1995年1月大学英语六级(CET-6)真题试卷

Part I Listening Comprehension (20 minutes)
Section A
1. A) She was given a new job.
B) She was given a raise.
C) She was criticized for being late.
D) She was praised for her hard work.
2. A) Whether to employ the woman.
B) Whether to take up the new job.
C) Whether to ask for a raise.
D) Whether to buy a new house.
3. A) A teacher.
B) A psychologist.
C) A librarian.
D) A publisher.
4. A) To visit more places in the city.
B) To take a lot of pictures of the beautiful city.
C) To take some pictures of his friends.
D) To spare some time to meet his friends.
5. A) In town.
B) Out of town.
C) In the man’s house.
D) Outside Ann’s house.
6. A) Because she feels very hot in the room.
B) Because she wants to avoid meeting people.
C) Because she wants to smoke a cigarette outside.
D) Because she doesn’t like the smell of smoke inside.
7. A) Painters hired by the man and woman.
B) Painters hired by Mr. Jones.
C) Mr. Jones.
D) The man and the woman.
8. A) The woman enjoyed the movie very much.
B) The woman saw a horror movie.
C) The man asked the woman to be careful at night.
D) The man went to the show with the woman.
9. A) He doesn’t write well enough.
B) He is not a professional writer.
C) He hasn’t got any professional experience.
D) He didn’t perform well in the interview.
10. A) He doesn’t think it necessary to refuel the car.
B) He can manage to get the gasoline they need.
C) He hopes the woman will help him select a fuel.
D) He thinks it is difficult to get fuel for the car.
Section B
Passage One
Questions 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.
11. A) Because they can’t afford to.
B) Because they think small houses are more comfortable to live in.
C) Because big houses are usually built in the countryside.
D) Because they prefer apartments.
12. A) Because many young people have moved into comfortable apartments.
B) Because many old houses in the bad part of the town are not inhabited.
C) Because many older people sell their houses after their children leave.
D) Because many people have quit their old house to build new ones.
13. A) They have to do their own maintenance.
B) They have to furnish their own houses.
C) They will find it difficult to make the rest of the payment.
D) They will find it difficult to dispose of their old-style furniture.
Passage Two
Questions 14 to 16 are based on the passage you have just heard.
14. A) They are not active hunters.
B) They don’t sleep much.
C) They are often seen alone.
D) They don’t eat much.
15. A) To catch the birds.
B) To look for shade in the heat of the day.
C) To catch other animals.
D) To look for a kill made by another animal.
16. A) They are larger in size.
B) They have to hunt more to feed the young.
C) They run faster.
D) They are not as lazy as the males.
Passage Three
Questions 17 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.
17. A) Less than 30 minutes.
B) From 30 to 45 minutes.
C) At least 45 minutes.
D) More than 45 minutes.
18. A) He should show respect for the interviewer.
B) He should show confidence in himself.
C) He should talk enthusiastically.
D) He should be dressed properly.
19. A) Speaking confidently but not aggressively.
B) Talking loudly to give a lasting impression.
C) Talking a lot about the job.
D) Speaking politely and emotionally.
20. A) Professional knowledge is a decisive factor in job interview.
B) Finding a job is more difficult than one can imagine.
C) A job seeker should create a good image during an interview.
D) Self-confidence is most important for a job seeker.

Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
The process of perceiving other people is rarely translated (to ourselves or others) into cold, objective terms. “She was 5 feet 8 inches tall, had fair hair, and wore a colored skirt.” More often, we try to get inside the other person to pinpoint his or her attitudes, emotions, motivations, abilities, ideas and characters. Furthermore, we sometimes behave as if we can accomplish this difficult job very quickly-perhaps with a two-second glance.
We try to obtain information about others in many ways. Berger suggests several methods for reducing uncertainties about others: watching, without being noticed, a person interacting with others, particularly with others who are known to you so you can compare the observed person’s behavior with the known others’ behavior; observing a person in a situation where social behavior is relatively unrestrained or where a wide variety of behavioral responses are called for; deliberately structuring the physical or social environment so as to observe the person’s responses to specific stimuli; asking people who have had or have frequent contact with the person about him or her; and using various strategies in face-to-face interaction to uncover information about another person-questions, self-disclosures (自我表露), and so on. Getting to know someone is a never-ending task, largely because people are constantly changing and the methods we use to obtain information are often imprecise. You may have known someone for ten years and still know very little about him. If we accept the idea that we won’t ever fully know another person, it enables us to deal more easily with those things that get in the way of accurate knowledge such as secrets and deceptions. It will also keep us from being too surprised or shocked by seemingly inconsistent behavior. Ironically (讽刺性地) those things that keep us from knowing another person too well (e.g., secrets and deceptions) may be just as important to the development of satisfying relationship as those things that enable us to obtain accurate knowledge about a person (e.g., disclosure and truthful statements).
21. The word “pinpoint” (Para. 1, Line 3) basically means ________.
A) appreciate
B) obtain
C) interpret
D) identify
22. What do we learn from the first paragraph?
A) People are better described in cold, objective terms.
B) The difficulty of getting to know a person is usually underestimated.
C) One should not judge people by their appearances.
D) One is usually subjective when assessing other people’s personality.
23. It can be inferred from Berger’s suggestions that ________.
A) people do not reveal their true self on every occasion
B) in most cases we should avoid contacting the observed person directly
C) the best way to know a person is by making comparisons
D) face-to-face interaction is the best strategy to uncover information about a person
24. In developing personal relationships, secrets and deceptions, in the author’s opinion, are ________.
A) personal matters that should be seriously dealt with
B) barriers that should be done away with
C) as significant as disclosures and truthful statements
D) things people should guard against
25. The author’s purpose in writing the passage is ________.
A) to give advice on appropriate conduct for social occasions
B) to provide ways of how to obtain information about people
C) to call the reader’s attention to the negative side of people’s characters
D) to discuss the various aspects of getting to know people

Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
The competition among producers of personal computers is essentially a race to get the best, most innovative products to the marketplace. Marketers in this environment frequently have to make a judgement as to their competitors’ role when making marketing strategy decisions. If major competitors are changing their products, then a marketer may want to follow suit to remain competitive. Apple Computer, Inc. has introduced two new, faster personal computers, the Mackintosh II and Mackintosh SE, in anticipation of the introduction of a new PC by IBM, one of Apple’s major competitors.
Apple’s new computers are much faster and more powerful than its earlier models. The improved Mackintosh is able to run programs that previously were impossible to run on an Apple PC, including IBM-compatible (兼容的) programs. This compatibility feature illustrates computer manufactures’ new attitude of giving customers the features they want. Making Apple computers capable of running IBM software is Apple’s effort at making the Mackintosh compatible with IBM computers and thus more popular in the office, where Apple hopes to increase sales. Users of the new Apple can also add accessories (附件) to make their machines specialize in specific uses, such as engineering and writing.
The new computers represent a big improvement over past models, but they also cost much more. Company officials do not think the higher price will slow down buyers who want to step up to a more powerful computer. Apple wants to stay in the high-price end of the personal computer market to finance research for even faster, more sophisticated computers.
Even though Apple and IBM are major competitors, both companies realize that their competitor’s computers have certain features that their own models do not. The Apple line has always been popular for its sophisticated color graphics (图形), whereas the IBM machines have always been favored in offices. In the future, there will probably be more compatibility between the two companies’ products, which no doubt will require that both Apple and IBM change marketing strategies.
26. According to the passage, Apple Computer, Inc, has introduced the Mackintosh II and the Mackintosh SE because ________.
A) IBM is changing its computer models continuously
B) it wants to make its machines specialize in specific uses
C) it wants to stay ahead of IBM in the competitive computer market
D) it expects its major competitor IBM to follow its example
27. Apple hopes to increase Mackintosh sales chiefly by ________.
A) making its new models capable of running IBM software
B) improving the color graphics of its new models
C) copying the marketing strategies of IBM
D) giving the customers what they want
28. Apple sells its new computer models at a high price because ________.
A) they have new features and functions
B) they are more sophisticated than other models
C) they have new accessories attached
D) it wants to accumulate funds for future research
29. It can be inferred from the passage that both Apple and IBM try to gain a competitive advantage by ________.
A) copying each other’s technology
B) incorporating features that make their products distinctive
C) making their computer more expensive
D) making their computers run much faster
30. The best title for the passage would be ________.
A) Apple’s Efforts to Stay Ahead of IBM
B) Apple’s New Computer Technology
C) Apple’s New personal Computers
D) Apple’s Research Activities

Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.
It is a curious paradox that we think of the physical sciences as “hard”, the social sciences as “soft”, and the biological sciences as somewhere in between. This is interpreted to mean that our knowledge of physical systems is more certain than our knowledge of biological systems, and these in turn are more certain than our knowledge of social systems. In terms of our capacity to sample the relevant universes, however, and the probability that our images of these universes are at least approximately correct, one suspects that a reverse order is more reasonable. We are able to sample earth’s social systems with some degree of confidence that we have a reasonable sample of the total universe being investigated. Our knowledge of social systems, therefore, while it is in many ways extremely inaccurate, is not likely to be seriously overturned by new discoveries. Even the folk knowledge in social systems on which ordinary life is based in earning, spending, organizing, marrying, taking part in political activities, fighting and so on, is not very dissimilar from the more sophisticated images of the social system derived from the social sciences, even though it is built upon the very imperfect samples of personal experience.
In contrast, our image of the astronomical universe, of even of earth’s geological history, can easily be subject to revolutionary changes as new data comes in and new theories are worked out. If we define the “security” our image of various parts of the total system as the probability of their suffering significant changes, then we would reverse the order of hardness and see the social sciences as the most secure, the physical sciences as the least secure, and again the biological sciences as somewhere in between. Our image of the astronomical universe is the least secure of all simply because we observe such a fantastically small sample of it and its record-keeping is trivial as compared with the rich records of the social systems, or even the limited records of biological systems. Records of the astronomical universe, despite the fact that we see distant things as they were long ago, are limited in the extreme.
Even in regard to such a close neighbour as the moon, which we have actually visited, theories about its origin and history are extremely different, contradictory, and hard to choose among. Our knowledge of physical evolution is incomplete and highly insecure.
31. The word “paradox” (Para. 1, Line 1) means “________”.
A) implication
B) contradiction
C) interpretation
D) confusion
32. According to the author, we should reverse our classification of the physical sciences as “hard” and the social sciences as “soft” because ________.
A) a reverse ordering will help promote the development of the physical sciences
B) our knowledge of physical systems is more reliable than that of social systems
C) our understanding of the social systems is approximately correct
D) we are better able to investigate social phenomena than physical phenomena
33. The author believes that our knowledge of social systems is more secure than that of physical systems because ________.
A) it is not based on personal experience
B) new discoveries are less likely to occur in social sciences
C) it is based on a fairly representative quantity of data
D) the records of social systems are more reliable
34. The chances of the physical sciences being subject to great changes are the biggest because ________.
A) contradictory theories keep emerging all the time
B) new information is constantly coming in
C) the direction of their development is difficult to predict
D) our knowledge of the physical world is inaccurate
35. We know less about the astronomical universe than we do about any social system because ________.
A) theories of its origin and history are varied
B) our knowledge of it is highly insecure
C) only a very small sample of it has been observed
D) few scientists are involved in the study of astronomy

Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following.
In the early days of nuclear power, the United States made money on it. But today opponents have so complicated its development that no nuclear plants have been ordered or built here in 12 years.
The greatest fear of nuclear power opponents has always been a reactor “meltdown” (堆内熔化). Today, the chances of a meltdown that would threaten U.S. public health are very little. But to even further reduce the possibility, engineers are testing new reactors that rely not on human judgement to shut them down but on the laws of nature. Now General Electric is already building two advanced reactors in Japan. But don’t expect them ever on U.S. shores unless things change in Washington.
The procedure for licensing nuclear power plants is a bad dream. Any time during, or even after, construction, an objection by any group or individual can bring everything to a halt while the matter is investigated or taken to court. Meanwhile, the builder must add nice-but-not-necessary improvements, some of which force him to knock down walls and start over. In every case where a plant has been opposed, the Nuclear Regulation Commission has ultimately granted a license to construct or operate. But the victory often costs so much that the utility ends up abandoning the plant anyway.
A case in point is the Shoreham plant on New York’s Long Island. Shoreham was a virtual twin to the Millstone plant in Connecticut, both ordered in the mid-’60s. Millstone, completed for $101 million, has been generating electricity for two decades. Shoreham, however, was singled out by anti-nuclear activists who, by sending in endless protests, drove the cost over $5 billion and delayed its use for many years.
Shoreham finally won its operation license. But the plant has never produced a watt of power. Governor Mario Cuomo, an opponent of a Shoreham start-up, used his power to force New York’s public-utilities commission to accept the following settlement; the power company could pass the cost of Shoreham along to its consumers only if it agreed not to operate the plant! Today, a perfectly good facility, capable of servicing hundreds of homes, sits rusting.
36. What has made the procedure for licensing nuclear power plants a bad dream?
A) The inefficiency of the Nuclear Regulation commission.
B) The enormous cost of construction and operation.
C) The length of time it takes to make investigations.
D) The objection of the opponents of nuclear power.
37. It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that ________.
A) it is not technical difficulties that prevent the building of nuclear power plants in the U.S.
B) there are not enough safety measures in the U.S. for running new nuclear power plants
C) there are already more nuclear power plants than necessary in the U.S.
D) the American government will not allow Japanese nuclear reactors to be installed in the U.S.
38. Any objection, however trivial it may be, can ________.
A) force the power companies to cancel the project
B) delay the construction or operation of a nuclear plant
C) cause a serious debate within the Nuclear Regulation Commission
D) take the builders to court
39. Governor Mario’s chief intention in proposing the settlement was to ________.
A) stop the Shoreham plant from going into operation
B) help the power company to solve its financial problems
C) urge the power company to further increase its power supply
D) permit the Shoreham plant to operate under certain conditions
40. The author’s attitude towards the development of nuclear power is ________.
A) negative
B) neutral
C) positive
D) questioning

Part III Vocabulary and Structure (20 minutes)
41. They ________ to enter the building by the back door; however, the front door was locked.
A) weren’t supposed
B) wouldn’t be supposed
C) were supposed
D) would be supposed
42. ________ human behavior may be caused by eating substances that upset the delicate chemical balance in the brain.
A) Deliberate
B) Consistent
C) Primitive
D) Abnormal
43. The captured criminals were ________ in chains through the streets.
A) exhibited
B) displayed
C) paraded
D) revealed
44. In reading stories we anticipate what is to come ________ on our memory of what has gone before.
A) based
B) basing
C) to base
D) to be based
45. The world’s governments have done ________ nothing to combat the threat of nuclear accidents.
A) inherently
B) vitally
C) virtually
D) identically
46. I guess Jones didn’t have a chance to win the election. Almost all of the people in the city voted for his ________.
A) candidate
B) opponent
C) alternative
D) participant
47. The background music in an assembly line is designed ________.
A) not being listened to
B) not to be listened to
C) being not listened to
D) to be not listened to
48. Teaching students of threshold level is hard work but the effort is very ________.
A) precious
B) rewarding
C) worth
D) challenging
49. The boy students in this school are nearly ________ as the girl students to say they intend to get a college degree in business.
A) as likely twice
B) likely as twice
C) as twice likely
D) twice as likely
50. The explorer lost his way so he climbed to the top of the hill to ________ himself.
A) spot
B) locate
C) place
D) situate
51. The city has decided to ________ smoking.
A) do away with
B) take away
C) get away with
D) put away
52. Perhaps it wouldn’t be ________ to go and see such a film.
A) worthy you while
B) worth of while
C) worthy of while
D) worth your while
53. The old building is in a good state of ________ except for the wooden floors.
A) observation
B) preservation
C) conservation
D) compensation
54. While some office jobs would seem ________ to many people, there are quite a few jobs that are stimulating, exciting and satisfying.
A) hostile
B) tedious
C) fantastic
D) courageous
55. ________ she wondered if she had made a mistake.
A) Not until long afterwards that
B) It was not until long afterwards that
C) Not long until afterwards
D) It was long afterwards until
56. The people who objected to the new approach were told that since work had already started there was no point in ________.
A) denying
B) upsetting
C) protesting
D) competing
57. The ceremony will ________ as soon as the minister arrives.
A) complete
B) commence
C) disperse
D) descend
58. So confused ________ that he didn’t know how to start his lecture.
A) since he became
B) would he become
C) that he became
D) did he become
59. Since the couple could not ________ their differences, they decided to get a divorce.
A) reconcile
B) comply
C) coincide
D) resign
60. After the collision, he examined the considerable ________ to his car.
A) ruin
B) destruction
C) damage
D) injury
61. Output is now six times ________ it was before 1990.
A) that
B) what
C) for which
D) of that
62. The heavily populated area was a breeding place for ________ diseases.
A) infectious
B) powerful
C) influential
D) suspicious
63. It is unfortunate that, owing to lack of money, these experiments must now be ________ before the objective has been achieved.
A) transferred
B) testified
C) terminated
D) transformed
64. The synthetic vitamins are identical ________ those naturally present in our food.
A) for
B) of
C) as
D) with
65. Just as a book is often judged ________ by the quality and appearance of its cover, a person is judged immediately by his appearance.
A) previously
B) uniquely
C) outwardly
D) initially
66. Recycling wastes slows down the rate ________ which we use up the Earth’s finite resources.
A) In
B) of
C) with
D) at
67. Gasoline is ________ by the spark plugs in the engine.
A) ignited
B) inspired
C) excited
D) illuminated
68. He ________ another career but, at the time, he didn’t have enough money to attend graduate school.
A) might have chosen
B) might choose
C) had to choose
D) must have chosen
69. Many visitors praised the magnificent architecture of the Palace, ________.
A) known to foreigners for the Forbidden City
B) known for foreigners to be the Forbidden City
C) known to foreigners as the Forbidden City
D) know for foreigners as the Forbidden City
70. The travelers ________ their journey after a short break.
A) recovered
B) resumed
C) renewed
D) restored

Part IV Error Correction (15 minutes)
Directions: This part consists of a short passage. In this passage, there are altogether 10 mistakes, one in each numbered line. You may have to change a word, add a word or delete a word. Mark out the mistakes and put the corrections in the blanks provided. If you change a word, cross it out and write the correct word in the corresponding blank. If you add a word, put an insertion mark (∧) in the right place and write the missing word in the blank. If you delete a word, cross it and put a slash (/) in the blank.

Example:

Television is rapidly becoming the literature of our periods╱. 1. time/times/period
Many of the arguments having╱used for the study of literature as 2. _____\___
a school subject are valid for ∧ study of television. 3. ______the____

We are all naturally attracted to people with ideas, beliefs and interests like our own. Similarly, we feel comfortable with people with physical qualities similar as ours. (71)

You may have noticed about how people who live or work (72) closely together come to behave in a similar way. Unconsciously we copy these we are close to or love or admire. So a sportsman’s (73) individual way of walking with raised shoulders is imitated by an admired (74) fan; a pair of lovers both shake their heads in the same way; an employer finds himself duplicating his boss’s habit of wagging (摆动) (75) a pen between his fingers while thinking.

In every case, the influential person may consciously notice the (76) imitation but he will feel comfortably in its presence. And if he does (77) notice the matching of his gestures or movements, he finds it pleasing he is influencing people; they are drawn to them. (78)

Sensitive people have been mirroring their friend and acquaintances (79) all their lives, and winning affection and respect in this way without aware of their methods. Now, for people who want to win (80) agreement or trust, affection or sympathy, some psychologists recommend the deliberate use of physical imitation.

Part V Writing (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed thirty minutes to write a composition on the topic My view on the Negative Effects of Some Advertisements. You should write at least 120 words and you should base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below:
1. 现在有些不良的商业广告
2. 这些广告的副作用和危害性
3. 我对这些广告的态度