2004年6月大学英语六级考试

(新题型整合卷)

Part I                           Writing                     (30 minutes)

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a letter to the editor of a newspaper complaining about the poor service of a bookstore. You should write at least 150 words according to the guidelines given below in Chinese.

    设想你买了一本英文词典，发现有这样那样的质量问题，书店的服务态度又不好，因此给报社编辑写信。信中必须包括以下内容：

1. 事情的起因

2. 与书店交涉的经过

3. 呼吁服务行业必须提高服务质量

注意：实考中此部分试题在答题卡1上。

A Letter to the Editor of a Newspaper

Part II        Reading Comprehension( Skimming and Scanning)   (15 minutes)

Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1.

For questions 1 -4, mark

Y (for YES)             if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage;

N (for NO)              if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage;

NG (for NOT GIVEN)    if the information is not given in the passage.

For questions 5 - 10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.

The History of Halloween

    Halloween is a popular holiday that takes place on October 31. In the United States and Canada, children dress in costumes and go trick-or-treating. Many people carve Jack-o'-lanterns out of pumpkins. Halloween parties for children feature fortunetelling, mock haunted houses, scary stories, and games, such as bobbing for apples. People decorate their houses and yards with images of ghosts, skeletons, witches, black cats, bats, and other symbols of Halloween. Many communities across the United States also hold parades and other celebrations for Halloween.

Halloween developed from an ancient pagan festival celebrated by Celtic people over 2,000 years ago in the area that is now the United Kingdom, Ireland, and northwestern France. The festival was called Samhain, which means "summer's end. " The festival marked the beginning of the dark winter season and was celebrated around November 1. In the 800's, the Christian church established a new holiday, All Saints' Day, on this date. All Saints' Day was also called All Hallows'. Hallow means saint, or one who is holy. The evening before All Hallow's was known as All Hallow's Eve, or as it came to be abbreviated, All Hallow e'en. This name was eventually shortened to Halloween.

Halloween Customs and Symbols

    Trick-or-treating. It was once common for people to leave food out on a table as a treat for spirits believed to be about on Halloween. In England, people went house-to-house souling--that is, asking for small breads called soul cakes in exchange for prayers. In some areas of the United Kingdom and Ireland, people went mumming (parading in masks) on many holidays, including alloween. Groups of masked adults would go door-to-door asking for food and drink in return for a performance or song. Dressing in costume and asking for food or money was done in England on Guy Farkes Day ( November 5).

    Today, trick-or-treating is the main Halloween activity for children in the United States and Canada. Young people wear costumes and go from door to door saying "trick or treat !" Costumes range from simple homemade disguises to elaborate store-bought likenesses of characters from cartoons, motion pictures, and television. Costumes of ghosts, witches, devils, and other mysterious creatures are also popular. The neighbors, to avoid having tricks played on them, give the children candy and other treats. Children carry bags or plastic buckets to collect the candy. Trick-or-treating usually occurs late in the day or after dark on Halloween. Homeowners turn on their porch lights as a sign that treats are available.

    Since 1950, some children have gone trick-or-treating for UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund. They collect the money for the agency in official orange-and-black cartons to aid children throughout the world.

    Certain measures can help prevent accidents while trick-or-treating. A child can wear a light-colored costume or one with reflecting tape sewn on so they can be easily seen by drivers. The costume should be made of a material that does not burn easily. Because masks can block vision, many parents of small children use face makeup instead. Children should visit only homes in their own neighborhood, Younger trick-or-treaters should be accompanied by an adult.

    Costumes. Adults sometimes wore costumes when they begged house-to-house for a. Halloween feast. In County Cork, Ireland, a man wearing a white robe and holding a wooden horse's head led the group. In parts of Scotland, costumed beggars out on Halloween were known as skeklets. In Wales, boys dressed as girls and girls dressed as boys to go house-to-house singing Halloween rhythms.

    Halloween costumes were popularized in the United States by adults in the late 1800's. By the early 1900's, however, Halloween costumes were worn mainly by children. Some of the first children's costumes were fairies, Gypsies, and burglars. In the 1950's, factory-made costumes of popular figures from movies and television appeared. Store-bought costumes have since become popular among both children and adults.

     Jack-o'-lanterns. Jack-o'-lanterns are hollowed-out pumpkins with a face cut into one side. Most jack-o'-lanterns contain a candle or some other light. People in Scotland and Ireland once carved out large beets or turnips to use as lanterns on Halloween. After this custom reached America, pumpkins began to be used. The jack-o'-lantern originally represented spirits present in the dark, or souls released from Christian hell.

    According to an Irish legend, jack-o'-lanterns were named for a character named Jack, who could not enter heaven because he was a miserly, bad-tempered man. He could not enter hell either, because he had tricked the devil several times. As a result, Jack had to walk the earth forever with only a coal from hell to light his lantern.

    Fortunetelling. Fortunetelling methods that developed in Europe hundreds of years ago became an important part of Halloween rituals and celebrations. In Ireland, objects, such as a coin, a ring, and a thimble, were baked into a cake or other food. It was believed that the person who found the coin would become wealthy. Whoever found the ring would marry soon, but the person who got the thimble would never get married.

    Halloween magic is also associated with foods, such as apples and nuts. In one fortunetelling game, a young woman would peel an apple in one long paring and throw it over her shoulder. People believed it would land in the shape of the initial of the man the woman would marry. Halloween's connection with apples and nuts is ancient, and Halloween was sometimes referred to as Nutcrack Night or Snap Apple Night. Today, some people use fortunetelling techniques, such as tarot cards or palm reading, to predict the future on Halloween.

    Mischief Night. The night before Halloween is known by a number of names, including Mischief Night and Devil's Night. This is a night when young people play tricks on their neighbors, such as decorating trees with tissue paper or soaping windows. But through the years, Mischief Night troubles, which had usually been harmless, sometimes became rowdy and destructive. As a result, many communities now discourage Mischief Night activities.

    Halloween Symbols. In the 1500's and 1600's, people in Europe believed that the devil made witches do evil deeds. Over the centuries, people came to imagine that witches--and sometimes their animal companions, often black cats--rode through the night sky on Halloween. Throughout the ages, superstitious folk thought that fairies and ghosts could be asked for help casting spells or seeing into the future on Halloween. These supernatural creatures were not always friendly, and people sometimes carried turnip lanterns carved with grotesque faces to keep them away. In Scotland, people lit huge bonfires on hillsides to drive away evil spirits. For centuries in Europe, people remembered the dead at All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day ( November 2) with bonfires. Although bonfires are less common on Halloween today, people still mark the night with candles burning in Jaek-o'-lanterns. In addition, although most people do not believe in ghosts or witches, these supernatural beings remain symbols of Halloween.

注意：实考中此部分试题均在答题卡1上作答。

1. Small children use face makeup instead of masks because it is cool to wear makeup.

2. It's implied in the article that some accidents happened on Halloween.

3. Some people use pen to predict the future.

4. Superstitious people believe that carrying turnip lanterns carved with distorted faces could keep supernatural creatures away.

5. Halloween falls on            every year.

6. Halloween actually is the            of All Saints' Day, which is also called All Hallows'.

7. Today children go from door to door, shouting  “___________________________”

8. Ghosts, skeletons, witches, black cats and bats are the common              of Halloween.

9. Jack-o'-lantems was first carved out of large beets or turnips, but when this custom reached America,                  came to be used.

10. Since Mischief night activities sometimes turned                                , they are not welcomed by many communities now.

Part III                  Listening Comprehension              (35 minutes)

Section A

Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center.

11. A) Dick's trousers don't match his jacket.        B) Dick looks funny in that yellow jacket.

   C) The color of Dick's jacket is too dark.        D) Dick has bad taste in clothes.

12. A) Call the police station.                    B) Get the wallet for the man.

   C) Show the man her family pictures.           D) Ask to see the man's driver's license.

13. A) The temperature is not as high as the man claims.

   B) The room will get cool if the man opens the windows.

   C) She is following instructions not to use the air-conditioning.

   D) She is afraid the new epidemic SARS will soon spread all over town.

14. A) The man is not suitable for the position.

   B) The job has been given to someone else.

   C) She had received only one application letter.

   D) The application arrived a week earlier than expected.

15. A) At a shopping center.                      B) At an electronics company.

   C) At an international trade fair.                D) At a DVD counter in a music store.

16. A) The woman hated the man talking throughout the movie.

   B) The woman saw a comedy instead of a horror movie.

   C) The woman prefers light movies before sleep.

   D) The woman regrets going to the movie.

17. A) He is the right man to get the job done.      B) He is a man with professional expertise.

   C) He is not easy to get along with.            D) He is not likely to get the job.

18. A) It is being forced out of the entertainment industry.

   B) It should change its concept of operation.

   C) It should revolutionize its technology.

   D) It is a very good place to relax.

Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

19. A) Staying in the correspondence section all his life.

   B) Opening a business.

   C) Reading a letter.

   D) Resigning from his present job.

20. A) He wants to spend more time with his family.

   B) He wants to have a new job.

   C) He wants to resign from his present job.

   D) He wants to stay in the correspondence section all his life.

21. A) He has sent out his resignation letter.

   B) He has sent a letter to his boss.

   C) He has sent his resume out to a lot of companies.

   D) He has sent out a job-application letter.

22. A) To send out his résumé out to a lot of companies.

   B) To resign from his present job.

  C) To line up some other interviews.

   D) To stay in the correspondence section all his life.

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

23. A) It is crowded.                          B) It is dirty.

   C) It is noisy.                             D) It is busy but he likes it.

24. A) She thought the life in the city is very convenient.

   B) She thought the life in the suburbs is very crowded.

   C) She thought the life in the suburbs is very dirty.

   D) She thought the life in the city is very lovely.

25. A) He will move back to the city soon.            B) He will stay on in the suburbs.

   C) He is not sure.                             D) He will move back to the city later.

Section B

Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D ). Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center.

注意：实考中此部分试题在答题卡2上作答。

Passage One

Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.

26. A) He set up the first university in America.

   B) He was one of the earliest settlers in America.

   C) He can best represent the spirit of early America.

   D) He was the most distinguished diplomat in American history.

27. A) He provided Washington with a lot of money.

   B) He persuaded France to support Washington.

   C) He served as a general in Washington's army.

   D) He represented Washington in negotiations with Britain.

28. A) As one of the greatest American scholars.

   B) As one of America's most ingenious inventors.

   C) As one of the founding fathers of the United States.

   D) As one of the most famous activists for human rights.

Passage Two

Questions 29 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.

29. A) Because we might be offered a dish of insects.

   B) Because nothing but freshly cooked insects are served.

   C) Because some yuppies like to horrify guests with insects as food.

   D) Because we might meet many successful executives in the media industry.

30. A) From yuppie clubs.                             B) In the seafood market.

   C) In the supermarket.                             D) On the Internet.

31. A) It's easy to prepare.                             B) It's tasty and healthful.

   C) It's exotic in appearance.                         D) It's safe to eat.

32. A) It will be consumed by more and more young people.

   B) It will become the first course at dinner parties.

   C) It will have to be changed to suit local tastes.

   D) It is unlikely to be enjoyed by most people.

Passage Three

Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

33. A) Their business hours are limited.             B) Their safety measures are inadequate.

   C) Their banking procedures are complicated.     D) They don't have enough service windows.

34. A) People who are in the habit of switching from one bank to another.

   B) Young people who are fond of modern technology.

   C) Young people who are wealthy and well-educated.

   D) People who have computers at home.

35. A) To compete for customers.                 B) To reduce the size of their staff.

   C) To provide services for distant clients.        D) To expand their operations at a lower cost.

Section C

Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.

注意：实考中此部分试题在答题卡2上作答。

    The human body is a remarkable food(36)          As an adult, you may( 37 )_______ over a ton of food per year and still not gain or lose a pound of body weight. You are (38) ______ harnessing, and consuming energy through the intricate (39)            of your body in order to return an energy balance. To (40)            a given body weight, your energy input must balance your energy output. However, sometimes the (41 )            energy balance is upset, and your(42) __ __ body weight will either fall or(43) _____________________

    The term body image refers to the mental image we have of our own physical appearance, and (44) _______________________________________________________________Research has revealed that about 40 percent of adult men and 55 percent of adult women are dissatisfied with their current body weight. (45)                                                     . At the college level, a study found that 85 percent of both male and female first year students desired to change their body weight. (46)                                                         Thinness is currently an attribute that females desire highly. Males generally desire muscularity.

Part IV          Reading Comprehension ( Reading in Depth)     ( 25 minutes)

Section A

Directions: In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words on Answer Sheet 2.

Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.

    Twenty years ago, when only the lowly tadpole had been cloned, bioethicists raised the possibility that scientists might someday advance the technology to include human beings as well. They wanted the issue discussed. But scientists assailed the moralists' concerns as alarmist. Let the research go forward, the scientists argued, because cloning human beings would serve no discernible scientific purpose. Now the cloning of human is within reach, and society as a whole is caught with its ethical pants down.

     Today the sheep--tomorrow the shepherd? Whether the cloning of human beings can be ethically justified is now firmly, perhaps permanently, on the nation's moral agenda. President Clinton has given an advisory panel of experts just 90 days to come up with proposals for government action.  The government could prohibit the cloning of human beings or issue regulations limiting what researchers can do. But the government cannot control the actions of individuals or private groups determined to clone humans for whatever purpose. And science has a way of outdistancing -all ethical restraints. "In science, the one rule is that what can be done will be done," warns Robbi Moses Tendler, professor of medical ethics at Yeshiva University in New York.

     Some ethicists regard the cloning of human as inherently evil, a morally unjustifiable intrusion into human life. Others measure the morality of any act by the intentions behind it, still others are concerned primarily with the consequences--for society as well as for individuals. Father Richard McCormick, a veteran Jesuit ethicist at the University of Notre Dame, represents the hardest line : any cloning of human is morally repugnant.  "A person who would want a clone of himself", says McCormick,  " is overwhelming self-centered. One Richard McCormick is enough. But why not clone another Einstein? Once you program for producing superior beings", he says, "you are into eugenics, and eugenics of any kind is inherently discriminatory. " What's wrong with duplicating a sibling whose bone marrow could save a sick child? That, he believes, is using another human being merely "as a source for replaceable organ. " But why shouldn't an infertile couple resort to cloning if that is the only means of having a child? "Infertility is not an absolute evil that justifies doing any and every thing to overcome it," McComick insists.

注意：实考中此部分试题在答题卡2上作答。

47. Scientists think the moralists' warning is __________________________________________.

48. The phrase "be caught with pants down" in the first paragraph means ___________________

49. The main idea in the second paragraph is _________________________________________.

50. What the government can do is to set regulations to ___________________________________.

51. Should human be cloned? McCormick insists that _____________________________________.

Section B

Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D) . You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the center.

Passage One

Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.

    It was the worst tragedy in maritime(航海) history, six times more deadly than the Titanic. When the German cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff was hit by torpedoes(鱼雷) fired from a Russian submarine in the final winter of World War II, more than 10,000 people--mostly women, children and old people fleeing the final Red Army push into Nazi Germany--were packed aboard. An ice storm had turned the decks into frozen sheets that sent hundreds of families sliding into the sea as the ship tilted and began to go down. Others desperately tried to put lifeboats down. Some who succeeded fought off those in the water who had the strength to try to claw their way aboard. Most people froze immediately. "I'll never forget the screams," says Christa Nützmann, 87, one of the 1,200 survivors. She recalls watching the ship, brightly lit, slipping into its dark grave--and into seeming nothingness, rarely mentioned for more than half a century.

     Now Germany's Nobel Prize-winning author Günter Grass has revived the memory of the 9,000 dead, including more than 4,000 children--with his latest novel Crab Walk, published last month. The book, which will be out in English next year, doesn't dwell on the sinking; its heroine is a pregnant young woman who survives the catastrophe only to say later: "Nobody wanted to hear about it, not here in the West (of Germany) and not at all in the East. " The reason was obvious. As Grass put it in a recent interview with the weekly Die Woche: "Because the crimes are responsible for were and are so dominant, we didn't have the energy left to tell to our own sufferings. "

    The long silence about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff was probably unavoidable—and necessary. By unreservedly owning up to their country's monstrous crimes in the Second World War, Germans have managed to win acceptance abroad, marginalize(使...不得势) the neo-Nazis at home and make peace with their neighbors. Today's unified Germany is prosperous and stable than at any time in its long, troubled history. For that, a half century of willful forgetting about painful memories like the German Titanic was perhaps a reasonable price to pay. But even the most politically correct Germans believe that they've now earned the right to discuss the full historical record. Not to equate German suffering with that of its victims, but simply to acknowledge a terrible tragedy.

注意：实考中此部分试题在答题卡2上作答。

52. Why does the author say the sinking of the Wilhelm Gusfloff was the worst tragedy in maritime history?

   A) It was attacked by Russian torpedoes.        B) Most of its passengers were frozen to death.

   C) Its victims were mostly women and children.  D) It caused the largest number of casualties.

53. Hundreds of families dropped into the sea when ______________________________.

   A) a strong ice storm tilted the ship

   B) the cruise ship sank all of sudden

   C) the badly damaged ship leaned toward one side

   D) the frightened passengers fought desperately for lifeboats

54. The Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy was little talked about for more than half a century because Germans ________________________________.

   A) were eager to win international acceptance   B) felt guilty for their crimes in World War II

   C) had been pressured to keep silent about it    D) were afraid of offending their neighbors

55. How does Günter Grass revive the memory of the Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy?

   A) By presenting the horrible scene of the torpedo attack.

   B) By describing the ship's sinking in great detail.

   C) By giving an interview to the weekly Die Woche.

   D) By depicting the survival of a young pregnant woman.

56. It can be learned from the passage that Germans no longer think that

   A) they will be misunderstood if they talk about the Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy

   B) the Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy is a reasonable price to pay for the nation's past misdeeds

   C) Germany is responsible for the horrible crimes it committed in World War II

   D) it is wrong to equate their sufferings with those of other countries

Passage Two

Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

   Given the lack of fit between gifted students and their schools, it is not surprising that such students often have little good to say about their school experiences. In one study of 400 adults who had achieved distinction in all areas of life, researchers found that three-fifths of these individuals either did badly in school or were unhappy in school. Few MacArthur Prize fellows, winners of the MacArthur Award for creative accomplishment, had good things to say about their pre-collegiate schooling if they had not been placed in advanced programs. Anecdotal (名人轶事的) reports support this. Pablo Picasso, Charles Darwin, Mark Twain, Oliver Goldsmith, and William Butler Yests all disliked school. So did Winston Churchill, who almost failed out of Harrow, an elite British school. About Oliver Goldsmith, one of his teachers remarked, "Never was so dull a boy. " Often these children realize that they know more than their teachers, and their teachers often feel that these children are arrogant, inattentive, or unmotivated.

    Some of these gifted people may have done poorly in school because their gifts were not scholastic. Maybe we can account for Picasso in this way. But most fared poorly in school not because they lacked ability but because they found school unchallenging and consequently lost interest. Yeats described the lack of fit between his mind and school:" Because I had found it difficult to attend to anything less interesting than my own thoughts, I was difficult to teach. "As noted earlier, gifted children of all kinds tend to be strong-willed nonconformists. Nonconformity and stubbornness (and Yeats's level of arrogance and self-absorption) are likely to lead to conflicts with teachers.

    When highly gifted students in any domain talk about what was important to the development of their abilities, they are far more likely to mention their families than .their schools or teachers. A writing prodigy(神童) studied by David Feldman and Lynn Goldsmith was taught far more about writing by his journalist father than his English teacher. High-IQ children in Australia studied by Miraca Gross had much more positive feelings about their families than their schools. About half of the mathematicians studied by Benjamin Bloom had little good to say about school. They all did well in school and took honors classes when available, and some skipped grades.

注意：实考中此部分试题在答题卡2上作答。

57. The main point the author is making about schools is that _________________________.

   A) they should satisfy the needs of students from different family backgrounds

   B) they are often incapable of catering to the needs of talented students

   C) they should organize their classes according to the students' ability

   D) they should enroll as many gifted students as possible

58. The author quotes the remarks of one of Oliver Goldsmith's teachers

   A) to provide support for his argument

   B) to illustrate the strong will of some gifted children

   C) to explain how dull students can also be successful

   D) to show how poor Oliver's performance was at school

59. Pable Picasso is listed among the many gifted children who _____________________________.

   A) paid no attention to their teachers in class

   B) contradicted their teachers much too often

   C) could not cope with their studies at school successfully

   D) behaved arrogantly and stubbornly in the presence of their teachers

60. Many gifted people attributed their success _____________________________.

   A) mainly to parental help and their education at home

   B) both to school instruction and to their parents' coaching

   C) more to their parents' encouragement than to school training

   D) less to their systematic education than to their talent

61. The root cause of many gifted students having bad memories of their school years is that _________________________.

   A) their nonconformity brought them a lot of trouble

   B) they were seldom praised by their teachers

   C) school courses failed to inspire or motivate them

   D) teachers were usually far stricter than their parents

Part V                      Error Correction                 (15 minutes)

Directions: This part consists of a short passage. In this passage, there are altogether 10 mistakes, one in each numbered line. You may have to change a word, add a word or delete a word. Mark out the mistakes and put the corrections in the blanks provided. If you change a word, cross it out and write the correct word in the corresponding blank. If you add a word, put an insertion mark (/~ ) in the right place and write the missing word in the blank. If you delete a word, cross it out and put a slash(/) in the blank.

注意：实考中此部分试题在答题卡2上作答。

     Culture refers to the social heritage of a people--the learned patterns

for thinking, feeling and acting that characterize a population or society,

include the expression of these patterns in material things.  Culture is         62. ___________

compose of nonmaterial culture--abstract creations like values, beliefs,     63. ___________

customs and institutional arrangements--and material culture--physical

object like cooking pots, computers and bathtubs. In sum, culture reflects 64. ___________

both the ideas we share or everything we make. In ordinary speech, a       65. ___________

person of culture is the individual can speak another language--the person 66. ___________

who is unfamiliar with the arts, music, literature, philosophy, or history.      67. ___________

But to sociologists, to be human is to be cultured, because of culture is      68.