1、2013年 6月大学英语六级真题试卷（第 1套）及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the remark “Good habits result from resisting temptation. “ You can cite examples to illustrate your point. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 2
2、00 words. 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
3、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 A Nation Thats Losing Its Toolbox The scene inside the Home Depot on Weyman Avenue here would give the old-time American craftsman pause.
4、 In Aisle 34 is precut plastic flooring, the glue already in place. In Aisle 26 are prefabricated windows. Stacked near the checkout counters, and as colorful as a Fisher-Price toy, is a not-so-serious-looking power tool: a battery-operated saw-and-drill combination. And if you dont want to do it yo
5、urself, head to Aisle 23 or Aisle 35, where a help desk will arrange for an installer. Its all very handy stuff, I guess, a convenient way to be a do-it-yourselfer without being all that good with tools. But at a time when the American factory seems to be a shrinking presence, and when good manufact
6、uring jobs have vanished, perhaps never to return, there is something deeply troubling about this dilution of American craftsmanship. This isnt a lament(伤感 ) or not merely a lament for bygone times. Its a social and cultural issue, as well as an economic one. The Home Depot approach to craftsmanship
7、simplify it, dumb it down, hire a contractor is one signal that mastering tools and working with ones hands is receding in America as a hobby, as a valued skill, as a cultural influence that shaped thinking and behavior in vast sections of the country. That should be a matter of concern in a preside
8、ntial election year. Yet neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney promotes himself as tool-savvy(使用工具很在行的 )presidential timber, in the mold of a Jimmy Carter, a skilled carpenter and cabinet maker. The Obama administration does worry publicly about manufacturing, a first cousin of craftsmanship. When th
9、e Ford Motor Company, for example, recently announced that it was bringing some production home, the White House cheered. “When you see things like Ford moving new production from Mexico to Detroit, instead of the other way around, you know things are changing,“ says Gene Sperling, director of the N
10、ational Economic Council. Ask the administration or the Republicans or most academics why America needs more manufacturing, and they respond that manufacturing gives birth to innovation, brings down the trade deficit, strengthens the dollar, generates jobs, arms the military and brings about a recov
11、ery from recession. But rarely, if ever, do they publicly take the argument a step further, asserting that a growing manufacturing sector encourages craftsmanship and that craftsmanship is, if not a birthright, then a vital ingredient of the American self-image as a can-do, inventive, we-can-make-an
12、ything people. Traditional vocational training in public high schools is gradually declining, stranding thousands of young people who seek training for a craft without going to college. Colleges, for their part, have since 1985 graduated fewer chemical, mechanical, industrial and metallurgical(冶金的 )
13、engineers, partly in response to the reduced role of manufacturing, a big employer of them. The decline started in the 1950s, when manufacturing generated a sturdy 28% of the national income, or gross domestic product, and employed one-third of the workforce. Today, factory output generates just 12%
14、 of G. D. P. and employs barely 9% of the nations workers. Mass layoffs and plant closings have drawn plenty of headlines and public debate over the years, and they still occasionally do. But the damage to skill and craftsmanshipwhats needed to build a complex airliner or a tractor, or for a worker
15、to move up from assembler to machinist to supervisor went largely unnoticed. “In an earlier generation, we lost our connection to the land, and now we are losing our connection to the machinery we depend on,“ says Michael Hout, a sociologist at the University of California, Berkeley. “People who wor
16、k with their hands,“ he went on, “are doing things today that we call service jobs, in restaurants and laundries, or in medical technology and the like.“ Thats one explanation for the decline in traditional craftsmanship. Lack of interest is another. The big money is in fields like finance. Starting
17、 in the 1980s, skill in finance grew in importance, and, as depicted in the news media and the movies, became a more appealing source of income. By last year, Wall Street traders, bankers and those who deal in real estate generated 21% of the national income, double their share in the 1950s. And War
18、ren Buffett, the good-natured financier, became a homespun folk hero, without the tools and overalls(工作服 ). “Young people grow up without developing the skills to fix things around the house,“ says Richard Curtin, director of the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. “They kno
19、w about computers, of course, but they dont know how to build them.“ Manufacturings shrinking presence undoubtedly helps explain the decline in craftsmanship, if only because many of the nations assembly line workers were skilled in craft work, if not on the job then in their spare time. In a late 1
20、990s study of blue-collar employees at a General Motors plant(now closed)in Linden, N. J. , the sociologist Ruth Milkman of City University of New York found that many line workers, in their off-hours, did home renovation and other skilled work. “I have often thought,“ Ms. Milkman says, “that these
21、extracurricular jobs were an effort on the part of the workers to regain their dignity after suffering the degradation of repetitive assembly line work in the factory.“ Craft work has higher status in nations like Germany, which invests in apprenticeship(学徒 )programs for high school students. “Corpo
22、rations in Germany realized that there was an interest to be served economically and patriotically in building up a skilled labor force at home; we never had that ethos(风气 ),“ says Richard Sennett, a New York University sociologist who has written about the connection of craft and culture. The damag
23、e to American craftsmanship seems to parallel the steep slide in manufacturing employment. Though the decline started in the 1970s, it became much steeper beginning in 2000. Since then, some 5.3 million jobs, or one-third of the workforce in manufacturing, have been lost. A stated goal of the Obama
24、administration is to restore a big chunk of this employment, along with the multitude of skills that many of the jobs required. As for craftsmanship itself, the issue is how to preserve it as a valued skill in the general population. Ms. Milkman, the sociologist, argues that American craftsmanship i
25、snt disappearing as quickly as some would argue that it has instead shifted to immigrants. “Pride in craft, it is alive in the immigrant world,“ she says. Sol Axelrod, 37, the manager of the Home Depot here, fittingly learned to fix his own car as a teenager, even changing the brakes. Now he finds i
26、mmigrant craftsmen gathered in abundance outside his store in the early morning, waiting for it to open so they can buy supplies for the days work as contractors. Skilled day laborers, also mostly immigrants, wait quietly in hopes of being hired by the contractors. Mr. Axelrod also says the recessio
27、n and persistently high unemployment have forced many people to try to save money by doing more themselves, and Home Depot in response offers classes in fixing water taps and other simple repairs. The teachers are store employees, many of them older and semi-retired from a skilled trade, or laid off
28、. “Our customers may not be building cabinets or outdoor decks; we try to do that for them,“ Mr. Axelrod says, “but some are trying to build up skill so they can do more for themselves in these hard times. “ 2 How did the author feel looking at the scene inside the Home Depot? （ A） He felt proud tha
29、t he was a do-it-youselfer himself. （ B） He was inspired by the way the wares were displayed. （ C） He felt troubled about the weakening of American craftsmanship. （ D） He was happy to see the return of the do-it-yourself spirit in America. 3 What does the author think of mastering tools and working
30、with ones hands? （ A） It shapes peoples thinking and behavior. （ B） It is no longer important in modern times. （ C） It helps politicians connect with workmen. （ D） It is essential to advanced manufacturing. 4 How did the White House respond to Fords announcement to bring some production back to Amer
31、ica? （ A） It worried publicly. （ B） It felt much relieved. （ C） It made no comment. （ D） It welcomed the decision. 5 How does the author view manufacturing? （ A） It encourages craftsmanship. （ B） It is vital to national defense. （ C） It can change the self-image of workers. （ D） It represents the na
32、tions glorious past. 6 What do we learn about Americas manufacturing in the 1950s? （ A） It generated just 12% of the gross national income. （ B） It constituted 28% of the gross domestic product. （ C） It was the biggest employer of American workers. （ D） It was the most active sector of American econ
33、omy. 7 What does the author say is a factor contributing to the decline in traditional craftsmanship? （ A） Automation makes it unnecessary to employ too many skilled workers. （ B） People can earn more money in fields other than manufacturing. （ C） Many people now tend to look down upon working with
34、hands. （ D） Young people no longer look upon skill as an important asset. 8 In Ruth Milkmans opinion, many assembly line workers did home renovation and other skilled work in their off-hours in order to_. （ A） save money （ B） relieve boredom （ C） regain their dignity （ D） improve their living condit
35、ions 9 Compared with that in America, the status of craft work in Germany is_. 10 According to Ruth Milkman, American craftsmanship, instead of disappearing, is being taken up by_. 11 According to Mr. Axelrod of Home Depot, people are trying to ride out the recession by _ Section A Directions: In th
36、is section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 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
37、read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. （ A） Why his phone had been disconnected. （ B） Why she could not get through to him. （ C） Why he didnt leave her a message. （ D） Why he refused to answer her call. （ A） The houses within his price range are sold out. （
38、B） Most people in this city want to own a home. （ C） He has difficulty finding affordable housing. （ D） The woman should rent a nicer apartment. （ A） The woman would like the man to take care of her mail. （ B） The woman has put the number into everyones mailbox. （ C） The new copy machine can meet ev
39、eryones needs. （ D） A code number is necessary to run the copy machine. （ A） He will stop work to take care of the baby. （ B） He will find a job near his home next year. （ C） His wife is going to give birth to a baby. （ D） His wife will leave her work soon. （ A） The shopping center is flooded with p
40、eople. （ B） They will come to the mall some other day. （ C） Parking in this city is a horrible nightmare. （ D） She will wait for the man at the south gate. （ A） He will be back in a minute to repair the computers. （ B） It will take longer to reconnect the computers to the Net. （ C） He has tackled mo
41、re complicated problems than this. （ D） A lot of cool stuff will be available online tomorrow. （ A） She forgot to call her mother. （ B） Prof. Smith gives lectures regularly on TV. （ C） Her mother is a friend of Prof. Smiths. （ D） She did see Prof. Smith on TV. （ A） The man has to wait to get his med
42、icine. （ B） The store doesnt have the prescribed medicine. （ C） The man has to go to see his doctor again. （ D） The prescription is not written clearly enough. （ A） A lot of good publicity. （ B） Talented artists to work for it. （ C） Long-term investments. （ D） A decrease in production costs. （ A） Pr
43、omise long-term cooperation with the Company. （ B） Explain frankly their own current financial situation. （ C） Pay for the printing of the performance programme. （ D） Bear the cost of publicising the Companys performance. （ A） It is advertising electronic products. （ B） It is planning to tour East A
44、sia. （ C） It is sponsoring a TV programme. （ D） It is giving performances in town. （ A） He has been seeing doctors and counsellors. （ B） He has found a new way to train his voice. （ C） He was caught abusing drugs. （ D） He might give up concert tours. （ A） Singers may become addicted to it. （ B） It h
45、elps singers warm themselves up. （ C） Singers use it to stay away from colds. （ D） It can do harm to singers vocal chords. （ A） They are eager to become famous. （ B） Many lack professional training. （ C） Few will become successful. （ D） They live a glamorous life. （ A） Harm to singers done by smoky
46、atmospheres. （ B） Side effects of some common drugs. （ C） Voice problems among pop singers. （ D） Hardships experienced by many young singers. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the ques
47、tions 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） Half of the methane in the atmosphere is from animals. （ B） Methane has become the chief source of greenhouse gas. （ C） Consumer behavior may be influenced by t
48、he environment. （ D） Meat consumption has an adverse effect on the environment. （ A） It takes time for the human body to get used to it. （ B） It lacks the vitamins and minerals essential for health. （ C） It enhances immunity to certain diseases. （ D） It helps people to live a much longer life. （ A）
49、Produce green food. （ B） Waste no food. （ C） Quit eating meats. （ D） Grow vegetables. （ A） They do not know any solution. （ B） They do not give up drunk driving. （ C） They do not behave in public places. （ D） They do not admit being alcohol addicts. （ A） To stop them from fighting back. （ B） To thank them for their hospitality. （ C） To teach them the European lifestyle. （ D） To relieve their pains and sufferings. （ A） Without intervention they will be a headache to the nation. （ B） With support they can be bro
