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2013年6月六级考试真题（第三套）
2013 年 6 月六级考试真题（第三套）
PartⅠ Writing
Directions： Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaycommentingontheremark“Earthprovides
enoughtosatisfyeveryman’sneed,butnoteveryman’sgreed.”Youcanciteexamplestoillustrateyour
point.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.
Part II ListeningComprehension
说明：2013年6月六级真题全国共考了两套听力。本套（即第三套）的听力内容与第二套的内容完全相同，只是
选项的顺序不一样而已，故在本套中没有重复给出。
Section A
Directions：Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalist
ofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemaking
yourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.Pleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeach
itemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthe
bankmorethanonce.
Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
Children are losing the ability to play properly because they are being given too many toys, according to a new
research.Thestudiesshowthatchildren—especiallythoseunderfive—areoften 36 andactuallyplaylessthanthose
withfewertoys.
“0urstudiesshowthatgivingchildrentoomanytoysortoysofthe 37 typecanactuallybedoingthemharm.They
get spoiled and cannot 38 on any one thing long enough to learn from it”, said Lerner, a childhood development
researcher.HerconclusionshavebeenbackedupbyBritishresearchlookingatchildrenwith 39 fewtoys,whoseparents
spend more time reading, singing or playing with them. It showed such children 40 youngsters from richer
backgrounds—eventhosewhohadaccesstocomputers.
KathySylva,professorofeducationalpsychologyatOxfordUniversity,reachedher 41 fromastudyof3,000
childrenfromtheagesofthreetofive.Inheropinion,thereisacomplexrelationshipbetweenchildren’sprogress,thetype
oftoystheyaregivenandthetimeparentsspendonthem.Whenthechildrenhavealargenumberoftoysthereseemstobe
adistractionelement,andwhenchildrenare42 theydonotlearnorplaywell.
Someparentsnoticethe 43 early.OrhanIsmail,aresearcherfromColchester,Essex,sawachangefortheworsein
Cameron,his10-month-oldson,afterhewasgiven 44 toyslastChristmas.Heobservedthatiftherearetoomanytoysin
frontofCameron,hewilljustkeepmovingroundthemandthenendupgoingawayandfindingsomethinglikeaslipperto
playwith.
Experts 45 toputafigureonthenumberoftoyschildrenshouldhave,butmanybelievetwodozenisenoughfor
childrenofpre-schoolage.
12013年6月六级考试真题（第三套）
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
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains
informationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.
Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.Answerthequestions
bymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.
NormanBorlaug:“FatheroftheGreenRevolution”
[A] FewpeoplehavequietlychangedtheworldforthebettermorethanthisruralladfromthemidwestemstateofIowain
the United States. The man in focus is Norman Borlaug, the “Father of the Green Revolution”, who died on 12
September2009atage95.NormanBorlaugspentmostofhis60workingyearsinthefarmlandsofMexico,South
AsiaandlaterinAfrica,fightingworldhunger,andsavingbysomeestimatesuptoabillionlivesintheprocess.An
achievement,fitforaNobelPeacePrize.
EarlyYears
[B] “I’m a product of the great depression” is how Borlaug described himself. A great-grandson of Norwegian
immigrantstotheUnitedStates,Borlaugwasbornin1914andgrewuponasmallfarminthenortheasterncomerof
Iowa in a town called Cresco. His family had a 40-hectrare (公顷)farm on which they grew wheat, maize (玉
米)and hayandraisedpigsandcattle.Normanspentmostofhistimefromage7-17onthefarm,evenasheattended
aone-room,one-teacherschoolatNewOregoninHowardCounty.
[C] Borlaugdidn’thavemoneytogotocollege.ButthroughaGreatDepressioneraprogramme,knownastheNational
YouthAdministration,BorlaugwasabletoenrollinUniversityofMinnesotaatMinneapolistostudyforestry.He
excelledinstudiesandreceivedhisPhDinplantpathology(病理学）andgeneticsin1942.
[D] From1942to1944,BorlaugwasemployedasamicrobiologistatDuPontinWilmington.However,followingthe
December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Borlaugtried to jointhemilitary, but was rejected under wartime labour
regulations.
InMexico
[E] In1944,manyexpertswarnedofmassstarvationindevelopingnationswherepopulationswereexpandingfasterthan
crop production. Borlaug began work at a Rockefeller Foundation- funded project in Mexico to increase wheat
productionbydevelopinghigher-yieldingvarietiesofthecrop.Itinvolvedresearchingenetics,plantbreeding,plant
pathology,entomology（昆虫学），agronomy（农艺学）,soilscience,andcerealtechnology.Thegoaloftheproject
wastoboostwheatproductioninMexico,whichatthetimewasimportingalargeportionofitsgrain.
[F] BorlaugsaidthathisfirstcoupleofyearsinMexicoweredifficult.Helackedtrainedscientistsandequipment.Native
farmerswerehostiletowardsthewheatprogrammebecauseofseriouscroplossesfrom1939to1941duetostem
rust.
[G] WheatvarietiesthatBorlaugworkedwithhadtall,thinstalks.Whiletallerwheatcompetedbetterforsunlight,they
had a tendency to collapse under the weight of extra grain — a trait called lodging. To overcome this, Borlaug
22013年6月六级考试真题（第三套）
workedonbreedingwheatwithshorterandstrongerstalks,whichcouldholdonlargerseedheads.Borlaug’snew
semi-dwarf,disease-resistantvarieties,calledPitic62andPenjamo62,changedthepotentialyieldofMexicanwheat
dramatically.By1963wheatproductioninMexicostoodsixtimesmorethanthatof1944.
GreenRevolutioninIndia
[H] Duringthe1960s,SouthAsiaexperiencedseveredroughtconditionandIndiahadbeenimportingwheatonalarge
scalefromtheUnitedStates.BorlaugcametoIndiain1963alongwithDrRobertAndersontoduplicatehisMexican
successinthesub-continent.Theexperimentsbeganwithplantingafewofthehigh-yieldingvarietystrainsinthe
fields of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute at Pusa in New Delhi, under the supervision of Dr M. S.
Swaminathan.ThesestrainsweresubsequentlyplantedintestplotsatLudhiana,Pantnagar,Kanpur,PuneandIndore.
Theresultswerepromising,butlarge-scalesuccess,however,wasnotinstant.Culturaloppositiontonewagricultural
techniquesinitiallypreventedBorlaugfromgoingaheadwithplantingofnewwheatstrainsinIndia.By1965,when
thedroughtsituationturnedalarming,theGovernmenttooktheleadandallowedwheatrevolutiontomoveforward.
ByemployingagriculturaltechniqueshedevelopedinMexico,BorlaugwasabletonearlydoubleSouthAsianwheat
harvestsbetween1965and1970.
[I] IndiasubsequentlymadeahugecommitmenttoMexicanwheat,importingsome18,000tonnesofseed.By1968,it
was clear that theIndian wheat harvest was nothing short of revolutionary. It was so productive that therewas a
shortageoflabourtoharvestit,ofbullcartstohaulittothethreshingfloor（打谷场）ofjute（黄麻）bagstostore
it.Localgovernmentsinsomeareaswereforcedtoshutdownschoolstemporarilytousethemasstorehouses.
[J] UnitedNation’sFoodandAgricultureOrganisation(FAO)observedthatin40yearsbetween1961and2001,“India
morethandoubleditspopulation,from452milliontomorethan1billion.Atthesametime,itnearlytripleditsgrain
productionfrom87milliontonnesto231milliontonnes.Itaccomplishedthisfeatwhileincreasingcultivatedgrain
acreage（土地面积）amere8percent.”ItwasinIndiathatNormanBorlaug’sworkwasdescribedasthe“Green
Revolution.”
InAfrica
[K] Africa suffered widespread hunger and starvation through the 70s and 80s. Food and aid poured in from most
developed countries into the continent, but thanks to the absence of efficient distribution system, the hungry
remained empty-stomach. The then Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, Ryoichi Sasakawa wondered why the
methods used in Mexico and India were not extended to Africa. He called up Norman Borlaug, now leading a
semi-retiredlife,forhelp.HemanagedtoconvinceBorlaugtohelpwithhisneweffortandsubsequentlyfoundedthe
SasakawaAfricaAssociation.Borlauglaterrecalled,“butafterIsawtheterriblecircumstancesthere,Isaid,‘Let’s
juststartgrowing’”.
[L] Thesuccess inAfrica wasnotasspectacular asitwasinIndiaorMexico. Thoseelementsthat allowedBorlaug’s
projects to succeed, such as well-organised economies and transportation and irrigation systems, were severely
lacking throughout Africa. Because of this, Borlaug’s initial projects were restricted to developed regions of the
continent.Nevertheless,yieldsofmaize,sorghum(高粱)andwheatdoubledbetween1983and1985.
NobelPrize
[M] For his contributions to the world food supply, Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. Norwegian
officialsnotifiedhiswifeinMexicoCityat4:00am,butBorlaughadalreadyleftforthetestfieldsintheToluca
valley,about65kmwestofMexicoCity.Achauffeur(司机）tookhertothefieldstoinformherhusband.Inhis
acceptancespeech,Borlaugsaid,“thefirstessentialcomponentofsocialjusticeisadequatefoodforallmankind.
Foodisthemoralrightofallwhoarebornintothisworld.Yet,50percentoftheworldpopulationgoeshungry.”
GreenRevolutionvsEnvironmentalists
32013年6月六级考试真题（第三套）
[N] Borlaug’sadvocacyofintensivehigh-yieldagriculturecameunderseverecriticismfromenvironmentalistsinrecent
years.Hisworkfacedenvironmentalandsocio-economiccriticisms,includingchargesthathismethodshavecreated
dependenceonmonoculturecrops,unsustainablefanningpractices,heavyindebtednessamongsubsistencefarmers,
and high levels of cancer among those who work with agriculture chemicals. There are also concerns about the
long-term sustainability of fanning practices encouraged by the Green Revolution in both the developed and the
developingworld.
[O] In India, the Green Revolution is blamed for the destruction of India crop diversity, drought vulnerability,
dependenceonagro-chemicalsthatpoisonsoilsbutreaplarge-scalebenefitsmostlytotheAmericanmulti-national
corporations.Whatthesecriticsoverwhelminglyadvocateisaglobalmovementtowards“organic”or“sustainable”
farming practices that avoid using chemicals and high technology in favour of natural fertilisers, cultivation and
pest-controlporgrammes.
46. Farmers’rejectionofhisplantingtechniquesinitiallypreventedBorlaugfromachievinglarge-scalesuccessinIndia.
47. InbothdevelopedanddevelopingcountriesthereareconcernswhetherinthelongrunBorlaug’sfarmingpracticewill
besustainable.
48. Borlaug’sPitic62andPenjamo62hasshortandstrongstemsandcanresisttodiseases.
49. Borlaug’ssuccessinAfricawasnotasspectacularasinIndiaorMexicobecauseAfricalackedthenecessary
supportingfacilities.
50. InIndia,criticsattributethedestructionofIndiancropdiversitytotheGreenRevolution.
51. Borlaug emphasised that adequate food for all mankind is essential in ensuring social justice in his Nobel Prize
acceptancespeech.
52. InrecentyearsBorlaug’sGreenRevolutionhasbeenattackedbyenvironmentalists.
53. Borlaug’swheatprogrammehadbeenstuckintroubleduringhisfirstcoupleofyearsinMexico.
54. AccordingtoUnitedNation’sFoodandAgricultureOrganisation,in40yearsbetween1961and2001India’sgrain
productionincreasednearlythreetimes.
55. NormanBorlaugwonaNobelPrizeforhis60yearsworkoncombatingworldhunger.
Section C
Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.For
eachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthebestchoiceand
markthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.
PassageOne
Questions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
“Depression”ismorethanaseriouseconomicdownturn.Whatdistinguishesadepressionfromaharshrecessionis
paralysingfear —fear oftheunknownso great thatitcauses consumers, businesses, andinvestorstoretreat andpanic.
Theysaveupcashanddesperatelycutspending.Theysellstocksandotherassets.Ashatteringlossofconfidenceinspires
behaviour thatoverwhelmsthenormal self-correctingmechanismsthatusuallypreventarecessionfrombecomingdeep
andprolonged:adepression.
Comparing1929with2007-09,ChristinaRomer,theheadofPresidentObama’sCouncilofEconomicAdvisers,finds
theinitialblowtoconfidencefargreaternowthanthen.True,stockpricesfellathirdfromSeptembertoDecember1929,
butfewerAmericansthenownedstocks.Moreover,homepricesbarelydropped.FromDecember1928toDecember1929,
totalhouseholdwealthdeclinedonly3%.Bycontrast,thelossinhouseholdwealthbetweenDecember2007andDecember
2008was17%.Bothstocksandhomes,morewidelyheld,droppedmore.Thustraumatised(受到创伤），theeconomymight
42013年6月六级考试真题（第三套）
have gone into a free fall ending in depression. Indeed, it did go into free fall. Shoppers refrained from buying cars,
appliances,andotherbig-ticketitems.Spendingonsuch“durables”droppedata12%annualratein2008’sthirdquarter,a
20%rateinthefourth.Andbusinessesshelvedinvestmentprojects.
Thatthesehugedeclinesdidn’tleadtodepressionmainlyreflects,asRomerargues,counter-measurestakenbythe
government.Privatemarketsforgoods,services,labor,andsecuritiesdomostlyself-correct,butpanicfeedsonitselfand
disarmsthesestabilisingtendencies.Inthissituation,onlythegovernmentcanprotecttheeconomyasawhole,because
mostindividualsandcompaniesareinvolvedintheself-defeatingbehaviourofself-protection.
Government’s failure to perform this role in the early 1930s transformed recession into depression. Scholars will
debatewhichinterventionsthistime—theFederalReserve’ssupportofafailingcreditsystem,guaranteesofbankdebt,
Obama’s“stimulus”planandbank“stresstest”一countedmostinpreventingarecurrence.Regardless,allthesecomplex
measureshadthesamepsychologicalpurpose:toreassurepeoplethatthefreefallwouldstopand,thereby,curbdiefear
thatwould perpetuate( 使持久）afreefall.
Allthisimprovedconfidence.Buttheconsumersentimentindexremainsweak,andallthereboundhasoccurredin
Americans’evaluationoffutureeconomicconditions,notthepresent.Unemployment(9.8%)isabysmal (糟透的）,
therecovery’sstrengthunclear.Here,too,thereisanechofromthe1930s.Despitebottomingoutin1933,theDepression
didn’tenduntilWorldWarII.Somegovernmentpoliciesaidedrecovery;somehinderedit.Thegoodnewstodayisthatthe
badnewsisnotworse.
56. Whydoconsumers,businessesandinvestorsretreatandpanicintimesofdepression?
A) Theysuffergreatlossesinstocks,propertyandotherassets.
B) Theyfindtheself-correctingmechanismsdysfunctioning.
C) Theyareafraidthenormalsocialorderwillbeparalysed.
D) Theydon’tknowwhatisgoingtohappeninthefuture.
57. WhatdoesChristinaRomersayaboutthecurrenteconomicrecession?
A) ItsseverityisnomatchfortheGreatDepressionof1929.
B) Itsinitialblowtoconfidencefarexceededthatof1929.
C) Ithasaffectedhouseownersmorethanstockholders.
D) Ithasresultedinafreefallofthepricesofcommodities.
58. Whydidn’tthecurrentrecessionturnintoadepressionaccordingtoChristinaRomer?
A) Thegovernmentintervenedeffectively.
B) Privatemarketscorrectedthemselves.
C) Peoplerefrainedfrombuyingdurablesandbig-ticketitems.
D) Individualsandcompaniesadoptedself-protectionmeasures.
59. Whatisthechiefpurposeofallthecountermeasurestaken?
A) Tocreatejobopportunities. C) Tostimulatedomesticconsumption.
B) Tocurbthefearofalastingfreefall. D) Torebuildthecreditsystem.
60. Whatdoestheauthorthinkoftoday’seconomicsituation?
A) Itmayworsenwithoutfurtherstimulation. C) Ithasnotgonefrombadtoworse.
B) Itwillseeareboundsoonerorlater. D)Itdoesnotgivepeoplereasonforpessimism.
PassageTwo
Questions61to65arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
“Usuallywhenwewalkthrough-therainforestwehearasoftsoundfromallthemoistleavesandorganicdebrisonthe
52013年6月六级考试真题（第三套）
forestfloor,” says ecologistDanielNepstad.“Nowweincreasinglygetrustleandcrunch.That’sthesoundofadying
forest.”
Predictionsofthecollapseofthetropicalrainforestshavebeenaroundforyears.Yetuntilrecentlytheworstforecasts
werealmostexclusivelylinkedtodirecthumanactivity,suchasdear-cuttingandburningforpasturesorfarms.Leftalone,
itwasassumed,theworld’srainforestswouldnotonlyflourishbutmightevenrescueusfromdisasterbyabsorbingthe
excesscarbondioxideandotherplanet-warminggreenhousegases.Nowitturnsoutthatmaybewishfulthinking.Some
scientistsbelievethattheriseincarbonlevelsmeansthattheAmazonandotherrainforestsinAsiaandAfricamaygofrom
beingassetsinthebattleagainstrisingtemperaturestoliabilities.Amazonplants,forinstance,holdmorethan100billion
metric tonsofcarbon, equalto15yearsof tailpipeandchimney emissions.If thecollapseof therainforests speedsup
dramatically,itcouldeventuallyrelease3.5-5billionmetrictonsofcarbonintotheatmosphereeachyear一 makingforests
theleadingsourceofgreenhousegases.
Uncommonlyseveredroughtsbroughtonbyglobalclimatechangehaveledtoforest-eatingwildfiresfromAustralia
toIndonesia,butnowheremoreacutelythanintheAmazon.Someexpertssaythattherainforestisalreadyatthebrinkof
collapse.
Extremeweatherandrecklessdevelopmentareplottingagainsttherainforestinwaysthatscientistshaveneverseen.
Trees need more water as temperatures rise, but the prolonged droughts have robbed them of moisture, making whole
forests easily cleared of trees andturned intofarmland. The pictureworsenswith each roundof El Nino, theunusually
warmcurrentsinthePacificOceanthatdriveuptemperaturesandinvariablypresage（预示）droughtsandfiresintherain
forest.Runawayfirespourevenmorecarbonintotheair,whichincreasestemperatures,startingthewholeviciouscycleall
overagain.
Morethanparadiselost,aperishingrainforestcouldtriggeradominoeffect—sendingwindsandrainskilometresoff
courseandloadingtheskieswithevengreaterlevelsofgreenhousegases—thatwillbefeltfarbeyondtheAmazonbasin.
Inasense,wearealreadygettingaglimpseofwhat’stocome.EachburningseasonintheAmazon,firesdeliberatelysetby
frontiersettlersanddevelopershurlupalmosthalfabillionmetrictonsofcarbonayear,placingBrazilamongthetopfive
contributorstogreenhousegasesintheworld.
61. Welearnfromthefirstparagraphthat_______________.
A) deadleavesandtreedebrismakethesamesound
B) treesthataredyingusuallygiveoutasoftmoan
C) organicdebrisechoesthesoundsinarainforest
D) thesoundofaforestsignifiesitshealthcondition
62. Inthesecondparagraph,theauthorchallengestheviewthat___________________.
A) thecollapseofrainforestsiscausedbydirecthumaninterference
B) carbonemissionsaretheleadingcauseofcurrentglobalwarming
C) theconditionofrainforestshasbeenrapidlydeteriorating
D) rainforestsshouldnotbeconvertedintopasturesorfarms
63. Theauthorarguesthattherisingcarbonlevelsinrainforestsmay____________________.
A) turnthemintoamajorsourceofgreenhousegases
B) changetheweatherpatternsthroughouttheworld
C) poseathreattowildlife
D) acceleratetheircollapse
64. Whathasmadeiteasiertoturnsomerainforestsintofarmland?
A) Rapidriseincarbonlevels. C)Lackofrainfallresultingfromglobalwarming.
62013年6月六级考试真题（第三套）
B) Recklesslanddevelopment. D)TheunusualwarmcurrentsinthePacificOcean.
65. WhatmakesBraziloneoftheworld’stopfivecontributorstogreenhousegases?
A) Thedominoeffecttriggeredbytheperishingrainforests.
B) Itspracticeofburningforestsforsettlementanddevelopment.
C) ThechangedpatternsofwindsandrainsintheAmazonarea.
D) Itsinabilitytocurbthecarbonemissionsfromindustries.
Part IV Translation
Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestotranslateapassagefromChineseintoEnglish.Youshouldwrite
youransweronAnswerSheet2.
中国是最早生产丝绸的国家。考古学家们认为，中国的桑蚕丝织技术，至少有4000多年的历史。丝绸很早
就成为了古代宫廷贵族的主要衣料和对外贸易的重要商品。中国古代丝绸品种丰富多彩。西方人十分喜爱中国丝
绸。据说，公元1世纪，一位古罗马皇帝曾穿着中国的丝绸袍去看戏，顿时轰动了整个剧场。从此，人们都希望
能穿上中国的丝绸衣服，中国也因此被称为“丝国”。丝绸美化了人们的生活，也促进了中国和世界各国的友好
往来。
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