[外语类试卷]大学英语六级模拟试卷405及答案与解析.doc

1、大学英语六级模拟试卷 405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: Ability and Good Looks. You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below: 1. 老一辈常说，能力 比相貌重要 2. 如今很多人却认为相貌比有力重要 3. 你的看法 Ability and Goo

2、d Looks 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

3、 the passage; 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 Americas Brain Drain Crisis Losing the Global Edge William Kurtz is a self-described computer geek. A more apt description might be compute

4、r genius. When he was just 11, Kunz started writing software programs, and by 14 he had created his own video game. As a high school sophomore in Houston, Texas, he won first prize in a local science fair for a data encryption(编密码 ) program he wrote. In his senior year, he took top prize in an inter

5、national science and engineering fair for designing a program to analyze and sort DNA patterns. Kunz went on to attend Carnegie Mellon, among the nations highest-ranked universities in computer science. After college he landed a job with Oracle in Silicon Valley, writing software used by companies a

6、round the world. Kunz looked set to become a star in his field. Then he gave it all up. Today, three years later, Kurtz is in his first year at Harvard Business School. He left software engineering partly because his earning potential paled next to friends who were going into law or business. He als

7、o worried about job security; especially as more companies move their programming overseas to lower costs. “Every time youre asked to train someone in India, you think, Am I training my replacement?“ Kunz says. Things are turning out very differently for another standout in engineering, Qing-Shan Ji

8、a. A student at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Jia shines even among his gifted cohorts(一群人 ) at a school sometimes called “the MIT of China“. He considered applying to Harvard for his PhD, but decided it wasnt worth it. His university is investing heavily in cutting-edge research facilities, end a

9、ttracts an impressive roster of international professors. “I can get a world-class education here end study with world-class scholars,“ Jia says, These two snapshots(快照 ) illustrate part of a deeply disturbing picture. In the disciplines underpinning the high-tech economy-math, science and engineeri

10、ng-America is steadily losing its global edge. The depth and breadth of the problem is clear: - Several of Americas key agencies for scientific research and development will face a retirement crisis within the next ten years. - Less than 6% of Americas high school seniors plan to pursue engineering

11、degrees, down 36% from a decade ago. - In 2000, 56% of Chinas undergraduate degrees were in the hard sciences; in the United States, the figure was 17%. - China will likely produce six times the number of engineers next year than America will graduate, according to Mike Gibbons of the American Socie

12、ty for Engineering Education. Japan, with half Americas population, has minted (铸造 ) twice as many in recent years. “Most Americans are unaware of how much science does for this country end what we stand to lose if we cant keep up,“ says Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Insti

13、tute and chair of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. David Baltimore, president of the California Institute of Technology and a Nobel laureate, puts it bluntly: “We cant hope to keep intact our standard of living, our national security, our way of life, if Americans arent compe

14、titive in science.“ The Crisis Americans Created In January 2001, the Hart-Rudman Commission, tasked with finding solutions to Americas major national security threats, concluded that the failures of Americas math and science education and Americas system of research “pose a greater threat.than any

15、potential conventional war.“ The roots of this failure lie in primary and secondary education. The nation that produced most of the great technological advances of the last century now scores poorly in international science testing. A 2003 survey of math and science literacy ranked American 15-year-

16、olds against kids from other industrialized nations. In math, American students came in 24th out of 28 countries; in science, Americans were 24th out of 40 countries, tied with Latvia. This test, in conjunction with others, indicates Americans start out with sufficient smarts-their fourth-graders sc

17、ore well-but they begin to slide by eighth grade, and sink almost to the bottom by high school. Dont blame school budgets. Americans shell out more than $440 billion each year on public education, and spend mom per capita than any nation save Switzerland. The problem is that too many of their high s

18、chool science and math teachers just arent qualified. A survey in 2000 revealed that 38% of math teachers and 28% of science teachers in grades 7-12 lacked a college major or minor in their subject area. In schools with high poverty rates, the figures jumped to 52% of math teachers and 32% of scienc

19、e teachers. “The highest predictor of student performance boils down to teacher knowledge,“ says Gerald Wheeler, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association. To California Congressman Buck McKeon, a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, it comes down to th

20、is: “How can you pass on a passion to your students if you dont know the subject?“ Perhaps its no surprise that, according to a 2004 Indiana University survey, 18% of college prep kids werent taking math their senior year of high school. “When I compare our high schools to what I see when Im traveli

21、ng abroad, Im terrified for our workforce of tomorrow,“ Microsoft chairman Bill Gates told a summit of state governors earlier this year. “Our high schools, even when theyre working exactly as designed, cannot teach our kids what they need to know today.“ The Bush Administration has also proposed cu

22、tting the fiscal 2006 budget for research and development in such key federal agencies as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the latter of which acts as a liaison(联络 ) with industry and researchers to apply new technology. “Fun

23、ding cuts are job cuts,“ says Rep. Vernon J. Ehlers, Republican of Michigan and a member of the Science Committee in the House. Reduced funding has put the squeeze on research positions, further smothering incentives(动机 ) for students to go into hard science. What Americans Must Do Americans have do

24、ne it before: the Manhattan Project, the technology surge that followed Sputnik. Theyve demonstrated that they can commit themselves to daunting goals and achieve them. But they cant minimize the challenges theyre facing. Americans need out-of-the-box thinking, of the sort suggested by experts in a

25、report released in October called “Rising above the Gathering Storm“, a study group within the National Academy of Sciences, which included the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine, came up with innovative proposals. Among them are: - Four-year scholarships for 25,000 underg

26、raduate students who commit to degrees in math, science or engineering, and who qualify based on a competitive national exam; - Four-year scholarships for 10,000 college students who commit to being math or science teachers, and who agree to teach in a public school for five years after graduation;

27、- Extended visas for foreign students who earn a math or science PhD in the United States, giving them a year alter graduation to look for employment here. If they find jobs, work permits and permanent residency status would be expedited. Many experts are also urging that non-credentialed but knowle

28、dgeable people with industry experience be allowed to teach. That experiment is already underway at High Tech High in San Diego. Conceived by Gary Jacobs, whose father founded Qualcomm, this charter school stresses a cutting-edge curriculum, whether the classes are on biotechnology or web design. To

29、 teach these courses, the school hires industry professionals. High Tech High also arranges internships at robotics labs, Internet start-ups and university research centers. In just five years, 750 kids have enrolled, three classes have graduated and the vast majority of students have gone on to col

30、lege. One of the success stories is Jeff Jensen, class of 2005, who was a decidedly apathetic (缺乏兴趣的 ) student before High Tech High. He is now a freshman at Stanford University on a partial scholarship, planning to study chemistry or medicine. IBM is one of the companies encouraging its workers to

31、teach. This past September, IBM announced a tuition-assistance plan, pledging to pay for teacher certification as well as a leave of absence for employees who wish t6 teach in public schools. The philanthropic(博爱的 ) arms of corporations are also getting involved. The Siemens Foundation sponsors a ye

32、arly math, science and technology competition, considered the Nobel Prize for high school research and a great distiller of American talent. Honeywell spends $2 million each year on science programs geared to middle school students, including a hip-hop touring group that teaches physical science, an

33、d a robotics lab program that teaches kids how to design, build and program their own robot. “Weve found that if we dont get kids excited about science by middle school, its too late,“ says Michael Holland, a spokesperson for Honeywell. As important as ail these initiatives are, they barely begin to

34、 take Americans where they need to go. Americans shortcomings are vast, and time, unfortunately, is working against them. “The whole world is running a race,“ says Intels Howard High, “only we dont know it.“ No one knows whether or when the United States will relinquish(放弃 ) its lead in that race. O

35、r how far hack in the pack they could ultimately fall. But the first order of business is to recognize whats at stake and get in the game. 2 Kunz gave up software engineering mainly because he earned less than those in law or business field did. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 Only a small percentage of Ame

36、ricas high school seniors plan to major in engineering at college. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 If Americans arent competitive in science, they cannot survive the severe competition between developed countries. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 College education is to blame for the failure of Americas math and sci

37、ence education. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 American high school students sink almost to the bottom in a survey of math and science literacy because too many of the high school _ in America are not qualified. 7 Cutting budget for science research and development further smothers incentives for American

38、students to _. 8 One innovative proposal proposed by some experts is providing _ for 25,000 qualified undergraduate students. 9 At High Tech High, _ are hired to teach comes on biotechnology or web design. 10 Many companies encourage their employees to _ , with IBM one of them. 11 Americans shortcom

39、ings in science are vast, and unfortunately _ is making efforts to defeat them. Section A Directions: In this section, you will hear 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

40、 questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. （ A） The man should try to be more understanding. （ B） The mans wife should be more understanding. （ C） The mans

41、 negative attitude may be derived from his childhood. （ D） The pessimism of the mans wife may be the result of her past experiences. （ A） A snowstorm. （ B） An earthquake, （ C） A traffic accident. （ D） A hurricane. （ A） The two speakers are classmates. （ B） The man is majoring in elementary education

42、. （ C） The woman is majoring hi elementary education. （ D） The two speakers got to know each other in a class. （ A） At 6:15. （ B） At 5:50. （ C） At 16:05. （ D） At 16:15. （ A） Unemployment. （ B） Family breakup. （ C） Mental problems, （ D） Drinking, （ A） She disagrees with the man. （ B） She doesnt enjoy

43、 long speeches. （ C） She hadnt known how long the speech would be. （ D） She doesnt have a special opinion about the speaker. （ A） They are attending a concert （ B） They are negotiating about a price. （ C） They are planning to go for a date. （ D） They are buying something for their firm. （ A） The man

44、 is a football fan. （ B） The man needs the womans help. （ C） The men didnt watch TV last night. （ D） The man often has power failure at home. （ A） Its a market. （ B） Its a recreation canter. （ C） Its an algebra school. （ D） Its the name of a part4ime job. （ A） Six. （ B） Seven. （ C） Five. （ D） Six or

45、 seven. （ A） It doesnt move at all. （ B） It moves much faster than regular lines. （ C） Its next to the regular lines. （ D） Its her favorite. （ A） By attending a class. （ B） From her parents. （ C） Through a gardening magazine. （ D） From her neighbors. （ A） Sunlight. （ B） Location. （ C） Soil. （ D） Dra

46、inage. （ A） Tomatoes, beets, eggplant, and cabbages. （ B） Strawberries, green peppers, and okra. （ C） Basil, onions, cantaloupe, and banana peppers. （ D） Green beans, bananas, com, and pumpkins. （ A） You can grow vegetables vertically. （ B） You can raise plants in a confined area. （ C） You can plant

47、 a wide variety of plants together. （ D） You can enjoy the beautiful scenery. 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 be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you m

48、ust choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） Kings and queens, princes and princesses, and lords and ladies built castles in order to get more land. （ B） Around the outside of a castle, a moat was dug, which was often filled with water. （ C） A castle was built behind a

49、 thick and high stonewall, which was strong enough to stand the possible attack of enemies. （ D） If a drawbridge was pulled up, there was no way for people to enter the castle. （ A） They lived a luxurious life and their diet was very delicate. （ B） They lived a highly civilized court life. （ C） They lived a primitive life and their table manners were often rude. （ D） They lived a comparatively luxurious but not-so-civilized life. （ A） Castles structure and the ea