2008年12月大学英语六级考试A卷真题及答案（3） Section
A Questions
47 to 51 are based on the following passage. One of the major producers of athletic footwear, with 2002 sales of over $10 billion, is a Company called Nike, with corporate headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. Forbes magazine Identified Nike’s president, Philip Knight, as the 53rd-richest man in the world in 2004. But Nike has not always been a large multimillion-dollar organization. In fact, Knight started the company by selling shoes from the back of his car at track meets. In the late 1950s Philip Knight was a middle-distance runner on the University of Oregon track team, coached by Bill Bowerman. One of the top track coaches in the US, Bowerman was also known for experimenting with the design of running shoes in an attempt to make them lighter and more shock-absorbent. After attending Oregon, Knight moved on to do graduate work at Stanford University; his MBA thesis was on marketing athletic shoes. Once he received his degree, Knight traveled to Japan to contact the Onitsuka Tiger Company, a manufactuier of athletic shoes. Knight convinced the company’s officals of the potential its product in the U.S. In 1963 he received his first shipment of Tiger shoes, 200 pairs in total. In 1964, Knight and Bowerman contributed $500 each to from Blue Ribbon sports, the predecessor of Nike. In 1964, Knightand Bowerman contributed $500 each to from Blue
Ribbon Sports, the predecessorof Nike. In the first few years, Knight
distributed shoes out of his car atlocal track meets. The first employees hired
by Knight were former collegeathletes. The company did not have the money to
hire “experts”, and there wasno established athletic footwear industry in North
Americafrom which to recruit those knowledgeable in the field. In its early
years theorganization operated in an unconventional manner that characterized
itsinnovative and entrepreneurial approach to the industry. Communication
wasinformal; people discussed ideas and issues in the hallways, on a run, or
overa beer. There was little task differentiation. There were no job
descriptions,rigid reporting systems, or detailed rules and regulations. The
team spirit andshared values of the athletes on Bowerman’s teams carried over
and provided thebasis for the collegial style of management that characterized
the early yearsof Nikes. 47. While serving as a track coach, Bowerman tried todesign
running shoes that were lighter and more shock-absorbent. 48. During his visit to Japan,Knight convinced the officials of
the Onitsuka Tiger Company that its productwould have potentials in the U.S. 49. Blue Ribbon Sports as unable to hire experts due tothe absence
of established athletic footwear in North America. 50. In the early years of Nike, communication within thecompany
was usually carried out informally. 51. What qualities of Bowerman’s teams formed the basisof Nike’s
early management style? The teamspirit and shared valves of the athlets.
Passage one
questions
52 to 56 are based on thefollowing passage sustainable
development is applied to justabout eberything from energy to clean water and
economic growth,and as a resultit has become difficult to question either the
basic assumptions behind it orthe way the concept is put to use.this is
especially true in agriculture,wheresustainable development is often taken as
the sole measure of progress withouta proper appreciation of histrorcal and
cultural perspectives. To start
with,it is important to rememberthat the nature of agriculture has changed markedly
throughout history,and willcontinue to do so .medieval agriculture in northern
Europe fed,clothed andshelered a predominantly rural society with a much lower
population densitythan it is today.it had minimal effect on biodiversity,and
any pollution itcaused was typically localized.in termsof energy use and the
nutrients capturedin the product it was relatively inefficient. Contrast
this with farming since the startof the industrial revolution.competion from
overseas led farmers to specializeand increase yields.throughout this period
food became cheaper,safe and morereliable.however,these changes have alsoled to
habitat loss and to diminishingbiodiversity. What’smore,demand
for animal products indeveloping countrics is growing so fast that meeting it
will require an extra300 million tons of grain a year by 2050.yet the growth of
cities and in dustryis reducing the amount of water available for agriculture
in many regions. All this
means that agriculture in the 21stcentury will have to be very
different from how it was in the 20th.thiswill require radical
thinking.for example,we need to move away from the ideathat traditional
practices are inevitably more sustainable than new ones.wealso need to abandon
the notion that agriculture can be “zero impact”. The keywill be to abandon the
rather simple and static measures ofsustainability,which centre on the need to
maintain production withoutincreasing damage.instead we need a more dynamic
interpretation,one that looksat the pros and cons of all the various way land
is used.there are manydifferent ways to measure agricultural performance
besides food yield:energyuse, environmental costs,water purity,carbon footprint and biodiversity. It isclear, for example,that
the carbon of transporting tomatoes from spain to the UK Is less
than that of producing them in theUK with additional heating and lighting.but
we do not know whether lower carbonfootprints will always be better for
biodiversity. What is
crucial is recognizing thatsustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable
food production. 52. How do
people ofen measure progress inagriculture?
A)By its productivity C) By its impact onthe environmet
B) By its sustainability D) By its contribution to economic growth 53.
Specialisation and the effort toincease yields have esulted in________.
A)Localised pollution C) competition fromoverseas
B)the shrinking of farmland D) the
decrease ofbiodiversity 54.What
does the author think oftraditional farming practices? A)They
have remained the same over the centuries
B)They have not kept pace with populationgrowth
C)They are notnecessarily sustainable
D)They are environmentally friendly 55.What
willagriculture be like in the 21st century
A) It will gothrough radical changes
B) It will supply more animal products
C) It will abandon traditional farmingpractices
D) It will cause zero damage to theenvironment 56 What is
theauthor’s purpose in writing this passage? A)
To remind people of the need ofsustainable development B)
To suggest ways of ensuring sustainablefood production C)
To adance new criteria for measuringfarming progress D) To urge people torethink what sustainable agriculture is Passage Two Questions
57 to61 are based on the following passage The
percentage of immigrants(including thoseunlawfully present) in the United
states has been creeping upward for years.At 12.6 percent, it is now higher
than at any point ince the mid1920s We
are not about to go back to the days whenCongress openly worried about inferior
races polluing America’s bloodstream. But onceagain we are wondering whether we
have too many of the wrong sort fonecomers.Their loudest citecs argue that the
new wave of immigrants cannot,andindeed do not want to, fit in as previous
generations did. We
now know that these racist views werewrong.In time, Italians, Romanians and
members of other so-called inferiorraces became exemplary Americans and
contributed greatly, in ways too numerousto detail , to the building of this
magnificent nation. There is no reason whythese new immigrants should not have
the same success. Although
children of Mexican immigrants do better, in terms ofeducational and
professional attainment, than thir parents UCLA sociologistEdward Telles has
found that the gains don’t continme. Indeed, the fouthgeneration is marginally
worse off than the third James Jackson,of the University of Michigan,hasfoud a
simila rend among black Caribbeanimmigrants,Tells fears that Mexican-Americans
may be fated to follow in the footstepsof American blacks-that largeparts of
the community may become mired in aseemingly state of poverty and
Underachievement . Like African-Americans, Mexican-americansare increasingly
relegated to (降入)segregated, substandyrd schools, and their dropout rate is
thehighest for any 儿童会nic groupin the
country.
Wehave learned much about the foolish idea of excluding people on the
presumptionof the ethnic/racial inferiority. But what we have not yet learned
is how tomake the process of Americanization work for all. I am not talking
aboutrequiring people to learn English or to adopt American ways; those
thingshappen pretty much on their own, but as arguments about immigration hear
up thecampaign trail, we also ought to ask some broader question about
assimilation,about ho wto ensure that people , once outsiders , don’t fovever
remainmarginalized within these shores.
That is a much larger question than whatshould happen with undocumented
workers, or how best to secure the border, andit is one that affects not only
newcomers but groups that have been here forgenerations. It will have more
impact on our future than where we decide to setthe admissions bar for the
lasest ware of would-be Americans. And it would benice if we finally got the
answer right. 57.How were
immigrants viewed by U.S.Congress in early days? A)They were of inferiorraces. B)They were a Source of politicalcorruption. C)They were a threat to the nation’ssecurity. D)They were part of the nation’sbloodstream. 58.What
does the author think of the newimmigrants? A)They will be a dynamic work force in the U.S. B)They can do just aswell as their predecessors. C)They will be very disappointed on the newland. D)They may find it hard to fit into themainstream. 59.What
does Edward Telles’ research sayabout Mexican-Americans? A)They may slowlu improve from generationto generation. B)They will do better in terms ofdeucationl attainment. C)They will melt into the African-Americancommunity. D)They may forever remainpoor and underachieving. 60.What
should be done to help the newimmigrants? A)Rid them of their inferiority complex. B)Urge them to adopt American customs. C)prevent them from beingmarginalized. D)Teach them standard American English. 61.According
to the author,the burningissue concerning immigrationg is_______. A)how to deal with people entering the U.S.without documents B)how to help immigrantsto better fit into American society C)how to stop illegal immigrants fromcrossing the corder D)how to limit the number of immigrants toenter the U.S. |
