2008年12月英语六级真题及答案（含听力原文）.pdf

1/242008 年年 12 月大学英语六级月大学英语六级(CET-6)真题试卷真题试卷Part Writing(30 minutes)注意：此部分试题在答题卡注意：此部分试题在答题卡 1 上。上。Directions:Directions:For this part,you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitledHow To Improve Students Mental Health?.You should write at least 150 wordsfollowing the outline given below.1.大学生的心理健康十分重要2.因此，学校可以3.我们自己应当How To Improve Students Mental Health?Part IIReadingComprehension(Skimming and Scanning)(15minutes)Directions:In this part,you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer thequestions on Answer Sheet 1.For questions 1-7,choose the best answer from the fourchoices marked A,B,C and D.For questions 8-10,complete the sentences withthe information given in the passage.Directions:In this part,you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer thequestions on Answer Sheet 1.For questions 1-7,choose the best answer from the four choicesmarked A,B,C and D.For questions 8-10,complete the sentences with the informationgiven in the passage.Supersize SurpriseAsk anyone why there is an obesity epidemic and they will tell you that its al down to eatingtoo much and burning too few calories.That explanation appeals to common sense and hasdominated efforts to get to the root of the obesity epidemic and reverse it.Yet obesity researchersare increasingly dissatisfied with it.Many now believe that something else must have changed inour environment to precipitate(促成)such dramatic rises in obesity over the past 40 years or so.第 1 页 共 24 页2/24Nobody is saying that the“big two”reduced physical activity and increased availability of food are not important contributors to the epidemic,but they cannot explain it all.Earlier this year a review paper by 20obesity experts set out the 7 most plausible alternativeexplanations for the epidemic.Here they are.1.Not enough sleepIt is widely believed that sleep is for the brain,not the body.Could a shortage of shut-eye alsobe helping to make us fat?Several large-scale studies suggest there may be a link.People who sleep less than 7 hours anight tend to have a higher body mass index than people who sleep more,according to datagathered by the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Similarly,the US NursesHealth Study,which tracked 68,000 women for 16 years,found that those who slept an average of 5hours a night gained more weight during the study period than women who slept 6 hours,who inturn gained more than whose who slept 7.Its well known that obesity impairs sleep,so perhaps people get fat first and sleep lessafterwards.But the nurses study suggests that it can work in the other direction too:sleep loss mayprecipitate weight gain.Although getting figures is difficult,it appears that we really are sleeping less.In 1960 peoplein the US slept an average of 8.5 hours per night.A 2002 poll by the National Sleep Foundationsuggests that the average has fallen to under 7 hours,and the decline is mirrored by the increase inobesity.2.Climate controlWe humans,like all warm-blooded animals,can keep our core body temperatures pretty muchconstant regardless of whats going on in the world around us.We do this by altering ourmetabolic(新陈代谢的)rate,shivering or sweating.Keeping warm and staying cool take energyunless we are in the“thermo-neutral zone”,which is increasingly where we choose to live andwork.There is no denying that ambient temperatures(环境温度)have changed in the past fewdecades.Between 1970 and 2000,the average British home warmed from a chilly 13C to 18C.Inthe US,the changes have been at the other end of the thermometer as the proportion of homes withair conditioning rose from 23%to 47%between 1978 and 1997.In the southern states whereobesity rates tend to be highest the number of houses with air conditioning has shot up to 71%from 37%in 1978.Could air conditioning in summer and heating in winter really make a difference to ourweight?Sadly，there is some evidence that it does-at least with regard to heating.Studies show that incomfortable temperatures we use less energy.3.Less smokingBad news:smokers really do tend to be thinner than the rest of us,and quitting really doespack on the pounds,though no one is sure why.It probably has something to do with the fact thatnicotine is an appetite suppressant and appears to up your metabolic rate.Katherine Flegal and colleagues at the US National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville,Maryland,have calculated that people kicking the habit have been responsible for a small butsignificant portion of the US epidemic of fatness.From data collected around 1991 by the USNational Health and Nutrition Examination Survey,they worked out that people who had quit in the第 2 页 共 24 页3/24previous decade were much more likely to be overweight than smokers and people who had neversmoked.Among men,for example,nearly half of quitters were overweight compared with 37%ofnon-smokers and only 28%of smokers.4.Genetic effectsYours chances of becoming fat may be set,at least in part,before you were even born.Children of obese mothers are much more likely to become obese themselves later in life.Offspringof mice fed a high-fat diet during pregnancy are much more likely to become fat than the offspringof identical mice fed a normal diet.Intriguingly,the effect persists for two or three generations.Grandchildren of mice fed a high-fat diet grow up fat even if their own mother is fed normally-soyou fate may have been sealed even before you were conceived.5.Alittle olderSome groups of people just happen to be fatter than others.Surveys carried out by the USnational center for health statistics found that adults aged 40 to 79 were around three times as likelyto be obese as younger people.Non-white females also tend to fall at the fatter end of the spectrum:Mexican-American women are 30%more likely than white women to be obsess,and black womenhave twice the risk.In the US,these groups account for an increasing percentage of the population.Between 1970and 2000 the US population aged 35 to 44 grew by43%.the proportion of Hispanic-Americans alsogrew,from under 5%to 12.5%of the population,while the proportion of black Americans increasedfrom 11%to12.3%.these changes may account in part for the increased prevalence of obesity.6.Mature mumsMothers around the world are getting older.in the UK,the mean age for having a first child is27.3,compared with 23.7 in 1970.mean age at first birth in the US has also increased,rising from21.4 in 1970 to 24.9 in 2000.This would be neither here nor there if it werent for the observation that having an oldermother seems to be an independent risk factor for obesity.Results from the US national heart,lungand blood institutes study found that the odds of a child being obese increase 14%for every fiveextra years of their mothers age,though why this should be so is not entirely clear.Michael Symonds at the University of Nottingham,UK,found that first-born children havemore fat than younger ones.As family size decreases,firstborns account for a greater share of thepopulation.In 1964,British women gave birth to an average of 2.95 children;by 2005 that figurehad fallen to 1.79.In the US in1976,9.6%of woman in their 40s had only one child;in 2004 it was17.4%.this combination of older mothers and more single children could be contributing to theobesity epidemic.7.Like marrying likeJust as people pair off according to looks,so they do for size.Lean people are more likely tomarry lean and fat more likely to marry fat.On its own,like marrying like cannot account for anyincrease in obesity.But combined with othersparticularly the fact that obesity is partly genetic,and that heavier people have more childrenit amplifies the increase form other causes.1.What is the passage mainly about?A)Effects of obesity on peoples healthB)The link between lifestyle and obesityC)New explanations for the obesity epidemicD)Possible ways to combat the obesity epidemic第 3 页 共 24 页4/242.In the US NurseHealth Study,women who slept an average of 7 hours a night_.A)gained the least weightB)were inclined to eat lessC)found their vigor enhancedD)were less susceptible to illness3.The popular belief about obesity is that_.A)it makes us sleepyB)it causes sleep lossC)it increases our appetiteD)it results from lack of sleep4.How does indoor heating affect our life?A)it makes us stay indoors moreB)it accelerates our metabolic rateC)it makes us feel more energeticD)it contributes to our weight gain5.What does the author say about the effect of nicotine on smokers?A)it threatens their healthB)it heightens their spiritsC)it suppresses their appetiteD)it slows down their metabolism6.Who are most likely to be overweight according to Katherine Fergals study?A)heavy smokersB)passive smokersC)those who never smokeD)those who quit smoking7.According to the US National Center for Health Statistics,the increased obesity in the US is aresult of_.A)the growing number of smokers among young peopleB)the rising proportion of minorities in its populationC)the increasing consumption of high-calorie foodsD)the improving living standards of the poor people8.According to the US National Heart,Lung and Blood Institute,the reason why older motherschildren tend to be obese remains _.9.According to Michael Symonds,one factor contributing to the obesity epidemic is decrease of_.10.When two heavy people get married,chances of their children getting fat increase,becauseobesity is _.Part IIIListening Comprehension(35 minutes)SectionADirections:In this section,you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.At the endof each conversation,one or more questions will be asked about what was said.Boththe conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.After each question therewill be a pause.During the pause,you must read the four choices marked A,B,C第 4 页 共 24 页5/24and D,and decide which is the best answer.Then mark the corresponding letter onAnswer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.11.A)He is quite easy to recognizeB)He is an outstanding speakerC)He looks like a movie starD)He looks young for his age12.A)consult her dancing teacherB)take a more interesting classC)continue her dancing classD)improve her dancing skills13.A)the man did not believe what the woman saidB)the man accompanied the woman to the hospitalC)the woman may be suffering from repetitive strain injuryD)the woman may not followed the doctors instructions14.A)they are not in style any moreB)they have cost him far too muchC)they no longer suit his eyesightD)they should be cleaned regularly15.A)he spilled his drink onto the floorB)he has just finished wiping the floorC)he was caught in a shower on his way homeD)he rushed out of the bath to answer the phone16.A)fixing some furnitureB)repairing the toy trainC)reading the instructionsD)assembling the bookcase17.A)urge Jenny to spend more time on studyB)help Jenny to prepare for the coming examsC)act towards Jenny in a more sensible wayD)send Jenny to a volleyball training center18.A)The building of the dam needs a large budgetB)The proposed site is near the residential areaC)The local people feel insecure about the damD)The dam poses a threat to the local environmentQuestions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19.A.It saw the end of its booming years worldwideB.Its production and sales reached record levels.C.It became popular in some foreign countriesD.Its domestic market started to shrink rapidly.20.A.They cost less.C.They were in fashion.B.They tasted better.D.They were widely advertised.21.A.It is sure to fluctuate.C.It will remain basically stable.B.It is bound to revive.D.It will see no more monopolyQuestions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.第 5 页 共 24 页6/2422.A.Organising protestsC.Acting as its spokesman.B.Recruiting membersD.Saving endangered animals.23.A.Anti-animal-abuse demonstrationsB.Anti-nuclear campaignsC.Surveying theAtlantic Ocean floorD.Removing industrial waste.24.A.By harassing them.C.By taking legal action.B.By appealing to the publicD.By resorting to force.25.A.DoubtfulC.Indifferent.B.ReservedD.SupportiveSection BDirections:In this section,you will hear 3 short passages.At the end of each passage,you willhear 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 choicesmarked A,B,C and D.Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.26.A.The air becomes still.C.The clouds block the sun.B.The air pressure is low.D.The sky appears brighter.27.A.Ancient people were better at foretelling the weather.B.Sailorssaying about the weather are unreliable.C.People knew long ago how to predict the weather.D.It was easier to forecast the weather in the old days.28.A.Weather forecast is getting more accurate today.B.People can predict the weather by their sensesC.Who are the real experts in weather forecast.D.Weather changes affect peoples life remarkablyPassage TwoQuestions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.29.A.They often feel insecure about their jobs.B.They are unable to decide what to do first.C.They feel burdened with numerous tasks every day.D they feel burdened with numerous tasks every day30.A.Analyze them rationally.C.Turn to others for help.B.Draw a detailed to-do list.D.Handle them one by one.31.A.They have accomplished little.C.They have worked out a way to relax.B.They feel utterly exhausted.D.They no longer feel any sense of guilt.Passage ThreeQuestions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.32.A.Their performance may improve.B.Their immune system may be reinforcedC.Their blood pressure may rise all of a sudden.D.Their physical development may be enhanced.33.A.Improved mental functioningC.Speeding up of blood circulationB.Increased susceptibility to diseaseD.Reduction of stress-related hormones第 6 页 共 24 页7/2434.A.Pretend to be in better shape.C.Turn more often to friends for helpB.Have more physical exercise.D.Pay more attention to bodily sensations.35.A.Different approaches to coping with stress.B.Various causes for serious health problems.C.The relationship between stress and illness.D.New finding of medical research on stress.Section CDirections:In this section,you will hear a passage three times.When the passage is read for thefirst time,you should listen carefully for its general idea.When the passage is read for the secondtime,you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you havejust heard.For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information.For these blanks,you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the mainpoints in your own words.Finally,when the passage is read for the third time,you should checkwhat you have written.One of the most common images of an advanced,Western-style culture is that of a busy,traf