2015年6月大学英语六级考试真题（二）

PAGE8PAGE72015年6月大学英语六级考试真题(二)PartI Writing (30minutes)Directions：Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaycommentingonAlbertEinsteinsremark“Ihavenospecialtalents.Iamonlypassionatelycurious.Youcangiveanexampleortwotoillustrateyourpointofview.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。PartI ListeningComprehension (30minutes)SectionADirections：Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,oneormorequestionswillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestiontherewillbeapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD),anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。A)Thewomanthinkssheisclevererthantheman.Themanbehavesasifhewereathoroughfool.Themanisunhappywiththewoman’sremark.Thewomanseldomspeakshighlyofherself.A)Threecrewmemberswereinvolvedintheincident.Noneofthehijackerscarriedanydeadlyweapons.Noneofthepassengerswereinjuredorkilled.TheplanehadbeenscheduledtoflytoJapan.A) Atatravelagency. C) Atacheckoutcounter.Atahotelfrontdesk. D) Atacommercialbank.A)Chinatownhasgotthebestrestaurantsinthecity.ThecriticthoughthighlyoftheChineserestaurant.Therestaurantplacesmanyadsinpopularmagazines.Therestaurantwasnotuptothespeakers5expectations.A)Prof.Laurenceisgoingintoanactiveretirement.Prof.Laurencehasstoppedconductingseminars.Theprofessor’sgraduateseminariswellreceived.Theprofessorwillleadaquietlifeafterretirement.A) AssigningLeontoanewposition. C) ArrangingforRodney’svisittomorrow.FindingareplacementforLeon. D) FindingasolutiontoRodney’sproblem.A)PhotographyisoneofHelen’smanyhobbies.Helenaskedthemantobookaticketforher.Thephotographyexhibitionwillclosetomorrow.Helenhasbeenlookingforwardtotheexhibition.A)Thespeakerssharethesameopinion.Steveknowshowtomotivateemployees.ThemanhasabetterunderstandingofSteve.Thewomanisoutoftouchwiththerealworld.Questions9to12arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard9.A)Itiswellpaid.C）Itisdemanding.Itisstimulating.D)Itisfairlysecure10.A)Aquickpromotion.C)Movingexpenses.B)FreeaccommodationD)ALighterworkload.11.A)Hehasdifficultycommunicatingwithlocalpeople.B)Hehastospendalotmoretravelingbackandforth.C)Hehastroubleadaptingtothelocalweather.D)Hehastosignalong-termcontract.12.A)Thewomanwillhelpthemanmakeachoice.B)Themanisgoingtoattendajobinterview.C)Themanisintheprocessofjobhunting.D)Thewomansympathizeswiththeman.Questions13to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.13.A)Toinquireabouttheinterestratesatthewoman^bank.B)Toinquireaboutthecurrentfinancialmarketsituation.C)Toseeifhecanfindajobinthewoman’scompany.D)Toseeifhecangetaloanfromthewoman’sbank.14.A) Long-terminvestment. C)Anyhigh-interestdeposit.B)Athree-monthdeposit. D) Anyhigh-yieldinvestment.15.A) Shetreatedhimtoameal. C) Sheofferedhimdiningcoupons.B)Shegavehimloansatlowrates. D) Sheraisedinterestratesforhim.SectionBDirections：Inthissection9youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsomequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion，youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。PassageOneQuestions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.16.A)Strictprofessionaltraining. C)Arefinedtasteforartisticworks.Yearsofpracticalexperience. D)Theabilitytopredictfashiontrends.17.A)Purchasinghandicraftsfromallovertheworld.Conductingtradeinartworkswithdealersoverseas.Strengtheningcooperationwithforeigngovernments.PromotingallkindsofAmericanhand-madespecialties.18.A) Shehasaccesstofashionablethings. C) Sheisdoingwhatsheenjoysdoing.Shecanenjoylifeonamodestsalary. D) Sheisfreetodowhatevershewants.PassageTwoQuestions19to22arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.19.A)ItisaPortuguesecompanysellingcoffeeinNewYork.Itsmostimportanttaskistoconductcoffeestudies.Itrepresentsseveralcountriesthatexportcoffee.Itsroleistoregulateinternationalcoffeeprices.20.A)ThefreezingweatherinBrazil. C)Theincreasedcoffeeconsumption.Theimpactofglobalwarming. D)Thefluctuationofcoffeeprices.21.A) Heisdoingabachelor’sdegree. C) Heisaheavycoffeedrinker.Heisyoung,handsomeandsingle. D) Heistall,richandintelligent.22.A)Avisittoseveralcoffee-growingplantations.Coffeepricesandhisadvertisingcampaign.Avacationonsomebeautifultropicalbeach.Aquickpromotionandahandsomeincome.PassageThreeQuestions23to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.23.A)Theywereheldupinatrafficjam. C)Theywerelateforthefirstmorningbus.B)Theyboardedawrongcoachinahurry. D)Theyweredelayedbythetrainforhours.24.A)Itwascanceledbecauseofanunexpectedstrike.Itwasthemostexcitingtriptheyeverhad.Itwasspoiledbypooraccommodations.Itwaspostponedduetoterribleweather.25.A)Gooverseas. C)Takeromanticcruises.B)Stayathome. D)Takeescortedtrips.SectionCDirections：Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefirsttime，youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblankswiththeexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Finally^whenthepassageisreadforthethirdtime9youshouldcheckwhatyouhavewritten.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。Whywouldananimalkillitself?Itseemsastrangequestion,andyetitisonethathas26somepeopleforalongtime.Thelemming(旅鼠）isonesuchanimal.Lemmingsperiodicallycommitmass27 ,andnooneknowsjustwhy!Thesmall28 ,whichinhabittheScandinavianmountains,sustainthemselvesonadietofrootsandliveinneststheymakeunderground.Whentheirfoodsupplyis29large,thelemmingsliveanormal,undisturbedlife.However,whenthelemmings,foodsupplybecomestoolowtosupportthepopulation,asingular30commences.Thelemmingsleavetheirnestsalltogetheratthesametime,forminghugecrowds.GreatnumbersofthelemmingsbeginalongandhardjourneyacrosstheScandinavianplains,ajourneythatmaylastweeks.Thelemmingseateverythingintheirpath,continuingtheir31marchuntiltheyreachthesea.Thereasonforwhatfollowsremainsamysteryforzoologistsandnaturalists.Uponreachingthecoast,thelemmingsdonotstopbutswimbythethousandsintothesurf.Most32onlyashorttimebeforetheytire,sink,anddrown.Acommontheoryforthisunusualphenomenonisthatthelemmingsdonotrealizethattheoceanissuch33water.Intheircross-countryjourney,theanimalsmusttraversemanysmallerbodiesofwater,suchasriversandsmalllakes.Theymay34thattheseaisjustanothersuchswimmable35Butnofinalanswerhasbeenfoundtothemystery.PartI[ ReadingComprehension (40minutes)SectionADirections：Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.“Thatwhichdoesnotkillusmakesusstronger.”Butparentscan’thandleitwhenteenagersputthis36intopractice.Nowtechnologyhasbecomethenewfieldfortheage-oldbattlebetweenadultsandtheirfreedom-seekingkids.Lockedindoors,unabletogetontheirbicyclesandhangoutwiththeirfriends,teenshaveturnedtosocialmediaandtheirmobilephonestosocializewiththeirpeers.Whattheydoonlineoften37whattheymightotherwisedoiftheirmobilityweren’tsoheavily38intheageofhelicopterparenting.Socialmediaandsmart-phoneappshavebecomesopopularinrecentyearsbecauseteensneedaplacetocalltheirown.Theywantthefreedomto39theiridentityandtheworldaroundthem.Insteadof40Asteenshavemovedonline,parentshaveprojectedtheirfearsontotheInternet,imaginingallthe41 dangersthatyouthmightface—from42strangerstocruelpeerstopicturesorwordsthatcouldhauntthemonGooglefortherestoftheirlives.Ratherthanhelpingteensdevelopstrategiesfornegotiatingpubliclifeandtherisksof43withothers,fearfulparentshavefocusedontracking,monitoringandblocking.Thesetactics（策略）don‘thelpteensdeveloptheskillstheyneedtomanagecomplexsocialsituations,44risksandgethelpwhenthey’reintrouble.“Protecting”kidsmayfedliketherightthingtodo,butit45thelearningthatteensneedtodoastheycomeofageinatechnology-soakedworld.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。A)assessF)interactingK)potentialB)constrainedG)interpretationL)sneakingC)containsH)magnifiedM)stickingD)exploreI)mirrorsN)underminesE)influenceJ)philosophyO)violentSectionBDirections：Inthissection9youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.InequalityIsNotInevitableAdangeroustrendhasdevelopedoverthispastthirdofacentury.AcountrythatexperiencedsharedgrowthafterWorldWarⅡbegantotearapart,somuchsothatwhentheGreatRecessionhitinlate2007，onecouldnolongerignorethedivisionthathadcometodefinetheAmericaneconomiclandscape.Howdidthis“shiningcityonahiir”becometheadvancedcountrywiththegreatestlevelofinequality?Overthepastyearandahalf,TheGreatDivide,aseriesinTheNewYorkTimes,haspresentedawiderangeofexamplesthatunderminethenotionthatthereareanytrulyfundamentallawsofcapitalism.Thedynamicsoftheimperialcapitalismofthe19thcenturyneedn’tapplyinthedemocraciesofthe21st.Wedon’tneedtohavethismuchinequalityinAmerica.Ourcurrentbrandofcapitalismisafakecapitalism.ForproofofthisgobacktoourresponsetotheGreatRecession,wherewesocializedlosses,evenasweprivatizedgains.Perfectcompetitionshoulddriveprofitstozero,atleasttheoretically,butwehavemonopoliesmakingpersistentlyhighprofits.C.E.O.senjoyincomesthatareonaverage295timesthatofthetypicalworker,amuchhigherratiothaninthepast,withoutanyevidenceofaproportionateincreaseinproductivity.IfitisnotthecruellawsofeconomicsthathaveledtoAmerica’sgreatdivide,whatisit?Thestraightforwardanswer：ourpoliciesandourpolitics!PeoplegettiredofhearingaboutScandinaviansuccessstories,butthefactofthematteristhatSweden,FinlandandNorwayhaveallsucceededinhavingaboutasmuchorfastergrowthinpercapita(人均的)incomesthantheUnitedStatesandwithfargreaterequality.SowhyhasAmericachosentheseinequality-enhancingpolicies?PartoftheansweristhatasWorldWarIIfadedintomemory,sotoodidthesolidarityithadcreated.AsAmericatriumphedintheColdWar，theredidn’tseemtobearealcompetitortooureconomicmodel.Withoutthisinternationalcompetition,wenolongerhadtoshowthatoursystemcoulddeliverformostofourcitizens.Ideologyandinterestscombinedviciously.SomedrewthewronglessonfromthecollapseoftheSovietsystemin1991.Thependulumswungfrommuchtoomuchgovernmenttheretomuchtoolittlehere.Corporateinterestsarguedforgettingridofregulations,evenwhenthoseregulationshaddonesomuchtoprotectandimproveourenvironment,oursafety,ourhealthandtheeconomyitself.Butthisideologywashypocriticail(虚伪的）.Thebankers,amongthestrongestadvocatesoflaissez-faire(自由放任的）economics,wereonlytoowillingtoaccepthundredsofbillionsofdollarsfromthegovernmentintheaidprogramsthathavebeenarecurringfeatureoftheglobaleconomysincethebeginningoftheThatcher-Reaganeraof“free”marketsandderegulation.TheAmericanpoliticalsystemisoverrunbymoney.Economicinequalitytranslatesintopoliticalinequality,andpoliticalinequalityyieldsincreasingeconomicinequality.Socorporatewelfareincreasesaswereducewelfareforthepoor.Congressmaintainssubsidiesforrichfarmersaswecutbackonnutritionalsupportfortheneedy.DrugcompanieshavebeengivenhundredsofbillionsofdollarsaswelimitMedicaidbenefits.Thebanksthatbroughtontheglobalfinancialcrisisgotbillionswhileatinybitwenttothehomeownersandvictimsofthesamebanks’predatory(掠夺性的）lendingpractices.Thislastdecisionwasparticularlyfoolish.Therewerealternativestothrowingmoneyatthebanksandhopingitwouldcirculatethroughincreasedlending.Ourdivisionsaredeep.Economicandgeographicsegregationhasimmunizedthoseatthetopfromtheproblemsofthosedownbelow.Likethekingsofancienttimes,theyhavecometoperceivetheirprivilegedpositionsessentiallyasanaturalright.Oureconomy,ourdemocracyandoursocietyhavepaidforthesegrossinequalities.Thetruetestofaneconomyisnothowmuchwealthitsprincescanaccumulateintaxhavens(庇护所），buthowwelloffthetypicalcitizenis.Butaverageincomesarelowerthantheywereaquarter-centuryago.Growthhasgonetothevery,verytop,whosesharehasalmostincreasedfourtimessince1980.Moneythatwasmeanttohavetrickled(流淌)downhasinsteadevaporatedintheagreeableclimateoftheCaymanIslands.WithalmostaquarterofAmericanchildrenyoungerthan5livinginpoverty,andwithAmericadoingsolittleforitspoor,thedeprivationsofonegenerationarebeingvisiteduponthenext.Ofcourse,nocountryhasevercomeclosetoprovidingcompleteequalityofopportunity.ButwhyisAmericaoneoftheadvancedcountrieswherethelifeprospectsoftheyoungaremostsharplydeterminedbytheincomeandeducationoftheirparents?AmongmostbitterstoriesinTheGreatDividewerethosethatportrayedthefrustrationsoftheyoung,wholongtoenterourshrinkingmiddleclass.Soaringtuitionsanddecliningincomeshaveresultedinlargerdebtburdens.Thosewithonlyahighschooldiplomahaveseentheirincomesdeclineby13percentoverthepast35years.Wherejusticeisconcerned,thereisalsoahugedivide.Intheeyesoftherestoftheworldandasignificantpartofitsownpopulation,massimprisonmenthascometodefineAmerica—acountry,itbearsrepeating，withabout5percentoftheworld’spopulationbutaroundafourthoftheworld’sprisoners.Justicehasbecomeacommodity,affordabletoonlyafew.WhileWallStreetexecutivesusedtheirexpensivelawyerstoensurethattheirrankswerenotheldaccountableforthemisdeedsthatthecrisisin2008sographicallyrevealed,thebanksabusedourlegalsystemtoforeclose(取消赎回权）onmortgagesandejecttenants,someofwhomdidnotevenowemoney.Morethanahalf-centuryago,AmericaledthewayinadvocatingfortheUniversalDeclarationofHumanRights,adoptedbytheUnitedNationsin1948.Today,accesstohealthcareisamongthemostuniversallyacceptedrights,atleastintheadvancedcountries.America,despitetheimplementationoftheAffordableCareAct,istheexception.InthereliefthatmanyfeltwhentheSupremeCourtdidnotoverturntheAffordableCareAct,theimplicationsofthedecisionforMedicaidwerenotfullyappreciated.Obamacare’sobjective—toensurethatallAmericanshaveaccesstohealthcare—hasbeenblocked：24stateshavenotimplementedtheexpandedMedicaidprogram,whichwasthemeansbywhichObamacarewassupposedtodeliveronitspromisetosomeofthepoorest.Weneednotjustanewwaronpovertybutawartoprotectthemiddleclass.Solutionstotheseproblemsdonothavetobenovel.Farfromit.Makingmarketsactlikemarketswouldbeagoodplacetostart.Wemustendtherent-seekingsocietywehavegravitatedtoward,inwhichthewealthyobtainprofitsbymanipulatingthesystem.Theproblemofinequalityisnotsomuchamatteroftechnicaleconomics.It’sreallyaproblemofpracticalpolitics.Inequalityisnotjustaboutthetopmarginaltaxratebutalsoaboutourchildren’saccesstofoodandtherighttojusticeforall.Ifwespentmoreoneducation,healthandinfrastructure(基础设施），wewouldstrengthenoureconomy,nowandinthefuture.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。Intheory,freecompetitionissupposedtoreducethemarginofprofitstotheminimum.TheUnitedStatesAmericalackedtheincentivetocareforthemajorityofitscitizensasitfoundnorivalforitseconomicmodel.Thewealthytophavecometotakeprivilegesforgranted.Manyexamplesshowthebasiclawsofimperialcapitalismnolongerapplyinpresent-dayAmerica.Theauthorsuggestsareturntothetruespiritofthemarket.Aquarteroftheworld’sprisonerpopulationisinAmerica.GovernmentregulationinAmericawentfromoneextremetotheotherinthepasttwodecades.Justicehasbecomesoexpensivethatonlyasmallnumberofpeoplelikecorporateexecutivescanaffordit.Nocountryintheworldsofarhasbeenabletoprovidecompletelyequalopportunitiesforall.SectionCDirections：Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA)，B)，C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.I’lladmitI’veneverquiteunderstoodtheobsession(难以破除的成见）surroundinggeneticallymodified(GM)crops.Toenvironmentalistopponents,GMfoodsaresimplyevil,anunderstudied,possiblyharmfultoolusedbybigagriculturalbusinessestocontrolglobalseedmarketsandcrushlocalfarmers.TheyarguethatGMfoodshaveneverdeliveredontheirsupposedpromise,thatmoneyspentonGMcropswouldbebetterchanneledtoorganicfarmingandthatconsumersshouldbeprotectedwithwarninglabelsonanyproductsthatcontaingeneticallymodifiedingredients.Tosupporters,GMcropsareakeypartoftheefforttosustainablyprovidefoodtomeetagrowingglobalpopulation.Butmorethanthat,supportersseetheGMoppositionofmanyenvironmentalistsasfundamentallyanti-science,nodifferentthanthosewhoquestionthebasicsofman-madeclimatechange.Forbothsides,GMfoodsseemtoactasasymbol：you’repro-agriculturalbusinessoranti-science.ButscienceisexactlywhatweneedmoreofwhenitcomestoGMfoods,whichiswhyIwashappytoseeNaturedevoteaspecialseriesofarticlestotheGMfoodcontroversy.Theconclusion：whileGMcropshaven’tyetrealizedtheirinitialpromiseandhavebeendominatedbyagriculturalbusinesses,thereisreasontocontinuetouseanddevelopthemtohelpmeettheenormouschallengeofsustainablyfeedingagrowingplanet.Thatdoesn’tmeanGMcropsareperfect,oraone-size-fits-allsolutiontoglobalagricultureproblems.Butanythingthatcanincreasefarmingefficiency—theamountofcropswecanproduceperacreofland—willbeextremelyuseful.GMcropscanandalmostcertainlywillbepartofthatsuiteoftools,butsowilltraditionalplantbreeding,improvedsoilandcropmanagement—andperhapsmostimportantofall,betterstorageandtransportinfrastructure(基础设施),especiallyinthedevelopingworld.(Itdoesn’tdomuchgoodforfarmersinplaceslikesub-SaharanAfricatoproducemorefoodiftheycan'tgetittohungryconsumers.)I'dliketoseemorenon-industryresearchdoneonGMcrops—notjustbecausewe’dworrylessaboutbias，butalsobecauseseedcompanieslikeMonsantoandPioneershouldn’tbetheonlyentitiesworkingtoharnessgeneticmodification.TdliketoseeGMresearchonlesscommercialcrops,likecorn.Idon’tthinkit’svitaltolabelGMingredientsinfood,butIalsowouldn’tbeagainstit—andindustrywouldbesmarttogoalongwithlabeling,justasawayofremovingfearsaboutthetechnology.Mostofall,though,Iwishatenthoftheenergythat’sspentendlesslydebatingGMcropswasfocusedonthosemorepressingchallengesforglobalagriculture.Therearemuchbiggerbattlestofight.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。HowdoenvironmentalistopponentsviewGMfoodsaccordingtothepassage?Theywilleventuallyruinagricultureandtheenvironment.Theyareusedbybigbusinessestomonopolizeagriculture.Theyhaveprovedpotentiallyharmfultoconsumers’health.Theyposeatremendousthreattocurrentfarmingpractice.Whatdoestheauthorsayisvitaltosolvingthecontroversybetweenthetwosidesofthedebate?A)BreakingtheGMfoodmonopoly. C)RegulatingGMfoodproduction.B)Morefriendlyexchangeofideas. D)MorescientificresearchonGMcrops.WhatisthemainpointoftheNaturearticles?FeedingthegrowingpopulationmakesitimperativetodevelopGMcrops.PopularizingGMtechnologywillhelpittoliveuptoitsinitialpromises.MeasuresshouldbetakentoensurethesafetyofGMfoods.Bothsupportersandopponentsshouldmakecompromises.Whatistheauthor’sviewonthesolutiontoagriculturalproblems?IthastodependmoreandmoreonGMtechnology.Itisvitaltothesustainabledevelopmentofhumansociety.GMcropsshouldbealloweduntilbetteralternativesarefound.Whateverisusefultoboostfarmingefficiencyshouldbeencouraged.WhatdoestheauthorthinkoftheongoingdebatearoundGMcrops?Itarisesoutofignoranceofandprejudiceagainstnewscience.Itdistractsthepublicattentionfromotherkeyissuesoftheworld.Effortsspentonitshouldbeturnedtomoreurgentissuesofagriculture.Neithersideislikelytogiveinuntilmoreconvincingevidenceisfound.PassageTwoQuestions61to65arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Earlydecision—youapplytooneschool?andadmissionisbinding—seemslikeagreatchoicefornervousapplicants.Schoolsletinahigherpercentageofearly-decisionapplicants,whicharguablymeansthatyouhaveabetterchanceofgettingin.Andifyoudo,you’redonewiththewholeagonizingprocessbyDecember.Butwhatmoststudentsandparentsdon’trealizeisthatschoolshavehiddenmotivesforofferingearlydecision.Earlydecision,sinceit’sbinding,allowsschoolstofilltheirclasseswithqualifiedstudents；itallowsadmissionscommitteestoselectthestudentsthatareinparticulardemandfortheircollegeandknowthosestudentswillcome.Italsogivesschoolsahigheryieldrate,whichisoftenusedasoneofthewaystomeasurecollegeselectivityandpopularity.Theproblemisthatthisprocesseffectivelyshortensthewindowoftimestudentshavetomakeoneofthemostimportantdecisionsoftheirlivesuptothatpoint.Underregularadmissions,seniorshaveuntilMay1tochoosewhichschooltoattend；earlydecisioneffectivelystealssixmonthsfromthem,monthsthatcouldbeusedtovisitmoreschools,domoreresearch,speaktocurrentstudentsandalumni(校友)andarguablymakeamoreinformeddecision.Thereare,frankly,anastonishingnumberofexceptionalcollegesinAmerica,andforanygivenstudent,thereareanumberofschoolsthatareagreatfit.Whenstudentsbecometoofixated（专注）onaparticularschoolearlyintheadmissionsprocess,thatfixationcanleadtoseveredisappointmentiftheydon’tgetinor,iftheydo?thepossibilitythattheyarenowbou