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2013年6月六级考试真题（第一套）
2013 年 6 月六级考试真题（第一套）
PartⅠ Writing
Direction:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaycommentingontheremark“Asmileistheshortest
distancebetweentwopeople.”Youcanciteexamplestoillustrateyourpoint.Youshouldwriteatleast150words
butnomorethan200words.
PartⅡ ListeningComprehension
Section A
Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,one
or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be
spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four
choicesmarkedA)，B)，C)andD),anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.Thenmarkthecorrespondingletter
onAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.
1. A) Shehascompletelyrecovered. C)Sheisstillinacriticalcondition.
B) Shewentintoshockafteranoperation. D)Sheisgettingmuchbetter.
2. A) Orderingabreakfast. C)Buyingatrainticket.
B) Bookingahotelroom. D)Fixingacompartment.
3. A) Mostborrowersneverreturnedthebookstoher.
B) Themanistheonlyonewhobroughtherbookback.
C) Sheneverexpectedanyonetoreturnthebookstoher.
D) Mostofthebooksshelentoutcamebackwithoutjackets.
4. A) SheleftherworkearlytogetsomebargainslastSaturday.
B) Sheattendedthesupermarket’sgrandopeningceremony.
C) Shedroveafoilhourbeforefindingaparkingspace.
D) ShefailedtogetintothesupermarketlastSaturday.
5. A) Heisbotheredbythepaininhisneck.
B) Hecannotdohisreportwithoutacomputer.
C) Hecannotaffordtohaveacoffeebreak.
D) Hefeelssorrytohavemissedthereport.
6. A) Onlytopartstudentscanshowtheirworksinthegallery.
B) Thegalleryspaceisbigenoughfortheman’spaintings.
C) Thewomanwouldliketohelpwiththeexhibitionlayout.
D) Themanisuncertainhowhisartworkswillbereceived.
7. A) Thewomanneedsatemporaryreplacementforherassistant.
B) Themanworksinthesamedepartmentasthewomandoes.
C) Thewomanwillhavetostayinhospitalforafewdays.
D) Themaniscapableofdealingwithdifficultpeople.
8. A) Itwasbetterthanthepreviousone. C)Itexaggeratedthecity’seconomicproblems.
B) Itdistortedthemayor’sspeech. D)Itreflectedtheopinionsofmosteconomists.
Questions9to12arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.
9. A) Toinformhimofaproblemtheyface. C)Todiscussthecontentofaprojectreport.
B) Torequesthimtopurchasecontroldesks. D)Toaskhimtofixthedictatingmachine.
10. A) Theyquotethebestpriceinthemarket.
B) Theymanufactureandsellofficefurniture.
C) Theycannotdeliverthesteelsheetsontime.
12013年6月六级考试真题（第一套）
D) Theycannotproducethesteelsheetsneeded.
11. A) Bymarkingdowntheunitprice. C)Byallowingmoretimefordelivery.
B) Byacceptingthepenaltyclauses. D)Bypromisingbetterafter-salesservice.
12. A) Givethecustomeratenpercentdiscount.
B) Claimcompensationfromthesteelsuppliers.
C) AsktheBuyingDepartmenttochangesuppliers.
D) Cancelthecontractwiththecustomer.
Questions13to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.
13. A) Stockbroker. C)Mathematician.
B) Physicist. D)Economist.
14. A) Improvecomputerprogramming. C)Predictglobalpopulationgrowth.
B) Explaincertainnaturalphenomena. D)Promotenationalfinancialhealth.
15. A)Theirdifferenteducationalbackgrounds. C)ChaosTheoryanditsapplications.
B) Changingattitudestowardsnature. D)Thecurrentglobaleconomiccrisis.
Section B
Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsomequestions.Boththe
passageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswer
fromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1witha
singlelinethroughthecentre.
PassageOne
Questions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.
16.A)Theylaygreatemphasisonhardwork. C)Theyrequirehighacademicdegrees.
B)Theyname150starengineerseachyear. D)TheyhavepeoplewithaveryhighIQ.
17. A)Longyearsofjobtraining. C)Distinctiveacademicqualifications.
B)Highemotionalintelligence. D)Devotiontotheadvanceofscience.
18.A)Goodinterpersonalrelationships. C)Sophisticatedequipment.
B)Richworkingexperience. D)Highmotivation.
PassageTwo
Questions19to21arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.
19.A)Adiary. C)Distinctiveacademicqualifications.
B)Afairytale. D)Devotiontotheadvanceofscience.
20.A)Hewasasportsfan. C)Sophisticatedequipment.
B)Helovedadventures. D)Highmotivation.
21.A)Encouragepeopletoundertakeadventures. C)Raisepeople’senvironmentalawareness.
B) Publicisehiscolourfulanduniquelifestories. D)AttractpeopletoAmerica’snationalparks.
PassageThree
Questions22to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.
22.A)Thefirstinfectedvictim. C)Thedoctorwhofirstidentifiedit.
B)AcoastalvillageinAfrica. D)AriverrunningthroughtheCongo.
23.A)Theyexhibitsimilarsymptoms. C)Theyhavealmostthesamemortalityrate.
B)Theycanbetreatedwiththesamedrug. D)Theyhavebothdisappearedforgood.
24. A)Byinhalingairpollutedwiththevirus. C)BydrinkingwaterfromtheCongoRiver.
B)Bycontactingcontaminatedbodyfluids. D)ByeatingfoodgrowninSudanandZaire.
25. A) MorestrainswillevolvefromtheEbolavirus.
22013年6月六级考试真题（第一套）
B) ScientistswilleventuallyfindcuresforEbola.
C) AnotherEbolaepidemicmayeruptsoonerorlater.
D) Onceinfected,onewillbecomeimmunetoEbola.
Section C
Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefirsttime,youshouldlisten
carefully for its general idea. When thepassage is read for thesecond time, you are required to fill in the
blankswith theexact wordsyou have justheard. Finally, when thepassage is read for thethirdtime, you
shouldcheckwhatyouhavewritten.
Theidealcompanionmachinewouldnotonlylook,feel,andsoundfriendlybutwouldalsobeprogrammedtobehavein
anagreeablemanner.Thosequalitiesthat 26 other peopleenjoyablewouldbesimulatedascloselyaspossible,andthe
machine would appear to be 27 ,stimulating and easygoing. Its informal conversational style would make interaction
comfortable,andyetthemachinewouldremainslightly 28 andthereforeinteresting.Initsfirst 29 ,itmightbesomewhat
hesitantandunassuming,butasitcametoknowtheuseritwouldprogresstoamore 30 andintimatestyle.Themachine
wouldnotbeapassive 31 butwouldadditsownsuggestions,information,andopinions;itwouldsometimes 32 in
developingorchangingthetopicandwouldhavea 33 ofitsown.
Themachinewouldconveypresence.Wehaveallseenhowacomputer’suseofpersonalnamesoftenfascinatespeople
and needs them to treat the machine as if it were almost human. Such features are easily written into the software. By
introducingadegreeofforcefulnessandhumour,themachinecould 34 avividanduniquecharacter.
Friendshipsarenotmadeinaday,andthecomputerwouldbemore 35 asafriendifitsimulatedthegradualchanges
thatoccurwhenonepersonisgettingtoknowanother.Atanappropriatetimeitmightalsoexpressthekindofaffectionthat
stimulatesattachmentandintimacy.
Part Ⅲ ReadingComprehension
Section A
Directions：Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordfareachblankfromalist
ofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemaking
yourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.Pleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeach
itemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebank
morethanonce.
Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
Mostexpertsinsleepbehaviouragreethatthereisvirtuallyanepidemicofsleepinessinthenation.“Ican’tthinkofa
36 studythathasn’tfoundAmericansgettinglesssleepthantheyoughtto,”saysDrDavid.
Thebeginningofoursleep-deficitcrisiscanbe 37 totheinventionofthelightbulbacenturyago.Fromdiaryentries
andotherpersonalaccountsfromthe18thand19thcenturies,sleepscientistshavereachedthe 38 thattheaverageperson
usedtosleepabout9.5hoursanight.Bythe1950sand1960s,thatsleepschedulehadbeenreduced 39 tobetween7.5and
8hours,andmostpeoplehadtowaketoanalarmclock.“Peoplecheatontheirsleep,andtheydon’trealisethey’redoingit,”
saysDrDavid.“Theythinkthey’reokaybecausetheycangetbyon6.5hours, whentheyreallyneed7.5,8orevenmoreto
feel 40 vigorous.”
Perhapsthemostmercilessrobberofsleep,researcherssay,isthe 41 oftheday.Wheneverpressuresfromwork,
family,friendsandcommunitymount,manypeopleconsidersleeptheleastexpensiveitemontheagenda.“Inoursociety,
you’reconsidered 42 ifyousayyouonlyneed5.5hours’sleep.Ifyousayyou’vegottoget8.5hours,peoplethinkyoulack
driveandambition.”Toassessthe 43 ofsleepdeficit,researchershaveputsubjectsthroughasetofpsychologicaland
performancetestsrequiringthem,forinstance,toaddcolumnsofnumbersor 44 apassagereadtothemonlyminutesearlier.
32013年6月六级考试真题（第一套）
“We’vefoundthatifyou’resleep-deprived, performancesuffers,”saysDrDavid.“Short-termmemoryis 45 ,soare
abilitiestomakedecisionsandtoconcentrate.”
A)ideally I)conclusion
B)dynamic J)drastic
C)currently K)expectations
D)single L)dramatically
E)startlingly M)recur
F)complexity N)consequences
G) traced O)impaired
H) recall
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains
informationgiven inoneoftheparagraphs. Identify theparagraphfrom whichtheinformationisderived.
Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.Answerthequestions
bymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.
Welcome,Freshmen.HaveaniPod.
[A] Takingastepthatmanyprofessorsmayviewasabitcounterproductive,somecollegesanduniversitiesaredolingout
Apple iPhones and Internet-capable iPods to their students. The always-on Internet devices raise some novel
possibilities, like tracking where students gather together. With far less controversy, colleges could send messages
aboutcancelledclasses,delayedbuses,campuscrisesorjustthecafeteriamenu.
[B] Whileschoolsemphasiseitsusefulness—onlineresearchinclassandinstantpollingofstudents,forexample一abig
partoftheattractionis,undoubtedly,thattheiPhoneiscoolandahitwithstudents.Beingequippedwithoneofthe
mostrecentcutting-edgeITproductscouldjusthelpacollegeoruniversityfosteracutting-edgereputation.
[C] Applestandstowinaswell,hookingmoreyoungconsumerswithdecadesoftechnologypurchasesaheadofthem.The
lonelosers,somefear, couldbeprofessors.Studentsalreadyhavelaptopsandcellphones,ofcourse,butthenewest
devices can take class distractionstoanewlevel. They practicallybeg auser toignorethelong-suffering professor
strugglingtopassonaccumulatedwisdomfromthefrontoftheroom一aprospectthatteachersfindmostirritatingand
studentsviewas,well,inevitable.
[D] “Whenitgetsalittleboring,Imightpullitout,”acknowledgedNaomiPugh,afirst-yearstudentatFreed-Hardeman
University in Henderson, Tenn., referring to her new iPod Touch, which can connect to the Internet over a campus
wireless network. She speculated that professors might try even harder to make classes interesting if they were to
competewiththedevices.
[E] Experts see a movement toward the use of mobile technology in education, though they say it is in its infancy as
professorstrytocomeupwithusefulapplications.Providingpowerfulhand-helddevicesissuretofueldebatesoverthe
role of technology in higher education. “We think this is the way the future is going to work” said Kyle Dickson,
co-directorofresearchandthemobilelearninginitiativeatAbileneChristianUniversityinTexas,whichhasbought
morethan600iPhonesand300iPodsforstudentsenteringthisfall.
[F] Althoughplentyofstudentstaketheirlaptopstoclass,theydon’ttakethemeverywhereandwouldprefersomething
lighter. Abilene Christian settled on the devices after surveying students and finding that they did not like hauling
aroundtheirlaptops,butthatmostofthemalwayscarriedacellphone,DrDicksonsaid.
[G] ItisnotclearhowmanycollegesanduniversitiesplantogiveoutiPhonesandiPodsthisfall;officialsatApplewere
42013年6月六级考试真题（第一套）
unwillingtotalkaboutthesubjectandsaidthattheywouldnotleakanyinstitution’splans.“Wecan’tannounceother
people’snews,”saidGregJoswiak,vicepresidentofiPodandiPhonemarketingatApple.Healsosaidthathecouldnot
discussdiscountstouniversitiesforbulkpurchases.
[H] At least four institutions — the University of Maryland, Oklahoma Christian University, Abilene Christian and
Freed-Hardeman 一 have announced that they will give the devices to some or all of their students this fall. Other
universitiesareexploringtheiroptions.StanfordUniversityhashiredastudent-runcompanytodesignapplicationslike
acampusmapanddirectoryfortheiPhone.ItisconsideringwhethertoissueiPhonesbutnotsureit’snecessary,noting
that more than 700 iPhones were registered on the university’s network last year. At the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, iPhones might already have been everywhere, if AT&T, the wireless carrier offering theiPhonein the
UnitedStates,hadamorereliablenetwork,saidAndrewYu,mobiledevicesplatformprojectmanageratMIT.“We
wouldhaveprobablygoneaheadwiththis,maybejustgettingathousandiPhonesandgivingthemout,”Mr.Yusaid.
[I] TheUniversityofMarylandatCollegeParkisproceedingcautiously,givingtheiPhoneoriPodTouchto150students,
saidJeffreyHuskamp,vicepresidentandchiefinformationofficerattheuniversity.“Wedon’tthinkthatwehaveall
theanswers,”Mr.Huskamp said.Byobservinghowstudentsusethegadgets, hesaid,“We’retryingtoget answers
fromthestudents.”
[J] Ateachcollege,thestudentswhochoosetogetaniPhonemustpayformobilephoneservice.Thoseservicecontracts
includeunlimiteddatause.BoththeiPhonesandtheiPodTouchdevicescanconnecttotheInternetthroughcampus
wireless networks. With the iPhone, those networks may provide faster connections and longer battery life than
AT&T’sdatanetwork.Manycellphonesallowusers,tosurftheWeb,butonlysomeneweronesarecapableofwireless
connectiontothelocalareacomputernetwork.
[K] Universityofficialssaythattheyhavenoplanstotracktheirstudents(andApplesaiditwouldnotbepossibleunless
students give their permission). They say that they are drawn to the prospect of learning applications outside the
classroom,thoughsuchlessonplanshaveyettosurface.
[L] “MycolleaguesandIarestudyingsomethingcalledaugmentedreality(afieldofcomputerresearchdealingwiththe
combinationofreal-worldandvirtualreality)”said ChristopherDede, professor inlearningtechnologiesat Harvard
University. “Alien Contact,” for example, is an exercise developed for middle-school students who use hand-held
devicesthatcandeterminetheirlocation.Astheywalkaroundaplaygroundorotherarea,text,videooraudiopopsup
atvariouspointstohelpthemtrytofigureoutwhyalienswereintheschoolyard.
[M] “You can imagine similar kindsof interactive activities along historical lines,” like following the FreedomTrail in
Boston,ProfessorDedesaid.“It’simportantthatwedoresearchsothatweknowhowwellsomethinglikethisworks.”
[N] Therushtodistributethedevicesworriessomeprofessors,whosaythatstudentsarelesslikelytoparticipateinclassif
theyaremulti-tasking.“I’mnotsomeonewho’santi-technology,butI’malwaysworriedthattechnologybecomesan
endinandofitself,anditreplacesteachingoritreplacesanalysis,”saidEllenMillender,associateprofessorofclassics
at Reed College in Portland, Ore. (She added that she hoped to buy an iPhone for herself once prices fall.) Robert
Summers,whohastaughtatCornellLawSchoolforabout40years,announcedthisweek—inadetailed,footnoted
memorandum一thathewouldbanlaptopcomputersfromhisclassoncontractlaw.“IwouldbanthattooifIknewthe
students were using it in class,” Professor Summers said of the iPhone, after the device and its capabilities were
explained to him. “What we want to encourage in these students is an active intellectual experience, in which they
developthewiderangeofcomplexreasoningabilitiesrequiredofgoodlawyers.”
[O] TheexperienceatDukeUniversitymayeasesomeconcerns.Afewyearsago,DukebegangivingiPodstostudents
withtheideathattheymightusethemtorecordlectures(theseoldermodelscouldnotaccesstheInternet).“Wehad
assumedthatthebiggestfocusofthesedeviceswouldbeconsumingthecontent,”saidTracyFuthey,vicepresidentfor
52013年6月六级考试真题（第一套）
informationtechnologyandchiefinformationofficeratDuke.Butthatisnotallthatthestudentsdid.Theybeganusing
the iPods to create their own “content”, making audio recordings of themselves and presenting them. The students
turnedwhatcouldhavebeenapassiveinteractionintoanactiveone,MsFutheysaid.
46. UniversityofficialsclaimthattheydoleoutiPhonesandiPodssoastofacilitatestudents’learningoutsideofclass.
47. Intheauthor’sview,beingequippedwithITproductsmayhelpcollegesanduniversitiesbuildaninnovativeimage.
48. ProfessorRobertSummersatCornellLawSchoolbannedlaptopcomputersfromhisclassbecausehethinksqualified
lawyersneedtopossessabroadarrayofcomplexreasoningabilities.
49. Naomi Pugh at Freed-Hardeman University speculated that professors would have to work harder to enliven their
classes.
50. TheUniversityofMarylandatCollegeParkisproceedingwithcautionconcerningtheuseofiPhonesandiPods.
51. ManyprofessorsthinkthatgivingoutAppleiPhonesorInternet-capableiPodstostudentsmaynotbenefiteducationas
intended.
52. TheexperienceatDukeUniversitymayeasesomeconcernsbecausethestudentshaveusediPodsforactiveinteraction.
53. EllenMillenderatReedCollegeinPortlandisconcernedthattechnologywilltaketheplaceofteachingoranalysis.
54. The distribution of iPhones among students has raised concerns that they will further distract students from class
participation.
55. ExpertslikeDrKyleDicksonatAbileneChristianUniversitythinkthatmobiletechnologywillbemorewidelyusedin
education.
Section C
Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.For
eachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthebestchoiceand
markthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.
PassageOne
Questions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
In 2011, many shoppers chose to avoid the frantic crowds and do their holiday shopping from the comfort of their
computer.Salesatonlineretailersgainedbymorethan15%,makingitthebiggestseasonever.Butpeoplearealsoreturning
thosepurchasesatrecordrates,up8%fromlastyear.
What went wrong? Is the lingering shadow of the global financial crisis making it harder to accept extravagant
indulgences?Orthatpeopleshopmoreimpulsively—andthereforemakebaddecisions—whenonline?Bothargumentsare
plausible.However,thereisathirdfactor:aquestionoftouch.Wecanlovethelookbut,inanonlineenvironment,wecannot
feelthequalityofatexture,theshapeofthefit,thefallofafoldor,forthatmatter,theweightofanearring.Andphysically
interactingwithanobjectmakesyoumorecommittedtoyourpurchase.
WhenmymostrecentbookBrandwashedwasreleased,Iteamedupwithalocalbookstoretoconductanexperiment
about the differences between the online and offline shopping experience. I carefully instructed a group of volunteers to
promotemybookintwodifferentways.Thefirstwasafairlyhands-offapproach.Wheneveracustomerwouldinquireabout
mybook,thevolunteerwouldtakehimovertotheshelfandpointtoit.Outof20suchrequests,sixcustomersproceededwith
thepurchase.
Thesecondoptionalsoinvolvedgoingovertotheshelfbut,thistime,removingthebookandthensubtlyholdingontoit
forjustanextramomentbeforeplacingitinthecustomer’shands.Ofthe20peoplewhowerehandedthebook,13endedup
buyingit.Justphysicallypassingthebookshowedabigdifferenceinsales.Why?Wefeelsomethingsimilartoasenseof
62013年6月六级考试真题（第一套）
ownership when we holdthingsin our hand. That’swhywe establishor reestablish connectionbygreetingstrangers and
friendswithahandshake.Inthiscase,havingtothenletgoofthebookafterholdingitmightgenerateasubtlesenseofloss,
andmotivateustomakethepurchaseevenmore.
A recent study also revealed the power of touch, in this case when it came to conventional mail. A deeper and
longer-lasting impressionof amessage was formed when delivered in aletter, as opposed toreceiving thesame message
online.Brainimagingshowedthat,ontouchingthepaper,theemotionalcentreofthebrainwasactivated,thusforminga
stronger bond. The study also indicated that once touch becomes part of the process, it could translate into a sense of
possession.Thissenseofownershipissimplynotpartoftheequationintheonlineshoppingexperience.
56. Whydopeopleprefershoppingonlineaccordingtotheauthor?
A) Itismorecomfortableandconvenient.
B) Itsavesthemalotofmoneyandtime.
C) Itoffersthemalotmoreoptionsandbargains.
D) Itgivesthemmoretimetothinkabouttheirpurchase.
57. Whydomorecustomersreturntheirpurchasesboughtonline?
A) Theyregrettedindulgingincostlyitemsintherecession.
B) Theychangedtheirmindbythetimethegoodsweredelivered.
C) Theyhadnochancetotouchthemwhenshoppingonline.
D) Theylaterfoundthequalityofgoodsbelowtheirexpectations.
58. Whatisthepurposeoftheauthor’sexperiment?
A) Totesthishypothesisaboutonlineshopping.
B) Tofindoutpeople’sreactiontohisrecentbook.
C) Tofindwaystoincreasethesaleofhisnewbook.
D) Totrydifferentapproachestosalespromotion.
59.Howmightpeoplefeelafterlettinggoofsomethingtheyheld?
A)Asenseofdisappointment. C)Asubtlelossofinterest.
B)Moremotivatedtoownit. D)Lesssensitivetoitstexture.
60. Whatdoesbrainimaginginarecentstudyreveal?
A) Conventionalletterscontainsubtlemessages.
B) Alackoftouchisthechiefobstacletoe-commerce.
C) Emaillacksthepotentialtoactivatethebrain.
D) Physicaltouchhelpsformasenseofpossession.
PassageTwo
Questions61to65arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
Apparentlyeveryoneknowsthatglobalwarmingonlymakesclimatemoreextreme.Ahot,drysummerhastriggered
anotherfloodofsuchclaims.And,whilemanyinterestsareatwork,oneoftheplayersthatbenefitsthemostfromthisstory
arethemedia:thenotionof“extreme”climatesimplymakesformorecompellingnews.
ConsiderPaulKrugman,writingbreathlesslyinTheNewYorkTimesaboutthe“risingincidenceofextremeevents”.He
claimsthatglobalwarmingcausedthecurrentdroughtinAmerica’sMidwest,andthatsupposedlyrecord-highcornprices
couldcauseaglobalfoodcrisis.
ButtheUnitedNationsclimatepanel’slatestassessmenttellsuspreciselytheopposite:For“NorthAmerica,thereis
medium confidence that there has been an overall slight tendency towards less dryness”. Moreover, there is no way that
Krugman couldhave identified thisdroughtasbeing causedby globalwarming withoutatime machine: Climate models
72013年6月六级考试真题（第一套）
estimatethatsuchdetectionwillbepossibleby2048,attheearliest.
And,fortunately,thisyear’sdroughtappearsunlikelytocauseafoodcrisis,asglobalriceandwheatsuppliesremain
plentiful.Moreover,Krugmanoverlooksinflation:Priceshaveincreased,six-foldsince1969,so,whilecornfutures（期货）
didsetarecordofabout$8perbushel（蒲式耳）inlateJuly,theinflation-adjustedpriceofcornwashigherthroughoutmost
ofthe1970s,reaching$16in1974.
Finally,Krugmanconvenientlyforgetsthatconcernsaboutglobalwarmingarethemainreasonthatcompriceshave
skyrocketedsince2005.Nowadays40percentofcomgrownintheUnitedStatesisusedtoproduceethanol(乙醇),which
doesabsolutelynothingfortheclimate,butcertainlydistortsthepriceofcom—attheexpenseofmanyoftheworldspoorest
people.
BillMcKibbensimilarlyworriesinTheGuardianabouttheMidwestdroughtandcomprices.Heconfidentlytellsus
thatragingwildfiresfromNewMexicoandColoradotoSiberiaare“exactly”whattheearlystagesofglobalwarminglook
like.
Infact,thelatestoverviewofglobalwildfireincidencesuggeststhatfireintensityhasdeclinedoverthepast70years
andisnowclosetoitspreindustriallevel.
Whenwell-meaningcampaignerswantustopayattentiontoglobalwarming,theyoftenenduppitchingbeyondthe
facts.And,whilethismayseemjustifiedbyanoblegoal,such“policybypanic”tacticsrarelywork,andoftenbackfire.
Remember how, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, A1 Gore claimed that we were in store for ever more
destructivehurricanes? Sincethen,hurricaneincidence hasdropped off thecharts. Exaggerated claims merely fuel public
distrustanddisengagement.
Thatisunfortunate,becauseglobalwarmingisarealproblem,andwedoneedtoaddressit.
61. Inwhatwaydothemediabenefitfromextremeweather?
A) Theycanattractpeople’sattentiontotheirreports.
B) Theycanchoosefromagreatervarietyoftopics.
C) Theycanmakethemselvesbetterknown.
D) Theycangivevoicetodifferentviews.
62. Whatistheauthor’scommentonKrugman’sclaimaboutthecurrentdroughtinAmerica’sMidwest?
A) Atimemachineisneededtotestifytoitstruth.
B) Itisbasedonanerroneousclimatemodel.
C) Itwilleventuallygetproofin2048.
D) Thereisnowaytoproveitsvalidity.
63. Whatisthechiefreasonfortheriseincompricesaccordingtotheauthor?
A) Demandforfoodhasbeenrisinginthedevelopingcountries.
B) Aconsiderableportionofcomisusedtoproducegreenfuel.
C) Climatechangehascausedcomyieldstodropmarkedly.
D) Inflationrateshavebeenskyrocketingsincethe1970s.
64. Whatdoestheauthorsayaboutglobalwildfireincidenceoverthepast70years?
A) Ithasgotworsewiththeriseinextremeweathers.
B) Itsignalstheearlystagesofglobalwarming.
C) Ithasdroppedgreatly.
D) Itisrelatedtodrought.
65.Whatdoestheauthorthinkoftheexaggeratedclaimsinthemediaaboutglobalwarming?
A) Theyarestrategiestoraisepublicawareness.
82013年6月六级考试真题（第一套）
B) Theydoadisservicetoaddressingtheproblem.
C) Theyaggravatepublicdistrustaboutscience.
D) Theycreateconfusionaboutclimatechange.
Part IV Translation
Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestotranslateapassagefromChineseintoEnglish.Youshouldwriteyour
answeronAnswerSheet2.
在漫长的发展过程中，中国建筑逐渐形成了以木结构（timberwork)结合石雕、夯土结构（rammedearth
construction)以及其他技巧为特色的风格。一般来讲，中国的传统建筑风格可分为几个类别：皇家宫殿、宅居厅室、
寺庙佛塔（pagoda)、墓园陵寝及园林建筑。然而，中国不同地区和不同民族的建筑风格可能在特色和功能上有所
不同。从中国北方到南方，从黄河到长江，一路上你会被中国建筑师们的杰作所感动。勤劳的中国劳动人民创造了
很多建筑奇迹，如长城、故宫。
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