1、大学英语六级（ 2013年 12月考试改革适用）模拟试卷 224及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing 1 For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay entitled It Pays to Be Honest by commenting on the saying, “Honesty is the best policy.“ You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words. Write your essay on Answer S
2、heet 1. Section A （ A） It could not receive or make calls. （ B） It receives the signal but always cuts off halfway. （ C） It can make calls but the signal is not clear. （ D） It could only receive incoming calls. （ A） To get a feedback about the phone. （ B） To find out where the problem lies. （ C） To
3、get the phone fixed immediately. （ D） To apology for his inconvenience. （ A） Damage to the equipment. （ B） The mans wrong operation. （ C） The line upgrading. （ D） It was unclear. （ A） He will buy another cell phone. （ B） He will complain again if the problem isnt settled. （ C） He will ask for a refu
4、nd if the problem isnt solved. （ D） He will complain to the management. （ A） A way to join a bicycle race. （ B） Major British bicycle races. （ C） The contribution of cycling to health. （ D） An annual cycling event. （ A） The length of the course. （ B） The route the cyclists take. （ C） The number of p
5、articipants. （ D） The date when the tour is held. （ A） There is no rush. （ B） The winner becomes the king. （ C） Friendship first, competition second. （ D） Faster and stronger. （ A） Fruit. （ B） Water. （ C） Lunch. （ D） Repair services. Section B （ A） They are very frightening and powerful. （ B） They a
6、re interested in tornadoes. （ C） They all work very hard. （ D） They dont know why tornadoes occur. （ A） Where dry and humid air masses meet. （ B） Where the air becomes warm and humid. （ C） When thunderstorms or tornadoes occur. （ D） When the air rises very rapidly. （ A） It will remain the same. （ B）
7、 Its air will be sucked up. （ C） It will explode outward. （ D） It will move a little. （ A） 33. （ B） 44. （ C） 433. （ D） 443. （ A） A place with a heavy rain. （ B） A town with a sunny day. （ C） A beautiful summer resort. （ D） An interesting advertisement. （ A） She didnt like the job any more. （ B） She
8、made a mistake in the report. （ C） She was criticized for her clothes. （ D） Her boss often found faults with her. （ A） Every time they watch TV. （ B） When they make mistakes. （ C） When theyre going on holiday. （ D） When they meet forecasters. Section C （ A） Human beings are the only animals who can
9、laugh. （ B） One starts laughing when he is about six months old. （ C） Laughter has many functions other than expressing joy. （ D） Almost all the animals can laugh in some way. （ A） The sparkling of eyes. （ B） The opening of mouth. （ C） The movement of muscles. （ D） The blinking of eyes. （ A） Comedy
10、originated in ancient Rome. （ B） Theaters originally appeared in Italy. （ C） Stand-up comedians were popular in France. （ D） Comedy was once banned in Europe. （ A） It improves hearing. （ B） It causes infections. （ C） It keeps our ears dry. （ D） It protects our ears. （ A） A soft cloth. （ B） Mineral o
11、il. （ C） The little finger. （ D） A cotton swab. （ A） Water is poured into the ear. （ B） It is the safest method of all. （ C） Cold water should be used. （ D） It can be repeated several times. （ A） It is the first same sex school. （ B） It is located in New York city. （ C） It began to admit students in
12、 2008. （ D） It charges students a high tuition fee. （ A） Boys are more attentive than girls. （ B） Girls are more active than boys. （ C） Boys get more attention than girls. （ D） Boys and girls are treated equally. （ A） Students perform better in same sex classrooms. （ B） Students perform better in mi
13、xed sex classrooms. （ C） Differences outweigh similarities between boys and girls. （ D） Similarities outweigh differences between boys and girls. （ A） Attending a pre-school program. （ B） Attending a same sex school. （ C） Going to school earlier. （ D） Having good personalities. Section A 26 Our bodi
14、es experience an ebb and flow of energy throughout the day. This is called a circadian rhythm, and it has been studied【 C1】 _ by scientists. Our energy level builds gradually to a peak, then【 C2】 _ , reaching a trough about 12 hours later. The exact nature of this cycle varies from person to person,
15、 and so do our【 C3】_ for activity versus rest Our natural rhythms are【 C4】 _ by internal drives and external stimulation. Typically, external stimulation wins out over what our internal guide tells us. For example, when we fly across six time zones, we have to fit into a different time frame whether
16、 we like it or not. The same is true when we work the night shift. These are【 C5】 _ examples of what most of us experience every day on the job. So here we are, many of us working hours that are【 C6】 _ to what our internal rhythms would prefer. Too bad. Or is it? Some forward-looking companies are l
17、ooking at internal rhythms as they【 C7】_ to productivity and are finding that a mid-afternoon nap increases work output and【 C8】 _ . But can naptime really fit into the American workday? While experts seem to agree that napping is a good idea, the reality of napping is probably a long shot at best.
18、There are lots of reasons for this. One is the need for predictability and standardization in the workplace,【 C9】 _ in companies that do business around the world. Another is the longstanding American work ethic that【 C10】 _ total commitment from beginning to end of the workday. Napping is viewed as
19、 slacking, a real no-no for the go-getter who wants to get ahead. A) contrary E) prior I) especially M) extreme B) exclaimed F) demands J) relate N) declines C) extensively G) preferences K) specifically O) appropriate D) affected H) impact L) accuracy 27 【 C1】 28 【 C2】 29 【 C3】 30 【 C4】 31 【 C5】 32
20、 【 C6】 33 【 C7】 34 【 C8】 35 【 C9】 36 【 C10】 Section B 36 Postgraduate dilemmas A Deciding whether or not to become a postgraduate can be a daunting (令人畏缩的 ) prospect. Even if you are sure you want to press ahead, the chances are youll have a list of unanswered questions about the best approach. That
21、s why New Scientist has asked those in the know to talk frankly about what postgraduate life is really like and how to make the most of it. How do I choose the right project? B One thing all postgraduates agree on is that you need to be passionate about your research topic if youre ever going to fin
22、ish it. Starting off with fire in your belly will give you the best chance of seeing your work through. “During your PhD you will fall in and out of love with your project many times, so it is important to choose something that fascinates you and that you will want to persevere with,“ says Katherine
23、 Reekie, who is in the fourth year of her PhD in genetics at the University of Leicester. C Think, too, about the mode of research, advises Rachel Walker, a second-year PhD student at the University of Cambridge. “You should consider whether the project will require mostly fieldwork or lab work and
24、whether you are happy with this.“ It is also useful for your project to have some similar aspects to those of other students working in your research group, she says, so that you can help each other out when you get stuck. D Funding availability might influence the exact area you choose to focus on.
25、 “Often there will be projects available with funding, waiting for a student to take them up. This was true in my case,“ says Jonathan du Bois, a PhD graduate from the University of Bristol. If you already have a specific project in mind, shop around for a department or supervisor that is interested
26、 in taking you on for that topic. Keep an open mind and spread your search as far as you can to find a university that fits your requirements. E Watch out for projects that are linked to commercial ventures requiring students to sign a contract that limit their ability to publish, or narrowly define
27、 the scope of their research. “I know of one horror story where a student obtained funding linked to a project to develop a medical device,“ says Tristan Farrow, a fourth-year PhD student from the University of Cambridge. “Before he knew it, his hands were tied and he found himself working more on p
28、roduct development than science. His project took seven years and funding was a constant worry.“ F Finally, dont think too far ahead; the whole point of research is that you can never be quite sure where it will lead. According to Farrow, defining your research topic down to the smallest detail is l
29、ike putting the cart before the horse. “PhD projects always evolve and final theses rarely cover the exact topics you thought you signed up for. You should have a clear aim but its fine not to know exactly how youre going to get there,“ he says. “Thats not to say you should be casual about your choi
30、ce of research topic, but theres nothing to be gained by being too prescriptive.“ Will I get a job at the end of this? G “The market is worse than it has been for a considerable number of years, so you are not guaranteed a job,“ warns Stephen Kennedy, from the pharmaceutical (制药的 ) giant AstraZeneca
31、, where up to 70 per cent of staff have a PhD. “But having a postgraduate qualification will help you give examples of your strengths and attributes in an interview,“ he says. Youll also have good transferable skills that you can take away from science and apply to a totally different area, such as
32、business. H Lorna Crombie, director of Durham-based science recruitment agency CK Science, agrees that postgraduate study can prepare you for employment as long as you know how to show your new skills in an interview. “You need to be able to go in and tell them what you got out of the course,“ she s
33、ays. Focus on abilities like project management or working independently skills that require discipline. I Kennedy believes its these skills that give postgraduates the edge. “They tend to be more active, and have the ability to work autonomously and decisively,“ he says. “They tend to have a better
34、 understanding of the working world than a graduate.“ Overall, he says, postgraduates are “more likely to hit the ground running“, which makes a big impact in the pharmaceutical industry because the sooner new employees are doing their jobs well, the sooner patients receive the benefits. Can I turn
35、my PhD into a business? J Ever been tempted to use a smartphone to lend a helping hand in the pub quiz? If so, then chances are youll still be stuck when it comes to the picture round. Now, Mark Cummins, a final-year PhD student working on computer vision at the University of Oxford has found the so
36、lution. For the last year, hes been developing a new company called Plinkart which has created a visual search engine application for smartphones. “You take a picture of an object with your phone, we recognise the object in the picture and return the relevant information,“ explains Cummins. For exam
37、ple, you can take a photo of a painting and the Plinkart application will find the relevant Wikipedia article. K Because scientists tend to be good at finding solutions to problems it means that, like Cummins, they often come up with ideas that could work well in a business setting. But does that me
38、an its easy to turn your science into a business? L “Scientific training is intellectually rigorous so it is certainly not difficult for scientists to make a switch to business, but a significant shift in mindset is required,“ says Afua Osei of the Oxford Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation p
39、art of the University of Oxfords Said Business School. Instead of focusing on pure scientific discovery, theyll have to focus on context, applications, market needs and customer behaviour, she says. M Lecturer Davin Yap co-founded his company, Transversal, when he grew fed up with his students at th
40、e University of Cambridge emailing him masses of questions. He produced a piece of computer software which allows users to submit questions in their own words which the computer will understand and provide an answer to. His clients now include the Royal Mail and BBC iPlayer, but how confident was he
41、 that it would succeed at the start? N “Blindly confident,“ Yap says. “Its essential that you just get on with it. Youll soon recognise whats lacking and find ways to fill the gaps but only if youre doing rather than thinking.“ O Cummins couldnt agree more. “Intellectually, we were well aware that a
42、 high percentage of start-up companies fail but, almost by definition, start-up founders believe that that doesnt apply to their idea,“ Nonetheless, the risk of failure is still real and “its a huge commitment of time, effort and personal savings,“ he says. However, the biggest investment is probabl
43、y the opportunity cost: “Initiating a startup means not doing a postdoc or taking a well-paid job. Some people manage to combine a start-up with a postdoc, but its very difficult, especially because many universities now claim ownership of any intellectual property you develop during your research.“
44、 37 Scientists are usually good at finding solutions to problems. 38 A postgraduate qualification is an example of ones strength. 39 To choose a project, students should look for projects with funding. 40 Defining research topic down to the smallest details is unnecessary during the research. 41 Com
45、pared with the graduates, the advantage of postgraduates is their skills like management. 42 One may lose the intellectual property he develops if he is doing a postdoctoral research. 43 If you want to become a postgraduate, you may have many unanswered questions about the best plan. 44 Scientists c
46、an easily turn their knowledge into business due to the rigorous scientific training they receive. 45 Its important for a student to choose a project that he is really interested in and that he will want to persevere with. 46 A lecturer created a piece of software, making it possible for users to su
47、bmit questions to and get answers from a computer. Section C 46 Both the Senate and House health care bills propose incentives to boost corporate wellness programs that aim to help employees stay healthier and to control a companys insurance costs. But those programs were slowed down with the recent
48、 enactment (颁布 ) of a law that generally prohibits employers and insurers from asking workers about their family medical history. Workplace wellness programs are commonplace these days. More than half of employers offer smoking quitting or weight management programs, according to a 2009 survey by Ao
49、n Consulting. More than a third have on-site fitness centers. The first step in enrolling an employee in any wellness program is typically to ask him to complete a health risk assessment containing a dozen or more questions, including some about the employees family history of medical conditions. But the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 makes it illegal to discriminate on the basis of genetic information in health coverage. That means that hea
