1、大学英语六级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 243及答案与解析 Section C 0 People traveling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land, sea, or air. Hardly can anyone positively enjoy sitting in a train for more than a few hours. Train compartments soon get cramped and stuffy. Reading is only a
2、partial solution, for the monotonous rhythm of the wheels clicking on the rails soon lulls you to sleep. During the day, sleep comes in snatches. At night, when you really wish to go to sleep you rarely manage to do so. Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted. Long car journey are
3、 even less pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read. On motorways you can, at least, travel fairly safely at high speeds, but more often than not, the greater part of the journey is spent on narrow, bumpy roads which are crowded with traffic. By comparison, trips by sea offer a great variet
4、y of civilized comforts. You can stretch your legs on the spacious decks, play games, swim, meet interesting people and enjoy good food always assuming, of course, that the sea is calm. If it is not, and you are likely to get seasick; no form of transport could be worse. Even if you travel in ideal
5、weather, sea journeys take a long time. Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice up to a third of their holidays for the pleasure of traveling on a ship. Airplanes have the reputation of being dangerous and expensive. But nothing can match them for speed and comfort Traveling at a height of 3
6、0,000 feet, far above the clouds, and at over 500 miles an hour is an exhilarating experience. For a few hours, you settle back in a deep armchair to enjoy the flight. The real escapist can watch a free film show and sip champagne on some services. But even when such refinements are not available, t
7、here is plenty to keep you occupied. An airplane offers you an unusual and breathtaking view of the world. You soar effortlessly over high mountains and deep valleys. You really see the shape of the land. If the landscape is hidden from the view, you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of unbroken clo
8、ud plains that stretch out for miles before you, while the sun shines brilliantly in a clear sky. The journey is so smooth that there is nothing to prevent you from reading or sleeping. However you decide to spend your time, one thing is certain: you will arrive at your destination fresh and uncrump
9、led. 1 The author indicates that reading can help lessen_. （ A） the boredom of being in the train （ B） the tiresome clicking of the wheels （ C） the sleeplessness during the journey （ D） the poor ventilation of the compartment 2 What can we learn about the long distance journey by car? （ A） It is saf
10、e because the car usually goes at high speeds. （ B） It is monotonous because reading is quite impossible. （ C） It is exhausting because you seldom manage to sleep. （ D） It is dangerous because the traffic is always too dense. 3 Trips by sea is regarded as the worst means of traveling when_. （ A） the
11、 weather is terrible （ B） the traveler has little time （ C） the traveler feels seasick （ D） the sea is not calm 4 What is the greatest difference between traveling by air and the other means of traveling? （ A） Traveling by air is not so tiring as the others. （ B） Traveling by air brings more fun tha
12、n the others. （ C） Traveling by air is much more expensive than the others. （ D） Traveling by air offers more time for sleep than the others. 5 By writing the passage, the author intends to _. （ A） introduce diverse ways of traveling （ B） points out the best mode of traveling （ C） emphasize the adva
13、ntages of traveling by air （ D） compare the means of relaxing when traveling 5 Not too many decades ago it seemed “obvious“ both to the general public and to sociologists that modern society has changed peoples natural relations, loosened their responsibilities to kin (亲戚 ) and neighbors, and substi
14、tuted in their place superficial relationships with passing acquaintances. However, in recent years a growing body of research has revealed that the “obvious“ is not true. It seems that if you are a city resident, you typically know a smaller proportion of your neighbors than you do if you are a res
15、ident of a smaller community. But, for the most part, this fact has few significant consequences. It does not necessarily follow that if you know few of your neighbors you will know no one else. Even in very large cities, people maintain close social ties within small, private social worlds. Indeed,
16、 the number and quality of meaningful relationships do not differ between more and less urban people. Small-town residents are more involved with kin than are big-city residents. Yet city dwellers compensate by developing friendships with people who share similar interests and activities. Urbanism m
17、ay produce a different style of life, but the quality of life does not differ between town and city. Nor are residents of large communities any likelier to display psychological symptoms of stress or alienation, a feeling of not belonging, than are residents of smaller communities. However, city dwe
18、llers do worry more about crime, and this leads them to a distrust of strangers. These findings do not imply that urbanism makes little or no difference. If neighbors are strangers to one another, they are less likely to sweep the sidewalk of an elderly couple living next door or keep an eye out for
19、 young trouble makers. Moreover, as Wirth suggested, there may be a link between a communitys population size and its social heterogeneity (多样性 ) For instance, sociologists have found much evidence that the size of a community is associated with bad behavior including gambling, drugs, etc. Large-cit
20、y urbanites are also more likely than their small-town counterparts to have a cosmopolitan (见多识广者的 )outlook, to display less responsibility to traditional kinship roles, to vote for leftist political candidates, and to be tolerant of nontraditional religious groups, unpopular political groups, and s
21、o-called undesirables. Everything considered, heterogeneity and unusual behavior seem to be outcomes of large population size. 6 Which of the following statements best describes the organization of the first paragraph? （ A） Two contrasting views are presented. （ B） An argument is examined and possib
22、le solutions given. （ C） Research results concerning the quality of urban life are presented in order of time. （ D） A detailed description of the difference between urban and small-town life is given. 7 According to the passage, it was once a common belief that urban residents _. （ A） did not have t
23、he same interests as their neighbors （ B） could not develop long-standing relationships （ C） tended to be associated with bad behavior （ D） usually had more friends 8 One of the consequences of urban life is that impersonal relationships among neighbors _. （ A） disrupt peoples natural relations （ B）
24、 make them worry about crime （ C） cause them not to show concern for one another （ D） cause them to be suspicious of each other 9 It can be inferred from the passage that the bigger a community is, _. （ A） the better its quality of life （ B） the more similar its interests （ C） the more tolerant it i
25、s （ D） the likelier it is to display psychological symptoms of stress 10 What is the passage mainly about? （ A） Similarities in the interpersonal relationships between urbanites and small-town dwellers. （ B） Advantages of living in big cities as compared with living in small towns. （ C） The positive
26、 role that urbanism plays in modern life. （ D） The strong feeling of alienation of city inhabitants. 10 The level of discrimination has varied enormously in the history of human societies, from genocide where ethnics are killed off through expulsion and, when these extreme forms of discrimination ar
27、e not possible, through segregation in a ghetto and a narrow range of jobs. One type of ethnic minority is lower class. Here disproportionate numbers of a population are isolated in slum housing tracts and pushed into the lowest-paying occupations such that they are in the poverty classes of a socie
28、ty. African-Americans have suffered this fate in the United States. Another type of ethnic minority created by discrimination is the middleman minority where members are segregated but, at the same time, allowed to occupy a narrow range of entrepreneurial and professional economic positions which gi
29、ve them some affluence. For example, Jews in feudal and early modern Europe often occupied high positions in banking and finance; and many Asian immigrants in America today have moved into small business niches. What determines which type of a minority an ethnic population will become? One important
30、 condition is the resources money, entrepreneurial know-how, educational credentials that a population can mobilize. When ethnics have some resources, they can more readily move into intermediary minority positions and live a more middle-class life style. But resources are not the only factor; anoth
31、er is the absolute size of an ethnic population. A small minority with resources can more easily find intermediary niches than a large one, for the simple reason that there are not enough small-business positions for a large population. A large ethnic population will, therefore, be pushed to lower n
32、iches especially if their resources are limited and, as a result, their ability to fight off discrimination is low. African-Americans have suffered this fate: They are too large a group to fill middlemen minority positions, and they have insufficient resources to overcome discrimination. Indeed, wha
33、t often happens is that members of a large minority who can mobilize resources say, educational credentials move into middle-class positions, leaving behind their fellow ethnics. For example, many blacks in America have made dramatic strides in moving to the middle-classes in the post-Civil Rights e
34、ra, but the fate of the vast majority of blacks in the lower classes has remained the same, or worsened over the last twenty-five years. Black America itself is thus divided by large class differences. 11 Which of the following is the correct description of “genocide“? （ A） It is a place where ethni
35、cs are discriminated. （ B） It is an extreme form of ethnic discrimination. （ C） It is manifested by means of segregation. （ D） It is the earliest discrimination in history. 12 How were the Jews in feudal and early modern Europe discriminated? （ A） They were isolated in living in slum housing tracts.
36、 （ B） Only the lowest-paying occupations were available to them. （ C） Only very few high-paying professions were open to them. （ D） They suffered the same fate as the African-Americans. 13 The Asian Americans are classified as the middleman minority mainly because _. （ A） their population is smaller
37、 than that of the African Americans （ B） they are not discriminated as severely as the African Americans （ C） they cannot go beyond small business （ D） they are a small minority with resources 14 What is most likely to happen to the large ethnic minority, according to the last paragraph? （ A） All it
38、s members have to stay in the lower class. （ B） It is hard for its members to enter the middleman class. （ C） There is obvious class division in the group itself. （ D） There is no way for them to overcome discrimination. 15 Which of the following factor determines ones chance to move into the middle
39、 class? （ A） The population of the group one is in. （ B） Ones ability to make use of resources. （ C） Ones educational background. （ D） The severity of discrimination. 15 Taking charge of yourself involves putting to rest some very prevalent myths. At the top of the list is the notion that intelligen
40、ce is measured by your ability to solve complex problems; to read, write and compute at certain levels; and to resolve abstract equations quickly. This vision of intelligence asserts formal education and bookish excellence as the true measures of self-fulfillment. It encourages a kind of intellectua
41、l prejudice that has brought with it some discouraging results. We have come to believe that someone who has more educational merit badges, who is very good at some form of school discipline is “intelligent“. Yet mental hospitals are filled with patients who have all of the properly lettered certifi
42、cates. A truer indicator of intelligence is an effective, happy life lived each day and each present moment of every day. If you are happy, if you live each moment for everything its worth, then you are an intelligent person. Problem solving is a useful help to your happiness, but if you know that g
43、iven your inability to resolve a particular concern you can still choose happiness for yourself, or at a minimum refuse to choose unhappiness, then you are intelligent. You are intelligent because you have the ultimate weapon against the big N.B.D. Nervous Break Down. “Intelligent“ people do not hav
44、e N.B.D.s because they are in charge of themselves. They know how to choose happiness over depression, because they know how to deal with the problems of their lives. You can begin to think of yourself as truly intelligent on the basis of how you choose to feel in the face of trying circumstances. T
45、he life struggles are pretty much the same for each of us. Everyone who is involved with other human beings in any social context has similar difficulties. Disagreements, conflicts and compromises are a part of what it means to be human. Similarly, money, growing old, sickness, deaths, natural disas
46、ters and accidents are all events which present problems to virtually all human beings. But some people are able to make it, to avoid immobilizing depression and unhappiness despite such occurrences, while others collapse or have an N. B.D. Those who recognize problems as a human condition and dont
47、measure happiness by an absence of problems are the most intelligent kind of humans we know; also, the most rare. 16 According to the author, the conventional notion of intelligence measured in terms of ones ability to read, write and compute _. （ A） is a widely held but wrong concept （ B） will help
48、 eliminate intellectual prejudice （ C） is the root of all mental distress （ D） will contribute to ones self-fulfillment 17 It is implied in the passage that holding a university degree _. （ A） may result in ones inability to solve complex real-life problems （ B） does not indicate ones ability to wri
49、te properly worded documents （ C） may make one mentally sick and physically weak （ D） does not mean that one is highly intelligent 18 The author thinks that an intelligent person knows_. （ A） how to put up with some very prevalent myths （ B） how to find the best way to achieve success in life （ C） how to avoid depression and make his life worthwhile （ D） how to persuade others to compromise 19 In the last paragraph, the author tells us that_. （ A） difficulties are but part of everyones life （ B） depression and u
