英语六级阅读真题

2009年6月英语六级阅读真题 英语六级阅读真题（2009.06-1997.01） 2009年6月英语六级阅读真题 Passage One　　 For hundreds of millions of years, turtles (海龟) have struggled out of the sea to lay their eggs on sandy beaches, long before there were nature documentaries to celebrate them, or GPS satellites and marine biologists to track them, or volunteers to hand-carry the hatchlings (幼龟) down to the water’s edge lest they become disoriented by headlights and crawl towards a motel parking lot instead. A formidable wall of bureaucracy has been erected to protect their prime nesting on the Atlantic coastlines. With all that attention paid to them, you’d think these creatures would at least have the gratitude not to go extinct. 　　But Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness, and a report by the Fish and Wildlife Service showed a worrisome drop in the populations of several species of North Atlantic turtles, notably loggerheads, which can grow to as much as 400 pounds. The South Florida nesting population, the largest, has declined by 50% in the last decade, according to Elizabeth Griffin, a marine biologist with the environmental group Oceana. The figures prompted Oceana to petition the government to upgrade the level of protection for the North Atlantic loggerheads from “threatened” to “endangered”—meaning they are in danger of disappearing without additional help. 　　Which raises the obvious question: what else do these turtles want from us, anyway? It turns out, according to Griffin, that while we have done a good job of protecting the turtles for the weeks they spend on land (as egg-laying females, as eggs and as hatchlings), we have neglected the years spend in the ocean. “The threat is from commercial fishing,” says Griffin. Trawlers (which drag large nets through the water and along the ocean floor) and longline fishers (which can deploy thousands of hooks on lines that can stretch for miles) take a heavy toll on turtles. Of course, like every other environmental issue today, this is playing out against the background of global warming and human interference with natural ecosystems. The narrow strips of beach on which the turtles lay their eggs are being squeezed on one side by development and on the other by the threat of rising sea levels as the oceans warm. Ultimately we must get a handle on those issues as well, or a creature that outlived the dinosaurs (恐龙) will meet its end at the hands of humans, leaving our descendants to wonder how creature so ugly could have won so much affection. 52. We can learn from the first paragraph that ________. A．human activities have changed the way turtles survive B．efforts have been made to protect turtles from dying out C．government bureaucracy has contributed to turtles’ extinction D．marine biologists are looking for the secret of turtles’ reproduction 53. What does the author mean by “Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness” (Line 1, Para. 2)? A．Nature is quite fair regarding the survival of turtles. B．Turtles are by nature indifferent to human activities. C．The course of nature will not be changed by human interference. D．The turtle population has decreased in spite of human protection. 54. What constitutes a major threat to the survival of turtles according to Elizabeth Griffin? A．Their inadequate food supply. B．Unregulated commercial fishing. C．Their lower reproductively ability. D．Contamination of sea water 55. How does global warming affect the survival of turtles? A．It threatens the sandy beaches on which they lay eggs. B．The changing climate makes it difficult for their eggs to hatch. C．The rising sea levels make it harder for their hatchlings to grow. D．It takes them longer to adapt to the high beach temperature. 56. The last sentence of the passage is meant to ________. A．persuade human beings to show more affection for turtles B．stress that even the most ugly species should be protected C．call for effective measures to ensure sea turtles’ survival D．warn our descendants about the extinction of species Passage Two 　　There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum. But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four years of partying, as well as studying, can console themselves with the knowledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should yield huge dividends. 　　A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the “labor-market premium to skill”—or the amount college graduates earned that’s greater than what high-school graduate earned—decreased for much of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance (报复性地) since the 1980s. In 2005, The typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college degree earned $50,900, 62% more than the $31,500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma. 　　There’s no question that going to college is a smart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesn’t come down merely to dollars and cents. Does going to Columbia University (tuition, room and board $49,260 in 2007-08) yield a 40% greater return than attending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student ($35,542)? Probably not. Does being an out-of-state student at the University of Colorado at Boulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state student ($17,380) there? Not likely. 　　No, in this consumerist age, most buyers aren’t evaluating college as an investment, but rather as a consumer product—like a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is only one of many crucial factors to consider. 　　As with automobiles, consumers in today’s college marketplace have vast choices, and people search for the one that gives them the most comfort and satisfaction in line with their budgets. This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different types of experiences (such as attending a private liberal-arts college or going to an out-of-state public school that has a great marine-biology program). And just as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of money on very different cars, college students (or, more accurately, their parents) often show a willingness to pay essentially the same price for vastly different products. So which is it? Is college an investment product like a stock or a consumer product like a car? In keeping with the automotive world’s hottest consumer trend, maybe it’s best to characterize it as a hybrid (混合动力汽车); an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends. 57. What’s the opinion of economists about going to college? A．Huge amounts of money is being wasted on campus socializing. B．It doesn’t pay to run into debt to receive a college education. C．College education is rewarding in spite of the startling costs. D．Going to college doesn’t necessarily bring the expected returns. 58. The two Harvard economists note in their study that, for much of the 20th century, ________. A．enrollment kept decreasing in virtually all American colleges and universities B．the labor market preferred high-school to college graduates C．competition for university admissions was far more fierce than today D．the gap between the earnings of college and high-school graduates narrowed 59. Students who attend an in-state college or university can ________. A．save more on tuition B．receive a better education C．take more liberal-arts courses D．avoid traveling long distances 60. In this consumerist age, most parents ________. A．regard college education as a wise investment B．place a premium on the prestige of the College C．think it crucial to send their children to college D．consider college education a consumer product 61. What is the chief consideration when students choose a college today? A．Their employment prospects after graduation. B．A satisfying experience within their budgets. C．Its facilities and learning environment. D．Its ranking among similar institutions. 2008年12月英语六级阅读真题 Passage One Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the sole measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives. To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so .medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a predominantly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. It had minimal effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it caused was typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients（营养成分）captured in the product it was relatively inefficient. Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. Competition from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields. Throughout this period food became cheaper, safe and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat（栖息地）loss and to diminishing biodiversity. What’s more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growing so fast that meeting it will require an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by 2050.yet the growth of cities and industry is reducing the amount of water available for agriculture in many regions. All this means that agriculture in the 21stcentury will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th.thiswill require radical thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are inevitably more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the notion that agriculture can be “zero impact”. The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage. Instead we need a more dynamic interpretation, one that looks at the pros and cons（正反两方面）of all the various way land is used. There are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity. What is crucial is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production. 52. How do people often measure progress in agriculture? A) By its productivity C) By its impact on the environment B) By its sustainability D) By its contribution to economic growth 53. Specialisation and the effort to increase yields have resulted in________. A) Localised pollution C) competition from overseas B) the shrinking of farmland D) the decrease of biodiversity 54. What does the author think of traditional farming practices? A) They have remained the same over the centuries B) They have not kept pace with population growth C) They are not necessarily sustainable D) They are environmentally friendly 55. What will agriculture be like in the 21st century A) It will go through radical changes B) It will supply more animal products C) It will abandon traditional farming practices D) It will cause zero damage to the environment 56 What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage? A) To remind people of the need of sustainable development B) To suggest ways of ensuring sustainable food production C) To advance new criteria for measuring farming progress D) To urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture is Passage Two The percentage of immigrants (including those unlawfully present) in the United states has been creeping upward for years. At 12.6 percent, it is now higher than at any point since the mid1920s. We are not about to go back to the days when Congress openly worried about inferior races polluting America’s bloodstream. But once again we are wondering whether we have too many of the wrong sort newcomers. Their loudest critics argue that the new wave of immigrants cannot, and indeed do not want to, fit in as previous generations did. We now know that these racist views were wrong. In time, Italians, Romanians and members of other so-called inferior races became exemplary Americans and contributed greatly, in ways too numerous to detail, to the building of this magnificent nation. There is no reason why these new immigrants should not have the same success. Although children of Mexican immigrants do better, in terms of educational and professional attainment, than their parents UCLA sociologist Edward Telles has found that the gains don’t continue. Indeed, the fouth generation is marginally worse off than the third James Jackson, of the University of Michigan, has found a similar trend among black Caribbean immigrants, Tells fears that Mexican-Americans may be fated to follow in the footsteps of American blacks-that large parts of the community may become mired（陷入）in a seemingly permanent state of poverty and Underachievement. Like African-Americans, Mexican-Americans are increasingly relegated to (降入)segregated, substandard schools, and their dropout rate is the highest for any ethnic group in the country. We have learned much about the foolish idea of excluding people on the presumption of the ethnic/racial inferiority. But what we have not yet learned is how to make the process of Americanization work for all. I am not talking about requiring people to learn English or to adopt American ways; those things happen pretty much on their own, but as arguments about immigration hear up the campaign trail, we also ought to ask some broader question about assimilation, about how to ensure that people , once outsiders , don’t forever remain marginalized within these shores. That is a much larger question than what should happen with undocumented workers, or how best to secure the border, and it is one that affects not only newcomers but groups that have been here for generations. It will have more impact on our future than where we decide to set the admissions bar for the latest ware of would-be Americans. And it would be nice if we finally got the answer right. 57. How were immigrants viewed by U.S. Congress in early days? A) They were of inferior races. B) They were a Source of political corruption. C) They were a threat to the nation’s security. D) They were part of the nation’s bloodstream. 58. What does the author think of the new immigrants? A) They will be a dynamic work force in the U.S. B) They can do just as well as their predecessors. C) They will be very disappointed on the new land. D) They may find it hard to fit into the mainstream. 59. What does Edward Telles’ research say about Mexican-Americans? A) They may slowly improve from generation to generation. B) They will do better in terms of educational attainment. C) They will melt into the African-American community. D) They may forever remain poor and underachieving. 60. What should be done to help the new immigrants? A) Rid them of their inferiority complex. B) Urge them to adopt American customs. C) Prevent them from being marginalized. D) Teach them standard American English. 61. According to the author, the burning issue concerning immigration is_______. A) How to deal with people entering the U.S. without documents B) How to help immigrants to better fit into American society C) How to stop illegal immigrants from crossing the border D) How to limit the number of immigrants to enter the U.S. 2008年6月英语六级阅读真题 Passage One Imagine waking up and finding the value of your assets has been halved. No, you’re not an investor in one of those hedge funds that failed completely. With the dollar slumping to a 26-year low against the pound, already-expensive London has become quite unaffordable. A coffee at Starbucks, just as unavoidable in England as it is in the United States, runs about $8. The once all-powerful dollar isn’t doing a Titanic against just the pound. It is sitting at a record low against the euro and at a 30-year low against the Canadian dollar. Even the Argentine peso and Brazilian real are thriving against the dollar. The weak dollar is a source of humiliation, for a nation’s self-esteem rests in part on the strength of its currency. It’s also a potential economic problem, since a declining dollar makes imported food more expensive and exerts upward pressure on interest rates. And yet there are substantial sectors of the vast U.S. economy-from giant companies like Coca-Cola to mom-and-pop restaurant operators in Miami-for which the weak dollar is most excellent news. Many Europeans may view the U.S. as an arrogant superpower that has become hostile to foreigners. But nothing makes people think more warmly of the U.S. than a weak dollar. Through April, the total number of visitors from abroad was up 6.8 percent from last year. Should the trend continue, the number of tourists this year will finally top the 2000 peak? Many Europeans now apparently view the U.S. the way many Americans view Mexico-as a cheap place to vacation, shop and party, all while ignoring the fact that the poorer locals can’t afford to join the merrymaking. The money tourists spend helps decrease our chronic trade deficit. So do exports, which thanks in part to the weak dollar, soared 11 percent between May 2006 and May 2007. For first five months of 2007, the trade deficit actually fell 7 percent from 2006. If you own shares in large American corporations, you’re a winner in the weak-dollar gamble. Last week Coca-Cola’s stick bubbled to a five-year high after it reported a fantastic quarter. Foreign sales accounted for 65 percent of Coke’s beverage business. Other American companies profiting from this trend include McDonald’s and IBM. American tourists, however, shouldn’t expect any relief soon. The dollar lost strength the way many marriages break up- slowly, and then all at once. And currencies don’t turn on a dime. So if you want to avoid the pain inflicted by the increasingly pathetic dollar, cancel that summer vacation to England and look to New England. There, the dollar is still treated with a little respect. 52. Why do Americans feel humiliated? A) Their economy is plunging B) They can’t afford trips to Europe C) Their currency has slumped D) They have lost half of their assets. 53. How does the current dollar affect the life of ordinary Americans? A) They have to cancel their vacations in New England. B) They find it unaffordable to dine in mom-and-pop restaurants. C) They have to spend more money when buying imported goods. D) They might lose their jobs due to potential economic problems. 54 How do many Europeans feel about the U.S with the devalued dollar? A) They feel contemptuous of it B) They are sympathetic with it. C) They regard it as a superpower on the decline. D) They think of it as a good tourist destination. 55 what is the author’s advice to Americans? A. They treat the dollar with a little respect B. They try to win in the weak-dollar gamble C. They vacation at home rather than abroad D. They treasure their marriages all the more. 56 What does the author imply by saying “currencies don’t turn on a dime” (Line 2,Para 7)? A. The dollar’s value will not increase in the short term. B. The value of a dollar will not be reduced to a dime C. The dollar’s value will drop, but within a small margin. D. Few Americans will change dollars into other currencies. Passage Two In the college-admissions wars, we parents are the true fights. We are pushing our kids to get good grades, take SAT preparatory courses and build resumes so they can get into the college of our first choice. I’ve twice been to the wars, and as I s