英語六級的閱讀材料

1、六級閱讀材料（流利閱讀2分鐘） 短文1No one knows for sure just how old kites are. In fact, they have been in use for centuries. 25 centuries ago, kites were well-known in China. These first kites were probably made of wood. They may even have been covered with silk, because silk were used a lot at that time. Early k

2、ites were built for certain uses. In ancient China, they will use to carry ropes to cross rivers. Once across, the ropes were tear down and wooden bridges would hang for them. Legend tells of one General who flew musical kites over the enemies camp. The enemy fled, believing the sounds to be the war

3、ming voices of angels. By the 15th century, many people flew kites in Europe. Marco Polo mayhave brought the kite back from his visit to China. The kite has been linked to great namesand events. For instance, Benjamin Franklin used kite to prove the lightening electricity. He flew the kite in the st

4、orm. He did this in order to draw lightening from the clouds.He tied a metal key and a strip of silk to the kite line. The silk ribbon would stop the lightening from passing through his body. Benjamin s idea was first laughed at. But later on, it enlightened the invention of the lightening rod. With

5、 such grand history, kite flying is short remain an entertaining and popular sport.短文2I have learnt many languages, but I m not mastered them the way the professional interpreter or translator has. Still, they have open doors for me. They have allowed methe opportunity to seek jobs in international

6、contexts and help me get those jobs. Like many people who have lived overseas for a while, I simply got crazy about it. I can t image livingmyprofessional or social life without international interactions. Since 1977, I have spent muchmore time abroad than in the United States. I like going to new p

7、laces, eating new foods and experiencing new cultures. If you can speak the language, it s easier to get to know the country and its people. If I had the time and money. I would live for a year in as manycountries as possible. Beyond my career, my facility with languages has given mea few rare oppor

8、tunities. Once, just after I returned my year in Vienna. I was asked to translate for a German judge at Olympic level horse event and learned a lot about the sport.In Japan, once when I was in the studio audience of a TV cooking show, I was asked to go up on the stage and taste the beef dish that wa

9、s being prepared and tell what I thought. They asked Was it as good as American beef? ” It was very exciting for me to be on Japanese TV, speaking in Japanese about how delicious the beef was.短文3Dr. Ben Carsen grew up in a poor single parent house-hold in Detroit. His mother, who had only a 3rd grad

10、e education helds two jobs cleaning bathrooms. To his classmates and even to his teachers he was thought of as the dummestkid in his class. According to his own not so fond memories.He had a terrible temper, and once threatened to kill another child. Dr. Carsen was headed downpart of seld distractio

11、n until a critical moment in his youth. His mother convinced that he had to do something dramatic preventing leading a life of failure laid down some rules. He could not watch television except for two programs a week, could not play with his friends after school until he finishedhis homework. And h

12、ad to read twobooks a week, and write book reports about them. His mother s strategyworked. “Of course, I didn t know she couldn t read. So there I was submitting these reports. he said. She would put check marks on them like she had been reading them. As I began to read about scientists,economists

13、and philosophers. I started imaging myself in their shoes. As he got into the hobbit of hard work, his grade began to soar. Ultimately he received a scholarship to attending Yale University, and later he was admitted to the University of Michigan Medical School.He is nowa leading surgeon at Johns Ho

14、pkins Medical School and he is also the author of the three books.短文4In early 1994, when Mark Andreessen was just 23 years old, he arrived inSilicon Valley with an idea that would change the world. As a student atthe University of Illinois, he and his friends had developed a program called Mosaic, w

15、hich allowed people to share information on the worldwide web. Before Mosaic, the web had been used mainly byscientists and other technical people, who were happy just to send and receive text. But with Mosaic, Andreessen and his friends had developed a program, which could send images over the web

16、as well. Mosaic was an overnight success. It was put on the university s networkat thebeginning of 1993. And by the end of the year, it had over a million users.Soon after, Andreessen went to seek his fortune in Silicon Valley. Once he got there, he started to have meetings with a man called Jim Cla

17、rk, who was one of the Valley s most famous entrepreneurs. In 1994, nobody was making any real money from the Internet, which was still very slow and hard to use. But Andreessen had seen an opportunity that would make him and Clark rich within two years. He suggested they should create a new compute

18、r program that would do the same job as Mosaic but would be much easier to use. Clark listened carefully to Andreessen, whose ideas and enthusiasm impressed him greatly. Eventually, Clark agreed to invest three million dollars of his own money in the project, and to raise an extra fifteen million fr

19、om venture capitalists, who were always keen to listen to Clark s new ideas.短文5The main part of this chapter will deal directly with the technical and artistic limitations and resources that make television unique. But someimportant differences between television and other forms of literature need m

20、entioning before we begin.In the first place, since the literature of television is transmitted simultaneously to millions of people, its creators are subject to limitations of theme, language, and style. In general, the wider the base of the audience, the greater the degree of restriction imposed o

21、n the creator, and no contemporary literary form has a more massive audience than television.In the second place, the line that separates commercial interests from literary interests in television is less distinct than in most other literary forms. To be sure, the publisher of novels and the produce

22、r of stage plays are concerned with making money. But in television the advertiser, the man who pays the bill, is primarily concerned with the sale of a commercial product rather than an artistic one. At the same time, selling products and presenting high quality programs are not necessarily incompa

23、tible motives. There are, in fact, numerous examples of sponsors who have done both simultaneously.We must remember, too, that the literature of television, unlike most types of literature, is highly ephemeral （ 短暫的）in character. At the moment, the libraries of television are its reruns, but even so

24、, a particular show must be seen at a specific time or it cannot be seen at all.As a result, studying or teaching about television presents certain problems not found in the study of other types of literature, except the legitimate stage.短文6It is doing something better than other people that makes u

25、s unique. Yet a surprising number of people still see individuality as a surface thing. They wear bright clothes, dye their hair strange colors and decorate their skin with tattoos （ 文身）to make some kind of social statement.The whole purpose of individuality is excellence. The people who comprehend

26、the simple principle of being unique through performance make our entire political and economic system work. Those who invent, who improve, who know more about a subject than other people do, and who take something that doesnt work and make it workthese peopleare the very soul of capitalism.Charles

27、Kettering didnt like the idea of cranking a car to make it start, so he invented the electric starter. Henry Ford figured out the assembly-line technique and made it possible to mass-produceautomobiles. Lewis Waterman saw no need to go on dipping a pen into an inkwell, so he put the ink into the pen

28、. George Westinghouse told the world how to stop a train, and Elisha Otis, inventor of the elevator, indirectly created the city skyline. These people understood that individualism means working at the top of ones capacity.Fortunately, enough Americans have been inspired to do something with their u

29、niqueness that we have developed in less than three centuries from a frontier outpost into not only a country of freedom but a country strong enough to protect that freedom. These people prized the notions of individuality and excellence above all things and thus kept the great machine functioning.

30、The ones with the purple hair and the horrorable jewelry are just along for the ride, trying to be different and not knowing how to go about it.短文7Laziness is a sin（ 罪），everyone knows that. We have probably all had lectures pointing out that laziness is immoral, that it is wasteful, and that lazy pe

31、ople will never amount to anything in life. But laziness can be more harmful than that, and it is often caused by more complex reasons rather than simple wish to avoid work. Some people who appear to be lazy are suffering from much more serious problems. They may be so distrustful of their fellow wo

32、rkers that they are unable to join in anygroup task for fear of ridicule or of having their idea stolen. These people who seem lazy may be ruined by a fear of failure that prevents fruitful work. Or other sorts of fantasies （ 幻想）may prevent work; some people are so busy planning, sometimes planning

33、great deals of fantastic achievements that they are unable to deal with whatever lesser work is on hand. Still other people are not avoiding work; strictly speaking, they are merely procrastinating rescheduling their day.Laziness can actually be helpful. Like procrastinators, some people may look la

34、zy when they are really thinking, planning, researching. We should all remember that great scientific discoveries occurred by chance. Newton wasnt working in the orchard when the apple hit him and he devised the theory of gravity. All of us would like to have someone lazy build the car or stove we b

35、uy, particularly if that laziness were caused by the workers taking time tocheck each step of his work and to do his job right. And sometimes, being lazy that is, taking time off for a rest is good for the overworked students or executives. Taking a rest can be particularly helpful to the athlete wh

36、o is trying too hard or the doctor whos simply working himself overtime too many evenings at the clinic. So be careful when youre tempted to call someone lazy. That person may be thinking, resting, or planning his or her next work.短文8For as long as humans have raised crops as a source of food and ot

37、her products, insects have damaged them. Between 1870 and 1880, locusts ate millions of dollars worth of crops in the Mississippi Valley. Today in the United States the cotton boll weevil damages about 300 million dollars worth of crops each year. Additional millions are lost each year to the appeti

38、tes of other plant-eating insects. Some of these are corn borers, gypsy moths, potato beetles, and Japanese beetles.In modern times, many powerful insecticides（殺蟲齊1J） have been usedin an attempt to destroy insects that damage crops and trees. Some kinds of insecticides, when carefully used, have wor

39、ked well. Yet the same insecticides have caused some unexpected problems. In one large area, an insecticide was used against Japanese beetles, which eat almost any kind of flower or leaf. Shortly afterward, the number of corn borers almost doubled. As intended, the insecticide had killed many Japane

40、se beetles. But it had killed many of the insect enemies of the corn borer as well.In another case, an insecticide was used in Louisiana to kill the troublesome fire ant. The insecticide did not kill many fire ants. It did killseveral small animals. It also killed some insect enemies of the sugarcan

41、e borer, a much more destructive pest than the fire ants. As a result, the number of sugarcane borers increased and severely damaged the sugarcane crop.To be sure that one insect pest will not be traded for another when an insecticide is used, scientists must perform careful experiments and do wide

42、research. The experiments and research provide knowledge of the possible hazards an insecticide may bring to plant and animal communities. Without such knowledge, we have found that nature sometimes responds to insecticides in unexpected ways.短文9Every day 25 million U. S. children ride school buses.

43、 The safety record for these buses is much better than for passenger cars; but nevertheless, about 10 children are killed each year riding on large school buses, and nearly four times that number are killed outside buses in the loading zones. By and large, however, the nationsschool children aretran

44、sported to and from school safely.死亡人數(shù)）is notEven though the number of school bus casualties( large, the safety of children is always of intense public concern. While everyone wants to see children transported safely, people are divided about what needs to be done particularly whether seat belts sho

45、uld be mandatory (強制性的 )？Supporters of seat belts on school buses argue that seat belts are necessary not only to reduce death and injury, but also to teach children lessons about the importance of using them routinely in any moving vehicle. A side benefit, they point out, is that seat belts help ke

46、ep children in their seats, away from the bus driver.Opponents of seat belt installation suggest that children are already well protected by the school buses that follow the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations (NHTSA) safety requirement set in 1977. They also believe that many children w

47、ont wear seat belts anyway, and that they may damage the belts or use them as weapons to hurt other children.A new Research Council report on school bus safety suggests that there are alternate safety devices and procedures that may be more effective and less expensive. For example, the study commit

48、tee suggested that raising seat backs four inches may have the same safety effectiveness as seat belts.The report sponsored by the Department of Transportation at therequest of Congress, reviews seat belts extensively while taking a broader look at safety in and around school buses.短文10To understand

49、 why someone becomes an optimist or a pessimist, ithelps to understand what distinguishes them. Say you crash your car. Do you expect good things to happen after the accident an easy recuperation （ 挽回損失）,a fat check from your insurer? Or do you worry that your neck will hurt forever?Optimistic peopl

50、e tend to feel that bad things wont last long andwont affect other parts of life, .Seligman says. Pessimists tend to believe one negative incident will last and undermine everything else in their lives.Also important, researchers say, is the story you construct about why things happen your explanato

51、ry style. Optimists believe that bad events have temporary causes The boss is in a bad mood. Pessimists believe the cause is permanent The boss is a jerk.This sense of control distinguishes one type from the other. Positive thinkers feel powerful. Negative thinkers, Seligman says, feel helplessbecau

52、se they have learned to believe theyre doomed, no matter what. A young wife whos told shes incapable of handling household finances might later become a divorce woman who cant balance a checkbook.Such learned helplessness causes much harm on health. Studies show that optimists are better at coping w

53、ith the distress associated with everything from sore throat to heart surgery. Furthermore, scientists at U. C. L. A. discovered that optimists have more disease-fighting T cells.Pessimists also dont believe in preventive care. Visit a doctor and you might find out youre sick! My father was rushed t

54、o the emergency room for medical conditions that would have been easily treatable if hed seen a doctor sooner.六級翻譯材料（也可作閱讀材料，流利閱讀一分鐘）上海的發(fā)展朝氣蓬勃，充滿活力，豐富多彩的上海是現(xiàn)代中國的縮影。雖然上海的文化遺跡不能與北京媲美，但是上海迷人的城市風貌，風格各異的萬國建筑為這座城市注 入了無限的魅力。今日之上海，已經(jīng)成為享譽中外的國際大都市。漫步在這座日新月異的現(xiàn)代大都市里，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)許多精彩的歷史亮點，隱現(xiàn)在眾多摩天大樓背 后的是上海發(fā)展變化的軌跡。它們記述了上海

55、自十九世紀末開埠以來，尤其是新中國成立以后，是如何迅猛發(fā)展的。Shanghai is a dynamic, diverse and stimulating city-the very epitomeof modern China. Though Shanghai cannot rival Beijing in cultural heritage, its varied architectural styles and cosmopolitan feel give it a charm of its own. Todays Shanghai has become a world-famous i

56、nternational metropolis. A walk through this booming city reveals manyglimpses of its colorful past. Hidden amongst the skyscrapers are remains of the original Shanghai. They keep on showing how Shanghaihas been developing fast and enormously since its opening as a commercial port in the late 19th c

57、entury, especially after the founding ofnew China.亞洲人民近代以來，亞洲經(jīng)歷了曲折和艱難的發(fā)展歷程。亞洲人們?yōu)楦淖冏约旱拿\，始終以不屈的意志和艱辛的奮斗開辟前進道路。今天，人們所看到的亞洲發(fā)展成就，是勤勞智慧的亞洲人民不屈不撓、鍥而不舍奮斗的結果。亞洲人民深知，世界上沒有放之四海而皆準的發(fā)展模式，也沒有一成不變的發(fā)展道路，亞洲人民勇于變 革創(chuàng)新，不斷開拓進取，探索和開辟適應時代潮流，符合自身實際的發(fā)展道路， 為經(jīng)濟社會發(fā)展打開了廣闊前景。In modern times, Asia experienced twists and turns in

58、 its development.To change their destiny, the people of Asia have been forging ahead inan indomitable spirit and with hard struggle. Asias development achievements today are the result of the persistent efforts of the industrious and talented Asian people. The people of Asia are fully aware that the

59、re is no ready model or unchanging path of development that is universally applicable. They never shy away from reform and innovation.Instead, they are committed to exploring and finding development paths that are in line with the trend of the times and their own situations, and have opened up brigh

60、t prospects for economic and social development.吸煙危害吸煙之危害，可謂大矣，其嚴重性是不能低估的。吸煙污染空氣，損害健康， 使肺癌發(fā)病率大大增加。為了使各國人民關注煙草的盛行及預防吸煙導致的疾病 和死亡，世界衛(wèi)生組織已將每年的 5月31日定為“世界無煙日”。癮君子們說， 一天飯不吃可以，一個時辰不抽煙就難捱了，不能戒。只要真正意識到吸煙有百 害而無一利，于人于己都是一種禍害，就有可能下決心擺脫煙草的誘惑。戒煙貴在堅持，堅持下去就是收獲。Smoking does great harm to human and its gravity should