1、大学英语六级改革适用（阅读）-试卷 196及答案解析(总分：60.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Reading Comprehensio(总题数：6，分数：60.00)1.Part III Reading Comprehension（分数：10.00）_2.Section C（分数：10.00）_Some futurologists have assumed that the vast upsurge(剧增)of women in the workforce may portend a rejection of marriage. Many women, according to this
2、hypothesis, would rather work than marry. The converse(反面)of this concern is that the prospects of becoming a multi-paycheck household could encourage marriages. In the past, only the earnings and financial prospects of the man counted in the marriage decision. Now, however, the earning ability of a
3、 woman can make her more attractive as a marriage partner. Data show that economic downturns tend to postpone marriage because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned about rainy days ahead. As the economy rebounds, the number of marriages also rises. Coincident with the inc
4、rease in women working outside the home is the increase in divorce rates. Yet, it may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect conclusions. The impact of a wifes work on divorce is no less cloudy than its impact on marriage decisions. The realization that she can be a good provider may increa
5、se the chances that a working wife will choose divorce over an unsatisfactory marriage. But the reverse is equally plausible. Tensions grounded in financial problems often play a key role in ending a marriage. Given high unemployment, inflationary problems, and slow growth in real earnings, a workin
6、g wife can increase household income and relieve some of these pressing financial burdens. By raising a familys standard of living, a working wife may strengthen her familys financial and emotional stability. Psychological factors also should be considered. For example, a wife blocked from a career
7、outside the home may feel caged in the house. She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce. On the other hand, if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home, work and marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union. Also, a major part of womens inequality in marr
8、iage has been due to the fact that, in most cases, men have remained the main breadwinners. With higher earning capacity and status occupations outside of the home comes the capacity to exercise power within the family. A working wife may rob a husband of being the master of the house. Depending upo
9、n how the couple reacts to these new conditions, it could create a stronger equal partnership or it could create new insecurities.（分数：10.00）(1).The word “portend“(Line 2, Para. 1)is closest in meaning to “_“.（分数：2.00）A.defyB.signalC.suffer fromD.result from(2).It is said in the passage that when the
10、 economy slides,_.（分数：2.00）A.men would choose working women as their marriage partnersB.more women would get married to seek financial securityC.even working women would worry about their marriagesD.more people would prefer to remain single for the time being(3).If women find fulfillment through wor
11、k outside the home,_.（分数：2.00）A.they are more likely to dominate their marriage partnersB.their husbands are expected to do more houseworkC.their marriage ties can be strengthenedD.they tend to put their career before marriage(4).One reason why women with no career may seek a divorce is that _.（分数：2
12、.00）A.they feel that they have been robbed of their freedomB.they are afraid of being bossed around by their husbandsC.they feel that their partners fail to live up to their expectationsD.they tend to suspect their husbands loyalty to their marriage(5).Which of the following statements can best summ
13、arize the authors view?（分数：2.00）A.The stability of marriage and the divorce rate may reflect the economic situation of the country.B.Even when economically independent, most women have to struggle for real equality in marriage.C.In order to secure their marriage women should work outside the home an
14、d remain independent.D.The impact of the growing female workforce on marriage varies from case to case.Too many vulnerable child-free adults are being ruthlessly(无情的)manipulated into parent-hood by their parents, who think that happiness among older people depends on having a grandchild to spoil. We
15、 need an organization to help beat down the persistent campaigns of grandchildless parents. Its time to establish Planned Grandparenthood, which would have many global and local benefits. Part of its mission would be to promote the risks and realities associated with being a grandparent. The staff w
16、ould include depressed grandparents who would explain how grandkids break lamps, bite, scream and kick. Others would detail how an hour of baby-sitting often turns into a crying marathon. More grandparents would testify that they had to pay for their grandchilds expensive college education. Planned
17、grandparenthoods carefully written literature would detail all the joys of life grandchild-free: a calm living room, extra money for luxuries during the golden years, etc. Potential grandparents would be reminded that, without grandchildren around, its possible to have a conversation with your kids,
18、 whoincidentallywould have more time for their own parents. Meanwhile, most children are vulnerable to the enormous influence exerted by grandchildless parents aiming to persuade their kids to produce children. They will take a call from a persistent parent, even if theyre loaded with work. In addit
19、ion, some parents make handsome money offers payable upon the grandchilds birth. Sometimes these gifts not only cover expenses associated with the infants birth, but extras, too, like a vacation. In any case, cash gifts can weaken the resolve of even the noblest person. At Planned Grandparenthood, c
20、hildren targeted by their parents to reproduce could obtain non-biased information about the insanity of having their own kids. The catastrophic psychological and economic costs of childbearing would be emphasized. The symptoms of morning sickness would be listed and horrors of childbirth pictured.
21、A monthly newsletter would contain stories about overwhelmed parents and offer guidance on how childless adults can respond to the different lobbying tactics that would-be grandparents employ. When I think about all the problems of our overpopulated world and look at our boy grabbing at the lamp by
22、the sofa, I wish I could have turned to Planned Grandparenthood when my parents were putting the grandchild squeeze on me. If I could have, I might not be in this parenthood predicament(窘境). But heres the crazy irony. I dont want my child-free life back. Dylans too much fun.（分数：10.00）(1).Whats the p
23、urpose of the proposed organization Planned Grandparenthood?（分数：2.00）A.To encourage childless couples to have children.B.To provide facilities and services for grandchildless parents.C.To offer counseling to people on how to raise grandchildren.D.To discourage people from insisting on having grandch
24、ildren.(2).Planned Grandparenthood would include depressed grandparents on its staff in order to _.（分数：2.00）A.show them the joys of life grandparents may have in raising grandchildrenB.draw attention to the troubles and difficulties grandchildren may causeC.share their experience in raising grandchi
25、ldren in a more scientific wayD.help raise funds to cover the high expense of education for grandchildren(3).According to the passage, some couples may eventually choose to have children because _.（分数：2.00）A.they find it hard to resist the carrot-and-stick approach of their parentsB.they have learne
26、d from other parents about the joys of having childrenC.they feel more and more lonely as they grow olderD.they have found it irrational to remain childless(4).By saying “. my parents were putting the grandchild squeeze on me“(Lines 2-3, Para. 6), the author means that_.（分数：2.00）A.her parents kept p
27、ressuring her to have a childB.her parents liked to have a grandchild in their armsC.her parents asked her to save for the expenses of raising a childD.her parents kept blaming her for her childs bad behavior(5).What does the author really think of the idea of having children?（分数：2.00）A.It does more
28、 harm than good.B.It contributes to overpopulation.C.It is troublesome but rewarding.D.It is a psychological catastrophe.When we worry about who might be spying on our private lives, we usually think about the Federal agents. But the private sector outdoes the government every time. Its Linda Tripp,
29、 not the FBI, who is facing charges under Marylands laws against secret telephone taping. Its our banks, not the Internal Revenue Service(IRS), that pass our private financial data to telemarketing firms. Consumer activists are pressing Congress for better privacy laws without much result so far. Th
30、e legislators lean toward letting business people track our financial habits virtually at will. As an example of whats going on, consider U.S. Bancorp, which was recently sued for deceptive practices by the state of Minnesota. According to the lawsuit, the bank supplied a telemarketer called MemberW
31、orks with sensitive customer data such as names, phone numbers, bank-account and credit-card numbers, Social Security numbers, account balances and credit limits. With these customer lists in hand, MemberWorks started dialing for dollarsselling dental plans, videogames, computer software and other p
32、roducts and services. Customers who accepted a “free trial offer“ had 30 days to cancel. If the deadline passed, they were charged automatically through their bank or credit-card accounts. U.S. Bancorp collected a share of the revenues. Customers were doubly deceived, the lawsuit claims. They didnt
33、know that the bank was giving account numbers to MemberWorks. And if customers asked, they were led to think the answer was no. The state sued MemberWorks separately for deceptive selling. The company denies that it did anything wrong. For its part, U.S. Bancorp settled without admitting any mistake
34、s. But it agreed to stop exposing its customers to nonfinancial products sold by outside firms. A few top banks decided to do the same. Many other banks will still do business with MemberWorks and similar firms. And banks will still be mining data from your account in order to sell you financial pro
35、ducts, including things of little value, such as credit insurance and credit-card protection plans. You have almost no protection from businesses that use your personal accounts for profit. For example, no federal law shields “transaction and experience“ informationmainly the details of your bank an
36、d credit-card accounts. Social Security numbers are for sale by private firms. Theyve generally agreed not to sell to the public. But to businesses, the numbers are an open book. Self-regulation doesnt work. A firm might publish a privacy-protection policy, but who enforces it? Take U.S. Bancorp aga
37、in. Customers were told, in writing, that “all personal information you supply to us will be considered confidential.“ Then it sold your data to MemberWorks. The bank even claims that it doesnt “sell“ your data at all. It merely “shares“ it and reaps a profit. Now you know.（分数：10.00）(1).Contrary to
38、popular belief, the author finds that spying on peoples privacy _.（分数：2.00）A.is mainly carried out by means of secret tapingB.has been intensified with the help of the IRSC.is practiced exclusively by the FBID.is more prevalent in business circles(2).We know from the passage that _.（分数：2.00）A.legisl
39、ators are acting to pass a law to provide better privacy protectionB.most states are turning a blind eye to the deceptive practices of private businessesC.the state of Minnesota is considering drawing up laws to protect private informationD.lawmakers are inclined to give a free hand to businesses to
40、 inquire into customers buying habits(3).When the “free trial“ deadline is over, youll be charged without notice for a product or service if_.（分数：2.00）A.you fail to cancel it within the specified periodB.you happen to reveal your credit card numberC.you find the product or service unsatisfactoryD.yo
41、u fail to apply for extension of the deadline(4).Businesses do not regard information concerning personal bank accounts as private because_.（分数：2.00）A.its revelation will do no harm to consumers under the current protection policyB.it is considered “transaction and experience“ information unprotecte
42、d by lawC.it has always been considered an open secret by the general publicD.its sale can be brought under control through self-regulation(5).We can infer from the passage that_.（分数：2.00）A.banks will have to change their ways of doing businessB.privacy protection laws will soon be enforcedC.consume
43、rs privacy will continue to be invadedD.free trial practice will eventually be bannedThe military aspect of the United States Civil War has always attracted the most attention from scholars. The roar of gunfire, the massed movements of uniformed men, the shrill of bugles, and the drama of hand-to-ha
44、nd combat have fascinated students of warfare for a century. Behind the lines, however, life was less spectacular. It was the story of back-breaking labor to provide the fighting men with food and arms, of nerve-tingling uncertainty about the course of national events, of heartbreak over sons or bro
45、thers or husbands, lost in battle. If the men on the firing line won the victories, the means to those victories were forged on the home front. Never in the nations history had Americans worked harder for victory than in the Civil War. Northerners and Southerners alike threw themselves into the task
46、 of supplying their respective armies. Both governments made tremendous demands upon civilians and, in general, received willing cooperation. By 1863 the Northern war economy was rumbling along in high gear. Everything from steamboats to shovels was neededand produced. Denied Southern cotton, textil
47、e mills turned to wool for blankets and uniforms. Hides by the hundreds of thousands were turned into shoes and harness and saddles; iron works manufactured locomotives, ordnance, armor plate. Where private enterprise lagged, the government set up its own factories or arsenals. Agriculture boomed, w
48、ith machinery doing the job of farm workers who were drawn into the army. In short, everything that a nation needed to fight a modern war was produced in uncounted numbers. Inevitably there were profiteers with gold-headed canes and flamboyant diamond stickpins, but for every crooked tycoon there we
49、re thousands of ordinary citizens living on fixed incomes who did their best to cope with rising prices and still make a contribution to the war effort.（分数：10.00）(1).According to the passage, what was the civilian response towards the Civil War?（分数：2.00）A.They hated it and rose in lots of rebellions.B.They were deeply worried and curse
