2022年12月大学英语六级阅读精练.docx

2022年12月大学英语六级阅读精练 【篇一】2022年12月大学英语六级阅读精练 campus life an apple for the teacher american schoolchildren occasionally present an apple to the teacher. obviously the custom contains an element of bribery1 — you offer sweet fruit to authority figures to “ sweeten”2 their disposition3 . in schoolchildren’s case, the apple is offered to make their grades more favorable. therefore, the apple has more or less acquired a corrosive4 reputation and maybe for this reason, in slang english“ to applepolish ”means“ to flatter or fawn”and an applepolisher is a flatterer. but the custom might also be explained as a fair payment for the teacher’s instruction. in the early days of public education, school teachers were not always salaried. often they would be paid in goods and services, offered by either the school, or the pupils or the parents. . .. therefore, the occasional gift of an apple for the teacher in today’s classroom should be a welcome reminder of the era when education was one -to-one and when teaching meant enlightening the students rather than identifying their rankings. caps and gowns for students, the most exciting moment may be the graduation ceremony5: parents, relatives and friends are invited to the ceremony; all the graduates are wearing black square flat caps and gowns. they all await the president to announce in the end,“now, please move your tassels from right to left. ” the caps and gowns worn by high school and college graduates today are survivors of the everyday dress worn by members of the academic community in medieval europe. the majority of scholars in the middle ages6 were churchmen, or soon to become so, and their dress was often strictly regulated by the universities where they taught and studied. the standard clerical dress throughout europe was the long black cope. the original preference for black was changed in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, as such colors as red, violet and purple came into fashion; but by the renaissance black was back, as the color black symbolized simple and plain, or austere way of life in the sixteenth century. with few exceptions, modern universities keep that ceremonial austerity. the origin of the square flat cap, or mortarboard7 , is obscure, though it probably derives from the medieval biretta . such a tufted square cap is considered the badge of the 024 mastership , and is later adopted by undergraduates and schoolboys. the term mortarboard does not appear in english until the 1850 s. the tassel that graduates transfer from one side to another as a signal of their elevation is an outgrowth of the medieval tuft. the tuft still appears on the modern biretta, worn by bishops throughout the church of rome . 【篇二】2022年12月大学英语六级阅读精练 Out With The Old, In With The New Get ready to say goodbye to the old , hello to the new! What’s the occasion ? The coming of the New Year. Many western cultures measure their days with the solar calendar. Therefore, they observe 1 the coming of the New Year on January 1. Cultures in Asia and the Middle East use other calendars, such as the more ancient lunar calendar. They celebrate the New Year at other times. Events and rituals vary from country to country. But in each place, New Year celebrations are a big deal. Most world cultures have been celebrating the New Year for centuries. The earliest New Year celebrations took place during spring or harvest time. With better weather ahead, or plenty of food to eat in winter, people naturally felt like having a party! As the days became longer and as nature renewed itself, people also felt like they could have a new start. Past disappointments could be forgotten. The New Year could bring better fortune , more opportunities and new challenges. Such universal themes remain the same today. New Year celebrations also involve having fun. The Hogmanay festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, features2 theater events, fireworks and dancing. During Hogmanay, Scots burn torches and barrels of tar, an old practice for keeping evil spirits away. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the beach becomes the stage for a huge New Year party. During the day, thousands of people throw flowers into the sea for good luck. In the evening, they enjoy music concerts and fireworks. Everyone is supposed to wear white — the auspicious New Year color. Some cultures have unusual New Year traditions. Italians throw old things out of their windows at midnight, symbolizing the departure of the old. Mexicans fire guns into the air to ward off misfortune. Danes jump off chairs exactly as the clock strikes midnight, so they can“jump”into the New Year. Greek children leave their shoes by the fireplace on New Year’s Day. They hope Saint Basil3, a popular Greek saint known for his kindness, will come and fill the shoes with gifts. In Vancouver, Canada, some pe。