1998年6月大学英语六级(CET-6)真题试卷
Part I Listening Comprehension (20 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section you will hear 10 short conversations. At the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the question will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four suggested answers marked A)，B)，C), and D) and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
Example:
You will hear:
You will read:
A) 2 hours.
B) 3 hours.
C) 4 hours.
D) 5 hours.
From the conversation we know that the two are talking about some work they will start at 9 o’clock in the morning and have to finish at 2 in the afternoon. Therefore, D)“5 hours” is the correct answer. You should choose [D] on the Answer Sheet and mark it with a single line through the center.
Sample Answer [A] [B] [C] [D]
1. A) He thinks that there won’t be enough sets for everybody.
B) He thinks that the speaker won’t show up.
C) He thinks the seminar won’t be open to the public.
D) He thinks that there might not be any more tickets available.
2. A) Their father is unable to keep his promise.
B) Their father is going on a vacation without her.
C) Their father isn’t telling her the truth.
D) Their father doesn’t want to travel abroad.
3. A) John didn’t pass, although he had tried his best.
B) John did better than he thought he was able to.
C) John got an excellent score, which was unexpected.
D) John was disappointed at his math score.
4. A) The roof of the woman’s house needs to be repaired.
B) The roof of the man’s house has several bad leaks.
C) The woman’s bathroom was badly damaged.
D) The man works for a roofing company.
5. A) Mr. Smith will be replaced if he makes another mistake.
B) Mr. Smith is an admirable chief of the Asian Department.
C) Mr. Smith’s department is more successful than all the others.
D) Mr. Smith is seldom in his office.
6. A) She don’t have a fax machine.
B) She may quit her present job soon.
C) She is tired of her present job.
D) Her phone number has changed.
7. A) Someone has taken her luggage.
B) Her flight is 50 minutes late.
C) Her luggage has been delayed.
D) She can’t find the man she’s been waiting for.
8. A) To do whatever the committee asks him to.
B) To make decisions in agreement with the committee.
C) To run the committee his way.
D) To make himself the committee chairman.
9. A) The woman found the mail box empty.
B) The man is waiting for some important mail.
C) The man has just sent out his application.
D) The woman will write a postcard to her daughter.
10. A) Read the operation manual.
B) Try the buttons one by one.
C) Ask the shop assistant for advice.
D) Make the machine run slowly.
Section B
Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
Passage one
Questions 11 to 14 are based on the passage you have just heard.
11. A) They were drawing pictures.
B) They were watching TV.
C) They were making a telephone call.
D) They were tidying up the drawing room.
12. A) They locked the couple up in the drawing room.
B) They seriously injured the owners of the house.
C) They smashed the TV set and the telephone.
D) They took away sixteen valuable paintings.
13. A) He accused them of the theft.
B) He raised the rents.
C) He refused to prolong their land lease.
D) He forced them to abandon their traditions.
14. A) They wanted to protect the farmers’ interests.
B) They wanted to extend the reservation area for birds.
C) They wanted to steal his valuable paintings.
D) They wanted to drive him away from the island.
Passage Two
Questions 15 to 17 are based on the passage you have just heard.
15. A) Through food.
B) Through air.
C) Through insects.
D) Through body fluids.
16. A) They ran a high fever.
B) They died from excessive bleeding.
C) Their nervous system was damaged.
D) They suffered from heart-attack.
17. A) To see what happened to the survivors of the outbreak.
B) To study animals that can also get infected with the disease.
C) To find out where the virus originates.
D) To look for the plants that could cure the disease.
Passage Three
Questions 18 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.
18. A) To determine whether the Earth’s temperature is going up.
B) To study the behavior of some sea animals.
C) To measure the depths of the ocean.
D) To measure the movement of waves in the ocean.
19. A) They were frightened and distressed.
B) They swam away when the speaker was turned on.
C) They swam closer to “examine” the speaker when it was turned off.
D) They didn’t seem to be frightened and kept swimming near the speaker.
20. A) To attract more sea animals to the testing site.
B) To drive dangerous sea animals away from the testing site.
C) To help trace the sea animals being tested.
D) To determine how sea animals communicate with each other.

Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)
Directions: There are 4 reading passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A)，B), C), and D). You should divide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.
Cyberspace (网络空间)， data superhighways, mullet media-for those who have seen the future, the linking of computers, television and telephones will change our lives for ever, Yet for all the talk of a forthcoming technological utopia (乌托邦) little attention has been given to the implications of these developments for the poor. As with all new high technology, while the West concerns itself with the “how,” the question of “for whom” is put aside once again.
Economists are only now realizing the full extent to which the communications revolution has affected the world economy. Information technology allows the extension of trade across geographical and industrial boundaries, and transitional corporations take full advantage of it. Terms of trade, exchange and interest rates and money movements are more important than the production of goods. The electronic economy made possible by information technology allows the haves to increase their control on global markets-with destructive impact on the have-nots.
For them the result is instability. Developing countries which rely on the production of a small range of goods for export are made to feel like small parts in the international economic machine. As “futures”(期货) are traded on computer screens, developing countries simply have less and less control of their destinies.
So what are the options for regaining control? One alternative is for developing countries to buy in the latest computers and telecommunications themselves-so-called “development communications” modernization. Yet this leads to long-term dependency and perhaps permanent constraints on developing countries’ economies.
Communications technology is generally exported from the U.S., Europe or Japan; the patents, skills and ability to manufacture remain in the hands of a few industrialized countries, It is also expensive, and imported products and services must therefore be bought on credit-credit usually provided by the very countries whose companies stand to gain.
Furthermore, when new technology is introduced there is often too low a level of expertise to exploit it for native development. This means that while local elites, foreign communities and subsidiaries of transitional corporations may benefit, those lives depend on access to the information are denied it.
21. From the passage we know that the development of high technology is in the interests of ________.
A) the rich countries
B) scientific development
C) the elite
D) the world economy
22. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A) international trade should be expanded
B) the interests of the poor countries have not been given enough consideration
C) the exports of the poor countries should be increased
D) communications technology in the developing countries should be modernized
23. Why does the author say that the electronic economy may have a destructive impact on developing countries?
A) Because it enables the developed countries to control the international market.
B) Because it destroys the economic balance of the poor countries.
C) Because it violates the national boundaries of the poor countries.
D) Because it inhibits the industrial growth of developing countries.
24. The development of modern communications technology in developing countries may ________.
A) hinder their industrial production
B) cause them to lose control of their trade
C) force them to reduce their share of exports
D) cost them their economic independence
25. The author’s attitude toward the communications revolution is ________.
A) positive
B) critical
C) indifferent
D) tolerant

Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.
The estimates of the numbers of home-schooled children vary widely. The U.S. Department of Education estimates there are 250,000 to 35,000 home-schooled children in the country. Hone-school advocates put the number much higher-at about a million.
Many public school advocates take a harsh attitude toward home schoolers, perceiving their actions as the ultimate slap in the face for public education and a damaging move for the children. Home schoolers harbor few kind words for public schools, charging shortcomings that range from lack of religious perspective in the curriculum to a herd-like approach to teaching children.
Yet, as public school officials realize they stand little to gain by remaining hostile to the home-school population, and as home schoolers realize they can reap benefits from public schools, these hard lines seem to be softening a bit. Public schoolers have moved closer to tolerance and, in some cases, even cooperation.
Says John Marshall, an education official, “We are becoming relatively tolerant of home schoolers. “The idea is, ‘Let’s give the kids access to public school so they’ll see it’s not as terrible as they’ve been told, and they’ll want to come back.
Perhaps, but don’t count on it, say home-school advocates. Home schoolers, oppose the system because they have strong convictions that their approach to education-whether fueled by religious enthusiasm or the individual child’s interests and natural pace-is best.
“The bulk of home schoolers just want to be left alone,” says Enge Cannon, associate director of the National Center For Home Education. She says home schoolers choose that path for a variety of reasons, but religion plays a role 85 percent of the time.
Professor Van Galen breaks home schoolers into two groups. Some home schoolers want their children to learn not only traditional subject matter but also “strict religious doctrine and a conservative political and social perspective. Not incidentally, they also want their children to learn-both intellectually and emotionally-that the family is the most important institution in society. “
Other home schoolers contend “not so much that the schools teach heresy (异端邪说), but that schools teach whatever they teach inappropriately,” Van Galen writes. “These parents are highly independent and strive to ‘take responsibility’ for their own lives within a society that they define as bureaucratic and inefficient.”
26. According to the passage, home schoolers are ________.
A) those who engage private teachers to provide additional education for their children
B) those who educate their children at home instead of sending them to school
C) those who advocate combining public education with home schooling
D) those who don’t go to school but are educated at home by their parents
27. Public schools are softening their position on home schooling because ________.
A) there isn’t much they can go to change the present situation
B) they want to show their tolerance for different situation
C) home schooling provides a new variety of education for children
D) public schools have so many problems that they cannot offer proper education for all children
28. Home-school advocates are of the opinion that ________.
A) things in public schools are not so bad as has often been said
B) their tolerance of public education will attract more kids to public schools
C) home schooling is superior and, therefore, they will not easily give in
D) their increased cooperation with public school will bring about the improvement of public education
29. Most home schoolers’ opposition to public education stems from their ________.
A) respect for the interest of individuals
B) worry about the inefficiency of public schools
C) concern with the cost involved
D) devotion to religion
30. According to Van Galen some home schoolers believe that ________.
A) public schools take up a herd-like approach to teaching children
B) teachers in public school are not as responsible as they should be
C) public schools cannot provide an education that is good enough for their children
D) public schools are the source of bureaucracy and inefficiency in modern society

Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.
Every year television stations receive hundreds of complaints about the loudness of advertisements. However, federal rules forbid the practice of making ads louder than the programming. In addition, television stations always operate at the highest sound level allowed for reasons of efficiency. According to one NBC executive, no difference exists in the peak sound level of ads and programming. Given this information why do commercials sound so loud?
The sensation of sound involves a variety of factors in addition to its speak level. Advertisers are skilful at creating the impression of loudness through their expert use of such factors. One major contributor to the perceived loudness of commercials is that mush less variation in sound level occurs during a commercial. In regular programming the intensity of sound varies over a large range. However, sound levels in commercials tend to stay at or near peak levels.
Other “tricks of the trade” are also used. Because low-frequency sounds can mask higher frequency sounds, advertisers filter out any noises that may drown out the primary message. In addition, the human voice has more auditory (听觉的) impact in the middle frequency ranges. Advertisers electronically vary voice sounds so that they stay within such a frequency band. Another approach is to write the script so that lots of consonants (辅音) are used, because people are more aware of consonants than vowel (元音) sounds. Finally, advertisers try to begin commercials with sounds that are highly different from those of the programming within which the commercial is buried. Because people become adapted to the type of sounds coming from programming, a dramatic change in sound quality draws viewer a attention. For example, notice how many commercials begin with a cheerful song of some type.
The attention-getting property of commercials can be seen by observing one-to two-year-old children who happen to be playing around a television set. They may totally ignore the programming. However, when a commercial comes on, their attention is immediately drawn to it because of its dramatic sound quality.

31. According to the passage, the maximum intensity of sound coming from commercials ________.
A) does not exceed that of programs
B) is greater than that of programs
C) varies over a large range than that of programs
D) is less than that of programs
32. Commercials create the sensation of loudness because ________.
A) TV stations always operate at the highest sound levels
B) their sound levels are kept around peak levels
C) their sound levels are kept in the middle frequency ranges
D) unlike regular programs their intensity of sound varies over a wide range
33. Many commercials begin with a cheerful song of some kind because ________.
A) pop songs attract viewer attention
B) it can increase their loudness
C) advertisers want to make them sound different from regular programs
D) advertisers want to merge music with commercials
34. One of the reasons why commercials are able to attract viewer attention is that ________.
A) the human voices in commercials have more auditory impact
B) people like cheerful songs that change dramatically in sound quality
C) high-frequency sounds are used to mask sounds that drown out the primary message
D) they possess sound qualities that make the viewer feel that something unusual is happening
35. In the passage, the author is trying to tell us ________.
A) how TV ads vary vocal sounds to attract attention
B) how the loudness of TV ads is overcome
C) how advertisers control the sound properties of TV ads
D) how the attention-getting properties of sounds are made use of in TV ads

Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.
In the United States, the need to protect plant and animal species has become a highly controversial and sharply political issue since the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973. The act, designed to protect species’ living areas, and policies that preserve land and forests compete with economic interests. In the 1990’s, for example, the woodcutters in the Western United States were challenged legally in their attempt to cut trees for timber in the Cascade Mountains. The challenge was mounted to protect the endangered spotted owl (猫头鹰), whose remaining population occupies these forests and requires the intact, ancient forest for survival. The problematic situation set the interests of environmentalists against those of corporations and of individuals who stood to lose jobs. After months of debate and legal battles, the fate of the woodcutters-and the owls-was still undecided in mid-1992.
Similar tensions exist between the developed and the developing nations. Many people in industrialized nations, for example, believe that developing nations in tropical regions should do more to protect their rain forests and other natural areas. But the developing countries may be impoverished (使穷困), with populations growing so rapidly that using the land is a means to temporarily avoid worsening poverty and starvation.
Many of the changes to Earth that concern scientists have the potential to rob the planet of its biological richness. The destruction of Earth’s ozone layer (臭氧层), for example, could contribute to the general process of impoverishment by allowing ultra-violet rays to harm plants and animals. And global warming could wipe out species unable to quickly adapt to changing climates. Clearly, protecting will come only through coordinated international efforts to control human population, stabilize the composition of the atmosphere, and preserve intact Earth’s complex web life.

36. Why does the author say that the protection of endangered species is a highly controversial issue?
A) Because people can’t agree as to what species to protect.
B) Because it is difficult to find an effective way to protect such species.
C) Because it affects the interests of certain groups of people.
D) Because it is a major problem involving a series of legal procedures.
37. According to the passage, the preservation of rain forests ________.
A) may hamper a developing country in its fight against poverty
B) benefits developed countries rather than developing countries
C) should take priority over the control of human population
D) will help improve the living conditions in developing countries
38. According to the passage, cutting tress to grow more food ________.
A) will widen the gap between the developed and the developing countries
B) is but a short-term relief to the food problem
C) can hardly alleviate the shortage of food
D) proves to be an effective way out for impoverished nations
39. Among “humanity’s current problems” (Line 6, Para. 3), the chief concern of the scientists is ________.
A) the impoverishment of developing countries
B) the explosion of the human population
C) the reduction of biological diversity
D) the effect of global warming
40. The author’s purpose in writing this passage is ________.
A) to describe the difficulties in solving humanity’s current problems
B) to present the different views on humanity’s current problems
C) to analyze the contradiction between countries in dealing with humanity’s current problems
D) to point out that humanity’s current problems can only be solved through the cooperation of nations

Part III Vocabulary (20 minutes)
Directions: There are 30 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there are four choices marked A)，B), C), and D). Choose the ONE that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
41. The directions were so ________ that it was impossible to complete the assignment.
A) ingenious
B) ambitious
C) notorious
D) ambiguous
42. Because a degree form a good university is the means to a better job, education is one of the most ________ areas in Japanese life.
A) sophisticated
B) competitive
C) considerate
D) superficial
43. If a person talks about his weak points, his listener is expected to say something in the way of ________.
A) persuasion
B) remedy
C) encouragement
D) compromise
44. Her interest in redecorating the big house kept her ________ for a whole week.
A) constrained
B) dominated
C) restricted
D) occupied
45. If we ________ our relations with that country, we’ll have to find another supplier of raw materials.
A) diffuse
B) diminish
C) terminate
D) preclude
46. Movie directors use music to ________ the action on the screen.
A) contaminate
B) compliment
C) contemplate
D) complement
47. A terrible traffic accident happened; people were saddened when they watched the ________ sight on TV.
A) panic
B) patriotic
C) pathetic
D) periodic
48. Many tourists were ________ by the city’s complicated traffic system.
A) degraded
B) bewildered
C) evoked
D) diverted
49. Over the last fifteen years, running has become a popular ________ for 30 million participants of all ages.
A) fantasy
B) pastime
C) symposium
D) penalty
50. Some people think that a ________ translation, or word-for-word translation, is easier than a free translation.
A) literal
B) literary
C) liberal
D) linear
51. Many novels that attempt to mirror the world are really ________ of the reality that they represent.
A) reflections
B) demonstrations
C) illuminations
D) reproductions
52. It is through learning that the individual ________ many habitual ways of reacting to situations.
A) retains
B) gains
C) achieves
D) acquires
53. Generally, it is only when animals are trapped that they ________ to violence in order to escape.
A) proceed
B) appeal
C) resort
D) incline
54. Mary once ________ with another musician to compose a piece of pop music.
A) merged
B) collaborated
C) coincided
D) constituted
55. During their fist teacher training year, the students often visited local schools for the ________ of lessons.
A) observation
B) investigation
C) inspection
D) examination
56. He attends to the ________ of important business himself.
A) transaction
B) transition
C) transmission
D) transformation
57. Out of ________ revenge, he did his worst to blacken her character and ruin her reputation.
A) perfect
B) total
C) sheer
D) integral
58. A most ________ argument about who should go and fetch the bread from the kitchen was going on when I came in.
A) trivial
B) delicate
C) minor
D) miniature
59. The children cheered up when they saw hundreds of colorful balloons ________ slowly into the sky.
A) floating
B) raising
C) heaving
D) ascending
60. Do you have any ________ about what living beings on other planets would be like?
A) ideal
B) comprehension
C) notion
D) intelligence
61. We rarely perceive more than a minute ________ of the sights and sounds that fall upon our sense organs; the great majority pass us by.
A) fiction
B) function
C) fraction
D) friction
62. For many patients, institutional care is the most ________ and beneficial form of care.
A) persistent
B) appropriate
C) thoughtful
D) sufficient
63. It’s pleasure for him to ________ his energy and even his life to research work.
A) dedicate
B) dictate
C) decorate
D) direct
64. They are well ________ with each other since they once studied in the same university.
A) identified
B) recognized
C) acknowledged
D) acquainted
65. There is a ________ difference in meaning between the words surroundings and environment.
A) gentle
B) subtle
C) feeble
D) humble
66. All the finished products are stored in a ________ of the delivery port and shipping is available at any time.
A) garage
B) cabinet
C) capsule
D) warehouse
67. when he tried to make a ________, he found that the hotel was completely filled because of a convention.
A) reservation
B) claim
C) mess
D) revision
68. Parents take a great interest in the ________ questions braised by their children.
A) nasty
B) naive
C) obscure
D) offensive
69. Although it was his first experience as chairman, be ________ over the meeting with great skill.
A) presided
B) administered
C) mastered
D) executed
70. Both parties promised to ________ the contract to be signed the following day.
A) keep with
B) tangle with
C) adhere to
D) devote to

Part IV Short Answer Questions (15 minutes)
Directions: In this part there is a short passage with five questions or incomplete statements. Read the Passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest Possible words (not exceeding 10 words)
Most Americans spend far more of their leisure time with the mass media than in any other occupation. In addition, most of us hear, see, or read some of the media while engaged in other activities. Thus an extremely large number of our waking hours are spent with the mass media. Of all the media, television is clearly dominant, with newspapers a close second, at least as a source of news and other information. Our exposure to all media is important, however, because all of them contribute materials for the construction of that world in our heads. For most people, increased use of one medium does not decrease use of another. In fact, in certain cases, and especially for certain purposes, the more one uses one medium, the more likely one is to use others.
There are various factors that can cause you to expose yourself to the media selectively, avoiding much of the material with which you disagree. Some of that selective exposure is probably due to the psychological pressure you feel to avoid the discomfort caused by confrontation with facts and ideas contrary to your beliefs, attitudes, or behavior. However, some selective exposure is not due to the pressure for consistency but to other factors, such as your age, education, and even the area in which you live and the people with whom you associate.
Quite a different sort of factor that affects your media experiences is the social context of exposure: whether you are alone or with others when you are exposed to a medium; whether you are at home, at the office, in a theater, and soon. These contexts are as much as a potential part of the message you will form as film images on the screen or words on the page. In addition, that social context affects—both directly and indirectly—the media and the media content to which you become exposed. New friends or colleagues get you interested in different things. Other members of the family often select media content that you would not have selected, and you become exposed to it.
There various factors have so much influence on your media exposure that so little of that exposure is planned.

Questions: (注意: 答题尽量简短，超过10个词要扣分。每条横线限写一个英语单词，标点符号不占格。)

S1. Exposure to all media is important and people sometimes tend to use more media if ________.

S2. Why are newspapers considered as an important medium according to passage?

S3. For one reason or another, people’s exposure to the media is often ________.

S4. Apart from personal preferences, what determines one’s choice of the media and media content?

S5. The last sentence of the passage indicates that one’s exposure to the media is ________.

Part V Writing (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed thirty minutes to write a composition on the topic Do “Lucky Numbers” Really Good Luck? You should write at least 120 words and you should base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below:
1. 有些人认为某些数学会带来好运。
2. 我认为数学和运气无关，...
Do “Lucky Numbers” Really Bring Good Luck?

1998年6月六级参考答案

Part I

Part II

Part III

S1. They want to know more about the world.
S2. Because they are a source of news and information.
S3. selective and influenced by different factors.
S4. Social context of exposure.
S5. hardly planned.