2013年12月英语六级真题(含答案共3套)

2013年12月大学英语六级考试真题（第1套）

Section C

Directions:There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by 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 and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. Passage One

Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.

Among the government’s most interesting reports is one that estimates what parents spend on their children. Not surprisingly, the costs are steep. For a middle-class, husband-and-wife family (average pretax income in 2009: $76,250), spending per child is about $12,000 a year. With inflation the family’s spending on a child will total $286,050 by age 17.

The dry statistics ought to inform the ongoing deficit debate, because a budget is not just a catalog of programs and taxes. It reflects a society’s priorities and values. Our society does not— despite rhetoric(说辞) to the contrary—put much value on raising children. Present budget policies tax parents heavily to support the elderly. Meanwhile, tax breaks for children are modest. If deficit reduction aggravates these biases, more Americans may choose not to have children or to have fewer children. Down that path lies economic decline.

Societies that cannot replace their populations discourage investment and innovation. They have stagnant (萧条的) or shrinking markets for goods and services. With older populations, theyresist change. To stabilize its population—discounting immigration—women must have an average of two children. That’s a fertility rate of 2.0.Many countries with struggling economies are well below that.

Though having a child is a deeply personal decision, it’s shaped by culture, religion, economics, and government policy. “No one has a good answer” asto why fertility varies among countries, says sociologist Andrew Cherlin of The Johns Hopkins University. Eroding religious belief in Europe may partly explain lowered birthrates. In Japan young women may be rebelling against their mothers’ isolated lives of child rearing. General optimism and pessimism count. Hopefulness fueled America’s baby boom. After the Soviet Union’s collapse, says Cherlin, “anxiety for the future” depressed birthrates in Russiaand Eastern Europe.

In poor societies, people have children to improve their economic well-being by increasing the number of family workers and providing supports for parents in their old age. In wealthy societies, the logic often reverses. Government now supports the elderly, diminishing the need for children. By some studies, the safety nets for retirees have reduced fertility rates by 0.5 children in the United States and almost 1.0 in Western Europe, reports economist Robert Stein in the journal National Affairs. Similarly, some couples don’t have children because they don’t want to sacrifice their own lifestyles to the lime and expense of a family.

Young Americans already face a bleak labor market that cannot instill (注入) confidence about having children. Piling on higher taxes won’t help, “If higher taxes make it more expensive to raise children,” says Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute, “people will think

twice about having another child.” That seems like common sense, despite the multiple influences on becoming parents.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

56. What do we learn from the government report? A) Inflation increases families’ expenses. B) Raising children is getting expensive. C) Budget reduction in around the corner. D) Average family expenditure is increasing.

57. What is said to be the consequence of a shrinking population? A) Weakened national strength. C) Economic downturn. B) Increased immigration. D) Social instability. 58. What accounted for America’s baby boom? A) Optimism for the future. C) Religious beliefs. B) Improved living conditions. D) Economic prosperity. 59. Why do people in wealthy countries prefer to have fewer children? A) They want to further improve their economic well-being. B) They cannot afford the time and expenses of rearing children. C) They are concerned about the future of the coming generation. D) They don’t rely on their children to support them in old age. 60. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A) To instill confidence in the young about raising children. B) To advise couples to think twice before having children. C) To encourage the young to take care of the elderly. D) To appeal for tax reduction for raising children.

Passage Two

Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.

Space exploration has always been the province of dreamers: The human imagination readily soars where human ingenuity (创造力)struggles to follow. A Voyage to the Moon,often cited as the first science fiction story, was written by Cyrano de Bergerac in 1649. Cyrano was dead and buried for a good three centuries before the first manned rockets started to fly.

In 1961, when President Kennedy declared that America would send a man to the moon by the decade’s end, those words, too, had a dreamlike quality. They resonated(共鸣) with optimism and ambition in much the same way as the most famous dream speech of all, delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. two years later. By the end of the decade, both visions had yielded concrete results and transformed American society. And yet in many ways the two dreams ended up at odds with each other. The fight for racial and economic equality is intensely pragmatic (讲求实用的) and immediate in its impact. The urge to explore space is just the opposite. It is figuratively and literally otherworldly in its aims.

When the dust settled, the space dreamers lost out. There was no grand follow-up to the Apollo missions. The technologically compromised space shuttle program has just come to an end, with no successor. The perpetual argument is that funds are tight, that we have more pressing problems here on Earth. Amid the current concerns about the federal deficit, reaching toward the

stars seems a dispensable luxury—as if saving one-thousandth of a single year’s budget would solve our problems.

But human ingenuity struggles on. NASA is developing a series of robotic probes that will get the most bang from a buck. They will serve as modem Magellans, mapping out the solar system for whatever explorers follow, whether man or machine. On the flip side, companies like Virgin Galactic are plotting a bottom-up assault on the space dream by making it a reality to the public. Private spaceflight could lie within reach of rich civilians in a few years. Another decade or two and it could go mainstream.

The space dreamers end up benefiting all of us—not just because of the way they expand human knowledge, or because of the spin-off technologies they produce, but because the two types of dreams feed off each other. Both Martin Luther King and John Kennedy appealed to the idea that humans can transcend what were once considered inherent limitations. Today we face seeming challenges in energy, the environment, health care. Tomorrow we will transcend these as well, and the dreamers will deserve a lot of the credit. The more evidence we collect that our species is capable of greatness, the more we will actually achieve it. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

61. The author mentions Cyrano de Bergerac in order to show that_________. A) imagination is the mother of invention

B) ingenuity is essential for science fiction writers C) it takes patience for humans to realize their dreams D) dreamers have always been interested in science fiction

62. How did the general public view Kennedy’s space exploration plan? A) It symbolized the American spirit. B) It was as urgent as racial equality. C) It sounded very much like a dream. D) It made an ancient dream come true.

63. What does the author say about America’s aim to explore space? A) It may not bring about immediate economic gains. B) It cannot be realized without technological innovation.

C) It will not help the realization of racial and economic equality.

D) It cannot be achieved without a good knowledge of the other worlds. 64. What is the author’s attitude toward space programs? A) Critical. C) Unbiased. B) Reserved. D) Supportive.

65. What does the author think of the problems facing human beings? A) They pose a serious challenge to future human existence. B) They can be solved sooner or later with human ingenuity.

C) Their solutions need joint efforts of the public and privatesectors. D) They can only be solved by people with optimism andambition.

56~60 BCADD61~65 ACADB

2013年12月大学英语六级考试真题（第2套）

Section C Passage One

Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.

There was a time not long ago when new science Ph.D.s in the United States were expected to pursue a career path in academia (学术界).But today, most graduates end up working outside academia, not only in industry but also in careers such as science policy, communications, and patent law. Partly this is a result of how bleak the academic job market is, but there's also a rising awareness of career options that Ph.D. scientists haven't trained for directly—but for which they have useful knowledge, skills, and experience. Still, there's a huge disconnect between the way we currently train scientists and the actual employment opportunities available for them, and an urgent need for dramatic improvements in training programs to help close the gap. One critical step that could help to drive change would be to require Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scientists to follow an individual development plan (IDP).

In 2002 the U.S. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology recommended that every postdoctoral researcher put together an IDP m consultation with an adviser. Since then, several academic institutions have begun to require IDPsforpostdocs And in June, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Biomedical Research Workforce Working Group recommended that the NIH require IDPs for the approximately 32,000 postdoctoral researchers they support.Other funding agencies, public and private, are moving in a similar direction.

IDPs have long been used by government agencies and the private sector to achieve specificgoals for the employee and the organization. The aim is to ensure that employees have an explicittool to help them understand their own abilities and aspirations, determine career possibilities, and set (usually short-term) goals. In science, graduate students and new Ph.D. scientists can use an IDP to identify and navigate an effective career path.

Afree Web application for this purpose, called my IDF.has become available this week. It's designed to guide early-career scientists through a confidential, rigorous process of introspection (内省)to create a customized career plan. Guided by expert knowledge from a panel of science-focused career advisers, each trainee’s self-assessment is used to rank a set of career trajectories(轨迹). After the user has identified a long-term career goal.my IDP walks her or him through the process of setting short-term goals directed toward accumulating new skills and experiences important for that career choice.

Although surveys reveal the IDP process to be useful, trainees report a need for additional resources to help them identify a long-term career path and complete an IDP. Thus, myIDP will be most effective when it’s embedded in larger career-development efforts. For example, universities could incorporate IDPs into their graduate curricula to help students discuss, plan, prepare for, and achieve their long-term career goals.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

56. What do we learn about new science Ph.D.s in the United States today? A) They lack the skills and expertise needed for their jobs. B) They can choose from a wider range of well-paying jobs. C) They often have to seek jobs outside the academic circle.

D) They are regarded as the nation’s driving force of change. 57. What does the author say about America’s Ph.D. training? A) It should be improved to better suit the job market. B) It is closely linked to future career requirements. C) It should be re-oriented to careers outside academia. D) It includes a great variety of practical courses.

58. What was recommended for Ph.D.s and postdoctoral researchers? A) They meet the urgent needs of the corporate world. B) A long-term career goal be set as early as possible. C) An IDP be made in consultation with an adviser. D) They acquire an explicit tool to help obtain jobs.

59. Government agencies and the private sector often use IDPs to __________. A) bring into full play the skills and expertise of their postdoctoral researchers B) help employees make the best use of their abilities to achieve their career goals C) place employees in the most appropriate positions D) hire the most suitable candidates to work for them 60. What do we know about my IDP?

A) It is an effective tool of self-assessment and introspection for better career plans. B) It enables people to look into various possibilities and choose the career they love. C) It promises a long-term career path. D) It is part of the graduate curricula.

Passage Two

Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.

Just over a decade into the 21st century, women’s progress can be celebrated across a range of fields. They hold the highest political offices from Thailand to Brazil, Costa Rica to Australia. A woman holds the top spot at the International Monetary Fund; another won the Nobel Prize in economics. Self-made billionaires in Beijing, tech innovators in Silicon Valley, pioneering justices in Ghana—in these and countless other areas, women are leaving their mark.

But hold the applause. In Saudi Arabia, women aren’t allowed to drive. In Pakistan, 1,000women die in honor killings every year. In the developed world, women lag behind men in pay and political power. The poverty rate among women in the U.S. rose to 14.5% last year.

To measure the state of women’s progress. Newsweek ranked 165 countries, looking at five areas that affect women’s lives; treatment under the law, workforce participation, political power, and access to education and health care. Analyzing data from the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, among others, and consulting with experts and academics, we measured 28 factors to come up with our rankings.

Countries with the highest scores tend to be clustered in the West, where gender discrimination is against the law, and equal rights are constitutionally enshrined(神圣化). But there were some surprises. Some otherwise high-ranking countries had relatively low scores for political representation. Canada ranked third overall but 26th in power, behind countries such as Cuba and Burundi. Does this suggest that a woman in a nation’s top office translates to better lives for women in general? Not exactly.“Trying to quantify or measure the impact of women in politics is

by irrelevant information and forget their original plan. Besides, some information often turns out to be useless and actually advertisement. Therefore, it can be time-consuming and troublesome to search information online.

Then what we can do to avoid being distracted by irrelevant information? Here I have some useful tips: Firstly, make a list of what you really want before your searching. This will help you to refuse some appealing, yet irrelevant information. Secondly, find some trustful and professional sources or websites and then save and categorize them. In this case, you can easily leave some ads and useless information behind.

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the remark “the greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.” You can give examples to illustrate your point and then explain what you will do to make your life more meaningful. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words. How to Live a Meaning Life

Among all the highlighted topics, there is “how to live a meaning life?” Everyone has his or her own opinion. As the saying has it, “the greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.” I cannot agree any more.

If our life is just to pursue something for ourselves, we will surely feel fruitless and meaningless when we grow old. From Steve Jobs’s bibliography, we can get that the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do. Steve Jobs has brought a great many changes to our world. His life, although short, definitely outlast. That’s a life worth living.

Therefore, if there is a way to make my life meaningful, it should be to find something I’m interested in and also helpful to others or the whole society. Only in this way can I keep my passion throughout my life until I finally fulfill my life.

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