1、大学英语六级改革适用（阅读）模拟试卷 248及答案与解析 Section C 0 About the time that schools and others quite reasonably became interested in seeing to it that all children, whatever their background, were fairly treated, intelligence testing became unpopular. Some thought it was unfair to minority children. Through the pa
2、st few decades such testing has gone out of fashion and many communities have indeed forbidden it. However, paradoxically, just recently a group of black parents filed lawsuit (诉讼 ) in California claiming that the states ban on IQ testing discriminates against their children by denying them the oppo
3、rtunity to take the test (They believed, correctly, that IQ tests are a valid method of evaluating children for special education classes.) The judge, therefore, reversed, at least partially, his original decision. And so the argument goes on and on. Does it benefit or harm children from minority gr
4、oups to have their intelligence tested? We have always been on the side of permitting, even facilitating, such testing. If a child of any color or group is doing poorly in school it seems to us very important to know whether it is because he or she is of low intelligence, or whether some other facto
5、r is the cause. What school and family can do to improve poor performance is influenced by its cause. It is not discriminative to evaluate either a childs physical condition or his intellectual level. Unfortunately, intellectual level seems to be a sensitive subject, and what the law allows us to do
6、 varies from time to time. The same fluctuation back and forth occurs in areas other than intelligence. Thirty years or so ago, for instance, white families were encouraged to adopt black children. It was considered discriminative not to do so. And then the style changed and this cross-racial adopti
7、ng became generally unpopular, and social agencies felt that black children should go to black families only. It is hard to say what are the best procedures. But surely good will on the part of all of us is needed. As to intelligence, in our opinion, the more we know about any childs intellectual le
8、vel, the better for the child in question. 1 Why did the intelligence test become unpopular in the past few decades? （ A） Its validity was challenged by many communities. （ B） It was considered discriminative against minority children. （ C） It met with strong opposition from the majority of black pa
9、rents. （ D） It deprived the black children of their rights to a good education. 2 The recent legal action taken by some black parents in California aimed to _. （ A） draw public attention to IQ testing （ B） put an end to special education （ C） remove the states ban on intelligence tests （ D） have the
10、ir children enter white schools 3 The author believes that intelligence testing_. （ A） may ease racial confrontation in the United States （ B） can encourage black children to keep up with white children （ C） may seriously aggravate racial discrimination in the United States （ D） can help black paren
11、ts make decisions about their childrens education 4 The authors opinion of child adoption seems to be that_. （ A） no rules whatsoever can be prescribed （ B） white families should adopt black children （ C） adoption should be based on IQ test results （ D） cross-racial adoption is to be advocated 5 Chi
12、ld adoption is mentioned in the passage to show that _. （ A） good will may sometimes complicate racial problems （ B） social surroundings are vital to the healthy growth of children （ C） intelligence testing also applies to non-academic areas （ D） American opinion can shift when it comes to sensitive
13、 issues 5 The desire for achievement is one of lifes great mysteries. Social scientists have devoted lifetimes studying the drives that spur us out of bed in the morning, compel us to work or study hard and spark all manner of human endeavors. Indeed, a 1992 textbook actually documents 32 distinct t
14、heories of human motivation. Given this diversity of thought, its easy to forget that for half a century, American society has been dominated by the psychological school known as behaviorism, or Skinnerian psychology. Although behaviorism and its fundamental principle of “positive reinforcement“ hav
15、e long since lost their sway in academic circles, the Skinnerian legacy remains powerful in every realm of daily life, from the home and classroom to the workplace. Dont want to take the trash out? Do it, and you can go to the movies Friday night. Not in the mood for work? Keep plugging away, and yo
16、u might get a bonus. Not interested in calculus? Strive for an A in the class, and youll make the honor roll. The theory may be bankrupt, but incentives and rewards are so much a part of American culture that its hard to imagine life without them. Yet thats exactly what a growing group of researcher
17、s are advocating today. A steady stream of research has found that rather than encouraging motivation and productivity, rewards actually can undermine genuine interest and diminish performance. “Our society is caught in a whopping paradox,“ asserts Alfie Kohn, author of the new book Punished by Rewa
18、rds (Houghton Mifflin), which surveys recent research on the effectiveness of rewards. “We complain loudly about declining productivity, the crisis of our school and the distorted values of our children. But the very strategy we use to solve those problems dangling rewards like incentive plans and g
19、rade and candy bars in front of people is partly responsible for the fix were in.“ Its tough argument to make in a culture that celebrates the spoils of success. Yet study after study shows that people tend to perform worse, to give up more easily and to lose interest more quickly when a reward is i
20、nvolved. Children who are given treats for doing artwork, for example, lose their initial love of art within weeks. Teenagers who are promised a reward for tutoring youngsters dont teach as enthusiastically as tutors offered nothing. And chief executive officers who have been awarded long-term incen
21、tive plans have often steered their companies toward lower returns. 6 According to behaviorism, all human actions _. （ A） are based on stimulus and response （ B） have no bearing on human drives （ C） are supposed to be highly motivated （ D） are of a great mystery 7 Behaviorism basically believes in _
22、. （ A） motivation （ B） performance （ C） rewards （ D） human factors 8 In paragraph 2, “calculus“ probably refers to “_“. （ A） a course （ B） a sport （ C） a kind of public service （ D） a position in the student union 9 From the passage, it can be inferred that _. （ A） rewards are highly effective in Am
23、erica （ B） rewards are not much sought-after in academic circles （ C） rewards have long lost their appeal in American society （ D） Americans are addicted to rewards 10 Which of the following statements is in support of the finding that “people tend to perform worse. when a reward is involved“ (in th
24、e last paragraph)? （ A） People are not used to being conditioned by prizes. （ B） Rewards are attempts to control behavior. （ C） Rewards are indispensable to American culture. （ D） The principle of “positive reinforcement“ is not fully enforced. 10 Parents can easily come down with an acute case of s
25、chizophrenia (精神分裂症 ) from reading the contradictory reports about the state of the public schools. One set of experts asserts that the schools are better than they have been for years. Others say that the schools are in terrible shape and are responsible for every national problem from urban povert
26、y to the trade deficit. One group of experts looks primarily at such indicators as test scores, and they cheer what they see: all the indicators reading scores, minimum competency test results, the scholastic aptitude test scores are up, some by substantial margins. Students are required to take mor
27、e academic courses-more mathematics and science, along with greater stress on basic skills, including knowledge of computers. More than 40 state legislatures have mandated such changes. But in the eyes of another set of school reformers such changes are at best superficial and at worst counterproduc
28、tive. These experts say that merely toughening requirements without either improving the quality of instruction or even more important, changing the way schools are organized and children are taught makes the schools worse rather than better. They challenge the nature of the tests, mostly multiple c
29、hoice or true or false, by which childrens progress is measured; they charge that raising the test scores by drilling pupils to come up with the right answers does not improve knowledge, understanding and the capacity to think logically and independently. In addition, these critics fear that the get
30、-tough approach to school reform will cause more of the youngsters at the bottom to give up and drop out. This, they say, may improve national scores but drain even further the nations pool of educated people. The way to cut through the confusion is to understand the different yardsticks used by dif
31、ferent observers. Compared with what schools used to be like “in the good old days“, with lots of drill and uniform requirements, and the expectation that many youngsters who could not make it would drop out and find their way into unskilled jobs by those yardsticks the schools have measurably impro
32、ved in recent years. But by the yardsticks of those experts who believe that the old school was deficient in teaching the skills needed in the modern world, todays schools have not become better. These educators believe that rigid new mandates may actually have made the schools worse. 11 If the pare
33、nts read the contradictory reports about the state of the public schools, they will _. （ A） have a clearer understanding of the education provided by the public schools （ B） realize the disadvantages of the education provided by the public schools （ C） be greatly confused and not know which side to
34、believe （ D） not believe that public schools should be responsible for every national problem 12 In the eyes of the first group of experts mentioned in the second paragraph, _. （ A） academic courses are more important than basic skills （ B） every state legislature should mandate the changes （ C） stu
35、dents should take academic courses and learn basic skills （ D） the increase of test scores can show that public schools are better than before 13 It can be inferred from the third paragraph that school reformers are convinced that_. （ A） the way schools are organized and children are taught at prese
36、nt is good enough （ B） enabling pupils to raise their test scores can improve their logical thinking （ C） the present testing system can not measure either the students progress or actual ability （ D） toughening requirements can help to produce more educated people 14 The word “yardstick“ (Line 3, P
37、ara. 5) most possibly means “_“. （ A） measuring standard （ B） method of school reform （ C） judgment （ D） logic thinking 15 The passage mainly _. （ A） compares the old schools and the present schools （ B） shows contradictory views about the state of public schools （ C） tells why parents can easily be
38、come schizophrenic （ D） displays how school reform is carried out 15 Ask most people how they define the American Dream and chances are theyll say, “Success.“ The dream of individual opportunity has been at home in American since Europeans discovered a “new world“ in the Western Hemisphere. Early im
39、migrants like Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur praised highly the freedom and opportunity to be found in this new land. His glowing descriptions of a classless society where anyone could attain success through honesty and hard work fired the imaginations of many European readers: in Letters from an Ame
40、rican Farmer (1782) he wrote, “We are all excited at the spirit of an industry which is unfettered (无拘无束的 ) and unrestrained, because each person works for himself. We have no princes, for whom we toil (干苦力活 ), starve, and bleed: we are the most perfect society now existing in the world.“ The promis
41、e of a land where “the rewards of a mans industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor“ drew poor immigrants from Europe and fueled national expansion into the western territories. Our national mythology (神话 ) is full of illustrations of the American success story. Theres Benjamin Frank
42、lin, the very model of the self-educated, self-made man, who rose from modest origins to become a well-known scientist, philosopher, and statesman. In the nineteenth century, Horatio Alger, a writer of fiction for young boys, became Americans best-selling author with rags-to-riches tales. The notion
43、 of success haunts us: we spend millions every year reading about the rich and famous, learning how to “make a fortune in real estate with no money down,“ and “dressing for success.“ The myth of success has even invaded our personal relationships: today its as important to be “successful“ in marriag
44、e or parenthood as it is to come out on top in business. But dreams easily turn into nightmares. Every American who hopes to “make it“ also knows the fear of failure, because the myth of success inevitably implies comparison between the haves and the have-nots, the stars and the anonymous crowd. Und
45、er pressure of the myth, we become indulged in status symbols: we try to live in the “right“ neighborhoods, wear the “right“ clothes, eat the “right“ foods. These symbols of distinction assure us and others that we believe strongly in the fundamental equality of all, yet strive as hard as we can to
46、separate ourselves from our fellow citizens. 16 What is the essence of the American Dream according to Crevecoeur? （ A） People are free to develop their power of imagination. （ B） People who are honest and work hard can succeed. （ C） People are free from exploitation and oppression. （ D） People can
47、fully enjoy individual freedom. 17 By saying “the rewards of a mans industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor“ (Lines 9-10, Para. 1), the author means _. （ A） the more diligent one is, the bigger his returns （ B） laborious work ensures the growth of an industry （ C） a mans business
48、should be developed step by step （ D） a companys success depends on its employees hard work 18 The characters described in Horatio Algers novels are people who _. （ A） succeed in real estate investment （ B） earned enormous fortunes by chances （ C） became wealthy after starting life very poor （ D） be
49、came famous despite their modest origins 19 It can be inferred from the last sentence of the second paragraph that_. （ A） business success often contributes to a successful marriage （ B） Americans wish to succeed in every aspect of life （ C） good personal relationships lead to business success （ D） successful business people provide good care for their children 20 What is the paradox of American culture according to the author? （ A） The American road to success is full of n
