2008年6月大学英语六级考试真题详解（A卷）

遇见明天

Part Ⅰ   Writing

范文：

Will E-books Replace Traditional Books?

Recent decades have seen the rapid development of information technology. As a result, many electric inventions, including E-books, have found their way intoour everyday life and have gained increasing popularity among common people.

It’s no wonder that somepeople hold the idea that E-books will replace traditionalbooks sooner or later because E-books have various advantages over thetraditional ones. To start with, allthe E-books can be downloaded from the internet directly, most of which are free of charge, while the traditional books inbookstores are much more expensive. What’smore, E-books can be stored more easily in our computers and are more convenientfor people to carry around. Last but notthe least, reading E-books has become a fashion in our life, which is particularly appealing to ouryoung people.

As far as I am concerned, nowadays traditional books are still the leading means of reading. ⑾However, with the further development ofinformation technology and with the popularity of computer and internet,E-books will surely take the place of traditional books in the near future.

Part Ⅱ ReadingComprehension (Skimming and Scanning)

1. D）。                        2.B）。                        3.A）。                        4.C）。

5. C）。                        6.A）。                        7.D）。                        8.artificial intelligence

9.weapons                   10. religion

Part Ⅲ  Listening Comprehension

Section A

11. M: Good news! I am not going to have surgery afterall. The doctor says I can start working out again soon and maybe playfootball like before in a few weeks.

W: That’s terrific. It will be great if you could get back in shape in timefor the World’s Cup.

Q: What do we learn from the conversation?

A)。

12. M: I really need to make some extra money. You know,I’ve practically spent my entire budget for this semester.

W: Why not check out the new cafeteria at Market Street? I think there are still afew opening suitable for seniors like you.

W: What does the woman suggest the man do?

D)。

13. M: I hear John left his cat in your care while he’son vacation abroad. How are you getting along with it?

W: Well, it never comes when I call it. It spills its food and sheds allover the place. I can’t wait till John gets back.

Q: How does the woman find the cat?

C)。

14. W: Hello, Professor White, I got my grade in themail this morning, but I think there might be a mistake in my mark.

M: Yeah, I’ve got several calls, just like yours, there must be a problemwith the computing system. It should be straightened out in a couple of hours.

Q: What does the man mean?

A)。

15. M: ProfessorJohnson, last night when I was putting the finishing touches on my paper, acomputer failure completely wiped out my files. Do you think I could haveanother day to retype it?

W: I’m sorry Rod. I’m leaving for a conference tomorrow and I’ll be away twoweeks. I suppose you could send me an e-copy.

Q: Why does the man say he can’t submit his assignment on time?

B)。

16. W: I just calledthe travel agency. It’s all set. On June 1st, we are heading for themountains, and we’ll be camping there for a whole week.

M: Have you checked the academic calendar? My classes aren’t over until the8th.

Q: What does the man imply?

A)。

17. W: I thought therewere still time for me to apply for a student loan, but someone just told methat the closing date was last Tuesday.

M: Are you sure? I thought we still had another month. Wait. I got abrochure right here. Last Tuesday was the opening date.

Q: What does the man imply?

D)。

18. W: Look at all thepollutants going into the air from those factories. Do you think they’ll everget that under control?

M: Now with the new laws in effect and social awareness increasing, we aresure to turn things around.

Q: What does the man mean?

C)。

ConversationOne

W: Tell me, Peter, what makes Harold’s so famous?

M: Well, it’s the biggest department store in the UK, and its food hall and Egyptianhall are very famous. People come to Harold’s just to see them.

W: (19) What isspecial about the food hall?

M: (19) It sells manydifferent kinds of food. For example, it has two hundred and fifty kindsof cheese from all over the world, and more than 180 kinds of bread. Customersalso love all the different kinds of chocolate. They buy a hundred tons everyyear.

W: That’s amazing, and (20)why is the Egyptian hall so famous?

M: Well, (20) when peoplesee it they feel they’re in another world. It looks like an Egyptian buildingfrom 4000 years ago, and it sells beautiful objects. They are not 4000years old, of course.

W: (21) Is it truethat Harold’s produces its own electricity?

M: (21) Yes, it does.70%, enough for a small town. To light the outside of the building we use11,500 light bulbs.

W: Really, tell me, (22)how many customers do you have on an average day? And how muchdo they spend?

M: (22) About 30,000people come on an average day. But during the sales, the number increases to300,000 customers a day. How much do they spend? Well, on average, customersspend about 1.5 million pounds a day. The record for one day is 9 millionpounds.

W: 9 million pounds in one day?

M: Yes, on the first day of the January sales.

W: Harold’s says it sells everything to everybody everywhere, is that reallytrue?

M: Oh, yes, of course. Absolutely everything.

19. Whatis the food hall of Harold’s noted for?

B)。

20. Whatdoes the Egyptian hall seem like to the customers?

A)。

21. Whatmay customers find surprising about Harold’s?

D)。

22. Abouthow many customers come to Harold’s on an average day?

B)。

ConversationTwo

W: Hi, Kevin.

M: HI, Lora, long time no see. What have you been up to lately?

W: Not much I can assure you. And you?

M: Much the same except I do have some big news.

W: Come on, the suspense is killing me.

M: Not really, what have you been doing these past few weeks? (23) The lasttime I saw you, you were looking for a new job.

W: Well, (23) that’s not exactly true. I was thinking about changing jobs.Luckily, they offered me a new position in the accounting department.

M: A step up in the big business world.

W: I wouldn’t exaggerate, but I’m pleased. (24) I had been hoping to getpromotion for a while, so when it finally came through I was relieved.Actually, that’s why I was looking for a new job. I just didn’t want to workthere anymore if they weren’t going to recognize my efforts.

M: Right, sometimes you can do your best and it seems like the others don’tknow you exist. I hope the money is better.

W: I got a reasonable raise. Now, enough about me. I’m dying to hear your news.

M: (25) I’m getting married.

W: (25) No, you said you’d never get married.

M: That was then, and this is now. You’ve got to meet Andrea. She is great.

W: This is all news to me. I didn’t even know you were dating.

M: We weren’t. We’ve just been dating for two weeks now.

W: And you are getting married?

M: I know. I can’t help it. I just know she is the one.

W: Well, congratulations. That’s fantastic.

M: Thanks, I’m glad to hear you feel that way.

23. Whatwas the woman doing when the man last saw her?

C)。

24. Whydoes the woman say she was relieved?

A)。

25. Whyis the woman surprised at the man’s news?

B)。

SectionB

PassageOne

Water scootersare water vehicles that look very much like motorcycles. (26) Nowadaysspeedy colorful water scooters are gaining in popularity. They can travelanywhere a small boat can and are typically popular with young people. Therising popularity of the craft has raised a question of water scooterregulation. In this case, the argument for strict regulation is compelling. (26)Water scooters are a particularly deadly form of water recreation. Forexample, two women were vacationing in Longboat Key. While they were floatingon a rubber boat along the shore, a water scooter crashed into them and killedthem. Also, water scooter operators have been killed and seriously injured incollisions with other watercraft. Others have been stranded at sea when theirscooters either failed or sank far from shore. (27) Many water scooteroperators are inexperienced and ignorant of navigational rules, whichincreases the potential for accidents. The increasing popularity of thescooter has aggravated the problem, providing more water vehicles to competefor the same space. Crowded water ways are simply an open invitation todisaster. In addition to the inherent operational hazards of water scooters, (28)they are proving to be an environmental nuisance. Beach residents complainof the noise of the scooters. The Pacific Whale Foundation on the westcoast expressed the concern that (28) the scooters are frightening away anendangered species of whale that migrates to Hawaii for breeding. (29) Regulations,such as minimum operating age, restricted operating areas, and compulsoryclasses in water safety, are essential. Without such regulations, tragediesinvolving water scooters are sure to multiply, which makes many beaches unsafefor recreation.

26. Whatdoes the speaker say about water scooters?

D)。

27. Whatis mentioned as one of the causes of water accidents?

A)。

28. Inwhat way are water scooters said to be an environmental nuisance?

B)。

29. Whatdoes the speaker propose to ensure the safety of beaches for recreation?

D)。

PassageTwo

It seems to me that neighbors aregoing out of style in America.The friend next door from whom you borrowed four eggs or a ladder has moved andthe people in there now are strangers. Some of the traditional stories of neighborlinessare impractical or silly, and it may be just as well that (30) our relationswith our neighbors are changing. The saying in the Bible "Love ThyNeighbor" was probably a poor translation of what must have originallybeen "Respect Thy Neighbor." Love can’t be called up on order. (31) Fewerthan half the people in the United  States live in the same house they lived infive years ago, so there’s no reason to love the people who live next door toyou just because they happened to wander into a real estate office thatlisted the place next door to yours. The only thing neighbors have in common,to begin with, is proximity, and unless something more develops, that isn’treason enough to be best friends. It sometimes happens naturally, but thechances are very small that your neighbors will be you choice as friends. Orthat you will be theirs, either.

(32) The best relationship withneighbors is one of friendly distance. You say hello, you small-talk if yousee them in the yard, you discuss problems as they arise and you help eachother in an emergency. The driveway or the fence between you is not really acold shoulder, but a clear boundary. We all like clearly-defined boundaries forourselves.

30. Whatdoes the speaker say about the relations among neighbors nowadays?

D)。

31. Whydoes the speaker say it may be difficult for people to love their neighbors?

B)。

32. Whatshould neighbors do in the speaker’s opinion?

C)。

PassageThree

Articles in magazines andnewspapers and special reports on radio and television reflect the concern ofmany Americans about the increasing dropout rate in our junior and senior highschools. (33) Coupled with this fact is the warning that soon we will nolonger have workforce to fill the many jobs that require properly-educatedpersonnel. The highest student dropout rate is not a recent development.Ten years ago, many urban schools were reporting dropout rates between 35 and50 percent. Some administrators maintain that dropouts remain the singlegreatest problem in their schools. Consequently, much effort has been spent onidentifying students with problems in order to give them more attention beforethey become failures. (34) Since the dropout problem doesn’t start in seniorhigh school, special programs in junior high school focus on students who showpromise but have a record of truancy, that is, staying away from school withoutpermission. Under the guidance of counselors, these students are placed inclasses with teachers who have had success in working with similar youngpeople. (35) Strategies to motivate students in high school includerewarding academic excellence by designating scholars of the month, or byissuing articles of clothing, such as school letter jackets formally givenonly to athletes. No one working with these students claims to know how to keepall students in school. Counselors, teachers, and administrators are in thefrontlines of what seems at times to be a losing battle. Actually, this problemshould be everyone’s concern, since uneducated, unemployed citizens affect usall.

33. Why are many Americans concerned with the increasing dropout rate inschool?

D)。

34. Whatdo we learn about the student dropout problem in America?

B)。

35. Whatis mentioned as one of the strategies used to motivate students?

C)。

SectionC

36. survive                          37. complicated                           38. offenders

39. whereby                         40. incurring                               41. influence

42. serving                          43. restore

44. Thealternative to capital punishment is longer sentences, but they would certainlycost the tax payers’ much money.

45. thatdoes not mean that the person isn't guilty of the crime, or that he shouldn'tpay society the debt he owes.

46. alarge part of it in prison for acts that he committed while not in full controlof his mind.

Part Ⅳ    ReadingComprehension   (Reading in Depth)

SectionA

47.causing a reaction                                       48.an emotional debate

49. The approval of every victim’s family           50.exploiting a national tragedy

51. raiseawareness

Section B

Passage One

52. B) 。[精解] 语义题。本题提问美国人感到屈辱的原因。第三段第1句指出，弱势美元是屈辱之源，因为货币是否坚挺在一定程度上体现了一个民族的自尊。由此可以得出，美国人感到屈辱是因为他们的货币——美元——持续走弱。

53. C) 。[精解 语义题。原文中很明显地提到了美元的走弱造成的影响：进口物品的价格上涨，对利率的压力也不断增大。对普通民众影响较大的是前者，也就意味着民众在购买进口食品时需要花费更多资金，选项C）是对原文的同义转述。

54. D) 。[精解 推断题。墨西哥一直是美国人比较喜爱的旅游目的地，文章中指出，现在的许多欧洲人眼中的美国显然就像美国人心中的墨西哥一样，这说明欧洲人认为美国是他们的比较理想的旅游目的地，所以选项D）正确。

55. C) 。[精解] 推断题。面对美元贬值给美国人带来的民族自尊上的困扰，文章末尾给美国人提出建议：如果想避免伤痛，最好取消去英国的旅行，转而前往新英格兰旅行，换句话说，就是取消去国外的旅行，转而在国内进行旅行。

56. A) 。[精解 语义题。本题主要考查对短语on a dime的理解，其意思为“短时间内，立即”，全句的意思是“美元不会在短期内发生转变”，也就是说，美元现在的这种持续走弱的形势不会在短期内发生转变，不会立即走强，选项Ａ）是对这一句的意思的正确解析。

Passage Two

57. D）。[精解推断题。题干中的内容与原文首句几乎无异。但是题干由why 提问，考察原因，从第一段的信息词 our first choice，aprize demonstrating how well we raised them 等，可以看出孩子要上我们首选的大学，并且大学情况如何将表明我们对孩子的教育的优劣。处处体现出家长的攀比心理。最后三句表明家长虽然不承认他们比孩子在上大学问题上更痴迷更在意，但是他们却承认在此基础上所设计的种种理由都是不真实，有偏见和虚幻不切实际的。最后一句更能体现作者的态度，对于他的孩子Aaron 和 Nicole而言，是否能上斯坦福大学并不重要。由此可见，更在乎的是父母而不是孩子，即D）所述内容。

58. A）。[精解推断题。本题还是对原文的一种现象提问原因，原文并未直接提及，但是我们可以从字里行间看出答案。第二段第一句说家长还是存在一种名牌大学的恐慌，即担心孩子无法进入名牌大学。由此萌生让学生多申请的想法。第三句紧接着提出名校毕业生的种种优势，如能够接受更好的教育，更有可能成功等等。由此推断，家长们让孩子向更多的大学提出申请是为了保障孩子有更多的机会迈入名校门槛的。

59.C）。[精解语义题。题干中的count意为“很重要”，同C）中的are important是同义转述。两句中都用了比较级。题干中的kids指孩子本身，除学习以外的各种技能能力，同义与C）中的kid’sactual abilities。宾语their colleges也和C）中的collegebackgrounds属同一范畴。

60．B）。[精解细节题。第四段的最后两句话介绍了普林斯顿经济学家Alan Krueger的研究结果：能够有机会被这个顶端博士项目录取的是能够在GRE考试中有优异成绩的，而不是拥有名牌大学学位的人，进一步的来证明前面提出的观点，上大学不是人生的唯一竞争，能上名牌大学并不一定就代表在以后的人生路上就处处优越于别人。

61.C）。[精解细节题。文章最后一段提到我们把上名校和孩子的未来之间的利害关系过于夸大，我们的这种行为too much pushiness 会是毁灭性的。其结果是名校毕业生会在未来的工作中有更多的不满。

PartⅤCloze

62. A）。               63. D）。               64. A）。               65. D）。

66. A）。               67. C）。               68. B）。               69. A）。

70. C）。               71.D）。               72.D）。               73. B）。

74. D）。               75.A）。               76. B）。               77. D）。

78. C）。               79. C）。               80. A）。               81.B）。

Part Ⅵ   Translation

82. whodevote/dedicate their whole lives to poems

[考点①定语从句：先行词为those，实际上指后面的they，所以连接词使用who；②“致力于”用devote/dedicate…to…表达。

83.or/otherwise she would have replied / made a reply to me last week

[考点①“早就该”的表达方式；②“否则”可以用or或者otherwise来表示。

84. havefinished her/the chemical experiment

[考点①完成时态；②chemical experiment表示“化学实验”。

85. hasthe old couple quarreled with each other

[考点①倒装结构：否定词never置于句首，句子需要采用倒装形式；②现在完成时态：从句是since引导的过去时的句子，所以主句需要采用现在完成时态。

86. Thefuture prosperity of a nation depends largely on/ To a great extent, the futureprosperity of a nation relies on

[考点①“在很大程度上”可以用to a great extent或largely表示；②“有赖于”可以用depend on或rely on表示；③“繁荣”的对应词为prosperity。