2006年12月24日英语六级真题及答案

2006年12月24日英语六级真题及答案 Part I Writing (30 minutes) Directions: F or this pa rt, you ar e allo wed 30 mi nutes to wr ite a short essay e n t i t l e dT h e I m p o r t a n c e o f Re a d i n g C l a.s Yo s i cuss h o u l d w r i t e a t least 150 words following the outline given below. 1. 阅读经典书籍对人的成长至关重要 2. 现在愿意阅读经典的人却越来越少，原因是… 3. 我们大学生应该怎么做 The Importance of Reading Classics Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions: I n t h i s p a r t , y o u w i l l h a v e 1 s5 tm o i gn ou toev e r t h e p a s s a g e quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-4, mark Y (for YES) if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage; N (for NO) if statement contradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. Fo r q u e s t iso 5n 10, complete the sen s twe int che t h e i n f o r m a t i o n g i v e n i n t h e passage. Space Tourism Make your reservations now. The space tourism industry is officially open for business, and tickets are going for a mere $20 million for a one-week st s p a c e . D e s p i t e r e l u c t a n c e f r o m N a t i o n a l (NASA)，Russia made American businessman Dennis Tito the world ’s first space t o u r i s t . T i t o fl e w i n t o s p a c e a b o a r d a R u s s i a n S o y u z r o c k e t t h a t a r r i v e d a International Space Station (ISS) on April 30, 2001. The second space South African businessman Mark Shuttleworth, took off aboard the Russian Soyuz on April 25, 2002, also bound for the ISS. Lance Bass of‘N Sync was supposed to be the third to make the $20 million t r i p , b u t h e d i d n o t j o i n t h e t h r e e - m a n c r e w a s t h e y b l a s t e d o ff o n O c t o b e r 3 0 , 2002, due to lack of payment. Probably the most incredibl proposed space tour was that NASA approved of it. T h e s e t r i p s a r e t h e b e g i n n i n g o f w h a t c o u l d b e a p r o fi t a b l e 2 1 s t i n d u s t r y. T h e r e a r e a l r e a d y s e v e r a l s p a c e t o u r i s m c o m p a n i e s p l a n n i n g t o b s u b o r b i t a l v e h i c l e s a n d o r b i t a l c i t i e s w i t h i n t h e n e companies h i ave m nvested b t t space illions,t ourismi elieving i ndustry o hat s the verge of taking off. I n 1 9 9 7 , N A S A pu b l i s he d a re p o r t co nc l u di ng t h a t s el l i ng t r i p s i nt o s p a c e t o private c citizens b w b ould o d e A Jorth r illions s t f ollars. findings, and projects that space tourism could be a $10 billion per year industry within the next two decades. The only obstacles to opening up space to tourists are the space agencies, who are concerned with safety and the development of a reliable, reusable launch vehicle. Space Accommodations Russia’s Mir space station was supposed to be the first destination for space tourists. B i M ut 2 n，thearch R ussian A 001 A erospace b M d gency i the P acific O A i cean. t o first tourist trip into space. b s td urned M o t ut, dringing t roug own The Mir crash did cancel plans for a new reality-based game show from NBC, w h i c h w a s g o i n g t o b e c a l l e d D e s t Ti nh ae t iSounr v oMir v i- rl .i k e T V s h o w w a s scheduled t a i f o2 irP n all o t 001, s w articipants t g t t n he at Russia ’s cosmonaut(宇航员) training center, Star City. Each week, one of the participants w b e ould f te s liminated w t w r rom a t he t how, t h e M i r s p a c e s t a t i o n . T h e M i r c r a s h h a s r u l e’sd sopuatc N e BpCl a n s f o r n o w. NASA is against beginning space tourism until the International Space Station is completed in 2006. Russia is not alone in its interest in space tourism. There are several projects underway to commercialize space travel. Here are a few of the groups that might take tourists to space:  Space Island Group is going to build a ring-shaped, rotating “commercial space infrastructure (基础结构)” t hatw r ill tesemble D s he i tiscovery movie “2001: A Space Odyssey. ” Space Island says it will build its space city out of empty NASA space-shuttle fuel tanks (tostart, it should take around 12 or so), and place it about 400 miles above Earth. The space city will rotate once minute to create a gravitational pull one-third as strong as Earth’s.  According to their vision statement. Space Adventures plans “fly tens to of t housand o p i sf eople o t n 1 n pace y a b ver a he t ext 0-15 moon, a b ndf s ack, brom o E paceports a i s t a foth p n arth space stations, and board dozen of different vehicles...”  Even Hilton Hotels has shown interest in the space tourism industry and possibility of building or co-funding a space hotel. However, the company did say that it believes such a space hotel is 15 to 20 years away. I n i t i a l l y , s p a c e t o u r i s m a cwom ci l m l oo dffaet rai ots ni bsme ps lt e. F o r instance, if the International Space Station is used as a tourist attraction, guests won ’t fi n d t h e l u x u r i o u s s u r r o u n d i n g s o f a h o t e l r o o m o n E a r t h . I t d e s i g n e d f o r c o n d u c t i n g r e s e a r c h , n o t e n t e r t a g e n e r a t i o n o f s p a c e h o t e l s s h o u l d o ff e r t o u r i s t s a m u c h experience. In r egard t ac o f a s oncept h i orp bpace S I otels nitially a hotel could offer guests every convenience they might find at a hotel on Earth, and some they might not. The small gravitational pull created by the rot space city would allow space-tourists and residents to walk around and function facilities w b pould A e ossible. s t w dditionally, e b a t t pace ou space walks. M a n y o f t h e s e c o m p a n i e s b e l i e v e t h a t t h e y h a v e t o o ff e r a enjoyable experience in order for passengers to pay thousands, if not millions, of dollars to ride into space. So will space create another separation between the haves and have-nots? The Most Expensive Vacation Will space be an exoticretreat reserved for only the wealthy? Or will middleclass folks have a chance to take their families to space? Make no mistake about it, going to space will be the most expensive vacation you ever take. Prices right now a i re t t n o m he ens o d fC illionst o v f ollars. t c t urrently, y o u i n t o s p a c e a r e t h e s p a c e s h u t t l e a n d t h e Ru s s i a n S o y u z , b o t h o f w h i c h a r e terribly inefficient. Each spacecraft requires millions of pounds of fuel to take off into s pace, w m hich t e akest l hem O p xpensive o payload (有效载 o aunch. 重) costs about $10,000 to put into Earth’s orbit. N A S A a n d L o c k h e e d M a r t i n a r e c u r r e n t l y d esvi enlg leo psi tnagg e a- t o - o r b i t l a u n c h s p a c e p l a n e , c a l l e d t h e Ve n t u r e S t a r , t h a t c o u l d b e l a u n c h e d f o r a b o u t a tenth of what the space shuttle costs to launch. If the VentureStar takes off, the number of people who could afford to take a trip into space would move into the millions. I n 1 9 9 8 , a j o i n t re p o r t f ro m N A S A a n d t h e S p a c e Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n A s s o c i a t i o n stated that improvements in technology could push fares for space travel as low as $50,000, and possibly down to $20,000 or $10,000 a decade later. The report concluded t at hat p o $ icket t c rice b 5 f 50,000, p fl here ou into s pace e y Wach s l ear. o mhile p till t peavingw o ut any up space to a tremendous amount of traffic. Since the beginning of the space race, the general public has said, “Isn’t that great—when do I get to go?” Well, our chance might be closer than ever. Within t h e n e x t 2 0 y e a r s , s p a c e p l a n e s c o u l d b e t a k i n g o ff f o r t h e M o o n a t t h e s a m frequency as airplanes flying between New York and Los Angles. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。 1. Lance Bass wasn’t able to go on a tour of space because of health problems. 2. Several t industry. 3. The space agencies are reluctant to open up space to tourists. 4. Tw o A u s t r a l i a n b i l l i o n a i re s h a v e b e e n p l a c e d o n t h e w a i t i n g l i s t f o r e n t e r i n g space as private passengers. 5. The price for the winner in the fall 2001 NBA TV game show would have been ________. 6. Hilton Hotels believes it won’t be long before it is possible to build a ________. 7. In order for space tourists to necessary for the space city to create a ________. 8. What making going to space the most expensive vacation is the enormous cost involved in ________. 9. E a c h y e a r 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 s p a c e t o u r i s t s c o u l d b e fl y i n g i n t o s p a c e i f t i c k e t p r i c e could be lowered to ________. courism b ompanies s t i g elieve t b an walk p pace around and ravel functio 10. Within the next two decades, ________ could be as intercity air travel. Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes) Section A Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 l conversations. A t e o e t c he nd o of m ach q onversation, will b a e a skedw s bout B t c hat aid. a t qoth he onver will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During t p he y m ause,r t fou c ustm ead A )B) C) ahe nd our h D), a ndd ecide w i t b hich answer. Ts hen he m t est ark c he orrespondin letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. 注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。 11. A) Dr. Smith’s waiting room isn’t tidy. B) Dr. Smith enjoys reading magazines. C) Dr. Smith has left a good impression on her. D) Dr. Smith may not be a good choice. 12. A) The man will rent the apartment when it is available. B) The man made a bargain with the landlady over the rent. C) The man insists on having a look at the apartment first. D) The man is not fully satisfied with the apartment. 13. A) Packing up to go abroad. B) Drawing up a plan for her English course. C) Brushing up on her English. D) Applying for a visa to the United Sates. 14. A) He is anxious to find a cure for his high blood pressure. B) He doesn’t think high blood pressure is a problem for him. C) He was not aware of his illness until diagnosed with it. D) He did not take the symptoms of his illness seriously. 15. A) To investigate the cause of AIDS. B) To raise money for AIDS patients. C) To rally support for AIDS victims in Africa. D) To draw attention to the spread of AIDS in Asia. 16. A) It has a very long history. B) It is a private institution. C) It was founded by Thomas Jefferson. D) It stresses the comprehensive study of nature. 17. A) They can’t fit into the machine. B) They have not been delivered yet. C) They were sent to the wrong address. D) They were found to be of the wrong type. 18. A) The food served in the cafeteria usually lacks variety. B) The cafeteria sometimes provides rare food for the students. C) The students find the service in the cafeteria satisfactory. D) The cafeteria tries hard to cater to the students’ needs. Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 19. A) He picked up some apples in his yard. B) He cut some branches off the apple tree.