6级考前冲刺试题三

６级考前冲刺试题三Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Can Knowledge Change One’s Destiny?You should write at least 150 words following the outline givenbelow.1. 有人相信知识能改变命运2. 有人则认为当今社会光靠知识已经很难改变命运3. 我认为……Can Knowledge Change One’s Destiny?________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________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 on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the fourchoices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with theinformation given in the passage.Comparing Y ourself to Others: It’s Not All Bad“To compare is to despair,” the saying goes, and I‟ve generally found it to be true. If I try hard enough (and sometimes even if I don‟t) I can usually find someone who performs better or has more. And I can feel bad about it.I objectively know that my own life is pretty good, but this upward comparison, as economists and psychologists call it, can somehow dim my own accomplishments. “Comparison is rife with danger, but it‟s understandable why we do it,”said Heidi Grant Halvorson, a social psychologist. “We‟re human beings and we naturally seek information.”One way to get information, Ms. Halvorson said, is to turn to experts. Another way is to look at those around us.And often what we see in our neighborhood or community is more important, in our minds, than anything else. Economic studies have shown, for example, that once they make a certa in amount of money to cover basics, most people care more about relative, rather than absolute, income. That is, most of us feel better if we make, say, $100,000 if the majority of our neighbors make $75,000 than if we earn $150,000 when most of our friends bring in $200,000.One such study, “Neighbors as Negatives: Relative Earnings and Well-Being,” published in 2005 in The Quarterly Journal of Economics, found that “higher earnings of neighbors were associated with lower levels of self-reported happiness.”The paper cites the oft-quoted saying by the economist and philosopher John Stuart Mill: “Men do not desire to be rich, but to be richer than other men.”Erzo F. P. Luttmer, the author of the study and an associate professor of economics at Dartmouth College, said in a telephone interview that neighbors “influence what you think is a normal lifestyle, and you struggle to keep up.”We‟re often told to avoid comparing, but this is both difficult and not necessarily wise advice in all situations.Ms. Halvorson, who is also author of the book “Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals”(Hudson Street Press, 2010), said we needed to think about why we were seeking the information. “Upward comparison can be punishing and make you feel terrible,”she said. “But you can also look upward to learn.”If we feel bad, for example, about how well we just played in a game of tennis, we can check out those who play worse to make ourselves feel better, and avoid watching the semi-pros on the other court. Or, if we believe that we can improve and learn by looking at others — and not just feel inferior about playing worse — then we can watch the better players.There are also pros and cons to comparing ourselves with people worse off than ourselves. It‟s not good if we‟re just trying to gain a sense of superiority or avoiding challenging ourselves to do better. But such downward comparisons can remind us of our own fortune. They can also help us when we think about the things we regret but we cannot change.As part of a study co-written by Isabelle Bauer, a clinical psychologist in Toronto, 104 people of various ages were asked to complete a survey about their greatest misgivings — choosing the wrong career path, or failing to make amends to someone who passed away or marrying the wro ng person.The study found that those who felt that other people had regrets that were “more”or “much more” severe reported an increase in positive emotions when reassessed four months later compared with those who said that other people‟s regrets were “less” or “much less” severe.“If you can‟t change what you did, then downward social comparison helps us gain perspective,”Ms. Bauer said. “And those people are able to move on and re-engage in other goals. If you compare upward about things you can‟t change, then you seem to just feel stuck.”But those who compared themselves downward and had the opportunity to do something about their regrets didn‟t feel any more positive over time, she said.Comparisons can also serve as a reality check, particularly when speaking about money.My colleague Ron Lieber, for example, wrote about NetworthIQ, a site that allows people to anonymously post their own net worth. Would we be happier and healthier, he asked readers, if we knew the net worth of our friends, colleagues and neighbors?The overwhelming response was no. As one commenter put it: “I am sickened by the idea of calculating one‟s …net worth‟in terms of money. It‟s good to have savings and it‟s good to have a nest in which one can nestle when one exceeds productive years. However, to express your worth in terms of the …how much?‟question is one more step toward dehumanization. I‟d rather figure out my net worth in terms of how much I am worth to the world in which I live.”Not everyone feels that way, of course, and plenty of people have posted their profiles on .ING Retirement, a United States-based division of the Dutch financial services group, a few years ago introduced , which allows you to anonymously type in your profile —your age, income, gender and marital status.Then you answer some personal finance questions, like the amount of money you‟ve put aside for retirement, your mortgage payments, what you think you‟ll need to save to retire comfortably andso on. Y ou are then instantly compared with your peers.I answered some of the questions and seemed pretty average. I guess I was pleased our retirement savings were slightly higher than those of the other 1,071 people who answered the question with a similar profile, but I also wasn‟t sure if I should be. Might it just mean that all of us are saving too little? Was I getting a false sense of security?Not at all, said Denis-Martin Monty, vice president of emerging product development at ING Retirement. Rather, it is a useful tool to get us to think about things we often don‟t want to —like how much (or little) we‟ve put away for retirement.The site was initially tested among 28,000 employees of ING‟s larger clients. When asked at the end of the survey, 64 percent of those who measured themselves chose to take some sort of positive action, like enroll in a retirement plan or increase their savings rate.Mr. Monty also pointed out that studies show that most of us think we‟re above average, what he called the Lake Wobegon effect.“We tend to overestimate where we stand in comparison to other people,”he said. So people aren‟t necessarily looking at how much more they‟re actually saving than other people, he said, but how much more they thought they were saving.The site recently hit the million-user mark, Mr. Monty said.David Laibson, a professor of economics at Harvard University, who has looked at the impact of providing peer information on retirement savings decisions (it can be helpful, but not always) agreed that such comparisons can serve a purpose.“Comparisons to large groups of peers are often useful,”he said. “It‟s never the final word on what I should do, but it does give me food for thought.”I doubt most of us are ever going to stop comparing ourselves with others. The most important point to keep in mind, however, is as Ms. Halvorson said: “There‟s a lot of imperfect comparison going on. We never see the whole picture.”1. What is Heidi Grant Halvorson‟s view of comparison?A) It highlights people‟s achievements in some way.B) It can be accepted as a way of getting information.C) It should be blamed for causing hopelessness.D) It makes people feel satisfied with their own life.2. According to economic studies, what do most people do when they are able to meet their basic need?A) They are more interested in relative income.B) They devote themselves to community causes.C) They desire to become richer and richer.D) They associate their happiness with their income.3. The author said the advice that people should avoid comparing is _______.A) sensible B) constructive C) unwise D) impossible to follow4. What is the advantage of upward comparison according to Ms. Halvorson?A) It can lighten people‟s mood. C) It gains people a sense of superiority.B) It motivates people to improve. D) It helps people get rid of bad habits.5. What did the study co-written by Isabella Bauer reveal?A) People tend to compare themselves with those worse off.B) Most people make wrong decisions in their whole life.C) Downward comparison makes people feel more positive.D) Upward comparing is more helpful than downward comparing.6. If there is nothing people can do about their regrets, Ms. Bauer suggested that people _______.A) reflect on their failures alone C) look at the past to gain a perspectiveB) look upward to learn and improve D) make downward social comparison7. According to Ron Lieber‟s article, many people thought that knowing the net worth of others _______.A) helped check their spending C) was the source of their miseryB) had influenced their lifestyle D) would not make them happier8. Finding her retirement savings were a little more than her peers, the author doubted if she was getting a wrong ______________________________.9. Denis-Martin Monty said that people tend to ______________________________ their position when comparing themselves to other people.10. According to David Laibson, comparing with large groups of peers helps because it gives people______________________________.Part III Listening Comprehension(35 minutes)Section ADirections: 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 theconversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be apause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), anddecide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2with a single line through the centre.11. A) He doesn‟t have any good ideas. C) He doesn‟t put his ideas into practice.B) He has many interesting dreams. D) He sleeps a lot without doing anything.12. A) He has just quitted his former job. C) He is applying for a job.B) He has graduated last June. D) He has some work experience.13. A) His boss doesn‟t agree. C) He has chosen some part-time courses.B) He has to pay the tuition fee first. D) He can‟t afford to study without salary.14. A) He is a full-time student.B) He is a part-time worker.C) He is going to take refresher courses.D) He has known all the details about the course.15. A) He knows nothing about the other assignment.B) He doesn‟t think it‟s necessary to ask for a long time.C) He asks the woman to hand in her assignment on time.D) He will give the woman an extension for her assignment.16. A) He was arrogant about it. C) He was not surprised about it.B) He found it unbelievable. D) He found the truth unacceptable.17. A) To ask the man to read the book together.B) To request the man to write a term paper for her.C) To complain about the numbers of reading materials.D) To ask for some advice on how to select the reading materials.18. A) He had better assess his own ability.B) He should try to solve some easier problems now.C) He must study hard to solve the difficult problems.D) He should find some more complicated problems to solve.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. A) She has finished her work. C) Her kids will arrive home after school.B) She is too exhausted to work. D) The man does not ask her to go back to the office.20. A) It is weird. C) It is comfortable.B) It is convenient. D) It is exhausting.21. A) The woman does not like it. C) One can see a lot of strange things in it.B) It is produced by weird people. D) The man is determined to watch it tonight.22. A) His boss might ask him to stay up late.B) The woman will record tonight‟s program.C) He may have to prepare for tomorrow‟s business trip.D) He will be having a meeting with his boss at that time.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. A) He has a lot of free time. C) Many of his friends are actors.B) She knows he likes acting. D) He‟s looking for an acting job.24. A) He hasn‟t been in a play for a long time.B) He has to rearrange his evening schedule.C) He might not like the way the group works.D) His schoolwork has taken up most of his time.25. A) Enjoy their rehearsal. C) See her on Wednesday.B) Learn his part quickly. D) Pick her up on Thursday.Section BDirections:In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and questions will be spoken only once. Afteryou hear a question, you must choose the best answer f rom the four choices markedA), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2with asingle line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. A) A study on whether social connections can keep us healthier.B) A study on whether social connections make us happier.C) A study on factors that influence psychologic health.D) A study on the relationship between psychology and longevity.27. A) 200,000. B) 300,000. C) 500,000. D) 700,000.28. A) Teenagers should go to see psychologist frequently.B) People should make as many friends as possible.C) Policy makers should consider relationships as a health issue.D) People should place relationships at first place.Passage TwoQuestions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.29. A) Y our reputation will be damaged. C) Y ou‟ll get into trouble.B) Y ou have to change your name. D) Y ou can‟t be a doctor any more.30. A) He had helped Booth murder Lincoln. C) He had concealed the facts.B) He had made a diagnostic error. D) He had given Booth help in some way.31. A) He would have suffered a lot from the name.B) He would have been thought of as a criminal forever.C) He would have been sentenced to four years‟ prison life.D) He would have spent the rest of his life in prison.Passage ThreeQuestions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.32. A) Japanese car sales are down.B) Economy in Japan is from bad to worse.C) The main consumers of cars in Japan are middle-aged people.D) Japan is heavily depended on the foreign market.33. A) A tool. C) A symbol of status.B) A sign of wealth. D) An article of consumption.34. A) Cars are still too expensive. C) Gas prices and parking lot fees are costly.B) Traffic is heavy on the road. D) Traffic accidents are more and more serious.35. A) They have reduced their products prices.B) They have laid off plenty of short-term contract workers.C) They have laid off many full-time salaried employees.D) They have narrowed down their foreign market.Section CDirections: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 thesecond time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exactwords you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill inthe missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you havejust heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage isread for the third time, you should check what you have written.Although they may not die from lack of love, adults also need a great amount of affection and (36) _________. In the past, many people spent their (37) _________ lives in the communities in which they were born and (38) _________. Many more people continued to live with their parents, brothers and sisters after they were married and had children of their own. By remaining in (39) _________ communities with relatives nearby, families had enough (40) _________ for friendly contact and support in time of trouble.Recent studies (41) _________ that family arrangements in Western societies have not changed asmuch in the last few centuries as is (42) _________ believed. Y et most sociologists agree that in modern societies, there are fewer opportunities for friendship and support from relatives outside the (43) _________ family. Parents and children often live apart from other relatives, and seldom visit them. Also, (44) ___________________________________________________________________. Together, loneliness and mobility force immediate family members to depend heavily on one another for affection and companionship.(45) ___________________________________________________________________, a high percentage of people continue to marry, even though it is possible for a single man and woman to live together without marrying. On the other hand, because affection and companionship have become so important, (46) ___________________________________________________________________ —even if all other family functions are being satisfactorily performed, and in this sense, affection and companionship have become the touchstone of the modern family.Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)Section ADirections: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 fewestpossible words. Please write your answers on Answer Sheet 2.Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.Schools looking to ban cell phones may have a new excuse: a growing number of people are developing an allergy (过敏) to metal in the devices. We all know that food allergies are on the rise — a study last year placed the rate at 1 per 70 children, compared with 1 in 250 in the 1970s. But at last month‟s meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, allergists reported that many substances that once seemed harmless are now leading to allergic reactions too.Allergies can develop when young bodies come into contact with a new substance, and an increasing number of kids have early exposure to tech tools and “adult”products that can lead to a lifetime of reactions. For instance, the nickel hardware often used on phone trim and faceplates can lead to red, itchy(发痒的) skin where the phone is pressed against the face of someone who developed a nickel allergy at a young age. It‟s especially problematic for women, says Luz Fonacier, an allergist who presented at the conference. Y oung girls are often first exposed to nickel when they get their ears pierced, and therefore are more likely to develop a sensitivity to the metal that can causeallergic reactions later on.Temporary tattoos (刺青) could be another new allergy trigger. They share a coloring matter used in hair dyes, which can lead to problems down the line. “Y ou might have kids developing the sensitivity now, and then finding out only when they‟re much older and decide to dye their hair, then have an attack,”says Fonacier. Foods that were once considered low risk, like pumpkin, are now causing some allergic reactions too.So what‟s behind all these new allergens? Some researchers believe that as humans live in cleaner, safer, more disease-free environments, the immune system —given less to do thanks to antibiotics and Clorox — turns on substances once considered safe. Others note that children are being exposed to more and more new foods and foreign substances at earlier ages, which could up the chances of developing a sensitivity. To be safe, Fonacier recommends that children avoid piercing until after age 10. And it‟s all just another reason to keep those cell phones and temporary tats away from young hands.47. Allergists said some allergic reactions are now caused by many substances once considered_____________________.48. Phone trim with nickel can lead to allergic reactions if the phone user _____________________ tonickel at a young age.49. Temporary tattoos could _____________________ allergy because of a coloring mattering theycontain.50. According to some researchers, humans‟ _____________________ is becoming sensitive to somesubstances due to the use of antibiotics and Clorox.51. To reduce the chance of developing a sensitivity, children are advised to _____________________before 10.Section BDirections: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 Sheet2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.Researchers at the University of California-Berkeley are challenging our long-held belief that humans are hard-wired to be selfish. Darwin‟s theory of evolution by natural selection was misinterpreted by his male popularizers, the researchers say. Rather than “every man for himself”, Darwin believed that humans are successful as a species precisely because of our nurturing, selfless and compassionate traits.Why has it taken so long for Darwin‟s central revelation to be properly interpreted? “We‟ve had too many men in social science,”Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner told me in an interview. “Female scientists acknowledge that …fight or flight‟is part of human nature, but so is caring for people.”This is no touchy-feely feminist theory. Hard science is showing how the human capacity to care is wired into our brains and nervous systems.In my book Passages in Caregiving, I urge women who assume the whole responsibility for taking care of an elderly parent or chronically ill spouse to build a Circle of Care. Reach out to your brothers and sisters, friends, neighbors and community volunteers to help you care, because no one can perform this overwhelming role alone. Y ou will be as stunned as I to learn how the most selfless caregivers are rewarded with greater longevity(寿命). Stephanie Brown, associate professor of preventive medicine at SUNY-Stony Brook, followed a group of older adults caring for family members with dementia and other illnesses. If they offered care more than 14 hours a week, they were less likely to die in a seven-year period than their peers.“Survival of the Kindest”is not just a theory. It is becoming a revolutionary cultural movement. There are many signs that caring is gaining currency. Keltner, who has been studying the science of this instinct for 15 years, says we are coming to the end of our cycle of greed. Berkeley and Stanford universities now have compassion centers devoted to the study and teaching of this theory. It will run up against hostility among the Hobbesians. Ayn Rand wrote, “If any civilization is to survive, it is the morality of selfishness that men have to reject.” As Americans, we have a cultural bias against caring.Oh, sure, we give our families gifts generously during the holiday season, but in a capitalist system based on unrestrained competition, we worry that if we care, we lose. Compassion is a woman‟s word. In men, it‟s cast as weak, when in fact it makes us stronger under stress and more highly respected by our peers. For so long we have repeated the careless saying “Nice guys finish last.” But the 40 richest Americans who took the Giving Pledge to commit half their fortunes to doing good are no spring chickens. Here is my reinterpretation: Nice guys die last.52. According to the Berkeley researchers, Darwin‟s central revelation is that .A) humans are born to be selfish C) fight is not part of human natureB) selfless makes us a successful species D) care is related to our nervous system53. Professor Dacher Keltner holds that caring for people .A) takes people‟s time and put them at a disadvantageB) is the nature of humans just like “fight or flight”C) isn‟t a human capacity connected with our brainsD) isn‟t supported by males due to fierce competition54. What does Stephanie Brown‟s study reveal?A) Selfless caregivers tend to have a longer lifespan.B) Caregivers are more likely to die from heavy workload.C) Caregivers should turn to community volunteers for help.D) The longer a person offers care, the less likely he is to die.55. The author quotes Ayn Rand to support the opinion that .A) women should be selfless in order to live longerB) people must be selfless to maintain the societyC) the cycle of greed must be ended immediatelyD) compassion centers are necessary to a civilization56. The author suggests a man with compassion .A) will live longer than those without it C) is more likely to be respected by his peersB) is often regarded as a coward and loser D) has much greater difficulty in successPassage TwoQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.Compared with elderly parents and adult children in five other industrialized nations, Americans are twice as likely to have “disharmonious” relationships, a new multinational study has found. And we‟re correspondingly less likely to have “friendly”relationships marked by strong affection and relatively free of conflict. The study of nearly 2,700 parents over age 65, published recently in The Journal of Marriage and Family, turned up significant national differences. German and Spanish parents described relationships with their adult children as more detached. The English reported the most friendly families. Israelis operated with a high degree of ambivalence (正反感情并存), meaning they indicated strong positive and negative emotions. Norwegians placed somewhere in the middle. And Americans took the prize for conflict—defined as a higher incidence of arguing and criticism.。