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2013年6月六级考试真题（第二套）
2013 年 6 月六级考试真题（第二套）
PartⅠ Writing
Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteanessaycommentingontheremark“Goodhabitsresultfrom
resistingtemptation.”YoucanciteexamplestoillustrateyourpointYoushouldwriteatleast150words
butnomorethan200words.
Part II Listening Comprehension
Section A
Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,
oneormorequestionswillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbe
spokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestiontherewillbeapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoices
markedA),B),C)andD),anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswer
Sheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.
1. A)Whyhisphonehadbeendisconnected. C)Whyhedidn’tleaveheramessage.
B) Whyshecouldnotgetthroughtohim. D)Whyherefusedtoanswerhercall.
2. A)Thehouseswithinhispricerangearesoldout.
B) Mostpeopleinthiscitywanttoownahome.
C) Hehasdifficultyfindingaffordablehousing.
D) Thewomanshouldrentanicerapartment.
3. A)Thewomanwouldlikethemantotakecareofhermail.
B) Thewomanhasputthenumberintoeveryone^mailbox.
C) Thenewcopymachinecanmeeteveryone’sneeds.
D) Acodenumberisnecessarytorunthecopymachine.
4. A)Hewillstopworktotakecareofthebaby. C)Hiswifeisgoingtogivebirthtoababy.
B)Hewillfindajobnearhishomenextyear. D)Hiswifewillleaveherworksoon.
5. A)Theshoppingcentreisfloodedwithpeople. C)Parkinginthiscityisahorriblenightmare.
B)Theywillcometothemallsomeotherday. D)Shewillwaitforthemanatthesouthgate.
6. A)Hewillbebackinaminutetorepairthecomputers.
B) ItwilltakelongertoreconnectthecomputerstotheNet.
C) Hehastackledmorecomplicatedproblemsthanthis.
D) Alotofcoolstuffwillbeavailableonlinetomorrow.
7. A)Sheforgottocallhermother. C)ShedidseeProfSmithonTV.
B) ProfSmithgiveslecturesregularlyonTV. D)HermotherisafriendofProfSmith’s.
8. A) Themanhastowaittogethismedicine.
B) Thestoredoesn’thavetheprescribedmedicine.
C) Themanhastogotoseehisdoctoragain.
D) Theprescriptionisnotwrittenclearlyenough.
Questions9to11arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.
9. A)Itisadvertisingelectronicproducts. C)ItissponsoringaTVprogramme.
B) ItisplanningtotourEastAsia. D)Itisgivingperformancesintown.
12013年6月六级考试真题（第二套）
10. A)Alotofgoodpublicity. C)Long-terminvestments.
B) Talentedartiststoworkforit. D)Adecreaseinproductioncosts.
11. A)Promiselong-termcooperationwiththeCompany.
B) Explainfranklytheirowncurrentfinancialsituation.
C) Payfortheprintingoftheperformanceprogramme.
D) BearthecostofpublicisingtheCompany’sperformance.
Questions12to15arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.
12.A)Hehasbeenseeingdoctorsandcounselors. C)Hewascaughtabusingdrugs.
B) Hehasfoundanewwaytotrainhisvoice. D)Hemightgiveupconcerttours.
13.A)Singersmaybecomeaddictedtoit. C)Singersuseittostayawayfromcolds.
B) Ithelpssingerswarmthemselvesup. D)Itcandoharmtosingers’vocalchords.
14.A)Theyareeagertobecomefamous. C)Fewwillbecomesuccessful.
B) Manylackprofessionaltraining. D)Theyliveaglamorouslife.
15.A) Harmtosingersdonebysmokyatmospheres.
B) Sideeffectsofsomecommondrugs.
C) Voiceproblemsamongpopsingers.
D) Hardshipsexperiencedbymanyyoungsingers.
Section B
Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsomequestions.Boththe
passageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswer
fromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1witha
singlelinethroughthecentre.
PassageOne
Questions16to19arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.
16.A)Ithasnotbeenverysuccessful. C)Ithasmetwithstrongresistance.
B)Ithaslongbecomeanewtrend. D)Ithasattractedalotofusers.
17. A)Itsavestime. C)Itensuresdrivers’safety.
B)Itincreasesparkingcapacity. D)Itreducescardamage.
18.A)Collectmoneyandhelpnewusers. C)Stayalerttoanyemergency.
B)Maintaintheautomatedsystem. D)Walkaroundandguardagainstcartheft.
19. A)Theywillvarywiththesizeofvehicles.
B) Theywillbediscountabletoregularcustomers.
C) Theywillbelowerthanconventionalparking.
D) Theywillbereducedifpaidincash.
PassageTwo
Questions20to22arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.
20.A)Halfofthemethaneintheatmosphereisfromanimals.
B) Methanehasbecomethechiefsourceofgreenhousegas.
C) Consumerbehaviourmaybeinfluencedbytheenvironment.
D) Meatconsumptionhasanadverseeffectontheenvironment.
22013年6月六级考试真题（第二套）
21.A)Ittakestimeforthehumanbodytogetusedtoit.
B) Itlacksthevitaminsandmineralsessentialforhealth.
C) Itenhancesimmunitytocertaindiseases.
D) Ithelpspeopletoliveamuchlongerlife.
22.A)Producegreenfood. C)Quiteatingmeats.
B)Wastenofood. D)Growvegetables.
PassageThree
Questions23to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.
23.A)Theydonotknowanysolution. C)Theydonotbehaveinpublicplaces.
B)Theydonotgiveupdrunkdriving. D)Theydonotadmitbeingalcoholaddicts.
24.A)Tostopthemfromfightingback. C)ToteachthemtheEuropeanlifestyle.
B)Tothankthemfortheirhospitality. D)Torelievetheirpainsandsufferings.
25.A) Withoutinterventiontheywillbeaheadachetothenation.
B) Withsupporttheycanbebroughtbacktoanormallife.
C) Theyreadilyrespondtomedicaltreatment.
D) Theyposeaseriousthreattosocialstability.
Section C
Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefirsttime,youshouldlisten
carefullyfor itsgeneral idea.Whenthepassage isread for thesecondtime, youarerequiredtofill inthe
blankswiththeexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Finally,whenthepassageisreadforthethirdtime,you
shouldcheckwhatyouhavewritten.
Self-imageisthepictureyouhaveofyourself,thesortofpersonyoubelieveyouare 26inourself-imagearethe
categoriesinwhichyouplaceyourself,therolesyouplay,andother 27 descriptorsyouusetoidentifyyourself.Ifyoutell
an 28 youareagrandfatherwhorecentlylosthiswifeandwhodoes 29 work on weekends, several elements of
yourself-imagearebroughttolight—therolesofgrandparent,widower,and 30 citizen.
Butself-imageismorethanhowyoupictureyourself;italsoinvolveshowothersseeyou.Threetypesoffeedback
fromothers 31 howtheyseeus:confirmation,rejection,anddisconfirmation.Confirmationoccurswhenotherstreatyouin
amannerconsistentwithwhoyoubelieveyouare.Youbelieveyouhaveleadershipabilitiesandyourbossputyouincharge
ofanewworkteam.Ontheotherhand,rejectionoccurswhenotherstreatyouinamannerthat 32 yourself-definition.
PierreSalinger wasappointed senatorfrom Californiabut 33 lost hisfirst election.He thoughthe wasa good public
official,butthevotersobviouslythoughtotherwise—theirvotewasinconsistentwithhis 34 .Thethirdtypeoffeedbackis
disconfirmation,whichoccurswhenothersfailtorespondtoyournotionofselfbyrespondingneutrally.Astudentwrites
whathethinksisanexcellentcomposition,buttheteacherwritesnoencouragingremarks.Ratherthan 35 howothers
classify you, consider how you identify yourself. The way in which you identify yourself is the best reflection of your
self-image.
Part III ReadingComprehension
Section A
Directions：Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectoneword-fareachblankfromalist
ofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemaking
yourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.Pleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeach
32013年6月六级考试真题（第二套）
itemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebank
morethanonce.
Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
ProperstreetbehaviourintheUnitedStatesrequiresanicebalanceofattentionandinattention.Youaresupposedto
lookatapasserbyjustenoughtoshowthatyouareawareofhis 36 Ifyoulooktoolittle,youappearhaughty(目中无人
的),toomuchandyouareinquisitive（过分好奇地）.Usuallywhathappensisthatpeopleeyeeachotheruntiltheyareabout
eightfeetapart,atwhichpointbothcastdowntheireyes.SociologistErvingGoffmandescribesthisas“akindof 37 of
lights”.
Muchofeyebehaviourisso 38 thatwereacttoitonlyontheintuitivelevel.Thenexttimeyouhaveaconversation
withsomeonewhomakesyoufeelliked,noticewhathedoeswithhiseyes.Chancesarehelooksatyoumoreoftenthanis
usualwith 39 alittlelongerthanthenormal.You 40 thisasasign—apoliteone— thatheisinterestedinyouasa
personratherthanjustinthetopicofconversation.Probablyyoualsofeelthatheisbothself-confidentandsincere.
Allthishasbeendemonstratedin 41 experiments.Subjectssitandtalkinthepsychologist’slaboratory, 42 ofthe
factthattheireyebehaviourisbeingobservedfromaonewayvisionscreen.Inonefairlytypicalexperiment,subjectswere
43 tocheatwhileperformingatask,thenwereinterviewedandobserved.Itwasfoundthatthosewhohadcheatedmetthe
interviewer’seyeslessoftenthanwas 44 ,anindicationthat“shiftyeyes”— tousethemysterywriters’stockphrase—
can 45 beatip-off(表明）toanattempttodeceiveortofeelingsofguilt.
A)innocent I)actually
B)interpret J)subtle
C)sights K)induced
D)dimming L)hiding
E)normal M)presence
F)deceived N)doubtfully
G)glances O)elaborate
H)obscure
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.
ANationThat’sLosingItsToolbox
[A] ThesceneinsidetheHome DepotonWeymanAvenueherewouldgivetheold-timeAmericancraftsmanpause.In
Aisle34isprecutplasticflooring,thegluealreadyinplace.InAisle26areprefabricatedwindows.Stackednearthe
checkoutcounters,andascolourfulasaFisher-Pricetoy, isanot-so-serious-lookingpower tool:abattery-operated
saw-and-drillcombination.Andifyoudon’twanttodoityourself,headtoAisle23orAisle35,whereahelpdeskwill
arrangeforaninstaller.
[B] It’sallveryhandystuff,Iguess,aconvenientwaytobeado-it-yourselferwithoutbeingallthatgoodwithtools.Butat
atimewhentheAmericanfactoryseemstobeashrinkingpresence,andwhengoodmanufacturingjobshavevanished,
42013年6月六级考试真题（第二套）
perhapsnevertoreturn,thereissomethingdeeplytroublingaboutthisdilutionofAmericancraftsmanship.
[C] Thisisn’talament(伤感)—ornotmerelyalament—forbygonetimes.It’sasocialandculturalissue,aswellasan
economicone.TheHomeDepotapproachtocraftsmanship—simplifyit,dumbitdown,hireacontractor—isone
signalthatmasteringtoolsandworkingwithone’shandsisrecedinginAmericaasahobby, asavaluedskill,asa
culturalinfluencethatshapedthinkingandbehaviourinvastsectionsofthecountry.
[D] That should be a matter of concern in a presidential election year. Yet neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney
promoteshimselfas tool-savvy(使用工具很在行的）presidentialtimber,inthemoldofaJimmyCarter,askilled
carpenterandcabinet maker. The Obama administrationdoesworrypubliclyabout manufacturing, afirst cousinof
craftsmanship.WhentheFordMotorCompany,forexample,recentlyannouncedthatitwasbringingsomeproduction
home, theWhite Housecheered. “When you see things like Ford movingnew production from Mexico to Detroit,
instead of the other way around, you know things are changing,” says Gene Sperling, director of the National
EconomicCouncil.
[E] Ask the administration or the Republicans or most academics why America needs more manufacturing, and they
respondthatmanufacturinggivesbirthtoinnovation,bringsdownthetradedeficit,strengthensthedollar,generates
jobs, arms the military and brings about a recovery from recession. But rarely, if ever, do they publicly take the
argument a step further, asserting that a growing manufacturing sector encourages craftsmanship and that
craftsmanship is, if not a birthright, then a vital ingredient of the American self-image as a can-do, inventive,
we-can-make-anythingpeople.
[F] Traditionalvocationaltraininginpublichighschoolsisgraduallydeclining,strandingthousands
of young people who seek training for a craft without going to college. Colleges, for their part, have since 1985
graduated fewer chemical, mechanical, industrial and metallurgical(冶金的）engineers, partly in response to the
reduced role of manufacturing, a big employer of them. The decline started in the 1950s, when manufacturing
generatedasturdy28%ofthenationalincome,orgrossdomesticproduct,andemployedone-thirdoftheworkforce.
Today,factoryoutputgeneratesjust12%ofGDPandemploysbarely9%ofthenation’sworkers.
[G] Mass layoffs and plant closings have drawn plenty of headlines and public debate over the years, and they still
occasionallydo.Butthedamagetoskillandcraftsmanship—what’sneededtobuildacomplexairlineroratractor,or
foraworkertomoveupfromassemblertomachinisttosupervisor—wentlargelyunnoticed.
[H] “Inanearliergeneration,welostourconnectiontotheland,andnowwearelosingourconnectiontothemachinerywe
dependon,”saysMichaelHout,asociologistattheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley.“Peoplewhoworkwiththeir
hands,” he went on, “are doing things today that we call service jobs, in restaurants and laundries, or in medical
technologyandthelike.”
[I] That’soneexplanationforthedeclineintraditionalcraftsmanship.Lackofinterestisanother.Thebigmoneyisin
fieldslikefinance.Startinginthe1980s,skillinfinancegrewinimportance,and,asdepictedinthenewsmediaandthe
movies,becameamoreappealingsourceofincome.Bylastyear,WallStreettraders,bankersandthosewhodealin
real estate generated 21% of the national income, double their share in the 1950s. And Warren Buffett, the
good-naturedfinancier,becameahomespunfolkhero,withoutthetoolsandoveralls (工作服).
[J] “Youngpeoplegrowupwithoutdevelopingtheskillstofixthingsaroundthehouse,”saysRichardCurtin,directorof
the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. “They know about computers, of course, but
theydon’tknowhowtobuildthem.”
[K] Manufacturing’sshrinkingpresenceundoubtedlyhelpsexplainthedeclineincraftsmanship,ifonlybecausemanyof
thenation’sassemblylineworkerswereskilledincraftwork,ifnotonthejobthenintheirsparetime.Inalate1990s
52013年6月六级考试真题（第二套）
studyofblue-collaremployeesataGeneralMotorsplant(nowclosed)inLinden,NJ,thesociologistRuthMilkmanof
CityUniversityofNewYorkfoundthatmanylineworkers,intheiroff-hours,didhomerenovationandotherskilled
work. “I have often thought,” Ms Milkman says, “that these extracurricular jobs were an effort on the part of the
workerstoregaintheirdignityaftersufferingthedegradationofrepetitiveassemblylineworkinthefactory.”
[L] CraftworkhashigherstatusinnationslikeGermany,whichinvestsinapprenticeship（学徒）programmesforhigh
school students. “Corporations in Germany realised that there was an interest to be served economically and
patrioticallyinbuildingupaskilledlabourforceathome;weneverhadthatethos（风气）,”saysRichardSennett,a
NewYorkUniversitysociologistwho
haswrittenabouttheconnectionofcraftandculture.
[M] ThedamagetoAmericancraftsmanshipseemstoparallelthesteepslideinmanufacturingemployment.Thoughthe
declinestartedinthe1970s,itbecamemuchsteeperbeginningin2000.Sincethen,some5.3millionjobs,orone-third
oftheworkforceinmanufacturing,havebeenlost.AstatedgoaloftheObamaadministrationistorestoreabigchunk
ofthisemployment,alongwiththemultitudeofskillsthatmanyofthejobsrequired.
[N] Asforcraftsmanshipitself,theissueishowtopreserveitasavaluedskillinthegeneralpopulation.MsMilkman,the
sociologist, argues that American craftsmanship isn’t disappearing as quickly as some would argue — that it has
insteadshiftedtoimmigrants.“Prideincraft,itisaliveintheimmigrantworld,”shesays.
[O] SolAxelrod,37,themanageroftheHomeDepothere,fittinglylearnedtofixhisowncarasateenager,evenchanging
thebrakes.Nowhefindsimmigrantcraftsmen.gatheredinabundanceoutsidehisstoreintheearlymorning,waiting
forittoopensotheycanbuysuppliesfortheday’sworkascontractors.Skilleddaylaborers,alsomostlyimmigrants,
wait quietly in hopes of being hired by the contractors. Mr Axelrod also says the recession and persistently high
unemploymenthaveforcedmanypeopletotrytosavemoneybydoingmorethemselves,andHomeDepotinresponse
offersclassesinfixingwatertapsandothersimplerepairs.Theteachersarestoreemployees,manyofthemolderand
semi-retiredfromaskilledtrade,orlaidoff.“Ourcustomersmaynotbebuildingcabinetsoroutdoordecks;wetryto
dothatforthem,’’MrAxelrodsays,“butsomearetryingtobuildupskillsotheycandomoreforthemselvesinthese
hardtimes.”
46. Masteringtoolsandworkingwithone’shandsshapespeople’sthinkingandbehaviour.
47. Thefactorthatpeoplecanearnmoremoneyinfieldsotherthanmanufacturingcontributestothedeclineintraditional
craftsmanship.
48. Accordingtotheauthor,manufacturingencouragescraftsmanship.
49. AccordingtoRuthMilkman,Americancraftsmanship,insteadofdisappearing,isbeingtakenupbyimmigrants.
50. TheWhiteHousewelcomedFord’sannouncementtobringsomeproductionbacktoAmerica.
51. AccordingtoMrAxelrodofHomeDepot,peoplearetryingtorideouttherecessionbydoingmorethemselves.
52. America’smanufacturinginthe1950sconstituted28%ofthegrossdomesticproduct.
53. InRuthMilkman’sopinion,manyassemblylineworkersdidhomerenovationandotherskilledworkintheiroff-hours
inordertoregaintheirdignity.
54. TheauthorfelttroubledabouttheweakeningofAmericancraftsmanship.
55. ComparedwiththatinAmerica,thestatusofcraftworkinGermanyishigher.
Section C
Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.For
eachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthebestchoiceand
62013年6月六级考试真题（第二套）
markthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.
PassageOne
Questions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
ThereportfromtheBureauofLabourStatisticswasjustasgloomyasanticipated.UnemploymentinJanuaryjumpedto
a 16-year high of 7.6 percent, as 598,000 jobs were slashed from U.S. payrolls in the worst single-month decline since
December,1974.With1.8millionjobslostinthelastthreemonths,thereisurgentdesiretoboosttheeconomyasquicklyas
possible.ButWashingtonwoulddowelltotakeadeepbreathbeforereactingtothegrimnumbers.
Collectively,werelyontheunemploymentfiguresandotherstatisticstoframeoursenseofreality.Theyareavitalpart
ofanarrayofdatathatweusetoassessifwe’redoingwellordoingbadly,andthatinturnshapesgovernmentpoliciesand
corporatebudgetsandpersonalspendingdecisions.Theproblemisthatthestatisticsaren’tanobjectivemeasureofreality;
theyaresimplyabestapproximation.Directionally,theycapturethetrends,buttheideathatweknowpreciselyhowmany
areunemployedisamyth.Thatmakesfindingasolutionallthemoredifficult.
First,thereisthewaythedataisassembled.Theofficialunemploymentrateistheproductofatelephonesurveyof
about 60,000 homes. There is another survey, sometimes referred to as the “payroll survey”, that assesses 400,000
businesses based on their reported payrolls. Both surveys have problems. The payroll survey can easily double-count
someone:ifyouareonepersonwithtwojobs,youshowupastwo workers.Thepayrollsurveyalsodoesn’t capturethe
numberofself-employed,andsosayslittleabouthowmanypeoplearegeneratinganindependentincome.
Thehouseholdsurveyhasalargerproblem.Whenaskedstraightforwardly,peopletendtolieorshadethetruthwhen
the subject is sex, money or employment. If you get a call and are asked if you’re employed, and you say yes, you’re
employed.Ifyousayno,however,itmaysurpriseyoutolearnthatyouareonlyunemployedifyou’vebeenactivelylooking
forworkinthepastfourweeks;otherwise,youare“marginallyattachedtothelabourforce”andnotactuallyunemployed.
Theurgetoquantifyisembeddedinoursociety.Buttheideathatstatisticianscanthencaptureanobjectiverealityisn’t
justimpossible.Italsoleadstoseriousmisjudgments.DemocratsandRepublicanscanandwilltakesidesonanumberof
issues,butamorecrucialconcernisthatbotharebasingmajorpolicydecisionsonguesstimatesratherthanlookingatthe
vastwealthofrawdatawithacriticaleyeandanopenmind.
56. Whatdowelearnfromthefirstparagraph?
A) TheUSeconomicsituationisgoingfrombadtoworse.
B) Washingtonistakingdrasticmeasurestoprovidemorejobs.
C) TheUSgovernmentisslashingmorejobsfromitspayrolls.
D) TherecenteconomiccrisishastakentheUSbysurprise.
57. Whatdoestheauthorthinkoftheunemploymentfiguresandotherstatistics?
A)Theyformasolidbasisforpolicymaking. C)Theysignalfutureeconomictrends.
B)Theyrepresentthecurrentsituation. D)Theydonotfullyreflectthereality.
58. Oneproblemwiththepayrollsurveyisthat .
A) itdoesnotincludeallthebusinesses C)itmagnifiesthenumberofthejobless
B) itfailstocountintheself-employed D)itdoesnottreatallcompaniesequally
59. Thehouseholdsurveycanbefaultyinthat__________________.
A) peopletendtoliewhentalkingonthephone
B) noteverybodyiswillingorreadytorespond
C) somepeoplewon’tprovidetruthfulinformation
D) thedefinitionofunemploymentistoobroad
72013年6月六级考试真题（第二套）
60. Attheendofthepassage,theauthorsuggeststhat___________________ .
A) statisticiansimprovetheirdataassemblingmethods
B) decisionmakersviewthestatisticswithacriticaleye
C) politicianslistenmorebeforemakingpolicydecisions
D) DemocratsandRepublicanscooperateoncrucialissues
PassageTwo
Questions61to65arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
Atsomepointin2008,someone,probablyineitherAsiaorAfrica,madethedecisiontomovefromthecountrysideto
thecity.Thisnamelesspersonpushedthehumanraceoverahistoricthreshold,foritwasinthatyearthatmankindbecame,
forthefirsttimeinitshistory,apredominantlyurbanspecies.
Itisatrendthatshowsnosignofslowing.Demographers(人 口统计学家）reckonthatthree-quartersofhumanity
couldbecity-dwellingby2050,withmostoftheincreasecominginthefast-growingtownsofAsiaandAfrica.Migrantsto
citiesareattractedbyplentifuljobs,accesstohospitalsandeducation,andtheabilitytoescapetheboredomofafarmer’s
agriculturallife.Thosefactorsaremorethanenoughtomakeupforthesqualor（肮脏）diseaseandspectacularpovertythat
thosesamemigrantsmustoftenatfirstendurewhentheybecomeurbandwellers.
It is the city that inspires the latest book from Peter Smith. His main thesis is that the buzz of urban life, and the
opportunitiesitoffersforcooperationandcollaboration,iswhatattractspeopletothecity,whichinturnmakescitiesintothe
enginesofart,commerce,scienceandprogress.Thisishardlyrevolutionary,butitispresentedinacharmingformat.Mr
Smithhaswrittenabreezyguidebook,withaseriesofshortchaptersdedicatedtospecificaspectsofurbanity—parks,say,
or the various schemes that have been put forward over the years for building the perfect city. The result is a sort of
high-quality,unusuallyrigorouscoffee-tablebook,designedtobedippedintoratherthanreadfrombeginningtoend.
Inthechapteronskyscrapers,forexample,MrSmithtouchesonconstructionmethods,therevolutionaryinventionof
theautomaticlift,thepracticalitiesoflivingintheskyandthelikelihoodthat,ascitiesbecomemorecrowded,apartment
living will become thenorm. But there is also time for brief diversions onto bizarre ground, such as a discussion of the
skyscraperindex(whichholdsthataboominskyscraperconstructionisafoolproofsignofanimminentrecession).
Oneobviouscriticismisthatthepriceofbreadthisdepth:manyofMrSmith’sessaysraiseasmanyquestionsasthey
answer. Although that can indeed be frustrating, this is probably the only way to treat so grand a topic. The city is the
buildingblockofcivilisationandofalmosteverythingpeopledo;aguidebooktothecityisreally,therefore,aguidebookto
howalargeandever-growingchunkofhumanitychoosestolive.MrSmithsbookservesasanexcellentintroductiontoa
vastsubject,andwillsuggestplentyoffurtherlinesofinquiry.
61. Inwhatwayistheyear2008historic?
A) Forthefirsttimeinhistory,urbanpeopleoutnumberedruralpeople.
B) Aninfluentialfiguredecidedtomovefromthecountrysidetothecity.
C) ItisinthisyearthaturbanisationmadeastartinAsiaandAfrica.
D) ThepopulationincreaseincitiesreachedanewpeakinAsiaandAfrica.
62.Whatdoestheauthorsayabouturbanisation?
A) Itsimpactisnoteasytopredict. C)Itisamilestoneinhumanprogress.
B) Itsprocesswillnotslowdown. D)Itaggravatesthesqualorofcities.
63.HowdoestheauthorcommentonPeterSmith’snewbook?
A) Itisbutanordinarycoffee-tablebook. C)Itservesasaguidetoartandcommerce.
B) Itisflavouredwithhumorousstories. D)Itiswritteninalivelyandinterestingstyle.
82013年6月六级考试真题（第二套）
64.Whatdoestheauthorsayinthechapteronskyscrapers?
A) Theautomaticliftisindispensableinskyscrapers.
B) Peopleenjoylivinginskyscraperswithaview.
C) Skyscrapersareasuresignofacity’sprosperity.
D) Recessioncloselyfollowsaskyscraperboom.
65.WhatmaybeonecriticismofMrSmith’sbook?
A) Itdoesnotreallytouchonanythingserious.
B) Itistoolongforpeopletoreadfromcovertocover.
C) Itdoesnotdealwithanyaspectofcitylifeindepth.
D) Itfailstoprovidesoundadvicetocitydwellers.
Part IV Translation
Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestotranslateapassagefromChineseintoEnglish.Youshouldwrite
youransweronAnswerSheet2.
明朝第三位皇帝朱棣在夺取（usurp)帝位后，从南京迁都北京，于1406年开始建造紫禁城这座宫殿，至明
永乐十八年（ 1420年）落成。随着1924年清朝的最后一位皇帝溥仪退位（abdication)后被驱逐出皇宫，它失去
了原有的功能。在这五百余年中，共有24位皇帝曾在此居住，统治全国。今天，紫禁城是一个博物院，也是世界
上最受欢迎的旅游景点之一。游客们可以看到传统的宫殿建筑，可以欣赏保存在宫殿里的珍宝，还可以听到一些
关于皇族和朝廷的传说和轶事。
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