1999年6月全国大学英语六级考试真题及答案
Part I Listening Comprehension (20 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear 10 short conversations. At the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the question 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
Example: You will hear:
You will read:
A) 2 hours.
B) 3 hours.
C) 4 hours.
D) 5 hours.
From the conversation we know that the two were talking about some work they will start at 9 o’clock in the morning and have to finish at 2 in the afternoon. Therefore, D) “5 hours” is the correct answer. You should choose [D] on the Answer Sheet and mark it with a single line through the center.
Sample Answer [A] [B] [C] [D]
1. A) The man attended the concert but didn’t like it.
B) The man was sorry to miss the football game.
C) The man is more interested in football than in classical music.
D) The man was sorry that he didn’t attend the concert.
2. A) Singing loudly.
B) Listening to music.
C) Studying.
D) Talking on the phone.
3. A) She can’t receive any calls.
B) She can’t make any calls.
C) She can do nothing with the phone.
D) She can’t repair the phone.
4. A) Tom is very responsible.
B) Tom’s words aren’t reliable.
C) What Tom said is true.
D) Tom is not humorous at all.
5. A) How to use a camera.
B) How to use a washer.
C) How to use a keyboard.
D) How to use a tape recorder.
6. A) They should put the meeting to an end.
B) They should hold another meeting do discuss the matter.
C) She would like to discuss another item.
D) She wants to discuss the issue again later.
7. A) He believes the Browns have done a sensible thing.
B) He doesn’t think the Browns should move to another place.
C) He doesn’t think the Browns’ investment is wise move.
D) He believes it is better, for the Browns to invest later.
8. A) He may convert it and use it as a restaurant.
B) He may pull it down and build a new restaurant.
C) He may rent it out for use as a restaurant.
D) He may sell it to the owner of a restaurant.
9. A) She doesn’t like the way the professor lectures.
B) She’s having a hard time following the professor’s lectures.
C) She is not interested in the course.
D) She’s having difficulty with the heavy reading assignments.
10. A) He never keeps his promises.
B) He is crazy about parties.
C) He has changed his mind.
D) He is not sociable.
Section B Compound Dictation
President Clinton later today joins (S1) _______________ presidents Ford. Carrer and Bush at “the president’s summit for America’s future” (S2) ______________ at recruiting one million volunteer tutors to provide after-school, weekend and summer reading help for up to three million children. Mr. Clinton will ask Congress this coming week for nearly three (S3) ______________ dollars to fund a five-year program called “America Reads”.
The program would fund the (S4) _______________ efforts of 20 thousand reading (S5) _________________ and it would also give (S6) ________________ to help parents help children read by the third grade, or about age eight. During his Saturday radio (S7) ______________, the president explained why the program is important. “We need ‘America Reads’ and we need it now. Studies show that if the fourth-graders fail to read well, (S8) _____________________________. But, 40 percent of them still can’t read at a basic level.”
Volunteer tutors, who provide community service in exchange for college funding are being used in literacy and tutoring programs. (S9) _______________________________.
The president says many of the Philadelphia summit’s cor5porate sponsors will recruit tutors. (S10) ________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Direction: There are 4 passages in this part. 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
Passage One
Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage:
We sometimes think humans are uniquely vulnerable to anxiety, but stress seems to affect the immune defenses of lower animals too. In one experiment, for example, behavioral immunologist（免疫学家）Mark Laudenslager, at the University of Denver, gave mild electric shocks to 24 rats. Half the animals could switch off the current by turning a wheel in their enclosure, while the other half could not. The rats in the two groups were paired so that each time one rat turned the wheel it protected both itself and its helpless partner from the shock. Laudenslager found that the immune response was depressed below normal in the helpless rats but not in those that could turn off the electricity. What he has demonstrated, he believes, is that lack of control over an event, not th4e experience itself, is what weakens the immune system.
Other researchers agree. Jay Weiss, a psychologist at Duke University School of Medicine, has shown that animals who are allowed to control unpleasant stimuli don’t develop sleep disturbances or changes in brain chemistry typical of stressed rats. But if the animals are confronted with situations they have no control over, they later behave passively when faced with experiences they can control. Such findings reinforce psychologists’ suspicions that the experience or perception of helplessness is one of the most harmful factors in depression.
One of the most startling examples of how the mind can alter the immune response was discovered by chance. In 1975 psychologist Robert Ader at the University of Rochester School of Medicine conditioned（使形成条件反射）mice to avoid saccharin（糖精）by simultaneously feeding them the sweetener and injecting them with a drug that while suppressing their immune systems caused stomach upsets. Associating the saccharin with the stomach pains, the mice quickly learned to avoid the sweetener. In order to extinguish this dislike for the sweetener, Ader reexposed the animals to saccharin, this time without the drug, and was astonished to find that those mice that had received the highest amounts of sweetener during their earlier conditioning died. He could only speculate that he had so successfully conditioned the rats that saccharin alone now served to weaken their immune systems enough to kill them.
11. Laudenslager’s experiment showed that the immune system of those rats who could turn off the electricity _____________.
A) was strengthened
B) was not affected
C) was altered
D) was weakened
12. According to the passage, the experience of helplessness causes rats to _________.
A) try to control unpleasant stimuli
B) turn off the electricity
C) behave passively in controllable situations
D) become abnormally suspicious
13. The reason why the mice in Ader’s experiments avoided saccharin was that __________.
A) they disliked its taste
B) it affected their immune systems
C) it led to stomach pains
D) they associated it with stomachaches
14. The passage tells us that the most probable reason for the death of the mice in Ader’s experiment was that _____________.
A) they had been weakened psychologically by the saccharin.
B) the sweetener was poisonous to them
C) their immune systems had been altered by the mind
D) they had taken too much sweetener during earlier conditioning
15. It can be concluded from the passage that the immune systems of animals __________.
A) can be weakened by conditioning
B) can be suppressed by drug injections
C) can be affected by frequent doses of saccharin
D) can be altered by electric shocks
Passage Two
Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage:
The destruction of our natural resources and contamination of our food supply continue to occur, largely because of the extreme difficulty in affixing（把…固定）legal responsibility on those who continue to treat our environment with reckless abandon（放任）. Attempts to prevent pollution by legislation, economic incentives and friendly persuasion have been met by lawsuits, personal and industrial denial and long delays-not only in accepting responsibility, but more importantly, in doing something about it.
It seems that only when government decides it can afford tax incentives or production sacrifice in there any initiative for change. Where is industry’s and our recognition t6hat protecting mankind’s great treasure is the single most important responsibility? If ever there will be time for environmental health professionals to come to the frontlines and provide leadership to solve environmental problems, that time is now.
We must recognize that environmental health issues do not stop at city limits, county lines, state or even federal boundaries. We can no longer afford to be tunnel-visioned in our approach. We must visualize issues from every perspective to make the objective decisions. We must express our views clearly to prevent media distortion and public confusion.
I believe we have a three-part mission for the present. First, we must continue to press for improvements in the quality of life that people can make for themselves. Second, we must investigate and understand the link between environment and health. Third, we must be able to communicate technical information in a form that citizens can understand. If we can accomplish these three goals in this decade, maybe we can finally stop environmental degradation, and not merely hold it back. We will then be able to spend pollution dollars truly on prevention rather than on bandages.
16. We can infer from the first two paragraphs that the industrialists disregard environmental protection chiefly because ________.
A) they are unaware of the consequences of what they are doing
B) they are reluctant to sacrifice their own economic interests
C) time has not yet come for them to put due emphasis on it
D) it is difficult for them to take effective measures
17. The main task now facing ecologists, environmental activists and conservationists is ______.
A) to prevent pollution by legislation, economic incentives and persuasion
B) to arouse public awareness of the importance of environmental protection
C) to take radical measures to control environmental pollution
D) to improve the quality of life by enforcing environmental standards
18. The word “tunnel-visioned” (Line 2, Para.4) most probably means “________”.
A) narrow-minded
B) short-sighted
C) blind to the facts
D) able to see only one aspect
19. Which of the following, according to the author, should play the leading role in the solution of environmental problems?
A) Legislation and government intervention.
B) The industry’s understanding and support.
C) The efforts of environmental health professionals.
D) The cooperation of ecologists, environmental activists and conservationists.
20. Which of the following is true according to the last paragraph?
A) Efforts should be exerted on pollution prevention instead of on remedial measures.
B) More money should be spent in order to stop pollution.
C) Ordinary citizens have no access to technical information on pollution.
D) Environmental degradation will be stopped by the end of this decade.
Passage Three
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
British universities, groaning under the burden of a huge increase in student numbers, are warning that the tradition of a free education is at risk. The universities have threatened to impose an admission fee on students to plug a gap in revenue if the government does not act to improve their finances and scrap some public spending cutbacks.
The government respond to the universities threat by setting up the most fundamental review of higher education for a generation, under a non-party troubleshooter(调停人), Sir Ron Dearing.
One in three school-leavers enters higher education, five times the number when the last review took place thirty years ago.
Everyone agrees a system that is feeling the strain after rapid expansion needs a lot more money-bus there is little hoe of getting it from the taxpayer and not much scope for attracting more finance from business.
Most colleges believe students should contribute to tuition costs, something that is common elsewhere in the world but would mark a revolutionary change in Britain. Universities want the government to introduce a loan scheme for tuition fees and have suspended their own threatened action for now. They await Dearing’s advice, hoping it will not be too late-some are already reported to be in financial difficulty.
As the century nears its end, the whole concept of what a university should be is under the microscope. Experts ponder how much they can use computers instead of classrooms, talk of the need for lifelong leaning and refer to students as “consumers”.
The confederation（联盟）of British Industry, the key employers’ organization, wants even more expansion in higher education to help fight competition on world markers from booming Asian economies. But the government has doubts about more expansion. The Times newspaper agrees, complaining that quality has suffered as student numbers soared, with close tutorial supervision giving way to “mass production methods more typical of European universities.”
21. The chief concern of British universities is _____________.
A) how to tackle their present financial difficulty
B) how to expand the enrollment to meet the needs of enterprises
C) how to improve their educational technology
D) how to put an end to the current tendency of quality deterioration
22. We can learn from the passage that in Britain ___________.
A) the government pays dearly for its financial policy
B) universities are mainly funded by businesses
C) higher education is provided free of charge
D) students are ready to accept loan schemes for tuition
23. What was the percentage of high school graduates admitted to universities in Britain thirty years ago?
A) 20% or so.
B) Above 30%.
C) About 15%.
D) Below 10%.
24. It can be inferred from the passage that .
A) the British government will be forced to increase its spending on higher education
B) British employers demand an expansion in enrollment at the expense of quality
C) the best way out for British universities is to follow their European counterparts
D) British students will probably have to pay for their higher education in the near future
25. Which of the following is the viewpoint of the Times newspaper?
A) Expansion in enrollment is bound to affect the quality of British higher education.
B) British universities should expand their enrollment to meet the needs of industry.
C) European universities can better meet the needs of the modern world.
D) British universities should help fight competition on world markets.
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
There's a simple premise behind what Larry Myers does for a living: If you can smell it, you can find it.
Myers is the founder of Auburn University's Institute for Biological Detection Systems, the main task of which is to chase the ultimate in detection devices - an artificial nose.
For now, the subject of their research is little more than a stack of gleaming chips tucked away in a laboratory drawer. But soon, such a tool could be hanging from the belts of police, arson (纵火) investigators and food-safety inspectors.
The technology that they are working on would suggest quite reasonably that, within three to five years, we'll have some workable sensors ready to use. Such devices might find wide use in places that attract terrorists. Police could detect drugs, bodies and bombs hidden in cars, while food inspectors could easily test food and water for contamination.
Passage Four
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
There’s simple premise behind what Larry Myers does for a living: If you can smell it, you can find it.
Myers is the founder of Auburn University’s Institute for Biological Detection Systems, the main task of which is to chase the ultimate in detection devices-an artificial nose.
For now, the subject of their research is little more than a stack of gleaming chips tucked away in a laboratory drawer. But soon, such a tool could be hanging from the belts of police, arson（纵火）investigators and food-safety inspectors.
The technology that are working on would suggest quite reasonable that, within three to five years, we’ll have some workable sensors ready to use. Such devices might find wide use in places that attract terrorists. Polices could detect drugs, bodies and bombs hidden in cars, while food inspectors could easily test food and water for contamination.
The implications for revolutionary advances in public safety and the food industry are astonishing. But so, too are the possibilities for abuse: Such machines could determine whether a woman is ovulating (排卵), without a physical exam-or even her knowledge.
One of the traditional protectors of American liberty is that it has been impossible I search everyone That’s getting not to be the case.
Artificial biosensors created at Auburn work totally differently from anything ever seen before. Aroma Scan, for example, is a desktop machine based on a bank of chips sensitive to specific chemicals that evaporate into the air. As air is sucked into the machine, chemicals pass over the sensor surfaces and produce changes in the electrical current flowing through them. Those current changes are logged into a computer that sorts out odors based on their electrical signatures.
Myers says they expect to load a singled fingernail-size chip with thousands of odor receptors (感受器), enough to create a sensor that’s nearly as sensitive as a dog’s nose.
26. Which of the following is within the capacity of artificial nose being developed?
A) Performing physical examinations.
B) Locating places and water contamination.
C) Detecting drugs and water contamination.
D) Monitoring food processing.
27. A potential problem which might be caused by the use of an artificial nose is ________.
A) negligence of public safety
B) an abuse of personal freedom
C) a hazard to physical health
D) a threat to individual privacy
28. The world “logged” (line 4, Para.7) must probably means “___________”.
A) preset
B) entered
C) processed
D) simulated
29. To produce artificial noses for practical use, it is essential ___________.
A) to develop microchips with thousands of odor receptors
B) to invent chips sensitive to various chemicals
C) to design a computer program to sort out smells
D) to find chemicals that can alter the electrical current passing through
30. The author’s attitude towards Larry Myers’ work is _______________.
A) cautious
B) approving
C) suspicious
D) overenthusiastic
Part III Vocabulary and Structure (20 minutes)
Directions: There are 30 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Choose the ONE that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
31. When people are asked what kind of housing they need or want, the question _________ a variety of answer.
A) defies B) magnifies
C) mediates D) evokes
32. If you want to set up a company, you must ___________ with the regulations laid down by the authorities.
A) comply B) adhere
C) confirm D) accord
33. Although there are occasional outbreaks of gunfire, we can report that the rebellion has in the main been _____________.
A) canceled B) destroyed
C) suppressed D) restrained
34. Since the two countries couldn’t _____________ their differences, they decided to stop their negotiations.
A) rectify B) oblige
C) suppressed D) obscure
35. The presidential candidate ____________ his position by winning several primary elections.
A) enforced B) enriched
C) intensified D) consolidated
36. The fuel of continental missile is supposed to be ______________ by this device.
A) ignited B) lighted
C) fired D) inspired
37. Mike just discovered that his passport had _____________ three months ago.
A) abolished B) expired
C) amended D) constrained
38. Frankly speaking, your article is very good except for some _______________ mistakes in grammar.
A) obscure B) glaring
C) trivial D) rare
39. There was once an ________________ idea that the earth was flat and motionless.
A) absurd B) intrinsic
C) eternal D) offensive
40. Certain species disappeared or became ______________ as new forms arose that were better adapted to the Earth’s changing environment.
A) feeble B) extinct
C) massive D) extinguished
41. His ___________ direction confused us, we did not know which of the two roads to take.
A) ambiguous B) complicated
C) arbitrary D) intricate
42. Franklin D. Roosevelt argued that the depression stemmed from the American economy’s _________ flaws.
A) underlining B) vulnerable
C) vulgar D) underlying
43. Some studies confirmed that this kind of eye disease was ________ in tropical countries.
A) prospective B) prevalent
C) provocative D) perpetual
44. I am afraid that you have alter your __________ views in light of the tragic news that has just arrived.
A) indifferent B) distressing
C) optimistic D) pessimistic
45. Although he has no formal education, he is one of the _____________ businessmen in the company.
A) shrewdest B) sternest
C) nastiest D) alertest
46. Stop shouting! I can’t hear the football _____________.
A) judgement B) destiny
C) commentary D) explanation
47. The cultures of China and Japan have shared many features, but each had used them according to its national ______________.
A) engagement B) destiny
C) capacity D) temperament
48. Every member of society has to make a ______________ to struggle for the freedom of the country.
A) pledge B) indignation
C) resolve D) guarantee
49. I was deeply impressed by the hostess’ _____________ and enjoyed dinner party very much.
A) hostility B) indignation
C) hospitality D) humanity
50. David tends to feel useless and unwanted in a society that gives so much _____________ to those who compete well.
A) prestige B) regime
C) superiority D) humanity
51. As you have seen, the value of a nation’s currency is a ____________ of its economy.
A) reaction B) reflection
C) response D) revelation
52. In the Spring Export Commodities Fair the ______________ of fine china attracted much attention of customers from all over the world.
A) succession B) array
C) string D) procession
53. We should make a clear ______________ between the two scientific terms for the purpose of our discussion.
A) separation B) discrimination
C) deviation D) distinction
54. The terrorists might have planted a bomb on a plane in Athens, set to ______________ when it arrived in New York.
A) go off B) get off
C) come off D) carry of
55. We should be able to do the job for you quickly, _____________ you give us all the necessary information.
A) in case B) provided that
C) or else D) as if
56. The younger person’s attraction to stereos cannot be explained only ___________ familiarity with technology.
A) in quest of B) by means of
C) in terms of D) by virtue of
57. Attempts to persuade her to stay after she felt insulted were _____________.
A) in no way B) on the contrary
C) at a loss D) of no avail
58. By signing the lease we made a ______________ to pay a rent of $150 a week.
A) conception B) commission
C) commitment D) confinement
59. To prevent flooding in winter the water flowing from the dam is constantly ___________ by a computer.
A) graded B) managed
C) conducted D) monitored
60. Many people think of deserts as ______________ regions, but numerous species of plants and animals have adapted to life there.
A) virgin B) barren
C) void D) wretched
Part IV Cloze (15 minutes)
Directions: There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D) on the right side of the paper. You should choose the ONE that best fits into the passage. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Most people who travel long distances complain of jetlag (喷气飞行时差反应). Jetlag makes business travelers less productive and more prone ___61___ making mistakes. It is actually caused by ___62___ of your “baby clock”-a small cluster of brain cells that controls the timing of biological ___63___. The baby clock is designed for a ___64___ rhythm of daylight and darkness, so that it is thrown out of balance when it ___65___ daylight and darkness at the “wrong” times in a new time zone. The ___66___ of jetlag often persist for days ___67___ the internal body clock slowly adjusts to the new time zone.
Now a new anti-jetlag system is ___68___ that is based on proven ___69___ pioneering scientific research. Dr. Martin Moore-Ede has ___70___ a practical strategy to adjust the body clock much sooner to the new time zone ___71___ controlled exposure to bright light. The time zone shift is easy to accomplish and eliminates ____72____ of the discomfort of jetlag.
A successful time zone shift depends on knowing the exact times to either ___73___ or avoid bright light. Exposure to light at the wrong time can actually make jetlag worse. The proper schedule ___74___ light exposure depends a great deal on ___75___ travel plans.
Data on a specific flight itinerary (施行路线) and the individual’s sleep ___76___ are used to produce a Trip Guide with ___77___ on exactly when to be exposed to bright light.
When the Trip Guide calls ___78___ bright light you should spend time outdoors if possible. If it is dark outside, or the weather is bad. ___79___ you are on an aeroplane you can use a special light device to provide the necessary light ___80___ for a range of activities such as reading, watching TV or working.
61. A) for B) from C) to D) of
62. A) rupture B) corruption C) eruption D) disruption
63. A) actions B) functions C) reflection D) behavior
64. A) regular B) formal C) continual D) circular
65. A) retains B) encounters C) possesses D) experiences
66. A) diseases B) symptoms C) signs D) defects
67. A) while B) whereas C) if D) although
68. A) adaptable B) approachable C) available D) agreeable
69. A) broad B) inclusive C) tentative D) extensive
70. A) devised B) recognised C) scrutinized D) visualized
71. A) at B) through C) in D) as
72. A) most B) least C) little D) more
73. A) attain B) shed C) retrieve D) seek
74. A) on B) with C) for D) in
75. A) unique B) specific C) complicated D) peculiar
76. A) norm B) mode C) pattern D) style
77. A) directories B) instructions C) specifications D) commentaries
78. A) off B) on C) for D) up
89. A) or B) and C) but D) while
80. A) agitation B) spur C) acceleration D) stimulus
Part V Writing (30 minutes)
Direction: For this part, you are allowed thirty minutes to write a composition on the topic Reading Selectively Or Extensively? You should write at least 120 words, and base you composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below:
1. 有人认为读书要有选择。
2. 有人认为应当博览群书。
3. 我的看法。
Reading Selectively Or Extensively?
答案
1. C 2. B 3. A 4. B 5. A 6. D 7. C 8. A 9. D 10. C
11. B 12. C 13. D 14. C 15. A 16. B 17. B 18. D 19. C 20. A
21. A 22. C 23. D 24. D 25. A 26. C 27. D 28. B 29. A 30. B
31. D 32. A 33. C 34. C 35. D 36. A 37. B 38. C 39. A 40. B
41. A 42. D 43. B 44. C 45. A 46. C 47. D 48. A 49. C 50. A
51. B 52. B 53. D 54. A 55. B 56. C 57. D 58. C 59. D 60. B
61. C 62. D 63. B 64. A 65. D 66. B 67. A 68. C 69. D 70. A
S1. former S2. aimed S3. billion S4. coordination
S5. specialists S6. grants S7. address
S8. They are likely to drop out of school, and less likely to succeed in life.
S9. The programs, initiated by President Clinton, has come under criticism by Congress.
S10. Dozens of colleges and universities are prepared to send thousands of their students in support of the program
