1、本材料由超级课程表和智课网联合整理提供 英语六级阅读真题（2009.06-1997.01）2009年6月英语六级阅读真题Passage OneFor hundreds of millions of years, turtles (海龟) have struggled out of the sea to lay their eggs on sandy beaches, long before there were nature documentaries to celebrate them, or GPS satellites and marine biologists to track the
2、m, or volunteers to hand-carry the hatchlings (幼龟) down to the waters edge lest they become disoriented by headlights and crawl towards a motel parking lot instead. A formidable wall of bureaucracy has been erected to protect their prime nesting on the Atlantic coastlines. With all that attention pa
3、id to them, youd think these creatures would at least have the gratitude not to go extinct.But Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness, and a report by the Fish and Wildlife Service showed a worrisome drop in the populations of several species of North Atlantic turtles, notably loggerhead
4、s, which can grow to as much as 400 pounds. The South Florida nesting population, the largest, has declined by 50% in the last decade, according to Elizabeth Griffin, a marine biologist with the environmental group Oceana. The figures prompted Oceana to petition the government to upgrade the level o
5、f protection for the North Atlantic loggerheads from “threatened” to “endangered”meaning they are in danger of disappearing without additional help.Which raises the obvious question: what else do these turtles want from us, anyway? It turns out, according to Griffin, that while we have done a good j
6、ob of protecting the turtles for the weeks they spend on land (as egg-laying females, as eggs and as hatchlings), we have neglected the years spend in the ocean. “The threat is from commercial fishing,” says Griffin. Trawlers (which drag large nets through the water and along the ocean floor) and lo
7、ngline fishers (which can deploy thousands of hooks on lines that can stretch for miles) take a heavy toll on turtles. Of course, like every other environmental issue today, this is playing out against the background of global warming and human interference with natural ecosystems. The narrow strips
8、 of beach on which the turtles lay their eggs are being squeezed on one side by development and on the other by the threat of rising sea levels as the oceans warm. Ultimately we must get a handle on those issues as well, or a creature that outlived the dinosaurs (恐龙) will meet its end at the hands o
9、f humans, leaving our descendants to wonder how creature so ugly could have won so much affection.52. We can learn from the first paragraph that _.Ahuman activities have changed the way turtles surviveBefforts have been made to protect turtles from dying outCgovernment bureaucracy has contributed to
10、 turtles extinctionDmarine biologists are looking for the secret of turtles reproduction53. What does the author mean by “Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness” (Line 1, Para. 2)?ANature is quite fair regarding the survival of turtles.BTurtles are by nature indifferent to human activiti
11、es.CThe course of nature will not be changed by human interference.DThe turtle population has decreased in spite of human protection.54. What constitutes a major threat to the survival of turtles according to Elizabeth Griffin?ATheir inadequate food supply. BUnregulated commercial fishing.CTheir low
12、er reproductively ability. DContamination of sea water55. How does global warming affect the survival of turtles?AIt threatens the sandy beaches on which they lay eggs.BThe changing climate makes it difficult for their eggs to hatch.CThe rising sea levels make it harder for their hatchlings to grow.
13、DIt takes them longer to adapt to the high beach temperature.56. The last sentence of the passage is meant to _.Apersuade human beings to show more affection for turtlesBstress that even the most ugly species should be protectedCcall for effective measures to ensure sea turtles survivalDwarn our des
14、cendants about the extinction of speciesPassage Two There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum. But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four years of partying, as well as study
15、ing, can console themselves with the knowledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should yield huge dividends.A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the “labor-market premium to skill”or the amount college graduates earned thats greater than what high-school grad
16、uate earneddecreased for much of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance (报复性地) since the 1980s. In 2005, The typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college degree earned $50,900, 62% more than the $31,500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma.Theres no q
17、uestion that going to college is a smart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesnt come down merely to dollars and cents. Does going to Columbia University (tuition, room and board $49,260 in 2007-08) yield a 40% gre
18、ater return than attending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student ($35,542)? Probably not. Does being an out-of-state student at the University of Colorado at Boulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state student ($17,380) there? Not likely.No, in this consu
19、merist age, most buyers arent evaluating college as an investment, but rather as a consumer productlike a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is only one of many crucial factors to consider.As with automobiles, consumers in todays college marketplace have vast choices, and peop
20、le search for the one that gives them the most comfort and satisfaction in line with their budgets. This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different types of experiences (such as attending a private liberal-arts college or going to an out-of-state public school that has a great
21、marine-biology program). And just as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of money on very different cars, college students (or, more accurately, their parents) often show a willingness to pay essentially the same price for vastly different products. So which is it? Is college an investme
22、nt product like a stock or a consumer product like a car? In keeping with the automotive worlds hottest consumer trend, maybe its best to characterize it as a hybrid (混合动力汽车); an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends.57. Whats the opinion of economists about going to co
23、llege?AHuge amounts of money is being wasted on campus socializing.BIt doesnt pay to run into debt to receive a college education.CCollege education is rewarding in spite of the startling costs.DGoing to college doesnt necessarily bring the expected returns.58. The two Harvard economists note in the
24、ir study that, for much of the 20th century, _.Aenrollment kept decreasing in virtually all American colleges and universitiesBthe labor market preferred high-school to college graduatesCcompetition for university admissions was far more fierce than todayDthe gap between the earnings of college and
25、high-school graduates narrowed59. Students who attend an in-state college or university can _.Asave more on tuition Breceive a better educationCtake more liberal-arts courses Davoid traveling long distances60. In this consumerist age, most parents _.Aregard college education as a wise investment Bpl
26、ace a premium on the prestige of the CollegeCthink it crucial to send their children to college Dconsider college education a consumer product61. What is the chief consideration when students choose a college today?ATheir employment prospects after graduation. BA satisfying experience within their b
27、udgets.CIts facilities and learning environment. DIts ranking among similar institutions.2008年12月英语六级阅读真题Passage OneSustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumpt
28、ions behind it or the way the concept is put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the sole measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives.To start with, it is important to remember that the nature o
29、f agriculture has changed markedly throughout history, and will continue to do so .medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a predominantly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. It had minimal effect on biodiversity, and any pollution it cause
30、d was typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients（营养成分）captured in the product it was relatively inefficient.Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. Competition from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields. Throughout this period food
31、 became cheaper, safe and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat（栖息地）loss and to diminishing biodiversity.Whats more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growing so fast that meeting it will require an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by 2050.yet the g
32、rowth of cities and industry is reducing the amount of water available for agriculture in many regions.All this means that agriculture in the 21stcentury will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th.thiswill require radical thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that
33、 traditional practices are inevitably more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the notion that agriculture can be “zero impact”. The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damag
34、e.Instead we need a more dynamic interpretation, one that looks at the pros and cons（正反两方面）of all the various way land is used. There are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It i
35、s clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity.What is crucial is recognizing that sustai
36、nable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production.52. How do people often measure progress in agriculture? A) By its productivity C) By its impact on the environment B) By its sustainability D) By its contribution to economic growth53. Specialisation and the effort to increase yields h
37、ave resulted in_. A) Localised pollution C) competition from overseas B) the shrinking of farmland D) the decrease of biodiversity54. What does the author think of traditional farming practices? A) They have remained the same over the centuries B) They have not kept pace with population growth C) Th
38、ey are not necessarily sustainable D) They are environmentally friendly55. What will agriculture be like in the 21st century A) It will go through radical changes B) It will supply more animal products C) It will abandon traditional farming practices D) It will cause zero damage to the environment56
39、 What is the authors purpose in writing this passage? A) To remind people of the need of sustainable development B) To suggest ways of ensuring sustainable food production C) To advance new criteria for measuring farming progress D) To urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture isPassage Tw
40、oThe percentage of immigrants (including those unlawfully present) in the United states has been creeping upward for years. At 12.6 percent, it is now higher than at any point since the mid1920s. We are not about to go back to the days when Congress openly worried about inferior races polluting Amer
41、icas bloodstream. But once again we are wondering whether we have too many of the wrong sort newcomers. Their loudest critics argue that the new wave of immigrants cannot, and indeed do not want to, fit in as previous generations did. We now know that these racist views were wrong. In time, Italians
42、, Romanians and members of other so-called inferior races became exemplary Americans and contributed greatly, in ways too numerous to detail, to the building of this magnificent nation. There is no reason why these new immigrants should not have the same success. Although children of Mexican immigra
43、nts do better, in terms of educational and professional attainment, than their parents UCLA sociologist Edward Telles has found that the gains dont continue. Indeed, the fouth generation is marginally worse off than the third James Jackson, of the University of Michigan, has found a similar trend am
44、ong black Caribbean immigrants, Tells fears that Mexican-Americans may be fated to follow in the footsteps of American blacks-that large parts of the community may become mired（陷入）in a seemingly permanent state of poverty and Underachievement. Like African-Americans, Mexican-Americans are increasing
45、ly relegated to (降入)segregated, substandard schools, and their dropout rate is the highest for any ethnic group in the country. We have learned much about the foolish idea of excluding people on the presumption of the ethnic/racial inferiority. But what we have not yet learned is how to make the pro
46、cess of Americanization work for all. I am not talking about requiring people to learn English or to adopt American ways; those things happen pretty much on their own, but as arguments about immigration hear up the campaign trail, we also ought to ask some broader question about assimilation, about
47、how to ensure that people , once outsiders , dont forever remain marginalized within these shores. That is a much larger question than what should happen with undocumented workers, or how best to secure the border, and it is one that affects not only newcomers but groups that have been here for gene
48、rations. It will have more impact on our future than where we decide to set the admissions bar for the latest ware of would-be Americans. And it would be nice if we finally got the answer right.57. How were immigrants viewed by U.S. Congress in early days?A) They were of inferior races. B) They were a Source of political corruption.C) They were a threat to the nations security.
