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2013 年 12 月六级考试阅读真题（第一套）
Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension
SectionA
Directions：Inthissection, thereisapassagewithtenblanks. Youarerequired toselect oneword
fareach blankfromalistof choices given inawordbankfollowing thepassage. Read thepassage
throughcarefully beforemaking your choices. Each choice in thebankis identified byaletter.
PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthe
centre. You maynot use anyof thewordsin thebank morethan once.
Questions36to 45are basedon thefollowing passage.
Quiteoften,educatorstellfamiliesofchildrenwhoarelearningEnglishasasecondlanguageto
speakonlyEnglish,andnottheirnativelanguage,athome.Althoughtheseeducatorsmayhavegood
36 theiradvice tofamilies is misguided, andit 37 from misunderstandings about theprocess of
languageacquisition. Educators mayfear that children hearing two languages will become 38
confused and thustheir language development will be 39 ; thisconcern is notdocumented in the
literature.Childrenarecapableoflearningmorethanonelanguage,whether 40 orsequentially（依
次地）Infact,mostchildrenoutsideoftheUnitedStatesareexpectedtobecomingbilingualoreven,
inmany cases, multilingual. Globally, knowing more than onelanguage is viewed as an 41 and
even a necessity in many areas.
It is also of concern that themisguided advice that studentsshould speak only English is given
primarilytopoorfamilieswithlimitededucationalopportunities,nottowealthierfamilieswhohave
many educational advantages. Sincechildren from poorfamilies often are 42 as at-risk for
academicfailure, teachers believe that advising families to speak English only isappropriate.
Teachers consider learning two languages tobe too 43 for children from poorfamilies, believing
thatthe children are already burdened bytheirhomesituations.
If families donot knowEnglish orhave limited English skills themselves, how canthey
communicateinEnglish?Advising non-English-speaking families to speak onlyEnglish is 44 to
tellingthem not tocommunicate with orinteract with theirchildren. Moreover, the 45 message is
thatthe family’s nativelanguage is not importantor valued.
A)asset I) permanently
B) delayed J)prevalent
C)deviates K) simultaneously
D)equivalent L) stems
E)identified M)successively
F)intentions N)underlying
G)object O) visualizing
H)overwhelming
SectionB
Directions:In thissection, you aregoing toread apassagewithten statements attached to it.Each
statement contains informationgiven in one ofthe paragraphs.Identify theparagraph fromwhich
theinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarked
with aletter. Answer thequestions bymarking the corresponding letter onAnswer Sheet 2.
TheUses of Difficulty
Thebrain likesa challenge —and putting afew obstacles inits way may well boostits creativity.
[A]Jack White, the former frontman ofthe WhiteStripes and an influentialfigure among fellow
musicians,likes tomake things difficult for himself. Heuses cheap guitars that won’t stay in
shapeorin tune. When performing, hepositions hisinstruments inaway that isdeliberately
inconvenient, so that switching from guitar to organ mid-song involvesa mad dash across the
stage. Why? Because he’sontherun from what hedescribes as adiseasethat preys onevery
artist:“easeofuse”.Whenmakingmusicgetstooeasy,saysWhite,itbecomeshardertomakeit
sing.
[B]It’sanoddthought.Whywouldanyonemaketheirworkmoredifficultthanitalreadyis?Yetwe
knowthatdifficulty can pay unexpected dividends.In 1966,soonafter theBeatles had finishedwork on“Rubber Soul”,Paul McCartney lookedinto thepossibility ofgoing to America to
record theirnext album.The equipmentin American studioswas moreadvanced thananything
inBritain,whichhadledtheBeatles’greatrivals,theRollingStones,tomaketheirlatestalbum.
“Aftermath”,in Los Angeles. McCartney found that EMI’s(百代唱片）contractual clauses
madeitprohibitivelyexpensivetofollowsuit,andtheBeatleshadtomakedowiththeprimitive
technology ofAbbey Road.
[C]Luckyfor us. Over thenexttwo years theymade theirmostgroundbreaking work, turning the
recordingstudiointoamagicalinstrumentofitsown.Preciselybecausetheywereworkingwith
old-fashioned machines, George Martin and his team ofengineers were forced to apply every
ounceoftheircreativitytosolvetheproblemsposedtothembyLennonandMcCartney. Songs
like“TomorrowNeverKnows”.“StrawberryFieldsForever”,and“ADayintheLife”featured
revolutionary sound effects that dazzled and mystified Martini American counterparts.
[D]Sometimes it’sonly when adifficulty is removed that we realisethat it was doing for us. For
morethantwodecades,startinginthe1960s,thepoetTedHughessatonthejudgingpanelofan
annualpoetrycompetitionforBritishschoolchildren.Duringthe1980shenoticedanincreasing
numberoflongpoems among thesubmissions,with somerunning to 70or80pages. These
poemswere verbally inventiveand fluent, but also “strangely boring”.Aftermaking inquiries
Hughes discovered that they were being composed oncomputers, then justfinding their way
intoBritish homes.
[E]Youmighthavethought anytoolwhichenables awritertogetwordsontothepagewouldbean
advantage. But there maybea cost to such facility. In an interview withtheParis Review
Hughes speculated that when a person putspen to paper, “you meet theterrible resistance of
what happened your first year at it, when you couldn’t writeat all”.As thebrain attemptsto
force theunsteady hand to doitsbidding, thetension between thetwo results in amore
compressed,psychologicallydenserexpression.Removethatresistanceandyouaremorelikely
toproduce a 70-page ramble(不着边际的长篇大论).
[F]Ourbrainsrespondbettertodifficultythanweimagine.Inschools,teachersandpupilsalikeoften
assumethat ifaconcept has been easy to learn, then thelesson has been successful. But
numerousstudieshavenowfoundthatwhenclassroommaterialismadehardertoabsorb,pupils
retain more ofitover thelong term, and understand it onadeeper level.
[G]Asapoet,TedHugheshadanacutesensitivitytothewayinwhichconstraintsonself-expression,
likethedisciplinesofmetreandrhyme（韵律）,spurcreativethought.Whatappliestopoetsand
musiciansalsoappliestoourdailylives.Wetendtoequate（等同）happinesswithfreedom,but,
as thepsychotherapist and writer Adam Phillips has observed, withoutobstacles to ourdesires
it’s harder toknow what wewant, orwhere we’re heading. Hetells thestory ofa patient, a
first-timemotherwho complained that her young son was always clinging to her, wrapping
himselfaround her legs wherever shewent. Shenever had amoment to herself, shesaid,
because herson was “always in theway”.When Phillipsasked her where shewould go if he
wasn’t in theway, shereplied cheerfully, “Oh, I wouldn’t knowwhere I was!”
[H]Takeanothercommonobstacle:lackofmoney.Peopleoftenassumethatmoremoneywillmake
themhappier. But economists whostudy therelationship between money and happiness have
consistentlyfound that, above acertain income, thetwo donot reliably correlate. Despitethe
easewith which therich can acquire almost anything they desire, they are justas likely tobe
unhappy as themiddleclasses. In this regard at least, F. Scott Fitzgerald was wrong.
[I]Indeed,easeofacquisitionistheproblem.ThenovelistEdwardStAubynhasanarratorremarkof
thevery rich that, “not having to consideraffordability, their desires rambled onlike
unstoppablebores, relentless (持续不断的）and whimsical(反复无常的）at thesametime.”
WhenBostonCollege,aprivateresearchuniversity,wantedabetterfeelforitspotentialdonors,
itaskedthepsychologistRobertKennytoinvestigatethemindsetofthesuper-rich.Hesurveyed
165households, mostofwhich hadanet worth of$25m ormore. Hefound that many ofhis
subjects were confused bytheinfiniteoptionstheirmoney presented them with. They found it
hardtoknowwhattowant,creatingakindofexistentialbafflement.Oneofthemputitlikethis:
“Youknow, Bob, you can justbuysomuch stuff, and when you get tothepointwhere you can
22013年12月六级考试真题（第一套）
justbuyso much stuff, nowwhat are you going to do?”
[J]Theinternet makes information billionaires out ofall of us, andthearchitects of ouronline
experiences are catching onto theneed to makethings creatively difficult. Twitter’s huge
success is rooted in thesimplebut profound insight that in amedium with infinitespace for
self-expression,themostinteresting thingwecan doisrestrict ourselvesto 140characters.The
musicserviceThisIsMyJamhelpspeoplenavigatethetensofmillionsoftracksnowavailable
instantlyviaSpotifyandiTunes.Userspicktheirfavouritesongoftheweektosharewithothers.
They only get to chooseone. Theservice was only launched thisyear, but bytheend of
September650,000jamshadbeenchosen.Itsco-founderMattOgleexplainsitsraisondetre(存
在的理由)likethis: “In an age ofendless choice, we were missinga way to say: ‘This. This is
theoneyou should listen to.”
[K]Today’sworldoffersmoreopportunitythanevertofollowtheadviceoftheWalkerBrothersand
makeiteasy onourselves. Compared withahundred years ago, ourlivesare less tightly bound
bysocial norms and physical constraints. Technology has cut out much oflife’s donkey work,
and wehave more freedoms than ever: wecan wear what welikeand communicate with
hundredsoffriendsatonceattheclickofamouse.Obstaclesareeverywheredisappearing.Few
ofuswish toturntheclock back, butperhapsweneed toremind ourselves howuseful theright
obstacles can be. Sometimes,the best routeto fulfillment is thepathofmore resistance.
46.Therigorous requirements placed onthewriting ofpoetry stimulate thepoet’s creativity.
47.Withcreativity, even old-fashioned instruments may produce spectacular sound effects.
48.Moremoney does not necessarily bring greater happiness.
49.It is a falseassumption that lessons shouldbe made easierto learn.
50.Obstacles deliberately placed in thecreation ofmusiccontributeto its success.
51.Thosewhoenjoy total freedom maynot find themselves happy.
52.Ted Hughes discovered many longpoems submitted forpoetry competition were composed on
computers.
53.Maybe we need tobear in mind thatthe right obstacles help lead us to greaterachievements.
54.An investigation found thatmany ofthesuper-rich were baffled bytheinfinitechoices their
money madeavailable.
55.Onefree social networking websiteturned out to besuccessful becauseit limited each posting to
onehundredand forty characters.
SectionC
Directions:There are2passages in thissection. Each passage isfollowedby somequestions or
unfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshould
decideonthe best choice andmarkthecorresponding letter onAnswer Sheet2with asingleline
throughthecentre.
Passage One
Questions56to 60are basedon thefollowing passage.
There was a timenot longago when newscience Ph.D.sin theUnited Stated were expected to
pursueacareer path in academia（学术界）.But today, mostgraduates end upworking outside
academia,notonlyinindustrybutalsoincareerssuchassciencepolicy,communications,andpatent
law.Partlythisisaresultofhowbleaktheacademicjobmarketis,butthere’salsoarisingawareness
ofcareer optionsthat Ph.D. scientists haven’ttrained for directly —but for which theyhave useful
knowledge,skills,andexperience.Still,there’sahugedisconnectbetweenthewaywecurrentlytrain
scientistsand the actual employment opportunities available forthem, and an urgent need for
dramaticimprovementsintrainingprogramstohelpclosethegap.Onecriticalstepthatcouldhelpto
drivechange would be torequire Ph.D.students and postdoctoral scientiststo followan individual
development plan (IDP).
In 2002,theU.S. Federation of American Societies forExperimental Biology recommended
thateverypostdoctoral researcher puttogether anIDP inconsultation with anadviser. Sincethen,
severalacademicinstitutionshavebeguntorequireIDPsforpostdocs.AndinJune,theU.S.National
Institutes ofHealth (NIH) Biomedical Research Workforce WorkingGroup recommended that the
NIHrequireIDPsfortheapproximately32,000postdoctoralresearcherstheysupport.Otherfunding
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IDPs havelongbeen used bygovernment agencies and the privatesector toachieve specific
goalsfortheemployeeandtheorganization.Theaimistoensurethatemployeeshaveanexplicittool
tohelp them understand theirown abilities and aspirations, determine career possibilities, andset
(usually short-term)goals. In science, graduatestudents andnew Ph.D.scientists canuse an IDP to
identifyand navigatean effective career path.
AnewWeb application for this purpose, called myIDP, has become available thisweek. It’s
designedtoguideearly-careerscientiststhroughaconfidential,rigorousprocessofintrospection(内
省）tocreateacustomizedcareerplan.Guidedbyexpertknowledgefromapanelofscience-focused
careeradvisers, each trainee’s self-assessment is usedtorank aset ofcareer trajectories (轨迹).
Aftertheuserhasidentifiedalong-termcareergoal,myIDPwalksherorhimthroughtheprocessof
settingshort-term goals directed toward accumulating new skillsand experiences important for that
careerchoice.
Although surveys reveal theIDP process to beuseful, trainees report a need foradditional
resources to help them identify along-term career path and completean IDP. Thus, my IDP will be
mosteffective when ifs embedded in larger career-development efforts. For example, universities
could incorporate IDPs into theirgraduate curriculato help students discuss, plan, prepare for, and
achieve theirlong-term goals.
56.Whatdowe learn about newscience Ph.D.s in theUnited States today?
A)They lack theskillsand expertiseneeded fortheir jobs.
B) They can choosefrom awider range ofwell-paying jobs.
C)They often have to seek jobsoutsidetheacademic circle.
D)They are regarded as the nation’s driving force of change.
57.Whatdoes theauthor say about America’s Ph.D. training?
A)It should beimproved to better suitthe jobmarket.
B) It is closely linked to future career requirements.
C)It should be re-oriented to careers outsideacademia.
D)It includes a great variety of practical courses.
58.Whatwas recommended for Ph.D.sand postdoctoral researchers?
A)They meet theurgent needs ofthecorporate world.
B) Along-term career goal be set as early as possible.
C)An IDP bemade inconsultation with an adviser.
D)They acquire an explicit tool tohelp obtainjobs.
59.Government agencies and theprivate sectoroften useIDPs to .
A)bring into fall play theskillsand expertiseoftheirpostdoctoral researchers
B) help employees make thebest useoftheir abilitiesto achieve theircareer goals
C)placeemployees inthemost appropriate positions
D)hirethe mostsuitablecandidates to work for them
60.Whatdowe knowabout my IDP?
A)It is an effective tool ofself-assessment and introspection for bettercareer plans.
B) It enables people to look intovarious possibilitiesand choosethe career they love.
C)It promises along-term career path.
D)It is part ofthe graduate curricula.
Passage Two
Questions61to 65are basedon thefollowing passage.
Justover adecade intothe 21stcentury, women’sprogress can be celebrated across a range of
fields. They hold thehighest politicaloffices from Thailand to Brazil, CostaRica toAustralia. A
woman holdsthe topspot at theInternational Monetary Fund; anotherwon theNoblePrizein
economics.Self-madebillionairesinBeijing,techinnovatorsinSiliconValley,pioneeringjusticesin
Ghana—in these and countless other areas, women are leaving theirmark.
But hold theapplause. In Saudi Arabia, women aren’tallowed to drive. In Pakistan,1,000
women diein honorkillings every year.In thedeveloped world, women lag behind men in payand
political power. The poverty rate among women in theU.S. rose to 14.5%last year.
42013年12月六级考试真题（第一套）
Tomeasure thestateof women’s progress, Newsweek ranked 165countries, looking at five
areas that affect women’s lives:treatment under thelaw, workforceparticipation, political power,
and access to education and health care. Analyzing datafrom theUnited Nations and theWorld
EconomicForum,amongothers,andconsultingwithexpertsandacademics,wemeasured28factors
tocome upwith ourrankings.
Countrieswiththehighestscores tend tobeclustered intheWest,where genderdiscrimination
isagainst the law, and equal rights are constitutionally enshrined（神圣化）But there were some
surprises. Someotherwisehigh-ranking countries had relatively lowscores for political
representation. Canada ranked third overall but 26th in power, behind countries such as Cubaand
Burundi. Does thissuggestthat awoman inanation’stopoffice translates tobetter livesfor women
ingeneral? Not exactly. “Trying to quantify ormeasure theimpact ofwomen in politics is hard
because in veryfew counties havethere been enoughwomen in politics tomake a difference,”says
Anne-MarieGoetz, peace and security adviser for U.N. Women.
Ofcourse,noindexcanaccountforeverything.Declaringthatonecountryisbetterthananother
intheway that ittreats morethan halfitscitizens means relying onbroad strokes and generalities.
Somethingssimplycan’tbemeasured.Andcross-culturalcomparisonscan’taccountfordifferences
ofopinion.
Certain conclusions are nonetheless clear. For onething, ourindex backs upasimplebut
profound statement made byHillary Clintonat therecent Asia-Pacific EconomicCooperation
summit.“Whenweliberatetheeconomicpotentialofwomen,weelevatetheeconomicperformance
ofcommunities, nations, and theworld,” shesaid. “There’s astimulativeeffect that kicks in when
womenhavegreateraccesstojobsandtheeconomiclivesofourcountries:Greaterpoliticalstability.
Fewermilitary conflicts. More food. More educational opportunityfor children. By harnessing the
economicpotential ofall women, weboost opportunityfor all people.”
61.Whatdoes theauthor think about women’s progress so far?
A)It stillleaves much tobedesired.
B) It is too remarkable to bemeasured.
C)It has greatly changed women’s fate.
D)It is achieved through hard struggle.
62.In what countries have women madethegreatest progress?
A)Wherewomen holdkey postsingovernment.
B) Wherewomen’s rights are protected bylaw.
C)Wherewomen’s participation inmanagement ishigh.
D)Wherewomen enjoy bettereducation and health care.
63.WhatdoNewsweek rankings reveal about women in Canada?
A)They care littleabout political participation.
B) They are generally treated as equals bymen.
C)They have asurprisingly lowsocial status.
D)They are underrepresented in politics.
64.Whatdoes Anne-Marie Goetz thinkofa woman being ina nation’s top office?
A)It does not necessarily raise women’s political awareness.
B) It does not guarantee a betterlifefor thenation’swomen.
C)It enhances women’sstatus.
D)It boosts women’s confidence.
65.Whatdoes Hillary Clinton suggest wedoto makethe world abetter place?
A)Givewomen morepolitical power.
B) Stimulatewomen’s creativity.
C)Allowwomen access to education.
D)Tap women’s economic potential.
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