大学英语六级阅读理解及答案

Reading Comprehension for CET 6Passage 1In the 1962 movie Lawrence of Arabia,one scene shows an American newspaper reporter eagerly snapping photos of men looting a sabotaged train.One of the looters,Chief Auda abu Tayi of the Howeitat clan,suddenly notices the camera and snatches it.Am I in this?he asks,before smashing it open.To the dismayed reporter,Lawrence explains,He thinks these things will steal his virtue.He thinks you're a kind of thief.As soon as colonizers and explorers began taking cameras into distant lands,stories began circulating about how indigenous peoples saw them as tools for black magic.The ignorant natives may have had a point.When photography first became available,scientists welcomed it as a more objective way of recording faraway societies than early travelers' exaggerated accounts.But in some ways,anthropological photographs reveal more about the culture that holds the camera than the one that stares back.Up into the 1950s and 1960s,many ethnographers sought pure pictures of primitive cultures,routinely deleting modern accoutrements such as clocks and Westerndress.They paid men and women to re-enact rituals or to pose as members of war or hunting parties,often with little regard for veracity.Edward Curtis,the legendary photographer of North American Indians,for example,got one Makah man to pose as a whaler with a spear in 1915--even though the Makah had not hunted whales in a generation.These photographs reinforced widely accepted stereotypes that indigenous cultures were isolated,primitive,and unchanging.For instance,National Geographic magazine's photographs have taught millions of Americans about other cultures.As Catherine Lutz and Jane Collins point out in their 1993 book Reading National Geographic,the magazine since its founding in 1888 has kept a tradition of presenting beautiful photos that don't challenge white,middle-class American conventions.While dark-skinned women can be shown without tops,for example,white women's breasts are taboo.Photos that could unsettle or disturb,such as areas of the world torn asunder by war or famine,are discarded in favor of those that reassure,to conform with the society's stated pledge to present only kindly visions of foreign societies.The result,Lutz and Collins say,is the depiction of an idealized and exotic world relatively free of pain or class conflict.Lutz actually likes National Geographic a lot.She read the magazine as a child,and its lush imagery influenced her eventual choice of anthropology as a career.She just thinks that as people look at the photographs of other cultures,they should be alert to the choice of composition and images.1.The main idea of the passage is______________.[A]Photographs taken by Western explorers reflect more Westerners’ perception of the indigenous cultures and the Western values.[B]There is a complicated relationship between the Western explorers and the primitive peoples.[C]Popular magazines such as National Geographic should show pictures of the exotic and idealized worlds to maintain high sales.[D]Anthropologists ask the natives to pose for their pictures,compromising the truthfulness of their pictures.2.We can infer from the passage that early travelers to the native lands often_________.[A]took pictures with the natives[B]gave exaggerated accounts of the native lands[C]ask for pictures from the natives[D]gave the natives clocks and Western dresses3.The author mentions the movie Lawrence of Arabia to___________.[A]show how people in the indigenous societies are portrayed by Westerners.[B]illustrate how people from primitive societies see cameras as tools of black magic that steal their virtues.[C]show how anthropologists portray untruthful pictures of native people.[D]show the cruel and barbarian side of the native people.4.“But in some ways,anthropological photographs reveal more about the culture that holds the camera than the one that stares back.”In this sentence,the“one[culture]that stares back”refers to_______.[A]the indigenous culture[B]the Western culture[C]the academic culture[D]the news business culture5.With which of the following statements would Catherine Lutz most probably agree?[A]Reporters from the Western societies should routinely delete modern elements in pictures taken of the indigenous societies.[B]The primitive cultures are inferior to the more advanced Western culture.[C]The western media are not presenting a realistic picture of the faraway societies.[D]People in the Western news business should try not to challenge the well-established white middle-class values.答案: A B B A CPassage 2The British Medical Journal recently featured a strong response to what was judged an inappropriately lenient reaction by a medical school to a student cheating in anexamination.Although we have insufficient reliable data about the extent of this phenomenon,its prevention,or its effective management,much can be concluded and acted upon on the basis of common sense and concepts with face validity.There is general agreement that there should be zero tolerance of cheating in a profession based on trust and one on which human lives depend.It is reasonable to assume that cheaters in medical school will be more likely than others to continue to act dishonestly withpatients,colleagues,insurers,and government.The behaviours under question are multifactorial in origin.There are familial,religious,and cultural values that are acquired long before medical school.For example,countries,cultures,and subcultures exist where bribes and dishonest behaviour are almost a norm.There are secondary schools in which neither staff nor students tolerate cheating and others where cheating is rampant;there are homes which imbue young people with high standards of ethical behaviour and others which leave ethical training to the harmful influence of television and the market place.Medical schools reflect society and cannot be expected to remedy all the ills of a society.The selection process of medical students might be expected to favour candidates with integrity and positive ethical behaviour—if one had a reliable method for detecting such characteristics in advance.Medical schools should be the major focus of attention for imbuing future doctors withintegrity and ethical sensitivity.Unfortunately there are troubling,if inconclusive,data that suggest that during medical school the ethical behaviour of medical students does not necessarily improve;indeed,moral development may actually stop or even regress.The creation of a pervasive institutional culture of integrity is essential.It is critical that the academic and clinical leaders of the institution set a personal example of integrity.Medical schools must make their institutional position and their expectations of students absolutely clear from day one.The development of a school's culture of integrity requires a partnership with the students in which they play an active role in its creation and nurturing.Moreover,the school's examination system and general treatment of students must be perceived as fair.Finally,the treatment of infractions must be firm,fair,transparent,and consistent.6.What does the author say about cheating in medical schools?[A]Extensive research has been done about this phenomenon.[B]We have sufficient data to prove that prevention is feasible.[C]We are safe to conclude that this phenomenon exists on a grand scale.[D]Reliable data about the extent,prevention and management of the phenomenon is lacking.7.According to the author,it is important to prevent cheating in medical schoolsbecause____________.[A]The medical profession is based on trust.[B]There is zero tolerance of cheating in medicine.[C]The medical profession depends on the government.[D]Cheating exists extensively in medical schools.8.What does the author say about the cause(s)of cheating?[A]Family,culture and society play an active part.[B]Bad school environment is the leading cause of student cheating.[C]Parents are always to blame for their children’s cheating behaviour.[D]Cheating exists primarily because students learn bad things from TV.9.According to the author,what precautions should medical schools take to prevent students from cheating?[A]Medical schools should establish a firm moral standard to weed out applicants with low integrity.[B]Medical schools should make efforts to remedy the ills of a society.[C]Medical schools should teach future doctors integrity and ethical values.[D]There is nothing medical schools can do to improve the ethical behaviour of their students.10.The author will probably agree with which of the following statements?[A]Medical schools should make exams easier for the students to alleviate the fierce competition.[B]Prominent figures in the medical institution should create a set of moral standards to be applied in medical schools.[C]Medical students should play an active role in the creation and preservation of a culture of integrity.[D]Those students who cheat in the exams should be instantly expelled from school.答案: D A A C CA big focus of the criticism of computer games has concerned the content of the games being played.When the narratives of the games are analyzed they can be seen to fall into some genres. The two genres most popular with the children I interviewed were‘Platformers’ and‘Beat-them-ups.’ Platform games such as Sonic and Super Mario involve leaping from platform to platform,avoiding obstacles,moving on through the levels,and progressing through the different stages of the game.Beat-them-ups are the games which have caused concern over their violent content.These games involve fights between animated characters.In many ways this violence can be compared to violence within children’ s cartoons where a character is hit over the head or falls of a cliff but walks away unscathed.Controversy has occurred in part because of the intensity of the game play,which is said to spill over into children’ s everyday lives.There are worries that children are becoming more violent and aggressive after prolonged exposure to these games.Playing computer games involves feelings of intense frustration and anger which often expresses itself in aggressive‘yells’ at the screen.It is not only the‘Beat-them-up’ games which produce this aggression;platform games are just as frustrating when the characters lose all their‘lives’ and‘die’ just before the end of the level is puter gaming relies upon intense concentration on the moving images on the screen and demands great hand-to-eye coordination.When the player loses and the words‘Game over’ appear on the screen,there is annoyance and frustration at being beaten by the computer and at having made an error.This anger and aggression could perhaps be compared to the aggression felt when playing football and you take your eye off the ball and enable the opposition to score.The annoyance experienced when defeated at a computer game is what makes gaming‘addictive’:the player is determined not to make the same mistake again and to have‘one last go’ in the hope of doing better next time.Some of the concern over the violence of computer games has been about children who are unable to tell the difference between fiction and reality and who act out the violent moves of the games in fight on the playground.The problem with video games is that they involve children more than television or films and this means there are more implications for their social behavior.Playing these games can lead to anti-social behavior,make children aggressive and affect their emotional stability.11.What is the topic of this article?[A]How does playing computer games affect the level of violence in children[B]There is no difference between Platform games and‘Beat-Them-Ups’.[C]How to control anger while playing computer games[D]How to make children spend less time on computer games12.Which of the following games is supposed to contain violent content?[A]Sonic[B]Super Mario[C]Platformer[D]Beat-Them-Up13.What does unscathed(Paragraph 1,Last line)probably mean?[A]unsettled[B]unbeaten[D]unhappy14.According to the second paragraph,how does violence relate to playing computer games?[A]When losing computer games children tend to experience frustration and anger.[B]Beat-Them-Ups are more popular with children therefore more likely to produce violent behavior.[C]People who have good hand-eye-coordination tend to be more violent than others.[D]The violent content in the games gets children addicted to the games.15.According to the author,why do video games lead to violence more than TV or movies?[A]Because children cannot tell fiction from reality.[B]Because children like to act out the scenes in the games on the playground.[C]Because computer games involve children more than TV or films.[D]Because computer games can produce more anti-social behavior.答案: A D C A CPassage 4In Brazil,the debate over genetically modified organisms,or GMOs, affects mostly soybean production.Brazil is the world's second largest producer of soybeans behind the United States and ahead of Argentina.Most European and Asian retailers want to remain GM free.Non-governmental organizations(NGOs) in Brazil are going on a media offensive to prevent the legalization of genetically modified crops.Environmentalists and consumer groups for years have been able to thwart government and companies' attempts to legalize altered food.In radio dramas that are being broadcast in remote regions,Brazilian NGOs are telling soy farmers the use of genetically modified seeds could endanger their health,their fields and their business.We are not saying that genetic engineering is,in principle,something bad;we say that we need more science to be sure that it will work in an appropriate way with no harm in the future,said campaign coordinator Jean-Marc von der Weid.This is both for health and environmental reasons.The other question is on economics.What we think is that in Brazil,if we approve the GMOs,we will lose a spectacular advantage that we have now.We are selling more to the international market,mostly for Europe and Asia,than we have done in our history,because we are not GMO contaminated.Another opposition group,Action Aid,has been organizing grass-roots support in Brazilian farming regions to rouse consumer sentiment against legalization.Action Aid public policy director Adriano Campolina says he is fighting for farmers to remain independent.When the small-scale farmer or a big farmer starts using this kind of seed,this farmer will be completely dependent on the transnationals,which control intellectual property rights over these seeds,he said.Brazilian scientist Crodowaldo Pavan said there should be checks on what multinationals can do,but that doesn't mean GM seeds should be banned.He says fears over their usage are unfounded.Despite the official ban, Dr. Pavan says up to one third of Brazil's soy crop is genetically modified,because GM seed is being smuggled from Argentina.Brazil's government has invested heavily in a GM project by the U.S. biotech company,Monsanto,but the project was put on ice following a successful court challenge by consumers.The anti-GMO groups are hoping the politicians’ preoccupation with the October presidential election will give them time to gather enough support to defeat any future attempts to legalize genetically altered crops.41.According to the passage,the issue in dispute in Brazil is___________.[A]contamination of the environment by genetically modified crops.[B]Brazil’s standing in the international market[C]the October presidential election[D]the legalization of genetically modified organisms42.According to the passage,Brazil is the world’s_____________soybean producer.[A]largest[B]second largest[C]third largest[D]fourth largest43.Which of the following statements is NOT true about NGOs in Brazil?[A]They believe genetically modified crops will harm the farmers’ health.[B]They believe genetic engineering is altogether a bad practice.[C]They believe scientific methods should be introduced to ensure GM brings no harm.[D]They believe GMOs will harm Brazil economically.44.Which of the following statements is true about the organization called Action Aid?[A]They encourage the farmers to produce genetically modified products.[B]They encourage the farmers to depend on themselves for seeds.[C]They strongly support the legalization of genetically modified products.[D]They encourage the farmers to upgrade their farms to bigger ones.45.What does the Brazilian scientist Crodowaldo Pavan say about genetically modified products?[A]Genetically modified seeds should be banned.[B]Brazil government should crack down on the smuggling of genetically modified seeds.[C]The fear over the use of genetically modified seeds is uncalled for.[D]Consumers should file more law suits to protect their rights.答案: D B B B CPassage 5The Guidford Four,freed last week after spending 15 years in prison for crimes they did not commit,would almost certainly have been executed for the pub bombing they were convicted of.They had the death penalty been in force at the time of their trial.They may now be a decent interval before the pro-hanging lobby,which has the support of the Prime Minister,makes another attempt to reintroduce the noose.Reflections along these lines were about the only kind of consolation to be derived from this gross miscarriage of justice which is now to be the subject of a judicial(司法的)inquiry.In the meantime,defense lawyers are demanding compensation and have in mind about half a million pounds for each of their clients.The first three to be released-Mr.Gerald Conlon, Mr.Paddy Armstrong and Ms.Carole Richardson-left prison with the 34 pounds which is given to all departing inmates.Thefourth,Mr.Paul Hill,was not released immediately but taken to Belfast,where he lodged an appeal against his conviction for the murder of a former British soldier.Since this conviction,too,was based on the now discredited statements allegedly made to the Survey police,he was immediately let out on bail(保释).But he left empty-handed.The immediate reaction to the scandal was renewed demand for the re-examination of the case against the Birmingham Six, who are serving life sentences for pub bombings in that city. Thus far the Home secretary, Mr. Douglas Hurd, is insisting that the two cases are not comparable; that what is now known about the Guilford investigation has no relevance to what happened in Birmingham.Mr. Hurd is right to the extent that there was a small-though flimsy andhotly-contested-amount of crime evidence in the Birmingham case.The disturbing similarity is that the Birmingham Six,like the Guilford Four,claim that police officers lied and fabricated evidence to secure a conviction.Making scapegoats(替罪羊)of a few rogue police officers will not be sufficient to eliminate the Guilford miscarriage of justice.These are already demands that the law should be changed;first to make it impossible to convict on“confessions”alone;and secondly to requi re that statements from accused persons should only be taken in the presence of an independent third patty to ensure they are not made under punishment.It was also being noted this week that the Guilford Four owe their release more to be persistence of investigative reporters than to the diligence of either the judiciary or the police.Yet investigative reports-particularly on television-have recently been a particular target for the condemnation of Mrs.Thatcher and some of her ministers who seem to think that TV should be muzzled(钳制言论的手段) in the public interest and left to get on with soap operas and quiz shows.1.The word“noose”(Line 7,Para.1)has the closest meaning to________.[A].death penalty[B].hanging[C].trial[D].punishment2.To compensate the miscarriage of justice,the defense lawyers may_________.[A].demand 500,000 pounds for the Guilford Four.[B].demand 500,000 pounds for each of the Guilford Four.[C].demand 1,000,000 pounds for each of the Guilford Four.[D].demand a re-examination of the Birmingham pub bombings.3.Why was there a renewed demand for the re-examination of the case against the Birmingham Six?[A].The Birmingham Six were believed to have criminal connections with the Guilford Four.[B].The two cases were similar in that both were about pub bombings.[C].The bombings in Birmingham happened at the same time.[D].The Birmingham Six also claimed that there were police malpractice’s in their case.4.The existing law states that________.[A].convictions can be made on confessions and statements taken by police officers from accused persons are valid legal evidence.[B].convictions can’t be made on confessions alone and there should be a third party when taking statements from accused persons.[C].convictions can be made on confessions and a third party should be present when taking statements from accused persons.[D].convictions can’t be made on confessions alone and the statements taken by police officersfrom accused persons are valid legal evidence.5.According to the article,which of the following parties contributed most to the release of the Guilford Four?[A].Reporters[B].Lawyers[C].The police[D].The judiciary答案: B B D A APassage 6The"standard of living"of any country means the average person's share of the goods and services which the country produces.A country's standard of living,therefore,depends first and foremost on its capacity to produce wealth."Wealth"in this sense is not money,for we do not live on money but on things that money can buy:"goods"such as food and clothing,and"services"such as transport and entertainment.A country's capacity to produce wealth depends upon many factors,most of which have an effect on one another.Wealth depends to a great extent upon a country's natural resources,such as coal,gold,and other minerals,water supply and so on.Some regions of the world are well supplied with coal and minerals,and have a fertile soil and a favorable climate;other regions possess perhaps only one of these things,and some regions possess none of them.The U.S.A is one of the wealthiest regions of the world because she has vast natural resources within her borders,her soil is fertile,and her climate is varied.The Sahara Desert,on the other hand,is one of the least wealthy.Next to natural resources comes the ability to turn them to use.China is perhaps as well off as the U.S.A.in natural resources,but suffered for many years from civil and external wars,and for this and other reasons was.unable to develop her resources.Sound and stable political conditions,and freedom from foreign invasion,enable a country to develop its natural resources peacefully and steadily,and to produce more wealth than another country equally well served by nature but less well ordered.Another important factor is the technical efficiency of a country's people.Old countries that have,through many centuries,trained up numerous skilled craftsmen and technicians are better placed to produce wealth than countries whose workers are largely unskilled.Wealth also produces wealth.As a country becomes wealthier,its people have a large margin for saving,and can put their savings into factories and machines which will help workers to turn out more goods in their working day.1.A country's wealth depends upon______.,[A].its standard of living[B].its money[C].its ability to provide goods and services[D].its ability to provide transport and entertainment2.The word"foremost"means______.[A].most importantly[B].firstly[C].largely[D].for the most part3.The main idea of the second paragraph is that______.[A].a country's wealth depends on many factors[B]].the U.S.A.is one of the wealthiest countries in the world[C].the Sahara Desert is a very poor region[D].natural resources are an important factor in the wealth or poverty of a country4.The third paragraph mentions some of the advantages which one country may have over another in making use of its resources.How many such advantages are mentioned in this paragraph?[A].2[B].3[C].4[D].55.The second sentence.in Paragraph 3 is______.[A].the main idea of the paragraph[B].an example supporting the main idea of the paragraph[C].the conclusion of the paragraph[D].not related to the paragraph答案:C A A B BPassage 7The productivity of Americans employed in private businesses has declined.The productivity of workers in countries such as Japan and Germany is increasing.American machine tools,on average,are old,relatively inefficient,and rapidly becoming obsolete,whereas those of our competitors overseas,in comparison,are newer and more efficient.We are no longer the most productive workers in the world.We are no longer the leaders in industrial innovation(革新).We are an immenselywealthy nation of educated men and women who seem to have lost sight of the fact that everything—from the simplest necessities to the finest luxuries—must be produced through our own collective hard work.We have come to expect automatic increases in our collective standard of living,but we seem to have forgotten that these increases are possible only when our productivity continues to grow.One thing that must change is the rate at which we substitute capital equipment for human labor.Simply put,our labor force has increased at a far greater rate than has our stock of capital investment.We seem to have forgotten that our past productivity gains,to a large extent,were realized from substitutions of capital for human labor.Today,3 times as many robots are listed as capital assets by Japanese firms as by United States firms.There is no doubt that robots will become a common sight in American factories.Representing a new generation of technology,robots will replace factory labor much as the farm tractor replaced the horse.Robot technology has much to offer.It offers higher levels of productivity and quality at lower costs;in promises to free men and women from the dull,repetitious toil of the factory,it is likely to have an impact on society comparable to that made by the growth of computer technology.1.The word"obsolete"(Para.1)most probably means_______.[A].weak[B].old[C].new[D].out of date2.The author is anxious about_______.[A].his people no longer taking the lead in industrial innovation[B].his country no longer being a wealthy nation[C].his people forgetting to raise their productivity[D].his country falling behind other industrial nations3.According to the author,in his country_______..[A].the proportion of labor force to capital investment is quite low[B].the growth rate of labor force should be greater than that of capital investment[C].the productivity increases should be achieved by the increases of labor force[D].capital investment should have increased more rapidly than labor force4.So far as the influence on society is concerned,_______.[A].robot technology seems to be much more promising than computer technology[B].computer technology has less to offer than robot technology[C].robot technology can be compared with computer technology[D].robot technology cannot be compared with computer technology5.The purpose of the author in writing this passage is to show that_______.[A].robots will help increase labor productivity[B].robots will rule American factories[C].robots are cheaper than human laborers[D].robots will finally replace humans in factories答案: D C D C APassage 8Pronouncing a language is a skill.Every normal person is expert in the skill of pronouncing his own language;but few people are even moderately proficient at pronouncing foreign languages.Now there are many reasons for this,some obvious,some perhaps not so obvious.But I suggest that the fundamental reason why people in general do not speak foreign languages very much better than they do is that they fail to grasp the true nature of the problem of learning to pronounce,and consequently never set about tackling it in the right way.Far too many people fail to realize that pronouncing a foreign language is a skill—one that needs careful training of a special kind,and one that cannot be acquired by just leaving it to take care of itself.I think even teachers of language,while recognizing the importance of a good accent,tend to neglect,in their practical teaching,the branch of study concerned with speaking the language.So the first point I want to make is that English pronunciation must be taught;the teacher should be prepared to devote some of the lesson time to this,and should get the student to feel that here is a matter worthy of receiving his close attention.So,there should be occasions when other aspects of English,such as grammar or spelling,are allowed for the moment to take second place.Apart from this question of the time given to pronunciation,there are two other requirements for the teacher:the first,knowledge;the second,technique.It is important that the teacher should be in possession of the necessary information.This can generally be obtained from books.It is possible to get from books some idea of the mechanics of speech,and of what we call general phonetic theory.It is also possible in this way to get a clear mental picture of the relationship between the sounds of different languages,between the speech。