2012年6月大学英语六级考试真题及答案

　　Passage Two

　　Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.

　　For most of the 20th century, Asia asked itself what it could learn from the modern, innovating West. Now the question must be reversed: what can the West’s overly indebted and sluggish (经济滞长的) nations learn from a flourishing Asia?

　　Just a few decades ago, Asia’s two giants were stagnating (停滞不前) under faulty economic ideologies. However, once China began embracing free-market reforms in the 1980s, followed by India in the 1990s, both countries achieved rapid growth. Crucially, as they opened up their markets, they balanced market economy with sensible government direction. As the Indian economist Amartya Sen has wisely said, “The invisible hand of the market has often relied heavily on the visible hand of government.”

　　Contrast this middle path with America and Europe, which have each gone ideologically overboard in their own ways. Since the 1980s, America has been increasingly clinging to the ideology of uncontrolled free markets and dismissing the role of government—following Ronald Reagan’s idea that “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” Of course, when the markets came crashing down in 2007, it was decisive government intervention that saved the day. Despite this fact, many Americans are still strongly opposed to “big government.”

　　If Americans could only free themselves from their antigovernment doctrine, they would begin to see that America’s problems are not insoluble. A few sensible federal measures could put the country back on the right path. A simple consumption tax of, say, 5% would significantly reduce the country’s huge government deficit without damaging productivity. A small gasoline tax would help free America from its dependence on oil imports and create incentives for green energy development. In the same way, a significant reduction of wasteful agricultural subsidies could also lower the deficit. But in order to take advantage of these common-sense solutions, Americans will have to put aside their own attachment to the idea of smaller government and less regulation. American politicians will have to develop the courage to follow what is taught in all American public-policy schools: that there are good taxes and bad taxes. Asian countries have embraced this wisdom, and have built sound long-term fiscal (财政的) policies as a result.

　　Meanwhile, Europe has fallen prey to a different ideological trap: the belief that European governments would always have infinite resources and could continue borrowing as if there were no tomorrow. Unlike the Americans, who felt that the markets knew best, the Europeans failed to anticipate how the markets would react to their endless borrowing. Today, the European Union is creating a $580 billion fund to ward off sovereign collapse. This will buy the EU time, but it will not solve the bloc’s larger problem.

　　61. What has contributed to the rapid economic growth in China and India?

　　[A] Copying western-style economic behavior.

　　[B] Timely reform of government at all levels.

　　[C] Free market plus government intervention.

　　[D] Heavy reliance on the hand of government.

　　62. What does Ronald Reagan mean by saying “government is the problem” (Lines 3-4, Para. 3)?

　　[A] Many social ills are caused by wrong government policies.

　　[B] Many social problems arise from government inefficiency.

　　[C] Government action is key to solving economic problems.

　　[D] Government regulation hinders economic development.

　　63. What stopped the American economy from collapsing in 2007?

　　[A] Abandonment of big government by the public.

　　[B] Self-regulatory repair mechanisms of the free market.

　　[C] Effective measures adopted by the government.

　　[D] Cooperation between the government and businesses.

　　64. What is the author’s suggestion to the American public in face of the government deficit?

　　[A] They give up the idea of smaller government and less regulation.

　　[B] They develop green energy to avoid dependence on oil import.

　　[C] They urge the government to revise its existing public policies.

　　[D] They put up with the inevitable sharp increase of different taxes.

　　65. What’s the problem with the European Union?

　　[A] Conservative ideology.

　　[B] Shrinking market.

　　[C] Lack of resources.

　　[D] Excessive borrowing.

　　Part IV Translation (30 minutes)

　　Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.

　　《孙子兵法》(The Art of War)是中国古代最重要的一部军事著作之一，是我国优秀传统文化的重要组成部分。孙子(Sun Tzu)，即该书作者，在书中揭示的一系列具有普遍意义的军事规律，不仅受到军事家们的推崇，还在经济领域、领导艺术、人生追求甚至家庭关系等诸多方面，具有广泛的指导作用。《孙子兵法》中的许多名言警句，富有哲理，意义深远， 在国内外广为流传。如今，《孙子兵法》已经被翻译成多种语言，在世界军事史上也具有重要的地位。