2006年12月英语六级真题B卷及答案

Part l Listening Comprehension (20 minutes)
Section A
1. A) The foggy weather has affected Mary’s mood.
B) They are puzzled about Mary’s tow spirits.
C) Mary is dissatisfied with her promotion.
D) Mary cares too much about her looks.

2. A) Go to an art exhibition.
B) Dine out with an old friend.
C) Attend the opening night of a play.
D) See his paintings on display.

3. A) Her mother was quite outstanding in academic work.
B) She was not particularly interested in going to school.
C) Her parents laid great emphasis on academic excellence.
D) She helped upgrade the educational level of immigrants.

4. A) The machines there were ill maintained.
B) Tickets for its members were cheaper.
C) It was filled with people all the time.
D) It had a reputation for good service.

5. A) Both Sarah and Tom have been awarded doctoral degrees.
B) Tom has arranged to meet his bride Sarah in Hawaii.
C) Tom was more excited than Sarah at the wedding.
D) A double blessing has descended upon Tom.

6. A) There were too many questions in the examination.
B) The examination was well beyond the course content.
C) The examination questions were somewhat too difficult.
D) The course prepared him adequately for the examination.

7. A) It’s less time-consuming.
B) His wife is tired of cooking.
C) It’s part of his job.
D) He is sick of home-cooked meals.

8. A) He has just started to teach piano lessons.
B) He seldom takes things seriously.
C) He is very proud of his piano skills.
D) He usually understates his achievements.

9. A) It’s tedious.
B) It’s absurd.
C) It’s justifiable.
D) It’s understandable.

10. A) Arrange accommodation for her.
B) Explain the cause of the cancellation.
C) Compensate her for the inconvenience.
D) Allow her to take another flight that night.


Section B
Passage one
Questions 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.
11. A) Producing legendary paintings.
B) Making a fortune from decorative arts.
C) Manufacturing quality furniture.
D) Setting up a special museum.

12. A) To show his fascination with Asian culture.
B) To tell the story of the American Revolution.
C) To promote interest in American decorative arts.
D) To increase the popularity of the Dupont Company.

13. A) By theme or period.
B) By style or design.
C) By manufacturer or origin.
D) By function or purpose.


Passage Two
Questions 14 to 16 are based on the passage you have just heard.
14. A) People may use two or mare languages.
B) People will choose Chinese rather than English.
C) The percentage of native speakers of English will inerease.
D) The number of people relying on their mother tongue will drop.

15. A) The number of Spanish speakers is far greater than that of Arabic speakers.
B) Arabic spoken in one Arab country may not be understood in another.
C) Arabic spoken in Egypt differs from Arabic spoken in Morocco in origin.
D) The number of Arabic speakers is declining because of the invasion of English.

16. A) It is impossible for Arab countries to standardize their language.
B) Most people in the world will learn to speak Chinese in the future.
C) It is uncertain whether English will world language in the future.
D) Spanish is very likely to become the top language of the world by 2050.


Passage Three
Questions 17 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.
17. A) Because they believe blind students prefer to mix with students who can see.
B) Because it would cost lots of money to build such special colleges.
C) Because it would constitute discrimination against blind students.
D) Because they think blind people should learn to live among sighted people.

18. A) By encouraging them to be more self-reliant.
B) By showing them proper care and respect.
C) By offering them more financial assistance.
D) By providing them with free medical service.

19. A) Financial aid from the American government.
B) Modern technology.
C) Professional support.
D) Help from the National Federation of the Blind.

20. A) Ask American professors to write recommendations on their behalf.
B) Obtain American citizenship before they reach the age of 30.
C) Turn to special institutions in their own country for assistance.
D) Apply to the National Federation of the Blind for scholarships.

Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
Each summer, no matter how pressing my work schedule, I take off one day exclusively for my son. We call it dad-son day. This year our third stop was the amusement park, where he discovered that he was tall enough to ride one of the fastest roller coasters(过山车) in the world. We blasted through face-stretching turns and loops for ninety seconds. Then, as we stepped off the ride, he shrugged and, in a distressingly calm voice, remarked that it was not as exciting as other rides he’d been on. As I listened, I began to sense something seriously out of balance.
Throughout the season, I noticed similar events all around me. Parents seemed hard pressed to find new thrills for indifferent kids. Surrounded by ever-greater stimulation, their young faces wore looking disappointed and bored.
Facing their children’s complaints of “nothing to do”. Parents were shelling out large numbers of dollars for various forms of entertainment. In many cases the money seemed to do little more than buy transient relief from the terrible moans of their bored children. This set me pondering the obvious question: “How can it be so hard for kids to find something to do when there’s never been such a range of stimulating entertainment available to them?”
Why do children immersed in this much excitement seem starved for more? That was, I realized, the point. I discovered during my own reckless adolescence that what creates excitement is not going fast, but going faster. Thrills have less to do with speed than changes in speed.
I’m concerned about the cumulative effect of years at these levels of feverish activity. It is no mystery to me why many teenagers appear apathetic (麻木的) and burned out, with a “been there, done that” air of indifference toward much of life. As increasing numbers of friends’ children are prescribed medications-stimulants to deal with inattentiveness at school or anti-depressants to help with the loss of interest and joy in their lives-l question the role of kids boredom in some of the diagnoses.
My own work is focused on the chemical imbalances and biological factors related to behavioral and emotional disorders. These are complex problems. Yet I’ve been reflecting more and more on how the pace of life and the intensity of stimulation may be contributing to the rising rates of psychiatric problems among children and adolescents in our society.
21. The author felt surprised in the amusement park at the face that________.
A) his son was not as thrilled by the roller coaster ride as expected
B) his son blasted through the turns and loops with his face stretched
C) his son appeared distressed but calm while riding the roller coaster
D) his son could keep his balance so well on the fast-moving roller coaster

22. According to the author, children are bored _________.
A) unless their parents can find new thrills for them
B) when they don’t have any access to stimulating fun games
C) when they are left alone at weekends by their working parents
D) even if they are exposed to more and more kinds of entertainment

23. From his own experience. the author came to the conclusion that children seem to expect ________.
A) a much wider variety of sports facilities
B) activities that require sophisticated
C) ever-changing thrilling forms of recreation
D) physical exercises that are more challenging

24. In Para. 6 . the author expresses his doubt about the effectiveness of trying to change children indifference toward much of life by ________.
A) diverting their interest from electronic visual games
B) prescribing medications for their temporary relief
C) creating more stimulating activities for them
D) spending more money on their entertainment

25. In order to alleviate children’s boredom, the author would probably suggest ____ .
A) adjusting the pace of life and intensity of stimulation
B) promoting the practice of dad-son days
C) consulting a specialist in child psychology
D) balancing school work with extracurricular activities

Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
It used to be that people were proud to work for the same company for the whole of their working lives. They’d get a gold watch at the end of their productive years and a dinner featuring speeches by their bosses praising their loyalty/But today’s rich capitalists have regressed (倒退) to the “survival of the fittest” ideas and their loyalty extends not to their workers or even to their stockholders but only to themselves. Instead of giving out gold watches worth a hundred or so dollars for forty or so years of work, they grab tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars as they sell for their own profit the company they may have been with for only a few years.
The new rich selfishly act on their own to unfairly grab the wealth that the country as a whole has produced. The top l percent of the population now has wealth equal to the whole bottom 95 percent and they want more. Their selfishness is most shamelessly expressed in downsizing and outsourcing (将产品包给外公司做) because these business maneuvers don’t act to create new jobs as the founders of new industries used to do, but only to cut out jobs while keeping the money value of what those jobs produced for themselves.
To keep the money machine working smoothly the rich have bought all the politicians from the top down. The president himself is constantly leaving. Washington and the business of the nation because he is summoned to “fundraising dinners” where fat cats pay a thousand or so dollars a plate to worm their way into government not through service but through donations of vast amounts of money. Once on the inside they have both political parties busily tearing up all the regulations that protect the rest of us from the greed of the rich.
The middle class used to be loyal to the free enterprise system. In the past, the people of the middle class mostly thought they’d be rich themselves someday or have a good shot at becoming rich. But nowadays income is being distributed more and more unevenly and corporate loyalty is a thing of the past. The middle class may also wake up to forget its loyalty to the so-called free enterprise system altogether and the government which governs only the rest of us while letting the corporations do what they please with our jobs. As things stand. if somebody doesn’t wake up, the middle class is on a path to being downsized all the way to the bottom of society.
26. It can be inferred form the first paragraph that people used to place a high value on _________ .
A) job security
B) bosses’ praise
C) corporate loyalty
D) retirement benefits

27. The author is strongly critical of today’s rich capitalists for _________.
A) not giving necessary assistance to laid-off workers
B) maximizing their profits at the expense of workers
C) not setting up long-term goals for their companies
D) rewarding only those who are considered the fittest

28. The immediate consequence of the new capitalists’ practice is ________ .
A) loss of corporate reputation
B) lower pay for the employees
C) a higher rate of unemployment
D) a decline in business transactions

29. The rich try to sway the policy of the government by ________ .
A) occupying important positions in both political parties
B) making monetary contributions to decision-makers
C) pleasing the public with generous donations
D) constantly hosting fundraising dinners

30. What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A) To call on the middle class to remain loyal to the free enterprise system.
B) To warn the government of the shrinking of the American middle class.
C) To persuade the government to change its current economic policies.
D) To urge the middle class to wake up and protect their own interests.

Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage
Intel chairman Andy Grove has decided to cut the Gordian knot of controversy surrounding stem cell research by simply writing a check.
The check, which he pledged last week, could be for as much as $5 million, depending on how many donors make gifts of between $50,000 and $500,000. which he has promised to match. It will be made out to the University of California-San Francisco (UCSF).
Thanks in part to such private donations, university research into uses for human stem cells the cells earliest stages of development that can form any body part-will continue in California. With private financial support, the state will be less likely to lose talented scientists who would be tempted to leave the field or even leave the field or even leave the country as research dependent on federal money slows to a glacial (极其缓慢的) pace.
Hindered by limits President Bush placed on stem cell research a year ago, scientists are turning to laboratories that can carry out work without using federal money. This is awkward for universities. Which must spend extra money building separate labs and keeping rigorous records proving no federal funds were involved. Grove’s donation, a first step toward a $20 million target at UCSF. Will ease the burden.
The president’s decision a year ago to allow research on already existing stem cell lines was portrayed as a reasonable compromise between scientists’ needs for cells to work with, and concerns that this kind of research cold lead to wholesale creation and destruction of human embryos (胚胎)。 Cloned infants and a general contempt for human life.
But Bush’s effort to please both sides ended up pleasing neither. And it certainly didn’t provide the basis for cutting edge research. Of the 78 existing sxisting stern cell lines which Bush said are all that science would ever need, only one is in this country ( at the University of Wisconsin), and only five are ready for distribution to researchers. All were grown in conjunction with mouse cells, making future therapeutic (治疗的) uses unlikely.
The Bush administration seems bent on satisfying the small but vocal group of Americans who oppose stem cell research under any conditions. Fortunately, Grove and others are more interested in advancing scientific research that could benefit the large number of Americans who suffer from Parkinson’s disease, nerve injuries, heart diseases and many other problems.
31.When Andy Grove decided to cut the Gordian knot, he meant to _______.
A) put an end to stem cell research
B) end Intel’s relations with Gordian
C) settle the dispute on stem cell research quickly
D) expel Gordian from stem cell research for good

32. For UCSF to carry on stem cell research, new funds have to come from _______.
A) interested businesses and individuals
B) the United States federal government
C) a foundation set up by the Intel Company
D) executives of leading American companies

33. As a result o the limits Bush placed on stem cell research, American universities will __________.
A) conduct the research in laboratories overseas
B) abandon the research altogether in the near future
C) have to carry out the research secretly
D) have to raise money to build separate labs

34. We may infer from the passage that future therapeutic uses of stem cells will be unlikely unless ________.
A) human stem cells are used in the research
B) a lot more private donations can be secured
C) more fcderal money is used for the research
D) talented scientists are involved in the research

35. The reason lying behind President Bush’s placing limits on stem cell research is that __________.
A) his administration is financially pinched
B) he did not want to offend its opponents
C) it amounts to a contempt for human life
D) it did not promise any therapeutic value

Passage Four
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.
This looks like the year that hard-pressed tenants in California will get relief-not just in the marketplace, where rents have eased, but from the state capital Sacramento.
Two significant tenant reforms stand a good chance of passage. One bill, which will give more time to tenants being evicted (逐出)，will soon be heading to the governor’s desk. The other, protecting security deposits, faces a vote in the Senate on Monday.
For more than a century, landlords in California have been able to force tenants out with only 30 days’ notice. That will now double under SB 1403, which got through the Assembly recently The new protection will apply to renters who have been in an apartment for at least a year.
Even 60 days in a tight housing market won’t be long enough for some families to find at apartment near where their kids go to school, But it will be an improvement in cities like San Jose where renters rights groups charge that unscrupulous (不择手段的) landlords have kicked ou tenants on short notice to put up rents.
The California Landlords Association argued that landlords shouldn’t have to wait 60 days to get rid of problem tenants. But the bill gained support when a Japanese real estate investor sent ou 30-day eviction notices to 550 families renting homes in Sacramento and Santa Rosa. The land lords lobby eventually dropped its opposition and instead its forces against AB 2330, re garding security deposits.
Sponsored by Assemblywoman Carole Migden of San Francisco, the bill would establish; procedure and a timetable for tenants to get back security deposits.
Some landlords view security deposits as a free month’s rent, theirs for the taking. In mos cases, though, there are honest disputes over damages-what constitutes ordinary wear and tear.
AB 2330 would give a tenant the right to request a walk-through with the landlord and to make the repairs before moving out; reputable landlords already do this. It would increase the penalty for failing to return a deposit.
The original bill would have required the landlord to pay interest in the deposit. The landlords lobby protested that it would involve too much paperwork over too little money-less than $10 a year on a $1,000 deposit, at current rates. On Wednesday, the sponsor dropped the interest section to increase the chance of passage.
Even in its amended form, AB 2330 is , like SB 1403 , vitally important for tenants and should be made state law.
36. We learn form the passage that SB1403 will benefit _______.
A) long-term real estate investors
B) short-term tenants in Sacramento
C) landlords in the State of California
D) tenants renting a house over a year

37. A 60-day notice before eviction may not be early enough for renters because _______.
A) moving house is something difficult to arrange
B) appropriate housing may not be readily available
C) more time is needed for their kids’ school registration
D) the furnishing of the new house often takes a long time

38. Very often landlords don’t return tenants’ deposits on the pretext that _______.
A) their rent has not been paid in time
B) there has been ordinary wear and tear
C) tenants have done damage to the house
D) the 30-day notice for moving out is over

39. Why did the sponsor of the AB 2330 bill finally give in on the interest section?
A) To put an end to a lengthy argument.
B) To urge landlords to lobby for its passage.
C) To cut down the heavy paperwork for its easy passage.
D) To make it easier for the State Assembly to pass the bill.

40. It can be learned from the passage that ________.
A) both bills are likely to be made state laws
B) neither bill will pass through the Assembly
C) AB 2330 stands a better chance of passage
D) Sacramento and San Jose support SB 1403

Part III Vocabulary (20 minutes)
41. Grey whales have long been _______ in the north Atlantic and hunting was an important cause for that.
A) extinct B) extinguished C) detained D) deprived

42. He was given major responsibility for operating the remote manipulator to ______ the newly launched satellite.
A) retreat B) retrieve C) embody D) embrace

43. Foreign students are facing unprecedented delays, as visa applications receive closer _________ than ever.
A) irrigate B) intrigue C) irritate D) intimidate

44. If you are late for the appointment, you might _______ the interviewer and lose your chance of being accepted.
A) irrigate B) intrigue C) irritate D) intimidate

45. Children’s idea of a magic kingdom is often dancers in animal ______ as they have often seen in Disneyland.
A) cushions B) costumes C)skeletons D) ornaments

46. Ever since the first nuclear power stations were built, doubts have _____ about their safety.
A) preserved B) traces C) tracks D) trails

47. This clearly shows that crops and weeds have quite a number of ________ in common.
A) traits B) traces C)tracks D) trails

48. From science to Shakespeare. Excellent television and video programs are available ________to teachers.
A) in stock B) in store C) in operation D) in abundance

49. When the Italian poet Dante was ________ from his home in Florence, he decided to walk form Italy to Paris to search for the real meaning of life.
A) exerted B) expired C) exiled D) exempted

50. Habits acquired in youth-notably smoking and drinking-may increase the risk of ________diseases in a person’s later life.
A) consecutive B) chronic C) critical D) cyclical

51. F.W. Woolworth was the first businessman to erect a true skyscraper to _______ himself, and in 1929, Al Smith, a former governor of New York, sought to outreach him.
A) portray B) proclaim C) exaggerate D) commemorate

52. To label their produce as organic, farmers have to obtain a certificate showing that no _______ chemicals have been used to kill pests on the farm for two years.
A) toxic B) tragic C) nominal D) notorious

53. Ancient Greek gymnastics training programs were considered to be an _______ part of the children’s education.
A) intact B) integral C) inclusive D) infinite

54. Researchers have found that happiness doesn’t appear to be anyone’s ______ ; the capacity for joy is a talent you develop largely for yourself.
A) disposal B) excelled C) exceeded D) enriched

55. We want our children to have more than job skills; we want their lives to be _____ and their perspectives to be broadened.
A) envisaged B) excelled C) exceeded D) enriched

56. Online schools, which ________ the needs of different people, have emerged as an increase-ingly popular education alternative.
A) stir up B) switch on C) cater to D) consent to

57. This kind of songbird sleeps much less during its annual ______. But that doesn’t seem to affect its flying.
A) migration B) emigration C) conveyance D) transference

58. The developing nations want rich countries to help shoulder the cost of _____ forests.
A) updating B) upgrading C) conserving D) constructing

59. In the study, researchers succeeded in determining how coffee ______ different areas of the brain in 15volunteers.
A) integrated B) motivated C) illuminated D) activated

60. They are trying to ______ the risk as much as they can by making a more thorough investigation of the market.
A) minimize B) harmonize C) summarize D) jeopardize

61. The cycles of the sun and moon are simple but ______ forces which have shaped human lives since the beginning.
A) frantic B) gigantic C) sensational D) maximum

62. An effort was launched recently to create the first computer ______ of the entire human brain.
A) repetition B) repression C) saturation D) simulation

63. In the face of the disaster, the world has united to aid millions of ______ people trying to piece their lives back together.
A) fragile B)primitive C) vulnerable D) susceptible

64. AIDS is a global problem that demands a unified, worldwide solution, which is not only the responsibility of nations in which AIDS is most _______.
A) relevant B) prevalent C) vigorous D) rigorous

65. After the earthquake, a world divided by _______ and religious disputes suddenly faced its common humanity in this shocking disaster.
A) ethnic B) epidemic C) strategic D) pathetic

66. Psychologists suggest that children who are shy are more _______ to develop depression and anxiety later in life.
A) eligible B) engaged C) prone D) prospective

67. Initially, the scientists and engineers seemed _______ by the variety of responses people can make to a poem.
A)reinforced B)embarrassed C) depressed D) bewildered

68. Is it possible to stop drug _______ in the country within a very short time?
A) adoption B) addiction C) contemplation D) compulsion

69. The parents of Lindsay, 13, an _______ tennis player who spends eight hours a day on the court, admit that a regular school is not an option their daughter.
A) exotic B) equivalent C) elite D) esthetic

70. Our research confirmed the ______ that when children have many different caregiver important aspects of their development are liable to be overlooked.
A) hypothesis B) hierarchy C) synthesis D) syndrome

The most important starting point for improving the
understanding of science is undoubtedly an adequate
scientific education at school. Public attitudes towards
science owe much the way science is taught in these S1. __________
institutions, Today, school is what most people come into S2. __________
contact with a formal instruction and explanation of science
for the first time. At least in a systematic way, It is at this
Point which the foundations are laid for an interest in science. S3. _________
What is taught (and how) in this first encounter will largely
determinc an individual’s view of the subject in adult life
Understanding the original of the negative attitudes S4._________
towards science may help us to modify them . Most education
system neglect exploration, understanding and reflection, S5. ________
Teachers in schools tend to present science as a collection of
facts, often by more detail than necessary, As a result. S6. _______
children memorize processes such as mathematical formulas
or the periodic table, only to forget it shortly afterwards. The S7. ________
task of learning facts and concepts, one at a time, makes
learning laborious, boring and efficient, Such a purely S8._________
empirical approach, which consists of observation and
description, is also, in a sense, unscientific or incomplete,
There is therefore a need for resources and methods of
teaching that facilitates a deep understanding of science in S9. _____
an enjoyable way, Science should not only be “fun” in the
same way as playing a video game, but “hard fun” a deep
feeling of connection made possibly only by imaginative S10. ______
engagement.



The Celebration of Western Festivals
1、 现在国内有不少人喜欢过西方的某些节日，
2、 谈谈产生者种现象的原因
3、 这种现象可能带来的影响




答案：
Part I Listening Comprehension

  1.    B
2.    A
3.    C
4.    C
5.    D

6.    B
7.    C
8.    D
9.    B
10.  A

11.  D
12.  C
13.  A
14.  A
15.  B

16.  C
17.  D
18.  A
19.  B
20.  D

 
Part II Reading Comprehension

  21.  A
22.  D
23.  C
24.  B
25.  A

26.  C
27.  B
28.  C
29.  B
30.  D

31.  C
32.  A
33.  D
34.  A
35.  B

36.  D
37.  B
38.  C
39.  D
40.  A

 
Part III Vocabulary

  41.  A
42.  B
43.  D
44.  C
45.  B

46.  D
47.  A
48.  D
49.  C
50.  B

51.  D
52.  A
53.  B
54.  C
55.  D

56.  C
57.  A
58.  C
59.  D
60.  A

61.  B
62.  D
63.  C
64.  B
65.  A

66.  C
67.  D
68.  B
69.  C
70.  A

 
Part IV Error Correction

S1.   在much和the way间插入to

S2.   what → where

S3.   which → that

S4.   original → origin

S5.   system → systems

S6.   by → in

S7.   it → them

S8.   efficient → inefficient

S9.   facilitates → facilitate

S10. possibly → possible