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2012 年 12 月大学英语六级阅读真题试卷
Part Ⅳ Reading Comprehension （Reading in Depth） （25 minutes）
Section A
Directions: In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read
the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the
fewest possiblewords. Pleasewriteyour answers onAnswer Sheet 2.
Questions 47to54are basedon thefollowing passage.
For manyfamilies, figuring out howmany after-school activities are toomany is a struggle. For
parents who fear they're "over-scheduling" their children, a new study carries a comforting message.
The paper, published lastweek bytheSociety forResearch in Child Development, is thefirst to
take adata-driven lookat the issue-and whether being so busyis really abadthing. The study
suggests thephenomenon is moreisolated than media reports suggest: infact. 40,七 of
children(ages 5-18)are engaged innoactivities, typical kidsspend justfive hours aweek in
structured activities, and very few children-3-6%-spend 20hours aweek. On average, mostkids
spend far moretimewatching TV and playing games. And forkids who're extremelybusy, there's
also good news: themoreactivities they do,the betterkids perform onmeasures ofeducational
achievement and psychological adjustment. "This popularconcern [about over-scheduling] has been
generated byacouple ofparenting books and themedia," says Yale professor and lead author
Joseph Mahoney. But lookingat thedata, "it's hard to argue that kids are over-scheduled."
That news will bewelcome in households liketheOviedos', in Highland Park, Ill.
Nine-year-old Bianca spends six hours aweek in rhythmic-gymnastics classes and three hours a
week at ballet, plus a half-hour pianolesson. "The alternativewould beplaying onthecomputer or
watching TV," says her mother, Anca, who believes Bianca benefits bylearning to focus, making
new friends and acquiring newskills.
The newpaper doesn't sway someexperts who'veadvocated against activity-creep. They say
kids arc far busier-and overstressed byit all-than thenumbers suggest. "This isan exampleof
researchers using bigdata sets to disputethelived experience ofmany, many parents and families,"
says WilliamDoherty, aUniversity of Minnesotafamily- studies professor. Someskeptics question
whether the self-reported time-diary dataare really accurate; others say they don't account for all
the timespent getting between activities. Alvin Rosenfeld. co-author ofTheOver-Scheduled Child,
says: "If peoplefollowthis advice and domoreactivities, Ithinkit'll bepretty damaging." Despite
the doubters, thenewdata are asmall step toward abetter understanding ofwhat's best for kids.
And nomatterwhat the numbers show, there's nodisputingthat every child is different--and some
will absolutely dobetter withless. Lisa DuIg ofSouth Lyon, Mich., feels as though her6-year-old
twins are theonly kids intown who don't take skiing and ice-skating lessons. "Thereis nothing
wrong withcuddling up（依偎）onthecouch with Mom andDad," says Lisa. And for families who
prefer to bondonthesidelines ofsoccer fields, thelatest research can providea different kind of
comfort.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
淘宝店铺：https://shop499712503.taobao.com/ 店主旺旺：慧园文化47The question in disputein thepassage is whether ornot children are_____?
48It can be inferred that agood way to keep children away from TV and videogames isto
engage them in______.
49According to thenew study, children will _____academically and psychologically ifthey
involvethemselves inmore after-school activities.
50.There are skeptics who raise doubtsabout thenewstudy. saying that itsdata may be____.
51.In spite ofthecontroversy, thenew studymay help peoplesee more clearly____.
Section B
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. 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
onAnswerSheet 2with asinglelinethroughthecentre.
PassageOne
Questions 52to56are basedon thefollowing passage.
Who's poorin America? That's a question hard toanswer. Hard because there's noconclusive
definition of poverty. Lowincomematters, though howlowis unclear. Poverty isalso astateof
mind that fosters self-defeating behavior-bad work habits, family breakdowns, and addictions.
Finally, poverty results from bad luck: accidents, job losses, disability.
Despite poverty's messiness, we've measured progress against itbyasingle statistic: thefederal
poverty line. By thismeasure, we haven't made much progress. But theapparent lack of progress is
misleading for two reasons.
First, itignores immigration. Manyimmigrants are poorand low-skilled. They addto thepoor.
From 1989to 2007,about three quarters oftheincrease in thepoverty population occurred among
Hispanics（西班牙裔美国人）-mostly immigrants and theirchildren.
Second, thepoor's material well-being has improved. Theofficial poverty measure obscures
this bycounting only pre-tax cash income and ignoring othersources of support, includingfood
stamps and housingsubsidies. Although manypoorlivefrom hand tomouth, they've participated in
rising livingstandards. In 2005,91%had microwaves. 79% air-conditioning, and 48%cell phones.
The existing poverty linecould beimproved byadding someincomesources and subtracting
someexpenses. Unfortunately, theadministration's proposal fora"supplemental poverty measure"
in 2011goes beyond that. Thenew poverty number would compoundpublicconfusion. It also
raises questions about whether thestatisticistailored to favora politicalagenda. The"supplemental
measure" ties thepoverty threshold towhat thepoorest thirdof Americans spend onfood, housing,
clothing, and utilities. Theactual threshold willprobably behigher than today's poverty line. Many
Americans would find thisweird: peopleget richer, but "poverty" stays stuck..
What produces thisoutcome isa different viewof poverty. Thepresent concept is anabsolute
one: thepoverty threshold reflects the amountestimated to meet basicneeds. By contrast, the new
measure embraces arelative notion ofpoverty: people are automatically poorif they're agiven
distance from the top,even iftheirincomes are increasing.
淘宝店铺：https://shop499712503.taobao.com/ 店主旺旺：慧园文化The newindicator is a"propaganda device" topromote incomeredistribution byshowing that
poverty is stubborn orincreasing. TheCensus Bureau has estimated statistics similartothe
administration's proposal. In 2008,thetraditional poverty rate was 13.2%; estimates ofthenew
statisticrange uptol7%. Thenew poverty statisticexceeds theold,and the gap grows larger over
time.
As senator Daniel Moynihan said, theadministration isdefining poverty up.It's legitimateto
debate howmuch we should aidthepoor orreduce economic inequality. But the debate shouldnot
be swayed bymisleading statistics that few Americans could possiblyunderstand. Government
statistics shouldstrivefor political neutrality（中立）.This onefails.
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
52.What isthe mainidea ofthe first paragraph?
A) Poverty isvery often defined as astate ofmind.
B) Poverty is a problem hard totackle in America.
C)Badwork habits and bad luck lead topoverty.
D) There isnoconsensus ontheconcept of poverty.
53.What does theauthor sayabout thepoor inAmerica?
A) Theirliving standards have actually improved.
B) Most ofthem are immigrants andtheirdescendants.
C)Their chances of risingabove thepoverty lineare slim.
D) Mostof them rely ongovernment subsidies forsurvival.
54.What does theauthor thinkof theadministration's proposal fora "supplemental poverty
measure"?
A) It isintended tofurther help thepoor. C)It is a positiveresponse to changed circumstances.
B) It is made to servepolitical purposes. D)It is an attempt to combat theeconomic recession.
55.What ischaracteristicof thenewmeasure ofpoverty?
A) It defines poverty bythegap between therich and thepoor.
B) It raises thethreshold for thepoorto get welfare benefits.
C)It is moreaccurate andscientific interms ofstatistics.
D) It truly reflects thepractical needs ofthe poor.
56.What does theauthor want to say byquoting Daniel Moynihan?
A) Economicequality is but an empty dream.
B) Political neutrality can never beachieved.
C)The administration's statistics are biased.
D) Thedebate over poverty will get nowhere.
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Questions 57to61are basedon thefollowing passage.
Eleven summers ago I was sent toamanagement program at the WhartonSchool to be
prepared for bigger things. Along withlectures onfinance andentrepreneurship and the like,the
program included a delightfully out-of-place session with Al Filreis, an English professor at the
University ofPennsylvania, onpoetry.
For three hours hetalked us through "The Red Wheelbarrow" and "Stopping byWoodsona
Snowy Evening." The experience----especially when contrasted with thehorrible proseof ourother
assigned reading--sent mefleeing to thecampus bookstore, where Iresumed a long-interrupted
romance withmeter and rhyme（韵）.
Professor Filreis says that heis "a littleshocked" at howintensely his Wharton students
respond to thisunexpected deviation from thebusinesslike, not justas arelief butas akindof
stimulus. Many writeafterward asking him torecommend booksof poetry. Especially now,
"The grimeconomy seems to make theparticipants keener than ever to think'out of thebox'in
the way poetry encourages," he toldme.
Which brings meto Congress, an institution stuck deeper insidethe boxthan justabout any
other thesedays. You haveprobably heard that uponCapitol Hil（l 美国国会山）,they're very bigon
prayer breakfasts, where members gather overscrambled eggs and askGod for wisdom. You can
judge from theagonizingdebt spectacle we've watched thissummer howwell that's working. Well,
maybe it's timeto add somepoetry readings tothe agenda.
I'm not suggesting that poetry will guide ourlegislators towisdom anymore than prayer has.
Just that itmight makethem alittle morehuman. Poetry isnosubstitute forcourage orcompetence,
but properly applied, it isa challenge to self-certainty, which we currently have in excess.Poetry
serves as a spurto creativethinking, areproach to dogma andhabit, aremedy to thecurrent fashion
for pledge signing.
The poet Shelley, indefense ofpoetry nearly two centuries ago, wrote, "Aman. tobe greatly
good, must imagine intensely and comprehensively; he mustput himselfin theplaceof another and
ofmany others; thepains and pleasures ofhis species must become hisown."Shelley concludes that
essay bycalling poets "the unacknowledged legislators oftheworld, "because they bring
imagination totherealmof "reasoners and mechanists."
The relevance ofpoetry was declared moreconcisely in fivelines from thelovepoem
"Asphodel. That Greeny Flower," byWilliam Carlos Williams:
It is difficult to get thenews form poems yet men diemiserably every day for lack ofwhat is
found there
注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
57.Whydid theauthorparticipate in theWharton School management program?
A) He was apassionate loverof classical poetry.
B) He was being trained for an important position.
C)He hadjust been promoted totop management.
淘宝店铺：https://shop499712503.taobao.com/ 店主旺旺：慧园文化D) He was interested infinance and entrepreneurship.
58.What did theauthorthink ofProfessor Filreis's poetry session?
A) It diverted students'attention from theassigned reading
B) It made themanagement program appear romantic.
C)It was extremely appealing to thestudents.
D )It pulled students out ofprosereading sessions.
59.What was the impact ofthepoetry sessiononthe program participants according toProfessor
Filreis?
A) It inspired them to viewthings from broaderperspectives.
B) It led them tothink poetry indispensable tomanagement.
C)It helped them develop a keener interest in literature.
D) It encouraged them toembark ona political career.
60.What does theauthor thinkof CapitolHill's prayer over breakfast?
A) It isa ritual that has lost itsoriginal meaning.
B) It doesn't really help solvetheeconomic problems.
C)It provides inspirationas poetry reading does.
D) It helps people turnaway from thedebt spectacle.
61.What dowelearn from Shelley's essay?
A) Poetry can relieve peopleof painsand sufferings.
B) It takes poeticimagination to become alegislator.
C)Legislators shouldwin publicacknowledgement.
D) It isimportant tobe imaginative andsympathetic.
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