1、大学英语六级改革适用（阅读）-试卷 199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）_About the time that schools and others quite reasonably became interested in seeing to it that all children, whatever their background, were fairly tr
2、eated, intelligence testing became unpopular. Some thought it was unfair to minority children. Through the past few decades such testing has gone out of fashion and many communities have indeed forbidden it. However, paradoxically, just recently a group of black parents filed lawsuit(诉讼)in Californi
3、a claiming that the states ban on IQ testing discriminates against their children by denying them the opportunity to take the test(They believed, correctly, that IQ tests are a valid method of evaluating children for special education classes.)The judge, therefore, reversed, at least partially, his
4、original decision. And so the argument goes on and on. Does it benefit or harm children from minority groups to have their intelligence tested? We have always been on the side of permitting, even facilitating, such testing. If a child of any color or group is doing poorly in school it seems to us ve
5、ry important to know whether it is because he or she is of low intelligence, or whether some other factor is the cause. What school and family can do to improve poor performance is influenced by its cause. It is not discriminative to evaluate either a childs physical condition or his intellectual le
6、vel. Unfortunately, intellectual level seems to be a sensitive subject, and what the law allows us to do varies from time to time. The same fluctuation back and forth occurs in areas other than intelligence. Thirty years or so ago, for instance, white families were encouraged to adopt black children
7、. It was considered discriminative not to do so. And then the style changed and this cross-racial adopting became generally unpopular, and social agencies felt that black children should go to black families only. It is hard to say what are the best procedures. But surely good will on the part of al
8、l of us is needed. As to intelligence, in our opinion, the more we know about any childs intellectual level, the better for the child in question.（分数：10.00）(1).Why did the intelligence test become unpopular in the past few decades?（分数：2.00）A.Its validity was challenged by many communities.B.It was c
9、onsidered discriminative against minority children.C.It met with strong opposition from the majority of black parents.D.It deprived the black children of their rights to a good education.(2).The recent legal action taken by some black parents in California aimed to_.（分数：2.00）A.draw public attention
10、to IQ testingB.put an end to special educationC.remove the states ban on intelligence testsD.have their children enter white schools(3).The author believes that intelligence testing _.（分数：2.00）A.may ease racial confrontation in the United StatesB.can encourage black children to keep up with white ch
11、ildrenC.may seriously aggravate racial discrimination in the United StatesD.can help black parents make decisions about their childrens education(4).The authors opinion of child adoption seems to be that _.（分数：2.00）A.no rules whatsoever can be prescribedB.white families should adopt black childrenC.
12、adoption should be based on IQ test resultsD.cross-racial adoption is to be advocated(5).Child adoption is mentioned in the passage to show that _.（分数：2.00）A.good will may sometimes complicate racial problemsB.social surroundings are vital to the healthy growth of childrenC.intelligence testing also
13、 applies to non-academic areasD.American opinion can shift when it comes to sensitive issuesThe desire for achievement is one of lifes great mysteries. Social scientists have devoted lifetimes studying the drives that spur us out of bed in the morning, compel us to work or study hard and spark all m
14、anner of human endeavors. Indeed, a 1992 textbook actually documents 32 distinct theories of human motivation. Given this diversity of thought, its easy to forget that for half a century, American society has been dominated by the psychological school known as behaviorism, or Skinnerian psychology.
15、Although behaviorism and its fundamental principle of “positive reinforcement“ have long since lost their sway in academic circles, the Skinnerian legacy remains powerful in every realm of daily life, from the home and classroom to the workplace. Dont want to take the trash out? Do it, and you can g
16、o to the movies Friday night. Not in the mood for work? Keep plugging away, and you might get a bonus. Not interested in calculus? Strive for an A in the class, and youll make the honor roll. The theory may be bankrupt, but incentives and rewards are so much a part of American culture that its hard
17、to imagine life without them. Yet thats exactly what a growing group of researchers are advocating today. A steady stream of research has found that rather than encouraging motivation and productivity, rewards actually can undermine genuine interest and diminish performance. “Our society is caught i
18、n a whopping paradox,“ asserts Alfie Kohn, author of the new book Punished by Rewards(Houghton Mifflin), which surveys recent research on the effectiveness of rewards. “We complain loudly about declining productivity, the crisis of our school and the distorted values of our children. But the very st
19、rategy we use to solve those problemsdangling rewards like incentive plans and grade and candy bars in front of peopleis partly responsible for the fix were in.“ Its tough argument to make in a culture that celebrates the spoils of success. Yet study after study shows that people tend to perform wor
20、se, to give up more easily and to lose interest more quickly when a reward is involved. Children who are given treats for doing artwork, for example, lose their initial love of art within weeks. Teenagers who are promised a reward for tutoring youngsters dont teach as enthusiastically as tutors offe
21、red nothing. And chief executive officers who have been awarded long-term incentive plans have often steered their companies toward lower returns.（分数：10.00）(1).According to behaviorism, all human actions _.（分数：2.00）A.are based on stimulus and responseB.have no bearing on human drivesC.are supposed t
22、o be highly motivatedD.are of a great mystery(2).Behaviorism basically believes in _.（分数：2.00）A.motivationB.performanceC.rewardsD.human factors(3).In paragraph 2, “calculus“ probably refers to “_“.（分数：2.00）A.a courseB.a sportC.a kind of public serviceD.a position in the student union(4).From the pas
23、sage, it can be inferred that_.（分数：2.00）A.rewards are highly effective in AmericaB.rewards are not much sought-after in academic circlesC.rewards have long lost their appeal in American societyD.Americans are addicted to rewards(5).Which of the following statements is in support of the finding that
24、“people tend to perform worse. when a reward is involved“(in the last paragraph)?（分数：2.00）A.People are not used to being conditioned by prizes.B.Rewards are attempts to control behavior.C.Rewards are indispensable to American culture.D.The principle of “positive reinforcement“ is not fully enforced.
25、Parents can easily come down with an acute case of schizophrenia(精神分裂症)from reading the contradictory reports about the state of the public schools. One set of experts asserts that the schools are better than they have been for years. Others say that the schools are in terrible shape and are respons
26、ible for every national problem from urban poverty to the trade deficit One group of experts looks primarily at such indicators as test scores, and they cheer what they see: all the indicatorsreading scores, minimum competency test results, the scholastic aptitude test scoresare up, some by substant
27、ial margins. Students are required to take more academic courses more mathematics and science, along with greater stress on basic skills, including knowledge of computers. More than 40 state legislatures have mandated such changes. But in the eyes of another set of school reformers such changes are
28、at best superficial and at worst counterproductive. These experts say that merely toughening requirements without either improving the quality of instruction or even more important, changing the way schools are organized and children are taught makes the schools worse rather than better. They challe
29、nge the nature of the tests, mostly multiple choice or true or false, by which childrens progress is measured; they charge that raising the test scores by drilling pupils to come up with the right answers does not improve knowledge, understanding and the capacity to think logically and independently
30、. In adoption, these critics fear that the get-tough approach to school reform will cause more of the youngsters at the bottom to give up and drop out. This, they say, may improve national scores but drain even further the nations pool of educated people. The way to cut through the confusion is to u
31、nderstand the different yardsticks used by different observers. Compared with what schools used to be like “in the good old days“, with lots of drill and uniform requirements, and the expectation that many youngsters who could not make it would drop out and find their way into unskilled jobsby those
32、 yardsticks the schools have measurably improved in recent years. But by the yardsticks of those experts who believe that the old school was deficient in teaching the skills needed in the modern world, todays schools have not become better. These educators believe that rigid new mandates may actuall
33、y have made the schools worse.（分数：10.00）(1).If the parents read the contradictory reports about the state of the public schools, they will _.（分数：2.00）A.have a clearer understanding of the education provided by the public schoolsB.realize the disadvantages of the education provided by the public scho
34、olsC.be greatly confused and not know which side to believeD.not believe that public schools should be responsible for every national problem(2).In the eyes of the first group of experts mentioned in the second paragraph, _.（分数：2.00）A.academic courses are more important than basic skillsB.every stat
35、e legislature should mandate the changesC.students should take academic courses and learn basic skillsD.the increase of test scores can show that public schools are better than before(3).It can be inferred from the third paragraph that school reformers are convinced that _.（分数：2.00）A.the way schools
36、 are organized and children are taught at present is good enoughB.enabling pupils to raise their test scores can improve their logical thinkingC.the present testing system can not measure either the students progress or actual abilityD.toughening requirements can help to produce more educated people
37、(4).The word “yardstick“(Line 3, Para. 5)most possibly means “_“.（分数：2.00）A.measuring standardB.method of school reformC.judgmentD.logic thinking(5).The passage mainly _.（分数：2.00）A.compares the old schools and the present schoolsB.shows contradictory views about the state of public schoolsC.tells wh
38、y parents can easily become schizophrenicD.displays how school reform is carried outAsk most people how they define the American Dream and chances are theyll say, “Success.“ The dream of individual opportunity has been at home in American since Europeans discovered a “new world“ in the Western Hemis
39、phere. Early immigrants like Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur praised highly the freedom and opportunity to be found in this new land. His glowing descriptions of a classless society where anyone could attain success through honesty and hard work fired the imaginations of many European readers: in Lett
40、ers from an American Farmer(1782)he wrote, “We are all excited at the spirit of an industry which is unfettered(无拘无束的)and unrestrained, because each person works for himself. We have no princes, for whom we toil(干苦力活), starve, and bleed: we are the most perfect society now existing in the world.“ Th
41、e promise of a land where “the rewards of a mans industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor“ drew poor immigrants from Europe and fueled national expansion into the western territories. Our national mythology(神话)is full of illustrations of the American success story. Theres Benjamin
42、Franklin, the very model of the self-educated, self-made man, who rose from modest origins to become a well-known scientist, philosopher, and statesman. In the nineteenth century, Horatio Alger, a writer of fiction for young boys, became Americans best-selling author with rags-to-riches tales. The n
43、otion of success haunts us: we spend millions every year reading about the rich and famous, learning how to “make a fortune in real estate with no money down,“ and “dressing for success.“ The myth of success has even invaded our personal relationships: today its as important to be “successful“ in ma
44、rriage or parenthood as it is to come out on top in business. But dreams easily turn into nightmares. Every American who hopes to “make it“ also knows the fear of failure, because the myth of success inevitably implies comparison between the haves and the have-nots, the stars and the anonymous crowd
45、. Under pressure of the myth, we become indulged in status symbols: we try to live in the “right“ neighborhoods, wear the “right“ clothes, eat the “right“ foods. These symbols of distinction assure us and others that we believe strongly in the fundamental equality of all, yet strive as hard as we ca
46、n to separate ourselves from our fellow citizens.（分数：10.00）(1).What is the essence of the American Dream according to Crevecoeur?（分数：2.00）A.People are free to develop their power of imagination.B.People who are honest and work hard can succeed.C.People are free from exploitation and oppression.D.Peo
47、ple can fully enjoy individual freedom.(2).By saying “the rewards of a mans industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor“(Lines 9-10, Para. 1), the author means _.（分数：2.00）A.the more diligent one is, the bigger his returnsB.laborious work ensures the growth of an industryC.a mans busin
48、ess should be developed step by stepD.a companys success depends on its employees hard work(3).The characters described in Horatio Algers novels are people who _.（分数：2.00）A.succeed in real estate investmentB.earned enormous fortunes by chancesC.became wealthy after starting life very poorD.became fa
49、mous despite their modest origins(4).It can be inferred from the last sentence of the second paragraph that_.（分数：2.00）A.business success often contributes to a successful marriageB.Americans wish to succeed in every aspect of lifeC.good personal relationships lead to business successD.successful business people provide g
