2013年12月大学英语六级考试真题（第1套）
Part I Writing
(30 minutes)
（请于正式开考后半小时内完成该部分，之后将进行听力考试）
Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay on happiness by referring to the saying“Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them.”You can cite examples to illustrate your point and then explain how you can develop your ability to deal with problems and be happy. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words. 例文
Happiness, as the saying has it, is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them. In other words, people can never be happy if they focus on their difficulties and challenges. Simple as the remark may sound, it conveys a thought-provoking notion that happiness is a state of mind not an absence of problems.
First and foremost, it is well known that in order to be a strong individual, one needs obstacles to develop one’s strength, just like butterflies which struggle to be free of their cocoon in order for their wings to become strong enough to fly. Furthermore, just because
people have a disadvantaged childhood, it does not mean they cannot be successful. Steve Jobs is a case in point. He was abandoned by his biological parents and dropped out of university but still managed to change the world.
To conclude, as the saying goes “You cannot run away from your problems. There is not a place far enough away.” Consequently, it is advisable for everyone to have a positive attitude toward their problems if they really want to be happy. Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes) Part III Section A
Directions:In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once. Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.
Some performance evaluations require supervisors to take action. Employees who receive a very favorable evaluation may deserve some type of recognition or even a promotion. If supervisors do not acknowledge such outstanding performance, employees may either lose their36H and reduce their effort or search for a new job at a firm that will37L them for high performance. Supervisors should acknowledge high performance so that the employee will continue to perform well in the future.
Employees who receive unfavorable evaluations must also be given attention. Supervisors must 38I the reasons for poor performance. Some reasons, such as a family illness, may have a temporary adverse 39J on performance and can be corrected. Other reasons, such as a bad
Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
attitude, may not be temporary. When supervisors give employees an unfavorable evaluation, they must decide whether to take any 40A actions. If the employees were unaware of their own deficiencies, the unfavorable evaluation can pinpoint(指出) the deficiencies that employees must correct. In this case, the supervisor may simply need to monitor the employees 41F and ensure that the deficiencies are corrected.
If the employees were already aware of their deficiencies before the evaluation period, however, they may be unable or unwilling to correct them. This situation is more serious, and the supervisor may need to take action. The action should be 42G with the firm’s guidelines and may include reassigning the employees to new jobs, 43N them temporarily, or firing them. A supervisor’s action toward a poorly performing worker can 44 B the attitudes of other
employees. If no 45K isimposed on an employee for poor performance, other employees may react by reducing their productivity as well. 注意：此部分题请在答题卡2上作答。 A) additional B) affect C) aptly D) assimilate H) circulation F) closely G) consistent H) enthusiasm
Section B
Directions:In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
The College Essay: Why Those 500 Words Drive Us Crazy
A) Meg is a lawyer-mom in suburban Washington, D.C., where lawyer-moms are thick on the ground. Her son Doug is one of several hundred thousand high-school seniors who had a painful fall. The deadline for applying to his favorite college was Nov. 1,and by early October he had yet to fill out the application. More to the point, he had yet to settle on a subject for the personal essay accompanying the application. According to college folklore, a well-turned essay has the power to seduce (诱惑) an admissions committee. “He wanted to do one thing at a time,” Meg says, explaining her son’s delay. “But really, my son is a huge procrastinator (拖延者). The essay is the hardest thing to do, so he’s put it off the longest.” Friends and other veterans of the process have warned Meg that the back and forth between editing parent and writing student can be traumatic (痛苦的). B) Back in the good old days—say, two years ago, when the last of my children suffered the ordeal (折磨)—a high-school student applying to college could procrastinate all the way to
I) identify J) impact K) penalty L) reward M) simplifying N) suspending O) vulnerable
New Year’s Day of their senior year, assuming they could withstand the parental pestering (烦扰).But things change fast in the nail-biting world of college admissions.The recent trend toward early decision and early action among selective colleges and universities has pushed the traditional deadline of January up to Nov. 1 or early December for many students.
C) If the time for heel-dragging has been shortened, the true source of the anxiety and panic remains what it has always been. And it’s not the application itself. A college application is a relatively straightforward questionnaire asking for the basics: name, address, family history employment history. It would all be innocent enough—20 minutes of busy work—except it comes attached to a personal essay. D) “There are good reasons it causes such anxiety,” says Lisa Sohmer, director of college counseling at the Garden School in Jackson Heights, N.Y. “It’s not just the actual writing. By noweverything else is already set. Your course load is set, your grades are set, your test scores are set. But the essay is something you can still control, and it’s open-ended. So the temptation is to write and rewrite and rewrite.” Or stall and stall and stall. E) The application essay, along with its mythical importance, is a recent invention. In the 1930s,when only one in 10 Americans had a degree from a four-year college, an
admissionscommittee was content to ask for a sample of applicants’ school papers to assess their writing ability. By the 1950s, most schools required a brief personal statement of why the student had chosen to apply to one school over another. F) Today nearly 70 percent of graduating seniors go off to college, including two-year and four-year institutions. Even apart from the increased competition, the kids enter a process that has been utterly transformed from the one baby boomers knew. Nearly all application materials are submitted online, and the Common Application provides a one-size-fits form accepted by more than 400 schools, including the nation’s most selective. G) Those schools usually require essays of their own, but the longest essay, 500 words
maximum, is generally attached to the Common Application. Students choose one of six questions. Applicants are asked to describe an ethical dilemma they’ve faced and its impact on them, or discuss a public issue of special concern to them, or tell of a fictional character or creative work that has profoundly influenced them. Another question invites them to write about the importance (to them, again) of diversity―a word that has assumed magic power in American higher education. The most popular option: write on a topic of your choice. H) “Boys in particular look at the other questions and say, ‘Oh, that’s too much work,’” says John Boshoven, a counselor in the Ann Arbor, Mich., public schools. “They think if they do a topic of their choice, “I’ll just go get that history paper I did last year on the Roman Empire and turn it into a first-person application essay!’ And they end up producing something utterly ridiculous.” I) Talking to admissions professionals like Boshoven, you realize that the list of “don’ts” in essay writing is much longer than the “dos.”“No book reports, no history papers, no character studies,”says Sohmer. J) “It drives you crazy, how easily kids slip into clichés(老生常谈),”says Boshoven. “They don’t realize how typical their experiences arc. ‘I scored the winning goal in soccer against our arch-rival.’‘My grandfather served in World War II, and I hope to be just like him someday.’ That may mean a lot to that particular kid. But in the world of the application essay, it’s nothing. You’ll lose the reader in the first paragraph.” K) “The greatest strength you bring to this essay,” says the College Board’s how-to book, “is 17 years or so of familiarity with the topic: YOU. The form and style are very familiar, and
best of all, you are the world-class expert on the subject of YOU ... It has been the subject of your close scrutiny every morning since you were tall enough to see into the bathroom mirror.” Thekey word in the Common Application prompts is “you.”
L) The college admission essay contains the grandest American themes―status anxiety, parental piety (孝顺), intellectual standards—and so it is only a matter of time before it becomes infected by the country’s culture of excessive concern with self-esteem. Even if the question isostensibly (表面上) about something outside the self (describe a fictional character or solve a problem of geopolitics), the essay invariably returns to the favorite topic: what is its impact on YOU? M)“For all the anxiety the essay causes,” says Bill McClintick of Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, “it’s a very small piece of the puzzle. I was in college admissions for 10 years. I saw kids and parents beat themselves up over this. And at the vast majority of places, it is simply not a big variable in the college’s decision-making process.” N) Many admissions officers say they spend less than a couple of minutes on each application, including the essay. According to a recent survey of admissions officers, only one in four private colleges say the essay is of “considerable importance” in judging an application. Among public colleges and universities, the number drops to roughly one in 10. By contrast, 86 percent place “considerable importance” on an applicant’s grades, 70 percent on “strength of curriculum.” O) Still, at the most selective schools, where thousands of candidates may submit identically high grades and test scores, a marginal item like the essay may serve as a tie-breaker
between two equally qualified candidates. The thought is certainly enough to keep the pot boiling under parents like Meg, the lawyer-mom, as she tries to help her son choose an essay topic. For a moment the other day, she thought she might have hit on a good one. “His father’s from France,” she says. “I said maybe you could write about that, as
something that makes you different. You know: half French, half American. I said, ‘You could write about your identity issues.’ He said, ‘I don’t have any identity issues!’ And he’s right. He’s a well-adjusted, normal kid. But that doesn’t make for a good essay, does it?” 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
46. Today many universities require their applicants to write an essay of up to five hundred words. G
47. One recent change in college admissions is that selective colleges and universities have movedthe traditional deadline to earlier dates. B 48. Applicants and their parents are said to believe that the personal essay can sway the admissions committee. A 49. Applicants are usually better off if they can write an essay that distinguishes them from the rest. O 50. Not only is the competition getting more intense, the application process today is also totally different from what baby boomers knew. F 51. In writing about their own experiences many applicants slip into clichés, thus failing to engage the reader. J 52. According to a recent survey, most public colleges and universities consider an applicant’s grades highly important. N
53. Although the application essay causes lots of anxiety, it does not play so important a role in the college’sdecision-making process. M 54. The question you aresupposed to write about may seem outside the self, but the theme of the essay should center around its impact on you. L 55. In the old days, applicants only had to submit a sample of their school papers to show their writing ability. E
Section C
Directions: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 One
Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.
Among the government’s most interesting reports is one that estimates what parents spend on their children. Not surprisingly, the costs are steep. For a middle-class, husband-and-wife family (average pretax income in 2009: $76,250), spending per child is about $12,000 a year. With inflation the family’s spending on a child will total $286,050 by age 17.
The dry statistics ought to inform the ongoing deficit debate, because a budget is not just a catalog of programs and taxes. It reflects a society’s priorities and values. Our society does not— despite rhetoric(说辞) to the contrary—put much value on raising children. Present budget policies tax parents heavily to support the elderly. Meanwhile, tax breaks for children are modest. If deficit reduction aggravates these biases, more Americans may choose not to have children or to have fewer children. Down that path lies economic decline.
Societies that cannot replace their populations discourage investment and innovation. They have stagnant (萧条的) or shrinking markets for goods and services. With older
populations, theyresist change. To stabilize its population—discounting immigration—women must have an average of two children. That’s a fertility rate of 2.0.Many countries with struggling economies are well below that.
Though having a child is a deeply personal decision, it’s shaped by culture, religion, economics, and government policy. “No one has a good answer” asto why fertility varies among countries, says sociologist Andrew Cherlin of The Johns Hopkins University. Eroding religious belief in Europe may partly explain lowered birthrates. In Japan young women may be rebelling against their mothers’ isolated lives of child rearing. General optimism and
pessimism count. Hopefulness fueled America’s baby boom. After the Soviet Union’s collapse, says Cherlin, “anxiety for the future” depressed birthrates in Russiaand Eastern Europe. In poor societies, people have children to improve their economic well-being by
increasing the number of family workers and providing supports for parents in their old age. In wealthy societies, the logic often reverses. Government now supports the elderly, diminishing the need for children. By some studies, the safety nets for retirees have reduced fertility rates by 0.5 children in the United States and almost 1.0 in Western Europe, reports economist Robert Stein in the journal National Affairs. Similarly, some couples don’t have children because they don’t want to sacrifice their own lifestyles to the lime and expense of a family.
Young Americans already face a bleak labor market that cannot instill (注入) confidence about having children. Piling on higher taxes won’t help, “If higher taxes make it more expensive to raise children,” says Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute,
“people will think twice about having another child.” That seems like common sense, despite the multiple influences on becoming parents. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。 56. What do we learn from the government report? A) Inflation increases families’ expenses. B) Raising children is getting expensive. C) Budget reduction in around the corner. D) Average family expenditure is increasing.
57. What is said to be the consequence of a shrinking population? A) Weakened national strength. B) Increased immigration.
C) Economic downturn.
D) Social instability.
58. What accounted for America’s baby boom? A) Optimism for the future.
C) Religious beliefs. D) Economic prosperity.
B) Improved living conditions.
59. Why do people in wealthy countries prefer to have fewer children? A) They want to further improve their economic well-being. B) They cannot afford the time and expenses of rearing children. C) They are concerned about the future of the coming generation. D) They don’t rely on their children to support them in old age. 60. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage? A) To instill confidence in the young about raising children. B) To advise couples to think twice before having children. C) To encourage the young to take care of the elderly. D) To appeal for tax reduction for raising children.
Passage Two
Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.
Space exploration has always been the province of dreamers: The human imagination readily soars where human ingenuity (创造力)struggles to follow. A Voyage to the Moon,often cited as the first science fiction story, was written by Cyrano de Bergerac in 1649. Cyrano was dead and buried for a good three centuries before the first manned rockets started to fly. In 1961, when President Kennedy declared that America would send a man to the moon by the decade’s end, those words, too, had a dreamlike quality. They resonated(共鸣) with optimism and ambition in much the same way as the most famous dream speech of all,
delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. two years later. By the end of the decade, both visions had yielded concrete results and transformed American society. And yet in many ways the two dreams ended up at odds with each other. The fight for racial and economic equality is
intensely pragmatic (讲求实用的) and immediate in its impact. The urge to explore space is just the opposite. It is figuratively and literally otherworldly in its aims.
When the dust settled, the space dreamers lost out. There was no grand follow-up to the Apollo missions. The technologically compromised space shuttle program has just come to an end, with no successor. The perpetual argument is that funds are tight, that we have more
pressing problems here on Earth. Amid the current concerns about the federal deficit, reaching toward the stars seems a dispensable luxury—as if saving one-thousandth of a single year’s budget would solve our problems.
But human ingenuity struggles on. NASA is developing a series of robotic probes that will get the most bang from a buck. They will serve as modem Magellans, mapping out the solar system for whatever explorers follow, whether man or machine. On the flip side, companies like Virgin Galactic are plotting a bottom-up assault on the space dream by making it a reality to the public. Private spaceflight could lie within reach of rich civilians in a few years. Another decade or two and it could go mainstream.
The space dreamers end up benefiting all of us—not just because of the way they expand human knowledge, or because of the spin-off technologies they produce, but because the two types of dreams feed off each other. Both Martin Luther King and John Kennedy appealed to the idea that humans can transcend what were once considered inherent limitations. Today we face seeming challenges in energy, the environment, health care. Tomorrow we will transcend these as well, and the dreamers will deserve a lot of the credit. The more evidence we collect that our species is capable of greatness, the more we will actually achieve it. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。 61. The author mentions Cyrano de
Bergerac in order to show that_________. A) imagination is the mother of invention
B) ingenuity is essential for science fiction writers
C) it takes patience for humans to realize their dreams
D) dreamers have always been interested in science fiction 62. How did the general public view Kennedy’s space exploration plan? A) It symbolized the American spirit. B) It was as urgent as racial equality. C) It sounded very much like a dream. D) It made an ancient dream come true. 63. What does the author say about America’s aim to explore space? A) It may not bring about immediate economic gains.
B) It cannot be realized without technological innovation.
C) It will not help the realization of racial and economic equality.
D) It cannot be achieved without a good knowledge of the other worlds. 64. What is the author’s attitude toward space programs?
A) Critical. B) Reserved.
C) Unbiased.
D) Supportive.
65. What does the author think of the problems facing human beings? A) They pose a serious challenge to future human existence.
B) They can be solved sooner or later with human ingenuity.
C) Their solutions need joint efforts of the public and privatesectors.
D) They can only be solved by people with optimism andambition.
Part IV Translation(30 minutes)
Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese intoEnglish. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.
中国园林（the Chinese garden）是经过三千多年演变而成的独具一格的园林景观（landscape）。它既包括为皇室成员享乐而建造的大型花园，也包括学者、商人和卸任的政府官员为摆脱嘈杂的外部世界而建造的私家花园。这些花园构成了一种意在表达人与自然之间应有的和稭关系的微缩景观。典型的中国园林四周有围墙，园内有池塘、假山（rockwork）、树木、花草以及各种各样由蜿蜒的小路和走廊连接的建筑。漫步在花园中，人们可以看到一系列精心设计的景观犹如山水画卷（scroll）一般展现在面前。 After 3,000 years of evolvement, Chinese gardens have become a unique landscape. This includes both large gardens built as entertainment venues for royal family, and private gardens built as secluded retreats for scholars, merchants and retired government officials. These gardens have constituted a miniature that is designed in praise of the harmony between man and nature. A typical Chinese garden is surrounded by walls and consists of various buildings linked by winding trails and corridors, with ponds, rockeries, trees, and flowers scattered in it. Wandering in such a well-designed garden, people may feel that they are walking in a landscape painting.
2013年12月大学英语六级考试真题（第2套）
Part I Writing (30 minutes)
（请于正式开考后半小时内完成该部分，之后将进行听力考试）
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay about the impact of the information explosion by referring to the saying “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” You can give examples to illustrate your point and then explain what you can do to avoid being distracted by irrelevant information. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words. 例文
Ways to Get Over Information Explosion
As a famous saying goes, “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention”.
Nowadays we are in the Information Age. Some people keep complaining about distraction by the information explosion.
Admittedly, the new information age has brought us so much convenience that we are allowed to get enough information just with a simple click sitting in front of the computers. Nevertheless, we are also confused, annoyed, distracted and upset by an incredibly large
quantity of information. For example, when searching for something online, people are easily carried away by irrelevant information and forget their original plan. Besides, some information often turns out to be useless and actually advertisement. Therefore, it can be time-consuming and troublesome to search information online.
Then what we can do to avoid being distracted by irrelevant information? Here I have some useful tips: Firstly, make a list of what you really want before your searching. This will help you to refuse some appealing, yet irrelevant information. Secondly, find some trustful and
professional sources or websites and then save and categorize them. In this case, you can easily leave some ads and useless information behind.
Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes) Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes) Section A
Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.
Quite often, educators tell families of children who are learning English as a second language to speak only English, and not their native language, at home. Although these educators may have good36 F ,their advice to families is misguided, and it 37L from misunderstandings about the process of language acquisition. Educators may fear that children hearing two
languages will become 38 I confused and thus their language development will be 39 B ;this concern is not documented in the literature. Children are capable of learning more than one language, whether 40 K or sequentially(依次地). In fact, most children outside of the United States are expected to become bilingual or even, in many cases, multilingual. Globally,
knowing more than one language is viewed as an 41 A and even a necessity in many areas. It is also of concern that the misguided advice that students should speak only English is given primarily to poor families with limited educational opportunities, not to wealthier families who have many educational advantages. Since children from poor families often are 42 E as at-risk for academic failure, teachers believe that advising families to speak English only is
appropriate. Teachers consider learning two languages to be too 43 H for children from poor families, believing that the children are already burdened by their home situations.
If families do not know English or have limited English skills themselves, how can they
communicate in English? Advising non-English-speaking families to speak only English is 44 D to telling them not to communicate with or interact with their children. Moreover, the 45N message is that the family's native language is not important or valued. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。 A) asset B) delayed C) deviates D) equivalent E) identified F) intentions Section B
Directions:In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 The Uses of Difficulty
The brain likes a challenge—and putting a few obstacles in its way may well boost its creativity.
G) object H) overwhelming permanently J) prevalent K) simultaneously L) stems
I)
M) successively N) underlying O) visualizing
A) Jack White, the former frontman of the White Stripes and an influential figure among fellow musicians, likes to make things difficult for himself. He uses cheap guitars that won’t stay in shape or in tune. When performing, he positions his instruments in a way that is
deliberately inconvenient, so that switching from guitar to organ mid-song involves a mad dash across the stage. Why? Because he’s on the run from what he describes as a disease that preys on every artist: “ease of use”. When making music gets too easy, says White, it becomes harder to make it sing.
B) It’s an odd thought. Why would anyone make their work more difficult than it already is? Yet we know that difficulty can pay unexpected dividends. In 1966, soon after the Beatles had finished work on “Rubber Soul”, Paul McCartney looked into the possibility of going to America to record their next album. The equipment in American studios was more advanced than anything in Britain, which had led the Beatles’ great rivals, the Rolling Stones, to make their latest album, “Aftermath”, in Los Angeles. McCartney found that EMI’s (百代唱片) contractual clauses made it prohibitively expensive to follow suit, and the Beatles had to make do with the primitive technology of Abbey Road.
C) Lucky for us. Over the next two years they made their most groundbreaking work, turning the recording studio into a magical instrument of its own. Precisely because they were working with old-fashioned machines, George Martin and his team of engineers were forced to apply every ounce of their creativity to solve the problems posed to them by Lennon and
McCartney. Songs like “Tomorrow Never Knows”, “Strawberry Fields Forever”, and “A Day in the Life” featured revolutionary sound effects that dazzled and mystified Martin’s American counterparts.
D) Sometimes it’s only when a difficulty is removed that we realise what it was doing for us. For more than two decades, starting in the 1960s, the poet Ted Hughes sat on the judging panel of an annual poetry competition for British schoolchildren. During the 1980s he noticed an increasing number of long poems among the submissions, with some running to 70 or 80 pages. These poems were verbally inventive and fluent, but also “strangely boring”. After making inquiries Hughes discovered that they were being composed on computers, then just finding their way into British homes.
E) You might have thought any tool which enables a writer to get words on to the page would be an advantage. But there may be a cost to such facility. In an interview with the Paris Review Hughes speculated that when a person puts pen to paper, “you meet the terrible
resistance of what happened your first year at it, when you couldn’t write at all”. As the brain attempts to force the unsteady hand to do its bidding, the tension between the two results in a more compressed, psychologically denser expression. Remove that resistance and you are more likely to produce a 70-page ramble (不着边际的长篇大论).
F) Our brains respond better to difficulty than we imagine. In schools, teachers and pupils alike often assume that if a concept has been easy to learn, then the lesson has been successful. But numerous studies have now found that when classroom material is made harder to absorb, pupils retain more of it over the long term, and understand it on a deeper level.
G) As a poet, Ted Hughes had an acute sensitivity to the way in which constraints on self-expression, like the disciplines of metre and rhyme (韵律), spur creative thought. What applies to poets and musicians also applies to our daily lives. We tend to equate（等同于）happiness with freedom, but, as the psychotherapist and writer Adam Phillips has observed, without
obstacles to our desires it’s harder to know what we want, or where we’re heading. He tells
the story of a patient, a first-time mother who complained that her young son was always
clinging to her, wrapping himself around her legs wherever she went. She never had a moment to herself, she said, because her son was “always in the way”. When Phillips asked her where she would go if he wasn’t in the way, she replied cheerfully, “Oh, I wouldn’t know where I was!”
H) Take another common obstacle: lack of money. People often assume that more money will make them happier. But economists who study the relationship between money and happiness have consistently found that, above a certain income, the two do not reliably
correlate. Despite the ease with which the rich can acquire almost anything they desire, they are just as likely to be unhappy as the middle classes. In this regard at least, F. Scott Fitzgerald was wrong.
I) Indeed, ease of acquisition is the problem. The novelist Edward St Aubyn has a narrator remark of the very rich that, “not having to consider affordability, their desires rambled on like unstoppable bores, relentless (持续不断的) and whimsical（反复无常的）at the same time.” When Boston College, a private research university, wanted a better feel for its potential donors, it asked the psychologist Robert Kenny to investigate the mindset of the super-rich. He surveyed 165 households, most of which had a net worth of $25m or more. He found that many of his subjects were confused by the infinite options their money presented them with. They found it hard to know what to want, creating a kind of existential bafflement. One of them put it like this: “You know, Bob, you can just buy so much stuff, and when you get to the point where you can just buy so much stuff, now what are you going to do?”
J) The internet makes information billionaires out of all of us, and the architects of our online experiences are catching on to the need to make things creatively difficult. Twitter’s huge success is rooted in the simple but profound insight that in a medium with infinite space for self-expression, the most interesting thing we can do is restrict ourselves to 140 characters. The music service This Is My Jam helps people navigate the tens of millions of tracks now available instantly via Spotify and iTunes. Users pick their favourite song of the week to share with others. They only get to choose one. The service was only launched this year, but by the end of September 650,000 jams had been chosen. Its co-founder Matt Ogle explains its raison d’être (存在的理由) like this: “In an age of endless choice, we were missing a way to say: ‘This. This is the one you should listen to’.”
K) Today’s world offers more opportunity than ever to follow the advice of the Walker Brothers and make it easy on ourselves. Compared with a hundred years ago, our lives are less tightly bound by social norms and physical constraints. Technology has cut out much of life’s donkeywork, and we have more freedoms than ever: we can wear what we like and communicate with hundreds of friends at once at the click of a mouse. Obstacles are
everywhere disappearing. Few of us wish to turn the clock back, but perhaps we need to remind ourselves how useful the right obstacles can be. Sometimes, the best route to fulfilment is the path of more resistance.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
46. The rigorous requirements placed on the writing of poetry stimulate the poet’s creativity.G 47. With creativity, even old-fashioned instruments may produce spectacular sound effects.C 48. More money does not necessarily bring greater happiness.H 49. It IS a false assumption that lessons should be made easier to learn.F
50. Obstacles deliberately placed in the creation of music contribute to its success.A 51. Those who enjoy total freedom may not find themselves happy.G
52. Ted Hughes discovered many long poems submitted for poetry competition were composed oncomputers. D
53. Maybe we need to bear in bear in mind that the right obstacles help lead us to greater achievements.K
54. An investigation found that many of the super-rich were baffled by the infinite choices theirmoney made available.I
55. One free social networking website turned out to successful because it limited each posting to one hundred and forty characters.J Section C
Directions:There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there arefour choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice andmark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2with a single line through the centre. Passage One
Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.
There was a time not long ago when new science Ph.D.s in the United States were expected to pursue a career path in academia (学术界).But today, most graduates end up working outside academia, not only in industry but also in careers such as science policy, communications, and patent law. Partly this is a result of how bleak the academic job market is, but there's also a rising awareness of career options that Ph.D. scientists haven't trained for directly—but for which they have useful knowledge, skills, and experience. Still, there's a huge disconnect between the way we currently train scientists and the actual employment opportunities
available for them, and an urgent need for dramatic improvements in training programs to help close the gap. One critical step that could help to drive change would be to require Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scientists to follow an individual development plan (IDP).
In 2002 the U.S. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology recommended that every postdoctoral researcher put together an IDP m consultation with an adviser. Since then, several academic institutions have begun to require IDPsforpostdocs And in June, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Biomedical Research Workforce Working Group
recommended that the NIH require IDPs for the approximately 32,000 postdoctoral researchers they support.Other funding agencies, public and private, are moving in a similar direction. IDPs have long been used by government agencies and the private sector to achieve
specificgoals for the employee and the organization. The aim is to ensure that employees have an explicittool to help them understand their own abilities and aspirations, determine career possibilities, and set (usually short-term) goals. In science, graduate students and new Ph.D. scientists can use an IDP to identify and navigate an effective career path.
Afree Web application for this purpose, called my IDF.has become available this week. It's designed to guide early-career scientists through a confidential, rigorous process of
introspection (内省)to create a customized career plan. Guided by expert knowledge from a panel of science-focused career advisers, each trainee’s self-assessment is used to rank a set
of career trajectories(轨迹). After the user has identified a long-term career goal.my IDP walks her or him through the process of setting short-term goals directed toward accumulating new skills and experiences important for that career choice.
Although surveys reveal the IDP process to be useful, trainees report a need for additional
resources to help them identify a long-term career path and complete an IDP. Thus, myIDP will be most effective when it’s embedded in larger career-development efforts. For example,
universities could incorporate IDPs into their graduate curricula to help students discuss, plan, prepare for, and achieve their long-term career goals. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。 56. What do we learn about new science Ph.D.s in the United States today? A) They lack the skills and expertise needed for their jobs.
B) They can choose from a wider range of well-paying jobs.
C) They often have to seek jobs outside the academic circle.
D) They are regarded as the nation’s driving force of change.
57. What does the author say about America’s Ph.D. training?
A) It should be improved to better suit the job market.
B) It is closely linked to future career requirements.
C) It should be re-oriented to careers outside academia.
D) It includes a great variety of practical courses.
58. What was recommended for Ph.D.s and postdoctoral researchers?
A) They meet the urgent needs of the corporate world.
Passage Two
Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.
Just over a decade into the 21st century, women’s progress can be celebrated across a range of fields. They hold the highest political offices from Thailand to Brazil, Costa Rica to Australia. A woman holds the top spot at the International Monetary Fund; another won the Nobel Prize
B) A long-term career goal be set as early as possible.
C) An IDP be made in consultation with an adviser.
D) They acquire an explicit tool to help obtain jobs.
59. Government agencies and the private sector often use IDPs to __________. A) bring into full play the skills and
expertise of their postdoctoral researchers B) help employees make the best use of their abilities to achieve their career goals C) place employees in the most appropriate positions
D) hire the most suitable candidates to work for them
60. What do we know about my IDP? A) It is an effective tool of self-assessment and introspection for better career plans. B) It enables people to look into various possibilities and choose the career they love. C) It promises a long-term career path. D) It is part of the graduate curricula.
in economics. Self-made billionaires in Beijing, tech innovators in Silicon Valley, pioneering justices in Ghana—in these and countless other areas, women are leaving their mark. But hold the applause. In Saudi Arabia, women aren’t allowed to drive. In Pakistan,
1,000women die in honor killings every year. In the developed world, women lag behind men in pay and political power. The poverty rate among women in the U.S. rose to 14.5% last year. To measure the state of women’s progress. Newsweek ranked 165 countries, looking at five areas that affect women’s lives; treatment under the law, workforce participation, political power, and access to education and health care. Analyzing data from the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, among others, and consulting with experts and academics, we measured 28 factors to come up with our rankings.
Countries with the highest scores tend to be clustered in the West, where gender discrimination is against the law, and equal rights are constitutionally enshrined(神圣化). But there were some surprises. Some otherwise high-ranking countries had relatively low scores for political
representation. Canada ranked third overall but 26th in power, behind countries such as Cuba and Burundi. Does this suggest that a woman in a nation’s top office translates to better lives for women in general? Not exactly.“Trying to quantify or measure the impact of women in politics is hard because in very few countries have there been enough women in politics to make a difference,”says Anne-Marie Goetz, peace and security adviser for U.N. Women. Of course, no index can account for everything. Declaring that one country is better than another in the way that it treats more than half its citizens means relying on broad strokes and generalities. Some things simply can’t be measured. And cross-cultural comparisons can t account for difference of opinion.
Certain conclusions are nonetheless clear. For one thing, our index backs up a simple but
profound statement made by Hillary Clinton at the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. “When we liberate the economic potential of women, we elevate the economic performance of communities, nations, and the world,” she said. “There’s a stimulative effect that kicks in when women have greater access to jobs and the economic lives of our countries: Greater political stability. Fewer military conflicts.More food.More educational opportunity for children. By harnessing the economic potential of all women, we boost opportunity for all people.”
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。 61. What does the author think about women’s progress so far?
A) It still leaves much to be desired. B) It is too remarkable to be measured. C) It has greatly changed women’s fate. D) It is achieved through hard struggle. 62. In what countries have women made the greatest progress?
A) Where women hold key posts in government.
B) Where women’s rights are protected by law.
C) Where women’s participation in management is high.
D) Where women enjoy better education and health care.
63. What do Newsweek rankings reveal about women in Canada? A) They care little about political participation.
B) They are generally treated as equals by men.
C) They have a surprisingly low social status.
D) They are underrepresented in politics.
64. What does Anne-Marie Goetz think of a woman being in a nation’s top office? A) It does not necessarily raise women’s political awareness.
B) It does not guarantee a better life for the nation’s women.
C) It enhances women’s status. D) It boosts women’s confidence. 65. What does Hillary Clinton suggest we do to make the world a better place? A) Give women more political power. B) Stimulate women’s creativity. C) Allow women access to education. D) Tap women’s economic potential.
Part IV Translation (30 minutes)
Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.
中国人自古以来就在中秋时节庆祝丰收。这与北美地区庆祝感恩节的习俗十分相似。过中秋节的习俗于唐代早期在中国各地开始流行。中秋节在农历八月十五，是人们拜月的节日。这天夜晚皓月光空，人们合家团聚，共赏明月。2006年，中秋节被列为中国的文化遗产，2008年又被定为公共假日。月饼被视为中秋节不可或缺的美食。人们将月饼作为礼物馈赠亲友或在家庭聚会上享用。传统的月饼上带有“寿（longevity）”、“福”或“和”等字样。
Since ancient times, the Chinese people usually celebrate harvest in the Mid-Autumn, which is similar to the custom of celebrating Thanksgiving in the North America. The tradition of celebrating Mid-Autumn festival became popular throughout China in the early Tang dynasty. The lunar August 15 is a day for people worshiping the moon. On this day, under the dazzling bright moon, families reunite and enjoy the moon’s beauty. In 2006, Mid-Autumn festival was listed as one of China's cultural heritage, and in 2008, it was classified as a public holiday. Moon cakes, as indispensable delicious food of the festival, were gifts people sent to families and friends during the festival and usually eaten on family gatherings. There are characters of “longevity”,“good fortune”and “harmony” on the Traditional moon cakes.
2013年12月大学英语六级考试真题（第3套）
Part I Writing (30 minutes)
（请于正式开考后半小时内完成该部分，之后将进行听力考试）
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay commenting on the remarks “The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.” You can give examples to illustrate your point and then explain what you will do to make your life more meaningful. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
例文：
How to Live a Meaning Life
Among all the highlighted topics, there is “how to live a meaning life?” Everyone has his or her own opinion. As the saying has it, “the greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.” I cannot agree any more.
If our life is just to pursue something for ourselves, we will surely feel fruitless and meaningless when we grow old. From Steve Jobs’s bibliography, we can get that the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do. Steve Jobs has brought a great many changes to our world. His life, although short, definitely outlast. That’s a life worth living.
Therefore, if there is a way to make my life meaningful, it should be to find something I’m interested in and also helpful to others or the whole society. Only in this way can I keep my passion throughout my life until I finally fulfill my life.
Part Ⅱ Listening Comprehension(30 minutes)
Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
Section A
Directions:In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once. Questions 36 to 45 are based on the following passage.
Cell phones provide instant access to people. They are creating a major 36 N in the social
experiences of both children and adolescents. In one recent U.S. survey, about half the teens polled said that their cell phone had 37 J their communication with friends. Almost all said that their cell phone was the way they stayed in touch with peers, one-third had used the cell phone to help a peer in need, and about 80% said the phone made them feel safer. Teenagers in Australia, 38 O ,said that their mobile phones provided numerous benefits and were an39 L part of their lives; some were so 40 B to their phones that the researchers considered it an addiction. In Japan, too, researchers are concerned about cell phone addiction. Researchers in one study in Tokyo found that more than half of junior high school students used their phones to exchange e-mails with schoolmates more than 10 times a day.
Cell phones 41 H social connections with peers across time and space. They allow young people to exchange moment-by-moment experiences in their daily lives with special partners and thus to have a more 42 K sense of connection with friends. Cell phones also can 43 F social tolerance because they reduce children's interactions with others who are different from them. In addition to connecting peers, cell phones connect children and parents. Researchers studying teenagers in Israel concluded that, in that 44 I environment, mobile phones were regarded as \"security objects\" in parent-teen relationships―important because they provided the possibility of 45 C and communication at all times.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答 A) affiliated B) attached C) contact D) contend E) continuous F) diminish G) endurance H) foster
Section B
Directions:In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
Waste Not, Want Not
Feeding the 9 Billion: The Tragedy of Waste
[A] By 2075, the United Nations' mid-range projection for global population is about 9.5 billion. This
means that there could be an extra three billion mouths to feed by the end of the century, a period in which substantial changes are anticipated in the wealth, calorie intake and dietary preferences of people in developing countries across the world. Such a projection presents mankind with wide-ranging social, economic, environmental and political issues that need to be addressed today to ensure a sustainable future for all. One key issue is how to produce more food in a world of finite resources. [B] Today, we produce about four billion metric tonnes of food per year. Yet due to poor practices in
harvesting, storage and transportation, as well as market and consumer wastage, it is estimated that 30-50% of all food produced never reaches a human stomach. Furthermore, this figure does not reflect the fact that large amounts of land, energy, fertilisers and water have also been lost in the production of foodstuffs which simply end up as waste. This level of wastage is a tragedy that cannot continue if we are to succeed in the challenge of sustainably meeting our future food demands. | Where Food Waste Happens
[C] In 2010,the Institution of Mechanical Engineers identified three principal emerging population groups
across the world, based on characteristics associated with their current and projected stage of economic development.
• Fully developed, mature, post-industrial societies, such as those in Europe, characterised by stable or declining populations which are increasing in age.
• Late-stage developing nations that are currently industrialising rapidly, for example China, which will experience declining rates of population growth, coupled with increasing affluence (富裕）and age profile.
• Newly developing countries that are beginning to industrialise, primarily in Africa, with high to very high population growth rates, and characterised by a predominantly young age profile.
I) hazardous J) improved K) instantaneous L) intrinsic M) relatively N) shift O) similarly
[D] Each group over the coming decades will need to address different issues surrounding food
production, storage and transportation, as well as consumer expectations, if we are to continue to feed all our people. [E] In less-developed countries, such as those of sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia, wastage tends
to occur primarily at the farmer-producer end of the supply chain. Inefficient harvesting, inadequate local transportation and poor infrastructure (基础设施)mean that produce is frequently handled inappropriately and stored under unsuitable farm site conditions. [F] In mature, fully developed countries such as the UK, more-efficient farming practices and better
transport, storage and processing facilities ensure that a larger proportion of the food produced
reaches markets and consumers. However, characteristics associated with modern consumer culture mean produce is often wasted through retail and customer behaviour. [G] Major supermarkets, in meeting consumer expectations, will often reject entire crops of perfectly
edible fruit and vegetables at the farm because they do not meet exacting marketing standards for their physical characteristics, such as size and appearance. [H] Of the produce that does appear in the supermarket, commonly used sales promotions frequently
encourage customers to purchase excessive quantities which, in the case of perishable foodstuffs, inevitably generate wastage in the home. Overall between 30% and 50% of what has been bought in developed countries is thrown away by the purchaser. Better Use of Our Finite Resources
[I] Wasting food means losing not only life-supporting nutrition but also precious resources, including
land, water and energy. As a global society, therefore, tackling food waste will help contribute towards addressing a number of key resource issues. [J] Land Usage: Over the last five decades, improved farming techniques and technologies have helped to
significantly increase crop yields along with a 12% expansion of farmed land use. However, a further increase in farming area without impacting unfavourably on what remains of the world's natural ecosystems appears unlikely. The challenge is that an increase in animal-based production will require more land and resources, as livestock (牲畜)farming demands extensive land use. [K] Water Usage: Over the past century, human use of fresh water has increased at more than double the
rate of population growth. Currently about 3.8 trillion m3of water is used by humans per year. About 70% of this is consumed by the global agriculture sector, and the level of use will continue to rise over the coming decades. [L] Better irrigation can dramatically improve crop yield and about 40% of the world's food supply is
currently derived from irrigated land. However, water used in irrigation is often sourced
unsustainably.In processing foods after the agricultural stage, there are large additional uses of water that need to be tackled in a world of growing demand. This is particularly crucial inthe case of meat production, where beef uses about 50 times more water than vegetables. In the future, more effective washing techniques, management procedures, and recycling and purification of water will be needed to reduce wastage. [M]Energy Usage: Energy is an essential resource across the entire food production cycle, with estimates
showing an average of 7-10 calories of input being required in the production of one calorie of food. This varies dramatically depending on crop, from three calories for plant crops to 35 calories in the production of beef. Since much of this energy comes from the utilisation of fossil fuels, wastage of food potentially contributes to unnecessary global warming as well as inefficient resource utilisation. [N] In the modem industrialised agricultural process—which developing nations are moving towards in
order to increase future yields—energy usage in the making and application of fertilisers and
pesticides represents the single biggest component. Wheat production takes 50% of its energy input for these two items alone. Indeed, on a global scale, fertiliser manufacturing consumes about 3-5% of the world's annual natural gas supply. With production anticipated to increase by 25% between
now and 2030, sustainable energy sourcing will become an increasingly major issue. Energy to power machinery, both on the farm and in the storage and processing facilities, adds to the energy total, which currently represents about 3.1% of annual global energy consumption. Recommendations
[O] Rising population combined with improved nutrition standards and shifting dietary preferences will
exert pressure for increases in global food supply. Engineers, scientists and agriculturalists have the knowledge, tools and systems that will assist in achieving productivity increases. However, pressure will grow on finite resources of land, energy and water. The potential to provide 60-100% more food by simply eliminating losses, while simultaneously freeing up land, energy and water resources for other uses, is an opportunity that should not be ignored. In order to begin tackling the challenge, the Institution recommends that:
•The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation work with the international engineering community to ensure governments of developed nations put in place programmes that transfer engineering knowledge, design know-how, and suitable technology to newly developing countries. This will help improve produce handling in the harvest, and immediate post-harvest stages of food production. • Governments of rapidly developing countries incorporate waste minimisation thinking into the transport infrastructure and storage facilities currently being planned, engineered and built. • Governments in developed nations devise and implement policy that changes consumer
expectations. These should discourage retailers from wasteful practices that lead to the rejection of food on the basis of cosmetic characteristics, and losses in the home due to excessive purchasing by consumers. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
46. Elimination of waste alone can potentially provide over sixty percent more food for the growing
world population.O 47. The production and application of fertilisers and pesticides account for the largest part of energy use
in the modern industrialised agricultural process.N 48. Consumers in developed countries throw away nearly half of their food purchases because they tend
to buy in excessive quantities.H 49. It is recommended that engineering knowledge and suitable technology in developed countries be
introduced to developing countries to improve produce handling in the harvest.O 50. The predicted global population growth means that ways have to be found to produce more food with
finite resources.A 51. A further expansion of farming area will adversely impact on the world's natural ecosystems.J 52. Perfectly eatable fruit and vegetable crops often fail to reach supermarkets due to their size or
physical appearance.G 53. Poor practices in harvesting, storage and transportation have resulted in a waste of much of the food
we produce and thus a waste of land and resources.B 54. Food waste in less-developed countries happens mainly at the producers' end.E 55. Beef consumes far more water to produce than vegetables.L
Section C
Directions: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 One
Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.
Call it the “learning paradox”, the more you struggle and even fail while you’re trying to learn new information, the better you’re likely to recall and apply that information later.
The learning paradox is at the heart of “productive failure”.a phenomenon identified by researcher Manu Kapur. Kapur points outthat while the model adopted by many teachers when introducing students to new knowledge―providing lots of structure and guidance early on, until the students show that they can do it on their own―makes intuitive sense, it may not be the best way to promote learning. Rather, it’s better to let the learners wrestle (较劲）with the material on their own for a while, refraining from giving them any assistance at the start. In a paper published recently, Kapur applied the principle of productive failure to mathematical problem solving in three schools.
With one group of students, the teacher provided strong “scaffolding”―instructional support—and feedback. With the teacher’s help, these pupils were able to find the answers to their set of problems. Meanwhile, a second group was directed to solve the same problems by collaborating with one another, without any prompts from their instructor. These students weren’t able to complete the problems correctly. But in the course of trying to do so, they generated a lot of ideas about the nature of the problems and about what potential solutions would look like. And when the two groups were tested on what they’d
learned, the second group “significantly outperformed” the first. The apparent struggles of the floundering (挣扎的）group have what Kapur calls a “hidden efficacy”: they lead people to understand the deep
structure of problems, not simply their correct solutions. When these students encounter a new problem of the same type on a test, they’re able to transfer the knowledge they’ve gathered more effectively than those who were the passive recipients of someone else’s expertise.
In the real world, problems rarely come neatly packaged, so being able to discern their deep structure is key. But, Kapur notes, none of us like to fail, no matter how often Silicon Valley entrepreneurs praise the beneficial effects of an idea that fails or a start-up company that crashes and burns. So we need to “design for productive failure” by building it into the learning process. Kapur has identified three
conditions that promote this kind of beneficial struggle. First, choose problems to work on that“challenge but do not frustrate”. Second, provide learners with opportunities to explain and elaborate on what they’re doing. Third, give learners the chance to compare and contrast good and bad solutions to the problems. And to those students who protest this tough-love teaching style: you'll thank me later. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
56. Why does the author call the learning process a paradox?
A) Pains do not necessarily lead to gains. B) What is learned is rarely applicable in life. C) Failure more often than not breeds success. D) The more is taught, the less is learnt. 57. What does Kapur disapprove of in teaching?
A) Asking students to find and solve problems on their own. B) Developing students’ ability to apply what they learn. C) Giving students detailed guidance and instruction. D) Allowing students a free hand in problem solving.
58. What do people tend to think of providing strong “scaffolding” in teaching?
A) It will make teaching easier. B) It is a sensible way of teaching.
C) It can motivate average students.
D) It will enhance students’ confidence.
59. What kind of problem should be given to students to solve according to Kapur?
A) It should be able to encourage collaborative learning. B) It should be easy enough so as not to frustrate students. C) It should be solvable by average students with ease. D) It should be difficult enough but still within their reach.
60. What can be expected of “this tough-love teaching style” (Lines 8-9, Para. 5)?
A) Students will be grateful in the long run. B) Teachers will meet with a lot of resistance. C) Parents will think it too harsh on their kids. D) It may not be able to yield the desired results.
Passage Two
Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.
Vernon Bowman, a 75-year-old farmer from rural Indiana, did something that got him sued. He planted soybeans (大豆）sold as cattle feed. But Monsanto, the agricultural giant, insists it has a patent on the kind of genetically modified seeds Bowman used―and that the patent continues to all of the progeny (后代)of those seeds.
Have we really gotten to the point that planting a seed can lead to a high-stakes Supreme Court patent lawsuit? We have, and that case is Bowman vs. Monsanto, which is being argued on Tuesday. Monsanto’s critics have attacked the company for its “merciless legal battles against small farmers,” and they are hoping this will be the case that puts it in its place. They are also hoping the court’s ruling will rein in patent law, which is increasingly being used to claim new life forms as private property.
Monsanto and its supporters, not surprisingly, see the case very differently. They argue that when a company like Monsanto goes to great expense to create a valuable new genetically modified seed, it must be able to protect its property interests. If farmers like Bowman are able to use these seeds without paying the designated fee, it will remove the incentives for companies like Monsanto to innovate.
Monsanto accused Bowman of patent infringement and won an $84,456 damage award. Rather than pay up or work out a settlement, Bowman decided to appeal—all the way to the Supreme Court. He said “Monsanto should not be able, just because they’ve got billions of dollars to spend on legal fees, to try to terrify farmers into obeying their agreements by massive force and threats.”
The central issue in the case is whether patent rights to living things extend to the progeny of those things. Monsanto argues that its patents extend to later generations. But Bowman's supporters argue that Monsanto is trying to expand the scope of patents in ways that would enrich big corporations and hurt small farmers. They say that if Monsanto wins, the impact will extend far beyond agriculture―locking up property rights in an array of important areas. Knowledge Ecology International contends that the Supreme Court’s ruling could have “profound effects” on other biotech industries.
If this were a Hollywood movie, the courageous old Indiana farmer would beat the profit-minded corporation before the credits rolled. But this is a real-life argument before a Supreme Court that has a well-earned reputation for looking out for the interests of large corporations. This case gives the court an opportunity to rein in the growing use of patents to protect genetically engineered crops and other life forms―but the court may well use it to give this trend a powerful new endorsement.
61. Why did Vernon Bowman get sued?
A) He used genetically modified seeds to feed his cattle. B) He planted soybeans without paying for the patent. C) He made a profit out of Monsanto’s commercial secrets. D) He obtained Monsanto’s patented seeds by illegal means. 62. What are Monsanto’s critics hoping the Supreme Court will do?
A) Allow small farmers to grow genetically modified soybeans. B) Punish Monsanto for infringing on small farmers' interests. C) Rule against Monsanto’s excessive extension of its patent rights. D) Abolish the patent law concerning genetically engineered seeds. 63. What is the argument of Monsanto and its supporters?
A) Patent rights should be protected to encourage innovation. B) Bowman cannot plant the seeds without Monsanto's consent. C) Monsanto has the right to recover the costs of its patented seeds. D) Patent law on genetically modified seeds should not be challenged. 64. What is the key issue in the Bowman vs. Monsanto case?
A) Whether patent for seeds is harmful to agricultural production. B) Whether the biotech industry should take priority over agriculture. C) Whether measures should be introduced to protect small farmers. D) Whether patent for living things applies to their later generations. 65. What do we learn from the last paragraph?
A) Hollywood movies usually have an unexpected, dramatic impact on real-life arguments. B) The Supreme Court will try to change its reputation for supporting large corporations. C) The Supreme Court is likely to persuade the parties concerned to work out a settlement. D) The ruling would be in Bowman’s favor if the case were argued in a Hollywood movie.
Part IV Translation(30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English.
You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2. 闻名于世的丝绸之路是一系列连接东西方的路线。丝绸之路延伸6,000多公里，得名于古代中国的丝绸贸易。丝绸之路上的贸易在中国、南亚、欧洲和中东文明发展中发挥了重要作用。正是通过丝绸之路，中国的造纸、火药、指南针、印刷术等四大发明才被引介到世界各地。同样，中国的丝绸、茶叶和瓷器（porcelain）也传遍全球。物质文化的交流是双向的，欧洲也通过丝绸之路出口各种商品和植物，满足中国市场的需求。
The world-renowned Silk Road is a series of routes connecting the East and the West. It extended more than 6,000 kilometers. The Silk Road was named after ancient China’s silk trade which played an important role in the civilization development of China, South Asia, Europe and the Middle East. It was through the Silk Road that papermaking, gunpowder, compass and printing of the four great inventions of ancient China were introduced around the world. Similarly, Chinese silk, tea and porcelain spread all over
the world. Europe also exportedvarious goods and plants through the Silk Road to meet the needs of the Chinese market.
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