2015年6月SAT真题(北美)section 7
2015SAT阅读练习及答案解析
2015年SAT阅读真题question 11-12 are based on the following passagesome critics believe that the frequent use of repetition in native American ceremonial texts was a result of their oral nature and helped make the works easy to remember. native American scholar paula gunn allen argues that this factor must be peripheral, however, because people in societies without writing traditionally have had more finely developed memories than do people who use writing. native American children learned early to remember complicated instructions and long stories by heart. for a person who couldn't run to a bookshelf to look up information, reliance on memory became very important in everyday life. such a highly developed everyday memory is not likely to fail on ceremonial occasions.1. the primary purpose of the passage is to(a) refute a claim(b) describe a process(c) analyze a discovery(d) advocate a practice(e) reveal a problem2. in context, what does the final sentence suggest about native american ceremonial texts?(a) understanding them requires a highly developed memory.(b) their inclusion of complicated and detailed material is traditional.(c) they are not always oral in nature, nor are they always repetitive.(d) they are important in the everyday lives of many native americans.(e) their use of repetition cannot be explained as an aid to memorization.(1)题答案：a简析：这道题目要求你说出这篇短文的目的，那就不是只看一两句话就可以解决问题的了，这是一道主旨性题目，需要我们从宏观上做全面的把握。
2015年6月托福真题回忆及解析
2015年6月托福真题回忆及解析【导语】人生就像一杯没有加糖的咖啡，喝起来是苦涩的，回味起来却有久久不会退去的余香。
没有人陪你走一辈子，所以你要适应孤独，没有人会帮你一辈子，所以你要奋斗一生。
与其用泪水悔恨昨天，不如用汗水拼搏今天。
当眼泪流尽的时候，留下的应该是坚强。
不求与人相比，但求超越自己!以下是无忧考网为大家搜集整理的2015年6月托福部分真题，希望可以帮到你！2015年6月托福共举行了3场考试，分别是6月13日、6月14日、6月27日6月13&14日托福口语真题回忆：Task 1Research shows that people are supposed to sleep for at least 8 hours a day, but as a matter of fact, some people sleep for only 6.5hours. What do you think is the impact of sleeping to people's lives? Use specific details and examples to explain your answer.Task 2Some people think it's better to take classes in the daytime and have a part-time job in the evening, some people prefer to have a part-time job in the daytime and take classes in theevening. Which do you think is better? Use specific details and examples to explain your answer.Task 3 Reading:The university should offer an online Math tutorial class. Because thereare only a few tutors on campus and the time is not flexible.Listening:The woman agrees with the proposal. She states that many students have to take classes in the day and have a part-time job in the evening, and they don’t have extra time to take the tutor’s class on campus. She also mentions that many postgraduates would be like to work as a volunteertutor online. She furthers explains that they live in a place far away from the university which cost them 15 minutes to drive, so they are unwilling to take the tutor’s class on campus, she thinks the online course would be much better.Enclothed Cognition: A systematic influence that clothes have onthe wearer's psychological processes.Listening:An experiment was carried out to illustrate the concept of the terminology.In the experiment, one group of participants wear a doctor’s coat; and the other two groups of subjects not only wear a doctor’s coat, but also their identity is manipulated, they are physician identification group and patient group respectively. There were no significant differences between participants in the wearing-a-doctor’s-coat condition and participants in the identifying-with-doctors condition in the duration and the degree of attentional blink, while participants in these two conditions had shorter duration and lower degree of attentional blink than participants in the identifying-with-patients condition.Task 5The woman is an art major student, she left her drawing assignment home. The first solution is to drive back home and take it back, but it takes one and a half hours to drive, which is a waste of time and gas money. Another solution is to draw a new one, but she has little time and she’s not sure she is able to paint a better one, because she thinks the old oneis her best performance.Task 6The professor discusses two types of adaption of the plants in the tropical rainforest, which prevents bacteria from growing because of the accumulation of rain. One adaptation is that they have a kind of special coding leave, which enables rain to drop.Another adaptation is that they have a special shape,which also enables rain to drop easily.6月13&14日托福写作真题回忆：独立写作：It's better to spend money on traveling and vacations thansave money for the future.综合写作：美国打算通过一项法律用来限制进口和销售外来物种（nonnative species）Reading：抵制外来物种入侵的法律不好一些人需要把自己的宠物交给当局1.需要花很多钱调查美国国内数以万记的外来物种2.全国都用同一标准，是不公平的，还要考虑地区差异。
2015年6月英语六级真题及答案详解
2015年6月大学英语六级真题及答案详解Part ⅠWriting (30minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled The Certificate Craze. You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below.1．现在许多人热衷于各类证书考试2．其目的各不相同3．在我看来……The Certificate Craze注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上。
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 four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the seen tenses with the information given in the passage.Minority ReportAmerican universities are accepting more minorities than ever. Graduating them is another matter.Barry Mills, the president of Bowdoin College, was justifiably proud of Bowdoin's efforts to recruit minority students. Since 2003 the small, elite liberal arts school in Brunswick, Maine, has boosted the proportion of so-called under-represented minority students in entering freshman classes from 8% to 13%. "It is our responsibility to reach out and attract students to come to our kinds of places," he told a NEWSWEEK reporter. But Bowdoin has not done quite as well when it comes to actually graduating minorities. While 9 out of 10 white students routinely get their diplomas within six years, only 7 out of 10 black students made it to graduation day in several recent classes."If you look at who enters college, it now looks like America," says Hilary Pennington, director of postsecondary programs for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has closely studied enrollment patterns in higher education. "But if you look at who walks across the stage for a diploma, it's still largely the white, upper-income population."The United States once had the highest graduation rate of any nation. Now it stands 10th. For the first time in American history, there is the risk that the rising generation will be less well educated than the previous one. The graduation rate among 25- to 34-year-olds is no better than the rate for the 55- to 64-year-olds who were going to college more than 30 years ago. Studies show that more and more poor and non-white students want to graduate from college – but their graduation rates fall far short of their dreams. The graduation rates for blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans lag far behind the graduation rates for whites and Asians. As the minority population grows in the United States, low college graduation rates become a threat to national prosperity.The problem is pronounced at public universities. In 2007 the University of Wisconsin-Madison – one of the top five or so prestigious public universities – graduated 81% of its white students within six years, but only 56% of its blacks. At less-selective state schools, the numbers get worse. During the same time frame, the University of Northern Iowa graduated 67% of its white students, but only 39% of its blacks. Community colleges have low graduation rates generally – but rock-bottom rates for minorities. A recent review of California community colleges found that while a third of the Asian students picked up their degrees, only 15% ofAfrican-Americans did so as well.Private colleges and universities generally do better, partly because they offer smaller classes and more personal attention. But when it comes to a significant graduation gap, Bowdoin has company. Nearby Colby College logged an 18-point difference between white and black graduates in 2007 and 25 points in 2006. Middlebury College in Vermont, another top school, had a 19-point gap in 2007 and a22-point gap in 2006. The most selective private schools – Harvard, Yale, and Princeton – show almost no gap between black and white graduation rates. But that may have more to do with their ability to select the best students. According to data gathered by Harvard Law School professor Lain Gainer, the most selective schools are more likely to choose blacks who have at least one immigrant parent from Africa or the Caribbean than black students who are descendants of American slaves."Higher education has been able to duck this issue for years, particularly the more selective schools, by saying the responsibility is on the individual student," says Pennington of the Gates Foundation. "If they fail, it's their fault." Some critics blame affirmative action –students admitted with lower test scores and grades from shaky high schools often struggle at elite schools. But a bigger problem may be that poor high schools often send their students to colleges for which they are "under matched": they could get into more elite, richer schools, but instead go to community colleges and low-rated state schools that lack the resources to help them. Some schools out for profit cynically increase tuitions and count on student loans and federal aid to foot the bill – knowing full well that the students won't make it. "The school keeps the money, but the kid leaves with loads of debt and no degree and no ability to get a better job. Colleges are not holding up their end," says Amy Wilkins of the Education Trust.A college education is getting ever more expensive. Since 1982 tuitions have been rising at roughly twice the rate of inflation. In 2008 the net cost of attending a four-year public university – after financial aid – equaled 28% of median (中间的)family income, while afour-year private university cost 76% of median family income. More and more scholarships are based on merit, not need. Poorer students are not always the best-informed consumers. Often they wind up deeply in debt or simply unable to pay after a year or two and must drop out.There once was a time when universities took pride in their dropout rates. Professors would begin the year by saying, "Look to the right and look to the left. One of you is not going to be here by the end of the year." But such a Darwinian spirit is beginning to give way as at least a few colleges face up to the graduation gap. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the gap has been roughly halved over the last three years. The university has poured resources into peer counseling to help students from inner-city schools adjust to the rigor (严格要求)and faster pace of a university classroom –and also to help minority students overcome the stereotype that they are less qualified. Wisconsin has a "laser like focus" on building up student skills in the first three months, according to vice provost (教务长)Damon Williams.State and federal governments could sharpen that focus everywhere by broadly publishing minority graduation rates. For years private colleges such as Princeton and MIT have had success bringing minorities onto campus in the summer before freshman year to give them some prepare Tory courses. The newer trend is to start recruiting poor and non-white students as early as the seventh grade, using innovative tools to identify kids with sophisticated verbal skills. Such programs can be expensive, of course, but cheap compared with the millions already invested in scholarships and grants for kids who have little chance to graduate without special support.With effort and money, the graduation gap can be closed. Washington and Lee is a small, selective school in Lexington, Va. Its student body is less than 5% black and less than 2% Latino. While the school usually graduated about 90% of its whites, the graduation rate of its blacks and Latinos had dipped to 63% by 2007. "We went through a dramatic shift," says Dawn Watkins, the vice president for student affairs. The school aggressively pushed mentoring (辅导) of minorities by other students and "partnering" with parents at a special pre-enrollment session. The school had its first-ever black homecoming. Last spring the school graduated the same proportion of minorities as it did whites. If the United States wants to keep up in the global economic race, it will have to pay systematic attention to graduating minorities, not just enrolling them.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
2015年SAT阅读理解练习题
在备考SAT阅读的过程中，要进行大量的练习题，这样才能积累更对的考试经验。
为了考生更好的备考SAT阅读考试，今天小马过河的小编为大家推荐2015年SAT阅读理解练习题，希望考生认真备考。
具体内容如下：The extract is taken from a book written sixty years ago by a British scientist in which heconsiders the relationship between science and society.The pioneers of the teaching of science imagined that itsintroduction into education would remove the conventionality,artificiality, and backward-lookingness which were characteristic;of classical studies, but they were gravely disappointed. So, too, in5 their time had the humanists thought that the study of the classical authors in the original would banish at once the dull pedantry and superstition of mediaeval scholasticism.The professional schoolmaster was a match for both of them, and has almost managed to make the understanding of chemical reactions as dull 10 and as dogmatic an affair as the reading of Virgil's Aeneid.The chief claim for the use of science in education is that it teaches a child something about the actual universe in which he is living, in making him acquainted with the results of scientific 15 discovery, and at the same time teaches him how to think logically and inductively by studying scientific method.A certain limited success has been reached in the first of these aims, but practically none at all in the second. Those privileged members of the community who have been through a secondary or public school 20 education may be expected to know something about the elementary physics and chemistry of a hundred years ago, but they probably know hardly more than any bright boy can pick up from an interest in wireless or scientific hobbies out of school hours.As to the learning of scientific method, the whole thing is palpably 25 a farce. Actually, for the convenience of teachers and the requirements of the examination system, it is necessary that the pupils not only do not learn scientific method but learn precisely the reverse, that is, to believe exactly what they are told and to reproduce it when asked, whether it seems nonsense to them or 30 not.The way in which educated people respond to such quackeries as spiritualism or astrology, not to say more dangerous ones such as racial theories or currency myths, shows that fifty years of education in the method of science in Britain or Germany has produced no visible effect whatever. The only way of learning the 35 method of science is the long and bitter way of personal experience, and, until the educational or social systems are altered to make this possible, the best we can expect is the production of a minority of people who are able to acquire some of the techniques of science and a still smaller minority who are able to use and 40 develop them.1. The author implies that the 'professional schoolmaster' (line 7) hasA. no interest in teaching scienceB. thwarted attempts to enliven educationC. aided true learningD. supported the humanistsE. been a pioneer in both science and humanities.2. The author’s attitude to secondary and public school education in the scie nces isA. ambivalentB. neutralC. supportiveD. satiricalE. contemptuous3. The word ‘palpably’ (line 24) most nearly meansA. empiricallyB. obviouslyC. tentativelyD. markedlyE. ridiculously4. The author blames all of the following for the failure to impart scientific method through the education system exceptA. poor teachingB. examination methodsC. lack of direct experienceD. the social and education systemsE. lack of interest on the part of students5. If the author were to study current education in science to see how things have changed since he wrote the piece, he would probably be most interested in the answer to which of the following questions?A. Do students know more about the world about them?B. Do students spend more time in laboratories?C. Can students apply their knowledge logically?D. Have textbooks improved?E. Do they respect their teachers?6. Astrology (line 31) is mentioned as an example ofA. a science that needs to be better understoodB. a belief which no educated people holdC. something unsupportable to those who have absorbed the methods of scienceD. the gravest danger to societyE. an acknowledged failure of science7. All of the following can be inferred from the text exceptA. at the time of writing, not all children received a secondary school educationB. the author finds chemical reactions interestingC. science teaching has imparted some knowledge of facts to some childrenD. the author believes that many teachers are authoritarianE. it is relatively easy to learn scientific method.2015年SAT阅读理解练习题答案解析1.Correct Answer: BExplanation:When we look back to line 7, we read, "The professional schoolmaster was a match for both of them, and has almost managed to make the understanding of chemical reactions as dull and as dogmatic an affair as the reading of Virgil's Aeneid."This tells us that the schoolmaster has made learning dull. And so we eliminate answers C and Ewhich imply he has done something good.But to be sure of the answer we should also read the previous sentences. We learn that, "The pioneers of the teaching of science imagined that its introduction into education would remove the conventionality, artificiality, and backward-lookingness which were characteristic of classicalstudies......" This section tells us that other people tried to alter the nature of education, but the"professional schoolmaster was a match for both of them". He therefore prevented (thwarted) these attempts, and the answer is B.2.Correct Answer: EExplanation:To find the attitude, try asking yourself whether the author is positive, negative or neutral to the subject. Then look for the evidence. Here, it is obvious that he thinks that nothing very valuable is learned in school about science and scientific method. He is therefore negative. Eliminate the neutral (A and B) words, and the positive (C), and then decide between D and E. He seems to be expressing contempt rather than mocking. And so E is the best choice.3.Correct Answer: BExplanation:Go back to the text and find a word of your own to replace ‘palpably’ before you even look at the choices. We read, "As to the learning of scientific method, the whole thing is palpably a farce."Here, I could substitute‘obviously’ or ‘clearly’. As it happens, one of the words is there in the choices. (B). If it had not been there, there would have been something sufficiently similar to make a choice.4.Correct Answer: EExplanation:Be caref ul on ‘except’ questions. You are looking for something the author does not do.He does blame poor teaching, (lines 7-10), exams (line 26), social and education systems (line 36),lack of direct experience (lines34-38), but he never blames the students. Hence answer E.5.Correct Answer: CExplanation:This is an ‘inference’ question. We need to find out what the author’s main complaint is. This concern of the author will tells us what he would like to see. From lines 11 to 18 in particular we learn that he is especially interested in whether a student can apply his or her knowledge. So, we conclude that answer C is best.6.Correct Answer: CExplanation:Astrology is mentioned as a ‘quackery’. Quackery is something that claims to be true but is act ually based on falsity. He implies that people are fooled by astrology, but he also implies that there are other more ‘dangerous’ideas. So we eliminate A, B and D. It is not likely that astrology is a ‘failure of science’, but it is something that scientists would not approve of. Hence answer C.7.Correct Answer: EExplanation:This is an ‘except’ question. Be careful! You are looking for something that cannot be inferred from the text. We can find evidence that the author finds reactions interesting (line 9), and that children have learnt some facts (beginning of the second paragraph), and that he thinks teachers are strict (line 10 and part of paragraph 2). We can also infer from the use of the phrase ‘privileged members’ (line 18) that he believes that not all received secondary education. But we find that he thinks it is hard to learn scientific method- ‘The only way of learning the method of science is the long and bitter way of personal experience". And so we choose E.。
2015年6月6日SAT真题回忆
2015年6月6日SAT真题回忆2015年6月6日SAT真题回忆下载地址：/20150608/satzh-lwj-060801.html?seo=wenku6.1072015年6月6日SAT真题回忆已经在小马过河免费更新了，考生可以进入下载地址免费索取2015年6月6日SAT真题回忆参考使用。
2015年6月6日SAT真题回忆部分内容：2. Tadpoles hatch and metamorphose into small replicas of adult frogs although remaining in their aquatic birthplace.A. although remainingB. while remainingC. in spite of it remainingD. due to their remainingE. in the course of which they remainCorrect Answer: BExplanation:Explanation for Correct Answer B:Choice (B) is correct. It avoids the error of the original by replacing the adverb "although," which indicates contrast, with the adverb "while," which indicates the time during which tadpoles change.Explanation for Incorrect Answer A:Choice (A) involves improper modification. The adverb "although" illogically indicates a contrast between the two parts of the sentence, which are not contrasting ideas.Explanation for Incorrect Answer C:Choice (C) involves the use of a vague pronoun. It is not clear what the pronoun "it" refers to.2015年6月6日SAT真题回忆下载地址：/20150608/satzh-lwj-060801.html?seo=wenku6.107。
2015年6月六级真题三套全(带答案去听力)
2015年6月大学英语六级考试真题（第一套）Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Section CDirections: 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 OneQuestions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.I'll admit I've never quite understood the obsession（难以破除的成见）surrounding genetically modified (GM) crops. To environmentalist opponents, GM foods are simply evil, an understudied, possibly harmful tool used by big agricultural businesses to control global seed markets and crush local farmers. They argue that GM foods have never delivered on their supposed promise, that money spent on GM crops would be better channeled to organic farming and that consumers should be protected with warning labels on any products that contain genetically modified ingredients. To supporters, GM crops are a key part of the effort to sustainably provide food to meet a growing global population. But more than that, supporters see the GM opposition of many environmentalists as fundamentally anti-science, no different than those who question the basics of man-made climate change.For both sides, GM foods seem to act as a symbol: you're pro-agricultural business or anti-science. But science is exactly what we need more of when it comes to GM foods, which is why I was happy to see Nature devote a special series of articles to the GM food controversy. The conclusion: while GM crops haven't yet realized their initial promise and have been dominated by agricultural businesses, there is reason to continue to use and develop them to help meet the enormous challenge of sustainably feeding a growing planet.That doesn't mean GM crops are perfect, or a one-size-fits-all solution to global agriculture problems. But anything that can increase farming efficiency 一the amount of crops we can produce per acre of land一will be extremely useful. GM crops can and almost certainly will be part of that suite of tools' but so will traditional plant breeding, improved soil and crop management一and perhaps most important of all, better storage and transport infrastructure（基础设施）, especially in the developing world. (It doesn't do much good for farmers in places like sub-Saharan Africa to produce more food if they can't get it to hungry consumers.)I'd like to see more non-industry research done on GM crops—not just because we'd worry less about bias, but also because seed companies like Monsanto and Pioneer shouldn't be the only entities working to harness genetic modification. I'd like to see GM research on less commercial crops, like com. I don't think it's vital to label GM ingredients in food, but I also wouldn't be against it一and industry would be smart to go along with labeling, just as a way of removing fears about the technology.Most of all, though, I wish a tenth of the energy that's spent endlessly debating GM crops was focused on those more pressing challenges for global agriculture. There are much bigger battles to fight.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
2015年6月大学英语6级真题(三套全)
2015年6月大学英语六级考试真题（第一套）When the right person is holding the right job at the right moment, that person's influence is greatly expanded. That is the position in which Janet Yellen, who is expected to be confirmed as the next chair of the Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) in January, now finds herself. If you believe, as many do, that unemployment is the major economic and social concern of our day, then it is no stretch to think Yellen is the most powerful person in the world right now.Throughout the 2008 financial crisis and the recession and recovery that followed, central banks have taken on the role of stimulators of last resort, holding up the global economy with vast amounts of money in the form of asset buying. Yellen, previously a Fed vice chair, was one of the principal architects of the Fed's $3.8 trillion money dump. A star economist known for her groundbreaking work on labor markets, Yeilen was a kind of prophetess early on in the crisis for her warnings about the subprime（次级债）meltdown. Now it will be her job to get the Fed and the markets out of the biggest and most unconventional monetary program in history without derailing the fragile recovery.The good news is that Yellen, 67, is particularly well suited to meet these challenges. She has a keen understanding of financial markets, an appreciation for their imperfections and a strong belief that human suffering was more related to unemployment than anything else.Some experts worry that Yellen will be inclined to chase unemployment to the neglect of inflation. But with wages still relatively flat and the economy increasingly divided between the well-off and the long-term unemployed' more people worry about the opposite, deflation（通货紧缩）that would aggravate the economy's problems.Either way, the incoming Fed chief will have to walk a fine line in slowly ending the stimulus. It must be steady enough to deflate bubbles（去泡沫）and bring markets back down to earth but not so quick that it creates another credit crisis.Unlike many past Fed leaders, Yellen is not one to buy into the finance industry's argument that it should be left alone to regulate itself. She knows all along the Fed has been too slack on regulation of finance.Yellen is likely to address right after she pushes unemployment below 6%, stabilizes markets and makes sure that the recovery is more inclusive and robust. As Princeton Professor Alan Blinder says' "She's smart as a whip, deeply logical, willing to argue but also a good listener. She can persuade without creating hostility." AH those traits will be useful as the global economy's new power player takes on its most annoying problems.56. What do many people think is the biggest problem facing Janet Yellen?A) Lack of money. B) Subprime crisis. C) Unemployment. D) Social instability.57. What did Yellen help the Fed do to tackle the 2008 financial crisis?A) Take effective measures to curb inflation.B) Deflate the bubbles in the American economy.C) Formulate policies to help financial institutions.D) Pour money into the market through asset buying.58. What is a greater concern of the general public?A) Recession. B) Deflation. C) Inequality. D) Income.59. What is Yellen likely to do in her position as the Fed chief?A) Develop a new monetary program. B) Restore public confidence.C) Tighten financial regulation. D) Reform the credit system.60. How does Alan Blinder portray Yellen?A) She possesses strong persuasive power.B) She has confidence in what she is doing.C) She is one of the world's greatest economists.D) She is the most powerful Fed chief in history.Passage TwoAir pollution is deteriorating in many places around the world. The fact that public parks in cities become crowded as soon as the sun shines proves that people long to breathe in green, open spaces. They do not all know what they are seeking but they flock there, nevertheless. And, in these surroundings, they are generally both peaceful and peaceable. It is rare to see people fighting in a garden. Perhaps struggle unfolds first, not at an economic or social level, but over the appropriation of air, essential to life itself. If human beings can breathe and share air, they don't need to struggle with one another.Unfortunately, in our western tradition, neither materialist nor idealist theoreticians give enough consideration to this basic condition for life. As for politicians, despite proposing curbs on environmental pollution, they have not yet called for it to be made a crime. Wealthy countries are even allowed to pollute if they pay for it.But is our life worth anything other than money? The plant world shows us in silence what faithfulness to life consists of. It also helps us to a new beginning, urging us to care for our breath, not only at a vital but also at a spiritual level. The interdependence to which we must pay the closest attention is that which exists between ourselves and the plant world. Often described as "the lungs of the planet", the woods that cover the earth offer us the gift of breathable air by releasing oxygen. But their capacity to renew the air polluted by industry has long reached its limit. If we lack the air necessary for a healthy life, it is because we have filled it with chemicals and undercut the ability of plants to regenerate it. As we know, rapid deforestation combined with the massive burning of fossil fuels is an explosive recipe for an irreversible disaster.The fight over the appropriation of resources will lead the entire planet to hell unless humans learn to share life, both with each other and with plants. This task is simultaneously ethical and political because it can be discharged only when each takes it upon herself or himself and only when it is accomplished together with others. The lesson taught by plants is that sharing life expands and enhances the sphere of the living, while dividing life into so-called natural or human resources diminishes it. We must come to view the air, the plants and ourselves as the contributors to the preservation of life and growth, rather than a web of quantifiable objects or productive potentialities at our disposal. Perhaps then we would finally begin to live, rather than being concerned with bare survival.61. What does the author assume might be the primary reason that people would struggle with each other?A) To get their share of clean air. B) To pursue a comfortable life.C) To gain a higher social status. D) To seek economic benefits.62. What does the author accuse western politicians of?A) Depriving common people of the right to clean air.B) Giving priority to theory rather than practical action.C) Offering preferential treatment to wealthy countries.D) Failing to pass laws to curb environmental pollution.63. What does the author try to draw our closest attention to?A) The massive burning of fossil fuels.B) Our relationship to the plant world.C) The capacity of plants to renew polluted air.D) Large-scale deforestation across the world.64. How can human beings accomplish the goal of protecting the planet according to the author?A) By showing respect for plants. B) By preserving all forms of life.C) By tapping all natural resources. D) By pooling their efforts together.65. What does the author suggest we do in order not just to survive?A) Expand the sphere of living. B) Develop nature's potentials.C) Share life with nature. D) Allocate the resources.Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.I'll admit I've never quite understood the obsession（难以破除的成见）surrounding genetically modified (GM) crops. To environmentalist opponents, GM foods are simply evil, an understudied, possibly harmful tool used by big agricultural businesses to control global seed markets and crush local farmers. They argue that GM foods have never delivered on their supposed promise, that money spent on GM crops would be better channeled to organic farming and that consumers should be protected with warning labels on any products that contain genetically modified ingredients. To supporters, GM crops are a key part of the effort to sustainably provide food to meet a growing global population. But more than that, supporters see the GM opposition of many environmentalists as fundamentally anti-science, no different than those who question the basics of man-made climate change.For both sides, GM foods seem to act as a symbol: you're pro-agricultural business or anti-science. But science is exactly what we need more of when it comes to GM foods, which is why I was happy to see Nature devote a special series of articles to the GM food controversy. The conclusion: while GM crops haven't yet realized their initial promise and have been dominated by agricultural businesses, there is reason to continue to use and develop them to help meet the enormous challenge of sustainably feeding a growing planet.That doesn't mean GM crops are perfect, or a one-size-fits-all solution to global agriculture problems. But anything that can increase farming efficiency一the amount of crops we can produce per acre of land一will be extremely useful. GM crops can and almost certainly will be part of thatsuite of tools' but so will traditional plant breeding, improved soil and crop management一and perhaps most important of all, better storage and transport infrastructure（基础设施）, especially in the developing world. (It doesn't do much good for farmers in places like sub-Saharan Africa to produce more food if they can't get it to hungry consumers.) I'd like to see more non-industry research done on GM crops—not just because we'd worry less about bias, but also because seed companies like Monsanto and Pioneer shouldn't be the only entities working to harness genetic modification. I'd like to see GM research on less commercial crops, like com. I don't think it's vital to label GM ingredients in food, but I also wouldn't be against it一and industry would be smart to go along with labeling, just as a way of removing fears about the technology.Most of all, though, I wish a tenth of the energy that's spent endlessly debating GM crops was focused on those more pressing challenges for global agriculture. There are much bigger battles to fight.56. How do environmentalist opponents view GM foods according to the passage?A) They will eventually ruin agriculture and the environment.B) They are used by big businesses to monopolize agriculture.C) They have proved potentially harmful to consumers' health.D) They pose a tremendous threat to current farming practice.57. What does the author say is vital to solving the controversy between the two sides of the debate?A) Breaking the GM food monopoly. B) More friendly exchange of ideas.C) Regulating GM food production. D) More scientific research on GM crops.58. What is the main point of the Nature articles?A) Feeding the growing population makes it imperative to develop GM crops.B) Popularizing GM technology will help it to live up to its initial promises.C) Measures should be taken to ensure the safety of GM foods.D) Both supporters and opponents should make compromises.59. What is the author's view on the solution to agricultural problems?A) It has to depend more and more on GM technology.B) It is vital to the sustainable development of human society.C) GM crops should be allowed until better alternatives are found.D) Whatever is useful to boost farming efficiency should be encouraged.60. What does the author think of the ongoing debate around GM crops?A) It arises out of ignorance of and prejudice against new science.B) It distracts the public attention from other key issues of the world.C) Efforts spent on it should be turned to more urgent issues of agriculture.D) Neither side is likely to give in until more convincing evidence is found.Passage TwoQuestions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.Early decision —you apply to one school, and admission is binding —seems like a great choice for nervous applicants. Schools let in a higher percentage of early-decision applicants, which arguably means that you have a better chance of getting in. And if you do, you're done with thewhole agonizing process by December. But what most students and parents don't realize is that schools have hidden motives for offering early decision.Early decision, since it's binding, allows schools to fill their classes with qualified students; it allows ad-missions committees to select the students that are in particular demand for their college and know those students will come. It also gives schools a higher yield rate, which is often used as one of the ways to measure college selectivity and popularity.The problem is that this process effectively shortens the window of time students have to make one of the most important decisions of their lives up to that point. Under regular admissions, seniors have until May 1 to choose which school to attend; early decision effectively steals six months from them, months that could be used to visit more schools, do more research, speak to current students and alumni（校友）and arguably make a more informed decision.There are, frankly, an astonishing number of exceptional colleges in America, and for any given student, there are a number of schools that are a great fit. When students become too fixated（专注）on a particular school early in the admissions process, that fixation can lead to severe disappointment if they don't get in or, if they do, the possibility that they are now bound to go to a school that, given time for further reflection, may not actually be right for them.Insofar as early decision offers a genuine admissions edge, that advantage goes largely to students who already have numerous advantage. The students who use early decision tend to be those who have received higher-quality college guidance, usually a result of coming from a more privileged background. In this regard, there's an argument against early decision, as students from lower-income families are far less likely to have the admissions know-how to navigate the often confusing early deadlines.Students who have done their research and are confident that there's one school they would be thrilled to get into should, under the current system, probably apply under early decision. But for students who haven't yet done enough research, or who are still constantly changing their minds on favorite schools, the early-decision system needlessly and prematurely narrows the field of possibility just at a time when students should be opening themselves to a whole range of thrilling options.61. What are students obliged to do under early decision?A) Look into a lot of schools before they apply. B) Attend the school once they are admitted.C) Think twice before they accept the offer. D) Consult the current students and alumni.62. Why do schools offer early decision?A) To make sure they get qualified students.B) To avoid competition with other colleges.C) To provide more opportunities for applicants.D) To save students the agony of choosing a school.63. What is said to be the problem with early decision for students?A) It makes their application process more complicated.B) It places too high a demand on their research ability.C) It allows them little time to make informed decisions.D) It exerts much more psychological pressure on them.64. Why are some people opposed to early decision?A) It interferes with students' learning in high school.B) It is biased against students at ordinary high schools.C) It causes unnecessary confusion among college applicants.D) It places students from lower-income families at a disadvantage.65. What does the author advise college applicants to do?A) Refrain from competing with students from privileged families.B) Avoid choosing early decision unless they are fully prepared.C) Find sufficient information about their favorite schools.D) Look beyond the few supposedly thrilling options.。
20156月大学英语六级真题和答案解析(完整版)
2014年6月大学英语六级真题及答案完整版PartI Writing ( 30minutes)Directions: For this part, you areallowed 30 minutes to write an essay explaining why it is unwise to put allyour eggs in one basket. You can give examples to illustrate your point .Youshould write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.Directions: For this part, you areallowed 30 minutes to write an essay explaining why it is unwise a person bytheir appearance. You can give examples to illustrate your point .You shouldwrite at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.Directions: For this part, you areallowed 30 minutes to write an essay explaining why it is unwise to jump toconclusions upon seeing or hearing something. You can give examples toillustrate your point .You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200words.Part Ⅱ Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)Section ADirections:In this section,youwill hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.At the end of eachconversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said.Both theconversation and the questions will be spoken only once.After each questionthere will be a pause.During the pause,you must read the four choices markedA),B),C)and D),and decide which is the best answer.Then mark the correspondingletter on Answer Sheet1 with a single line through the centre.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
2015年6月大学英语六级真题答案完整版
2015年6月大学英语六级真题答案完整版写作：In this constantlychangingworld, how to put the knowledge acquired every day into reality hasintrigued numerous people. As a proverb goes, “Knowledge is atreasure, but practice is the key to it.” Apparently,this sayingaims to deliver the message that if we truly want to master theknowledge we learn, we ought not to stoppracticingit.第一段三句话，用核心词引入+带出引言+引言的目的There are severalreasonsaccountable for this statement. To begin with, human being areforgetful beings; therefore, only when we use knowledge, makemistakes, and try to use it again will we be able to rememberit byour heart. Moreover, knowledge has become growingly complicated andwe can seldom genuinely grasp the essence of it ifwe do notpractice it and ponder it over again and again. For instance, thereused to be simple diseases, such as the cold and measles, and adoctor might have the knowledge to treat all the common ones.However, with our living environment becoming ever increasinglyharsher, the diseases have evolved into weird, irremediable, andunpredictable ones. Therefore, the medication has been divided intonumerous branches, and doctors of each one have to practice foryears only in order to cure the diseases belonging tothe similarsort.第二段，解释引言。
SAT 真题0601S7
1. Some fans feel that sports events are ______ only when the competitors are of equal ability, making the outcome of the game ______.A. successful…assuredB. boring…questionableC. dull…foreseenD. interesting…predictableE. exciting…uncertain2. Alfred Schnittke's musical compositions are ______: phrases are clipped, broken into sections, and split apart by long rests.A. garnishedB. improvisationalC. fragmentedD. cautiousE. uniform3. The consumer advocate claimed that while drug manufacturers ______ the supposed advantages of their proprietary brands, generic versions of the same medications are often equally ______.A. tout…efficaciousB. research…innocuousC. market…prohibi tiveD. laud…counterproductiveE. extract…prescriptive4. Latoya's _____ is shown by her ability to be ______: she can see her own faults more clearly than anyone else can.A. perceptiveness…self-centeredB. objectivity…restrictiveC. cynicism…self-destructiveD. open-mindedness…complacentE. insightfulness…self-critical5. The bearded dragon lizard is a voracious eater, so ______ that it will consume as many insects as possible.A. abstemiousB. cannibalisticC. slovenlyD. insatiableE. unpalatable6. Because drummer Tony Williams paved the way for later jazz-fusion musicians, he is considered a ______ of that style.A. connoisseurB. revivalistC. beneficiaryD. disparagerE. progenitor7. The politician's speech to the crowd was composed of nothing but ______, a bitter railing against the party's opponents.A. digressionsB. diatribesC. platitudesD. machinationsE. acclamations8. Favoring economy of expression in writing, the professor urged students toward a ______ rather than an ______ prose style.A. spare…ornateB. terse…opinionatedC. personal…academicD. baroque…embellishedE. repetitive…intricateSECTION 7The passages below are followed by questions based on their content; questions following a pair of related passages may also be based on the relationship between the paired passages. Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passages and in any introductory material that may be provided.Questions 9-12 are based on the following passages.Passage 1Food has always been considered one of the most salient markers of cultural traditions. When I was a small child, food was the only thing that helped identify my family as Filipino American. We ate pansit lug-lug (a noodle dish) and my father put pads (salty fish sauce) on everything. However, even this connection lessened as I grew older. As my parents became more acculturated, we ate less typically Filipino food. When I was twelve, my mother took cooking classes and learned to make French and Italian dishes. When I was in high school, we ate chicken marsala and shrimp fra diablo more often than Filipino dishes like pansit lug-lug.Passage 2Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin—who in 1825 confidently announced, "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are"—would have no trouble describing cultural identities of the United States. Our food reveals us as tolerant adventurers who do not feel constrained by tradition. We "play with our food" far more readily than we preserve the culinary rules of our varied ancestors. Americans have no single national cuisine. What unites American eaters culturally is how we eat, not what we eat. As eaters, Americans mingle the culinary traditions of many regions and cultures. We are multiethnic eaters.9. Which of the following statements best captures the relationship between the two passages?(A) Passage 1 notes problems for which Passage 2 proposes solutions.(B) Passage 1 presents claims that are debunked by Passage 2.(C) Passage 2 furnishes a larger context for the experiences described in Passage I.(D) Passage 2 provides an update of the situation depicted in Passage 1.(E) Passage 2 uses material presented in Passage 1to correct a popular misconception.10. The author of Passage 2 would most likely regard the mother's willingness to "make French and Italian dishes" (lines 9-10, Passage 1) as(A) laughably pretentious(B) understandably conservative(C) typically American(D) a regrettable compromise(E) a surprising attitude11. The two passages differ in their discussions of food primarily in that Passage 1(A) considers specific dishes eaten by particular people, whereas Passage 2 comments on a culture's general attitude toward eating(B) contrasts the cuisines of different cultures, whereas Passage 2 emphasize culinary practices common to all cultures(C) presents an abstract theory of food, whereas Passage 2 offers a historical analysis of consumption(D) emphasizes the role of nostalgia in food preferences, whereas Passage 2 rejects that approach as overly sentimental(E) outlines some popular choices in cuisine,whereas Passage 2 underscores those that are more unusual12. Unlike the author of Passage 2, the author of Passage 1 makes significant use of(A) direct quotation(B) sociological analysis(C) hypothetical assumptions(D) historical sources(E) personal experienceQuestions 13-24 are based on the following passages.The passages below discuss the possibility of locating intelligent life on other planets. Passage 1 has been adapted from a 1999 book on the history of the universe. Passage 2 was excerpted from a 2000 book on the scientific quest for extraterrestrial life.Passage 1Generations of science-fiction movies have conditioned us to consider bug-eyed monsters, large-brained intellectual humanoids, and other rather sophisticated extraterrestrial Linecreatures as typical examples of life outside Earth. The reality, however, is that finding any kind of life at all, even something as simple as bacteria, would be one of the most exciting discoveries ever made.The consensus within the scientific community seems to be that we eventually will find not only life in other parts of10 the galaxy but also intelligent and technologically advanced life. I have to say that 1 disagree. While 1 believe we will find other forms of life in other solar systems (if not in our own), I also feel it is extremely unlikely that a large number of advanced technological civilizations are out15 there, waiting to be discovered. The most succinct support for my view comes from Nobel laureate physicist Enrico Fermi, the man who ran the first nuclear reaction ever controlled by human beings. Confronted at a 1950 luncheon with scientific arguments for the ubiquity of20 technologically advanced civilizations, he supposedly said, "So where is everybody?"This so-called Fermi Paradox embodies a simple logic. Human beings have had modern science only a few hundred years, and already we have moved into space. It is not25 hard to imagine that in a few hundred more years we will be a starfaring people, colonizing other systems. Fermi's argument maintains that it is extremely unlikely that many other civilizations discovered science at exactly the same time we did. Had they acquired science even a thousand30 years earlier than we. they now could be so much more advanced that they would already be colonizing our solar system.If, on the other hand, they are a thousand years behind us, we will likely arrive at their home planet before they35 even begin sending us radio signals. Technologicaladvances build upon each other, increasing technological abilities faster than most people anticipate. Imagine, for example, how astounded even a great seventeenth-century scientist like Isaac Newton would be by our current global40 communication system, were he alive today. Where are those highly developed extraterrestrial civilizations so dear to the hearts of science-fiction writers? Their existence is far from a foregone conclusion.Passage 2Although posed in the most casual of circumstances,45 the Fermi Paradox has reverberated through the decades and has at times threatened to destroy the credibility of those scientists seriously engaged in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SET!) research program.One possible answer to Fermi's question ("If there are50 extraterrestrials, where are they?") is that extraterrestrials have in fact often visited Earth, and continue to do so. This is the answer of those who believe in the existence of unidentified flying objects, or UFO's. But few scientists, even those engaged in SET1, take the UFO claims55 seriously. "You won't find anyone around here who believes in UFO's." says Frank Drake, a well-known SETI scientist. If one discounts the UFO claims, yet still believes that there are many technological civilizations in the galaxy, why have they not visited us? Drake's answer60 is straightforward: "High-speed interstellar travel is so demanding of resources and so hazardous that intelligent civilizations don't attempt it." And why should they attempt it, when radio communication can supply all the information they might want?65 At first glance, Drake's argument seems very persuasive. The distances between stars are truly immense. To get from Earth to the nearest star and back, traveling at 99 percent of the speed of light, would take 8 years. And SETI researchers have shown that, to accelerate70 a spacecraft to such a speed, to bring it to a stop, and to repeat the process in the reverse direction, would take almost unimaginable amounts of energy.Astronomer Ben Zuckerman challenges Drake's notion that technological beings would be satisfied with75 radio communication. "Drake's implicit assumption is that the only thing we're going to care about is intelligent life. But what if we have an interest in simpler life-forms? If you turn the picture around and you have some advanced extraterrestrials looking at the Earth, until80 the last hundred years there was no evidence of intelligent life but for billions of years before that they could have deduced that this was a very unusual world and that there were probably living creatures on it. They would have had billions of years to come investigate." Zuckerman contends85 that the reason extraterrestrials haven't visited us is that so few exist.13. Which statement about the Fermi Paradox is supported by both passages?(A) It articulates a crucial question for those interested in the existence of extraterrestrials.(B) It clarifies the astronomical conditions required to sustain life on other planets.(C) It reveals the limitations of traditional ideas about the pace of technological change.(D) It demonstrates the scientific community's fascination with the concept of interstellar travel.(E) It suggests that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations may be uninterested in our culture.14. Which statement best describes a significant difference between the two passages?(A) Passage 1 analyzes a literary form, while Passage 2 argues that literature has little bearing on science.(B) Passage 1 presents an argument, while Passage 2 surveys current opinion in a debate.(C) Passage 1 concludes by rejecting the Fermi Paradox, while Passage 2 opens by embracing it.(D) Passage 1 describes a phenomenon, while Passage 2 details a belief system that would reject such a phenomenon.(E) Passage I defends a viewpoint, while Passage 2 questions that viewpoint's place in scientific research.15. The author of Passage 1 mentions '"monsters," "humanoids," and "creatures" (lines 2-4) primarily to(A) question the literary value of science fiction(B) contrast fictional notions with a scientific perspective(C) offer examples of the human fear of the unknown(D) criticize science fiction for being unduly alarmist(E) suggest that scientific research has been influenced by science fiction16. In line 17, "ran" most nearly means(A) fled(B) accumulated(C) traversed(D) managed(E) incurred17. Passage 1 suggests that the Fermi Paradox depends most directly on which assumption?(A) Extraterrestria l civilizations may not wish to be discovered by human beings. •(B) Extraterrestrial civilizations would most likely have discovered technology at about the same time human beings discovered it.(C) Extraterrestrial technology would develop at roughly the same rate as human technology.(D) Extraterrestrial civilizations would inevitably use technology for aggressive ends.(E) Science is a more powerful form of human knowledge than are art and literature.18. The claim made in Passage 1 that a "consensus" exists (lines 8-11) would most likely be interpreted by the author of Passage 2 as(A) evidence of compromise in the scientific community(B) an attack on SETI researchers(C) support for Fermi's analysis(D) a revelation of an unexpected truth(E) an oversimplification of a complex debate19. The author of Passage 1 mentions Isaac Newton (lines 37-40) in order to(A) emphasize the rapid rate of technological innovation(B) acknowledge (he impact of a profound thinker(C) criticize the inflexibility of Newton's contemporaries(D) speculate about New ton's influence on current research(E) highlight the value of scientific curiosity20. In lines 44-48, the author of Passage 2 indicates that the Fermi Paradox has been(A) thoroughly misunderstood(B) surprisingly influential(C) overwhelmingly perplexing(D) intermittently popular(E) frequently misquoted21. How would Frank Drake (line 56, Passage 2) most likely respond to the statement by the author of Passage 1 about humans "colonizing other systems" (line 26)?(A) The means to accomplish such a project may be beyond our reach.(B) Interstellar colonization is as morally problematic as was colonization on Earth.(C) We would do better to study indigenous life-forms rather than search for extraterrestrial creatures.(D) Humans would be wise to consider that they themselves arc subject to colonization.(E) Funding for such an undertaking would pose a thorny political issue for any government.22. In line 57, "claims" most nearly means(A) demands(B) assertions(C) rights(D) territories(E) compensations23. In line 63, "radio communication" is cited as a(A) complex interaction(B) technological relic(C) common occurrence(D) practical alternative(E) dramatic advance24. Both the author of Passage 1 and Ben Zuckerman (line 73, Passage 2) imply that researchers seeking life on another planet should focus on which of the following?(A) Seasonal variations in color due to plant life(B) Evidence of the most basic forms of life(C) Signs of artificially created structures(D) Signals that might be radio communications(E) Changes in geological surface featuresQuestions 7-19 are based on the following passage.The following passage is from a 1979 essay by a Native American writer.An understanding of any national literature depends very much on an awareness of the larger cultural context. Without some knowledge of language, of history, of inflection, of the position of the storyteller within the group, without a hint of the social roles played by males and females in the culture, without a sense of the society's humor or priorities—without such knowledge, how can we, as reader or listener, penetrate to the core of meaning in an expression of art?The difficulty of gaining access to the literature of a different culture may be illustrated by an exemplary folktale (in translation) from the Tanaina (Athabaskan) culture of south-central Alaska. It would typically be told to a general audience within the society, including the full range of ages from young children to grandparents; it would be recounted with gesticulation and exaggeration by a performance specialist. It would be expected to have different meanings to the various categories of listeners—instructive, entertaining, reinforcing, or all three. Here is a brief version of the story:"Once upon a time there was a porcupine woman who decided to do some hunting .on the far side of the river. She went to the bank, where she met a beaver.'Hello,' she said to him. T need to do some hunting over there. Will you ride me across on your back?''I'd be glad to,' replied the beaver. 'Hop on.' So the porcupine woman climbed on his back, and he started swimming for the other side. When he had almost made it, the porcupine woman said, 'Oh my! I've forgotten to bring my sack. I'll need to go back to the other bank and get it.''All right.' said the beaver, and swam back. He was panting while the porcupine woman went to get her sack.'Okay,' she said. 'Let's go.' So they started across again. The beaver was swimming much more slowly. When they had practically reached the other side, she said, 'Oh my! I've forgotten to bring my needle. We'll have to go back and get it.'This time the beaver didn't say anything—he didn't have enough breath! But he turned around and pulled them back to the shore and nearly passed out while she got her needle.'Hurry up, now." the porcupine woman said as she climbed back on his back. He could hardly keep his nose above water, but he had almost made it to the far bank again when she said, 'Oh my! I've forgotten my staff. We'll have to . . . .'Before she had finished her sentence the beaver had flipped over in the water and dragged himself onto the bank, where he lay half dead. The porcupine woman managed to make the shore too, and climbed up onto a bear path. When she had caught her breath, she turned on the beaver and quilted him to death."The Tanaina live in an environment that could euphemistically be described as "difficult." Survival, especially in the wild, is always precarious. Further, they were, in the precontact period, a nonlilcratc people. Oral communication was therefore the method of cultural transmission, legal understanding, and meaningful communication. It is also necessary lo know that a "staff." as mentioned in the story, fund ions as both a walking stick and a weapon, and that in the Tanaina symbol system, porcupines were supposed to be rather ponderous, dull-witted creatures, and beavers were thought to be energetic and industrious but overly spontaneous and erratic.For the reader armed with these data, the story becomes more accessible as a lesson in contract law, with several additional minor themes. A culturally attuned listener would notice, for instance, that when the porcupine woman proposed passage to the beaver, he agreed without any stipulations or clarifications of the terms. He gave a basically open-ended agreement—made a contract—and hence the porcupine woman was perfectly within her rights both in demanding that he return three times and in quilting him to death when he reneged.The story is not. however, without its moral for the porcupine women of this world. Her stated aim is to go hunting, and yet she sets out without the three essentials of that endeavor: a sack in which to carry home her game, a needle with which to sew up the intestines, and, most important, an implement with which to hunt and defend herself. True, she had an open-ended contract, but where does she wind up at the conclusion of the story? Sitting, exhausted, quills used up, weaponless, and not only on the wrong side of the river from her home but on a bear path! The hunter is about to become the hunted, and all because of her own improvidence.7. In the opening paragraph, the author assumes that the "meaning" (line 8) is(A) culturally determined(B) intensely personal(C) essentially moralistic(D) permanently inscrutable(E) uniquely artistic8. In the context of the passage, which "expression of art" (line 9) would be the most difficult to interpret?(A) A contemporary play written by a prolific play wright(B) A fable from a nonliterate society with which anthropologists are very familiar(C) A single text produced by a previously unknown society(D) A sitcom from the early days of television(E) A single myth from an ancient culture with a well-documented mythological structure9. How does the author respond to the question posed in lines 3-9?(A) By proposing an innovative strategy(B) By confirming the futility of such analysis(C) By describing a personal experience with the problem(D) By illustrating his point within a particular context(E) By documenting a traditional approach to the problem10. The author discusses Tanaina culture from the perspective of(A) a concerned parent(B) a bewildered visitor(C) a performance artist(D) an informed outsider(E) an indignant reader11. The sentence in which "difficult" appears (lines 54-55) indicates that the author considers the word to be(A) an exaggeration(B) an estimate(C) an understatement(D) a contradiction(E) a preconception12. In relation to the passage, the statements in lines 59-65 serve a function most similar to which of the following items?(A) A menu in a restaurant(B) The key or legend to a map(C) A department store directory(D) The outline of a term paper(E) An illustration of a fairytale13. The author's analysis of the folktale offers which insight into Tanaina beliefs?(A) A fanciful story is most suitable for an audience of children.(B) A verbal exchange can establish a binding contract.(C) A person who behaves impulsively is most often sincere.(D) A shared task should be divided fairly between two people.(E) A painstaking plan may nonetheless fail to anticipate all problems.14. The "porcupine women of this world" (lines 76-77) are best described as people who(A) plan inadequately for their own needs(B) postpone necessary work in favor of leisure(C) depend heavily upon help from their close friends(D) return repeatedly to their favorite places(E) flee quickly from any laborious task15. The final paragraph (lines 76-87) suggests that the bear path mentioned in lines 51-52 is significant because it(A) foreshadows the arrival of a benevolent character from Tanaina folklore(B) suggests an alarming alternative to crossing the river(C) marks the boundary of the beaver's natural surroundings(D) explains the porcupine woman's fear of unfamiliar territory(E) poses a new peril for the porcupine woman16. In lines 83-87, the description of the porcupine woman emphasizes the discrepancy between her(A) social position and her private feelings(B) physical wealth and her moral poverty(C) hostile action and her ultimate gratitude(D) original goal and her actual situation(E) grandiose ambition and her real moods17. As a commentary on legal relations, the folktale is best described as(A) an example of traditional practices(B) an outline for social behavior(C) a warning about ill-conceived assent(D) a criticism of obsolete custom(E) a parody of actual situation18. The author's attitude toward the Tanaina folktale is best described as(A) excitement at an unexpected discovery(B) admiration of the storyteller's performance(C) appreciation of the folktale as a means of communicating values(D) enthusiasm for the Tanaina culture's concept of legality(E) enjoyment of the comical aspects of the folktale19. Which statement is most consistent with the author's argument?(A) Translating a literary text requires formal lin¬guistic training(B) Tales transmitted by a nonliterate society elude transcription in later eras.(C) Listening to a skilled storyteller is more instructive than entertaining.(D) Simple enjoyment of a tale is incompatible with scholarly analysis.(E) To read a text is not necessarily to understand it.。
2015年6月6日北美托福真题解析
2015年6月6日北美托福真题解析2015年6月6日北美托福真题解析下载地址：/20150605/tfjj-ls-060502.html?seo=wenku6.1062015年6月6日北美托福真题解析已经免费更新啦！考生可以进入下载地址免费索取下载使用2015年6月6日北美托福真题解析！2015年6月6日北美托福真题解析部分内容：独立写作题目：Agree or disagree: people nowadays spend much more time than they should using text messages and new technologies such as social media to communicate with each other.写作一，在美国，某些人认为电子病历有三个优点，省钱，不会发生错误，和利于做科研。
教授认为这些优点是uncertain，他说，即使有了电子病历，医生们还是会把纸质病历作为备份，所以存储转移这些病历的费用并没有省下来。
第二，虽然电子病历使用电脑，但是还是难免出现错误，因为病历还是由医生手写，职员打字输入的，在辨识医生的文字和输入电脑的过程中都有可能出现错误。
第三，文中说电子病历利于更方便的取得大量病人的相关资料做研究，但是教授说在美国病人的病历属于隐私的范畴，有隐私法privacy laws来监督，研究人员不可能随意的查看病人的病历，首先他必须经过严格复杂的程序获得很多人包括病人自己的允许才能查看病历，所以关于电子病历的这个优点是不存在的。
The passage offered three benefits of adopting the electronic system of doctors’records. However, the speaker refuted that the supposed benefits are highly uncertain.the passage first claimed that the electronic records save much costs on the storage and transferring of paper records. To deny this, the speaker mentioned that the doctors will still keep the signed paper records as a backup and for later legal purposes. she said that the cost cut is not significant.then, the passage argued that the electronic records can help prevent the mistakes such as illegible handwritings. To oppose this, the speaker brought about the fact that the doctors will still take notes with pens, and it is the staff who will input the material into the electronic system. therefore the error can not be iliminated.Finally, the passage stated that the electronic system can help aiding the medical research. To oppose this, the speaker let the listerners pay attention to the fact that the strick privacy laws will still prevent the researchers from accessing the medical record database小马托福保分班21天免费体验，进去即可享受免专业老师指导备考，又可免费获得6G 托福备考资料1.专业老师对考生制定专业备考计划，每天老师布置并要求考生完成对应的作业。
2015年6月大学英语六级考试真题及答案(共三套)
2015年6月大学英语六级考试真题（第一套）Reading comprehension Section A Innovation, the elixir (灵丹妙药) of progress, has always cost people their jobs. In the Industrial Revolution hand weavers were ___36___ aside by the mechanical loom. Over the past 30 years the digital revolution has ___37___ many of the mid-skill jobs that underpinned 20th-century middle-class life. Typists, ticket agents, bank tellers and many production-line jobs have been dispensed with, just as the weavers were. For those who believe that technological progress has made the world a better place, such disruption is a natural part of rising ___38___. Although innovation kills some jobs, it creates new and better ones, as a more ___39___ society becomes richer and its wealthier inhabitants demand more goods and services. A hundred years ago one in three American workers was ___40___ on a farm. Today less than 2% of them produce far more food. The millions freed from the land were not rendered ___41___, but found better-paid work as the economy grew more sophisticated. Today the pool of secretaries has___42___, but there are ever more computer programmers and web designers. Optimism remains the right starting-point, but for workers the dislocating effects of technology may make themselves evident faster than its ___43___. Even if new jobs and wonderful products emerge, in the short term income gaps will widen, causing huge social dislocation and perhaps even changing politics. Technology's ___44___ will feel like a tornado (旋风), hitting the rich world first, but ___45___ sweeping through poorer countries too. No government is prepared for it.Section BWhy the Mona Lisa Stands Out[A] Have you ever fallen for a novel and been amazed not to find it on lists of great books? Or walked around a sculpture renowned as a classic, struggling to see what the fuss is about? If so, you‟ve probably pondered the question Cutting asked himself that day: how does a work of art come to be considered great?[B] The intuitive answer is that some works of art are just great: of intrinsically superior quality. The paintings that win prime spots in galleries, get taught in classes and reproduced in books are the ones that have proved their artistic value over time. If you can‟t see they‟re superior, that‟s your problem. It‟s an intimidatingly neat explanation. But some social scientists have been asking awkward questions of it, raising the possibility that artistic canons are little more than fossilised historical accidents.[C] Cutting, a professor at Cornell Univer sity, wondered if a psychological mechanism known as the “mere-exposure effect” played a role in deciding which paintings rise to the top of the cultural league. Cutting designed an experiment to test his hunch. Over a lecture course he regularly showed undergraduates works of impressionism for two seconds at a time. Some of the paintings were canonical, included in art-history books. Others were lesser known but of comparable quality. These were exposed four times as often. Afterwards, the students preferred them to the canonical works, while a control group of students liked the canonical ones best. Cutting‟s students had grown to like those paintings more simply because they had seen them more.[D] Cutting believes his experiment offers a clue as to how canons are formed. He points out that the most reproduced works of impressionism today tend to have been bought by five or six wealthy and influential collectors in the late 19th century. The preferences of these men bestowed prestige on certain works, which made the works more likely to be hung in galleries and printed in anthologies. The fame passed down the years, gaining momentum from mere exposure as it did so. The more people were exposed to, the more they liked it, and the more they liked it, the more it appeared in books, on posters and in big exhibitions. Meanwhile, academics and critics created sophisticated justifications for its pre-eminence. After all, it‟s not just the masses who tend to rate what they see more often more highly. As contemporary artists like Warhol and Damien Hirst have grasped, critical acclaim is deeply entwined with publicity. “Scholars”, Cutting argues, “are no different from the public in the effects of mere exposure.”[E] The process described by Cutting evokes a princi ple that the sociologist Duncan Watts calls “cumulative advantage”: once athing becomes popular, it will tend to become more popular still. A few years ago, Watts, who is employed by Microsoft to study the dynamics of social networks, had a similar experience to Cutting in another Paris museum. After queuing to see the “Mona Lisa” in its climate-controlled bulletproof box at the Louvre, he came away puzzled: why was it considered so superior to the three other Leonardos in the previous chamber, to which nobody seemed to be paying the slightest attention?[F] When Watts looked into the history of “the greatest painting of all time”, he discovered that, for most of its life, the “Mona Lisa” remained in relative obscurity. In the 1850s, Leonardo da Vinci was considered no match for giants of Renaissance art like Titian and Raphael, whose works were worth almost ten times as much as the “Mona Lisa”. It was only in the 20th century that Leonardo‟s portrait of his patron‟s wife rocketed to the number-one spot. W hat propelled it there wasn‟t a scholarly re-evaluation, but a theft.[G] In 1911 a maintenance worker at the Louvre walked out of the museum with the “Mona Lisa” hidden under his smock. Parisians were aghast at the theft of a painting to which, until then, they had paid little attention. When the museum reopened, people queued to see the gap where the “Mona Lisa” had once hung in a way they had never done for the painting itself. From then on, the “Mona Lisa” came to represent Western culture itself.[H] Although many have tried, it does seem improbable that the painting‟s unique status can be attributed entirely to the qua lity of its brushstrokes. It has been said that the subject‟s eyes follow the viewer around the room. But as the painting‟s biogra pher, Donald Sassoon, dryly notes, “In reality the effect can be obtained from any portrait.” Duncan Watts proposes that the “Mona Lisa” is merely an extreme example of a general rule. Paintings, poems and pop songs are buoyed or sunk by random events or preferences that turn into waves of influence, rippling down the generations.[I] “Saying that cultural objects have value,” Brian Eno once wrote, “is like saying that telephones have conversations.” Nea rly all the cultural objects we consume arrive wrapped in inherited opinion; our preferences are always, to some extent, someone else‟s. Visitors to the “Mona Lisa” know they are about to visit the greatest work of art ever and come away appropriately impressed—or let down. An audience at a performance of “Hamlet” know it is regarded as a work of genius, so that is what they mostly see. Watts even calls the pre-eminence of Shakespeare a “historical accident”.[J] Although the rigid high-low distinction fell apart in the 1960s, we still use culture as a badg e of identity. Today‟s fashion for eclecticism—“I love Bach, Abba and Jay Z”—is, Shamus Khan , a Columbia University psychologist, argues, a new way for the middle class to distinguish themselves from what they perceive to be the narrow tastes of those beneath them in the social hierarchy. [K] The intrinsic quality of a work of art is starting to seem like its least important attribute. But perhaps it‟s more significant than our social scientists allow. First of all, a work needs a certain quality to be eligible to be swept to the top of the pile. The “Mona Lisa” may not be a worthy world champion, but it was in the Louvre in the first place, and not by accident. Secondly, some stuff is simply better than other stuff. Read “Hamlet” after reading even the gr eatest of Shakespeare‟scontemporaries, and the difference may strike you as unarguable.[L] A study in the British Journal of Aesthetics suggests that the exposure effect doesn‟t work the same way on everything, a nd points to a different conclusion about how canons are formed. The social scientists are right to say that we should be a little skeptical of greatness, and that we should always look in the next room. Great art and mediocrity can get confused, even by experts. But that‟s why we need to see, and read, as much as we can. The more we‟re exposed to the good and the bad, the better we are at telling the difference. The eclecticists have it.46. According to Duncan Watts, the superiority of the "Mona Lisa" to Leonardo's other works resulted from the cumulative advantage.47. Some social scientists have raised doubts about the intrinsic value of certain works of art.48. It is often random events or preferences that determine the fate of a piece of art.49. In his experiment, Cutting found that his subjects liked lesser known works better than canonical works because of more exposure.50. The author thinks the greatness of an art work still lies in its intrinsic value.51. It is true of critics as well as ordinary people that the popularity of artistic works is closely associated with publicity.52. We need to expose ourselves to more art and literature in order to tell the superior from the inferior.53. A study of the history of the greatest paintings suggests even a great work of art could experience years of neglect.54. Culture is still used as a mark to distinguish one social class from another.55. Opinions about and preferences for cultural objects are often inheritable.Section C Passage OneWhen the right person is holding the right job at the right moment, that person's influence is greatly expanded. That is the position in which Janet Yellen, who is expected to be confirmed as the next chair of the Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) in January, now finds herself. If you believe, as many do, that unemployment is the major economic and social concern of our day, then it is no stretch to think Yellen is the most powerful person in the world right now.Throughout the 2008 financial crisis and the recession and recovery that followed, central banks have taken on the role of stimulators of last resort, holding up the global economy with vast amounts of money in the form of asset buying. Yellen, previously a Fed vice chair, was one of the principal architects of the Fed's $3.8 trillion money dump. A star economist known for her groundbreaking work on labor markets, Yeilen was a kind of prophetess early on in the crisis for her warnings about the subprime（次级债）meltdown. Now it will be her job to get the Fed and the markets out of the biggest and most unconventional monetary program in history without derailing the fragile recovery.The good news is that Yellen, 67, is particularly well suited to meet these challenges. She has a keen understanding of financial markets, an appreciation for their imperfections and a strong belief that human suffering was more related to unemployment than anything else.Some experts worry that Yellen will be inclined to chase unemployment to the neglect of inflation. But with wages still relatively flat and the economy increasingly divided between the well-off and the long-term unemployed' more people worry about the opposite, deflation（通货紧缩）that would aggravate the economy's problems.Either way, the incoming Fed chief will have to walk a fine line in slowly ending the stimulus. It must be steady enough to deflate bubbles（去泡沫）and bring markets back down to earth but not so quick that it creates another credit crisis.Unlike many past Fed leaders, Yellen is not one to buy into the finance industry's argument that it should be left alone to regulate itself. She knows all along the Fed has been too slack on regulation of finance.Yellen is likely to address right after she pushes unemployment below 6%, stabilizes markets and makes sure that the recovery is more inclusive and robust. As Princeton Professor Alan Blinder says' "She's smart as a whip, deeply logical, willing to argue but also a good listener. She can persuade without creating hostility." AH those traits will be useful as the global economy's new power player takes on its most annoying problems.56. What do many people think is the biggest problem facing Janet Yellen?A) Lack of money. B) Subprime crisis. C) Unemployment. D) Social instability.57. What did Yellen help the Fed do to tackle the 2008 financial crisis?A) Take effective measures to curb inflation. B) Deflate the bubbles in the American economy.C) Formulate policies to help financial institutions.D) Pour money into the market through asset buying.58. What is a greater concern of the general public?A) Recession. B) Deflation. C) Inequality. D) Income.59. What is Yellen likely to do in her position as the Fed chief?A) Develop a new monetary program. B) Restore public confidence.C) Tighten financial regulation. D) Reform the credit system.60. How does Alan Blinder portray Yellen?A) She possesses strong persuasive power. B) She has confidence in what she is doing.C) She is one of the world's greatest economists. D) She is the most powerful Fed chief in history.Passage TwoAir pollution is deteriorating in many places around the world. The fact that public parks in cities become crowded as soon as the sun shines proves that people long to breathe in green, open spaces. They do not all know what they are seeking but they flock there, nevertheless. And, in these surroundings, they are generally both peaceful and peaceable. It is rare to see people fighting in a garden. Perhaps struggle unfolds first, not at an economic or social level, but over the appropriation of air, essential to life itself. If human beings can breathe and share air, they don't need to struggle with one another.Unfortunately, in our western tradition, neither materialist nor idealist theoreticians give enough consideration to this basiccondition for life. As for politicians, despite proposing curbs on environmental pollution, they have not yet called for it to be made a crime. Wealthy countries are even allowed to pollute if they pay for it.But is our life worth anything other than money? The plant world shows us in silence what faithfulness to life consists of. It also helps us to a new beginning, urging us to care for our breath, not only at a vital but also at a spiritual level. The interdependence to which we must pay the closest attention is that which exists between ourselves and the plant world. Often described as "the lungs of the planet", the woods that cover the earth offer us the gift of breathable air by releasing oxygen. But their capacity to renew the air polluted by industry has long reached its limit. If we lack the air necessary for a healthy life, it is because we have filled it with chemicals and undercut the ability of plants to regenerate it. As we know, rapid deforestation combined with the massive burning of fossil fuels is an explosive recipe for an irreversible disaster.The fight over the appropriation of resources will lead the entire planet to hell unless humans learn to share life, both with each other and with plants. This task is simultaneously ethical and political because it can be discharged only when each takes it upon herself or himself and only when it is accomplished together with others. The lesson taught by plants is that sharing life expands and enhances the sphere of the living, while dividing life into so-called natural or human resources diminishes it. We must come to view the air, the plants and ourselves as the contributors to the preservation of life and growth, rather than a web of quantifiable objects or productive potentialities at our disposal. Perhaps then we would finally begin to live, rather than being concerned with bare survival.61. What does the author assume might be the primary reason that people would struggle with each other?A) To get their share of clean air. B) To pursue a comfortable life.C) To gain a higher social status. D) To seek economic benefits.62. What does the author accuse western politicians of?A) Depriving common people of the right to clean air.B) Giving priority to theory rather than practical action.C) Offering preferential treatment to wealthy countries.D) Failing to pass laws to curb environmental pollution.63. What does the author try to draw our closest attention to?A) The massive burning of fossil fuels. B) Our relationship to the plant world.C) The capacity of plants to renew polluted air. D) Large-scale deforestation across the world. 64. How can human beings accomplish the goal of protecting the planet according to the author?A) By showing respect for plants. B) By preserving all forms of life.C) By tapping all natural resources. D) By pooling their efforts together.65. What does the author suggest we do in order not just to survive?A) Expand the sphere of living. B) Develop nature's potentials.C) Share life with nature. D) Allocate the resources.Part IV Translation (30 minutes)中国传统的待客之道要求饭菜丰富多样，让客人吃不完。
2015年6月大学英语六级考试真题及答案解析（第二套）
2015年6⽉⼤学英语六级考试真题及答案解析（第⼆套）2015年6⽉英语六级真题及答案（第⼆套）Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on Einstein's remark "I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious." You should give an example or two to illustrate your point of mew. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
Part ⅡListening Comprehension (30 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 the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause , you must read the four choices marked A ), B., C. and D., and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
2015年6月大学英语六级考试真题 附六级考试听力原文
2015年6月大学英语六级考试真题Part ⅠWritingDirections:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled How to Improve Psychological Health? You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below.1. 掌心生理健康的重要性2. 学校应该怎样做3. 学生自己应该怎样做How to Improve Psychological Health?Part ⅡReading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)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 four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. For questions 8-10 complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.Supersize SurpriseAsk anyone why there is an obesity epidemic and they will tell you that it's all down to eating too much and burning too few calories. That explanation appeals to common sense and has dominated efforts to get to the root of the obesity epidemic and reverse it. Yet obesity researchers are increasingly dissatisfied with it. Many now believe that something else must have changed in our environment to precipitate (促成) such dramatic rises in obesity over the past 40 years or so. Nobody is saying that the "big two"--reduced physical activity and increased availability of food--are not important contributors to the epidemic, but they cannot explain it all.Earlier this year a review paper by 20 obesity experts set out the 7 most plausible alternative explanations for the epidemic. Here they are.1. Not enough sleepIt is widely believed that sleep is for the brain, not the body. Could a shortage of shut-eye also be helping to make us fat?Several large-scale studies suggest there may be a link. People who sleep less than 7 hours a night tend to have a higher body mass index than people who sleep more, according to data gathered by the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Similarly, the US Nurses' Health Study, which tracked 68,000 women for 16 years, found that those who slept an average of 5 hours a night gained more weight during the study period than women who slept 6 hours, who in turn gained more than those who slept 7.It's well known that obesity impairs sleep, so perhaps people get fat first and sleep less afterwards. But the nurses' study suggests that it can work in the other direction too: sleep loss may precipitate weight gain.Although getting figures is difficult, it appears that we really are sleeping less. In 1960 people in the US slept an average of 8.5 hours per night. A 2002 poll by the National Sleep Foundation suggests that the average has fallen to under 7 hours, and the decline is mirrored by the increase in obesity.2. Climate controlWe humans, like all warm-blooded animals, can keep our core body temperatures pretty much constant regardless of what's going on in the world around us. We do this by altering our metabolic (新陈代谢) rate, shivering or sweating. Keeping warm and staying cool take energy unless we are in the "thermo-neutral zone", which is increasingly where we choose to live and work.There is no denying that ambient temperatures (环境法度) have change in the past few decades. Between 1970 and 2000, the average British home warmed from a chilly 13℃to 18℃. In the US, the changes have been at the other end of the thermometer as the proportion of homes with air conditioning rose from 23% to 47% between 1978 and 1997. In the southern states--where obesity rates tend to be highest--the number of houses with air conditioning has shot up to 70% from 37% in 1978.Could air conditioning in summer and heating in winter really make a difference to our weight? Sadly, there is some evidence that it does--at least with regard to heating. Studies show that in comfortable temperatures weuse less energy.3. Less smokingBad news: smokers really do tend to be thinner than the rest of us, and quitting really does pack on the pounds, though no one is sure why. It probably has something to do with the fact that nicotine (尼古本) is an appetite suppressant and appears to up your metabolic rate.Katherine Flegal and colleagues at the US National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, have calculated that people kicking the habit have been responsible for a small but significant portion of the US epidemic of fatness. From data collected around 1991 by the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, they worked out that people who had quit in the previous decade were much more likely to be overweight than smokers and people who had never smoked. Among men, for example, nearly half of quitters were overweight compared with 37% of non-smokers and only 28% of smokers.4. Genetic effectsYour chances of becoming fat may be set, at least in part, before you were even born. Children of obese mothers are much more likely to become obese themselves later in life. Offspring of mice fed a high-fat diet during pregnancy are much more likely to become fat than the offspring of identical mice fed a normal diet. Intriguingly, the effect persists for two or three generations. Grand-children of mice fed a high-fat diet grow up fat even if their own mother is fed normally--so your fate may have been sealed even before you were conceived.5. A little older...Some groups of people just happen to be fatter than others. Surveys carried out by the US National Center for Health Statistics found that adults aged 40 to 79 were around three times as likely to be obese as younger people. Non-white females also tend to fall at the fatter end of the spectrum: Mexican-American women are 30% more likely than white women to be obsess, and black women have twice the risk.In the US, these groups account for an increasing percentage of the population. Between 1970 and 2000 the US population aged 35 to 44 grew by 43%. The proportion of Hispanic-Americans also grew, from under 5% to 12.5% of the population, while the proportion of black Americans increased from 11% to 12.3%. These changes may account in part for the increased prevalence of obesity.6. Mature mumsMothers around the world are getting older. In the UK, the mean age for having a first child is 27.3, compared with 23.7 in 1970. Mean age at first birth in the US has also increased, rising from 21.4 in 1970 to 24.9 in 2000.This would be neither here nor there if it weren't for the observation that having an older mother seems to be an independent risk factor for obesity. Results from the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's study found that the odds of a child being obese increase about 14% for every five extra years of their mother's age, though why this should be so is not entirely clear.Michael Symonds at the University of Nottingham, UK, found that first-born children have more fat than younger ones. As family size decreases, firstborns account for a greater share of the population. In 1964, British women gave birth to an average of 2.95 children; by 2005 that figure had fallen to 1.79. In the US in 1976, 9.6% of woman in their 40s had only one child; in 2004 it was 17.4%. This combination of older mothers and more single children could be contributing to the obesity epidemic.7. Like marrying likeJust as people pair off according to looks, so they do for size. Lean people are more likely to marry lean and fat more likely to marry fat. On its own, like marrying like cannot account for any increase in obesity. But combined with others-- particularly the fact that obesity is partly genetic, and that heavier people have more children--it amplifies the increase from other causes.1. What is the passage mainly about?[A] Effects of obesity on people's health.[B] The link between lifestyle and obesity.[C] New explanations for the obesity epidemic.[D] Possible ways to combat the obesity epidemic.2. In the US Nurses' Health Study, women who slept an average of 7 hours a night ______ .[A] gained the least weight[B] were inclined to eat less[C] found their vigor enhanced[D] were less susceptible to illness3. The popular belief about obesity is that ______ .[A] it makes us sleepy[B] it causes sleep loss[C] it increases our appetite[D] it results from lack of sleep4. How does indoor heating affect our life?[A] It makes us stay indoors more.[B] It accelerates our metabolic rate.[C] It makes us feel more energetic.[D] It contributes to our weight gain.5. What does the author say about the effect of nicotine on smokers?[A] It threatens their health.[B] It heightens their spirits.[C] It suppresses their appetite.[D] It slows down their metabolism.6. Who are most likely to be overweight according to Katherine Flegal's study?[A] Heavy smokers.[B] Passive smokers.[C] Those who never smoked.[D] Those who quit smoking.7. According to the US National Center for Health Statistics, the increased obesity in the US is a result of ______ .[A] the growing number of smokers among young people[B] the rising proportion of minorities in its population[C] the increasing consumption of high-calorie foods[D] the improving living standards of the poor people8. According to the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the reason why older mothers' children tend to be obese remains ______ .9. According to Michael Symonds, one factor contributing to the obesity epidemic is decrease of ______ .10. When two heavy people get married, chances of their children getting fat increase, because obesity is ______ . Part ⅢListening ComprehensionSection 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 the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D], and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Questions 11 to 18 are based on the conversation you have just heard.11. [A] He is quite easy to recognize.[B] He is an outstanding speaker.[C] He looks like a movie star.[D] He looks young for his age.12. [A] Consult her dancing teacher.[B] Take a more interesting class.[C] Continue her dancing class.[D] Improve her dancing skills.13. [A] The man did not believe what the woman said.[B] The man accompanied the woman to the hospital.[C] The woman may be suffering from repetitive strain injury.[D] The woman may not have followed the doctor's instructions.14. [A] They are not in style any more.[B] They have cost him far too much.[C] They no longer suit his eyesight.[D] They should be cleaned regularly.15. [A] He spilled his drink onto the floor.[B] He has just finished wiping the floor.[C] He was caught in a shower on his way home.[D] He rushed out of the bath to answer the phone.16. [A] Fixing some furniture.[B] Repairing the toy train.[C] Reading the instructions.[D] Assembling the bookcase.17. [A] Urge Jenny to spend more time on study.[B] Help Jenny to prepare for the coming exams.[C] Act towards Jenny in a more sensible way.[D] Send Jenny to a volleyball training center.18. [A] The building of the dam needs a large budget.[B] The proposed site is near the residential area.[C] The local people feel insecure about the dam.[D] The dam poses a threat to the local environment. Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. [A] It saw the end of its booming years worldwide.[B] Its production and sales reached record levels.[C] It became popular in some foreign countries.[D] Its domestic market started to shrink rapidly.20. [A] They cost less.[B] They tasted better.[C] They were in fashion.[D] They were widely advertised.21. [A] It is sure to fluctuate.[B] It is bound to revive.[C] It will remain basically stable.[D] It will see no more monopoly.Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.22. [A] Organising protests.[B] Recruiting members.[C] Acting as its spokesman.[D] Saving endangered animals.23. [A] Anti-animal-abuse demonstrations.[B] Surveying the Atlantic Ocean floor.[C] Anti-nuclear campaigns.[D] Removing industrial waste.24. [A] By harassing them.[B] By appealing to the public.[C] By taking legal action.[D] By resorting to force.25. [A] Doubtful.[B] Reserved.[C] Indifferent.[D] Supportive.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 the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. [A] The air becomes still.[B] The air pressure is low.[C] The clouds block the sun.[D] The sky appears brighter.27. [A] Ancient people were better at foretelling the weather.[B] Sailors' sayings about the weather are unreliable.[C] People knew long ago how to predict the weather.[D] It was easier to forecast the weather in the old days.28. [A] Weather forecast is getting more accurate today.[B] People can predict the weather by their senses.[C] Who are the real experts in weather forecast.[D] Weather changes affect people's life remarkably.Passage TwoQuestions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.29. [A] They often feel insecure about their jobs.[B] They are unable to decide what to do first.[C] They are incompetent to fulfill their responsibilities.[D] They feel burdened with numerous tasks every day.30. [A] Analyze them rationally.[B] Draw a detailed to-do list.[C] Tm to others for help.[D] Handle them one by one.31. [A] They have accomplished little.[B] They feel utterly exhausted.[C] They have worked out a way to relax.[D] They no longer feel any sense of guilt.Passage ThreeQuestions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.32. [A] Their performance may improve.[B] Their immune system may be reinforced[C] Their blood pressure may rise all of a sudden.[D] Their physical development may be enhanced.33. [A] Improved mental functioning.[B] Increased susceptibility to disease.[C] Speeding up of blood circulation.[D] Reduction of stress-related hormones.34. [A] Pretend to be in better shape.[B] Have more physical exercise.[C] Turn more often to friends for help.[D] Pay more attention to bodily sensations.35. [A] Different approaches to coping with stress.[B] Various causes for serious health problems.[C] The relationship between stress and illness.[D] New finding of medical research on stress.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 the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.One of the most common images of an advanced, Western-style culture is that of a busy, traffic-filled city. Since their first (36) on American roadways, automobiles have become a (37) of progress, a source of thousands of jobs, and an almost inalienable right for citizens' personal freedom of movement. In recent (38) our "love affair" with the car is being (39) directly to the developing world and it is increasingly (40) that this transfer is leading to disaster.America's almost complete dependence on automobiles has been a terrible mistake. As late as the 1950s, a large (41) of the American public used mass transit. A (42) of public policy decisions and corporate scheming saw to it that countless (43) and efficient urban streetcar and intra-city rail systems were dismantled (拆除). (44) . Our lives have been planned along a road grid--homes far from work, shopping far from everything, with ugly stretches of concrete and blacktop in between.Developing countries are copying Western-style transportation systems down to the last detail. (45) . Pollution-control measures are either not strict or nonexistent, leading to choking clouds of smog. Gasoline still contains lead, which is extremely poisonous to humans. (46) . In addition to pollution and traffic jams, auto safety is a critical issue in developing nations.Part ⅣReading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)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 fewest possible words. Please write your answers on Answer Sheet 2.One of the major producers of athletic footwear, with 2002 sales of over $10 billion, is a company called Nike, with corporate headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. Forbes magazine identified Nike's president, Philip Knight, as the 53rd-richest man in the world in 2004. But Nike has not always been a large multimillion-dollar organization. In fact, Knight started the company by selling shoes from the back of his car at track meets.In the late 1950s Philip Knight was a middle-distance runner on the University of Oregon track team, coached by Bill Bowerman. One of the top track coaches in the U.S., Bowerman was also known for experimenting with the design of running shoes in an attempt to make them lighter and more shock-absorbent. After attending Oregon, Knight moved on to do graduate work at Stanford University; his MBA thesis was on marketing athletic shoes. Once he received his degree, Knight traveled to Japan to contact the Onitsuka Tiger Company, a manufacturer of athletic shoes. Knight convinced the company's officials of the potential for its product in the U.S. In 1963 he received his first shipment of Tiger shoes, 200 pairs in total.In 1964, Knight and Bowerman contributed $500 each to form Blue Ribbon Sports, the predecessor of Nike. In the first few years, Knight distributed shoes out of his car at local track meets. The first employees hired by Knight were former college athletes. The company did not have the money to hire "experts", and there was no established athletic footwear industry in North America from which to recruit those knowledgeable in the field. In its early years the organization operated in an unconventional manner that characterized its innovative and entrepreneurial approach to the industry. Communication was informal; people discussed ideas and issues in the hallways, on a run, or over a beer. There was little task differentiation. There were no job descriptions, rigid reporting systems, or detailed rules and regulations. The team spirit and shared values of the athletes on Bowerman's teams carried over and provided the basis for the collegial style of management that characterized the early years of Nikes.47. While serving as a track coach, Bowerman tried to design running shoes that were ____________ .48. During his visit to Japan, Knight convinced the officials of the Onitsuka Tiger Company that its product would have ____________ .49. Blue Ribbon Sports was unable to hire experts due to the absence of ____________ in North America.50. In the early years of Nike, communication within the company was usually carded out ____________ .51. What qualities of Bowerman's teams formed the basis of Nike's early management style?____________ .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 Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneSustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the sole measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives.To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so. Medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a predominantly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. It had minimal effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it caused was typically localised. In terms of energy use and the nutrients (营养成分) captured in the product it was relatively inefficient.Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. Competition from overseas led farmers to specialise and increase yields. Throughout this period food became cheaper, safer and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat (栖息地) loss and to diminishing biodiversity.What's more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growing so fast that meeting it willrequire an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by 2050. Yet the growth of cities and industry is reducing the amount of water available for agriculture in many regions.All this means that agriculture in the 21st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th. This will require radical thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are inevitably more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the notion that agriculture can be "zero impact". The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage.Instead we need a more dynamic interpretation, one that looks at the pros and cons (两方面) of all the various ways land is used. There are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity.What is crucial is recognising that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production.52. How do people often measure progress in agriculture?[A] By its productivity.[B] By its sustainability.[C] By its impact on the environment.[D] By its contribution to economic growth.53. Specialisation and the effort to increase yields have resulted in ______ .[A] localised pollution[B] the shrinking of farmland[C] competition from overseas[D] the decrease of biodiversity54. What does the author think of traditional farming practices?[A] They have remained the same over the centuries.[B] They have not kept pace with population growth.[C] They are not necessarily sustainable.[D] They are environmentally friendly.55. What will agriculture be like in the 21st century?[A] It will go through radical changes.[B] It will supply more animal products.[C] It will abandon traditional farming practices.[D] It will cause zero damage to the environment.56. What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?[A] To remind people of the need of sustainable development.[B] To suggest ways of ensuring sustainable food production.[C] To advance new criteria for measuring farming progress.[D] To .urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture is.Passage TwoThe percentage of immigrants (including those unlawfully present) in the United States has been creeping upward for years. At 12.6 percent, it is now higher than at any point since the mid-1920s.We are not about to go back to the days when Congress openly worried about inferior races polluting America's bloodstream. But once again we are wondering whether we have too many of the wrong sort of newcomers. Their loudest critics argue that the new wave of immigrants cannot, and indeed do not want to, fit in as previous generations did.We now know that these racist views were wrong. In time, Italians, Romanians and members of other so-called inferior races became exemplary Americans and contributed greatly, in ways too numerous to detail, to the building of this magnificent nation. There is no reason why these new immigrants should not have the same success.Although children of Mexican immigrants do better, in terms of educational and professional attainment, than their parents, UCLA sociologist Edward Telles has found that the gains don't continue. Indeed, the fourth generation is marginally worse off than the third. James Jackson, of the University of Michigan, has found a similar trend among black Caribbean immigrants. Telles fears that Mexican-Americans may be fated to follow in the footsteps of American blacks--that large parts of the community may become mired (陷入) in a seemingly permanent state of poverty and underachievement. Like African- Americans, Mexican-Americans are increasingly relegated to (降入) segregated, substandard schools, and their dropout rate is the highest for any ethnic group in the country.We have learned much about the foolish idea of excluding people on the presumption of ethnic/racial inferiority. But what we have not yet learned is how to make the process of Americanization work for all. I am not talking about requiring people to learn English or to adopt American ways; those things happen pretty much on their own. But as arguments about immigration heat up the campaign trail, we also ought to ask some broader questions about assimilation, about how to ensure that people, once outsiders, don't forever remain marginalized within these shores.That is a much larger question than what should happen with undocumented workers, or how best to secure the border, and it is one that affects not only newcomers but groups that have been here for generations. It will have more impact on our future than where we decide to set the admissions bar for the latest wave of would-be Americans. And it would be nice if we finally got the answer right.57. How were immigrants viewed by U.S. Congress in early days?[A] They were of inferior races.[B] They were a source of political corruption.[C] They were a threat to the nation's security.[D] They were part of the nation's bloodstream.58. What does the author think of the new immigrants?[A] They will be a dynamic workforce in the U.S.[B] They can do just as well as their predecessors.[C] They will be very disappointed on the new land.[D] They may find it hard to fit into the mainstream.59. What does Edward Telles' research say about Mexican-Americans?[A] They may slowly improve from generation to generation.[B] They will do better in terms of educational attainment.[C] They will melt into the African-American community.[D] They may forever remain poor and underachieving.60. What should be done to help the new immigrants?[A] Rid them of their inferiority complex.[B] Urge them to adopt American customs.[C] Prevent them from being marginalized.[D] Teach them standard American English.61. According to the author, the burning issue concerning immigration is ______ .[A] how to deal with people entering the U.S. without documents[B] how to help immigrants to better fit into American society[C] how to stop illegal immigrants from crossing the border。
2015年6月第三套听力原文
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9. Why does old Jake look terribly depressed? 10. What do we learn about Jake’s wife? 11. What does the man say about Jake’s daughter? 12. What does the man say about Jake’s doctor?
• Why did the business community resist the minimum wage? • Which country in Asia hasn’t had a minimum wage?
• Football fans in Cyrus had the chance to witness an important sporting occasion last Tuesday. Turkish team Trabzonspor travelled to Cyprus to play Greek Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta. It was the first time a match had taken place between teams from Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus since the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974. Relations, it seems, between Turkey and the Greek Cypriot islanders are at last beginning to melt. Tabitha Morgan joined the crowds in the Nicosia stadium to see the game -- (the first such match in three decades and) her first experience of going to see live football.
2015SAT阅读练习及答案解析
2015年SAT阅读真题Nearly a century ago, biologists found that if they separated an invertebrate animal embryo into two partsat an early stage of its life, it would survive and developas two normal embryos. This led them to believe that the (5) cells in the early embryo are undetermined in the sense that each cell has the potential to develop in a variety of different ways. Later biologists found that the situationwas not so simple. It matters in which plane the embryois cut. If it is cut in a plane different from the one used (10)by the early investigators, it will not form two whole embryos.A debate arose over what exactly was happening. Which embryo cells are determined, just when do they become irreversibly committed to their fates, and what (15)are the “morphogenetic determinants” that tell a cell what to become? But the debate could not be resolved because no one was able to ask the crucial questionsin a form in which they could be pursued productively. Recent discoveries in molecular biology, however, have (20) opened up prospects for a resolution of the debate. Now investigators think they know at least some of the molecules that act as morphogenetic determinants inearly development. They have been able o show that,in a sense, cell determination begins even before an egg (25) is fertilized.Studying sea urchins, biologist Paul Gross foundthat an unfertilized egg contains substances that functionas morphogenetic determinants. They are locatedin the cytoplasm of the egg cell; i.e., in that part of the (30) cell’s protoplasm that lies outside of the nucleus. In the unfertilized egg, the substances are inactive and are not distributed homogeneously. When the egg is fertilized,the substances become active and, presumably, governthe behavior of the genes they interact with. Since the (35) substances are unevenly distributed in the egg, when the fertilized egg divides, the resulting cells are differentfrom the start and so can be qualitatively different intheir own gene activity.The substances that Gross studied are maternal(40) messenger RNA’s --products of certain of the maternalgenes. He and other biologists studying a wide varietyof organisms have found that these particular RNA’sdirect, in large part, the synthesis of histones, a classof proteins that bind to DNA. Once synthesized, the(45) histones move into the cell nucleus, where section ofDNA wrap around them to form a structure that resemblesbeads, or knots, on a string. The beads are DNAsegments wrapped around the histones; the string is theintervening DNA. And it is the structure of these beaded(50)DNA strings that guides the fate of the cells in whichthey are located.1. The passage is most probably directed at which kind of audience?(A) State legislators deciding about funding levels for a state-funded biological laboratory(B) Scientists specializing in molecular genetics(C) Readers of an alumni newsletter published by the college that Paul Gross attended(D) Marine biologists studying the processes that give rise to new species(E) Undergraduate biology majors in a molecular biology course2. It can be inferred from the passage that the morphogenetic determinants present in the early embryo are(A) located in the nucleus of the embryo cells(B) evenly distributed unless the embryo is not developing normally(C) inactive until the embryo cells become irreversibly committed to their final function(D) identical to those that were already present in the unfertilized egg(E) present in larger quantities than is necessary for the development of a single individual3. The main topic of the passage is(A) the early development of embryos of lower marine organisms(B) the main contribution of modern embryology to molecular biology(C) the role of molecular biology in disproving older theories of embryonic development(D) cell determination as an issue in the study of embryonic development(E) scientific dogma as a factor in the recent debate over the value of molecular biology4. According to the passage, when biologists believed that the cells in the early embryo were undetermined, they made which of the following mistakes?(A) They did not attempt to replicate the original experiment of separating an embryo into two parts.(B) They did not realize that there was a connection between the issue of cell determination and the outcome of the separation experiment.(C) They assumed that the results of experiments on embryos did not depend on the particular animal species used for such experiments.(D) They assumed that it was crucial to perform the separation experiment at an early stage in the embryo’s life.(E) They assumed that different ways of separating an embryo into two parts would be equivalent as far as the fate of the two parts was concerned.5. It can be inferred from the passage that the initial production of histones after an egg is fertilized takes place(A) in the cytoplasm(B) in the maternal genes(C) throughout the protoplasm(D) in the beaded portions of the DNA strings(E) in certain sections of the cell nucleus6. It can be inferred from the passage that which of the following is dependent on the fertilization of an egg?(A) Copying of maternal genes to produce maternal messenger RNA’s(B) Sythesis of proteins called histones(C) Division of a cell into its nucleus and the cytoplasm(D) Determination of the egg cell’s potential for division(E) Generation of all of a cell’s morphogenetic determinants7. According to the passage, the morphogenetic determinants present in the unfertilized egg cell are which of the following?(A) Proteins bound to the nucleus(B) Histones(C) Maternal messenger RNA’s(D) Cytoplasm(E) Nonbeaded intervening DNA8. The passage suggests that which of the following plays a role in determining whether an embryo separated into two parts will two parts will develop as two normal embryos?Ⅰ.The stage in the embryo’s life at which the separation occursⅡ. The instrument with which the separations is accomplishedⅢ. The plane in which the cut is made that separates the embryo(A) Ⅰonly(B) Ⅱonly(C) Ⅰand Ⅱ.only(D) Ⅰand Ⅲ.only(E) Ⅰ,Ⅱ, and Ⅲ9. Which of the following circumstances is most comparable to the impasse biologists encountered in trying to resolve the debate about cell determination (lines 12-18)?(A) The problems faced by a literary scholar who wishes to use original source materials that are written in an unfamiliar foreign language(B) The situation of a mathematician who in preparing a proof of a theorem for publication detects a reasoning error in the proof(C) The difficulties of a space engineer who has to design equipment to function in an environment in which it cannot first be tested(D) The predicament of a linguist trying to develop a theory of language acquisition when knowledge of the structure of language itself is rudimentary at best(E) The dilemma confronting a foundation when the funds available to it are sufficient to support one of two equally deserving scientific projects but not both Correct Answers：EEDEABCDD。
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1.The entertainer was know for his------: he gave essentially the same solid performance night after night for twenty years.(A)Bluntness(B)Arrogance(C)Obedience(D)Generosity(E)Consistency2.Transoceanic navigation is so------coastal navigation that the development of the former from the latter required------new instruments rather than modifying older ones.(A)contingent on .. perfecting(B)different from .. inventing(C)divorced from .. rejecting(D)separate from .. repairing(E)inferior to .. exploiting3.It is widely------,almost to the point of being conventional wisdom, that movies have experienced and overall------in quality; exceptions are generally regarded as happy accidents.(A)assumed .. decline(B)denied .. drop(C)known .. improvement(D)overlooked .. lapse(E)hoped .. rise4.Once regarded as an accurate, or------, representation of reality, the well-known painting is now consideration to be an entirely------creation.(A)faithful .. imaginative(B)distorted .. confusing(C)outdated .. fictional(D)precise .. practical(E)artificial .. sufficient5.Many teachers------jargon: they avoid specialize terminology, explaining difficult concepts in term that students understand.(A)manifest(B)divulge(C)propagate(D)invoke(E)eschewQuestions 6-9 are based on the following passage.Passage 1The destruction and excision of novelist Jane Austen’sletters by her sister Cassandra leaves the impression,according to Austen biographer Claire Tomalin, that Janewas dedicated to trivia. As Tomalin says of the surviving5letters, they “rattle on, sometimes almost like a comedian’spatter. Not much feeling, warmth or sorrow has beenallowed through.” A more recent counterargument is thatthe letters, rather than being disparaged by comparison withthe novels, should be attended to for what they do reveal.10Or, perhaps, as Professor Kathryn Sutherland suggests,there “was never a confiding correspondence to hold back.”It’s just that biographers are suspicious of gaps andsilences.Passage 215What is a biographer to make of the strange silencescreated by the Austen family policy of censorship: blankyears, for which no letters exist? In her novel MansfieldPark, Jane Austen herself comments on the joy with whichher character Fanny Price seizes upon a “scrap of paper”20containing a brief message from Edmund Bertram. “Twolines more prized had never fallen from the pen of the mostdistinguished author--never more completely blessed theresearches of the fondest biographer.” The distinguishedauthor of these lines would understand the frustrations of25a biographer who well knows that so many of his subject’smost revealing letters have been deliberately destroyed.6.Which best describes the relationship between the two passages?(A)Passage 1 exposes a ruthless tactic that Passage 2 argues is a common trend.(B)Passage 1 introduces several generalizations that Passage 2 explains in detail(C)Passage 1 describes a hypothetical scenario that Passage 2 represents as unlikely(D)Passage 1 presents background information for a revelation described in Passage 2(E)Passage 1 provides alternative perspectives on the sentiment expressed in Passage 27.Claire Tomalin (line 3, Passage 1) would most likely claim that the “strange silences”(line 14,Passage 2)(A)strengthen the notion that fiction is a more worthy pursuit than biography(B)heighten readers’ curiosity about the motives of Jane Austen’s family(C)prevent people from knowing what Jane Austen truly felt(D)perpetuate the idea that Cassandra dominated her sister Jane(E)justify a biographer’s need to interpret information liberally8.Which best describes the strategies used in lines 5-7, Passage 1 (“they rattle...through”), and lines19-22, Passage 2(“Two...biographer”)?(A)The first is a simile,the second hyperbole.(B)The first is a paradox, the second wordplay(C)The first is a metaphor, the second melodrama(D)The first is anecdotal, the second factual(E)The first is direct citation, the second paraphrase9.According to the “counterargument” (line 7, Passage 1), the surviving Austen letters(A)make light of serious issues(B)reveal Austen’s affectionate side(C)are inferior to Austen’s novels(D)may contain useful insights(E)reflect elements of Austen’s worksQuestions 10-16 are based on the following passage.In this passage from a 2007 book, the author discussesUnited States history textbooks.Steadfast reader, we are about to do something no highschool American history class has ever accomplished inthe annals of American education: reach the end of thetextbook. What final words do American history courses5impart to their students? The American Tradition assuresstudents “that the American tradition remains strong--strong enough to meet the many challenges that lie ahead.”“If these values are those on which most Americans canagree,” says The American Adventure, “The American10Adventure will surely continue.””Most Americansremained optimistic about the nation’s future. They wereconvinced that their free institutions, their great naturalwealth, and the genius of the American people wouldenable the U.S. To continue to be--as it always has been--15THE LAND OF PROMISE,” L and of promise concludes.Even most textbooks that don’t end with their titlesclose with the same vapid cheer. “The American spiritsurged with vitality as the nation headed toward the closeof the twentieth century,” the authors of The American20Pageant assured us in 1991, ignoring opinion polls thatsuggested the opposite. Fifteen years later, “The Americanspirit pulse with vitality in the early twenty-first century,”they write, but now “grave problems continued to plaguethe Republic.”Life and Liberty climbs farther out on this25hollow limb:”America will have a great role to play inthese future events. What this nation does depends on thepeople in it.” Can’t argue with that! “Problems lie ahead,certainly,” predicts American Adventures. “But so doopportunities.” In short, all we must do to prepare for the30morrow is keep our collective chin up. Or as Holt AmericanNation put it in 2003, “Americans faced the future withhope and determination.”Well, why not end happily? Might be one response.We don’t want to depress high school students. After all,35it’s not really history anyway--we cannot know for surewhat’s going to come next. So let’s end on an upbeat.Indeed, just as we don’t know with precision what wenton thousands of years ago, we cannot know with precisionwhat will happen next. Precisely for this reason, the40endings of these books provide another site where authorsmight appropriately provoke intellectual curiosity. Canstudents apply ideas they have learned from these hugeAmerican history textbooks? After all, as Shakespeare said,the “past is prologue.” If we understand what has caused45what in the past, we may be able to predict what willhappen next and even adopt national policies informed byour knowledge. Surely helping students learn to do so is thekey reason for teaching history in the first place. If historytextbooks supplied tools for projection or examples of50causation in the past that might (or might not) continue intothe future, they would encourage students to think aboutwhat they have just spent a year learning. What a thrillingway to end a history textbook!But no, the lack of intellectual excitement in these books55is most pronounced at their ends. All is well, the authorssoothe us. No need to ponder whether the nation or allhumankind is on the right path. No need to think at all. Notonly is this boring pedagogy, it’s had history.10.The primary purpose of the passage is to(A)explain to readers the importance of studying history(B)warn readers of the consequences of using certain textbooks(C)object to the quality of discussions in high school history classes(D)analyze the history textbooks currently used in United States high schools(E)criticize a particular aspect of United States history textbooks11.The tone of the opening sentence (lines 1-4) is best described as(A)brazenly belligerent(B)tactfully incredulous(C)falsely dramatic(D)quietly apprehensive(E)openly admiring12.In lines 6-15, the author quotes from textbooks primarily to show that the quoted statements often(A)warn of the dangers to democracy(B)obscure the importance of past events(C)challenge readers to action(D)share a common sentiment(E)critique a pattern of events13.The author refers to “opinion polls” (line 20) in order to point out(A)a correlation between practice and belief(B)a similarity between past and present(C)an opposition between convention and inclination(D)a confusion between method and result(E)an inconsistency between claim and evidence14.The interjection in line 27 (“Can’t...that!”) indicates that the author regards the assertion in lines 26-27 (“What...in it”) as(A)erroneous(B)misguided(C)self-evident(D)perceptive(E)prophetic15.In context, the author uses the quotation in line 44 to suggest that the past(A)must be continually reinterpreted(B)can never be altered(C)serves as a guide to the future(D)cannot be fully understood(E)always exhibits a sentimental attraction16.In lines 48-52 (“If history...learning”), the author implies that history textbooks should do which of the following?(A)Concentrate on contemporary(B)Provide the means to evaluate events(C)Discuss the past in isolation(D)Supply bibliographies of suggested readings(E)Offer analyses from multiple viewpointsQuestions 17-24 are based on the following passage.The author of this excerpt was adopted from an orphanagein Eritrea, Africa, and raised in England. As a youngwoman, she returns to Eritrea after having been contactedby her Eritrea brother.Some ten-year-old girls plan their wedding day, butI planned the day I’d meet my birth family: what I’d wear,what the weather would be like, whether I’d have a friendwith me. And for the last ten years, it hasn’t been a5complete fantasy. Ever since I got the letter from mybrother, I’ve known the question of a reunion was up to me,it was where if I wanted it, they were waiting--all I had todo was go to Eritrea. And ever since then, the scenes of memeeting whatever family I have left have been playing on10a loop in my head. Other than myself, the main players arefaceless, but it doesn’t matter because I know they all looklike me. I guess they’re faceless because before I met mycousin I had no idea what a man who is related to melooked like, nor a woman. Sure, I’ve seen Eritreans on the 15street who look a bit like me, but that’s only in a relativesense, rather than a full on, bona fide, related one.The opening scene is always the same. I am standingin front of a door. Someone else’s arm (it’s black, I think)reaches in front of the door and turns the round handle.20Sometimes it’s a round brass handle that turns clockwise,like the ones in my apartment; other times it’s a properhandle, I’m not sure what color or material. But it doesn’tmatter, because whichever it is, the person opening thedoor always seems to know. Once they turn the handle,25they push the door open and as my eyes follow the sweepof their arm it opens fully and there, as if in a lineup,aremy family, faceless but there, like shadows. Sometimes theroom is packed; at others, there is no one behind the door.It doesn’t take Freud* to figure out what’s going on. On30good days, everyone shakes hands (how English), kisseson the cheek three times Eritrean-style, and then sits down.The atmosphere is emotional, but not overwhelming-it’salmost chaste. I instantly know who is who, and everyone,not least myself, is amazed by our physical likeness,. We 35laugh the same raucous laughter, despite the fact we havenever previously met.On less good days, people start shouting at me prettymuch as soon as I enter the room. They are speakinga mixture of English and Tigrinya, but I know they are40all saying the same thing: “Why didn’t you write back?””Why didn’t you come sooner?” and so on, while I juststand there, unable to answer their questions. And on reallybad days? Well, on really bad days when the mystery handopens the door, there are a group of people standing around45an old man in a bed. The youngest of the group, a man inhis early thirties,turns around and tells me that my fatherhas just died.If I stay in this hotel room forever I well never learnwhich version, if any, is the right one, but right now that’s50preferable to taking the risk either way. As soon as I leavethis room, a chain of events that are way beyond my controlwill start. My life will never be the same again: I will havemet my birth family. In half an hour, I will have come fullcircle. The story of my life will be completely different.55I will no longer have to dodge the simplest of questions,questions like “What does your father look like?” or “Whodo you get your eyes from?” In half an hour I will know theanswer.* Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), a pioneering psychoanalyst17.The author’s overall attitude toward the “reunion” (line 6) is best described as a mixture of(A)excitement and anger(B)dread and humility(C)anxiety and caution(D)anticipation and trepidation(E)apathy and confusion18.In line 9, “playing” most nearly means(A)frolicking(B)jesting(C)feigning(D)maneuvering(E)running19.Why does the door handle (lines 18-22) vary in appearance?(A)Having entered the room so long ago, the author cannot recall the handle’s details.(B)With no experience of the actual object, the author can only imagine what the handle might looklike.(C)Because of her excitement on entering the room, the author did not note the handle’s design.(D)The author’s creative mind allows her to visualize strikingly different versions of the handle shehad seen.(E)The handle is very ornate, and the author notices something different about it each time she opensthe door.20.In describing the members of her family as “faceless” in line 27, the author means that they are(A)indistinct(B)impassive(C)insincere(D)ordinary(E)cowardly21.Which pair of words best describes the mood in the room on “good days” (line 30) and “less good days” (line 37), respectively?(A)Festive, mournful(B)Mysterious; disconcerting(C)Inspirational; volatile(D)Congenial; confrontational(E)Humorless; conspiratorial22.The author represents the “raucous laughter”(line 35) primarily as(A)a form of greeting(B)a personal quirk(C)a familial trait(D)an acquired behavior(E)a friendly gesture23.The situation in lines 43-47 (“Well...died”) is best understood to be the author’s(A)most vivid dream(B)most baffling challenge(C)most poignant experience(D)starkest recollection(E)greatest dread24.The passage as a whole suggests that the most likely result of learning “the answer” (lines 57-58) is that the author will(A)strive to be more open-minded(B)acquire a new set of talents(C)write about the lives of Eritreans(D)become more independent of her family(E)arrive at some emotional resolution。