1、弃我去者，昨日之日不可留乱我心者，今日之日多烦忧2009 年 12 月大学英语六级考试真题及答案Part Writing (30 minutes) Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Should Parents Send Their Kids to Art Classes? You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below.1. 现在有不少家长送孩子参加各种艺术班2.
2、对这种做法有人表示支持，也有人并不赞成3. 我认为Should Parents Send Their Kids to Art Classes?Part Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes)Bosses Say “Yes” to Home WorkRising costs of office space, time lost to stressful commuting, and a slow recognition that workers have lives beyond the officeall are s
3、trong arguments for letting staff work from home.For the small business, there are additional benefits toostaff are more productive, and happier, enabling firms to keep their headcounts (员工数) and their recruitment costs to a minimum. It can also provide competitive advantage, especially when small b
4、usinesses want to attract new staff but dont have the budget to offer huge salaries.While company managers have known about the benefits for a long time, many have done little about it, sceptical of whether they could trust their employees to work to full capacity without supervision, or concerned a
5、bout the additional expenses teleworking policies might incur as staff start charging their home phone bills to the business.Yet this is now changing. When communications provider Inter-Tel researched the use of remote working solutions among small-and-medium-sized UK businesses in April this year,
6、it found that 28% more companies claimed to have introduced flexible working practices than a year ago.The UK network of Business Links confirms that it too has seen a growing interest in remote working solutions from small businesses seeking its advice, and claims that as many as 60-70% of the busi
7、nesses that come through its doors now offer some form of remote working support to their workforces.Technology advances, including the widespread availability of broadband, are making the introduction of remote working a piece of cake.“If systems are set up properly, staff can have access to all th
8、e resources they have in the office wherever they have an internet connection,” says Andy Poulton, e-business advisor at Business Link for Berkshire and Wiltshire. “There are some very exciting developments which have enabled this.”One is the availability of broadband everywhere, which now covers al
9、most all of the country (BT claims that, by July, 99.8% of its exchanges will be broadband enabled, with alternative plans in place for even the most remote exchanges). “This is the enabler,” Poulton says.Yet while broadband has come down in price too, those service providers targeting the business
10、market warn against consumer services masquerading (伪装) as business-friendly broadband.“Broadband is available for as little as 15 a month, but many businesses fail to appreciate the hidden costs of such a service,” says Neil Stephenson, sales and marketing director at Onyx Internet, an internet ser
11、vice provider based in the north-east of England. “Providers offering broadband for rock-bottom prices are notorious for poor service, with regular breakdowns and heavily congested (拥堵的) networks. It is always advisable for businesses to look beyond the price tag and look for a business-only provide
12、r that can offer more reliability, with good support.” Such services dont cost too muchquality services can be found for upwards of 30 a month.The benefits of broadband to the occasional home worker are that they can access email in real time, and take full advantage of services such as internet-bas
13、ed backup or even internet-based phone services.Internet-based telecoms, or VoIP (Voice over IP) to give it its technical title, is an interesting tool to any business supporting remote working. Not necessarily because of the promise of free or reduced price phone calls (which experts point out is m
14、isleading for the average business), but because of the sophisticated voice services that can be exploited by the remote workerfacilities such as voicemail and call forwarding, which provide a continuity of the company image for customers and business partners.By law, companies must “consider seriou
15、sly” requests to work flexibly made by a parent with a child under the age of six, or a disabled child under 18. It was the need to accommodate employees with young children that motivated accountancy firm Wright Vigar to begin promoting teleworking recently. The company, which needed to upgrade its
16、 IT infrastructure (基础设施) to provide connectivity with a new, second office, decided to introduce support for remote working at the same time.Marketing director Jack OHern explains that the company has a relatively young workforce, many of whom are parents: “One of the triggers was when one of our t
17、ax managers returned from maternity leave. She was intending to work part time, but could only manage one day a week in the office due to childcare. By offering her the ability to work from home, we have doubled her capacitynow she works a day a week from home, and a day in the office. This is great
18、 for her, and for us as we retain someone highly qualified.”For Wright Vigar, which has now equipped all of its fee-earners to be able to work at maximum productivity when away from the offices (whether thats from home, or while on the road), this strategy is not just about saving on commute time or
19、 cutting them loose from the office, but enabling them to work more flexible hours that fit around their home life.OHern says: “Although most of our work is client-based and must fit around this, we cant see any reason why a parent cant be on hand to deal with something important at home, if they ha
20、ve the ability to complete a project later in the day.”Supporting this new way of working came with a price, though. Although the firm was updating its systems anyway, the company spent 10-15% more per user to equip them with a laptop rather than a PC, and about the same to upgrade to a server that
21、would enable remote staff to connect to the company networks and access all their usual resources.Although Wright Vigar hasnt yet quantified the business benefits, it claims that, in addition to being able to retain key staff with young families, it is able to save fee-earners a substantial amount o
22、f “dead” time in their working days.That staff can do this without needing a fixed telephone line provides even more efficiency savings. “With Wi-Fi (fast, wireless internet connections) popping up all over the place, even on trains, our fee-earners can be productive as they travel, and between meet
23、ings, instead of having to kill time at the shops,” he adds.The company will also be able to avoid the expense of having to relocate staff to temporary offices for several weeks when it begins disruptive office renovations soon.Financial recruitment specialist Lynne Hargreaves knows exactly how much
24、 her firm has saved by adopting a teleworking strategy, which has involved handing her companys data management over to a remote hosting company, Datanet, so it can be accessible by all the companys consultants over broadband internet connections.It has enabled the company to dispense with its busin
25、ess premises altogether, following the realisation that it just didnt need them any more. “The main motivation behind adopting home working was to increase my own productivity, as a single mum to an 11-year-old,” says Hargreaves. “But I soon realised that, as most of our business is done on the phon
26、e, email and at off-site meetings, we didnt need our offices at all. Were now saving 16,000 a year on rent, plus the cost of utilities, not to mention what would have been spent on commuting.”1. What is the main topic of this passage?A) How business managers view hi-tech.B) Relations between employe
27、rs and employees.C) How to cut down the costs of small businesses.D) Benefits of the practice of teleworking.2. From the research conducted by the communications provider Inter-Tel, we learn that .A) more employees work to full capacity at homeB) employees show a growing interest in small businesses
28、C) more businesses have adopted remote working solutionsD) attitudes toward IT technology have changed3. What development has made flexible working practices possible according to Andy Poulton?A) Reduced cost of telecommunications.B) Improved reliability of internet service.C) Availability of the Vo
29、IP service.D) Access to broadband everywhere.4. What is Neil Stephensons advice to firms contracting internet services?A) They look for reliable business-only providers.B) They contact providers located nearest to them.C) They carefully examine the contract.D) They contract the cheapest provider.5.
30、Internet-based telecoms facilitates remote working by _.A) offering sophisticated voice servicesB) giving access to emailing in real timeC) helping clients discuss business at homeD) providing calls completely free of charge6. The accountancy firm Wright Vigar promoted teleworking initially in order
31、 to _.A) present a positive image to prospective customersB) support its employees with children to take care ofC) attract young people with IT expertise to work for itD) reduce operational expenses of a second office7. According to marketing director Jack OHern, teleworking enabled the company to _
32、.A) enhance its market imageB) reduce recruitment costsC) keep highly qualified staffD) minimise its office space8. Wright Vigars practice of allowing for more flexible working hours not only benefits the company but helps improve employees .9. With fast, wireless internet connections, employees can
33、 still be _ while traveling.10. Single mother Lynne Hargreaves decided to work at home mainly to _.Part Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)Section A11. A) They would rather travel around than stay at home.B) They prefer to carry cash when traveling abroad.C) They usually carry many things around wi
34、th them.D) They dont like to spend much money on traveling.12. A) The selection process was a little unfair.B) He had long dreamed of the deans position.C) Rod was eliminated in the selection process.D) Rod was in charge of the admissions office.13. A) Applause encourages the singer. B) She regrets
35、paying for the concert.C) Almost everyone loves pop music.D) The concert is very impressive.14. A) They have known each other since their schooldays.B) They were both chairpersons of the Students Union.C) They have been in close touch by email.D) They are going to hold a reunion party.15. A) Cook th
36、eir dinner.B) Rest for a while.C) Get their car fixed.D) Stop for the night.16. A) Newly-launched products.B) Consumer preferences.C) Survey results.D) Survey methods.17. A) He would rather the woman didnt buy the blouse.B) The woman needs blouses in the colors of a rainbow.C) The information in the
37、 catalog is not always reliable.D) He thinks the blue blouse is better than the red one.18. A) The course is open to all next semester.B) The notice may not be reliable.C) The woman has not told the truth.D) He will drop his course in marketing.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you ha
38、ve just heard.19. A) A director of a sales department. B) A manager at a computer store.C) A sales clerk at a shopping center.D) An accountant of a computer firm.20. A) Handling customer complaints.B) Recruiting and training new staff.C) Dispatching ordered goods on time.D) Developing computer progr
39、ams.21. A) She likes something more challenging.B) She likes to be nearer to her parents.C) She wants to have a better-paid job.D) She wants to be with her husband.22. A) Right away. B) In two months.C) Early next month.D) In a couple of days.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have
40、 just heard.23. A) It will face challenges unprecedented in its history.B) It is a resolute advocate of the anti-global movement.C) It is bound to regain its full glory of a hundred years ago.D) It will be a major economic power by the mid-21st century.24. A) The lack of overall urban planning.B) Th
41、e huge gap between the haves and have-nots.C) The inadequate supply of water and electricity.D) The shortage of hi-tech personnel.25. A) They attach great importance to education.B) They are able to grasp growth opportunities.C) They are good at learning from other nations.D) They have made use of a
42、dvanced technologies.Section BPassage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. A) She taught chemistry and microbiology courses in a college.B) She gave lectures on how to become a public speaker.C) She helped families move away from industrial polluters.D) She engaged
43、in field research on environmental pollution.27. A) The job restricted her from revealing her findings.B) The job posed a potential threat to her health.C) She found the working conditions frustrating.D) She was offered a better job in a minority community.28. A) Some giant industrial polluters have
44、 gone out of business.B) More environmental organizations have appeared.C) Many toxic sites in America have been cleaned up.D) More branches of her company have been set up.29. A) Her widespread influence among members of Congress.B) Her ability to communicate through public speaking.C) Her rigorous
45、 training in delivering eloquent speeches.D) Her lifelong commitment to domestic and global issues.Passage TwoQuestions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30. A) The fierce competition in the market.B) The growing necessity of staff training.C) The accelerated pace of globalisatio
46、n.D) The urgent need of a diverse workforce.31. A) Gain a deep understanding of their own culture.B) Take courses of foreign languages and cultures.C) Share the experiences of people from other cultures.D) Participate in international exchange programmes.32. A) Reflective thinking is becoming critic
47、al.B) Labor market is getting globalised.C) Knowing a foreign language is essential. D) Globalisation will eliminate many jobs.Passage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33. A) Red-haired women were regarded as more reliable.B) Brown-haired women were rated as more
48、capable.C) Golden-haired women were considered attractive.D) Black-haired women were judged to be intelligent.34. A) They are smart and eloquent.B) They are ambitious and arrogant.C) They are shrewd and dishonest.D) They are wealthy and industrious.35. A) They force people to follow the cultural mai
49、nstream.B) They exaggerate the roles of certain groups of people.C) They emphasize diversity at the expense of uniformity.D) They hinder our perception of individual differences.Section CThe ancient Greeks developed basic memory systems called mnemonics. The name is from their Goddess of memory “Mnemosyne”. In the ancient world, 大 36家a trained memory was an asset, particularly in public life. There were 大 37家no devices for taking notes, and early Greek orators(演说家) delivered 大 38家long speeches with great because t
