2009年12月大学英语六级考题及答案

Part Ⅰ Writing (30 minutes)
Directions:  For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Should Parents Send Their Kids to Art Classes? You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below.
1. 现在有不少家长送孩子参加各种艺术班
2. 对这种做法有人表示支持，也有人并不赞成
3. 我认为……
Should Parents Send Their Kids to Art Classes?
Part ⅡReading 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 sentences with the information given in the passage.
Bosses Say “Yes” to Home Work
Rising costs of office space, time lost to stressful commuting, and a slow recognition that workers have lives beyond the office—all are strong arguments for letting staff work from home.
For the small business, there are additional benefits too—staff are more productive, and happier, enabling firms to keep their headcounts (员工数) and their recruitment costs to a minimum. It can also provide competitive advantage, especially when small businesses want to attract new staff but don’t have the budget to offer huge salaries.
While company managers have known about the benefits for a long time, many have done little about it, sceptical of whether they could trust their employees to work to full capacity without supervision, or concerned about the additional expenses teleworking policies might incur as staff start charging their home phone bills to the business.
Yet this is now changing. When communications provider Inter-Tel researched the use of remote working solutions among small-and-medium-sized UK businesses in April this year, it found that 28% more companies claimed to have introduced flexible working practices than a year ago.
The UK network of Business Links confirms that it too has seen a growing interest in remote working solutions from small businesses seeking its advice, and claims that as many as 60-70% of the businesses that come through its doors now offer some form of remote working support to their workforces.
Technology advances, including the widespread availability of broadband, are making the introduction of remote working a piece of cake.
“If systems are set up properly, staff can have access to all the resources they have in the office wherever they have an internet connection,” says Andy Poulton, e-business advisor at Business Link for Berkshire and Wiltshire. “There are some very exciting developments which have enabled this.”
One is the availability of broadband everywhere, which now covers almost all of the country (BT claims that, by July, 99.8% of its exchanges will be broadband enabled, with alternative plans in place for even the most remote exchanges). “This is the enabler,” Poulton says.
Yet while broadband has come down in price too, those service providers targeting the business market warn against consumer services masquerading (伪装) as business-friendly broadband.
“Broadband is available for as little as ￡15 a month, but many businesses fail to appreciate the hidden costs of such a service,” says Neil Stephenson, sales and marketing director at Onyx Internet, an internet service provider based in the north-east of England. “Providers offering broadband for rock-bottom prices are notorious for poor service, with regular breakdowns and heavily congested (拥堵的) networks. It is always advisable for businesses to look beyond the price tag and look for a business-only provider that can offer more reliability, with good support.” Such services don’t cost too much—quality services can be found for upwards of ￡30 a month.
The benefits of broadband to the occasional home worker are that they can access email in real time, and take full advantage of services such as internet-based backup or even internet-based phone services.
Internet-based telecoms, or VoIP (Voice over IP) to give it its technical title, is an interesting tool to any business supporting remote working. Not necessarily because of the promise of free or reduced price phone calls (which experts point out is misleading for the average business), but because of the sophisticated voice services that can be exploited by the remote worker—facilities such as voicemail and call forwarding, which provide a continuity of the company image for customers and business partners.
By law, companies must “consider seriously” requests to work flexibly made by a parent with a child under the age of six, or a disabled child under 18. It was the need to accommodate employees with young children that motivated accountancy firm Wright Vigar to begin promoting teleworking recently. The company, which needed to upgrade its IT infrastructure (基础设施) to provide connectivity with a new, second office, decided to introduce support for remote working at the same time.
Marketing director Jack O’Hern explains that the company has a relatively young workforce, many of whom are parents: “One of the triggers was when one of our tax managers returned from maternity leave. She was intending to work part time, but could only manage one day a week in the office due to childcare. By offering her the ability to work from home, we have doubled her capacity—now she works a day a week from home, and a day in the office. This is great for her, and for us as we retain someone highly qualified.”
For Wright Vigar, which has now equipped all of its fee-earners to be able to work at maximum productivity when away from the offices (whether that’s from home, or while on the road), this strategy is not just about saving on commute time or cutting them loose from the office, but enabling them to work more flexible hours that fit around their home life.
O’Hern says: “Although most of our work is client-based and must fit around this, we can’t see any reason why a parent can’t be on hand to deal with something important at home, if they have the ability to complete a project later in the day.”
Supporting this new way of working came with a price, though. Although the firm was updating its systems anyway, the company spent 10-15% more per user to equip them with a laptop rather than a PC, and about the same to upgrade to a server that would enable remote staff to connect to the company networks and access all their usual resources.
Although Wright Vigar hasn’t yet quantified the business benefits, it claims that, in addition to being able to retain key staff with young families, it is able to save fee-earners a substantial amount of “dead” time in their working days.
That staff can do this without needing a fixed telephone line provides even more efficiency savings. “With Wi-Fi (fast, wireless internet connections) popping up all over the place, even on trains, our fee-earners can be productive as they travel, and between meetings, instead of having to kill time at the shops,” he adds.
The company will also be able to avoid the expense of having to relocate staff to temporary offices for several weeks when it begins disruptive office renovations soon.
Financial recruitment specialist Lynne Hargreaves knows exactly how much her firm has saved by adopting a teleworking strategy, which has involved handing her company’s data management over to a remote hosting company, Datanet, so it can be accessible by all the company’s consultants over broadband internet connections.
It has enabled the company to dispense with its business premises altogether, following the realisation that it just didn’t need them any more. “The main motivation behind adopting home working was to increase my own productivity, as a single mum to an 11-year-old,” says Hargreaves. “But I soon realised that, as most of our business is done on the phone, email and at off-site meetings, we didn’t need our offices at all. We’re now saving ￡16,000 a year on rent, plus the cost of utilities, not to mention what would have been spent on commuting.”
1. What is the main topic of this passage?
A) How business managers view hi-tech.
B) Relations between employers and employees.
C) How to cut down the costs of small businesses.
D) Benefits of the practice of teleworking.
2. From the research conducted by the communications provider Inter-Tel, we learn that .
A) more employees work to full capacity at home
B) employees show a growing interest in small businesses
C) more businesses have adopted remote working solutions
D) attitudes toward IT technology have changed
3. What development has made flexible working practices possible according to Andy Poulton?
A) Reduced cost of telecommunications.
B) Improved reliability of internet service.
C) Availability of the VoIP service.
D) Access to broadband everywhere.
4. What is Neil Stephenson’s advice to firms contracting internet services?
A) They look for reliable business-only providers.
B) They contact providers located nearest to them.
C) They carefully examine the contract.
D) They contract the cheapest provider.
5. Internet-based telecoms facilitates remote working by __________.
A) offering sophisticated voice services
B) giving access to emailing in real time
C) helping clients discuss business at home
D) providing calls completely free of charge
6. The accountancy firm Wright Vigar promoted teleworking initially in order to __________.
A) present a positive image to prospective customers
B) support its employees with children to take care of
C) attract young people with IT expertise to work for it
D) reduce operational expenses of a second office
7. According to marketing director Jack O’Hern, teleworking enabled the company to __________.
A) enhance its market image
B) reduce recruitment costs
C) keep highly qualified staff
D) minimise its office space
8. Wright Vigar’s practice of allowing for more flexible working hours not only benefits the company but helps improve employees’ .
9. With fast, wireless internet connections, employees can still be __________ while traveling.
10. Single mother Lynne Hargreaves decided to work at home mainly to __________.
Part Ⅲ Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)
Section A
Directions: 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.
11. A) They would rather travel around than stay at home.
B) They prefer to carry cash when traveling abroad.
C) They usually carry many things around with them.
D) They don’t like to spend much money on traveling.
12. A) The selection process was a little unfair.
B) He had long dreamed of the dean’s position.
C) Rod was eliminated in the selection process.
D) Rod was in charge of the admissions office.
13. A) Applause encourages the singer.
B) She regrets paying for the concert.
C) Almost everyone loves pop music.
D) The concert is very impressive.
14. A) They have known each other since their schooldays.
B) They were both chairpersons of the Students’ Union.
C) They have been in close touch by email.
D) They are going to hold a reunion party.
15. A) Cook their dinner.
B) Rest for a while.
C) Get their car fixed.
D) Stop for the night.
16. A) Newly-launched products.
B) Consumer preferences.
C) Survey results.
D) Survey methods.
17. A) He would rather the woman didn’t buy the blouse.
B) The woman needs blouses in the colors of a rainbow.
C) The information in the catalog is not always reliable.
D) He thinks the blue blouse is better than the red one.
18. A) The course is open to all next semester.
B) The notice may not be reliable.
C) The woman has not told the truth.
D) He will drop his course in marketing.
Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
19. A) A director of a sales department.
B) A manager at a computer store.
C) A sales clerk at a shopping center.
D) An accountant of a computer firm.
20. A) Handling customer complaints.
B) Recruiting and training new staff.
C) Dispatching ordered goods on time.
D) Developing computer programs.
21. A) She likes something more challenging.
B) She likes to be nearer to her parents.
C) She wants to have a better-paid job.
D) She wants to be with her husband.
22. A) Right away.
B) In two months.
C) Early next month.
D) In a couple of days.
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
23. A) It will face challenges unprecedented in its history.
B) It is a resolute advocate of the anti-global movement.
C) It is bound to regain its full glory of a hundred years ago.
D) It will be a major economic power by the mid-21st century.
24. A) The lack of overall urban planning.
B) The huge gap between the haves and have-nots.
C) The inadequate supply of water and electricity.
D) The shortage of hi-tech personnel.
25. A) They attach great importance to education.
B) They are able to grasp growth opportunities.
C) They are good at learning from other nations.
D) They have made use of advanced technologies.
Section B
Directions: 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 One
Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.
26. A) She taught chemistry and microbiology courses in a college.
B) She gave lectures on how to become a public speaker.
C) She helped families move away from industrial polluters.
D) She engaged in field research on environmental pollution.
27. A) The job restricted her from revealing her findings.
B) The job posed a potential threat to her health.
C) She found the working conditions frustrating.
D) She was offered a better job in a minority community.
28. A) Some giant industrial polluters have gone out of business.
B) More environmental organizations have appeared.
C) Many toxic sites in America have been cleaned up.
D) More branches of her company have been set up.
29. A) Her widespread influence among members of Congress.
B) Her ability to communicate through public speaking.
C) Her rigorous training in delivering eloquent speeches.
D) Her lifelong commitment to domestic and global issues.
Passage Two
Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.
30. A) The fierce competition in the market.
B) The growing necessity of staff training.
C) The accelerated pace of globalisation.
D) The urgent need of a diverse workforce.
31. A) Gain a deep understanding of their own culture.
B) Take courses of foreign languages and cultures.
C) Share the experiences of people from other cultures.
D) Participate in international exchange programmes.
32. A) Reflective thinking is becoming critical.
B) Labor market is getting globalised.
C) Knowing a foreign language is essential.
D) Globalisation will eliminate many jobs.
Passage Three
Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
33. A) Red-haired women were regarded as more reliable.
B) Brown-haired women were rated as more capable.
C) Golden-haired women were considered attractive.
D) Black-haired women were judged to be intelligent.
34. A) They are smart and eloquent.
B) They are ambitious and arrogant.
C) They are shrewd and dishonest.
D) They are wealthy and industrious.
35. A) They force people to follow the cultural mainstream.
B) They exaggerate the roles of certain groups of people.
C) They emphasize diversity at the expense of uniformity.
D) They hinder our perception of individual differences.
Section C
Directions: 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.
The ancient Greeks developed basic memory systems called mnemonics. The name is