大学英语六级改革适用(阅读)-试卷199

大学英语六级改革适用（阅读）-试卷199
(总分：60.00，做题时间：90分钟)
一、 Reading Comprehension(总题数：6，分数：60.00)
1.Part III Reading Comprehension（分数：10.00）
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解析：
2.Section C（分数：10.00）
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解析：
About the time that schools and others quite reasonably became interested in seeing to it that all children, whatever their background, were fairly treated, intelligence testing became unpopular. Some thought it was unfair to minority children. Through the past few decades such testing has gone out of fashion and many communities have indeed forbidden it. However, paradoxically, just recently a group of black parents filed lawsuit(诉讼)in California claiming that the state's ban on IQ testing discriminates against their children by denying them the opportunity to take the test(They believed, correctly, that IQ tests are a valid method of evaluating children for special education classes.)The judge, therefore, reversed, at least partially, his original decision. And so the argument goes on and on. Does it benefit or harm children from minority groups to have their intelligence tested? We have always been on the side of permitting, even facilitating, such testing. If a child of any color or group is doing poorly in school it seems to us very important to know whether it is because he or she is of low intelligence, or whether some other factor is the cause. What school and family can do to improve poor performance is influenced by its cause. It is not discriminative to evaluate either a child's physical condition or his intellectual level. Unfortunately, intellectual level seems to be a sensitive subject, and what the law allows us to do varies from time to time. The same fluctuation back and forth occurs in areas other than intelligence. Thirty years or so ago, for instance, white families were encouraged to adopt black children. It was considered discriminative not to do so. And then the style changed and this cross-racial adopting became generally unpopular, and social agencies felt that black children should go to black families only. It is hard to say what are the best procedures. But surely good will on the part of all of us is needed. As to intelligence, in our opinion, the more we know about any child's intellectual level, the better for the child in question.（分数：10.00）
(1).Why did the intelligence test become unpopular in the past few decades?（分数：2.00）
A.Its validity was challenged by many communities.
B.It was considered discriminative against minority children. √
C.It met with strong opposition from the majority of black parents.
D.It deprived the black children of their rights to a good education.
解析：解析：根据文章第2段“有些人认为智力测验对少数民族儿童不公平。

因此，在过去的几十年里，智力测验已不再流行，在有些社区甚至被禁止了”，这里的it指代前面的intelligence testing。

因此，B与文章所表达的意思一致。

(2).The recent legal action taken by some black parents in California aimed to_____.（分数：
2.00）
A.draw public attention to IQ testing
B.put an end to special education
C.remove the state's ban on intelligence tests √
D.have their children enter white schools
解析：解析：根据文章第3段第2句“最近，一群黑人父母提出诉讼，声称该州禁止智商测验剥夺了他们的孩子接受这种测验的机会，是对孩子的歧视”，由此可判断黑人父母要求取消对智力测试的禁令。

故此，应该选C。

(3).The author believes that intelligence testing _____.（分数：2.00）
A.may ease racial confrontation in the United States
B.can encourage black children to keep up with white children
C.may seriously aggravate racial discrimination in the United States
D.can help black parents make decisions about their children's education √
解析：解析：根据文章第4段末句和第5段首句“如果任何一种肤色的小孩在学校的成绩不好，弄清楚是由于他的智商低，还是由于其他原因引起的对我们来说似乎很重要；学校和家庭只有弄清楚孩子成绩不好的原因才能帮助孩子”，因此，应选D。

(4).The author's opinion of child adoption seems to be that _____.（分数：2.00）
A.no rules whatsoever can be prescribed √
B.white families should adopt black children
C.adoption should be based on IQ test results
D.cross-racial adoption is to be advocated
解析：解析：根据文章第7段末句“因此，很难说到底怎样才是最好的。

但肯定无疑的是，我们大家都需要有善意”，由此可推断，人们并不能制定某种规则来限制它，故此，A与文章的意思相符。

(5).Child adoption is mentioned in the passage to show that _____.（分数：2.00）
A.good will may sometimes complicate racial problems
B.social surroundings are vital to the healthy growth of children
C.intelligence testing also applies to non-academic areas
D.American opinion can shift when it comes to sensitive issues √
解析：解析：文章第6段前两句，作者提出“智商水平似乎是个敏感的问题。

法律允许我们不时改变观点。

在智商以外的其他领域也存在着这种来来回回不断变化的情况”，儿童收养问题只是作者举的一个例子，旨在说明在一些敏感问题上，人们的观点可以不断变化的情况。

故选D。

The desire for achievement is one of life's great mysteries. Social scientists have devoted lifetimes studying the drives that spur us out of bed in the morning, compel us to work or study hard and spark all manner of human endeavors. Indeed, a 1992 textbook actually documents 32 distinct theories of human motivation. Given this diversity of thought, it's easy to forget that for half a century, American society has been dominated by the psychological school known as behaviorism, or Skinnerian psychology. Although behaviorism and its fundamental principle of "positive reinforcement" have long since lost their sway in academic circles, the Skinnerian legacy remains powerful in every realm of daily life, from the home and classroom to the workplace. Don't want to take the trash out? Do it, and you can go to the movies Friday night. Not in the mood for work? Keep plugging away, and you might get a bonus. Not interested in calculus? Strive for an A in the class, and you'll make the honor roll. The theory may be bankrupt, but incentives and rewards are so much a part of American culture that it's hard to imagine life without them. Yet that's exactly what a growing group of researchers are advocating today. A steady stream of research has found that rather than encouraging motivation and productivity, rewards actually can undermine genuine interest and diminish performance. "Our society is caught in a whopping paradox," asserts Alfie Kohn, author of the new book Punished by Rewards(Houghton Mifflin), which surveys recent research on the effectiveness of rewards. "We complain loudly about declining productivity, the crisis of our school and the distorted values of our children. But the very strategy we use to solve those problems—dangling rewards like incentive plans and grade and candy bars in front of people—is partly responsible for the fix we're in." It's tough argument to make in a culture that celebrates the spoils of success. Yet study after study shows that people tend to perform worse, to give up more easily and to lose interest more quickly when a reward is involved. Children who are given treats for doing artwork, for example, lose their initial love of art within
weeks. Teenagers who are promised a reward for tutoring youngsters don't teach as enthusiastically as tutors offered nothing. And chief executive officers who have been awarded long-term incentive plans have often steered their companies toward lower returns.（分数：10.00）
(1).According to behaviorism, all human actions _____.（分数：2.00）
A.are based on stimulus and response √
B.have no bearing on human drives
C.are supposed to be highly motivated
D.are of a great mystery
解析：解析：第2段第2句提到行为主义的根本理论是正面性强化理论，随后举例说明要对人的行为进行刺激，A是正确的。

根据第2段首句的this diversity of thought(即第1段末提到的theories of human motivation)，it's easy to forget．．．可知“动机理论”与下文讲到的行为主义的正面性强化理论是不一样的理论，故C不正确。

(2).Behaviorism basically believes in _____.（分数：2.00）
A.motivation
B.performance
C.rewards √
D.human factors
解析：解析：第2段大致对行为主义进行相关的描述，最后一句说也许这一理论已失去影响力，但是奖励在美国文化中依然占有重要地位，据此可以推断行为主义相信奖励(rewards)，故选C。

(3).In paragraph 2, "calculus" probably refers to "_____".（分数：2.00）
A.a course √
B.a sport
C.a kind of public service
D.a position in the student union
解析：解析：本题要求通过上下文推测出生词的词义。

calculus出现在原文第2段倒数第三句，设问之后紧接着作者回答说，只要在课堂努力争取得到A(美国课程评分系统中的一个等级水平)，就可以上光荣榜，可见calculus是一门课程，即a course。

(4).From the passage, it can be inferred that_____.（分数：2.00）
A.rewards are highly effective in America
B.rewards are not much sought-after in academic circles
C.rewards have long lost their appeal in American society
D.Americans are addicted to rewards √
解析：解析：本文主要针砭时弊，揭露了美国社会中人们的行为依赖于奖励这一现象。

根据原文第2段末句中的“但是物质鼓励和奖赏确实在美国文化中仍然占如此重要的地位”以及第3段最后两句等内容可看出美国社会对于奖励很依赖，D与之相符。

(5).Which of the following statements is in support of the finding that "people tend to perform worse... when a reward is involved"(in the last paragraph)?（分数：2.00）
A.People are not used to being conditioned by prizes.
B.Rewards are attempts to control behavior. √
C.Rewards are indispensable to American culture.
D.The principle of "positive reinforcement" is not fully enforced.
解析：解析：该句意思是说“当涉及奖励的时候，人们更容易表现不佳，更容易轻易放弃，更容易失去兴趣”，而下文举的例子也说明了一旦涉及奖励，人们往往容易被奖励所控制，而忽视了个人本身的内在动力力量。

四个选项中只有B“奖励是诱惑，它控制着人的行为”可以支持这一说法。

Parents can easily come down with an acute case of schizophrenia(精神分裂症)from reading the contradictory reports about the state of the public schools. One set of experts asserts that the schools are better than they have been for years. Others say that the schools are in terrible shape and are responsible for every national problem from urban poverty to the trade deficit One group of experts looks primarily at such indicators as test scores, and they cheer what they see:
all the indicators—reading scores, minimum competency test results, the scholastic aptitude test scores—are up, some by substantial margins. Students are required to take more academic courses—more mathematics and science, along with greater stress on basic skills, including knowledge of computers. More than 40 state legislatures have mandated such changes. But in the eyes of another set of school reformers such changes are at best superficial and at worst counterproductive. These experts say that merely toughening requirements without either improving the quality of instruction or even more important, changing the way schools are organized and children are taught makes the schools worse rather than better. They challenge the nature of the tests, mostly multiple choice or true or false, by which children's progress is measured; they charge that raising the test scores by drilling pupils to come up with the right answers does not improve knowledge, understanding and the capacity to think logically and independently. In adoption, these critics fear that the get-tough approach to school reform will cause more of the youngsters at the bottom to give up and drop out. This, they say, may improve national scores but drain even further the nation's pool of educated people. The way to cut through the confusion is to understand the different yardsticks used by different observers. Compared with what schools used to be like "in the good old days", with lots of drill and uniform requirements, and the expectation that many youngsters who could not make it would drop out and find their way into unskilled jobs—by those yardsticks the schools have measurably improved in recent years. But by the yardsticks of those experts who believe that the old school was deficient in teaching the skills needed in the modern world, today's schools have not become better. These educators believe that rigid new mandates may actually have made the schools worse.（分数：10.00）
(1).If the parents read the contradictory reports about the state of the public schools, they will _____.（分数：2.00）
A.have a clearer understanding of the education provided by the public schools
B.realize the disadvantages of the education provided by the public schools
C.be greatly confused and not know which side to believe √
D.not believe that public schools should be responsible for every national problem
解析：解析：第1段第1句说“读一读那些互相对立的有关公共学校现状的报告，可能会让学生家长患上严重的精神分裂症”，然后列举了专家们的两种不同看法，也就是说两种看法让家长们感到困惑，不知道该相信哪种说法，故选C。

(2).In the eyes of the first group of experts mentioned in the second paragraph, _____.（分数：
2.00）
A.academic courses are more important than basic skills
B.every state legislature should mandate the changes
C.students should take academic courses and learn basic skills
D.the increase of test scores can show that public schools are better than before √
解析：解析：第1段第2句提到第一类专家对目前的学校及教育持乐观态度，再结合第2段第1句，不难看出这类专家是根据考试分数来断定公共学校进步了，故选D。

文中并没有提到这些专家认为分数比基本技能重要，也没有说他们认为立法机关应做一些改变；所以排除A、B。

C所述是立法机关所要求的，非这类专家的看法。

(3).It can be inferred from the third paragraph that school reformers are convinced that _____.（分数：2.00）
A.the way schools are organized and children are taught at present is good enough
B.enabling pupils to raise their test scores can improve their logical thinking
C.the present testing system can not measure either the students' progress or actual ability √
D.toughening requirements can help to produce more educated people
解析：解析：首先需了解school reformers对公共学校的教育现状不那么乐观，同时他们对立法机关制定的规章表示质疑，了解他们的这一态度后A、B、D都可以排除。

根据第3段第3句中的“训练学生找到正
确答案并以此提高考试成绩，并不能让学生增长知识、加强理解、提高他们的逻辑思维和独立思维能力”，可知C符合题意。

(4).The word "yardstick"(Line 3, Para. 5)most possibly means "_____".（分数：2.00）
A.measuring standard √
B.method of school reform
C.judgment
D.logic thinking
解析：解析：根据文章第5段“学校要求学生进行大量的训练以及穿制服，不能胜任学习任务的年轻人可以辍学去从事无特殊技能要求的工作”被用来作为说明学校进步与否的依据，也就是说被当作一种衡量标准，故答案为A。

C“判断；评价”有一定干扰性，但是破折号之前的内容并不是有关判断、评价，因此可以排除。

(5).The passage mainly _____.（分数：2.00）
pares the old schools and the present schools
B.shows contradictory views about the state of public schools √
C.tells why parents can easily become schizophrenic
D.displays how school reform is carried out
解析：解析：文章用较大篇幅阐释两类专家看法，并对两种看法进行比较，所以答案为B。

C中提及家长的反应只是在开篇作为引子引出专家的说法；A、D涉及的内容只是在文章稍有涉及，并未做深入的讨论。

Ask most people how they define the American Dream and chances are they'll say, "Success." The dream of individual opportunity has been at home in American since Europeans discovered a "new world" in the Western Hemisphere. Early immigrants like Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur praised highly the freedom and opportunity to be found in this new land. His glowing descriptions of a classless society where anyone could attain success through honesty and hard work fired the imaginations of many European readers: in Letters from an American Farmer(1782)he wrote, "We are all excited at the spirit of an industry which is unfettered(无拘无束的)and unrestrained, because each person works for himself... We have no princes, for whom we toil(干苦力活), starve, and bleed: we are the most perfect society now existing in the world." The promise of a land where "the rewards of a man's industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor" drew poor immigrants from Europe and fueled national expansion into the western territories. Our national mythology(神话)is full of illustrations of the American success story. There's Benjamin Franklin, the very model of the self-educated, self-made man, who rose from modest origins to become a well-known scientist, philosopher, and statesman. In the nineteenth century, Horatio Alger, a writer of fiction for young boys, became American's best-selling author with rags-to-riches tales. The notion of success haunts us: we spend millions every year reading about the rich and famous, learning how to "make a fortune in real estate with no money down," and "dressing for success." The myth of success has even invaded our personal relationships: today it's as important to be "successful" in marriage or parenthood as it is to come out on top in business. But dreams easily turn into nightmares. Every American who hopes to "make it" also knows the fear of failure, because the myth of success inevitably implies comparison between the haves and the have-nots, the stars and the anonymous crowd. Under pressure of the myth, we become indulged in status symbols: we try to live in the "right" neighborhoods, wear the "right" clothes, eat the "right" foods. These symbols of distinction assure us and others that we believe strongly in the fundamental equality of all, yet strive as hard as we can to separate ourselves from our fellow citizens.（分数：10.00）
(1).What is the essence of the American Dream according to Crevecoeur?（分数：2.00）
A.People are free to develop their power of imagination.
B.People who are honest and work hard can succeed. √
C.People are free from exploitation and oppression.
D.People can fully enjoy individual freedom.
解析：解析：第1段第3、4句讲到，Crevecoeur高度评价了新世界的自由和机会，在那里人人都能通过诚实和辛勤工作获得成功。

由此可推断B正确。

文中只是讲Crevecoeur的描述激发了很多读者的想象力，A是对原文的误解。

C、D过度推断了Crevecoeur在《美国农民书信》上讲的话。

(2).By saying "the rewards of a man's industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor"(Lines 9-10, Para. 1), the author means _____.（分数：2.00）
A.the more diligent one is, the bigger his returns √
borious work ensures the growth of an industry
C.a man's business should be developed step by step
D.a company's success depends on its employees' hard work
解析：解析：此题解题关键在于理解industry一词，它在句中指“勤劳”，引言部分指付出了多少劳动，就得到与努力相应的报酬，这与该段第4句所讲的“人人都能通过诚实和辛勤工作获得成功”相呼应，因此答案为A。

(3).The characters described in Horatio Alger's novels are people who _____.（分数：2.00）
A.succeed in real estate investment
B.earned enormous fortunes by chances
C.became wealthy after starting life very poor √
D.became famous despite their modest origins
解析：解析：第2段第2句讲到Benjamin Franklin出自贫寒之家，却成为了著名的科学家、哲学家和政治家。

第3句中的rags-to-riches tales指“穷人变富人的故事”，由此推断Horatio Alger书中的人物是从贫穷变富裕的。

选C。

(4).It can be inferred from the last sentence of the second paragraph that______.（分数：2.00）
A.business success often contributes to a successful marriage
B.Americans wish to succeed in every aspect of life √
C.good personal relationships lead to business success
D.successful business people provide good care for their children
解析：解析：第2段最后一句话讲到，成功的神话甚至已经入侵到人际关系上，婚姻和为人父母上的成功与事业上的成功一样重要。

由此可推断，成功的概念已渗透到生活的方方面面，因此答案为B。

其他选项文中都没有提到。

(5).What is the paradox of American culture according to the author?（分数：2.00）
A.The American road to success is full of nightmares.
B.Status symbols are not a real indicator of a person's wealth.
C.The American Dream is nothing but ah empty dream.
D.What Americans strive after often contradicts their beliefs. √
解析：解析：最后一段讲到美国梦容易变成噩梦，在这个神话的压力下，人们沉浸于身份的区分。

最后一句说“我们在坚定地信奉人人基本平等的同时，也在尽可能地努力把自己和其他人区分开来”，由此可得出结论：美国人的行为和信奉有所差别。

所以答案应是D。