1、大学英语六级模拟试卷 438及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Pig Farmer with a Bachelor Degree. You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below. 1. 有一 则新闻报道了大学毕业生养猪致富的故事 2. 很多人非常不理解 3. 你的看法 Pig Farme
2、r with a Bachelor Degree 二、 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 attached to the passage. For questions 1-4, mark： Y (for YES) if the statement agrees with the inf
3、ormation 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. 1 Part Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passa
4、ge quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage. Genetically Modified Foods - Feed the World? If you want to spark a h
5、eated debate at a dinner party, bring up the topic about genetically modified foods. For many people, the concept of genetically altered, high-tech crop production raises all kinds of environmental, health, safety and ethical questions. Particularly in countries with long agrarian traditions - and v
6、ocal green lobbies - the idea seems against nature. In fact, genetically modified foods are already yew much a part of our lives. A third of the corn and more than half the soybeans and cotton grown in the US last year were the product of biotechnology, according to the Department of Agriculture. Mo
7、re than 65 million acres of genetically modified crops will be planted in the US this year. The genetic is out of the bottle. Yet there are clearly some very real issues that, need to be resolved, lake any new product entering the food chain, genetically modified foods must be subjected to rigorous
8、testing. In wealthy count, des, the debate about biotech is tempered by the fact that we have a rich array of foods to choose from - and a supply that far exceeds our needs. In developing countries desperate to feed fast-growing and underfed populations; the issue is simpler and much more urgent: Do
9、 the benefits of biotech outweigh the risks? The statistics on population growth and hunger are disturbing. Last year the worlds population reached 6 billion. And by 2050, the UN estimates, it will be probably near 9 billion. Almost all that growth will occur in developing countries. At the same tim
10、e, the worlds available cultivable land per person is declining. Arable land has declined steadily since 1960 and will decrease by half over the next 50 years, according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA). How can biotech help? Biotechnologists have
11、 developed genetically modified rice that is fortified with beta-carotene(-胡萝卜素 )which the body converts into vitamin A - and additional iron, mid they are working on other kinds of nutritionally improved crops. Biotech can also improve farming productivity in places where food shortages are caused
12、by crop damage attribution to pests, drought, poor soil and crop viruses, bacteria or fungi (真菌 ). Damage caused by pests is incredible. The European corn borer, for example, destroys 40 million tons of the worlds corn crops annualy, about 7% of the total. Incorporating pest-resistant genes into see
13、ds can help restore the balance. In trials of pest-resistant cotton in Africa, yields have increased significantly. So far, fears that genetically modified, pest-resistant crops might kill good insects as well as bad appear unfounded. Viruses often cause massive failure in staple crops in developing
14、 countries. Two years ago, Africa lost more than half its cassava(树薯 ) crop - a key source of calories - to the mosaic virus. Genetically modified, virus-resistant crops can reduce that damage, as can drought-tolerant seeds in regions where water shortages limit the amount of land under cultivation.
15、 Biotech can also help solve the problem of soil that contains excess aluminum, which can damage roots and cause many staple-crop failures. A gene that helps neutralize aluminum toxicity(毒性 ) in rice has been identified. Many scientists believe biotech could raise overall crop productivity in develo
16、ping countries as much as 25% and help prevent the loss of those crops after they are harvested. Yet for all that promise, biotech is far from being the whole answer. In developing countries, lost crops are only one cause of hunger. Poverty plays the largest role. Today more than I billion people ar
17、ound the globe live on less than I dollar a day. Making genetically modified crops available will not reduce hunger if farmers cannot afford to grow them or if the local population cannot afford to buy the food those farmers produce. Biotech has its own “distribution“ problems. Private-sector biotec
18、h companies in the rich countries carry out much of the leading-edge research on genetically modified crops. Their products are often too costly for poor farmers in the developing world, and many of those products wont even reach the regions where they are most needed. Biotech firms have a strong fi
19、nancial incentive to target rich markets first in order to help them rapidly recoup the high costs of product development. But some of these companies are responding to needs of poor countries. More and more biotech research is being carried out in developing countries. But to increase the impact of
20、 genetic research on tile food production of those countries, there is a need for better collaboration between government agencies - both local and in developed countries - and private biotech firms. The ISAAA, for example, is successfully partnering with the US Agency for International Development,
21、 local researches and private biotech companies to find and deliver biotech solutions for farmers in developing countries. Will “Franken-foods“ feed the world? Biotech is not a panacea(治百病的药 ), but it does promise to transform agriculture in many developing countries. If that promise is not fulfille
22、d, the real losers will be their people, who could suffer for years to come. The world seems increasingly to have been divided into those who favor genetically modified (GM) foods and those who fear them. Advocates assert that growing genetically altered crops can be kinder to the environment and th
23、at eating foods from those plants is perfectly safe. And, they say, genetic engineering - which can induce plants to grow in poor soils or to produce more nutritious foods - will soon become an essential tool for helping to feed the worlds burgeoning(迅速发展的 ) population. Skeptics contend that genetic
24、ally modified crops could pose unique risks to the environment and to health - risks too troubling to accept placidly. Taking that view, many European countries are restricting the planting and importation of genetically modified agricultural products. Much of the debate hinges on perceptions of saf
25、ety. But what exactly does recent scientific research say about the hazards? Two years ago in Edinburgh, Scotland, eco-vandals stormed a field, crushing canola plants. Last year in Maine, midnight raiders hacked down more than 3,000 experimental poplar trees. And in San Diego, protesters smashed sor
26、ghum and sprayed paint over greenhouse walls. This far-flung outrage took aim at genetically modified crops. But the protests backfired: all the destroyed plants were conventionally bred. In each case, activists mistook ordinary plants for genetically modified varieties. Its easy to understand why.
27、In a way, genetically modified crops - now on some 109 million acres of farmland worldwide - are invisible. You cant see, taste or touch a gene inserted into a plant or sense its effects on the environment. You cant tell, just by looking, whether pollen containing a foreign gene can poison butterfli
28、es or fertilize plants miles away. That invisibility is precisely what worries people. How, exactly, will genetically modified crops affect the environment - and when will we notice? Advocates of genetically modified or transgenic crops say the plants will benefit the environment by requiring fewer
29、toxic pesticides than conventional crops. But critics fear the potential risks and wonder how big the benefits really are. “We have so many questions about these plants,“ remarks Guenther Stotzky, a soil microbiologist at New York University. “Theres a lot we dont know and need to find out.“ As gene
30、tically modified crops multiply in the landscape, unprecedented numbers of researchers have started fanning into the fields to get the missing information. Some of their recent findings are reassuring; others suggest a need for vigilance. 2 Majority of people in those countries maintaining a long hi
31、story of agriculture believe _. （ A） genetically modified crop is beneficial （ B） genetically modified crop causes environmental problems （ C） high-tech crop is a great benefit to the world （ D） genetically modified foods is a heated topic 3 How much genetically modified corn was planted in the US l
32、ast year? （ A） More than half. （ B） 65 million acres. （ C） One third. （ D） Three quarters. 4 Why is the debate on genetically modified foods more heated in developing countries? （ A） Because they have a rich range of foods. （ B） Because the supply outstrips the need. （ C） Because they have to feed f
33、ast-growing populations. （ D） Because the risks outweigh the benefits. 5 According to the UNs prediction, the growth population from now to 2050 is nearly all in _. （ A） western countries （ B） African countries （ C） developed countries （ D） developing countries 6 Genetically modified crops can help
34、to improve _. （ A） nutrient contents and farming productivity （ B） beta-carotene contents in rice （ C） vitamin A and iron elements in crop （ D） attribution to resist insects 7 What was the reason that led to the loss of more than half of African main food two years ago? （ A） Drought. （ B） Toxin in t
35、he crop. （ C） The mosaic virus. （ D） The barren soil. 8 The most important factor that leads to hunger in developing countries is _. （ A） lost crops （ B） global greenhouse effect （ C） economic crisis （ D） poverty 9 Those people and countries which are restricting and opposed to genetically modified
36、plants worry about _. 10 The far-flung outrage destroys fields and plants because they misidentified _. 11 Some people boost genetically modified crops on the condition that these altered plants contain _. Section A Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversa
37、tions. 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
38、 best answer. （ A） They will go and buy coffee. （ B） They will go and buy the lottery. （ C） They will finish the job. （ D） They will begin with the job. （ A） She will get married with the male speaker. （ B） She will get married this winter. （ C） She has got married for about six months. （ D） She has
39、 decided to marry in June. （ A） Colleagues. （ B） Customer manager and client. （ C） Boss and secretary. （ D） Professor and student. （ A） He has to work overtime. （ B） He is under great pressure of the job. （ C） He doesnt get along with his workmates. （ D） He is not satisfied with his salary. （ A） He
40、grew up in England. （ B） He was born in Spain. （ C） He spent his teen years in London. （ D） He went to a college in the USA. （ A） Annoying and mean. （ B） Kind and friendly. （ C） Intelligent but mean. （ D） Intelligent but annoying. （ A） Who is going to do the dishes. （ B） Who is going to sweep the fl
41、oor. （ C） What program is on TV. （ D） What they are going to do. （ A） At teatime this afternoon. （ B） At lunch next Tuesday. （ C） At lunch on Wednesday. （ D） At teatime on Wednesday. （ A） He has finished the first draft. （ B） He has just got started. （ C） He has finished the outline. （ D） He has han
42、ded the paper in. （ A） Responsible but too direct. （ B） Responsible and nice. （ C） Helpful and patient. （ D） Strict and picky. （ A） Have dinner with him. （ B） Write the paper for him. （ C） Help him with the paper. （ D） Go to classes with him. （ A） Spending more hours on the Internet. （ B） Spending f
43、ewer hours on the Internet. （ C） Their brighter expectations not being met. （ D） Their bad state of being on the Internet. （ A） The Net is not healthy for people. （ B） The Net does not help with peoples communication. （ C） The Net is healthier than TV. （ D） The Net does no good to peoples psychologi
44、cal well-being. （ A） Because people give too much time to the Internet. （ B） Because people have more friends on the Internet. （ C） Because people have less face-to-face conversations than before. （ D） Because people stay at home longer than before. （ A） The fast-developing technology. （ B） The incr
45、easing information and communication via the Net. （ C） The way how people make use of the Internet. （ D） The people who design different applications. 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
46、 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. （ A） Latin, Spanish, French and Mandarin. （ B） Latin, French, German and Spanish. （ C） French, Spanish., German and Mandarin. （ D） English, Spanish, German
47、and Mandarin. （ A） He makes Mandarin a compulsory course at his college. （ B） He wants more native Chinese students at his college. （ C） He will begin to study Mandarin. （ D） He will begin to teach Mandarin. （ A） To let them know another language. （ B） To enable them to succeed in business. （ C） To
48、let them know the fact that China is the fastest growing country. （ D） To make learning Mandarin a national trend. （ A） 86 were injured, 22 dead. （ B） 22 were injured, 86 dead. （ C） No one was injured or dead. （ D） Only the head engineer was injured. （ A） Chemicals, lumber and cattle. （ B） Chemicals
49、, lumber and automobiles. （ C） Chemicals, automobiles and cattle. （ D） Lumber, automobiles and cattle. （ A） They caught them on the spot. （ B） They found some evidence at the scene. （ C） They discovered them on the video. （ D） They got clues from some witnesses. （ A） Spend some time with people who you love. （ B） Say “I lore you“ to people you love. （ C） Show love to people you love by buying flower. （ D） Help people who you love. （ A） It was hard to achieve. （ B） It went against what they have been
