六级必备：考前冲刺试题一

Part I Writing (30 minutes)

Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Career or Marriage?. You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below.

1. 目前许多大四女生不忙求职忙相亲

2. 产生这种现象的原因

3. 我的看法

Part II Reading Comprehension(Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions:In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1–7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8–10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.

Auto-Tune: Why Pop Music Sounds Perfect

If you haven?t been listening to pop radio in the past few months, you?ve mi ssed the rise of two seemingly opposing trends. In a medium in which mediocre (平庸的) singing has never been a bar to entry, a lot of pop vocals suddenly sound great. Better than great: note- and pitch-perfect, as if there?s been an unspoken tightening of standards at record labels or an evolutionary leap in the development of vocal cords. At the other extreme are a few hip-hop singers who also hit their notes but with a precision so exaggerated that on first listen, their songs sound comically artificial, like a chorus of …50s robots singing Motown.

The force behind both trends is an ingenious plug-in called Auto-Tune, a downloadable studio trick that can take a vocal and instantly nudge it onto the proper note or move it to the correct pitch. It?s like Photoshop for the human voice. Auto-Tune doesn?t make it possible for just anyone to sing like a pro, but used as its creator intended, it can transform a wavering(颤抖的) performance into something technically flawless. “Right now, if you listen to pop, everything is in perfect pitch, perfect time and perfect tune,” says producer Rick Rubin. “That?s how widespread Auto-Tune is.”

Auto-Tune?s inventor is a man named Andy Hildebrand, who worked for years interpreting seismic (i.e. relating to earthquakes) data for the oil industry. Using a mathematical formula called autocorrelation, Hildebrand would send sound waves into the ground and record their reflections, providing an accurate map of potential drill sites. It?s a technique that saves oil companies lots of money and allowed Hildebrand to retire at 40. He was debating the next chapter of his life at a dinner

party when a guest challenged him to invent a box that would allow her to sing in tune. After he worked on autocorrelation for a few months, Auto-Tune was born in late 1996.

Almost immediately, studio engineers adopted it as a trade secret to fix flubbed (搞砸了的) notes, saving them the expense and trouble of having to redo sessions. The first time common ears heard Auto-Tune was on the immensely irritating 1998 Cher hit “Believe.” In the first verse, when Cher sings “I can?t break through” as though she?s standing behind an electric fan, that?s Auto-Tune — but it?s not the way Hildebrand meant it to be used. The program?s retune speed, which adjusts the singer?s voice, can be set from zero to 400. “If you set it to 10, that means that the output pitch will get halfway to the target pitch in 10 milliseconds,” says Hildebrand. “But if you let that parameter go to zero, it finds the nearest note and changes the output pitch instantaneously” —eliminating the natural transition between notes and making the singer s ound jumpy and automated. “I never figured anyone in their right mind would want to do that,” he says.

Like other trends set by Cher, the creative abuse of Auto-Tune quickly went out of fashion, although it continued to be an indispensable part of the engi neer?s toolbox. But in 2003, T-Pain (Faheem Najm), a little-known rapper and singer, accidentally stumble onto the Cher effect while Auto-Tuning some of his vocals. “It just worked for my voice,” says T-Pain in his natural Tallahassee accent. “And there wasn?t anyone else doing it.”

Since his 2005 first album, T-Pain has sent a dozen mechanically cheery singles into the Top 10. He contributed to four nominated songs at this year?s Grammys on Feb. 8, and his influence is still spreading. When Kanye West was looking for an effect to match some heartbroken lyrics, he flew T-Pain to Hawaii to see how many ways they could adjust Auto-Tune. Diddy gave a percentage of his upcoming album?s profits to T-Pain in exchange for some lessons. Even Prince is rumored to be experimenting with Auto-Tune on his new record. “I know Auto-Tune) better than anyone,” says T-Pain. “And even I?m just figuring out all the ways you can use it to change the mood of a record.”

Rubin, who?s produced artists as diverse as the Dixie Chicks and Metallica, worries that the safety net of Auto-Tune is making singers lazy. “Sometimes a singer will do lots of takes when they?re recording a song, and you really can hear the emotional difference when someone does a great performance vs. an average o ne,” says Rubin. “If you?re pitch-correcting, you might not bother to make the effort. You might just get it done and put it through the machine so it?s all in tune.” Rubin has taken to having an ethical conversation before each new recording session. “I e ncourage artists to embrace a natural process,” he says.

With the exception of Milli Vanilli?s, pop listeners have always been fairly indulgent about performers? ethics. It?s hits that matter, and the average person listening to just one pop song on the radio will have a hard time hearing Auto-Tune?s impact; it?s effectively deceptive. But when track

after track has perfect pitch, the songs are harder to differentiate from one another — which explains why pop is in a pretty serious lull (停滞) at the moment. It also changes the way we hear unaffected voices. “The other day, someone was talking about how Aretha Franklin at the Inauguration was a bit pitchy,” says Anderson. “I said, …Of course! She was singing!? And that was a musician talking. People are gettin g used to hearing things dead on pitch, and it?s changed their expectations.”

Despite Randy Jackson?s stock American Idol critique —“A little pitchy, dawg” —many beloved songs are actually off-pitch or out of tune. There?s Ringo Starr on “With a Little H elp from My Friends,” of course, and just about every blues song slides into notes as opposed to hitting them dead on. Even Norah Jones, the poster girl of pure vocals, isn?t perfect. “There?s some wonderful imperfections of pitch on …Don?t Know Why? from Come Away with Me,” says Anderson, “and most of the other tunes on the album as well. But I wouldn?t want to change a single note.”

Let?s hope that pop?s fetish for uniform perfect pitch will fade, even if the spread of Auto-Tune shows no signs of slowing. A $99 version for home musicians was released in November 2007, and T-Pain and Auto-Tune?s parent company are finishing work on an iPhone app. “It?s gonna be real cool,” says T-Pain. “Basically, you can add Auto-Tune to your voice and send it to your friends and put it on the Web. You?ll be able to sound just like me.” Asked if that might render him no longer unique, T-Pain laughs: “I?m not too worried. I got lots of tricks you ain?t seen yet. It?s everybody else that needs to step up their game.”

1. What is the force of the rise of two trends which appear opposite to each other?

A) The development of pop radio. B) Photoshop that can edit human voice.

C) A vocal software called Auto-Tune. D) The popularity of a pop singer named Cher.

2. Originally the creator intended to use Auto-Tune to ________.

A) change a poorly-sung song into a perfect one

B) make everyone sing like a professional singer

C) inject some vitality into the pop industry

D) bring the flaw of pop songs into public

3. Before Andy Hildebrand retired at 40, he worked for ________.

A) the seismological bureau B) Auto-Tune?s parent company

C) oil companies D) a tape-recorder factory

4. Studio engineers benefit greatly from Auto-Tune in that ________.

A) they no longer need to correct wrong notes

B) it helps them keep songs secret before going public

C) it is totally free and thus saves them lots of money

D) they don?t have to waste time on recording music again

5. What does the author say about the craze for Auto-Tune which trendy Cher started?

A) It faded soon. B) It lasted for many years.

C) It made engineers lazy. D) It harmed people?s creativity.

6. According to the passage, what happened to T-Pain since 2005?

A) He had to give up Auto-Tune.

B) He became very successful.

C) He made a fortune working for the Prince.

D) He won fame as teachers of well-known singers.

7. According to Rubin, the effect of Auto-Tune on singers may be ________.

A) positive B) negative C) exaggerated D) underestimated

8. During the recording session, singers are encouraged by Rubin to sing in a

way.

9. In general, when it co mes to the issue o f pop singers? ethics, average listeners

are .

10. Alt hough many songs in Norah Jones?s album were out of tune, Anderson would rather make no

to the songs.

Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes) Section A

Directions: In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words. Please write your answers on Answer Sheet 2.

Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.

More than two million people in Europe now have fibre broadband direct to their home, suggests a survey.

The latest figures on superfast broadband delivered by fibre to the home (FTTH) shows 18% growth over the last survey compiled in late 2008.

The continued growth suggests that the global economic downturn has not hit plans to build a fibre infrastructure (基础设施).

Sweden tops the list of nations rolling out the technology, with 10.9% of its broadband customers using fibre.

Karel Helsen, president of Europe?s Fibre-To-The-Home Council, said the growth matched predictions that were revised when the credit crunch (信用紧缩) started to make itself felt.

“The numbers in 2009 are in line with the latest forecasts,” said Mr. Helsen.

By 2012, the FTTH Council expects that 13 million people across 35 European nations will have their broadband delivered by fibre. Such services would start at speeds of 100 megabits per second (mbps), said Mr. Helsen.

Around Europe more than 233 projects were underway to lay the fibres that would connect homes or buildings to the net, said Mr. Helsen. Many of those, he said, were being operated by local governments or smaller net firms.

Local governments were interested in FTTH because of the economic and social benefits it brought in its wake, said Mr. Helsen.

The low latency or delay inherent in high-speed fibre networks made possible novel uses of broadband, he said. “No delay is very important,” he said, “specifically if you talk about applications that are time-dependent such as personal communications, conference calls or video calls where delays cause a lot of interference.”

While early FTTH services were concentrated in cities, said Mr. Helsen, many more were reaching out to rural areas for e-health and e-learning projects.

Separate studies show that an FTTH infrastructure can have a direct impact on local economic output, said Mr. Helsen.

The UK, France and Germany have yet to break into the list of top ten FTTH nations.

﹡TOP FIBRE NATIONS:

1) Sweden - 10.9% 2) Norway - 10.2% 3) Slovenia - 8.9% 4) Andorra - 6.6% 5) Denmark- 5.7% 6) Iceland - 5.6% 7) Lithuania - 3.3% 8) Netherlands - 2.5% 9) Sl ov aki a - 2.5% 10) Finland - 2.4%

47. Despite the worsening global economy, the number of Europeans using fibre

broadband .

48. When the credit crunch emerged, people?s forecasts about the growth of FTTH

were .

49. According to Karel Helsen, who were mainly in charge of European?s fibre-laying projects?

50. Superfast broadband delivered by fibre saves users of instant communication from delays

which .

51. Different from the past, now more and more fibre projects are carried out

in .

Section B

Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. 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 decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.

Musicians — from karaoke singers to professional cello players — are better able to hear targeted sounds in a noisy environment, according to new research that adds to evidence that music makes the brain work better.

“In the past ten years there?s been an explosion of research on music and the brain,” Aniruddh Patel, Senior Fellow at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego, said today at a press briefing.

Most recently brain-imaging studies have shown that music activates many diverse parts of the brain, including an overlap in where the brain processes music and language.

Language is a natural aspect to consider in looking at how music affects the brain, Patel said. Like music, language is “universal, there?s a strong learning component, and it carries complex meanings.”

For example, brains of people exposed to even casual musical training have an enhanced ability to generate the brain wave patterns associated with specific sounds, be they musical or spoken, said study leader Nina Kraus, director of the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern University in Illinois.

But for people without a trained ear for music, the ability to make these patterns decreases as background noise increases, experiments show. Musicians, by contrast, have subconsciously trained their brains to better recognize selective sound patterns, even as background noise goes up.

At the same time, people with certain developmental disorders, such as dyslexia (诵读困难), have a harder time hearing sounds amid the continuing loud confused noise —a serious problem, for example, for students straining to hear the teacher in a noisy classroom.

Musical experience could therefore be a key therapy for children with dyslexia and similar language-related disorders, Kraus said.

In a similar vein, Harvard Medical School neuroscientist Gottfried Schlaug has found that stroke patients who have lost the ability to speak can be trained to say hundreds of phrases by singing them first.

In research also presented today at the AAAS meeting Schlaug demonstrated the results of

intensive musical therapy on patients with lesions (损伤) on the left sides of their brains, those areas most associated with language.

Before the therapy, these stroke patients responded to questions with largely incoherent sounds and phrases. But after just a few minutes with therapists (治疗师), who asked them to sing phrases and tap their hands to the rhythm, the patients could sing “Happy Birthday,” recite their addresses, and communicate if they were thirsty.

“The underdeveloped systems on the right side of the brain that respond to music became enhanced an d changed structures,” Schlaug said.

Overall, Schlaug said, the experiments show that “music might be an alternative medium for engaging parts of the brain that are otherwise not engaged.”

52. What do we learn from the first paragraph?

A) Music training can improve the function of the brain.

B) Singers or instrument players tend to have better hearing.

C) There has been little evidence to prove the power of music.

D) Musicians are born with ability to hear targeted sound amid noise.

53. According to Aniruddh Patel, language is usually under consideration when ________.

A) musicians explain the complex meaning behind the music

B) therapists try to treat patients who suffer from stroke

C) people research the connection between music and the brain

D) researchers study the functions of different parts of the brain

54. Whether people can hear selective sounds amid noise depends on their ability to ________.

A) neglect the influence of the noise B) remember the meaning of the sounds

C) make the associated brain wave patterns D) tell musical sounds from spoken ones

55. According to Kraus, the significance of identifying the link between music and brain is that

________.

A) music training can be a way to enhance poor hearing

B) singing can be used to treat people with language disorders

C) intensive musical therapy may make a mute person speak

D) all brain disorders can be cured by learning musical sounds

56. The musical training therapists gave to the stroke patients actually _______.

A) enhanced the parts of the left brain which are under constant use

B) restored the language function of the damaged system in the left brain

C) hindered the damaged systems in the brain from deteriorating sharply

D) changed the structures of the underdeveloped systems in the right brain

Passage Two

Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

As Sesame Street kicks off its 40th anniversary season Tuesday, with first lady Michelle Obama and Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda as guests, it is indisputably the most be loved children?s show in history, and one of television?s biggest and most enduring success stories.

The series holds a record 122 Emmy Awards, not including a lifetime-achievement trophy (奖±) award, and has been adapted in more than 120 countries and territories around the globe. An estimated 100,000 Sesame products have been made available internationally, from T-shirts and costumes to high-tech toys such as Elmo Live.

Sesame’s cross-cultural, multi-generational appeal has a lot to do with the specific age group it targets. “The bulk of our audience is in the 2s and 3s, though we shoot for 2 to 4,” says executive producer Carol-Lynn Parente. At that early stage, says Spinney — who is 75, and has been with the show since Day 1 (he plays Oscar as well) —“children are basically the same, and have been through the years.”

But if preschoolers? fundamental needs and sensibilities haven?t changed much, the world around them has —not least of all on the media landscape, where Sesame Street now competes with many other kids? shows and an ever-expanding array of new media.

In 2000, the Children?s Television Workshop, the organization through which creator Joan Ganz Cooney launched Sesame Street on PBS predecessor NET, changed its title to Sesame Workshop, to reflect its expansion into the digital, interactive age.

Content and presentation continue to evolve on TV as well. The show?s famously catchy theme song, Sunny Day, now has a hip-hop beat and a jazzier arrangement. Parente stresses that it?s just as important “to keep our curriculum current. The ABC?s and 123?s are always there, but we stay relevant by incorporating other things that are interesting and meaningful.”

“We focus on all aspects of d evelopment — cognitive needs, social and emotional needs, health needs —and bring in advisers who are experts in each area, to make sure we?re age-appropriate,” says Rosemarie Truglio, vice president of education and research, Sesame Workshop. “But we nev er talk down to children, and we?re not afraid to explore sensitive topics.”

Sesame has had its critics in the academic community as well.

For Mary Lynn Crow, a clinical psychologist and professor of education at the University of Texas-Arlington, “shows l ike Sesame Street lack the potentially deep, personal emotional imprint (影响) that can and should occur between a student and teacher in an early educational experience.”

On the other hand, Crow considers Sesame Street“a beautiful model of what I call high-tech learning. They can teach children about letters, numbers, color and size through repetition in ways traditional education can?t, and provide early information about attitudes, values and relationships.”

57. What do we learn about Sesame Street from the first two paragraphs?

A) It rose to fame because of the first lady?s role.

B) It?s successful and gains international popularity.

C) It still has to win a lifetime-achievement award.

D) It is the most successful show in American history.

58. What?s Spinney?s opinion on the target audience of Sesame Street?

A) They are completely different than they were 40 years ago.

B) Many of them are devoted fans of the performance.

C) Their basic needs haven?t changed much through years.

D) They continue to watch the show when they have grown up.

59. The author says that in the current world, Sesame Street _______.

A) has slight edge over other shows targeting children

B) has made some changes so as to keep up with the times

C) tries to cater to adults who accompany their children to the show

D) is doomed to fail due to its out-dated content and presentation

60. What can be inferred about Sesame Street from Rosemarie Truglio?s words?

A) It tries to prepare children both for school and life?s lessons.

B) Its writer has changed the theme of the story for kids.

C) Children seem to be looked down upon in the show.

D) Sensitive topics have always been banned in the show.

61. Mary Lynn Crow is negative about Sesame Street because she thinks it _______.

A) only touches up superficial relationships

B) is too complicated for children to understand

C) goes against ways of traditional education

D) repeats basic knowledge over and over again

Part V Cloze (15 minutes)

Directions:There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D) on the right side of the paper. You should choose the ONE that best fits into the passage. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2with a single line through the centre.

American culture has been enriched by the values and belief systems of virtually every part of the world.

The one value that nearly every American would agree upon is individual freedom. Whether you call it individual freedom, individualism, or 62 , it is the cornerstone of American values. It permeates every 63 of their society.

64 their economic system may be dominated by large corporations, the majority of American businesses are small, and many are owned by an individual or a family. It is part of the “American dream” to “be your own boss”, and being an entrepreneur is one of the most 65 ways to improve one?s economic future.

Education is often regarded as the key to opportunity, 66 financial security. Americans take a pragmatic 67 to learning, so what one learns outside the classroom 68 internship, extracurricular activities and the like are often considered as important as what is learned in the classroom. 69 , lifelong learning is valued, which results in many adult continuing education programs.

70 aspect of American society that may 71 non-Americans is the family. The nuclear family structure (parents and children) is 72 that in most 62. A) dignity B) entity

C) independence D) autonomy

63. A) aspect B) space

C) view D) angle

64. A) When B) While

C) If D) Since

65. A) moderating B) approving

C) appreciating D) appealing

66. A) containing B) incorporating

C) comprising D) including

67. A) approach B) means

C) way D) method

68. A) with B) among

C) through D) upon

69. A) However B) Otherwise

C) Whereas D) Consequently

70. A) Any B) Another

C) One D) Other

71. A) degrade B) evoke

C) bewilder D) divert

72. A) unlike B) alike

C) like D) liking

73. A) finding B) purpose

C) prospect D) proposal

cultures in the world, so it is often misunderstood. An important 73 of the American family is to bring about the happiness and independence of each individual family member.

Privacy is also important to Americans. The 74 of individual privacy may sometimes make it slower to make friends. 75 Americans respect one?s privacy, they may not go much 76 a friendly “hello”. Ironically, it is usually the foreigner who must be more assertive if a friendship is to be 77 .

The rugged individualism valued by most Americans stems from their frontier heritage. Early settlers had to be self-sufficient, which 78 them to be inventive. Their success gave them a(n) 79 about the future and a belief that problems could be solved. This positive spirit 80 Americans to take risks in areas where others might only dream, resulting in tremendous advance 81 technology, health and science. 74. A) motive B) ideal

C) comprehension D) notion

75. A) Because B) Nonetheless

C) Therefore D) Whether

76. A) except B) besides

C) beyond D) despite

77. A) invented B) discovered

C) located D) developed

78. A) constrained B) compelled

C) repelled D) reconciled

79. A) pessimism B) passion

C) optimism D) suspicion

80. A) encourages B) enables

C) enforces D) ensures

81. A) in B) on

C) from D) under

Part VI Translation (5 minutes)

Directions:Complete the sentences by translating into English the Chinese given in brackets. Please write your translation on Answer Sheet 2.

82. The problem is so complicated _____________________(花了我们两周时间才解决).

83. The supermarket sells various kinds of things, _____________________(从衣物食品到电脑游戏).

84. We are told that under no circumstances _____________________(我们都不应该做违反人民意

愿的事).

85. For a long time we hardly saw any lights, _____________________(我们也没有看到海岸).

86. Ms. Green has been living in town for only one year, yet she seems to _____________________(与来店

里的每个人都熟悉了).

参考答案

Part I Writing

Career or Marriage?

A growing number of female college students are choosing to get married soon after they graduate from college. So while other students are busy with seeking jobs, they are busy with blind dating. Of course, most of them are looking for their Mr. Rights who are wealthy.

More often, the reason why many new female grads are choosing marriage the time they get out of school is all about the employment pressure. Due to the tough job market, many female grads feel great pressure to find a good job after graduation. They choose to pick rich men as their dates in the hope of living away from the work pressure. Besides, because the future as an adult seems scary, it feels so much easier to face things with a spouse, especially a rich one.

In my opinion, college students who are facing an uncertain future may see marriage as a way to make the transition from school to the society easier —but it?s not. There are all kinds of bad, bad reasons to get married, and this is one for them.

Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)

1. C)

2. A)

3. C)

4. D)

5. A)

6. B)

7. B)

8. natural 9. fairly indulgent 10. change

Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)

Section A

47.continues to grow

48.revised

49.Local governments or smaller net firms.

50.cause a lot of interference

51.rural areas

Section B

52.A) 53.C) 54.C) 55.B) 56.D) 57.B) 58.C) 59.B) 60.A) 61.A)

Part V Cloze

62.C) 63.A) 64.B) 65.D) 66.D) 67.A) 68. C) 69.D) 70.B) 71.C)

72.A) 73.B) 74.D) 75.A) 76.C) 77.D) 78.B) 79.C) 80.B) 81.A)

Part VI Translation

82.that it took us nearly two weeks to solve it

83.ranging from clothes and food to computer games

84.should we do anything against the will of the people

85.nor did we see the shore

86.be acquainted with everyone who comes to the store