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六級短文1原文
In America, white tailed deer are more numerous than ever before, so abundant in fact that they've become a suburban nuisance and a health hazard.
Why can't the herd be thinned the old-fashioned way? The small community of North Haven on Long Island is home to some six hundred to seven hundred deer. The department of Environmental Conservation estimates the optimum population at 60. The town has been browsed bare of vegetation except where gardens and shrubs are protected by high fences.
Drivers routinely collide with deer and there are so many dead bodies left by the side of the road that the town has made it a deal with a local pet cemetery to collect and dispose of the bodies. Some people in the town have become ill from deer transmitted diseases. On the occasions when hunting has been tried, local animal rights people have worked to secure court orders against the hunts. And when that is failed, they stop the hunters, banging on pots and pans to alert the deer. Town meetings called to discuss the problem inevitably dissolved into confrontations.
The activists believe simply that the deer are not the problem. Some communities have even discussed the possibility of bringing wolves back into the ecological mix. That means wolves in the suburbs of New York. It is almost too wonderful not to try it. The wolves would kill deer of course. They would also terrorize and kill dogs and cats which is not what the suburban dwellers have in mind.
Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard
Q16. What do we learn about white-tailed deer in North Haven?
Q17. Why do local animal rights people bang on pots and pans?
Q18. What would happen if wolves were brought back into the ecological mix?
六級短文2原文
And now, if you'll walk this way, ladies and gentlemen, the next room we're going to see is the room in which the family used to hold their formal dinner parties and even occasionally entertain heads of state and royalty. However, they managed to keep this room friendly and intimate. And I think you'll agree. It has a very informal atmosphere, quite unlike some grand houses you visit. The curtains were never drawn, even at night, so guests got a view of the lake and fountains outside which were lit up at night – a very attractive sight. As you can see, ladies and gentlemen, the guests were seated very informally around this oval table, which would add to the relaxed atmosphere. The table dates from the 18th century and is made from Spanish oak. It's rather remarkable for the fact that although it's extremely big, it's supported by just six rather slim legs. However, it seems to have survived like that for 200 years. So it's probably going to last a bit longer. The chairs which go with the table are not a complete set. There were originally six of them. They are interesting for the fact that they are very plain and undecorated for the time, with only one plain central panel at the back and no armrests. I myself find them rather uncomfortable to sit in for very long, but people were used to more discomfort in the past. And now, ladies and gentlemen, if you'd like to follow me into the great hall…
Q19. What do we learn about the speaker?
Q20. What does the speaker say about the room they are visiting?
Q21. What is said about the oval table in the room?
Q22. What does the speaker say about the chairs?
六級短文3原文
Janet James was 22 years old when she was diagnosed with MS—a disease that attacks the body's nerves. She has just graduated from college and got a job at an advertising agency when she began to sense that something strange was going on inside her body.When James realized how severe her illness was, she knew she had better hurry up and live life. MS is the biggest cripplerof young adults. And although she didn't have many symptoms, she knew it was just a matter of time. First on her agenda was to pursue her dream of hosting a pop music programme. She worked at a radio station for a year, always aware that her body was degenerating. Then her best friend moved away. And one night James began screaming, "I got to go! I got to go!" Two weeks later, she arrived at Alaska, thousands of miles from her friends, her family and her past. "Everything fell into a place", she recalls. A 23-year-old girl with an incurable disease can fly to Alaska and everything can work out. The MS attacks came and went. And most of the time they hardly slowed her down. James hiked, fished, learnt to sail and experimented with hot air ballooning. "I lived for adventure", she says. "Nobody ever had a better time or did more exotic strange things than I did in an 80-year period." Inevitably however, the day came when she was so weakened that she had to return to Pittsburgh, her home town. There she began relieving her adventures by writing a book about them. Her book was published in 1993.
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Questions 23
What does the speaker say about MS?
Questions 24
What did Janet James decide to do after her disease was diagnosed?
Questions 25
What's sort of person can we infer Janet James is?the ecological mix?
