12月大学英语六级阅读考前习题及参考答案

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12月大学英语六级阅读考前习题及参考答案（通用7篇）

　　在学习和工作的日常里，我们需要用到练习题的情况非常的多，做习题有助于提高我们分析问题和解决问题的能力。大家知道什么样的习题才是规范的吗？下面是小编为大家整理的12月大学英语六级阅读考前习题及参考答案（通用7篇），欢迎大家借鉴与参考，希望对大家有所帮助。

12月大学英语六级阅读考前习题及参考答案（通用7篇）

　　12月大学英语六级阅读考前习题及参考答案 1

　　Egypt

　　Ever since Herodotus2, the ancient Greek historianand traveler, first described Egypt as“the gift of theNile3”, she has been capturing the imagination of allwho visit her.

　　The awe -inspiring monuments, left by thePharaohs, Greeks and Romans as well as by the earlyChristians and Muslims, attract thousands of visitorsevery year — but the pyramids, temples, tombs, monasteries and mosques are just part of thiscountry’s fascination.

　　Modern Egypt —where mud-brick villages stand beside Pharaonic ruins surrounded by toweringsteel, stone and glass buildings — is at the cultural crossroads of East and West, ancient andmodern. While TV antennae decorate rooftops everywhere, from the crowded apartmentblocks of Cairo to the mud homes of farming villages and the goatskin tents of the Bedouins4,the fellahin throughout the Nile’s fertile valley still tend their fields with the archaic tools oftheir ancestors.

　　In the gargantuan5city of Cairo the sound of the muezzin6 summoning the faithful to prayercompetes with the pop music of ghetto blasters7 and the screech of car horns. Andeverywhere there are people : swathed in long flowing robes or western-style clothes, hangingfrom buses, weaving through an obstacle course of animals and exhaust-spewing traffic orspilling from hivelike buildings.

　　Spectacular edifices aside, the attraction of this country lies in its incredible natural beauty andin the overwhelming hospitality of the Egyptian people .

　　Through everything the Nile River flows serene and majestic, the lifeblood of Egypt as it hasbeen since the beginning of history.

　　阅读自测

　　Ⅰ. Give the synonyms to the following words:

　　1. archaic 2 . swathe 3. incredible 4 . screech 5. serene 6 . gargantuan

　　Ⅱ. Translate the sentences into English with the words in parenthe ses :

　　1. 她的精彩表演使观众为之神往。( capture )

　　2. 她初见长城时, 敬畏之感油然而生。( awe)

　　3. 他被召进宫里。( summon)

　　4. 消除紧张的方法在于学会放松。( lie )

　　【参考答案】

　　Ⅰ. 1. ancient / antique 2 . wrap / clothe 3.unbelievable / inconceivable 4 . shriek / scream 5.quiet / tranquil / peaceful 6 . giant / huge /tremendous

　　Ⅱ. 1. Her brilliant performance captured theaudience’s imagination. 2. Her first view of the GreatWall filled her with awe. 3. He was summoned to thepalace. 4. The cure for stress lies in learning to relax.

　　Australia

　　An island country, a whole continent, Australia has aremarkably cohesive personality and one which,much to our surprise, is markedly foreign. It is nolonger the infant colony, peopled by Britishconvicts2 and pioneers, but a maturing, perhaps stillsomewhat adolescent individual, ruggedly steering avital new course in life.

　　Australia is a sprawl of rock and desert, fringed with lush valleys, snow fields, coralspectaculars, storm-stabbed cliffs and rolling beaches, a land rich in minerals, colors, curiousflora 3, 230 species of mammals4 , 700 of birds, 400 of reptiles, 70 of amphibia, 2, 200 of fishand 50 , 000 species of insects — and seemingly infinite space . Australia is becoming therichest country in the world, materially.

　　Total area of the continent is about half as big as Europe, or 25 times the size of Britain andIreland. Population is bunched mainly in coastal cities, the biggest of which are capitals of thecountry’s states and the federal capital Canberra5 . Canberra is a model of a planned gardencity and is the seat of a major university. It is smallish in size , but big in importance. Sydney isthe largest city, and commercial capital of the country.

　　Throughout the country, the basic accommodation unit is the motel, a flat prefabricated6sprawl of bedrooms. But prices are reasonable and, most important, the rooms are excellentand equipped usually with air-conditioning, a refrigerator and tea and coffee making facilities.Bath tubs are rare, as Australians prefer the convenience and hygiene of a shower. Porterageand other services are rare , as Australians don’t like doing a job which smacks of7 servility.After all, this is the land of equality and opportunity.

　　阅读自测

　　Ⅰ. Are the sesta tements True or False according to the article?

　　Ⅱ. Match the following countries with their corresponding capitals :

　　【参考答案】

　　1. Australia is as big as Europe , or 25 times the size of Britain and Ireland. 2. Canberra is notonly the capital but also the biggest city of Australia . 3. Motel is very popular foraccommodation in Australia.

　　1. Egypt Wellington 2. Australia Athens 3. New Zealand Seoul 4. Canada Cairo 5. Greece Ottawa6. South Korea Canberra

　　Brazil

　　No country ignites the Western imagination as Brazildoes. For hundreds of years it has symbolized aprimordial, tropical paradise. From the mad passionof Carnival2 to the vastness of the dark Amazon3 ,Brazil is a country of mythical proportions.

　　Roughly the size of the US ( excluding Alaska) ,Brazil is a huge country encompassing nearly half ofSouth America , and bordering on most of the continent’s other nations — Ecuador and Chileare the exceptions. After 40 years of internal migration and population growth, Brazil is alsoan urban country; four out of every five Brazilians live in a city. Sao Paulo, with more than 17million inhabitants, is the world’s second most populous city. Brazil’s population is clusteredalong the Atlantic coast, and much of the country, including the massive Amazon Basin,remains scarcely populated and hard to access.

　　For most, the Brazilian journey begins in Rio de Janeiro4. One of the world’s great cities, Riohas developed a highly advanced culture of pleasure. It revolves around the famous beaches ofCopacabana, and is fueled by the music of samba 5 and the athleticism of soccer. Thishedonism reaches its climax every February or March, during the Carnival — five days ofrevelry, unrivaled by any other party on the globe. Rio de Janeiro state is blessed with some ofthe country’s best beaches. Inland, the coastal mountains rise rapidly from lush, green,tropical forest, culminating in spectacular peaks. The mountains are punctuated by nationalparks where you can enjoy Brazil’s best hiking and climbing.

　　The Amazon jungles are the world’s largest tropical rainforest, fed by the world’s largest river,and home to the richest and most diverse ecosystem on earth — a nature lover’s ultimatefantasy! Though threatened by rapid deforestation, the rainforest still offers years ofexploration for the adventurous traveler.

　　Wherever you go in Brazil, you’ll see Brazilians at their beaches playing. The beach is thenational passion. Fortunately, with over 8, 000 km of coastline, there are an incrediblenumber of superb beaches, so you should have little problem finding your own tropicalhideaway.

　　Brazil may not be the paradise on Earth that many travelers once imagined, but it is a land ofoften unimaginable beauty. There are still stretches of unexplored rainforest, islands withpristine tropical beaches, and endless rivers. And there are the people themselves, whodelight the visitor with their energy, fantasy and joy.

　　阅读自测

　　Ⅰ. Fill in the blanks with proper prepositions:

　　1. His words bordered_______ rudeness.

　　2. The feminine talk revolved mostly_______ clothes, bargains and small scandals.

　　3. He is blessed_______ good health.

　　4. The science fair culminated _______ the awarding of prizes.

　　5. He delighted the audience_______ his performance.

　　Ⅱ. Answer the question in your own words :

　　Why is Rio de Janeiro so attractive to travelers?

　　【参考答案】

　　Ⅰ. 1. on 2 . around 3. with 4. in 5 . with

　　Ⅱ. Because it has developed a highly advancedculture of pleasure , with beautiful beaches, samba ,soccer, annual carnivals and national parks.

　　12月大学英语六级阅读考前习题及参考答案 2

　　The History of Chinese Americans

　　Chinese have been in the United States for almost two hundred years. In fact. the Chinese had business relations with Hawaii prior to relations with the mainland when Hawaii was not yet part of the United States.But United States investments controlled the capital of Hawaii at that time. In 1788,a ship sailed from Guangzhou to Hawaii. Most of the crewmen were Chinese. They were considered the pioneers of Hawaii. The Immigration Commission reported that the first Chinese arrived in the United States in 1820. eight in 1830 andseven hundred and eighty in 1850. The Chinese population gradually increased and reached 64,199 in 1870.

　　For many years it was common in the United States to associate Chinese Americans with restaurants and laundries. People did not realize that the Chinese had been driven into these occupations by the prejudice anddiscrimination that faced them in this country.

　　The First Chinese to reach the mainland United States came during the California Gold Rush of 1849. Like most of the other people there, they had come to search for gold. In that largely unoccupied land,the men staked a claim for themselves by placing markers in the ground. However. either because the Chinese were sodifferent from the others or because they worked so patiently that they sometimes succeeded in turning a seemingly worthless mining claim into a profitable one, they became che scapegoats of their envious competitors. They were harassed in many ways. Often they were prevented from working their claims; some localities even passed regulations forbidding them to own claims. The Chinese therefore started to seek out other ways of earning a living. Some of them began to do che laundry for the white miners; others set up small restaurants. (There were almost no women in California in those days,and the Chinese filled a real need by doing this“womans work”.) Some went to work as farmhands or as fishermen.

　　In the early 1860s many more Chincse arrived in California.This time the men were imported as work crews to construct the first transcontinental railroad.They were sorely needed because the work was so strenuousand dangerous, and it was carried on in such a remote part of the country that the railroad company could not find other laborers for the job. As in the case of their predecessors,these Chinese were almost all males; and like them, too, they encountered a great deal of prejudice. The hostility grew especially strong afrer the railroad project was complete, and the imported laborers returned to California-thousands of them, all out of work. Because there were so many more of them this time,these Chinese drew even more attention than the earlier group did. They were so very different in every respect: in their physical appearance,including a long“pigtail”at the back of their otherwise shaved heads; in the strange, non-Western clothes they wore; in their speech (few had learned English since they planned to go back to China); and in their religion. They were contemptuously called “heathen Chinese” because there were many sacred images in their houses of worship.

　　When times were hard. they were blamed for working for lower wages and taking jobs away from white men. who were in many cases recent immigrants themselves. Anti-Chinese riots broke out in several cities. culminating in arson and bloodshed. Chinese were barred from using the courts and also from becoming American citizens. Californians began to demand that no more Chinese be permitted to enter their state. Finally. in 1882. they persuaded Congress to pass the Chinese Exclusion Act, which stopped the immigration of Chinese laborers. Many Chinese rerurned to their homeland, and their numbers declined sharply in the early part of this century. However. during the World War II,when China was an ally of the United States. the Exclusion laws were ended; a small number of Chinese were allowed to immigrate each year, and Chinese could become American citizens. In 1965, in a general revision of our immigration laws,may more Chinese were permitted to settle here,as discrimination against Asian immigration was abolished.

　　From the start,the Chinese had lived apart in their own separate neighborhoods, which came to be known as “Chinatowns”. In each of them the residents organized an unofficial government to make rules for the community and to settle disputes. Unable to find jobs on the outside, many went into business for themselves-primarily to serve their own neighborhood. As for laundries and restaurants. some of them soon spread to other parts of the city,since such services continued to be in demand among non-Chinese, too. To this day. certain Chinatowns. especially those of San Francisco and New York. are busy. thriving communities, which have become great attractions for tourists and for those who enjoy Chinese food.

　　Most of todays Chincse Americans are the descendants of some of the early miners and railroad workers. Those immigrants had come from the vicinity of Canton in Southeast China. where they had been uneducated farm laborers.The same kind of young men,from the same area and from similar humble origins,migrated to Hawaii in those days. There they fared far better, mainly because they did not encounter hostility. Some married native Hawaiians, and other brought their wives and children over. They were not restricted to Chinatownand many of them soon became successful merchants and active participants in general community affairs.

　　Chinese Americans retain many aspects of their ancient culture. even after having lived here for several generations. For Example, their family ties continue to be remarkably scrong (encompassing grandparents. uncles, aunts, cousins. and others). Members of the family lend each other moral support and also practical help when necessary. From a very young age children are imbued with the old values and attitudes. including respect for their elders and a feeling of responsibility to the family. This helps co explain why there is so little juvenile delinquency (少年犯罪 ) among them.

　　The high regard for education which is deeply imbedded in Chinese culture.and the willingness to work veryhard to gain advancement, are other noteworthy characteristics of theirs. This explains why so many descendants of uneducated laborers have succeeded in becoming doctors. lawyers, and other professionals.(Many ofthe most outstanding Chinese American scholars,scientists, and artists are more recent arrivals, who come from Chinas former upper class and who represent its high cultural traditions.)

　　Chinese Americans make up only a tiny fraction of our population; there are fewer than half a miilion, living chiefly in California. New York. and Hawaii. As American attitudes toward minorities and toward ethnicdifferences have changed in recent years, the long-reviled Chinese have gained wide acceptance. Today, they are generally admired for their many remarkable characteristics, and are often held up as an example worth following. And their numerous contributions to their adopted land are much appreciated.

　　1.Most Chinese Americans worked in restaurants and laundries because of______________.

　　A)the skills they acquired at the motherland

　　B)local peoples discrimination against them

　　C)their high employment rates

　　D)their comparatively high pay

　　2. During the California Gold Rush.restaurant and laundry were regarded as________________.

　　A)unprofitable work

　　B)comfortable work

　　C)womans work

　　D)Chinese work

　　3.In the early l860s, more Chinese were shipped to California to work as________________.

　　A)gold miners

　　B)railroad builders

　　C)steelworkers

　　D)farmhands

　　4.Few Chinese learned English at that time because_________________.

　　A)they seldom used Engiish in Chinatown

　　B)they were too old to learn a new tongue

　　C)they couldnt find good English teachers

　　D)they wouldnt stay in America for long

　　5.The Chinese Exclusion Act came to an end_________________.

　　A)by the California governor then

　　B)after a massive bloodshed

　　C)during WWII

　　D)in 1965

　　6.One of the Chinatowns as a busy and thriving community now is located in________________.

　　A)Florida

　　B)Hawaii

　　C)New Jersey

　　D)New York

　　7.Chinese immigrants to Hawaii found that they________________.

　　A)were treated without discrimination

　　B)were provided with fewer job choices

　　C)couldnt travel to mainland America

　　D)could only live or work in Chinatown

　　8.The old values and attitudes imparted into the young Chinese Americans effectively help prevent_______________.

　　9.Chinas high cultural traditions are represented by the Chinese American_____________.

　　10.The contributions made by Chinese to America had gained much_____________.

　　答案解析：

　　1.[B][定位]根据题干中的restaurants and laundries定位到第2段。

　　解析：第2段首句提到了中国移民被迫到餐厅和洗衣房打工，第2句则揭示了个中的原因，B的内容在第2句中提及，为本题答案。

　　2.[C][定位]根据题干中的California Gold Rush，restaurant和laundry定位到第3段倒数第2、3句。

　　解析：原文该句中的this“womans work”指的就是前一句提到的laundry和restaurant的工作，可见本题应选C。

　　3.[B][定位]根据题干中的In the early 1860s定位到第4段开头两句。

　　解析：原文该段第2句中的work crews to construct the first transcontinental railroad表明那时候华人到美国是为了修建铁路，可见本题应选B。

　　4.[D][定位]根据题干中的Few和learned English定位到第4段倒数第2句。

　　解析：原文该句中括号里的内容明确表明很少华人学习英语的原因是他们都计划要回中国，也就是他们没想过要长久留在美国，因此本题应选D。

　　5.[C][定位]根据题干中的The Chinese Exclusion Act定位到第5段倒数第2句。

　　解析：原文该句中的during the World War II... the Exclusion laws were ended明确表明本题应选C。干扰项D中的1965在原文该段末句提及，但与Chinese Exclusion Act无关，故不能选。

　　6.[D][定位]根据题干中的Chinatowns和busy and thriving community定位到第6段末句。

　　解析：原文该段提到繁荣的Chinatown时，只提到了San Francisco和New York，D正是其中一个，其他选项均未提及。

　　7.[A][定位]根据题干中的immigrants和Hawaii定位到第7段第3、4句。

　　解析：原文该段第4句中because引出的原因从句表明华人在夏威夷“没有遭到敌视”，A“没有受到歧视”与原文该句意思一致。所以本题应选A。

　　8.[juvenile delinquency]

　　[定位]根据题干中的old values and attitudes定位到第8段最后两句。

　　解析：空白处应为名词(词组)。原文该段最后两句表明孩子们从小就被灌输古代的价值观与看问题的方法，这使他们在青少年时期很少犯罪，也就是说，这些价值观与看问题的方法可有助于减少“青少年犯罪”，即juvenile delinquency。

　　9.[scholars,scientists,and artists]

　　[定位]根据题干中的high cultural traditions和represented定位到第9段末句。

　　解析：空白处应为名词(词组)。原文该段末尾的who represent its high cultural traditions中的who指的`是末句开头提到的Many of the most outstanding Chinese American scholars，scientists，and artists。题目将段末的定语从句改写为被动语态，所以who所指的内容就是本题答案，即scholars，scientists and artists。

　　10.[appreciation]

　　[定位]根据题干中的contributions定位到末段末句。

　　解析：空白处应为不可数名词。题目是对原文该句的同义改写，所不同的是，原文的谓语部分是are much appreciated.而题目的是had gained much...，作答时要将appreciated改为其名词形式appreciation，才可作题目中gained的宾语。

　　12月大学英语六级阅读考前习题及参考答案 3

　　Passage One

　　Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage. Economically speaking, are we better off than we were ten years ago? Twenty years ago? In their thirst for evidence on this issue, commentators seized on the recent report by the Census Bureau, which found that average household income rose by 5.2% in 2023. Unfortunately, that conclusion puts too much weight on a useful, but flawed and incomplete, statistic. Among the more significant problems with the Censuss measure are that: 1) it excludes taxes, transfers, and compensation like employer-provided health insurance; and 2) it is based on surveys rather than data. Even if precisely measured, income data exclude important determinants of economic well-being, such as the hours of work needed to earn that income. While thinking about the question, we came across a recently published article by Charles Jones and Peter Klenow, which proposes an interesting new measure of economic welfare.

　　While by no means perfect, it is considerably more comprehensive than average income, taking into account not only growth in consumption per person but also changes in working time, life expectancy, and inequality. Moreover, it can be used to assess economic performance both across countries and over time. The Jones-Klenow method can be illustrated by a cross-country example. Suppose we want to compare the economic welfare of citizens of the U.S. and France in 2005. In 2005, as the authors observe: real consumption per person in France was only 60% as high as the U.S., making it appear that Americans were economically much better off than the French on average. However, that comparison omits other relevant factors: leisure time, life expectancy, and economic inequality. The French take longer vacations and retire earlier, so typically work fewer hours; they enjoy a higher life expectancy, presumably reflecting advantages with respect to health care, diet, lifestyle, and the like; and income and consumption are somewhat more equally distributed there than in the U.S. Because of these differences, comparing Frances consumption with the U.S.s overstates the gap in economic welfare.

　　Similar calculations can be used to compare the U.S. and other countries. For example, this calculation puts economic welfare in the United Kingdom at 97% of U.S. levels, but estimates Mexican well-being at 22%. The Jones-Klenow measure can also assess an economys performance over time. According to this measure, as of the early-to-mid-2000s, the U.S. had the highest economic welfare of any large country. Since 2023, economic welfare in the U.S. has continued to improve. However, the pace of improvement has slowed markedly. Methodologically, the lesson from the Jones-Klenow research is that economic welfare is multi-dimensional. Their approach is flexible enough that in principle other important quality-of-life changes could be incorporated-for example, decreases in total emissions of pollutants and declines in crime rates. 46.What does the author think of the 2023 report by the Census Bureau? A.It is based on questionable statistics. B.It reflects the economic changes. C.It evidences the improved-welfare. D.It provides much food for thought.

　　47.What does the author say about the Jones-Klenow method? A.It is widely used to compare the economic growth across countries. B.It revolutionizes the way of measuring ordinary peoples livelihood. C.It focuses on peoples consumption rather than their average income. D.It is a more comprehensive measure of peoples economic well-being. 48.What do Jones and Klenow think of the comparison between France and the U. S. in terms of real consumption per person? A.It reflected the existing big gap between the two economies. B.It neglected many important indicators of peoples welfare. C.It covered up the differences between individual citizens. D.It failed to count in their difference in natural resources. 49.What is an advantage of the Jones-Klenow method? A.It can accurately pinpoint a countrys current economic problems.

　　B.It can help to raise peoples awareness of their economic well-being. C.It can diagnose the causes of a countrys slowing pace of economic improvement. D.It can compare a countrys economic conditions between different periods of time. 50.What can we infer from the passage about American peoples economic well-being? A.It is much better than that of their European counterparts. B.It has been on the decline ever since the turn of the century. C.It has not improved as much as reported by the Census Bureau. D.It has not been accurately assessed and reported since mid-2000s. Passage Two

　　Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage. If youve ever started a sentence with, "If I were you...." or found yourself scratching your head at a colleagues agony over a decision when the answer is crystal-clear, theres a scientific reason behind it. Our own decision-making abilities

　　12月大学英语六级阅读考前习题及参考答案 4

　　Recent research has claimed that an excess of positive ions in the air can have an ill effect on people‘s physical or psychological health. What are positive ions? Well， the air is full of ions， electrically charged particles， and generally there is a rough balance between the positive and the negative charged. But sometimes this balance becomes disturbed and a larger proportion of positive ions are found. This happens naturally before thunderstorm， earthquakes when winds such as the Mistral， Hamsin or Sharav are blowing in certain countries. Or it can be caused by a build-up of static electricity indoors from carpets or clothing made of man-made fibres， or from TV sets， duplicators or computer display screens.

　　When a large number of positive ions are present in the air many people experience unpleasant effects such as headaches， fatigue， irritability， and some particularly sensitive people suffer nausea or even mental disturbance. Animals are also affected， particularly before earthquakes， snakes have been observed to come out of hibernation， rats to flee from their burrows， dogs howl and cats jump about unaccountably. This has led the US Geographical Survey to fund a network of volunteers to watch animals in an effort to foresee such disasters before they hit vulnerable areas such as California.

　　Conversely， when large numbers of negative ions are present， then people have a feeling of well-being. Natural conditions that produce these large amounts are near the sea， close to waterfalls or fountains， or in any place where water is sprayed， or forms a spray. This probably accounts for the beneficial effect of a holiday by the sea， or in the mountains with tumbling streams or waterfalls.

　　To increase the supply of negative ions indoors， some scientists recommend the use of ionisers： small portable machines， which generate negative ions. They claim that ionisers not only clean and refresh the air but also improve the health of people sensitive to excess positive ions. Of course， there are the detractors， other scientists， who dismiss such claims and are skeptical about negative/positive ion research. Therefore people can only make up their own minds by observing the effects on themselves， or on others， of a negative rich or poor environment. After all it is debatable whether depending on seismic readings to anticipate earthquakes is more effective than watching the cat.

　　1.What effect does exceeding positive ionization have on some people?

　　A.They think they are insane.

　　B.They feel rather bad-tempered and short-fussed.

　　C.They become violently sick.

　　D.They are too tired to do anything.

　　2.In accordance with the passage， static electricity can be caused by___.

　　A.using home-made electrical goods.

　　B.wearing clothes made of natural materials.

　　C.walking on artificial floor coverings.

　　D.copying TV programs on a computer.

　　3.A high negative ion count is likely to be found___.

　　A.near a pound with a water pump.

　　B.close to a slow-flowing river.

　　C.high in some barren mountains.

　　D.by a rotating water sprinkler.

　　4.What kind of machine can generate negative ions indoors?

　　A.Ionisers.

　　B.Air-conditioners.

　　C.Exhaust-fans

　　D.Vacuum pumps.

　　5.Some scientists believe that___.

　　A.watching animals to anticipate earthquakes is more effective than depending on seismography.

　　B.the unusual behavior of animals cannot be trusted.

　　C.neither watching nor using seismographs is reliable.

　　D.earthquake

　　答案：BCDAA

　　12月大学英语六级阅读考前习题及参考答案 5

　　An industrial society, especially one as centralized and concentrated as that of Britain, is heavily dependant on certain essential services: for instance, electricity supply, water, rail and road transport, the harbors. The area of dependency has widened to include removing rubbish, hospital and ambulance services, and, as the economy develops, central computer and information services as well. If any of these services ceases to operate, the whole economic system is in danger.

　　It is this interdependency of the economic system that makes the power of trade unions such an important issue. Single trade unions have the ability to cut off many economic blood supplies. This can happen more easily in Britain than in some other countries, in part because the labor force is highly organized. About 55 per cent of British workers belong to unions, compared to under a quarter in the United States. For historical reasons, Britains unions have tended to develop along trade and occupational lines, rather than on an industry-by-industry basis, which makes wage policy, democracy in industry and the improvement of procedures for fixing wage levels difficult to achieve.

　　There are considerable strains and tensions in the trade union movement, some of them arising from their outdated and inefficient structure. Some unions have lost many members because of industrial changes. Others are involved in arguments about who should represent workers in new trades. Unions for skilled trades are separate from general unions, which means that different levels of wages for certain jobs are often a source of bad feeling between unions. In traditional trades which are being pushed out of existence by advancing technologies, unions can fight for their members disappearing jobs to the point where the jobs of other unions members are threatened or destroyed. The printing of newspapers both in the United States and in Britain has frequently been halted by the efforts of printers to hold on to their traditional highly-paid jobs.

　　21. Why is the question of trade union power important in Britain?

　　A. The economy is very much interdependent.

　　B. Unions have been established a long time.

　　C. There are more unions in Britain than elsewhere.

　　D. There are many essential services.

　　22. Because of their out-of-date organization some unions find it difficult to______.

　　A. change as industries change B. get new members to join them

　　C. learn new technologies D. bargain for high enough wages

　　23. Disagreements arise between unions because some of them

　　A. try to win over members of other unions

　　B. ignore agreements

　　C. protect their own members at the expense of others

　　D. take over other unions jobs

　　24. It is difficult to improve the procedures for fixing wage levels because______.

　　A. some industries have no unions

　　B. unions are not organized according to industries

　　C. only 55 per cent of workers belong to unions

　　D. some unions are too powerful

　　25. Which of the following is NOT TRUE?

　　A. There are strains and tensions in the trade union movement.

　　B. Some unions have lost many members.

　　C. Some unions exist in the outdated structure.

　　D. A higher percentage of American workers belong to unions than that of British workers.

　　21. A 22. A 23. C 24. B 25. D

　　12月大学英语六级阅读考前习题及参考答案 6

　　Preparing for Computer Disasters

　　A: Summary: When home office computers go down, many small businesses grind to a halt. Fortunately, taking steps to recover from disasters and minimize their effects is quite straightforward.

　　B: Fires, power surges, and floods, theyre all facts of life. We read about them in the morning paper and see them on the evening news. We sympathize with the victims and commiserate over their bad luck. We also shake our heads at the digital consequences—melted computers, system failures, destroyed data. Yet, somehow, many of us continue to live by that old mantra of denial: "It wont happen to me." Well, the truth is, at some point youll probably have to deal with at least one disaster. Thats just how it goes, and in most aspects of our lives we do something about it. We buy insurance. We stow away provisions. We even make disaster plans and run drills. But for some reason, computer disaster recovery is a blind spot for many of us. It shouldnt be. Home computers contain some of our most important information, both business and personal, and making certain our data survives a disaster should be a priority. Moreover, even the smallest disaster can be a serious disruption. Personal computers have become an integral part of the smooth-running household. We use them to communicate, shop, and do homework, and theyre even more vital to home office users. When home office computers go down, many small businesses grind to a halt. Fortunately, taking steps to recover from disasters and minimize their effects is quite straightforward. With a good offsite storage plan and the right tools, you can bounce back quickly and easily from minor computer disasters. And, should a major calamity strike, you can rest assured your data is safe.

　　Offsite Storage: Major Disasters

　　C: House fires and floods are among the most devastating causes of personal computer destruction. Thats why a solid offsite backup and recovery plan is essential. Although many home users faithfully back up their hard drives, many would still lose all their data should their house flood our burn. Thats because they keep their backups in relatively close to their computers. Their backup disks might not be in the same room as their computers—tucked away in a closet or even the garage—but theyre not nearly far enough away should a serious disaster strike. So, its important to back up your system to a removable medium and to store it elsewhere.

　　D: There are many ways to approach offsite storage. It starts with choice of backup tools and storage medium. Disaster situations are stressful, and your recovery tools shouldnt add to that stress. They must be dependable and intuitive, making it easy to schedule regular backups and to retrieve files in a pinch. They must also be compatible with your choice of backup medium. Depending on your tools, you can back up to a variety of durable disk types—from CDs to Jaz drives to remote network servers. Although many of these storage media have high capacity, a backup tool with compression capabilities is a big plus, eliminating the inconvenience of multiple disks or large uploads.

　　E: Once you select your tools and a suitable medium, you need to find a remote place to store your backups. The options are endless. However, no matter where you choose, be sure the site is secure, easily accessible, and a good distance away from your home. You may also want to consider using an Internet-based backup service. More and more service providers are offering storage space on their servers, and uploading files to a remote location has become an attractive alternative to conventional offsite storage. Of course, before using one of these services, make certain you completely trust the service provider and its security methods. Whatever you do, schedule backups regularly and store them far away from your home.

　　Come What May: Handling the Garden Variety Computer Crisis

　　F: Not all home computer damage results from physical disaster. Many less menacing problems can also hobble your PC or destroy your information. Systems crash, kids "rearrange" data, adults inadvertently files. Although these events might not seem calamitous, they can have serious implications. So, once again, its important to be prepared. As with physical disasters, regular backups are essential. However, some of these smaller issues require a response thats more nuanced than wholesale backup and restoration. To deal with less-than-total disaster, your tool set must be both powerful and agile. For example, when a small number of files are compromised, you may want to retrieve those files alone. Meanwhile, if just your settings are affected, youll want a simple way to roll back to your preferred setup. Yet, should your operating system fail, youll need a way to boot your computer and perform large-scale recovery. Computer crises come in all shapes and sizes, and your backup and recovery tools must be flexible enough to meet each challenge.

　　The Right Tools for the Right Job: Gearing up for Disaster

　　G: When disaster strikes, the quality of your backup tools can make the difference between utter frustration and peace of mind. Symantec understands this and offers a range of top quality backup and recovery solutions. Norton GoBack is the perfect tool for random system crashes, failed installations, and inadvertent deletions. With this powerful and convenient solution, its simple to retrieve overwritten files or to bring your system back to its pre-crash state. Norton Ghost is a time-tested home office solution. Equipped to handle full-scale backups, its also handy for cloning hard drives and facilitating system upgrades. A favorite choice for IT professionals, its the ideal tool for the burgeoning home office. You can buy Norton Ghost and Norton GoBack separately, or get them both when you purchase Norton System Works.

　　H: Lifes disasters, large and small, often catch us by surprise. However, with a little planning and the right tools, you can reduce those disasters to bumps in the road. So, dont wait another day. Buy a good set of disaster recovery tools, set up an automatic backup schedule, and perform a dry run every now and again. Then, rest easy.

　　1. You should take steps to recover from computer disasters so as to minimize their effects.

　　2. For some reason, computer disaster recovery is always ignored by many of us.

　　3. You can bounce back quickly and easily minor computer disasters with the help of a good offsite storage plan and the right tools.

　　4. The most devastating causes of personal computer destruction includes house fires and floods.

　　5. Its necessary for us to back up our systems to some transferable medium and to put it somewhere else.

　　6. You should find a distant place to store your backups after selecting your tools and a suitable medium.

　　7. Not only physical disaster can damage your computer.

　　8. The backup and recovery tools must be flexible enough to deal with various computer crises.

　　9. The quality of your backup tools determines whether you are frustrated or have a peaceful mind when disaster strikes.

　　10. You should prepare for your computer disasters now and again.

　　1. A

　　根据题干中的信息词recover from computer disasters定位到本文的第一段。

　　2. B

　　根据题干中的信息词computer disaster recovery和many of us定位到本文的第二段第11句话，computer disaster recovery is a blind spot for many of us。

　　3. B

　　根据题干中的信息词offsite storage plan and the right tools定位到本文的第二段倒数第二句话。

　　4. C

　　根据题干中的信息词most devastating causes定位到第一个小标题下第一段的第一句话可知原文提到了家庭火灾和水灾是个人电脑危机的最具毁灭性的根源。

　　5. C

　　根据题干中的信息词back up our system及medium定位到第一个小标题下第一段的最后一句话。

　　6. E

　　根据题干中的信息词find a remote place to store your backups定位到第一个小标题下第三段的第一句话。

　　7. F

　　根据题干中的'信息词physical disaster定位到第二个小标题下的前两句话。

　　8. F

　　根据题干中的信息词backup and recovery tools及computer crises定位到第二个小标题下的最后一句话。

　　9. G

　　根据题干中的信息词The quality of your backup tools和frustrated定位到第三个小标题下第一段的第一句话。

　　10.H

　　根据题干中的信息词prepare for your computer，总结文章最后一段大意即可找到答案。

　　12月大学英语六级阅读考前习题及参考答案 7

　　I live in the land of Disney， Hollywood and year-round sun. You may think people in such a glamorous， fun-filled place are happier than others. If so， you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness.

　　Many intelligent people still equate happiness with fun. The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during an act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It is a deeper， more abiding emotion.

　　Going to an amusement park or ball game， watching a movie or television， are fun activities that help us relax， temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. But they do not bring happiness， because their positive effects end when the fun ends.

　　I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play， it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun. These rich， beautiful individuals have constant access to glamorous parties， fancy cars， expensive homes， everything that spells “happiness”。 But in memoir after memoir， celebrities reveal the unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun： depression， alcoholism， drug addiction， broken marriages， troubled children and profound loneliness.

　　Ask a bachelor why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he‘s honest， he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun， adventure and excitement. Marriage has such moments， but they are not its most distinguishing features.

　　Similarly， couples that choose not to have children are deciding in favor of painless fun over painful happiness. They can dine out ever they want and sleep as late as they want. Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night‘s sleep or a three-day vacation. I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children.

　　Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations we can ever come to. It liberates time： now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money： buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy： we now understand that all those rich and glamorous people we were so sure are happy because they are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.

　　1.Which of the following is true?

　　A.Fun creates long-lasting satisfaction.

　　B.Fun provides enjoyment while pain leads to happiness.

　　C.Happiness is enduring whereas fun is short-lived.

　　D.Fun that is long-standing may lead to happiness.

　　2.To the author， Hollywood stars all have an important role to play that is to __.

　　A.rite memoir after memoir about their happiness.

　　B.tell the public that happiness has nothing to do with fun.

　　C.teach people how to enjoy their lives.

　　D.bring happiness to the public instead of going to glamorous parties.

　　3.In the author‘s opinion， marriage___.

　　A.affords greater fun.