2011英语六级模拟试卷及解析15

M: I didn't turn on the radio this morning, but I did see the headlines. If you remember, he threatened to leave the office at the last cabinet meeting。
　　Q: How did Mr. Johnson learn that the Prime Minister has resigned?
　　Now you’ll hear two long conversations。
　　Conversation One
　　W: Hi, Mike. I wonder if you have time to go with me to the cinema this Sunday。
　　M: Oh, I planned to finish my term paper that day, but Yamada invited me to a tea ceremony at his home。
　　W: Really? You’re lucky! The tea ceremony is a special form of entertainment for distinguished guests。
　　M: Yes, the tradition of tea ceremony has existed for about six hundred years. But, to be frank, I know little about those special and strict rules of the ceremony。
　　W: It’s not as hard as you imagine. I happened to have been invited to one tea ceremony once. I think I can give you some suggestions。
　　M: Oh, that’s good。
　　W: Remember, no matter what kind of tea ceremony you attend, they have one thing in common, that is, guests are invited to enjoy a moment of peace and calm。
　　M: Do you mean that the atmosphere is more important than the cakes and the tea itself?
　　W: Yes. And don’t forget to wash your hands in a rock water basin before entering the tea-room。
　　M: It sounds interesting. Is there a special room for a tea ceremony?
　　W: Of course. The room is very simple but very beautiful. The host and the guests will all sit on a kind of bamboo mats named ‘tatami’。
　　M: I know. I’m practicing to sit on my knees on the floor these days. My knees ached a lot。
　　W: But I’m sure the tea ceremony will release your pain and make you feel happy and peaceful。
　　Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard。
　　19.Why couldn’t Mike go to the cinema with Jane this Sunday?
　　20.What is in common at all tea ceremonies?
　　21.According to the dialogue, what should the guest do before entering the tea-room?
　　22.How will people sit at the tea ceremonies?
　　Conversation Two
　　W:Hi, Tom!
　　M:Judy. I haven't seen you in weeks. Where have you been?
　　W: In Florida。
　　M:What vacationing! While the rest of us studying on the campus in February cold?
　　W:Not exactly. I spent most of my time under water。
　　M:I don't understand。
　　W:I was on a special field trip. I went with my marine biology class。
　　M:So you went scuba diving. What were you looking for? Sunken treasure?
　　W:You might say so. The sea's full of treasures. All kinds of strange fascinating organisms. Our class concentrated on studying plankton。
　　M:I found plankton were too small to be seen。
　　W: That's a common misconception. The term plankton covers a wild variety of freely flowing plants and animals, from microscopic one cell organisms to larger ones, such as the common jellyfish。
　　M:Jellyfish may be large enough to be seen. But they are transparent, aren't they?
　　W:Yes, most planktons have transparent tissues as protected camouflage, it makes them practically invisible to predators。
　　M:But not invisible to your biology class, I hope。
　　W:By concentrating, I was able to see the outlines of lots of different plankton plants and animals. In fact, our professor even took photographs of gastropods, which are small oceanic snails。