1、大学英语六级 204 及答案解析(总分：428.03，做题时间：132 分钟)一、Part I Writing (3(总题数：1，分数：30.00)1.For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic Long Holidays. You should write at least 150 words according to the outline given below in Chinese: 1.长假给大学生带来的好处 2.长假可能给大学生带来问题 3.我应当怎术过好长假 （分数：3
2、0.00）_二、Part II Reading C(总题数：1，分数：71.00)The most obvious difference between real essays and the things one has to write in school is that real essays are not exclusively about English literature. Certainly schools should teach students how to write. But due to a series of historical accidents the t
3、eaching of writing has gotten mixed together with the study of literature. And so all over the country students are writing not about how a baseball team with a small budget might compete with the Yankees, or the role of color in fashion, or what constitutes a good dessert, but about symbolism in Di
4、ckens. How did things get this way? To answer that we have to go back almost a thousand years. Around 1100, Europe at last began to catch its breath after centuries of chaos, and once they had the luxury of curiosity they rediscovered what we call “the classics.“ The effect was rather as if we were
5、visited by beings from another solar system. These earlier civilizations were so much more sophisticated that for the next several centuries the main work of European scholars, in almost every field, was to assimilate what they knew. During this period the study of ancient texts acquired great prest
6、ige. It seemed the essence of what scholars did. As European scholarship gained momentum it became less and less important; by 1350 someone who wanted to learn about science could find better teachers than Aristotle in his own era. But schools change slower than scholarship. In the 19th century the
7、study of ancient texts was still the backbone of the curriculum. What tipped the scales, at least in the US, seems to have been the idea that professors should do research as well as teach. This idea was imported from Germany in the late 19th century. Beginning at Johns Hopkins in 1876, the new mode
8、l spread rapidly. Writing was one of the casualties. Colleges had long taught English composition. But how do you do research on composition? The professors who taught math could be required to do original math, the professors who taught history could be required to write scholarly articles about hi
9、story, but what about the professors who taught rhetoric or composition? What should they do research on? The closest thing seemed to be English literature. And so in the late 19th century the teaching of writing was inherited by English professors. This had two drawbacks: (a) an expert on literatur
10、e need not himself be a good writer, any more than an art historian has to be a good painter, and (b) the subject of writing now tends to be literature, since thats what the professor is interested in. Its no wonder if this seems to the student a pointless exercise, because we re now three steps rem
11、oved from real work: the students are imitating English professors, who are imitating classical scholars, who are merely the inheritors of a tradition growing out of what was, 700 years ago, fascinating and urgently needed work. The other big difference between a real essay and the things they make
12、you write in school is that a real essay doesnt take a position and then defend it. That principle, like the idea that we ought to be writing about literature, turns out to be another intellectual hangover of long forgotten origins. Its often mistakenly believed that medieval universities were mostl
13、y seminaries. In fact they were more law schools. And at least in our tradition lawyers are advocates, trained to take either side of an argument and make as good a case for it as they can. Whether cause or effect, this spirit pervaded early universities. The study of rhetoric, the art of arguing pe
14、rsuasively, was a third of the undergraduate curriculum. And after the lecture the most common form of discussion was the disputation. This is at least nominally preserved in our present-day thesis defense: most people treat the words thesis and dissertation as interchangeable, but originally, at le
15、ast, a thesis was a position one took and the dissertation was the argument by which one defended it. Defending a position may be a necessary evil in a legal dispute, but its not the best way to get at the truth, as I think lawyers would be the first to admit. Its not just that you miss subtleties t
16、his way. The real problem is that you cant change the question. And yet this principle is built into the very structure of the things they teach you to write in high school. The topic sentence is your thesis, chosen in advance, the supporting paragraphs the blows you strike in the conflict, and the
17、conclusion uh, what is the conclusion? I was never sure about that in high school. It seemed as if we were just supposed to restate what we said in the first paragraph, but in different enough words that no one could tell. Why bother? But when you understand the origins of this sort of “essay,“ you
18、can see where the conclusion comes from. Its the concluding remarks to the jury. Good writing should be convincing, certainly, but it should be convincing because you got the right answers, not because you did a good job of arguing. When I give a draft of an essay to friends, there are two things I
19、want to know: which parts bore them, and which seem unconvincing. The boring bits can usually be fixed by cutting. But I dont try to fix the unconvincing bits by arguing more cleverly. The sort of writing that attempts to persuade may be a valid (or at least inevitable) form, but its historically in
20、accurate to call it an essay. An essay is something you write to try to figure something out. Figure out what? You dont know yet. And so you cant begin with a thesis, because you dont have one, and may never have one. An essay doesnt begin with a statement, but with a question. In a real essay, you
21、dont take a position and defend it. You notice a door thats ajar, and you open it and walk in to see whats inside. In the things you write in school you are, in theory, merely explaining yourself to the reader. In a real essay you re writing for yourself. You re thinking out loud. Questions arent en
22、ough. An essay has to come up with answers. They dont always, of course. Sometimes you start with a promising question and get nowhere. But those you dont publish. Those are like experiments that get inconclusive results. An essay you publish ought to tell the reader something he didnt already know.
23、 But what you tell him doesnt matter, so long as its interesting. I m sometimes accused of meandering. In defend-a-position writing that would be a flaw. There you re not concerned with truth. You already know where you re going, and you want to go straight there, blustering through obstacles, and h
24、and-waving your way across swampy ground (沼泽地). But that* s not what you re trying to do in an essay. An essay is supposed to be a search for truth. It would be suspicious if it didnt meander. Like a river that must flow down at each step, for the essayist this translates to: flow interesting. Of al
25、l the places to go next, choose the most interesting. Of course, this doesnt always work. Sometimes, like a river, one runs up against a wall. Then I do the same thing the river does: backtrack. At one point in this essay I found that after following a certain thread I ran out of ideas. I had to go
26、back seven paragraphs and start over in another direction. Fundamentally an essay is a train of thought but a cleaned-up train of thought, as dialogue is cleaned-up conversation. Real thought, like real conversation, is full of false starts. It would be exhausting to read. You need to cut and fill t
27、o emphasize the central thread, like an illustrator inking over a pencil drawing. But dont change so much that you lose the spontaneity of the original. Err on the side of the river. An essay is not a reference work. Its not something you read looking for a specific answer, and feel cheated if you d
28、ont find it. I d much rather read an essay that went off in an unexpected but interesting direction than one that plodded dutifully along a prescribed course. （分数：71.00）(1).Real essay is confined to only English literature.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(2).The idea that professors should do research as well as
29、 teach was imported from Germany in the late 19th century.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(3).An expert on literature himself must be a good writer, just as an art historian has to be a good painter.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(4).Good writing should be convincing, certainly, but it should be convincing because you did a
30、 good job of arguing, not because you got the right answers.（分数：7.10）A.YB.NC.NG(5).The teaching of writing has gotten mixed together with the study of literature because of_.（分数：7.10）_(6).As schools change slower than scholarship, in the 19th century_was still the backbone of the curriculum.（分数：7.10
31、）_(7).English professors are imitating Classical scholars, who are merely the inheritors of a tradition growing out of what was, 700 years ago, fascinating and urgently needed work.（分数：7.10）_(8).Medieval universities were more law schools rather than_as we mistakenly believed.（分数：7.10）_(9).When the
32、author gives a draft of an essay to his friends, he wants to make sure two things:_.（分数：7.10）_(10).The indication of a river that must flow down at each step for the essayist is_.（分数：7.10）_三、Listening Comprehens(总题数：1，分数：15.00)A.Dr. Smiths waiting room isnt tidy.B.Dr. Smith enjoys reading magazines.
33、C.Dr. Smith has left a good impression on her.D.Dr. Smith may not be a good choice.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 apart
34、ment.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.A.He is anxious to find a cure for his high blood pressure.B.He doesnt think high blood pressure is a problem for him.C.He was not aware of his illness un
35、til diagnosed with it.D.He did not take the symptoms of his illness seriously.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.A.It has a very long history.B.It is a private institut
36、ion.C.It was founded by Thomas Jefferson.D.It stresses the comprehensive study of nature.A.They cant 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.A.The food served in the cafeteria usually lacks variety.B.The
37、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.四、Section A(总题数：2，分数：10.00)A.George Washington.B.Thomas Jefferson.C.James Madison.D.Abraham Lincoln.A.A British doll.B.Her b
38、est white dress.C.Her son.D.A picture of George Washington.A.The entire house.B.Six rooms only.C.The gardens only.D.The East Room only.A.She will stay home.B.She will go the concert with Abruzzi.C.She will invite Abruzzi to a concert.D.She has not decided yet.A.She doesnt want to hurt Abruzzi by ref
39、using again.B.She is afraid that she might lose Abruzzi.C.She wants to have a change after a busy week.D.She cant think of a reason not to accept Abruzzis invitation again.A.She has been studying late into night all week.B.She has made plans to work late all week.C.She has not been free to go out wi
40、th Abruzzi all week.D.She has been busy tidying up her apartment all week.A.Abruzzi is very patient and determined.B.Lindas roommate does most of the cleaning in their apartment.C.Linda doesnt really care for Abruzzi.D.Linda likes concert better than shows.五、Section B(总题数：3，分数：10.00)A.Fire preventio
41、n.B.House construction.C.Toxic chemicals.D.Insects Elimination.A.Its cheaper.B.Its safer.C.Its quicker.D.Its convenient.A.Because the hot air has to reach a certain temperature.B.Because the house is very big.C.Because termites try to escape by hiding in wooden beams.D.Because termites may survive f
42、or a full six hours.A.To emphasize the dangers of the old method.B.To explain a step in the new technique.C.To show that the treatment will not cause fire.D.To illustrate a combination of old and new treatment.A.The situation.B.The solution.C.The recommendation.D.The office building.A.Because they h
43、ad to wait for a long time by the lift.B.Because they were bored for nothing to do but standing by the lift.C.Because the lift was slow.D.Because there were not enough lifts in the building.A.The problem of lacking a mirror.B.The problem of lacking a decoration for the lift.C.A psychological problem
44、.D.A material problem.A.For scientific study.B.For field guides.C.For entertainment.D.For some film background sounds.A.Its difficult to find birds for recording.B.Its difficult to find quiet areas for recording.C.Its difficult to find animals for recording.D.Its difficult to find mammals for record
45、ing.A.Attracting mates.B.Staking their territories.C.Hearing each other.D.Sleeping.六、Section C(总题数：1，分数：10.00)The origins of bottled water can be (36) 1back to the earliest (37) 2. Well aware of waters health facts, the Romans searched for and developed sources as they set about (38) 3their empire.
46、The spa movement that began to (39) 4in Europe in the eighteenth century had its origins in baths dating from Roman times. Science and (40) 5touted natural mineral waters (41) 6effects for bathing, showering and drinking. For example, as early as 1760, people came to Contrexville in France for a cur
47、e to (42) 7kidney stones. The spa tradition was also developing in many other countries, including Italy and the Americas. Cold spa waters were bottled for the first time in France in the 1850 s. The legal permit to bottle Vittel Grande Source natural mineral water was (43) 8 as early as 1855. (44) 9. In 1845, Poland Spring water was bottled for sale in threegallon demi-johns. In South America, Sao Lourenco bott
