2010年12月大学英语六级全真预测试题二及答案解析

之2010年 12月大学英语六级全真预测试题二及答案解析2010 年 12 月大学英语六级全真预测试题二及答案解析一、阅读理解第1题：Occasional self-medication has always been part of normal living. The making and selling of drugs have a long history and are closely linked, like medical practice itself, with the belief in magic. Only during the last hundred years or so has the development of scientific techniques made it possible for some of the causes of symptoms to be understood, so that more accurate diagnosis has become possible. The doctor is now able to follow up the correct diagnosis of many illnesses with specific treatment of their causes. In many other illnesses, of which the causes remain unknown, it is still limited, like the unqualified prescriber, to the treatment of symptoms. The doctor is trained to decide when to treat symptoms only and when to attack the cause: this is the essential difference between medical prescribing and self-medication.The advance of technology has brought about much progress in some fields of medicine, including the development of scientific drug therapy. In many countries public health organization is improving and peoples nutritional standards have risen. Parallel with such beneficial trends have two adverse effects. One is the use of high-pressure advertising by the pharmaceutical industry, which has tended to influence both patients and doctors and has led to the overuse of drugs generally. The other is the emergence of the sedentary society with its faulty ways of life: lack of exercise, over-eating, unsuitable eating, insufficient sleep, excessive smoking and drinking. People with disorders arising from faulty habits such as these, as well as from unhappy human relationships, often resort to self-medication and so add the taking of pharmaceuticals to the list. Advertisers go to great lengths to catch this market.Clever advertising, aimed at chronic sufferers who will try anything because doctors have not been able to cure them, can induce such faith in a preparation, particularly if steeply priced, that it will produceby suggestiona very real effect in some people. Advertisements are also aimed at people suffering from mild complaints such as simple colds and coughs, which clear up by themselves within a short time.These are the main reasons why laxatives, indigestion remedies, painkillers, tonics, vitamin and iron tablets and many other preparations are found in quantity in many households. It is doubtful whether taking these things ever improves a persons health; it may even make it worse. Worse because the preparation may contain unsuitable ingredients; worse because the taker may become dependent on them; worse because they might be taken in excess; worse because they may cause poisoning, and worse of all because symptoms of some serious underlying cause may be masked and therefore medical help may not be sought.1. The first paragraph is intended to _.A suggest that self-medication has a long historyB define what diagnosis means exactlyC praise doctors for their expertiseD tell the symptoms from the causes2. Advertisements are aimed at people suffering from mild complaints because _.A they often watch ads on TVB they are more likely to buy the drugs advertisedC they generally lead a sedentary lifeD they dont take to sports and easily catch colds3. Paragraphs 2 and 3 explain _.A those good things are not without side effectsB why clever advertising is so powerfulC why in modern times self-medication is still practisedD why people develop faulty ways of life4. The author tells us in paragraph 4 _.A the reasons for keeping medicines at homeB peoples doubt about taking drugsC what kind of medicine people should prepare at homeD the possible harms self-medication may do to people5. The best title for the passage would be _.A Medical Practice B Clever AdvertisingC Self-Medication D Self-Treatment1小题、 【正确答案】：A2小题、 【正确答案】：B3小题、 【正确答案】：C4小题、 【正确答案】：D5小题、 【正确答案】：C【参考解析】：1 A 推断题。本题看似考查第一段的主旨，实则要结合全文才能得出答案。选项A、B、D 文章中都有提及，但从整体看来，文章的主线是介绍 self-medication(自我药疗)，其中第一段提及了过去的情况，第二段介绍现状，由此推断此现象存在已久，所以 A 正确。2. B 推断题。由文章可知，做广告的目的是要吸引顾客买他们的药品。从第三段最后一句可知一般只是得了轻微的感冒、咳嗽的人会根据广告自己买药治病，故选 B。3 C 推断题。文章第二段和第三段主要论述了现在依然存在自我药疗的原因，即医生很难治愈人们不良的生活习惯造成的亚健康状态，所以 C 正确。4. D 推断题。由文章第四段中几个带有 worse 的并列句可以推知，自我药疗对人们有潜在的危害，所以 D 正确。5. C 主旨题。全文是围绕自我药疗(self-medication)展开论述的，介绍了它的历史、现状以及危害等，所以 C 正确。第2题：The age of gilded youth is over. Todays under-thirties are the first generation for a century who can expect a lower living standard than their parents.Research into the lifestyles and prospects of people who were born since 1970 shows that they are likely to face a lifetime of longer working hours, lower job security and higher taxes than the previous generation.When they leave work late in the evening, they will be more likely to return to a small rented flat than to a house of their own. When, eventually, they retire, their pensions are far lower in real terms than those of their immediate forebears.These findings are revealed in a study of the way the ageing of Britains population is affecting different generations.Anthea Tinker, professor of social gerontology(老人学)at Kings College London, who carried out much of the work, said the growth of the proportion of people over 50 had reversed the traditional flow of wealth from older to younger generations.“Todays older middle-aged and elderly are becoming the new winners,“ she said. “They made relatively small contributions in tax but now make relatively big claims on the welfare system. Generations born in the last three to four decades face the prospect of handing over more than a third of their lifetimes earnings to care for them.“The surging number of older people, many living alone, has also increased demand for property and pushed up house prices. While previous generations found it easy to raise a mortgage, todays under-thirties have to live with their parents or rent. If they can afford to buy a home it is more likely to be a flat than a house.Laura Lenox-Conyngham, 28, grew up in a large house and her mother did not need to work. Unlike her wealthy parents, she graduated with student and postgraduate loan debts of 13,000. She now earns about 20,000 a year, preparing food to be photographed for magazines. Her home is a one-bedroom flat in central London and she sublets(转租)the lunge sofa-bed to her brother.“My father took pity and paid off my student debts,“ she said. “But I still have no pension and no chance of buying a property for at least a couple of yearsand then it will be something small in a bad area. My only hope is the traditional one of meeting a rich man.“Tinkers research reveals Lenox-Conyngham is representative of many young professionals, especially in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Bristol.1. By saying “the growth of the proportion.to younger generations.“ (Line 2, Para. 5), Anthea Tinker really means that _.A currently wealth flows from old generation to younger generationB traditionally wealth flows from younger generation to old generationC with the increasingly big population of over 50, the trend arises that wealth flows from younger generation to old generationD with more and more people of over 50, traditions have been reversed2. Why are todays older middle-aged and elderly becoming the new winners?A Because they made relatively small contributions in tax, but younger generation will possibly hand over more than a third of their lifetimes earnings for the care of them.B Because they contributed a lot in tax and now can claim much on the welfare system.C Because they made small contributions, but now can make money easily.D Because they outnumber younger generation and enjoy more privileges in the present society.3. Which factor pushed up house prices?A Many young men, who live alone, have increased demand for houses.B Many young men need to rent more houses.C It is easy to apply for a mortgage for young generation.D The number of older people, many of whom live alone, becomes bigger and bigger.4. In what way does Laura Lenox-Conyngham make her living?A By taking photographs for magazines.B By marring a rich man.C By subletting the lounge sofa-bed to her brother.D By preparing food for photographs for some magazines.5. We can conclude from the passage that _.A todays under-thirties are leading a miserable life in BritainB Laura Lenox-Conynghams attitude to work and life represents that of many young professionals in BritainC Life can get harder for under-thirties in BritainD elders enjoy extremely high living standards in Britain 1小题、 【正确答案】：C2小题、 【正确答案】：A3小题、 【正确答案】：D4小题、 【正确答案】：D5小题、 【正确答案】：C【参考解析】：1. C 语义题。解题的关键在于正确理解句中的 reverse 一词，它意为 “逆转，彻底转变” ，所以被考查句说的是传统上社会财富是从老一代流向年轻人，而50岁以上人口的增多彻底转变了该现象，即社会财富从年轻人流向老年人，所以 C 正确。2. A 细节题。由文章第六段第二句和第三句可知，这些老人过去在税收方面的贡献甚小，而现在他们享受的社会福利甚多;在三四十年前出生的人则把他们一生中多于三分之一的所得用于照料这些老年人，所以 A 正确。3. D 细节题。由文章第七段第一句可知，老年人数量越来越多且大多单独居住，他们需要更多的住房，于是促使房价上升，所以 D 正确。4. D 细节题。文章第八段第三句指出，Laura Lenox-Conyngham 一年赚两万英镑，为杂志准备要拍照的食物，所以 D 正确。5. C 主旨题。文章开头指出，金色青春的时代已经过去了，如今这一代30岁以下的年轻人是一个世纪以来第一批生活水平低于父辈的人，文章接下来更深入、具体地探讨了这一主题;原文并未提及 Laura Lenox-Conyngham 对工作的态度，而是说她的这种生活方式在伦敦等地很普遍，故 B 不正确。由此可知， C 正确。二、阅读理解第3题：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 1-4, markY (for YES) if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage;N (for NO) if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage;NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage.For questions 5-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.Is College Really Worth the Money?The Real WorldEste Griffith had it all figured out. When she graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in April 2001, she had her sights set on one thing: working for a labor union.The real world had other ideas. Griffith left school with not only a degree, but a boatload of debt. She owed $15,000 in student loans and had racked up $4,000 in credit card debt for books, groceries and other expenses. No labor union job could pay enough to bail her out.So Griffith went to work instead for a Washington, D.C. firm that specializes in economic development. Problem solved? Nope. At age 24, she takes home about $1,800 a month, $1,200 of which disappears to pay her rent. Add another $180 a month to retire her student loans and $300 a month to whittle down her credit card balance. “You do the math,“ she says.Griffith has practically no money to live on. She brown-bags(自带午餐)her lunch and bikes to work. Above all, she fears shell never own a house or be able to retire. Its not that she regrets getting her degree. “But they dont tell you that the trade-off is the next ten years of your income,“ she says.Thats precisely the deal being made by more and more college students. Theyre mortgaging their futures to meet soaring tuition costs and other college expenses. Like Griffith, theyre facing a one-two punch at graduation: hefty(深重的)student loans and smothering credit card debtnot to mention a job market that, for now anyway, is dismal.“We are forcing our children to make a choice between two evils,“ says Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard Law professor and expert on bankruptcy. “Skip college and face a life of diminished opportunity. or go to college and face a life shackled(束缚)by debt.“Tuition HikesFor some time, colleges have insisted their steep tuition hikes are needed to pay for cutting-edge technologies, faculty and administration salaries, and rising health care costs. Now theres a new culprit(犯人): shrinking state support. Caught in a severe budget crunch, many states have sharply scaled back their funding for higher education.Someone had to make up for those lost dollars. And you can guess whoespecially if you live in Massachusetts, which last year hiked its tuition and fees by 24 percent, after funding dropped by 3 percent, or in Missouri, where appropriations(拨款)fell by 10 percent, but tuition rose at double that rate. About one-third of the states, in fact, have increased tuition and fees by more than 10 percent.One of those states is California, and Janet Burrells family is feeling the pain. A bookkeeper in Torrance, Burrell has a daughter at the University of California at Davis Meanwhile, her sons attend two-year colleges because Burrell cant afford to have all of them in four-year schools at once.Meanwhile, even with tuition hikes, Californias community colleges are so strapped for cash they dropped thousands of classes last spring. The result: 54,000 fewer students.Collapsing InvestmentsMany families thought they had a surefire plan: even if tuition kept skyrocketing, they had invested enough money along the way to meet the costs. Then a funny thing happened on the way to Wall Street. Those investments collapsed with the stock market. Among the losers last year: the wildly popular “529“ plansfederal tax-exempt college savings plans offered by individual states, which have attracted billions from families around the country. “We hear from many parents that what they had set aside declined in value so much that they now dont have enough to see their students through,“ says Penn State financial aid director Anna Griswold, who witnessed a 10 percent increase in loan applications last year. Even with a market that may be slowly recovering, it will take time, perhaps several years, for people to recoup(补偿)their losses.Nadine Sayegh is among those who didnt have the luxury of waiting for her college nest egg to grow back. Her father had invested money toward her tuition, but a large chunk of it vanished when stocks went south. Nadine was then only partway through college. By graduation, she had taken out at least $10,000 in loans, and her mother had borrowed even more on her behalf. Now 22, Nadine is attending law school, having signed for yet more loans to pay for that. “There wasnt any way to do it differently,“ she says, “and Im not happy about it. Ive sat down and calculated how long it will take me to pay off everything. Ill be 35 years old.“ Thats if shes very lucky: Nadine based her calculation on landing a job right out of law school that will pay her at least $120,000 a year.Dependent on Loans and Credit CardsThe American Council on Education has its own calculation that shows how students are more and more dependent on loans. In just five years, from 1995 to 2000, the median loan debt at public institutions rose from $10,342 to $15,375. Most of this comes from federal loans, which Congress made more tempting in 1992 by expanding eligibility (home equity no longer counts against your assets) and raising loan limits (a dependent undergraduate can now borrow up to $23,000 from the federal government).But students arent stopping there. The College Board estimates that they also borrowed $4.5 billion from private lenders in the 2000-2001 academic year, up from $1.5 billion just five years earlier.For lots of students, the worst of it isnt even the weight of those direct student loans. Its what they rack up on all those plastic cards in their wallets. As of two years ago, according to a study by lender Nellie Mae, more than eight out of ten undergrads had their own credit cards, with the typical student carrying four. Thats no big surprise, given the in-your-face marketing by credit card companies, which set up tables on campus to entice(诱惑)students to sign up. Some colleges ban or restrict this hawking, but others give it a boost. You know those credit cards emblazoned with a schools picture or its logo? For sanctioning such a carda must-have for some studentsa college department or association gets payments from the issuer. Meanwhile, from freshman year to graduation, according to the Nellie Mae study, students triple the number of credit cards they own and double their debt on them. As of 2001, they were in the hole an average $2,327.A Wise Choice?One day, Moyer sat down with his mother, Janne ODonnell, to talk about his goal of going to law school. Dont count on it, ODonnell told him. She couldnt afford the cost and Moyer doubted he could get a loan, given how much he owed already. “He said he felt like a failure,“ ODonnell recalls. “He didnt know how he had gotten into such a mess.“A week later, the 22-year-old hanged himself in his bedroom, where his mother found him. ODonnell is convinced the money pressures caused his suicide. “Sean tried to pay his debts off,“ she says. “And he couldnt take it.“To be sure, suicides are exceedingly rare. But despair is common, and it sometimes leads students to rethink whether college was worth it. In fact, there are quite a few jobs that dont require a college degree, yet pay fairly well. On average, though, college graduates can expect to earn 80 percent more than those with only a high school diploma. Also, all but two of the 50 highest paying jobs (the exceptions being air traffic controllers and nuclear power reactor operators) require a four-year college degree. So foregoing a college education is often not a wise choice.Merit Mikhail, who graduated last June from the University of California, Riverside, is glad she borrowed to get through school. But she left Riverside owing $20,000 in student loans and another $7,000 in credit card debt. Now in law school, Merit hopes to become a public-interest attorney, yet she may have to postpone that goal, which bothers her. To handle her debt, shell probably need to start with a more lucrative(有利的)legal job.Like so many other students. Mikhail took out her loans on a kind of blind faith that she could deal with the consequences. “You say to yourself, I have to go into debt to make it work, and whatever it takes later, Ill manage.“ Later has now arrived, and Mikhail is finding out the true cost of her college degree.1. Griffith worked for a firm that spe