1、2012年 6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 The Impact of the Internet on Interpersonal Communication. Your essay should start with a brief description of the picture. You should write at least 150 words but no m
2、ore than 200 words. The Impact of the Internet on Interpersonal Communication 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, m
3、ark： Y (for YES) if the statement agrees with the information given in 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 The Three-Year Solution Hartwick College, a small liberal-arts school
4、 in upstate New York, makes this offer to well-prepared students: earn your undergraduate degree in three years instead of four, and save about $43,000the amount of one years tuition and fees. A number of innovative colleges are making the same offer to students anxious about saving time and money.
5、Thats both an opportunity and a warning for the best higher-education system in the world. The United States has almost all of the worlds best universities. A recent Chinese survey ranks 35 American universities among the top 50, eight among the top 10. Our research universities have been the key to
6、 developing the competitive advantages that help Americans produce 25% of all the worlds wealth. In 2007, 623,805 of the worlds brightest students were attracted to American universities. Yet, there are signs of peril (危险 ) within American higher education. U.S. colleges have to compete in the marke
7、tplace. Students may choose among 6,000 public, private, nonprofit, for-profit, or religious institutions of higher learning. In addition, almost all of the $32 billion the federal government provides for university research is awarded competitively. But many colleges and universities are stuck in t
8、he past. For instance, the idea of the fall-to-Spring “school year“ hasnt changed much since before the American Revolution, when we were a nation of farmers and students put their books away to work the soil during the summer. That long summer stretch no longer makes sense. Former George Washington
9、 University president Stephen Trachtenberg estimates that a typical college uses its facilities for academic purposes a little more than half the calendar year. “While college facilities sit idle, they continue to generate maintenance expenses that contribute to the high cost of running a college,“
10、he has written. Within academic departments, tenure (终身职位 ), combined with age-discrimination laws, makes faculty turnover critical for a university to remain current in changing times difficult. Instead of protecting speech and encouraging diversity and innovative thinking, the tenure system often
11、stifles (压制 ) them: younger professors must win the approval of established colleagues for tenure, encouraging likemindedness and sometimes inhibiting the free flow of ideas. Meanwhile, tuition has soared, leaving graduating students with unprecedented loan debt. Strong campus presidents to manage t
12、hese problems are becoming harder to find, and to keep. In fact, students now stay on campus almost as long as their presidents. The average amount of time students now take to complete an undergraduate degree has stretched to six years and seven months as students interrupted by work, inconvenience
13、d by unavailable classes, or lured by one more football season find it hard to graduate. Congress has tried to help students with college costs through Pell Grants and other forms of tuition support. But some of their fixes have made the problem worse. The stack of congressional regulations governin
14、g federal student grants and loans now stands twice as tall as I do. Filling out these forms consumes 7% of every tuition dollar. For all of these reasons, some colleges like Hartwick are rethinking the old way of doing things and questioning decades-old assumptions about what a college degree means
15、. For instance, why does it have to take four years to earn a diploma? This fall, 16 first-year students and four second-year students at Hartwick enrolled in the schools new three-year degree program. According to the college, the plan is designed for high-ability, highly motivated students who wis
16、h to save money or to move along more rapidly toward advanced degrees. By eliminating that extra year, three-year degree students save 25 % in costs. Instead of taking 30 credits a year, these students take 40. During January, Hartwick runs a four-week course during which students may earn three to
17、four credits on or off campus, including a number of international sites. Summer courses are not required, but a student may enroll in them and pay extra. Three-year students get first crack at course registration. There are no changes in the number of courses professors teach or in their pay. The t
18、hree-year degree isnt a new idea. Geniuses have always breezed through. Judson College, a 350-student institution in Alabama, has offered students a three-year option for 40 years. Students attend “short terms“ in May and June to earn the credits required for graduation. Bates College in Maine and B
19、all State University in Indiana are among other colleges offering three-year options. Changes at the high-school level are also helping to make it easier for many students to earn their undergraduate degrees in less time. One of five students arrives at college today with Advanced Placement(AP) cred
20、its amounting to a semester or more of college-level work. Many universities, including large schools like the University of Texas, make it easy for these AP students to graduate faster. For students who dont plan to stop with an undergraduate degree, the three-year plan may have an even greater app
21、eal. Dr. John Sergent, head of Vanderbilt University Medical Schools residency (住院医生 ) program, enrolled in Vanderbilts undergraduate college in 1959. He entered medical school after only three years as did four or five of his classmates. “My first year of medical school counted as my senior year, w
22、hich meant I had to take three to four labs a week to get all my sciences in. I ba-sically skipped my senior year,“ says Sergent. He still had time to be a student senator and meet his wife. There are, however, drawbacks to moving through school at such a brisk pace. For one, it deprives students of
23、 the luxury of time to roam (遨游 ) intellectually. Compressing everything into three years also leaves less time for growing up, engaging in extracurricular activities, and studying abroad. On crowded campuses it could mean fewer opportunities to get into a prized professors class. Iowas Waldorf Coll
24、ege has graduated several hundred students in its three-year degree programs, but is now phasing out the option. Most Waldorf students wanted the full four-year experience academically, socially, and athletically. And faculty members will be wary of any change that threatens the core curriculum in t
25、he name of moving students into the workforce. “Most high governmental officials seem to conceive of education in this light as a way to ensure economic competitiveness and continued economic growth,“ Derek Bok, former president of Harvard, told The Washington Post. “I strongly disagree with this ap
26、proach.“ Another risk: the new campus schedules might eventually produce less revenue for the institution and longer working hours for faculty members. Adopting a three-year option will not come easily to most schools. Those that wish to tackle tradition and make American campuses more cost-consciou
27、s may find it easier to take Trachten-bergs advice: open campuses year-round. “You could run two complete colleges, with two complete faculties,“ he says. “Thats without cutting the length of students vacations, increasing class sizes, or requiring faculty to teach more.“ Whether they experiment wit
28、h three-year degrees, offer year-round classes, challenge the tenure system - or all of the above universities are slowly realizing that to stay competitive and relevant they must adapt to a rapidly changing world. Expanding the three-year option may be difficult, but it may be less difficult than a
29、sking Congress for additional financial help, asking legislators for more state support, or asking students for even higher tuition payments. Campuses willing to adopt convenient schedules along with more-focused, less-expensive degrees may find that they have a competitive advantage in attracting b
30、right, motivated students. These sorts of innovations can help American universities avoid the perils of success. 2 Why did Hartwick College start three-year degree programs? （ A） To enroll more students. （ B） To cut students expenses. （ C） To create chances for the poor. （ D） To solve its financial
31、 problems. 3 By quoting Stephen Trachtenberg the author wants to say that_ （ A） the costs of running a university are soaring （ B） American universities are resistant to change （ C） the summer vacation contributes to student growth （ D） college facilities could be put to more effective use 4 The aut
32、hor thinks the tenure system in American universities_ （ A） suppresses creative thinking （ B） is a sign of age discrimination （ C） guarantees academic freedom （ D） creates conflicts among colleagues 5 What is said about the new three-year degree program at Hartwick? （ A） Some summer courses are offe
33、red free of charge. （ B） Its students have to earn more credits each year. （ C） Its faculty members teach more hours a week. （ D） Non-credit courses are eliminated altogether. 6 What do we learn about Judson Colleges three-year degree program? （ A） It has been running for several decades. （ B） It is
34、 open to the brightest students only. （ C） It is the most successful in the country. （ D） It has many practical courses on offer. 7 What changes in high schools help students earn undergraduate degrees in three years? （ A） The overall quality of education has improved. （ B） More elective courses are
35、 offered in high school. （ C） More students have Advanced Placement credits. （ D） Curriculums have been adapted to students needs. 8 What is said to be a drawback of the three-year college program? （ A） Students dont have much time to roam intellectually. （ B） Students dont have prized professors to
36、 teach them. （ C） Students have little time to gain practical experience. （ D） Students have to cope with too heavy a workload. 9 College faculty members are afraid that the pretext of moving students into the workforce might pose a threat to_. 10 Universities are increasingly aware that they must a
37、dapt to a rapidly changing world in order to_. 11 Convenient academic schedules with more-focused, less-expensive degrees will be more attractive to_. 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 que
38、stions 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 decide which is the best answer. （ A） The man happened to see Anna fall on
39、 her back. （ B） The serious accident may leave Anna paralyzed. （ C） The injury will confine Anna to bed for quite a while. （ D） The doctors therapy has been very successful （ A） The man could watch the ballet with her. （ B） She happened to have bought two tickets. （ C） She can get a ballet ticket fo
40、r the man. （ D） Her schedule conflicts with her sisters. （ A） He will send someone right away. （ B） He has to do other repairs first. （ C） The woman can call later that day. （ D） The woman can try to fix it herself. （ A） Give his contribution some time later. （ B） Borrow some money from the woman. （
41、 C） Take up a collection next week. （ D） Buy an expensive gift for Gemma. （ A） Decline the invitation as early as possible. （ B） Ask Tony to convey thanks to his mother. （ C） Tell Tonys mother that she eats no meat, （ D） Add more fruits and vegetables to her diet. （ A） The coverage of newspapers. （
42、B） The circulation of newspapers. （ C） The impact of mass media. （ D） The increasing crime rate. （ A） Limit the number of participants in the conference. （ B） Check the number of people who have registered. （ C） Move the conference to a more spacious place. （ D） Provide people with advice on career
43、development. （ A） The advertisement is outdated. （ B） The apartment is still available. （ C） On-campus housing is hard to secure. （ D） The apartment is close to the campus. （ A） Swim straight into the same tank. （ B） Produce the appropriate sound. （ C） Raise their heads above the water. （ D） Press t
44、he right-hand lever first. （ A） Only one dolphin was able to see the light. （ B） The male dolphin received more rewards. （ C） The lever was beyond the dolphins reach. （ D） Both dolphins were put in the same tank. （ A） To test how responsive dolphins are to various signals. （ B） To examine how long i
45、t takes dolphins to acquire a skill. （ C） To find out if the female dolphin is cleverer than the male one. （ D） To see if dolphins can learn to communicate with each other. （ A） In a resort town. （ B） In a lecture room. （ C） On a cattle farm. （ D） In a botanical garden. Section B Directions: In this
46、 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 must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） It has attracted worldwide atte
47、ntion. （ B） It can help solve global food crises. （ C） It will change the concept of food. （ D） It will become popular gradually. （ A） It comes regularly from its donors. （ B） It is still far from being sufficient. （ C） It has been increased over the years. （ D） It has been drastically cut by NASA.
48、（ A） They are not as expensive as before. （ B） They are not as natural as we believed. （ C） They are less healthy than we expected. （ D） They are more nutritious and delicious. （ A） He is a habitual criminal. （ B） He was accused of family violence. （ C） He was wrongly imprisoned. （ D） He has bitter
49、memories of childhood. （ A） The evidence found at the crime scene. （ B） The testimony of his two friends. （ C） The jurys prejudice against his race. （ D） The two victims identification. （ A） The US judicial system has much room for improvement. （ B） Frightened victims can rarely make correct identification. （ C） Eyewitnesses are often misled by the lawyers questions. （ D） Many factors influence the accuracy of witness testimony. （ A） He teaches psychology at Ohio State University. （ B） He has ex
