2023年大學(xué)英語六級考試真題試題和答案解

2023年12月大學(xué)英語六級考試真題試題和答案解析2023年12月大學(xué)英語六級考試真題

PartIWriting(30minutes)

Direction:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteashortessayentitledMyViewsonUniversityRanking.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsfollowingtheoutlinegivenbelow.

1.目前高校排名相稱盛行;

2.對于這種做法人們見解不一;

3.在我看來……

MyViewsonUniversityRanking

PartIIReadingComprehension(SkimmingandScanning)(15minutes)

Directions:Inthispart,youwillhave15minutestogooverthepassagequicklyandanswerthequestionsonAnswerSheet1.Forquestions1-7,choosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarked[A],[B],[C]and[D].Forquestions8-10,completethesentenceswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage.

IntotheUnknown

Theworldhasneverseenpopulationageingbefore.Canitcope?

Untiltheearly1990snobodymuchthoughtaboutwholepopulationsgettingolder.TheUNhadtheforesighttoconvenea“worldassemblyonageing”backin1982,butthatcameandwent.By1994theWorldBankhadnoticedthatsomethingbigwashappening.Inareportentitled“AvertingtheOldAgeCrisis”,itarguedthatpensionarrangementsinmostcountrieswereunsustainable.

Forthenexttenyearsasuccessionofbooks,mainlybyAmericans,soundedthealarm.TheyhadtitleslikeYoungvsOld,GrayDawnandTheComingGenerationalStorm,andtheirmessagewasblunt:health-caresystemswereheadingfortherocks,pensionersweretakingyoungpeopletothecleaners,andsoontherewouldbeintergenerationalwarfare.

Sincethenthedebatehasbecomelessemotional,notleastbecausealotmoreisknownaboutthesubject.Books,conferencesandresearchpapershavemultiplied.InternationalorganisationssuchastheOECDandtheEUissueregularreports.Populationageingisoneveryagenda,fromG8economicconferencestoNATOsummits.TheWorldEconomicForumplanstoconsiderthefutureofpensionsandhealthcareatitsprestigiousDavosconferenceearlynextyear.Themedia,includingthisnewspaper,aregivingthesubjectextensivecoverage.

Whetherallthatattentionhastranslatedintosufficientactionisanotherquestion.Governmentsinrichcountriesnowacceptthattheirpensionandhealth-carepromiseswillsoonbecomeunaffordable,andmanyofthemhaveembarkedonreforms,butsofaronlytimidly.Thatisnotsurprising:politicianswithaneyeonthenextelectionwillhardlyrushtointroduceunpopularmeasuresthatmaynotbearfruitforyears,perhapsdecades.

Theoutlineofthechangesneededisclear.Toavoidfiscal(財政)meltdown,publicpensionsandhealth-careprovisionwillhavetobereinedbackseverelyandtaxesmayhavetogoup.Byfarthemosteffectivemethodtorestrainpensionspendingistogivepeopletheopportunitytoworklonger,becauseitincreasestaxrevenuesandreducesspendingonpensionsatthesametime.Itmayevenkeepthemalivelonger.JohnRother,theAARP’sheadofpolicyandstrategy,pointstostudiesshowingthatotherthingsbeingequal,peoplewhoremainatworkhavelowerdeathratesthantheirretiredpeers.

Youngerpeopletodaymostlyacceptthattheywillhavetoworkforlongerandthattheirpensionswillbelessgenerous.Employersstillneedtobepersuadedthatolderworkersareworthholdingonto.Thatmaybebecausetheyhavehadplentyofyoungeronestochoosefrom,partlythankstothepost-warbaby-boomandpartlybecauseoverthepastfewdecadesmanymorewomenhaveenteredthelabourforce,increasingemployers’choice.Butthereservoirofwomenableandwillingtotakeuppaidworkisrunninglow,andthebaby-boomersaregoinggrey.

Inmanycountriesimmigrantshavebeenfillingsuchgapsinthelabourforceashavealreadyemerged(andrememberthattherealshortageisstillaroundtenyearsoff).Immigrationinthedevelopedworldisthehighestithaseverbeen,anditismakingausefuldifference.Instill-fertileAmericaitcurrentlyaccountsforabout40%oftotalpopulationgrowth,andinfast-ageingwesternEuropeforabout90%.

Onthefaceofit,itseemstheperfectsolution.Manydevelopingcountrieshavelotsofyoungpeopleinneedofjobs;manyrichcountriesneedhelpinghandsthatwillboosttaxrevenuesandkeepupeconomicgrowth.Butoverthenextfewdecadeslabourforcesinrichcountriesaresettoshrinksomuchthatinflowsofimmigrantswouldhavetoincreaseenormouslytocompensate:toatleasttwicetheircurrentsizeinwesternEurope’smostyouthfulcountries,andthreetimesintheolderones.Japanwouldneedalargemultipleofthefewimmigrantsithasatpresent.Publicopinionpollsshowthatpeopleinmostrichcountriesalreadythinkthatimmigrationistoohigh.Furtherbigincreaseswouldbepoliticallyunfeasible.

Totackletheproblemofageingpopulationsatitsroot,“old”countrieswouldhavetorejuvenate(使年輕)themselvesbyhavingmoreoftheirownchildren.Anumberofthemhavetried,somemoresuccessfullythanothers.Butitisnotasimplematterofofferingfinancialincentivesorprovidingmorechildcare.Modernurbanlifeinrichcountriesisnotwelladaptedtolargefamilies.Womenfindithardtocombinefamilyandcareer.Theyoftencompromisebyhavingjustonechild.

Andiffertilityinageingcountriesdoesnotpickup?Itwillnotbetheendoftheworld,atleastnotforquiteawhileyet,buttheworldwillslowlybecomeadifferentplace.Oldersocietiesmaybelessinnovativeandmorestronglydisinclinedtotakerisksthanyoungerones.By2025atthelatest,abouthalfthevotersinAmericaandmostofthoseinwesternEuropeancountrieswillbeover50—andolderpeopleturnouttovoteinmuchgreaternumberthanyoungerones.Academicstudieshavefoundnoevidencesofarthatoldervotershaveusedtheirpowerattheballotboxtopushforpoliciesthatspecificallybenefitthem,thoughifinfuturetherearemanymoreofthemtheymightstartdoingso.

Noristhereanysignoftheintergenerationalwarfarepredictedinthe1990s.Afterall,olderpeoplethemselvesmostlyhavefamilies.Inarecentstudyofparentsandgrown-upchildrenin11Europeancountries,KarstenHankofMannheimUniversityfoundthat85%ofthemlivedwithin25kmofeachotherandthemajorityofthemwereintouchatleastonceaweek.

Evenso,theshiftinthecentreofgravitytoolderagegroupsisboundtohaveaprofoundeffectonsocieties,notjusteconomicallyandpoliticallybutinallsortsofotherwaystoo.RichardJacksonandNeilHoweofAmerica’sCSIS,inathoughtfulbookcalledTheGrayingoftheGreatPowers,arguethat,amongotherthings,theageingofthedevelopedcountrieswillhaveanumberofserioussecurityimplications.

Forexample,theshortageofyoungadultsislikelytomakecountriesmorereluctanttocommitthefewtheyhavetomilitaryservice.Inthedecadesto2050,Americawillfinditselfplayinganever-increasingroleinthedevelopedworld’sdefenceeffort.BecauseAmerica’spopulationwillstillbegrowingwhenthatofmostotherdevelopedcountriesisshrinking,Americawillbetheonlydevelopedcountrythatstillmattersgeopolitically(地緣政治上).

Askmein2023

Thereislittlethatcanbedonetostoppopulationageing,sotheworldwillhavetolivewithit.Butsomeoftheconsequencescanbealleviated.Manyexpertsnowbelievethatgiventherightpolicies,theeffects,thoughgrave,neednotbecatastrophic.Mostcountrieshaverecognisedtheneedtodosomethingandarebeginningtoact.

Buteventhenthereisnoguaranteethattheireffortswillwork.Whatishappeningnowishistoricallyunprecedented.RonaldLee,directoroftheCentreontheEconomicsandDemographyofAgeingattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,putsitbrieflyandclearly:“Wedon’treallyknowwhatpopulationageingwillbelike,becausenobodyhasdoneityet.“

注意：此部分試題請在答題卡1上作答。

1.Inits1994report,theWorldBankarguedthatthecurrentpensionsysteminmostcountriescould______.

[A]notbesustainedinthelongterm

[B]furtheracceleratetheageingprocess

[C]hardlyhaltthegrowthofpopulation

[D]helptideoverthecurrentageingcrisis

2.WhatmessageisconveyedinbookslikeYoungvsOld?

[A]Thegenerationgapisboundtonarrow.

[B]Intergenerationalconflictswillintensify.

[C]Theyoungergenerationwillbeattheold.

[D]Oldpeopleshouldgivewaytotheyoung.

3.Onereasonwhypensionandhealthcarereformsareslowincomingisthat______.

[A]nobodyiswillingtosacrificetheirownintereststotackletheproblem

[B]mostpeopleareagainstmeasuresthatwillnotbearfruitimmediately

[C]theproposedreformswillaffecttoomanypeople’sinterests

[D]politiciansareafraidoflosingvotesinthenextelection

4.Theauthorbelievesthemosteffectivemethodtosolvethepensioncrisisisto______.

[A]allowpeopletoworklonger[C]cutbackonhealthcareprovisions

[B]increasetaxrevenues[D]startreformsrightaway

5.Thereasonwhyemployersareunwillingtokeepolderworkersisthat______.

[A]theyaregenerallydifficulttomanage

[B]thelongertheywork,thehighertheirpension

[C]theirpayishigherthanthatofyoungerones

[D]youngerworkersarereadilyavailable

6.Tocompensateforthefast-shrinkinglabourforce,Japanwouldneed______.

[A]toreviseitscurrentpopulationcontrolpolicy

[B]largenumbersofimmigrantsfromoverseas

[C]toautomateitsmanufacturingandserviceindustries

[D]apoliticallyfeasiblepolicyconcerningpopulation

7.Whydomanywomeninrichcountriescompromisebyhavingonlyonechild?

[A]Smallfamiliesarebecomingmorefashionable.

[B]Theyfindithardtobalancecareerandfamily.

[C]Itistooexpensivetosupportalargefamily.

[D]Childcareistoobigaproblemforthem.

8.Comparedwithyoungerones,oldersocietiesarelessinclinedto______________________________.

9.Thepredictedintergenerationalwarfareisunlikelybecausemostoftheolderpeoplethemselves_________________________.

10.Countriesthathaveashortageofyoungadultswillbelesswillingtocommitthemto____________________________.PartIIIListeningComprehension(35minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,oneormorequestionswillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestiontherewillbeapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoicesmarked[A],[B],[C]and[D],anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。

11.[A]Themanisthemanageroftheapartmentbuilding.

[B]Thewomanisverygoodatbargaining.

[C]Thewomanwillgettheapartmentrefurnished.

[D]Themanislookingforanapartment.

12.[A]Howthepictureswillturnout.[C]Whatthemanthinksoftheshots.

[B]Wherethebotanicalgardenis.[D]Whythepicturesarenotready.

13.[A]Thereisnoreplacementforthehandle.

[B]Thereisnomatchforthesuitcase.

[C]Thesuitcaseisnotworthfixing.

[D]Thesuitcasecanbefixedintime.

14.[A]Heneedsavehicletobeusedinharshweather.

[B]Hehasafairlylargecollectionofqualitytrucks.

[C]Hehashadhistruckadaptedforcoldtemperatures.

[D]Hedoesroutinetruckmaintenanceforthewoman.

15.[A]Shecannotstandherboss’sbadtemper.

[B]Shehasoftenbeencriticizedbyherboss.

[C]Shehasmadeuphermindtoresign.

[D]Sheneverregretsanydecisionsshemakes.

16.[A]Lookforashirtofamoresuitablecolorandsize.

[B]Replacetheshirtwithoneofsomeothermaterial.

[C]Visitadifferentstoreforasilkorcottonshirt.

[D]Getadiscountontheshirtsheisgoingtobuy.

17.[A]Ata“LostandFound”.[C]Atatradefair.

[B]Atareceptiondesk.[D]Atanexhibition.

18.[A]Repairitandmovein.[C]Convertitintoahotel.

[B]Passitontohisgrandson.[D]Sellitforagoodprice.

Questions19to21arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

19.[A]Uniquedescriptiveskills.[C]Colourfulworldexperiences.

[B]Goodknowledgeofreaders’tastes.[D]Carefulplottingandclueing.

20.[A]Apeacefulsetting.[C]Tobeintherightmood.

[B]Aspaciousroom.[D]Tobeentirelyalone.

21.[A]Theyrelyheavilyontheirownimagination.

[B]Theyhaveexperiencessimilartothecharacters’.

[C]Theylookattheworldinadetachedmanner.

[D]Theyareoverwhelmedbytheirownprejudices.

Questions22to25arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

22.[A]Goodorbad,theyaretheretostay.

[B]Likeitornot,youhavetousethem.

[C]Believeitornot,theyhavesurvived.

[D]Gainorlose,theyshouldbemodernised.

23.[A]Thefrequenttraindelays.[C]Thefoodsoldonthetrains.

[B]Thehightrainticketfares.[D]ThemonopolyofBritishRailways.

24.[A]Thelowefficiencyoftheiroperation.

[B]Competitionfromothermodesoftransport.

[C]Constantcomplaintsfrompassengers.

[D]Thepassingofthenewtransportact.

25.[A]Theywillbede-nationalised.[C]Theyarefastdisappearing.

[B]Theyprovideworseservice.[D]Theylosealotofmoney.

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsomequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarked[A],[B],[C]and[D].ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。

PassageOne

Questions26to29arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

26.[A]ThewholeAntarcticregionwillbesubmerged.

[B]Somepolaranimalswillsoonbecomeextinct.

[C]Manycoastalcitieswillbecoveredwithwater.

[D]Theearthwillexperienceextremeweathers.

27.[A]Howhumansaretocopewithglobalwarming.

[B]HowunstabletheWestAntarcticicesheetis.

[C]Howvulnerablethecoastalcitiesare.

[D]Howpolariceimpactsglobalweather.

28.[A]Itcollapsedatleastonceinthepast1.3millionyears.

[B]Itsitsfirmlyonsolidrockatthebottomoftheocean.

[C]Itmeltedattemperaturesabithigherthanthoseoftoday.

[D]Itwillhavelittleimpactonsealevelwhenitbreaksup.

29.[A]TheWestAntarcticregionwasonceanopenocean.

[B]TheWestAntarcticicesheetwasabout7,000feetthick.

[C]TheWestAntarcticicesheetwasoncefloatingice.

[D]TheWestAntarcticregionusedtobewarmerthantoday.

PassageTwo

Questions30to32arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

30.[A]WhetherwecandevelopsocialtiesontheInternet.

[B]Whetheradeletedphotoisimmediatelyremovedfromtheweb.

[C]Whetherourblogscanbereneweddaily.

[D]Whetherwecansetupourownwebsites.

31.[A]Thenumberofvisitstheyreceive.[C]Thefilestheyhavecollected.

[B]Thewaytheystoredata.[D]Themeanstheyusetogetinformation.

32.[A]Whenthesystemisdown.[C]WhentheURLisreused.

[B]Whennewlinksaresetup.[D]Whentheserverisrestarted.

PassageThree

Questions33to35arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

33.[A]Someicedcoffeeshaveasmanycaloriesasahotdinner.

[B]Icedcoffeessoldbysomepopularchainsarecontaminated.

[C]Drinkingcoffeeafteramealismorelikelytocauseobesity.

[D]Somebrand-namecoffeescontainharmfulsubstances.

34.[A]Havesomefreshfruit.[C]Takeahotshower.

[B]Exerciseatthegym.[D]Eatahotdinner.

35.[A]Theycouldenjoyahappierfamilylife.

[B]Theycouldgreatlyimprovetheirworkefficiency.

[C]Manycancercasescouldbeprevented.

[D]Manyembarrassingsituationscouldbeavoided.

SectionC

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefirsttime,youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblanksnumberedfrom36to43withtheexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Forblanksnumberedfrom44to46youarerequiredtofillinthemissinginformation.Fortheseblanks,youcaneitherusetheexactwordsyouhavejustheardorwritedownthemainpointsinyourownwords.Finally,whenthepassageisreadforthethirdtime,youshouldcheckwhatyouhavewritten.

注意：此部分試題在答題卡2上作答。

Psychologistsarefindingthathopeplaysasurprisinglyvitalroleingivingpeopleameasurableadvantageinrealmsas(36)_____________asacademicachievement,bearingupintoughjobsandcopingwith(37)______________illness.And,bycontrast,thelossofhopeisturningouttobeastrongersignthatapersonmay(38)______________suicidethanotherfactorslongthoughttobemorelikelyrisks.

“Hopehasprovenapowerfulpredictorof(39)______________ineverystudywe’vedonesofar,”saidDr.CharlesR.Snyder,apsychologistwhohasdeviseda(40)______________toassesshowmuchhopeapersonhas.

Forexample,inresearchwith3,920collegestudents,Dr.Snyderandhis(41)______________foundthatthelevelofhopeamongfreshmenatthebeginningoftheirfirstsemesterwasamore(42)______________predictoroftheircollegegradesthanweretheirS.A.T.scoresortheirgradepoint(43)______________inhighschool,thetwomeasuresmostcommonlyusedtopredictcollegeperformance.

(44)”___________________________________________________________________________________________,”Dr.Snydersaid.“Whenyoucomparestudentsofequivalentintelligenceandpastacademicachievements,whatsetsthemapartishope.”

Indevisingawaytoassesshopescientifically,Dr.Snyder(45)________________________

_______________________________.“Thatnotionisnotconcreteenough,anditblurstwokeycomponentsofhope,”Dr.Snydersaid.(46)”_____________________________________________________________________.”PartIVReadingComprehension(ReadinginDepth)(25minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisashortpassagewith5questionsorincompletestatements.Readthepassagecarefully.Thenanswerthequestionsorcompletethestatementsinthefewestpossiblewords.PleasewriteyouranswersonAnswerSheet2.

Questions47to51arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Mostyoungboysaretrainedtobelievethatmenshouldbestrong,tough,cool,anddetached.Thus,theylearnearlytohidevulnerableemotionssuchaslove,joy,andsadnessbecausetheybelievethatsuchfeelingsarefeminineandimplyweakness.Overtime,somemenbecomestrangerstotheirownemotionallives.Itseemsthatmenwithtraditionalviewsofmasculinityaremorelikelytosuppressoutwardemotionsandtofearemotions,supposedlybecausesuchfeelingsmayleadtoalossofcomposure(鎮(zhèn)靜).Keepinmind,however,thatthisviewischallengedbysomeresearchers.Aswithmanygendergaps,differencesinemotionalitytendtobesmall,inconsistent,anddependentonthesituation.Forinstance,Robertsonandcolleaguesfoundthatmaleswhoweremoretraditionallymasculineweremoreemotionallyexpressiveinastructuredexercisethanwhentheyweresimplyaskedtotalkabouttheiremotions.

Males’difficultywith“tender”emotionshasseriousconsequences.First,suppressedemotionscancontributetostress-relateddisorders.Andworse,menarelesslikelythanwomentoseekhelpfromhealthprofessionals.Second,men’semotionalinexpressivenesscancauseproblemsintheirrelationshipswithpartnersandchildren.Forexample,menwhoendorsetraditionalmasculinenormsreportlowerrelationshipsatisfaction,asdotheirfemalepartners.Further,childrenwhosefathersarewarm,loving,andacceptingtowardthemhavehigherself-esteemandlowerratesofaggressionandbehaviorproblems.Onapositivenote,fathersareincreasinglyinvolvingthemselveswiththeirchildren.And30percentoffathersreportthattheytakeequalorgreaterresponsibilityfortheirchildrenthantheirworkingwivesdo.

Oneemotionmalesareallowedtoexpressisanger.Sometimesthisangertranslatesintophysicalaggressionorviolence.Mencommitnearly90percentofviolentcrimesintheUnitedStatesandalmostallsexualassaults.

注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。

47.Mostyoungboyshavebeentrainedtobelievethatmenwhoshowtenderfeelingsareconsideredtobe______________.

48.Somemenbelievethatiftheyexpressedtheiremotionsopenlytheymight______________.

49.Accordingtotheauthor,menwhosuppresstheiremotionsmaydevelop______________.

50.Menwhoobservetraditionalmasculinenormsaresaidtoderivelesssatisfactionfrom______________.

51.Whenmalesgetangry,theycanbecome______________orevencommitviolence.

SectionB

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.Foreachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarked[A],[B],[C]and[D]YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions52to56arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Intheearly20thcentury,fewthingsweremoreappealingthanthepromiseofscientificknowledge.Inaworldstrugglingwithrapidindustrialization,scienceandtechnologyseemedtooffersolutionstoalmosteveryproblem.Newlycreatedstatecollegesanduniversitiesdevotedthemselvesalmostentirelytoscientific,technological,andengineeringfields.ManyAmericanscametobelievethatscientificcertaintycouldnotonlysolvescientificproblems,butalsoreformpolitics,government,andbusiness.TwoworldwarsandaGreatDepressionrockedtheconfidenceofmanypeoplethatscientificexpertisealonecouldcreateaprosperousandorderedworld.AfterWorldWarⅡ,theacademicworldturnedwithnewenthusiasmtohumanisticstudies,whichseemedtomanyscholarsthebestwaytoensurethesurvivalofdemocracy.Americanscholarsfannedoutacrossmuchoftheworld—withsupportfromtheFordFoundation,theFulbrightprogram,etc.—topromotetheteachingofliteratureandtheartsinanefforttomakethecasefordemocraticfreedoms.

IntheAmericaofourowntime,thegreateducationalchallengehasbecomeanefforttostrengthentheteachingofwhatisnowknownastheSTEMdisciplines(science,technology,engineering,andmath).ThereisconsiderableandjustifiedconcernthattheUnitedStatesisfallingbehindmuchoftherestofthedevelopedworldintheseessentialdisciplines.India,China,Japan,andotherregionsseemtobeseizingtechnologicalleadership.

Atthesametime,perhapsinevitably,thehumanities—whilestillpopularinelitecollegesanduniversities—haveexperiencedasignificantdecline.Humanisticdisciplinesareseriouslyunderfunded,notjustbythegovernmentandthefoundationsbutbyacademicinstitutionsthemselves.Humanistsareusuallyamongthelowest-paidfacultymembersatmostinstitutionsandareoftenlightlyregardedbecausetheydonotgenerategrantincomeandbecausetheyprovidenoobviouscredentials(資質(zhì))formostnonacademiccareers.

UndoubtedlyAmericaneducationshouldtrainmorescientistsandengineers.MuchoftheconcernamongpoliticiansaboutthestateofAmericanuniversitiestodayisfocusedontheabsenceof“realworld”education—whichmeanspreparationforprofessionalandscientificcareers.Buttheideathatinstitutionsortheirstudentsmustdecidebetweenhumanitiesandscienceisfalse.Oursocietycouldnotsurvivewithoutscientificandtechnologicalknowledge.Butwewouldbeequallyimpoverished(貧困旳)withouthumanisticknowledgeaswell.Scienceandtechnologyteachuswhatwecando.Humanisticthinkinghelpsusunderstandwhatweshoulddo.

Itisalmostimpossibletoimagineoursocietywithoutthinkingoftheextraordinaryachievementsofscientistsandengineersinbuildingourcomplicatedworld.Buttrytoimagineourworldaswellwithouttheremarkableworksthathavedefinedourcultureandvalues.Wehavealwaysneeded,andwestillneed,both.

注意：此部分試題請在答題卡2上作答。

52.Intheearly20thcenturyAmericansbelievedscienceandtechnologycould_______.

[A]solvevirtuallyallexistingproblems[C]helpraisepeople’slivingstandards

[B]quickenthepaceofindustrialization[D]promotethenation’ssocialprogress

53.WhydidmanyAmericanscholarsbecomeenthusiasticabouthumanisticstudiesafterWorldWarⅡ?

[A]Theywantedtoimprovetheirownstatuswithinthecurrenteducationsystem.

[B]Theybelievedthestabilityofasocietydependedheavilyonhumanisticstudies.

[C]Theycouldgetfinancialsupportfromvariousfoundationsforhumanisticstudies.

[D]Theyrealizedscienceandtechnologyalonewerenoguaranteeforabetterworld.

54.WhyareAmericanscholarsworriedabouteducationtoday?

[A]TheSTEMsubjectsaretoochallengingforstudentstolearn.

[B]SomeAsiancountrieshaveovertakenAmericainbasicsciences.

[C]AmericaislaggingbehindintheSTEMdisciplines.

[D]Therearenotenoughscholarsinhumanisticstudies.

55.Whataccountsforthesignificantdeclineinhumanisticstudiestoday?

[A]Insufficientfunding.[C]Shortageofdevotedfaculty.

[B]Shrinkingenrollment.[D]Dimprospectsforgraduates.

56.Whydoestheauthorattachsomuchimportancetohumanisticstudies?

[A]Theypromotethedevelopmentofscienceandtechnology.

[B]Theyhelppreparestudentsfortheirprofessionalcareers.

[C]Humanisticthinkinghelpsdefineourcultureandvalues.

[D]Humanisticthinkinghelpscultivatestudents’creativity.

PassageTwo

Questions57to61arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

WillthereeverbeanotherEinstein?ThisistheundercurrentofconversationatEinsteinmemorialmeetingsthroughouttheyear.AnewEinsteinwillemerge,scientistssay.Butitmaytakealongtime.Afterall,morethan200yearsseparatedEinsteinfromhisnearestrival,IsaacNewton.

ManyphysicistssaythenextEinsteinhasn’tbeenbornyet,orisababynow.That’sbecausethequestforaunifiedtheorythatwouldaccountforalltheforcesofnaturehaspushedcurrentmathematicstoitslimits.Newmathmustbecreatedbeforetheproblemcanbesolved.

Butresearcherssaytherearemanyotherfactorsworking