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2013年12月六级考试真题（第三套）
2013 年 12 月六级考试真题（第三套）
PartⅠ Writing
Directions：Forthispartyouareallowed30minutestowriteanessayabouttheimpactoftheinformationexplosionby
referringtothesaying“Awealthofinformationcreatesapovertyofattention.”Youcangiveexamples
to illustrate your point and then explain what you can do to avoid being distracted by irrelevant
information.Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words.
Part II Listening Comprehension
说明：2013年12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。
Part III ReadingComprehension
SectionA
Directions：Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectoneword-fareachblankfromalist
ofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemaking
yourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.Pleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeach
itemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthe
bankmorethanonce.
Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
Some performance evaluations require supervisors to take action. Employees who receive a very favorable
evaluation may deserve some type of recognition or even a promotion. If supervisors do not acknowledge such
outstandingperformance,employeesmayeitherlosetheir36 andreducetheireffortorsearchforanewjobatafirm
thatwill 37 themforhighperformance.Supervisorsshouldacknowledgehighperformancesothattheemployeewill
continuetoperformwellinthefuture.
Employeeswhoreceiveunfavorableevaluationsmustalsobegivenattention.Supervisorsmust38 thereasonsfor
poorperformance.Somereasons,suchasafamilyillness,mayhaveatemporaryadverse 39 onperformanceandcanbe
corrected.Otherreasons,suchasabadattitude,maynotbetemporary.Whensupervisorsgiveemployeesanunfavorable
evaluation,theymustdecidewhethertotakeany 40 actions.Iftheemployeeswereunawareoftheirowndeficiencies,the
unfavorableevaluationcanpinpoint（指出）thedeficienciesthatemployeesmustcorrect.Inthiscase,thesupervisormay
simplyneedtomonitortheemployees 41 andensurethatthedeficienciesarecorrected.
Iftheemployeeswerealreadyawareoftheirdeficienciesbeforetheevaluationperiod,however,theymaybeunableor
unwillingtocorrectthem.Thissituationismoreserious,andthesupervisormayneedtotakeaction.Theactionshouldbe
42 withthefirm’sguidelinesandmayincludereassigningtheemployeestonewjobs, 43 themtemporarily,orfiring
them.Asupervisor’sactiontowardapoorlyperformingworkercan 44 theattitudesofotheremployees.Ifno 45 is
imposedonanemployeeforpoorperformance,otheremployeesmayreactbyreducingtheirproductivityaswell.
A)additional I)identify
B)affect J)impact
C)aptly K)penalty
D)assimilate L)reward
E)circulation M)simplifying
F)closely N)suspending
O)vulnerable
G) consistent
H) enthusiasm
12013年12月六级考试真题（第三套）
Section B
Directions: In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains
informationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identify theparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.
Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.Answerthequestions
bymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.
TheCollegeEssay:WhyThose500WordsDriveUsCrazy
[A] Megisalawyer-mominsuburbanWashington,D.C.,wherelawyer-momsarethickontheground.HersonDougis
oneofseveralhundredthousandhigh-schoolseniorswhohadapainfulfall.Thedeadlineforapplyingtohisfavorite
collegewasNov.1,andbyearlyOctoberhehadyettofillouttheapplication.Moretothepoint,hehadyettosettleon
asubjectforthepersonalessayaccompanyingtheapplication.Accordingtocollegefolklore,awell-turnedessayhas
thepowertoseduce(诱惑）anadmissionscommittee.“Hewantedtodoonethingatatime,”Megsays,explainingher
son’sdelay.“Butreally,mysonisahugeprocrastinator(拖延者).Theessayisthehardestthingtodo,sohe’sputit
offthelongest.”FriendsandotherveteransoftheprocesshavewarnedMegthatthebackandforthbetweenediting
parentandwritingstudentcanbetraumatic（痛苦的）.
[B] Back in the good old days — say, two years ago, when the last of my children suffered the ordeal (折磨)—a
high-school student applying to college could procrastinate all the way to New Year’s Day of their senior year,
assumingtheycouldwithstandtheparentalpestering(烦扰).Butthingschangefastinthenail-bitingworldofcollege
admissions. The recent trend toward early decision and early action among selective colleges and universities has
pushedthetraditionaldeadlineofJanuaryuptoNov.1orearlyDecemberformanystudents.
[C] Ifthetimeforheel-dragginghasbeenshortened,thetruesourceoftheanxietyandpanicremainswhatithasalways
been.Andifsnottheapplicationitself.Acollegeapplicationisarelativelystraightforwardquestionnaireaskingfor
thebasics:name,address,familyhistory,employmenthistory.Itwouldallbeinnocentenough—20minutesofbusy
work—exceptitcomesattachedtoapersonalessay.
[D] “There are good reasons it causes such anxiety,” says Lisa Sohmer, director of college counseling at the Garden
SchoolinJacksonHeights,N.Y.“It’snotjusttheactualwriting.Bynoweverythingelseisalreadyset.Yourcourse
load is set, your grades are set, your test scores are set. But the essay is something you can still control, and it’s
open-ended.Sothetemptationistowriteandrewriteandrewrite.”Orstallandstallandstall.
[E] Theapplicationessay, alongwithitsmythicalimportance,isarecentinvention.Inthe1930s,whenonlyonein10
Americans had a degree from a four-year college, an admissions committee was content to ask for a sample of
applicants’schoolpaperstoassesstheirwritingability.Bythe1950s,mostschoolsrequiredabriefpersonalstatement
ofwhythestudenthadchosentoapplytooneschooloveranother.
[F] Todaynearly70percentofgraduatingseniorsgoofftocollege,includingtwo-yearandfour-yearinstitutions.Even
apart from theincreased competition, thekids enter a process that hasbeen utterly transformed from theone baby
boomers knew. Nearly all application materials are submitted online, and the Common Application provides a
one-size-fitsformacceptedbymorethan400schools,includingthenation’smostselective.
[G] Thoseschoolsusuallyrequireessaysoftheirown,butthelongestessay,500wordsmaximum,isgenerallyattachedto
theCommonApplication.Studentschooseoneofsixquestions.Applicantsareaskedtodescribeanethicaldilemma
they’vefacedanditsimpactonthem,ordiscussapublicissueofspecialconcerntothem,ortellofafictionalcharacter
orcreativeworkthathasprofoundlyinfluencedthem.Anotherquestioninvitesthemtowriteabouttheimportance(to
them,again)ofdiversity—awordthathasassumedmagicpowerinAmericanhighereducation.Themostpopular
option:writeonatopicofyourchoice.
[H] “Boysinparticularlookattheotherquestionsandsay,‘Oh,that’stoomuchwork,’”saysJohnBoshoven,acounselor
22013年12月六级考试真题（第三套）
intheAnnArbor,Mich.,publicschools.“Theythinkiftheydoatopicoftheirchoice,‘I’lljustgogetthathistorypaper
I did last year ontheRoman Empire and turnit intoa first-person application essay!’ And they end up producing
somethingutterlyridiculous.”
[I] TalkingtoadmissionsprofessionalslikeBoshoven,yourealizethatthelistof“don’ts”inessaywritingismuchlonger
thanthe“dos.”“Nobookreports,nohistorypapers,nocharacterstudies,”saysSohmer.
[J] ‘‘Itdrivesyoucrazy,howeasilykidsslipintocliches(老生常谈)saysBoshoven.“Theydon’trealizehowtypical
theirexperiencesare.‘Iscoredthewinninggoalinsocceragainstourarch-rival’‘MygrandfatherservedinWorld
WarII,andIhopetobejustlikehimsomeday.’Thatmaymeanalottothatparticularkid.Butintheworldofthe
applicationessay,it’snothing.You’lllosethereaderinthefirstparagraph.”
[K] “Thegreateststrengthyoubringtothisessay,”saystheCollegeBoard’show-tobook,“is17yearsorsooffamiliarity
withthetopic:YOU.Theformandstyleareveryfamiliar,andbestofall,youaretheworld-classexpertonthesubject
of YOU... It hasbeenthesubject ofyour closescrutinyevery morningsince you weretall enough tosee intothe
bathroommirror.ThekeywordintheCommonApplicationpromptsis“you.”
[L] The college admission essay contains the grandest American themes — status anxiety, parental piety（孝顺）
intellectual standards — and so it is only a matter of time before it becomes infected by the country’s culture of
excessiveconcernwithself-esteem.Evenifthequestionisostensibly（表面上) aboutsomethingoutsidetheself
(describeafictionalcharacterorsolveaproblemofgeopolitics),theessayinvariablyreturnstothefavoritetopic:what
isitsimpactonYOU?
[M] “Foralltheanxietytheessaycauses,”saysBillMcClintickofMercersburgAcademyinPennsylvania,“it’savery
smallpieceofthepuzzle.Iwasincollegeadmissionsfor10years.Isawkidsandparentsbeatthemselvesupoverthis.
Andatthevastmajorityofplaces,itissimplynotabigvariableinthecollege’sdecision-makingprocess.”
[N] Many admissions officers say they spend less than a couple of minutes on each application, including the essay.
Accordingtoarecentsurveyofadmissionsofficers,onlyoneinfourprivatecollegessaytheessayisof“considerable
importance”injudginganapplication.Amongpubliccollegesanduniversities,thenumberdropstoroughlyonein10.
By contrast, 86 percent place “considerable importance” on an applicant’s grades, 70 percent on “strength of
curriculum.”
[O] Still,atthemostselectiveschools,wherethousandsofcandidatesmaysubmitidenticallyhighgradesandtestscores,
amarginal item liketheessay may serve as atie-breaker between two equallyqualified candidates. The thought is
certainlyenoughtokeepthepotboilingunderparentslikeMeg,thelawyer-mom,asshetriestohelphersonchoosean
essaytopic.Foramomenttheotherday,shethoughtshemighthavehitonagoodone.“Hisfather’sfromFrance,”she
says.“Isaidmaybeyoucouldwriteaboutthat,assomethingthatmakesyoudifferent.Youknow:halfFrench,half
American.Isaid,“Youcouldwriteaboutyouridentityissues.’Hesaid,‘Idon’thaveanyidentityissues!’Andhe’s
right.He’sawell-adjusted,normalkid.Butthatdoesn’tmakeforagoodessay,doesit?”
46. Todaymanyuniversitiesrequiretheirapplicantstowriteanessayofuptofivehundredwords.
47. Onerecentchangeincollegeadmissionsisthatselectivecollegesanduniversitieshavemovedthetraditionaldeadline
toearlierdates.
48. Applicantsandtheirparentsaresaidtobelievethatthepersonalessaycanswaytheadmissionscommittee.
49. Applicantsareusuallybetteroffiftheycanwriteanessaythatdistinguishesthemfromtherest.
50. Notonlyisthecompetitiongettingmoreintense,theapplicationprocesstodayisalsototallydifferentfromwhatbaby
boomersknew.
51. Inwritingabouttheirownexperiencesmanyapplicantsslipintocliches,thusfailingtoengagethereader.
32013年12月六级考试真题（第三套）
52. Accordingtoarecentsurvey,mostpubliccollegesanduniversitiesconsideranapplicant’sgradeshighlyimportant.
53. Although the application essay causes lots of anxiety, it does not play so important a role in the college’s
decision-makingprocess.
54. The question you are supposed to write about may seem outsidetheself, but thetheme of the essay shouldcenter
arounditsimpactonyou.
55. Intheolddays,applicantsonlyhadtosubmitasampleoftheirschoolpaperstoshowtheir
writingability.
Section C
Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.For
eachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Youshoulddecideonthebestchoiceand
markthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.
PassageOne
Questions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
Among the government’s most interesting reports is one that estimates what parents spend on their children. Not
surprisingly,thecostsaresteep. Foramiddle-class,husband-and-wifefamily(average pretaxincomein2009:$76,250),
spendingperchildisabout$12,000ayear.Withinflationthefamily’sspendingonachildwilltotal$286,050byage17.
Thedrystatisticsoughttoinformtheongoingdeficitdebate,becauseabudgetisnotjustacatalogofprogramsand
taxes.Itreflectsasociety’sprioritiesandvalues.Oursocietydoesnot一 despiterhetoric(说辞)tothecontrary—put
muchvalueonraisingchildren.Presentbudgetpoliciestaxparentsheavilytosupporttheelderly.Meanwhile,taxbreaksfor
childrenaremodest.Ifdeficitreductionaggravatesthesebiases,moreAmericansmaychoosenottohavechildrenortohave
fewerchildren.Downthatpathlieseconomicdecline.
Societiesthatcannotreplacetheirpopulationsdiscourageinvestmentandinnovation.Theyhavestagnant（萧条的）
or shrinking markets for goods and services. With older populations, they resist change. To stabilize its population —
discountingimmigration—womenmusthaveanaverageoftwochildren.That’safertilityrateof2.0.Manycountrieswith
strugglingeconomiesarewellbelowthat.
Though having a child is a deeply personal decision, it’s shaped by culture, religion, economics, and government
policy. “No one hasa goodanswer” as towhy fertility varies amongcountries, says sociologist AndrewCherlinof The
JohnsHopkinsUniversity.ErodingreligiousbeliefinEuropemaypartlyexplainloweredbirthrates.InJapanyoungwomen
mayberebellingagainsttheirmothers’isolatedlivesofchildrearing.Generaloptimismandpessimismcount.Hopefulness
fueledAmerica’sbabyboom.AftertheSovietUnion’scollapse,saysCherlin,“anxietyforthefuture”depressedbirthrates
inRussiaandEasternEurope.
In poor societies, people have children to improve their economic well-being by increasing the number of family
workersandprovidingsupportforparentsintheiroldage.Inwealthysocieties,thelogicoftenreverses.Governmentnow
supportstheelderly,diminishingtheneedforchildren.Bysomestudies,thesafetynetsforretireeshavereducedfertility
ratesby0.5childrenintheUnitedStatesandalmost1.0inWesternEurope,reportseconomistRobertSteininthejournal
NationalAffairs.Similarly,somecouplesdon’thavechildrenbecausetheydon’twanttosacrificetheirownlifestylestothe
timeandexpenseofafamily.
Young Americans already face a bleak labor market that cannot instill (注入) confidence about having children.
Pilingonhighertaxeswon’thelp.“Ifhighertaxesmakeitmoreexpensivetoraisechildren,saysNicholasEberstadtofthe
AmericanEnterpriseInstitute,“peoplewillthinktwiceabouthavinganotherchild.”Thatseemslikecommonsense,despite
themultipleinfluencesonbecomingparents.
56. Whatdowelearnfromthegovernmentreport?
42013年12月六级考试真题（第三套）
A) Inflationincreasesfamilies’expenses.
B) Raisingchildrenisgettingexpensive.
C) Budgetreductionisaroundthecomer.
D) Averagefamilyexpenditureisincreasing.
57. Whatissaidtobetheconsequenceofashrinkingpopulation?
A) Weakenednationalstrength. C)Economicdownturn.
B) Increasedimmigration. D)Socialinstability.
58. WhataccountedforAmerica’sbabyboom?
A) Optimismforthefuture. C)Religiousbeliefs.
B) Improvedlivingconditions. D)Economicprosperity.
59. Whydopeopleinwealthycountriesprefertohavefewerchildren?
A) Theywanttofurtherimprovetheireconomicwell-being.
B) Theycannotaffordthetimeandexpensesofrearingchildren.
C) Theyareconcernedaboutthefutureofthecominggeneration.
D) Theydon’trelyontheirchildrentosupporttheminoldage.
60. Whatistheauthor’spurposeinwritingthepassage?
A) Toinstillconfidenceintheyoungaboutraisingchildren.
B) Toadvisecouplestothinktwicebeforehavingchildren.
C) Toencouragetheyoungtotakecareoftheelderly. .
D) Toappealfortaxreductionforraisingchildren.
PassageTwo
Questions61to65arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
Space exploration has always been the province of dreamers: The human imagination readily soars where human
ingenuity(创造力）strugglestofollow,AVoyagetotheMoon,oftencitedasthefirstsciencefictionstory,waswrittenby
CyranodeBergeracin1649.Cyranowasdeadandburiedforagoodthreecenturiesbeforethefirstmannedrocketsstarted
tofly.
In1961,whenPresidentKennedydeclaredthatAmericawouldsendamantothemoonbythedecade’send,those
words,too,hadadreamlikequality.Theyresonated（共鸣）withoptimismandambitioninmuchthesamewayasthemost
famousdreamspeechofall,deliveredbyMartinLutherKingJr.twoyearslater.Bytheendofthedecade,bothvisionshad
yieldedconcreteresultsandtransformedAmericansociety.Andyetinmanywaysthetwodreamsendedupatoddswith
eachother.Thefightforracialandeconomicequalityisintenselypragmatic(讲求实用的）andimmediateinitsimpact.
Theurgetoexplorespaceisjusttheopposite.Itisfigurativelyandliterallyotherworldlyinitsaims.
When the dust settled, the space dreamers lost out. There was no grand follow-up to the Apollo missions. The
technologicallycompromisedspaceshuttleprogramhasjustcometoanend,withnosuccessor.Theperpetualargumentis
thatfundsaretight,thatwehavemorepressingproblemshereonEarth.Amidthecurrentconcernsaboutthefederaldeficit,
reachingtowardthestarsseemsadispensableluxury—asifsavingone-thousandthofasingleyear’sbudgetwouldsolve
ourproblems.
Buthumaningenuitystruggleson.NASAisdevelopingaseriesofroboticprobesthatwillgetthemostbangfroma
buck.TheywillserveasmodemMagellans,mappingoutthesolarsystemforwhateverexplorersfollow,whethermanor
machine.Ontheflipside,companieslikeVirginGalacticareplottingabottom-upassaultonthespacedreambymakingit
arealitytothepublic.Privatespaceflightcouldliewithinreachofrichciviliansinafewyears.Anotherdecadeortwoandit
52013年12月六级考试真题（第三套）
couldgomainstream.
The space dreamers end up benefiting all of us — not just because of the way they expand human knowledge, or
becauseofthespin-offtechnologiestheyproduce,butbecausethetwotypesofdreamsfeedoffeach other.BothMartin
Luther King and John Kennedy appealed to the idea that humans can transcend what were once considered inherent
limitations.Todaywefaceseemingchallengesinenergy,theenvironment,healthcare.Tomorrowwewilltranscendthese
as well, and the dreamers will deserve a lot of the credit. The more evidence we collect that our species is capable of
greatness,themorewewillactuallyachieveit.
61. TheauthormentionsCyranodeBergeracinordertoshowthat_________________ .
A) imaginationisthemotherofinvention
B) ingenuityisessentialforsciencefictionwriters
C) ittakespatienceforhumanstorealizetheirdreams
D) dreamershavealwaysbeeninterestedinsciencefiction
62. HowdidthegeneralpublicviewKennedy’sspaceexplorationplan?
A) ItsymbolizedtheAmericanspirit. C) Itsoundedverymuch like adream.
B) Itwasasurgentasracialequality. D) Itmadeanancientdreamcometrue.
63. WhatdoestheauthorsayaboutAmerica’saimtoexplorespace?
A) Itmaynotbringaboutimmediateeconomicgains.
B) Itcannotberealizedwithouttechnologicalinnovation.
C) Itwillnothelptherealizationofracialandeconomicequality.
D) Itcannotbeachievedwithoutagoodknowledgeoftheotherworlds.
64. Whatistheauthor’sattitudetowardspaceprograms?
A) Critical. C) Unbiased.
B) Reserved. D) Supportive.
65. Whatdoestheauthorthinkoftheproblemsfacinghumanbeings?
A) Theyposeaseriouschallengetofuturehumanexistence.
B) Theycanbesolvedsoonerorlaterwithhumaningenuity.
C) Theirsolutionsneedjointeffortsofthepublicandprivatesectors.
D) Theycanonlybesolvedbypeoplewithoptimismandambition.
Part IV Translation
Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestotranslateapassagefromChineseintoEnglish.Youshouldwrite
youransweronAnswerSheet2.
中国人自古以来就在中秋时节庆祝丰收。这与北美地区庆祝感恩节的习俗十分相似。 过中秋节的习俗于唐
代早期在中国各地开始流行。中秋节在农历八月十五，是人们拜月的节日:这天夜晚皓月当空，人们合家团聚，共
赏明月。2006年，中秋节被列为中国的文化遗产，2008年又被定为公共假日。月饼被视为中秋节不可或缺的美食。
人们将月饼作为礼物馈赠亲友或在家庭聚会上享用。传统的月饼上带有“麦（longevity) ”、“福”或“和”等
字样。
6
