2006年12月24日英语新六级考试真题及参考答案

2006年12月24日英语新六级考试真题及参考答案

2006年12月24日英语新六级考试真题及参考答案

Part I Writing (30 minutes)

1．阅读经典书籍对人的成长至关重要

2．现在愿意鱼肚经典的人却越来越少，原因是

3．我们大学生应该怎么做

The Importance of Reading Classics

Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning )(15 minutes)

Space Tourism

Make your reservations now. The space tourism industry is officially open for business, and

tickets are going for a mere $20 million for a one-week stay in space. Despite reluctance from

National Air and Space Administration (NASA), Russia made American businessman Dennis Tito

the world’s first space tourist. Tito flew into space aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket that arrived at

the International Space Station (ISS) on April 30,2001. The second space tourist, South African

businessman Mark Shuttle worth, took off aboard the Russian Soyuz on April 25, 2002, also

bound for the ISS.

Lance Bass of’N Sync was supposed to be the third to make the $20 million trip, but he did

not join the three-man crew as they blasted off on October 30,2002, due to lack of payment.

Probably the most incredible aspect of this proposed space tour was that NASA approved of it.

These trips are the beginning of what could be a profitable 21st century industry. There are

already several space tourism companies planning to build suborbital vehicles and orbital cities

within the next two decades. These companies have invested millions, believing that the space

tourism industry is on the verge of taking off.

In 1997, NASA published a report concluding that selling trips into space to private citizens

could be worth billions of dollars. A Japanese report supports these findings, and projects that

space tourism could be a $10 billion per year industry within the next two decades. The only

obstacles to opening up space to tourists are the space agencies, who are concerned with safety

and the development of a reliable, reusable launch vehicle.

Space Accommodations

Russia’s Mir space station was supposed to be the first destination for space tourists. But in

March 2001, the Russian Agency brought Mir down into the Pacific Ocean. As it turned out,

bringing down Mir only temporarily delayed the first tourist trip into space.

The Mir crash did cancel plans for a new reality-based game show from NBC, which was

going to be called Destination Mir. The survivor-like TV show was scheduled to air in fall 2001.

Participants on the show were to go through training at Russia’s cosmonaut(宇航员) training

center, Star City. Each week, one of the participants would be eliminated from the show, with the

winner receiving a trip to the Mir space station. The Mir crash has ruled out NBC’s space plants

for now. NASA is against beginning space tourism until the International Space Station is

completed in 2006.

Russia in not alone in its interest in space tourism. There are several projects underway to

commercialize space travel. Here are a few of the groups that might take tourists to space:

Space Island Group is going to build a ring-shaped, rotating “commercial space

infrastructure(基础结构).”Space Island says it will build its space city out of of empty NASA

2006年12月24日英语新六级考试真题及参考答案

space-shuttle fuel tanks (to start, it should take around 12 or so), and place it about 400 miles above Earth. The space city will rotate once per minute to create a gravitational pull one-third as strong as Earth’s.

According to their vision statement, Space Adventures plants to “fly tents of thousands of

people in space over the next 10-15 years and beyond, around the moon, and back, from

spaceports both on Earth and in space, to and form private space stations, and aboard dozens of different vehicles…”

Even Hilton Hotels has shown interest in the space tourism industry and the possibility of

building or co-funding a space hotel. However, the company did say that it believes such a space hotel is 15 to 20 years away.

Initially, Space tourism will offer simple accommodations at best. For instance, if the

International Space Station is used as a tourist attraction, guests won’t find the Luxurious

surroundings of a hotel room on Earth. It has been designed for conducting research, not

entertainment. However, the first generation of space hotels should offer tourists a much more comfortable experience.

In regard to a concept for a space hotel initially planned by Space Island, such a hotel could offer guests every convenience they might find at a hotel on Earth, and some they might not. The small gravitational pull created by the rotating space city would allow space-tourists and residents to walk around and function normally within the structure. Everything from running water to a recycling plant to medical facilities would be possible. Additionally, space tourists would even be able to take spacewalks.

Many of these companies believe that they have to offer an extremely enjoyable experience in order for passengers to pay thousands, if not millions, of dollars to ride into space. So will space create another separation between the haves and have-nots?

The Most Expensive Vacation

Will space be an exotic retreat reserved for only the wealthy? Or will middle-class folks

have a chance to take their families to space? Make no mistake about it, going to space will be the most expensive vacation you ever take. Prices right now are in the tens of millions of dollars. Currently, the only vehicles that can take you into space are the space shuttle and the Russian

Soyuz, both of which are terribly inefficient. Each spacecraft requires millions of pounds of fuel to take off into space, which makes them expensive to launch. One pound of payload (有效栽载重) costs about $10,000 to put into Earth’s orbit.

NASA and Lockheed Martin are currently developing a single-stage-to-orbit launch space

plane, called the Venture Star , that could be launched for about a tenth of what the space shuttle costs to launch. If the Venture Star takes off, the number of people who could afford to take a trip into space would move into the millions.

In 1998, a joint report from NASA and the Space Transportation Association stated that

improvements in technology could push fares for space travel as low as $50,000, and possibly down to $20,000 or $10,000 a decade later. The report concluded that at a ticket price of $50,000, there could be 500,000 passengers flying into space each year. While still leaving out many people, these prices would open up space to a tremendous amount of traffic.

Since the beginning of the space race, the general public has said, “Isn’t that great-when do I get to go?” Well, our chance might be closer than ever. Within the next 20 Years, space planes

2006年12月24日英语新六级考试真题及参考答案

could be taking off for the Moon at the same frequency as airplanes flying between New York and Los Angeles.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

1．Lance Bass wasn’t able to go on a tour of space because of health problems

2．Several tourism companies believe space travel is going to be a new profitable industry.

3．The space agencies are reluctant to open up space to tourists.

4．Two Australian billionaires have been placed on the waiting list for entering space as private passengers

5．The prize for the winner in the fall 2001 NBC TV game show would have been ________

6．Hilton Hotels believes it won’t be long before it is possible to build a ______________.

7．In order for space tourists to walk around and function normally, it is necessary for the space city to create a ________________.

8．What makes going to space the most expensive vacation is the enormous cost involved in ______.

9．Each year 500,000 space tourists could be flying into space if ticket prices could be lowered to _________.

10. Within the next two decades, __________ could be as common as intercity air travel.

Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

11.A) Dr. Smith’s waiting room isn’t tidy. B) Dr. Smith enjoys reading magazines.

C) Dr. Smith has left a good impression on her. D) Dr. Smith may not be a good choice.

12. A) The man will rent the apartment when it is available.

B) The man made a bargain with the landlady over the rent.

C) The man insists on having a look at the apartment first.

D) The man is not fully satisfied with the apartment.

13. A) Packing up to go abroad. B) Brushing up on her English.

C) Drawing up a plan for her English course. D) Applying for a visa to the United States.

14. A) He is anxious to find a cure for his high blood pressure.

B) He doesn’t think high blood pressure is a problem for him.

C) He was not aware of his illness until diagnosed with it.

D) He did not take the symptoms of his illness seriously.

15. A) To investigate the causes of AIDS.

B) To raise money for AIDS patients.

C) To rally support for AIDS victims in Africa.

D) To draw attention to the spread of AIDS in Asia.

16. A) It has a very long history. B) It is a private institution.

C) It was founded by Thomas Jefferson. D) It stresses the comprehensive study of nature.

17. A) They can’t fit into the machine. B) They have not been delivered yet.

C) They were sent to the wrong address. D) They were found to be of the wrong type.

18. A) The food served in the cafeteria usually lacks variety.

B) The cafeteria sometimes provides rare food for the students.

C) The students find the service in the cafeteria satisfactory.

D) The cafeteria tries hard to cater to the students’ needs.

Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

2006年12月24日英语新六级考试真题及参考答案

19 .A) He picked up some apples in his yard.

B) He cut some branches off the apple tree.

C) He quarreled with his neighbor over the fence.

D) He cleaned up all the garbage in the woman’s yard.

20. A) Trim the apple trees in her yard. B) Pick up the apples that fell in her yard.

C) Take the garbage to the curb for her. D) Remove the branches from her yard.

21. A) File a lawsuit against the man. B) Ask the man for compensation.

C) Have the man’s apple tree cut down. D) Throw garbage into the man’s yard.

22. A) He was ready to make a concession. B) He was not intimidated.

C) He was not prepared to go to court. D) He was a bit concerned.

Questions 23 to 25are based on the conversation you have just heard.

23. A) Bad weather. B) Human error.

C) Breakdown of the engines. D) Failure of the communications system.

24. A) Two thousand feet. B) Twelve thousand feet.

C) Twenty thousand feet. D) Twenty-two thousand feet.

25. A) Accurate communication is of utmost importance.

B) pilots should be able to speak several foreign languages.

C) Air controllers should keep a close watch on the weather.

D) Cooperation between pilots and air controllers is essential.

Section B

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

Passage One

Questions 26 to 29 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

26. A) His father caught a serious disease. B) His mother passed away.

C) His mother left him to marry a rich businessman. D) His father took to drinking.

27. A) He disliked being disciplined. B) He was expelled by the university.

C) He couldn’t pay his gambling debts. D) He enjoyed working for a magazine.

28. A) His poems are heavily influenced by French writers.

B) His stories are mainly set in the State of Virginia.

C) His work is difficult to read.

D) His language is not refined.

29. A) He grieved to death over the loss of his wife.

B) He committed suicide for unknown reasons.

C) He was shot dead at the age of 40.

D) He died of heavy drinking.

Passage Two

Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.

30. A) Women. B) Prisoners. C) Manual workers. D) School age children.

31. A) He taught his students how to pronounce the letters first.

B) He matched the letters with the sounds familiar to the learners.

C) He showed the learners how to combine the letters into simple words.

D) He pided the letters into groups according to the way they are written.

32. A) It Can help people to become literate within a short time.

B) It was originally designed for teaching the English language.

2006年12月24日英语新六级考试真题及参考答案

C) It enables the learners to master a language within three months.

D) It is effective in teaching any alphabetical language to Brazilians.

Passage Three

Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

33. A) The crop’s blooming period is delayed. B) The roots of crops are cut off.

C) The topsoil is seriously damaged. D)The growth of weeds is accelerated.

34. A) It’s a new way of applying chemical fertilizer.

B) It’s an improved method of harvesting crops.

C) It’s a creative technique for saving labor.

D) It’s a farming process limiting the use of ploughs.

35. A) In areas with few weeds and unwanted plants.

B) In areas with a severe shortage of water.

C) In areas lacking in chemical fertilizer.

D) In areas dependent on imported food.

Section C

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

Adults are getting smarter about how smart babies are. Not long ago, researchers learned

that 4-day-oldscould understand (36)____ and subtraction. Now, British research (37)____Graham Schafer has discovered that infants can learn words for uncommon things long before they can speak. He found that 9-month-old infants could be taught, through repeated show-and-tell, to

(38)_______the names of objects that were foreign to them, a result that(39)________in some ways the received (40)______that, apart from learning to (41)______things common to their daily lives, children don’t begin to build vocabulary until well into their second year. “It’s no

(42)______that children learn words, but the words they tend to know are words linked to

(43)______situations in the home,” explains

Schafer.”(44)____________________________________________________with an unfamiliar voice giving instructions in an unfamiliar setting.”

Figuring out how humans acquire language may shed light on why some children learn to

read and write later than others, Schafer says, and could lead to better treatments for

developmental problems.

(45)____________________________________________________________. “Language is a test case for human cognitive development,” says Schafer. But parents eager to teach their infants should take note: (46)____________________________________________________ . “This is not about advancing development,” he says. “It’s just about what children can do at an earlier age than what educators have often thought.”

Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes) Section A

Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.

I’ve heard from and talked to many people who described how Mother Nature simplified their lives for them. They’d lost their home and many or all of their possessions through fires, floods, earthquakes, or some other disaster. Losing everything you own under such circumstances can be distressing, but the people I’ve heard from all saw their loss, ultimately, as a blessing.

“The fire saved us the agony of deciding what to keep and what to get rid of,” one woman

wrote. And once all those things were no longer there, she and her husband saw how they had

2006年12月24日英语新六级考试真题及参考答案

weighed them down and complicated their lives.

“There was so much stuff we never used and that was just taking up space. We vowed when we started over, we’d replace only what we needed, and this time we’d do it right. We’ve kept our promise: we don’t have much now, but what we have is exactly what we want.”

Though we’ve never had a catastrophic loss such as that, Gibbs and I did have a close call

shortly before we decided to simplify. At that time we lived in a fire zone. One night a firestorm raged through and destroyed over six hundred homes in our community. That tragedy gave us the opportunity to look objectively at the goods we’d accumulated.

We saw that there was so much we could get rid of and not only never miss, but be better off without. Having almost lost it all, we found it much easier to let go of the things we knew we’d never use again.

Obviously, there’s a tremendous difference between getting rid of possessions and losing them through a natural disaster without having a say in the matter. And this is not to minimize the tragedy and pain such a loss can generate.

But you might think about how you would approach the acquisition process if you had it to do all over again. Look around your home and make a list of what you would replace. Make

another list of things you wouldn’t acquire again no matter what, and in fact would be happy to be rid of.

When you’re ready to start unloading some of your stuff, that list will be a good place to start.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

47. Many people whose possessions were destroyed in natural disasters eventually considered their loss_______________.

48. Now that all their possessions were lost in the fire, the woman and her husband felt that their lives had been ______________.

49. What do we know about the author’s house from the sentence. “Gibbs and I did have a close call…”(Lines 1-2, Para.4)?

50. According to the author, getting rid of possessions and losing them through a natural disaster are vastly ________________.

51. What does the author suggest people do with unnecessary things?

Section B

Passage One Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.

In a purely biological sense, fear begins with the body’s system for reacting to things that

can harm us- the so-called fight-or-flight response. “An animal that can’t detect danger can’t stay alive,” says Joseph LeDoux. Like animals, humans evolved with an elaborate mechanism for processing information about potential threats. At its core is a cluster of neurons(神经元) deep in the brain known as the amygdala (扁桃核).

LeDoux studies the way animals and humans respond to threats to understand how we form memories of significant events in our lives. The amygdala receives input from many parts of the brain, including regions responsible for retrieving memories. Using this information, the amygdala appraised a situation- I think this charging dog wants to bite me-and triggers a response by

radiating nerve signals throughout the body. These signals produce the familiar signs of distress: trembling, perspiration and fast-moving feet, just to name three.

This fear mechanism is critical to the survival of all animals, but no one can say for sure

whether beasts other than humans know they’re afraid. That is, as LeDoux says, “if you put that

2006年12月24日英语新六级考试真题及参考答案

system into a brain that has consciousness, then you get the feeling of fear.”

Humans, says Edward M. Hallowell, have the ability to call up images of bad things that

happened in the past and to anticipate future events. Combine these higher thought processes with

our hardwired danger-detection systems, and you get a near-universal human phenomenon: worry. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, says Hallowell. “When used properly, worry is an incredible device,” he says. After all, a little healthy worrying is okay if it leads to constructive action-like having a doctor look at that weird spot on your back.

Hallowell insists, though, that there’s a right way to worry. “Never do it alone, get the facts and then make a plan,” he says. Most of us have survived a recession, so we’re familiar with the belt-tightening strategies needed to survive a slump.

Unfortunately, few of us have much experience dealing with the threat of terrorism, so it’s

been difficult to get facts about how we should respond. That’s why Hallowell believes it was okay for people to indulge some extreme worries last fall by asking doctors for Cipro and buying gas masks.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

52. The “so-called fight-or-flight response” (Line2, Para. 1) refers to “________”.

A) the biological process in which human beings’ sense of self-defense evolves

B) the instinctive fear human beings feel when faced with potential danger

C) the act of evaluating a dangerous situation and making a quick decision

D) the elaborate mechanism in the human brain for retrieving information

53. Form the studies conducted by LcDoux we learn that __________.

A) reactions of humans and animals to dangerous situations are often unpredictable

B) memories of significant events enable people to control fear and distress

C) people’s unpleasant memories are derived from their feelings of fear

D) the amygdala plays a vital part in human and animal responses to potential danger

54.Form the passage we know that__________.

A) a little worry will do us good if handled properly

B) a little worry will enable us to survive a recession

C) fear strengthens the human desire to survive danger

D) fear helps people to anticipate certain future events

55. Which of the following is the best way to deal with your worries according to Hallowell?

A) Ask for help-from the people around you.

B) Use the belt-tightening strategies for survival.

C) Seek professional advice and take action.

D) Understand the situation and be fully prepared.

56. In Hallowell’s view, people’s reaction to the terrorist threat last fall was _________.

A) ridiculous B) understandable C) over-cautious D) sensible

Passage Two

Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

Amitai Etzioni is not surprised by the latest headings about scheming corporate crooks（骗子）. As a visiting professor at the Harvard Business School in 1989. he ended his work there disgusted with his students’ overwhelming lust for money. “They’re taught that profit is all that matters” he says. “Many school don’t even offer ethics (伦理学) courses at all.”

Etzioni expressed his frustration about the interests of his graduate students. “By and large.

2006年12月24日英语新六级考试真题及参考答案

I clearly had not found a way to help classes full of MBAs see that there is more to life than

money, power, fame and self-interest,” he wore at the time. Today he still takes the blame for not educating these “business-leaders-to-be.” “I really feel like I failed them,” he says. “If I was a better teacher maybe I could have reached them.”

Etzioni was a respected ethics expert when he arrived at Harvard. He hoped his work at the university would give him insight into how questions of morality could be applied to places where self-interest flourished. What he found wasn’t encouraging. Those would-be executives had, says Etzioni, little interest in concept of ethics and morality in the boardroom-and their professor was met with blank stares when he urged his students to see business in new and different ways.

Etzioni sees the experience at Harvard as an eye-opening one and says there’s much about business schools that he’d like to change. “A lot of the faculty teaching business are bad news themselves, to reinforcing the notion of profit over community interests, Etzioni has seen a lot that’s left him shaking his head. And because of what he’s seen taught in business schools, he’s not surprised by the latest rash of corporate scandals. “In many ways things have got a lot worse at business schools. I suspect,” says Etzioni.

Etzioni is still teaching the sociology of right and wrong and still calling for ethical business leadership. “People with poor motives will always exist,” he says. “Sometimes environments constrain those people and sometimes environments give those people opportunity.” Etzioni says the booming economy of the last decade enabled those inpiduals with poor motives to get rich before getting in trouble. His hope now: that the cries for reform will provide more fertile soil for his long-standing messages about business ethics.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

57. what impressed Amitai Etzioni most about Harvard MBA students?

A) Their keen interest in business courses. B) Their intense desire for money.

C) Their tactics for making profits. D) Their potential to become business leaders.

58. Why did Amitai Etzioni say “I really feel like I failed them” (Line 4, Para. 2)?

A) He was unable to alert his students to corporate malpractice.

B) He didn’t teach his students to see business in new and different ways.

C) He could not get his students to understand the importance of ethics in business.

D) He didn’t offer courses that would meet the expectations of the business-leaders-to-be.

59. Most would-be executives at the Harvard Business School believed that ________.

A) questions of morality were of utmost importance in business affairs

B) self-interest should not be the top priority in business dealings

C) new and different principles should be taught at business schools

D) there was no place for ethics and morality in business dealings

60. In Etzioni’s view, the latest rash of corporate scandals could be attributed to ________.

A) the tendency in business schools to stress self-interest over business ethics

B) the executives’ lack of knowledge in legally manipulating contracts

C) the increasingly fierce competition in the modern business world

D) the moral corruption of business school graduates

61. We learn from the last paragraph that ____________.

A) the calls for reform will help promote business ethics

B) businessmen with poor motives will gain the upper hand

C) business ethics courses should be taught in all business schools

2006年12月24日英语新六级考试真题及参考答案

D) reform in business management contributes to economic growth

Part V Error Correction 15 minutes) 注意：此部分试题在答题卡2上；请在答题卡2 上作答

The National Endowment for the Arts recently released the

the results of its “Reading at Risk” survey, which described

movement of the American public away from books and

literature and toward television and electronic media. 62.__________ According to the survey. “reading is on the decline on every

region, within every ethnic group, and at every educational level.”

The day the NEA report released, the U.S. House, in a tie 63.___________

vote, upheld the government’s right to obtain bookstore and

library records under a provision of the USA Patriot Act. The

House proposal would have barred the federal government 64.___________ from demand library records, reading lists, book customer

lists and other material in terrorism and intelligence investigations. 65.___________

These two events are completely unrelated to, yet they

echo each other in the message they send about the place of

books and reading in American culture. At the heart 66.__________ of the NEA survey is the belief in our democratic

system depends on leaders who can think critically, analyze 67.__________ texts and writing clearly. All of these are skills promoted by

reading and discussing books and literature. At the same time,

through a provision of the Patriot Act, the leaders of our

country are unconsciously sending the message that reading 68._________

may be connected to desirable activities that might

undermine our system of government rather than helping

democracy flourish. 69._________

Our culture’s decline in reading begin well before the

existence of the Patriot Act. During the 1980s’ culture wars,

school systems across the country pulled some books from 70.__________

library shelves because its content was deemed by parents

and teachers to be inappropriate. Now what started in schools 71.________

across the country is playing itself out on a nation stage and

is possibly having an impact on the reading habits of the

American public.

Part VI Translation (5 minutes)注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答， 只需写出译文部分。

72. If you had _________________________(听从了我的忠告， 你就不会陷入麻烦).

73. With tears on her face, the lady _________________(看着她受伤的儿子被送进手术室)

74. After the terrorist attack, tourists ___________________（被劝告暂时不要去该国旅游）.

75. I prefer to communicate with my customers ______________(通过写电子邮件而不是打电话).

76. ______________(直到截止日他才寄出) his application form.

2006年12月24日英语新六级考试真题及参考答案

标准答案：

Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)

1. N 2. Y 3. Y 4. NG

5. a trip to the Mir Space Station

6. a space hotel

7. small gravitational pull

8. the fuel to take off / launch

9. $50,000

10. space travel

Part III Listening Comprehension

Section A

11. D 12. C 13. B 14. C 15. D 16. A 17. B 18. A 19. B 20.D 21. A 22. C 23.

B 24.A 25. A

Section B

26. B 27. C 28.C 29.D 30. A 31. D 32. A 33. C 34.D 35. B

Section C

36. addition 37. psychologist 38. recognize 39. challenges 40. wisdom 41. identify 42. secret 43. specific

44. This is the first demonstration that we can choose what words the children will learn and that they can respond to them

45. What’s more, the study of language acquisition offers direct insight into how humans learn

46. Even without being taught new words, a control group caught up with the other infants within a few moths

Part IV Reading Comprehension ( Reading in Depth)

Section A

47. a blessing 48. simplified

49. A tragedy / disaster / loss almost occurred to it 或者 it had nearly been destroyed by a firestorm.

50. different

51. make a list of the unnecessary things before unloading them

Section B

52. A 53 .D 54. A 55. D 56. B 57. B 58. C 59. D 60 .A 61. A Part V Error Correction

62. on→in 63. report后面加was

64.demand→demanding 65. 去掉to66 in 改为that

67. writing→write 68.desirable→undesirable69. begin→began

70. its→theirs

71. nation→national

Part VI Translation

72 followed my advice, you would not have run into trouble

73 watched her injured son being sent into the operation room

74 were advised not to travel to that country at the moment

75 by/ via email instead of phone76 It was not until the deadline did he send out/post.

2006年12月24日英语新六级考试真题及参考答案

大学英语六级考试12月24日新六级试题（听力部分文字稿）

Section A

11. M: I need to find a dentist; you said you know Dr. Smith well, do you recommend her? W: Well, I had to see her a few times, but what impressed me most was the magazines in her waiting room.

Q: What does the woman imply ?

12. W: I’m afraid I can’t show you the apartment at the moment, because the tenant is still living in it. It’s really a lovely place with a big kitchen and a sunny window for only two hundred dollars a month.

M: Sounds good, but we really can’t rent an apartment without seeing it first.

Q: What do we learn from the conversation?

13. M: So, that’s what’s been keeping you so busy recently!

W: Yes, I’ve been tied up with (被缠住) my studies. You know I’m planning to go to the United States this coming summer, but I’m a bit nervous about my English.

Q: What is the woman busy doing ?

14. W: How did you feel when you found out you had high blood pressure?

M: Shocked! The problem for me was that there no symptoms (症状); it seemed to have sneaked up on (悄悄接近某人然后突然出现) me.

Q: What does the man mean?

15. W: So, you’re just back from a trip to India. What were you doing there?

M: The trip was intended to bring to the world’s attention the fact that AIDS is not just an African disease; it’s also endangering (危及) other countries , notably, India and Thailand. Q: What was the purpose of the man’s trip to India?

16. M: It’s quite clear from my visit this is a full-size comprehensive (综合性的) university. So why is it still called a college?

W: The College of William and Mary is the second oldest institution of higher learning (高等学府)in this country. We have nurtured (培养，培育) great minds like Thomas Jefferson and we’re proud of our name.

Q: What do we learn from this conversation about the College of William and Mary?

17. M: Have the parts we need for the photocopying machine arrived yet?

W: I ordered them last week, but something is holding them up (耽搁).

Q: What does the woman say about the part needed for the photocopying machine?

18. W: The cafeteria provided many kinds of dishes for us today. Did you notice that? M: Yes. Kind of (有点) rare, isn’t it?

Q: What does the man imply?

Conversation One

W: Hello, Patrick, is that you?

M: Yeah Jane, what can I do for you ?

W: I was calling about the apple tree that you were trimming (修剪，剪枝) yesterday. (19) M: That was hard work!

W: I’m sure it was. It sure looked difficult.

M: Yeah, I’m glad it’s finished. Hauling the branches to the front for garbage pickup was no fun either.

W: Well, I don’t think you’re quite finished yet; some of the larger branches fell over into my

2006年12月24日英语新六级考试真题及参考答案

yard, and I think you should come and get them. (20)

M: Listen Jane, I don’t see why I should do that. You eat all the apples that fall in your yard and you’ve never complained about that before.

W: Well, it’s easier to pick up apples than to drag tree branches all the way to the curb. (20) My kids pick up the apples, and the branches are just too big for them to drag.

M: Well, I guess you’ll just have to do it yourself Jane.

W: Patrick, I wish you would reconsider (斟酌，再考虑). We’ve always gotten along fairly well, but I think you’re out of line here. The branches are your responsibility.

M: Sorry Jane, I disagree! You take the benefits of the apple tree, but refuse to deal with the bad side of it !

W: Get the branches off my property or I’ll have to sue you. (21)

M: Yeah? For what? You’re taking those law classes too seriously (太较真， 太当回事)! (22) I’ll gotta go, I have to pick up my son.

W: You’ll be hearing from me. M: Yeah, yeah. See you in court Jane.

Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

19. What did the man do yesterday?

20. What did the woman ask the man to do?

21. What did the woman threaten to do?

22. What was the man’s reaction to the woman’s threat?

Conversation Two

M: Did you hear about the air crash that occurred in South America recently? It was quite a tragic accident!

W: No, I didn’t see anything in the news about it. What happened?

M: A foreign airliner was attempting to land at night in a mountainous area of Argentina and flew into a hill!

W: That sounds really terrible! Did anyone survive?

M: No, everyone aboard, including the crew, was killed instantly.

W: What were the circumstances? Was there bad weather, a fire, or an engine failure?

M: Apparently, there were some low clouds in the area, but mostly it was just miscommunication between the pilots and the air traffic controllers.(23)

W: Weren’t they both speaking in English, the official international aviation (航空) language? M: Yes, they were. But the transmission from poor-quality radios was slightly distorted (歪曲，曲解) and the accents of the Spanish speaking controllers were so strong that the pilots misunderstood a vital instruction.

W: How could a misunderstanding like that cause such a serious accident?

M: The pilots were told “Descend to 2-2, 000 feet.” The instruction actually meant 22,000 feet, but they thought they heard descend to 2,000 feet. That’s a huge difference, and it should have been confirmed, but it was not. Unfortunately, the terrain (地形，地势) of the mountains in that region extends up to 2,000 feet.(24)

W: So the pilots did descend to the wrong altitude (高度，海拔) then, thinking they were following the air controllers instructions.

M: Sadly enough, yes they did. It was a really bad mistake. Many people died as a result of this simple misunderstanding.W: Wow, that’s a powerful lesson in how important it can be to accurately communicate with each other.(25)

2006年12月24日英语新六级考试真题及参考答案

Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

23. What was the cause of the tragedy?

24. How high are the mountains in the region?

25. What lesson could be drawn from the accident?

Section B

Passage One

Edgar Poe, an American writer, was born in 1809. His parents were actors. Edgar was a baby when his father left the family. He was two years old when his mother died. (26) He was taken into the home of a wealthy business man named John Allen. He then received his new name, Edgar Allen Poe. As a young man, Poe attended the University of Virginia. He was a good student, but he liked to drink alcohol and play card games for money. As an unskilled game player, he often lost money. Since he couldn’t pay his gambling losses, he left university (27) and began working for magazines. He worked hard, yet he was not well-paid, or well-known. A t the age of 27, he got married. For a time it seemed that Poe would find happiness, but his wife was sick for most of their marriage, and died in 1847. Through all his crises, Poe produced many stories and poems which appeared in different publications, yet he didn’t become famous until 1845, when his poem, The Raven, was published. There is a question, however, about Poe’s importance in American literature. Some critics say Poe was one of America’s best writers, but others disagree. They say Poe’s work is difficult to understand (28) and most of his writing describes very unpleasant situations and events. Edgar Allen Poe died in 1849 when he was 40 years old. It is said that he was found dead after days of heavy drinking. (29)

26. What happened to Edgar Allen Poe’s family when he was only two years old?

27．Why did Edgar Allen Poe leave the University of Virginia?

28．What do some critics say about Edgar Allen Poe?

29．How did Edgar Allen Poe’s life come to an end?

Passage Two

More than fifty years ago, the United Nations declared that literacy is a basic human right. It’s very important for improving the lives of inpiduals. However, it is estimated that 880 million adults around the world are illiterate, that is, they are unable to read or write. A majority of them are women. (30) More than 110 million school age children in the world do not attend school. Many others complete school or fail to finish their studies without learning to read or write. Many countries depend on the efforts of people who offer their time to help illiterate inpiduals. For example, John Mogger became concerned about the problem of illiteracy three years ago, so he started teaching five prisoners in Brazil. In his teaching, he developed a system with this group of prisoners. He says his way of teaching can help anyone learn how to read and write with about thirty hours of study. (32) To learn his system, people must first know how to write letters of the alphabet (字母表) and learn which sounds they represent. The system pides letters into three groups . The first group of letters can be written between two lines. The second can be written between two lines but part of the letter is above the top line. The third group has letters that are partly written below the lower line. (31) John Mogger taught his students to write simple words from the letters. In this way, his students learned more than seven hundred words. Many of them can now write to family members. They also can read newspapers and magazines.

30. According to the speaker, which group of people make up the illiterate population?

31．What is the most important feature of John Mogger’s method of teaching the alphabet?

2006年12月24日英语新六级考试真题及参考答案

32．What does John Mogger say about his teaching method?

Passage Three

Farmers usually use ploughs to prepare their fields for planting crops. Ploughs cut into the ground, and lift up weeds, and other unwanted plants. However, ploughing is blamed for causing severe damage to topsoil by removing the plants that protect the soil from being blown or washed away.

(33) Many farmers in South Asia are now trying a process called Low Till Farming. Low Till Farming limits the use of ploughs. (34) in this method of farming seeds and fertilizer are put into the soil through small cuts made in the surface of the ground. Low Till Agriculture leaves much or all the soil and remains of plants on the ground. They serve as a natural fertilizer and help support the roots of future crops. They take in rain and allow it to flow into the soil instead of running off. It has been proved that Low Till Farming increases harvests and reduces water use, and this method reduces the need for chemical products because there are fewer unwanted plants. Scientists say Low Till Farming is becoming popular in South Asia, which is facing a severe water shortage. (35) They say the area will become dependent in imported food unless water is saved through methods like Low Till Farming. Currently, more than 150 million people in South Asia depend on local rice and wheat crops. Farmers grow rice during wet weather. During the dry season they grow wheat in the same fields. Farmers are using the Low Till method to plant wheat after harvesting rice. Scientists say Low Till Agriculture is one of the best examples in the world of technologies working for both people and the environment.

33. What is the main problem caused by the usual way of ploughing?

34．What does the speaker say about Low Till Farming?

35．Where is Low Till Farming becoming popular?

Section C

Adults are getting smarter about how smart babies are. Not long ago, researchers learned that 4-day-oldscould understand (36) and subtraction. Now, British research (37) long before they can speak. He found that 9-month-oldinfants could be taught, through repeated show-and-tell, to (38) the names of objects that were foreign to them, a result that (39) challenges in some ways the received (40)wisdom that, apart from learning to (41)identify things common to their daily lives, children don’t begin to build vocabulary until well into their second year. “It’s no (42) that children learn words, but the words they tend to know are words linked to (43)specific situations in the home,” explains Schafer.” (44)This is the first them with an unfamiliar voice giving instructions in an unfamiliar setting.” Figuring out how humans acquire language may shed light on why some children learn to read and write later than others, Schafer says, and could lead to better treatments for developmental problems. (45) What’s more, the study of language acquisition offers direct insight into how humans learn. “Language is a test case for human cognitive development,” says Schafer. But parents eager to teach their infants should take note: (4group caught up with the other infants within a few moths . “This is not about advancing development,” he says. “It’s just about what children can do at an earlier age than what educators have often thought.”