2025年大学英语六级考试真题含答案与详解

年6月大学英语六级考试真题(第1套)

PartIWriting(30minutes)

Directions:Supposeyouareaskedtogiveadviceonwhethertoattendavocationalcollegeorauniversity,

writeanessaytostateyouropinion.Youarerequiredtowriteatleast150wordsbutnomore

than200words.

PartIIListeningComprehension(30minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwolongconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,youwill

hearfourquestions.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.After

youhearaquestion,yojmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)

andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthe

centre.

Questions1to4arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

1.A)Hewouldfeelinsulted.B)Hewouldfeelverysad.

C)Hewouldbeembarrassed.D)Hewouldbedisappointed.

2.A)Theyareworthyofaprize.B)Theyareoflittlevalue.

C)Theymakegoodreading.D)Theyneedimprovement.

3.A)Heseldomwritesabookstraightthrough.B)Hewritesseveralbookssimultaneously.

C)Hedrawsonhisreal-lifeexperiences.

D)Heoftenturnstohiswifeforhelp.

4.A)Writingabookisjustlikewatchingafootballmatch.

B)Writersactuallyworkeverybitashardasfootballers.

C)Helikeswatchingafootballmatchafterfinishingabook.

D)Unlikeafootballmatch,thereisnoendtowritingabook.

Questions5to8arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

5.A)Achievementsofblackmaleathletesincollege.

B)Financialassistancetoblackathletesincollege.

C)Highcollegedropoutratesamongblackathletes.

D)Undergraduateenrollmentsofblackathletes.

6.A)Theydisplaygreattalentineverykindofgame.

B)Theyarebetteratsportsthanatacademicwork.

C)Theyhavedifficultyfindingmoneytocompletetheirstudies.

D)Theymakemoneyforthecollegebutoftenfailtoearnadegree.

7.A)About15%.B)Around40%.

C)Slightlyover50%.D)Approximately70%.

8.A)Coacheslacktheincentivetograduatethem.

B)Collegedegreesdonotcountmuchtothem.

C)Theyhavelittleinterestinacademicwork.

D)Schoolsdonotdeemitaseriousproblem.

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youwillheartwopassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearthreeor

fourquestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouheara

question,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).

ThenmarkthecorrespondinqletteronAnswerSheet1wi^hasinqlelinethrouqhthecentre.

Questions9to12arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

9.A)Marketingstrategies.

B)Holidayshopping.

C)Shoppingmalls.

D)Onlinestores.

10.A)About50%ofholidayshoppers.

B)About20-30%ofholidayshoppers.

C)About136million.

D)About183.8million.

11.A)Theyhavefewercustomers

B)Theyfindithardtosurvve.

C)Theyarethrivingoncemore.

D)Theyappealtoelderlycustomers.

12.A)Betterqualityofconsumergoods.

B)Higheremploymentandwages.

C)Greatervarietiesofcomrrodities.

D)Peoplehavingmoreleisuretime.

Questions13to15arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

13.A)Theyarenewspeciesofbiginsects.

B)Theyareoverprescribedantibiotics.

C)Theyarelife-threateningdiseases.

D)Theyareantibiotic-resistantbacteria.

14.A)Antibioticsarenowinshortsupply.

B)Manyinfectionsarenolongercurable.

C)Largeamountsoftaxmoneyarewasted.

D)Routineoperationshavebecomecomplex.

15.A)Facilities.

B)Expertise.

C)Money.

D)Publicity.

SectionC

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearthreerecordingsoflecturesortalksfollowedbythreeorfour

questions.Therecordingswillbeplayedonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoose

thebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),CJandD).Thenmarkthecorresponding

letteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Questions16to18arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

16.A)Itisaccessibleonlytothetalented.

B)Itimprovesstudents'abilitytothink.

C)Itstartsalifelonglearningprocess.

D)Itgivesbirthtomanyeminentscholars.

17.A)Theyencourageacademicdemocracy.

B)Theypromoteglobalization.

C)Theyupholdthepresidents,authority.

D)Theyprotectstudents*rights.

18.A)Histhirstforknowledge.B)Hiseagernesstofinda

job.

C)Hiscontemptforauthorit/.D)Hispotentialforleadership.

Questions19to22arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

19.A)Fewpeopleknowhowtoretrieveinformationproperly.B)

Peoplecanenhancetheirmemorywithafewtricks.

C)Mostpeoplehavearatherpoorlong-termmemory.

D)Peopletendtounderestimatetheirmentalpowers.

20.A)Theypresentthestatesinasurprisinglydifferentorder.

B)Theyincludemoreorlessthesamenumberofstates.

C)Theyareexactlythesameasisshownintheatlas.

D)Theycontainnamesofthemostfamiliarstates.

21.A)Focusingonwhatislikelytobetested.

B)Havingagoodsleepthenightbefore.

C)Reviewingyourlessonswheretheexamistotakeplace.

D)Makingsensibledecisionswhilechoosingyouranswers.

22.A)Discoverwhenyoucanlearnbest.

B)Changeyourtimeofstudydaily.

C)Giveyourselfadoublebonusafterwards.

D)Followtheexampleofamarathonrunner.

Questions23to25arebasedontherecordingyouhavejustheard.

23.A)Heisapolitician.B)Heisabusinessman.

C)Heisasociologist.D)Heisaneconomist.

24.A)Inslums.

B)InAfrica.

C)Inpre-industrialsocieties.

D)Indevelopingcountries.

25.A)Theyhavenoaccesstohealthcare,letaloneentertainmentorrecreation.

B)Theirincomeislessthan50%ofthenationalaveragefamilyincome.

C)Theyworkextrahourstohavetheirbasicneedsmet.

D)Theirchildrencannotaffordtogotoprivateschools.

PartIIIReadingComprehension(40minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordfor

eachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassage

throughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.

PleasemarkthecorrespondinQletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinqleline

throughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.

Questions26to35arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Let'sallstopjudgingpeoplewhotalktothemselves.Newresearchsaysthatthosewhocan't

seemtokeeptheirinnermonologues(独白)inareactuallymorelikelytostayontask,remain_26_

tetterandshowimprovedperceptioncapabilities.Notbad,really,forsomeextramuttering.

AccordingtoaseriesofexperimentspublishedintheQuarterlyJournalofExperimentalPsychology

byprofessorsGaryLupyanandDanielSwignley,theactofusingverbalcluesto_27_mentalpictures

helpspeoplefunctionquicker.

Inoneexperiment,theyshowedpicturesofvariousobjectstotwenty_28_andaskedthemtofind

justoneofthose,abanana.Halfwere_29_torepeatoutloudwhattheywerelookingforandtheother

halfkepttheirlips_30_.Thosewhotalkedtothemselvesfoundthebananaslightlyfasterthanthose

whodidn'3theresearcherssay.Inotherexperiments,LupyanandSwgnleyfoundthat_31_thename

ofacommonproductwhenonthehuntforithelpedquickensemeone'space,buttalkingabout

cncommonitemsshowednoadvantageandslowedyoudown.

Commonresearchhaslongheldthattalkingthemselvesthroughataskhelpschildrenlearn,although

coingsowhenyou've_32_maturedisnotagreatsignof_33_.Thetwoprofessorshopetorefute

thatidea,_34_thatjustaswhenkidswalkthemselvesthroughaprocess,adultscanbenefitfromusing

languagenotjusttocommunicate,butalsotohelp“augmentthinking”.

Ofccursp,youarestillpneouragpdtokpppthptalkingatlibraryton。，and,whateveryoude,kppp

theinformationyousharesimple,likeagrocerylist.Atany_35_,there'sstillsuchathingastoomuch

information.

A)Apparently1)ObscurelyJ)

B)ArroganceSealed

C)BrillianceK)spectators

D)ClaimingL)Trigger

E)DedicatedM)Uttering

F)FocusedN)Volume

G)Incur0)Volunteers

H)Instructed

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Each

statementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraph

fromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Each

paragraphismarkedwithaletter.Answerthequestionsbymarkingthecorresponding

letteronAnswerSheet2.

RichChildrenandPoorOnesAreRaisedVeryDifferently

[A]ThelivesofchildrenfromrichandpoorAmericanfamilieslookmoredifferentthaneverbefore.

[B]Well-offfamiliesareruledbycalendars,withchildrenenrolledinballet,soccerandafter-school

programs,accordingtoanewPewResearchCentersurvey.Thereareusuallytwoparents,whospendalot

cftimereadingtochildrenandworryingabouttheiranxietylevelsandhecticschedules.

[ClInpoorfamilies,meanwhile,childrentendtospendtheirtimeathomeorwithextendedfamily.

Theyaremorelikelytogrowupinneighborhoodsthattheirparentssayaren'tgreatforraisingchildren,

andtheirparentsworryaboutthemgettingshot,beatenuporintroublewiththelaw.

[D]Theclassdifferencesinchildrearingaregrowing—asymptomofwideninginequalitywith

far-reachingconsequences.Differentupbringingssetchildrenondifferentpathsandcandeepen

socioeconomicdivisions,especiallybecauseeducationisstronglylinkedtoearnings.Childrengrowup

learningtheskillstosucceedintheirsocioeconomicstratum（阶层），butnotnecessarilyothers.

[E]"Earlychildhoodexperiencescanbeveryconsequentialforchildren'slong-termsocial,

emotionalandcognitivedevelopment,"saidSeanReardon,professorofpovertyandinequalityin

educationatStanfordUniversity.wArdbecausethoseinfluenceeducaticnalsuccessandlaterearnings,

earlychildhoodexperiencescastalifelongshadow."Thecyclecontinues:Poorerparentshavelesstime

andfewerresourcestoinvestintheirchildren,whichcanleavechildrenlesspreparedforschoolandwork,

v/hichleadstolowerearnings.

[F]Americanparentswantsimilarthingsfortheirchildren,thePewreportandpastresearchhave

found:forthemtobehealthyandhappy,honestandethical,caringandcompassionate.Thereisnobest

parentingstyleorphilosophy,researcherssay,andacrossincomegroups,92%ofparentssaytheyare

coingagoodjobatraisingtheirchildren.Yettheyaredoingitquitedifferently.Middle-classandhigher-

incomeparentsseetheirchildrenasprojectsinneedofcarefulcultivation,saysAnnetteLareau,whose

groundbreakingresearchonthetopicwaspublishedinherbookUnequalChildhoods:Class,Raceand

FamilyLife.Theytrytodeveloptheirskillsthroughclosesupervisionandorganizedactivities,andteach

childrentoquestionauthorityfiguresandnavigateeliteinstitutions.

[G]Working-classparents,meanwhile,believetheirchildrenwillnaturallythrive,andgivethemfar

greaterindependenceandtimeforfreeplay.Theyaretaughttobecompliantandrespectfultoadults.

Therearebenefitstobothapproaches.Working-classchildrenarehappier,moreindependent,complain

lessandarecloserwithfamilymembers,Ms.Lareaufound.Higher-incomechildrenaremorelikelyto

ceclareboredomandexpecttheirparentstosolvetheirproblems.Yetlateron,themoreaffluentchildren

endupincollegeandonthewaytothemiddleclass,whileworking-classchildrentendtostruggle.

Childrenfromhigher-incomefamiliesarelikelytohavetheskillstonavigatebureaucraciesandsucceedin

schoolsandworkplaces,Ms.Lareausaid.

[H]"Doallparentswanttherrostsuccessfortheirchildren?Absolutely/'shesaid."Dosome

strategiesgivechildrenmoreadvantagesthanothersininstitutions?Probablytheydo.Willparentsbe

camagingchildreniftheyhaveonefewerorganizedactivity?No,Ireallydoubtit.”

[I]Socialscientistssaythedifferencesariseinpartbecauselow-incomeparentshavelessmoneyto

spendonmusicclassorpreschool,andlessflexibleschedulestotakechildrentomuseumsorattend

schoolevents.ExtracurricularactivitesreflectthedifferencesinchildrearinginthePewsurvey,whichwas

cfanationallyrepresentativesampleof1,807parents.Offamiliesearningmorethan$75,000ayear,84%

saytheirchildrenhaveparticipatedinorganizedsportsoverthepastyear,64%havedonevolunteerwork

duel62%havelakenlebbuiibinrnubic,ddiiceorarI.OffcirriiliebearninglebbIhdri$30,000,59%ofchildren

havedonesports,37%havevolunteeredand41%havetakenartsclasses.

[JJEspeciallyinaffluentfamilies,childrenstartyoung.Nearlyhalfofhigh-earning,college-graduate

parentsenrolledtheirchildreninartsclassesbeforetheywere5,comperedwithone-fifthoflow-income,

less-educatedparents.Nonetheless,20%ofwell-offparentssaytheirchildren'sschedulesaretoohectic,

comparedwith8%ofpoorerparents.

|K]Anotherexampleisreadingaloud,whichstudieshaveshowngiveschildrenbiggervocabularies

andbetterreadingcomprehensioninschool.71%ofparentswithacollegedegreesaytheydoiteveryday,

comparedwith33%ofthosewithahighschooldiplomaorless.Whiteparentsaremorelikelythanothers

toreadtotheirchildrendaily,asaremarriedparents.Mostaffluentparentsenrolltheirchildrenin

preschoolordaycare,whilelow-incomeparentsaremorelikelytodependonfamilymembers.Discipline

techniquesvarybyeducationlevel:8%ofthosewithapostgraduatedegreesaytheyoftenbeattheir

children,comparedwith22%ofthosewithahighschooldegreeorless.

[L]Thesurveyalsoprobedattitudesandanxieties.Interestingly,parents,attitudestoward

educationdonotseemtoreflecttheirowneducationalbackgroundasmuchasabeliefintheimportance

ofeducationforupwardmobility.MostAmericanparentssaytheyarenotconcernedabouttheir

children'sgradesaslongastheyworkhard.But50%ofpoorparentssayitisextremelyimportanttothem

thattheirchildrenearnacollegedegree,comparedwith39%ofwealthierparents.

[M]Less-educatedparents,andpoorerandblackandLatinoparentsaremorelikelytobelievethat

thereisnosuchthingastoomuchinvolvementinachild'seducation.Parentswhoarewhite,wealthyor

college-educatedsaytoomuchinvolvementcanbebad.Parentalanxietiesreflecttheircircumstances.

High-earningparentsaremuchmorelikelytosaytheyliveinagoodneighborhoodforraisingchildren.

Whilebullyingisparents,greatestconcernoverall,nearlyhalfoflow-incomeparentsworrytheirchildwill

getshot,comparedwithone-fifthofhigh-incomeparents.Theyaremoreworriedabouttheirchildren

beingdepressedoranxious.

(NJInthePewsurvey,middle-classfamiliesearningbetween$30,000and$75,000ayearfellright

betweenworking-classandhigh-eaningparentsonissueslikethequalityoftheirneighborhoodfor

raisingchildren,participationinextracurricularactivitiesandinvolvementintheirchildren/seducation.

IO]Childrenwerenotalwaysraisedsodifferently.Theachievementgapbetweenchildrenfrom

high-andlow-incomefamiliesis30-40%largeramongchildrenborninthanthoseborn25yearsearlier,

accordingtoMr.Reardon'sresearch.Peopleusedtolivenearpeopleofdifferentincomelevels;

reighborhoodsarenowmoresegregatedbyincome.Morethanaquarterofchildrenliveinsingle-parent

households—ahistorichigh,accorcingtoPew——andthesechildrenarethreetimesaslikelytolivein

povertyasthosewholivewithmarriedparents.Meanwhile,growingincomeinequalityhascoincidedwith

theiriciedbinginipoitdiiceufacullegedegreefurPenninganiiddle-cldbbwage.

[P]Yettherearerecentsignsthatthegapcouldbestartingtoshrink.Inthepastdecade,evenas

incomeinequalityhasgrown,someofthesocioeconomicdifferencesinparenting,likereadingtochildren

andgoingtolibraries,havenarrowed.

fQ]Publicpoliciesaimedatyoungchildrenhavehelped,includingpublicpreschoolprogramsand

readinginitiatives.Addressingdifferencesintheearliestyears,itseems,couldreduceinequalityinthe

rextgeneration.

36.Working-classparentsteachtheirchildrentobeobedientandshowrespecttoadults.

37.Americanparents,whetherrichorpoor,havesimilarexpectationsoftheirchildrendespite

differentwaysofparenting.

38.Whilerichparentsaremoreconcernedwiththeirchildren'spsychologicalwell-being,poor

parentsaremoreworriedabouttheirchildren'ssafety.

39.Theincreasingdifferencesinchildrearingbetweenrichandpoorfamiliesreflectgrowingsocial

inequality.

40.Parentingapproachesofworking-classandaffluentfamiliesbothhaveadvantages.

41.Higher-incomefamiliesandworking-classfamiliesnowtendtoliveindifferentneighborhoods.

42.Physicalpunishmentisusedmuchlessbywell-educatedparents.

43.Ms.Lareaudoesn'tbelieveparticipatinginfewerafter-classactivitieswillnegativelyaffect

children'sdevelopment.

44.Wealthyparentsareconcernedabouttheirchildren'smentalhealthandbusyschedules.45.

Somesocioeconomicdifferencesin:hildrearinghaveshrunkinthepasttenyears.

SectionC

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinished

statements.ForeachcfthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA,B,CandD.Youshoulddecide

onthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasingleline

throughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions46to50arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Tennessee'stechnicalandcommunitycollegeswillnotoutsource（夕卜包）managementoftheirfacilities

toaprivatecompany,adecisiononeleadersaidwasbolsteredbyananalysisofspendingateachcampus.

InanemailsentMondaytocollegepresidentsintheTennesseeBoardofRegentssystem,outgoing

ChancellorJohnMorgansaidaninternalanalysisshowedthateachcampus/spendingonfacilities

managementfellwellbelowtheindustrystandardsidentifiedbythestate.Morgansaidthosefindings——

v/hichincludeddatafromthesystem's13communitycolleges,27technicalcollegesandsixuniversities—

v/erepartofthedecisionnottomoveforwardwithGovernorBillHaslam'sproposaltoprivatize

managementofstatebuildingsinanefforttosavemoney.

“Whilethesenumbersarestillbeingvalidatedbythestate,wefeelanyadjustmentstheymight

suggestwillbeimmaterial,，zMorganwrotetothepresidents."Systeminstitutionsareoperatingvery

efficientlybasedonthisanalysis,raisingthequestionofthevalueofpursuingabroadscaleoutsourcing

initiative.z，

Worker'sadvocateshavecriticizedHaslam'splan,sayingitwouldmeansomecampusworkerswould

losetheirjobsorbenefits.Haslamhassaidcollegeswouldbefreetooptinoroutoftheoutsouringplan,

v/hichhasnotbeenfinalized.

MorgannotifiedtheHaslamadministrationofhisdecisiontooptoutinalettersentlastweek.Ihat

letter,whichincludesseveralconcernsMorganhaswiththeplan,wasoriginallyobtainedbyThe

CommercialAppealinMemphis.

Inanemailstatementfromthestate'sOfficeofCustomerFocusedGovernment,whichisexamining

thepossibilityofoutsourcing,spokeswomanMichelleR.Martinsaidofficialswerestillworkingtoanalyze

thedatafromtheBoardofRegents.Dataonmanagementexpensesatthecollegesystemandinother

statedepartmentswillbepartofa“businessjustification"thestatewilluseasofficialsdeliberatethe

specificsofanoutsourcingplan.

“Thestate'sfacilitiesmanagementprojectteamisstillintheprocessofdevelopingitsbusiness

justificationandexpeclstohave计atcompletedandavailabletothepublicattheendofFebruary,“

Martinsaid."Atthistimethereisnothingtotakeactiononsincetheanalysishasyettobecompleted.''

Morgan'scommentsonoutsourcingmarkthesecondtimethismonththathehascomeoutagainst

cneofHaslam'splansforhighereducationinTennessee.Morgansaidlastweekthathewouldretireatthe

endofJanuarybecauseofthegovernor'sproposaltosplitoffsixuniversitiesoftheBoardofRegents

systemandcreateseparategoverningboardsforeachofthem.InhisresignationletterMorgancalledthe

reorganization“unworkable”.

46.WhatdowelearnaboutthedecisionoftechnicalandcommunitycollegesinTennessee?

A)Itisbackedbyacampusspendinganalysis.

B)Ithasbeenflatlyrejectedbythegovernor.

C)Ithasneglectedtheirfaculty'sdemands.D)ltwillimprovetheirfinancialsituation.

47.Whatdoesthecampusspendinganalysisreveal?

A)Privatecompaniesplayabigroleincampusmanagement.

B)Facilitiesmanagementbycollegesismorecost-effective.

C)Facilitiesmanagementhasgreatlyimprovedinrecentyears.

D)Collegesexercisefoilcontrolovertheirownfinancialaffairs.

48.Workers*supportersarguethatBillHaslam'sproposalwould.

A)deprivecollegesoftherighttomanagetheirfacilities

B)makeworkerslessmotivatedinperformingduties

C)renderanumberofcampusworkersjobless

D)leadtotheprivatizationofcampusfacilities

49.Whatdowelearnfromthestatespokeswoman'sresponsetoJohnMorgan'sdecision?A)The

outsourcingplanisnotyetfinalized.

B)Theoutsourcingplanwillbeimplemented.

C)Thestateofficialsareconfidentabouttheoutsourcingplan.

D)Thecollegespendinganalysisjustifiestheoutsourcingplan.

50.WhydidJohnMorgandecidetoresign?

A)HehadlostconfidenceintheTennesseestategovernment.

B)Hedisagreedwiththegovernoronhighereducationpolicies.

C)Hethoughtthestate'soutsourcingproposalwassimplyunworkable.

D)Heopposedthegovernor'splantoreconstructthecollegeboardsystem.

PassageTwo

Questions51to55arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Beginninginthelatesixteenthcentury,itbecamefashionableforyoungaristocratstovisitParis,

Venice,Florence,andaboveall,Rorre,astheculmination^oftheirclassicaleducation.Thuswasborn

theideaoftheGrandTour,apracticewhichintroducedEnglishmen,Germans,Scandinavians,andalso

AmericanstotheartandcultureofFranceandItalyforthenext300years.Travelwasarduousandcostly

throughouttheperiod,possibleonlyforaprivilegedclass—thesamethatproducedgentlemenscientists,

authors,antiqueexperts,andpatrorsofthearts.

TheGrandTouristwastypicallyayoungmanwithathoroughgroundinginGreekandLatinliterature

aswellassomeleisuretime,somemeans,andsomeinterestinart.TheGermantravelerJohann

WinckelmannpioneeredthefieldofarthistorywithhiscompreheisivestudyofGreekandRoman

sculpture;hewasportrayedbyhisfriendAntonRaphaelMengsatthebeginningofhislongresidencein

Home.MostGrandTourists,howeverstayedforbrieferperiodsandsetoutwithlessscholarlyintentions,

accompaniedbyateacherorguardian,andexpectedtoreturnhomewithsouvenirsoftheirtravelsaswell

asanunderstandingofartandarchitectureformedbyexposuretogreatmasterpieces.

LondonwasafrequentstartingpointforGrandTourists,andParisacompulsorydestination;many

traveledtotheNetherlands,sometoSwitzerlandandGermany,andaveryfewadventurerstoSpain,

Greece,orTurkey.Theessentialplacetovisit,however,wasItaly.TheBritishtravelerCharlesThompson

spokeformanyGrandTouristswhenin1744hedescribedhimselfas“beingimpatientlydesirousof

viewingacountrysofamousinhistory,acountrywhichoncegavelawstotheworld,andwhichisat

presentthegreatestschoolofmusicandpainting,containsthenoblestproductionsofsculptureand

architecture,andisfilledwithcabinetsofrarities,andcollectionsofallkindsofhistoricalrelics".Within

Italy,thegreatfocuswasRome,whoseancientruinsandmorerecentachievementswereshowntoevery

GrandTourist.Panini/sAncientRomeandModemRomerepresentthesightsmostprized,including

celebratedGreco-Romanstatuesandviewsoffamousruins,fountains,andchurches.Sincetherewerefew

museumsanywhereinEuropebeforethecloseoftheeighteenthcentury,GrandTouristsoftensaw

paintingsandsculpturesbygainingadmissiontoprivatecollections,andmanywereeagertoacquire

examplesofGreco-RomanandItalianartfortheirowncollections.InEngland,wherearchitecturewas

increasinglyseenasanaristocraticpur