1、2009年 12月大学英语六级真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Should Parents Send Their Kids to Art Classes? You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below: 现在有不少家长送孩子参加各种艺术班； 1. 对这种做法有人表示支持； 2. 有人并不赞成； 3.
2、我认为 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
3、 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. 2 Bosses Say “Yes“ to Home Work Rising costs of office space, time lost to stressful commuting, and a slow recognition that workers have lives be
4、yond the office all are strong arguments for letting staff work from home. For the small business, there are additional benefits too staff are more productive, and happier, enabling firms to keep their headcounts(员工数 ) and their recruitment costs to a minimum. It can also provide a competitive advan
5、tage, especially when small businesses want to attract new staff but dont have the budget to offer huge salaries. While company managers have known about the benefits for a long time, many have done little about it, skeptical of whether they could trust their employees to work to full capacity witho
6、ut supervision, or concerned about the additional expenses teleworking policies might incur as staff start charging their home phone bills to the business. Yet this is now changing. When communications provider Inter-Tel researched the use of remote working solutions among small- and medium-sized UK
7、 businesses in April this year, it found that 28% more companies claimed to have introduced flexible working practices than a year ago. The UK network of Business Links confirms that it too has seen a growing interest in remote working solutions from small businesses seeking its advice, and claims t
8、hat as many as 60 70% of the businesses that come through its doors now offer some form of remote working support to their workforces. Technology advances, including the widespread availability of broadband, are making the introduction of remote working a piece of cake. “If systems are set up proper
9、ly, staff can have access to all the resources they have in the office wherever they have an internet connection“, says Andy Poulton, e-business advisor at Business Link for Berkshire and Wiltshire. “There are some very exciting developments which have enabled this“. One is the availability of broad
10、band, which now covers almost all of the country (BT claims that, by July, 99. 8% of its exchanges will be broadband enabled, with alternative plans in place for even the most remote exchanges). “This is the enabler“, Poulton says. Yet while broadband has come down in price too, those service provid
11、ers targeting the business market warn against consumer services masquerading(伪装 ) as business-friendly broadband. “Broadband is available for as little as l5 a month, but many businesses fail to appreciate the hidden costs of such a service“, says Neil Stephenson, sales and marketing director at On
12、yx Internet, an internet service provider based in the north-east of England. “Providers offering broadband for rock-bottom prices are notorious for poor service, with regular breakdowns and heavily congested(拥堵的 ) networks. It is always advisable for businesses to look beyond the price tag and look
13、 for a business-only provider that can offer more reliability, with good support“. Such services neednt cost too much quality services can be found for upwards of 30 a month. The benefits of broadband to the occasional home worker are that they can access email in real time, and take full advantage
14、of services such as internet-based backup or even internet-based phone services. Internet-based telecoms, or VoIP (Voice over IP) to give it its technical title, is an interesting tool to any business supporting remote working. Not necessarily because of the promise of free or reduced price phone ca
15、lls (which experts point out is misleading for the average business), but because of the sophisticated voice services that can be exploited by the remote worker facilities such as voicemail and call forwarding, which provide a continuity of the company-image for customers and business; partners. By
16、law, companies must “consider seriously“ requests to work flexibly made by a parent with a child under the age of six, or a disabled child under 18. It was the need to accommodate employees with young children that motivated accountancy firm Wright Vigar to begin promoting teleworking recently. The
17、company, which needed to upgrade its IT infrastructure to provide connectivity with a new, second office, decided to introduce support for remote working at the same time. Marketing director Jack OHern explains that the company has a relatively young workforce, many of whom are parents; “One of the
18、triggers was when one of our tax managers returned from maternity leave. She was intending to work part time, but could only manage one day a week in the office due to childcare. By offering her the ability to work from home, we have doubled her capacity now she works a day a week from home, and a d
19、ay in the office. This is great for her, and for us as we retain someone highly qualified“. For Wright Vigar, which has now equipped all of its free-earners to be able to work at maximum productivity when away from the offices (whether thats from home, or while on the road), this strategy is not jus
20、t about saving on commute time or cutting them loose from the office, but enabling them to work more flexible hours that fit around their home life. OHern says: “Although most of our work is client-based and must fit around this, we cant see any reason why a parent cant be on hand to deal with somet
21、hing important at home, if they have the ability to complete a project later in the day“. Supporting this new way of working came with a price, though. Although the firm was updating its systems anyway, the company spent 10 15% more per user to equip them with a laptop rather than a PC, and about th
22、e same to upgrade to a server that would enable remote staff to connect to the company networks and access all their usual resources. Although Wright Vigar hasnt yet quantified the business benefits, it claims that, in addition to being able to retain key staff with young families, it is able to sav
23、e free-earners a substantial amount of “dead“ time in their working days. That staff can do this without needing a fixed telephone line provides even more efficiency savings. “With Wi-Fi (fast, wireless internet connections) popping up all over the place, even on trains, our free-earners can be prod
24、uctive as they travel, and between meetings, instead of having to kill time at the shops“, he adds. The company will also be able to avoid the expense of having to relocate staff to temporary offices for several weeks when it begins disruptive office renovations(翻新 ) soon. Financial recruitment spec
25、ialist Lynne Hargreaves knows exactly how much her firm has saved by adopting a teleworking strategy, which has involved handing her companys data management over to a remote hosting company, Datanet, so it can be accessible by all the companys consultants over broadband internet connections. It has
26、 enabled the company to dispense with its business premises altogether, following the realisation that it just didnt need them any more. “The main motivation behind adopting home working was to increase my own productivity, as a single mum to an 11-year-old“, says Hargreaves. “But I soon realised th
27、at, as most of our business is done on the phone, email and at off-site meetings, we didnt need our offices at all. Were now saving 16,000 a year on rent, plus the cost of utilities, not to mention what would have been spent on commuting“. 2 What is the main topic of this passage? （ A） How business
28、managers view hi-tech. （ B） Benefits of the practice of teleworking. （ C） How to cut down the costs of small businesses. （ D） Relations between employers and employees. 3 From the research conducted by the communication provider Inter-Tel, we learn that_. （ A） attitudes toward IT technology have cha
29、nged （ B） more employees work to full capacity at home （ C） more businesses have adopted remote working solution （ D） employees show a growing interest in small businesses 4 What development has made flexible working practices possible according to Andy Poulton? （ A） Reduced cost of telecommunicatio
30、ns. （ B） Improved reliability of internet service. （ C） Access to broadband everywhere. （ D） Availability of VoIP service. 5 What is Neil Stephensons advice td firms contracting internet services? （ A） They contract the cheapest provider. （ B） They look for reliable business-only providers. （ C） The
31、y contact providers located nearest to them. （ D） They carefully examine the contract. 6 Internet-based telecoms facilitates remote working by_. （ A） offering sophisticated voice services （ B） providing calls completely free of charge （ C） helping clients discuss business at home （ D） giving access
32、to emailing in real time 7 The accountancy firm Wright Vigar promoted teleworking initially in order to_. （ A） attract young people with IT experience to work for it （ B） present a positive image to prospective customers （ C） reduce operational expenses of a second office （ D） support its employees
33、with children to take care of 8 According to marketing director Jack OHern, teleworking enabled the company to_. （ A） minimise its office space （ B） keep highly qualified staff （ C） enhance its market image （ D） reduce recruitment costs 9 WrightVigars practice of allowing for more flexible working h
34、ours not only benefits the company but helps improve employees _. 10 With fast, wireless internet connections, employees can still be_while traveling. 11 Single mother Lynne Hargreaves decided to work at home mainly to_. Section A Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and
35、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 marked A, B, C and D, and deci
36、de which is the best answer. （ A） They prefer to carry cash when traveling abroad. （ B） They usually carry many things around with them. （ C） They would rather travel around than stay at home. （ D） They dont like to spend much money on traveling （ A） The selection process was a little unfair. （ B） R
37、od was in charge of the admissions office. （ C） Rod was eliminated in the selection process. （ D） He had long dream of the deans position. （ A） The concert is very impressive. （ B） Almost everyone loves pop music. （ C） She regrets paying for the concert. （ D） Applause encourages the singer. （ A） The
38、y were both chairpersons of the students union. （ B） They have known each other since their schooldays. （ C） They are going to hold a reunion party. （ D） They have been in close touch by email. （ A） Cook their dinner. （ B） Get their car fixed. （ C） Rest for a while. （ D） Stop for the night. （ A） Sur
39、vey result. （ B） Newly-launched products （ C） Survey methods. （ D） Consumer preferences. （ A） The woman needs blouses in the colors of a rainbow. （ B） The information in the catalog is not always reliable. （ C） He thinks the blue blouse is better than the red one. （ D） He would rather the woman didn
40、t buy the blouse. （ A） He will drop his course in marketing. （ B） The woman has not told the truth. （ C） The notice may not be reliable. （ D） The course is open to all next semester. （ A） It is bound to regain its full glory of a hundred years ago. （ B） It will be a major economic power by the mid-2
41、1st century. （ C） It is a resolute advocate of the anti-global movement. （ D） It will face challenges unprecedented in its history. （ A） The inadequate supply of water and electricity. （ B） The lack of overall urban planning. （ C） The shortage of hi-tech personnel. （ D） The huge gap between the have
42、s and have-nots. （ A） They are good at learning from other nations. （ B） They are able to grasp growth opportunities. （ C） They attach great importance to education. （ D） They have made use of advanced technologies. （ A） An accountant of a computer firm. （ B） A director of a sales department. （ C） A
43、 sales clerk at a shopping center. （ D） A manager at a computer store. （ A） Handling customer complaints. （ B） Recruiting and training new staff. （ C） Developing computer programs. （ D） Dispatching ordered goods on time. （ A） She likes something more challenging. （ B） She likes to be nearer to her p
44、arents. （ C） She wants to be with her husband. （ D） She wants to have a better-paid job. （ A） In a couple of days. （ B） Right away. （ C） In two months. （ D） Early next month. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questio
45、ns. Both the passage and the questions will be 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 urgent need of a diverse workforce. （ B） The growing necessity of staff training. （ C） The fierce competition in the market
46、. （ D） The accelerated pace of globalisation. （ A） Take courses of foreign languages and cultures. （ B） Gain a deep understanding of their own culture. （ C） Participate in international exchange programmes （ D） Share the experiences of people from other cultures. （ A） Globalisation will eliminate ma
47、ny jobs. （ B） Reflective thinking is becoming critical. （ C） The labor market is getting globalised. （ D） Knowing a foreign language is essential. （ A） Red-haired women were regarded as more reliable. （ B） Brown-haired women were rated as more capable. （ C） Golden-haired women were considered attrac
48、tive. （ D） Black-haired women were judged to be intelligent. （ A） They are shrewd and dishonest. （ B） They are wealthy and industrious. （ C） They are smart and eloquent. （ D） They are ambitious and arrogant. （ A） They exaggerate the roles of certain groups of people. （ B） They force people to follow
49、 the cultural mainstream. （ C） They hinder our perception of individual differences. （ D） They emphasize diversity at the expense of uniformity. （ A） She engaged in field research on environmental pollution. （ B） She helped families move away from industrial polluters. （ C） She taught chemistry and microbiology courses in a college. （ D） She gave lectures on how to become a public speaker. （ A） The job restricted her from revealing her findings. （ B） She was offered a better job in a mino
