
Part I Writing (30 minutes)
1. 目前高校排名相当盛行;2. 对于这种做法人们看法不一;3. 在我看来……
My Views on University Ranking
Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes)
Into the Unknown
The world has never seen population ageing before. Can it cope?
Until the early 1990s nobody much thought about whole populations getting older. The UN had the foresight to convene a “world assembly on ageing” back in 1982, but that came and went. By 1994 the World Bank had noticed that something big was happening. In a report entitled “Averting the Old Age Crisis”, it argued that pension arrangements in most countries were unsustainable.
For the next ten years a succession of books, mainly by Americans, sounded the alarm. They had titles like Young vs Old, Gray Dawn and The Coming Generational Storm, and their message was blunt: health-care systems were heading for the rocks, pensioners were taking young people to the cleaners, and soon there would be intergenerational warfare.
Since then the debate has become less emotional, not least because a lot more is known about the subject. Books, conferences and research papers have multiplied. International organisations such as the OECD and the EU issue regular reports. Population ageing is on every agenda, from G8 economic conferences to NATO summits. The World Economic Forum plans to consider the future of pensions and health care at its prestigious Davos conference early next year. The media, including this newspaper, are giving the subject extensive coverage.
Whether all that attention has translated into sufficient action is another question. Governments in rich countries now accept that their pension and health-care promises will soon become unaffordable, and many of them have embarked on reforms, but so far only timidly. That is not surprising: politicians with an eye on the next election will hardly rush to introduce unpopular measures that may not bear fruit for years, perhaps decades.
The outline of the changes needed is clear. To avoid fiscal (财政) meltdown, public pensions and health-care provision will have to be reined back severely and taxes may have to go up. By far the most effective method to restrain pension spending is to give people the opportunity to work longer, because it increases tax revenues and reduces spending on pensions at the same time. It may even keep them alive longer. John Rother, the AARP’s head of policy and strategy, points to studies showing that other things being equal, people who remain at work have lower death rates than their retired peers.
Younger people today mostly accept that they will have to work for longer and that their pensions will be less generous. Employers still need to be persuaded that older workers are worth holding on to. That may be because they have had plenty of younger ones to choose from, partly thanks to the post-war baby-boom and partly because over the past few decades many more women have entered the labour force, increasing employers’ choice. But the reservoir of women able and willing to take up paid work is running low, and the baby-boomers are going grey.
In many countries immigrants have been filling such gaps in the labour force as have already emerged (and remember that the real shortage is still around ten years off). Immigration in the developed world is the highest it has ever been, and it is making a useful difference. In still-fertile America it currently accounts for about 40% of total population growth, and in fast-ageing western Europe for about 90%.
On the face of it, it seems the perfect solution. Many developing countries have lots of young people in need of jobs; many rich countries need helping hands that will boost tax revenues and keep up economic growth. But over the next few decades labour forces in rich countries are set to shrink so much that inflows of immigrants would have to increase enormously to compensate: to at least twice their current size in western Europe’s most youthful countries, and three times in the older ones. Japan would need a large multiple of the few immigrants it has at present. Public opinion polls show that people in most rich countries already think that immigration is too high. Further big increases would be politically unfeasible.
To tackle the problem of ageing populations at its root, “old” countries would have to rejuvenate (使年轻) themselves by having more of their own children. A number of them have tried, some more successfully than others. But it is not a simple matter of offering financial incentives or providing more child care. Modern urban life in rich countries is not well adapted to large families. Women find it hard to combine family and career. They often compromise by having just one child.
And if fertility in ageing countries does not pick up? It will not be the end of the world, at least not for quite a while yet, but the world will slowly become a different place. Older societies may be less innovative and more strongly disinclined to take risks than younger ones. By 2025 at the latest, about half the voters in America and most of those in western European countries will be over 50—and older people turn out to vote in much greater number than younger ones. Academic studies have found no evidence so far that older voters have used their power at the ballot box to push for policies that specifically benefit them, though if in future there are many more of them they might start doing so.
Nor is there any sign of the intergenerational warfare predicted in the 1990s. After all, older people themselves mostly have families. In a recent study of parents and grown-up children in 11 European countries, Karsten Hank of Mannheim University found that 85% of them lived within 25km of each other and the majority of them were in touch at least once a week.
Even so, the shift in the centre of gravity to older age groups is bound to have a profound effect on societies, not just economically and politically but in all sorts of other ways too. Richard Jackson and Neil Howe of America’s CSIS, in a thoughtful book called The Graying of the Great Powers, argue that, among other things, the ageing of the developed countries will have a number of serious security implications.
For example, the shortage of young adults is likely to make countries more reluctant to commit the few they have to military service. In the decades to 2050, America will find itself playing an ever-increasing role in the developed world’s defence effort. Because America’s population will still be growing when that of most other developed countries is shrinking, America will be the only developed country that still matters geopolitically (地缘政治上).
Ask me in 2020
There is little that can be done to stop population ageing, so the world will have to live with it. But some of the consequences can be alleviated. Many experts now believe that given the right policies, the effects, though grave, need not be catastrophic. Most countries have recognised the need to do something and are beginning to act.
But even then there is no guarantee that their efforts will work. What is happening now is historically unprecedented. Ronald Lee, director of the Centre on the Economics and Demography of Ageing at the University of California, Berkeley, puts it briefly and clearly: “We don’t really know what population ageing will be like, because nobody has done it yet. “
1. In its 1994 report, the World Bank argued that the current pension system in most countries could ______.
[A] not be sustained in the long term
[B] further accelerate the ageing process
[C] hardly halt the growth of population
[D] help tide over the current ageing crisis
2. What message is conveyed in books like Young vs Old?
[A] The generation gap is bound to narrow.
[B] Intergenerational conflicts will intensify.
[C] The younger generation will beat the old.
[D] Old people should give way to the young.
3. One reason why pension and health care reforms are slow in coming is that ______.
[A] nobody is willing to sacrifice their own interests to tackle the problem
[B] most people are against measures that will not bear fruit immediately
[C] the proposed reforms will affect too many people’s interests
[D] politicians are afraid of losing votes in the next election
4. The author believes the most effective method to solve the pension crisis is to ______.
[A] allow people to work longer [C] cut back on health care provisions
[B] increase tax revenues [D] start reforms right away
5. The reason why employers are unwilling to keep older workers is that ______.
[A] they are generally difficult to manage
[B] the longer they work, the higher their pension
[C] their pay is higher than that of younger ones
[D] younger workers are readily available
6. To compensate for the fast-shrinking labour force, Japan would need ______.
[A] to revise its current population control policy
[B] large numbers of immigrants from overseas
[C] to automate its manufacturing and service industries
[D] a politically feasible policy concerning population
7. Why do many women in rich countries compromise by having only one child?
[A] Small families are becoming more fashionable.
[B] They find it hard to balance career and family.
[C] It is too expensive to support a large family.
[D] Child care is too big a problem for them.
8. Compared with younger ones, older societies are less inclined to ______________________________.
9. The predicted intergenerational warfare is unlikely because most of the older people themselves _________________________.
10. Countries that have a shortage of young adults will be less willing to commit them to ____________________________.
Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)
Section A
11. [A] The man is the manager of the apartment building.
[B] The woman is very good at bargaining.
[C] The woman will get the apartment refurnished.
[D] The man is looking for an apartment.
12. [A] How the pictures will turn out. [C] What the man thinks of the shots.
[B] Where the botanical garden is. [D] Why the pictures are not ready.
13. [A] There is no replacement for the handle.
[B] There is no match for the suitcase.
[C] The suitcase is not worth fixing.
[D] The suitcase can be fixed in time.
14. [A] He needs a vehicle to be used in harsh weather.
[B] He has a fairly large collection of quality trucks.
[C] He has had his truck adapted for cold temperatures.
[D] He does routine truck maintenance for the woman.
15. [A] She cannot stand her boss’s bad temper.
[B] She has often been criticized by her boss.
[C] She has made up her mind to resign.
[D] She never regrets any decisions she makes.
16. [A] Look for a shirt of a more suitable color and size.
[B] Replace the shirt with one of some other material.
[C] Visit a different store for a silk or cotton shirt.
[D] Get a discount on the shirt she is going to buy.
17. [A] At a “Lost and Found”. [C] At a trade fair.
[B] At a reception desk. [D] At an exhibition.
18. [A] Repair it and move in. [C] Convert it into a hotel.
[B] Pass it on to his grandson. [D] Sell it for a good price.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
19. [A] Unique descriptive skills. [C] Colourful world experiences.
[B] Good knowledge of readers’ tastes. [D] Careful plotting and clueing.
20. [A] A peaceful setting. [C] To be in the right mood.
[B] A spacious room. [D] To be entirely alone.
21. [A] They rely heavily on their own imagination.
[B] They have experiences similar to the characters’.
[C] They look at the world in a detached manner.
[D] They are overwhelmed by their own prejudices.
Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
22. [A] Good or bad, they are there to stay.
[B] Like it or not, you have to use them.
[C] Believe it or not, they have survived.
[D] Gain or lose, they should be modernised.
23. [A] The frequent train delays. [C]The food sold on the trains.
[B] The high train ticket fares. [D] The monopoly of British Railways.
24. [A] The low efficiency of their operation.
[B] Competition from other modes of transport.
[C] Constant complaints from passengers.
[D] The passing of the new transport act.
25. [A] They will be de-nationalised. [C] They are fast disappearing.
[B] They provide worse service. [D] They lose a lot of money.
Section B
Passage One
26. [A] The whole Antarctic region will be submerged.
[B] Some polar animals will soon become extinct.
[C] Many coastal cities will be covered with water.
[D] The earth will experience extreme weathers.
27. [A] How humans are to cope with global warming.
[B] How unstable the West Antarctic ice sheet is.
[C] How vulnerable the coastal cities are.
[D] How polar ice impacts global weather.
28. [A] It collapsed at least once in the past 1.3 million years.
[B] It sits firmly on solid rock at the bottom of the ocean.
[C] It melted at temperatures a bit higher than those of today.
[D] It will have little impact on sea level when it breaks up.
29. [A] The West Antarctic region was once an open ocean.
[B] The West Antarctic ice sheet was about 7,000 feet thick.
[C] The West Antarctic ice sheet was once floating ice.
[D] The West Antarctic region used to be warmer than today.
Passage Two
30. [A] Whether we can develop social ties on the Internet.
[B] Whether a deleted photo is immediately removed from the web.
[C] Whether our blogs can be renewed daily.
[D] Whether we can set up our own websites.
31. [A] The number of visits they receive. [C] The files they have collected.
[B] The way they store data. [D] The means they use to get information.
32. [A] When the system is down. [C] When the URL is reused.
[B] When new links are set up. [D] When the server is restarted.
Passage Three
33. [A] Some iced coffees have as many calories as a hot dinner.
[B] Iced coffees sold by some popular chains are contaminated.
[C] Drinking coffee after a meal is more likely to cause obesity.
[D] Some brand-name coffees contain harmful substances.
34. [A] Have some fresh fruit. [C] Take a hot shower.
[B] Exercise at the gym. [D] Eat a hot dinner.
35. [A] They could enjoy a happier family life.
[B] They could greatly improve their work efficiency.
[C] Many cancer cases could be prevented.
[D] Many embarrassing situations could be avoided.
Section C
Psychologists are finding that hope plays a surprisingly vital role in giving people a measurable advantage in realms as (36) _____________ as academic achievement, bearing up in tough jobs and coping with (37) ______________ illness. And, by contrast, the loss of hope is turning out to be a stronger sign that a person may (38) ______________ suicide than other factors long thought to be more likely risks.
“Hope has proven a powerful predictor of (39) ______________ in every study we’ve done so far,” said Dr. Charles R. Snyder, a psychologist who has devised a (40) ______________ to assess how much hope a person has.
For example, in research with 3,920 college students, Dr. Snyder and his (41) ______________ found that the level of hope among freshmen at the beginning of their first semester was a more (42) ______________ predictor of their college grades than were their S.A.T. scores or their grade point (43) ______________ in high school, the two measures most commonly used to predict college performance.
(44)”___________________________________________________________________________________________,” Dr. Snyder said. “When you compare students of equivalent intelligence and past academic achievements, what sets them apart is hope.”
In devising a way to assess hope scientifically, Dr. Snyder (45)________________________
_______________________________. “That notion is not concrete enough, and it blurs two key components of hope,” Dr. Snyder said. (46)”_____________________________________________________________________.”
Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)
Section A
Most young boys are trained to believe that men should be strong, tough, cool, and detached. Thus, they learn early to hide vulnerable emotions such as love, joy, and sadness because they believe that such feelings are feminine and imply weakness. Over time, some men become strangers to their own emotional lives. It seems that men with traditional views of masculinity are more likely to suppress outward emotions and to fear emotions, supposedly because such feelings may lead to a loss of composure (镇定). Keep in mind, however, that this view is challenged by some researchers. As with many gender gaps, differences in emotionality tend to be small, inconsistent, and dependent on the situation. For instance, Robertson and colleagues found that males who were more traditionally masculine were more emotionally expressive in a structured exercise than when they were simply asked to talk about their emotions.
Males’ difficulty with “tender” emotions has serious consequences. First, suppressed emotions can contribute to stress-related disorders. And worse, men are less likely than women to seek help from health professionals. Second, men’s emotional inexpressiveness can cause problems in their relationships with partners and children. For example, men who endorse traditional masculine norms report lower relationship satisfaction, as do their female partners. Further, children whose fathers are warm, loving, and accepting toward them have higher self-esteem and lower rates of aggression and behavior problems. On a positive note, fathers are increasingly involving themselves with their children. And 30 percent of fathers report that they take equal or greater responsibility for their children than their working wives do.
One emotion males are allowed to express is anger. Sometimes this anger translates into physical aggression or violence. Men commit nearly 90 percent of violent crimes in the United States and almost all sexual assaults.
47. Most young boys have been trained to believe that men who show tender feelings are considered to be ______________.
48. Some men believe that if they expressed their emotions openly they might ______________.
49. According to the author, men who suppress their emotions may develop ______________.
50. Men who observe traditional masculine norms are said to derive less satisfaction from ______________.
51. When males get angry, they can become ______________ or even commit violence.
Section B
Passage One
In the early 20th century, few things were more appealing than the promise of scientific knowledge. In a world struggling with rapid industrialization, science and technology seemed to offer solutions to almost every problem. Newly created state colleges and universities devoted themselves almost entirely to scientific, technological, and engineering fields. Many Americans came to believe that scientific certainty could not only solve scientific problems, but also reform politics, government, and business. Two world wars and a Great Depression rocked the confidence of many people that scientific expertise alone could create a prosperous and ordered world. After World War Ⅱ, the academic world turned with new enthusiasm to humanistic studies, which seemed to many scholars the best way to ensure the survival of democracy. American scholars fanned out across much of the world—with support from the Ford Foundation, the Fulbright program, etc.—to promote the teaching of literature and the arts in an effort to make the case for democratic freedoms.
In the America of our own time, the great educational challenge has become an effort to strengthen the teaching of what is now known as the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math). There is considerable and justified concern that the United States is falling behind much of the rest of the developed world in these essential disciplines. India, China, Japan, and other regions seem to be seizing technological leadership.
At the same time, perhaps inevitably, the humanities—while still popular in elite colleges and universities—have experienced a significant decline. Humanistic disciplines are seriously underfunded, not just by the government and the foundations but by academic institutions themselves. Humanists are usually among the lowest-paid faculty members at most institutions and are often lightly regarded because they do not generate grant income and because they provide no obvious credentials (资质) for most nonacademic careers.
Undoubtedly American education should train more scientists and engineers. Much of the concern among politicians about the state of American universities today is focused on the absence of “real world” education—which means preparation for professional and scientific careers. But the idea that institutions or their students must decide between humanities and science is false. Our society could not survive without scientific and technological knowledge. But we would be equally impoverished (贫困的) without humanistic knowledge as well. Science and technology teach us what we can do. Humanistic thinking helps us understand what we should do.
It is almost impossible to imagine our society without thinking of the extraordinary achievements of scientists and engineers in building our complicated world. But try to imagine our world as well without the remarkable works that have defined our culture and values. We have always needed, and we still need, both.
52. In the early 20th century Americans believed science and technology could _______.
[A] solve virtually all existing problems
[C] help raise people’s living standards
[B] quicken the pace of industrialization
[D] promote the nation’s social progress
53. Why did many American scholars become enthusiastic about humanistic studies after World WarⅡ?
[A] They wanted to improve their own status within the current education system.
[B] They believed the stability of a society depended heavily on humanistic studies.
[C] They could get financial support from various foundations for humanistic studies.
[D] They realized science and technology alone were no guarantee for a better world.
54. Why are American scholars worried about education today?
[A] The STEM subjects are too challenging for students to learn.
[B] Some Asian countries have overtaken America in basic sciences.
[C] America is lagging behind in the STEM disciplines.
[D] There are not enough scholars in humanistic studies.
55. What accounts for the significant decline in humanistic studies today?
[A] Insufficient funding. [C] Shortage of devoted faculty.
[B] Shrinking enrollment. [D] Dim prospects for graduates.
56. Why does the author attach so much importance to humanistic studies?
[A] They promote the development of science and technology.
[B] They help prepare students for their professional careers.
[C] Humanistic thinking helps define our culture and values.
[D] Humanistic thinking helps cultivate students’ creativity.
Passage Two
Will there ever be another Einstein? This is the undercurrent of conversation at Einstein memorial meetings throughout the year. A new Einstein will emerge, scientists say. But it may take a long time. After all, more than 200 years separated Einstein from his nearest rival, Isaac Newton.
Many physicists say the next Einstein hasn’t been born yet, or is a baby now. That’s because the quest for a unified theory that would account for all the forces of nature has pushed current mathematics to its limits. New math must be created before the problem can be solved.
But researchers say there are many other factors working against another Einstein emerging anytime soon.
For one thing, physics is a much different field today. In Einstein’s day, there were only a few thousand physicists worldwide, and the theoreticians who could intellectually rival Einstein probably would fit into a streetcar with seats to spare.
Education is different, too. One crucial aspect of Einstein’s training that is overlooked is the years of philosophy he read as a teenager—Kant, Schopenhauer and Spinoza, among others. It taught him how to think independently and abstractly about space and time, and it wasn’t long before he became a philosopher himself.
“The independence created by philosophical insight is—in my opinion—the mark of distinction between a mere artisan (工匠) or specialist and a real seeker after truth,” Einstein wrote in 1944.
And he was an accomplished musician. The interplay between music and math is well known. Einstein would furiously play his violin as a way to think through a knotty physics problem.
Today, universities have produced millions of physicists. There aren’t many jobs in science for them, so they go to Wall Street and Silicon Valley to apply their analytical skills to more practical—and rewarding—efforts.
“Maybe there is an Einstein out there today,” said Columbia University physicist Brian Greene, “but it would be a lot harder for him to be heard.”
Especially considering what Einstein was proposing.
“The actual fabric of space and time curving? My God, what an idea!” Greene said at a recent gathering at the Aspen Institute. “It takes a certain type of person who will bang his head against the wall because you believe you’ll find the solution.”
Perhaps the best examples are the five scientific papers Einstein wrote in his “miracle year” of 1905. These “thought experiments” were pages of calculations signed and submitted to the prestigious journal Annalen der Physik by a virtual unknown. There were no footnotes or citations.
What might happen to such a submission today?
“We all get papers like those in the mail,” Greene said. “We put them in the junk file.”
57. What do scientists seem to agree upon, judging from the first two paragraphs?
[A] Einstein pushed mathematics almost to its limits.
[B] It will take another Einstein to build a unified theory.
[C] No physicist is likely to surpass Einstein in the next 200 years.
[D] It will be some time before a new Einstein emerges.
58. What was critical to Einstein’s success?
[A] His talent as an accomplished musician.
[B] His independent and abstract thinking.
[C] His untiring effort to fulfill his potential.
[D] His solid foundation in math theory.
59. What does the author tell us about physicists today?
[A] They tend to neglect training in analytical skills.
[B] They are very good at solving practical problems.
[C] They attach great importance to publishing academic papers.
[D] They often go into fields yielding greater financial benefits.
60. What does Brian Greene imply by saying “... it would be a lot harder for him to be heard” (Lines 1-2, Para. 9)?
[A] People have to compete in order to get their papers published.
[B] It is hard for a scientist to have his papers published today.
[C] Papers like Einstein’s would unlikely get published today.
[D] Nobody will read papers on apparently ridiculous theories.
61. When he submitted his papers in 1905, Einstein _______.
[A] forgot to make footnotes and citations
[B] was little known in academic circles
[C] was known as a young genius in math calculations
[D] knew nothing about the format of academic papers
Part V Cloze (15 minutes)
America’s most popular newspaper website today announced that the era of free online journalism is drawing to a close. The New York Times has become the biggest publisher yet to 62 plans for a paywall around its digital offering, 63 the accepted practice that internet users will not pay for news.
Struggling an evaporation of advertising and a downward drift in street corner sales, The New York Times 65 to introduce a “metered” model at the beginning of 2011. Readers will be required to pay when they have 66 a set number of its online articles per month.
The decision puts the 159-year-old newspaper 67 the charging side of an increasingly wide chasm (鸿沟) in the media industry. But others, including the Guardian, have said they will not 68 internet readers, and certain papers, 69 London’s Evening Standard, have gone further in abandoning readership revenue by making their print editions 70 .
The New York Times’s publisher, Arthur Sulzberger, 71 that the move is a gamble: “This is a 72 , to a certain degree, in where we think the web is going.”
Boasting a print 73 of 995,000 on weekdays and 1.4 million on Sundays, The New York Times is the third bestselling American newspaper, 74 the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. 75 most US papers focus on a single city, The New York Times is among the few that can 76 national scope—as well as 16 bureaus in the New York area, it has 11 offices around the US and 77 26 bureaus elsewhere in the world.
But 78 many in the publishing industry, the paper is in the grip of a 79 financial crisis. Its parent company, the New York Times Company, has 15 papers, but 80 a loss of $70 million in the nine months to September and recently accepted a $250 million 81 from a Mexican billionaire, Carlos Slim, to strengthen its balance sheet.
62. [A] set in [C] carry over
[B] set out [D] carry away
63. [A] abusing [C] developing
[B] deducting [D] abandoning
. [A] with [C] along
[B] beside [D] by
65. [A] engages [C] deliberates
[B] intends [D] signifies
66. [A] exceeded [C] assumed
[B] multiplied [D] revealed
67. [A] on [C] over
[B] of [D] up
68. [A] cost [C] expend
[B] consume [D] charge
69. [A] as for [C] such as
[B] far from [D] by far
70. [A] reliable [C] applicable
[B] free [D] easy
71. [A] resisted [C] acknowledged
[B] certified [D] appealed
72. [A] net [C] bet
[B] kit [D] pit
73. [A] evaluation [C] circulation
[B] expansion [D] dimension
74. [A] behind [C] before
[B] against [D] within
75. [A] If [C] Hence
[B] While [D] Because
76. [A] ascend [C] lengthen
[B] announce [D] claim
77. [A] contributes [C] maintains
[B] disposes [D] encounters
78. [A] like [C] from
[B] beyond [D] through
79. [A] heavy [C] rough
[B] crude [D] serious
80. [A] targeted [C] suffered
[B] suspended [D] tolerated
81. [A] asset [C] account
[B] bill [D] loan
Part VI Translation (5 minutes)
82. There is no denying that you __________________________________ (越仔细越好) in dealing with this matter.
83. Only when I reached my thirties _____________________________(我才意识到读书是不能被忽视的).
84. Much _________________________________(使研究人员感到惊讶), the outcome of the experiment was far better than they had expected.
85. Oh, my, I can’t find my key; ______________________________(我一定是把它忘在哪儿了).
86. I ____________________________________________ (宁愿加入你们去做义工) than go to the beach for a holiday.
2011年6月大学英语六级真题
Part Ⅰ Writing (30 minutes)
1.现在许多人热衷于各类证书考试2.其目的各不相同3.在我看来……
The Certificate Craze
Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes)
Minority Report
American universities are accepting more minorities than ever. Graduating them is another matter.
Barry Mills, the president of Bowdoin College, was justifiably proud of Bowdoin's efforts to recruit minority students. Since 2003 the small, elite liberal arts school in Brunswick, Maine, has boosted the proportion of so-called under-represented minority students in entering freshman classes from 8% to 13%. "It is our responsibility to reach out and attract students to come to our kinds of places," he told a NEWSWEEK reporter. But Bowdoin has not done quite as well when it comes to actually graduating minorities. While 9 out of 10 white students routinely get their diplomas within six years, only 7 out of 10 black students made it to graduation day in several recent classes.
"If you look at who enters college, it now looks like America," says Hilary Pennington, director of postsecondary programs for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has closely studied enrollment patterns in higher education. "But if you look at who walks across the stage for a diploma, it's still largely the white, upper-income population."
The United States once had the highest graduation rate of any nation. Now it stands 10th. For the first time in American history, there is the risk that the rising generation will be less well educated than the previous one. The graduation rate among 25- to 34-year-olds is no better than the rate for the 55- to -year-olds who were going to college more than 30 years ago. Studies show that more and more poor and non-white students want to graduate from college – but their graduation rates fall far short of their dreams. The graduation rates for blacks, Latinos, and Native Americans lag far behind the graduation rates for whites and Asians. As the minority population grows in the United States, low college graduation rates become a threat to national prosperity.
The problem is pronounced at public universities. In 2007 the University of Wisconsin-Madison – one of the top five or so prestigious public universities – graduated 81% of its white students within six years, but only 56% of its blacks. At less-selective state schools, the numbers get worse. During the same time frame, the University of Northern Iowa graduated 67% of its white students, but only 39% of its blacks. Community colleges have low graduation rates generally – but rock-bottom rates for minorities. A recent review of California community colleges found that while a third of the Asian students picked up their degrees, only 15% of African-Americans did so as well.
Private colleges and universities generally do better, partly because they offer smaller classes and more personal attention. But when it comes to a significant graduation gap, Bowdoin has company. Nearby Colby College logged an 18-point difference between white and black graduates in 2007 and 25 points in 2006. Middlebury College in Vermont, another top school, had a 19-point gap in 2007 and a 22-point gap in 2006. The most selective private schools – Harvard, Yale, and Princeton – show almost no gap between black and white graduation rates. But that may have more to do with their ability to select the best students. According to data gathered by Harvard Law School professor Lani Guinier, the most selective schools are more likely to choose blacks who have at least one immigrant parent from Africa or the Caribbean than black students who are descendants of American slaves.
"Higher education has been able to duck this issue for years, particularly the more selective schools, by saying the responsibility is on the individual student," says Pennington of the Gates Foundation. "If they fail, it's their fault." Some critics blame affirmative action – students admitted with lower test scores and grades from shaky high schools often struggle at elite schools. But a bigger problem may be that poor high schools often send their students to colleges for which they are "undermatched": they could get into more elite, richer schools, but instead go to community colleges and low-rated state schools that lack the resources to help them. Some schools out for profit cynically increase tuitions and count on student loans and federal aid to foot the bill – knowing full well that the students won't make it. "The school keeps the money, but the kid leaves with loads of debt and no degree and no ability to get a better job. Colleges are not holding up their end," says Amy Wilkins of the Education Trust.
A college education is getting ever more expensive. Since 1982 tuitions have been rising at roughly twice the rate of inflation. In 2008 the net cost of attending a four-year public university – after financial aid – equaled 28% of median (中间的) family income, while a four-year private university cost 76% of median family income. More and more scholarships are based on merit, not need. Poorer students are not always the best-informed consumers. Often they wind up deeply in debt or simply unable to pay after a year or two and must drop out.
There once was a time when universities took pride in their dropout rates. Professors would begin the year by saying, "Look to the right and look to the left. One of you is not going to be here by the end of the year." But such a Darwinian spirit is beginning to give way as at least a few colleges face up to the graduation gap. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the gap has been roughly halved over the last three years. The university has poured resources into peer counseling to help students from inner-city schools adjust to the rigor (严格要求) and faster pace of a university classroom –and also to help minority students overcome the stereotype that they are less qualified. Wisconsin has a "laserlike focus" on building up student skills in the first three months, according to vice provost (教务长) Damon Williams.
State and federal governments could sharpen that focus everywhere by broadly publishing minority graduation rates. For years private colleges such as Princeton and MIT have had success bringing minorities onto campus in the summer before freshman year to give them some preparatory courses. The newer trend is to start recruiting poor and non-white students as early as the seventh grade, using innovative tools to identify kids with sophisticated verbal skills. Such programs can be expensive, of course, but cheap compared with the millions already invested in scholarships and grants for kids who have little chance to graduate without special support.
With effort and money, the graduation gap can be closed. Washington and Lee is a small, selective school in Lexington, Va. Its student body is less than 5% black and less than 2% Latino. While the school usually graduated about 90% of its whites, the graduation rate of its blacks and Latinos had dipped to 63% by 2007. "We went through a dramatic shift," says Dawn Watkins, the vice president for student affairs. The school aggressively pushed mentoring (辅导) of minorities by other students and "partnering" with parents at a special pre-enrollment session. The school had its first-ever black homecoming. Last spring the school graduated the same proportion of minorities as it did whites. If the United States wants to keep up in the global economic race, it will have to pay systematic attention to graduating minorities, not just enrolling them.
1. What is the author's main concern about American higher education?
A)The small proportion of minority students.
B)The low graduation rates of minority students.
C)The growing conflicts among ethnic groups.
D)The poor academic performance of students.
2. What was the pride of President Barry Mills of Bowdoin College?
A)The prestige of its liberal arts programs.
B)Its ranking among universities in Maine.
C)The high graduation rates of its students.
D)Its increased enrollment of minority students.
3. What is the risk facing America?
A)Its schools will be overwhelmed by the growing number of illegal immigrants.
B)The rising generation will be less well educated than the previous one.
C)More poor and non-white students will be denied access to college.
D)It is going to lose its competitive edge in higher education.
4. How many African-American students earned their degrees in California community colleges according to a recent review?
A)Fifty-six percent. C) Fifteen percent.
B)Thirty-nine percent. D) Sixty-seven percent.
5. Harvard, Yale, and Princeton show almost no gap between black and white graduation rates mainly because .
A)their students work harder C) their classes are generally smaller
B)they recruit the best students D) they give students more attention
6. How does Amy Wilkins of the Education Trust view minority students' failure to get a degree?
A)Universities are to blame.
B)Students don't work hard.
C)The government fails to provide the necessary support.
D)Affirmative action should be held responsible.
7. Why do some students drop out after a year or two according to the author?
A)They have lost confidence in themselves.
B)They cannot afford the high tuition.
C)They cannot adapt to the rigor of the school.
D)They fail to develop interest in their studies.
8.To tackle the problem of graduation gap, the University of Wisconsin-Madison helps minority students get over the stereotype that _______.
9.For years, private colleges such as Princeton and MIT have provided minority students with _______ during the summer before freshman year.
10.Washington and Lee University is cited as an example to show that the gap of graduation rates between whites and minorities can _______.
Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)
Section A
11. A) She will give him the receipt later.
B)The man should make his own copies.
C)She has not got the man's copies ready.
D)The man forgot to make the copies for her.
12.A) She phoned Fred about the book. C) She ran into Fred on her way here.
B) She was late for the appointment. D) She often keeps other people waiting.
13.A) Mark is not fit to take charge of the Student Union.
B)Mark is the best candidate for the post of chairman.
C)It won't be easy for Mark to win the election.
D)Females are more competitive than males in elections.
14. A) It failed to arrive at its destination in time.
B)It got seriously damaged on the way.
C)It got lost at the airport in Paris.
D)It was left behind in the hotel.
15. A) Just make use of whatever information is available.
B)Put more effort into preparing for the presentation.
C)Find more relevant information for their work.
D)Simply raise the issue in their presentation.
16. A) The man has decided to choose Language Studies as his major.
B)The woman isn't interested in the psychology of language.
C)The man is still trying to sign up for the course he is interested in.
D)The woman isn't qualified to take the course the man mentioned.
17. A) They are both to blame.
B)They are both easy to please.
C)They can manage to get along.
D)They will make peace in time.
18. A) They are in desperate need of financial assistance.
B)They hope to do miracles with limited resources.
C)They want to borrow a huge sum from the bank.
D)They plan to buy out their business partners.
Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
19. A) We simply cannot help reacting instinctively that way.
B)We wish to hide our indifference to their misfortune.
C)We derive some humorous satisfaction from their misfortune.
D)We think it serves them right for being mean to other people.
20. A) They want to show their genuine sympathy.
B)They have had similar personal experiences.
C)They don't know how to cope with the situation.
D)They don't want to reveal their own frustration.
21. A) They themselves would like to do it but don't dare to.
B)It's an opportunity for relieving their tension.
C)It's a rare chance for them to see the boss lose face.
D)They have seen this many times in old films.
22. A) To irritate them. C) To relieve her feelings.
B) To teach them a lesson. D) To show her courage.
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
23.A) Smuggling drugs into Hong Kong. C) Stealing a fellow passenger's bag.
B) Having committed armed robbery. D) Bringing a handgun into Hong Kong.
24.A) He said not a single word during the entire flight.
B)He took away Kumar's baggage while he was asleep.
C)He was travelling on a scholarship from Delhi University.
D)He is suspected of having slipped something in Kumar's bag.
25. A) Give him a lift. C) Check the passenger list.
B) Find Alfred Foster. D) Search all suspicious cars.
Section B
Passage One
Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
26. A) They think travel has become a trend.
B)They think travel gives them their money's worth.
C)They find many of the banks untrustworthy.
D)They lack the expertise to make capital investments.
27. A) Lower their prices to attract more customers.
B)Introduce travel packages for young travelers.
C)Design programs targeted at retired couples.
D)Launch a new program of adventure trips.
28. A) The role of travel agents. C) The number of last-minute bookings.
B) The way people travel. D) The prices of polar expeditions.
Passage Two
Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.
29. A) The old stereotypes about men and women.
B)The changing roles played by men and women.
C)The division of labor between men and women.
D)The widespread prejudice against women.
30. A) Offer more creative and practical ideas than men.
B)Ask questions that often lead to controversy.
C)Speak loudly enough to attract attention.
D)Raise issues on behalf of women.
31. A) To prove that she could earn her living as a gardener.
B)To show that women are more hardworking than men.
C)To show that women are capable of doing what men do.
D)To prove that she was really irritated with her husband.
Passage Three
Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
32. A) Covering major events of the day in the city.
B)Reporting criminal offenses in Greenville.
C)Hunting news for the daily headlines.
D)Writing articles on family violence.
33. A) It is a much safer place than it used to be.
B)Rapes rarely occur in the downtown areas.
C)Assaults often happen on school campuses.
D)It has fewer violent crimes than big cities.
34. A) There are a wide range of cases.
B)They are very destructive.
C)There has been a rise in such crimes.
D)They have aroused fear among the residents.
35. A) Write about something pleasant. C) Offer help to crime victims. B) Do some research on local politics. D) Work as a newspaper editor.
Section C
In America, people are faced with more and more decisions every day, whether it's picking one of 31 ice cream (36) _____ or deciding whether and when to get married. That sounds like a great thing. But as a recent study has shown, too many choices can make us (37) _____, unhappy – even paralyzed with indecision.
That's (38) _____ true when it comes to the workplace, says Barry Schwartz, an author of six books about human (39) _____. Students are graduating with a (40) _____ of skills and interests, but often find themselves (41) _____ when it comes to choosing an ultimate career goal.
In a study, Schwartz observed decision-making among college students during their (42) _____ year. Based on answers to questions regarding their job-hunting (43) _____ and career decisions, he divided the students into two groups: "maximizers" who consider every possible option, and "satisficers" who look until they find an option that is good enough.
You might expect that the students (44) _________________________________. But it turns out that's not true. Schwartz found that while maximizers ended up with better paying jobs than satisficers on average, they weren't as happy with their decision.
The reason (45) _________________________________. When you look at every possible option, you tend to focus more on what was given up than what was gained. After surveying every option, (46) _________________________________.
Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)
Section A
How good are you at saying "no"? For many, it's surprisingly difficult. This is especially true of editors, who by nature tend to be eager and engaged participants in everything they do. Consider these scenarios:
It's late in the day. That front-page package you've been working on is nearly complete; one last edit and it's finished. Enter the executive editor, who makes a suggestion requiring a more-than-modest rearrangement of the design and the addition of an information box. You want to scream: "No! It's done!" What do you do?
The first rule of saying no to the boss is don't say no. She probably has something in mind when she makes suggestions, and it's up to you to find out what. The second rule is don't raise the stakes by challenging her authority. That issue is already decided. The third rule is to be ready to cite options and consequences. The boss's suggestions might be appropriate, but there are always consequences. She might not know about the pages backing up that need attention, or about the designer who had to go home sick. Tell her she can have what she wants, but explain the consequences. Understand what she's trying to accomplish and propose a Plan B that will make it happen without destroying what you've done so far.
Here's another case. Your least-favorite reporter suggests a dumb story idea. This one should be easy, but it's not. If you say no, even politely, you risk inhibiting further ideas, not just from that reporter, but from others who heard that you turned down the idea. This scenario is common in newsrooms that lack a systematic way to filter story suggestions.
Two steps are necessary. First, you need a system for how stories are proposed and reviewed. Reporters can tolerate rejection of their ideas if they believe they were given a fair hearing. Your gut reaction (本能反应) and dismissive rejection, even of a worthless idea, might not qualify as systematic or fair.
Second, the people you work with need to negotiate a "What if ...?" agreement covering "What if my idea is turned down?" How are people expected to react? Is there an appeal process? Can they refine the idea and resubmit it? By anticipating "What if...?" situations before they happen, you can reach understanding that will help ease you out of confrontations.
47.Instead of directly saying no to your boss, you should find out __________.
48.The author's second warning is that we should avoid running a greater risk by __________.
49.One way of responding to your boss's suggestion is to explain the __________ to her and offer an alternative solution.
50.To ensure fairness to reporters, it is important to set up a system for stories to __________.
51.People who learn to anticipate "What if...?" situations will be able to reach understanding and avoid __________.
Section B
Passage One
Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.
At the heart of the debate over illegal immigration lies one key question: are immigrants good or bad for the economy? The American public overwhelmingly thinks they're bad. Yet the consensus among most economists is that immigration, both legal and illegal, provides a small net boost to the economy. Immigrants provide cheap labor, lower the prices of everything from farm produce to new homes, and leave consumers with a little more money in their pockets. So why is there such a discrepancy between the perception of immigrants' impact on the economy and the reality?
There are a number of familiar theories. Some argue that people are anxious and feel threatened by an inflow of new workers. Others highlight the strain that undocumented immigrants place on public services, like schools, hospitals, and jails. Still others emphasize the role of race, arguing that foreigners add to the nation's fears and insecurities. There's some truth to all these explanations, but they aren't quite sufficient.
To get a better understanding of what's going on, consider the way immigration's impact is felt. Though its overall effect may be positive, its costs and benefits are distributed unevenly. David Card, an economist at UC Berkeley, notes that the ones who profit most directly from immigrants' low-cost labor are businesses and employers – meatpacking plants in Nebraska, for instance, or agricultural businesses in California. Granted, these producers' savings probably translate into lower prices at the grocery store, but how many consumers make that mental connection at the checkout counter? As for the drawbacks of illegal immigration, these, too, are concentrated. Native low-skilled workers suffer most from the competition of foreign labor. According to a study by George Borjas, a Harvard economist, immigration reduced the wages of American high-school dropouts by 9% between 1980-2000.
Among high-skilled, better-educated employees, however, opposition was strongest in states with both high numbers of immigrants and relatively generous social services. What worried them most, in other words, was the fiscal (财政的) burden of immigration. That conclusion was reinforced by another finding: that their opposition appeared to soften when that fiscal burden decreased, as occurred with welfare reform in the 1990s, which curbed immigrants' access to certain benefits.
The irony is that for all the overexcited debate, the net effect of immigration is minimal. Even for those most acutely affected – say, low-skilled workers, or California residents – the impact isn't all that dramatic. "The unpleasant voices have tended to dominate our perceptions," says Daniel Tichenor, a political science professor at the University of Oregon. "But when all those factors are put together and the economists calculate the numbers, it ends up being a net positive, but a small one." Too bad most people don't realize it.
52. What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A)Whether immigrants are good or bad for the economy has been puzzling economists.
B)The American economy used to thrive on immigration but now it's a different story.
C)The consensus among economists is that immigration should not be encouraged.
D)The general public thinks differently from most economists on the impact of immigration.
53. In what way does the author think ordinary Americans benefit from immigration?
A)They can access all kinds of public services.
B)They can get consumer goods at lower prices.
C)They can mix with people of different cultures.
D)They can avoid doing much of the manual labor.
54. Why do native low-skilled workers suffer most from illegal immigration?
A)They have greater difficulty getting welfare support.
B)They are more likely to encounter interracial conflicts.
C)They have a harder time getting a job with decent pay.
D)They are no match for illegal immigrants in labor skills.
55. What is the chief concern of native high-skilled, better-educated employees about the inflow of immigrants?
A)It may change the existing social structure.
B)It may pose a threat to their economic status.
C)It may lead to social instability in the country.
D)It may place a great strain on the state budget.
56. What is the irony about the debate over immigration?
A)Even economists can't reach a consensus about its impact.
B)Those who are opposed to it turn out to benefit most from it.
C)People are making too big a fuss about something of small impact.
D)There is no essential difference between seemingly opposite opinions.
Passage Two
Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.
Picture a typical MBA lecture theatre twenty years ago. In it the majority of students will have conformed to the standard model of the time: male, middle class and Western. Walk into a class today, however, and you'll get a completely different impression. For a start, you will now see plenty more women – the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, for example, boasts that 40% of its new enrolment is female. You will also see a wide range of ethnic groups and nationals of practically every country.
It might be tempting, therefore, to think that the old barriers have been broken down and equal opportunity achieved. But, increasingly, this apparent diversity is becoming a mask for a new type of conformity. Behind the differences in sex, skin tones and mother tongues, there are common attitudes, expectations and ambitions which risk creating a set of clones among the business leaders of the future.
Diversity, it seems, has not helped to address fundamental weaknesses in business leadership. So what can be done to create more effective managers of the commercial world? According to Valerie Gauthier, associate dean at HEC Paris, the key lies in the process by which MBA programmes recruit their students. At the moment candidates are selected on a fairly narrow set of criteria such as prior academic and career performance, and analytical and problem solving abilities. This is then coupled to a school's picture of what a diverse class should look like, with the result that passport, ethnic origin and sex can all become influencing factors. But schools rarely dig down to find out what really makes an applicant succeed, to create a class which also contains diversity of attitude and approach – arguably the only diversity that, in a business context, really matters.
Professor Gauthier believes schools should not just be selecting candidates from traditional sectors such as banking, consultancy and industry. They should also be seeking individuals who have backgrounds in areas such as political science, the creative arts, history or philosophy, which will allow them to put business decisions into a wider context.
Indeed, there does seem to be a demand for the more rounded leaders such diversity might create. A study by Mannaz, a leadership development company, suggests that, while the bully-boy chief executive of old may not have been eradicated completely, there is a definite shift in emphasis towards less tough styles of management – at least in America and Europe. Perhaps most significant, according to Mannaz, is the increasing interest large companies have in more collaborative management models, such as those prevalent in Scandinavia, which seek to integrate the hard and soft aspects of leadership and encourage delegated responsibility and accountability.
57. What characterises the business school student population of today?
A)Greater diversity. C) Exceptional diligence.
B)Intellectual maturity. D) Higher ambition.
58. What is the author's concern about current business school education?
A)It will arouse students' unrealistic expectations.
B)It will produce business leaders of a uniform style.
C)It focuses on theory rather than on practical skills.
D)It stresses competition rather than cooperation.
59. What aspect of diversity does Valerie Gauthier think is most important?
A)Age and educational background. C) Attitude and approach to business.
B)Social and professional experience. D) Ethnic origin and gender.
60. What applicants does the author think MBA programmes should consider recruiting?
A)Applicants with prior experience in business companies.
B)Applicants with sound knowledge in math and statistics.
C)Applicants from outside the traditional sectors.
D)Applicants from less developed regions and areas.
61. What does Mannaz say about the current management style?
A)It is eradicating the tough aspects of management.
B)It encourages male and female executives to work side by side.
C)It adopts the bully-boy chief executive model.
D)It is shifting towards more collaborative models.
Part V Cloze (15 minutes)
Organised volunteering and work experience has long been a vital companion to university degree courses. Usually it is left to __62__ to deduce the potential from a list of extracurricular adventures on a graduate's resume, __63__ now the University of Bristol has launched an award to formalise the achievements of students who ____ time to activities outside their courses. Bristol PLuS aims to boost students in an increasingly __65__ job market by helping them acquire work and life skills alongside __66__ qualifications.
"Our students are a pretty active bunch, but we found that they didn't __67__ appreciate the value of what they did __68__ the lecture hall," says Jeff Goodman, director of careers and employability at the university. "Employers are much more __69__ than they used to be. They used to look for __70__ and saw it as part of their job to extract the value of an applicant's skills. Now they want students to be able to explain why those skills are __71__ to the job."
Students who sign __72__ for the award will be expected to complete 50 hours of work experience or __73__ work, attend four workshops on employ-ability skills, take part in an intensive skills-related activity __74__, crucially, write a summary of the skills they have gained. __75__ efforts will gain an Outstanding Achievement Award. Those who __76__ best on the sports field can take the Sporting PLuS Award which fosters employer-friendly sports accomplishments.
The experience does not have to be __77__ organised. "We're not just interested in easily identifiable skills," says Goodman. " __78__ , one student took the lead in dealing with a difficult landlord and so __79__ negotiation skills. We try to make the experience relevant to individual lives."
Goodman hopes the __80__ will enable active students to fill in any gaps in their experience and encourage their less-active __81__ to take up activities outside their academic area of work.
62.A) advisors B) specialists C) critics D) employers
63.A) which B) but C) unless D) since
.A) divide B) devote C) deliver D) donate
65.A) harmonious B) competitive C) resourceful D) prosperous
66.A) artistic B) technical C) academic D) interactive
67.A) dominantly B) earnestly C) necessarily D) gracefully
68.A) outside B) along C) over D) through
69.A) generous B) considerate C) enlightening D) demanding
70.A) origin B) initial C) popularity D) potential
71.A) relevant B) responsive C) reluctant D) respective
72.A) out B) off C) away D) up
73.A) casual B) elective C) domestic D) voluntary
74.A) or B) thus C) so D) and
75.A) Occasional B) Exceptional C) Informative D) Relative
76.A) perform B) convey C) circulate D) formulate
77.A) roughly B) randomly C) formally D) fortunately
78.A) For instance B) In essence C) In contrast D) Of course
79.A) demonstrated B) determined C) operated D) involved
80.A) device B) section C) scheme D) distraction
81.A) attendants B) agents C) members D) peers
Part VI Translation (5 minutes)
82. Even though they were already late, they ____________________ (宁愿停下来欣赏美丽的景色) than just go on.
83. No agreement was reached in the discussion between the two parties, as ____________________ (任何一方都不肯放弃自己的立场).
84. The pills ____________________ (本来可以治愈那位癌症病人的), but he didn't follow the doctor's advice and take them regularly.
85. It is ____________________ (你真好,给了我那么多帮助); I really feel obliged to you.
86. The war left the family scattered all over the world, and it was thirty years ____________________ (他们才得以重聚).
