2009年12月英语六级模拟试卷及解析之三

英语自学网

　Part I   Writing(30 minutes)
　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic "Problems about Reducing Students' Heavy Burden". You should write at least 150 words, and base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below。
　　1.目前学生负担过重的现状；
　　2.导致学生负担过重的原因；
　　3.减轻学生负担过重的措施。
　　Part Ⅱ  Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)  (15 minutes)
　　Soichiro Honda
　　The founder of Honda, Soichiro Honda was a mechanical engineer with a passion for motorcycle and automobile racing.  Honda started his company in 1946 by building motorized bicycles with small, war-surplus engines.  Honda would grow to become the world's leading manufacturer of motorcycles and later one of the leading automakers. Following its founder's lead, Honda has always been a leader in technology, especially in the area of engine development。
　　Soichiro Honda was described as a maverick(特立独行的人) in a nation of conformists. He made it a point to wear loud suits and wildly colored shirts. An inventor by nature who often joined the work on the floors of his factories and research laboratories, Honda developed engines that transformed the motorcycle into a worldwide means of transportation。
　　Born in 1906, Honda grew up in the town of Tenryu, Japan. The eldest son of a blacksmith who repaired bicycles, the young Soichiro had only an elementary school education when, in his teens, he left home to seek his fortune in Tokyo. An auto repair company hired him in 1922, but for a year he was forced to serve as a baby-sitter for the auto shop's owner and his wife. While employed at the auto shop, however, Honda built his own racing car using an old aircraft engine and handmade parts and participated in racing. His racing career was short lived, however. He suffered serious injuries in a 1936 crash。
　　By 1937, Honda had recovered from his injuries. He established his own company, manufacturing piston rings, but he found that he lacked a basic knowledge of casting. To obtain it, he enrolled in a technical high school, applying theories as he learned them in the classrooms to his own factory. But he did not bother to take examinations at the school. Informed that he would not be graduated, Honda commented that a diploma was "worth less than a movie theater ticket. A ticket guarantees that you can get into the theater. But a diploma doesn't guarantee that you can make a living."
　　Honda's burgeoning company mass produced metal propellers during WW Ⅱ, replacing wooden ones. Allied bombing and an earthquake destroyed most of his factory and he sold what was left to Toyota in 1945.
　　In 1946, he established the Honda Technical Research Institute to motorize bicycles with small, war-surplus engines. These bikes became very popular in Japan. The institute soon began making engines. Renamed Honda Motor in 1948, the company began manufacturing motorcycles. Business executive Takeo Fujisawa was hired to manage the company while Honda focused on engineering。
            
            

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　　In 1951, Honda brought out the Dream Type E motorcycle, which proved an immediate success thanks to Honda's innovative overhead valve design, The smaller F-type cub (1952) accounted for 70% of Japan's motorcycle production by the end of that year. A public offering and support from Mitsubishi Bank allowed Honda to expand and begin exporting. The versatile C100 Super Cub, released in 1958, became an international bestseller。
　　In 1959, the American Honda Motor was founded and soon began using the slogan, "You meet the nicest people on a Honda," to offset the stereotype of motorcyclists during that period. Though the small bikes were dismissed by the dominant American and British manufacturers of the time, the inexpensive imports brought new riders into motorcycling and changed the industry forever in the United States。
　　Ever the racing enthusiast, Honda began entering his company's motorcycles in domestic Japanese races during the 1950s. In the mid-1950s, Honda declared that his company would someday win world championship events--a declaration that seemed unrealistic at the time。
　　In June 1959, the Honda racing team brought their first motorbike to compete in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy race, then the world's most popular motorcycle race. This was the first entry by a Japanese team. With riders Naomi Taniguchi, who finished sixth, Teisuke Tanaka, who finished eighth, and Kiyoshi Kawashima, who would later succeed Soichiro as Honda Motor president, as team manager, Honda won the manufacturer's prize。
　　However, they were not pleased with their performance. Kawashima remembers: "We were clobbered. Our horsepower was less than half that of the winner."
　　Learning from this experience, Soichiro and his team worked even harder to make rapid progress in their motorsports activities. Two years after their first failure, they were the sensation at the TT by capturing the first five places in both the 125ce and 250cc classes. The upstart Japanese had outclassed all their rivals. As a result of the team's stellar performance, the Honda name became well known worldwide, and its export volume rose dramatically. Soichiro seemed to have foreseen the future of Japan, which, twenty years later, was to become one of the world's leading economies。
　　Honda would become the most successful manufacturer in all of motorcycle racing. Honda has since won hundreds of national and world championships in all forms of motorcycle competition。
　　While Honda oversaw a worldwide company by the early-1970s (Honda entered the automobile market in 1967)， he never shied away from getting his hands greasy. Sol Sanders, author of a Honda biography, said Honda appeared "almost daily" at the research lab where development work was being done. Even as president of the company, "he worked as one of the researchers,' Sanders quoted a Honda engineer as saying. "Whenever we encountered a problem, he studied it along with us."
　　In 1973, Honda, at 67, retired on the 25th anniversary of Honda's founding. He declared his conviction that Honda should remain a youthful company. "Honda has always moved ahead of the times, and I attribute its success to the fact that the firm possesses dreams and youthfulness," Honda said at the time。
            
            

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　　Unlike most chief executive officers in Japan, who step down to become chairmen of their firms, Honda retained onty the title of "supreme adviser". In retirement, Honda devoted himself to public service and frequent travel abroad. He received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, first class, the highest honor bestowed by Japan's emperor.  He also received the American auto industry's highest award when he was admitted to the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1989. Honda was awarded the AMA's highest honor, the Dud Perkins Award, in 1971.
　　Honda died on August 5, 1991 from liver failure at 84. His wife, Sachi, and three children survived him。
　　1. Soichiro Honda was a man who preferred to wear plain clothes。
　　2. When enrolled in a technical high school to obtain basic knowledge of casting, Soichiro Honda finally got the diploma after attending the examinations。
　　3. Like most chief executive officers in Japan, Soichiro Honda Stepped down to become chairmen of Honda after his retirement。
　　4. Even as the president of a worldwide company, Soichiro Honda would work at the research lab with the employees。
　　5. Following its founder's lead, Honda has always been a leader in technology, especially in the area of ______。
　　6. After WW Ⅱ, Honda mounted ______ on bicycles and these motorized bicycles sold rapidly in Japan。
　　7. A public offering and support from ______ allowed Honda to expand his business and begin to invade the international market。
　　8. In 1959, the American Honda Motor used the slogan," ______" to change the negative image of motorcyclists in America。
　　9. In 1959 with their first motorbike Honda racing team participate in ______ race, which was the most popular motorcycle race at that time。
　　10. According to Honda, ______ are, the major factors that led to the success of Honda company。

　　Part Ⅲ Listening Comprehension   (35 minutes)

　　Section A
　　Questions 11 to 18 are based on the conversation you have just heard。
　　11. A) The class thought the demonstration was too complex。
　　B) Too many students showed up。
　　C) The professor didn't show up。
　　D) The professor cancelled it。
　　12. A) Many guests didn't give a performance at the party。
　　B) Many guests didn't show their faces. They are masks。
　　C) The party wasn't held, because many guests didn't come。
　　D) The party was held last night, but many guests didn't come。
　　13. A) She prefers the stadium。
　　B) She agrees with the man。
　　C) The light isn't bright enough。
　　D) The dining hall isn't large enough。
　　14. A) Four contestants failed to win prizes.    B) The man ate during the show。
　　C) The woman missed the show.           D) Five contestants won cars。
            
            

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　　15. A) Riding a horse.                        B) Shooting a movie。
　　C) Playing a game.                       D) Taking a photo。
　　16. A) She's going away for a while。
　　B) She did well on the test。
　　C) She worked hard and earned a lot of money。
　　D) She's didn't have to work hard for the exam。
　　17. A) Susan is a fast worker。
　　B) Susan did Jack's homework。
　　C) Susan didn't do the homework on her own。
　　D) Susan has not finished her homework。
　　18. A) He read the cabinet report.              B) He read the newspaper。
　　C) He listened to a radio report.            D) He's secretary telephoned him。
　　Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard。
　　19. A) He wants to finish his term paper that day。
　　B) He has seen the film before。
　　C) He has another appointment。
　　D) He wants to go to the cinema with Yamada。
　　20. A) The rules are too hard to follow。
　　B) The guests should give some presents to the hosts。
　　C) Only tea is served at the tea ceremonies。
　　D) The food is not as important as the atmosphere in tea ceremonies。
　　21. A) Taking off his shoes.                  B) Washing his hands in a pool。
　　C) Washing his hands in a stone basin.      D) Bowing to the hosts。
　　22. A) In bamboo chairs.                     B) On bamboo mats。
　　C) On the floor.                          D) On knees。
　　Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard。
　　23. A) She had her vacation there.             B) She took a diving course there。
　　C) She was there on a field trip.           D) She visited a marine exhibition。
　　24. A) She spent most of her time under the sea。
　　B) She spent most of her time lying in the sun。
　　C) She Spent most of her time looking for sunken treasure。
　　D) She spent most of her time taking photographs of the sca。
　　25. A) Planktons are too small to be seen。
　　B) Most planktons have transparent tissues。
            
            

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　　C) Most planktons are practically invisible to predators。
　　D) Planktons are fascinating organisms。
　　Section B
　　Passage One
　　Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard。
　　26. A) Because a headman had no legal authority。
　　B) Because people didn't own land。
　　C) Because there were no strict laws against homicide。
　　D) Because there were limited resources。
　　27. A) A man who had a dispute with the man whose wife was stolen。
　　B) A man who borrowed goods from the man whose wife was stolen。
　　C) A man who wanted to be superior to the man whose wife was stolen。
　　D) A man who was attracted b7 the beauty of a particular woman。
　　28. A) The lack of a real form of government structure。
　　B) The creativeness of Eskimos。
　　C) The excitement of a legal system with strict laws。
　　D) The strong judicial powers of a headman。
　　Passage Two
　　Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard。
　　29. A) 1788.            B) 1840.             C) 1842.             D) 1850.
　　30. A) European immigrants flooded into the city。
　　B) More and more rushed there for gold。
　　C) It became a resting place for US soldiers。
　　D) The Darling Harbor redevelopment project boosted the expansion。
　　31. A) 7 years.                                 B) 9 years。
　　C) 12 years.                                D) 16 years。
　　Passage Three
　　Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard。
　　32. A) They can easily learn quite long poems by heart。
　　B) They can remember long story by heart。
　　C) They can remember almost everything they have read。
　　D) They can remember things they have only read once。
　　33. A) Because they are too small to understand the rules。
　　B) Because they are absent minded。
　　C) Because they have so little time for it。
　　D) Because they are not interested in it。
　　34. A) A camera.       B) A film.           C) Photo.            D) Picture。
            
            

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　　35. A) Time.           B) Memory.          C) Habit.            D) Text-book。
　　Section C
　　Smoking means something different to various cultures. In   (36)  , many people smoke. In the winter, it is often   (37)   to breathe in the cafes because of the tobacco   (38)   in the air. In Romania, smoking is an   (39)   social habit. Women,   (40)  , do not smoke on the street. The brand of   (41)   a person smokes shows his/her   (42)  , especially if it is a foreign   (43)  。
　　In Latin American cultures, smoking is very common.   (44)  。
　　In parts of Asia, tobacco is used in wedding ceremonies and in religious offerings. It is also used in many kinds of occasions. In Cambodia,   (45)  .In Vietnam, people are often smoking at business meetings and in coffee houses. Most of the women in Cambodia and Vietnam tend not to smoke. But when they enter a friend's home, they may be given a tobacco leaf to chew on. During the war, Vietnamese soldiers would smoke to pass the time while waiting to go into battle.  (46)
　　Smoking was a comforting thing to do. In both Vietnam and Cambodia, people who were not smokers before the war, started to smoke during the war and became addicted。

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

　　Section A
　　The discovery that language can be a barrier to communication is quickly made by all who travel, study, govern or sell. Whether the activity is tourism, research, government, policing, business or data dissemination, the lack of a common language can severely impede progress or can halt it altogether。
　　Although communication problems of this kind must happen thousands of times each day, very few become public knowledge. Publicity comes only when a failure to communicate has major consequences, such as strikes, lost orders, legal problems or fatal accidents--even, at times, war. One reported instance of communication failure took place in 1970, when several Americans ate a species of poisonous mushroom. No remedy was known, and two of the people died within days. A radio report of the case was heard by a chemist who knew of a treatment that had been successfully used in 1959 and published in 1963. Why had the American doctors not heard of it seven years later? Presumably because the report of the treatment had been published only in journals written in European languages other than English。
　　Several comparable cases have been reported. But isolated examples do not give an impression of the size of the problem--something that can come only from studies of the use or avoidance of foreign-language materials and contacts in different communicative situations. In the English- speaking scientific world, for example, surveys of books and documents consulted in libraries and other information agencies have shown that very little foreign-language material is ever consulted. Library requests in the field of science and technology showed that only 13 percent were for foreign language periodicals。
            
            

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　　The language barrier presents itself in stark form to firms who wish to market their products in other countries. British industry, in particular, has in recent decades often been criticized for its linguistic insularity---for its assumption that foreign buyers will be happy to communicate in English, and that awareness of other languages is not therefore s priority. In the 1960s, over two- thirds of British firms dealing with non-English-speaking customers were using English for outgoing correspondence; many had their sales literature only in English; and as many as 40 percent employed no-one able to communicate in the customer's languages. A similar problem was identified in other English-speaking countries, notably the USA, Australia and New Zealand. And non-English speaking countries were by no means exempt--although the widespread use of English as an alternative language made them less open to the charge of insularity。
　　The criticism and publicity given to this problem since the 1960s seems to have greatly improved the situation. Industrial training schemes have promoted an increase in linguistic and cultural awareness. Many firms now have their own translation services. Some firms run part-time language courses in the languages of the countries with which they are most involved; some produce their own technical glossaries, to ensure consistency when material is being translated. It is now much more readily appreciated that marketing efforts can be delayed, damaged or disrupted by a failure to take account of the linguistic needs of the customer。
　　47. Language problems may come to the attention of the public when they have ______ such as fatal accidents or social problems。
　　48. What can we infer about American doctors from the case of the poisonous mushrooms?
　　49. Evidence of the extent of the language barrier can be gained from ______ of materials used by scientists such as books and periodicals。
　　50. An example of British linguistic insularity is the use of English for materials such as ______。
　　51. What ways have been used by the British companies to solve the problem of language barrier since the 1960s?
　　Section B
　　Passage One
　　On the last shopping day before Christmas, stores across the United States were busy but not jam-packed as shoppers scrambled for last-minute gifts, even though some refused to admit it. At Boston's Copley Mall, a small crowd gathered outside the main entrance of luxury department store Neiman Marcus, but no one waiting for the store to open would admit to being a last-minute shopper. "I'm really here to use a gift certificate and get something for myself and maybe someone else with what's left over," said Matt Doran, who lives in Boston and had been waiting since 8:30 a.m. for the store's 10 a.m. opening. Ilya Polykoff, who moved to Boston from Russia, said he was waiting "because I had the day off and I wanted to get some perfume." But he insisted that he was really shopping early because for him Christmas comes in January. The Orthodox Christmas will be celebrated on Jan. 7.
            
            

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　　"There are lots of men out there today," said Karen McDonald, a spokes-woman for mall operator Taubman Centers, after returning from the Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights, Michigan. "There is panic out there but people seem to be in good spirits," she said, adding that most shopping traffic peaked around midday.  According to the International Council of Shopping Centers, December 24 was the sixth busiest holiday shopping day in 1997, while 44 percent of holiday sales were recorded in the December 15 to December 24 period. Ed Nally, manager of the Swatch Store known mostly for its brightly colored plastic watches, described the atmosphere as festive rather than crazed. He did say, however, that Dec. 21 was the turning point date, after which shoppers started. "The closer to Christmas, the crazier they get," Nally said. "They become more agitated, less patient." He said red-hot items this year were phones, beepers and the new digital swatch watch that costs $ 70 and came onto the market a week before Christmas。
　　52. The best title for this passage is ______。
　　A) Last-Minute Christmas Shoppers Fill U.S. Stores
　　B) Digital Watches Are the Red hot Items This Year
　　C) The Excuse of the Last-Minute Shoppers
　　D) Christmas, the Best Shopping Season
　　53. From the passage we can infer that people would not admit to be a last-minute shopper because ______。
　　A) they wanted to use a gift certificate
　　B) Christmas would be celebrated on Jan. 7th
　　C) they did not want gifts recipients to know that they bought them gifts on the last day
　　D) they bought gifts during the shopping season lasting from December 15th to December 24th
　　54. Which of the following statement is true?
　　A) Most customers came to the mall early in the morning。
　　B) Shop assistants were most busy at noon。
　　C) There were more shoppers in the mall from 7:00 to 9:00 p. m。
　　D) Less people went shopping around midday。
　　55. Which of the following statement is NOT true?
　　A) More people went shopping on Dee. 20th than on Dec. 22nd according to Ed Nally。
　　B) On Dec. 24th, people were crowded outside Boston's Copley Mall, but they were happy。
　　C) Dec. 24th was the sixth busiest holiday shopping day in 1997.
　　D) One can buy brightly colored plastic watches in Swatch Store。
　　56. The word "festive" in paragraph 2 can not be understood as ______。
　　A) cheery          B) fetish             C) joyous            D) merry

　　Passage Two

　　A few years ago, Ann and Walter Taylor thought it might be time to move out of their New York City apartment to the suburbs. They had one young son and another child on the way. But after months of looking, they became discouraged and decided to buy an old townhouse right in the middle of Brooklyn, which is a part of New York City. To their delight, they discovered that they weren't the only young couple to have made such a decision. In fact, the entire area in Brooklyn had been settled by young families. And as a result, the neighborhood, which had been declining for years, was now being restored。
            
            

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　　Brooklyn isn't the only city in the United States to experience this kind of renewal. So are Philadelphia and St. Louis. And Charleston, South Carolina, has so successfully rebuilt its old central area that it now ranks as one of America's most charming cities. The restoration of the old port city of Savannah, Georgia, is also living proof that downtown areas do not need to die. But encouraging as these developments may be, they are among the few bright spots in a mass of difficulties that today's cities face. Indeed, their woes are so many that it is fair to ask whether or not the inner city, the core of most urban areas will manage to survive at all。
　　In the 1940a, urban Americans began a mass move to the suburbs in search of fresh air, elbowroom, and privacy. Suburbs began to sprawl out across the countryside. Since most of those making the move were middle-class, they took with them the tax money the cities needed to maintain the neighborhoods in which they had lived. The people left in the cities were often those who were too old or too poor to move. Thus, many cities began to fall into disrepair. Crime began to soar, and public transportation was neglected. (In the past sixty years San Francisco is the only city in the United States to have completed a new mass transit system。) Meanwhile, housing construction costs continued to rise higher and higher. Middle-class housing was allowed to decay, and little new housing was constructed。
　　Eventually, many downtown areas existed for business only. During the day they would be filled with people working in offices, and at night they would be deserted.  Given these circumstances, some business executives began asking, "Why bother with going downtown at all? Why not move the offices to the suburbs so that we can live and work in the same area?" Gradually, some of the larger companies began moving out of the cites, with the result that urban centers declined even further and the suburbs expanded still more. This movement of businesses to the suburbs is not confined to the United States. Businesses have also been moving to the suburbs in Stockholm, Sweden, in Bonn, Germany, and in Brussels, Belgium, as well。
　　But it may well be that this movement to the suburbs has reached its peak. Some people may be tired of spending long hours commuting, and they may have begun to miss the advantages of culture and companionship provided by city life. Perhaps the decision made by the Taylors is a sign that people will return to the cities and begin to restore them. h begins to look as if suburban sprawl may not have been the answer to man's need to create an ideal environment in which to live and work。
　　57. The author of the passage suggests that ______。
　　A) moving to suburbs is not the answer to an ideal environment
　　B) cities are likely to be replaced by the suburbs
　　C) downtown areas are too crowded to live
　　D) American people moves lot in history
　　58. The word "elbowroom" in Paragraph 3 most probably means" ______。
            
            

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　　A) private space                              B) room to move freely
　　C) peaceful places                        D) confined room
　　59. Which of the following statements is true?
　　A) There are just old and poor people left in the cities。
　　B) The movement to the suburbs begins to decline。
　　C) Downtown areas must die in the future。
　　D) Suburbs are sure to replace cities。
　　60. Why have businesses been moving to suburbs?
　　A) Because the environment is pleasant in the suburbs。
　　B) Because the suburbs have developed rapidly。
　　C) Because rich people have moved to suburbs。
　　D) Because many people work in cites and live in suburbs. 61. Many cities began to fall into disrepair in the 1940s because ______。
　　A) housing construction costs continued to rise
　　B) housing was allowed to decay
　　C) many people moved out of the cities
　　D) only old and poor people were left in the cities
Part Ⅴ Error Correction                 (15 minutes)
In the past, women tended to assume that they would be overtaken
by men in the race to the top. And, today's young women are far less            62. ______。
philosophical about their status and are more aggressive in their               63. ______。
resentment in being treated as in some way inferior than men. On the            64. ______。
other hand, since lack of drive is one of the criticisms leveled with           65. ______。
women, perhaps this aggression is a positive advantage.  Some young
women, though, find it very difficult to come to term with the feeling that     66. ______。
characteristics of authority which are acceptable in men are often not
acceptable in women. A reason often advanced for women fail to reach the        67. ______。
top is their desire for balance between work and a life outside work。
Employers know this and tend, when a woman with young children
applies for promotion, treat the fact that she has young children as an         68. ______。
important factor and, giving the choice, are more likely to give promotion      69. ______。
to. a man than to her。