06-12历年大学英语六级真题及答案

2009年12月大学英语六级考试真题及答案

PartIWriting(30minutes)

Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteashortessayentitledShouldParentsSendTheirKids

toArtClasses?Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsfollowingtheoutlinegivenbelow.

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……

ShouldParentsSendTheirKidstoArtClasses?

PartIIReadingComprehension(SkimmingandScanning)(15minutes)

Directions:Inthispart,youwillhave15minutestogooverthepassagequicklyandanswerthequestionsonAnswer

Sheet1.Forquestions1-7,choosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Forquestions

8-JO,completethesentenceswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage.

BossesSay“Yes”toHomeWork

Risingcostsofofficespace,timelosttostressfulcommuting,andaslowrecognitionthatworkershavelives

beyondtheoffice—allarestrongargumentsforlettingstaffworkfromhome.

Forthesmallbusiness,thereareadditionalbenefitstoo—staffaremoreproductive,andhappier,enablingfirms

tokeeptheirheadcounts(员工数)andtheirrecruitmentcoststoaminimum.Itcanalsoprovidecompetitive

advantage,especiallywhensmallbusinesseswanttoattractnewstaffbutdon'thavethebudgettoofferhugesalaries.

Whilecompanymanagershaveknownaboutthebenefitsforalongtime,manyhavedonelittleaboutit,sceptical

ofwhethertheycouldtrusttheiremployeestoworktofullcapacitywithoutsupervision,orconcernedaboutthe

additionalexpensesteleworkingpoliciesmightincurasstaffstartchargingtheirhomephonebillstothebusiness.

Yetthisisnowchanging.WhencommunicationsproviderInter-Telresearchedtheuseofremoteworking

solutionsamongsmall-and-medium-sizedUKbusinessesinAprilthisyear,itfoundthat28%morecompanies

claimedtohaveintroducedflexibleworkingpracticesthanayearago.

TheUKnetworkofBusinessLinksconfirmsthatittoohasseenagrowinginterestinremoteworkingsolutions

fromsmallbusinessesseekingitsadvice,andclaimsthatasmanyas60-70%ofthebusinessesthatcomethroughits

doorsnowoffersomeformofremoteworkingsupporttotheirworkforces.

Technologyadvances,includingthewidespreadavailabilityofbroadband,aremakingtheintroductionofremote

workingapieceofcake.

“Ifsystemsaresetupproperly,staffcanhaveaccesstoalltheresourcestheyhaveintheofficewhereverthey

haveaninternetconnection,vsaysAndyPoulton,e-businessadvisoratBusinessLinkforBerkshireandWiltshire.

“Therearesomeveryexcitingdevelopmentswhichhaveenabled

Oneistheavailabilityofbroadbandeverywhere,whichnowcoversalmostallofthecountry(BTclaimsthat,by

July,99.8%ofitsexchangeswillbebroadbandenabled,withalternativeplansinplaceforeventhemostremote

exchanges).t4Thisistheenabler,Poultonsays.

Yetwhilebroadbandhascomedowninpricetoo,thoseserviceproviderstargetingthebusinessmarketwarn

againstconsumerservicesmasquerading(伪装)asbusiness-friendlybroadband.

“Broadbandisavailableforaslittleas£15amonth,butmanybusinessesfailtoappreciatethehiddencostsof

suchaservice,saysNeilStephenson,salesandmarketingdirectoratOnyxInternet,aninternetserviceprovider

basedinthenorth-eastofEngland.""Providersofferingbroadbandforrock-bottompricesarenotoriousforpoor

service,withregularbreakdownsandheavilycongested(拥堵的)networks.Itisalwaysadvisableforbusinessesto

lookbeyondthepricetagandlookforabusiness-onlyproviderthatcanoffermorereliability,withgoodsupport.^^

Suchservicesdon'tcosttoomuch一qualityservicescanbefoundforupwardsof£30amonth.

Thebenefitsofbroadbandtotheoccasionalhomeworkerarethattheycanaccessemailinrealtime,andtakefull

advantageofservicessuchasinternet-basedbackuporeveninternet-basedphoneservices.

Internet-basedtelecoms,orVoIP(VoiceoverIP)togiveititstechnicaltitle,isaninterestingtooltoanybusiness

supportingremoteworking.Notnecessarilybecauseofthepromiseoffreeorreducedpricephonecalls(which

expertspointoutismisleadingfortheaveragebusiness),butbecauseofthesophisticatedvoiceservicesthatcanbe

exploitedbytheremoteworker-facilitiessuchasvoicemailandcallforwarding,whichprovideacontinuityofthe

companyimageforcustomersandbusinesspartners.

Bylaw,companiesmust"'considerseriously^^requeststoworkflexiblymadebyaparentwithachildunderthe

ageofsix,oradisabledchildunder18.Itwastheneedtoaccommodateemployeeswithyoungchildrenthat

motivatedaccountancyfirmWrightVigartobeginpromotingteleworkingrecently.Thecompany,whichneededto

upgradeitsITinfrastructure(基石出设施)toprovideconnectivitywithanew,secondoffice,decidedtointroduce

supportforremoteworkingatthesametime.

MarketingdirectorJackO'Hemexplainsthatthecompanyhasarelativelyyoungworkforce,manyofwhomare

parents:"Oneofthetriggerswaswhenoneofourtaxmanagersreturnedfrommaternityleave.Shewasintendingto

workparttime,butcouldonlymanageonedayaweekintheofficeduetochildcare.Byofferinghertheabilityto

workfromhome,wehavedoubledhercapacity—nowsheworksadayaweekfromhome,andadayintheoffice.

Thisisgreatforher,andfbrusasweretainsomeonehighlyqualified.^^

ForWrightVigar,whichhasnowequippedallofitsfee-earnerstobeabletoworkatmaximumproductivity

whenawayfromtheoffices(whetherthat'sfromhome,orwhileontheroad),thisstrategyisnotjustaboutsavingon

commutetimeorcuttingthemloosefromtheoffice,butenablingthemtoworkmoreflexiblehoursthatfitaround

theirhomelife.

O'Hernsays:"Althoughmostofourworkisclient-basedandmustfitaroundthis,wecan'tseeanyreasonwhya

parentcan'tbeonhandtodealwithsomethingimportantathome,iftheyhavetheabilitytocompleteaprojectlater

intheday.”

Supportingthisnewwayofworkingcamewithaprice,though.Althoughthefirmwasupdatingitssystems

anyway,thecompanyspent10-15%moreperusertoequipthemwithalaptopratherthanaPC,andaboutthesameto

upgradetoaserverthatwouldenableremotestafftoconnecttothecompanynetworksandaccessalltheirusual

resources.

AlthoughWrightVigarhasn'tyetquantifiedthebusinessbenefits,itclaimsthat,inadditiontobeingableto

retainkeystaffwithyoungfamilies,itisabletosavefee-earnersasubstantialamountof“dead”timeintheirworking

days.

Thatstaffcandothiswithoutneedingafixedtelephonelineprovidesevenmoreefficiencysavings.4tWithWi-Fi

(fast,wirelessinternetconnections)poppingupallovertheplace,evenontrains,ourfee-earnerscanbeproductiveas

theytravel,andbetweenmeetings,insteadofhavingtokilltimeattheshops,“headds.

Thecompanywillalsobeabletoavoidtheexpenseofhavingtorelocatestafftotemporaryofficesforseveral

weekswhenitbeginsdisruptiveofficerenovationssoon.

FinancialrecruitmentspecialistLynneHargreavesknowsexactlyhowmuchherfirmhassavedbyadoptinga

teleworkingstrategy,whichhasinvolvedhandinghercompany'sdatamanagementovertoaremotehostingcompany,

Datanet,soitcanbeaccessiblebyallthecompany'sconsultantsoverbroadbandinternetconnections.

Ithasenabledthecompanytodispensewithitsbusinesspremisesaltogether,followingtherealisationthatitjust

didn'tneedthemanymore."Themainmotivationbehindadoptinghomeworkingwastoincreasemyown

productivity,asasinglemumtoan11-year-old,saysHargreaves.4tButIsoonrealisedthat,asmostofourbusinessis

doneonthephone,emailandatoff-sitemeetings,wedidn'tneedourofficesatall.We'renowsaving£16,000a

yearonrent,plusthecostofutilities,nottomentionwhatwouldhavebeenspentoncommuting.^^

1.Whatisthemaintopicofthispassage?

A)Howbusinessmanagersviewhi-tech.

B)Relationsbetweenemployersandemployees.

C)Howtocutdownthecostsofsmallbusinesses.

D)Benefitsofthepracticeofteleworking.

2.FromtheresearchconductedbythecommunicationsproviderInter-Tel,welearnthat.

A)moreemployeesworktofullcapacityathome

B)employeesshowagrowinginterestinsmallbusinesses

C)morebusinesseshaveadoptedremoteworkingsolutions

D)attitudestowardITtechnologyhavechanged

3.WhatdevelopmenthasmadeflexibleworkingpracticespossibleaccordingtoAndyPoulton?

A)Reducedcostoftelecommunications.

B)Improvedreliabilityofinternetservice.

C)AvailabilityoftheVoIPservice.

D)Accesstobroadbandeverywhere.

4.WhatisNeilStephenson'sadvicetofirmscontractinginternetservices?

A)Theylookforreliablebusiness-onlyproviders.

B)Theycontactproviderslocatednearesttothem.

C)Theycarefullyexaminethecontract.

D)Theycontractthecheapestprovider.

5.Internet-basedtelecomsfacilitatesremoteworkingby.

A)offeringsophisticatedvoiceservices

B)givingaccesstoemailinginrealtime

C)helpingclientsdiscussbusinessathome

D)providingcallscompletelyfreeofcharge

6.TheaccountancyfirmWrightVigarpromotedteleworkinginitiallyinorderto.

A)presentapositiveimagetoprospectivecustomers

B)supportitsemployeeswithchildrentotakecareof

C)attractyoungpeoplewithITexpertisetoworkforit

D)reduceoperationalexpensesofasecondoffice

7.AccordingtomarketingdirectorJackO'Hern,teleworkingenabledthecompanyto.

A)enhanceitsmarketimage

B)reducerecruitmentcosts

C)keephighlyqualifiedstaff

D)minimiseitsofficespace

8.WrightVigar'spracticeofallowingformoreflexibleworkinghoursnotonlybenefitsthecompanybuthelps

improveemployees5.

9.Withfast,wirelessinternetconnections,employeescanstillbewhiletraveling.

10.SinglemotherLynneHargreavesdecidedtoworkathomemainlyto.

PartIHListeningComprehension(35minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations.Attheendofeach

conversation,oneormorequestionswillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Boththeconversationandthequestionswill

bespokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestiontherewillbeapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoices

markedA),B),C)andD),anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2

withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

11.A)Theywouldrathertravelaroundthanstayathome.

B)Theyprefertocarrycashwhentravelingabroad.

C)Theyusuallycarrymanythingsaroundwiththem.

D)Theydon'tliketospendmuchmoneyontraveling.

12.A)Theselectionprocesswasalittleunfair.

B)Hehadlongdreamedofthedean'sposition.

C)Rodwaseliminatedintheselectionprocess.

D)Rodwasinchargeoftheadmissionsoffice.

13.A)Applauseencouragesthesinge匚

B)Sheregretspayingfortheconcert.

C)Almosteveryonelovespopmusic.

D)Theconcertisveryimpressive.

14.A)Theyhaveknowneachothersincetheirschooldays.

B)TheywerebothchairpersonsoftheStudents'Union.

C)Theyhavebeeninclosetouchbyemail.

D)Theyaregoingtoholdareunionparty.

15.A)Cooktheirdinner.

B)Restforawhile.

C)Gettheircarfixed.

D)Stopforthenight.

16.A)Newly-launchedproducts.

B)Consumerpreferences.

C)Surveyresults.

D)Surveymethods.

17.A)Hewouldratherthewomandidn'tbuytheblouse.

B)Thewomanneedsblousesinthecolorsofarainbow.

C)Theinformationinthecatalogisnotalwaysreliable.

D)Hethinkstheblueblouseisbetterthantheredone.

18.A)Thecourseisopentoallnextsemester.

B)Thenoticemaynotbereliable.

C)Thewomanhasnottoldthetruth.

D)Hewilldrophiscourseinmarketing.

Questions19to22arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

19.A)Adirectorofasalesdepartment.

B)Amanageratacomputerstore.

C)Asalesclerkatashoppingcenter.

D)Anaccountantofacomputerfirm.

20.A)Handlingcustomercomplaints.

B)Recruitingandtrainingnewstaff.

C)Dispatchingorderedgoodsontime.

D)Developingcomputerprograms.

21.A)Shelikessomethingmorechallenging.

B)Shelikestobenearertoherparents.

C)Shewantstohaveabetter-paidjob.

D)Shewantstobewithherhusband.

22.A)Rightaway.

B)Intwomonths.

C)Earlynextmonth.

D)Inacoupleofdays.

Questions23to25arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

23.A)Itwillfacechallengesunprecedentedinitshistory.

B)Itisaresoluteadvocateoftheanti-globalmovement.

C)Itisboundtoregainitsfullgloryofahundredyearsago.

D)Itwillbeamajoreconomicpowerbythemid-21stcentury.

24.A)Thelackofoverallurbanplanning.

B)Thehugegapbetweenthehavesandhave-nots.

C)Theinadequatesupplyofwaterandelectricity.

D)Theshortageofhi-techpersonnel.

25.A)Theyattachgreatimportancetoeducation.

B)Theyareabletograspgrowthopportunities.

C)Theyaregoodatlearningfromothernations.

D)Theyhavemadeuseofadvancedtechnologies.

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsomequestions.

Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebest

answerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2witha

singlelinethroughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions26to29arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

26.A)Shetaughtchemistryandmicrobiologycoursesinacollege.

B)Shegavelecturesonhowtobecomeapublicspeaker.

C)Shehelpedfamiliesmoveawayfromindustrialpolluters.

D)Sheengagedinfieldresearchonenvironmentalpollution.

27.A)Thejobrestrictedherfromrevealingherfindings.

B)Thejobposedapotentialthreattoherhealth.

C)Shefoundtheworkingconditionsfrustrating.

D)Shewasofferedabetterjobinaminoritycommunity.

28.A)Somegiantindustrialpollutershavegoneoutofbusiness.

B)Moreenvironmentalorganizationshaveappeared.

C)ManytoxicsitesinAmericahavebeencleanedup.

D)Morebranchesofhercompanyhavebeensetup.

29.A)HerwidespreadinfluenceamongmembersofCongress.

B)Herabilitytocommunicatethroughpublicspeaking.

C)Herrigoroustrainingindeliveringeloquentspeeches.

D)Herlifelongcommitmenttodomesticandglobalissues.

PassageTwo

Questions30to32arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

30.A)Thefiercecompetitioninthemarket.

B)Thegrowingnecessityofstafftraining.

C)Theacceleratedpaceofglobalisation.

D)Theurgentneedofadiverseworkforce.

31.A)Gainadeepunderstandingoftheirownculture.

B)Takecoursesofforeignlanguagesandcultures.

C)Sharetheexperiencesofpeoplefromothercultures.

D)Participateininternationalexchangeprogrammes.

32.A)Reflectivethinkingisbecomingcritical.

B)Labormarketisgettingglobalised.

C)Knowingaforeignlanguageisessential.

D)Globalisationwilleliminatemanyjobs.

PassageThree

Questions33to35arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

33.A)Red-hairedwomenwereregardedasmorereliable.

B)Brown-hairedwomenwereratedasmorecapable.

C)Golden-hairedwomenwereconsideredattractive.

D)Black-hairedwomenwerejudgedtobeintelligent.

34.A)Theyaresmartandeloquent.

B)Theyareambitiousandarrogant.

C)Theyareshrewdanddishonest.

D)Theyarewealthyandindustrious.

35.A)Theyforcepeopletofollowtheculturalmainstream.

B)Theyexaggeratetherolesofcertaingroupsofpeople.

C)Theyemphasizediversityattheexpenseofuniformity.

D)Theyhinderourperceptionofindividualdifferences.

SectionC

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefirsttime,youshould

listencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblanks

numberedfrom36to43withtheexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Forblanksnumberedfrom44to46youare

requiredtofillinthemissinginformation.Fortheseblanks,youcaneitherusetheexactwordsyouhavejustheardor

writeclownthemainpointsinyourownwords.Finally,whenthepassageisreadforthethirdtime,youshouldcheck

whatyouhavewritten.

TheancientGreeksdevelopedbasicmemorysystemscalledmnemonics.Thenameis36fromtheir

Goddessofmemory“Mnemosyne”.Intheancientworld,atrainedmemorywasan37asset,particularlyin

publiclife.Therewereno38devicesfortakingnotes,andearlyGreekorators(演说家)deliveredlong

speecheswithgreat39becausetheylearnedthespeechesusingmnemonicsystems.

TheGreeksdiscoveredthathumanmemoryis40anassociativeprocess—thatitworksbylinkingthings

together.Forexample,thinkofanapple.The41yourbrainregisterstheword“apple”,it42the

shape,color,taste,smelland43ofthatfruit.Allthesethingsareassociatedinyourmemorywiththeword

“apple”.

44Anexamplecouldbewhenyouthinkaboutalectureyouhavehad.Thiscouldtriggeramemoryabout

whatyou'retalkingaboutthroughthatlecture,whichcanthentriggeranothermemory.

45AnexamplegivenonawebsiteIwaslookingatfollows:DoyouremembertheshapeofAustria,

Canada,Belgium,orGermany?Probablynot.WhataboutItaly,though?46Youmadeanassociationwith

somethingalreadyknown,theshapeofaboot,andItaly'sshapecouldnotbeforgottenonceyouhadmadethe

association.

PartIVReadingComprehension(ReadinginDepth)(25minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisashortpassagewith5questionsorincompletestatements.Readthepassage

carefully.Thenanswerthequestionsorcompletethestatementsinthefewestpossiblewords.Pleasewriteyour

answersonAnswerSheet2.

Questions47to51arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Manycountrieshavemadeitillegaltochatintoahand-heldmobilephonewhiledriving.Butthelatestresearch

furtherconfirmsthatthedangerlieslessinwhatamotorist'shandsdowhenhetakesacallthaninwhatthe

conversationdoestohisbrain.Evenusinga“hands-free“devicecandivertadriver'sattentiontoanalarmingextent.

MelinaKunaroftheUniversityofWarwick,andToddHorowitzoftheHarvardMedicalSchoolranaseriesof

experimentsinwhichtwogroupsofvolunteershadtopayattentionandrespondtoaseriesofmovingtasksona

computerscreenthatwerereckonedequivalentindifficultytodriving.Onegroupwasleftundistractedwhilethe

otherhadtoengageinaconversationusingaspeakerphone.AsKunarandHorowitzreport,thosewhoweremaking

theequivalentofahands-freecallhadanaveragereactiontime212millisecondsslowerthanthosewhowerenot.

That,theycalculate,wouldadd5.7metrestothebrakingdistanceofacartravellingatlOOkph.Theyalsofoundthat

thegroupusingthehands-freekitmade83%moreerrorsintheirtasksthanthosewhowerenottalking.

Totrytounderstandmoreaboutwhythiswas,theytriedtwofurthertests.Inone,membersofagroupwere

askedsimplytorepeatwordsspokenbythecaller.Intheother,theyhadtothinkofawordthatbeganwiththelast

letterofthewordtheyhadjustheard.Thoseonlyrepeatingwordsperformedthesameasthosewithnodistraction,

butthosewiththemorecomplicatedtaskshowedevenworsereactiontimes—anaverageof480millisecondsextra

delay.Thisshowsthatwhenpeoplehavetoconsidertheinformationtheyhearcarefully,itcanimpairtheirdriving

abilitysignificantly.

Punishingpeopleforusinghand-heldgadgetswhiledrivingisdifficultenough,eventhoughtheycanbeseen

fromoutsidethecar.Persuadingpeopletoswitchtheirphonesoffaltogetherwhentheygetbehindthewheelmightbe

theonlyanswer.Whoknows,theymightevencometoenjoynothavingtotakecalls.

47.Carryingonamobilephoneconversationwhileoneisdrivingisconsidereddangerousbecauseitseriously

distracts.

48.Intheexperiments,thetwogroupsofvolunteerswereaskedtohandleaseriesofmovingtaskswhichwere

considered.

49.Resultsoftheexperimentsshowthatthosewhoweremakingtheequivalentofahands-freecalltooktoreact

thanthosewhowerenot.

50.Furtherexperimentsrevealthatparticipantstendtorespondwithextradelayiftheyarerequiredtodo.

51.Theauthorbelievespersuasion,ratherthan,mightbetheonlywaytostoppeoplefromusingmobilephones

whiledriving.

SectionB

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.

ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthe

correspondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions52to56arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Thereisnothinglikethesuggestionofacancerrisktoscareaparent,especiallyoneoftheover-educated,

eco-conscioustype.SoyoucanimaginethereactionwhenarecentUSATodayinvestigationofairqualityaroundthe

nation'sschoolssingledoutthoseinthesmugly(自鸣得意的)greenvillageofBerkeley,Calif.,asbeingamongthe

worstinthecountry.Thecity'spublichighschool,aswellasanumberofdaycarecenters,preschools,elementaryand

middleschools,fellinthelowest10%.Industrialpollutioninourtownhadsupposedlyturnedstudentsintoliving

scienceexperimentsbreathinginalaboratory'sworthofheavymetalslikemanganese,chromiumandnickeleachday.

Thisinacitythatrequiresschoolcafeteriastoserveorganicmeals.Great,Ithought,organiclunch,toxiccampus.

SinceDecember,whenthereportcameout,themayor,neighborhoodactivists(活跃分子)andvarious

parent-teacherassociationshaveengagedinafiercebattleoveritsvalidity:overtheguiltofthesteel-castingfactory

onthewesternedgeoftown,overunionjobsversuschildren'shealthandoverwhat,ifanything,oughttobedone.

Withallsidespresentingtheirownexpertsarmedwithconflictingscientificstudies,whomshouldparentsbelieve?Is

theretrulyathreathere,weaskedoneanotheraswedroppedoffourkids,andifso,howgreatisit?Andhowdoesit

comparewiththeother,seeminglyperpetualhealthscaresweconfront,likepanicoverleadinsyntheticathleticfields?

Ratherthanjustanotherweirdepisodeinthetownthatbroughtyouprotestingenvironmentalists,thislatestdramaisa

trialforhowtoday'sparentsperceiverisk,howwetrytokeepourkidssafe一whetherit'spossibletokeepthemsafe

—inwhatfeelslikeanincreasinglythreateningworld.Itraisesthequestionofwhat,inourtime,"safe”couldeven

mean.

“There'snowayaroundtheuncertainty,saysKimberlyThompson,presidentofKidRisk,anonprofitgroupthat

studieschildren'shealth."Thatmeansyourchoicescanmatter,butitalsomeansyouaren'tgoingtoknowiftheydo.^^

A2004reportinthejournalPediatricsexplainedthatnervousparentshavemoretofearfromfire,caraccidentsand

drowningthanfromtoxicchemicalexposure.TowhichIsay:Well,obviously.Butsuchconcretehazardsarebeside

thepoint.It'sthedangersparentscan't—andmaynever-quantifythatoccurallofsudden.That'swhyI'veridmy

cupboardofmicrowavefoodpackedinbagscoatedwithapotentialcancer-causingsubstance,butalthoughI'velived

blocksfromamajorfaultline(土也质断层)formorethan12years,Istillhaven'tboltedourbookcasestotheliving

roomwall.

52.WhatdoesarecentinvestigationbyUSATodayreveal?

A)Heavymetalsinlabteststhreatenchildren'shealthinBerkeley.

B)Berkeleyresidentsarequitecontentedwiththeirsurroundings.

C)TheairqualityaroundBerkeley'sschoolcampusesispoor.

D)ParentsinBerkeleyareover-sensitivetocancerriskstheirkidsface.

53.WhatresponsedidUSAToday'sreportdraw?

A)Aheateddebate.

B)Popularsupport.

C)Widespreadpanic.

D)Strongcriticism.

54.Howdidparentsfeelinthefaceoftheexperts5studies?

A)Theyfeltverymuchrelieved.

B)Theywerefrightenedbytheevidence.

C)Theydidn'tknowwhotobelieve.

D)Theyweren'tconvincedoftheresults.

55.Whatistheviewofthe2004reportinthejournalPediatrics?

A)Itisimportanttoquantifyvariousconcretehazards.

B)Dailyaccidentsposeamoreseriousthreattochildren.

C)Parentsshouldbeawareofchildren'shealthhazards.

D)Attentionshouldbepaidtotoxicchemicalexposure.

56.Ofthedangersineverydaylife,theauthorthinksthatpeoplehavemosttofearfrom.

A)theuncertain

B)thequantifiable

C)anearthquake

D)unhealthyfood

PassageTwo

Questions57to61arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Cripplinghealthcarebills,longemergency-roomwaitsandtheinabilitytofindaprimarycarephysicianjust

scratchthesurfaceoftheproblemsthatpatientsfacedaily.

Primarycareshouldbethebackboneofanyhealthcaresystem.Countrieswithappropriateprimarycare

resourcesscorehighlywhenitcomestohealthoutcomesandcost.TheU.S.takestheoppositeapproachby

emphasizingthespecialistrather