2010年6月大学英语六级考试CET6真题B卷
Part I Writing (30 minutes)
注意：此部分试题在答题卡1上。
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the topic of Due Attention Should Be Given to the Study of Chine. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below:
1.近年来在学生中出现了忽视中文学习的现象；
2.出现这种现象的原因和后果；
3.我认为…
Due Attention Should Be Given to the Study of Chine
Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes)
Obama's success isn't all good news for black Americans
As Erin White watched the election results head towards victory for Barack Obama, she felt a burden lifting from her shoulders. "In that one cond, it was a validation for my whole race," she recalls.
"I've always been an achiever," says White, who is studying for an MBA at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenne. "But there had always been the things in the back of my mind questioning whether I really can be who I want. It was like a shadow, following me around saying you can only go so far. Now it's like a barrier has been let down."
White's experience is what many psychologists had expected - that Obama would prove to be a powerful role model for African Americans. Some hoped his ri to prominence would have a big impact on white Americans, too, challenging tho who still harbour racist ntiments. "The traits that characteri him are very contradictory to the racial stereotypes that black people are aggressive and uneducated," says Ashby Plant of Florida State University. "He's very intelligent and eloquent."
Sting in the tail
Ashby Plant is one of a number of psychologists who ized on Obama's candidacy to test hypothes about the power of role models. Their work is already starting to reveal how the "Obama effect" is changing people's views and behaviour. Perhaps surprisingly, it is not all good news: there is a sting in the tail of the Obama effect.
But first the good news. Barack Obama really is a positive role model for African Americans, and he was making an impact even before he got to the White Hou. Indeed, the Obama effect can be surprisingly immediate and powerful, as Ray Friedman of Vanderbilt University and his colleagues discovered.
They tested four parate groups at four key stages of Obama's presidential campaign. Each group consisted of around 120 adults of similar age and education, and the test assd their language skills. At two of the stages, when Obama's success was less than certain, the tests showed a clear difference between the scores of the white and black participants—an average of 12.1 out of 20, compared to 8.8, for example. When the Obama fever was at its height, however, the black participants performed much better. Tho who had watched Obama's acceptance speech as the Democrats' presidential candidate performed just as well, on average, as the white subjects.After his election victory, this was true of all the black participants.
Dramatic shift
What can explain this dramatic shift? At the start of the test, the participants had to decl
are their race and were told their results would be ud to asss their strengths and weakness. This should have primed the subjects with "stereotype threat" – an anxiety that their results will confirm negative stereotypes, which has been shown to damage the performance of African Americans.
Obama's success emed to act as a shield against this. "We suspect they felt inspired and energid by his victory, so the stereotype threat wouldn't prove a distraction," says Friedman.
Lingering racism
If the Obama effect is positive for African Americans, how is it affecting their white compatriots (同胞)? Is the experience of having a charismatic (有魅力的) black president modifying lingering racist attitudes? There is no easy way to measure racism directly; instead psychologists asss what is known as "implicit bias", using a computer-bad test that measures how quickly people associate positive and negative words—such as "love" or "evil"—with photos of black or white faces. A similar test can also measure how quickly subjects associate stereotypical traits—such as athletic skills or mental ability—wi
th a particular group.
In a study that will appear in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Plant's team tested 229 students during the height of the Obama fever. They found that implicit bias has fallen by as much as 90% compared with the level found in a similar study in 2006. "That's an unusually large drop," Plant says.
While the team can't be sure their results are due solely to Obama, they also showed that tho with the lowest bias were likely to subconsciously associate black skin colour with political words such as "government" or "president". This suggests that Obama was strongly on their mind, says Plant.
Drop in bias
Brian Nok of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, who runs a website that measures implicit bias using similar test, has also obrved a small drop in bias in the 700,000 visitors to the site since January 2007, which might be explained by Obama's ri to popularity. However, his preliminary results suggest that change will be much slower coming than Plant's results suggest.
Talking honestly
"People now have the opportunity of expressing support for Obama every day," says Daniel Effron at Stanford University in California. "Our rearch arous the concern that people may now be more likely to rai negative views of African Americans." On the other hand, he says, it may just encourage people to talk more honestly about their feelings regarding race issues, which may not be such a bad thing.
Another part of the study suggests far more is at stake than the mere expression of views. The Obama effect may have a negative side. Just one week after Obama was elected president, participants were less ready to support policies designed to address racial inequality than they had been two weeks before the election.
Huge obstacles
It could, of cour, also be that Obama's success helps people to forget that a disproportionate number of black Americans still live in poverty and face huge obstacles when trying to overcome the circumstances. "Barack Obama's family is such a salient (出色的) image, we generali it and fail to e the larger picture—that there's injustice in
every aspect of American life," says Cheryl Kair of the University of Washington in Seattle. Tho trying to address issues of racial inequality need to constantly remind people of the inequalities that still exist to counteract the Obama's effect, she says.
Though Plant's findings were more positive, she too warns against thinking that racism and racial inequalities are no longer a problem. "The last thing I want is for people to think everything's solved."
The findings do not only apply to Obama, or even just to race. They should hold for any role model in any country. "There's no reason we wouldn't have en the same effect on our views of women if Hillary Clinton or Sarah Palin had been elected," says Effron. So the election of a female leader might have a downside for other women.
Beyond race
We also don't yet know how long the Obama effect—both its good side and its bad—will last.Political ntiment is notoriously changeable: What if things begin to go wrong for Obama, and his popularity slumps?
And what if Americans become so familiar with having Obama as their president that the
y stop considering his race altogether? "Over time he might become his own entity," says Plant. This might em like the ultimate defeat for racism, but ignoring the race of certain lect individuals—a phenomenon that psychologists call subtyping—also has an insidious (隐伏的) side. "We think it happens to help people prerve their beliefs, so they can still hold on to the previous stereotypes." That could turn out to be the cruellest of all the twists to the Obama effect.
1. How did Erin White feel upon eing Barack Obama's victory in the election?
A) Excited.
B) Victorious.
C) Anxious.
D) Relieved.
2. Before the election, Erin White has been haunted by the question of whether ______.
A) she could obtain her MBA degree
B) she could go as far as she wanted in life
C) she was overshadowed by her white peers
D) she was really an achiever as a student
3. What is the focus of Ashby Plant's study?
A) Racist ntiments in America.
B) The power of role models.
C) Personality traits of successful blacks.
D) The dual character of African Americans.似相
4. In their experiments, Ray Friedman and his colleagues found that ______.
A) blacks and whites behaved differently during the election
B) whites' attitude towards blacks has dramatically changed
C) Obama's election has eliminated the prejudice against blacks
D) Obama's success impacted blacks' performance in language tests
5. What do Brian Nok's preliminary results suggest?
A) The change in bias against blacks is slow in coming.
B) Bias against blacks has experienced an unusual drop.
C) Website visitor's opinions are far from being reliable.
D) Obama's popularity may decline as time pass by.
6. A negative side of the Obama effect is that ______.
A) more people have started to critici President Obama's racial policies
B) relations between whites and African Americans may become ten again
C) people are now less ready to support policies addressing racial inequality
D) white people are likely to become more critical of African Americans
7. Cheryl Kair holds that people should be constantly reminded that ______.
A) Obama's success is sound proof of black's potential
B) Obama is but a rare example of black's excellence
C) racial inequality still persists in American society
D) blacks still face obstacles in political participation
8. According to Effron, if Hillary Clinton or Sarah Palin had been elected, there would also have been a negative effect on ______.
9. It is possible that the Obama effect will be short-lived if there is a change in people's ______.
10. The worst possible aspect of the Obama effect is that people could ignore his race altogether and continue to hold on to their old racial ______.
Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)
Section A
11.
A) The man failed to keep his promi.
B) The woman has a poor memory.
C) The man borrowed the book from the library.
D) The woman does not need the book any more.
12.
A) The woman is making too big a fuss about her condition.
动静皆宜B) Fatigue is a typical symptom of lack of exerci.
C) The woman should spend more time outdoors.
D) People tend to work longer hours with artificial lighting.
13.
A) The printing on her T-shirt has faded.
B) It is not in fashion to have a logo on a T-shirt.
C) She regrets having bought one of the T-shirts.
D) It is not a good idea to buy the T-shirt.
14.
A) He regrets having published the article.
B) Most readers do not share his viewpoints.
C) Not many people have read his article.
D) The woman is only trying to console him.
牙签 15.
A) Leave Daisy alone for the time being.
B) Go e Daisy immediately.
C) Apologize to Daisy again by phone.
D) Buy Daisy a new notebook.
16.
A) Batteries.
B) Garden tools.
C) Cameras.
D) Light bulbs.
17.
A) The speakers will watch the game together.
B) The woman feels lucky to have got a ticket.
C) The man plays center on the basketball team.
D) The man can get the ticket at its original price.
18.
A) The speakers will dress formally for the concert.
B) The man will return home before going to the concert.
C) It is the first time the speakers are attending a concert.
D) The woman is going to buy a new dress for the concert.
Questions 19 to 21 are bad on the conversation you have just heard.
19.
A) He wants to sign a long-term contract.
B) He is good at both language and literature.
C) He prefers teaching to administrative work.
D) He is undecided as to which job to go for.
20.
A) They hate exams.
B) The all plan to study in Cambridge.
C) They are all adults.
D) They are going to work in companies.
21.
A) Difficult but rewarding.
B) Varied and interesting.
C) Time-consuming and tiring.
话题英语 D) Demanding and frustrating.
Questions 22 to 25 are bad on the conversation you have just heard.
22.
A) Interviewing a moving star.
B) Discussing teenage role models.
C) Hosting a television show.
D) Reviewing a new biography.
23.
苦瓜汁 A) He lost his mother.张稷
B) He was unhappy in California.
C) He misd his aunt.
D) He had to attend school there.
24.
A) He delivered public speeches.
B) He got riously into acting.
C) He hosted talk shows on TV.
D) He played a role in East of Eden.
25.
A) He made numerous popular movies.
B) He has long been a legendary figure.
C) He was best at acting in Hollywood tragedies.
D) He was the most successful actor of his time.
Section B
Passage One
26.
A) It carried pasngers leaving an island.
B) A terrorist forced it to land on Tenerife.
C) It crashed when it was circling to land.
D) 18 of its pasngers survived the crash.
27.
A) He was kidnapped eight months ago.
B) He failed in his negotiations with the Africans.
C) He was assassinated in Central Africa.
戴尔电脑型号D) He lost lots of money in his African business.
28.白水仙
A) The management and union reprentatives reached an agreement.
B) The workers' pay was raid and their working hours were shortened.
C) The trade union gave up its demand.
D) The workers on strike were all fired.
29.
A) Sunny.
B) Rainy.
C) Windy.
D) Cloudy.
Passage Two
Questions 30 to 32 are bad on the passage you have just heard.
30.
A) Some of them had once experienced an earthquake.
B) Most of them lacked interest in the subject.
C) Very few of them knew much about geology.
D) A couple of them had listened to a similar speech before.
31.
A) By reflecting on Americans' previous failures in predicting earthquakes.
B) By noting where the most vere earthquake in U. S. history occurred.
C) By describing the destructive power of earthquakes.
D) By explaining some esntial geological principles.
32.
A) Interrupt him whenever he detected a mistake.
B) Focus on the accuracy of the language he ud.
C) Stop him when he had difficulty understanding.
D) Write down any points where he could improve.
Passage Three
Questions 33 to 35 are bad on the passage you have just heard.
33.
A) It was invented by a group of language experts in the year of 1887.
B) It is a language that has its origin in ancient Polish.
C) It was created to promote economic globalization.
D) It is a tool of communication among speakers of different languages.
34.
A) It aims to make Esperanto a working language in the U. N.
B) It has incread its popularity with the help of the media.
C) It has encountered increasingly tougher challenges.
D) It has supporters from many countries in the world.
35.
A) It is ud by a number of influential science journals.
B) It is widely taught at schools and in universities.
C) It has aroud the interest of many young learners.
D) It has had a greater impact than in any other country.
Section C
George Herbert Mead said that humans are talked into humanity. He meant that we gain personal identity as we communicate with others. In the earliest years of our lives, our parents tell us who we are. "You're (36) ______." "You're so strong." We first e ourlves through the eyes of others, so their messages form important (37) ______ of our lf-concepts. Later we interact with teachers, friends, (38) ______ partners, and co-workers who communicate their views of us.Thus, how we e ourlves (39) ______ the views of us that others communicate.
The (40) ______ connection between identity and communication is (41) ______ evident in children who are (42) ______ of human contact. Ca studies of children who were isolated from others reveal that they lack a firm lf-concept, and their mental and psychological development is verely (43) ______ by lack of language.
Communication with others not only affects our n of identity but also directly influences our physical and emotional well-being. Consistently, (44) ________________________________________________. People who lack clo friends have greater levels of anxiety and depression than people who are clo to others. (45) ________________________________________________. The conclusion was that social isolation is statistically as dangerous as high blood pressure, smoking and obesity. Many doctors and rearchers believe that (46) ________________________________________________.
Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)
Section A.
Question: My ninth-grade art teacher doesn't give any grade above 94% becau, she says, "There's always room for improvement." In previous years, I earned a 99% and a 100%. The 94 I received this term does not reflect the hard work that I put into this cour. Becau of her "improvement" theory, I got a lower grade than I derve. Is her grading philosophy ethical (符合职业道德规范的)?
Answer: Your teacher's grading system may be unwi, but it is not unethical. A teacher derves wide latitude in lecting the method of grading that best promotes learning in her classroom; that is, after all, the prime function of grades. It is she who has the training and experience to make this decision. Assuming that your teacher is neither biad nor corrupt and that her system conforms to school rules, you can't fault her ethics.
You can criticize her methodology. A 100 need not imply that there is no possibility of improvement, only that a student successfully completed the cour work. A ninth grader could get a well-earned 100 in English class but still have a way to go before she writes as well as Jane Austen. What's more, grades are not only an educational device but are also part of a screening system to help assign kids to their next class or program. By capping her grades at 94 while most other teachers grade on a scale that tops out at 100, your teacher could jeopardize a student's chance of getting a scholarship or getting into a top college.
What it is wrong to condemn her for is overlooking your hard work. You diligence is worthy of encouragement, but effort does not equal accomplishment. If scholars suddenly
discovered that Rembrandt had dashed off "The Night Watch" in an afternoon, it would still be "The Night Watch."
I could spend months sweating over my own "paintings", but I'd produce something you wouldn't want to hang in your living room. Or your garage.
One feature of a good grading system is that tho measured by it generally regard it as fair and reasonable—not the ca here. Simmering (难以平息的) rentment is ldom an aid to education.And so your next step should be to discuss your concerns with your teacher or the principal.
47. The ninth-grader thought that his art teacher should have given him ______.
48. According to the answer, a teacher should have the freedom to ______ to encourage learning.
49. We learn from the answer that a student who gets a 100 should still work hard and keep ______.
50. The example of Rembrandt's painting suggests that a distinction should be made between ______.
51. The ninth-grader is advid to go to his teacher or the principal to ______.
