1、大学英语六级模拟试卷 403及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 Directions: The following table gives statistics showing the aspects of quality of life in five countries. Write a composition describing the information in the table below. You should write at least 150 words. 二、 Part II Reading Comprehension (S
2、kimming 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 in the passage; N (for NO) if the statement c
3、ontradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 1 Is College Really Worth the Money? The Real World Este Griffith had it all figured out. When she graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in April 2001, she had her sights set on
4、one thing: working for a labor union. The real world had other ideas. Griffith left school with not only a degree but a boatload of debt. She owed $15,000 in student loans and had racked up $4.000 in credit card debt for books, groceries and other expenses. No labor union job could pay enough to bai
5、l her out. So Griffith went to work instead for a Washington. D.C. firm that specializes in economic development. Problem solved? Nope. At age 24. she takes home about $1.800 a month. $1.200 of which-disappears to pay her tent. Add another $t80 a month to retire her student loans and $300 a month to
6、 whittle down her credit card balance. “You do the math.“ she says. Griffith has practically no money to live on. She brown-bags(自带午餐 ) her lunch and bikes to work. Above all, she fears shell never own a house or be able to retire. Its not that she regrets getting her degree. “But they dont tell you
7、 that the trade-off is the next ten years of your income.“ she says Thats precisely the deal being made by more and more college students. Theyre mortgaging their futures to meet soaring tuition costs and other college expenses. Like Griffith. theyre facing a one-two punch at graduation: hefty(沉重的 )
8、 student loans and smothering credit card debt not to mention a job market that, for now anyway, is dismal. “We are forcing our children to make a choice between two evils.“ says Elizabeth Warren. a Harvard Law professor and expert on bankruptcy. “Skip college and face a life of diminished opportuni
9、ty, or go to college end face a life shackled(束缚 ) by debt.“ Tuition Hikes For some time. colleges have insisted their steep tuition hikes are needed to pay for cutting-edge technologies, faculty and administration salaries, end rising health care costs. Now theres a new culprit(犯人 ): shrinking stat
10、e support. Caught in a severe budget crunch, many states have sharply scaled back their funding for higher education. Someone had to make up for those lost dollars. And you can guess who-especially if you live in Massachusetts, which last year hiked its tuition and fees by 24 percent, after funding
11、dropped by 3 percent, or in Missouri, where appropriations (拨款 ) fell by t0 percent, but tuition rose at double that rate. About one-third of the states, in fact, have increased tuition and fees by more then 10 percent. One of those states is California, and Janet Burrells family is feeling the palm
12、 A bookkeeper m Torrance, Burrell has a daughter at the University of California at Davis. Meanwhile, her sons attend two-year colleges because Burrell cant afford to have all of them in four-year schools at once. Meanwhile, even with tuition hikes, Californias community colleges are so strapped for
13、 cash they dropped thousands of classes last spring. The result: 54,000 fewer students. Collapsing Investments Many families thought they had a surefire plan: even if tuition kept skyrocketing, they had invested enough money along the way to meet the costs. Then a funny thing happened on the way to
14、Wall Street. Those investments collapsed with the stock market. Among the losers last year: the wildly popular “529“ plans-federal tax-exempt college savings plans offered by individual states, which have attracted billions from families around the country. “We hear fr0m many parents that what they
15、had set aside declined in value so much that they now dont have enough to see their students through,“ says Penn State financial aid director Anna Griswold, who witnessed a 10 percent increase in loan applications last year. Even with a market that may be slowly recovering, it will take time, perhap
16、s several years, for people to recoup (补偿 ) their losses. Nadine Sayegh is among those who didnt have the luxury of waiting for her college nest egg to grow back. Her father had invested money toward her tuition, but a large chunk of it vanished when stocks went south. Nadine was than only partway t
17、hrough college. By graduation, she had taken out at least $10,000 in loans, and her mother had borrowed even more on her behalf. Now 22, Nadine is attending law school, having signed for yet more loans to pay for that. “There wasnt any way to do it differently,“ she says, “and Im not happy about it.
18、 Ive sat down and calculated how long it will take me to pay off everything. Ill be 35 years old.“ Thats if shes very lucky: Nedine based her calculation on landing a job right out of law school that will pay her at least $120,000 a year. Dependent on Loans and Credit Cards The American Council on E
19、ducation has its own calculation that shows how students are more and more dependent on loans. In just five years, from 1995 to 2000, the median loan debt at public institutions rose from $10,342 to $15,375. Most of this comes from federal loans, which Congress made more tempting in 1992 by expandin
20、g eligibility (home equity no longer counts against your assets) and raising loan limits (a dependent undergraduate can now borrow up to $23 000 from the federal government). But students arent stopping there. The College Board estimates that they also borrowed $4.5 billion from private lenders in t
21、he 2000-2001 academic year, up from $1.5 billion just five years earlier. For 10ts of students, the worst of it isnt even the weight of those direct student loans. Its what they rack up on all those plastic cards in their wallets. As of two years ago, according to a study by lender Nellie Mae, more
22、than eight out of ten undergrads had their Own credit cards, with the typical student carrying four. Thats no big surprise, given the in-your-face marketing by credit card companies, which set up tables on campus to entice(诱惑 ) students to sign up. Some colleges ban or restrict this hawking, but oth
23、ers give it a boost. You know those credit cards emblazoned with a schools picture or its logo? For sanctioning such a card a must-have for some students-a college department or association gets payments from the issuer. Meanwhile, from freshman year to graduation, according to the Nellie Mae study,
24、 students triple the number of credit cards they own and double their debt on them. As of 2001, they were in the hole an average $2,327. A Wise Choice? One day, Moyer sat down with his mother, Janne ODonnell, to talk about his goal of going to law school. Dont count on it, ODonnell told him. She cou
25、ldnt afford the cost and Moyer doubted he could get a loan, given how much he owed already. “He said he felt like a failure,“ ODonnell recalls. “He didnt know how he had gotten into such a mess.“ A week later, the 22-year-old hanged himself in his bedroom, where his mother found him. ODonnell is con
26、vinced the money pressures caused his suicide. “Sean tried to pay his debts off,“ she says. “And he couldnt take it.“ To be sure, suicides are exceedingly rare. But despair is common, and it sometimes leads students to rethink whether college was worth it. In fact, there are quite a few jobs that do
27、nt require a college degree, yet pay fairly well. On average, though, college graduates can expect to earn 80 percent more than those with only a high school diploma. Also, all but two of the 50 highest paying jobs (the exceptions being air traffic controllers and nuclear power reactor operators) re
28、quire a four-year college degree. So foregoing a college education is often not a wise choice. Merit Mikhail, who graduated last June from the University of California, Riverside, is glad she borrowed to get through school. But she left Riverside owing $20,000 in student loans and another $7,000 in
29、credit card debt. Now in law school, Merit hopes to become a public-interest attorney, yet she may have to postpone that goal, which bothers her. To handle her debt, shell probably need to start with a more lucrative (有利的 ) legal job. Like so many other students, Mikhail took out her loans on a kind
30、 of blind faith that she could deal with the consequences. “You say to yourself, I have to go into debt to make it work, and whatever it takes later, Ill manage.“ Later has now arrived, and Mikhail is finding out the true cost of her college degree. 2 Griffith worked for a firm that specialized in e
31、conomic development in Washington D.C. because she needed money to pay for her debt. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 The only problem the students are facing at graduation is the dismal job market. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 One reason why colleges increase tuition and fees is that the state support is shrinki
32、ng. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 Nearly all the families can manage to meet the soaring tuition costs through various investment plans. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 According to Nadines calculation, she can pay off all her debt when she is _ if she can get a salary of $ 120,000 a year right out of law school.
33、 7 Students get money from not only federal loans but also _. 8 The college department or association can get payments from the issuer if it sanctions credit cards decorated with _. 9 ODonnell thinks that the cause of her 22-year-old sons suicide is _. 10 The author says that foregoing a college edu
34、cation is often not a wise choice because _ of the 50 highest paying jobs require a four-year college degree except for air traffic controllers and nuclear power reactor operators. 11 Merit will have to start with a more lucrative legal job instead of her favorite position-a public-intarest attorney
35、 because she has to _. 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
36、there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. （ A） Camp in the mountains. （ B） Stay at his own house. （ C） Write to his girlfriend. （ D） Hold his uncles mails. （ A） He doesnt understand his staff. （ B） His computer
37、doesnt work properly. （ C） He doesnt know how to apply computer theory. （ D） He is unable to add the figures. （ A） Cowardly. （ B） Anxious. （ C） Lazy. （ D） Courageous. （ A） She made a reservation for the 9:00 flight. （ B） She changed the reservation. （ C） She found they were late for the 8:00 flight.
38、 （ D） She misunderstood the man. （ A） He couldnt make any sense out of his course. （ B） He hasnt taken more than one philosophy course. （ C） He is a philosophy major. （ D） He hasnt taken any philosophy course in that department. （ A） A dentist. （ B） A cook. （ C） A dietician. （ D） A twirler. （ A） Go
39、for a swim. （ B） Make better use of time. （ C） Follow the official procedure. （ D） Watch television. （ A） She doubts he makes much money now. （ B） Shes surprised that he chose that company. （ C） She doesnt know when her classes started. （ D） She wonders why hes kept his job. （ A） It plans to send a
40、probe to explore the moon. （ B） Its NASAs most expensive project so far. （ C） Its an ambitious project. （ D） Its involved in the construction of the American space station. （ A） The construction of the American space station. （ B） Budget problems. （ C） Delays. （ D） Technical difficulties. （ A） Build
41、ing relationship with outer space. （ B） Making profits. （ C） Creating a stepping-stone to scientific research. （ D） Fostering international scientific cooperation. （ A） She needs some information. （ B） She wants packing materials. （ C） She is checking her package. （ D） She is moving to California. （
42、 A） Fresh fruit. （ B） A gift certificate. （ C） Homemade candy. （ D） A wedding present. （ A） The next day. （ B） On Saturday. （ C） In three days. （ D） In one week, （ A） Regular service, （ B） Overnight express. （ C） Same day delivery. （ D） Priority service. Section B Directions: In this section, you wi
43、ll hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some 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） The meaning of facial expressions depends on si
44、tuations. （ B） Facial expressions can cause misunderstanding across culture. （ C） People from one culture may lack facial expressions because they experience less emotion. （ D） Facial expressions may disguise true feelings. （ A） They smile to cover embarrassment. （ B） It is an unusual and even suspi
45、cious behavior. （ C） They smile to show politeness. （ D） It is an expression of pleasure. （ A） We shouldnt judge people by reading their faces. （ B） We shouldnt smile in the wrong place. （ C） We shouldnt cover our true feelings. （ D） We shouldnt express our emotions too openly. （ A） In 1938. （ B） In
46、 1946. （ C） In 1955. （ D） During World War II. （ A） It reflects commercial interests. （ B） It is a fashionable professional event. （ C） It is an essential affair for international cinema. （ D） It is more concerned with the art of film than with financial interests. （ A） It is awarded to the best fil
47、m of the festival. （ B） It was introduced in 1959. （ C） It was introduced by a commercial organization. （ D） Only American directors have received this award. （ A） Listening to different styles of conversations. （ B） Listening to the content of different conversations. （ C） Listening to how salesmen
48、 talk to different people. （ D） Listening to conversations in public. （ A） Word games about states and their capitals. （ B） Language games. （ C） Games concerning history. （ D） Guessing games. （ A） Books they had read. （ B） Places they had been to. （ C） Histories and things they remembered. （ D） The
49、fun they got from reading. （ A） Because the conversation was so interesting, （ B） Because they talked loudly enough. （ C） Because they stood so closely to the woman. （ D） Because the language they used was so different. Section C Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in
