2013年下半年英语六级考试模拟试题第二套3

　　A new study from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University shows that today's youth vote in larger numbers than previous generations, and a 2008 study from the Center for American Progress adds that increasing numbers of young voters and activists support traditionally liberal causes. But there's no easy way to see what those figures mean in real life. During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama assembled a racially and ideologically diverse coalition with his message of hope and change; as the reality of life under a new administration settles in, some of those supporters might become disillusioned. As the nation moves further into the Obama presidency, will politically engaged young people continue to support the president and his agenda, or will they gradually drift away?

　　The writers of Generation O (short for Obama), a new Newsweek blog that seeks to chronicle the lives of a group of young Obama supporters, want to answer that question. For the next three months, Michelle Kremer and 11 other Obama supporters, ages 19 to 34, will blog about life across mainstream America, with one twist: by tying all of their ideas and experiences to the new president and his administration, the bloggers will try to start a conversation about what it means to be young and politically active in America today. Malena Amusa, a 24-year-old writer and dancer from St. Louis sees the project as a way to preserve history as it happens. Amusa, who is traveling to India this spring to finish a book, then to Senegal to teach English, has ongoing conversations with her friends about how the Obama presidency has changed their daily lives and hopes to put some of those ideas, along with her global perspective, into her posts. She's excited because, as she puts it, "I don't have to wait [until] 15 years from　 now" to make sense of the world.

　　Henry Flores, a political-science professor at St. Mary's University, credits this younger generation's political strength to their embrace of technology. "[The Internet] exposes them to more thinking," he says, "and groups that are like-minded in different parts of the country start to come together." That's exactly what the Generation O bloggers are hoping to do. The result could be a group of young people that, like their boomer (二战后生育高峰期出生的美国人) parents, grows up with a strong sense of purpose and sheds the image of apathy (冷漠) they've inherited from Generation X (60 年代后期和70 年代出生的美国人). It's no small challenge for a blog run by a group of ordinary—if ambitious—young people, but the members of Generation O are up to the task.

　　注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

　　57. What is the finding of a new study by CIRCLE?

　　A) More young voters are going to the polls than before.

　　B) The young generation supports traditionally liberal causes.

　　C) Young voters played a decisive role in Obama's election.

　　D) Young people in America are now more diverse ideologically.

　　58. What is a main concern of the writers of Generation O?

　　A) How Obama is going to live up to young people's expectations.

　　B) Whether America is going to change during Obama's presidency.

　　C) Whether young people will continue to support Obama's policy.

　　D) How Obama's agenda is going to affect the life of Americans.

　　59. What will the Generation O bloggers write about in their posts?

　　A) Their own interpretation of American politics.

　　B) Policy changes to take place in Obama's administration.

　　C) Obama's presidency viewed from a global perspective.

　　D) Their lives in relation to Obama's presidency.

　　60. What accounts for the younger generation's political strength according to Professor Henry Flores?

　　A) Their embrace of radical ideas.

　　B) Their desire to change America.

　　C) Their utilization of the Internet.

　　D) Their strong sense of responsibility.

　　61. What can we infer from the passage about Generation X?

　　A) They are politically conservative.

　　B) They reject conventional values.

　　C) They dare to take up challenges.

　　D) They are indifferent to politics.

　　参考答案：

　　57 A) More young voters are going to the polls than before.本题问CIRCLE新的研究发现是什么，注意题目问的是CIRCLE的研究，文章第一句就说研究发现当今的年轻人比前几代年轻人更多地参与投票，因此选A项。注意B项是另一项研究的发现。

　　58 C) Whether young people will continue to support Osama's policy.本题问"O"代人作家主要关心的是什么。文章第二段中说道他们想要观察年轻人是否会继续支持奥巴马。因此此题选C项。

　　59 D) Their lives in relation to Osama's presidency.本题问"O"代人博客会写什么东西。文章第二段中说会记录美国人的生活，看新的总统和他的政府会如何影响人民的生活，也就是记录奥巴马政府怎样影响人民的生活，因此此题选D项。

　　60 C) Their utilization of the Internet.本题问在Henry Flores看来，是什么原因造成年轻一代开始有一定的政治优势。文章最后一段告诉我们互联网使年轻人接触更多的思想，也使不同地区有着同样想法的人聚集起来，因此本题选C.

　　61 D) They are indifferent to politics.本题问从本段话中我们可以推断出"X"代人有什么特征。文章最后一段的倒数第二句话说"boomer"摆脱了从他们父母身上继承的冷漠的(apathy)一面，由此可见"X"代人是冷漠的，因此本题选D。