历年六级真题短文阅读

短文阅读

2007年6月23日大学英语六级真题

PassageOne

Questions52to56arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Youheartherefrainallthetime:theU.S.economylooksgoodstatistically,butit

doesn'tfeelgood.Whydoesn'tever-greaterwealthpromoteever-greaterhappiness?

Itisaquestionthatdatesatleasttotheappearancein1958ofTheAffluent（富裕的）

SocietybyJohnKennethGalbraith,whodiedrecentlyat97.

TheAffluentSocietyisamodemclassicbecauseithelpeddefineanewmoment

inthehumancondition.Formostofhistory,"hunger,sickness,andcold^^threatened

nearlyeveryone,Galbraithwrote."Povertywasfoundeverywhereinthatworld.

Obviouslyitisnotofours.^^AfterWorldWarII,thedreadofanotherGreat

Depressiongavewaytoaneconomicboom.Inthe1930sunemploymenthad

averaged18.2percent;inthe1950sitwas4.5percent.

ToGalbraith,materialismhadgonemadandwouldbreeddiscontent.Through

advertising,companiesconditionedconsumerstobuythingstheydidn'treallywantor

need.Becausesomuchspendingwasartificial,itwouldbeunfulfilling.Meanwhile,

governmentspendingthatwouldmakeeveryonebetteroffwasbeingcutdown

becausepeopleinstinctively一andwrongly一labeledgovernmentonlyas“anecessary

evil.^^

It'softensaidthatonlythericharegettingahead;everyoneelseisstandingstill

orfallingbehind.Well,therearemanyundeservingrich-overpaidchiefexecutives,

forinstance.Butoveranymeaningfulperiod,mostpeople'sincomesareincreasing.

From1995to2004,inflation-adjustedaveragefamilyincomerose14.3percent,to

$43,200.peopleffeel"squeezed“becausetheirrisingincomesoftendon'tsatisfytheir

risingwants一forbiggerhomes,morehealthcare,moreeducation,fasterInternet

connections.

Theothergreatfrustrationisthatithasnoteliminatedinsecurity.Peopleregard

jobstabilityaspartoftheirstandardofliving.Ascorporatelayoffsincreased,thatpart

haseroded.Moreworkersfearthey'vebecome“thedisposableAmerican,“asLouis

Uchitelleputsitinhisbookbythesamename.

Becausesomuchprevioussufferingandsocialconflictstemmedfrompoverty,

thearrivalofwidespreadaffluencesuggestedutopian（乌托邦式的）possibilities.Up

toapoint,affluencesucceeds.Thereismuchlesphysicalmiserythanbefore.People

arebetteroff.Unfortunately,affluencealsocreatesnewcomplaintsandcontradictions.

Advancedsocietiesneedeconomicgrowthtosatisfythemultiplyingwantsof

theircitizens.Butthequestforgrowthletsloosenewanxietiesandeconomic

conflictsthatdisturbthesocialorder.Affluenceliberatestheindividual,promising

thateveryonecanchooseauniquewaytoself-fulfillment.Butthepromiseisso

extravagantthatitpredestinesmanydisappointmentsandsometimesinspireschoices

thathaveanti-socialconsequences,includingfamilybreakdownandobesity(肥胖症).

Statisticalindicatorsofhappinesshavenotrisenwithincomes.

Shouldwebesurprised?Notreally.We'vesimplyreaffirmedanoldtruth:the

pursuitofaffluencedoesnotalwaysendwithhappiness.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

52.WhatquestiondoesJohnKennethGalbraithraiseinhisbookThe

AffluentSociety?

A)Whystatisticsdon'ttellthetruthabouttheeconomy.

B)Whyaffluencedoesn'tguaranteehappiness.

C)Howhappinesscanbepromotedtoday.D)Whatlies

behindaneconomicboom.

53.AccordingtoGalbraith,peoplefeeldiscontentedbecause.

A)publicspendinghasn'tbeencutdownasexpected

B)thegovernmenthasprovedtobeanecessaryevil

C)theyareinfearofanotherGreatDepressionD)materialismhasrun

wildinmodernsociety

54.Whydopeoplefeelsqueezedwhentheiraverageincomerises

considerably?

A)Theirmaterialpursuitshavegonefaraheadoftheirearnings.

B)Theirpurchasingpowerhasdroppedmarkedlywithinflation.

C)Thedistributionofwealthisunevenbetweenther5ichandthepoor.

D)Healthcareandeducationalcosthavesomehowgoneoutofcontrol.

55.WhatdoesLouisUchitellemeanby“thedisposableAmerican,9(Line3,

Para.5)?

A)Thosewhoseejobstabilityaspartoftheirlivingstandard.

B)Peoplefullofutopianideasresultingfromaffluence.

C)PeoplewhohavelittlesayinAmericanpolitics.

D)Workerswhonolongerhavesecurejobs.

56.WhathasaffluencebroughttoAmericansociety?

A)Renewedeconomicsecurity.B)Asenseofself­

fulfillment.

C)Newconflictsandcomplaints.D)Misery

andanti-socialbehavior.

PassageTwo

Questions57to61arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Theuseofdeferential（敬重的）languageissymbolicoftheConfucianidealof

thewoman,whichdominatesconservativegendernormsinJapan.Thisidealpresents

awomanwhowithdrawsquietlytothebackground,subordinatingherlifeandneeds

tothoseofherfamilyanditsmalehead.Sheisadutifuldaughter,wife,andmother,

masterofthedomesticarts.ThetypicalrefinedJapanesewomanexcelsinmodesty

anddelicacy;she"treadssoftly（谨言’慎行）intheworld,“elevatingfemininebeauty

andgracetoanartform.

Nowadays,itiscommonlyobservedthatyoungwomenarenotconformingto

thefemininelinguistic（语言的）ideal.Theyareusingfeweroftheverydeferential

“women's"forms,andevenusingthefewstrongformsthatareknowas“men's."

This,ofcourse,attractsconsiderableattentionandhasledtoanoutcryintheJapanese

mediaagainstthedefeminizationofwomen'slanguage.Indeed,wedidn'thearabout

“men'slanguage“untilpeoplebegantorespondtogirls9appropriationofforms

normallyreservedforboysandmen.Thereisconsiderablesentimentaboutthe

“corruption“ofwomen'slanguage——whichofcourseisviewedaspartofthelossof

feminineidealsandmorality一andthissentimentiscrystallizedbynationwide

opinionpollsthatareregularlycarriedoutbythemedia.

YoshikoMatsumotohasarguedthatyoungwomenprobablyneverusedasmany

ofthehighlydeferentialformsasolderwomen.Thishighlypolitestyleisnodoubt

somethingthatyoungwomenhavebeenexpectedto"growinto”-afterall,itis

assignnotsimplyoffemininity,butofmaturityandrefinement,anditsusecouldbe

takentoindicateachangeinthenatureofone'ssocialrelationsaswell.Onemight

wellimaginelittlegirlsusingexceedinglypoliteformswhenplayinghouseor

imitatingolderwomen一inafashionanalogoustolittlegirls9useofahigh-pitched

voicetodo"teachertalk"or"mothertalk“inroleplay.

ThefactthatyoungJapanesewomenareusinglessdeferentiallanguageisasure

signofchange-ofsocialchangeandoflinguisticchange.Butitismostcertainlynot

asignofthe“masculization“ofgirls.Insomeinstances,itmaybeasignthatgirlsare

makingthesameclaimtoauthorityasboysandmen,butthatisverydifferentfrom

sayingthattheyaretryingtobe“masculine."KatsueReynoldshasarguedthatgirls

nowadaysareusingmoreassertivelanguagestrategiesinordertobeabletocompete

withboysinschoolsandout.Socialchangealsobringsnotsimplydifferentpositions

forwomenandgirls,butdifferentrelationstolifestages,andadolescentgirlsare

participatinginnewsubculturalforms.Thuswhatmay,toanolderspeaker,seemlike

“masculine“speechmayseemtoanadolescentlike“liberated"or"hip"speech.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

57.Thefirstparagraphdescribesindetail.

A）thestandardssetforcontemporaryJapanesewomen

B)theConfucianinfluenceongendernormsinJapan

C)thestereotypedroleofwomeninJapanesefamilies

D)thenormsfortraditionalJapanesewomentofollow

58.Whatchangehasbeenobservedintoday9syoungJapanesewomen?

A)Theypaylessattentiontotheirlinguisticbehavior.

B)Theusefewerofthedeferentiallinguisticforms.

C)Theyconfusemaleandfemaleformsoflanguage.

D)Theyemployverystronglinguisticexpressions.

59.Howdosomepeoplereacttowomen'sappropriationofmen's

languageformsasreportedintheJapanesemedia?

A)Theycallforacampaigntostopthedefeminization.

B)Theseeitasanexpressionofwomen'ssentiment.

C)Theyacceptitasamoderntrend.D)Theyexpress

strongdisapproval.

60.AccordingtoYoshikoMatsumoto,thelinguisticbehaviorobservedin

today'syoungwomen___.

A)mayleadtochangesinsocialrelationsB)hasbeentrue

ofallpastgenerations

C)isviewedasasignoftheirmaturityD)isaresultofrapid

socialprogress

61.Theauthorbelievesthattheuseofassertivelanguagebyyoung

Japanesewomenis.

A)asuresignoftheirdefeminizationandmaturation

B)anindicationoftheirdefianceagainstsocialchange

C)oneoftheirstrategiestocompeteinamale-dominatedsociety

D)aninevitabletrendoflinguisticdevelopmentinJapantoday

2007年12月大学英语六级

PassageOne

Questions52to56arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Likemostpeople,I'velongunderstoodthatIwillbejudgedbymyoccupation,

thatmyprofessionisagaugepeopleusetoseehowsmartortalentedIam.Recently,

however,IwasdisappointedtoseethatitalsodecideshowI'mtreatedasaperson.

LastyearIleftaprofessionalpositionasasmall-townreporterandtookajob

waitingtables.Assomeonepaidtoservefoodtopeople.Ihadcustomerssayanddo

thingstomeIsuspectthey9dneversayordototheirmostcasualacquaintances.One

nightamantalkingonhiscellphonewavedmeaway,thenbeckoned(示意)meback

withhisfingeraminutelater,complaininghewasreadytoorderandaskingwhereI'd

been.

Ihadwaitedtablesduringsummersincollegeandwastreatedlikeapeon(勤杂

工)byplentyofpeople.Butat19yearsold.IbelievedIdeservedinferiortreatment

fromprofessionaladults.Besides,peoplerespondedtomedifferentlyafterItoldthem

Iwasincollege.CustomerswouldjokethatonedayI'dbesittingattheirtable,

waitingtobeserved.

OnceIgraduatedItookajobatacommunitynewspaper.Frommyfirstday,I

heardarespectfultonefromeveryonewhocalledme.Iassumedthiswasthewaythe

professionalworldworked-cordially.

Isoonfoundoutdifferently,Isatseveralfeetawayfromanadvertisingsales

representativewithasimilarname.Ourcallswouldoftengetmixedupandsomeone

askingforKristenwouldbetransferredtoChristie.Themistakewasimmediately

evident.Perhapsitwasbecausemoneywasinvolved,butpeopleusedatonewith

Kristenthattheyneverusedwithme.

Myjobtitlemadepeopletreatmewithcourtesy.Soitwasashocktoreturnto

therestaurantindustry.

Ifsnosecretthatthere'salottoputupwithwhenwaitingtables,andfortunately,

muchofitcanbeeasilyforgottenwhenyoupocketthetips.Theserviceindustry,by

definition,existstocatertoothers9needs.Still,itseemedthatmanyofmycustomers

didn'tgetthedifferencebetweenserverandservant.

I'mnowapplyingtograduateschool,whichmeanssomedayI'llreturntoa

professionwherepeopleneedtobenicetomeinordertogetwhattheywant.Ithink

riltakethemtodinnerfirst,andseehowtheytreatsomeonewhoseonlyjobisto

servethem.

52.Theauthorwasdisappointedtofindthat.

A)one'spositionisusedasagaugetomeasureone'sintelligence.

B)talentedpeoplelikehershouldfailtogetarespectablejob

C)one'soccupationaffectsthewayoneistreatedasaperson

D)professionalstendtolookdownuponmanualworkers

53.Whatdoestheauthorintendtosaybytheexampleinthesecondparagraph?

A)Somecustomerssimplyshownorespecttothosewhoservethem.

B)Peopleabsorbedinaphoneconversationtendtobeabsent-minded.

C)Waitressesareoftentreatedbycustomersascasualacquaintances.

D)Somecustomersliketomakeloudcomplaintsfornoreasonatall.

54.Howdidtheauthorfeelwhenwaitingtablesattheageof19?

A)Shefeltitunfairtobetreatedasamereservantbyprofessionals.

B)Shefeltbadlyhurtwhenhercustomersregardedherasapeon.

C)Shewasembarrassedeachtimehercustomersjokedwithher.

D)Shefounditnaturalforprofessionalstotreatherasinferior.

55.Whatdoestheauthorimplybysaying"...manyofmycustomersdidn'tget

thedifferencebetweenserverandservant”(Lines3-4,Para.7)?

A)Thosewhocatertoothers9needsaredestinedtobelookeddownupon.

B)Thoseworkingintheserviceindustryshouldn'tbetreatedasservants.

C)Thoseservingothershavetoputupwithroughtreatmenttoearnaliving.

D)Themajorityofcustomerstendtolookonaservantasaservernowadays.

56.Theauthorsaysshe'llonedaytakeherclientstodinnerinorderto.

A)seewhatkindofpersontheyareB)experiencethefeelingofbeing

served

C)showhergenerositytowardspeopleinferiortoherD)arousetheir

sympathyforpeoplelivingahumblelife

PassageTwo

Questions57to61arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

What9shotfor2007amongtheveryrich?AS7.3milliondiamondring.Atripto

Tanzaniatohuntwildanimals.Oh.andincomeinequality.

Sure,someleftishbillionaireslikeGeorgeSoroshavebeenrailingagainst

incomeinequalityforyears.Butincreasingly,centristandright-wingbillionairesare

startingtoworryaboutincomeinequalityandthefateofthemiddleclass.

InDecember.MortimerZuckermanwroteacolumninU.SNews&World

Report,whichheowns."Ournation9scorebargainwiththemiddleclassis

disintegrating,"lamented(哀叹)the117th-richestmaninAmerica."Mostofour

economicgainshavegonetopeopleattheverytopoftheincomeladder.Average

incomeforahouseholdofpeopleofworkingage,bycontrast,hasfallenfiveyearsin

arow."Henotedthat"TensofmillionsofAmericansliveinfearthatamajorhealth

problemcanreducethemtobankruptcy."

WilburRossJr.hasechoedZuckerman'sangeroverthebitterstrugglesfacedby

middle-class

Americans."It'sanoutragethatanyAmerican'slifeexpectancyshouldbe

shortenedsimplybecausethecompanytheyworkedforwentbankruptandended

health-carecoverage,9,saidtheformerchairmanoftheInternationalSteelGroup.

What'shappening?TheveryricharejustastrendyasyouandI,andcanbeso

whenitcomestopoliticsandpolicy.GiventherecentchangeofcontrolinCongress,

popularityofmeasureslikeincreasingtheminimumwage,andeffortsbyCalifornia9

governortoofferuniversalhealthcare,theseguysdon'tneedtheirownpersonal

weathermentoknowwhichwaythewindblows.

It'spossiblethatplutocrats(有钱有势的人)areexpressingsolidaritywiththe

strugglingmiddleclassaspartofanefforttoinsulatethemselvesfromconfiscatory

(没U攵'性的)taxpolicies.Buttheprospectthatincomeinequalitywillleadtohigher

taxesonthewealthydoesn'tkeepplutocratsupatnight.Theycanlivewiththat.

No,whattheyfearwasthatthepoliticalchallengesofsustainingsupportfor

globaleconomicintegrationwillbemoredifficultintheUnitedStatesbecauseof

whathashappenedtothedistributionofincomeandeconomicinsecurity.

Inotherwords,ifmiddle-classAmericanscontinuetostrugglefinanciallyasthe

ultrawealthygroweverwealthier,itwillbeincreasinglydifficulttomaintainpolitical

supportforthefreeflowofgoods,services,andcapitalacrossborders.Andwhenthe

UnitedStatesplacesobstaclesinthewayofforeigninvestorsandforeigngoods,ifs

likelytoencouragereciprocalactionabroad.Forpeoplewhobuyandsellcompanies,

orwhoallocatecapitaltomarketsallaroundtheworld,that9stherealnightmare.

57.WhatisthecurrenttopicofcommoninterestamongtheveryrichinAmerica?

A)Thefateoftheultrawealthypeople.B)Thedisintegrationofthemiddle

class.

C)Theinequalityinthedistributionofwealth.D)Theconflictbetweentheleft

andtherightwing.

58.WhatdowelearnfromMortimerZuckerman'slamentation?

A)Manymiddle-incomefamilieshavefailedtomakeabargainforbetterwelfare.

B)TheAmericaneconomicsystemhascausedmanycompaniestogobankrupt.

C)TheAmericannationisbecomingmoreandmoredivideddespiteitswealth.

D)ThemajorityofAmericansbenefitlittlefromthenation'sgrowingwealth.

59.Fromthefifthparagraphwecanlearnthat.

A)theveryricharefashion-conscious

B)theveryricharepoliticallysensitive

C)universalhealthcareistobeimplementedthroughoutAmerica

D)Congresshasgainedpopularitybyincreasingtheminimumwage

60.Whatistherealreasonforplutocratstoexpresssolidaritywiththemiddleclass?

A)Theywanttoprotectthemselvesfromconfiscatorytaxation.

B)Theyknowthatthemiddleclasscontributesmosttosociety.

C)Theywanttogainsupportforglobaleconomicintegration.

D)Theyfeelincreasinglythreatenedbyeconomicinsecurity.

61.WhatmayhappeniftheUnitedStatesplacesobstaclesinthewayofforeign

investorsandforeigngoods?

A)Thepricesofimportedgoodswillinevitablysoarbeyondcontrol.

B)Theinvestorswillhavetomakegreateffortstore-allocatecapital.

C)Thewealthywillattempttobuyforeigncompaniesacrossborders.

D)Foreigncountrieswillplacethesameeconomicbarriersinreturn.

2008年6月21日英语六级真题

PassageOne

Questions52to56arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Imaginewakingupandfindingthevalueofyourassetshasbeenhalved.No,

you'renotaninvestorinoneofthosehedgefundsthatfailedcompletely.Withthe

dollarslumpingtoa26-yearlowagainstthepound,already-expensiveLondonhas

becomequiteunaffordable.AcoffeeatStarbucks,justasunavoidableinEnglandasit

isintheUnitedStates,runsabout$8.

Theonceall-powerfuldollarisn'tdoingaTitanicagainstjustthepound.Itis

sittingatarecordlowagainsttheeuroandata30-yearlowagainsttheCanadian

dollar.EventheArgentinepesoandBrazilianrealarethrivingagainstthedollar.

Theweakdollarisasourceofhumiliation,foranation9sself-esteemrestsinpart

onthestrengthofitscurrency.Ifsalsoapotentialeconomicproblem,sincea

decliningdollarmakesimportedfoodmoreexpensiveandexertsupwardpressureon

interestrates.AndyettherearesubstantialsectorsofthevastU.S.economy-from

giantcompanieslikeCoca-Colatomom-and-poprestaurantoperatorsinMiami-for

whichtheweakdollarismostexcellentnews.

ManyEuropeansmayviewtheU.S.asanarrogantsuperpowerthathasbecome

hostiletoforeigners.ButnothingmakespeoplethinkmorewarmlyoftheU.S.thana

weakdollar.ThroughApril,thetotalnumberofvisitorsfromabroadwasup6.8

percentfromlastyear.Shouldthetrendcontinue,thenumberoftouriststhisyearwill

finallytopthe2000peak?ManyEuropeansnowapparentlyviewtheU.S.theway

manyAmericansviewMexico-asacheapplacetovacation,shopandparty,allwhile

ignoringthefactthatthepoorerlocalscan'taffordtojointhemerrymaking.

Themoneytouristsspendhelpsdecreaseourchronictradedeficit.Sodoexports,

whichthanksinparttotheweakdollar,soared11percentbetweenMay2006and

May2007.Forfirstfivemonthsof2007,thetradedeficitactuallyfell7percentfrom

2006.

IfyouownsharesinlargeAmericancorporations,you'reawinnerintheweak-

dollargamble.LastweekCoca-Cola'sstickbubbledtoafive-yearhighafterit

reportedafantasticquarter.Foreignsalesaccountedfor65percentofCoke9s

beveragebusiness.OtherAmericancompaniesprofitingfromthistrendinclude

McDonald9sandIBM.

Americantourists,however,shouldn'texpectanyreliefsoon.Thedollarlost

strengththewaymanymarriagesbreakup-slowly,andthenallatonce.And

currenciesdon'tturnonadime.Soifyouwanttoavoidthepaininflictedbythe

increasinglypatheticdollar,cancelthatsummervacationtoEnglandandlooktoNew

England.There,thedollarisstilltreatedwithalittlerespect.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

52.WhydoAmericansfeelhumiliated?

A)TheireconomyisplungingB)Theycan'taffordtripstoEurope

C)TheircurrencyhasslumpedD)Theyhavelosthalfoftheirassets.

53.HowdoesthecurrentdollaraffectthelifeofordinaryAmericans?

A)TheyhavetocanceltheirvacationsinNewEngland.

B)Theyfinditunaffordabletodineinmom-and-poprestaurants.

C)Theyhavetospendmoremoneywhenbuyingimportedgoods.

D)Theymightlosetheirjobsduetopotentialeconomicproblems.

54HowdomanyEuropeansfeelabouttheU.Swiththedevalueddollar?

A)Theyfeelcontemptuousofit

B)Theyaresympatheticwithit.

C)Theyregarditasasuperpoweronthedecline.

D)Theythinkofitasagoodtouristdestination.

55whatistheauthor9sadvicetoAmericans?

A)Theytreatthedollarwithalittlerespect

B)Theytrytowinintheweak-dollargamble

C)Theyvacationathomeratherthanabroad

D)Theytreasuretheirmarriagesallthemore.

56Whatdoestheauthorimplybysaying"currenciesdon'tturnonadime^^(Line

2,Para7)?

A)Thedollar'svaluewillnotincreaseintheshortterm.

B)Thevalueofadollarwillnotbereducedtoadime

C)Thedollar'svaluewilldrop,butwithinasmallmargin.

D)FewAmericanswillchangedollarsintoothercurrencies.

PassageTwo

Questions57to61arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Inthecollege-admissionswars,weparentsarethetruefights.Wearepushing

ourkidstogetgoodgrades,takeSATpreparatorycoursesandbuildresumessothey

cangetintothecollegeofourfirstchoice.I'vetwicebeentothewars,andasIsurvey

thebattlefield,somethingdifferentishappening.Weseeourkids9collegebackground

aseprizedemonstratinghowwellwe'veraisedthem.Butwecan'tacknowledgethat

ourobsession(痴迷)ismoreaboutusthanthem.Sowe'vecontrivedvarious

justificationsthatturnouttobehalf-truths,prejudicesormyths.Itactuallydoesn't

mattermuchwhetherAaronandNicolegotoStanford.

Wehaveafull-blownprestigepanic;weworrythattherewon'tbeenoughprizes

togoaround.Fearfulparentsurgetheirchildrentoapplytomoreschoolsthanever.

Underlyingthehysteria（歇斯底里）isthebeliefthatscarceelitedegreesmustbe

highlyvaluable.Theirgraduatesmustenjoymoresuccessbecausetheygetabetter

educationanddevelopbettercontacts.Allthatisplausibleandmostlywrong.We

haven91foundanyconvincingevidencethatselectivityorprestigematters.Selective

schoolsdon'tsystematicallyemploybetterinstructionalapproachesthanlessselective

schools.Ontwomeasuresprofessors9feedbackandthenumberofessayexams一

一selectiveschoolsdoslightlyworse.

Bysomestudies,selectiveschoolsdoenhancetheirgraduates9lifetimeearnings.

Thegainisreckonedat2-4%forevery100-poinntincreaseinaschool9saverageSAT

scores.Buteventhisadvantageisprobablyastatisticalfluke（偶然）.Awell-known

studyexaminedstudentswhogotintohighlyselectiveschoolsandthenwent

elsewhere.Theyearnedjustasmuchasgraduatesfromhigher-statusschools.

Kidscountmorethantheircolleges.Gettingintoyalemaysignify

intellgence,talentandAmbition.Butifsnottheonlyindicatorand,paradoxically,its

significanceisdeclining.Thereason:somanysimilarpeoplegoelsewhere.Gettinginto

collegeisnotlifeonlycompetitor!.Old-boynetworksarebreakingdown.princeton

economistAlanKruegerstudiedadmissionstoonetopPh.D.program.Highscoreson

theGREhelpdexplainwhogotin;degreesofprestigiousuniversitiesdidn't.

So,parents,lightenup.thestakeshavebeenvastlyexaggerated.uptoapoint,we

canrationalizeourpushiness.Americaisacompetitivesociety;ourkidsneedtoadjust

tothat.buttoomuchpushinesscanbedestructive.theveryambitionweimposeonour

childrenmaygetsomeintoHarvardbutmayalsosetthemupfordisappointment.one

studyfoundthat,otherthingsbeingequal,graduatesofhighlyselectiveschools

experiencedmorejobdissatisfaction.Theymayhavebeensoconditionedtodeingon

topthatanythinglessdisappoints.

注意此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

57.Whydosetheauthorsaythatparengsarethetruefightersinthecollege­

admissionswars?

A.Theyhavethefinalsayinwhichuniversitytheirchildrenaretoattend.

B.Theyknowbestwhichuniversitiesaremostsuitablefortheirchildren.

C.theyhavetocarryoutintensivesurveysofcollegesbeforechildrenmakean

application.

D.theycaremoreaboutwhichcollegetheirchildrengotothanthechildren

themselves.

58.Whydoparentsurgetheirchildrentoapplytomoreschoolthanever?

A.theywanttoincreasetheirchildrenchancesofenteringaprestigiouscollege.

B.theyhopetheirchildrencanenterauniversitythatoffersattractivescholarships.

C.Theirchildreneillhavehaveawiderchoiceofwhichcollegetogoto.

D.Eliteuniversitiesnowenrollfewersyudentthantheyusedto.

59.Whatdoestheauthormeanbykidscountmorethantheircollege（Line1,para.4?

A.Continuingeducationismoreimportanttoapersonsuccess.

B.Apersonhappinessshouldbevaluedmorethantheireducation.

C.Kidsactualabilitiesaremoreimportangthantheircollegebackground.

D.Whatkidslearnatcollegecannotkeepupwithjobmarketrequirements.

6O.WhatdoesKruegerstudytellus?

A.GETtingintoPgramsmaybemorecompetitivethangettingintocollege.

B.Degreesofprestigiousuniversitiesdonotguaranteeentrytograduateprograms.

C.GraduatesfromprestigiousuniversitiesdonotcaremuchabouttheirGRE

scores.

D.Connectionsbuiltinprestigiousuniversitiesmaybesustainedlongafter

graduation.

61.Onepossibleresultofpushingchildrenintoeliteuniversitiesisthat

A.theyearblessthantheirpeersfromotherinstitutions

B.theyturnouttobelesscompetitiveinthejobmarket

C.theyexperiencemorejobdissatisfactionaftergraduation

D.theyoveremphasizetheirqualificationsinjobapplication

2008年12月英语六级

Passage