PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN.) 2002 TEXT A
Do you ever feel as though you spend all your time in meetings?
Henry Mintzberg, in his book The Nature of Managerial Work, found that in large organizations managers spent 22 per cent of their time at their desk, 6 per cent on the telephone, 3 per cent on other activities, but a whopping 69 per cent in meetings.
There is a widely-held but mistaken belief that meetings are for “solving problems” and “making decisions”. For a start, the number of people attending a meeting tends to be inversely proportional to their collective ability to reach conclusions and make decisions. And these are the least important elements.
Instead hours are devoted to side issues, playing elaborate games with one another. It seems, therefore, that meetings serve some purpose other than just making decisions.
All meetings have one thing in common: role-playing. The most formal role is that of chairman. He sets the agenda, and a good chairman will keep the meeting running on time and to the point. Sadly, the other, informal, role-players are often able to gain the upper hand. Chief is the “constant talker”, who just loves to hear his or her own voice.
Then there are the “can?t do” types who want to maintain t he status quo. Since they have often been in the organization for a long time，they frequently quote historical experience as an excuse to block change: “It won?t work, we tried that last year and it was a disaster.” A more subtle version of the “can…t do” type, the “yes, but ...” has emerged recently. They have learnt about the need to sound positive，but they still can?t bear to have things changed.
Another whole sub-set of characters are people who love meetings and want them to continue until 5:30 pm or beyond. Irrelevant issues are their speciality. They need to call or attend meetings, either to avoid work, or to justify their lack of performance, or simply because they do not have enough to do.
Then there are the “counter-dependents”，those who usually disagree with everything that is said，particularly if it comes from the chairman or through consensus from the group. These people need to fight authority in whatever form.
Meetings can also provide attenders with a sense of identification of their status and power. In this case，managers arrange meetings as a means of communicating to others the boundaries of their exclusive club: who is “in”, and who is not.
Because so many meetings end in confusion and without a decision, another game is played at the end of meetings, called reaching a false consensus. Since it is important for the chairman to appear successful in problem-solving and making a decision, the group reaches a false consensus. Everyone is happy, having spent their time productively. The reality is that the decision is so ambiguous that it is never acted upon, or, if it is, there is continuing conflict, for which another meeting is necessary.
In the end, meetings provide the opportunity for social intercourse, to engage in battle in front of our bosses, to avoid unpleasant or unsatisfying work to highlight our social status and identity. They are, in fact, a necessary though not necessarily productive psychological
sideshow. Perhaps it is our civilized way to moderating, if not preventing, change.
16. On role-playing, the passage seems to indicate that chairman ______.
A. talks as much as participants
B. is usually a “constant talker”
C. prefers to take the role of an observer
D. is frequently outshone by participants
17. Which of the following is NOT a distinct characteristic of the three types of participants?
A. Submissiveness.
B. Stubbornness.
C. Disobedience.
D. Lack of focus.
18. The passage suggests that a false consensus was reached at the end of a meeting in order to ______.
A. make room for another meeting
B. bring an illusory sense of achievement
C. highlight the importance of a meeting
D. go ahead with the agreed programme
TEXT B
Cooperative competition. Competitive cooperation. Confused? Airline alliances have travellers scratching their heads over what?s going on in the skies. Some folks view alliances as a blessing to travelers, offering seamless travel, reduced fares and enhanced frequent-flyer benefits. Others see a conspiracy of big businesses, causing decreased competition, increased fares and fewer choices. Whatever your opinion，there?s no escaping airline alliances: the marketing hype is unrelenting, with each of the two mega-groupings, Oneworld and Star Alliance, promoting itself as the best choice for all travellers. And，even if you turn away from their ads, chances are they will figure in any of your travel plans. By the end of the year，Oneworld and Star Alliance will between them control more than 40% of the traffic in the sky. Some pundits predict that figure will be more like 75% in 10 years.
But why，after years of often ferocious competition，have airlines decided to band together? Let?s just say the timing is mutually convenient. North American airlines, having exhausted all means of earning customer loyalty at home, have been looking for ways to reach out to foreign flyers. Asian carriers are still hurting from the region-wide economic downturn that began two years ago—just when some of the airlines were taking delivery of new aircraft. Alliances also allow carriers to cut costs and increase profits by pooling manpower resources on the ground (rather than each airline maintaining its own ground crew) and code-sharing—the practice of two partners selling tickets and operating only one aircraft.
So alliances are terrific for airlines—but are they good for the passenger? Absolutely, say the airlines: think of the lounges, the joint FFP (frequent flyer programme) benefits, the round-the-world fares, and the global service networks. Then there?s the promise of “seamless” travel: the ability to, say, travel from Singapore to Rome to New York to Rio de Janeiro, all on one ticket, without having to wait hours for connections or worry about your bags. Sounds utopian? Peter Buecking, Cathay Pacific?s director of sales and marketing, thinks that seamless travel is still evolving. “It?s fair to say that these links are only in their infancy. The key to seamlessness rests in infrastructure and informa tion sharing. We?re working on this.” Henry Ma, spokesperson for Star Alliance in Hong Kong, lists some of the other benefits for consumers: “Global travellers have an easier time making connections and planning their itineraries.” Ma
claims alliances also assure passengers consistent service standards.
Critics of alliances say the much-touted benefits to the consumer are mostly pie in the sky, that alliances are all about reducing costs for the airlines, rationalizing services and running joint marketing programmes. Jeff Blyskal, associate editor of Consumer Reports magazine, says the promotional ballyhoo over alliances is much ado about nothing. “I don?t see much of a gain for consumers: alliances are just a marketing gimmick. And as far as seamless travel goes, I?ll believe it when I see it. Most airlines can?t even get their own connections under control, let alone coordinate with another airline.”
Blyskal believes alliances will ultimately result in decreased flight choices and increased costs for consumers. Instead of two airlines competing and each operating a flight on the same route at 70% capacity, the allied pair will share the route and run one full flight. Since fewer seats will be available, passengers will be obliged to pay more for tickets.
The truth about alliances and their merits probably lies somewhere between the travel utopia presented by the players and the evil empires portrayed by their critics. And how much they affect you depends on what kind of traveller you are.
Those who?ve already made the elite grade in the FFP of a major airline stand to benefit the most when it joins an alliance: then they enjoy the FFP perks and advantages on any and all of the member carriers. For example, if you?re a Marco Polo Club “gold” member of Cathay Pacific?s Asia Miles FFP，you will automatically be treated as a valuable customer by all members of Oneworld, of which Cathay Pacific is a member—even if you?ve never flown with them before.
For those who haven?t made the top grade in any FFP, alliances might be a way of simplifying the earning of frequent flyer miles. For example, I belong to United Airline s Mileage Plus and generally fly less than 25，000 miles a year. But I earn miles with every flight I take on Star Alliance member—All Nippon Airways and Thai Airways.
If you fly less than I do, you might be smarter to stay out of the FFP game altogether. Hunt for bargains when booking flights and you might be able to save enough to take that extra trip anyway. The only real benefit infrequent flyers can draw from an alliance is an inexpensive round-the-world fare.
The bottom line: for all the marketing hype, alliances aren?t all things to all people—but everybody can get some benefit out of them.
19. Which is the best word to describe air travellers reaction to airline alliances?
A. Delight.
B. Indifference.
C. Objection.
D. Puzzlement.
20. According to the passage, setting up airline alliances will chiefly benefit ______.
A. North American airlines and their domestic travellers
B. North American airlines and their foreign counterparts
C. Asian airlines and their foreign travellers
D. Asian airlines and their domestic travellers
21. Which of the following is NOT a perceived advantage of alliances?
A. Baggage allowance.
B. Passenger comfort.
C. Convenience.
D. Quality.
22. One disadvantage of alliances foreseen by the critics is that air travel may be more expensive as a result of ______.
A. less convenience
B. higher operation costs
C. less competition
D. more joint marketing
23. According to the passage, which of the following categories of travellers will gain most from airline alliances?
A. Travellers who fly frequently economy class.
B. Travellers who fly frequently business class.
C. Travellers who fly occasionally during holidays.
D. Travellers who fly economy class once in a while.
TEXT C
It is nothing new that English use is on the rise around the world，especially in business circles. This also happens in France, the headquarters of the global battle against American cultural hegemony. If French guys are giving in to English, something really big must be going on. And something big is going on.
Partly，it?s that American hegemony. Didier Benchimol, CEO of a French e-commerce software company, feels compelled to speak English perfectly because the Internet software business is dominated by Americans. He and other French businessmen also have to speak English because they want to get their message out to American investors, possessors of the world s deepest pockets.
The triumph of English in France and elsewhere in Europe, however, may rest on something more enduring. As they become entwined with each other politically and economically, Europeans need a way to talk to one another and to the rest of the world. And for a number of reasons, they?ve decided upon English as their common tongue.
So when German chemical and pharmaceutical company Hoechst merged with French competitor Rhone-Poulenc last year, the companies chose the vaguely Latinate Aventis as the new company name—and settled on English as the company?s common language. When monetary policymakers from around Europe began meeting at the European Central Bank in Frankfurt last year to set interest rates for the new Euroland, they held their deliberations in English. Even the European Commission, with 11 official languages and traditionally French-speaking bureaucracy, effectively switched over to English as its working language last year.
How did this happen? One school attributes English?s great success to the sheer weight of its merit. It?s a Germanic language, brought to Britain around the fifth century A.D. During the four centuries of French-speaking rule that followed Norman Conquest of 1066, the language morphed into something else entirely. French words were added wholesale, and most of the complications of Germanic grammar were shed while few of the complications of French were added. The result is a language with a huge vocabulary and a simple grammar that can express
most things more efficiently than either of its parents. What?s more，English has remained ungoverned and open to change—foreign words，coinages，and grammatical shifts—in a way that French，ruled by the purist Academic Francaise, had not.
So it?s a swell language, especially for business. But the rise of English over the past few centuries clearly owes at least as much to history and economics as to the language?s ability to economically express the concept win-win. What happened is that the competition—first Latin, then French, then, briefly, German—faded with the waning of the political, economic, and military fortunes of, respectively, the Catholic Church, France, and Germany. All along, English was increasing in importance: Britain was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, and Londo n the world?s most important financial centre, which made English a key language for business. England?s colonies around the world also made it the language with the most global reach. And as that former colony the U.S. rose to the status of the world?s pr eeminent political economic，military，and cultural power, English became the obvious second language to learn.
In the 1990s more and more Europeans found themselves forced to use English. The last generation of business and government leaders who hadn?t studied English in school was leaving the stage. The European Community was adding new members and evolving from a paper-shuffling club into a serious regional government that would need a single common language if it were ever to get anything done. Meanwhile, economic barriers between European nations have been disappearing，meaning that more and more companies are beginning to look at the whole continent as their domestic market. And then the Internet came along.
The Net had two big impacts. One was that it was an exciting, potentially lucrative new industry that had its roots in the U.S., so if you wanted to get in on it，you had to speak some English. The other was that by surfing the Web, Europeans who had previously encountered English only in school and in pop songs were now coming into contact with it daily.
None of this means English has taken over European life. According to the European Union, 47% of Western Europeans (including the British and Irish) speak English well enough to carry on a conversa tion. That?s a lot more than those who can speak German (32%) or French (28%), but it still means more Europeans don?t speak the language. If you want to sell shampoo or cell phones，you have to do it in French or German or Spanish or Greek. Even the U.S. and British media companies that stand to benefit most from the spread of English have been hedging their bets—CNN broadcasts in Spanish; the Financial Times has recently launched a daily German-language edition.
But just look at who speaks English: 77% of Western European college students, 69% of managers, and 65% of those aged 15 to 24. In the secondary schools of the European Union?s non-English-speaking countries, 91% of students study English, all of which means that the transition to English as the language of European business hasn?t been all that traumatic, and it?s only going to get easier in the future.
24. In the author?s opinion, what really underlies the rising status of English in France and Europe is ______.
A. American dominance in the Internet software business
B. a practical need for effective communication among Europeans
C. Europeans eagerness to do business with American businessmen
D. the recent trend for foreign companies to merge with each other
25. Europeans began to favour English for all the following reasons EXCEPT its ______.
A. inherent linguistic properties
B. association with the business world
C. links with the United States
D. disassociation from political changes
26. Which of the following statements forecasts the continuous rise of English in the future?
A. About half of Western Europeans are now proficient in English.
B. U.S. and British media companies are operating in Western Europe.
C. Most secondary school students in Europe study English.
D. Most Europeans continue to use their own language.
27. The passage mainly examines the factors related to ______.
A. the rising status of English in Europe
B. English learning in non-English-speaking E.U. nations
C. the preference for English by European businessmen
D. the switch from French to English in the European Commission
TEXT D
As humankind moves into the third millennium, it can rightfully claim to have broken new ground in its age-old quest to master the environment. The fantastic achievements of modern technology and the speed at which scientific discoveries are translated into technological applications attest to the triumph of human endeavour.
At the same time, however, some of these applications threaten to unleash forces over which we have no control. In other words, the new technology Man now believes allows him to dominate this wider cosmos could well be a Frankenstein monster waiting to turn on its master.
This is an entirely new situation that promises to change many of the perceptions governing life on the planet. The most acute challenges facing the future are likely to be not only those pitting man against his fellow man, but those involving humankind?s struggle to preserve the environment and ensure the sustainability of life on earth.
A conflict waged to ensure the survival of the human species is bound to bring humans closer together. Technological progress has thus proved to be a double-edged sword, giving rise to a new form of conflict: a clash between Man and Nature.
The new conflict is more dangerous than the traditional one between man and his fellow man, where the protagonists at least shared a common language. But when it comes to the reactions of the ecosystems to the onslaught of modern technology, there is no common language.
Nature reacts with weather disturbances，with storms and earthquakes, with mutant viruses and bacteria—that is, with phenomena having no apparent cause and effect relationship with the modern technology that supposedly triggers them.
As technology becomes ever more potent and Nature reacts ever more violently, there is an urgent need to rethink how best to deal with the growing contradictions between Man and Nature.
For a start, the planet, and hence all its inhabitants, must be perceived as an integral whole, not as a dichotomous mass divided geographically into the rich and developed and the poor and underdeveloped.
Today, globalization encompasses the whole world and deals with it as an integral unit. It is no longer possible to say that conflict has shifted from its traditional east-west axis to a north-south axis. The real divide today is between summit and base，between the higher echelons of the international political structure and its grassroots level, between government and NGOs, between state and civil society, between public and private enterprise.
The mesh structure is particularly obvious on the Internet. While it is true that to date the Internet seems to be favouring the most developed sectors of the international community over the less developed, this need not always be the case. Indeed, it could eventually overcome the disparities between the privileged and the underdeveloped.
On the other hand, the macro-world in which we live is exposed to distortions because of the unpredictable side-effects of a micro-world we do not and cannot totally control.
This raises the need for a global system of checks and balances, for mandatory rules and constraints in our dealings with Nature, in short, for a new type of veto designed to manage what is increasingly becoming a main contradiction of our time: the one between technology and ecology.
A new type of international machinery must be set in place to cope with the new challenges. We need a new look at the harnessing of scientific discoveries, to maximize their positive effects for the promotion of humanity as a whole and to minimize their negative effects. We need an authority with veto powers to forbid practices conducive to decreasing the ozone hole, the propagation of AIDS, global warming, desertification—an authority that will tackle such global problems.
There should be no discontinuity in the global machinery responsible for world order. The UN in its present form may fall far short of what is required of it，and it may be undemocratic and detrimental to most citizens in the world, but its absence would be worse. And so we have to hold on to the international organization even as we push forward for its complete restructuring.
Our best hope would be that the functions of the present United Nations are gradually taken over by the new machinery of veto power representing genuine democratic globalization.
28. The mention of Man?s victory over Nature at the beginning of the passage is to highlight ______.
A. a new form of conflict
B. Man?s creative powers
C. the role of modern technology
D. Man?s ground-breaking work
29. According to the passage, which is NOT a responsibility of the proposed international
authority?
A. Monitoring effects of scientific discoveries.
B. Dealing with worldwide environmental issues.
C. Vetoing human attempts to conquer Nature.
D. Authorizing efforts to improve human health.
30. When commenting on the present role of the UN, the author expresses his ______.
A. dissatisfaction
B. disillusionment
C. objection
D. doubt
Part III GENERAL KNOWLEDGE [ 10 MIN.]
There are ten multiple-choice questions in this section. Choose the best answer to each question. Mark your answers on your answer sheet.
1. About a hundred years ago, Britain ruled an empire that had____ of the world?s land area.
A. 1/3
B.2/3
C.1/4
D. 1/2
2. In the early 20th century ____ of New York served as the major immigration station of the U.S.
A. Plymouth
B. Ellis Island
C. Peeve Port
D. Hoover Isle
3. In the production of newsprint, Canada ranks ____ in the world.
A. first
B. second
C. third
D. fourth
4. When we speak of the Old English prose, the first name that comes into our minds is ____, who is the first scholar in English literature and has been regarded as father of English leaning.
A. William Shakespeare B Beowulf
C. Julius Caesar
D. Venerable Bede
5. In Anglo-Saxon period, “Beowulf” represented the ____ poetry.
A. pagan
B. religious
C. romantic
D. sentimental
6. ____ was a movement among American intellectuals in the 1830s and 1840s which emphasized man?s potentiality for goodness, creativity and self-development.
A. Transcendentalism
B. Progressivism
C. Pragmatism
D. Impressionism
7. In his masterpiece Leaves of Grass, ____ celebrated the dignity, the self-reliant spirit and the joy of the common man.
A. Richard Wright
B. Ernest Hemingway
C. Walt Whiteman
D. Mark Twain
8. Baby boom refers to the generation born in the U.S.A between ____.
A. 1865-1885
B. 1895-1915
C. 1919-1937
D. 1946-1964
9. Linguists give priority to the spoken language not the written language because ____.
A.V ocal sounds are derived from writing systems.
B.Speech precedes writing everywhere in the world.
C.We have recording devices to study speech.
D.Spoken language precedes written language only in Indo-European languages.
10. Which of the following sounds is a voiceless bilabial stop?
A. /p/
B. /m/
C. /b/
D. /t/
PART IV PROOFREADING & ERROR CORRECTION (15 MIN.) There are great impediments to the general use of a standard
in pronunciation comparable to that existing in spelling
(orthography). One is the fact that pronunciation is learnt
…naturally? and unconsciously, and orthography is learnt 1. deliberately and consciously. Large numbers of us, in fact,
remain throughout our lives quite unconscious with what our 2. speech sounds like when we speak out, and it often comes as a 3. shock when we firstly hear a recording of ourselves. It is not a 4. voice we recognize at once, whereas our own handwriting is
something which we almost always know. We begin the 5. …natural? learning of pronunciation long before we start learning
to read or write, and in our early years we went on unconsciously 6. imitating and practicing the pronunciation of those around us for
many more hours per every day than we ever have to spend 7. learning even our difficult English spelling. This is …natural?, 8. therefore, that our speech-sounds should be those of our
immediate circle; after all, as we have seen, speech operates as a
means of holding a community and giving a sense of 9. ?belonging?. We learn quite early to recognize a …stranger?,
someone who speaks with an accent of a different community-
perhaps only a few miles far. 10.
PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN.)
16—20: D A B D B
21—25: A C B B D
26—30: C A A C A
Part III GENERAL KNOWLEDGE [ 10 MIN.]
1. C
2. B
3. A
4. D
5. A
6. A
7. C
8.D
9. B 10.A
八年级语文试题 说明:1．用钢笔或圆珠笔填写清楚。2．本试卷共四个大题，24个小题，全部答在试卷上。3．全卷满分100分，考试时间120分钟。 一、积累与运用（18分） 1、请你认真书写，卷面要求整洁、规范、美观。（卷面分3分） 2、按要求默写。（8分） （1），带月荷锄归。陶渊明《归园田居》 （2）夜久语声绝，。杜甫《石壕吏》 （3）荡胸生曾云，。杜甫《望岳》 （4），云生结海楼。李白《渡荆门送别》 （5）高峰入云，陶弘景《答谢中书书》 （6）白头吊古风霜里，。陈与义《登岳阳楼》 （7）复行数十步，。陶渊明《桃花源记》 （8），幽径独行迷。梅尧臣《鲁山山行》 （9）不畏浮云遮望眼，王安石《登飞来峰》 （10）春蚕到死丝方尽，，。李商隐《无题》 3、成语填空（3分） （1）（）然无存长途（）涉因地制（）（）声匿迹 （2）写出2个有关军事的成语。 4、汉字是表意文字，字形中含有文字意义和深厚的文化意蕴。仿照例子，从下列2个字中任选1个，解说该汉字形体特点和表示的意义。（2分） 炙采 （）：外面象房屋，里面象火。表示火烧房子之意。灾例 1 / 10 5、名著阅读：初中以来，我们在老师的引导下，阅读了《水浒》、《朝花夕拾》、《骆驼祥子》、《钢铁是怎样炼成的》等中外名著，其中有很多人物给我们留下了深刻印象。请你从中任选一部，简要分析主人公或者是你最喜欢的人物性格特征。（2分） 二、文言文阅读（20分） 阅读下面的文言文选段，完成下列各题。
水陆草木之花，可爱者甚蕃。晋陶渊明独爱菊。自李唐来，世人甚爱牡丹。予独爱莲之出淤泥而不染，濯清涟而不妖，中通外直，不蔓不枝，香远益清，亭亭净植，可远观而不可亵玩焉。子谓菊，花之隐逸者也；牡丹，花之富贵者也；莲，花之君子者也。噫!菊之爱，陶后鲜有闻。莲之爱，同予者何人?牡丹之爱，宜乎众矣! 6、《爱莲说》作者，字茂叔，朝代哲学家。（2分） 7、给下列加点的字注音（2分） （）() 玩焉）可远观而不可亵（（1）可爱者甚蕃2．．8、解释下列加点的字的意思（4分）（1）濯清涟而不妖（）（2）噫!菊之爱，陶后鲜有闻。（）．．(3)水陆草木之花()(4)予独爱莲之出淤泥而不染（）．．9、翻译下列句子的意思（2分） 莲之爱，同予者何人?牡丹之爱，宜乎众矣! 10、作者描写莲花，为什么要先写陶渊明爱菊，世人爱牡丹？这样写有什么作用？（3分） 11、“与近朱者赤，近墨者黑”意思相反的一句是（2分） 12、作者称莲是花之君子，用自己的话概括出作者心目中的君子有哪些美好的品质？（32 / 10 分） 13、写出莲花的别称二个以上___________、_____________ 、_______________（2分）三．现代文阅读（22分） 阅读下面的文章，分别回答文后的问题。 （一） 赵州桥横跨在洨河上，是世界著名的古代石拱桥，也是造成后一直使用到现在的最古的石桥。这座桥修建于公元605年左右，到现在已经一千三百多年了，还保持着原来的雄姿。到解放的时候，桥身有些残损了，在人民政府的领导下，经过彻底整修，这座古桥又恢复了青春。 赵州桥非常雄伟，全长50．82M，两端宽9．6M，中部略窄，宽9M。桥的设计完全合乎科学原理，施工技术更是巧妙绝伦。唐朝的张嘉贞说它“制造奇特，人不知其所以为”。这座桥的特点是：(一)全桥只有一个大拱，长达37．4M，在当时可算是世界上最长的石拱。桥洞不是普通半圆形，而是像一张弓，因而大拱上面的道路没有陡坡，便于车马上下。(二)大拱的两肩上。各有两个小拱。这个创造性的设计，不但节约了石料，减轻了桥身的重量，而且在河水暴涨的时候，还可以增加桥洞的过水量，减轻洪水对桥身的冲击。同时，拱上加拱，桥身也更美观。(三)大拱由28个道拱圈拼成，就像这么多同样形状的弓合拢在一起，做成一个弧形的桥洞。每道拱圈都能独立支撑上面的重量，一道坏了，其他各道不致受到影响。(四)全桥结构匀称．和四周景色配合得十分和谐；桥上的石栏石板也雕刻得古朴美观。唐朝的张鸷说，远望这座桥就像“初月出云，长虹饮涧”。赵州桥高度的技术水平和不朽的艺术价值，充分显示了我国劳动人民的智慧和力量。桥的主要设计者李春就是一位杰出的工匠，在桥头的碑文里刻着他的名字。 14、品读选文，概括中国石拱桥的主要特点。(3分)
2006年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语试题Section II Reading Comprehension Part A Directions:Read the following four texts.Answer the questions below each text by choosing A,B,C or D.Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.(40 points) Text1 In spite of“endless talk of difference,”American society is an amazing machine for homogenizing people.There is“the democratizing uniformity of dress and discourse,and the casualness and absence of deference”characteristic of popular culture.People are absorbed into“a culture of consumption”launched by the 19th-century department stores that offered“vast arrays of goods in an elegant atmosphere.Instead of intimate shops catering to a knowledgeable elite,”these were stores“anyone could enter,regardless of class or background.This turned shopping into a public and democratic act.”The mass media,advertising and sports are other forces for homogenization. Immigrants are quickly fitting into this common culture,which may not be altogether elevating but is hardly poisonous.Writing for the National Immigration Forum,Gregory Rodriguez reports that today’s immigration is neither at unprecedented levels nor resistant to assimilation.In1998immigrants were9.8 percent of population;in1900,13.6percent.In the10years prior to1990,3.1 immigrants arrived for every1,000residents;in the10years prior to1890,9.2for every1,000.Now,consider three indices of assimilation--language,home ownership and intermarriage. The1990Census revealed that“a majority of immigrants from each of the fifteen most common countries of origin spoke English‘well’or‘very well’after ten years of residence.”The children of immigrants tend to be bilingual and proficient in English.“By the third generation,the original language is lost in the majority of immigrant families.”Hence the description of America as a“graveyard”for languages.
2003年浙江大学远程教育学院学位英语考试
College English Test Form B November, 2003 Part I Listening Comprehension (20 points) Section A Directions:In this section, you will hear 10 short conversations. At the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. You will hear the conversation and the question only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center. Example: You will hear: Man: Hello, Mary. This is John Smith at the office. Is Bill feeling any better today? Woman: Oh, yes, John. He's feeling much better now. But the doctor says he'll have to stay in bed until Monday. Question: Where is Bill now? You will read: A) At the office C) Home in bed B) On his way to work D) Away on vacation From the conversation, we know that Bill has to stay in bed until Monday. Therefore, C) “Home in bed” is the best answer. You should choose answer [C] on the Answer Sheet and mark it with a single line through the centre. 1. A) He doesn’t have enough money to buy a car. B) He really doesn’t want to buy a car. C) He will have enough money for a car soon. D) He plans to buy a little car in a while. 2. A) $1 3.5. B) $9.00. C) $5.00. D) $ 4. 5. 3. A) At a restaurant. C) In a cafeteria. B) In the kitchen. D) At a market. 4. A) She thinks she’s a stranger here in New York. B) New York is a wonderful city. C) She thinks New York is not good. D) She doesn’t like it at all.
PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN.) （Score: ）2004 TEXT A Farmers in the developing world hate price fluctuations. It makes it hard to plan ahead. But most of them have little choice: they sell at the price the market sets. Farmers in Europe, the U.S. and Japan are luckier: they receive massive government subsidies in the form of guaranteed prices or direct handouts. Last month U.S. President Bush signed a new farm bill that gives American farmers $190 billion over the next 10 years, or $83 billion more than they had been scheduled to get, and pushes U.S. agricultural support close to crazy European levels. Bush said the step was necessary to “promote farmer independence and preserve the farm way of life for generations”. It is also designed to help the Republican Party win control of the Senate in November’s mid-term elections. Agricultural production in most poor countries accounts for up to 50% of GDP, compared to only 3% in rich countries. But most farmers in poor countries grow just enough for themselves and their families. Those who try exporting to the West find their goods whacked with huge tariffs or competing against cheaper subsidized goods. In 1999 the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development concluded that for each dollar developing countries receive in aid they lose up to $14 just because of trade barriers imposed on the export of their manufactured goods. It’s not as if the developing world wants any favours, says Gerald Ssendwula, Uganda’s Minister of Finance. “What we want is for the rich countries to let us compete.” Agriculture is one of the few areas in which the Third World can compete. Land and labour are cheap, and as farming methods develop, new technologies should improve output. This is no pie-in-the-sky speculation. The biggest success in Kenya’s economy over the past decade has been the boom in exports of cut flowers and vegetables to Europe. But that may all change in 2008, when Kenya will be slightly too rich to qualify for the “least developed country” status that allows African producers to avoid paying stiff European import duties on selected agricultural products. With trade barriers in place, the horticulture industry in Kenya will shrivel as quickly as a discarded rose. And while agriculture exports remain the great hope for poor countries, reducing trade barriers in other sectors also works: Americas African Growth and Opportunity Act, which cuts duties on exports of everything from handicrafts to shoes, has proved a boon to Africa’s manufacturers. The lesson: the Third World can prosper if the rich world gives it a fair go. This is what makes Bush’s decision to increase farm subsidies last month all the more depressing. Poor countries have long suspected that the rich world urges trade liberalization only so it can wangle its way into new markets. Such suspicions caused the Seattle trade talks to break down three years ago. But last November members of the World Trade Organization, meeting in Doha, Qatar, finally agreed to a new round of talks designed to open up global trade in agriculture and textiles. Rich countries assured poor countries, that their concerns were finally being addressed. Bush’s handout last month makes a lie of America’s commitment to those talks and his personal devotion to free trade. 16. By comparison, farmers ____ receive more government subsidies than others. A. in the developing world B. in Japan C. in Europe D. in America 17. In addition to the economic considerations, there is a ____ motive behind Bush’s signing of the
2006年上海市初中毕业生统一学业考试 语文试卷 （满分150分，考试时间100分钟） 考生注意：本卷共有20题。请将所有答案写在答题纸上，写在试卷上不计分。 第1部分阅读（87分） 一、文言文（共38分） 考生注意： 1．请从下列A、B、C三组中选择一组，完成1—6题。A组：供使用H版教材的考生完成。B组：供使用S版教材的考生完成。C组：供使用二期课改教材（试验本）的考生完成。请将选定的组号填入答题纸的指定处。 2．7—10题为考生共做试题。 A组：供使用H版教材的考生完成 （一）默写（15分） 1．（1）白日放歌须纵酒，＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿。 （2）商女不知亡国恨，＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿。 （3）＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿，误人藕花深处。 （4）日光下彻，＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿，怡然不动。 （5）《扁鹊见蔡桓公》中表现蔡桓公对医生存有偏见的句子是＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿。（二）解释下列加点的词语（4分） 2．安陵君其许寡人（） 3．余幼好书，家贫难致（） （三）阅读下文，完成4-6题（7分）
岳阳楼记（节选） ①若夫霪雨霏霏，连月不开，阴风怒号，浊浪排空；日星隐耀，山岳潜形；商旅不行，樯倾揖摧；薄暮冥冥，虎啸猿啼。登斯楼也，则有去国怀乡，忧谗畏讥，满目萧然．感极而悲者矣。 ②至若春和景明，波澜不惊，上下天光，一碧万顷；沙鸥翔集，锦鳞游泳；岸芷汀兰，郁郁青青。而或长烟一空，皓月千里，浮光跃金，静影沉璧，渔歌互答，此乐何极！登斯楼也，则有心旷神怡，宠辱偕忘，把酒临风，其喜洋洋者矣。 4．本文作者是＿＿＿＿（朝代）的文学家＿＿＿＿（人名）。（2分） 5．用现代汉语解释文中画线的句子。（2分） 沙鸥翔集，锦鳞游泳＿＿＿＿＿ 6．第①段描写“满目萧然”之景，表现迁客骚人＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿的心情。（用文中的话回答）（3分） B组：供使用S版教材的考生完成 （一）默写（15分） 1．（1）秦时明月汉时关，＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿。 （2）十岁裁诗走马成，＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿。 （3）＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿，天气晚来秋。 （4）日光下彻，＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿，怡然不动。 （5）《登泰山记》中描写大风猛烈的句子是＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿。 （二）解释下列加点的词语（4分） 2．后狼止而前狼又至（） 3．今南方已定，兵甲已足（）
2003年全国硕士研究生考试英语试卷及答案 Section I Listening Comprehension Directions: This section is designed to test your ability to understand spoken English. You will hear a selection of recorded materials and you must answer the questions that accompany them. There are three parts in this section, Part A, Part B, and Part C. Remember, while you should first put down your answers in your test booklet. At the end of the listening comprehension section, you will have five minutes to transfer all your answers from your test booklet to Answer Sheet I. Now look at Part At your test booklet. Part A Directions: For Question 1-5, you will hear a talk about Boston Museum of Fine Art. While you listen, fill out the table with the information you have heard. Some of the information has been given to you in the table. Write Only 1 word or number in each numbered box. You will hear the recording twice. You now have 25 seconds to read the table below.(5 points) Boston Museum of Fine Arts Founded( year ) 1870 Opened to the public( year ) Question 1
第二部分 2007年----2012年英语专业八级阅读真题 2007年 Text A The Welsh language has always been the ultimate marker of Welsh identity, but a generation ago it looked as if Welsh would go the way of Manx. Once widely spoken on the Isle of Man but now extinct. Governments financing and central planning, however, have helped reverse the decline of Welsh. Road signs and official public documents are written in both Welsh and English, and schoolchildren are required to learn both languages. Welsh is now one of the most successfu l of Europe‘s regional languages, spoken by more than a half-million of the country‘s three million people. The revival of the language, particularly among young people, is part of a resurgence of national identity sweeping through this small, proud nation. Last month Wales marked the second anniversary of the opening of the National Assembly, the first parliament to be convened here since 1404. The idea behind devolution was to restore the balance within the union of nations making up the United Kingdom. With most of the people and wealth, England has always had bragging rights. The partial transfer of legislative powers from Westminster, implemented by Tony Blair, was designed to give the other members of the club- Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales-a bigger say and to counter centrifugal forces that seemed to threaten the very idea of the union. The Welsh showed little enthusiasm for devolution. Whereas the Scots voted overwhelmingly for a parliament, the vote for a Welsh assembly scraped through by less than one percent on a turnout of less than 25 percent. Its powers were proportionately limited. The Assembly can decide how money from Westminster or the European Union is spent. It cannot, unlike its counterpart in Edinburgh, enact laws. But now that it is here, the Welsh are growing to like their Assembly. Many people would like it to have more powers. Its importance as figurehead will grow with the opening in 2003, of a new debating chamber, one of many new buildings that are transforming Cardiff from a decaying seaport into a Baltimore-style waterfront city. Meanwhile a grant of nearly two million dollars from the European Union
2006年重庆高考语文试卷及答案 语文试题卷共8页。考试时间150分钟。第1至11题为选择题，33分；第12至25题为非选择题，117分。满分150分。 一、（本大题共4小题，每小题3分，共12分） 1、下列词语中加点的字的读音完全相同的一组是 A、豁免附和蛊惑人心祸起萧墙 B、遏止扼要鄂伦春族厄瓜多尔 C、菁华矜持泾渭分明惊世骇俗 D、撕裂趔趄烈火金刚骂骂咧咧 2、下列词语中有错别字的一组是 A、慰藉销毁矫揉造作瞠目结舌 B、焦躁坐标变本加厉缘木求鱼 C、颠簸竣工关怀备至顶礼摩拜 D、盘绕静谧哄堂大笑迫不及待 3、下列句子中加点的成语使用不恰当的一项是 A、奶奶在城里呆了许多年，很少出门，从不逛街。有一次乡下的亲戚下来了，她竟然毛遂自荐，要带他们上街去玩。
B、午后，我独自在花间小径上穿行，猝不及防地被一只蝴蝶在面颊上点了一个触吻，一时，心头掠过了几许诗意般的遐想。 C、李老汉是一个知恩图报的人。别人给他的帮助与恩惠，哪怕仅仅只是一句安慰的话，他也睚眦必报。 D、植物也有“喜怒哀乐”，养植物跟养宠物一样，对它经常给予关爱，让它“心绪”良好，它就会投桃报李，令你心旷神怡。 4、下列句子中没有语病的一项是 A、通过仪器来观察世界开阔了人们的视野，由此也改变了我们对物质世界的认识。 B、新牌坊立交桥的建成将大大缓解交通高峰期的堵车问题。 C、由于适当的温度有助于化学反应速度，工期将选在气温较高的5、6月份。 D、这些事故给人民生命财产造成重大损失、究其原因，主要是一些主管领导和管理部门对安全生产没有引起高度重视。 二、（本大题共3小题，每小题3分，共9分） 阅读下文，完成第5－7题。 文化危机深化到一定程度，必定引起深刻的文化转型。所谓文化转型，是指特定时代、特定民族或群体赖以生存的主导性文化模式为另一种新的主导性文化模式所取代。在这种意义上，文化转型同文化危机一样，并不是经常发生的社会历史现象，无论是个体的文化习惯的改变、价
2003年（秋）Visual FoxPro 二级考试试卷 第一部分计算机基础知识(各语种相同) (答案部分为红色) 1.随着集成电路技术及其制造工艺的发展，CPU芯片的集成度越来越来高，目前Intel公司出品的pentium 4芯片，在其体积仅为几立方厘米的芯片上集成了＿＿各种晶体管。 Ａ．数万个Ｂ．数百万个Ｃ．近千万个Ｄ．数千万个 ２.在下列有关数的进制系统的叙述中，不正确的是＿＿。 A．所有信息在计算机中的表示均采用二进制编码． B．以任何一种进制表示的数，均可精确地用其它进制来表示． C．二进制数的逻辑运算有三种基本类型，分别为＂与＂、＂或＂和＂非＂． D．Ｗindows9x/2000/XP操作系统提供的＂计算器＂软件可以实现几种进制数之间的转换． ３.目前汉字信息的编码标准有多个．在下列的叙述中，错误的是＿＿。 A．Windows98不支持Unicode编码Ｂ．BIG5是一个繁体汉字字符集 C．GBK收录了20000多个汉字D．GB2312-80共收录了６０００多个汉字 ４.为了提高机器的性能，pc机的系统总线在不断的发展．在下列的英文缩写中，＿＿与PC机总线无关。 A.PCI Ｂ．ＩＳＡＣ．ＥＩＳＡＤ．ＲＩＳＣ ５.硬盘的转速是评价硬盘性能的重要指标之一．如果某硬盘的平均等待时间（指需要读／写的扇区旋转到磁头下面的平均时间）为１０ms，则该硬盘的转速约为＿＿。 Ａ．１０００转／分Ｂ．２０００转／分Ｃ．３０００转／分Ｄ．６０００转／分 ６.在下列有关程序设计语言及其处理程序的叙述中，错误的是＿＿。 Ａ．用多种不同的汇编语言编写一个程序称为＂交叉汇编＂ Ｂ．汇编语言是一种用助记符号表示的、与机器语言接近的符号语言 Ｃ．机器语言指令是由一串“０”和“１”组成的二进位代码 Ｄ．编译程序应具有词法分析和语法分析功能 ７.软件工程是指用工程化的概念、思想、方法和技术指导软件开发的全过程。在下列叙述中，不符合软件工程基本思想的是＿＿。 Ａ．需求分析应由软件设计人员与用户共同进行 Ｂ．在软件开发过程中，可借助业务流程图、数据流程图等工具进行规范的分析和设计 Ｃ．软件维护期是软件生命周期中最长的阶段 Ｄ．在软件总体设计阶段，应着重决定每个软件模块内部的算法和算法描述 ８.针对构建一个校园网／企业网，下列有关网络传输介质的叙述中正确的是＿＿。 Ａ．多模光纤的性能比单模光纤差 Ｂ．无屏蔽双绞线支持的数据传送距离比屏蔽双绞线远
2007年英语专业八级考试翻译原题及参考答案 C－E：暮色中，河湾里落满云霞，与天际得颜色混合一起，分不清哪就是流云哪就是水湾。也就在这一幅绚烂得图画旁边，在河湾之畔，一群羊正在低头觅食。它们几乎没有一个顾得上抬起头来,瞧一眼这美丽得黄昏。也许它们要抓紧时间,在即将回家得最后一刻再次咀嚼。这就是黄河滩上得一幕。牧羊人不见了，她不知在何处歇息。只有这些美生灵自由自在地享受着这个黄昏。这儿水草肥美，让它们长得肥滚滚得，像些胖娃娃.如果走近了,会发现它们那可爱得神情，洁白得牙齿，那丰富而单纯得表情。如果稍稍长久一点端详这张张面庞,还会生出无限得怜悯. Besidｅｔhis picｔure wiｔhｐrofusiｏｎｓoｆcｏｌors, a grｏｕｐof sheep aｒe lowing tｈeir headｓ，eａtiｎg ｂy the ｒiｖer banｋ、Hardlｙnoｎｅｏf them would ｓｐaｒeｓoｍeｔime tｏraiｓｅtheir eｙes toｈaveａglanｃｅａt the beａutｉｆｕｌdｕｓｋ、They arｅ，ｐerhaｐs,takinｇusｅof every mｉｎute tｏeｎjoy their lａst cheｗｂeｆore beｉng ｄrivｅn homｅ、Ｔhiｓiｓ a pｉctｕｒｅｏf ｔhe Ｙellow Riv ｅｒbaｎk, in wｈｉch the shepherd disapｐearｓ, aｎd no oｎe kｎowｓwhere he is rｅｓｔing himself、Oｎly thｅsheeｐ, however, as fｒee creａｔｕreｓ,aｒe ｊoyfｕlly ａpprｅciaｔiｎg the dusk、The ｅxuberａｎt waｔeｒplantｓhave nutritｅd tｈe sｈｅeｐ, maｋｉng tｈem grow as
绝密★启用前 2006年普通高等学校招生全国统一考试 英语 本试题分第Ⅰ卷（选择题）和第Ⅱ卷（非选择题）两部分。第Ⅰ卷1至12页，第Ⅱ卷13至14页。考试结束，将本试卷和答题卡一并交回。 第Ⅰ卷 注意事项： 1．答题前，考生在答题卡上务必用黑色签字笔将自己的姓名、准考证号填写清楚，并贴好条形码。请认真核准条形码上的准考证号、姓名和科目。 2．每小题选出答案后，用2B铅笔把答题卡上对应题目的答案标号涂黑。如需改动，用橡皮擦干净后，再选涂其他答案标号。答在试题卷上无效。 第一部分：听力（共两节，满分30分） 做题时，先将答案划在试卷上，录音内容结束后，你将有两分钟的时间将试卷上的答案转涂到答题卡上。 第一节（共5小题；每小题1.5分，满分7.5分） 听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一道小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。并标在试卷的相应位置。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。 例：How much is the shirt? A．￡19.15. B．￡9.15 C．￡9.18. 答案是B。 1．How much will the man pay for the tickets? A．￡7.5. B．￡15. C．￡50. 2．Which is the right gate for the man’s flight?
A．Gate 16. B．Gate 22. C．Gate 25. 3．How does the man feel about going to school by bike? A．Happy. B．Tired. C．Worried. 4．When can the woman get the computers? A．On Tuesday. B．On Wednesday. C．On Thursday. 5．What does the woman think of the shirt for the party? A．The size is not large enough. B．The material is not good. C．The color is not suitable. 第二节（共15小题；每题1.5分，满分22.5分） 听下面5段对话。每段对话后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项,中选出最佳选项。并标在试卷的相应位置。听每段对话，你将有时间阅读各个小题，听完后，每小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话读两遍。 听第6段材料，回答第6、7题。 6．What can we learn about Mr. Brown? A．He is in his office. B．He is at a meeting. C．He is out for a meal. 7．What will the man probably do next? A．Call back. B．Come again. C．Leave a message. 听第7段材料，回答第8、9题。 8．What kind of room does the man want to take? A．A single room. B．A double room. C．A room for three. 9．What does the man need to put in the form? A．Telephone and student card numbers.
2003年全国成人高考高起点试卷英语 一.语音知识（共5小题；每题1.5分，共7.5分。） 在下列每组单词中，有一个单词的划线部分与其他单词的划线部分的读音不同。找出这个词。 1. A. piece B. cheek C. dealt D. receive 2. A. glove B. stone C. globe D. spoke 3. A. flew B. knew C. threw D. grew 4. A. hotel B. hopeless C. holiday D. honest 5. A. society B. precious C. decision D. medicine 二.词汇与语法知识（共25小题；每题1.5分，共37.5分。） 从每小题的四个选择项中，选出最佳的一项。 6. Allen _______ any good job since he came to New York City two years ago. A. hasn't found B. didn‘t find C. doesn't find D. hadn‘t found 7.“Let me _______ you，”said my boss，“you should call me immediately after you arrive at the airport.” A. ask B. advise C. remember D. remind 8. The boys spent the whole morning _______ possible answers to the question. A. discuss B. and discussing C. discussing D. and discussed 9. This village ______ to be the place in which Ernest Hemingway，one of the greatest American writers，wrote this story. A. is believing B. is believed