[外语类试卷]大学英语六级模拟试卷402及答案与解析.doc

1、大学英语六级模拟试卷 402及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic: Salary or Interest. You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below: 1. 如今的大学毕业生面临的职 业选择：兴趣重要还是工资重要 2. 你的观点 3. 结论 Salary or Interest

2、二、 Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions attached to the passage. For questions 1-4, mark： Y (for YES) if the statement agrees with the information given in the pas

3、sage; N (for NO) if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 1 Earth: Melting in the Heat? Glaciers are melting; the ice caps are disappearing into the oceans; sea levels may rise by many meters as a consequenc

4、e. Indigenous(本土的 ) Arctic peoples will find their food stocks gone, while flesh water supplies in Asia and south America will disappear as the glaciers which provide them melt away; penguins, polar bears and seals will find their habitats gone, their traditional lives unlivable. But how realistic i

5、s this picture? Is the worlds ice really disappearing, or is it unscientific hot air? A European satellite named Cryosat was designed to provide definitive answers to some of these questions. A launcher fault destroyed the mission in October 2005, hut the European Space Agency has approved a replace

6、ment, in the meantime, here is our global snapshot. The Antarctic Huge, pristine(质朴的 ), dramatic, unforgiving-the Antarctic is where the biggest of all global changes could begin. There is so much ice here that if it all melted, sea levels globally would rise hugely-perhaps as much as 80m. Say goodb

7、ye to London, New York, Sydney, Bangkok.in fact, the majority of the worlds major cities. But will it happen? Scientists divide the Antarctic into three zones: the east and west Antarctic ice sheets; and the Peninsula, the tongue of land which points up towards the southern tip of South America. “Ev

8、erybody thinks that the Antarctic is shrinking due to climate change, but the reality is much more complex,“ says David Vaughan, a principal investigator at the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, U.K. “Parts of it appear to be thickening as a result of snowfall increases, but the Peninsula is th

9、inning at an alarming rate due to warming. The West Antarctic sheet is also thinning, and were not sure of the reason why.“ On the Up Temperatures in the Peninsula appear to be increasing at around twice the global averageabout 2 over the last 50 years. Those figures are based on measurements made b

10、y instruments at scientific stations. Earlier this year, David Vaughans group published research showing that the vast majority of glaciers along the Peninsula-87% of the 244 studied-are in retreat. The ice dumped into the ocean as the glaciers retreat should not make much difference to global sea l

11、evels-perhaps a few centimeters. More worrying, potentially, are the vast ice sheets covering the rest of Antarctica. Making temperature measurements for the continent as a whole is difficult; it is a vast place-more than 2,000 km across-there are few research stations, and temperatures vary natural

12、ly by 2-3 from year to year. But measurements indicate that in the west, melting is underway. “About one-third of the West Antarctic ice sheet is thinning,“ says Dr. Vaughan, “un average by about 10 cm per year, but in the worst places by 3 4m per year.“ The rock on which the West Antarctic ice rest

13、s is below sea level, and British Antarctic Survey researchers believe the thinning could be due to the ice sheet melting on its underside. “It may be that the ocean is warming end thats causing the ice to melt, but there may be other reasons as well; for example, theres lots of volcanism in that ar

14、ea and so that could change how much heat is delivered to the underside of the ice sheet.“ Cryosat should help to pin down what is happening at the West Antarctic fringe. The radar altimeters on board its predecessors ERS1 and ERS2 have been unable to map the steep slopes at the coast, whereas Cryos

15、ats instrument should be able to cope. If the entire West Antarctic ice sheet did melt, sea levels globally would rise, by around 5m. But at the moment, there is no sign of that happening. One recant scientific paper attempted to calculate probabilities for how much West Antarctic melting would cont

16、ribute to global sea-level rises during this century. The conclusions: a 30% probability of a 20 cm rise, and a 5% chance of a 1m rise. Eastern Mass And what of the big monster, the much larger East Antarctic sheet? A recent study using altimeter data suggested it is getting thicker, by about 1.8 cm

17、/yr; another, using the gravity satellite mission Grace indicates its mass remains stable. But could rising temperatures in time drain the ice away?. “It is not going to happen on any realistic human timescale,“ says David Vaughan. “Its so cold that you could raise temperatures by 5-10 without havin

18、g much of an impact; its on rock above sea level, so warming in the ocean cant affect it.“ Largely insulated from global trends and so big as to generate its own climatic systems, most of Antarctica appears to be immune to the big melt for now, though answers to what is happening in the west arc eag

19、erly awaited. The Arctic At the top of the world, the Arctic is a region built on water. Around the North Pole is ocean, with ice floes crowding in each winter and thinning again in the summers. In September, we learned from scientists at the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center that the extent of

20、 ocean covered by ice is getting smaller each year, the current rate of shrinkage they calculate at around 8% per decade. Their projection is that within about 60 years, there will be no summer ice at all on the Arctic Ocean. “Overall, the extent has been declining, with some oscillations(摆动 ), sinc

21、e the 1970s when satellites were able to map it,“ comments Peter Wadhams, Professor of Ocean Physics at Cambridge University, U.K, and currently at the Laboratoire Oce anographique in Villefranche-sur-mer, France. “Theres been a slow decline, but now the thinning appears to be more rapid. In the las

22、t two decades, not only has the area shrunk but the ice has got thinner by about 400; the prediction is that it will vanish altogether during summers in the second half of this century.“ Military Records Measurements of thickness come mainly from military submarines, which spent long periods under t

23、he Arctic ice during the Cold War. Peter Wadhams was one of the scientists who afterwards persuaded the authorities in Britain and the United States to declassify their data. But as a method of measurement, it is far from perfect; and satellites have given only limited help. The existing satellite f

24、leet gives good measurements of ice extent, but is not so good at detecting thickness, partly because the orbits of satellites with radar altimeters do not cover every portion of the ocean. This data deficit has led to a rival theory-that the ice is not melting at all; it is simply piling up in anot

25、her part of the ocean, perhaps along the north Canadian coast. Peter Wadhams believes he has now disproved this idea. “We did an experiment where we installed a set of buoys(浮标 ) in that region which measure the thickness of the ice and transmit it back via satellite,“ he says. “The buoy sits on the

26、 ice, and us waves pass under it they make it rise and fall, just by a millimeter or two; measuring this allows you to calculate the thickness of the ice.“ The preliminary results, announced at a scientific meeting in April 2005, show that the extra ice is not there; it really has melted away. Wider

27、 Impact To people living in the region, the melting brings mixed news. Current lifestyles and staple foods will almost certainly change, but the open ocean may permit new opportunities for trade and agriculture. A bigger question is what it means for the rest of the planet, lee reflects the suns rad

28、iation; water absorbs it. More water and less ice-a lower albedo (反照率 )-mean that the pace of warming could increase. In this scenario, the Earth would be losing one of its “natural checks and balances“ against warming-another positive feedback mechanism. The Arctic is intimately tied to the global

29、climate system, and disruptions here have the potential to create worldwide changes-albeit(虽然 ) over long timescales. Possibly the most powerful link is via the thermohaline(热盐的 ) circulation, the global conveyor taking warm water along ocean surfaces and returning colder water at depth. “One very s

30、ensitive place is the middle of the Greenland Sea,“ says Peter Wadhams. “That has been ice-free in the summer, but usually in winter it would be covered by a lobe of ice growing out from the Greenland coast. As it formed, it rejected salt back into the water, making the water heavier and helping it

31、to sink. Since 1997, the ice tongue has never formed. That will be having an impact on the thermohaline circulation.“ Back in geological history, about 55 million years ago, the Arctic was a warm (possibly 20 ) shallow sea that would have been ice-free without the intervention of a human-enhanced gr

32、eenhouse effect. Natural variations may be playing a role in the picture seen now; but, as with other parts of the planet, it is the speed of change that alarms many researchers as much as the change itself. 2 Fresh water supplies in Asia and south America is disappearing as the glaciers melt away.

33、（ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 If all the ice in the Antarctic melted, global sea levels would rise hugely. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 According to David Vaughan, the Antarctic is shrinking due to climate change. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 David Vaughans group found that most of the glaciers along the Peninsula

34、were in retreat. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 Cryosat should help figure out what is happening at the West Antarctic fringe because its radar altimeters should be able to _. 7 Most of Antarctica appears to be immune to the big melt for now because its largely insulated from global trends and its so big a

35、s m generate _. 8 According to scientists at the U.S. National Snow and lee Data Center, within about 60 years, there will be _on the Arctic Ocean. 9 The existing satellites are not good at detecting the thickness of the ice partly because the orbits of satellites with _do not cover every portion of

36、 the ocean. 10 To people living in the Arctic, the melting of some glaciers may permit new opportunities for _. 11 The ice tongue growing out from the Greenland coast used to reject salt back into the water, making _ heavier and helping it to sink. Section A Directions: In this section, you will hea

37、r 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices ma

38、rked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. （ A） 1:50. （ B） 1:55. （ C） 2:00. （ D） 2:05. （ A） The photograph is not good enough to send. （ B） The photograph was not taken at the Grand Canyon. （ C） They already sent Mary a photograph of their vacation. （ D） Sending pictures through the ma

39、il is too expensive. （ A） She should have asked to be excused from the trip. （ B） She deserves the zero. （ C） She is right to be angry. （ D） She should have gone on the field trip. （ A） He wants to live off campus. （ B） There are advantages and disadvantages to living off campus. （ C） Living space i

40、n the dorm is crowded. （ D） There are only a few apartments available off campus. （ A） Turn down the volume of the music. （ B） Turn the music off. （ C） Play a different style of music. （ D） Listen to music in a different room. （ A） Move some boxes. （ B） Read history books. （ C） Attend history classe

41、s. （ D） Watch the boxing game. （ A） Cancel their assignment. （ B） Allow them to hand in their assignment a few days later. （ C） Help them to write part of the assignment. （ D） Explain to them what the assignment was. （ A） He should have read the book instead of going to the movie. （ B） He should hav

42、e gone to the movie instead of reading the book. （ C） Reading the book will help the man understand the movie better. （ D） She thinks the book is easier to understand than the movie. （ A） The CPU is broken. （ B） The screen is flashing. （ C） It doesnt work. （ D） It dropped to the floor. （ A） The comp

43、any will compensate the customer. （ B） The company will refund the customers money. （ C） The company will replace it. （ D） The company will do nothing about it. （ A） Exchange the computer for the woman. （ B） Refund the womans money. （ C） Give the woman anything she likes in the store. （ D） Give the

44、woman a store credit with which she can buy anything in the store. （ A） Its a concert. （ B） Its a circus. （ C） Its a game. （ D） Its a movie. （ A） Romantic lighting. （ B） Fantastic music. （ C） Amazing costumes. （ D） Animal performers. （ A） Trainers. （ B） Clowns. （ C） Acrobats. （ D） Magicians. （ A） Go

45、 to see Cirque du Soleil in town. （ B） Go shopping. （ C） Go to meet the magician. （ D） Go to see Cirque du Soleil with the woman. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will b

46、e spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） The weather will be clear and fine. （ B） Rain will probably come. （ C） There will be a fog. （ D） Fine weather will continue. （ A） The following day will be fine. （ B） Fine

47、weather will continue. （ C） Rainy weather will probably come. （ D） The rain will stop. （ A） By studying the signs around them with eyes and brains. （ B） By changing the weather. （ C） By controlling the weather. （ D） By listening to others advice. （ A） To develop a savings plan. （ B） To set up a bank

48、 account. （ C） To set clear investing goals. （ D） To work out the budget. （ A） A wide selection of investments. （ B） A limited range of stocks. （ C） A group of low risk bonds and cash. （ D） A variety of funds. （ A） Because the market has both up and down years. （ B） Because you can get bigger guaran

49、teed returns. （ C） Because 30% returns can be achieved with the right stocks. （ D） Because you have to weather the storm. （ A） Food is no longer a basic need for us. while it was for primitive people. （ B） We eat a wide variety of food. （ C） We no longer eat fruit that primitive people ever ate. （ D） We eat more food than primitive people did. （ A） It is needed to adjust the temperature of our bodies. （ B） It is our second need. （ C） We need clothing to cover our bodies.