2013年6月六级阅读真题（三）_六级_六级仔细阅读_六级阅读（2010-2014）_2013.06六级

2013年 6月六级考试真题（第三套） 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. Children are losing theability toplay properly because theyare being given toomany toys, according toa new research. The studies showthat children —especially thoseunder five—are often 36 and actually play less than thosewith fewer toys. “Ourstudies showthat giving children too manytoys ortoys ofthe 37 type can actually be doingthem harm. They get spoiled and cannot 38 onany onethinglong enough tolearn from it”, saidLerner, achildhood development researcher. Her conclusions have been backedupbyBritish research lookingat children with 39 few toys, whose parents spend moretimereading, singing or playing with them. It showed such children 40 youngsters from richer backgrounds —even those who hadaccess to computers. KathySylva,professorofeducationalpsychologyatOxfordUniversity,reachedher 41 froma studyof3,000children from theages ofthree tofive. In her opinion,there isacomplex relationship between children’s progress, thetype of toys they are given andthetimeparents spend onthem. Whenthechildren have alarge numberof toys there seems tobe adistraction element, and when children are 42 theydonot learn orplay well. Someparents noticethe 43 early. Orhan Ismail, a researcherfrom Colchester, Essex, sawa changefortheworseinCameron,his10-month-oldson,afterhewasgiven 44 toyslastChristmas. HeobservedthatiftherearetoomanytoysinfrontofCameron,hewilljustkeepmovingroundthem and thenend upgoing away and finding somethinglikeaslipperto play with. Experts 45 to puta figure onthenumberof toys children shouldhave, but many believe two dozenis enough for children of pre-school age. A)impact I) surpass B) concentrate J) innumerable C)overwhelmed K)decisions D)reasonably L) inaccurate E)conclusions M)relatively F)exquisite N) distracted G)embarrassed O)lag H)hesitate 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. Norman Borlaug: “Father ofthe Green Revolution” [A]Fewpeople have quietlychanged theworld for thebettermore thanthisrural lad from the midwestemstateofIowaintheUnitedStates.ThemaninfocusisNormanBorlaug,the“Father oftheGreen Revolution”,who died on12September2009at age 95.Norman Borlaug spent mostofhis 60working years inthefarmlands ofMexico, SouthAsiaand laterin Africa, fighting world hunger, andsaving bysomeestimates uptoa billionlives intheprocess. An achievement, fitfor a Nobel Peace Prize. Early Years [B] “I’ma product of thegreat depression” ishow Borlaug described himself. Agreat-grandson of Norwegian immigrants to theUnited States, Borlaug was bornin 1914and grew upona small farm inthenortheastern comerofIowa in a town called Cresco. His family had a 40-hectrare 1 淘宝店铺：https://shop499712503.taobao.com/ 店主旺旺：慧园文化(公顷)farm onwhich they grew wheat, maize (玉米)and hay andraised pigs andcattle. Norman spent most ofhis timefrom age7-17 onthefarm, even as heattended a one-room, one-teacher school at New Oregon inHoward County. [C]Borlaug didn’t have money to go tocollege. But through aGreat Depression era programme, known as theNational Youth Administration, Borlaug was ableto enroll in University of MinnesotaatMinneapolistostudyforestry.HeexcelledinstudiesandreceivedhisPhDinplant pathology (病理学）and genetics in 1942. [D]From 1942to 1944,Borlaug was employed as a microbiologist at DuPontinWilmington. However, following theDecember 1941attack onPearl Harbor, Borlaug triedto join the military, but was rejected underwartime labour regulations. In Mexico [E]In 1944,many experts warned of mass starvation indeveloping nations where populations were expandingfaster than crop production. Borlaug began work at aRockefellerFoundation- funded project in Mexico toincreasewheat production bydeveloping higher-yielding varieties ofthecrop.Itinvolvedresearchingenetics,plantbreeding,plantpathology,entomology（昆虫 学），agronomy（农艺学）,soilscience,andcerealtechnology.Thegoaloftheprojectwasto boostwheat production inMexico,which at thetimewas importing alarge portionofitsgrain. [F] Borlaug said that his first coupleof years inMexico were difficult. He lacked trained scientists and equipment. Native farmers were hostiletowards the wheat programme because ofserious crop losses from 1939to 1941due tostem rust. [G]WheatvarietiesthatBorlaugworkedwithhadtall,thinstalks.Whiletallerwheatcompetedbetter forsunlight, they had atendency to collapseunder theweight ofextragrain —atrait called lodging.Toovercomethis,Borlaugworked onbreedingwheatwithshorterandstrongerstalks, which couldhold onlarger seed heads. Borlaug’s newsemi-dwarf, disease-resistant varieties, called Pitic62andPenjamo 62,changed thepotential yieldofMexicanwheat dramatically. By 1963wheat production in Mexico stoodsix times morethan thatof1944. Green Revolution inIndia [H]During the1960s, SouthAsiaexperienced severe drought condition andIndiahad been importingwheat onalarge scale from theUnited States. Borlaug came toIndiain 1963along withDr Robert Anderson toduplicate his Mexican success inthesub-continent. The experimentsbegan with planting afew ofthehigh-yielding variety strains in thefields ofthe Indian Agricultural Research Instituteat Pusain NewDelhi, underthe supervision ofDr M.S. Swaminathan. These strains were subsequently planted in test plotsat Ludhiana, Pantnagar, Kanpur,PuneandIndore.Theresultswerepromising,butlarge-scalesuccess,however,wasnot instant.Cultural oppositionto newagricultural techniques initially prevented Borlaug from going ahead with planting ofnew wheat strainsin India. By 1965,when thedrought situation turned alarming, the Government took thelead and allowed wheat revolution to moveforward. Byemploying agricultural techniques hedeveloped inMexico, Borlaug was ableto nearly doubleSouthAsian wheat harvests between 1965and 1970. [I]IndiasubsequentlymadeahugecommitmenttoMexicanwheat,importingsome18,000tonnesof seed. By 1968,itwas clear that theIndian wheat harvest was nothingshort of revolutionary. It was so productivethat there was ashortage oflabour to harvest it, ofbull carts tohaul it to the threshingfloor（打谷场）ofjute（黄麻）bagstostoreit.Localgovernmentsinsomeareaswere forced to shutdownschools temporarily tousethem as store houses. [J]United Nation’sFood andAgriculture Organisation (FAO)observed that in40years between 1961and2001,“Indiamorethandoubleditspopulation,from452milliontomorethan1billion. At thesametime, itnearly tripled its grain production from 87million tonnes to 231million tonnes.Itaccomplishedthisfeatwhileincreasingcultivatedgrainacreage（土地面积）amere 8percent.”It was in India that Norman Borlaug’s work was described as the“Green Revolution.” InAfrica [K]Africa suffered widespread hungerand starvation through the70s and 80s.Food and aid poured infrom mostdeveloped countries into thecontinent, but thanks to theabsence ofefficient 2distributionsystem, thehungry remained empty-stomach. The then Chairman of theNippon Foundation, Ryoichi Sasakawa wondered why themethodsused in Mexico and India were not extended to Africa. Hecalled upNorman Borlaug, nowleading asemi-retiredlife, for help. He managed to convince Borlaug to helpwith his neweffort and subsequently founded the SasakawaAfrica Association.Borlaug laterrecalled,“butafter Isawtheterriblecircumstances there, I said, ‘Let’s juststart growing’”. [L] The success inAfrica was not as spectacular as it was in India orMexico.Those elements that allowedBorlaug’sprojectstosucceed,suchaswell-organisedeconomiesandtransportationand irrigation systems, were severely lacking throughout Africa. Because ofthis,Borlaug’s initial projects were restricted to developed regions of thecontinent. Nevertheless, yields of maize, sorghum(高粱)and wheat doubled between 1983and 1985. Nobel Prize [M]For hiscontributions totheworld food supply, Borlaug was awarded theNobel Peace Prizein 1970.Norwegianofficials notifiedhiswifeinMexicoCityat4:00am,butBorlaug hadalready leftforthetestfieldsintheTolucavalley,about65kmwestofMexicoCity.Achauffeur(司机） tookher to thefields to inform her husband. In his acceptancespeech, Borlaug said, “thefirst essentialcomponentofsocialjusticeisadequatefoodforallmankind.Foodisthemoralrightof allwho are born into thisworld. Yet, 50percent oftheworld populationgoes hungry.” Green Revolutionvs Environmentalists [N]Borlaug’s advocacy ofintensive high-yield agriculture came undersevere criticism from environmentalistsinrecentyears.Hisworkfacedenvironmentalandsocio-economiccriticisms, includingcharges that hismethods have created dependence onmonoculturecrops, unsustainablefanningpractices,heavyindebtednessamongsubsistencefarmers,andhighlevels ofcanceramong thosewho work with agriculture chemicals. There arealso concerns about the long-term sustainabilityoffanning practices encouraged bytheGreen Revolution inboth the developed and thedeveloping world. [O]In India, theGreen Revolution is blamed forthe destruction ofIndia crop diversity, drought vulnerability, dependence onagro-chemicals that poison soilsbut reap large-scale benefits mostly to theAmerican multi-national corporations. What thesecritics overwhelmingly advocate isaglobal movement towards “organic”or“sustainable” farming practices that avoid usingchemicalsandhightechnologyinfavourofnaturalfertilisers,cultivationandpest-control porgrammes. 46.Farmers’rejection ofhis planting techniques initially prevented Borlaug from achieving large- scalesuccess in India. 47.In both developed and developing countries there areconcerns whether in thelong run Borlaug’s farming practice willbesustainable. 48.Borlaug’s Pitic62and Penjamo62has short and strong stems andcan resist to diseases. 49.Borlaug’ssuccessinAfricawasnotasspectacularasinIndiaorMexicobecauseAfricalackedthe necessary supporting facilities. 50.In India, critics attributethedestruction ofIndian crop diversity tothe Green Revolution. 51.Borlaugemphasisedthatadequatefoodforallmankindisessentialinensuringsocialjusticeinhis Nobel Prizeacceptance speech. 52.In recent years Borlaug’s Green Revolutionhas been attacked byenvironmentalists. 53.Borlaug’swheat programme hadbeen stuckin troubleduringhis firstcouple ofyears inMexico. 54.According to United Nation’s Foodand Agriculture Organisation, in40years between 1961 and 2001India’s grain production increased nearly three times. 55.Norman Borlaug wona Nobel Prizeforhis 60years work oncombating world hunger. 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 3 淘宝店铺：https://shop499712503.taobao.com/ 店主旺旺：慧园文化Questions56to 60are basedon thefollowing passage. “Depression”ismorethanaserious economicdownturn. Whatdistinguishes adepressionfrom aharsh recession isparalysing fear —fearof theunknown so great that itcauses consumers, businesses,andinvestorstoretreatandpanic.Theysaveupcash anddesperatelycutspending.They sellstocks and otherassets. A shattering loss ofconfidence inspires behaviourthat overwhelms the normal self-correcting mechanisms that usually prevent arecession from becoming deep and prolonged: adepression. Comparing1929with 2007-09, ChristinaRomer, thehead ofPresident Obama’s Councilof EconomicAdvisers,findstheinitialblowtoconfidencefargreaternowthanthen.True,stockprices fell athird from September toDecember 1929,butfewer Americans then owned stocks. Moreover, homeprices barely dropped. From December1928to December 1929,total household wealth declinedonly3%.By contrast, thelossinhouseholdwealth betweenDecember2007andDecember 2008 was 17%. Both stocks and homes, more widely held, dropped more. Thus traumatised (受到 创伤），theeconomymighthavegoneintoafreefallendingindepression.Indeed,itdidgointofree fall. Shoppers refrained from buying cars, appliances, and other big- ticket items.Spending onsuch “durables”dropped at a12% annual rate in 2008’s third quarter, a20%rate in thefourth. And businesses shelved investment projects. That thesehuge declines didn’t lead to depression mainly reflects, as Romerargues, counter-measurestakenbythegovernment.Privatemarketsforgoods,services,labor,andsecurities do mostly self-correct, but panicfeeds onitselfand disarms thesestabilisingtendencies. In this situation,only thegovernment can protect theeconomy as awhole, because most individualsand companies are involved in theself-defeating behaviour ofself-protection. Government’sfailure toperform this rolein theearly 1930s transformed recession into depression. Scholars will debate which interventions thistime—theFederal Reserve’s support ofa failingcredit system, guarantees of bankdebt, Obama’s “stimulus”plan and bank “stress test” 一 counted mostin preventing arecurrence. Regardless, all thesecomplex measures had thesame psychologicalpurpose:toreassurepeoplethatthefreefallwouldstopand,thereby,curbdiefearthat would perpetuate( 使持久）afree fall. Allthis improved confidence. But theconsumer sentiment index remains weak, and all the rebound has occurred in Americans’evaluation offuture economic conditions,not thepresent. Unemployment (9.8%)is abysmal(糟透的）,the recovery’sstrength unclear. Here, too, there isan echo from the1930s. Despitebottomingout in1933,theDepression didn’t enduntil WorldWarII. Somegovernment policies aided recovery; somehindered it.The good news today isthat thebad news is not worse. 56.Whydoconsumers, businesses and investors retreat and panicin times ofdepression? A)They suffer great losses instocks, property and other assets. B) They find theself-correcting mechanisms dysfunctioning. C)They are afraid thenormal social order willbe paralysed. D)They don’tknow what is going tohappen in thefuture. 57.Whatdoes ChristinaRomersayabout the current economic recession? A)Its severity is nomatch fortheGreat Depression of 1929. B) Its initial blowtoconfidence far exceeded that of1929. C)It has affected houseowners morethan stock holders. D)It has resulted in afree fall oftheprices ofcommodities. 58.Whydidn’t thecurrent recession turn into adepression according toChristinaRomer? A)Thegovernment intervened effectively. B) Privatemarkets corrected themselves. C)Peoplerefrained from buying durables and big-ticket items. D)Individuals and companies adopted self-protection measures. 59.Whatis thechief purposeof all thecounter measures taken? A)Tocreate job opportunities. C)Tostimulatedomesticconsumption. B) Tocurb thefear ofalasting free fall. D)To rebuild thecredit system. 60.Whatdoes theauthor think oftoday’s economic situation? 4A)It may worsen without further stimulation. C)It has not gone from bad to worse. B) It will see arebound sooner orlater. D)It does not give people reason forpessimism. Passage Two Questions61to 65are basedon thefollowing passage. “Usually whenwe walk through-the rain forest we hear asoft sound from all themoist leaves and organic debris ontheforest floor,” says ecologist Daniel Nepstad. “Now we increasingly get rustleandcrunch. That’sthe sound ofadying forest.” Predictionsof thecollapse ofthetropical rain forests have been around for years. Yet until recentlythe worst forecasts were almost exclusively linked todirect human activity, such as dear- cuttingand burning forpastures orfarms. Left alone, itwas assumed, theworld’s rain forests would notonly flourishbut might even rescue us from disasterbyabsorbing theexcess carbon dioxideand otherplanet-warming greenhousegases. Nowit turns out that may bewishful thinking. Some scientistsbelieve that therisein carbonlevels means that theAmazon and otherrain forests inAsia and Africa maygo from being assets in thebattleagainst risingtemperatures toliabilities. Amazon plants,forinstance,holdmorethan100billionmetrictonsofcarbon,equalto15yearsoftailpipeand chimney emissions.If thecollapse oftherain forests speeds updramatically, it couldeventually release 3.5-5 billionmetric tonsof carbon into theatmosphere each year 一making forests the leading source ofgreenhousegases. Uncommonlysevere droughts brought onbyglobal climatechange have led to forest-eating wildfires from Australia to Indonesia, butnowhere moreacutely than in theAmazon. Someexperts say that therain forest is already at thebrink of collapse. Extremeweather and reckless development are plotting against therain forest in ways that scientistshave never seen. Trees need more water as temperatures rise, but theprolonged droughts haverobbedthemofmoisture,makingwholeforestseasilyclearedoftreesandturnedintofarmland. Thepicture worsens with eachround ofEl Nino, theunusually warm currents inthe PacificOcean thatdrive uptemperatures and invariably presage（预示）droughts and fires in therain forest. Runaway fires poureven morecarbon into theair, which increases temperatures, starting thewhole viciouscycle all over again. Morethan paradiselost, aperishing rain forest could trigger a dominoeffect—sending winds andrains kilometresoffcourseand loadingtheskies witheven greaterlevelsofgreenhousegases— thatwill befelt farbeyond theAmazon basin. In a sense, we are already getting aglimpse ofwhat’s tocome.EachburningseasonintheAmazon,firesdeliberatelysetbyfrontiersettlersanddevelopers hurlupalmost half abillionmetrictons ofcarbon a year, placing Brazil among thetop five contributors togreenhouse gases inthe world. 61.Welearn from thefirst paragraph that . A)dead leaves and tree debris make thesamesound B) trees that are dying usually give out asoft moan C)organicdebris echoes thesounds ina rain forest D)thesoundofa forest signifies its health condition 62.In thesecond paragraph, the authorchallenges theviewthat . A)thecollapse ofrain forests is caused bydirect human interference B) carbon emissions are theleading cause ofcurrent global warming C)theconditionof rain forests has been rapidly deteriorating D)rain forests should notbe converted into pastures or farms 63.Theauthorargues that therising carbon levels inrain forests may . A)turn them into amajorsource ofgreenhouse gases B) change theweather patterns throughout theworld C)poseathreat to wildlife D)accelerate theircollapse 64.Whathas made iteasier toturn some rain forests intofarmland? A) Rapid riseincarbon levels. C)Lackofrainfallresultingfromglobalwarming. B) Reckless land development. D)Theunusual warm currentsinthePacificOcean. 5 淘宝店铺：https://shop499712503.taobao.com/ 店主旺旺：慧园文化65.Whatmakes Brazil oneoftheworld’s top fivecontributors togreenhouse gases? A)Thedomino effect triggered bytheperishing rain forests. B) Its practice ofburning forests forsettlement and development. C)Thechanged patterns ofwinds andrains in theAmazon area. D)Its inabilitytocurb thecarbon emissions from industries. 进了中国和世界各国的友好往来。 6