大学英语六级阅读20篇

1、精选文档第一篇 (Unit one Passage 1)I live in the land of Disney, Hollywood and year-round sun. You may think people in such a glamorous, fun-filled place are happier than others. If so, you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness.Many intelligent people still equate happiness with fun. The t

2、ruth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during an act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It is a deeper, more abiding emotion.Going to an amusement park or ball game, watching a movie or television, are fun activities that help us relax,

3、 temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends.I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun. These rich, beautiful individual

4、s have constant access to glamorous parties, fancy cars, expensive homes, everything that spells “happiness”. But in memoir after memoir, celebrities reveal the unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun: depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, broken marriages, troubled children and profound loneline

5、ss.Ask a bachelor why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If hes honest, he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure and excitement. Marriage has such mom

6、ents, but they are not its most distinguishing features.Similarly, couples that choose not to have children are deciding in favor of painless fun over painful happiness. They can dine out ever they want and sleep as late as they want. Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole nights slee

7、p or a three-day vacation. I dont know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children.Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations we can ever come to. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to a

8、ctivities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those rich and glamorous people we were so sure are happy

9、because they are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.1.Which of the following is true?A.Fun creates long-lasting satisfaction.B.Fun provides enjoyment while pain leads to happiness.C.Happiness is enduring whereas fun is short-lived.D.Fun that is long-standing may lead to happi

10、ness.2.To the author, Hollywood stars all have an important role to play that is to _.A.rite memoir after memoir about their happiness.B.tell the public that happiness has nothing to do with fun.C.teach people how to enjoy their lives.D.bring happiness to the public instead of going to glamorous par

11、ties.3.In the authors opinion, marriage_.A.affords greater fun. B.leads to raising children.C.indicates commitment. D.ends in pain.4.Couples having infant children_.A.are lucky since they can have a whole nights sleep.B.find fun in tucking them into bed at night.C.find more time to play and joke wit

12、h them.D.derive happiness from their endeavor.5.If one get the meaning of the true sense of happiness, he will_.A.stop playing games and joking with others.B.make the best use of his time increasing happiness.C.give a free hand to money.D.keep himself with his family. 第二篇(Unit one Passage 2)Once it

13、was possible to define male and female roles easily by the division of labor. Men worked outside the home and earned the income to support their families, while women cooked the meals and took care of the home and the children. These roles were firmly fixed for most people, and there was not much op

14、portunity for women to exchange their roles. But by the middle of this century, mens and womens roles were becoming less firmly fixed.In the 1950s, economic and social success was the goal of the typical American. But in the 1960s a new force developed called the counterculture. The people involved

15、in this movement did not value the middle-class American goals. The counterculture presented men and women with new role choices. Taking more interest in childcare, men began to share child-raising tasks with their wives. In fact, some young men and women moved to communal homes or farms where the e

16、conomic and childcare responsibilities were shared equally by both sexes. In addition, many Americans did not value the traditional male role of soldier. Some young men refused to be drafted as soldiers to fight in the war in Vietnam.In terms of numbers, the counterculture was not a very large group

17、 of people. But its influence spread to many parts of American society. Working men of all classes began to change their economic and social patterns. Industrial workers and business executives alike cut down on “overtime” work so that they could spend more leisure time with their families. Some doc

18、tors, lawyers, and teachers turned away from high paying situations to practice their professions in poorer neighborhoods.In the 1970s, the feminist movement, or womens liberation, produced additional economic and social changes. Women of all ages and at all levels of society were entering the work

19、force in greater numbers. Most of them still took traditional womens jobs as public school teaching, nursing, and secretarial work. But some women began to enter traditionally male occupations: police work, banking, dentistry, and construction work. Women were asking for equal work, and equal opport

20、unities for promotion.Today the experts generally agree that important changes are taking place in the roles of men and women. Naturally, there are difficulties in adjusting to these transformations.1.Which of the following best express the main idea of Paragraph 1?A.Women usually worked outside the

21、 home for wages.B.Men and womens roles were easily exchanged in the past.C.Mens roles at home were more firmly fixed than womens.D.Men and womens roles were usually quite separated in the past.2.Which sentence best expresses the main idea of Paragraph 2?A.The first sentence. B.The second and the thi

22、rd sentences.C.The fourth sentence. D.The last sentence.3.In the passage the author proposes that the counterculture_.A.destroyed the United States. B.transformed some American values.C.was not important in the United States.D.brought people more leisure time with their families.4.It could be inferr

23、ed from the passage that_.A.men and women will never share the same goals.B.some men will be willing to exchange their traditional male roles.C.most men will be happy to share some of the household responsibilities with their wives.D.more American households are headed by women than ever before.5.Th

24、e best title for the passage may be _.A.Results of Feminist Movements B.New influence in American LifeC.Counterculture and Its consequence D.Traditional Division of Male and Female Roles. 第三篇(Unit one Passage 3)Recent research has claimed that an excess of positive ions in the air can have an ill ef

25、fect on peoples physical or psychological health. What are positive ions? Well, the air is full of ions, electrically charged particles, and generally there is a rough balance between the positive and the negative charged. But sometimes this balance becomes disturbed and a larger proportion of posit

26、ive ions are found. This happens naturally before thunderstorm, earthquakes when winds such as the Mistral, Hamsin or Sharav are blowing in certain countries. Or it can be caused by a build-up of static electricity indoors from carpets or clothing made of man-made fibres, or from TV sets, duplicator

27、s or computer display screens.When a large number of positive ions are present in the air many people experience unpleasant effects such as headaches, fatigue, irritability, and some particularly sensitive people suffer nausea or even mental disturbance. Animals are also affected, particularly befor

28、e earthquakes, snakes have been observed to come out of hibernation, rats to flee from their burrows, dogs howl and cats jump about unaccountably. This has led the US Geographical Survey to fund a network of volunteers to watch animals in an effort to foresee such disasters before they hit vulnerabl

29、e areas such as California.Conversely, when large numbers of negative ions are present, then people have a feeling of well-being. Natural conditions that produce these large amounts are near the sea, close to waterfalls or fountains, or in any place where water is sprayed, or forms a spray. This pro

30、bably accounts for the beneficial effect of a holiday by the sea, or in the mountains with tumbling streams or waterfalls.To increase the supply of negative ions indoors, some scientists recommend the use of ionisers: small portable machines, which generate negative ions. They claim that ionisers no

31、t only clean and refresh the air but also improve the health of people sensitive to excess positive ions. Of course, there are the detractors, other scientists, who dismiss such claims and are skeptical about negative/positive ion research. Therefore people can only make up their own minds by observ

32、ing the effects on themselves, or on others, of a negative rich or poor environment. After all it is debatable whether depending on seismic readings to anticipate earthquakes is more effective than watching the cat.1.What effect does exceeding positive ionization have on some people?A.They think the

33、y are insane.B.They feel rather bad-tempered and short-fussed.C.They become violently sick.D.They are too tired to do anything.2.In accordance with the passage, static electricity can be caused by_.A.using home-made electrical goods.B.wearing clothes made of natural materials.C.walking on artificial

34、 floor coverings.D.copying TV programs on a computer.3.A high negative ion count is likely to be found_.A.near a pound with a water pump. B.close to a slow-flowing river.C.high in some barren mountains. D.by a rotating water sprinkler.4.What kind of machine can generate negative ions indoors?A.Ionis

35、ers. B.Air-conditioners.C.Exhaust-fans D.Vacuum pumps.5.Some scientists believe that_.A.watching animals to anticipate earthquakes is more effective than depending on seismography.B.the unusual behavior of animals cannot be trusted.C.neither watching nor using seismographs is reliable.D.earthquake 第

36、四篇(Unit one Passage 4)A study of art history might be a good way to learn more about a culture than is possible to learn in general history classes. Most typical history courses concentrate on politics, economics, and war. But art history focuses on much more than this because art reflects not only

37、the political values of a people, but also religious beliefs, emotions, and psychology. In addition, information about the daily activities of our ancestorsor of people very different from our owncan be provided by art. In short, art expresses the essential qualities of a time and a place, and a stu

38、dy of it clearly offer us a deeper understanding than can be found in most history books. In history books, objective information about the political life of a country is presented; that is, facts about politics are given, but opinions are not expressed. Art, on the other hand, is subjective: it ref

39、lects emotions and opinions. The great Spanish painter Francisco Goya was perhaps the first truly “political” artist. In his well-known painting The Third of May 1808, he criticized the Spanish government for its misuse of power over people. Over a hundred years later, symbolic images were used in P

40、ablo Picassos Guernica to express the horror of war. Meanwhile, on another continent, the powerful paintings of Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueirosas well as the works of Alfredo Ramos Martinesdepicted these Mexican artists deep anger and sadness about social problems.In t

41、he same way, art can reflect a cultures religious beliefs. For hundreds of years in Europe, religious art was almost the only type of art that existed. Churches and other religious buildings were filled with paintings that depicted people and stories from the Bible. Although most people couldnt read

42、, they could still understand biblical stories in the pictures on church walls. By contrast, one of the main characteristics of art in the Middle East was (and still is) its absence of human and animal images. This reflects the Islamic belief that statues are unholy.1.More can be learned about a cul

43、ture from a study of art history than general history because art history_.A.show us the religious and emotions of a people in addition to political values.B.provide us with information about the daily activities of people in the past.C.give us an insight into the essential qualities of a time and a

44、 place.D.all of the above.2.Art is subjective in that_.A.a personal and emotional view of history is presented through it.B.it can easily rouse our anger or sadness about social problems.C.it will find a ready echo in our hearts.D.both B and C.3.Which of the following statements is true according to

45、 the passage?A.Unlike Francisco Goya, Pablo and several Mexican artists expressed their political opinions in their paintings.B.History books often reveal the compilers political views.C.Religious art remained in Europe for centuries the only type of art because most people regarded the Bible as the

46、 Holy Book.D.All the above mentioned.4.The passage is mainly discussing_.A.the difference between general history and art history.B.The making of art history.C.What can we learn from art.D.The influence of artists on art history.5.In may be concluded from this passage that_.A.Islamic artists have ha

47、d to create architectural decorations with images of flowers or geometric forms.B.History teachers are more objective than general history.C.It is more difficult to study art history than general history.D.People and stories from the Bible were painted on churches and other buildings in order to pop

48、ularize the Bible. 第五篇 (Unit 2 Passage 1)If the old maxim that the customer is always right still has meaning, then the airlines that ply the worlds busiest air route between London and Paris have a flight on their hands.The Eurostar train service linking the UK and French capitals via the Channel T

49、unnel is winning customers in increasing numbers. In late May, it carried its one millionth passenger, having run only a limited service between London, Paris and Brussels since November 1994, starting with two trains a day in each direction to Paris and Brussels. By 1997, the company believes that

50、it will be carrying ten million passengers a year, and continue to grow from there.From July, Eurostar steps its service to nine trains each way between London and Paris, and five between London and Brussels. Each train carries almost 800 passengers, 210 of them in first class.The airlines estimate

51、that they will initially lose around 15%-20% of their London-Paris traffic to the railways once Eurostar starts a full service later this year (1995), with 15 trains a day each way. A similar service will start to Brussels. The damage will be limited, however, the airlines believe, with passenger nu

52、mbers returning to previous levels within two to three years.In the short term, the damage caused by the 1 million people-levels traveling between London and Paris and Brussels on Eurostar trains means that some air services are already suffering. Some of the major carriers say that their passenger

53、numbers are down by less than 5% and point to their rivals-Particularly Air France-as having suffered the problems. On the Brussels route, the railway company had less success, and the airlines report anything from around a 5% drop to no visible decline in traffic.The airlines optimism on returning

54、traffic levels is based on historical precedent. British Midland, for example, points to its experience on Heathrow Leeds Bradford service which saw passenger numbers fold by 15% when British Rail electrified and modernized the railway line between London and Yorkshire. Two years later, travel had r

55、isen between the two destinations to the point where the airline was carrying record numbers of passengers.1.British airlines confide in the fact that_.A.they are more powerful than other European airlines.B.their total loss wont go beyond a drop of 5% passengers.C.their traffic levels will return i

56、n 2-3 years.D.traveling by rail can never catch up with traveling by air.2.The authors attitude towards the drop of passengers may be described as_.A.worried. B.delightedC.puzzled. D.unrivaled.3.In the passage, British Rail (Para 6) is mentioned to_.A.provide a comparison with Eurostar.B.support the

57、 airlines optimism.C.prove the inevitable drop of air passengers.D.call for electrification and modernization of the railway.4.The railways Brussels route is brought forth to show that_.A.the Eurostar train service is not doing good business.B.the airlines can well compete with the railway.C.the Eurostar train service only caused little damage.D.only some airlines, such as Air France, are suffering.5.The passage is taken from the first of an essay, from which we may well predict that in the following part the author is going to_.A.praise