时间:2012-10-16 19:46:09
2011年6月大学英语六级真题
Part Ⅰ Writing (30 minutes)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled The Certificate Craze. You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below.
1.现在许多人热衷于各类证书考试
2.其目的各不相同
3.在我看来……
The Certificate Craze
注意:此部分试题在答题卡1上。
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.
Minority Report
American universities are accepting more minorities than ever. Graduating them is another matter.
Barry Mills, the president of
"If you look at who enters college, it now looks like
The
The problem is pronounced at public universities. In 2007 the
Private colleges and universities generally do better, partly because they offer smaller classes and more personal attention. But when it comes to a significant graduation gap, Bowdoin has company. Nearby
"Higher education has been able to duck this issue for years, particularly the more selective schools, by saying the responsibility is on the individual student," says Pennington of the Gates Foundation. "If they fail, it's their fault." Some critics blame affirmative action – students admitted with lower test scores and grades from shaky high schools often struggle at elite schools. But a bigger problem may be that poor high schools often send their students to colleges for which they are "undermatched": they could get into more elite, richer schools, but instead go to community colleges and low-rated state schools that lack the resources to help them. Some schools out for profit cynically increase tuitions and count on student loans and federal aid to foot the bill – knowing full well that the students won't make it. "The school keeps the money, but the kid leaves with loads of debt and no degree and no ability to get a better job. Colleges are not holding up their end," says Amy Wilkins of the Education Trust.
A college education is getting ever more expensive. Since 1982 tuitions have been rising at roughly twice the rate of inflation. In 2008 the net cost of attending a four-year public university – after financial aid – equaled 28% of median (中间的) family income, while a four-year private university cost 76% of median family income. More and more scholarships are based on merit, not need. Poorer students are not always the best-informed consumers. Often they wind up deeply in debt or simply unable to pay after a year or two and must drop out.
There once was a time when universities took pride in their dropout rates. Professors would begin the year by saying, "Look to the right and look to the left. One of you is not going to be here by the end of the year." But such a Darwinian spirit is beginning to give way as at least a few colleges face up to the graduation gap. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the gap has been roughly halved over the last three years. The university has poured resources into peer counseling to help students from inner-city schools adjust to the rigor (严格要求) and faster pace of a university classroom –and also to help minority students overcome the stereotype that they are less qualified. Wisconsin has a "laserlike focus" on building up student skills in the first three months, according to vice provost (教务长) Damon Williams.
State and federal governments could sharpen that focus everywhere by broadly publishing minority graduation rates. For years private colleges such as
With effort and money, the graduation gap can be closed. Washington and Lee is a small, selective school in
注意:此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。
1. What is the author's main concern about American higher education?
A) The small proportion of minority students.
B) The low graduation rates of minority students.
C) The growing conflicts among ethnic groups.
D) The poor academic performance of students.
2. What was the pride of President Barry Mills of
A) The prestige of its liberal arts programs.
B) Its ranking among universities in
C) The high graduation rates of its students.
D) Its increased enrollment of minority students.
3. What is the risk facing
A) Its schools will be overwhelmed by the growing number of illegal immigrants.
B) The rising generation will be less well educated than the previous one.
C) More poor and non-white students will be denied access to college.
D) It is going to lose its competitive edge in higher education.
4. How many African-American students earned their degrees in
A) Fifty-six percent. C) Fifteen percent.
B) Thirty-nine percent. D) Sixty-seven percent.
5. Harvard, Yale, and
A) their students work harder C) their classes are generally smaller
B) they recruit the best students D) they give students more attention
6. How does Amy Wilkins of the Education Trust view minority students' failure to get a degree?
A) Universities are to blame.
B) Students don't work hard.
C) The government fails to provide the necessary support.
D) Affirmative action should be held responsible.
7. Why do some students drop out after a year or two according to the author?
A) They have lost confidence in themselves.
B) They cannot afford the high tuition.
C) They cannot adapt to the rigor of the school.
D) Th