歷年大學英語六級考試閱讀理解真題

2007年6月大學英語六級考試閱讀理解真題

Youheartherefrainallthetime:theU.S.economylooksgoodstatistically,butit

doesn*tfeelgood.Whydoesn,tever-greaterwealthpromoteever-greaterhappiness?

Itisaquestionthatdatesatleasttotheappearancein1958ofTheAffluent（富裕的）

SocietybyJohnKennethGalbraith,whodiedrecentlyat97.

TheAffluentSocietyisamodernclassicbecauseithelpeddefineanewmomentin

thehumancondition.Formostofhistory,“hunger,sickness,andcold”threatened

nearlyeveryone,Galbraithwrote."Povertywasfoundeverywhereinthatworld.

Obviouslyitisnotofours.”AfterWorldWarII,thedreadofanotherGreat

Depressiongavewaytoaneconomicboom.Inthe1930sunemploymenthad

averaged18.2percent;inthe1950sitwas4.5percent.

ToGalbraith,materialismhadgonemadandwouldbreeddiscontent.Through

advertising,companiesconditionedconsumerstobuythingstheydidn'treallywant

orneed.Becausesomuchspendingwasartificial,itwouldbeunfulfilling.

Meanwhile,governmentspendingthatwouldmakeeveryonebetteroffwasbeing

cutdownbecausepeopleinstinctively—andwrongly—labeledgovernmentonlyas"a

necessaryeviL^^

It'softensaidthatonlythericharegettingahead;everyoneelseisstandingstill

orfallingbehind.Well,therearemanyundeservingrich-overpaidchiefexecutives,

forinstance.Butoveranymeaningfulperiod,mostpeople'sincomesareincreasing.

From1995to2004,inflation-adjustedaveragefamilyincomerose14.3percent,to

$43,200.peoplefeel“squeezed“becausetheirrisingincomesoftendon'tsatisfytheir

risingwants-forbiggerhomes,morehealthcare,moreeducation,fasterInternet

connections.

Theothergreatfrustrationisthatithasnoteliminatedinsecurity.Peopleregardjob

stabilityaspartoftheirstandardofliving.Ascorporatelayoffsincreased,thatparthas

eroded.Moreworkersfearthey'vebecome“thedisposableAmerican/9asLouis

Uchitelleputsitinhisbookbythesamename.

Becausesomuchprevioussufferingandsocialconflictstemmedfrompoverty,the

arrivalofwidespreadaffluencesuggestedutopian（烏托邦式的）possibilities.Uptoa

point,affluencesucceeds.Thereismuchlesphysicalmiserythanbefore.Peopleare

betteroff.Unfortunately,affluencealsocreatesnewcomplaintsand

contradictions.

Advancedsocietiesneedeconomicgrowthtosatisfythemultiplyingwantsoftheir

citizens.Butthequestforgrowthletsloosenewanxietiesandeconomicconflictsthat

disturbthesocialorder.Affluenceliberatestheindividual,promisingthateveryone

canchooseauniquewaytoself-fulfillment.Butthepromiseisso

extravagantthatitpredestinesmanydisappointmentsandsometimesinspires

choicesthathaveanti-socialconsequences,includingfamilybreakdownandobesity

（月巴月半癥）.Statisticalindicatorsofhappinesshavenotrisenwithincomes.

Shouldwebesurprised?Notreally.We'vesimplyreaffirmedanoldtruth:the

pursuitofaffluencedoesnotalwaysendwithhappiness.

52.WhatquestiondoesJohnKennethGalbraithraiseinhisbookTheAffluent

Society?

A)Whystatisticsdon'ttellthetruthabouttheeconomy.

1

B)Whyaffluencedoesn'tguaranteehappiness.

C)Howhappinesscanbepromotedtoday.

D)Whatliesbehindaneconomicboom.

53.AccordingtoGalbraith,peoplefeeldiscontentedbecause.

A)publicspendinghasn'tbeencutdownasexpected

B)thegovernmenthasprovedtobeanecessaryevil

C)theyareinfearofanotherGreatDepression

D)materialismhasrunwildinmodemsociety

54.Whydopeoplefeelsqueezedwhentheiraverageincomerisesconsiderably?

A)Theirmaterialpursuitshavegonefaraheadoftheirearnings.

B)Theirpurchasingpowerhasdroppedmarkedlywithinflation.

C)Thedistributionofwealthisunevenbetweenther5ichandthepoor.

D)Healthcareandeducationalcosthavesomehowgoneoutofcontrol.

55.WhatdoesLouisUchitellemeanby“thedisposableAmerican^^(Line3,Para.5)?

A)Thosewhoseejobstabilityaspartoftheirlivingstandard.

B)Peoplefullofutopianideasresultingfromaffluence.

C)PeoplewhohavelittlesayinAmericanpolitics.

D)Workerswhonolongerhavesecurejobs.

56.WhathasaffluencebroughttoAmericansociety?

A)Renewedeconomicsecurity.

B)Asenseofself-fulfillment.

C)Newconflictsandcomplaints.

D)Miseryandanti-socialbehavior.

PassageTwo

Theuseofdeferential(敬重的)languageissymbolicoftheConfucianidealofthe

woman,whichdominatesconservativegendernormsinJapan.Thisidealpresentsa

womanwhowithdrawsquietlytothebackground,subordinatingherlifeandneedsto

thoseofherfamilyanditsmalehead.Sheisadutifuldaughter,wife,andmother,

masterofthedomesticarts.ThetypicalrefinedJapanesewomanexcelsinmodesty

anddelicacy;she“treadssoftly(謹言慎行)intheworld,“elevatingfemininebeauty

andgracetoanartform.

Nowadays,itiscommonlyobservedthatyoungwomenarenotconformingtothe

femininelinguistic(語言的)ideal.Theyareusingfeweroftheverydeferential

“women's"forms,andevenusingthefewstrongformsthatareknowas"men's."

This,ofcourse,attractsconsiderableattentionandhasledtoanoutcryintheJapanese

mediaagainstthedefeminizationofwomen'slanguage.Indeed,wedidn'thearabout

“men'slanguage“untilpeoplebegantorespondtogirls'appropriationofforms

normallyreservedforboysandmen.Thereisconsiderablesentimentaboutthe

“corruption“ofwomen'slanguage-whichofcourseisviewedaspartofthelossof

feminineidealsandmorality-andthissentimentiscrystallizedbynationwide

opinionpollsthatareregularlycarriedoutbythemedia.

YoshikoMatsumotohasarguedthatyoungwomenprobablyneverusedasmanyof

thehighlydeferentialformsasolderwomen.Thishighlypolitestyleisnodoubt

somethingthatyoungwomenhavebeenexpectedto“growinto”—afterall,itis

assignnotsimplyoffemininity,butofmaturityandrefinement,anditsusecouldbe

takentoindicateachangeinthenatureofone'ssocialrelationsaswell.Onemight

well2

imaginelittlegirlsusingexceedinglypoliteformswhenplayinghouseorimitating

olderwomen—inafashionanalogoustolittlegirls'useofahigh-pitchedvoicetodo

"teachertalk"or'"mothertalk^^inroleplay.

ThefactthatyoungJapanesewomenareusinglessdeferentiallanguageisasure

signofchange—ofsocialchangeandoflinguisticchange.Butitismostcertainlynot

asignoftheUmasculization,5ofgirls.Insomeinstances,itmaybeasignthatgirlsare

makingthesameclaimtoauthorityasboysandmen,butthatisverydifferentfrom

sayingthattheyaretryingtobe“masculine."KatsueReynoldshasarguedthatgirls

nowadaysareusingmoreassertivelanguagestrategiesinordertobeabletocompete

withboysinschoolsandout.Socialchangealsobringsnotsimplydifferentpositions

forwomenandgirls,butdifferentrelationstolifestages,andadolescentgirlsare

participatinginnewsubculturalforms.Thuswhatmay,toanolderspeaker,seemlike

“masculine“speechmayseemtoanadolescentlike“liberated”or"hip”speech.

57.Thefirstparagraphdescribesindetail.

A)thestandardssetforcontemporaryJapanesewomen

B)theConfucianinfluenceongendernormsinJapan

C)thestereotypedroleofwomeninJapanesefamilies

D)thenormsfortraditionalJapanesewomentofollow

58.Whatchangehasbeenobservedintoday'syoungJapanesewomen?

A)Theypaylessattentiontotheirlinguisticbehavior.

B)Theusefewerofthedeferentiallinguisticforms.

C)Theyconfusemaleandfemaleformsoflanguage.

D)Theyemployverystronglinguisticexpressions.

59.Howdosomepeoplereacttowomen'sappropriationofmen,slanguageforms

asreportedintheJapanesemedia?

A)Theycallforacampaigntostopthedefeminization.

B)Theseeitasanexpressionofwomen'ssentiment.

C)Theyacceptitasamoderntrend.

D)Theyexpressstrongdisapproval.

60.AccordingtoYoshikoMatsumoto,thelinguisticbehaviorobservedintoday?s

youngwomen.

A)mayleadtochangesinsocialrelations

B)hasbeentrueofallpastgenerations

C)isviewedasasignoftheirmaturity

D)isaresultofrapidsocialprogress

61.TheauthorbelievesthattheuseofassertivelanguagebyyoungJapanesewomen

is.

A)asuresignoftheirdefeminizationandmaturation

B)anindicationoftheirdefianceagainstsocialchange

C)oneoftheirstrategiestocompeteinamale-dominatedsocietyD)aninevitable

trendoflinguisticdevelopmentinJapantoday

2007年12月大學英語六級考試閱讀理解真題

PassageOne

Likemostpeople,VvelongunderstoodthatIwillbejudgedbymyoccupation,3

thatmyprofessionisagaugepeopleusetoseehowsmartortalentedIam.Recently,

however,IwasdisappointedtoseethatitalsodecideshowVmtreatedasaperson.

LastyearIleftaprofessionalpositionasasmall-townreporterandtookajob

waitingtables.Assomeonepaidtoservefoodtopeople.Ihadcustomerssayanddo

thingstomeIsuspectthey'dneversayordototheirmostcasualacquaintances.One

nightamantalkingonhiscellphonewavedmeaway,thenbeckoned(示意)meback

withhisfingerminutelater,complaininghewasreadytoorderandaskingwhereI'd

been.

Ihadwaitedtablesduringsummersincollegeandwastreatedlikeapeon(勤雜工)

plentyofpeople.Butat19yearsold,IbelievedIdeservedinferiortreatmentfrom

professionaladults.Besides,peoplerespondedtomedifferentlyafterItoldthemI

wasincollege.Customerswouldjokethatonedayrdbesittingattheirtable,

waitingtobeserved.

OnceIgraduatedItookajobatacommunitynewspaper.Frommyfirstday,Iheard

arespectfultonefromeveryonewhocalledme.Iassumedthiswasthewaythe

professionalworldworked-cordially.

Isoonfoundoutdifferently.Isatseveralfeetawayfromanadvertisingsales

representativewithasimilarname.Ourcallswouldoftengetmixedupandsomeone

askingforKristenwouldbetransferredtoChristie.Themistakewasimmediately

evident.Perhapsitwasbecausemoneywasinvolved,butpeopleusedatonewith

Kristenthattheyneverusedwithme.

Myjobtitlemadepeopletreatmewithcourtesy.Soitwasashocktoreturntothe

restaurantindustry.

It，snosecretthatthere?salottoputupwithwhenwaitingtables,andfortunately,

muchofitcanbeeasilyforgottenwhenyoupocketthetips.Theserviceindustry,by

definition,existstocatertoothers'needs.Still,itseemedthatmanyofmycustomers

didn'tgetthedifferencebetweenserverandservant.

rmnowapplyingtograduatedschool,whichmeanssomedayV11returntoa

professionwherepeopleneedtobenicetomeinordertogetwhattheywant,Ithink

r11takethemtodinnerfirst,andseehowtheytreatsomeonewhoseonlyjobisto

servethem.

52.Theauthorwasdisappointedtofindthat.

A)one,spositionisusedasagaugetomeasureone,sintelligence

B)talentedpeoplelikehershouldfailtogetarespectablejob

C)one,soccupationaffectsthewayoneistreatedasaperson

D)professionalstendtolookdownuponmanualworkers

53Whatdoestheauthorintendtosaybytheexampleinthesecondparagraph?

A)Somecustomerssimplyshownorespecttothosewhoservethem.

B)Peopleabsorbedinaphoneconversationtendtobeabsent-minded.

C)Waitressesareoftentreatedbycustomersascasualacquaintances.

D)Somecustomersliketomakeloudcomplaintsfornoreasonatall.

54.Howdidtheauthorfeelwhenwaitingtablesattheageof19?

A)Shefeltitunfairtobetreatedasamereservantbyprofessional.

B)Shefeltbadlyhurtwhenhercustomersregardedherasapeon.

C)Shewasembarrassedeachtimehercustomersjokedwithher.

D)Shefounditnaturalforprofessionalstotreatherasinferior.

4

55.Whatdoestheauthorimplybysaying”,,manyofmycustomersdidn,tget

thedifferencebetweenserverandservant”(Lines3-4,Para.7)?

A)Thosewhocatertoothers'needsaredestinedtobelookeddownupon.

B)Thoseworkingintheserviceindustryshouldn,tbetreatedasservants.

C)Thoseservingothershavetoputupwithroughtreatmenttoearnaliving.

D)Themajorityofcustomerstendtolookonaservantasservernowadays.

56.Theauthorsaysshe'11onedaytakeherclientstodinnerinorderto.

A)seewhatkindofpersontheyare

B)experiencethefeelingofbeingserved

C)showhergenerositytowardspeopleinferiortoher

D)arousetheirsympathyforpeoplelivingahumblelife

PassageTwo

What'shotfor2007amongtheveryrich?A$7.3milliondiamondring.Atripto

Tanzaniatohuntwildanimals.Oh,andincomeinequality.

Sure,someleftishbillionaireslikeGeorgeSoroshavebeenrailingagainstincome

inequalityforyears.Butincreasingly,centristandright-wingbillionairesarestaring

toworryaboutincomeinequalityandthefateofthemiddleclass.

InDecember,MortimerZuckermanwroteacolumninU.S.News&World

Report,whichheowns,“ournation,scorebargainwiththemiddleclassis

disintegrating,5,lamented(哀嘆)the117th-richestmaninAmerica."Mostofour

economicgainshavegonetopeopleattheverytopoftheincomeladder.Average

incomeforahouseholdofpeopleofworkingage,bycontrast,hasfallenfiveyearsin

araw."Henotedthat“TensofmillionsofAmericansliveinfearthatamajorhealth

problemcanreducethemtobankruptcy.^^

WilburRossJr.hasechoedZuckerman?sangeroverthebitterstrugglesfacedby

middle-classAmericans.ttIt,sanoutragethatanyAmerican?slifeexpectancyshould

beshortenedsimplybecausethecompanytheyworkedforwentbankruptandended

health-carecoverage,MsaidtheformerchairmanoftheInternationalSteelGroup.

What'shappening?TheveryricharejustastrendyasyouandI,andcanbeso

whenitcomestopoliticsandpolicy.GiventherecentchangeofcontrolinCongress,

thepopularityofmeasureslikeincreasingtheminimumwage,andeffortsby

California?sgovernortoofferuniversalhealthcare,theseguysdon,tneedtheir

ownpersonalweathermentoknowwhichwaythewindblows.

It'spossiblethatplutocrats(有錢有勢的人)areexpressingsolidaritywiththe

strugglingmiddleclassaspartofanefforttoinsulatethemselvesfromconfiscatory

(沒收性的)taxpolicies.Buttheprospectthatincomeinequalitywillleadtohigher

taxesonthewealthydoesn'tkeepplutocratsupatnight.Theycanlivewiththat.

No,whattheyfearwasthatthepoliticalchallengesofsustainingsupportforglobal

economicintegrationwillbemoredifficultintheUnitedStatesbecauseofwhathas

happenedtothedistributionofincomeandeconomicinsecurity.

Inotherwords,ifmiddle-classAmericanscontinuetostrugglefinanciallyasthe

ultrawealthygroweverwealthier,itwillbeincreasinglydifficulttomaintainpolitical

supportforthefreeflowofgoods,services,andcapitalacrossborders.Andwhenthe

UnitedStatesplacesobstaclesinthewayofforeigninvestorsandforeigngoods,it's

likelytoencouragereciprocalactionabroad.Forpeoplewhobuyandsellcompanies,

orwhoallocatecapitaltomarketsallaroundtheworld,that'sthe5

realnightmare.

57.WhatisthecurrenttopicofcommoninterestamongtheveryrichinAmerica?

A)Thefateoftheultrawealthypeople.

B)Thedisintegrationofthemiddleclass.

C)Theinequalityinthedistributionofwealth.

D)Theconflictbetweentheleftandtherightwing.

58.WhatdowelearnfromMortimerZuckerman'slamentation?

A)Manymiddle-incomefamilieshavefailedtomakeabargainforbetterwelfare.

B)TheAmericaneconomicsystemhascausedcompaniestogobankrupt.

C)TheAmericannationisbecomingmoreandmoredivideddespiteitswealth.

D)ThemajorityofAmericansbenefitlittlefromthenation'sgrowingwealth.

59.Fromthefifthparagraphwecanlearnthat.

A)theveryricharefashion-conscious

B)theveryricharepoliticallysensitive

C)universalhealthcareistobeimplementedthroughoutAmerica

D)Congresshasgainedpopularitybyincreasingtheminimumwage

60.Whatistherealreasonforplutocratstoexpresssolidaritywiththemiddleclass?

A)Theywanttoprotectthemselvesfromconfiscatorytaxation.

B)Theyknowthatthemiddleclasscontributesmosttosociety.

C)Theywanttogainsupportforglobaleconomicintegration.

D)Theyfeelincreasinglythreatenedbyeconomicinsecurity.

61.WhatmayhappeniftheUnitedStatesplacesobstaclesintheway

offoreigninvestorsandforeigngoods?

A)Thepricesofimportedgoodswillinevitablysoarbeyondcontrol.

B)Theinvestorswillhavetomakegreateffortstore-allocatecapital.

C)Thewealthywillattempttobuyforeigncompaniesacrossborders.D)Foreign

countrieswillplacethesameeconomicbarriersinreturn.

2008年6月大學英語六級考試閱讀理解真題

PassageOne

Imaginewakingupandfindingthevalueofyourassetshasbeenhalved.No,you'

renotaninvestorinoneofthosehedgefundsthatfailedcompletely.Withthedollar

slumpingtoa26-yearlowagainstthepound,already-expensiveLondonhasbecome

quiteunaffordable.AcoffeeatStarbucks,justasunavoidableinEnglandasitisinthe

UnitedStates,runsabout$8.

Theonceall-powerfuldollarisn'tdoingaTitanicagainstjustthepound.Itissitting

atarecordlowagainsttheeuroandata30-yearlowagainsttheCanadiandollar.

EventheArgentinepesoandBrazilianrealarethrivingagainstthedollar.

Theweakdollarisasourceofhumiliation,foranation'sself-esteemrestsinpart

onthestrengthofitscurrency.It'salsoapotentialeconomicproblem,sincea

decliningdollarmakesimportedfoodmoreexpensiveandexertsupwardpressureon

interestrates.AndyettherearesubstantialsectorsofthevastU.S.economy-from

giantcompanieslikeCoca-Colatomom-and-poprestaurantoperatorsinMiami-for

whichtheweakdollarismostexcellentnews.

ManyEuropeansmayviewtheU.S.asanarrogantsuperpowerthathasbecome

hostiletoforeigners.ButnothingmakespeoplethinkmorewarmlyoftheU.S.thana

weak6

dollar.ThroughApril,thetotalnumberofvisitorsfromabroadwasup6.8percent

fromlastyear.Shouldthetrendcontinue,thenumberoftouriststhisyearwillfinally

topthe2000peak?ManyEuropeansnowapparentlyviewtheU.S.thewaymany

AmericansviewMexico-asacheapplacetovacation,shopandparty,allwhile

ignoringthefactthatthepoorerlocalscan'taffordtojointhemerrymaking.

Themoneytouristsspendhelpsdecreaseourchronictradedeficit.Sodoexports,

whichthanksinparttotheweakdollar,soared11percentbetweenMay2006and

May2007.Forfirstfivemonthsof2007,thetradedeficitactuallyfell7percentfrom

2006.

IfyouownsharesinlargeAmericancorporations,you'reawinnerinthe

weak-dollargamble.LastweekCoca-ColaJsstickbubbledtoafive-yearhighafterit

reportedafantasticquarter.Foreignsalesaccountedfor65percentofCoke's

beveragebusiness.OtherAmericancompaniesprofitingfromthistrendinclude

McDonald'sandIBM.

Americantourists,however,shouldn,texpectanyreliefsoon.Thedollarlost

strengththewaymanymarriagesbreakup-slowly,andthenallatonce.And

currenciesdon'tturnonadime.Soifyouwanttoavoidthepaininflictedbythe

increasinglypatheticdollar,cancelthatsummervacationtoEnglandandlooktoNew

England.There,thedollarisstilltreatedwithalittlerespect.

52.WhydoAmericansfeelhumiliated?

A)Theireconomyisplunging

B)B)Theycan'taffordtripstoEurope

C)Theircurrencyhasslumped

D)Theyhavelosthalfoftheirassets.

53.HowdoesthecurrentdollaraffectthelifeofordinaryAmericans?

A)TheyhavetocanceltheirvacationsinNewEngland.

B)Theyfinditunaffordabletodineinmom-and-poprestaurants.

C)Theyhavetospendmoremoneywhenbuyingimportedgoods.

D)Theymightlosetheirjobsduetopotentialeconomicproblems.

54.HowdomanyEuropeansfeelabouttheU.Swiththedevalueddollar?

A)Theyfeelcontemptuousofit

B)Theyaresympatheticwithit.

C)Theyregarditasasuperpoweronthedecline.

D)Theythinkofitasagoodtouristdestination.

55.whatistheauthorJsadvicetoAmericans?

A)Theytreatthedollarwithalittlerespect

B)heytrytowinintheweak-dollargamble

C)heyvacationathomeratherthanabroad

D)heytreasuretheirmarriagesallthemore.

56.Whatdoestheauthorimplybysaying"currenciesdon,tturnonadime”(Line

2,Para7)?

A)ThedollarJsvaluewillnotincreaseintheshortterm.

B)hevalueofadollarwillnotbereducedtoadime

C)hedollar?svaluewilldrop,butwithinasmallmargin.

D)FewAmericanswillchangedollarsintoothercurrencies.

PassageTwo

7

Inthecollege-admissionswars,weparentsarethetruefights.Wearepushingour

kidstogetgoodgrades,takeSATpreparatorycoursesandbuildresumessotheycan

getintothecollegeofourfirstchoice.I'vetwicebeentothewars,andasIsurveythe

battlefield,somethingdifferentishappening.Weseeourkids'collegebackgroundas

eprizedemonstratinghowwellwe'veraisedthem.Butwecan'tacknowledgethat

ourobsession(癡迷)ismoreaboutusthanthem.Sowe'vecontrivedvarious

justificationsthatturnouttobehalf-truths,prejudicesormyths.Itactuallydoesn,t

mattermuchwhetherAaronandNicolegotoStanford.

Wehaveafull-blownprestigepanic;weworrythattherewon'tbeenoughprizesto

goaround.Fearfulparentsurgetheirchildrentoapplytomoreschoolsthanever.

Underlyingthehysteria(歇斯底里)isthebeliefthatscarceelitedegreesmustbe

highlyvaluable.Theirgraduatesmustenjoymoresuccessbecausetheygetabetter

educationanddevelopbettercontacts.Allthatisplausibleandmostlywrong.

Wehaven'tfoundanyconvincingevidencethatselectivityorprestigematters.

Selectiveschoolsdon'tsystematicallyemploybetterinstructionalapproachesthan

lessselectiveschools.OntwomeasuresprofessorsJfeedbackandthenumberof

essayexamsselectiveschoolsdoslightlyworse.

Bysomestudies,selectiveschoolsdoenhancetheirgraduatesJlifetimeearnings.

Thegainisreckonedat2-4%forevery100-pointincreaseinaschool'saverageSAT

scores.Buteventhisadvantageisprobablyastatisticalfluke(偶然).Awell-known

studyexaminedstudentswhogotintohighlyselectiveschoolsandthenwent

elsewhere.Theyearnedjustasmuchasgraduatesfromhigher-statusschools.

Kidscountmorethantheircolleges.Gettingintoyalemaysignify

intelligence,talentand

Ambition.Butit'snottheonlyindicatorand,paradoxically,itssignificanceis

declining.Thereason:somanysimilarpeoplegoelsewhere.Gettingintocollegeisnot

lifeonlycompetition.Old-boynetworksarebreakingdown.princetoneconomistAlan

KruegerstudiedadmissionstoonetopPh.D.program.HighscoresontheGREhelped

explainwhogotin;degreesofprestigiousuniversitiesdidn'

So,parents,lightenup.thestakeshavebeenvastlyexaggerated.uptoapoint,wecan

rationalizeourpushiness.Americaisacompetitivesociety;ourkidsneedtoadjustto

that.buttoomuchpushinesscanbedestructive.theveryambitionweimposeonour

childrenmaygetsomeintoHarvardbutmayalsosetthemupfor

disappointment.onestudyfoundthat,otherthingsbeingequal,graduatesofhighly

selectiveschoolsexperiencedmorejobdissatisfaction.Theymayhavebeenso

conditionedtobeingontopthatanythinglessdisappoints.

57.Whydosetheauthorsaythatparentsarethetruefightersinthe

college-admissionswars?

A)Theyhavethefinalsayinwhichuniversitytheirchildrenaretoattend.

B)Theyknowbestwhichuniversitiesaremostsuitablefortheirchildren.

C)theyhavetocarryoutintensivesurveysofcollegesbeforechildrenmakean

application.

D)theycaremoreaboutwhichcollegetheirchildrengotothanthechildren

themselves.

58.Whydoparentsurgetheirchildrentoapplytomoreschoolthanever?

A)theywanttoincreasetheirchildrenchancesofenteringaprestigiouscollege.8

B)theyhopetheirchildrencanenterauniversitythatoffersattractive

scholarships.

C)Theirchildrenwillhavehaveawiderchoiceofwhichcollegetogoto.

D)Eliteuniversitiesnowenrollfewerstudentthantheyusedto.

59.Whatdoestheauthormeanbykidscountmorethantheircollege(Line1,para.4?

A)Continuingeducationismoreimportanttoapersonsuccess.

B)Apersonhappinessshouldbevaluedmorethantheireducation.

C)Kidsactualabilitiesaremoreimportantthantheircollegebackground.

D)Whatkidslearnatcollegecannotkeepupwithjobmarketrequirements.

6O.WhatdoesKruegerstudytellus?

A)GettingintoPgramsmaybemorecompetitivethangettingintocollege.

B)Degreesofprestigiousuniversitiesdonotguaranteeentrytograduateprograms.

C)GraduatesfromprestigiousuniversitiesdonotcaremuchabouttheirGREscores.

D)Connectionsbuiltinprestigiousuniversitiesmaybesustainedlongafter

graduation.

61.Onepossibleresultofpushingchildrenintoeliteuniversitiesisthat

A)theyearlessthantheirpeersfromotherinstitutions

B)theyturnouttobelesscompetitiveinthejobmarket

C)theyexperiencemorejobdissatisfactionaftergraduationD)theyoveremphasize

theirqualificationsinjobapplication

2008年12月大學應六級考試閱讀理解真題

PassageOne

Sustainabledevelopmentisappliedtojustabouteverythingfromenergytoclean

waterandeconomicgrowth,andasaresultithasbecomedifficulttoquestioneither

thebasicassumptionsbehinditorthewaytheconceptisputtouse.Thisisespecially

trueinagriculture,wheresustainabledevelopmentisoftentakenasthesolemeasure

ofprogresswithoutaproperappreciationofhistoricalandculturalperspectives.

Tostartwith,itisimportanttorememberthatthenatureofagriculturehaschanged

markedlythroughouthistory,andwillcontinuetodoso.medievalagriculturein

northernEuropefed,clothedandshelteredapredominantlyruralsocietywithamuch

lowerpopulationdensitythanitistoday.Ithadminimaleffectonbiodiversity,and

anypollutionitcausedwastypicallylocali