2008年9月上海中级口译笔试
SECTION 1LISTENING TEST45 minutes
Part A Spot Dictation
Directions:In this part of the test, you will hear a passage and read the same passage with blanks in it. Fill in each of the blanks with the word or words you have heard on the tape. Write your answer in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET. Remember you will hear the passage ONLY ONCE.
Americans have four primary avenues for making friends: at work, at school, through a hobby or a _________ (1) such as volunteer work and discussion group, or through a family or __________ (2).
In American culture, a job is more than the work that one performs between the hours of 9 a.m. and __________(3). Work becomes a major socializing influence. Many young mothers who __________(4) their jobs to care for small children remark on the loneliness of their new lifestyles because they have lost their forum for
__________(5).
A great number of American employers recognize business social ________(6) and use it to build a family atmosphere on the job so that employees will feel
__________(7) in their work environment. Some employers arrange company
get-togethers in their home or at a _________(8). American companies have at least one __________(9) annually, usually at Christmas time. Many corporations have
__________(10) where employees and administrators alike dress _________(11) to play games such as baseball and volleyball.
Top American administrators often hold social gatherings __________(12). Depending upon the size of the employer?s home and the number of _________(13). These social gatherings may be picnics, pool parties, or __________(14). If the company is large, an employer may hold what Americans call __________(15). For an open house, the employer will invite his employees to come to his home
___________(16) between 1 p.m. on a certain day. Those invited usually stay for
_________(17), chatting with the other guests and their host. People come and go
__________(18) during the designated hours, and the host keeps refreshments, usually ___________(19) or hors d?oeuvres and beverages, available for all who come. For such social gatherings, it is considered ___________(20) the invitation unless you have an excellent reason.
Part B Listening Comprehension
I. Statements
Directions: In this part of the test, you will hear several short statements. These statements will be spoken ONLY ONCE, and you will not find them written on the paper; so you must listen carefully. When you hear a statement, read the answer choices and decide which one is closest in meaning to the statement you have heard. Then write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.
Questions 1~10
1.(A) Going shopping is much more exhaustive than shopping on the Internet.
(B) For me, taking a rest is better than surfing the Internet or shopping.
(C) I am not sure if I should take a break to work in the garden this morning.
(D) My friend and I have to finish our annual report by this weekend.
2.(A) It is hardly true that Mr Johnson is a new employee with such initiatives.
(B) We are not sure if Mr Johnson is satisfied with his working environment.
(C) Usually new employees will not take such initiatives as Mr Johnson does.
(D) Mr Johnson is really very friendly as he helps us with our working initiatives.
3.(A) What are the differences between marketing and cost-effective publicity?
(B) Could you say something on the subject of cost-effective publicity?
(C) How much will the conference on marketing and sales cost us?
(D) When will the subject of the 50-minute conference be publicized?
4.(A) Children will directly or indirectly affect what their parents purchase.
(B) Growing children will have special needs that their parents cannot satisfy.
(C) The needs for special food and clothing are more obvious in girls.
(D) It is necessary for parents to influence what their children eat and wear.
5.(A) The apple is one of the fruits that can lower your blood sugar.
(B) Apples are sugar-containing fruits that may raise your blood sugar.
(C) Although it is sugar-containing, the apple is a kind of healthy fruits.
(D) For those who are on a diet, an apple a day is enough because it digests slowly.
6.(A) We decided to purchase a camera for our online course.
(B) I know that we cannot beat the price for the camera on the Net.
(C) The order is that we need to buy the camera cheaper on the Internet.
(D) The camera we bought is more expensive than I expected.
7.(A) The problem of inflation could be worsened due to rising unemployment and wage explosion.
(B) Because of the rise of unemployment during inflation, there could be a wage explosion.
(C) The most serious economic problem in the wake of inflation is a possible wage explosion.
(D) A possible way to curb inflation and rising unemployment is to raise the workers' wages dramatically.
8.(A) This kind of tax on imported goods is unnecessary.
(B) To practice economy, the government imposes a tax.
(C) A tariff is recommended by our economists.
(D) The tariff is a government tax on imported goods.
9.(A) We had planned to sell $120,000 worth of this new product.
(B) We had a promotion plan for our product that costs $ 360,000.
(C) Originally, there were 3 promotion plans for the new product.
(D) The sales figure of our new product had reached a record high.
10.(A) The committee voted against the proposed project.
(B) The committee approved the proposed project.
(C) The committee considered the short report well written.
(D) The committee was convinced by the documented report.
II. Talks and Conversations
Directions:In this part of the test, you will hear several short talks and conversations. After each of these, you will hear a few questions. Listen carefully because you will hear the talk or conversation and questions ONLY ONCE. When you hear a question, read the four answer choices and choose the best answer to that question. Then write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.
Questions 11~14
11.(A) Discussing inflation with the man.
(B) Helping her parents pay for debts.
(C) Seeking a permanent job overseas.
(D) Studying in a foreign country.
12.(A) Her parents' unwillingness to pay her tuition.
(B) Her desire to earn as much as possible.
(C) The rising cost of living through inflation.
(D) The fact that she is an overseas student.
13.(A) The education centre.
(B) The university bookstore.
(C) The university library.
(D) The student cafeteria.
14.(A) She will use her study time more effectively.
(B) She will buy second-hand books from the store.
(C) She will spend her money on something else.
(D) She will devote more time to working extra hours. Questions 15~18
15.(A) A palm reader.
(B) A speech therapist.
(C) A student.
(D) A teacher.
16.(A) She was ill.
(B) She was afraid.
(C) She was anxious.
(D) She was excited.
17.(A) 50.
(B) 120.
(C) 220.
(D) 240.
18.(A) Her anxiety.
(B) Her mistake.
(C) Her excitement.
(D) Her success.
Questions 19~22
19.(A) He was at a news conference.
(B) He was on a business trip.
(C) He was traveling with the company's CEO.
(D) He was negotiating with a New York agent.
20.(A) The company's top executives.
(B) Producers and servicemen.
(C) Agents and customers.
(D) Managers from home and abroad.
21.(A) 220.
(B) 250.
(C) 300.
(D) 350.
22.(A) The loudspeakers.
(B) The visual aids.
(C) The hall capacity.
(D) The lunch menu.
Questions 23~26
23.(A) Working is more important than having a holiday.
(B) A driver should be more careful than a pedestrian.
(C) In driving, it is always safety that comes first.
(D) It is dangerous to drive fast in crowded areas.
24.(A) Because they may not judge speeds very well.
(B) Because they may step into the road for convenience.
(C) Because they cannot run very fast.
(D) Because they may become nervous easily.
25.(A) Shoppers.
(B) Traffic police.
(C) Young people.
(D) The handicapped.
26.(A) Signal to a school crossing patrol.
(B) Slow down or stop to let people cross.
(C) Overtake other drivers for safety.
(D) Watch out for a Stop-Children sign.
Questions 27~30
27.(A) Programme writing.
(B) Note-takind techniques.
(C) Handwriting analysis.
(D) Sample collecting.
28.(A) A good self-controlled personality.
(B) An introspective nature.
(C) A friendly and sociable disposition.
(D) A mix of interest and emotion.
29.(A) Socially-minded people.
(B) Scientists and intellectuals.
(C) Mediocre writers.
(D) Friendly companions.
30.(A) The rounded, medium size of the letters.
(B) The small open a's and o's.
(C) The wide spaces between the words.
(D) The upright slant and the signature.
Part C Listening and Translation
I. Sentence Translation
Directions:In this part of the test, you will hear 5 sentences in English. You will hear the sentences ONLY ONCE. After you have heard each sentence, translate it into Chinese and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
II. Passage Translation
Directions:In this part of the test, you will hear 2 passages in English. You will hear the passages ONLY ONCE. After you have heard each passage, translate it into Chinese and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET. You may take notes while you are listening.
(1)
(2)
SECTION 2STUDY SKILLS45 minutes
Directions:In this section, you will read several passages. Each passage is followed by several questions based on its content. You are to choose ONE best answer, (A), (B),(C) or (D), to each question. Answer all the questions following each passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage and write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET. Questions 1~5
Mankind?s fascination with gold is as oid as civilization itself. The ancient Egyptians esteemed gold, which had religious significance to them, and King Tutankhamen was buried in a solid-gold coffin 3300 years ago.
People have always longed to possess gold. Unfortunately, this longing has also brought out the worst in the human character. The Spanish conquistadores robbed palaces, temples, and graves, and killed thousands of Indians in their ruthless search for gold. Often the only rule in young California during the days of the gold rush was exercised by the mob with a rope. Even today, the economic running of South
Africa?s gold mines depends largely on the employment of black laboures who are paid about ?40 a month, plus room and board, and who must work in conditions that can only be described as cruel. About 400 miners are killed in mine accidents in South Africa each year, or one for every two tons of gold produced.
Much of gold?s value lies in its s carcity. Only about 80,000 tons have been mined in the history of the world. All of it could be stored in a vault 60 feet square, or a supertanker.
Great Britain was the first country to adopt the gold standard, when the Master of the Mint, Sir Isaac Newton, established a fixed price for gold in 1717. But until the big discoveries of gold in the last half of the nineteenth century—starting in California in 1848 and later in Australia and South Africa—there simply wasn?t enough gold around for all the trading nations to link their currencies to the precious metal.
An out-of-work prospector named George Harrison launched South Africa into the gold age in 1886 when he discovered the metal on a farm near what is now Johannesburg. Harrison was given a ?12 reward by the farmer. He then disappeared and reportedly was eaten by a lion.
Historically, the desire to hoard gold at home has been primarily an occupation of the working and peasant classes, who have no faith in paper money. George Bernard Shaw defended their instincts eloquently: …You have to choose between trusting to the natural stability of gold and the natural stability of the honesty and intelligence of the members of the government?, he said, …and with due respect to these gentlemen, I advise you ... to vote for gold.?
1.It can be inferred from the passage that during the days of the gold-rush in California ________.
(A) people had to mark out their gold claims with a rope
(B) people carried ropes instead of guns
(C) hanging was a common form of punishment
(D) the rope was the symbol of law and order
2.One of the problems with gold is that ________.
(A) it loses its shape too easily
(B) it changes the human characters
(C) it entails danger to the miners
(D) it costs money to produce .
3.According to the passage, gold has always been considered a precious metal mainly because ________.
(A) money is made of it
(B) it is rare
(C) a small quantity goes a long way
(D) it has religious significance
4.After the big gold discoveries in the late nineteenth century ________.
(A) the trading nations adopted the gold standard
(B) the trading nations were unable to get enough gold
(C) gold coins were used by most nations
(D) gold was considered to be a kind of precious metal
5.George Bernard Shaw thought that ________.
(A) the members of the government were honest and intelligent
(B) the value of gold was likely to change unexpectedly
(C) gold was more valuable than paper money
(D) one could place more faith in gold than in politicians
Questions 6~10
Let us take a brief look at the planet on which we live. As Earth hurtles through space at a speed of 70,000 miles an hour, it spins, as we all know, on its axis, which causes it to be flattened at the Poles. Thus if you were to stand at sea level at the North or South Pole you would be 13 miles nearer the centre of the earth than if you stood on the Equator.
The earth is made up of three major layers—a central core, probably metallic, some 4000 miles across, a surrounding layer of compressed rock, and to top it all a very thin skin of softer rock, only about 20 to 40 miles thick—-that?s about as thin as the skin of an apple, talking in relative terms.
The pressure on the central core is unimaginable. It has been calculated that at the centre it is 60 million pounds to the square inch, and this at a temperature of perhaps 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The earth?s interior, therefore, would seem to be of liquid metal—and evidence for this is given by the behaviour of earthquakes.
When an earthquake occurs, shock waves radiate from the centre just as waves radiate outwards from the point where a stone drops into a pond. And these waves pulsate through the earth?s various layers. Some waves descend vertically and pass
right through the earth, providing evidence for the existence of the core and an indication that it is fluid rather than solid. Thus, with their sensitive instruments, the scientists who study earthquakes, the seismologists, can in effect X-ray the earth.
Iceland is one of the most active volcanic regions of the world. And it was to Iceland that Jules Verne sent the hero of his book A Journey to the Centre of the Earth. This intrepid explorer clambered down the opening of an extinct volcano and followed i ts windings until he reached the earth?s core. There he found great oceans, and continents with vegetation. This conception of a hollow earth we now know to be false. In the 100 years since Jules Verne published his book, the science of vulcanology, as it is called, has made great strides. But even so the deepest man has yet penetrated is about 10,000 feet. This hole, the Robinson Deep mine in South Africa, barely scratches the surface; so great is the heat at 10,000 feet that were it not for an elaborate air-conditioning system, the miners working there would be roasted. Oil borings down to 20,000 feet have shown that the deeper they go, the hotter it becomes.
The temperature of the earth at the centre is estimated to be anything between 3,000 and 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Some scientists believe that this tremendous heat is caused by the breaking-down of radio-active elements, which release large amounts of energy and compensate for the loss of heat from the earth?s surface. If this theory is correct, then we are all living on top of a natural atomic powerhouse.
6.The outer layer of the earth is compared to the skin of an apple because ________.
(A) it is about 20 to 40 miles thick
(B) it is thin in proportion to the earth?s mass
(C) it is softer than the central core
(D) it is thinner than the surrounding layer
7.Which of the following cannot explain why the interior of the earth is fluid?
(A) There is great pressure at the centre.
(B) Earthquake waves can move vertically.
(C) The outer layer is made of rock.
(D) The heat at the centre is too great.
8.The Robinson Deep mine in South Africa is ________.
(A) too deep to work in
(B) too hot to work in
(C) close to the centre
(D) still in use
9.Since the publication of Jules Verne?s book it has been proved that ________.
(A) the centre of the earth is not hollow
(B) oil borings cannot go deeper than 20,000 feet
(C) there are active volcanic regions at the centre
(D) the earth is not in danger of exploding
10.What is the best title for the passage?
(A) The Earthquake.
(B) The Underworld.
(C) The Volcanic Regions.
(D) The Great Oceans.
Questions 11~15
Many people will have heard of the Alexander technique but have only a vague idea what it is about. Until ear lier this year, I didn?t have the faintest idea about it. But, hunched over a computer screen one day, I noticed that the neck- and backache I regularly suffered were more painful than usual. I consulted a doctor, who said: “I can treat the symptoms by massaging your neck and upper back. But you actually have bad posture. That is what you need to get sorted out. Go off and learn the Alexander technique.”
I had regularly been told by friends and family that I tend to slouch in chairs but had thought bad posture was something one was born with and could do nothing about. That is not true. Dentists and car mechanics, among others, tend to develop bad posture from leaning over patients or engine bays. Mothers often stress and strain their necks and backs lifting and carrying children, and those of us who sit in front of computers all day are almost certainly not doing our bodies any favours.
A few clicks on the web and I found an Alexander technique teacher, Tanya Shoop, in my area of south London and booked a first appointment. Three months later I am walking straighter and sitting better, while my neck and back pain are things of the past. I feel taller, too, which I may be imagining, but the technique can increase your height by up to five centimeters if you were badly slumped beforehand.
The teaching centres on the neck, head and back. It trains you to use your body less harshly and to perform familiar movements and actions with less effort. There is very little effort in the lessons themselves, which sets apart the Alexander technique from pilates or yoga, which are exercise-based.
A typical lesson involves standing in front of a chair and learning to sit and stand with minimal effort. You spend some time lying on a bench with your knees bent to straighten the spine and relax your body while the teacher moves your arms and legs to train you to move them correctly.
The key is learning to break the bad habits accumulated over years. Try, for example, folding your arms the opposite way to normal. It feels odd, doesn?t it? This is an example of a habit the body has formed which can be hard to break. Many of us carry our heads too far back and tilted skyward. The technique teaches you to let go of
the muscles holding the head back, allowing it to resume its natural place on the summit of our spines. The head weighs four to six kilos, so any misalignment can cause problems for the neck and body.
So who was Alexander and how did he come up with the technique? Frederick Matthias Alexander, an Australian theatrical orator born in 1869, found in his youth that his voice was failing during performance. He analysed himself and realized his posture was bad. He worked on improving it, with dramatic results. He brought his technique to London 100 years ago and quickly gathered a following that included some very famous people. He died in 1955, having established a teacher-training school in London, which is thriving today.
So if you are slouching along the road one day, feeling weighed down by your troubles, give a thought to the Alexander technique. It could help you walk tall again.
11.The writer first learnt about the Alexander technique ________.
(A) after consulting someone about her problems
(B) after she suddenly developed a bad back
(C) when massage failed to alleviate her back pain
(D) when she was browsing the Internet
12.The Alexander technique is different from yoga in that familiar movements
________.
(A) are learnt through one-to-one tutorial
(B) need more energy and effort than we think
(C) are not to be performed strenuously
(D) are not required in the exercise
13.According to the passage, the body appears to form habits that ________.
(A) inevitably cause physical pain
(B) can be difficult to change
(C) are a consequence of actions we perform
(D) develop in early childhood
14.It is suggested that Frederick Alexander ________.
(A) believed in the benefits of exercise
(B) invented an alternative to yoga
(C) developed a form of exercise for actors
(D) recovered his vocal powers
15.What is the writer?s main purpose in the article?
(A) To recommend regular physical exercise.
(B) To describe the dreadful nature of the backache.
(C) To suggest that back problems can be remedied.
(D) To explain the widespread occurrence of back pain.
Questions 16~20
The earth is our home. We must take care of it, for ourselves and for the next generation. This means preserving the quality of our environment.
Consume, consume, consume! Our society is consumer oriented—dangerously so. To keep the wheels of industry turning, we manufacture consumer goods in endless quantities, and in the process, are rapidly exhausting our natural resources. But this is only half the problem. What do we do with manufactured products when they are worn out? They must be disposed of, but how and where? Unsightly junkyards full of rusting automobiles already surround every city in the nation. Americans throw away 80 billion bottles and cans each year, enough to build more than ten stacks to the moon. There isn?t room for much more waste, and yet the factories grind on. They cannot stop because everyone wants a job. Our standard of living, one of the highest
in the world, requires the consumption of manufactured products in ever-increasing amounts. Man, about to be buried in his own waste, is caught in a vicious cycle.
It wasn?t always like this. Only 100 years ago, man lived in harmony w ith nature. There weren?t so many people then and their wants were fewer. Whatever wastes were produced could be absorbed by nature and were soon covered over. Today this harmonious relationship is threatened by man?s lack of foresight and planning, and by his carelessness and greed. For man is slowly poisoning his environment.
Pollution is a “dirty” word. To pollute means to contaminate—to spoil something by introducing impurities which make it unfit or unclean to use. Pollution comes in many forms. We see it, smell it, taste it, drink it, and stumble through it. We literally live in and breathe pollution, and not surprisingly, it is beginning to threaten our health, our happiness, and our very civilization.
Where is this all to end? Are we turning the world into a gigantic dump, or is there hope that we can solve the pollution problem? Fortunately, solutions are in sight.
A few of them are positively ingenious.
Take the problem of discarded automobiles, for instance. Each year over 40,000 of them are abandoned in New York City alone. Eventually the discards end up in a junkyard. But cars are too bulky to ship as scrap to a steel mill. They must first be flattened. This is done in a giant compressor which can reduce a Cadillac to the size
of a television set in a matter of minutes. Any leftover scrap metal is mixed with concrete and made into exceptionally strong bricks that are used in buildings and bridges. Man?s ingenuity has come to his rescue.
What about water pollution? More and more cities are building sewage-treatment plants. Instead of being dumped into a nearby river or lake, sewage is sent through a system of underground pipes to a giant tank where the water is separated from the solid material, purified, and returned for reuse to the community water supply. The
solid material, called sludge, is converted into fertilizer. The sludge can also be made into bricks.
16.According to the passage, what is the immediate problem caused by the consumption of manufactured products?
(A) Exhaustion of natural resources.
(B) Waste disposal.
(C) Pollution from industry.
(D) Money-oriented mentality.
17.About a century ago, people lived in relative harmony with their environment as ________.
(A) their wastes were covered over by nature
(B) they were more careful and less greedy
(C) their junkyards didn?t grow tall yet
(D) they had foresight and planning
18.Which of the following in NOT one of the stages in dealing with discarded automobiles?
(A) Flattening them to the size of a television set.
(B) Building more gigantic junkyards.
(C) Shipping them as scrap to a steel mill for new vehicles.
(D) Using them as ingredients for bricks.
19.The solution to water pollution is ________.
(A) storing the sewage in a giant tank
(B) dumping more sewage into the distant ocean
(C) building more sewage disposal plants
(D) replacing underground pipes full of sewage
20.According to the passage, what can be made into fertilizer?
(A) Water.
(B) Scrap metal.
(C) Bricks.
(D) Sludge.
Questions 21~25
In the 1960s, the Pharmaceutical Company Sandoz marketed its tranquilizer Serentil with ads suggesting the drug be prescribed to “the newcomer in town who can?t make friends...The woman who can?t get along with her ne w daughter-in-law. The executive who can?t accept retirement.” But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stopped the ads. Drugs are supposed to treat illnesses, the agency said, not the changes of living.
Isn?t that an unusual idea? The FDA was wor ried back then about an overmedicated society. Today 7% of Americans are on antidepressants (many more have tried them), and ads try to persuade people to buy drugs for problems like fatigue, loneliness and sadness. Still, drug companies aren?t the (sole) villain. Horwitz, dean
of social and behavioral sciences at Rutgers, and Wakefield, an expert on
mental-illness diagnosis at New York University, persuasively argue that many instances of normal sadness are now misdiagnosed as depressive disorder. They also point out that the capacity to feel sad is an evolutionarily selected trait that we might not want to drug away.
We?ve been living in an age of sadness for at least two decades. But while it?s tempting to blame our culture—fear of terrorists, too much caffeine—there?s a more straightforward explanation for the boom in sadness. In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association published a new definition of depression that was a radical departure from the old one, which had described “depressive neurosis” as “an excessive reaction of depression due to an internal conflict or to an identifiable event such as the loss of a love object.” To be diagnosed with major depressive disorder today, you need have only five symptoms for two weeks, which can include depressed mood, weight gain, insomnia, fatigue and indecisiveness. The definition does make an exception for bereavement: if you recently lost a loved one, such symptoms are not considered disordered. But it doesn?t make exceptions for other things that make us sad—divorce or financial stress.
Still, is there anything wrong with medicating normal sadness if you don?t mind side effects? Horwitz and Wakefield take no position on this. They point out that women giving birth take painkillers even though pain is a normal part of the process. But they also note that “loss responses are part of our biological heritage.” Nonhuman primates separated from sexual partners or peers have physiological responses that correlate with sadness. Human infants express despair to evoke sympathy from others. These sadness responses suggest sorrow is genetic and that it is useful for attracting social support, protecting us from aggressors and teaching us that whatever prompted the sadness—say, getting fired because you were always late to work—is behavior to be avoided. This is a brutal economic approach to the mind, but it makes sense: we are sometimes meant to suffer emotional pain so that we will make better choices.
21.Which of the following is the passage primarily concerned with?
(A)Sadness is a normal human emotion that serves a specific purpose.
(B) Sadness makes humans strive for happiness or contentment.
(C) Sadness and happiness are definitely two sides of the same coin.
(D) Sadness is now diagnosed as depressive disorder.
22.Why did the FDA stop the drug advertisements for Serentil?
(A) The drug did not treat illnesses as it should.
(B) The drug changed the people?s way of life.
(C) The drug had possible serious side effects.
(D) The drug was recommended to the wrong people.
23.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as a symptom of major depressive disorder?
(A) Inability to sleep.
(B) Grief over death.
(C) Weariness.
(D) Weight gain.
24.The word “bereavement” (para.3) means ________.
(A) loss of one?s pets
(B) loss of one?s beloved
(C) loss of one?s mind
(D) loss of one?s valuables
25.According to the author, sadness responses are ________.
(A) brutal
(B) avoidable
(C) reasonable
(D) harmful
Questions 26~30
It looks unlikely that medical science will abolish the process of ageing. But it no longer looks impossible.
“In the long run,” as John Maynard Keynes observed, “we are all dead.” True. But can the short run be elongated in a way that makes the long run longer? And if so, how, and at what cost? People have dreamt of immortality since ancient times. Now, with the growth of biological knowledge that has marked the past few decades, a few researchers believe it might be within reach.
To think about the question, it is important to understand why organisms—people included—age in the first place. People are like machines: they
wear out. That much is obvious. However, a machine can always be repaired. A good mechanic with a stock of spare parts can keep it going indefinitely. Eventually, no part of the original may remain, but it still carries on, like Lincoln?s famous axe that had had three new handles and two new blades.
The question, of course, is whether the machine is worth repairing. It is here that people and nature disagree. Or, to put it slightly differently, two bits of nature disagree with each other. From the individual?s point of view, survival is an imperative. A fear of death is a sensible evolved response and, since ageing is a sure way of dying, it is no surprise that people want to stop it in its tracks. Moreover, even the appearance of ageing can be harmful. It reduces the range of potential sexual partners who find you attractive and thus, again, curbs your reproduction.
The paradox is that the individual?s evolved desire not to age is opposed by another evolutionary force: the disposable soma. The soma is all of a body?s cells apart from the sex cells. The soma?s role is to get those sex cells, and thus the organism?s g enes, into the next generation. If the soma is a chicken, then it really is just an egg?s way of making another egg. And if evolutionary logic requires the soma to age and die in order for this to happen, so be it. Which is a pity, for evolutionary logic does, indeed, seem to require that.
The argument is this. All organisms are going to die of something eventually. That something may be an accident, a fight, a disease or an encounter with a hungry predator. There is thus a premium on reproducing early rather than conserving resources for a future that may never come. The reason why repairs are not perfect is that they are costly and resources invested in them might be used for reproduction instead. Often, therefore, the body?s mechanics prefer lash-ups to complete rebuilds—or simply do not bother with the job at all. And if that is so, the place to start looking for longer life is in the repair shop.
26.The word “elongated” (para.2) is closest in meaning to “________”.
(A) perpetuated
(B) promoted
(C) stretched
(D) enhanced
27.Why does the author mention Lincoln?s axe?
(A) To tell people that a simple tool can be repaired thoroughly.
(B) To make people realize that immortality is not possible.
(C) To illustrate the fact that the prospect of growing old is intolerable.
(D) To suggest an anti-ageing approach that will reproduce itself.
28.What do we know from the passage about people and nature?
(A) People and nature exist in harmony and hardly disagree.
(B) The evolutionary force in nature helps delay the ageing process.
(C) People seem now in a position to harness nature.
(D) Death is the reality in nature people should come to terms with.
29.For whom does the author probably write this passage?
(A) General readers.
(B) Health service workers.
(C) Medical scientists.
(D) Elderly people.
30.It is implied in the passage that ________.
(A) people put a premium on youth and physical appearance
(B) death is treated as a matter of course.
(C) evolutionary force makes immortality possible
(D) reproduction is a useful alternative to longer life
SECTION 3TRANSLATION TEST (1)30 minutes
Directions:Translate the following passage into Chinese and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.
In a slowing U.S. economy, job opportunities are shaped by uncertainty. As president of a small college, I am keenly aware of the job market that awaits this
year?s graduates. The recent news that Bear Stearns was nullifying a few hun dred job offers to business school students fits a pattern of corporate downsizing that isn?t lost on college campuses across the USA. But even with the darkening economic clouds, rays of good news await this year?s graduates. Sure, companies are laying of f workers, but many are also looking for new talent, especially at the entry level.
As more than a million entrants flood the job market, students should know that in a global marketplace, language skills will go a long way. So will flexibility. If a grad is ready to accept an entry-level job, give a little on job requirements and move if the company asks, chances are he?ll land a job. So despite the rising job losses, a new graduate should embrace the market as the first challenge of a long career.
SECTION 4TRANSLATION TEST (2)30 minutes
Directions:Translate the following passage into English and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.
据消息灵通人士透露，今年春节前，家乐福才与新大新发生“第一次亲密接触”，其中广州市政府无疑起了“红娘”的作用。短短几个月时间，双方“情投意合”。外界关心的是：家乐福到底看中新大新什么地方？
对此，新大新总经理何先生没有作出正面的回应，只是笼统地陈述在广州的百货业中新大新有自己独特的一面。据何先生透露，这次新大新出资持有新组建的公司35%的股份，家乐福占65%：“这是按照国家有关部门政策，即中方持股不得少于35%的规定厘定的”。
沪江英语绿宝书之 2011年3月上海中级口译考试 听力原文及解析 SECTION 1: LISTENING TEST (45 minutes) Part A: Spot Dictation Directions:In this part of the test, you will hear a passage and read the same passage with blanks in it. Fill in each of the blanks with the word or words you have heard on the tape. Write your answer in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET. Remember you will hear the passage ONLY ONCE. My topic for today?s lecture is communication, culture and work. When most people use the word culture, they think of people from different national backgrounds. National cultures certainly do exist and they play an important role in shaping the way people communicate, but there are other dimensions of culture too. Within a nation, regional differences can exert a powerful influence on communication. New Yorkers and Alaskans may find one another?s styles of behaving so different that they might as well be from different countries. Race and ethnicity can also shape behavior. So can age. The customs, values and attitudes of a twenty-year-old girl may vary radically from those of her parents who were raised in the 1960s or her grandparents who lived through the Great Depression and World War Ⅱ. Still, other differences can create distinctive cultures. Gender, sexual orientation, physical disabilities, religion and socio-economic background are just a few. All of these factors lead to a definition of culture as a set of values, beliefs, norms, customs, rules and codes that lead people to define themselves as a distinct group, giving them a sense of commonality. It?s important to realize that culture is learned, not innate.A Korean-born infant adopted soon after her birth by American parents and raised in the United States will think and act differently than his or her cousins who grew up in Seoul. An African American who grew up in the inner city will view the world differently than he or she would if raised in the suburbs or in a country like France where African heritage has different significance than it does in the United States. The norms and values we learn as part of our cultural conditioning shape the way we view the world and the way we interact with one another. In short, culture has such an overwhelming influence on communication that famous anthropologist Edward Hall once remarked, …culture is communication and communication is culture.?
9月中级口译真题+参考答案(4) Questions 16-20 We are moving inexorably into the age of automation. Our aim is not to devise a mechanism which can perform a thousand different actions of any individual man but, on the contrary, one which could by a single action replace a thousand men. Industrial automation has moved along three lines. First there is the conveyor belt system of continuous production whereby separate operations are linked into a single sequence. The goods produced by this well-established method are untouched by the worker, and the machine replaces both unskilled and semiskilled. Secondly, there is automation with feedback control of the quality of the product: here mechanisms are built into the system which can compare the output with a norm, that is, the actual product with what it is supposed to be, and then correct any shortcomings. The entire cycle of operations dispenses with human control except in so far as monitors are concerned. One or two examples of this type of automation will illustrate its immense possibilities. There is a factory in the U.S.A. which makes 1,000 million electric light bulbs a year, and the factory employs three hundred people. If the preautomation techniques were to be employed, the labour force required would leap to 25,000. A motor manufacturing company with 45,000 spare parts regulates their entire supply entirely by computer. Computers can be entrusted with most of the supervision of industrial installations, such as chemical plants or oil refineries. Thirdly, there is computer automation, for banks, accounting departments, insurance companies and the like. Here the essential features are the recording, storing, sorting and retrieval of information. The principal merit of modern computing machines is the achievement of their
历年上海中级口译听力部分录音文稿（97.3 － 08.9） 97．3 SECTION 1：LISTENING TEST Part A: Spot Dictation The development of the Space Shuttle has dramatically reduced the cost of sending loads into space. The Shuttle takes off from Earth like a rocket, and lands again like a huge aircraft. It can transport not only its own crew, but also passengers, and has a huge cargo-hold which is capable of carrying large satellites or a space laboratory. Before the Space Shuttle was created, it was necessary to plan trips into space several years in advance. However, for the rest of the century it should be possible to make space flights every week or so. Any scientist or engineer needing to travel into orbit will simply take the next Shuttle flight, stay as long as necessary, and then return at his or her convenience. It is difficult to imagine the immense opportunities created by the Shuttle. One of the great advantages of having a reusable space vehicle is that it can take one load after another into orbit. Very large space stations could not be launched in their complete form directly from Earth, but they could be built piece by piece in space. The Space Shuttle is likely to be used as a general ―workhorse‖ for the rest of this century, and the building of such stations in orbit should become commonplace. Once these huge orbiting space stations are completed, they are likely to become the platforms from which hundreds of robot space ships could be launched cheaply and easily to explore the solar system and to start mining operations on the Moon. The technology needed for this is already developed and available. And because of commercial and military pressures to develop space technology, it is likely that governments will be increasingly willing to start extensive programs of space engineering, exploration and research. Part B: Listening Comprehension Ⅰ. Statements Question No. 1. Jane remained in London for the summer. Question No. 2. Daniel requested that he be transferred to Tokyo to start a new branch. Question No. 3. According to our correspondent, the rain has flooded several areas of South India. Question No. 4. Jason ran across his former college teacher during a business trip to Chicago. Question No. 5. The plane was due at 9：30, but has been delayed half an hour. Question No. 6. I‘d have bought Smith‘s computer if I had known he was selling it. Question No. 7. Please let me know whether you will come to the meeting or not. Question No. 8. May I suggest Friday for our trip to Hong Kong? Question No. 9. We tried to persuade him not to go to Australia, but in vain. Question No. 10. When they were searching the area, the police all but caught the thieves. Ⅱ. Talks and Conversations Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following announcement. This is the final for Olympic Airways to Athens flight number OA260. Any remaining passengers must go immediately to gate 2 where the flight is now closing. Olympic Airways flight number OA 260 closing now at gate 2. Scandinavian Airlines to Stockholm, flight number Sk528 now boarding at gate 4. Passengers to New York. British Airways regret to advise a delay of 35 minutes on their flight number BA175 to New York. That is a delay of 35 minutes on British Airways flight number BA 175 to New York. Austrian Airlines to Vienna, flight number OS455 now boarding at gate 8. Austrian Airlines flight number OS455 boarding now at gate 8. Question No.11. Where is this announcement most probably made? Question No.12. Which of the following statements is true about a about the Qlympic Airways
历年上海英语翻译中级口译汉译英真题及答案 原文： 越来越多受英文教育的海外华人父母，已经认识到孩子在掌握不可或缺的英文的同时，也通晓中文的重要性。中国的崛起，让他们充分认识到孩子掌握双语的好处——既能增加他们的就业机会，也能让他们接触和熟悉东西方两种不同的文化。 这些人对中文的态度几乎没有完全改变。曾几何时，他们还非常骄傲地宣称自己只懂英文。现在，他们已开始积极支持孩子学习中文和中国文化，而且还不时走访中国，欣赏壮观的自然风光，认识丰富的文化遗产。 译文： An increasing number of English-educated Chinese parents overseas have come to the realization that while English learning is indispensable to their children, it is essential that their kids have a good command of Chinese. China’s rise has fully awakened their awareness of the fact that their kids can benefit from their bilingual ability which can not only enhance their competitiveness in the job market, but also facilitate their exposure to and familiarity with the two different cultures between the East and the West. They have hardly changed their attitudes towards Chinese. At one time they proudly declared that they knew English only. Now, they have begun to give full support to their kids learning Chinese and its culture, and they also make occasional visits to China, where they can enjoy its magnificent natural landscape and get to know its rich cultural heritage. 解析： 本段是一篇文化类介绍文章。总体难度一般，以句号结束的句子即可作为一
历年上海英语中级口译翻译英译汉真题及答案 原文： 出自Newsweek Why We Must Fire Bad Teachers The relative decline of American education at the elementary- and high-school levels has long been a national embarrassment as well as a threat to the nation’s future. Once upon a time, American students tested better than any other students in the world. Now, ranked against European schoolchildren, America does about as well as Lithuania, behind at least 10 other nations. For much of this time—roughly the last half century—professional educators believed that if they could only find the right pedagogy, the right method of instruction, all would be well. They tried New Math, open classrooms, Whole Language—but nothing seemed to achieve significant or lasting improvements. Yet in recent years researchers have discovered something that may seem obvious, but for many reasons was overlooked or denied. What really makes a difference, what matters more than the class size or the textbook, the teaching method or the technology, or even the curriculum, is the quality of the teacher. Much of the ability to teach is innate—an ability to inspire young minds as well as control unruly classrooms that some people instinctively possess (and some people definitely do not). Teaching can be taught, to some degree, but not the way many graduate schools of education do it, with a lot of insipid or marginally relevant theorizing and pedagogy. In any case the research shows that within about five years, you can generally tell who is a good teacher and who is not. 我们为什么必须叫停“不称职”的老师?
1上海市英语中级口译证书第二阶段考试试题集锦 (201009) 口语题 Directions: Talk on the following topic for at least 3 minutes. Be sure to make your points clear and supporting details adequate. You should also be ready to answer any questions raised by the examiners during your talk. You need to have your name and registration number recorded. Start your talk with “My name is…”，”My registration number is…” Topic: Can shopping vouchers increase consumption? Questions for Reference: 1.To stimulate consumption, which is more effective, tax reduction or shopping vouchers? 2.What are the major purposes of issuing shopping vouchers? 3.In what way can the shopping vouchers best be distributes? Shall every citizen be given the same amount of shopping vouchers or should the vouchers be limited to the lower-income people only? 口译题 Part A Directions:In this part of the test, you will hear 2 passages in English. After you heard each paragraph, interpret it into Chinese. Start interpreting at the signal…and stop it at the signal…You may take notes while you are listening. Remember you will hear the passages ONLY ONCE. Now let’s begin Part A with the first passage. Passage 1 As for us Americans, you may think that we give too much importance to individualism and personal gains, so much so that it might sacrifice collective benefits, and even bring harm to the harmony of the society.// Yes, but you don’t have to be worried. American work ethic is more individual-oriented. We often value the results and accomplishments of work more than its process.// If I am not mistaken, the traditional Chinese work ethic is based on Confucianism, which stresses the benefit of communal harmony rather than individual freedom.// It’s really very hard to say which is better because if the cultural differences. With the economic globalization, cultural exchanges have become more and more extensive and Americans and Chinese will know and understand each other better. 至于我们美国人，你们会感到我们太看重个人主义，太看重个人利益，这样可能会牺牲集体的利益，甚至会损害社会的和谐。// 是的，但你们不必担忧。我们美国人的工作理念更强调个人主义。我们一般重视的是结果和成就，而不是过程。// 如果我没理解错的话，中国传统的够工作理念是以儒家学说为基础的，这种思想强调整体和谐高于个体自由。// 由于文化差异的存在，真的很难说哪种理念更好。随着经济全球化，文化交流也随之变得越来越广泛，美国人民和中国人民将会更加互相了解和理解。
中级口译历年真题--翻译篇 2012年春季（3月） 英译汉原文： When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960′s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions. Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it we re the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you. 英译汉参考译文： 我年轻的时候，有本非常好的杂志《全球目录》，这是我们那代人的“圣经”之一。杂志的创办人是斯图尔特·布兰德，创办地是在离这里不远的门罗公园，他赋予了这本杂志诗一样的美感。六十年代后期，个人电脑和桌面排版尚未出现，所以这本杂志完全利用打字机、剪刀、偏光镜来完成，有点像平装本的谷歌，却出现在谷歌问世三十五年前。这本杂志充满了理想色彩，充满了整齐利落的工具、不同寻常的见解。 斯图尔特和他的团队出版了几期《全球目录》，在它完成使命后，他们出版了最后一期杂志。那是在七十年代中期，那时我和你们的年龄相仿。杂志最后一期的封底上是张清晨的乡村公路的照片，那样的路，如果你有些冒险精神，可能会一路搭车走过。照片下面有两句话：“求知若饥，虚怀若愚”，这是他们停刊的告别语，“求知若饥，虚怀若愚”，我总是以此鼓励自己。现在，当你们即将毕业踏上新的旅程，我给予你们同样的期望。 翻译评析： 这篇短文取自于乔布斯在斯坦福大学毕业典礼上的演讲。语言比较口语化，词汇不难。因为是演讲类短文，所以考生在翻译的时候大可以顺序驱动。节选的这个短文有几处的词汇和短语大家可以注意下： poetic：充满诗情画意的 idealistic: 理想主义的 run his course: 完成使命 hitchhiking: 搭乘 sign off: 停止签发，停止 汉译英： 吸烟之危害，可谓大矣，其严重性是不能低估的。吸烟污染空气，损害健康，使肺癌发病率大大增加。为了使各国人民关注烟草的盛行及预防吸烟导致的疾病和死亡，世界卫生组织已将每年的5月31日定为“世界无烟日”。 瘾君子们说，一天饭不吃可以，一个时辰不抽烟就难捱了，不能戒。只要真正意识到吸烟有百害而无一利，于人于己都是一种祸害，就有可能下决心摆脱烟草的诱惑。戒烟贵在坚持，坚持下去就是收获。 参考译文： Smoking does great harm to human and its gravity should not be underestimated. Smoking pollutes air, damages health, and increases the incidence of lung cancer. To arouse the awareness about the prevalence of tobacco in all the countries and to prevent smoking-induced diseases and deaths, the WHO (World Health Organization) has defined May 31st in every year as World No-Tobacco Day. The tobacco addicts say that smoking is impossible to quit because they could do without meals in a day but would feel tortured without tobacco in two hours. However, when one realizes that smoking is harmful in many ways but beneficial in no way and that it is a curse to others as well
中口考试流程
整体思路 一句话概括口译听力训练“听得懂、记得住、写得快” 听得懂 复习思路：听力有效词汇量，熟悉背景知识及常考套路，适应各类发音现象
练习内容：VOA，BBC标准语速及类似难度的听抄与跟读练习，昂立教师博客听抄练习，高级口译笔试听力Q6-10新闻题听抄练习 记得住 复习思路：个人笔记习惯训练，属于自己的笔记符号，以复述强化短期记忆 练习内容： * 0709-0309 10套真题中的Spot Dictation＋Sentence/Passage Translation（中级包括statements，高级包括Note-Taking and Gap-Filling） * 听力教程（Statements＋非对话类的篇章＋Sentence/Passage Translation）（中级包括statements） * 昂立版预测试卷（8套） 写得快 复习思路：强化“在规定时间内写下想表达的大意”，熟练，果断 专项练习 Spot Dictation 复习思路：记录单词快速、准确、精炼，熟悉自己的书写习惯，快速誊写 练习内容：真题（10），昂立版预测试卷（8），听力教程（12/16） 评分标准：20题，每题1.5分，共计30分。只对名、动、形、副词直接扣分，其余错误作标记，统一酌情扣1-3分 17％ of the employees (1.5分) 请对以下答案模拟打分： 卷面回答一：70% of the employees 卷面回答二：17% of employee 卷面回答三：17% of the employers
保底分数：70%，21分 潜力指数：★★★★ 重要性指数：★★★★ 对三类单词的不同处理 本身难度较大的词 synthetic fertilizers, lucrative, discernable, obsolete, dismantling不妨放弃发音带来难度的词 processed food, frost resistant, safe for human consumption 通读补全 常考的核心词 communication, unconsciously, cooperation, satisfaction, relationship 熟练书写对考试难度的正确理解：以0703中级真题的部分答案为例 at fault cover up character flaws affects 考场提醒： * 注意预读，寻找文章主题词（topic words） * 注意间隔非常近的空格 * 注意誊写顺序 Statements（仅限中级） 复习思路：快速预读，圈划关键词，果断选择 练习内容：真题（10*10），昂立版预测试卷（8*10），听力教程（16*20） 评分标准：10题，每题1分，共计10分 保底分数：70%，7分
2013年3月上海中级口译考试翻译真题及答案解析汇总 【原文】 朝气蓬勃，充满活力，丰富多彩的上海是现代中国的缩影。虽然上海的文化遗迹不能与北京媲美，但是上海迷人的城市风貌，风格各异的万国建筑为这座城市注入了无限的魅力。今日之上海，已经成为享誉中外的国际大都市。 漫步在这座日新月异的现代大都市里，你会发现许多精彩的历史亮点，隐现在众多摩天大楼背后的是上海发展变化的轨迹。它们记述了上海自十九世纪末开埠以来，尤其是新中国成立以后，是如何迅猛发展的。 【参考译文】 Shanghai is a dynamic, diverse and stimulating city - the very epitome of modern China. Though Shanghai cannot rival Beijing in cultural heritage, its varied architectural styles and cosmopolitan feel give it a charm of its own. Today's Shanghai has become a world-famous international metropolis. A walk through this booming city reveals many glimpses of its colorful past. Hidden amongst the skyscrapers are remains of the original Shanghai. They keep on showing how Shanghai has been developing fast and enormously since its opening as a commercial port in the late 19th century, especially after the founding of new China. 【评析】 该篇翻译属于经典话题，类似于上海城市介绍，考生如果熟悉教材，注意积累相关句型词汇，特别是对“朝气蓬勃、充满活力dynamic, diverse and stimulating、缩影epitome、遗迹heritage、城市风貌cosmopolitan feel、万国建筑varied architectural styles”等常考的表达，应该可以顺利取得高分。 If you’ve ever been on a jury, you might have noticed that a funny thing happens the minute you get behind closed doors. Everybody starts talking about themselves. They say what they would have done if they had been the plaintiff or the defendant. Being on a jury reminds me why I can’t tolerate talk radio. We Americans seem to have lost the ability to talk about anything but our own experiences. We can’t seem to generalize without stereotyping or to consider evidence that goes against our own experience. I heard a doctor on a radio show talking about a study that found that exercise reduces the incidence of Alzheimer’s. And caller after caller couldn’t wait to make essentially the opposite point: “Well, my grandmother never exercised and she lived to 95.”We are in an age summed up by the saying: “I experience, therefore I’m right.”Historically, the hallmarks of an uneducated person were the lack of ability to think critically, to use deductive reasoning to distinguish the personal from the universal. Now that seems an apt description of many Americans. 【参考译文】 如果你曾经当过陪审员，你可能会注意到一件有趣的事情：一旦关上了门，所有人就开始谈论他们自己。他们会讨论，如果自己是原告或被告的话会做什么。担任陪审员的经历让我明白了我为什么无法忍受谈话性的广播节目。我们美国人似乎只剩下了谈论自己经历的能力。我们似乎无法抛开固有的成见进行总结，也无法客观地分析与自身经历相悖的证据。 我曾听过一位医生在之声节目上讲述一项研究，该研究发现锻炼能降低阿兹海默症（老