2002年6月大学英语六级考试试卷、答案

　　The new research has profound implications for he environmental summit in Rio . Among other things the findings demonstrate that dramatic climate changes is nothing new for planet Earth. The benign (宜人的) global environment that has existed over the past 10�000 years -during which agriculture writing cities and most other features of civilization appeared -is a mere bright spot in a much larger pattern of widely varying climate over the ages. In fact� the pattern of climate change in the past reveals that Earth’s climate will almost certainly go through dramatic changes in the future - even without the influence of human activity.

21. Farming emerged as a survival strategy because man had been obliged .
A　 to give up his former way of life
B　 to leave the coastal areas
C　 to follow the ever-shifting vegetation
D　 to abandon his original settlement
22. Earth scientists have come to understand that climate .
A　 is going through a fundamental change
B　 has been getting warmer for 10�000 years
C　 will eventually change from hot to cold
D　 has gone through periodical changes
23. Scientists believe that human evolution .
A　 has seldom been accompanied by climatic changes
B　 has exerted little influence on climatic changes
C　 has largely been effected by climatic changes
D　 has had a major impact on climatic changes
24. Evidence of past climatic changes indicates that .
A　 human activities have accelerated changes of Earth’s environment
B　 Earth’s environment will remain mild despite human interference
C　 Earth’s climate is bound to change significantly in the future
D　 Earth’s climate is unlikely to undergo substantial changes in the future
25. The message the author wishes to convey in the passage is that .
A　 human civilization remains glorious though it is affected by climatic changes
B　 mankind is virtually helpless in the face of the dramatic changes of climate
C　 man has to limit his activities to slow down the global warming process
D　 human civilization will continue to develop in spite of the changes of nature

Passage Two

Question 26 to 30 are based on the following passage

�　　No woman can be too rich or too thin . This saying often attributed to the late Duchess (公爵夫人) of Windsor embodies much of the odd spirit of our times . Being thin is deemed as such a virtue . The problem with such a view is that some people actually attempt to live by it . I myself have fantasies of slipping into narrow designer clothes .Consequently I have been on a diet for the better -or worse -part of my life . Being rich wouldn’t be bad either but that won’t happen unless an unknown relative dies suddenly in some distant land leaving me millions of dollars. Where did we go off the track ﹖ When did eating butter become a sin � and a little bit of extra flesh unappealing � if not repellent ﹖ All religions have certain days when people refrain from eating � and excessive eating is one of Christianity’s seven deadly sins . However �until quite recently most people had a problem getting enough to eat . In some religious groups wealth was symbol of probable salvation and high morals � and fatness a sign of wealth and well-being . Today the opposite is true . We have shifted to thinness as our new mark of virtue . The result is that being fat -or even only somewhat overweight - is bad because it implies a lack of moral strength . Our obsession (迷恋) with thinness is also fuelled by health concerns. It is true that in this country we have more overweight people than ever before � and that � in many cases being overweight correlates with an increased risk of heart and blood vessel disease . These diseases � however may have as much to do with our way of life and our high-fat diets as with excess weight . And the associated risk of cancer in the digestive system may be more of a dietary problem - too much fat and a lack of fiber - than a weight problem . The real concern � then � is not that we weight too much � but that we neither exercise enough nor eat well . Exercise is necessary for strong bones and both heart and lung health . A balance diet without a lot of fat can also help the body avoid many diseases. We should surely stop paying so much attention to weight .Simply being thin is not enough . It is actually hazardous if those who get or already are　 thin think they are automatically healthy and thus free from paying attention to their overall life-style . Thinness can be pure vainglory (虚荣).