1997 年 1 月英语六级真题及答案
Part I Listening Comprehension (20 minutes)
Section A
Directions: Inthissectionyou willhear10 shortconversations. At theendofeach
conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. Both the
conversationandthequestionwillbespokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestion
there will bea pause. Duringthe pause,youmust read thefoursuggested
answersmarkedA),B),C),andD)anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.Then
markthecorrespondingletterontheAnswerSheetwithasinglelinethrough
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 at 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) Their parents cut back the loan.
B) The woman doesn’t want Frank to take another English course.
C) They can’t pay the rent this month.
D) The woman’s boss refused to give her a raise.
2.
A) Ask Dr. Smith to alter his decision.
B) Ask Dr. Smith to call the library.
C) Get the book directly from Dr. Smith.
D) Get Dr. Smith’s written permission.
3.
A) $120
B) $108
C) $90
D) $40
4.
A) He feels unsympathetic.
B) He feels it’s a pity.
C) He feels it’s unfair.
D) He feels glad.
5.
A) Doing business.
B) Taking pictures.
C) Buying cameras.
D) Making movies.
6.
A) Looking for an apartment.
B) Looking for a job.
C) Taking a suburban excursion.
D) Asking the man for his opinions.
7.
A) She’ll go to her uncle’s.
B) She has an appointment with her friend.
C) She’ll have an appointment with her friend.
D) She’ll have a visitor.
8.
A) He made a sudden turn.
B) He drove the bus over a bicycle.
C) He tried to avoid hitting the truck.
D) He was driving too fast.
9.
A) He is curious.
B) He is impatient.
C) He is exhausted.
D) He is satisfied.
10. A) She didn’t know how to use the new oven.
B) She wanted her refrigerator to be fixed.
C) There is something wrong with the oven.
D) There is something wrong with the food.
Section B
Directions: Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,
you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be
spokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswer
fromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Thenmarkthecorresponding
letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
Questions 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Passage One
11. A) Because he led his teams to many championships.
B) Because he set as many as 65 different records.
C) Because he still played the game after he retired.
D) Because he didn’t stop playing even when he was seriously injured.
12. A) He lost the final chance to win a championship.
B) He was knocked out during one contest.
C) He broke a bone in the wrist during a match.
D) He was awarded with a $1.5 million house.
13. A) To break the previous records.
B) To buy a luxury house.
C) To win one more championship for his team.
D) To play against the New York team once again.
Questions 14 to 16 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Passage Two
14. A) To enjoy a good story.
B) To see the actors and actresses.
C) To experience an exciting life.
D) To escape their everyday life.
15. A) They feel that everything on the screen is familiar to them.
B) They are touched by the life stories of the actors and actresses.
C) They try to turn their dreams into reality.
D) They become so involved that they forget their own problems.
16. A) Because they are well made and the stories are interesting.
B) Because the heroes have to cope with many problems and frustrations.
C) Because the characters in the movies are free to do whatever they like.
D) Because good guys in the movies always win in the end.
Passage Three
Questions 17 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.
17. A) Because the bottle was empty and useless.
B) Because he wanted to lighten the load of his small plane.
C) Because the bottle might be useful to the native Africans.
D) Because he wanted to amuse the local tribes people.
18. A) A message from the outside world.
B) A warning from the gods.
C) A symbol of misfortune.
D) A gift from the gods.
19. A) The local Africans are peace loving people.
B) Soda bottles are very precious in some remote areas.
C) A trivial thing may sometimes bring about undesirable consequences.
D) Caution must be taken in introducing new technology.
20. A) They thought that the gods were all crazy.
B) They were isolated from the outside world.
C) They enjoyed living in the peaceful desert.
D) They worshipped the gods all the more after the incident.
Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Directions: Thereare4readingpassagesinthispart.Eachpassageisfollowedbysome
questionsorunfinishedstatements.Foreachofthemtherearefourchoices
marked A),B),C), and D). you should decide on the best choice and mark
thecorrespondingletterontheAnswerSheetwithasinglelinethroughthe
centre.
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
More and more, the operations of our businesses, governments, and financial
institutions are controlled by information that exists only inside computer memories.
Anyone clever enough to modify this information for his own purposes can reap
substantial rewards. Even worse, a number of people who have done this and been caught
at it have managed to get away without punishment.
It’s easy for computer crimes to go undetected if no one checks up on what the
computer is doing. But even if the crime is detected, the criminal may walk away not
only unpunished but with a glowing recommendation from his former employers.
Of course, we have no statistics on crimes that go undetected. But it’s disturbing
to note how many of the crimes we do know about were detected by accident, not by
systematic inspections or other security procedures. The computer criminals who have
been caught may been the victims of uncommonly bad luck.
For example, a certain keypunch (键盘打孔) operator complained of having to stay
overtime to punch extra cards. Investigation revealed that the extra cards she was being
asked to punch were for dishonest transactions. In another case, dissatisfied employees
of the thief tipped off (向…透露) the company that was being robbed.
Unlike other lawbreakers, who must leave the country, commit suicide, or go to jail,
computer criminals sometimes escape punishment, demanding not only that they not be
charged but that they be given good recommendations and perhaps other benefits. All
too often, their demands have been met.
Why? Because company executives are afraid of the bad publicity that would result
if the public found out that their computer had been misused. They hesitate at the
thought of a criminal boasting in open court of how he juggled ( 耍 弄 ) the most
confidential records right under the noses of the company’s executives, a accountant,
and security staff. And so another computer criminal departs with just the
recommendations he needs to continue his crimes elsewhere.
21. It can be concluded from the passage that ________.
A) it is still impossible to detect computer crimes today
B) computer crimes are the most serious problem in the operation of financial
institutions
C) computer criminals can escape punishment because they can’t be detected
D) people commit computer crimes at the request their company
22. It is implied in the third paragraph that ________.
A) many more computer crimes go undetected than are discovered
B) the rapid increase of computer crimes is a troublesome problem
C) most computer criminals are smart enough to cover up their crimes
D) most computer criminals are smart enough to cover up their bad luck
23. Which of the following is mentioned in the passage?
A) A strict law against computer crimes must be enforced.
B) Companies need to impose restrictions on confidential information.
C) Companies will guard against computer crimes to protect their reputation.
D) Companies usually hesitate to uncover computer crimes.
24. What may happen to computer criminals once they are caught?
A) With a bad reputation they can hardly find another job.
B) They will be denied access to confidential records.
C) They may walk away and easily find another job.
D) They must leave the country or go to jail.
25. The passage is mainly about ________.
A) why computer crimes are difficult to detect by systematic inspections
B) why computer criminals are often able to escape punishment
C) how computer criminals manage to get good recommendation from their former
employers
D) why computer crimes can’t be eliminated
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
It is often claimed that nuclear energy is something we cannot do without. We live
in a consumer society where there is an enormous demand for commercial products of all
kinds. Moreover, an increase in industrial production is considered to be one solution
to the problem of mass unemployment. Such an increase presumes an abundant and cheap
energy supply. Many people believe that nuclear energy provides an inexhaustible and
economical source of power and that it is therefore essential for an industrially
developing society. There are a number of other advantages in the use of nuclear energy.
Firstly, nuclear power, except for accidents, is clean. A further advantage is that
a nuclear power station can be run and maintained by relatively few technical and
administrative staff. The nuclear reactor represents an enormous step in our scientific
evolution and, whatever the anti nuclear group says, it is wrong to expect a return
to more primitive sources of fuel. However, opponents of nuclear energy point out that
nuclear power stations bring a direct threat not only to the environment but also to
civil liberties.
Furthermore, it is questionable whether ultimately nuclear power is a cheap source
of energy. There have, for example, been very costly accidents in America, in Britain
and, of course, in Russia. The possibility of increases in the cost of uranium (铀)
in addition to the cost of greater safety provisions could price nuclear power out of
the market. In the long run, environmentalists argue, nuclear energy wastes valuable
resources and disturbs the ecology to an extent which could bring about the destruction
of the human race. Thus, if we wish to survive, we cannot afford nuclear energy. In
spite of the case against nuclear energy outlined above, nuclear energy programmes are
expanding. Such an expansion assumes a continual growth in industrial production and
consumer demands. However, it is doubtful whether this growth will or can continue.
Having weighed up the arguments on both sides, it seems there are good economic and
ecological reasons for sources of energy other than nuclear power.
26. The writer’s attitude toward nuclear energy is ________.
A) indifferent
B) favorable
C) tolerant
D) negative
27. According to the opponents of nuclear energy, which of the following is true of
nuclear energy?
A) Primitive
B) Exhaustible
C) Cheap
D) Unsafe
28. Some people claim that nuclear energy is essential because ________.
A) it provides a perfect solution to mass unemployment
B) it represents an enormous step forward in our scientific evolution
C) it can meet the growing demand of an industrially developing society
D) nuclear power stations can be run and maintained by relatively few technical
and administrative staff
29. Which of the following statements does the writer support?
A) The demand for commercial products will not necessarily keep increasing.
B) Nuclear energy is something we cannot do without.
C) Uranium is a good source of energy for economic and ecological reasons.
D) Greater safety provisions can bring about the expansion of nuclear energy
programmes.
30. The function of the last sentence is to ________.
A) advance the final argument
B) reflect the writer’s attitude
C) reverse previously expressed thoughts
D) show the disadvantages of nuclear power
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.
Clothes play a critical part in the conclusions we reach by providing clues to who
people are, who they are not, and who they would like to be. They tell us a good deal
about the wearer’s background, personality, status, mood, and social outlook.
Since clothes are such an important source of social information, we can use them
to manipulate people’s impression of us. Our appearance assumes particular
significance in the initial phases of interaction that is likely to occur. An elderly
middle class man or woman may be alienated (疏远…) by a young adult who is dressed
in an unconventional manner, regardless of the person’s education, background, or
interests.
People tend to agree on what certain types of clothes mean. Adolescent girls can
easily agree on the lifestyles of girls who wear certain outfits(套装), including the
number of boyfriends they likely have had and whether they smoke or drink. Newscasters,
or the announcers who read the news on TV, are considered to be more convincing, honest,
and competent when they are dressed conservatively. And collage students who view
themselves as taking an active role in their inter-personal relationships say they are
concerned about the costumes they must wear to play these roles successfully. Moreover,
many of us can relate instances in which the clothing we wore changed the way we felt
about ourselves and how we act ed. Perhaps you have used clothing to gain confidence
when you anticipated a stressful situation, such as a job interview, or a court
appearance.
In the workplace, men have long had well defined precedents and role models for
achieving success. It has been otherwise for women. A good many women in the business
world are uncertain about the appropriate mixture of “masculine” and “feminine”
attributes they should convey by their professional clothing. The variety of clothing
alternatives to women has also been greater than that avail able for men. Male
administrators tend to judge women more favorably for managerial positions when the
women display less “feminine” grooming(打扮)-shorter hair, moderate use of make up,
and plain tailored clothing. As one male administrator confessed, “An attractive woman
is definitely going to get a longer interview, but she won’t get a job.”
31. According to the passage, the way we dress ________.
A) provides clues for people who are critical of us
B) indicates our likes and dislikes in choosing a career
C) has a direct influence on the way people regard us
D) is of particular importance when we get on in age
32. From the third paragraph of the passage, we can conclude that young adults tend
to believe that certain types of clothing can ________.
A) change people’s conservative attitudes toward their lifestyle
B) help young people make friends with the opposite sex
C) make them competitive in the job market
D) help them achieve success in their interpersonal relationships
33. The word “precedent” (Line 1, Para. 4) probably refers to ________.
A) early acts for men to follow as examples
B) particular places for men to occupy especially because of their importance
C) things that men should agree upon
D) men’s beliefs that everything in the world has already been decided