2003年12月英语六级真题及答案.doc

2003年12月英语六级真题及答案试卷一Part I Listening Comprehension (20 minutes)Section ADirections:In this section, you will hear 10 short conversations. At the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the question will be spoken only once. After each quest ion there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.Example:You will hear:You will read:A) 2 hours.B) 3 hours.C) 4 hours.D) 5 hours.From the conversation, we know that the two were talking about some work they will start at 9 oclock in the morning and have to finish at 2 in the afternoon. Therefore, D) “5 hours” is the correct answer. You should choose D on the Answer Sheet and mark it with a single line through the centre.Sample Answer A B C D1.A) She knows where Martha has gone.B) Martha will go to the concert by herself.C) It is quite possible for the man to find Martha.D) The man is going to meet Martha at the concert.（C）2.A) The air pollution is caused by the development of industry.B) The city was poor because there wasnt much industry then.C) The womans exaggerating the seriousness of the pollution.D) He might move to another city very soon.（A）3.A) The man should work harder to improve his grades.B) The man will benefit from the effort hes put in.C) It serves the man right to get a poor grade.D) It was unfair of the teacher to give the man a C.（B）4.A) She can make a reservation at the restaurant.B) The man should decide where to eat.C) She already has plans for Saturday night.D) The man should ask his brother for suggestions.（B）5.A) The man deserved the award.B) The woman helped the man succeed.C) The man is thankful to the woman for her assistance.D) The woman worked hard and was given an award.（D）6.A) Voluntary work can help the man establish connections with the community.B) The mans voluntary work has left him little room in his schedule.C) Voluntary work with the environment council requires a time commitment.D) A lot of people have signed up for voluntary work with the environment council.（C）7.A) The patient must receive treatment regularly.B) The patient cant leave the hospital until the bleeding stops.C) The patients husband can attend to the business in her place.D) The patient must take a good rest and forget about her business.（B）8.A) Alice does not know much about electronics.B) Alice is unlikely to find a job anywhere.C) Alice is not interested in anything but electronics.D) Alice is likely to find a job in an electronics company.（A）9.A) Jimmy is going to set out tonight.B) Jimmy has not decided on his journey.C) There is no need to have a farewell dinner.D) They may have a dinner when Jimmys back.（C）10.A) The woman had been planning for the conference.B) The woman called the man but the line was busy.C) The woman didnt come back until midnight.D) The woman had guests all evening.（D）Section BDirections:In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.11.A) They are delighted because they can enjoy the scenery while driving.B) They are frightened because traffic accidents are frequent.C) They are irritated because the bridge is jammed with cars.D) They are pleased because it saves them much time.（C）12.A) They dont have their own cars to drive to work.B) Many of them are romantic by temperament.C) Most of them enjoy the drinks on the boat.D) They tend to be more friendly to each other.（D）13.A) Many welcome the idea of having more bars on board.B) Many prefer the ferry to maintain its present speed.C) Some suggest improving the design of the deck.D) Some object to using larger luxury boats.（B）Passage TwoQuestions 14 to 16 are based on the passage you have just heard.14.A) Coca Cola.B) Sausage.C) Milk.D) Fried chicken.（A）15.A) He has had thirteen decayed teeth.B) He doesnt have a single decayed tooth.C) He has fewer decayed teeth than other people of his age.D) He never had a single tooth pulled out before he was fifty.（B）16.A) Brush your teeth right before you go to bed in the evening.B) Have as few of your teeth pulled out as possible.C) Have your teeth X-rayed at regular intervals.D) Clean your teeth shortly after eating.（D）Passage ThreeQuestions 17 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.17.A) A visit to a prison.B) The influence of his father.C) A talk with some miserable slaves.D) His experience in the war between France and Austria.（A）18.A) He sent surgeons to serve in the army.B) He provided soldiers with medical supplies.C) He recruited volunteers to care for the wounded.D) He helped to free the prisoners of war.（C）19.A) All men are created equal.B) The wounded and dying should be treated for free.C) A wounded soldier should surrender before he receives any medical treatment.D) A suffering person is entitled to help regardless of race, religion or political beliefs.（D）20.A) To honor Swiss heroes who died in the war.B) To show Switzerland was neutral.C) To pay tribute to Switzerland.D) To show gratitude to the Swiss government for its financial support.（C）Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)Directions:There are four passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.For years, doctors advised their patients that the only thing taking multivitamins does is give them extensive urine (尿). After all, true vitamin deficiencies are practically unheard of in industrialized countries. Now it seems those doctors may have been wrong. The results of a growing number of studies suggest that even a modest vitamin shortfall can be harmful to your health. Although proof of the benefits of multivitamins is still far from certain, the few dollars you spend on them is probably a good investment.Or at least thats the argument put forward in the New England Journal of Medicine. Ideally, say Dr. Walter Willett and Dr. Meir Stampfer of Harvard, all vitamin supplements would be evaluated in scientifically rigorous clinical trials.But those studies can take a long time and often raise more questions than they answer. At some point, while researchers work on figuring out where the truth lies, it just makes sense to say the potential benefit outweighs the cost.The best evidence to date concerns folate, one of the B vitamins. Its been proved to limit the number of defects in embryos (胚胎), and a recent trial found that folate in combination with vitamin B 12 and a form of B6 also decreases the re-blockage of arteries after surgical repair.The news on vitamin E has been more mixed. Healthy folks who take 400 international units daily for at least two years appear somewhat less likely to develop heart disease. But when doctors give vitamin E to patients who already have he art disease, the vitamin doesnt seem to help. It may turn out that vitamin E plays a role in prevention but cannot undo serious damage.Despite vitamin Cs great popularity, consuming large amounts of it still has not been positively linked to any great benefit. The body quickly becomes saturated with C and simply excretes (排泄) any excess.The multivitamins question boils down to this: Do you need to wait until all the evidence is in before you take them, or are you willing to accept that theres enough evidence that they dont hurt and could help?If the latter, theres no need to go to extremes and buy the biggest horse pills or the most expensive bottles. Large doses can cause trouble, including excessive bleeding and nervous system problems.Multivitamins are no substitute for exercise and a balanced diet, of course.As long as you understand that any potential benefit is modest and subject to further refinement, taking a daily multivitamin makes a lot of sense.21.At one time doctors discouraged taking multivitamins because they believed that multivitamins _.A) could not easily be absorbed by the human bodyB) were potentially harmful to peoples healthC) were too expensive for daily consumptionD) could not provide any cure for vitamin deficiencies（A）22.According to the author, clinical trials of vitamin supplements _.A) often result in misleading conclusionsB) take time and will not produce conclusive resultsC) should be conducted by scientists on a larger scaleD) appear to be a sheer waste of time and resources（B）23.It has been found that vitamin E _.A) should be taken by patients regularly and persistentlyB) can effectively reduce the recurrence of heart diseaseC) has a preventive but not curative effect on heart diseaseD) should be given to patients with heart disease as early as possible（C）24.It can be seen that large doses of multivitamins _.A) may bring about serious side effectsB) may help prevent excessive bleedingC) are likely to induce the blockage of arteriesD) are advisable for those with vitamin deficiencies（A）25.The author concludes the passage with the advice that _.A) the benefit of daily multivitamin intake outweighs that of exercise and a balanced dietB) its risky to take multivitamins without knowing their specific functionC) the potential benefit of multivitamins can never be overestimatedD) its reasonable to take a rational dose of multivitamins daily（D）Passage TwoQuestions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.Some futurologists have assumed that the vast upsurge (剧增) of women in the workforce may portend a rejection of marriage. Many women, according to this hypothesis, would rather work than marry. The converse (反面) of this concern is that the prospects of becoming a multi-paycheck household could encourage marriages. In the past, only the earnings and financial prospects of the man counted in the marriage decision. Now, however, the earning ability of a woman can make her more attractive as a marriage partner. Data show that economic downturns tend to postpone marriage because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned about rainy days ahead. As the economy rebounds, the number of marriages also rises.Coincident with the increase in women working outside the home is the increase in divorce rates. Yet, it may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect conclusions. The impact of a wifes work on divorce is no less cloudy than its impact on marriage decisions. The realization that she can be a good provider may increase the chances that a working wife will choose divorce over an unsatisfactory marriage. But the reverse is equally plausible. Tensions grounded in financial problems often play a key role in ending a marriage. Given high unemployment, inflationary problems, and slow growth in real earnings, a working wife can increase household income and relieve some of these pressing financial burdens. By raising a familys standard of living, a working wife may strengthen her familys financial and emotional stability.Psychological factors also should be considered. For example, a wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel caged in the house. She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce.On the other hand, if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home, work and marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union.Also, a major part of womens inequality in marriage has been due to the fact that, in most cases, men have remained the main breadwinners. With higher earning capacity and status occupations outside of the home comes the capacity to exercise power within the family. A working wife may rob a husband of being the master of the house. Depending upon how the couple reacts to these new conditions, it could create a stronger equal partnership or it could create new insecurities.26.The word “portend” (Line 2, Para. 1) is closest in meaning to “_”.A) defyB) signalC) suffer fromD) result from（B）27.It is said in the passage that when the economy slides, _.A) men would choose working women as their marriage partnersB) more women would get married to seek financial securityC) even working women would worry about their marriagesD) more people would prefer to remain single for the time being（D）28.If women find fulfillment through work outside the home, _.A) they are more likely to dominate their marriage partnersB) their husbands are expected to do more houseworkC) their marriage ties can be strengthenedD) they tend to put their career before marriage（C）29.One reason why women with no career may seek a divorce is that _.A) they feel that they have been robbed of their freedomB) they are afraid of being bossed around by their husbandsC) they feel that their partners fail to live up to their expectationsD) they tend to suspect their husbands loyalty to their marriage（A）30.Which of the following statements can best summarize the authors view in the passage?A) The stability of marriage and the divorce rate may reflect the economic situation of the country.B) Even when economically independent, most women have to struggle for real equality in marriage.C) In order to secure their marriage women should work outside the home and remain independent.D) The impact of the growing female workforce on marriage varies from case to case.（D）Passage ThreeQuestions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.For most thinkers since the Greek philosophers, it was self-evident that the re is something called human nature, something that constitutes the essence of man. There were various views about what constitutes it, but there was agreement that such an essence existsthat is to say, that there is something by virtue of which man is man. Thus man was defined as a rational being, as a social animal, an animal that can make tools, or a symbol-making animal.More recently, this traditional view has begun to be questioned. One reason for this change was the increasing emphasis given to the historical approach to man. An examination of the history