2024年六级历届真题及复习资料

12月大學英語六级考试阅讀真題及答案PartIIIreadingcomprehensionSectionAHisfuturesubjectshavenotalwaystreatedthePrinceofWaleswiththerespectoneXXXXexpect.Theylaughedaloudin1986whentheheirtotheBritish(37)_____toldaTVreporterthathetalkedtohisplantsathiscountryhouse,Highgrove,tostimulatetheirgrowth.ThePrincewasbeinghumorous-“Mysenseofhumorwillgetmeintotroubleoneday”,hesaidtohisaids(随從)-butlisteningtoCharlesWindsorcanindeedprovestimulating.Theroyal(38)_____hasbeenpromotingradicalideasformostofhisadultlife.Someofhis(39)_____,whichoncesoundedabitweird,weresimplyaheadoftheirtime.Now,finally,theworldseemstobecatchingupwithhim.Takehisviewsonfarming.PrinceCharles’DuchyHomeFarmwent(40)_____backin1986.Whenmostshopperscaredonlyaboutthelowpricetagonsuspiciouslyblemish-free(無瑕疵的)vegetables(單项选择題)_____A.conformB.eccentricC.environmentalistD.expeditionsE.impactF.notionsG.organicH.originallyI.recognitionJ.respondK.subordinateL.suppressingM.throneN.unnaturallyO.urgingSectionBDirections：Directions：Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.HighSchoolSportsAren'tKillingAcademicsA)Inthismonth'sAtlanticcoverarticle,"TheCaseAgainstHigh-SchoolSports,"AmandaRipleyarguesthatschool-sponsoredsportsprogramsshouldbeseriouslycut.Shewritesthat,unlikemostcountriesthatoutperformtheUnitedStatesoninternationalassessments,Americanschoolsputtoomuchofanemphasisonathletics,"SportsareembeddedinAmericanschoolsinawaytheyarenotalmostanywhereelse,"shewrites,"YetthisdifferencehardlyevercomesupindomesticdebatesaboutAmerica'sinternationalmediocrity(平庸)ineducation."B)Americanstudent-athletesreapmanybenefitsfromparticipatinginsports,butthecoststotheschoolscouldoutweightheirbenefits,sheargues,Inparticular,Ripleycontendsthatsportscrowdouttheacademicmissionsofschools:AmericashouldlearnfromSouthKoreaandFinlandandeveryothercountryatthetoplevelofinternationaltestscores,allofwhomemphasizeathleticsfarlessinschool."Evenineighthgrade,AmericankidsspendmorethantwicethetimeKoreankidsspendplayingsports,"shewrites,citingastudypublishedintheJournalofAdvancedAcademics.C)ItmightwellbetruethatsportsarefarmorerootedinAmericanhighschoolsthaninothercountries.Butourreadingofinternationaltestscoresfindsnosupportfortheargumentagainstschoolathletics.Indeed,ourownresearchandthatofothersleadustomaketheoppositecase.School-sponsoredsportsappeartoprovidebenefitsthatseemtoincrease,notdetract(減少)from,academicsuccess.D)Ripleyindulgesapopularobsession(痴迷)withinternationaltestscorecomparisons,whichshowwideandfrighteninggapsbetweentheUnitedStatesandothercountries.Sheignores,however,thefactthatstatesvaryatleastasmuchintestscoresasdodevelopedcountries.AreportfromHarvardUniversityshowsthatMassachusettsproducesmathscorescomparabletoSouthKoreaandFinland,whileMississippiscoresareclosertoTrinidadandTobago.Ripley'sthesisaboutsportsfallsapartinlightofthisfact.SchoolsinMassachusettsprovidesportsprogramswhileschoolsinFinlanddonot.SchoolsinMississippimaylovefootballwhileinTobagointerscholasticsportsarenowherenearasprominent.Sportscannotexplainthesesimilaritiesinperformance.Theycan'texplaininternationaldifferenceseither.E)IfitistruethatsportsunderminetheacademicmissionofAmericanschools,wewouldexpecttoseeanegativerelationshipbetweenthecommitmenttoathleticsandacademicachievement.However,theUniversityofArkansas'sDanielBowenandJayGreeneactuallyfindtheopposite.Theyexaminethisrelationshipbyanalyzingschools'sportswinningpercentagesaswellasstudent-athleticparticipationratescomparedtograduationratesandstandardizedtestscoreachievementoverafive-yearperiodforallpublichighschoolsinOhio.Controllingforstudentpovertylevels,demographics(人口记录状况),anddistrictfinancialresources,bothmeasuresofaschool'scommitmenttoathleticsaresignificantlyandpositivelyrelatedtolowerdropoutratesaswellashighertestscores.F)On-the-fieldsuccessandhighparticipationinsportsisnotrandom-itrequiresfocusanddedicationtoathletics.Onemightthinkthiswouldleadschoolsobsessedwithwinningtodeemphasizeacademics.BowenandGreene'sresultscontradictthatargument.Alikelyexplanationforthisseeminglycounterintuitive(与直覺相反的)resultisthatsuccessinsportsprogramsactuallyfacilitatesorreflectsgreatersocialcapitalwithinaschool'scommunity.G)RipleycitesthewritingsofrenownedsociologistJamesColeman,whoseresearchineducationwasgroundbreaking.Colemaninhisearlyworkheldathleticsincontempt,arguingthattheycrowdedoutschools'academicmissions.Ripleyquoteshis1961study,TheAdolescentSociety,whereColemanwrites,"Altogether,thetrophy(奖品)casewouldsuggesttotheinnocentvisitorthathewasenteringanathleticclub,notaneducationalinstitution."H)However,inlaterresearchColemanwouldshowhowthesuccessofschoolsishighlydependentonwhathetermedsocialcapital,"thesocialnetworks,andtherelationshipsbetweenadultsandchildrenthatareofvalueforthechild’sgrowingup."I)AccordingtoaevaluationconductedbytheCrimeLabattheUniversityofChicago,aprogramcalledBecomingaMan-SportsEditioncreateslastingimprovementsintheboys'studyhabitsandgradepointaverages.Duringthefirstyearoftheprogram,studentswerefoundstobelesslikelytotransferschoolsorbeengagedinviolentcrime.Ayearaftertheprogram,participantswerelesslikelytohavehadanencounterwiththejuvenilejusticesystem.J)Ifschool-sponsoredsportswerecompletelyeliminatedtomorrow,manyAmericanstudentswouldstillhaveopportunitiestoparticipateinorganizedathleticselsewhere,muchliketheydoincountriessuchasFinland,Germany,andSouthKorea.Thesameisnotcertainwhenitcomestostudentsfrommoredisadvantagedbackgrounds.Inanoverviewoftheresearchonnon-schoolbasedafter-schoolprograms,researchersfindthatdisadvantagedchildrenparticipateintheseprogramsatsignificantlylowerrates.Theyfindthatlow-incomestudentshavelessaccessduetochallengeswithregardtotransportation,non-nominalfees,andoff-campussafety.Therefore,reducingoreliminatingtheseopportunitieswouldmostlikelydeprivedisadvantagedstudentsofthebenefitsfromathleticparticipation,notleastofwhichistheopportunitytointeractwithpositiverolemodelsoutsideofregularschoolhours.K)AnotherunfoundedcriticismthatRipleymakesisbringingupthestereotypethatathleticcoachesaretypicallylousy(蹩脚的)classroomteachers."Americanprincipals,unlikethevastmajorityofprincipalsaroundtheworld,makemanyhiringdecisionswiththeirsportsteamsinmind,whichdoesnotalwaysendwellforstudents,"shewrites.Educatorswhoseekemploymentatschoolsprimarilyforthepurposeofcoachingarelikelytoshirk(推卸)teachingresponsibilities,theargumentgoes.Moreover,eveninthecaseswheretheemployeeisateacherfirstandathleticcoachsecond,theadditionalresponsibilitiesthatcomewithcoachinglikelycomesattheexpenseoftimeotherwisespentonplanning,grading,andcommunicatingwithparentsandguardians.L)Thedata,however,donotseemtoconfirmthisstereotype.Inthemostrigorousstudyontheclassroomresultsofhighschoolcoaches,theUniversityofArkansas'sAnnaEgalitefindsthatathleticcoachesinFloridamostlytendtoperformjustaswellastheirnon-coachingcounterparts,withrespecttoraisingstudenttestscores.Wedonotdoubtthatteacherswhoalsocoachfaceserioustradeoffsthatlikelycomeattheexpenseoftimetheycoulddedicatetotheiracademicobligations.However,aswithsportingevents,athleticcoachesgainadditionalopportunitiesforcommunicatingandservingasmentors(导師)thatpotentiallyhelpstudentssucceedandmakeupforthecostsofcoachingcommitments.M)Ifschoolsallowstudent-athletestoregularlymissoutoninstructionaltimeforthesakeoftravelingtoathleticcompetitions,that'sbad.However,suchissueswouldbebetteraddressedbychangingschoolandstatepolicieswithregardtotheschedulingofsportingeventsasopposedtototalelimination.Iftheempiricalevidencepointstoanything,itpointstowardsschoolsponsoredsportsprovidingassetsthatarewellworththecosts.N)DespitenegativestereotypesaboutsportscultureandRipley'spresumptionthatacademicsandathleticsareatoddswithoneanother,webelievethatthegreaterbodyofevidenceshowsthatschool-sponsoredsportsprogramsappeartobenefitstudents.Successesontheplayingfieldcancarryovertotheclassroomandviceversa(反之亦然).Moreimportantly,findingwaystoincreaseschoolcommunities'socialcapitalisimperativetothesuccessoftheschoolaswhole,notjusttheathletes.47Studentsfromlow-incomefamilieshavelessaccesstooff-campussportsprograms48AmandaRipleyarguesthatAmericashouldlearnfromothercountriesthatrankhighininternationaltestsandlaylessemphasisonathletics.49Accordingtotheauthor,AmandaRipleyfailstonotethatstudents’performanceinexamsvariesfromstatetostate.50AmandaRipleythinksthatathleticcoachesarepooratclassroominstruction.51JamesColeman’slaterresearchmakesanargumentforaschool’ssocialcapital.52Researchersfindthatthereisapositiverelationshipbetweenaschool’scommitmenttoathleticsandacademicachievements.53Arigorousstudyfindsthatathleticcoachesalsodowellinraisingstudents’testscores.54Accordingtoanevaluation,sportsprogramscontributetostudents’academicperformanceandcharacterbuilding.55JamesColemansuggestsinhisearlierwritingsthatschoolathleticswouldundermineaschool’simage.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA,B,CandD..YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageoneItiseasytomissamidtheday-to-dayheadlinesofglobaleconomicrecession,butthereisalessconspicuouskindofsocialupheaval(剧变)underwaythatisfastalteringboththefaceoftheplanetandthewayhumanbeingslive.Thatchangeistherapidaccelerationofurbanization.In,forthefirsttimeinhumanhistory,morethanhalftheworld’spopulationwaslivingintownsandcities.Andasarecentlypublishedpapershows,theprocessofurbanizationwillonlyaccelerateinthedecadestocome—withanenormousimpactonbiodiversityandpotentiallyonclimatechange.AsKarenSeto,theledauthorofthepaper,pointsout,thewaveofurbanizationisn’tjustaboutthemigrationofpeopleintourbanenvironments,butabouttheenvironmentsthemselvesbecomingbiggertoaccommodateallthosepeople.Therapidexpansionofurbanareaswillhaveahugeimpactonbiodiversityhotspotsandoncarbonemissionsinthoseurbanareas.Humansaretheultimateinvasivespecies—whenthemoveintonewterritory,theoftendisplacethewildlifethatwasalreadylivingthere.Andaslandisclearedforthosenewcities—especiallyinthedensetropicalforests—carbonwillbereleasedintotheatmosphereaswell.It’struethataspeopleindevelopingnationsmovefromthecountrysidetothecity,theshiftmayreducethepressureonland,whichcouldinturnbegoodfortheenvironment.Thisisespeciallysoindesperatelypoorcountries,whereresidentsinthecountrysideslashandburnforestseachgrowingseasontoclearspaceforfarming.Buttherealdifferenceisthatindevelopingnations,themovefromruralareastocitiesoftenleadstoanaccompanyingincreaseinincome—andthatincreaseleadstoanincreaseintheconsumptionoffoodandenergy,whichinturncausesariseincarbonemissions.Gettingenoughtoeatandenjoyingthesafetyandcomfortoflivingfullyonthegridiscertainlyagoodthing—butitdoescarryanenvironmentalprice.Theurbanizationwavecan’tbestopped—anditshouldn’tbe.ButSeto’spaperdoesunderscoretheimportanceofmanagingthattransition.Ifwedoittherightway,wecanreduceurbanization’simpactontheenvironment.“There’sanenormousopportunityhere,andalotofpressureandresponsibilitytothinkabouthowweurbanize,”saysSeto.“Onethingthat’sclearisthatwecan’tbuildcitiesthewaywehaveoverthelastcoupleofhundredyears.Thescaleofthistransitionwon’tallowthat.”We’reheadedtowardsanurbanplanetnomatterwhat,butwhetheritbecomesheavenorhellisuptous.56.Whatissuedoestheauthortrytodrawpeople’sattentionto?A.Theshrinkingbiodiversityworldwide.B.Therapidincreaseofworldpopulation.C.Theongoingglobaleconomicrecession.D.Theimpactofacceleratingurbanization.57.Inwhatsensearehumanstheultimateinvasivespecies?A.Theyaremuchgreedierthanotherspecies.B.Theyareauniquespeciesborntoconquer.C.Theyforceotherspeciesoutoftheirterritories.D.Theyhaveanurgetoexpandtheirlivingspace.58.Inwhatwayisurbanizationinpoorcountriesgoodfortheenvironment?A.Morelandwillbepreservedforwildlife.B.Thepressureonfarmlandwillbelessened.C.Carbonemissionswillbeconsiderablyreduced.D.Naturalresourceswillbeusedmoreeffectively.59.Whatdoestheauthorsayaboutlivingcomfortablyinthecity?A.Itincursahighenvironmentalprice.B.Itbringspovertyandinsecuritytoanend.C.Itcausesabigchangeinpeople’slifestyle.D.Itnarrowsthegapbetweencityandcountry.60.WhatcanbedonetominimizethenegativeimpactofurbanizationaccordingtoSeto?A.Slowingdownthespeedoftransition.B.Innovativeuseofadvancedtechnology.C.Appropriatemanagementoftheprocess.D.Enhancingpeople’ssenseofresponsibility.PassageTwoWhenHarvardstudentMarkZuckerberglaunchedinFeb.,evenhecouldnotimaginetheforcesitwouldletloose.Hisintentwastoconnectcollegestudents.Facebook,whichiswhatthiswebsiterapidlyevolvedinto,endedupconnectingtheworld.Tothechildrenofthisconnectedera,theworldisonegiantsocialnetwork.Theyarenotbound—aswerepreviousgenerationsofhumans—bywhattheyweretaught.Theyareonlylimitedbytheircuriosityandambition.Duringmychildhood,allknowledgewaslocal.Youlearnedeverythingyouknewfromyourparents,teachers,preachers,andfriends.Withthehigh-qualityandtimelyinformationattheirfingertips,today’schildrenarerisingnormallytamemiddleclassisspeakingupagainstsocialills.SiliconValleyexecutivesarebeingshamedintoaddingwomentotheirboards.Politicalleadersaremarshallingtheenergyofmillionsforelectionsandpoliticalcauses.AllofthisisbeingdonewithsocialmediatechnologiesthatFacebookanditscompetitorssetfree.Asdoeseveryadvancingtechnology,socialmediahascreatedmanynewproblems.Itiscommonlyaddictiveandcreatesrisksforyoungerusers.SocialmediaisusedbyextremistsintheMiddleEastandelsewheretoseekandbrainwashrecruits.Anditexposesusandourfriendstodisagreeablespying.Wemayleaveourlightsoninthehousewhenweareonvacation,butthroughsocialmediawetellcriminalsexactlywhereweare,whenweplantoreturnhome,andhowtoblackmail(敲诈)us.Governmentsdon’tneedinformersanymore.Socialmediaallowsgovernmentagenciestospyontheirowncitizens.Werecordourthoughts,emotions,likesanddislikesonFacebook;weshareourpoliticalviews,socialpreferences,andplans.Wepostintimatephotographsofourselves.Nospyagencyorcriminalorganizationcouldactivelygatherthetypeofdatathatwevoluntarilypostforthem.Themarketersarealsoseeingbigopportunities.Amazonistryingtopredictwhatwewillorder.Googleistryingtojudgeourneedsandwantsbasedonoursocial-mediaprofiles.Weneedtobeawareoftherisksandkeepworkingtoalleviatethedangers.Regardlessofwhatsocialmediapeopleuse,onethingiscertain:weareinaperiodofacceleratingchange.Thenextdecadewillbeevenmoreamazingandunpredictablethanthelast.Justasnoonecouldpredictwhatwouldhappenwithsocialmediainthelastdecade,noonecanaccuratelypredictwherethistechnologywilltakeus.Iamoptimistic,however,thataconnectedhumanitywillfindawaytoupliftitself.61.WhatwasthepurposeofFacebookwhenitwasfirstcreated?A.Tohelpstudentsconnectwiththeoutsideworld.B.Tobringuniversitystudentsintoclosercontact.C.Tohelpstudentslearntoliveinaconnectedera.D.Tocombinetheworldintoanintegralwhole.62.Whatdifferencedoessocialmediamaketolearning?A.Localknowledgeandglobalknowledgewillmerge.B.Studentwillbecomemorecuriousandambitious.C.Peopleareabletolearnwherevertheytravel.D.Sourcesofinformationaregreatlyexpanded.63.Whatistheauthor’sgreatestconcernwithsocialmediatechnology?A.Individualsandorganizationsmayuseitforevilpurposes.B.Governmentwillfindithardtoprotectclassifiedinformation.C.Peoplemaydisclosetheirfriends’informationunintentionally.D.People’sattentionwillbeeasilydistractedfromtheirworkinhand.64.Whatdobusinessesusesocialmediafor?A.Creatingagoodcorporateimage.B.Conductinglarge-scalemarketsurveys.C.Anticipatingtheneedsofcustomers.D.Minimizingpossiblerisksanddangers.65.Whatdoestheauthorthinkofsocialmediaasawhole?A.Itwillenablehumansocietytoadvanceatafasterpace.B.Itwillposeagravethreattoourtraditionalwaysoflife.C.Itisboundtobringaboutanotherinformationrevolution.D.Itbreaksdownthefinalbarriersinhumancommunication.答案詞汇理解36-40MthroneCenvironmentalistFnotionsHoriginallyNunnaturally41-45OurgingEimpactIrecognitionBeccentricJrespond長篇阅讀46-50JBDKH

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仔细阅讀56DTheimpactofacceleratingurbanization57Ctheyforceotherspeciesout...58Bthepressureonfarmlandwill...59Aitincursahighenvironmental...60Cappropriatemanagement...61Btobringuniversitystudentsintocloser...62Dsourcesofinformationaregreatlyexpanded63Aindividualsandorganizationsmayuseitforevilpurpose64Banticipatingtheneedsofcustomers65Aitwillenablehumansocietytoadvanceatafasterpace.12月大學英語六级考试阅讀真題及答案SectionAInthissection,thereisashortpassagewith5questionsorincompletestatements.Readthepassagecarefully.Thenanswerthequestionsorcompletestatementsinthefewestpossiblewords.PleasewriteyouranswersonAnswerSheet2.Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Someperformanceevaluationsrequiresupervisorstotakeaction.Employeeswhoreceiveaveryfavorableevaluationmaydeservesometypeofrecognitionorevenapromotion.Ifsupervisorsdonotacknowledgesuchoutstandingperformance,employeesmayeitherlosetheir(36)______andreducetheireffortorsearchforanewjobatafirmthatwill(37)______themforhighperformance.Supervisorsshouldacknowledgehighperformancesothattheemployeewillcontinuetoperformwellinthefuture.Employeeswhoreceiveunfavorableevaluationsmustalsobegivenattention.Supervisorsmust(38)______thereasonsforpoorperformance.Somereasons,suchasafamilyillness,mayhaveatemporaryadverse(39)______onperformanceandcanbecorrected.Otherreasons,suchasabadattitude,maynotbetemporary.Whensupervisorsgiveemployeesanunfavorableevaluation,theymustdecidewhethertotakeany(40)______actions.Iftheemployeeswereunawareoftheirowndeficiencies,theunfavorableevaluationcanpinpoint(指出)thedeficienciesthatemployeesmustcorrect.Inthiscase,thesupervisormaysimplyneedtomonitortheemployees(41)______andensurethatthedeficienciesarecorrected.Iftheemployeeswerealreadyawareoftheirdeficienciesbeforetheevaluationperiod,however,theymaybeunableorunwillingtocorrectthem.Thissituationismoreserious,andthesupervisormayneedtotakeaction.Theactionshouldbe(42)______withthefirm'sguidelinesandmayincludereassigningtheemployeestonewjobs,(43)______themtemporarily,orfiringthem.Asupervisor'sactiontowardapoorlyperformingworkercan(44)______theattitudesofotheremployees.Ifno(45)______isimposedonanemployeeforpoorperformance,otheremployeesmayreactbyreducingtheir

HYPERLINKwell.注意：此部分題請在答題卡2上作答。A)additionalB)affectC)aptlyD)assimilateE)circulationF)closelyG)consistentH)enthusiasmI)identifyJ)impactK)penaltyL)rewardM)simplifyingN)suspendingO)vulnerableSectionBThereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmakedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions52to56arebasedonthefollowingpassage.TheCollegeEssay:WhyThose500WordsDriveUsCrazyA)Megisalawyer-mominsuburbanWashington,D.C.,wherelawyer-momsarethickontheground.HersonDougisoneofseveralhundredthousandhigh-schoolseniorswhohadapainfulfall.ThedeadlineforapplyingtohisfavoritecollegewasNov.1,andbyearlyOctoberhehadyettofillouttheapplication.Moretothepoint,hehadyettosettleonasubjectforthepersonalessayaccompanyingtheapplication.Accordingtocollegefolklore,awell-turnedessayhasthepowertoseduce(诱惑)anadmissionscommittee."Hewantedtodoonethingatatime,"Megsays,explainingherson'sdelay."Butreally,mysonisahugeprocrastinator(迟延者).Theessayisthehardestthingtodo,sohe'sputitoffthelongest."FriendsandotherveteransoftheprocesshavewarnedMegthatthebackandforthbetweeneditingparentandwritingstudentcanbetraumatic(痛苦的).B)Backinthegoodolddays-say,twoyearsago.whenthelastofmychildrensufferedtheordeal(折磨)--ahigh-schoolstudentapplyingtocollegecouldprocrastinateallthewaytoNewYear'sDayoftheirsenioryear,assumingtheycouldwithstandtheparentalpestering(烦扰).Butthingschangefastinthenail-bitingworldofcollegeadmissions.TherecenttrendtowardearlydecisionandearlyactionamongselectivecollegesanduniversitieshaspushedthetraditionaldeadlineofJanuaryuptoNov.1orearlyDecemberformanystudents.C)Ifthetimeforheel-dragginghasbeenshortened,thetruesourceoftheanxietyandpanicremainswhatithasalwaysbeen.Andit'snottheapplicationitself.Acollegeapplicationisarelativelystraightforwardquestionnaireaskingforthebasics:name,address,familyhistory,employmenthistory.Itwouldallbeinnocentenough-20minutesofbusywork-exceptitcomesattachedtoapersonalessay.D)"Therearegoodreasonsitcausessuchanxiety,"saysLisaSohmer,directorofcollegecounselingattheGardenSchoolinJacksonHeights.N.Y."It'snotjusttheactualwriting.Bynoweverythingelseisalreadyset.Yourcourseloadisset,yourgradesareset,yourtestscoresareset.Buttheessayissomethingyoucanstillcontrol,andit'sopen-ended.Sothetemptationistowriteandrewriteandrewrite."Orstallandstallandstall.E)Theapplicationessay,alongwithitsmythicalimportance,isarecentinvention.Inthe1930s,whenonlyonein10Americanshadadegreefromafour-yearcollege,anadmissionscommitteewascontenttoaskforasampleofapplicants'schoolpaperstoassesstheirwritingability.Bythe1950s,mostschoolsrequiredabriefpersonalstatementofwhythestudenthadchosentoapplytooneschooloveranother.F)Todaynearly70percentofgraduatingseniorsgoofftocollege,includingtwo-yearandfour-yearinstitutions.Evenapartfromtheincreasedcompetition,thekidsenteraprocessthathasbeenutterlytransformedfromtheonebabyboomersknew.Nearlyallapplicationmaterialsaresubmittedonline,andtheCommonApplicationprovidesaone-size-fitsformacceptedbymorethan400schools,includingthenation'smostselective.G)Thoseschoolsusuallyrequireessaysoftheirown,butthelongestessay,500wordsmaximum,isgenerallyattachedtotheCommonApplication.Studentschooseoneofsixquestions.Applicantsareaskedtodescribeanethicaldilemmathey'vefacedanditsimpactonthem,ordiscussapublicissueofspecialconcerntothem,ortellofafictionalcharacterorcreativeworkthathasprofoundlyinfluencedthem.Anotherquestioninvitesthemtowriteabouttheimportance(tothem,again)ofdiversity-awordthathasassumedmagicpowerinAmericanhighereducation.Themostpopularoption:writeonatopicofyourchoice.H)"Boysinparticularlookattheotherquestionsandsay.'Oh,that'stoomuchwork,'"saysJohnBoshoven,acounselorintheAnnArbor,Mich.,publicschools."Theythinkiftheydoatopicoftheirchoice,'I'lljustgogetthathistorypaperIdidlastyearontheRomanEmpireandturnitintoafirst-personapplicationessay!'Andtheyendupproducingsomethingutterlyridiculous."I)TalkingtoadmissionsprofessionalslikeBoshoven,yourealizethatthelistof"don'ts"inessaywritingismuchlongerthanthe"dos.""Nobookreports,nohistorypapers,nocharacterstudies."saysSohmer.J)"Itdrivesyoucrazy,howeasilykidsslipintoclichés(老生常談),"saysBoshoven."Theydon'trealizehowtypicaltheirexperiencesare.'Iscoredthewinninggoalinsocceragainstourarch-rival.''MygrandfatherservedinWorldWarII,andIhopetobejustlikehimsomeday.'Thatmaymeanalottothatparticularkid.Butintheworldoftheapplicationessay,it'snothing.You'lllosethereaderinthefirstparagraph."K)"Thegreateststrengthyoubringtothisessay."saystheCollegeBoard'show-tobook,"is17yearsorsooffamiliaritywiththetopic:YOU.Theformandstyleareveryfamiliar,andbestofall,youaretheworld-class