2018年12月大学英语六级阅读模拟试题3篇

　　Passage 1

　　The Guidford Four,freed last week after spending 15 years in prison for crimes they did not commit,would almost certainly have been executed for the pub bombing they were convicted of.They had the death penalty been in force at the time of their trial.They may now be a decent interval before the pro-hanging lobby,which has the support of the Prime Minister,makes another attempt to reintroduce the noose.

　　Reflections along these lines were about the only kind of consolation to be derived from this gross miscarriage of justice which is now to be the subject of a judicial(司法的)inquiry.In the meantime,defense lawyers are demanding compensation and have in mind about half a million pounds for each of their clients.

　　The first three to be released-Mr.Gerald Conlon, Mr.Paddy Armstrong and Ms.Carole Richardson-left prison with the 34 pounds which is given to all departing inmates.The fourth,Mr.Paul Hill,was not released immediately but taken to Belfast,where he lodged an appeal against his conviction for the murder of a former British soldier.Since this conviction,too,was based on the now discredited statements allegedly made to the Survey police,he was immediately let out on bail(保释).But he left empty-handed.

　　The immediate reaction to the scandal was renewed demand for the re-examination of the case against the Birmingham Six, who are serving life sentences for pub bombings in that city. Thus far the Home secretary, Mr. Douglas Hurd, is insisting that the two cases are not comparable; that what is now known about the Guilford investigation has no relevance to what happened in Birmingham.

　　Mr. Hurd is right to the extent that there was a small-though flimsy and hotly-contested-amount of crime evidence in the Birmingham case.The disturbing similarity is that the Birmingham Six,like the Guilford Four,claim that police officers lied and fabricated evidence to secure a conviction.

　　Making scapegoats(替罪羊)of a few rogue police officers will not be sufficient to eliminate the Guilford miscarriage of justice.These are already demands that the law should be changed;first to make it impossible to convict on“confessions”alone;and secondly to require that statements from accused persons should only be taken in the presence of an independent third patty to ensure they are not made under punishment.

　　It was also being noted this week that the Guilford Four owe their release more to be persistence of investigative reporters than to the diligence of either the judiciary or the police.Yet investigative reports-particularly on television-have recently been a particular target for the condemnation of Mrs.Thatcher and some of her ministers who seem to think that TV should be muzzled(钳制言论的手段) in the public interest and left to get on with soap operas and quiz shows.

　　1.The word“noose”(Line 7,Para.1)has the closest meaning to________.

　　[A].death penalty

　　[B].hanging

　　[C].trial

　　[D].punishment

　　2.To compensate the miscarriage of justice,the defense lawyers may_________.

　　[A].demand 500,000 pounds for the Guilford Four.

　　[B].demand 500,000 pounds for each of the Guilford Four.

　　[C].demand 1,000,000 pounds for each of the Guilford Four.

　　[D].demand a re-examination of the Birmingham pub bombings.

　　3.Why was there a renewed demand for the re-examination of the case against the Birmingham Six?

　　[A].The Birmingham Six were believed to have criminal connections with the Guilford Four.

　　[B].The two cases were similar in that both were about pub bombings.

　　[C].The bombings in Birmingham happened at the same time.

　　[D].The Birmingham Six also claimed that there were police malpractice’s in their case.

　　4.The existing law states that________.

　　[A].convictions can be made on confessions and statements taken by police officers from accused persons are valid legal evidence.

　　[B].convictions can’t be made on confessions alone and there should be a third party when taking statements from accused persons.

　　[C].convictions can be made on confessions and a third party should be present when taking statements from accused persons.

　　[D].convictions can’t be made on confessions alone and the statements taken by police officers from accused persons are valid legal evidence.

　　5.According to the article,which of the following parties contributed most to the release of the Guilford Four?

　　[A].Reporters

　　[B].Lawyers

　　[C].The police

　　[D].The judiciary

　　答案: B B D A A

　　Passage 2

　　In Brazil,the debate over genetically modified organisms,or GMOs, affects mostly soybean production.Brazil is the world's second largest producer of soybeans behind the United States and ahead of Argentina.Most European and Asian retailers want to remain GM free.

　　Non-governmental organizations(NGOs) in Brazil are going on a media offensive to prevent the legalization of genetically modified crops.Environmentalists and consumer groups for years have been able to thwart government and companies' attempts to legalize altered food.In radio dramas that are being broadcast in remote regions,Brazilian NGOs are telling soy farmers the use of genetically modified seeds could endanger their health,their fields and their business.We are not saying that genetic engineering is,in principle,something bad;we say that we need more science to be sure that it will work in an appropriate way with no harm in the future,said campaign coordinator Jean-Marc von der Weid.This is both for health and environmental reasons.The other question is on economics.What we think is that in Brazil,if we approve the GMOs,we will lose a spectacular advantage that we have now.We are selling more to the international market,mostly for Europe and Asia,than we have done in our history,because we are not GMO contaminated.

　　Another opposition group,Action Aid,has been organizing grass-roots support in Brazilian farming regions to rouse consumer sentiment against legalization.Action Aid public policy director Adriano Campolina says he is fighting for farmers to remain independent.When the small-scale farmer or a big farmer starts using this kind of seed,this farmer will be completely dependent on the transnationals,which control intellectual property rights over these seeds,he said.

　　Brazilian scientist Crodowaldo Pavan said there should be checks on what multinationals can do,but that doesn't mean GM seeds should be banned.He says fears over their usage are unfounded.Despite the official ban, Dr. Pavan says up to one third of Brazil's soy crop is genetically modified,because GM seed is being smuggled from Argentina.Brazil's government has invested heavily in a GM project by the U.S. biotech company,Monsanto,but the project was put on ice following a successful court challenge by consumers.

　　The anti-GMO groups are hoping the politicians’ preoccupation with the October presidential election will give them time to gather enough support to defeat any future attempts to legalize genetically altered crops.

　　6.According to the passage,the issue in dispute in Brazil is___________.

　　[A]contamination of the environment by genetically modified crops.

　　[B]Brazil’s standing in the international market

　　[C]the October presidential election

　　[D]the legalization of genetically modified organisms

　　7.According to the passage,Brazil is the world’s_____________soybean producer.

　　[A]largest

　　[B]second largest

　　[C]third largest

　　[D]fourth largest

　　8.Which of the following statements is NOT true about NGOs in Brazil?

　　[A]They believe genetically modified crops will harm the farmers’ health.

　　[B]They believe genetic engineering is altogether a bad practice.

　　[C]They believe scientific methods should be introduced to ensure GM brings no harm.

　　[D]They believe GMOs will harm Brazil economically.

　　9.Which of the following statements is true about the organization called Action Aid?

　　[A]They encourage the farmers to produce genetically modified products.

　　[B]They encourage the farmers to depend on themselves for seeds.

　　[C]They strongly support the legalization of genetically modified products.

　　[D]They encourage the farmers to upgrade their farms to bigger ones.

　　10.What does the Brazilian scientist Crodowaldo Pavan say about genetically modified products?

　　[A]Genetically modified seeds should be banned.

　　[B]Brazil government should crack down on the smuggling of genetically modified seeds.

　　[C]The fear over the use of genetically modified seeds is uncalled for.

　　[D]Consumers should file more law suits to protect their rights.

　　答案: D B B B C

　　Passage 3

　　The"standard of living"of any country means the average person's share of the goods and services which the country produces.A country's standard of living,therefore,depends first and foremost on its capacity to produce wealth."Wealth"in this sense is not money,for we do not live on money but on things that money can buy:"goods"such as food and clothing,and"services"such as transport and entertainment.

　　A country's capacity to produce wealth depends upon many factors,most of which have an effect on one another.Wealth depends to a great extent upon a country's natural resources,such as coal,gold,and other minerals,water supply and so on.Some regions of the world are well supplied with coal and minerals,and have a fertile soil and a favorable climate;other regions possess perhaps only one of these things,and some regions possess none of them.The U.S.A is one of the wealthiest regions of the world because she has vast natural resources within her borders,her soil is fertile,and her climate is varied.The Sahara Desert,on the other hand,is one of the least wealthy.

　　Next to natural resources comes the ability to turn them to use.China is perhaps as well off as the U.S.A.in natural resources,but suffered for many years from civil and external wars,and for this and other reasons was.unable to develop her resources.Sound and stable political conditions,and freedom from foreign invasion,enable a country to develop its natural resources peacefully and steadily,and to produce more wealth than another country equally well served by nature but less well ordered.Another important factor is the technical efficiency of a country's people.Old countries that have,through many centuries,trained up numerous skilled craftsmen and technicians are better placed to produce wealth than countries whose workers are largely unskilled.Wealth also produces wealth.As a country becomes wealthier,its people have a large margin for saving,and can put their savings into factories and machines which will help workers to turn out more goods in their working day.

　　11.A country's wealth depends upon______.,

　　[A].its standard of living

　　[B].its money

　　[C].its ability to provide goods and services

　　[D].its ability to provide transport and entertainment

　　12.The word"foremost"means______.

　　[A].most importantly

　　[B].firstly

　　[C].largely

　　[D].for the most part

　　13.The main idea of the second paragraph is that______.

　　[A].a country's wealth depends on many factors

　　[B]].the U.S.A.is one of the wealthiest countries in the world

　　[C].the Sahara Desert is a very poor region

　　[D].natural resources are an important factor in the wealth or poverty of a country

　　14.The third paragraph mentions some of the advantages which one country may have over another in making use of its resources.How many such advantages are mentioned in this paragraph?

　　[A].2

　　[B].3

　　[C].4

　　[D].5

　　15.The second sentence.in Paragraph 3 is______.

　　[A].the main idea of the paragraph

　　[B].an example supporting the main idea of the paragraph

　　[C].the conclusion of the paragraph

　　[D].not related to the paragraph

　　答案:C A A B B