1、大学英语六级模拟试卷 579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 entitled How to Improve the Physical Quality of Students? You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below: 1目 前中国学生的身体素质令人担忧 2有人认为这是不良生活习惯引起的 3如何改善学生的身体素质，我的建议
2、是 How to Improve the Physical Quality of Students? 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 sta
3、tement agrees 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 The Case Against Retirement Ah, retirement! Before the 1950s, it was something only the wealthy
4、could afford to do. Everyone else needed an income, and most folks struggled to get by in the industrial economy as their faculties deteriorated. Back in the days before, older people faced the kind of pressures portrayed by filmmaker D. W. Griffith in his melodramatic 1911 silent film What Shall We
5、 Do With Our Old? Its a sad tale of the setbacks endured by an elderly couple, the wife ailing (生病的 ), the husband tossed off the assembly line to make way for a younger worker. Griffith was one of many social activists calling for a social insurance system to provide an income for the elderly. The
6、social reformist dream became reality with the 1935 Social Security Act, the spread of the corporate defined benefit pension plan and Medicare Act in 1965. For most workers the last stage of life became a time of leisure, recreation, and enjoyment. A Long Time Coining Surveys show that a majority of
7、 baby boomers say they want to work during their golden years. Theyre going to get their wish. The key question is no longer “How early can I retire?“ Its “Why retire?“ Of course, like all social and economic shifts, the trend isnt new. It has been building for the past three decades with the move a
8、way from traditional pensions with their involuntary contributions. Were also living longer. Thats good news, but it does mean that to maintain their standard of living the elderly have to either earn a paycheck longer or save more a lot more. For workers nearing their retirement years, the median b
9、alance was a mere $78 000 in 2007. And the stock market reached its all-time peak that year! But the Great Recession has devastated (严重破坏 ) portfolios since then, a stark (严峻的 ) reminder to millions of near-retirees that they havent saved enough to fund a good retirement. Indeed, taking into account
10、 both the decline in financial assets and housing, the National Retirement Risk Index signals that 51 percent of households are at risk at age 65 of not having enough retirement income to maintain their pre-retirement standard of living. When Youre Sixty-four Those are hardly heartening percentages,
11、 and the situation seems even worse when the US unemployment rate is at 10.2 percent, according to the Labor Dept. s October survey. But a look at longer-term trends is encouraging. An aging workforce is living longer and is less disabled than previous generations. After all, average life expectancy
12、 in 1935 when Social Security became law was 61 years. Its now 78. An adjustment might have to be made to the famous Beatles song “When Im Sixty-four“. Older workers probably wont be “digging the weeds“ to mine the Beatles vein one last time. An economy dominated by services, information industries
13、and knowledge businesses is far easier to labor in than one where the commanding heights are full of factories, mines and farms. The prospect of longer employment suggests more people will choose to alternate the rhythm of their lives, sometimes working intensely and at others exploring other opport
14、unities. Nevertheless, its a social and economic revolution. Take those surveys that show a majority of boomers expect to earn a paycheck in retirement. Only about a third in the past actually worked for paying following retirement. The pressure to accommodate older workers will be there, much as th
15、e demand for old age insurance was growing around the time D. W. Griffith made his movie. The reason is that the financial impact of working even a few years longer on the average older worker is dramatic. A paycheck has a greater effect on living standards than increasing retirement contributions f
16、rom 15 percent of paycheck to 25 percent, for example. Your savings continue to compound, and your Social Security benefit grows. The same dynamic holds with working part-time. “You dont have to pay for expenses out of savings,“ says Christine Fahlund, a senior financial planner at T. Rowe Price. “Y
17、ou meet them with your paycheck.“ Work Longer, Stay Healthier Take this illustration from the number-crunchers (会计 ) at T. Rowe Price. A worker earns $ 100 000 a year. He has a portfolio worth $ 500 000. His asset allocation is 40 percent stocks, 40 percent bonds and 20 percent cash. Instead of reti
18、ring, he continues to work and socks away 15 percent of his income for three more years. At age 65 he would have boosted his total retirement benefit package by 28 percent. If he went to age 70 his retirement finances would almost double in value, rising 90 percent. Of course, he doesnt have to work
19、 full-time to get a return from waiting. An income of $ 20 000 from part-time work is the equivalent of withdrawing 4 percent a year from a $ 500 000 portfolio. Its also surprising that laboring for a paycheck may actually make aging workers much healthier than ever before. More than making ends mee
20、t, work is physically and mentally energizing for many people. Work is a social environment, with birthday celebrations and coffee Matches (聚会 ), friends and acquaintances, people to swap gossip and stories with, neighbors to commiserate (同情 ) with over divorce and to congratulate on pregnancy. Its
21、likely that youll want to move on to a different employer or paid activity when youre older. But that doesnt mean you wont want to work. “For most people work is a community,“ says Meir Statman, finance professor at Santa Clara University. For workers burning the midnight oil in a tough economy, thi
22、s may all seems like the social equivalent of happy talk. Theyre bone tired from working. Health problems are wearing them down. And, as the social commentator H.L. Mencken noted back in 1922, the job they are taking matters. If he got no reward whatever, the artist would go on working just the same
23、; his actual,reward, in fact, is often so little that he almost starves. But suppose a garment (服装 ) worker got nothing for his labor: Would he go on working just the same? Can one imagine his submitting voluntarily to hardship and sore want that he might express his soul in 200 more pairs of ladies
24、 pants? 2 What kind of social phenomenon was described in the silent film What Shall We Do With Our Old? （ A） Younger workers faced serious unemployment situation. （ B） The elderly people were suffering from great pressures. （ C） The elderly people retired at an earlier age. （ D） The old wife and hu
25、sband lived a happy life. 3 What did the social activist Griffith call for? （ A） A better social insurance system. （ B） A lower unemployment rate. （ C） A stricter law system. （ D） A higher rate of economic development. 4 According to the National Retirement Risk Index, how many people at 65 are like
26、ly to have insufficient retirement income? （ A） 44 percent. （ B） 43 percent. （ C） 51 percent. （ D） 7 percent. 5 Why does the famous Beatles song “When Im Sixty-four“ have to be made an adjustment? （ A） Aging workforce lives longer than ever before. （ B） Average life expectancy becomes shorter now. （
27、 C） Beatles songs are not popular now. （ D） Many elderly people retire before 64 now. 6 Due to the trend of longer employment more and more people_. （ A） may save much more money （ B） will live much longer （ C） will live a much happier life （ D） have to change the rhythm of their lives 7 Why will gr
28、eat pressure to accommodate elderly workers appear? （ A） Because the government will not have sufficient funds to support it. （ B） Because younger workers will be reluctant to support it. （ C） Because most elderly workers will face great financial pressure. （ D） Because companies are willing to prov
29、ide jobs for aging workforce. 8 What can be inferred from Christine Fahlunds words? （ A） A paycheck occupies 15 percent in all the living expenses. （ B） Elderly workers earn much money from part-time jobs. （ C） Elderly workers have to keep their living standards with retirement pension. （ D） Paychec
30、k plays a more important role in keeping living standards than retirement pension. 9 To our surprise, aging workers who have to work for a paycheck may become_. 10 When people are getting older, most of them probably hope to work for_. 11 According to H. L. Mencken, for hard-working workers the most
31、 important factor leading to their health problems is_. 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 spoke
32、n only once. After each question 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） Put in another one dollar. （ B） Strike the machine. （ C） Concentrate on the work. （ D） Eat something before work. （ A） Go to the mu
33、sic shop with the woman. （ B） Borrow some money from the woman. （ C） Lend some money to the woman. （ D） Buy some CDs for the woman. （ A） The woman bought a cheap TV. （ B） The woman won the lottery. （ C） The woman paid more for the TV. （ D） 200 dollars is a big deal for the woman. （ A） The animals in
34、 the next door. （ B） The weather today. （ C） The temperature in the room. （ D） The new refrigerator. （ A） The working hours are too long for him. （ B） He isnt satisfied with the salary. （ C） The working place is far from his home. （ D） He doesnt like his boss. （ A） He needs more sleep because he is
35、exhausted. （ B） He seldom disturbs the womans sleep. （ C） He has sleep problems all the time. （ D） He looks like a big elephant in shape. （ A） He is under a lot of stress lately. （ B） He cant concentrate on the work. （ C） He needs the womans help. （ D） He wants to quit the job. （ A） Choose a kind of
36、 jelly. （ B） Refuse these jellies. （ C） Choose some fruits. （ D） Invite the man to have dinner. （ A） Making a saving plan. （ B） Setting up a bank account. （ C） Setting clear investing goals. （ D） Making clear why to invest. （ A） The different kinds of investments. （ B） The importance of investments.
37、 （ C） The risks of the products and their potential rewards. （ D） The sum of investments. （ A） It is a good place to invest in. （ B） It has up times as well as down times. （ C） It can assure us great benefit. （ D） It has more up times than down times. （ A） It is a period of time for people to bridge
38、 their cultural gap. （ B） It is typically taken by students between high school and college. （ C） It is for students to fill in what they havent learned in school. （ D） It lasts a full year but can be taken at any age. （ A） Defer their admittance. （ B） Apply after their gap year. （ C） Write to the c
39、ollege supervisor. （ D） Outline what they are interested in. （ A） His first application will not be re-evaluated. （ B） He will have to re-apply the following year. （ C） His familys financial condition will not be considered. （ D） His qualification will be kept until he comes back. （ A） International
40、 programs that save parents money. （ B） Domestic programs that charge little or no fees. （ C） Programs offering free housing and food in return for volunteer work. （ D） AmeriCorps with health care benefits, living expenses and $ 5 350. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short pas
41、sages. 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） By employing more and more salesmen. （ B） By customers introductio
42、n and recommendation. （ C） By the advertisements on TV. newspapers and websites. （ D） By calling the potential customers directly. （ A） More information can be put on websites. （ B） It is more flexible and attractive. （ C） The information can spread more quickly. （ D） It saves people much money to a
43、dvertise on websites. （ A） By visiting potential customers websites constantly. （ B） By posting messages on potential customers Facebook wall. （ C） By responding potential customers complains online. （ D） By using account to put out business information constantly. （ A） It can save people a lot of m
44、oney and time. （ B） It will improve our quality of daily life. （ C） It offers convenience and saves our strength. （ D） It is safer and more convenient. （ A） We dont know whom we make a transaction with. （ B） We dont know the sellers reputation and personality. （ C） We cant identify whether the goods
45、 are real or not. （ D） We dont know whether a credit card can be used or not. （ A） Receiving fake goods. （ B） Losing the goods we ordered. （ C） Delaying the delivery. （ D） Being overcharged. （ A） Appear more feminine. （ B） Exhibit more male traits. （ C） Try to be unique. （ D） Sacrifice their family.
46、 （ A） Women cant always get the desirable jobs. （ B） Women with assertiveness are less likeable at work. （ C） Men own more highly-prized traits compared with women. （ D） We should change the attitude toward men and women. （ A） The bank has a tendency to choose men as their employees. （ B） CV is impo
47、rtant for most of the university students. （ C） Women should be less aggressive while hunting jobs. （ D） Women get less chance than men in some jobs. （ A） They should know the world isnt absolute. （ B） They should control their behaviors consciously. （ C） They should learn some working skills from m
48、en. （ D） They should try changing their personality. 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 th
49、e blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the 36 Living standards have soared during the 21st century, and economists expect them to continue rising in the decades ahead. Does that mean that we humans can look forward to 【 B1】 _ happiness? Not necessarily, Richard, an economist a
