1、大学英语六级模拟试卷 554及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the topic of Chinese Parenting VS Western Parenting. You should write at least 150 words according to the outline given below. 1在教育孩子方面，有人认为中式教育 (从严 )更好 2有人则认为西式教育 (从宽 )更好 3我认为 C
2、hinese Parenting vs Western Parenting 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
3、 with the information 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 Obamas War on Schools The No Child Left Behind Act has been deadly to public education. So why has the presid
4、ent embraced it? Over the past year, I have traveled the nation speaking to nearly 100,000 educators, parents, and school-board members. No matter the city, state, or region, those who know schools best are frightened for the future of public education. They see no one in a position of leadership wh
5、o understands the damage being done to their schools by federal policies. They feel keenly betrayed by President Obama. Most voted for him, hoping he would reverse the ruinous No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation of George W. Bush. But Obama has not sought to turn back NCLB. His own approach, cal
6、led Race to the Top, is even more punitive than NCLB. And though over the past week the president has repeatedly called on Congress to amend the law, his proposed reforms are largely cosmetic (装点门面的 ) and would leave the worst aspects of NCLB intact. The theory behind NCLB was that schools would imp
7、rove dramatically if every child in grades 3 to 8 were tested every year and the results made public. Texas did exactly this, and advocates claimed it had seen remarkable results: test scores went up, the achievement gap between students of different races was closing, and graduation rates rose. At
8、the time, a few scholars questioned the claims of a “Texas miracle,“ but Congress didnt listen. In fact, the “Texas miracle“ never happened. On federal tests, the states reading scores for eighth-grade students were flat from 1998 to 2009. And just weeks ago, former first lady Barbara Bush wrote an
9、opinion piece in the Houston Chronicle opposing education budget cuts on the grounds that Texas students ranked in the bottom 10 percent in math and literacy nationally. After two decades of testing and accountability, Texas students have certainly not experienced a miracle when judged by the very m
10、easures that were forced on students across the nation. NCLB required that 100 percent of students be proficient in reading and math by 2014. Any school not on track to meet this Utopian goal one never reached by any nation in the world would face a series of sanctions, culminating in the firing of
11、the staff and the closing of the school. As 2014 nears, tens of thousands of schools have been branded as failures, thousands of educators have been fired, and schools that were once the anchors of their communities are closing, replaced in many cases by privately managed schools. NCLB turns out to
12、be a timetable for the destruction of public education. Because of the punitive character of the federal law, educators struggle to meet their testing targets. Many districts have reduced time for the arts, history, science, civics, foreign languages, physical education, literature, and geography. T
13、hey devote more time to preparing students for the state tests in basic skills, which will determine the life or death of their schools. Some districts, such as Atlanta, have experienced cheating scandals. Some states, such as New York, lowered the passing mark on their tests to increase the number
14、of students who were allegedly proficient. Standardized-test scores can provide useful information about how students are doing. But as soon as the scores are tied to firing staff, giving bonuses, and closing schools, the measures become the goal of education, rather than an indicator. So now come P
15、resident Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan with their Race to the Top program. The administration invited the states to compete for $4.3 billion in a time of fiscal distress. To qualify, states had to agree to evaluate teachers by student test scores, to award bonuses to teachers based on st
16、udent scores, to permit more privately managed charter schools, and to “turn around“ low-performing schools by such methods as firing the staffs and closing the schools. Race to the Top went even beyond NCLB in its reliance on test scores as the ultimate measure of educational quality. It asserts th
17、at teachers alone not students or families or economic status are wholly responsible for whether test scores go up or down. Now teachers rightly feel scapegoated (被当作替罪羊 ) for conditions that are often beyond their control. They know that if students dont come to school regularly, if they are chroni
18、cally ill, if they are homeless or hungry, their test scores will suffer. But teachers alone are accountable. The Obama agenda for testing, accountability, and choice bears a striking resemblance to the Republican agenda of the past 30 years, but with one significant difference. Republicans have tra
19、ditionally been wary of federal control of the schools. Duncan, however, relishes the opportunity to promote his policies with the financial heft of the federal government. The confluence between the Obama agenda and the Republican agenda became clear in the fall of 2009, when Duncan traveled the co
20、untry with Newt Gingrich to promote Race to the Top. And on March 5 of this year, President Obama flew to Florida to celebrate the test-score gains at a high school in Miami with former governor Jeb Bush, one of the nations most vocal proponents of conservative approaches to education reform. In his
21、 recent State of the Union address, Obama rightly asserted that we must encourage innovation, imagination, and creativity so we can “win the future“. But the federal governments emphasis on standardized tests subverts (破坏 ) that lofty goal. Drilling children on how to take tests discourages innovati
22、on and creativity, punishes divergent thinking, and prioritizes skills over knowledge. And the endless hours devoted to test preparation certainly deaden students interest in school. Emboldened (鼓励 ) by the Obama administration, as well as by hundreds of millions of dollars from the Bill a supposedl
23、y revenge-free system for complaints that led to women being fired. The lower courts ruled that this and other evidence provide compelling reasons for the case to move forward. 53 What will it mean if the Supreme Court dismisses the Wal-Mart case, according to the author? （ A） Wal-Mart didnt discrim
24、inate against its women employees before. （ B） Some large companies can escape punishment if they break the law. （ C） It is difficult for employees to win an employment discrimination lawsuit. （ D） The decision of the Supreme Court was apparently partial to Wal-Mart. 54 After Stephanie Odle complain
25、ed to her boss about the wage gap,_. （ A） she still got less payment than the male assistant manager （ B） she was moved to a lower position from her previous position （ C） the boss came to realize the problem and promised to solve it （ D） the supervisor was criticized for treating employees unfairly
26、 55 Conservative justices doubted about whether . （ A） the trial judge is partial to the plaintiffs （ B） the plaintiffs all work or worked for Wal-Mart （ C） the group of plaintiffs should be recognized as a class （ D） the plaintiffs have enough evidence against Wal-Mart 56 It can be inferred from th
27、e passage that the class-action rule_. （ A） was set to help women employees （ B） reflects the principle of fairness （ C） benefits mainly large companies （ D） takes effect only in the United States 57 The example of Wal-Marts fishing trips shows that_. （ A） there is little chance that Wal-Mart will l
28、ose this lawsuit （ B） Wal-Mart tries its best to protect its women employees safety （ C） Wal-Mart holds various outdoor activities for its employees （ D） women employees face discrimination in the work environment 57 Talking of campaigns by our charity to phase out the keeping of animals in captivit
29、y, Dartmoor Zoo owner Ben Mee says, “Actually, I can see their point; I dont particularly like looking at animals behind wire either.“ He then adds the usual caveat (说明 ): “But, as a zoo director, I understand that it is absolutely essential that we keep them there.“ Are zoos really essential? Ben t
30、alks about them “protecting as many endangered species as possible“. Yet of the 51 mammal and bird species at his zoo only seven are classed as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Zoos claim to be safer places for animals than their natural habitats. Mee questions wheth
31、er it is “fair“ to reintroduce a jaguar (美洲豹 ) to Central America, because of not only the dwindling (逐渐减少的 ) rainforest but also the impact “on the people who live and farm there“. This view is highly dangerous for conservation, and many field scientists consider captive breeding to give a false im
32、pression that species are safe and that natural habitats dont need protecting. Despite its claims, Dartmoor Zoo itself has been responsible for killing animals deer, as a result of “overpopulation“, and a wolf who was excluded by the pack, for example. More dangerous is the line pushed by internatio
33、nal zoo bodies that hybrid animals should be killed such as three tiger cubs at a German zoo recently because they use resources that could be spent on purebred animals. The Mee family bought the zoo without any prior experience, so not surprisingly Ben found it “harder than I thought“ so hard that
34、its operating company is closed despite a TV deal and a planned Hollywood film. Lets hope they havent started a trend for wealthy people with no experience to buy zoos in trouble Anna Ryder Richardson followed in their footsteps by getting a TV series based on her buying a zoo in Wales. Mee talks ab
35、out the alleged good work of members of the zoo-trade body, the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria (Biaza). Twice in the past year, we have exposed the practices of member zoos. One had a tiger-breeding programme with the owner of the countrys most controversial animal circus. The oth
36、er was locking lions inside for up to 18 hours a day. Biaza revoked membership of the zoo connected to a circus but not the one keeping lions confined in a building that, according to government inspectors, had “no visible environmental enrichment“ and “clear signs of substantial fighting“. So how c
37、an Mee say we have “some of the highest standards of farming anywhere in the world“? We need to urgently recognise that conservation means the protection and restoration of natural habitats, not keeping animals in cages. If we phase out zoos, and end captive breeding, resources can be used to protec
38、t habitats for the benefit of all fauna and flora (动植物 ). 58 According to Dartmoor Zoo owner Ben Mee, keeping animals in the zoo_. （ A） forms a barrier between visitors and animals （ B） takes up too much valuable resources in the city （ C） is the best way to protect people from being hurt （ D） saves
39、 animals faced with the danger of extinction 59 Why does Ben Mee doubt about the idea of bringing a jaguar back to Central America? （ A） The rainforest suitable for jaguars no longer exists there. （ B） It will affect the life of the local people. （ C） It will cost huge money in protecting the natura
40、l habitat. （ D） It could encourage illegal hunting there. 60 Whats the opinion of international zoo bodies on captive animals? （ A） Zoos should not keep animals which are unpopular among visitors. （ B） Cross-bred animals should be killed for the sake of pure-bred ones. （ C） It is unreasonable to kil
41、l animals even if there are too many of them. （ D） Wealthy peoples buying and running zoos help animals survive better. 61 What do we know about the zoo locking lions inside a building most of the day? （ A） It remains in Biaza after its practice was exposed. （ B） It stopped breeding and selling lion
42、s to animal circus. （ C） It resigned its membership of Biaza for profit reason. （ D） It improved the living environment for the lions. 62 The message the author intends to convey in this passage is that_. （ A） zoos play an important role in protecting endangered species （ B） captive breeding helps i
43、ncrease the number of rare animals （ C） the safest place for an animal is its natural habitat, not a zoo （ D） keeping animals in cages harms them physically and psychologically 三、 Part V Cloze (15 minutes) Directions: There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choice
44、s marked A, B, C and D. You should choose the ONE that best fits into the passage. 62 Every living thing has what scientists call a biological clock that controls behavior. It tells plants when to【 C1】 _flowers and insects when to leave the protective cocoon (茧 ) and fly away. And it tells animals a
45、nd human beings when to【 C2】 _. sleep and seek food. It controls our body temperatures, the【 C3】 _of some hormones and even dreams. Events【 C4】 _the plant and animal affect its actions. Scientists recently found that a tiny animal called Siberain hamster changes the color of its【 C5】 _because of the
46、 number of hours of【 C6】 _. In shorter days of winter its fur becomes white. The fur becomes gray-brown in longer【 C7】 _of daylight summer. 【 C8】 _signals control other biological clocks. German scientists found that some internal one seems to order birds to begin their【 C9】 _flights two times each
47、year. Birds prevented from flying become【 C10】 _when it is time for the trip.【 C11】 _they become calm again when the time of the flight has ended. A mix of outside and internal events controls some biological clocks; such things as heartbeat and the daily change from sleep to walking take place beca
48、use of both external and internal signals. Scientists are beginning to learn【 C12】 _parts of the brain contain biological clocks. A researcher at Harvard University, Dr. Martin Moore Ede, said a small group of cells near the front of the brain seemed to control the【 C13】 _of some of our actions. Pro
49、bably there are other cells to control other body activities. He is studying【 C14】 _they affect the way we do our work. Most of us have great difficulty if we【 C15】 _often change to different work hours. It can【 C16】 _many days for a human body to【 C17】 _the major change in work hours. Industrial officials should have a better【 C18】 _of biological clocks and how they affect workers. He said such
