That's(38)truewhenitcomestotheworkplace,saysBarrySchwartz,anauthorofsix

booksabouthuman(39).Studentsaregraduatingwitha(40)ofskillsandinterests,

butoftenfindthemselves(41)whenitcomestochoosinganultimatecareergoal.

Inastudy,Schwartzobserveddecision-makingamongcollegestudentsduringtheir(42)

year.Basedonanswerstoquestionsregarding(heirjob-hunting(43)andcareerdecisions,

hedividedthestudentsintotwogroups:"maximizers"whoconsidereverypossibleoption,and

"satisficers"wholookuntiltheyfindanoptionthatisgoodenough.

Youmightexpectthatthestudents(44).Butitturns

outthat'snottrue.Schwartzfoundthatwhilemaximizersendedupwithbetterpayingjobsthan

satisficersonaverage,theyweren'tashappywiththeirdecision.

Thereason(45).Whenyoulookateverypossible

option,youtendtofocusmoreonwhatwasgivenupthanwhatwasgained.Aftersurveying

everyoption,(46).

PartIVReadingComprehension(ReadinginD叩th)(25minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisashortpassagewith5questionsorincompletestatements.

Readthepassagecarefully.Thenanswerthequestionsorcompletethestatementsinthefewest

possiblewords.PleasewriteyouranswersonAnswerSheet2.

Questions47to51arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Howgoodarcyouatsaying"no"?Formany,it'ssurprisinglydifficult.Thisisespeciallytrueof

editors,whobynaturetendiobeeagerandengagedparticipantsineverything(heydo.

Considerthesescenarios:

It'sla(eintheday.Thatfrontpackageyou'vebeenworkingonisnearlycomplete;onelast

editandit'sfinished.Entertheexecutiveeditor,whomakesasuggestionrequiringa

niore-than-modestrearrangementofthedesignandtheadditionofaninformationbox.You

wanttoscream:"No!It'sdene!"Whatdoyoudo?

Thefirstruleofsayingnotothebossisdon'tsayno.Sheprobablyhassomethinginmindwhen

shemakessuggestions,andit'suptoyoutofindoutwhat.Thesecondruleisdon'traisethe

stakesbychallengingherauthority.Thatissueisalreadydecided.Thethirdruleistobeready

tociteoptionsandconsequences.Theboss'ssuggestionsmightbeappropriate»butthereare

alwaysconsequences.Shemightnotknowaboutthepagesbackingupthatneedattention,or

aboutthedesignerwhohadtogohomesick.Tellhershecanhavewhatshewants,butexplain

theconsequences.Understandwhatshe'stryingtoaccomplishandproposeaPlanBthatv/ill

makeithappenwithoutdestroyingwhatyou'vedonesofar.

Here'sanothercase.Yourleast-favoritereportersuggestsadumbstoryidea.Thisoneshouldbe

easy,butit'snot.Ifyousayno,evenpolitely,youriskinhibitingfurtherideas,notjustfromthat

reporter,butfromotherswhoheardthatyouturneddowntheidea.Thisscenarioiscommonin

newsroomsthatlackasystematicwaytofilterstorysuggestions.

Twostepsarcnecessary.First,youneedasystemforhowstoriesarcproposedandreviewed.

Reporterscantoleraterejectionoftheirideasiftheybelievetheyweregivenafairhearing.

Yourgutreaction(本能反应)anddismissiverejection,evenofaworthlessidea,mightnot

qualifyassystematicorfair.

Second,thepeopleyouworkwithneedtonegotiatea"Whatif...?"agreementcovering"What

ifmyideaisturneddown?'Howarepeopleexpectedtoreact?Isthereanappealprocess?Can

theyrefinetheideaandresubmitit?Byanticipating"Whatif...?"situationsbeforetheyhappen,

youcanreachunderstandingthatwillhelpeaseyououtofconfrontations.

47.Insteadofdirectlysayingnotoyourboss,youshouldfindout.

48.Theauthor'ssecondwarningisthatwcshouldavoidrunningagreaterriskby

49.Onewayofrespondingtoyourboss'ssuggestionistoexplainthetoherand

offeranalternativesolution.

50.Toensurefairnesstoreporters,itisimportanttosetupasystemforstoriesto

51.Peoplewholearntoanticipate"Whatif...?"situationswillbeabletoreachunderstanding

andavoid.

SectionD

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsor

unfinishedsiatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).You

shoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2witha

singlelinethroughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions52to56arcbasedonthefollowingpassage.

Attheheartofthedebateoverillegalimmigrationliesonekeyquestion:areimmigrantsgood

orbadfbrtheeconomy?TheAmericanpublicoverwhelminglythinksthey'rebad.Yetthe

consensusamongmosteconomistsisthatimmigration,bothlegalandillegal,providesasrrall

netboosttotheeconomy.Immigrantsprovidecheaplabor,lowerthepricesofeverythingfrom

farmproducetonewhomes,andleaveconsumerswithalittlemoremoneyintheirpockets.So

whyistheresuchadiscrepancybetweentheperceptionofimmigrants'impactontheeconomy

andthereality?

Thereareanumberoffamiliartheories.Somearguethatpeopleareanxiousandfeelthreatened

byaninflowofnewworkers.Othershighlightthestraintliatundocumentedimmigrantsplace

onpublicservices,likeschools,hospitals,andjails.Stillothersemphasize(heroleofrace,

arguingthatforeignersaddtothenation'sfearsandinsecurities.There'ssometruthtoallthese

explanations,buttheyaren'tquitesufficient.

Togetabetterunderstandingofwhat'sgoingon,considerthewayimmigration'simpactisfelt.

Thoughitsoveralleffectmaybepositive,itscostsandbenefitsaredistributedunevenly.David

Card,aneconomistatUCBerkeley,notesthattheoneswhoprofitmostdirectlyfrom

immigrants'low-costlaborarebusinessesandemployers-meatpackingplantsinNebraska,fbr

instance,oragriculturalbusinessesinCalifornia.Granted,theseproducers'savingsprobably

translateintolowerpricesatthegrocerystore,buthowmanyconsumersmakethatmental

connectionatthecheckoutcounter?Asforthedrawbacksofillegalimmigration,these,too,are

concentrated.Nativelow-skilledworkerssuffermostfromthecompetitionofforeignlabor.

AccordingtoastudybyGeorgeBoijas,aHarvardeconomist,immigrationreducedthewages

ofAmericanhigh-schooldropoutsby9%between1980-2003.

Amonghigh-skilled,better-educatedemployees,however,oppositionwasstrongestinstates

withbothhighnumbersofimmigrantsandrelativelygeneroussocialservices.Whatworried

themmost,inotherwords,wasthefiscal(财政的)burdenofimmigration.Thatconclusionv/as

reinforcedbyanotherfinding:thattheiroppositionappearedtosoftenwhenthatfiscalburden

decreased,asoccurredwithwelfarereforminthe1990s,whichcurbedimmigrants'accessto

certainbenefits.

Theironyisthatforalltheoverexciteddebate,theneteffectofimmigrationisminimal.Even

forthosemostacutelyaffected-say,low-skilledworkers,orCaliforniaresidents-theimpact

isn'tallthatdramatic."Theunpleasantvoiceshavetendedtodominateourperceptions,"says

DanielTichenor,apoliticalscienceprofessorattheUniversityofOregon."Butwhenallthose

factorsarepultogetherandtheeconomistscalculatethenumbers,itendsupbeinganetpositive,

butasmallone."Toobadmostpeopledon'trealizeit.

留意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

52.Whatcanwelearnfromthefirstparagraph?

A)Whetherimmigrantsarcgoodorbadfortheeconomyhasbeenpuzzlingeconomists.

D)TheAmericaneconomyusedtothriveonimmigrationbutnowit'sadifferentstory.

C)Theconsensusamongeconomistsisthatimmigrationshouldnotbeencouraged.

D)Thegeneralpublicthinksdifferentlyfrommosteconomistsontheimpactofimmigration.

53.InwhatwaydoestheauthorthinkordinaiyAmericansbenefitfromimmigration?

A)Theycanaccessallkindsofpublicservices.

B)Theycangetconsumergoodsatlowerprices.

C)Theycanmixwithpeopleofdifferentcultures.

D)Theycanavoiddoingir.uchofthemanuallabor.

54.Whydonativelow-skilledworkerssuffermostfromillegalimmigration?

A)Theyhavegreaterdifficultygettingwelfaresupport.

B)Theyaremorelikelytoencounterinterracialconflicts.

C)Theyhaveahardertimegettingajobwithdecentpay.

D)Theyarenomatchforillegalimmigrantsinlaborskills.

55.Whatisthechiefconcernofnativehigh-skilled,better-educatedemployeesabout(heinflow

ofimmigrants?

A)Itmaychangetheexistingsocialstructure.

B)Itmayposeathreattotheireconomicstatus.

C)Itmayleadtosocialinsrabilityinthecountry.

D)Itmayplaceagreatstrainontheslatebudget.

56.Whatistheironyaboutthedebateoverimmigration?

A)Eveneconomistscan'treachaconsensusaboutitsimpact.

B)Thosewhoareopposedtoit(urnouttobenefitmostfromit.

C)Peoplearemakingtoobigafussaboutsomethingofsmallimpact.

D)Thereisnoessentialdifferencebetweenseeminglyoppositeopinions.

PassageTwo

Questions57to61arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

PictureatypicalMBAlecturetheatretwentyyearsago.Initthemajorityofstudentswillhave

conformedtothestandardmodelofthetime:male,middleclassandWestern.Walkintoaclass

today,however,andyou'llgetacompletelydifferentimpression.Forastart,youwillnowsee

plentymorewomen-theUniversityofPennsylvania'sWhartonSchool,forexample,boasts

that40%ofitsnewenrolmentisfemale.Youwillalsoseeawiderangeofethnicgroupsand

nationalsofpracticallyeverycountry.

Itmightbetempting,therefore,(othinkthattheoldbarriershavebeenbrokendownandequal

opportunityachieved.But,increasingly,thisapparentdiversityisbecomingamaskforanew

typeofconformity.Behindthedifferencesinsex,skintonesandmothertongues,thereare

commonattitudes,expectationsandambitionswhichriskcreatingasetofclonesamongthe

businessleadersofthefuture.

Diversity,itseems,hasnothelpedtoaddressfundamentalweaknessesinbusinessleadership.

Sowhatcanbedonetocreatemoreeffectivemanagersofthecommercialworld?Accordingto

ValerieGauthier,associatedeanatHECParis,thekeyliesintheprocessbywhichMBA

programmesrecruittheirstudents.Atthemomentcandidatesareselectedonafairlynarrowset

ofcriteriasuchasprioracademicandcareerperformance,andanalyticalandproblemsolving

abilities.Thisisthencoupledtoaschool'spictureofwhatadiverseclassshouldlooklike,with

theresultthatpassport,ethnicoriginandsexcanallbecomeinfluencingfactors.Butschools

rarelydigdowntofindoutwhatreallymakesanapplicantsucceed,tocreateaclasswhichalso

containsdiversityofattitudeandapproach-arguablytheonlydiversitythat,inabusiness

context,reallymatters.

ProfessorGauthierbelievesschoolsshouldnotjustbeselectingcandidatesfromtraditional

sectorssuchasbanking,consultancyandindustry.Theyshoaldalsobeseekingindividualswho

havebackgroundsinareassuchaspoliticalscience,thecreativearts,historyorphilosophy,

whichwillallowthemtoputbusinessdecisionsintoawidercontext.

Indeed,theredoesseemtobeademandforthemoreroundedleaderssuchdiversitymight

create.AstudybyMannaz,aleadershipdevelopmentcompany,suggeststhat,whileihe

bully-boychiefexecutiveofoldmaynothavebeeneradicatedcompletely,(hereisadefinite

shiftinemphasistowardslesstoughstylesofmanagement-atleastinAmericaandEurope.

Perhapsmostsignificant,accordingtoMannaz,isthe