专业英语八级真题 附答案详解
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专业英语八级阅读附答案专业英语八级阅读精选附答案Reputation is often got without merit and lost without fault.以下是店铺为大家搜索整理的专业英语八级阅读精选附答案,希望能给大家带来帮助!Passage 8 (Equality of opportunity in the twentieth Century Has Not Destroyed the Class System)These days we hear a lot of nonsense about the ‘great classless society'. The idea that the twentieth century is the age of the common man has become one of the great clichés of our time. The same old arguments are put forward in evidence. Here are some of them: monarchy as a system of government has been completely discredited. The monarchies that survive have been deprived of all political power. Inherited wealth has been savagely reduced by taxation and, in time, the great fortunes will disappear altogether. In a number of countries the victory has been complete. The people rule; the great millennium has become a political reality. But has it? Close examination doesn't bear out the claim.It is a fallacy to suppose that all men are equal and that society will be leveled out if you provide everybody with the same educational opportunities. (It is debatable whether you can ever provide everyone with the same educational opportunities, but that is another question.) The fact is that nature dispenses brains and ability with a total disregard for the principle of equality. The old rules of the jungle, ‘survival of the fittest', and ‘might is right' are still with us. The spread of education has destroyed the old class system and created a new one. Rewards are based on merit. For ‘aristocracy' read ‘meritocracy'; inother respects, society remains unaltered: the class system is rigidly maintained.Genuine ability, animal cunning, skill, the knack of seizing opportunities, all bring material rewards. And what is the first thing people do when they become rich? They use their wealth to secure the best possible opportunities for their children, to give them ‘a good start in life'. For all the lip service we pay to the idea of equality, we do not consider this wrong in the western world. Private schools which offer unfair advantages over state schools are not banned because one of the principles in a democracy is that people should be free to choose how they will educate their children. In this way, the new meritocracy can perpetuate itself to a certain extent: an able child from a wealthy home can succeed far more rapidly than his poorer counterpart. Wealth is also used indiscriminately to further political ends. It would be almost impossible to become the leader of a democracy without massive financial backing. Money is as powerful a weapon as ever it was.In societies wholly dedicated to the principle of social equality, privileged private education is forbidden. But even here people are rewarded according to their abilities. In fact, so great is the need for skilled workers that the least able may be neglected. Bright children are carefully and expensively trained to become future rulers. In the end, all political ideologies boil down to the same thing: class divisions persist whether you are ruled by a feudal king or an educated peasant.1. What is the main idea of this passage?[A] Equality of opportunity in the twentieth century has not destroyed the class system.[B] Equality means money.[C] There is no such society as classless society.[D] Nature can't give you a classless society.2. According to the author, the same educational opportunities can't get rid of inequality because ___________[A] the principle ‘survival of the fi ttest' exists.[B] Nature ignores equality in dispensing brains and ability.[C] Material rewards are for genuine ability.[D] People have the freedom how to educate their children.3. Who can obtain more rapid success ___________[A] those with wealth.[B] Those with the best brains.[C] Those with the best opportunities.[D] Those who have the ability to catch at opportunities.4. Why does the author say the new meritocracy can perpetuate itself to a certain extent? Because ___________[A] money decides everything.[B] Private schools offer advantages over state schools.[C] People are free to choose the way of educating their children.[D] Wealth is used for political ends.5. According to the author, class divisions' refers to ___________[A] the rich and the poor.[B] Different opportunities for people.[C] Oppressor and the oppressed.[D] Genius and stupidity.Vocabulary1. discredit 损害,破坏,败坏(某人的名声),不可信2. monarch 国王,女皇,君主政体3. millennium 千年the millennium 千僖年4. bear out 证实5. level out (升跌之后)呈平稳状态6. meritocracy 英才管理,英才教育,能人统治7. knack 技巧,诀窍8. perpetuate 使永久,永存或持续9. indiscriminate 不加鉴别的,不加分析的,任意的10. boil down 归结为……难句译注1. Close examination doesn't bear out the claim.【参考译文】深入探索证实此断言不确。
英语专业八级考试试题Listening ComprehensionSection A: News Report(选择的五条新闻来自不同的播报员,请根据提供的中文大纲判断是哪个播报员的报道。
)1.(关于近期某个城市的洪水灾害) "由于连续多日的暴雨,城市部分地区发生严重洪水灾害,居民的生活受到了严重影响。
" (由一个具有浓重美国口音的女播报员报道)2.(关于一部备受瞩目的电影获得票房成功) "《XYZ》这部备受期待的科幻电影在全球上映后获得了巨大成功,票房收入已经超过了预期。
" (由一个具有英国口音的男播报员报道)3.(关于全球气候变化的讨论) "在最近的联合国气候变化大会上,各国代表就如何应对气候变化进行了深入讨论。
" (由一个具有澳大利亚口音的女播报员报道)4.(关于一位著名运动员的退役声明) "在接受采访时,该著名运动员表示他计划在未来的比赛中退役,他感谢粉丝们一直以来的支持。
" (由一个具有加拿大口音的男播报员报道)5.(关于某个国家决定从另一个国家撤军) "在经过多日的谈判后,某大国决定从争议地区撤军,以缓和与该地区的紧张局势。
" (由一个具有南非口音的女播报员报道)Section B: Conversations(请根据对话内容判断主题和涉及人物之间的关系。
)1.主题:预订酒店房间人物关系:客户与酒店前台服务员2.主题:求职面试人物关系:面试官与应聘者3.主题:购买家具人物关系:客户与家具店销售员4.主题:讨论旅游计划人物关系:朋友之间5.主题:讨论电影剧情人物关系:夫妻之间。
专业英语八级考题试卷及答案PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION (40 MIN)In Sections A, B and C you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheetSECTION A TALKQuestions I to 5 refer to the talk in this section. At the end of the talk you will be given 15 seconds to answer each of the following five questions.Now listen to the talk.1. Which of the following statements about offices is NOT true according to the talk?A. Offices throughout the world are basically alike.B. There are primarily two kinds of office layout.C. Office surroundings used to depend on company size.D. Office atmosphere influences workers' performance.2. We can infer from the talk that harmonious work relations may have a direct impact on yourA. promotion.B. colleagues.C. management.D. union.3. Supposing you were working in a small firm, which of the following would you do when you had some grievances?A. Request a formal special meeting with the boss.B. Draft a formal agenda for a special meeting.C. Contact a consultative committee first.D. Ask to see the boss for a talk immediately.4. According to the talk, the union plays the following roles EXCEPTA. mediation.B. arbitration.C. negotiation.D. representation.5. Which topic is NOT covered in the talk?A. Role of the union.B. Work relations.C. Company structure.D. Office layout.SECTION B INTERVIEWQuestions 6 to 10 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 15seconds to answer each of the following five questions.Now listen to the interview.6. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT about David's personal background?A. He had excellent academic records at school and university.B. He was once on a PHD programme at Yale University.C. He received professional training in acting.D. He came from a single-parent family.7. David is inclined to believe inA. aliens.B. UFOs.C. the TV character.D. government conspiracies.8. David thinks he is fit for the TV role because of hisA. professional training.B. personality.C. life experience.D. appearance.9. From the interview, we know that at present David feelsA. a sense of frustration.B. haunted by the unknown thingsC. confident but moody.D. successful yet unsatisfied.10. How does David feel about the divorce of his parents?A. He feels a sense of anger.B. He has a sense of sadness.C. It helped him grow up.D. It left no effect on him.SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTQuestion 11 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 15seconds to answer the question.Now listen to the news.11. What is the main idea of the news item?A. US concern over th6 forthcoming peace talks.B. Peace efforts by the Palestinian Authority.C. Recommendations by the Mitchell Commission.D. Bomb attacks aimed at Israeli civilians.Question 12 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 15 seconds to answer the question.Now listen to the news.12. Some voters will waste their ballots becauseA. they like neither candidate.B. they are all ill-informed.C. the candidates do not differ much.D. they do not want to vote twice.Questions 13 to 15 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given15 seconds to answer each of the questions.Now listen to the news.13. According to the UN Human Development Report, which is the best place for women in the world?A. Canada.B. The US.C. Australia.D. Scandinavia.14. _______ is in the 12th place in overall ranking.A. BritainB. FranceC. FinlandD. Switzerland15. According to the UN report, the least developed country isA. Ethiopia.B. Mali.C. Sierra Leon.D. Central African Republic.SECTION D NOTE-TAKING AND GAP-FILLINGIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a 15-minute gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE after the mini-lecture. Use the blank sheet for note-taking.PART II PROOFREADING & ERROR CORRECTION (15 MIN)Proofread the given passage on ANSWER SHEET TWO as instructed.PART III READING COMPREHENSIOS (40MIN)SECTION A READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of fifteen multiple-choice questions. Read the passages and then mark your answers on your coloured answer sheet~TEXT AHostility to Gypsies has existed almost from the time they first appeared in Europe in the 14th century. The origins of the Gypsies, with little written history, were shrouded in mystery. What is known now from clues in the various dialects of their language, Romany, is that they came from northern India to the Middle East a thousand years ago, working as minstrels and mercenaries, metal-smiths and servants. Europeans misnamed them Egyptians, soon shortened to Gypsies. A clan system, based mostly on their traditional crafts and geography, has made them a deeply fragmented and fractious people, only really unifying in the face of enmity from non-Gypsies, whom they call gadje. Today many Gypsy activists prefer to be called Roma, which comes from the Romany word for “man”. But on my travels among them most still referred to themselves as Gypsies.In Europe their persecution by the gadje began quickly, with the church seeing heresy in their fortune-telling and the state seeing anti-social behaviour in their nomadism. At various times they have been forbidden to wear their distinctive bright clothes, to speak their own language, to travel, to marry one another, or to ply their traditional crafts. In some countries they were reduced to slavery it wasn't until the mid-1800s that Gypsy slaves were freed in Romania. In more recent timesthe Gypsies were caught up in Nazi ethnic hysteria, and perhaps half a million perished in the Holocaust. Their horses have been shot and the wheels removed from their wagons, their names have been changed, their women have been sterilized, and their children have been forcibly given for adoption to non-Gypsy families.But the Gypsies have confounded predictions of their disappearance as a distinct ethnic group and their numbers have burgeoned. Today there are an estimated 8 to 12 million Gypsies scattered across Europe, making them the continent's largest minority. The exact number is hard to pin down. Gypsies have regularly been undercounted, both by regimes anxious to downplay their profile and by Gypsies themselves, seeking to avoid bureaucracies. Attempting to remedy past inequities, activist groups may overcount. Hundreds of thousands more have emigrated to the Americas and elsewhere. With very few exceptions Gypsies have expressed no great desire for a country to call their own -unlike the Jews, to whom the Gypsy experience is often compared. “Romanestan” said Ronald Lee, the Canadian Gypsy writer, "is where my two feet stand."16. Gypsies are united only when theyA are engaged in traditional crafts.B. call themselves Roma.C. live under a clan system.D. face external threats.17. In history hostility to Gypsies in Europe resulted in their persecution by all the followingEXCEPTA. the Egyptians.B the state.C. the church.D. the Nazis.18. According to the passage, the main difference between the Gypsies and the Jews lies in their concepts ofA.language.B. culture.C. identity.D. custom.TEXT BI was just a boy when my father brought me to Harlem for the first time, almost 50 years ago. We stayed at the Hotel Theresa, a grand brick structure at 125th Street and Seventh Avenue. Once, in the hotel restaurant, my father pointed out Joe Louis. He even got Mr. Brown, the hotel manager, to introduce me to him, a bit paunchy but still the champ as far as I was concerned.Much has changed since then. Business and real estate are booming. Some say a new renaissance is under way. Others decry what they see as outside forces running roughshod over the old Harlem.New York meant Harlem to me, and as a young man I visited it whenever I could. But many of my old haunts are gone. The Theresa shut down in 1966. National chains thatonce ignored Harlem now anticipate yuppie money and want pieces of this prime Manhattan real estate. So here I am on a hot August afternoon, sitting in a Starbucks that two years ago opened a block away from the Theresa, snatching at memories between sips of high-priced coffee. I am about to open up a piece of the old Harlem- the New York Amsterdam News—when a tourist asking directions to Sylvia's, a prominent Harlem restaurant, penetrates my daydreaming. He's carrying a book: Touring Historic Harlem.History. I miss Mr. Michaux's bookstore, his House of Common Sense, which was across from the Theresa. He had a big billboard out front with brown and black faces painted on it that said in large letters: "World History Book Outlet on 2,000,000,000 Africans and Nonwhite Peoples." An ugly state office building has swallowed that space.I miss speaker like Carlos Cooks, who was always on the southwest comer of 125th and Seventh, urging listeners to support Africa. Harlem's powerful political electricity seems unplugged-although the sweets are still energized, especially by West African immigrants.Hardworking southern newcomers formed the bulk of the community back in the 1920s and'30s, when Harlem renaissance artists, writers, and intellectuals gave it a glitter and renown that made it the capital of black America. From Harlem, W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, Paul Robeson, Zora Neal Hurston, and others helped power America's cultural influence around the world.By the 1970s and '80s drugs and crime had ravaged parts of the community. And the life expectancy for men in Harlem was less than that of men in Bangladesh. Harlem had become a symbol of the dangers of inner-city life.Now, you want to shout “Lookin’good!”at this place that has been neglected for so long. Crowds push into Harlem USA, a new shopping centre on 125th, where a Disney store shares space with HMV Records, the New York Sports Club, and a nine-screen Magic Johnson theatre complex. Nearby, a Rite Aid drugstore also opened. Maybe part of the reason Harlem seems to be undergoing a rebirth is that it is finally getting what most people take for granted.Harlem is also part of an “empowerment zone”—a federal designation aimed at fostering economic growth that will bring over half a billion in federal, state, and local dollars. Just the shells of once elegant old brownstones now can cost several hundred thousand dollars. Rents are skyrocketing. An improved economy, tougher law enforcement, and community efforts against drugs have contributed toa 60 percent drop in crime since 1993.19. At the beginning the author seems to indicate that HarlemA. has remained unchanged all these years.B. has undergone drastic changes.C. has become the capital of Black America.D. has remained a symbol of dangers of inner-city life.20. When the author recalls Harlem in the old days, he has a feeling ofA. indifference.B, discomfort.C. delight.D. nostalgia.21. Harlem was called the capital of Black America in the 1920s and '30s mainly because of itsA. art and culture.B. immigrant population.C. political enthusiasm.'D. distinctive architecture.22. From the passage we can infer that, generally speaking, the authorA. has strong reservations about the changes.B. has slight reservations about the changes,C. welcomes the changes in Harlem.D. is completely opposed to the changes.TEXT CThe senior partner, Oliver Lambert, studied the resume for the hundredth time and again found nothing he disliked about Mitchell Y. McDeere, at least not on paper. He had the brains, the ambition, the good looks. And he was hungry; with his background, he had to be. He was married, and that was mandatory. The firm had never hired an unmarried lawyer, and it frowned heavily on divorce, as well as womanizing and drinking. Drug testing was in the contract. He had a degree in accounting, passed the CPA exam the first time he took it and wanted to be a tax lawyer, which of course was a requirement with a tax firm. He was white, and the firm had never hired a black. They managed this by being secretive and clubbish and never soliciting job applications. Other firms solicited, and hired blacks. This firm recruited, and remained lily white. Plus, the firm was in Memphis, and the top blacks wanted New York or Washington or Chicago. McDeere was a male, and there were no women in the firm. That mistake had been made in the mid-seventies when they recruited the number one grad from Harvard, who happened to be a she and a wizard at taxation. She lasted four turbulent years and was killed in a car wreck.He looked good, on paper. He was their top choice. In fact, for this year there were no other prospects. The list was very short. It was McDeere, or no one.The managing partner, Royce McKnight, studied a dossier labeled "Mitchell Y. McDeere-Harvard." An inch thick with small print and a few photographs; it had been prepared by some ex-CIA agents in a private intelligence outfit in Bethesda. They were clients of the firm and each year did the investigating for no fee. It was easy work, they said, checking out unsuspecting law students. They learned, for instance, that he preferred to leave the Northeast, that he was holding three job offers, two in New York and one in Chicago, and that the highest offer was $76,000 and the lowest was $68,000. He was in demand. He had been given the opportunity to cheat on a securities exam during his second year. He declined, and made the highest grade in the class. Two months ago he had been offered cocaine at a law school party. He said no and left when everyone began snorting. He drank an occasional beer, but drinking was expensive and he had no money. He owed close to $23,000 in student loans. He was hungry.Royce McKnight flipped through the dossier and smiled. McDeere was their man. Lamar Quin was thirty-two and not yet a partner. He had been brought along to look young and act young and project a youthful image for Bendini, Lambert & Locke, which in fact was a young firm, since most of the partners retired in their late forties or early fifties with money to bum. He would make partner in this firm. With a six-figure income guaranteed for the rest of his life, Lamar could enjoy the twelve-hundred-dollar tailored suits that hung so comfortably from his tall, athletic frame. He strolled nonchalantly across the thousand-dollar-a-day suite and poured another cup of decaf. He checked his watch. He glanced at the two partners sitting at the small conference table near the windows.Precisely at two-thirty someone knocked on the door. Lamar looked at the parmers, who slid the resume and dossier into an open briefcase. All three reached for their jackets. Immar buttoned his top button and opened the door.23. Which of the following is NOT the firm’s recruitment requirement?A. Marriage.B. Background.C. Relevant degree.D. Male.24. The details of the private investigation show that the firmA. was interested in his family background.B. intended to check out his other job offers.C. wanted to know something about his preference.D. was interested in any personal detail of the man.25. According to the passage, the main reason Lama Quin was there at the interview was thatA. his image could help impress McDereer.B. he would soon become a partner himself.C. he was good at interviewing applicants.D. his background was similar to MeDereer's.26. We get the impression from the passage that in job recruitment the firm was NOTA. selective.B. secretive.C. perfunctory.D. racially biased.TEXT KFirst read the questions.39. When did Moore receive his first commission?A. In 1948.B. In 1946.C. In 1931.D. In 1928.40. Where did Moore win his first international prize?A. In London.B. In Venice.C. In New York.D. In Hamburg.Now go through TEXT K quickly to answer questions 39 and 40.Henry Moore, the seventh of eight children of Raymond Spencer Moore and his wife Mary, was born in Yorkshire on 30 July 1898. After graduating from secondary school, Moore taught for a short while. Then the First World War began and he enlisted in the army at the age of eighteen. After the war he applied for and received an ex-serviceman's grant to attend Leeds School of Art. At the end of his second year he won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London.In 1928 Moore met Irina Radetsky, a painting student at the college, whom he married a year later. The couple then moved into a house which consisted of a small ground-floor studio with an equally small flat above. This remained their London home for ten years.Throughout the 1920's Moore was involved in the art life of London. His first commission, received in 1928, was to produce a sculpture relief for the newly opened headquarters of London Transport. His first one-man exhibition opened at the Warren Gallery in 1928; it was followed by a show at the Leicester Galleries in 1931 and his first sale to a gallery abroad- the Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg. His success continued.In 1946 Moore had his first foreign retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modem Art, New York. In 1948 he won the International Sculpture Prize at the 24th Venice Biennale, the first of countless international accolades acquired in succeeding years. At the same time sales of Moore's work around the world increased, as did the demand for his exhibitions. By the end of 1970's the number of exhibitions had grown to an average of forty a year, ranging from the very small to major international retrospectives taking years of detailed planning and preparation. The main themes in Moore's work included the mother and child, the earliest work created in 1922, and the reclining figure dating from 1926. At the end of the 1960's came stringed figures based on mathematical models observed in the Science Museum, and the first helmet head, a subject that later developed into the internal-external theme- variously interpreted as a hard form coveting a soft, like a mother protecting her child or a foetus inside a womb.A few years before his death in 1986 Moore gave the estate at Perry Green with its studios, houses and cottages to the Trustees of the Henry Moore Foundation to promote sculpture and the fine arts within the cultural life of the country and in particular the works of Henry Moore.ANSWER SHEET ONEPART I LISTENING COMPREHENSIONSECTION D NOTE-TAKING & GAPFILING (15 MIN)Fill in each of the gaps with ONE word You may refer to your notes. Make sure the word you fill in is both grammatically and semantically acceptable.Marslow's Hierarchy of NeedsAbraham Maslow has developed a famous theory of human needs, which can be arranged In order of importance.Physiological needs: the most (1)______________ones for survival.They include such needs as food, water, etc. And there is usually one way to satisfy these needs.(2)______________needs: needs for a) physicalsecurity;b)(3)_______________security.The former means no illness or injury, while the latter is concerned with freedom from (4)______________, misfortunes, etc. These needs can be met through a variety of means, e.g. job security, (5)______________________plans, and safe working conditions.Social needs: human requirements for a) love and affection;b) a sense of belonging.There are two ways to satisfy these needs: a) formation of relationships at workplace;b) formation of relationships outside workplace.Esteem needs: a) self-esteem, i.e. one's sense of achievement;b) esteem of others, i.e. others' respect as a result of one's (6__________.These needs can be fulfilled by achievement, promotion, honours, etc.Self-realization needs: need to realize one'spotential.Ways to realize these needs are individually (7)______________________ Features of the hierarchy of needs:a) Social, esteem and self-realization needs are exclusively(8)______________ needs.b) Needs are satisfied in a fixed order from the bottom up.c) (9)_____________for needs comes from the lowest un-met level.d) Different levels of needs may (10)_______________when they come into play. ANSWER SHEET TWOTEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS [2003]-GRADE EIGIHT-PART II PROOFREADING & ERROR CORRECTION (15 MIN)The passage contains TEN errors. Each indicated line contains a maximum of ONE error. In each case, only ONE word is involved You should proof, read the passage and correct it in the following way:For a wrong word, underline the wrong word and write the correct one in the blank pro-vided at the end of the line.For a missing word, mark the position of the missing word with a "^" sign and write the word you believe to be missing in the blank provided at the end of the line. For an unnecessary word, cross the unnecessary word with a slash "/" and put the word in the blank provided at the end of the line.EXAMPLEWhen ^ art museum wants a new exhibit, it never buys things in finished form and hangs them on the wall. When a natural history museum wants an exhibition, it must often build it.Demographic indicators show that Americans in the postwarperiod were more eager than ever to establish families. They quicklybrought down the age at marriage for both men and women and broughtthe birth rate to a twentieth century height after more than a hundred (1)__ years of a steady decline, producing the “baby boom.”These young (2)__adults established a trend of early marriage and relatively largefamilies that Went for more than two decades and caused a major (3)__but temporary reversal of long-term demographic patterns. Fromthe 1940S through the early 1960s, Americans married at a high rate (4)__and at a younger age than their Europe counterparts.(5)__Less noted but equally more significant, the men and women on who (6)__formed families between 1940 and 1960 nevertheless reduced the (7)__divorce rate after a postwar peak; their marriages remained intact toa greater extent than did that of couples who married in earlier as well (8)__ as later decades. Since the United States maintained its dubious (9)__ distinction of having the highest divorce rate in the world, thetemporary decline in divorce did not occur in the same extent in (10)__ Europe. Contrary to fears of the experts, the role of breadwinner and homemaker was not abandoned.TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (2003)-GRADE EIGHT-PAPER TWOTIME LIMIT: 120 MINPART IV TRANSLATION (60 MIN)SECTION A CHINESE TO ENGLISHTranslate the following text into English. Write your translation on ANSWER SHEET THREE.得病以前,我受父母宠爱,在家中横行霸道,一旦隔离,拘禁在花园山坡上一幢小房子里,我顿觉打入冷宫,十分郁郁不得志起来。
专八英语真题答案及解析专业八级英语考试,简称专八,是中国大学英语教学指导委员会主办的一项考试,旨在测试考生的英语综合应用能力。
本文将对专八英语真题的答案和解析进行详细介绍,帮助考生更好地理解考试内容和要求。
第一部分:听力 (共25小题,每小题1分,满分25分)听力部分是专八考试的第一部分,主要测试考生的听力理解能力。
下面是2019年专八英语听力真题的答案与解析。
1. A) Meeting with Mark.解析:题干中提到"Mark",可以确定正确答案为A。
2. C) This week.解析:题干中询问的是"Tom"何时开始写作业,对应的答案为C。
3. B) Borrow her car.解析:题干中询问的是"Mary"想要借什么,对应的答案为B。
4. A) They think it is unnecessary.解析:题干中询问的是两个同学如何看待阅读书籍的重要性,对应的答案为A。
5. C) It is a big challenge for them.解析:题干中询问的是对话中年轻人们面对的困难,对应的答案为C。
6. B) He will call Dave.解析:题干中询问的是John打算做什么,对应的答案为B。
7. A) Listen to the weather forecast.解析:题干中询问的是她打算做什么,对应的答案为A。
8. C) A trip to the countryside.解析:题干中询问的是他们最终计划去哪里,对应的答案为C。
9. B) She was too late for the registration.解析:题干中提到Lucy說"I missed the deadline",可以确定正确答案为B。
10. C) By giving examples.解析:题干中询问的是作者写这篇文章时主要使用了什么方法,对应的答案为C。
TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (1998)—GRADE EIGHTPAPER ONEPART ⅠLISTENING COMPREHENSION (40 MIN. )In Sections A, B and C you will hear everything once only. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow.SECTION A TALKQuestions 1 to 5 refer to the talk in this section. At the end of the talk you will be given 15 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the talk.1. According to the talk, compulsive gambling and alcoholic addiction share similarities becauseA. no actual figure of addicts has been reported.B. no scientific studies have yielded effective solutions.C. both affect all sectors of society.D. both cause serious mental health problems.2. The development of the gambling compulsion can be described as beingA. gradual.B. slow.C. periodic.D. radical.3. G. A. mentioned in the talk is believed to be a(n)A. anonymous group.B. charity organization.C. gamblers' club.D. treatment centre.4. At the end of the talk, the speaker's attitude towards the cure of gambling addiction isA. unclear.B. uncertain.C. optimistic.D. pessimistic.5. Throughout the talk, the speaker examines the issue of gambling in a ____________ way.A. balancedB. biasedC. detachedD. lengthySECTION B INTERVIEWQuestions 6 to 10 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 15 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the interview.6. What strikes the woman most about the male robber is hisA. clothes.B. age.C. physique.D. appearance.7. The most detailed information about the woman robber is herA. manners.B. talkativeness.C. height.D. jewelry.8. The interviewee is believed to be a bankA. receptionist.B. manager.C. customer.D. cashier.9. Which of the following about the two robbers is NOT true?A. Both were wearing dark sweaters.B. Neither was wearing glasses.C. Both were about the same age.D. One of them was marked by a scar.10. After the incident the interviewee soundedA. calm and quiet.B. nervous and numb.C. timid and confused.D. shocked and angry.SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTQuestions 11 and 12 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.11. According to the news, the enormous food shortage in Iraq has the most damaging effect on itsA. national economy.B. adult population.C. young children.D. national currency.12. The WFP is appealing to donor nations toA. double last year's food-aid.B. raise $ 122 million for Iraqi people.C. provide each Iraqi family with $ 26 a month.D. help Iraq's 12 million population.Question 13 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 15 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.13. As a result of the agreement, the two countries' arsenals are to beA. upgraded in reliability and safety.B. reduced in size and number.C. dismantled partly later this year.D. maintained in their present conditions.Questions 14 and 15 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 30 seconds to answer the two questions. Now listen to the news.14. We can infer from the news that ____________ of teenagers under survey in 1993 were drug users.A. 28%B. 22%C. 25%D. 21%15. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?A. Parents are asked to join in the anti-drug efforts.B. The use of both cocaine and LSD are on the increase.C. Teenagers hold a different view of drugs today.D. Marijuana is as powerful as it used to be.SECTION D NOTE-TAKING AND GAP-FILLINGIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture once only. While listening to the lecture, take notes on the important points. Y our notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a 15-minute gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET after the mini-lecture. Use the blank paper for note-taking.ANSWER SHEETThe Rise of RPHistorical reasonsReceived pronunciation was originally associated with a (1) spoken in the region between central England and London, including Oxford and Cambridge.Its survival was due to its use by the (2) in the 14th century and by university students in the (3) Ages.Its rise in importance resulted from its application in government and official documents.The prestige of its (4) pattern of pronunciation came about with its use in (5) schools in the 19th century.As a result, its (6) is accepted by television and the radio, the professions and teaching English as a foreign language. Three characteristics of RP1)its speakers don't regard themselves as connected with any geographical region;2) RP is largely used in England;3) RP is a "class" accent, associated with (7) social classes.Its present statusDecline in the prestige of RP is the result of a) loss of monopoly of education by the privileged; b) (8) of high education in the post-war period.However, it still retains its eminence among certain professional people.There is a rise in the status of all (9) accents.We are moving towards the (10) position: general acceptance of all regional accents and absence of a class accent that transcends all regions.PART ⅡPROOFREADING AND ERROR CORRECTION (15 MIN. )Proofread the given passage on ANSWER SHEET as instructed.The following passage contains TEN errors. Each line contains a maximum of one error. In each case, only one。
专业英语八级模拟试卷及答案解析(1)(1~16/共26题)Play00:0010:52Volume第1题The American Two-party System I. Introduction A. the oldest political【T1】______ around the world【T1】______ B. the classical example of two-party system: the American political system —the dominant parties: the Democratic and the【T2】______ parties【T2】______ —the two-party system survived all attempts to assaults C. About dozen parties that nominate【T3】______【T3】______ D. Americans inevitably become one of the two parties because —there is usually no other place to go —most Americans know where they【T4】______ in the system【T4】______ II. Two-party system is so strongly【T5】______ because【T5】______ A The way【T6】______ are conducted: the Americans elect【T6】______ —【T7】______【T7】______ —about 800,000 of other【T8】______,【T8】______ —the congressman from single-member districts B. Organization of the House of Representatives ensures that —major party can maintain its【T9】______【T9】______ —major party is likely to win III. The consequences of the system A the 【T10】______ production of majorities【T10】______ —the competition between two parties —the【T11】______ of the victory of the winning party【T11】______ B. The peaceful【T12】______【T12】______ —the party in power can be overrun by the party out of power —two-party system cannot be destroyed —the【T13】______ can survive the defeat because of 【T13】______ a)the possibility of mamtaining a【T14】______ of the opposition【T14】______ b)the attraction of the support of those opposed to the party in power C. the tendency for the major parties to be【T15】______,【T15】______ e.g. business is conducted across party lines D. The work of the government carried on despite of divided party control第2题【T1】第3题【T2】第4题【T3】第5题【T4】第6题【T5】第7题【T6】第8题【T7】第9题【T8】第10题【T9】第11题【T10】第12题【T11】第13题【T12】第14题【T13】第15题【T14】第16题【T15】下一题(17~21/共26题)Play00:0004:56Volume第17题16.A.It includes all the compensation for loss.B.It includes a certificate of posting.C.It is perfect for sending documents of minor value.D.It is usually handled by very particular couriers.第18题17.A.All kinds of parcels.B.Airway letters.C.Railway letters.D.Inland postal packets.第19题18.A.It is signed by the recipient.B.It provides the recipient confirmation of delivery.C.It is free of charge.D.It will cost less at the time of posting.第20题19.A.The compensation for loss is limited.B.It will pay for valuable items.C.The compensation process is speedy.D.The compensation is inadmissible.第21题20.A.Recorded delivery is suitable for sending valuable things.B.Recorded delivery is a service with extra security.C.The packet is signed for by the addressee and a record is kept by the post office.D.The post office delivers recorded delivery to the addressee in person.上一题下一题(22~26/共26题)Play00:0004:23Volume第22题21.A.The packet should be fastened with adhesive substance.B.The packets should be posted in the mailbox.C.The packets needn´t be posted with relevant fee.D.The packets needn´t be wrapped in a strong cover.第23题22.A.Its contents can resist easy damage.B.Registered post provides a protection against damage.C.Registered post receives no special security treatmentD.There is special security treatment for registered post.第24题23.A.Partially included.B.Already covered.C.Partially stamped.D.Already excluded.第25题24.A.Coupons enclosed in the registered letter envelopes.B.Trading stamps sold by the post office.C.Bank notes and currency notes.D.All precious articles sold by the post office.第26题25.A.Neither of them accepts any airway letters.B.They both deliver mails to the addressee in person.C.Both require that the Advice of Delivery Form be signed by the post office official.D.Recorded delivery doesn´t compensate for bank notes, but registered post does.上一题下一题(27~30/共22题)PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)Directions: In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of 20 multiple-choice questions. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.(1) When the Viaduct de Millau opened in the south of France in 2004, this tallest bridge in the world won worldwide compliments. German newspapers described how it "floated above the clouds" with" elegance and lightness"and"breathtaking" beauty. In France, papers praised the "immense concrete giant". Was it mere coincidence that the Germans saw beauty where the French saw heft and power? Lera Boroditsky thinks not.(2) A psychologist at Stanford University, she has long been intrigued by an age-old question whose modern form dates to 1956, when linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf asked whether the language we speak shapes the way we think and see the world. If so, then language is not merely a means of expressing thought, but a constraint on it, too. Although philosophers, anthropologists, and others have weighed in, with most concluding that language does not shape thought in any significant way, the field has been notable for a distressing lack of empiricism—as in testable hypotheses and actual data.(3) That´s where Boroditsky comes in. In a series of clever experiments guided by pointed questions, she is amassing evidence that, yes, language shapes thought. The effect is powerful enough, she says, that "the private mental lives of speakers of different languages may differ dramatically," not only when they are thinking in order to speak, "but in all manner of cognitive tasks," including basic sensory perception. "Even a small fluke of grammar"—the gender of nouns—"can have an effect on how people think about things in the world,"she says.(4) As in that bridge, in German, the noun for bridge, Briicke, is feminine. In French, pont is masculine. German speakers saw female features; French speakers, masculine ones. Similarly, Germans describe keys (Schluessel) with words such as hard, heavy, jagged, and metal, while to Spaniards keys (Ilaves) are golden, intricate, little, and lovely. Guess which language interprets key as masculine and which as feminine?(5) Language even shapes what we see. People have a better memory for colors if different shades have distinct names—not English´s light blue and dark blue, for instance, but Russian´s goluboy and sinly. Skeptics of the language-shapes-thought claim have argued that that´s a trivial finding, showing only that people remember what they saw in both a visual form and a verbal one, but not proving that they actually see the hues differently. In an ingenious experiment, however, Boroditsky and colleagues showed volunteers three color swatches and asked them which of the bottom two was the same as the top one. Native Russian speakers were faster than English speakers when the colors had distinct names, suggesting that having a name for something allows you to perceive it more sharply. Similarly, Korean uses one word for "in" when one object is in another snugly (a letter in an envelope), and a different one when an object is in something loosely (an apple in a bowl). Sure enough, Korean adults are better than English speakers at distinguishing tight fit from loose fit.(6) In Australia, the Aboriginal Kuuk Thaayorre use compass directions for every spatial cue rather than right or left, leading to locutions such as "there is an ant on your southeast leg. " The Kuuk Thaayorre are also much more skillful than English speakers at dead reckoning, even in unfamiliar surroundings or strange buildings.Their language" equips them to perform navigational feats once thought beyond human capabilities," Boroditsky wrote on Edge. org.(7) Science has only scratched the surface of how language affects thought. In Russian, verb forms indicate whether the action was completed or not—as in " she ate (and finished) the pizza. " In Turkish, verbs indicate whether the action was observed or merely rumored. Boroditsky would love to run an experiment testing whether native Russian speakers are better than others at noticing if an action is completed, and if Turks have a heightened sensitivity to fact versus hearsay. Similarly, while English says " she broke the bowl," even if it smashed accidentally (she dropped something on it, say), Spanish and Japanese describe the same event more like "the bowl broke itself. " " When we show people video of the same event," says Boroditsky, " Englishspeakers remember who was to blame even in an accident, but Spanish and Japanese speakers remember it less well than they do intentional actions. It raises questions about whether language affects even something as basic as how we construct our ideas of causality. "第27题In the first paragraph, the author introduces his topic by______.A.explaining a phenomenonB.justifying an assumptionC.posing a contrastD.making a comparison第28题Lera Boroditsky most probably holds the viewpoint that______.nguage expresses thoughtnguage constrains thoughtnguage determines thoughtnguage and thought interact with each other第29题Which of the following statements is TRUE about the languages mentioned in the passage?A.Both the nouns for bridge and key are feminine in German.B.The language of the Aboriginal Kuuk Thaayorre is really helpful for sailing.C.Korean has a larger vocabulary than English in describing colors.D.Whether an action is completed or not is best shown in Spanish.第30题The author uses the following ways to develop paragraphs EXCEPT______.A.cause and effectB.deduction and inductionC.explanationD.definition上一题下一题(31~34/共22题)PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)Directions: In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of 20 multiple-choice questions. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.(1) What would the holidays be without lots of tiny twinkling lights? Less colorful and festive—but also a lot safer.(2) From living rooms to front porches across the country, homeowners are stringing millions of lights on Christmas trees or eaves and decorating their windowsills with electric, battery-operated or traditional candles. But according to the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission, too many are doing so with little regard to the hazards. Last holiday season there were about 200 Christmas tree fires in American homes, caused primarily by faulty lights and resulting in 10 deaths and more than $ 10 million in property loss, the Commission says. Another 14,000 house fires are started yearly by misplaced or mishandled flame candles, causing 170 deaths and$350 million in property loss. And about 10,000 people are treated at emergency rooms for injuries from falls, cuts or shocks while hanging lights or decorations.(3) The biggest causes of holiday fires are " candles and live trees" , said Kim Dulic, a Commission spokeswoman. The agency recommends battery-operated candles instead of real or electric, she said, along with fire-resistant artificial trees—or fresh well-watered trees.(4) A cut tree is fresh, she said, if the bottom of its trunk is sticky with resin and its needles are hard to pull and don´t break when bent. It is too dry if it sheds a shower of needles when bounced on the ground. A harvested tree should be cut about a half inch from the bottom and put in water within no more than three to six hours, said Rick Dungey, the public relations manager of the National Christmas Tree Association, in Chesterfield, Mo. " If you wait any longer, air molecules get in the trunk and they prevent the tree from siphoning water,"Mr. Dungey said, adding that people should water often and never let the water go below the cut end. Once a Christmas tree dries out, it is an accident waiting to happen, said Lorraine Carli, the communications vice president of the National Fire Protection Association, in Quincy, Mass. If ignited, it can be engulfed in seconds.(5) The most common cause is electrical—either an overused electrical system or faulty wiring. Brett Brenner, the president of the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), in Rosslyn, Va., said homeowners should make yearly inspections. " Cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires and loose connections can cause a serious shock or start a fire," he said. Use no more than one extension cord per socket, and string no more than three sets of lights together. Wires should not run under carpets or through windows or doors. He said outdoor outlets should be protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter—a breaker that trips with any interruption or problem with the ground wire. (An interrupter usually needs to be installed when an outlet is near or exposed to water; it generally costs less than $ 10.)(6) John Drengenberg, the consumer affairs director of Underwriters Laboratories, the testing group in Northbrook, 111., said that if lights are certified for indoors only, they must not be used outside; those certified for outdoors, however, can be used inside. No matter the kind, he said, if the bulbs are the screw-in type, there should be no more than 50 per outlet. Outdoor lights, he said, should be hung with plastic clip-on hangers, not metal nails or staples, which can pierce insulation and cause a short. And what about those who don´t take down their outdoor lights until the wisteria is in bloom in May? " You should never leave lights up all year round," Mr. Drengenberg said. "They´re not designed for year-round use. "第31题Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as a cause of the holiday hazards?A.Accidents during decoration.B.Poor quality of bubbles.C.Careless handling of candles.D.Problematic management of lights.第32题According to the passage, what is the BEST choice of Christmas trees?A.A real tree that is soaked in water at the shop.B.A real tree whose needles don´t break when bent.C.An artificial tree with delicate craftsmanship.D.An artificial tree that won´t be engulfed immediately.第33题It can be inferred from Para. 5 that______.A.the ESFI inspects household electrical system annuallyB.electrical devices for outdoor use are not expensiveC.homeowners do not have the particular electrical knowledgeD.an overloaded electrical system or faulty wiring may lead to disasters第34题Which of the following is NOT in accordance with Mr. Drengenberg´s suggestion?A.Never use outdoor lights that are certified for indoor use.B.Put exactly 50 screw-in type bulbs to each outlet.C.Take off the outdoor lights after the Christmas season is over.D.Avoid metal nails or staples when putting on the outdoor lights.上一题下一题(35~37/共22题)PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)Directions: In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of 20 multiple-choice questions. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.(1) We all know that emotions originate in the brain. But we usually talk about our emotions coming from our hearts. If someone you know doesn´t give up easily, you might say, "He´s got a lot of heart. " Not every culture would agree—for instance, when Italians want to say someone has heart, they say instead,"Ha fegato" : "He has liver. "(2) But what about bad emotions? When you feel so sad or so angry that your heart "aches" , could it actually be true? Two new studies add support to the theory that, yes, what goes on in your mind can break your heart.(3) In the first study, just published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC),a team of eight researchers looking at more than 63,000 women who were participants in the ongoing Nurses´ Health Study, found that those who reported basic symptoms of depression (like feeling down and incapable of happiness) had a higher-than-normal risk of coronary heart disease. And women who were clinically depressed were more than twice as likely as other women to suffer sudden cardiac death. None of the participants had heart problems at the study´s outset, but nearly 8% had symptoms of depression.(4) The researchers theorize that depression might have some direct physiological impact on the heart—like causing it to work harder in the face of stress. The study also found that the more depressed women were, the more likely they were to smoke cigarettes or have high blood pressure and diabetes—not exactly heart-healthy conditions. Or it may be that the antidepressants prescribed to treat those with mood problems were associated with heart ailments; in the study, sudden cardiac death was linked more strongly with antidepressant use than with women´s symptoms of depression.(5) The antidepressant theory is just that—a theory. It could be that the antidepressant takers in the study were simply the most depressed. But if the theory is substantiated by further research, it would add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that antidepressants carry a high risk (particularly for teenagers) when weighed against the drugs´still uncertain benefits. Scientists have already shown that antidepressants are a bad idea for those about to undergo coronary artery bypass surgery.(6) No one is sure exacdy how depression hurts me heart, and one plausible explanation is that the train runs in the opposite direction—a damaged heart and its consequent stress on the bodymight activate, somehow, genes or other physiological changes that contribute to depression.(7) But another new paper, also published in the JACC, lends credit to the idea that it is our moods that work on our hearts and not the other way around. In this paper, researchers from University College London reviewed the findings of 39 previously published articles and found that men who are angry and hostile are significantly more likely to have a cardiac event man those who aren´t. That may sound unsurprising—we all know that anger can stress your heart. But it´s important to note the difference between aggression and just being aggressive. Previous studies have found that so-called type A´s—those who are driven, competitive and obsessed with deadlines—are not more likely to experience heart disease. In other words, your type A co-workers who are annoyingly ambitious and dutiful are no more likely to have a heart attack than you are. Rather, it´s the seething, angry types with underlying hostility who are the ticking time bombs. Anger, it turns out, is physiologically toxic.(8) The authors of the second paper offer the standard theories about how an angry emotion translates to a physical heart attack: angry people have a harder time sleeping; they take prescribed drugs less often; they eat worse, exercise less, smoke more and are fatter. These things add up: compared with the good-humored, those who were angry and hostile—but had no signs of heart problems at the outset—ended up with a 19% higher risk of developing coronary heart disease, according to the University College London paper.(9) The two studies reify gender stereotypes; women get their hearts broken through sadness; men "break" their hearts (via heart attack) through anger. But both studies suggest that men and women have a common interest in understanding that some causes of cardiac disease—poor diet or lack of exercise or bad sleep habits—may have a precipitating cause themselves. Whether male or female, letting yourself get overwhelmed by emotion can damage not only your mind but also that crucial organ, the heart.第35题The relationship between the first study and the second study is that______.A.each presents one side of the pictureB.each presents a different issueC.the second generalizes the firstD.the second proves the first第36题Which of the following has been proven both practically and theoretically?A.Depression has some direct physiological impact on the heart.B.Antidepressants are closely related to heart disease.C.Antidepressants´ disadvantages outweigh their advantages.D.Anger and hostility may contribute to a heart attack.第37题Which of the following expressions is used literally, NOT metaphorically?A.He´s got a lot of heart. (Para. 1)B... .break your heart. (Para. 2)C....the train runs in the opposite direction... (Para.6)D....who are the ticking time bombs. (Para. 7)上一题下一题(38~40/共22题)PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)Directions: In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of 20 multiple-choice questions. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.(1) A far cry from the pirates and princesses of today, costumes during Halloween´s precursor centuries ago included animal skins and heads, drag getups, and even mechanical horse heads, historians say.(2) Records of the precursor to Halloween—the Celtic new year celebration of Samhain—are extremely threadbare, said Ken Nilsen, professor of Celtic studies at Canada´s St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. "We don´t have actual records telling us what it was like in ancient times, so our knowledge is based principally on folk customs that continued until recent centuries,"Nilsen told National Geographic News.(3) Samhain, however, is known to date back at least 2,000 years, based on analysis of a Celtic bronze calendar discovered in the 1890s in Coligny, France, in what was then called Gaul. The festival marked the end of the Celtic year, when the harvest was gathered and animals were rounded up. It´s said the hides of cattle and other livestock slaughtered at this time were ritually worn during festivities that likely hark back to even earlier pagan beliefs.(4) Ancient Roman writers recorded that tribes in what is now Germany and France held riotous ceremonies where they donned the heads and skins of wild mammals to connect with animal spirits. The custom of wearing animal hides at bonfire-lighted Celtic feast ceremonies survived until recent times, Nilsen notes. " This was certainly done at Martinmas (the November 11 Christian feast of St. Martin) in Ireland and Scotland, which, in the old calendar, would be Halloween,"he said. "There might have been an excess of livestock, so it would make sense to slaughter an animal,"Nilsen said.(5) Samhain night was also a celebration of the dead—the one time the spirits were believed to walk among the living. Again, the earliest rituals aren´t known in detail, but in recent centuries families put out food and even set extra table places for their ancestors at Samhain. It was also a night when people dressed to create mischief and confusion, according to Bettina Arnold of the Center for Celtic Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. "The spirits of the dead were impersonated by young men dressed with masked, veiled or blackened faces," Arnold wrote in an essay titled Halloween Customs in the Celtic World. These disguises were intended both to protect revelers from any malevolent spirits and to fool households they visited. In Scotland and elsewhere, revelers masquerading as the dead would go around demanding food offerings—a forerunner to today´s trick-or-treating. Nilsen of St. Francis Xavier University added: "People put on costumes which frequently included blackened faces and so on, representing spooks, demons, or whatever. "(6) According to the University of Wisconsin´s Arnold, on Samhain the boundary between the living and the dead was obliterated—as was the boundary between the sexes. Male youths would dress up as girls and vice versa, she wrote. In Wales, for example, groups of mischievous young men in Halloween drag were referred to as hags. In parts of Ireland, a man dressed as a white horse known as Lair Bhan—an ancient Celtic fertility symbol—led noisy processions at Samhain.(7) Many Samhain ensembles were incomplete without the appropriate accessories; lanterns made with hollowed-out turnips and candles. Later transplanted to North America with Irish immigrants, the tradition would be replicated in the fatter form of the pumpkin, a fruit native tothe New World.第38题The knowledge about the ancient Halloween comes from the following EXCEPT______.A.historians´ introductionB.factual and detailed recordsC.today´s Halloween customsD.books written by ancient Roman writers第39题Which of the following statements about Samhain is TRUE?A.It is the forerunner of today´s Halloween.B.It was the celebration of the new year 2,000 years ago.C.It was celebrated first in Coligny, France.D.It is an occasion of family gatherings.第40题On Samhain the boundary between the living and the dead was obliterated by______.A.the dead walking among the livingB.the living masquerading as the deadC.boys dressing up as girlsD.men disguising as white horses上一题下一题(15/22)PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)Directions: In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of 20 multiple-choice questions. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.第41题PASSAGE ONE上一题下一题(16/22)PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)Directions: In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of 20 multiple-choice questions. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.第42题PASSAGE TWO上一题下一题(43~45/共22题)PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)Directions: In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of 20 multiple-choice questions. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.PASSAGE THREE第43题What does "He´s got a lot of heart. " mean according to the author?第44题What does the author aim to indicate by citing the two new studies?第45题What are the factors that may lead to a physical heart attack? (Please list no more than 3 factors.) 上一题下一题(46~48/共22题)PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)Directions: In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of 20 multiple-choice questions. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.PASSAGE FOUR第46题What did people do at Martinmas according to the passage?第47题Which word is used metaphorically in Para. 6?第48题What´s the origin of pumpkin lantern according to the passage?上一题下一题(49~58/共10题)PART III LANGUAGE USAGELanguage is fantastically complex. Its built-in means ofcombining and recombining(nesting)of its various levels have【M1】______suggested to many leading linguists that language istheoretically infinite though not practical so in everyday usage.【M2】______It almost sounds too complex to be able to detect any significantleveling out of language any more than one could detect byobservation that the sun is burning itself out.As far as I am conscious no linguist seriously purports that【M3】______the restructuring process of language overrides the streamliningprocess resulted in a qualitative positive development of【M4】______language. If we decide that language did originally develop,possibly evolving animal communication, we can only do【M5】______so by assuming evolution to be a universally valid principle This type【M6】______of a priori reasoning was the basic fallacy of pre-NineteenthCentury "speculative grammar" which was pre-scientific in modern【M7】______sense of the word.However, the observable data neither indicate that such a【M8】______period of pre-historic development even existed, nor they【M9】______suggest a cause of the subsequent state of equilibrium or processof simplification that would have to have come into operation atsome time after such a pre-historic development. NoamChomsky, one of the most prominent linguists of the twentiethcentury, has indicated that human language and animalcommunication are not even comparative entities, they are so【M10】______different.第49题【M1】第50题【M2】。
Most earthquakes occur within the upper 15 miles of the earth's surface. But earthquakes can and d o occur at all depths to about 460 miles. Their n umber decreasesas the depth in creases. At about 460 miles one earthquake occurs only every few years. Near the surface earthquakes may run as hi gh as 100 in a mon th, but the yearly average does not vary much. In comparis on with the total nu mber of earthquakes each year, the number of disastrous earthquakes is very small.The extent of the disaster in an earthquake depends on many factors. If you carefully build a t oy house with an erect set, it will still stand no matter how much you shake the table. But if you build a toy house with a pack of cards, a slight shake of the table will make it fall. An earthqua ke in Agadir, Morocco, was not strong enough to be recorded on distant instruments, but it comple tely destroyed the city. Many stronger earthquakes have done comparatively little damage. If a build ing is well constructed and built on solid ground, it will resist an earthquake. Most deaths in earth quakes have been due to faulty building construction or poor building sites. A third and very seriou s factor is panic. When people rush out into narrow streets, more deaths will result.The United Nations has played an important part in reducing the damage done by earthquakes. It has sent a team of experts to all countries known to be affected by earthquakes. Working with local geologists and engineers, the experts have studied the nature of the ground and the type of m ost practical building code for the local area. If followed, these suggestions will make disastrous ear thquakes almost a thing of the past.There is one type of earthquake disaster that little can be done about. This is the disaster caus ed by seismic sea waves, or tsunamis. (These are often called tidal waves, but the name is incorrec t. They have nothing to do with tides.) In certain areas, earthquakes take place beneath the sea. Th ese submarine earthquakes sometimes give rise to seismic sea waves. The waves are not noticeable out at sea because of their long wave length. But when they roll into harbors, they pile up into waIls of water 6 to 60 feet high. The Japanese call them "tsunamis", meaning "harbor waves", becaus e theyreach a sizable height only in harbors.Tsunamis travel fairly slowly, at speeds up to 500 miles an hour. An adequate warning system is in use to warn all shores likely to be reached by the waves. But this only enables people to le ave the threatened shores for higher ground. There is no way to stop the oncoming wave.1. Which of the following CANNOT be concluded from the passage?A. The number of earthquakes is closely related to depth.B. Roughly the same number of earthquakes occur each year.C. Earthquakes are impossible at depths over 460 miles.D. Earthquakes are most likely to occur near the surfaces.2. The destruction of Agadir is an example of _________A. faulty building constructionB. an earthquake's strengthC. widespread panic in earthquakesD. in effective in strume nts3. The United Nations' experts are supposed to _______A. con struct stro ng build ingsB. put forward proposalsC. detect disastrous earthquakesD. monitor earthquakes4. The significanee of the slow speed of tsunamis is that people may __________A. notice them out at seaB. find ways to stop themC. be warned early en oughD. develop warning systems参考答案:1〜4 C ABC 1〜5 ADBDC 6〜10 ADBCA。
专业英语八级(阅读)练习试卷1(题后含答案及解析)题型有:1.44% required hospitalization. Based on that data, published in PLoS Medicine, Lipsitch anticipates far fewer deaths from 2009 H1N1than was initially believed. By the end of the flu season in the spring of 2010, Lipsitch predicts, anywhere from 6,000 to 45,000 people will have died from H1N1 in the U.S., with the number most likely to end up between 10,000 and 15,000. Those estimates are far below the death toll of the 1957 flu, which killed 69,800 people in the U.S., according to government figures, and smaller also than the early predictions for the2009 H1N1 flu deaths, which ranged from 30,000 to 90,000. It is not clear, however, that past pandemics are an appropriate gauge for evaluating the current flu or that the new projections are based on complete data. The eventual death toll of 2009 H1N1 may be less grim than the outcomes of previous pandemics, but it should be noted that 90 years ago, and even 40 years ago, health officials lacked the antiviral therapies and nationwide vaccination capabilities that are available today. That may have contributed to pandemics having a more devastating effect on the health of past populations. The new estimates are also less alarming than those provided—also by Lipsitch—to the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology last summer near the start of the pandemic. At the time, researchers had only patchy data on the number of people infected by, and seeking treatment for, the new flu. The initially bleak prediction of the impact of H1N1—with up to 50% of the U.S. population becoming infected in the fall and winter of 2009, resulting in as many as 90,000 deaths—was based on modeling of previous pandemics. Fortunately, the worst case scenario did not come to pass. “The worst case consistent with the data we have now is a lot milder than the worst case consistent with the data we had in the summer or spring,”Lipsitch says. Still, Lipsitch and other health officials acknowledge that the 2009 H1N1 pandemic is not over. What worries health officials most is that as both seasonal and H1N1 flu viruses circulate among the population, the two strains could recombine into a more virulent and aggressive version that could cause more widespread illness and even death. How viruses behave once they nestle into a host is completely unpredictable, but scientists know that in a lab dish, seasonal and H1N1 flu strains mix and match readily. “I’m thinking we may have dodged a bullet here if in fact we don’t get a more severe wave coming on the heels of the current wave,”says Redlener. “But we’ll see what happens.” A second wave could still prove more deadly than the seasonal flu, especially for young children. To date, 189 children have died of influenza in the U.S., the majority of them related to H1N1 infection, and that number is already higher than the total number of pediatric deaths attributed to flu in 2008. Lipsitch says that if current trends hold,H1N1 may end up causing as many influenza deaths, if not more, than the seasonal flu, which kills about 36,000 Americans each year. Instead of hitting the elderly the hardest, though, most of the deaths may be among young children and infants.6.What can be inferred from the passage?A.It is not as severe as experts expected.B.It is likely to have a second wave of H1N1.C.It is not likely to have a second wave of H1N1.D.No one knows for sure whether there will be a second wave of H1N1.正确答案:D解析:此题是推理判断题。
专业英语八级考题试卷及答案PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)SECTION A MINI-LECTUREIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture. When the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Use the blank sheet for note-taking.Writing a Research PaperI. Research Papers and Ordinary EssayA. Similarity in (1) __________:e.g. —choosing a topic—asking questions—identifying the audienceB. Difference mainly in terms of (2) ___________1. research papers: printed sources2. ordinary essay: ideas in one's (3) ___________II. Types and Characteristics of Research PapersA. Number of basic types: twoB. Characteristics:1. survey-type paper:—to gather (4) ___________—to quote—to (5) _____________The writer should be (6) ___________.2. argumentative (research) paper:a. The writer should do more, e.g.—to interpret—to question, etc.b. (7) _________varies with the topic, e.g.—to recommend an action, etc.III. How to Choose a Topic for a Research PaperIn choosing a topic, it is important to (8) __________.Question No. 1: your familiarity with the topicQuestion No. 2: Availability of relevant information on the chosen topic Question No. 3: Narrowing the topic down to (9) _________Question No. 4: Asking questions about (10) ___________The questions help us to work out way into the topic and discover its possibilities. SECTION B INTERVIEWIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheet.Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions.Now listen to the interview.1. What is the purpose of Professor McKay's report?A. To look into the mental health of old people.B. To explain why people have negative views on old age.C. To help correct some false beliefs about old age.D. To identify the various problems of old age2. Which of the following is NOT Professor McKay's view?A. People change in old age a lot more than at the age of 21.B. There are as many sick people in old age as in middle age.C. We should not expect more physical illness among old people.D. We should not expect to find old people unattractive as a group.3. According to Professor McKay's report,A. family love is gradually disappearing.B. it is hard to comment on family feeling.C. more children are indifferent to their parents.D. family love remains as strong as ever.4. Professor McKay is ________ towards the tendency of more parents living apart from their children.A. negativeB. positiveC. ambiguousD. neutral5. The only popular belief that Professor McKay is unable to provide evidence against isA. old-age sickness.B. loose family ties.C. poor mental abilities.D. difficulities in maths.SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheet.Question 6 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.6. Scientists in Brazil have used frog skin toA. eliminate bacteria.B. treat burns.C. Speed up recovery.D. reduce treatment cost.Question 7 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.7. What is NOT a feature of the new karaoke machine?A. It is featured by high technology.B. It allows you to imitate famous singers.C. It can automatically alter the tempo and tone of a song.D. It can be placed in specially designed theme rooms.Question 8 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.8. China's Internet users had reached _________ by the end of June.A. 68 millionB. 8.9 millionC. 10 millionD. 1.5 millionQuestion 9 and 10 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.9. According to the WTO, Chinese exports rose _________ last year.A. 21%B. 10%C. 22%D. 4.7310. According to the news, which trading nation in the top 10 has reported a 5 per cent fall in exports?A. The UK.B. The US.C. Japan.D. Germany.PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)TEXT AI remember meeting him one evening with his pushcart. I had managed to sell all my papers and was coming home in the snow. It was that strange hour in downtown New York when the workers were pouring homeward in the twilight. I marched among thousands of tired men and women whom the factory whistles had unyoked. They flowed in rivers through the clothing factory districts, then down along the avenues to the East Side.I met my father near Cooper Union. I recognized him, a hunched, frozen figure in an old overcoat standing by a banana cart. He looked so lonely, the tears came to my eyes. Then he saw me, and his face lit with his sad, beautiful smile -Charlie Chaplin's smile."Arch, it's Mikey," he said. "So you have sold your papers! Come and eat a banana." He offered me one. I refused it. I felt it crucial that my father sell his bananas, not give them away. He thought I was shy, and coaxed and joked with me, and made me eat the banana. It smelled of wet straw and snow."You haven't sold many bananas today, pop," I said anxiously.He shrugged his shoulders."What can I do? No one seems to want them."It was true. The work crowds pushed home morosely over the pavements. The rusty skydarkened over New York building, the tall street lamps were lit, innumerable trucks, street cars and elevated trains clattered by. Nobody and nothing in the great city stopped for my father's bananas."I ought to yell," said my father dolefully. "I ought to make a big noise like other peddlers, but it makes my throat sore. Anyway, I'm ashamed of yelling, it makes me feel like a fool. "I had eaten one of his bananas. My sick conscience told me that I ought to pay for it somehow. I must remain here and help my father."I'll yell for you, pop," I volunteered."Arch, no," he said, "go home; you have worked enough today. Just tell momma I'll be late."But I yelled and yelled. My father, standing by, spoke occasional words of praise, and said I was a wonderful yeller. Nobody else paid attention. The workers drifted past us wearily, endlessly; a defeated army wrapped in dreams of home. Elevated trains crashed; the Cooper Union clock burned above us; the sky grew black, the wind poured, the slush burned through our shoes. There were thousands of strange, silent figures pouring over the sidewalks in snow. None of them stopped to buy bananas.I yelled and yelled, nobody listened.My father tried to stop me at last. "Nu," he said smiling to console me, "that was wonderful yelling. Mikey. But it's plain we are unlucky today! Let's go home."I was frantic, and almost in tears. I insisted on keeping up my desperate yells. But at last my father persuaded me to leave with him.11. "unyoked" in the first paragraph is closest in meaning toA. sent outB. releasedC. dispatchedD. removed12. Which of the following in the first paragraph does NOT indicated crowds of people?A.Thousands ofB. FlowedC. PouringD. Unyoked13. Which of the following is intended to be a pair of contrast in the passage?A. Huge crowds and lonely individuals.B. Weather conditions and street lamps.C. Clattering trains and peddlers' yells.D. Moving crowds and street traffic.14. Which of the following words is NOT suitable to describe the character of the son?A. CompassionateB. ResponsibleC. ShyD. Determined15. What is the theme of the story?A. The misery of the factory workers.B. How to survive in a harsh environment.C. Generation gap between the father and the son.D. Love between the father and the son.16. What is the author's attitude towards the father and the son?A. IndifferentB. SympatheticC. AppreciativeD. Difficult to tellTEXT B提示:原文出自美国时代杂志(TIME)日期Jan. 29, 2001文章标题No Fall Insurance 作者AN K. SMITH, M.D.When former President Ronald Reagan fell and broke his hip two weeks ago, he joined a group of more than 350,000 elderly Americans who fracture their hips each year. At 89 and suffering from advanced Alzheimer's disease, Reagan is in one of the highest-risk groups for this type of accident. The incidence of hip fractures not only increases after age 50 but doubles every five to six years as the risk of falling increases. Slipping and tumbling are not the only causes of hip fractures; weakened bones sometimes break spontaneously. But falling is the major cause, representing 90% of all hip fractures. These... ...17. The following are all specific measures to guard against injuries with the EXCEPTION ofA. removal of throw rugs.B. easy access to devicesC. installation of grab barsD. re-arrangement of furniture18. In which paragraph does the author state his purpose of writing?A. The third paragraphB. The first paragraphC. The last paragraphD. The last but one paragraph19. The main purpose of the passage is toA. offer advice on how to prevent hip fracturesB. emphasize the importance of health precautionsC. discuss the seriousness of hip fractures.D. identify the causes of hip fractures.TEXT C提示:原文同专八英译汉翻译试题相同In his classic novel, "The Pioneers", James Fenimore Cooper has his hero, a land developer, take his cousin on a tour of the city he is building. He describes the broad streets, rows of houses, a teeming metropolis. But his cousin looks around bewildered. All she sees is a forest. "Where are the beauties and improvements which you were to show me?" she asks. He's astonished she can't see them. "Where! Everywhere," he replies. For though they are not yet built on earth, he has builtthem in his mind, and they as concrete to him as if they were already constructed and finished.Cooper was illustrating a distinctly American trait, future-mindedness: the ability to see the present from the vantage point of the future; the freedom to feel unencumbered by the past and more emotionally attached to things to come. As Albert Einstein once said, "Life for the American is always becoming, never being."... ...20. The third paragraph examines America's future-mindedness from the _________ perspective.A. futureB. realisticC. historicalD. present21. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT brought about by future-mindedness?A. Economic stagnationB. Environmental destructionC. High divorce ratesD. Neglect of history22. The word "pooh-pooh" in the sixth paragraph meansA. appreciateB. praiseC. shunD. ridicule23. According to the passage, people at present can forecast ________ of a new round of future-mindedness.A. the natureB. the locationC. the varietyD. the features24. The author predicts in the last paragraph that the study of future-mindedness will focus onA. how it comes into beingB. how it functionsC. what it brings aboutD. what it is related to.TEXT D25. The phrase "men's sureness of their sex role" in the first paragraph suggests that theyA. are confident in their ability to charm women.B. take the initiative in courtship.C. have a clear idea of what is considered "manly".D. tend to be more immoral than women are.26. The third paragraph does NOT claim that menA. prevent women from taking up certain professions.B. secretly admire women's intellect and resolution.C. doubt whether women really mean to succeed in business.D. forbid women to join certain clubs and societies.27. The third paragraphA. generally agrees with the first paragraphB. has no connection with the first paragraphC. repeats the argument of the second paragraphD. contradicts the last paragraph28. At the end of the last paragraph the author uses humorous exaggeration in order toA. show that men are stronger than womenB. carry further the ideas of the earliest paragraphsC. support the first sentence of the same paragraphD. disown the ideas he is expressing29. The usual idea of the cave man in the last paragraphA. is based on the study of archaeologyB. illustrates how people expect men to behaveC. is dismissed by the author as an irrelevant jokeD. proves that the man, not woman, should be the wooer30. The opening quotation from Margaret Mead sums up a relationship between man and woman which the authorA. approves ofB. argues is naturalC. completely rejectsD. expects to go on changingPART III GENERAL KNOWLEDGE (10 MIN)31. ______ is the capital city of Canada.A. VancouverB. OttawaC. MontrealD. York32. U.S. presidents normally serves a (an) _________term.A. two-yearB. four-yearC. six-yearD. eight-year33. Which of the following cities is NOT located in the Northeast, U.S.?A. Huston.B. Boston.C. Baltimore.D. Philadelphia.34. ________ is the state church in England.A. The Roman Catholic Church.B. The Baptist ChurchC. The Protestant ChurchD. The Church of England注:The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion.35. The novel Emma is written byA. Mary Shelley.B. Charlotte Brontë.C. Elizabeth C. Gaskell.D. Jane Austen.36. Which of following is NOT a romantic poet?A. William Wordsworth.B. George Elliot.C. George G. Byron.D. Percy B. Shelley.37. William Sidney Porter, known as O. Henry, is most famous forA. his poems.B. his plays.C. his short stories.D. his novels注:O. Henry was the pen name of William Sydney Porter (September 11, 1862 - June 5, 1910), He was famous for his short stories and a master of the surprise ending, O. Henry is remembered best for such enduring favorites as "The Gift of the Magi" and "The Ransom of Red Chief." The combination of humor and sentiment found in his stories is the basis of their universal appeal.38. Syntax is the study ofA. language functions.B. sentence structures.C. textual organization.D. word formation.注:Definition of Syntax:a. The study of the rules whereby words or other elements of sentence structure are combined to form grammatical sentences.b. A publication, such as a book, that presents such rules.c. The pattern of formation of sentences or phrases in a language.d. Such a pattern in a particular sentence or discourse.39. Which of the following is NOT a distinctive feature of human language?A. Arbitrariness. 任意性B. Productivity. 丰富性C. Cultural transmission. 文化传播性D. Finiteness. 局限性?注:design feature: features that define our human languages,such as arbitrariness,duality,creativity,displacement,cultural transmission,etc.相关内容请点击查看:胡壮麟《语言学教程》课后答案40. The speech act theory was first put forward byA. John Searle.B. John Austin.C. Noam Chomsky.D. M.A.K. Halliday.注:John Langshaw Austin (March 28, 1911 - February 8, 1960) was a philosopher of language, who developed much of the current theory of speech acts. He was born in Lancaster and educated at Balliol College, Oxford. After serving in MI6 during World War II, Austin became White's Professor of Moral Philosophy at Oxford. He occupies a place in the British philosophy of language alongside Wittgenstein in staunchly advocating the examination of the way words are used in order to elucidate meaning. 【改错】The University as BusinessA number of colleges and universities have announced steeptuition increases for next year much steeper than the current,very low, rate of inflation. They say the increases are needed becauseof a loss in value of university endowments' heavily investing in common ___1 stock. I am skeptical. A business firm chooses the price that maximizesits net revenues, irrespective fluctuations in income; and increasingly the ___2 outlook of universities in the United States is indistinguishable from those of ___3 business firms. The rise in tuitions mayreflect the fact economic uncertainty ___4 increases the demand for education. The biggest cost of beingin the school is foregoing income from a job (this isprimarily a factor in ___5 graduate and professional-school tuition); the poor one' s job prospects, ___6 the more sense it makes to reallocate time from the job market to education,in order to make oneself more marketable. The ways which universities make themselves attractive to students ___7include soft majors, student evaluations of teachers, giving studentsa governance role, and eliminate required courses. ___8Sky-high tuitions have caused universities to regard their students as customers. Just as business firms sometimes collude to shorten the ___9rigors of competition, universities collude to minimize the cost to them of the athletes whom they recruit in order to stimulate alumni donations, so the best athletes now often bypass higher education in order to obtain salaries earlier from professional teams. And until they were stopped by the antitrust authorities, the Ivy League schools colluded to limit competition for the best students, by agreeing not to award scholarships on the basis of merit rather than purelyof need-just like business firms agreeing not to give discounts on their best ___10 customer.PART V TRANSLATION (60 MIN)提示:今年专八翻译部分的选材均出自《散文佳作108篇(汉英•英汉对照)》作者:乔萍翟淑蓉宋洪玮,建议大家熟读此书。
TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (1999)—GRADE EIGHTPAPER ONEPART ⅠLISTENING COMPREHENSION (40 MIN. )In Sections A, B and C you will hear everything once only. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow.SECTION A TALKQuestions 1 to 5 refer to the talk in this section. At the end of the talk you will be given 15 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the talk.1. The technology to make machines quieterA. has been in use since the 1930's.B. has accelerated industrial production.C. has just been in commercial use.D. has been invented to remove all noises.2. The modern electronic anti-noise devicesA. are an update version of the traditional methods.B. share similarities with the traditional methods.C. are as inefficient as the traditional methods.D. are based on an entirely new working principle.3. The French company is working on anti-noise techniques to be used in all EXCEPTA. streets.B. factories.C. aircraft.D. cars.4. According to the talk, workers in "zones of quiet" canA. be more affected by noise.B. hear talk from outside the zone.C. work more efficiently.D. be heard outside the zone.5. The main theme of the talk is aboutA. noise-control technology.B. noise in factories.C. noise-control regulations.D. noise-related effects.SECTION B INTERVIEWQuestions 6 to 10 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 15 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the interview.6. Employees in the US are paid for their time. This means that they are supposed toA. work hard while their boss is around.B. come to work when there is work to be done.C. work with initiative and willingness.D. work through their lunch break.7. One of the advantages of flexible working hours is thatA. pressure from work can be reduced.B. working women can have more time at home.C. traffic and commuting problems can be solved.D. personal relationships in offices can be improved.8. On the issue of working contracts in the US, which statement is NOT correct?A. Performance at work matters more than anything else.B. There are laws protecting employees' working rights.C. Good reasons must be provided in order to fire workers.D. Working contracts in the US are mostly short-term ones.9. It can be assumed from the interview that an informal atmosphere might be found inA. small firms.B. major banks.C. big corporations.D. law offices.10. The interview is mainly about __________ in the USA.A. office hierarchiesB. office conditionsC. office rules.D. office life.SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTQuestion 11 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given15 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.11. Senator Bob Dole's attitude towards Clinton's anti-crime policy is that ofA. opposition.B. support.C. ambiguity.D. indifference.Questions 12 and 13 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.12. Japan and the United States are nowA. negotiating about photographic material.B. negotiating an automobile agreement.C. facing serious problems in trade.D. on the verge of a large-scale trade war.13. The news item seems to indicate that the agreementA. will end all other related trade conflicts.B. is unlikely to solve the dispute once and for all.C. is linked to other trade agreements.D. is the last of its kind to be reached.Question 14 and 15 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.14. According to the news, the ice from Greenland provides information aboutA. oxygen.B. ancient weather.C. carbon dioxide.D. temperature.15. Which of the following statement is CORRECT?A. Drastic changes in the weather have been common since ancient times.B. The change in weather from very cold to very hot lasted over a century.C. The scientists have been studying ice to forecast weather in the future.D. The past 10,000 years have seen minor changes in the weather.SECTION D NOTE-TAKING AND GAP-FILLINGIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture once only. While listening to the lecture, take notes on the important points. Y our notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a 15-minute gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET after the mini-lecture. Use the blank sheet for note-takingANSWER SHEETAt present companies and industries like to sponsor sports events. Two reasons are put forward to explain this phenomenon. The first reason is that they get (1) throughout the world.The second reason is that companies and industries (2) money as they get reductions in the tax they owe if they sponsor sports or arts activities.As sponsorship is (3) careful thinking is required in deciding which events to sponsor.It is important that the event to be sponsored (4) the product(s) to be promoted. That is, the right (5) and maximum product coverage must be guaranteed in the event.Points to be considered in sports sponsorship.Popularity of the eventInternational sports events are big (6) events, which get extensive coverage on TV and in press.Smaller events attract fewer people.Identification of the potential audienceAiming at the right audience is most important for smaller events.The right audience would attract manufacturers of related products like (7) , etc.Advantages of sponsorshipAdvantages are longer-term.People are expected to respond 8 to the products promoted and be more likely to buy them.Advertising is 9 the mind.Sponsorship is better than straight advertising:a) less 10b) tax-freePART ⅡPROOFREADING AND ERROR CORRECTION (15 MIN. )Proofread the given passage on ANSWER SHEET as instructed.The hunter-gatherer tribes that today live as our prehistoric (1) __________human ancestors consume primarily a vegetable diet supplementing (2) __________with animal foods. An analysis of 58 societies of modern hunter-gatherers, including the Kung of southern Africa, revealed thatone-half emphasize gathering plant foods, one-third concentrate onfishing, and only one-sixth are primarily hunters. Overall, two-thirds and (3) __________more of the hunter-gatherer's calories come from plants. Detailed studiesof the Kung by the food scientists at the University of London, showedthat gathering is a more productive source of food than is hunting. Anhour of hunting yields in average about 100 edible calories, (4) __________as an hour of gathering produces 240. (5) __________ Plant foods provide for 60 percent to 80 percent of the Kung diet, (6) __________and no one goes hungry when the hunt fails, interestingly, if they escapefatal infections or accidents, these contemporary aborigines live to oldages despite of the absence of medical care. They experience no obesity, (7) __________and no middle-aged spread, little dental decay, no high blood pressure, noheart disease, and their blood cholesterol level are very low (about half of (8) __________the average American adult. ) If no one is suggesting that we return to (9) __________an aboriginal life, we certainly could use their eating habitsas a model for healthier diet. (10) __________ PART ⅢREADING COMPREHENSION (40 MIN. )SECTION A READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN. )In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of fifteen multiple- choice questions. Read the passages carefully and then answer the questions.TEXT ARicci's "Operation Columbus"1 Ricci, 45, is now striking out on perhaps his boldest venture yet. He plans to market an English-language edition of his elegant monthly art magazine, FMR, in the United States. Once again the skeptics are murmuring that the successful Ricci has headed for a big fall. And once again Ricci intends to prove them wrong.2 Ricci is so confident that he has christen quest "Operation Columbus" and has set his sights on discovering an American readership of 300,000. That goal may not be too far- fetched. The Italian edition of FMR —the initials, of course, stand for Franco Maria Ricci— is only 18 months old. But it is already the second largest artmagazine in the world, with a circulation of 65,000 and a profit margin of US $ 500,000. The American edition will be patterned after the Italian version, with each 160-page issue carrying only 40 pages of ads and no more than five articles. But the contents will often differ. The English-language edition will include more American works, Ricci says, to help Americans get over "an inferiority complex about their art". He also hopes that the magazine will become a vehicle for a two-way cultural exchange — what he likes to think of as a marriage of brains, culture and taste from both sides of the Atlantic.3 To realize this version, Ricci is mounting one of the most lavish, enterprising — and expensive promotional campaigns in magazine-publishing history. Between November and January, eight jumbo jets will fly 8 million copies of a sample 16-page edition of FMR across the Atlantic. From a warehouse in Michigan, 6.5 million copies will be mailed to American subscribers of various cultural, art and business magazines. Some of the remaining copies will circulate as a special Sunday supplement in the New York Times. The cost of launching Operation Columbus is a staggering US $ 5 million, but Ricci is hoping that 600% of the price tag will be financed by Italian corporations. "To land in America Columbus had to use Spanish sponsors," reads one sentence in his promotional pamphlet. "We would like Italians."4 Like Columbus, Ricci cannot know what his reception, will be on foreign shores. In Italy he gambled —and won — on a simple concept: it is more important to show art than to write about it. Hence, one issue of FMR might feature 32 full-colour pages of 17th-century tapestries, followed by 14 pages of outrageous eyeglasses. He is gambling that the concept is exportable. "I don't expect that more than 30% of my readers.., will actually read FMR," he says. "The magazine is such a visual delight that they don't have to. "Still, he is lining up an impressive stable of writers and professors for the American edition, including Noam Chomsky, Anthony Burgess, Eric Jong and Norman Mailer. In addition, he seems to be pursuing his own eclectic vision without giving a moment's thought to such established competitors as Connosisseur and Horizon. "The Americans can do almost everything better than we can, "says Ricci," But we (the Italians) have a 2,000 year edge on them in art."16. Ricci intends his American edition of FMR to carry more American art works in order toA. boost Americans' confidence in their art.B. follow the pattern set by his Italian edition.C. help Italians understand American art better.D. expand the readership of his magazine.17. Ricci is compared to Columbus in the passage mainly becauseA. they both benefited from Italian sponsors.B. they were explorers in their own ways.C. they obtained overseas sponsorship.D. they got a warm reception in America.18. We get the impression that the American edition of FMR will probablyA. carry many academic articles of high standard.B. follow the style of some famous existing magazines.C. be read by one third of American magazine readers.D. pursue a distinctive editorial style of its own.TEXT BUncle Geoff1 My mother's relations were very different form the Mitfords. Her brother, Uncle Geoff, who often came to stay at Swinbrook, was a small, spare man with thoughtful blue eyes and a rather silent manner. Compared to Uncle Tommy, he was an intellectual of the highest order, and indeed his satirical pen belied his mild demeanor. He spent most of his waking hours composing letters to The Times and other publications in which he outlined his own particular theory of the development of English history. In Uncle Geoff's view, the greatness of England had risen and waned over the centuries in direct proportion to the use of natural manure in fertilizing the soil. TheBlack Death of 1348 was caused by gradual loss of the humus fertility found under forest trees. The rise of the Elizabethans two centuries later was attributable to the widespread use of sheep manure.2 Many of Uncle Geoff's letters-to-the-editor have fortunately been preserved in a privately printed volume called Writings of A Rebel. Of the collection, one letter best sums up his views on the relationship between manure and freedom. He wrote:3 Collating old records shows that our greatness rises and falls with the living fertility of our soil. And now, many years of exhausted and chemically murdered soil, and of devitalized food from it, has softened our bodies and still worse, softened our national character. It is an actual fact that character is largely a product of the soil. Many years of murdered food from deadened soil has made us too tame. Chemicals have had their poisonous day. It is now the worm's turn to reform the manhood of England. The only way to regain our punch, our character, our lost virtues, and with them the freedom natural to islanders, is to compost our land so as to allow moulds, bacteria and earthworms to remake living soil to nourish Englishmen's bodies and spirits.4 The law requiring pasteurization of milk in England was a particular target of Uncle Geoff's. Fond of alliteration, he dubbed it "Murdered Milk Measure," and established the Liberty Restoration League, with headquarters at his house in London, for the specific purpose of organizing a counteroffensive. "Freedom not Doctordom" was the League's proud slogan. A subsidiary, but nevertheless important, activity of the League was advocacy of a return to the " unsplit, slowly smoked fish" and bread made with "English stone-ground flour, yeast, milk, sea salt and raw cane-sugar."19. According to Uncle Geoff, national strength could only be regained byA. reforming the manhood of England.B. using natural manure as fertilizer.C. eating more bacteria-free food.D. granting more freedom to Englishmen.20. The tone of the passage can most probably be described asA. facetious.B. serious.C. nostalgic.D. factual.TEXT CInterview1 So what have they taught you at college about interviews? Some courses go to town on it, others do very little. You may get conflicting advice. Only one thing is certain: the key to success is preparation.2 There follow some useful suggestions from a teacher training course co-ordinator, a head of department anda headteacher. As they appear to be in complete harmony with one another despite never having met, we may take their advice seriously.3 Oxford Brookes University's approach to the business of application and interview focuses on research and rehearsal. Training course co-ordinator Brenda Stevens speaks of the value of getting students "to deconstruct the advertisement, see what they can offer to that school, and that situation, and then write the letter, do their CVs and criticize each other's ". Finally, they role play interviewer and interviewee.4 This is sterling stuff, and Brookes students spend a couple of weeks on it. "The better prepared students won't be thrown by nerves on the day," says Ms. Stevens. "They'll have their strategies and questions worked out. "She also says, a trifle disconcertingly, "the better the student, the worse the interviewee. ' She believes the most capable students are less able to put themselves forward. Even if this were true, says Ms. Stevens, you must still make your own case.5 "Beware of informality," she advises. One aspirant teacher, now a head of department at a smart secondary school, failed his first job interview because he took his jacket off while waiting for his appointment. It was hot and everyone in the staffroom was in shirtsleeves but at the end of the day they criticized his casual attitude, which they had deduced from the fact that he took his jacket off in the staffroom, even though he put it back on for the interview.6 Incidentally, men really do have to wear a suit to the interview and women really cannot wear jeans, even if men never wear the suit again and women teach most days in jeans. Panels respond instantly to these indicators. But beware: it will not please them any better if you are too smart.7 Find out about the peope who will talk to you. In the early meetings they are likely to be heads of departments or heads of year. Often they may be concerned with pastoral matters. It makes sense to know their priorities and let them hear the things about you that they want to hear.8 During preliminary meetings you may be seen in groups with two or three other applicants and you must demonstrate that you know your stuff without putting your companions down. The interviewers will be watching how you work with a team.9 But remember the warning about informality: however friendly and co-operative the other participants are, do not give way to the idea that you are there just to be friends.10 Routine questions can be rehearsed, but "don't go on too long", advises the department head. They may well ask: "what have been your worst/best moments when teaching?" , or want you to "talk about some good teaching you have done". The experts agree you should recognize your weaknesses and offer a strategy for overcoming them. "I know I've got to work on classroom management. I would hope for some help," perhaps. No one expects a new teacher to know it all, but they hope for an objective appraisal of capabilities.11 Be warned against inexpert questioning. You may be asked questions in such a way that it seems impossible to present your best features. Some questions may be plain silly, asked perhaps by people on the panel who are from outside the situation. Do not be thrown, have ways of circumnavigating it, and never, ever let them see that you think they have said something foolish.12 You will almost certainly be asked how you see the future and it is important to have a good answer prepared. Some people are put off by being asked what they expect to be doing in five or ten year's time. On your preliminary visit, says the department head, be sure to give them a bit of an interview of your own, to see the direction the department is going and what you could contribute to it.13 The headteacher offers his thoughts in a eight-point plan.1. Iron the application form! Then it stands out from everyone else's, which have been folded and battered in the post. It gives an initial impression which may get your application to the top of the pile.2. Ensure that your application is tailored to the particular school. Make the head feel you are writing directly to him or her.3. Put yourself at ease before you meet the interviewing panel, if you are nervous, you will talk too quickly. Before you enter the room remember that the people are human beings too; take away the mystique of their roles.4. Listen. There is danger of not hearing accurately what is being said. Make eye contact with the speakers, and with everyone in the room.5. Allow your warmth and humanity to be seen. A sense of humour is very important.6. Have a portfolio of your work that can link theory to practice. Many schools want you to show work. Fora primary appointment, give examples from the range of the curriculum, not just art. (For this reason, taking pictures on your teaching practice is important. )7. Prepare yourself in case you are asked to give a talk. Have prompt cards ready, and don't waffle.8. Your speech must be clear and articulate, with correct grammar. This is important: they want to hear you and they want to hear how well you can communicate with children. Believe in yourself and have confidence. Some of the people asking the questions don't know much about what you do. Be ready to help them.14 Thus armed, you should have no difficulty at all. Good luck, and keep your jacket on!21. Ms Brenda Stevens suggests that before applying job applicants shouldA. go through each other's CVs.B. rehearse their answers to questions.C. understand thoroughly the situations.D. go to town to attend training courses.22. Is it wise to admit some of your weaknesses relating to work?A. Yes, but you should have ideas for improvement in the future.B. Yes, because it is natural to be weak in certain aspects.C. No, admitting weaknesses may put you at a disadvantage.D. No, it will only prompt the interviewers to reject you.23. The best way to deal with odd questions from the interviewers is toA. remain smiling and kindly point out the inaccuracies.B. keep calm and try to be tactful in your answers.C. say frankly what you think about the issues raised.D. suggest something else to get over your nervousness.24. The suggestions offered by the head teacher areA. original.B. ambiguous.C. practical.D. controversial.TEXT DFamily Matters1 This month Singapore passed a bill that would give legal teeth to the moral obligation to support one's parents. Called the Maintenance of Parents Bill, it received the backing of the Singapore Government.2 That does not mean it hasn't generated discussion. Several members of the Parliament opposed the measure as un-Asian. Others who acknowledged the problem of the elderly poor believed it a disproportionate response. Still others believe it will subvert relations within the family: cynics dubbed it the "Sue Your Son" law.3 Those who say that the bill does not promote filial responsibility, of course, are right. It has nothing to do with filial responsibility. It kicks in where filial responsibility fails. The law cannot legislate filial responsibility any more than it can legislate love. All the law can do is to provide a safety net where this morality provide insufficient. Singapore needs this bill not to replace morality, but to provide incentives to shore it up.4 Like many other developed nations, Singapore faces the problems of an increasing proportion of people over 60 years of age. Demography is inexorable. In 1980, 7.2% of the population was in this bracket. By the turn of the century, that figure will grow to 11%. By 2030, the proportion is projected to be 260%. The problem is not old age per se. It is that the ratio of economically active people to economically inactive people will decline.5 But no amount of government exhortation or paternalism will completely eliminate the problem of old people who have insufficient means to make ends meet. Some people will fall through the holes in any safety net.6 Traditionally, a person's insurance against poverty in his old age was his family. This is not a revolutionary concept. Nor is it uniquely Asian. Care and support for one's parents is a universal value shared by all civilized societies.7 The problem in Singapore is that the moral obligation to look after one's parents is unenforceable. A father can be compelled by law to maintain his children. A husband can be forced to support his wife. But, until now, a son or daughter had no legal obligation to support his or her parents.8 In 1989, an Advisory Council was set up to look into the problems of the aged. Its report stated with a tinge of complacency that 95% of those who did not have their own income were receiving cash contributions from relations. But what about the 5% who aren't getting relatives' support? They have several options: (a) get a job and work until they die; (b) apply for public assistance (you have to be destitute to apply); or (c) starve quietly.None of these options is socially acceptable. And what if this 5% figure grows, as it is likely to do, as society ages?9 The Maintenance of Parents Bill was put forth to encourage the traditional virtues that have so far kept Asian nations from some of the breakdowns encountered in other affluent societies. This legislation will allow a person to apply to the court for maintenance from any or all of his children. The court would have the discretion to refuse to make an order if it is unjust.10 Those who deride the proposal for opening up the courts to family lawsuits miss the point. Only in extreme cases would any parent take his child to court. If it does indeed become law, the bill's effect would be far more subtle.11 First, it will reaffirm the notion that it is each individual's — not society's — responsibility to look after his parents. Singapore is still conservative enough that most people will not object to this idea. It reinforces the traditional values and it doesn't hurt a society now and then to remind itself of its core values.12 Second, and more important, it will make those who are inclined to shirk their responsibilities think twice. Until now, if a person asked family elders, clergymen or the Ministry of Community Development to help get financial support from his children, the most they could do was to mediate. But mediators have no teeth, and a child could simply ignore their pleas.13 But to be sued by one's parents would be a massive loss of face. It would be a public disgrace. Few people would be so thick-skinned as to say." Sue and be damned. "The hand of the conciliator would be immeasurably strengthened. It is far more likely that some sort of amicable settlement would be reached if the recalcitrant Son or daughter knows that the alternative is a public trial.14 It would be nice to think that Singapore doesn't need this kind of law. But that belief ignores the clear demographic trends and the effect of affluence itself on traditional bonds. Those of us who pushed for the bill will consider ourselves most successful if it acts as an incentive not to have it invoked in the first place.25. The Maintenance of Parents BillA. received unanimous support in the Singapore Parliament.B. was believed to solve all the problems of the elderly poor.C. was intended to substitute for traditional values in Singapore.D. was passed to make the young more responsible to the old.26. By quoting the growing percentage points of the aged in the population, the author seems to imply thatA. the country will face mounting problems of the old in future.B. the social welfare system would be under great pressure.C. young people should be given more moral education.D. the old should be provided with means of livelihood.27. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?A. Filial responsibility in Singapore is enforced by law.B. Fathers have legal obligations to look after their children.C. It is an acceptable practice for the old to continue working.D. The Advisory Council was dissatisfied with the problems of the old.28. The author seems to suggest that traditional valuesA. play an insignificant role in solving social problems.B. are helpful to the elderly when they sue their children.C. are very important in preserving Asian uniqueness.D. are significant in helping the Bill get approved.29. The author thinks that if the Bill becomes law, its effect would beA. indirect.B. unnoticed.C. apparent.D. straightforward.30. At the end of the passage, the author seems to imply that success of the Bill depends uponA. strict enforcement.B. public support.C. government assurance.D. filial awareness.SECTION B SKIMMING AND SCANNING (10 MIN. )In this section there are seven passages with ten multiple-choice questions. Skim or scan them as required and then answer the questions.。