2021年12月大学英语六级(CET 6)真题试卷

2021年12月大学英语六级(CET・6)真题试卷

PartIWriting(30minutes)

Direction:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessayentitledManand

Computerbycommentingonthesaying,"Therealdangerisnotthatthecomputerwill

begintothinklikeman,butthatmanwillbegintothinklikethecomputer."Youshould

writeatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.

OnMaintainingTrust

PartIIReadingComprehension(SkimmingandScanning)(15minutes)

Directions:Inthispart,youwillhave15minutestogooverthepassagequicklyandanswerthe

questionsonAnswerSheet1.Forquestions1-7,choosethebestanswerfromthefour

choicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Forquestions8-10,completethesentenceswiththe

informationgiveninthepassage.

Ratesarelow,butconsumerswon'tborrow

TheUSFederalReserve(Fed)'sannouncementlastweekthatitintendedtokeepcreditcheapforat

leasttwomoreyearswasaclearinvitationtoAmericans:Gooutandborrow.

Butmanyeconomistssayitwilltakemorethanlowinterestratestopersuadeconsumerstotakeon

moredebt.Therearealreadysignsthattherecentstockmarketfluctuations,turbulenceinEurope

andtheUSdeficithavescaredconsumers.OnFriday,preliminarydatashowedthattheThomson

Reuters/UniversityofMichiganconsumersentimentindexhadfallenthismonthtolowerthanit

wasinNovember2020,whentheUnitedStateswasdeepinrecession.

Undernormalcircumstances,theFed'sannouncementmighthaveattractednewhomeandcar

buyersandpromptedcreditcardholderstorackupfreshcharges.Butwithunemploymenthighand

thosewithjobsworriedaboutkeepingthem,consumersaremoreconcernedaboutpayingoffthe

loanstheyalreadyhavethanaddingmoredebt.Andbyshowingitshandforthenexttwoyears,the

Fedmayhavethoughtlesslyinvitedprospectiveborrowerstoputofflargepurchases.

Lenders,meanwhile,arestilldealingwiththeeffectsoftheboom-gone-bustandareforcing

prospectiveborrowerstogotoextraordinarylengthstoprovetheircreditworthiness.

*'Idon'tthinklendersaregoingtobeinterestedinextendingalotofdebtinthisenvironment/said

MarkZandi,chiefeconomistofMoody'sAnalytics,amacroeconomicconsultingfirm."NordoI

thinkhouseholdsaregoingtobeinterestedintakingonalotofdebt."

Inhousing,consumershavealreadyshownaslowresponsetolowrates.Applicationsfornew

mortgageshavedecreasedthisyeartoa10-yearlow,accordingtotheMortgageBankers

Association.Salesoffurnitureandfurnishingsremain22%belowtheirpre-recessionpeak,

accordingtoSpendingPulse,aresearchreportbyMasterCardAdvisors.

Creditcardrateshaveactuallygoneupslightlyinthepastyear.Theonebrightspotinlendingisthe

numberofautoloans,whichisupfromlastyear.Butsomeeconomistssaythatconfidenceamong

carbuyersishittingnewlows.

ForXavierWalter,aformermortgagebankerwhowithhiswife,Danielle,accumulated$20000in

creditcarddebt,lowrateswillnotchangehisspendinghabits.

Asthehousingmarkettoppedoutfiveyearsago,helosthissix-figureincome.Heandhiswife

wereabletomodifythemortgageontheirfour-bedroomhouseinMedford,NewJersey,aswellas

negotiatelowercreditcardpayments.

Twoyearsago,Mr.Walter,a34-year-oldfatherofthree,startedanenergybusiness.Hehassworn

offcredit."I'mnotgoingtogobackindebteveragain,1'hesaid.uIfIcan'tpayforitincash,Idon't

wantit."

Untilnow,oneofthebiggestrestraintsonconsumerspendinghasbeenadebtaftereffect.Since

August2020,whenhouseholddebtpeakedat$12.41trillion,ithasdeclinedbyabout$1.2trillion,

accordingtoananalysisbyMoody'sAnalyticsofdatafromtheFederalReserveandEquifax,the

creditagency.Alargeportionofthat,though,wassimplywrittenoffbylendersasborrowers

defaultedonloans.

Byothermeasures,householdshaveimprovedtheirposition.Theproportionofafter-taxincome

thathouseholdsspendtoremaincurrentonloanpaymentshasfallen.

Still,householddebtremainshigh.Thatpresentsaparadox:manyeconomistsarguethatthe

economycannotachievetruehealthuntildebtlevelsdecline.Butcredit,madeattractivebylow

rates,isatime-testedwaytoincreaseconsumerspending.

Withnewrisksofanotherdownturn,economistsworrythatitwilltakeyearsfbrdebttoreturnto

manageablelevels.Iftheeconomycontractsagain,saidGeorgeMagnus,senioradviseratUBS,

then"youcouldfindalotofhouseholdsinadebttrapwhichtheyprobablycannevergetoutof.M

Mortgagelenders,meanwhile,burnedbythehousingcrash,areextracarefulaboutapprovingnew

loans.InJune,fbrinstance,FannieMae,thelargestmortgagebuyerintheUnitedStates,saidthat

borrowerswhoseexistingdebtexceeded45to50%oftheirincomewouldberequiredtohave

stronger''compensating1'factors,whichmightincludehighersavings.

Eventhoseborrowersinstrongfinancialpositionsareaskedtoprovideunusualamountsof

paperwork.BobbyandKatieSmithhaveanextremelygoodcreditrecord,tinystudentdebtanda

combinedsix-figureincome.Forpartoftheirdownpayment,theyplannedtouseabout$5000they

hadreceivedasweddinggiftsinFebruary.

ButthelenderwouldnotacceptthatmoneyunlesstheSmithsprovidedacertifiedletterfromeach

of14guests,statingthatthemoneywasagift,ratherthanaloan.

"Welaughedforagood15or20minutes.'*recalledMr.Smith.34.

Mr.Smith,aprogramdirectorforaradiostationinOrlando,Florida,saidtheyendedupusingother

savingsfortheirdownpaymenttobuya$300000four-bedroomhouseinApril.

ForthosenotascreditworthyastheSmiths,lowratesareirrelevantbecausetheynolongerqualify

fbrmortgages.Thatleavestheeligiblepoolofloanapplicantswealthier,nolderandwhiter,"said

GuyCecala,publisherofInsideMortgageFinance."It'screatingmuchmoreofadivide/'hesaid,

“betweenthehavesandthehave-nots."

Carshopperswiththehighestcreditratingscanalsogetloansmoreeasily,andatlowerrates,said

PaulC.Taylor,chiefeconomistoftheNationalAutomobileDealersAssociation

Duringtherecession,inabilitytoobtaincreditseverelycutautobuyingaslendersrejectedeven

thosewithgoodcreditratings.Nowautomakersareincreasingtheirsubprime(次级债的)lending

againaswell,butremainhesitanttoapprovelargenumbersofriskycustomers.

Thenumberofnewautoloanswasupby16%inthesecondquartercomparedwiththeprevious

year,saidMelindaZabritski,directorofautomotivecreditatExperian,theinformationservices

company.

Butsomeeconomistswarnthatconsumerconfidenceisfalling.AccordingtoCNWMarketing

Research,confidenceamongthosewhointendtobuyacarthisyearisatitslowestsinceitbegan

collectingdataonthismeasurein2000.

Oncreditcards,rateshaveactuallyinchedhigherthisyear,largelybecauseofnewrulesthatcurb

theissuer'sabilitytochargefeesorraisecertaininterestratesatwill.

Attheendofthesecondquarter,ratesaveraged14.01%onnewcardoffers,upfrom13.75%a

yearearlier,accordingtoMailMonitor,whichtrackscreditcardsfbrSynovate,amarketresearch

firm.AccordingtodatafromtheFederalReserve,totaloutstandingdebtonrevolvingcreditcards

wasdownby4.6%duringthefirsthalfoftheyearcomparedwiththesameperiodayearearlier.

EveniftheFed'sannouncementhelpskeepratessteady,orpushesthemdown,businessesdonot

expectcustomerstosuddenlychargeupastorm.

"It'snotlike,'Oh,creditissocheap,lefsgobacktotheheydays(鼎盛时期)saidElizabeth

Crowell,whoownsSterlingPlace,twohigh-endhomefurnishingandgiftstoresinNewYork.

"Peoplestillfearfortheirjobs.SoIthinkwheremaybeafterotherrecessionstheymightreturnto

previousspendinghabits,thependulumhasn*tswungbackthesameway.”

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

1.WhatisthepurposeoftheannouncementissuedbytheUSFederalReservelastweek?

A)Tohelpreducethedebtburdenonconsumers.

B)Toforcethebankstolowertheirinterestrates.

C)Toencourageconsumerstogetmorebankloans.

D)Topreventfurtherfluctuationsinthestockmarket.

2.Whyarepeoplereluctanttotakeonmoredebtdespitethelowinterestrates?

A)Theyareafraidoflosingtheirgoodcreditratings.

B)Theyarepessimisticaboutemploymentprospects.

C)TheyhavelittlefaithintheFed'sfinancialpolicies.

D)TheyexpecttheFedtofurtherlowerinterestrates.

3.Whatdoestheauthorsayaboutlendersinthecurrentcreditmarket?

A)Theyarebecomingmorecautious.

B)Theyareeagertooffermoreloans.

C)Theyadviseprospectiveborrowerstoputofflargepurchases.

D)Theyareonlyconcernedabouthowmuchtheycangetback.

4.WhatdoestheauthorwanttosaybycitingXavierWalter'scase?

A)NotmanyAmericanscanaffordtopayincashthesedays.

B)TheFed'spoliciesexertastronginfluenceonborrowers.

C)Peoplenowwon'tbuythingsunlesstheyhavethemoney.

D)ItisbeneficialforAmericanstoborrowintimesofrecession.

5.Whatistheeconomists1concernregardingthecurrenteconomy?

A)Consumers*unwillingnesstospend.C)Theever-loweringinterestrates.

B)Banks*inabilitytorecoverdebt.D)Theunmanageabledebtlevels.

6.WhatdowelearnfromtheSmiths1story?

A)Itisverydifficultforpeopletobuildupagoodcreditrecord.

B)Acertainamountofsavingsisneededforonetobuyahouse.

C)Thepurchaseofahousewillplungeyoungcouplesintoheavydebt.

D)Mortgagelendersarenowcarefulaboutborrowers'qualifications.

7.AccordingtoGuyCecala,thebanks'policyonmortgagelendingwillresultin_.

A)awidergapbetweentherichandthepoor

B)abiggerdownpaymentforhousebuyers

C)ahigherdebtlevelforthelesswealthy

D)agreaterpressureonseniorbuyers

8.Duringtherecession,thenumberofcarbuyersdecreasedbecauseitwasdifficultto.

9.Creditcardinterestrateshavegraduallyincreasedrecentlybecausenewrulesdonotallowthe

issuerstoraisecertaininterestratesor.

10.AccordingtoElizabethCrowell,thecurrentrecession,unlikepreviousones,hasnotseena

swingbackinpeople's.

PartIIIListeningComprehension(35minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations.Attheend

ofeachconversation,oneormorequestionswillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Both

theconversationandthequestionswillhespokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestionthere

willbeapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoicesmarkedA.),B),

C)andD),anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.Thenmarkthecorrespondingletter

onAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

11.A)Shecancountonthemanforhelp.C)Shecanlendthemanasleepingbag.

B)Shehasotherplansforthisweekend.D)Shehasgotcampinggearfbrrent.

12.A)Themanshouldkeephiswords.C)Karenalwayssupportsheratwork.

B)Sheregretsaskingthemanfbrhelp.D)Karencantakehertotheairport

13.A)Hecan'taffordtogotravelingyet.C)Heusuallycheckshisbrakesbeforeatrip

B)HistriptoHawaiiwasnotenjoyable.D)HistriptoHawaiihasusedupallhismoney.

14.A)Therewasnothingleftexceptsomepie.C)Thewomanisgoingtopreparethedinner.

B)Themanhastofindsomethingelsetoeat.D)Juliehasbeeninvitedfordinner.

15.A)Submitnomorethanthreeletters.C)Applytothreegraduateschools.

B)Presentanewletterofreference.D)SendProfessorSmithaletter.

16.A)Hedeclinestojointhegardeningclub.

B)Heisaprofessionalgardenerintown.

C)Hepreferstokeephisgardeningskillstohimself.

D)Hewishestoreceiveformaltrainingingardening.

17.A)Sculptureisnotatypicalformofmodemart.

B)Modernartcannotexpresspeople'struefeelings.

C)Therecentsculptureexhibitwasnotwellorganized.

D)Manypeopledonotappreciatemodernart.

18.A)Bobdoesnothavemuchchancetowin.C)Bobcannotcountonhervote.

B)Shewillvoteforanothercandidate.D)Sheknowstherightpersonfbrtheposition

Questions19to22arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

19.A)Poormanagementofthehospital.C)Decisionsmadebytheheadtechnician.

B)Thehealthhazardatherworkplace.D)Theoutdatedmedicaltestingprocedures.

20.A)Transferhertoanotherdepartment.C)Cutdownherworkload.

B)RepairtheX-rayequipment.D)Allowhertogoonleavefortwomonths.

21.A)Theyarevirtuallyimpossibletoenforce.C)Bothofthemhavebeensubjecttocriticism.

B)Neitherisapplicabletothewoman'scase.D)Theirrequirementsmaybedifficulttomeet.

22.A)Organizeamassstrike.C)Trytohelphergetitback.

B)Compensateforherloss.D)Findherabetterpayingjob.

Questions23to25arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

23.A)Ingivingconcessions.C)Instatingyourterms.

B)Intheconcludingpart.D)Inthepreparatoryphase.

24.A)Hebehavesinawaycontrarytohisrealintention.

B)Hepresentshisargumentsinastraightforwardway.

C)Herespondsreadilytotheotherparty'sproposals.

D)Heuseslotsofgesturestohelpmakehispointsclear.

25.A)Bothmayfailwhenconfrontingexperiencedrivals.

B)Thehonesttypeismoreeffectivethantheactortype.

C)Bothcansucceeddependingonthespecificsituation.

D)Theactortypeworksbetterintoughnegotiations.

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhear

somequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryou

hearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),

C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasingleline

throughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions26to29arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

26.A)Theshapeofthecubesused.C)Thenumberoftimesofrepeatingtheprocess.

B)Thesizeoftheobjectsshown.D)Theweightoftheboxesmovingacrossthestage.

27.A)Boysenjoyplayingwithcubesmorethangirls.

B)Girlstendtogetexcitedmoreeasilythanboys.

C)Girlsseemtostartreasoningearlierthanboys.

D)Boyspaymoreattentiontomovingobjectsthangirls.

28.A)Itisabreakthroughinthestudyofthenervesystem.

B)Itmaystimulatescientiststomakefurtherstudies.

C)Itsresulthelpsunderstandbabies'languageability.

D)Itsfindingsarequitecontrarytopreviousresearch.

29.A)Thetwosidesoftheirbraindevelopsimultaneously.C)Theirbonesmatureearlier.

B)Theyarebetterabletoadapttothesurroundings.D)Theytalkatanearlierage.

PassageTwo

Questions30to32arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

30.A)Thenewsecurityplanfbrthemunicipalbuilding.

B)Theblueprintfbrthedevelopmentofthecity.

C)Thecontroversyoverthenewofficeregulations.

D)Thecity'sgeneralbudgetforthecomingyear.

31.A)Whetherthesecuritycheckswerereallynecessary.

B)Howtocopewiththehugecrowdsofvisitorstothemunicipalbuilding

C)Whetherthesecuritycheckswouldcreatelongqueuesatpeakhours.

D)Howtotrainthenewlyrecruitedsecurityguards.

32.A)Irrelevant.B)Straightforward.C)Ridiculous.D)Confrontational.

PassageThree

Questions33to35arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

33.A)HeusedtoworkasaminerinNevada.C)Heconsidershimselfablessedman.

B)Heworkshardtosupporthisfivekids.D)Heoncetaughtatalocalhighschool

34.A)TobenearertoZac'sschool.C)Tocuttheirlivingexpenses.

B)Tolookafterhergrandchildren.D)Tohelpwiththehouseholdchores.

35.A)Skeptical.B)Optimistic.C)Indifferent.D)Realistic.

SectionC

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthe

firsttime,youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadfor

thesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblanksnumberedfrom36to43withthe

exactwordsyouhavejustheard.Forblanksnumberedfrom44to46youarerequired

tofillinthemissinginformation.Fortheseblanks,youcaneitherusetheexactwords

youhavejustheardorwritedownthemainpointsinyourownwords.Finally,when

thepassageisreadforthethirdtime,youshouldcheckwhatyouhavewritten.

Mountainclimbingisbecomingpopularsport,butitisalsoa(36)dangerousone.People

canfall;theymayalsobecomeill.Oneofthemostcommondangerstoclimbersisaltitudesickness,

whichcanaffectevenvery(37)climbers.

Altitudesicknessusuallybeginswhenaclimbergoesabove8000or9000feet.Thehigherone

climbs,thelessoxygenthereisintheair.Whenpeopledon'tgetenoughoxygen,theyoftenbegin

to(38)forair.Theymayalsofeel(39)andlight-headed.Besidesthesesymptoms

ofaltitudesickness,otherssuchasheadacheand(40)mayalsooccur.Atheightsofover

1800()feet,peoplemaybeclimbingina(41)daze(恍惚).Thisstateofmindcanhavean

(42)effectontheirjudgment.

Afew(43)canhelpmostclimbersavoidaltitudesickness.Thefirstisnottogotoohigh

toofast.Ifyouclimbto10000feet,stayatthatheightforadayortwo.(44).Orifyoudo

climbhighersooner,comebackdowntoalowerheightwhenyousleep.Also,drinkplentyof

liquidsandavoidtobaccoandalcohol.(45).Youbreathelesswhenyousleep,soyouget

lessoxygen.

Themostimportantwarningisthis:ifyouhaveseveresymptomsandtheydon'tgoaway,godown!

(46).

PartIVReadingComprehension(ReadinginDepth)(25minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisashortpassagewith5questionsorincompletestatements.Read

thepassagecarefully.Thenanswerthequestionsorcompletethestatementsinthe

fewestpossiblewords.PleasewriteyouranswersonAnswerSheet2.

Questions47to54arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Formanyfamilies,figuringouthowmanyafter-schoolactivitiesaretoomanyisastruggle.For

parentswhofearthey're"over-scheduling"theirchildren,anewstudycarriesacomfortingmessage.

Thepaper,publishedlastweekbytheSocietyforResearchinChildDevelopment,isthefirstto

takeadata-drivenlookattheissue-andwhetherbeingsobusyisreallyabadthing.Thestudy

suggeststhephenomenonismoreisolatedthanmediareportssuggest:infact.40,七of

children(ages5-18)areengagedinnoactivities,typicalkidsspendjustfivehoursaweekin

structuredactivities,andveryfewchildren-3-6%-spend20hoursaweek.Onaverage,mostkids

spendfarmoretimewatchingTVandplayinggames.Andforkidswholeextremelybusy,there's

alsogoodnews:themoreactivitiestheydo,thebetterkidsperformonmeasuresofeducational

achievementandpsychologicaladjustment."Thispopularconcern[aboutover-scheduling]hasbeen

generatedbyacoupleofparentingbooksandthemedia,*'saysYaleprofessorandleadauthor

JosephMahoney.Butlookingatthedata,"it,shardtoarguethatkidsareover-scheduled."

ThatnewswillbewelcomeinhouseholdsliketheOviedos',inHighlandPark,Ill.

Nine-year-oldBiancaspendssixhoursaweekinrhythmic-gymnasticsclassesandthreehoursa

weekatballet,plusahalf-hourpianolesson."Thealternativewouldbeplayingonthecomputeror

watchingTV,"sayshermother,Anca,whobelievesBiancabenefitsbylearningtofocus,making

newfriendsandacquiringnewskills.

Thenewpaperdoesn'tswaysomeexpertswho'veadvocatedagainstactivity-creep.Theysay

kidsarcfarbusier-andoverstressedbyitall-thanthenumberssuggest."Thisisanexampleof

researchersusingbigdatasetstodisputethelivedexperienceofmany,manyparentsandfamilies,"

saysWilliamDoherty,aUniversityofMinnesotafamily-studiesprofessor.Someskepticsquestion

whethertheself-reportedtime-diarydataarereallyaccurate;otherssaytheydon'taccountforall

thetimespentgettingbetweenactivities.AlvinRosenfeld,co-authorofTheOver-ScheduledChild,

says:"Ifpeoplefollowthisadviceanddomoreactivities,Ithinkit'llbeprettydamaging.'*Despite

thedoubters,thenewdataareasmallsteptowardabetterunderstandingofwhat'sbestfbrkids.

Andnomatterwhatthenumbersshow,there'snodisputingthateverychildisdifferent-andsome

willabsolutelydobetterwithless.LisaDulgofSouthLyon,Mich.,feelsasthoughher6-year-old

twinsaretheonlykidsintownwhodon'ttakeskiingandice-skatinglessons."Thereisnothing

wrongwithcuddlingup(依偎)onthecouchwithMomandDad,"saysLisa.Andforfamilieswho

prefertobondonthesidelinesofsoccerfields,thelatestresearchcanprovideadifferentkindof

comfort.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

47Thequestionindisputeinthepassageiswhetherornotchildrenare?

48ItcanbeinferredthatagoodwaytokeepchildrenawayfromTVandvideogamesisto

engagethemin.

49Accordingtothenewstudy,childrenwillacademicallyandpsychologicallyifthey

involvethemselvesinmoreafter-schoolactivities.

50.Thereareskepticswhoraisedoubtsaboutthenewstudy,sayingthatitsdatamaybe.

51.Inspiteofthecontroversy,thenewstudymayhelppeopleseemoreclearly.

SectionB

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsor

unfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)and

D).Youshoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletter

onAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions52to56arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Who'spoorinAmerica?That'saquestionhardtoanswer.Hardbecausethere'snoconclusive

definitionofpoverty.Lowincomematters,thoughhowlowisunclear.Povertyisalsoastateof

mindthatfostersself-defeatingbehavior-badworkhabits,familybreakdowns,andaddictions.

Finally,povertyresultsfrombadluck:accidents,joblosses,disability.

Despitepoverty'smessiness,we'vemeasuredprogressagainstitbyasinglestatistic:thefederal

povertyline.Bythismeasure,wehaven'tmademuchprogress.Buttheapparentlackofprogressis

misleadingfortworeasons.

First,itignoresimmigration.Manyimmigrantsarepoorandlow-skilled.Theyaddtothepoor.

From1989to2007,aboutthreequartersoftheincreaseinthepovertypopulationoccurredamong

Hispanics（西班牙裔美国人）・mosllyimmigrantsandtheirchildren.

Second,thepoor'smaterialwell-beinghasimproved.Theofficialpovertymeasureobscures

thisbycountingonlypre-taxcashincomeandignoringothersourcesofsupport,includingfood

stampsandhousingsubsidies.Althoughmanypoorlivefromhandtomouth,they'veparticipatedin

risinglivingstandards.In2005,91%hadmicrowaves.79%air-conditioning,and48%cellphones.

Theexistingpovertylinecouldbeimprovedbyaddingsomeincomesourcesandsubtracting

someexpenses.Unfortunately,theadministration'sproposalfora'Supplementalpovertymeasure'1

in2020goesbeyondthat.Thenewpovertynumberwouldcompoundpublicconfusion.Italso

raisesquestionsaboutwhetherthestatisticistailoredtofavorapoliticalagenda.The'Supplemental

measure"tiesthepovertythresholdtowhatthepoorestthirdofAmericansspendonfood,housing,

clothing,andutilities.Theactualthresholdwillprobablybehigherthantoday'spovertyline.Many

Americanswouldfindthisweird:peoplegetricher,but"poverty"staysstuck..

Whatproducesthisoutcomeisadifferentviewofpoverty.Thepresentconceptisanabsolute

one:thepovertythresholdreflectstheamountestimatedtomeetbasicneeds.Bycontrast,thenew

measureembracesarelativenotionofpoverty:peopleareautomaticallypoorifthey'reagiven

distancefromthelop,eveniftheirincomesareincreasing.

Thenewindicatorisa"propagandadevice*'topromoteincomeredistributionbyshowingthat

povertyisstubbornorincreasing.TheCensusBureauhasestimatedstatisticssimilartothe

administration'sproposal.In2020,thetraditionalpovertyratewas13.2%;estimatesofthenew

statisticrangeupto17%.Thenewpovertystatisticexceedstheold,andthegapgrowslargerover

time.

AssenatorDanielMoynihansaid,theadministrationisdefiningpovertyup.It'slegitimateto

debatehowmuchweshouldaidthepoororreduceeconomicinequality.Butthedebateshouldnot

beswayedbymisleadingstatisticsthatfewAmericanscouldpossiblyunderstand.Government

statisticsshouldstriveforpoliticalneutrality（中立）.Thisonefails.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

52.Whatisthemainideaofthefirstparagraph?

A）Povertyisveryoftendefinedasastateofmind.

B）PovertyisaproblemhardtotackleinAmerica.

C)Badworkhabitsandbadluckleadtopoverty.

D)Thereisnoconsensusontheconceptofpoverty.

53.WhatdoestheauthorsayaboutthepoorinAmerica?

A)Theirlivingstandardshaveactuallyimproved.

B)Mostofthemareimmigrantsandtheirdescendants.

C)Theirchancesofrisingabovethepovertylineareslim.

D)Mostofthemrelyongovernmentsubsidiesforsurvival.

54.Whatdoestheauthorthinkoftheadministration'sproposalfora^supplementalpoverty

measure"?

A)Itisintendedtofurtherhelpthepoor.C)Itisapositiveresponsetochangedcircumstances.

B)Itismadetoservepoliticalpurposes.D)Itisanattempttocombattheeconomicrecession.

55.Whatischaracteristicofthenewmeasureofpoverty?

A)Itdefinespovertybythegapbetweentherichandthepoor.

B)Itraisesthethresholdforthepoortogetwelfarebenefits.

C)Itismoreaccurateandscientificintermsofstatistics.

D)Ittrulyreflectsthepracticalneedsofthepoor.

56.WhatdoestheauthorwanttosaybyquotingDanielMoynihan?

A)Economicequalityisbutanemptydream.

B)Politicalneutralitycanneverbeachieved.

C)