1、大学英语六级模拟试卷 816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 Art Education Courses in Colleges. You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below: 1有些高校为学生开设了艺术教育课 2有人认为这有利于学生素质的提高，有人则认为会影响学生学习专业课 3我的观点 Art Educat
2、ion Courses in Colleges 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 The Case Against Retirement Ah, retirement! Before the 1950s, it was something only the wealthy could afford to do. Everyon
4、e 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 Do With Our Old? Its a sad
5、 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 social reformist dream beca
6、me 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 Coming Surveys show that a majority of baby boomers say they want
7、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 courser like all social and economic shifts, the trend isnt new. It has been building for the past three decades with the move away from traditional pension
8、s 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 morea lot more. For workers nearing their retirement years, the median balance was a mere $78 000 in
9、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 both the decline in financial
10、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, and the situation seems even w
11、orse 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 in 1935 when Social Security b
12、ecame 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 and knowledge businesses is far
13、 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 opportunities. Nevertheless, its a so
14、cial 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 the demand for old age insurance
15、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 from 15 percent of paycheck to 2
16、5 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. “You meet them with your paycheck
17、.“ 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 retiring, he continues to work and s
18、ocks 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 full-time to get a return from
19、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 meet, work is physically and mental
20、ly 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 likely that youll want to move on
21、 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, this may all seems like the social e
22、quivalent 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; his actual reward, in fact, is
23、 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 pants? 2 What kind of social phe
24、nomenon 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 husband lived a happy life. 3 What
25、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 likely to have insufficient retiremen
26、t 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. （ C） Beatles songs are not popular
27、 now. （ D） Many elderly people retire before64 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 great pressure to accommodate elderl
28、y 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 provide jobs for aging workforce. 8 Wh
29、at 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） Paycheck plays a more important role in k
30、eeping 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 important factor leading to their
31、 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 spoken only once. After each question t
32、here 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） Celebrity worship. （ B） Obsession with psychology. （ C） A world of justice. （ D） Favorite nail polish colour. （ A） Prof. Steve deserves the title “expert on media. “
33、 （ B） Prof. Steve has been to the lecture personally. （ C） She agrees with some of Prof. Steves opinions. （ D） The lecture seems like a war between traditional and modern readers. （ A） The doctor is just joking. （ B） The man should listen to the doctors advice. （ C） Traditional medicine can cure the
34、 cold. （ D） Drinking lots of water certainly helps the man. （ A） She is an interior designer. （ B） She is planning to decorate her house. （ C） Shed like to design by herself. （ D） She designed the house for the man. （ A） Taking a picture of the woman. （ B） Adjusting the flash. （ C） Figuring out the
35、quality of the camera. （ D） Checking the light. （ A） Change her hairstyle. （ B） Change her attitude toward new things. （ C） Get the fears out of her mind. （ D） Try a virtual makeover on the Internet. （ A） She shouldnt complain about caring for her mom. （ B） Its her brothers responsibility to take ca
36、re of their mom. （ C） A senior day care program or home assistance may help. （ D） Financial help is badly needed to send her mom to hospital. （ A） Tell her that the doctor refuses to talk with her. （ B） Apologize to her and ask for her forgiveness. （ C） Tell her that she is intruding on his privacy.
37、 （ D） Say nothing more and leave her alone. （ A） The surging college cost. （ B） The record of college students. （ C） The reasons for going to famous colleges. （ D） Governments role in college education. （ A） Less students want to go to college. （ B） Federal and state governments offer less support.
38、（ C） The cost of living is higher than ever before. （ D） College students waste much money on useless items. （ A） Students are becoming more realistic about their future. （ B） Congress has promised to endow more money to these families. （ C） Some colleges have increased their financial aid to studen
39、ts. （ D） Higher degrees in expensive colleges will help them pay the debt. （ A） They think highly of the man. （ B） They will get on well with the man. （ C） They will like their new job. （ D） They will soon like the man. （ A） It improves his skiing skills. （ B） It gives him an opportunity to make fri
40、ends. （ C） It provides him a chance to stay outdoors. （ D） It helps him keep in great shape. （ A） To make the skiers satisfied. （ B） To make sure the skiers are safe. （ C） To help skiers improve their physical conditions. （ D） To check the identification of the skiers. （ A） His role as a new trainer
41、. （ B） His excellent figure. （ C） His ability to help the skiers. （ D） His interpersonal skills. 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 you hea
42、r a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） They were born to be pale. （ B） They wanted to be different from the peasants. （ C） They did not like traveling in sunny countries. （ D） They thought light color was the color of health. （ A） The peasants.
43、 （ B） The students. （ C） Wealthy people. （ D） Poor workers. （ A） The wish to be tanned quickly. （ B） The advancement of technology. （ C） The need of normal people. （ D） The cure of a kind of skin disease. （ A） The weather. （ B） The cultures. （ C） The customs. （ D） The family member. （ A） Controlling
44、 ones anger. （ B） Holding ones emotion. （ C） Arguing fiercely. （ D） Keeping politeness. （ A） Americans think the community is more important. （ B） People in Eastern Asia value their national interest. （ C） Americans like traveling around the world. （ D） Eastern Asians prefer to run business at home.
45、 （ A） They came from poor families. （ B） They had bad behaviors. （ C） They cant speak Spanish. （ D） They had lower IQ. （ A） Have the strong will to succeed. （ B） Listen to their parents and teachers. （ C） Believe in themselves. （ D） Get rid of their bad habits. （ A） It is the final exam for high sch
46、ool students. （ B） It is a national math contest for teenagers. （ C） It is a program set to help the poor students. （ D） It is set for college-level students. （ A） They gave similar answers to the test papers. （ B） They had some suspicious behaviors. （ C） They suffered from discrimination. （ D） They
47、 were not well educated. 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 the blanks numbered from 36 to
48、 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 expe
49、ct 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 at the University of Southern California, in his new book says that richer people are more likely to 【 B2】 _ themselves as being happy than poorer people are. But steady 【 B3】 _ in the American economy have not been 【 B4】 _ by steady and continuous increases in most peoples 【 B5】 _of their own happiness. There has been
