1、大学英语六级（阅读）模拟试卷 22及答案与解析 一、 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
2、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. 0 Rise of Civilizations and Empires Historians often write of world history in terms of the development of civilizations defi
3、ned by a characteristic empire. What defines an empire and what does the building of empire suggested? The regions of Mesopotamia, Egypt(the Nile Valley), and the Indus Valley are three rich areas for studying how people and ideas come together to create civilizations and empires. Imagine three spac
4、es that are sparsely populated, yet well watered and fertile, in a time before written history. Two are river valleys, another lies between two rivers forming a rich plain. Imagine that humans settle in these regions and domesticate plants and animals. The domestication made possible by these river
5、territories and the success of that domestication farming and grazing lure increasingly greater human and animal migration to these spaces. As these populations increase, so do their needs. These needs give rise to the social and political economic formations that characterize the ancient urban spac
6、es and states of Mesopotamia, the Indus and Nile valleys. Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Indus Valley civilizations are noted for their dense populations, urbanization processes, and cultural innovation. These elements are tied to the growth of commerce and broader cultural interaction. That is, as emp
7、ires these civilizations can be thought of as collections of peoples, goods, and ideas whose existence and dynamism were built on movement and exchange. The initial formation of these civilizations is based on the movement of peoples into the river valleys and plains. They often described their envi
8、ronments as god-like and characterized their nearby rivers as life-giving. The transformation of these valleys and plains into places capable of physically nurturing the various peoples who moved into them was one of the first acts of cultural innovation and exchange. The use of these valleys soil a
9、nd water was signs of innovation and exchange. For the Mesopotamians, the key to making the land fertile was the technology of irrigation. In fact, irrigation became the key feature of the civilization. As a result of the need for irrigation, religious and legal codes in many Mesopotamian societies
10、focused on water use. Egypt and the Nile Valley civilizations were defined by the rich alluvial soils(冲击土 )that annual floods deposited along the Nile banks and in the delta and flood plains. The use of water and the timing of flood seasons gave rise to a number of technological innovations, such as
11、 the calendar. These cultural and technological innovations also guaranteed the growth of large populations and increased the possibility that some of those populations would be located in central urban centers. These societies agricultural and ecological technologies drew immigrants and travelers w
12、ho often brought foods and ideas that contributed to the culture of these civilizations. The ability of these areas to sustain population an ability that can be thought of as a richnessattracted more peoples. Some of these people entered the areas peaceably. Others used force to maintain or expand g
13、eographic and cultural spaces, indicating imperial activity. An interesting pattern emerging here in some urban centers was constructed to protect against invading forces, and seen in the walled settlements of the Indus Valley and early Mesopotamia. However, as much as these walled settlements repel
14、led invaders, they also attracted them. The river valleys and the plains, and their agricultural richness, supported the formation of cities. The cities became emblems of their respective empires and either allowed for the extension of the empire or resisted the threats of other powers. The historic
15、al activities of the Indus Valley, Mesopotamia, and Egypt indicate that various peoples moved in and out, contested the regions spaces, and sought to control other peoples, their goods and their resources. This interaction had profound consequences on how those involved thought about themselves and
16、each other. Their ideas were tested, challenged, and in many instances, changed. These regions cities probably were seen as symbols of wealth; therefore, groups in and outside of the region often sought to control them. Richness is understood as the populations ability to produce goods and services
17、in quantity not just agriculture, but skills such as metal working, pottery, or commerce. Thus, richness in population meant surpluses allowed the cities and the areas they controlled to support a ruling and administrative class, and maybe an army. Frequently, product surpluses were exchanged, provi
18、ding wealth for the area and drawing other peoples to it. The Indus Valley, Mesopotamia, and Egypt all experienced the results of a rich and productive population. New language patterns, such as the early substitution of the Akkadian tongue for Sumerian, demonstrate the innovations encouraged by mov
19、ement and exchange. The gathering of peoples, languages, and cultures was part of the creation of a world view, though, a limited one. By 700 BC, the extent of the Assyrian Empire literally limited it to the activities of the Egyptian quest for empire status. That linkage can be expressed as interac
20、tion and exchange. Diplomatic exchange as well as military struggle resolved conflict over the empires boundaries and areas of control. Marriage was a highly visible form of diplomacy and amounted to an exchange between ruling families that linked them politically and economically. These arrangement
21、s often resulted in the cessation of hostilities, greater regional stability, and greater economic exchange. Marriages across the ruling classes of these societies offer one way to conceptualize the world. Political marriages and royal hostages both provided for the sharing of culture across religio
22、us and ethnic divisions and differences that may well have contributed to humankinds history. Movement and interaction also are seen in the clash of armies, which may have meant technological and cultural innovation. For instance, many historians believe that the clash between the Hyksos and Egyptia
23、ns resulted in the exchange of important military innovations for the Egyptians. Through this conflict, the Egyptians discovered the advantages of iron weaponry over bronze and the superiority of the chariot(二轮战车 )as an assault weapon. Within the movement and exchange that epitomized(集中体现 )the Indus
24、, Meso-potamian, and Nile civilizations, rising empires imposed a stability that occasionally resulted in greater interaction between states and peoples because of the inherent security of the empire. The most striking example of this greater interaction is trade. Many scholars argue that the collec
25、tion of peoples in certain areas and changes in demographic(人口的 )concentration are related to patterns of trade. Urban growth can be explained by looking at the spaces where trade was possible and the ways in which that trade might have drawn together people and their goods or services. Those spaces
26、 necessitated some authority to provide order and security. The goods and security offered by these urban spaces lured the merchants not only to travel from place to place carrying goods and ideas but also often to become residents in distant places, establishing new communities within communities.
27、At times, some of these merchants served as ambassadors. They presented information that was important to maintaining good relations between their home societies and those they adopted through trade. We might select any of the remarkable points of these three areas and see them replicated in some fo
28、rm across the others. The reason for this replication, and its differences, reiterates(重申 )that the establishment of empires, and the civilizations they represented, was not the creation of discrete imperial space so much as a way of ordering interaction between possible discrete spaces. The structu
29、res of these civilizations these empires, states, cities did not stop the interaction and the flow of goods, people, and ideas. On the contrary, they encouraged it. That encouragement resulted in the earliest formations of what has been called the Afro-Eurasian Old World the interaction between the
30、Indus, Mesopotamian, and Nile river systems. 1 Which of the following is a remarkable feature of Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Indus Valley civilizations? （ A） Fertile soil and abundant water resources. （ B） Sparse population. （ C） Broader cultural interaction. （ D） Cultural innovation. 2 The three ci
31、vilizations mentioned initially formed on the base of_. （ A） the human migration to these spaces （ B） the technology of irrigation （ C） the transformation of these valleys and plains （ D） the use of these valleys soil and water 3 Due to the need for irrigation, in Mesopotamia_. （ A） most cultures of
32、 the societies focused on water use （ B） people invented the technology of irrigation （ C） many religious and legal codes centered on water use （ D） people planted their crops along the river 4 Which of the following indicates the emergence of imperial activity? （ A） Forced occupation of land. （ B）
33、Construction of walled settlements. （ C） Innovation of iron weaponry. （ D） The outbreak of war. 5 How should we understand the richness of these three civilizations according to the passage? （ A） It meant peoples ability to domesticate plants and animals. （ B） It meant peoples ability to produce too
34、ls. （ C） In population it meant the ability to raise a ruling class. （ D） In population it meant the ability to draw other peoples to the area. 6 Which of the following might result from political marriages in humankinds history? （ A） Termination of friendly relations. （ B） Greater regional richness
35、. （ C） Less economic exchanges. （ D） Sharing of different cultures. 7 The merchants of these three civilizations_. （ A） traveled a lot to maintain good relations with other societies （ B） might settle in someplace where they had been to （ C） were the ambassadors of their own countries （ D） ensured t
36、he security of the urban spaces 8 As a highly visible form of diplomacy, political marriage mainly happened between_. 9 Trade was possible in some areas and might have drawn together people and their goods or services because these areas provided necessary_ . 10 The interaction and the flow of goods
37、, people, and ideas_by the structure of these civilizations. Section A Directions: In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words. 10 Many parents who w
38、elcome the idea of turning off the TV and spending more time with the family are still worried that without TV they would constantly be on call as entertainers for their children. They remember thinking up all sorts of things to do when they were kids. But their kids seem different, less resourceful
39、, somehow. When theres nothing to do, these parents observe regretfully their kids seem unable to come up with anything to do besides turning on the TV. One father, for example, says, “When I was a kid, we were always thinking up things to do, projects and games. We certainly never complained in an
40、annoying way to our parents, I have nothing to do!“ He compares this with his own children today, “Theyre simply lazy. If someone doesnt entertain them, theyll happily sit there watching TV all day. “ There is one word for this fathers disappointment: unfair. It is as if he were disappointed in them
41、 for not reading Greek though they have never studied the language. He deplore his childrens lack of inventiveness, as if the ability to play were something innate that his children are missing. In fact, while the tendency to play is built into the human species, the actual ability to play to imagin
42、e, to invent, to elaborate on reality in a playful way and the ability to gain fulfillment from it, are skills that have to be learned and developed. Such disappointment, however, is not only unjust, it is also destructive. Sensing their parents disappointment, children come to believe that they are
43、, indeed, lacking something, and that this makes them less worthy of admiration and respect. Giving children the opportunity to develop new resources, to enlarge their horizons and discover the pleasures of doing things on their own is, on the other hand, a way to help children develop a confident f
44、eeling about themselves as capable and interesting people. 11 According to the passage, without TV, the children would like their parents to be_. 12 Many parents think that, instead of watching TV, their children should_. 13 What does the author think of blaming children for not being able to entert
45、ain themselves? 14 When parents show constant disappointment in their children, the destructive effect is that the children will_. 15 Developing childrens self-confidence helps make them think they are _ people. Section B Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by
46、some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice. 15 In 2002, environment ministers from around the world gathered in the Hague for a major summit on the Convention on Biological Diversity an international tre
47、aty designed to protect the worlds plants, forests and wildlife. With rainforests being clear-cut in tropical countries, endangered species nearing extinction around the world, and the seas steadily being fished out, the ministers agreed it was time to take action. In a declaration, they vowed to st
48、rengthen their efforts to put in place measures to halt biodiversity loss, which is taking place at an alarming rate by the year 2010. Fast forward to 2010, the international year of biodiversity things arent getting better. In fact, for wildlife around the world, theyre getting much, much worse. In
49、 a study published in Science, a team of scientists and environmentalists from around the world assessed the state of global biodiversity and found that it has been in steady decline. The study compiled more than 30 different indicators of biodiversity, including any changes in species population numbers and the extent of preserved habitat. In nearly every category, the news reveals biological depression. Despite our best intentions, we are leaving the planet poorer and less div
