1、大学英语六级模拟试卷 616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 Private Cars or Public Transportation? You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below. 1有人喜欢开私家车出行 2有人则选择坐公交、地铁等出行 3我的选择 Private Cars or Public Trans
2、portation? 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 information given
3、 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 Some Notes on Gender-Neutral Language General The practice of assigning masculine gender to neutral terms comes from the fact that every
4、 language reflects the prejudices of the society in which it evolved, and English evolved through most of its history in a male-centered, patriarchal society. Like any other language, however, English is always changing. One only has to read aloud sentences from the 19th century hooks assigned for t
5、his class to sense the shifts that have occurred in the last 150 years. When readers pick up something to read, they expect different conventions depending on the time in which the material was written. As writers in 1995, we need to be not only aware of the conventions that our readers may expect,
6、but also conscious of the responses our words may elicit. In addition, we need to know how the shifting nature of language can make certain words awkward or misleading. “Man“ Man once was a truly generic word referring to all humans, but has gradually narrowed in meaning to become a word that refers
7、 to adult male human beings. Anglo-Saxons used the word to refer to all people. One example of this occurs when an Anglo-Saxon writer refers to a seventh-century English princess as “a wonderful man“. Man paralleled the Latin word homo, “a member of the human species.“ not vir, “an adult male of the
8、 species.“ The Old English word for adult male was waepman and the old English word for adult woman was wifman. In the course of time, wifman evolved into the word “woman.“ “Man“ eventually ceased to be used to refer to individual women and replaced waepman as a specific term distinguishing an adult
9、 male from an adult female. But man continued to be used in generalizations about both sexes. By the 18th century, the modern, narrow sense of man was firmly established as the predominant one. When Edmund Burke, writing of the French Revolution, used men in the old, inclusive way, he took pains to
10、spell out his meaning: “Such a deplorable havoc is made in the minds of men (both sexes) in France.“ Thomas Jefferson did not make the same distinction in declaring that “all men are created equal“ and “governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed
11、.“ In a time when women, having no vote, could neither give nor withhold consent, Jefferson had to be using the word men in its principal sense of “males,“ and it probably never occurred to him that anyone would think otherwise. Looking at modern dictionaries indicate that the definition that links
12、“man with males is the predominant one. Studies of college students and school children indicate that even when the broad definitions of “msn“ and “men“ are taught, they tend to conjure up images of male people only. We would never use the sentence “A girl grows up to be a man,“ because we assume th
13、e narrower definition of the word man. The Pronoun Problem The first grammars of modern English were written in the 16th and 17th centuries. They were mainly intended to help boys from upper class families prepare for the study of Latin, a language most scholars considered superior to English. The m
14、ale authors of these earliest English grammars wrote for male readers in an age when few women were literate. The masculine-gender pronouns(代词 ) did not reflect a belief that masculine pronouns could refer to both sexes. The grammars of this period contain no indication that masculine pronouns were
15、sex-inclusive when used in general references. Instead these pronouns reflected the reality of male cultural dominance and the male-centered world view that resulted. “He“ started to be used as a generic pronoun by grammarians who were trying to change a long-established tradition of using “they“ as
16、 a singular pronoun. In 1850 an Act of Parliament gave official sanction(批准 )to the recently invented concept of the “generic“ he. In the language used in acts of Parliament, the new law said, “words importing the masculine gender shall be deemed and taken to include females.“ Although similar langu
17、age in contracts and other legal documents subsequently helped reinforce this grammatical edict in all English-speaking countries, it was often conveniently ignored. In 1879, for example, a move to admit female physicians to the all-male Massachusetts Medical Society was effectively blocked on the g
18、rounds that the societys by-laws describing membership used the pronoun he. Just as “man“ is not truly generic in the 1990s, “he“ is not a true generic pronoun. Studies have confirmed that most people understand “he“ to refer to men only. Sentences like “A doctor is a busy person; he must be able to
19、 balance a million obligations at once“ imply that all doctors are men. As a result of the fact that “he“ is read by many as a masculine pronoun, many people, especially women, have come to feel that the generic pronouns excludes women. This means that more and more people find the use of such a pro
20、noun problematic. Solving the Pronoun Problem They as a Singular -Most people, when writing and speaking informally, rely on singular they as a matter of course: “If you love someone, set them free“ (Sting). If you pay attention to your own speech, youll probably catch yourself using the same constr
21、uction yourself. “Its enough to drive anyone out of their senses“ (George Bernard Shaw). “I shouldnt like to punish anyone, even ii theyd done me wrong“ (George Eliot). Some people are annoyed by the incorrect grammar that this solution necessitates, but this construction is used more and more frequ
22、ently. He or She-Despite the charge of clumsiness, double-pronoun constructions have made a comeback: “To be black in this country is simply too pervasive an experience for any writer to omit from her or his work,“ wrote Samuel R. Delany. Overuse of this solution can be awkward, however. Pluralizing
23、-A writer can often recast material in the plural. For instance, instead of “As he advances in his program, the medical student has increasing opportunities for clinical work,“ try “As they advance in their program, medical students have increasing opportunities for clinical work“ Eliminating Pronou
24、ns-Avoid having to use pronouns at all; instead of “a first grader can feed and dress himself,“ you could write, “a first grader can eat find get dressed without assistance.“ Further Alternatives-he she or s/he, using one instead of he, or using a new generic pronoun (thon, co, E, try, hash, hit). 2
25、 “Man“ could be used to refer to female human being in the past. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 In “all men are created equal“ in Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson, the word “men“ refer to both males and females whether they have vote right or not. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 In 1879, Massachuset
26、ts Medical Society refused to admit more than ten female physicians because the societys by-laws describing membership used the pronoun he. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 The first grammars of modern English were written in order to help boys from the upper class prepare for the study of Latin. （ A） Y （ B）
27、 N （ C） NG 6 “Man“ paralleled the Latin word “homo“ which means _. 7 Studies show that even when students are taught the broad definition of “man“ and “men“, they think of _. 8 Grammarians started to use “he“ as a generic pronoun because they were trying to change a tradition of using “they“ as _. 9
28、 When most people read the word “he“, they would understand it to rater to _. 10 Although some people are annoyed by _ of singular they, this construction is used more and more frequently to solve the pronoun problem. 11 Another way of solving the pronoun problem is to use _ instead of the singular.
29、 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 pause.
30、 During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. （ A） In Professor Carters office. （ B） In a university store. （ C） In a publishers office. （ D） In a shipping company office. （ A） He doesnt know when her classes started. （ B） He doubts she
31、makes much money now. （ C） Hes surprised she chose that agency. （ D） He wonders why shes keeping her job. （ A） John can share the magazine with her. （ B） She wants to borrow Johns card. （ C） Shell let John use the journal first. （ D） John should find another copy for himself. （ A） She promised to he
32、lp the man. （ B） She came a long way to meet the man. （ C） She took the man to where he wanted to go. （ D） She suggested a way out of the difficulty for the man. （ A） The train seldom arrives on time. （ B） The schedule has been misprinted. （ C） The speakers arrived at the station late. （ D） The comp
33、any has trouble printing a schedule. （ A） To find a better science journal in the library. （ B） Not to miss any chance to collect useful information. （ C） To buy the latest issue of the magazine. （ D） Not to subscribe to the journal. （ A） She wants to borrow the mans student ID card. （ B） The ticket
34、s are less expensive than she expected. （ C） She wont be able to get any discount for the ticket. （ D） The performance turned out to be disappointing. （ A） Do the assignments towards the end of the semester. （ B） Quit the history course and choose another one instead. （ C） Drop one course and do it
35、next semester. （ D） Take courses with a lighter workload. （ A） Planning a sightseeing tour. （ B） Arranging his class schedule. （ C） Writing to an old friend in France. （ D） Looking through a French book. （ A） He plans to go to Canada on his own. （ B） He plans to take a short leave for Boston. （ C） H
36、e plans to leave Montreal to visit his uncle. （ D） He plans to run an engineering department in Rome （ A） Arrange for his credits transfer first. （ B） Think twice before he goes. （ C） Transfer his credits later on. （ D） Ask advice from Susan. （ A） Spending more hours on the Internet. （ B） Spending f
37、ewer hours on the Internet. （ C） The state of being on the Internet. （ D） Their brighter expectations not being met. （ A） The Net is healthier than TV. （ B） The Net is not healthy for people. （ C） The Net does not help with peoples communication. （ D） The Net does no good to peoples psychological we
38、ll-being. （ A） They stay at home longer than before. （ B） They have more friends on the Internet. （ C） They give too much time to the Internet. （ D） They have less face-to-face conversations than before. （ A） The fast-developing technology. （ B） The people who design different applications. （ C） The
39、 way how people make use of the Internet. （ D） The increasing information and communication via the Net. Section B Directions: In this section, you will 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
40、 you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） He made a novel CV to attract the employers. （ B） He posted a large number of CVs on the net. （ C） He recommended himself door to door. （ D） He put an advertisement on newspapers. （ A） He had poor
41、performance in interview. （ B） He had no working experience at all. （ C） He was lack of communicative skills. （ D） He was a man who complained frequently. （ A） The speaker gave up the last opportunity. （ B） The speaker finally managed to get the job. （ C） The speaker had to keep on looking for jobs.
42、 （ D） The speaker beat the program director. （ A） The chairperson elected by the members of the committee. （ B） One of the representatives who are in charge of the great graduation ceremony. （ C） The chairperson elected by the representatives of different departments. （ D） The person who is in charg
43、e of organizing the graduation ceremony every year; （ A） Because she has a lot of things to do to have the ceremony. （ B） Because she wants to express her gratitude to the representatives. （ C） Because she wants to get some immediate help from these persons. （ D） Because she wants to know what work
44、each representative can do. （ A） It requires a great deal of time. （ B） It requires the spirit of dedication. （ C） It requires the spirit of cooperation. （ D） It requires all the representatives to write down their names and telephone numbers. （ A） A comparison of fish as a cold-blooded animal with
45、warm-blooded animals. （ B） The difference between water animals and land animals. （ C） The importance of fish to human beings. （ D） How water has affected the development of fish. （ A） It cant be compressed. （ B） Its often polluted. （ C） Its temperature often fluctuates. （ D） It limits their size. （
46、 A） A whale. （ B） A snail. （ C） A snake. （ D） A human. （ A） Its skeleton. （ B） Its shape. （ C） Its senses. （ D） Its body temperature. 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 i
47、dea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the 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 h
48、ave just heard or write down the 36 Although Beethoven could sit down and compose easily, his really great compositions did not come easily at all. They cost him a great deal of hard work and he always found it hard to satisfy himself. When he was 28, he began to notice a strange noise in his ears.
49、As it grew worse, he went to see doctors, and was told that he was going deaf. This was too much for any【 B1】 _ to bear. 13eathoven was in【 B2】 _ ; he was sure that he was going to die. He went to the countryside where he wrote a long【 B3】 _ letter to his brothers,【 B4】 _ how sad and lonely his deafness made him. He【 B5】 _ to die, and said to death, “Come when you will, I shall meet you bravely.“ In fact, Beethoven did something braver than dying. He【 B6】 _ his cou
