2013年12月英语六级考试真题与答案

【短对话】

1.

W: What a wonderful performance! Your rock band has never sounded better.

M: Many thanks. I guess all those hours of practice in the past month are finally paying off.

Q：What does the man mean?

2.

M: I can't decide what to do for my summer vacation. I either want to go on a bike tour of Europe or go diving in Mexico.

W: Well, we're offering an all-inclusive two-week trip to Mexico for only 300 dollars.

Q：What does the woman suggest the man do for his vacation?

3. W: How long do you think this project might take?

M: I'd say about three months, but it could take longer if something unexpected happened. Maybe we'd better allow an extra month, so we won’t have to worry about being late.

Q: Why does the man say extra time should be allowed for the project?

4. M: I'm thinking about becoming a member here, and I'd like some information.

W: Sure. A three-month membership costs 150 dollars, and that includes use of the wait-room, sauna and pool. I'll give you a free path so that you can try out the facilities before you decide.

Q: What do we learn from the conversation?

5.

W: I'm sorry to hear that you failed the Physics course, Ted¹.

M: Let's face it. I'm just not cut out to be a scientist.

Q:  What does the man mean?

6.

M: Gary insisted on buying the food for the picnic.

W: That's pretty generous of him. But shouldn't we at least offer to share the expenses? He has a big family to support.

Q: What does the woman suggest they do?

7.

W: Did you see the headlines in the paper this morning?

M: Year. Apparently² the bus company will be laying off its employees if they can't reach an agreement on wages by midnight.

Q: What did the man read about?

8.

W: Have we received payment for the overseas order we delivered last month?

M: Yes. The cheque came in yesterday afternoon. I'll be depositing it when I go the bank today.

Q: What is the woman concerned about?

 

【短对话】

 六级短文1原文

In America, white tailed deer are more numerous than ever before, so abundant in fact that they've become a suburban³ nuisance and a health hazard.

Why can't the herd⁴ be thinned the old-fashioned way? The small community of North Haven⁵ on Long Island is home to some six hundred to seven hundred deer. The department of Environmental Conservation estimates the optimum population at 60. The town has been browsed⁶ bare of vegetation except where gardens and shrubs⁷ are protected by high fences.

Drivers routinely collide with deer and there are so many dead bodies left by the side of the road that the town has made it a deal with a local pet cemetery⁸ to collect and dispose of the bodies. Some people in the town have become ill from deer transmitted diseases. On the occasions when hunting has been tried, local animal rights people have worked to secure court orders against the hunts. And when that is failed, they stop the hunters, banging on pots and pans to alert the deer. Town meetings called to discuss the problem inevitably⁹ dissolved into confrontations¹⁰.

The activists¹¹ believe simply that the deer are not the problem. Some communities have even discussed the possibility of bringing wolves back into the ecological¹² mix. That means wolves in the suburbs of New York. It is almost too wonderful not to try it. The wolves would kill deer of course. They would also terrorize and kill dogs and cats which is not what the suburban dwellers¹³ have in mind.

Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard

Q16. What do we learn about white-tailed deer in North Haven?

Q17. Why do local animal rights people bang on pots and pans?

Q18. What would happen if wolves were brought back into the ecological mix?

 

六级短文2原文

And now, if you'll walk this way, ladies and gentlemen, the next room we're going to see is the room in which the family used to hold their formal dinner parties and even occasionally entertain heads of state and royalty¹⁴. However, they managed to keep this room friendly and intimate. And I think you'll agree. It has a very informal atmosphere, quite unlike some grand houses you visit. The curtains were never drawn¹⁵, even at night, so guests got a view of the lake and fountains outside which were lit up at night – a very attractive sight. As you can see, ladies and gentlemen, the guests were seated very informally around this oval table, which would add to the relaxed atmosphere. The table dates from the 18th century and is made from Spanish oak. It's rather remarkable¹⁶ for the fact that although it's extremely big, it's supported by just six rather slim legs. However, it seems to have survived like that for 200 years. So it's probably going to last a bit longer. The chairs which go with the table are not a complete set. There were originally six of them. They are interesting for the fact that they are very plain and undecorated for the time, with only one plain central panel at the back and no armrests. I myself find them rather uncomfortable to sit in for very long, but people were used to more discomfort¹⁷ in the past. And now, ladies and gentlemen, if you'd like to follow me into the great hall…

Q19. What do we learn about the speaker?

Q20. What does the speaker say about the room they are visiting?

Q21. What is said about the oval table in the room?

Q22. What does the speaker say about the chairs?

 

2013年12月大学英语六级考试听力原文短文3】

Janet James was 22 years old when she was diagnosed with MS—a disease that attacks the body's nerves. She has just graduated from college and got a job at an advertising¹⁸ agency when she began to sense that something strange was going on inside her body.When James realized how severe her illness was, she knew she had better hurry up and live life. MS is the biggest cripplerof young adults. And although she didn't have many symptoms, she knew it was just a matter of time. First on her agenda was to pursue her dream of hosting a pop music programme. She worked at a radio station for a year, always aware that her body was degenerating¹⁹. Then her best friend moved away. And one night James began screaming, "I got to go! I got to go!" Two weeks later, she arrived at Alaska, thousands of miles from her friends, her family and her past. "Everything fell into a place", she recalls. A 23-year-old girl with an incurable²⁰ disease can fly to Alaska and everything can work out. The MS attacks came and went. And most of the time they hardly slowed her down. James hiked, fished, learnt to sail and experimented with hot air ballooning. "I lived for adventure", she says. "Nobody ever had a better time or did more exotic strange things than I did in an 80-year period." Inevitably however, the day came when she was so weakened that she had to return to Pittsburgh, her home town. There she began relieving her adventures by writing a book about them. Her book was published in 1993.

Questions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.

Questions 23

What does the speaker say about MS?

Questions 24

What did Janet James decide to do after her disease was diagnosed?

Questions 25

What's sort of person can we infer Janet James is?the ecological mix?

 

2013年12月大学英语六级考试

听力填空原文

It’s difficult to estimate the number of youngsters involved in home schooling²¹ where children are not sent to school and receive their formal education from one or both parents. Legislation and court decisions have made it legally possible in most states for parents to educate their children at home and each year more people take advantage of that opportunity.

Some states require parents or a home tutor to meet teacher certification standards, and many require parents to complete legal forms to verify that their children are receiving instruction in state approved curriculum.

Supporters of home education claim that it is less expensive and far more efficient than mass public education. Moreover they site several advantages: alleviation²² of school overcrowding, strengthen family relationships, lower dropout²³ rates, the facts that students are allowed to learn at their own rate, increased motivation, higher standardized²⁴ test scores, and reduced discipline problems.

Critics of the home schooling movement content that it creates as many problems as it solves. They acknowledge that, in a few cases, home schooling offers educational opportunities superior to those found in most public schools, but few parents can provide such educational advantages. Some parents who withdraw their children from the schools in favor of home schooling have an inadequate²⁵ educational background and insufficient²⁶ formal training to provide a satisfactory education for their children. Typically, parents have fewer technological²⁷ resources at their disposal than do schools. However, the relatively²⁸ inexpensive computer technology that is readily available today is causing some to challenge the notion that home schooling is in any way inferior to more highly structured classroom education.

 

【六级听力长对话原文2】

W: Hello.

M: Hello. Is that the reference library?

W: Yes, can I help you?

M: I hope so. I ran earlier and asked for some information about Dennis Hutton, the scientist. You asked me to ring back.

W: Oh, yes. I have found something.

M: Good. I've got a pencil and paper. Perhaps you could read out what it says.

W: Certainly. Hutton Dennis, born Darlington, 1836, died New York, 1920.

M: Yes, got that.

W: Inventer and physicist²⁹, the son of a farmworker. He was admitted to the University of London at the age of 15.

M: Yes.

W: He graduated at 17 with the first class degree in physics and mathematics. All right?

M: Yes, all right.

W: He made his first notable achievement at the age of 18. It was a method of refrigeration which rolls from his work in low temperature physics. He became professor of mathematics at the University of Manchester at 24, where he remained for twelve years. During that time, he married one of his students, Natasha Willoughby

M: Yes, go on.

W: Later working together in London, they laid the foundations of modern physics by showing that normal laws of cause and effect do not apply at the level of subatomic particles. For this he and his wife received the Nobel Prize for physics in 1910, and did so again in 1912 for their work on very high frequency radio waves. In his lifetime, Hutton patented 244 inventions. Do you want any more?

M: Yes, when did he go to America?

W: Let me see. In 1920 he went to teach in New York and died there suddenly after only three weeks. Still he was a good age.

M: Yes, I suppose so. Well, thanks.

Question 12: What do we learn about Dennis Hutton when he was 15?

Question 13: What did Dennis Hutton do at the age of 24?

Question 14: For what were Dennis Hutton and his wife awarded the Nobel Prize a second time?

Question 15: Why did Dennis Hutton go to New York?

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

3 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

4 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

5 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

6 browsed   

v.吃草( browse的过去式和过去分词 )；随意翻阅；（在商店里）随便看看；（在计算机上）浏览信息

参考例句：

• I browsed through some magazines while I waited. 我边等边浏览几本杂志。 来自辞典例句
• I browsed through the book, looking at page after page. 我翻开了一下全书，一页又一页。 来自互联网

7 shrubs   

灌木( shrub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
• These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。

8 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

9 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

10 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

11 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

13 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

15 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

16 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

17 discomfort   

n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便

参考例句：

• One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
• She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。

18 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

19 degenerating   

衰退，堕落，退化( degenerate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denied that some young people today were degenerating. 他否认现在某些青年在堕落。
• Young people of today are not degenerating. 今天的青年并没有在变坏。

20 incurable   

adj.不能医治的，不能矫正的，无救的；n.不治的病人，无救的人

参考例句：

• All three babies were born with an incurable heart condition.三个婴儿都有不可治瘉的先天性心脏病。
• He has an incurable and widespread nepotism.他们有不可救药的，到处蔓延的裙带主义。

21 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

22 alleviation   

n. 减轻，缓和，解痛物

参考例句：

• These were the circumstances and the hopes which gradually brought alleviation to Sir Thomas's pain. 这些情况及其希望逐渐缓解了托马斯爵士的痛苦。
• The cost reduction achieved in this way will benefit patients and the society in burden alleviation. 集中招标采购降低的采购成本要让利于患者，减轻社会负担。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语

23 dropout   

n.退学的学生；退学；退出者

参考例句：

• There is a high dropout rate from some college courses.有些大学课程的退出率很高。
• In the long haul,she'll regret having been a school dropout.她终归会后悔不该中途辍学。

24 standardized   

adj.标准化的

参考例句：

• We use standardized tests to measure scholastic achievement. 我们用标准化考试来衡量学生的学业成绩。
• The parts of an automobile are standardized. 汽车零件是标准化了的。

25 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

26 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

27 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

28 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

29 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。