1、大学英语六级卷三真题 2012 年 12 月及答案解析(总分：710.00，做题时间：150 分钟)一、Part I Writing (3(总题数：1，分数：142.00)1.Direction:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Man and Computer by commenting on the saying, “The real danger is not that the computer will begin to think like man, but that m
2、an will begin to think like the computer.“ You should write at leaset 150 words but no more than 200 words. Man and Computer（分数：142.00）_二、Part II Reading C(总题数：1，分数：71.00)In a Digital Age, Students Still Cling to Paper Textbooks They text their friends all day long. At night, they do research for th
3、eir term papers on laptops and commune with their parents on Skype. But as they walk the paths of Hamilton College, a poster-perfect liberal arts school in this upstate village, students are still hauling around bulky, old-fashioned textbooks-and loving it. “The screen wont go blank,“ said Faton Beg
4、olli, a junior from Boston. “There cant be a virus. It wouldnt be the same without books. Theyve defined academia (学术) for a thousand years.“ Though the world of print is receding before a tide of digital books, blogs and other Web sites, a generation of college students growing up with technology a
5、ppears to be holding fast to traditional textbooks. That loyalty comes at a price. Textbooks are expensive-a years worth can cost $700 to $900-and students frustrations with the expense, as well as the emergence of new technology, have produced a perplexing array of options for obtaining them. Inter
6、net retailers like Amazon and T are selling new and used books. They have been joined by several Web services that rent textbooks to students by the semester. Some 1500 college bookstores are also offering rentals this fall, up from 300 last year. Here at Hamilton, students this year have a new way
7、to avoid the middleman: a nonprofit Web site, created by the colleges Entrepreneur Club, that lets them sell used books directly to one another. The explosion of outlets and formats-including digital books, which are rapidly becoming more sophisticated-has left some students bewildered. After comple
8、ting the difficult job of course selection, they are forced to weigh cost versus convenience, analyze their own study habits and guess which texts they will want for years to come and which they will not miss. “It depends on the course,“ said Victoria Adesoba, a student at New York University who wa
9、s standing outside that schools bookstore, a powder-blue book bag slung over her shoulder “Last semester, I rented for psychology, and it was cheaper. But for something like organic chemistry, I need to keep the book. E-textbooks are good, but its tempting to go on Facebook, and it can .“ For all th
10、e talk that her generation is the most technologically knowledgeable in history, paper-and-ink textbooks do not seem destined to disappear anytime soon According to the National Association of College Stores, digital books make up just under 3% of , although the association expects that share to gro
11、w to 10-15% by 2012 as more titles are made available as e-books. In two recent studies-one by the association and another by the Student Public Interest Research Groups-three-quarters of the students surveyed said they still preferred a bound book to a digital version. Many students are reluctant t
12、o give up the ability to flip quickly between chapters, write in the margins and highlight passages, although new software applications are beginning to allow students to use e-textbooks that way. “Students grew up learning from print books.“ said Nicole Allen, the textbooks campaign director for th
13、e research groups, “so as they transition to higher education, its not surprising that they prefer a format that they are most accustomed to.“ Indeed, many Hamilton students grow passionate about the weighty volumes they still carry from dorm room to lecture hall to library, even as they compulsivel
14、y(克制不住地) check their smartphones for text messages and c-mails. “I believe that the codex is one of mankinds best inventions,“ said Jonathan Piskor, a junior from North Carolina, using the Latin term for book. That passion may be one reason that Barnes they may also become ill. One of the most commo
15、n dangers to climbers is altitude sickness, which can affect even very (37) 2climbers. Altitude sickness usually begins when a climber goes above 8 000 or 9 000 feet. The higher one climbs, the less oxygen there is in the air. When people dont get enough oxygen, they often begin to (38) 3for air. Th
16、ey may also feel (39) 4and light-headed. Besides these symptoms of altitude sickness, others such as headache and (40) 5may also occur. At heights of over 18000 feet, people may be climbing in a (41) 6daze（恍惚）. This state of mind can have an (42) 7 effect on their judgment. A few (43) 8 can help mos
17、t climbers avoid altitude sickness. The first is not to go too high too fast. If you climb to 10 000 feet, stay at that height for a day or two. (44) 9.Or if you do climb higher sooner, come back down to a lower height when you sleep. Also, drink plenty of liquids and avoid tobacco and alcohol. (45)
18、 10. You breathe less when you sleep, so you get less oxygen. The most important warning is this: if you have severe symptoms and they dont go away, go down! (46) 11.（分数：71.50）填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_七、Part IV Reading Comp(总题数：1，分数：35.50)Questions
19、 47 to 51 are based on the following passage. America continues to get fatter, according to a new report on the nations weight crisis. Statistics for 2008-2010 show that 16 states are experiencing steep increases in adult obesity, and none has seen a notable downturn in the last four years. Even Col
20、oradans, long the nations slimmest citizens, are gaining excess pounds. With an obese population of 19.8%, it is the only state with an adult obesity rate below 20%. But in just the last four years, the ranks of the obese even in Colorado have grown 0.7%. Getting out of the problem will not be simpl
21、e, said Jeffrey Levi, executive director of the Trust for Americas Health. The report emphasized the need for a range of measures, including boosting physical activity in schools, encouraging adults to get out and exercise, broadening access to affordable healthy foods and using “pricing strategies“
22、 to encourage Americans to make better food choices. “Until the government takes on the food industry, well continue to see the appalling numbers in this report,“ said Kelly Brownell, director of Yale Universitys Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. “Government could start by changing agricultur
23、al subsidies, by not making it financially attractive for companies to market unhealthy foods, by placing serious restrictions on marketing to children, and with financial policies that make healthy foods cost less and unhealthy foods cost more.“ About 30 years after the United States started seeing
24、 a steep rise in the weight of children and adults, the illnesses most closely linked to obesity have begun a dramatic upturn. Diabete(糖尿病) rates in 12 states have jumped significantly, now affecting as many as 12.2% of adults in Alabama-the state with the highest obesity rates. Obesity remains a co
25、ndition disproportionately affecting those with poor education and low income, and closely tied to minority status. Among African American adults, obesity topped 40% in 15 states. Among Latinos, it topped 30% in 23 states. In contrast, among white adults, obesity rates were higher than 30% in only f
26、our states, and in no state topped 32. 1%. Nearly a third of high school dropouts are obese, compared with 21.5% of those who graduated from college or technical school. For children, the picture from the report is slightly better, said Dr. Francine Kaufman, an obesity specialist at Childrens Hospit
27、al Los Angeles. “Children are for the most part holding steady.“ she said. Kaufman added that the reports clear message-that obesity takes its greatest toll in low-income and minority communities-underscores that “assistance programs are definitely required“ to help those populations. （分数：35.50）(1).
28、Compared with people in other states, Coloradans have long been considered relatively 1.（分数：7.10）填空项 1:_(2).The new report advises encouraging Americans to buy healthy foods by adopting 1.（分数：7.10）填空项 1:_(3).To curb the increasing obesity rate, the government should first of all adjust its 1.（分数：7.1
29、0）填空项 1:_(4).What has happened in the US shows that there is 1 between diabetes and obesity.（分数：7.10）填空项 1:_(5).Who are most affected by obesity in the United States according to Francine Kaufman?（分数：7.10）填空项 1:_八、Section B(总题数：2，分数：142.50)Passage One Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following pa
30、ssage. Is 20th-century capitalism failing 21st-century society? Members of the global elite debated that unusual question at the annual World Economic Forum. It is encouraging that more than three years since the global financial crisis, a belated (迟到的) process of soul-searching has begun in search
31、of the right lessons to learn from it. There is a great difference, however, between being willing to talk about an issue and being ready to act. It is a difference between those who still believe that all governments can do is get out of the way and those who believe there is a real role for govern
32、ments in first reviving our economies, and then setting the right rules for . If we learned anything from the 1930s, it was that governments cannot shrug their shoulders and watch as their own people are being laid off. Nor should we forget the causes of the current growth and debt crisis as we seek
33、 to put our economies on a more sustainable footing Both the United States and Britain suffered because their economies were overly reliant on the financial sectors artificial profits; living standards for the many worsened while the economic rewards went to the top 1 percent; a capitalist model enc
34、ouraged short-term decision-making oriented toward quarterly profits rather than long-term health; and interest groups like giant banks were deemed too big to fail or too powerful to challenge. We need to recognize that the trickle-down promise (benefits given to the rich will eventually be passed o
35、n to the poor) of conservative theorists has turned into a gravity-defying reality in which wealth has flowed upward disproportionately and, too often, undeservedly. To address the problem requires fresh thinking from governments about how people train for their working lives and what a living wage
36、should be. Governments can set better-not necessarily more-rules to encourage productive businesses that make and sell real products and services. We need rules that discourage the predatory (掠夺的) behavior of those seeking the fast buck through hostile takeovers and asset-stripping that do not have
37、the interests of the shareholders, the employees or the economy at heart. And governments must remember they are elected to serve the people, not the powerful lobbies who can pay for access or influence. Too often the real enemies of market capitalism are some of the leading beneficiaries of the cur
38、rent model, which favors big monopolies and consumer exploitation. I believe that changing the rules of capitalism will require a change in what citizens expect and ask of politics. The question is not so much whether 20th-century capitalism is failing 21st-century society but whether politics can r
39、ise to the challenge of changing a flawed economic model. （分数：71.25）(1).What important lesson could be drawn from the 1930s? （分数：14.25）A.The government should play a role in reviving the economy.B.The government should provide subsidies for the unemployed.C.The government should not ignore the role
40、of economists in the nations economy.D.The government should not brush aside ideas from the World Economic Forum.(2).What is one of the factors contributing to the recent financial crisis in the United States and Britain? （分数：14.25）A.Their business giants neglect of attending to long-term planning.B
41、.Their governments unnecessary intervention in economic affairs.C.Their governments failing to provide assistance for the poor and needy.D.Their economies relying heavily on the operations of the financial sector.(3).What does the author say about the so-called trickle-down promise? （分数：14.25）A.It d
42、efies conventional wisdom.B.It has failed to materialize.C.It will benefit both the rich and the poor once realized.D.It will prove fatal to capitalist economy once broken.(4).What rules does the author say governments should set to guarantee sustainable economic development? （分数：14.25）A.Rules that
43、help businesses to expand fast but in a healthy way.B.Rules that discourage businesses from making quick money.C.Rules that encourage businesses to make and sell real products and services.D.Rules that ensure the increase of shareholders dividends and employees pay.(5).What should the government do
44、about the current economy according to the author? （分数：14.25）A.Eliminate the real enemies of market capitalism.B.Undertake to repair the flaws in the economic model.C.Prevent the lobbies from exerting too much influenceD.Diminish the role politics plays in national economy.Passage Two Questions 57 t
45、o 62 are based on the following passage. Women are half the population but only 15% of board members at big American firms, and l0% in Europe. Companies that fish in only half the talent pool will lose out to those that cast their net more widely. There is also evidence that mixed boards make better
46、 decisions. Mindful of this, European countries are passing laws that would force companies to promote more women to the executive suite. A new French law requires listed firms to reserve 40% of board seats for women by 2017. Norway and Spain have similar laws; Germany is considering one. The Europe
47、an Parliament declared this month that such quotas should be applied throughout the European Union. There are two main arguments for compulsory quotas. One is that the men who dominate corporate boards are hopelessly sexist: they promote people like themselves and ignore any female talent. The secon
48、d argument is more subtle. Talented executives need mentors (导师) to help them climb the ladder. Male directors mentor young men but are reluctant to get friendly with young women, lest the relationship be misinterpreted. Quotas will break this vicious cycle by putting lots of women at the top, who can then offer their sisters a leg up. There may be something in both arguments, but in most rich countries sexism is no longer the main obstacle to womens careers. Children are. Most women take care
