1、大学英语六级模拟试卷 251及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 Direction: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic: Should Private Cars Be Encouraged in China. You should write at least 150 words and base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below: 1. 有些人认为有
2、必要发展私家车 2有些人持反对态度 3你的看法 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 info
3、rmation 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 World Population Growth and Distribution The United Nations, an accepted authority on population levels and trends, estimat
4、es that the world population reached 6 billion in 1999, and is increasing annually by more than 77 million persons. The rate of increase, 1.3 percent per year, has fallen below the peak rate of 2 percent per year attained by 1970. By the late 2040s, the UN estimates, the growth rate will have fallen
5、 to about 0.64 percent annually, at which time more than 50 countries will experience negative growth. A. Past and Present Growth Estimates of world population before 1900 are based on fragmentary (零散的 ) data, but scholars agree that, for most of human existence, long-run average population growth a
6、pproached approximately 0.002 percent per year, or 20 per million inhabitants. According to UN estimates, the population of the world was about 300 million in the year AD 1, and it took more than 1,500 years to reach the 500 million mark. Growth was not steady but was marked by oscillations (摆动 ) di
7、ctated by climate, food supply, disease, and war. Starting in the 17th century, great advances in scientific knowledge, agriculture, industry, medicine, and social organization made possible rapid acceleration in population growth. Machines gradually replaced human and animal labor. People slowly ac
8、quired the knowledge and means to control disease. By 1900 the world population had reached 1.65 billion, and by 1960 it stood at 3.04 billion. Beginning about 1950, a new phase of population growth was ushered in when famine and disease could be controlled even in areas that had not yet attained a
9、high degree of literacy or a technologically developed industrial society. This happened as a result of the modest cost of importing the vaccines (疫苗 ), antibiotics, insecticides, and high-yielding varieties of seeds produced since the 1950s. With improvements in water supplies, sewage-disposal faci
10、lities, and transportation networks, agricultural yields increased, and deaths from infectious and parasitic diseases greatly declined. Life expectancy at birth in most developing countries increased from about 35 40 years in 1950 to 66 years by 2000. The rapid decline in deaths among people who mai
11、ntained generally high fertility rates led to annual population growth that exceeded 3.1 percent in many developing nationsa-rate that doubles population size in 23 years. B. Regional Distribution As of 2000, 1.2 billion people lived in the developed nations of the world, and 4.9 billion people live
12、d in the less-developed countries. By region, over half the worlds population was in East and South Asia; China, with 1.3 billion inhabitants, and India, with some 1 billion, were the dominant contributors. Europe and the countries of the former USSR contained 14 percent, North and South America mad
13、e up 14 percent, Africa had 13 percent, and the Pacific Islands had about 1 percent of world population. Differences in regional growth rates are altering these percentages over time. Africas share of the world population is expected to more than double by the year 2025. The population of South Asia
14、 and Latin America is expected to remain nearly constant; in other regions, including East Asia, the population is expected to decline appreciably. The share of the present developed nations in world population-20 percent in 2000-is expected to fall to 15 percent by 2025. Nine out of every ten perso
15、ns who are now being added to the worlds population are living in the less-developed countries. C. Urban Concentration As a country develops from primarily an agricultural to an industrial economy, large-scale migration of rural residents to towns and cities takes place. During this process, the gro
16、wth rate of urban areas is typically double the pace of overall population increase. Some 29 percent of the world population was living in urban areas in 1950; this figure was 43 percent in 1990, and is projected to rise to 50 percent by the year 2005. Urbanization eventually leads to a severe decli
17、ne in the number of people living in the countryside, with negative population growth rates in rural areas. Rapid growth of overall population has deferred this event in most less-developed countries, but it is projected to occur in the early decades of the 21st century. Most migrants to the cities
18、can be assumed to have bettered themselves in comparison to their former standard of living, despite the serious problems of overcrowding, substandard housing, and inadequate municipal services that characterize life for many arrivals to urban centers. Dealing with these conditions, especially in ve
19、ry large cities, presents massive difficulties for the governments of less-developed countries. D. Population Projections Most of the potential parents of the next two decades have already been born. Population projections over this interval can, therefore, be made with reasonable confidence, barrin
20、g catastrophic changes. Beyond two decades, however, uncertainties about demographic magnitudes and other characteristics of human societies build up rapidly, making any projections somewhat speculative. Projections issued in 2000 show the world population increasing from 6.1 billion in 2000 to 7.9
21、billion in 2025 and 9.3 billion in 2050. “High“ and “low“ projections for 2025 are 8.4 billion and 7.5 billion respectively. The average world birth rate is projected to decline from the 1990 level of 26 per 1,000 to 22 per 1,000 at the end of the century and to 17.6 per 1,000 in 2025. Because of th
22、e expanding share of the population at high-mortality ages, the average world death rate is expected to decline only slightly; from 9 per 1,000 in 1990 to 8.4 in 2025. Average world life expectancy, however, is projected to rise from 65 years in 1990 to 71.3 years in 2025. Wide variations in populat
23、ion growth will undoubtedly persist. In the developed world, population growth will continue to be very low and in some nations will even decline. Western Europe as a whole is projected to have a declining population after 2000. U.S. Census Bureau projections, assuming middle fertility and mortality
24、 levels, show U.S. population increasing from 250 million in 1990 to 349 million in 2025 and 420 million in 2050. Thereafter, growth would be virtually zero. POPULATION POLICIES Government population policies seek to contribute to national development and welfare goals through measures that, directl
25、y or indirectly, aim to influence demographic processes-in particular, fertility and migration. Examples include statutory minimum ages for marriage, programs to promote the use of contraception, and controls on immigration. (When such policies are adopted for other than demographic reasons, they ca
26、n be termed implicit policies.) A. Population Policy in the United States The early immigrants to North America found a vast continent with a relatively small indigenous population. Overcrowding was incomprehensible because of the expanse of land to the west. In the mid-20th century, as the rest of
27、the world awakened to the potential crisis brought on by unchecked population growth, the U.S. government examined the possible impact of overpopulation in the nation. The Presidents Commission on Population Growth and the American Future began a two-year study in 1970. Submitted to President Richar
28、d M. Nixon in 1972, it welcomed the prospect of zero population growth in the U.S., but did not propose that the government take strong measures to attain it. The commission did, however, advocate education on family planning and widely available access to contraception and abortion services. Primar
29、ily because of this, the president rejected the commissions recommendations. B. Population Policies in Developed Nations European countries did not address the issue of a national population policy until the 20th century. Subsidies were granted to expanding families by such disparate nations as the
30、United Kingdom, Sweden, and the USSR. The Italian Fascists in the 1920s and the National Socialists (Nazis) in Germany during the 1930s made population growth an essential part of their doctrines. Japan, with an economy comparable to those of the European nations, was the first developed country in
31、modem times to initiate a birth-control program. In 1948 the Japanese government formally instituted a policy using both contraception and abortion to limit family size. C. Population Policies in the Third World In 1952 India took the lead among developing nations in adopting an official policy to s
32、low its population growth. Indias stated purpose was to facilitate social and economic development by reducing the burden of a young and rapidly growing population. Surveys to ascertain contraceptive knowledge, attitude, and practice showed a high proportion of couples wishing no more children. Few,
33、 however, practiced efficient contraception. Family-planning programs were seen as a way to satisfy a desire for contraception by a large segment of the population and also to confer health benefits from spacing and limiting births. Asias lowered growth rate can be attributed mainly to the stringent
34、 (严厉的 ) population policies of China. Although it has a huge population, China has successfully reduced both fertility and mortality. The government has recently been advocating one-child families to lower the nations growth rate. 2 The highest rate of world population growth occurred in 1970. （ A）
35、Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 According to the UN estimates, most countries in the world will experience negative population growth in 2040. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 World population before 1900 increased slowly, at 0.002 percent per year, or 20 per million inhabitants. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 The developed nat
36、ions will make more efforts to increase their population growth. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 By 2000, life expectancy at birth in most developing countries increased from about 35-40 years in 1950 to _. 7 In 2000, over half the worlds population live in _. 8 Most migrants to the cities can be assumed to
37、 have bettered themselves in comparison to _. 9 U.S. population will increase from 250 million in 1990 to 349 million in 2025, and the growth will stop at _. 10 In the mid-20th century, the U.S. government examined the possible impact of _. 11 Asias lowered growth rate can be attributed mainly to th
38、e _. 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 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 pa
39、use. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. （ A） Its too expensive for him. （ B） Its reasonable if the utilities are included. （ C） Its cheap even if the utilities arent included. （ D） Its less than he paid for the previous apartme
40、nt. （ A） He isnt trustworthy. （ B） Hes hard working. （ C） Hes a responsible person. （ D） Hes a convincing liar. （ A） He wants to make sure the weather is clear. （ B） He doesnt know if they can get a room for David. （ C） He isnt sure that therell be a seat for David. （ D） He wants David to talk with
41、him. （ A） The man passed the exam. （ B） The man found the exam too difficult. （ C） The man finished the exam in half an hour. （ D） The man forgot to write his name and student number. （ A） Its unfair for Mr. Rose to make the dinner. （ B） Its disrespectful to have Mr. Rose prepare the dinner. （ C） Mr
42、. Rose took the trouble to prepare the dinner. （ D） Mr. Rose took no trouble to make the dinner at all. （ A） Tuesday morning is available. （ B） Wednesday morning is available. （ C） Thursday morning is available. （ D） Friday morning is available. （ A） She hasnt finished with the shell yet. （ B） She l
43、ives alone by herself. （ C） She fails behind others. （ D） Shes lacking in confidence. （ A） He dressed decently. （ B） He dressed improperly. （ C） He was too poor to buy clothes. （ D） He was particular about clothes. （ A） It has a bigger kitchen. （ B） There is a swimming pool nearby. （ C） It is availa
44、ble immediately. （ D） You dont have to sign a lease. （ A） 100. （ B） 150900. （ C） 185. （ D） 200. （ A） Swimming pool. （ B） Gymnasium. （ C） Tennis court. （ D） Sauna. （ A） To make an appointment to look at a house. （ B） To get information about special housing. （ C） To ask about getting a loan to buy a
45、house. （ D） To renew his housing contract. （ A） With his grandparents. （ B） In student housing. （ C） With his wifes parents. （ D） In his own apartment. （ A） He has more than one child. （ B） His wife is a graduate student. （ C） He is a full-time student. （ D） He works at the university housing office
46、. （ A） She isnt there in the morning. （ B） Her assistant isnt there in the morning. （ C） She wont have the forms he needs until the afternoon. （ D） She isnt as busy in the afternoon. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some
47、 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） Its quite new adventure travel. （ B） Its very dangerous adventure travel. （ C） Its quite safe adventure travel. （ D） It
48、s traditional adventure travel. （ A） Mountain climbing. （ B） Hiking. （ C） Tail riding. （ D） Fishing. （ A） Their interest in physical activities. （ B） Their interest in dangerous experiences. （ C） Their interest in nature and outdoor activities. （ D） Their interest in tourist sites. （ A） The professi
49、onals who go for high value goods cause great loss to the stores. （ B） The deliberate amateurs do not pose much a problem for the stores. （ C） Those who cant help themselves account for only a small percentage. （ D） All of the shop-lifters will be dealt with severely by the courts. （ A） They cant afford the goods. （ B） They are mentally ill. （ C） They are quite absent-minded. （ D） They cant resist the temptation. （ A） It is worrying to penalize the innocent majority for the mino
