1、大学英语六级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 166及答案与解析 Section A 0 Of the many factors that contribute to poor performance on standardized tests like the SAT, nerves and【 C1】 _, surprisingly, may not rank very high. In fact, according to a new paper published in Journal of Experimental Psychology, a little anxietynot to ment
2、ion fatiguemight actually be a very good thing. The study was conducted by psychology professors Phillip Ackerman and Ruth Kanfer. They【 C2】 _239 college freshmen, each of whom agreed to take three different versions of the SAT reasoning test given on three【 C3】 _Saturday mornings. The tests would t
3、ake three-and-a-half hours, four-and-a-half hours and five-and-a-haif-hours, and would be administered in a【 C4】 _order to each of the students. To【 C5】 _the stress level in the studentswho had already taken the SAT in the past and gotten into collegeAckerman and Kanfer offered a cash【 C6】 _to any v
4、olunteers who beat their high-school score. Before the test began on each of the three Saturdays, the students filled out a questionnaire that asked them about their fatigue level,【 C7】 _and confidence. They completed the questionnaire again at a break in the middle of the test and once more at the
5、end. Together, all of these【 C8】 _a sort of fever chart of the students energy and anxiety throughout the experience. When the researchers scored the results, it came as no surprise that volunteers fatigue and stress rose【 C9】 _as the test got longer. What was【 C10】 _was their corresponding performa
6、nce: as the length of the test increased, so did the students scores. The average score on the three-and-a-half hour test was 1,209 out of 1,600. On the four-and-a-half-hour version it was 1,222; on the five-and-a-half-hour test it was 1,237. A)provided B)random C)outrage D)bonus E)dramatically F)re
7、cruited G)terminated H)eliminate I)consecutive J)exhaustion K)deliberate L)unexpected M)boost N)steadily O)mood 1 【 C1】 2 【 C2】 3 【 C3】 4 【 C4】 5 【 C5】 6 【 C6】 7 【 C7】 8 【 C8】 9 【 C9】 10 【 C10】 Section B 10 Trading Modernist for Mcmansion AIn 1949 W. Clinton Backus and his wife hired a 43-year-old d
8、esigner named Greta Magnusson Grossman to build a house in the hills of Bel Air. The Los Angeles community was well-to-do even then, but it wasnt particularly extravagant. Grossman, a Swedish emigre(移居者 ), had achieved some fame as a trader of modern design; her furniture was often mentioned in the
9、same breath and sold at the same stores as Charles Eamess, George Nelsons, and Eero Saarinensa rare distinction, at the time, for a woman. BFor the Backuses, Grossman designed a tasteful two-story modernist home sit on a private slope, with sharp lines, walls of glass, and far-reaching views. It was
10、 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and 1,800 square feet500 square feet smaller than todays average American homeand it fit right in. CNot anymore. The Backus House still hovers on the same Bel Air hillside where Grossman built it. But because of the sprawling megamansions that have sprung up around the prop
11、erty, and because of the increasingly overheated state of the Southern California real estate market, Grossmans elegant modernist creationone of the few surviving examples of residential architecture by an innovative woman now ranked among the finest designers of her eramay not survive much longer.
12、DTheres an irony here. Starting in the 1920s, the combination of climate, terrain, and a young, progressive community of architects and clients triggered a flowering of modern residential design in Los Angeles that culminated in the famous Case Study House Program(1945-66)a series of experimental mo
13、del homes sponsored by the local magazine Arts the garage is filled with broken boards and crushed plaster, and appliances are scattered across the yard. The buyer evidently believes that a grander, newer estate would better suit the neighborhood, which, in the decades since Davidsons time, has beco
14、me home to the likes of Steven Spielberg, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. MAt-risk modernist houses dont always meet such a sad fate. In April the Schairer House, designed in 1949 by the great California architect Gregory Ain for a RAND Corporation aerospace engineer, went up for sale. Another posh neigh
15、borhood, another multimillion-dollar price tag. At the time, observers were certain that the Schairer House was destined for destruction. “1949 Gregory Ain in Brentwood Hits the Market for the First Time, Probably as a Teardown,“ read the headline on real estate site Curbed LA. But now, 80 days afte
16、r it sold, the Schairer House is still standingand a source with knowledge of the transaction tells that the new owners have hired an architect to supervise a complete restoration. NWhether that news warms your heart or leaves you cold is a matter of perspective and taste; not everyone loves moderni
17、st architecture. But in Los Angeles, at least, there may be more at stake than architectural fancy. The history and character of the city are reflected in each of these purebred homes. ORight now, another Gregory Ain property is up for sale: the Feldman House(1953)in Beverly Hills. In a perfect worl
18、d, the Feldman House would survive for another 60 years or more. But even the listing agent, Joyce Rey, is worried. “I want to find someone who will restore it,“ she says. “But heres the thing: all the buyers who want to restore it cant afford it right now, and the buyers who can afford it are the o
19、nes who want to replace it with something else. Its heartbreaking.“? 11 The increasing overheat of the real estate market may contribute to the destruction of the Backus House. 12 Modern residential design was at its peak from 1940s to 1960s. 13 Grossman, a Swedish female designer, was hired to buil
20、d the Backus House in the 1940s. 14 Someone said an economic decline was beneficial for the preservation of modernist houses. 15 It is believed that California is the place where modern single-family dwellings were perfected. 16 The Kingdley Residence was in its original state when it was for sale.
21、17 The Backus House is surrounded by luxurious houses, among which, the property behind it is the most extravagant one. 18 Unexpected by observers, about three months after the Schairer House was sold, its still standing. 19 The interior of the Kingsley Residence is quite marvelous even though the e
22、xterior may look like a farm. 20 Even agents are concerned about the problem that those who can afford the modernist houses are those that want to replace them. Section C 20 Why in an age of advanced technology, should so many people still cling to an ancient belief? In part it must be because astro
23、logyclaims to tell us something about ourselves, and all of us are interested in ourselves. I think it is because astrology is presented as if it were a science by its modern practitioner, and many people are misled by this. In fact, astrology was never a science. It was not a hypothesis or theory d
24、eveloped to describe natural phenomena, and until fairly recent times, there was not attempt to test or verify its predictions. Astrology began approximately three thousand years ago in Babylonia; it was applied to monarchs and kingdoms, but not to individuals. It spread in the 6th century BC as far
25、 as India, where it flourishes today. The Egyptians, meanwhile, developed their own kind of astrology. But the astrology now practiced in Europe and America is that developed by the Greeks, who synthesized the ideas of the Babylonians and Egyptians and enriched them with concepts from their own fert
26、ile imaginations. The Greeks believed that the earth was composed of four elements, and the heavens of a perfect crystalline material. The planets themselves were variously thought to be gods, residences of gods, or at least manifestations of gods. The gods were immortal, but otherwise had the same
27、attributes of anger, happiness, jealousy, rage and pleasure as we do. Now if what the gods thought was capricious(变化无常的 ), at least the planets were predictable in their movements. Because our own lot in life is so unpredictable, it must be purely at the mercy of gods. But if the gods are the planet
28、s, or somehow associated with them, then we have only to learn the rules of the motions of the planets to understand the whims of the gods and how they shape our own lives. So the belief developed that each of our lives is preordained by the precise configuration of the planets in the sky at the tim
29、e of our birth. Astrology could not, of course, have seemed as incredible to the ancients as it does to us. The role of the sun influencing our daily and yearly lives is obvious; it was a natural extension to attribute other powers to the other planets as well. It wasnt until the time of Newton that
30、 we understood that the laws of Nature apply to the celestial worlds as well as to the terrestrial one. During antiquity, however, all great scholars believed in astrology. 21 Many people are misled by astrology because it is presented by the practitioners as _. （ A） a theory that can describe natur
31、al phenomena （ B） a magical key to understanding themselves （ C） an ancient belief that had long been applied to monarchs （ D） a mysterious power beyond the explanation of science 22 While the Greeks developed astrology, they believed that _. （ A） the earth was made up of four elements and the heave
32、ns （ B） the heavens were made up of a material of pure crystal （ C） the ideas of the Babylonians were not imaginative （ D） their ideas would soon spread throughout Europe 23 It is implied that astrology is based on the belief that_. （ A） the gods intentions are hard to predict （ B） the fate of our l
33、ives are unpredictable （ C） the gods are closely related to the planets （ D） the gods have the same attributes as we do 24 Which of the following is true about the scholars before the time of Newton? （ A） All of them were convinced by astrology. （ B） They didnt know the laws of Nature apply to all p
34、lanets. （ C） They played important roles in the development of astrology. （ D） Most of them found astrology incredible. 25 What is the authors purpose in writing the passage? （ A） To cast doubt on the origin of astrology. （ B） To compare astrology with real sciences. （ C） To point out the popularity
35、 of astrology. （ D） To justify the incredibility of astrology. 25 Its perhaps the worlds most famous underwater attraction, immortalized in film and in legend: the Titanic. But now experts say the ocean liner, once a wonder of the high seas, is falling to pieces. Capt. Alfred McLaren, the scientist
36、who in July led the most recent expedition to the ships underwater grave, said his team saw clear signs of the wrecks accelerating decay. There was damage likely caused by rust and sea life, and the captains cabin had collapsed. “I was absolutely astonished,“ McLaren said. Worse still, the fallen ma
37、st that crushed the ships deck is believed by many to be the result of an unapproved salvage operation. “It was almost depressing to see how quickly she was deteriorating,“ McLaren says. “I would be really surprised if theres very much standing up from the bottom, two decades from now.“ Ed Kamuda, w
38、ho runs the Titanic Historical Society in Springfield, Mass., says adventure tourists who pay $36,000 each to visit the wreckare also contributing to the crumbling of the Titanic. “This is something I expected. I just didnt expect it to happen so quickly,“ Kamuda said. “People are going down just as
39、 an ego trip to say I was there. All this takes a toll on the ship.“ The Titanic has sat at the bottom of the Atlantic since it sank after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage on April 14, 1912. More than 1,500 people died that night. The ship came to rest at the bottom of the frigid North Atlant
40、ic, more than 2 miles beneath the waves. The wreck was discovered in 1985, and since then it has been repeatedly visited by treasure hunters. But still some scientists say those divers, and other thrill seekers are not necessarily to blame for the Titanics current woes. Capt. Craig McLean of the Nat
41、ional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration went on an expedition to the Titanic in June as part of a government study that is monitoring the condition of the ship. He says its unclear what part of the damage is from Mother Nature and which is from human nature. “Its too early and there is insuffic
42、ient evidence to put our fingers on anything,“ McLean said. Regardless, most agree theres little that can be done for this most famous of wrecks. And soon, the mighty Titanic could well be lost again. 26 According to Alfred McLaren, the decay of the Titanic was most probably accelerated by _. （ A） M
43、other Nature （ B） human nature （ C） thrill seekers （ D） adventure tourists 27 McLaren expected that in twenty years _ （ A） the wreck would be completely destroyed by unapproved treasure hunters （ B） only salvage operation with the purpose of research would be approved （ C） only a minor part of the w
44、reck would remain as it is （ D） the wreck would be deteriorating at a faster speed 28 What is the tourists purpose of visiting the wreck, according to Kamuda? （ A） To help finance the preservation of the Titanic. （ B） To satisfy their curiosity and adventurousness. （ C） To better understand the hist
45、ory of the Titanic. （ D） To contribute to the crumbling of the Titanic. 29 Craig McLean is one of the scientists who believe _. （ A） the influence of the thrill seekers on the wreck will finally be determined （ B） the deterioration of the Titanic is not necessarily attributed to the adventure touris
46、ts （ C） the government should contribute more to the monitoring of the Titanic （ D） visitors should not be prohibited the Titanic and other famous wrecks 30 The author is most likely to agree that the future of the Titanic is _. （ A） vague （ B） controllable （ C） promising （ D） discouraging 大学英语六级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 166答案与解析
