六級(jí)難度閱讀理解100篇

六級(jí)難度閱讀理解100篇英語六級(jí)難度閱讀理解100篇1Wecanbeginourdiscussionof“populationasglobalissue”withwhatmostpersonsmeanwhentheydiscuss“thepopulationproblem”:toomanypeopleonearthandatoorapidincreaseinthenumberaddedeachyear.Thefactsarenotindispute,Itwasquiterighttoemploytheanalogythatlikeneddemographicgrowthto“along,thinpowderfusethatburnssteadilyandhaltinglyuntilitfinallyreachesthechargeandexplodes.”Tounderstandthecurrentsituation,whichischaracterizedbyrapidincreasesinpopulation,itisnecessarytounderstandthehistoryofpopulationtrends.Rapidgrowthisacomparativelyrecentphenomenon.Lookingbackatthe8,000yearsofdemographichistory,wefindthatpopulationshavebeenvirtuallystableorgrowingveryslightlyformostofhumanhistory.Formostofourancestors,lifewashard,oftennasty,andveryshort.Therewashighfertilityinmostplaces,butthiswasusuallybalancedbyhighmortality.Formostofhumanhistory,itwasseldomthecasethatoneintenpersonswouldlivepastforty,whileinfancyandchildhoodwereespeciallyriskyperiods.Often,societieswereincleardangerofextinctionbecausedeathratescouldexceedtheirbirthrates.Thus,thepopulationproblemthroughoutmostofhistorywashowtopreventextinctionofthehumanrace.Thispatternisimportanttonotice.Notonlydoesitputthecurrentproblemsofdemographicgrowthintoahistoricalperspective,butitsuggeststhatthecauseofrapidincreaseinpopulationinrecentyearsisnotasuddenenthusiasmformorechildren,butanimprovementintheconditionsthattraditionallyhavecausedhighmortality.Demographichistorycanbedividedintotwomajorperiods:atimeoflong,slowgrowthwhichextendedfromabout8,000BC.tillapproximatelyAD.1650.Inthefirstperiodofsome9600years,thepopulationincreasedfromsome8millionto500millionin1650.Between1650andthepresent,thepopulationhasincreasedfrom500milliontomorethan4billion.Anditisestimatedthatbytheyear2000therewillbe6.2billionpeoplethroughouttheworld.Onewaytoappreciatethisdramaticdifferenceinsuchabstractnumbersistoreducethetimeframetosomethingthatismoremanageable.Between8000BCand1650,anaverageofonly50,000personswasbeingaddedannuallytotheworld’spopulationeachyear.Atpresent,thisnumberisaddedeverysixhours.Theincreaseisabout80,000,000personsannually.1.Whichofthefollowingdemographicgrowthpatternismostsuitableforthelongthinpowderfuseanalogy?A.Avirtuallystableorslightlydecreasingperiodandthenasuddenexplosionofpopulation.B.Aslowgrowthforalongtimeandthenaperiodofrapid,dramaticincrease.C.Toomanypeopleonearthandafewrapidincreaseinthenumberaddedeachyear.D.Alongperiodwhendeathratesexceedsbirthratesandthenashortperiodwithhigherfertilityandlowermortality.2.Duringthefirstperiodofdemographichistory,societieswereoftenindangerofextinctionbecause___.A.onlyoneintenpersonscouldlivepast40.B.therewashighermortalitythanfertilityinmostplaces.C.itwastoodangeroustohavebabiesduetothepoorconditions.D.ourancestorshadlittleenthusiasmformorechildren.3.Whichstatementistrueaboutpopulationincrease?A.Theremightbeanincreaseof2.2billionpersonsfromnowtotheyear2000.B.About50,000babiesareborneverysixhoursatpresent.C.Between8000BCandthepresent,thepopulationincreaseisabout80,000,000personseachyear.D.Thepopulationincreasedfasterbetween8000BCand1650thanbetween1650andthepresent.4.Theauthorofthepassageintendsto___.A.warnpeopleagainstthepopulationexplosioninthenearfuture./doc/e5d13045504de518964bcf84b9d528ea81c72fe3.htmlparethedemographicgrowthpatterninthepastwiththatafter1650.C.findoutthecauseforrapidincreaseinpopulationinrecentyears.D.presentusaclearandcompletepictureofthedemographicgrowth.5.Theword“demographic”inthefirstparagraphmeans___.A.statisticsofhuman.B.surroundingsstudy.C.accumulationofhuman.D.developmentofhuman.答案：ABADA2Mostofusaretaughttopayattentiontowhatissaid—thewords.Wordsdoprovideuswithsomeinformation,butmeaningsarederivedfromsomanyothersourcesthatitwouldhinderoureffectivenessasapartnertoarelationshiptorelytooheavilyonwordsalone.Wordsareusedtodescribeonlyasmallpartofthemanyideasweassociatewithanygivenmessage.Sometimeswecangaininsightintosomeofthoseassociationsifwelistenformorethanwords.Wedon’talwayssaywhatwemeanormeanwhatwesay.Sometimesourwordsdon’tmeananythingexcept“I’mlettingoffsomesteam.Idon’treallywantyoutopaycloseattentiontowhatI’msaying.JustpayattentiontowhatI’mfeeling.”Mostlywemeanseveralthingsatonce.Apersonwantingtopurchaseahousesaystothecurrentowner,“ThisstephastobefixedbeforeI’llbuy.”Theownersays,“It’sbeenlikethatforyears.”Actually,thestephasn’tbeenlikethatforyears,buttheunspokenmessageis:“Idon’twanttofixit.Weputupwithit.Whycan’tyou?”Thesearchforamoreexpansiveviewofmeaningcanbedevelopedofexaminingamessageintermsofwhosaidit,whenitoccurred,therelatedconditionsorsituation,andhowitwassaid.Whenamessageoccurscanalsorevealassociatedmeaning.Letusassumetwocouplesdoexactlythesameamountofkissingandarguing.Butonecouplealwayskissesafteranargumentandtheothercouplealwaysarguesafterakiss.Theorderingofthebehaviorsmaymeanagreatdealmorethanthefrequencyofthebehavior.Afriend’sunusuallydocilebehaviormayonlybeunderstoodbynotingthatitwasprecededbysituationsthatrequiredanabnormalamountofassertiveness.Someresponsesmaybedirectlylinkedtoadevelopingpatternofresponsesanddefylogic.Forexample,apersonwhosays“No!”toaserialsofchargeslike“You’redumb,”“You’relazy,”and“You’redishonest,”mayalsosay“No!”andtrytojustifyhisorherresponseifthenextstatementis“Andyou’regoodlooking.”Wewoulddowelltolistenforhowmessagesarepresented.Thewords,“Ifsurehasbeennicetohaveyouover,”canbesaidwithemphasisandexcitementorritualistically.Thephrasecanbesaidonceorrepeatedseveraltimes.Andthemeaningsweassociatewiththephrasewillchangeaccordingly.Sometimesifwesaysomethinginfrequentlyitassumesmoreimportance;sometimesthemorewesaysomethingthelessimportanceitassumes.1.Effectivecommunicationisrenderedpossiblebetweentwoconversingpartners,if___.A.theyuseproperwordstocarrytheirideas.B.theybothspeaktrulyoftheirownfeelings.C.theytrytounderstandeachother’sideasbeyondwords.D.theyarecapableofassociatingmeaningwiththeirwords.2.“I’mlettingoffsomesteam”inparagraph1means___.A.I’mjustcallingyourattention.B.I’mjustkidding.C.I’mjustsayingtheopposite.D.I’mjustgivingoffsomesound.3.Thehouse-owner’sexampleshowsthatheactuallymeans___.A.thestephasbeenlikethatforyears.B.hedoesn’tthinkitnecessarytofixthestep.C.theconditionofthestepisonlyaminorfault.D.thecostinvolvedinthefixingshouldbeshared.4.Someresponsesandbehaviorsmayappearveryillogical,butarejustifiableif___.A.linkedtoanabnormalamountofassertiveness.B.seenasone’shabitualpatternofbehavior.C.takenaspartofanorderingsequence.D.expressedtoaseriesofcharges.5.Theword“ritualistically”inthelastparagraphequalssomethingdone___.A.withouttrueintention.B.light-heartedly.C.inawayofceremony.D.withlessemphasis.答案：DBABC3Acontroversyeruptedinthescientificcommunityinearly1998overtheuseofDNA(deoxyribonucleicacid)fingerprintingincriminalinvestigations.DNAfingerprintingwasintroducedin1987asamethodtoidentifyindividualsbasedonapatternseenintheirDNA,themoleculeofwhichgenesaremade.DNAispresentineverycellofthebodyexceptredbloodcells.DNAfingerprintinghasbeenusedsuccessfullyinvariousways,suchastodeterminepaternitywhereitisnotclearwhothefatherofaparticularchildis.However,itisintheareaofcriminalinvestigationsthatDNAfingerprintinghaspotentiallypowerfulandcontroversialuses.DNAfingerprintingandotherDNAanalysistechniqueshaverevolutionizedcriminalinvestigationsbygivinginvestigatorspowerfulnewtoolsintheattempttotroveguilt,notjustestablishinnocence.Whenusedincriminalinvestigations,aDNAfingerprintpatternfromasuspectiscomparedwithaDNAfingerprintpatternobtainedfromsuchmaterialashairsorbloodfoundatthesceneofacrime.AmatchbetweenthetwoDNAsamplescanbeusedasevidencetoconvictasuspect.Thecontroversyin1998stemmedformareportpublishedinDecember1991bypopulationgeneticistsRichardC.LewontinofHarvardUniversityinCambridge,Mass.,andDanielL.HartlcalledintoquestionthemethodstocalculatehowlikelyitisthatamatchbetweentwoDNAfingerprintsmightoccurbychancealone.Inparticular,theyarguedthatthecurrentmethodcannotproperlydeterminethelikelihoodthattwoDNAsampleswillmatchbecausetheycamefromthesameindividualratherthansimplyfromtwodifferentindividualswhoaremembersofthesameethnicgroup.LewontinandHartlcalledforbettersurveysofDNApatternsmethodsareadequate.Inresponsetotheircriticisms,populationgeneticistsRanajitChakrabortyoftheUniversityofTexasinDallasandKennethK.KiddofYaleUniversityinNewHaven,Conn.,arguedthatenoughdataarealreadyavailabletoshowthatthemethodscurrentlybeingusedareadequate.InJanuary1998,however,thefederalBureauofInvestigationandlaboratoriesthatconductDNAtestsannouncedthattheywouldcollectadditionalDNAsamplesformvariousethnicgroupsinanattempttoresolvesomeofthesequestions.And,inApril,aNationalAcademyofSciencescalledforstrictstandardsandsystemofaccreditationforDNAtestinglaboratories.1.BeforeDNAfingerprintingisused,suspects____.A.wouldhavetoleavetheirfingerprintsforfurtherinvestigationsB.wouldhavetosubmitevidencefortheirinnocenceC.couldeasilyescapeconvictionofguiltD.coldbeconvictedofguiltaswell2.DNAfingerprintingcanbeunreliablewhen____.A.themethodsusedforblood-cellcalculationarenotaccurateB.twodifferentindividualsofthesameethnicgroupmayhavethesameDNAfingerprintingpatternC.amatchisbychanceleftwithfingerprintsthathappentobelongtotwodifferentindividualsD.twodifferentindividualsleavetwoDNAsamples.3.TogeneticistslikeLewontinandHartl,thecurrentmethod____.A.isnotsoconvincingastoexcludethelikelihoodthattwoDNAsamplescannevercomefromtwoindividualsB.isarguablebecausetwoindividualsofthesameethnicgrouparelikelytohavethesameDNApattern.C.IsnotbasedonadequatescientifictheoryofgeneticsD.Istheoreticallycontradictorytowhattheyhavebeenstudying4.TheattitudeoftheFederalBereauofInvestigationshowsthat____.A.enoughdataareyettobecollectedformvariousethnicgroupstoconfirmtheunlikelihoodoftwoDNAsamplescomingfromtwoindividualmembersB.enoughdataofDNAsamplesshouldbecollectedtoconfirmthatonlyDNAsamplesformthesamepersoncanmatchC.enoughdataareyettobecollectedfromvariousethnicgroupstodeterminethelikelihoodoftwodifferentDNAsamplescomingformthesamepersonD.additionalsamplesfromvariousethnicgroupsshouldbecollectedtodeterminethattwoDNAsamplesareunlikelytocomefromthesameperson5.NationalAcademyofSciencesholdsthestancethat____.A.DNAtestingshouldbesystematizedB.OnlyauthorizedlaboratoriescanconductDNAtestingC.TheacademyonlyisauthorizedtoworkoutstandardsfortestingD.TheacademyhastherighttoaccreditlaboratoriesforDNAtesting答案：CBABB4Racket,dinclamor,noise,whateveryouwanttocallit,unwantedsoundisAmerica’smostwidespreadnuisance.Butnoiseismorethanjustanuisance.Itconstitutesarealandpresentdangertopeople’shealth.Dayandnight,athome,atwork,andatplay,noisecanproduceseriousphysicalandpsychologicalstress.Nooneisimmunetothisstress.Thoughweseemtoadjusttonoisebyignoringit,theear,infact,neverclosesandthebodystillresponds—sometimeswithextremetension,astoastrangesoundinthenight.Theannoyancewefeelwhenfacedwithnoiseisthemostcommonoutwardsymptomofthestressbuildingupinsideus.Indeed,becauseirritabilityissoapparent,legislatorshavemadepublicannoyancethebasisofmanynoiseabatementprograms.Themoresubtleandmoreserioushealthhazardsassociatedwithstresscausedbynoisetraditionallyhavebeengivenmuchlessattention.Nevertheless,whenweareannoyedormadeirritablebynoise,weshouldconsiderthesesymptomsfairwarningthatotherthingmaybehappeningtous,someofwhichmaybedamagingtoourhealth.Ofmanyhealthhazardstonoise,hearinglossisthemostclearlyobservableandmeasurablebyhealthprofessionals.Theotherhazardsarehardertopindown.Formanyofus,theremaybeariskthatexposuretothestressofnoiseincreasessusceptibilitytodiseaseandinfection.Themoresusceptibleamongusmayexperiencenoiseasacomplicatingfactorinheartproblemsandotherdiseases.Noisethatcausesannoyanceandirritabilityinhealthpersonsmayhaveseriousconsequencesforthesealreadyillinmindorbody.Noiseaffectsusthroughoutourlives.Forexample,thereareindicationsofeffectsontheunbornchildwhenmothersareexposedtoindustrialandenvironmentalnoise.Duringinfancyandchildhood,youngstersexposedtohighnoiselevelsmayhavetroublefallingasleepandobtainingnecessaryamountsofrest.Why,then,istherenotgreateralarmaboutthesedangers?Perhapsitisbecausethelinkbetweennoiseandmanydisabilitiesordiseaseshasnotyetbeenconclusivelydemonstrated.Perhapsitisbecausewetendtodismissannoyanceasapricetopayforlivinginthemodernworld.Itmayalsobebecausewestillthinkofhearinglossasonlyanoccupationalhazard.1.InParagraph1,thephrase“immuneto”areusedtomean___.A.unaffectedbyB.hurtbyC.unlikelytobeseenbyD.unknownby2.Theauthor’sattitudetowardnoisewouldbestbedescribedas___.A.unrealisticB.traditionalC.concernedD.hysterical3.Whichofthefollowingbeststatesthemainideaofthepassage?A.Noiseisamajorproblem;mostpeoplerecognizeitsimportance.B.Althoughnoisecanbeannoying,itisnotamajorproblem.C.Noiseisamajorproblemandhasnotyetbeenrecognizedassuch.D.Noiseisamajorproblemaboutwhichnothingcanbedone.4.Theauthorcondemnsnoiseessentiallybecauseit___.A.isagainstthelawB.canmakesomepeopleirritableC.isanuisanceD.inagangertopeople’shealth5.Theauthorwouldprobablyconsiderresearchabouttheeffectsnoisehasonpeopletobe___.A.unimportantB.impossible.C.awasteofmoneyD.essential答案：ACCDD5Islanguage,likefood,likefood,abasichumanneedwithoutwhichachildatacriticalperiodoflifecanbestarvedanddamaged?JudgingfromthedrasticexperimentofFrederickIinthethirteenthcentury,itmaybehopingtodiscoverwhatlanguageachildwouldspeakifheheardnomothertongue,hetoldthenursestokeepsilent.Alltheinfantsdiedbeforethefirstyear.Butclearlytherewasmorethanlackoflanguagehere.Whatwasmissingwasgoodmothering.Withoutgoodmothering,inthefirstyearoflifeespecially,thecapacitytosurviveisseriouslyaffected.TodaynosuchseverelackexistsasthatorderedbyFrederick.Nevertheless,somechildrenarestillbackwardinspeaking.Mostoftenthereasonforthisisthatthemotherisinsensitivetothesignalsoftheinfant,whosebrainisprogrammedtolearnlanguagerapidly.Ifthesesensitiveperiodsareneglected,theidealtimeforacquiringskillspassesandtheymightneverbelearnedsoeasilyagain.Abirdlearnstosingandtoflyrapidlyatrighttime,buttheprocessisslowandhardoncethecriticalstagehaspassed.Expertssuggestthatspeechstagesarereachedinafixedsequenceandataconstantage,buttherearecaseswherespeechhasstartedlateinachildwhoeventuallyturnsouttobeofhighIQ.Attwelveweeksababysmilesandmakesbowel–likesounds;attwelvemonthshecanspeaksimplewordsandunderstandsimplecommands;ateighteenmonthshehasavocabularyofthreetofiftywords.Atthreeheknowsabout1,000wordswhichhecanputintosentences,andatfourhislanguagediffersfromthatofhisparentsinbornwiththecapacitytospeak.Whatisspecialaboutman’sbrain,comparedwiththatofthemonkey,isthecomplexsystemwhichenablesachildtocommectthesightandfeelof,say,atoy–bearwiththesoundpattern“toy–bear”.Andevenmoreincredibleistheyoungbrain’sabilitytopickoutanorderinlanguagefromthemixtureofsoundaroundhim,toanalyse,tocombineandrecombinethepartsofalanguageinnewways.Butspeechhastobeinduced,andthisdependsoninteractionbetweenthemotherandthechild,wherethemotherrecognizesthesignalsinthechild’sbabbling,graspingandsmiling,andrespondstothem.Insensitivityofthemothertothesesignalsdullstheinteractionbecausethechildgetsdiscouragedandsendsoutonlytheobvioussignals,.Sensitivitytothechild’snon–verbalsignalsisessentialtothegrowthanddevelopmentoflanguage.1.ThepurposeofFrederickI’sexperimentwas____.A.toprovethatchildrenarebornwithabilitytospeakB.todiscoverwhatlanguageachildwouldspeakwithouthearinganyhumanspeakC.tofindoutwhatrolecarefulnursingwouldplayinteachingachildtospeakD.toprovethatachildcouldbedamagedwithoutlearningalanguage2.Thereasonthatsomechildrenarebackwardinspeakingismostlikelythat____.A.theyareincapableoflearninglanguagerapidlyB.theyareexposedtotoomuchlanguageatonceC.theirmothersrespondinadequatelytotheirattemptstospeakD.theirmothersarenotintelligentenoughtohelpthem3.Whatisparticularlyremarkableaboutachildisthat____.A.heisbornwiththecapacitytospeakB.hehasabrainmorecomplexthanananimal’sC.hecanproducehisownsentencesD.heoweshisspeechabilitytogoodnursing4.Whichofthefollowingcanbeinferredfromthepassage?A.Thefacultyofspeechisinborninman.B.Thechild’sbrainishighlyselective.C.Mostchildrenlearntheirlanguageindefinitestages.D.Alltheabove5.Ifachildstartstospeaklaterthanothers,hewill____infuture.A.haveahighIQB.belessintelligentC.beinsensitivetoverbalsignalsD.notnecessarilybebackward答案：BCCDD6Everyonehasamomentinhistory,whichbelongsparticularlytohim.Itisthemomentwhenhisemotionsachievetheirmostpowerfulswayoverhim,andafterwardwhenyousaytothisperson“theworldtoday”or“l(fā)ife”or“reality”hewillassumethatyoumeanthismoment,evenifitisfiftyyearspast.Theworld,throughhisunleashed（釋放的）emotions,imprinteditselfuponhim,andhecarriesthestampofthatpassingmomentforever.Forme,thismoment—fouryearsinamomentinhistory—wasthewar.Thewarwasandisrealityforme.Istillinstinctivelyliveandthinkinitsatmosphere.Thesearesomeofitscharacteristics:FranklinDelanoRooseveltisthepresidentoftheUnitedStates,andhealwayshasbeen.TheothertwoeternalworldleadersareWinstonChurchillandJosephStalin.Americaisnot,neverhasbeen,andneverwillbewhatthesongandpoemscallit,alandofplenty.Nylon,meat,gasoline,andsteelarerare.Therearetoomanyjobsandnotenoughworkers.Moneyisveryeasytoearnbutratherhardtospend,becausethereisn’tverymuchtobuy.Trainsarealwayslateandalwayscrowdedwith“servicemen”.ThewarwillalwaysbefoughtveryfarfromAmerica,anditwillneverend.NothinginAmericastandsstillforverylong,includingthepeoplewhoarealwayseitherleavingoronleave.PeopleinAmericacryoften.Sixteenisthekeyandcrucialandnaturalageforahumanbeingtobe,andpeopleofallotheragesarerangedinanorderlymanneraheadofandbehindyouasaharmonioussettingforthesixteen-year-oldsoftheworld.Whenyouaresixteen,adultsareslightlyimpressedandalmostintimidatedbyyou.Thisisapuzzlefinallysolvedbytherealizationthattheyforeseeyourmilitaryfuture:fightingforthem.Youdonotforeseeit.TowasteanythinginAmericaisimmoral.Stringandtinfoilaretreasures.Newspapersarealwayscrowedwithstrangemapsandnamesoftowns,andeveryfewmonthstheearthseemstolurch（突然傾斜）fromitspathwhenyouseesomethinginthenewspapers,suchasthetimeMussolini,whoalmostseemedoneoftheeternalleaders,isp