2005年1月8日大学英语六级考试试题A卷

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 centre.

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 are talking about some work they will start at 9 o'clock in the morning and have to finish by 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 centre.

                                   Sample answer        [A] [B] [C] [D]                

1.   A) Furnished apartments will cost more.

     B) The apartment can be furnished easily.

     C) The apartment is just what the man is looking for.

     D) She can provide the man with the apartment he needs.

2.   A) Mr. Johnson's ideas are nonsense.

   B) He quite agrees with Mr. Johnson's views.

   C) Mr. Johnson is good at expressing his ideas.

   D) He shares the woman's views on social welfare.

3.   A) Study in a quiet place.

   B) Improve her grades gradually.

   C) Change the conditions of her dorm.

   D) Avoid distractions while studying in her dorm.

4.   A) It has been put off.

   B) It has been cancelled.

   C) It will be held in a different place,

   D) It will be rescheduled to attract more participants.

5.  A) Janet loves the beautiful landscape of Australia very much.

   B) Janet is very much interested in architecture.

   C) Janet admires the Sydney Opera House very much.

   D) Janet thinks it's a shame for anyone not to visit Australia.

6.  A) It is based on a lot of research.

   B) It can be finished in a few weeks' time.

   C) It has drawn criticism from lots of people.

   D) It falls short of her supervisor's expectations.

7.    A) Karen is very forgetful.

   B) He knows Karen better now.

   C) Karen is sure to pass the interview.

   D) The woman should have reminded Karen earlier.

8.   A) Ask Joe to apologize to the professor for her.

   B) Skip the class to prepare for the exam.

   C) Tell the professor she's lost her voice.

   D) Attend the lecture with the man.

9.   A) The man will go in for business fight after high school.

   B) The woman is not happy with the man's decision.

   C) The man wants to be a business manager.

   D) The woman is working in a kindergarten.

10. A) They stay closed until summer comes.

   B) They cater chiefly to tourists.

   C) They are busy all the year round.

   D) They provide quality service to their customers.

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 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). Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

Questions 11 to 14 are based on the passage you have just heard.

 11. A) Classmates.                         C) Boss and secretary.

    B) Colleagues.                         D) PR representative and client.

12. A) He felt his assignment was tougher than Sue's.

   B) His clients complained about his service.

   C) He thought the boss was unfair to him.

   D) His boss was always finding fault with his work.

13. A) She is unwilling to undertake them.

   B) She complains about her bad luck.

   C) She always accepts them cheerfully.

   D) She takes them on, though reluctantly.

14. A) Sue got promoted.                  C) Both John and Sue got a raise.

   B) John had to quit his job.           D) Sue failed to complete her project.

Passage Two

Questions 15 to 17 are based on the passage you have just heard.

15. A) By greeting each other very politely.

   B) By exchanging their views on public affairs.

   C) By displaying their feelings and emotions.

   D) By asking each other some personal questions.

16. A) Refrain from showing his feelings.     C) Argue fiercely.

   B) Express his opinion frankly.            D) Yell loudly.

17. A) Getting rich quickly.                 C) Respecting individual rights.

    B) Distinguishing oneself.               D) Doing credit to one's community.

Passage Three

Questions 18 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.

18. A) If they don't involve any risks.

   B) If they produce predictable side effects.

   C) When the urgent need for them arises.

   D) When tests show that they are relatively safe.

19. A) Because they are not accustomed to it.

   B) Because they are not psychologically prepared for it.

   C) Because their genes differ from those who have been tested for it.

   D) Because they are less sensitive to it than those who have been tested for it.

20. A) They will have to take ever larger doses.

   B) They will become physically impaired.

   C) They will suffer from minor discomfort.

   D) They will experience a very painful process.

Part II            Reading Comprehension           (35 minutes)

Directions:  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 centre.

Passage One

Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.

     I had an experience some years ago which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I had to officiate at two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community. Both had died "full of years," as the Bible would say; both yielded to the normal wearing out of the body after a long and full life. Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence (吊唁) calls on the two families on the same afternoon.

     At the first home, the son of the deceased (已故的) woman said to me, "If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It's my fault that she died." At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, "If only I hadn't insisted on my mother's going to Florida, she would be alive today. That long airplane ride, the abrupt change of climate, was more than she could take. It's my fault that she's dead."

     When things don't turn out as we would like them to, it is very tempting to assume that had we done things differently, the story would have had a happier ending. Priests know that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out badly, they believe that the opposite course - keeping Mother at home, postponing the operation – would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?

      There seem to be two elements involved in our readiness to feel guilt. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens. That leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.

      The second element is the notion that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen. It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believing that every disaster is our fault. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood. Psychologists speak of the infantile myth of omnipotence (万能). A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to its tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely outgrow that infantile notion that our wishes cause things to happen.

  21. What is said about the two deceased elderly women?

        A) They lived out a natural life.

       B) They died of exhaustion after the long plane ride.

        C) They weren't accustomed to the change in weather.

        D) They died due to lack of care by family members.

22. The author had to conduct the two women's funerals probably because ________.

       A) he wanted to console the two families

       B) he was an official from the community

       C) he had great sympathy for the deceased

       D) he was priest of the local church

23. People feel guilty for the deaths of their loved ones because ________

       A) they couldn't find a better way to express their grief

       B) they believe that they were responsible

       C) they had neglected the natural course of events

      D) they didn't know things often turn out in the opposite direction

24. In the context of the passage, "... the world makes sense" (Line 2, Para, 4) probably means that ________.

       A) everything in the world is predetermined

       B) the world can be interpreted in different ways

       C) there's an explanation for everything in the world

       D) we have to be sensible in order to understand the world

25. People have been made to believe since infancy that ________.

       A) everybody is at their command

       B) life and death is an unsolved mystery

       C) every story should have a happy ending

D) their wishes are the cause of everything that happens