大学英语六级考试特别预测卷1

Part II Listening Comprehension

Section A

Directions:

In this section, you will hear two long conversations.

At the end of each conversation, you will hear some questions.

Both the conversation 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 Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Now you will hear two long conversation.

Conversation One

W: Excuse me, could I ask you some questions?

M: Of course.

W: I work for an advertising agency and I`m doing some research.It`s for a new magazine, 

for people like you.

M: People like me? What do you mean?

W: People between 25 and 35 years old.

M: OK.

W: Right.Um, what do you do at the weekend? 

M: Well, on Fridays my wife always goes to her exercise class, then she visits friends.

W: Don`t you go out? 

M: Not on Fridays.I never go out on Fridays. I stay at home and watch television.

W: And on Saturdays?

M: On Saturdays my wife and I always go sailing together.

W: Really?

M: Mmm, we love it.We never miss it.And then in the evening we go out.

W: Where to?

M: Different places.We sometimes go and see friends, we sometimes go to the cinema or a restaurant, 

but we always go out on Saturday evenings.

W: I see.And now, Sunday? What happens on Sundays?

M: Nothing special.We often go for a walk and I always cook a big Sunday lunch.

W: Oh, how often do you do the cooking? 

M: Um,twice a week, three times a week.

W: Thank you very much.All I need now are your personal details, your name, job and so on.

What`s your surname? 

M: Robinson. 

Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

Questions 1

What is the main purpose of the research?

Questions 2

What does the man do on Fridays?

Questions 3

On which day does the couple always do something special?

Conversation Two

W: What are you reading, Bill? 

M: It`s this weeks New Scientist, why？ 

W: I was just wondering.

   It looks interesting. But I`ve never actually read it myself.

   It`s for real scientists—or can ordinary people like me understand it?

M: Oh, it`s for anyone really.

   It usually has many stories about famous scientists as  well as papers about new 

scientific development and research.

   I am reading about new telephone that allows you to see 

the person you are speaking to as well as hear him.

W: Oh, I`ve heard about it.Is it on the market yet? Can I buy one? 

M: No, not this one.But the company has made other models to try out on business.

   This one is special because its image is colorful moving.

W: Oh, that`s interesting. 

M: You see, the first video phones were made in Japan.But they can only show a still, 

   black and white image.So this video phone is much better than that.Sometimes 

I would like one, would you? 

W: Well, no.I don`t think I would.I bet it costs a lot of money.Does it say how much it costs?  

M: Yes, the early black and white ones cost several hundred pounds, 

   but the one the story is about costs several thousand pounds.

W: Er.Why do so many people want one, do you think? 

M: Business organizations that need to frequently contact overseas organizations would want it.

   It`s like a face to face conversation.So maybe a lot of overseas travel can be spared.

W: Yes, I suppose so. 

Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

Questions 5

Which of the following details are not true about the new device ?

Questions 6

Why did Bill want one of them?

Questions 7

Which of the following statements is incorrect about the woman?

Questions 8

What is the conversation mainly about?

Section B

Directions:

In this section, you will hear two 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 Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

There are superstitions attached to numbers; 

even those ancient Greeks believed that all numbers and their multiples had some mystical significance.

Those numbers between 1 and 13 were in particular to have a powerful influence over the affairs of men.

For example, it is commonly said that luck, good or bad, comes in threes; 

if an accident happens, two more of the same kind may be expected some afterwards.

The arrival of a letter will be followed by two others within a certain period.

Another belief involving the number three has it that it is unlucky to 

light three cigarettes from the one match.

If this happens, the bad luck that goes with the deed falls upon the person whose

 cigarette was the last to be lit.

The lit omen linked to the lighting of three things from one match or candle

 goes back to at least the 17th century and probably earlier.

It was believed that three candles alight at the same time would be sure to bring bad luck;

 one, two, or four, were permissible, but never just three.

Seven was another significant number, usually regarded as a bringer of good luck. 

The ancient astrologers believed that the universe was governed by seven planets; 

students of Shakespeare will recall that the life of man was divided into seven ages.

Seven horseshoes mailed to a house will protect it from all evil.

Nine is usually thought of as a lucky number because it is the product of three times three. 

It was much used by the Anglo Saxons in their charms for healing.

Another belief was that great changes occurred every 7th and 9th of a man`s life.Consequently,

 the age of 63 (the product of nine and seven) was thought to be a very perilous time for him.

If he survived his 63rd year he might hope to live a ripe old age.

Thirteen, as we well know, is regarded with great awe and fear.

The common belief is that this derives from the fact that there were 13 people at Christ`s Last Supper. 

This being the eve of his betrayal, 

it is not difficult to understand the significance given to the number by the early Christians.

In more modern times 13 is an especially unlucky number of a dinner party,

 for example.Hotels will avoid numbering a floor the 13th; 

the progression is from 12 to 14, and no room is given the number 13;

 many home owners will use 12 1/2 instead of 13 as their house number.

Yet oddly enough, to be born on the 13th of the month is not regarded with any fear at all, 

which just shows how irrational we are in our superstitious beliefs.

Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.

Questions 9

According to the passage, 

which of the following groups of numbers will certainly bring good luck to people?

Questions 10

What is supposed to the origin of the ill luck associated with 13?

Questions 11

What is the author`s attitude towards people`s superstitious beliefs?

Passage Two

It was fifty years ago when the economist Milton Friedman proposed School Choice Programs

 to improve American education.

 Today, about 36,000 students were served by vouchers.The programs are in the city of Washington D.C., 

and three of the fifty states: Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin.

The number of students will grow with 14,000 new vouchers just approved by lawmakers in Ohio.

And Utah will offer a voucher program for disabled students.A few states offer tax credits or other forms

of support to help parents pay for private schools.

One objection to vouchers has to do with the fact that most private schools are religious.

The Constitution separates government and religion.

Voucher critics argue that the use of public money for religious school is unconstitutional.

 Opponents of vouchers suggest public schools should get more money so all children

 can attend good schools near their home.

Yet some people think all families should be offered vouchers, not just poor ones.

Milton Friedman and his wife started the Milton and Rose D.Friedman Foundation to work for 

school choice with the goal to improve, through competition, the quality of education for all.

Milton Friedman had his ninety third birthday on Sunday.

The Nobel Prize winning economist has been talking to reporters 

about the fiftieth anniversary of his proposal.

 Mr.Friedman told Education Week that he thinks fifty years from now, 

all students will be served by school vouchers.

Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.

Questions 12

What is the target of the School Choice Program?

Questions 13

Which state provides family with tax credits to pay for private school?

Questions 14

At what age did Mr.Milton found the School Choice Programs?

Questions 15

Which of the following statements is true about the objection of vouchers?

Section C

Directions:

In this section, you will hear recordings of lectures or talks followed by some questions.

The recordings will be played 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 Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 16 to 19.

I was born in Switzerland and raised in Ghana, West Africa. 

Ghana felt safe to me as a child. I was free, I was happy.

The early 70s marked a time of musical and artistic excellence in Ghana.

But then by the end of the decade, the country had fallen back into political instability and mismanagement. 

In 1979, I witnessed my first military coup.

 We the children had gathered at a friend`s house. 

It was a dimly lit shack. There was a beaten up black and white television flickering in the background, 

and a former head of state and general was being blindfolded and tied to the pole. 

The firing squad aimed, fired the general was dead. Now this was being broadcast live. 

And shortly after, we left the country, and we returned to Switzerland.

Now Europe came as a shock to me, and I think I started feeling the need to shed my skin in order to fit in. 

I wanted to blend in like a chameleon. I think it was a tactic of survival. And it worked, or so I believed.

So here I was in 2008 wondering where I was in my life. 

And I felt I was being typecast as an actor. I was always playing the exotic African. 

I was playing the violent African, the African terrorist. And I was thinking, 

how many terrorists could I possibly play before turning into one myself? 

And I had become ashamed of the other, the African in me.

And fortunately I decided in 2008 to return to Ghana, 

after 28 years of absence. 

I wanted to document on film the 2008 presidential elections. 

And there, I started by searching for the footprints in my childhood. And before I even knew it, 

I was suddenly on a stage surrounded by thousands of cheering people during a political rally. 

And I realized that, when I`d left the country, free and fair elections in a democratic environment were a dream. 

And now that I`d returned, that dream had become reality, though a fragile reality.

And I was thinking,was Ghana searching for its identity like I was looking for my identity?

 Was what was happening in Ghana a metaphor for what was happening in me? 

And it was as if through the standards of my Western life, 

I hadn`t lived up to my full potential. I mean, nor had Ghana, even though we had been trying very hard.

Now in 1957, Ghana was the first sub Saharan country to gain its independence. 

In the late 50s, Ghana and Singapore had the same GDP. 

I mean, today, Singapore is a First World country and Ghana is not. 

But maybe it was time to prove to myself, yes, it`s important to understand the past, 

it is important to look at it in a different light,

 but maybe we should look at the strengths in our own culture and build on those foundations in the present.

Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 20 to 22.

Hello, everybody.

This week,Americans across our country have shown what it means to be strong in the face of terrorism. 

In San Bernardino, even as the community continues to grieve, people are refusing to be ruled by fear. 

Across the county, dedicated public servants are on the job, and more will be returning to work this week.

 Faith communities have come together in fellowship and prayer. 

Families lined the streets for the annual children`s Christmas parade, 

because we can`t let terrorists change how we live our lives.

In the wake of the attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, 

I know a lot of Americans are asking—“what can I do?” 

First, as always, we have to stay vigilant. 

If you see something that seems suspicious, 

say something to law enforcement. 

Over the years, plots have been uncovered because someone saw something and spoke up.

As I said in my speech last weekend, 

one of the most important things we can do is to stay true to who we are as Americans. 

Terrorists like ISIL are trying to divide us along lines of religion and background. 

That`s how they stoke fear. That`s how they recruit. 

And just as Muslims around the world have to keep rejecting any twisted interpretation of Islam, 

all of us have to reject bigotry, in all of its forms. 

I`ll say it again, prejudice and discrimination helps ISIL and it undermines our national security.

The good news is that Americans are coming together to reaffirm the core values that keep us strong. 

Political leaders across the spectrum, Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, 

are standing up, forcefully, for freedom of religion.

 Churches and synagogues are reaching out to local mosques, reminding us that we are all God`s children. 

Grateful citizens are saying thank you to our patriotic Muslim American service members and veterans. 

Some of our greatest sports heroes have reminded us why they`re true champions,

 and voices for tolerance and understanding. 

Across the country, Americans are reaching out, to their Muslim friends, neighbors and coworkers,

 to let them know we`re here for each other. 

I think of the woman in Texas carrying a sign saying, “We love our Muslim neighbors.”

That`s the message I hope every Muslim American hears , 

that we`re all part of the same American family. 

And it`s a message all of us can deliver, parents to our children, teachers to their students, 

leaders in politics and business and entertainment.

 Back in San Bernardino, people from across the community have joined in prayer vigils—Christians, 

Jews, Muslims and others. 

They`ve sent a powerful message, we`re all in this together. 

That`s the spirit we have to uphold. 

That`s what we can do, as Americans, united in defense of the country that we love.

Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 23 to 25.

Human beings start putting each other into boxes the second that they see each

 other—Is that person dangerous? 

Are they attractive? Are they a potential mate? Are they a potential networking opportunity? 

We do this little interrogation when we meet people to make a mental resume for them. 

What`s your name? Where are you from? How old are you? What do you do? Then we get more personal with it. 

Have you ever had any diseases? Have you ever been divorced?

 Does your breath smell bad while you`re answering my interrogation right now?

 What are you into? Who are you into? What gender do you like to sleep with? 

I get it. We are neurologically hardwired to seek out people like ourselves. 

We start forming cliques as soon as we`re old enough to know what acceptance feels like.

 We bond together based on anything that we can—music preference, race, gender, the block that we grew up on. 

We seek out environments that reinforce our personal choices. 

Sometimes, though, just the question “what do you do?” 

can feel like somebody`s opening a tiny little box and asking you to squeeze yourself inside of it. 

Because the categories, I`ve found, are too limiting. The boxes are too narrow. 

And this can get really dangerous. So here`s a disclaimer about me, though, before we get too deep into this.

 I grew up in a very sheltered environment. 

I was raised in downtown Manhattan in the early 1980s, 

two blocks from the epicenter of punk music. 

I was shielded from the pains of bigotry and the social restrictions of a religiouslybased upbringing.

Where I come from, if you weren`t a drag queen or a radical thinker or a performance artist of some kind,

you were the weirdo. 

It was an unorthodox upbringing, but as a kid on the streets of New York,

you learn how to trust your own instincts,you learn how to go with your own ideas.

So when I was six, I decided that I wanted to be a boy.