2007年英语专业八级真题答案

2007年英语专业八级真题答案
PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION
SECTION A MINI-LECTURE
In this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONL Y. while listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but yon will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture. when the lecture is over, yon will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Use the blank sheet for note-taking.
题1 - 10
[原文]
Good morning, today's lecture, is the very first of a series of lectures on art history, so I'd like to spend some time discussing with you the following topic: Why do we need to study art history? And what can we learn from it?
First of all, I'd say, if you study art history, this might be a good way to learn more about a culture, than it's possible to learn in general history classes. You know, most typical history courses concentrate on politics, economics and war, but art history focuses on much more than this. Because art reflects not only the political values of a people, but also their religious beliefs, emotions etc. In addition, information about the daily activities of our ancestors can be provided by art, like what people did for a living, what kind of dress they wore, what ceremonies they held etc. In short, art can express the essential qualities of a time and a place, and the study of it clearly offers us a deeper understanding than can be found in most history books and enables us to learn more things about human society and civilization.
The second point I'd like to make is about the type of information. In history books, information is objective, that is facts about political economic life of a country are given, but opinions are not expressed. Art, on the other hand, is subjective. It reflects personal emotions and opinions. For example, Francisco Goya was a great Spanish painter and also perhaps the first truly political artist. In his famous painting, The Third of May 1808, he showed soldiers shooting a group of simple people. His description of soldiers and their victims has become a symbol of the enormous power or the misuse of this power that the government can have over its people. Over 100 years later, on another continent, the powerful paintings of Mexican artists depicted their deep anger and sadness about social problems. In summary, through art you can find a personal and emotional view of history.
Thirdly, art can reflect a culture's religious beliefs. For hundreds of years in Europe, religious art was almost the only type of art that existed. Churches and other religious buildings were filled with paintings that showed people and stories from the Bible. By contrast, one of the main characteristics of art in the Middle East was (and still is), its absence of human and animal images. This reflects the Islamic belief that these images are unholy. Thus, on palaces, mosques and other buildings, Islamic artists have created unique decoration of great beauty with images of flowers of geometric forms, for example, circles, squares and triangles. The same is true of other places, like Africa and Pacific Islands. Art also reflects the religious beliefs of traditional cultures in these places. As a matter of fact, religion is the purpose for this art and it's, therefore, absolutely essential to it. Traditional art in Africa and Pacific Islands is different from Christian art. Christian art influences people's religious feelings towards God. But the goal of traditional art in Africa and Pacific Islands is the influence of spiritual powers, that is gods to enter people's lives. Each tribe or village there had special ceremonies with songs and dances to make sure that crops, animals and people are healthy and increasing in number. The dancers in the ceremonies wear masks, head dresses and costumes that they believe are necessary to influence gods. SO these masks, head
dresses themselves, are revelry part of the art.
As we said, art depends on culture, different forms of art result from different cultures. Similarly, the way that people view art also depends on their cultural background. This is my fourth point. For most Europeans and Americans, art is mainly for decoration. It is something on a museum wall or in a glass case. It makes their homes more attractive. People look at it and admire it: "Oh, what a beautiful painting!" Besides, ideas are expressed in this art. This is a wonderful statue, and admiring it, 1 might say: "It makes such a strong antiwar statement." But in other places, art is not considered to be separated from everyday existence. It has a function, it has a practical role to play in people's lives. A person in a tribal society might look at a mask and say: "Oh, this is a good mask. It would keep my house safe." In brief, the way in which people enjoy or appreciate art depends on their culture.
To conclude my lecture, we can say that art is a reflection of various cultures. But at the same time, we have to remember that art also reflects the changes in society that take place when different cultures influence one another. As people from tribal societies move to urban areas, their values and beliefs change accordingly and their traditional art forms begin to lose their function. At the same time, urban artists begin to learn a lot from traditional art. For example, African masks and figures had a great influence on Picasso's works. And many American and Canadian artists study the simplicity of Japanese painting. The result is that as the world gets smaller, the art of each culture becomes more international.
OK, this brings us to the end of our lecture. I hope that after today's lecture, you'll understand better the significance of the study of art history. Art enables us to know more about human history, for example, people's views and opinions about certain historical events, and what's more important, about different cultures, their religious beliefs, perception of art etc.
What Can We Learn from Art?
Ⅰ.Introduction
A. Differences between general history and art history
--Focus :
--general history: (1)
--art history: political values, emotions, everyday life, etc.
B. Significance of study
More information and better understanding of human society and civilization.
Ⅱ.Types of information
A. Information in hi story book is (2)
--facts, but no opinions
B. Information in art history is subjective
-- (3) and opinions
e.g.--Spanish painters' works: misuse of governmental power
--Mexican artists' works: attitudes towards social problems
Ⅲ.Art as a reflection of religious beliefs
A. Europe: (4) in pictures in churches
B. Middle East: pictures of flowers and patterns in mosques, palaces
Reason: human and (5) are not seen as holy
C. Africa and the Pacific Islands: Masks, headdresses and costumes in special
ceremonies
Purpose: to seek the help of (6) to protect crops, animals and people Ⅳ. Perceptions of Art
How people see art is related to their cultural background
A. Europeans and Americans
-- (7)
--expression of ideas
B. People in other places
--part of everyday life
-- (8) use
Ⅴ. Art as a reflection of social changes
A. Cause of changes: (9) of different cultures
B. Changes
--tribal people: effects of (10) on art forms
--European artists: influence of African traditional art in their works
--American and Canadian artists: study of Japanese painting
1.economics and war
2.objective
3.personal emotions
4.the Bible
5.animal images
6.the God
7.decoration
8.practical
9. influence; interaction 10.urbanization
SECTION B
In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your ANSWER SHEET.
题11 - 15
[原文]
W: Nigel Linge is editor of Business Travel Weekly. Nigel, thanks for being on the show. Now, what kind of problems do airline passengers face nowadays?
M: Well, most of the problems are caused by the heavy volume of traffic. You know, all airports have a limit to the number of take-offs and landings they can handle.
W: So what seems to be the problem?
M: All flights from a busy airport arrive and leave at more or less the same time. If 60 aircraft are scheduled to take off between 5 p.m. and 5:15, and the airport can only handle 120 an hour, that means some will always be late landing or taking-off. And if the weather is bad, oh, you can imagine what the situation is like. So passengers have to be loaded into each plane, and then the planes have to line up to take off.
W: So waiting at the lounge or on the plane is quite common.
M: Certainly. And another problem that's very common is over-booking. Quite often you hear an announcement on the airport loudspeakers: "We have over sold on this flight and would like volunteers to go on the next flight out. " If you decide to volunteer, you may get a cash bribe or free-trip voucher, but make sure you get a guaranteed seat on the next flight and a free phone call to whoever is meeting you on the other end. And worse still, you arrive with confirmed reservation and you discover you've been bumped off the flight.
W: Presumably, if you choose to travel at off-peak times, there are few problems.
M: Well, there are no off-peak times, All flights seem to be full except Saturday. I don't quite understand why this is so. You know, if there is a public holiday, things are likely to be especially busy. The special fare systems on the airline's computers encourage more people to fly on less popular flights and this means that as a result all flights are equally full.
W: So, what advice would you give to business travelers?
M: rd say "Avoid big airports if you can". The reason is there are too many flights there. Then, remember not to check your baggage if you can help it. Another thing is "Be prepared for delays". Take something to eat and drink in your hand luggage.
W: Nigel, what kind of mistakes do inexperienced travelers make?
M: The first mistake business travelers make is to take far too much luggage. Remember, take only
carry-on luggage, because at most airports, you can get away with two small bags.
W: Oh, I see.
M: Another mistake people make is to think that you have to pay full price for air tickets. You should find out about the different ticket options. For example, an RTW fare can save up to 40% on normal fare.
W: Excuse me, what is RTW?
M: Round the World. For example, if you're going to Australia from the USA, you could go out via Singapore, and come back via North America. And another way to save money is to see if the ticket to a destination beyond it's cheaper. For example, a ticket from Amsterdam from London to New York may be cheaper than one straight from London to New York.
W: Oh, that's very useful information.
M: And another mistake is to go away for too long. Most people's efficiency and energy start to fall off after two weeks away. So my advice is "Keep your trip short", only go for two weeks and never for a longer than three. Another point is "Don't expect everything to go according to plan". You need to learn to expect the unexpected. There may be a typhoon in summer or your taxi may break down on the way to the airport. In other words, don't be optimistic about plans and don't schedule important meetings too closely together. You need to allow time for delays and break-downs.
W: Yeah, this is something travelers have to remember when they plan their trips.
M: And another thing, get to know a good travel agent and make sure he gives you the best possible service. Take discounts for example, a good travel agent can get first-class ticket for the price of business-class. This is because he does enough volume of business and he can get discounts with airlines on his own behalf. He should pass them on to you. So make sure he indeed does.
W: I think the worst part of a trip is having to travel overnight or being stuck for a weekend in some dreadful place. Are there any ways avoiding that?
M: Yes. We can break or stop over in a more relaxing or lively place. It's often available at special cheap weekend rate. Various airlines and hotel chains offer these. And it's always more pleasant to stay a night in a hotel than on a plane even if you travel business-class.
W: Yes. OK, thank you, Nigel, for all the useful information and advice.
M: Pleasure!
11.
According to Nigel, most problems of air travel are caused by ________.
[A] Unfavorable weather conditions. [B] Airports handling capacity. [C] Inadequate ticketing service. [D] Overbooking.
[参考答案] B
12.
which of the following is not mentioned as compensation for volunteers for the next fight out? [A] Free ticket. [B] Free phone call [C] Cash reward [D] Seat reservation
[参考答案] C
13.
Why does Nigel suggest that business travelers avoid big airports?
[A] Because all flights in and out of there are full. [B] Because the volume of traffic is heavy.
[C] Because there are more popular flights. [D] Because there are more delays and cancellations. [参考答案] B
14.
According to Nigel, inexperience travelers are likely to make the following mistakes except ________.
[A] Booking on less popular flights. [B] buying tickets at full price. [C] carrying excessive
luggage. [D] planning long business trips.
[参考答案] D
15.
Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?
[A] The possibility of discounts depends on a travel agent's volume of business. [B] Longer flights to the same destination maybe cheaper. [C] It is advisable to plan every detail of a trip in advance. [D] Arranging for stopovers can avoid overnight travel.
[参考答案] C
SECTION C
In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your ANSWER SHEET.
题16
[原文]
The death toll rose to 74 on Tuesday in Japan's deadliest rail crash in decades as crews pulled more victims from the wreckage. Investigators focused on whether excessive speed or the driver's inexperience had caused the train to derail and slam into an apartment building. The 7-car commuter train carrying 580 passengers left the rails Monday morning in Amagasaki, a suburb of Osaka, about 250 miles west of Tokyo, it injured more than 440 people.
16.
what happened on Monday?
[A] A train crash occurred causing minor injuries. [B] Investigator found out the cause of the accident. [C] Crews rescued more passengers from the site. [D] A commuter train crashed into a building.
[参考答案] D
[原文]
20 of the world's top economies promised to help Iraq lower its debt and to help restart global trade talks after a 2-day meeting in Mexico on Monday. Officials from the group of 20, G20 Nations, also discussed the possibility of sanctioning countries that refused to cooperate in the fight against terrorism. Possible sanctions were not outlined at the meeting. In a declaration released at the end of the meeting, ministers called on World Trade Organization, WTO members, to restart the trade talks that collapsed in Kankoon last month. Nations must quickly reenergize the negotiation process, recognizing that flexibility and political will from all are urgently needed, it said. G20 ministers also talked about the possibility of creating a V oluntary Code of Conduct to govern negotiations between creditors and countries on the verge of defaulting on debt. The code would outline the steps that should be taken to prevent a financial crisis. Created in 1999 to avoid financial disasters and to keep the global economy stable, the G20 is made up of the European Union and 19 other countries including Australia, Brazil, China, Japan and the US.
17.
Which of the following was not on the agenda of the G20 meeting?
[A] Iraq debts [B] WTO talks [C] Financial disasters [D] Possible sanctions
[参考答案] C
18.
The G20 is a(n)________ organization.
[A] International [B] European [C] Regional [D] Asian
[参考答案] A
题19 - 20
[原文]
The United Nations celebrated the 60th anniversary of its Charter on Monday, the speakers addressing the UN General Assembly. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the UN had both successes and failures in carrying out the pledges in the Charter. The UN Charter is the constitution of the organization. It was signed in San Francisco on June 26th, 1945 by the 50 original member countries. It took effect on October 24th, 1945 after being improved by the 5 founding members: China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States and the majority of the other countries that signed the Charter. The Charter is a constitution on trading or countries that signed it are bound by its articles. It states that the Charter comes first above all other treaties. Its main purposes include the prevention of new conflict, building peace and protecting human rights and social progress. The most important chapters are these dealing with enforcement powers of UN bodies. They describe, for example, the Security Council's power to investigate and mediate disputes. They also describe its power to authorize economic, diplomatic and military sanctions as well as the use of military force to resolve disputes. The UN, late last year, revealed a proposal to overhaul the organization, including the Security Council. This could be the most comprehensive UN reform since its foundation。

19.
The UN Charter went into effect after ________.
[A] It was signed by the 50 original member countries. [B] It was approved by the founders and other member countries. [C] It was approved by the founding members [D] It was signed by the founding members.
[参考答案] C
20.
Which of the following best describe the role of the charter?
[A] The Charter only describes powers of the UN bodies. [B] The Charter mainly aims to promote world economy. [C] The charter is a treaty above all other treaties. [D] The charter authorizes reforms in UN bodies.
[参考答案] C
Part II READING COMPREHENSION
In this section there are several reading passages followed by a total of twenty multiple-choice questions. Read the passages and then mark your answers on your ANSWER SHEET.
题21 - 25
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. Government 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 successful 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 will tackle poverty. Wales is one of the poorest regions in Western Europe- only Spain, Portugal, and Greece have a lower standard of living.
Newspapers and magazines are filled with stories about great Welsh men and women, boosting self-esteem. To familiar faces such as Dylan Thomas and Richard Burton have been added new icons such as Catherine Zeta-Jones, the movie star, and Bryn Terfel, the opera singer. Indigenous foods like salt marsh lamb are in vogue. And Wales now boasts a national airline. Awyr Cymru. Cymru, which means “land of compatriots,” is the Welsh name for Wale s. The red dragon, the nation's symbol since the time of King Arthur, is everywhere- on T-shirts, rugby jerseys and even cell phone covers.
“Until very recent times most Welsh people had this feeling of being second-class citizens,” said Dyfan Jones, an 18-year-old student. It was a warm summer night, and I was sitting on the grass with a group of young people in Llanelli, an industrial town in the south, outside the rock music venue of the National Eisteddfod, Wales's annual cultural festival. The disused factory in front of us echoed to the sounds of new Welsh bands.
“There was almost a genetic tendency for lack of confidence,” Dyfan continued. Equally comfortable in his Welshness as in his membership in the English-speaking, global youth culture and the new federal Europe, Dyfan, like the rest of his generation, is growing up with a sense of possibility unimaginable ten years ago.“We used to think. We can't do anything, we're only Welsh. Now I think that's changing.”
21.
According to the passage, devolution was mainly meant to ________.
[A] maintain the present status among the nations. [B] reduce legislative powers of England.
[C] create a better state of equality among the nations. [D] grant more say to all the nations in the union.
[参考答案] C
[详细解答]
细节题。

第二段第三句提到了devolution(权力下放)的理念：使组成大不列颠联合王国各成员国之间的平衡得以恢复。

[C]中的create 8 better state of equality是对restore the balance的同义转述，故为答案。

原文中的restore表明，平衡已遭到破坏，英国在力图修复，排除：[A]；末句指出"权力部分下放"的原因：旨在还击似乎威胁着联盟理念的政权分散力量，[B]与此不符；末句只提到英国政府计划赋予苏格兰、北爱尔兰、威尔士更大发言权，并非所有成员国，[D]为绝对项，排除。

22.
The word "centrifugal" in the second paragraph means ________.
[A] separatist. [B] conventional. [C] feudal. [D] political
[参考答案] A
[详细解答]
语义理解题。

根据第二段末句中centrifugal forces that seemed to threaten the verv idea of the union推断，centrifugal的含义应该与union的意思相反，是威胁联盟理念的某种力量。

[A]意
为"分立主义的"，与"联盟的"意思相对，故为答案。

23.
Wales is different from Scotland in all the following aspects EXCEPT ________.
[A] people's desire for devolution. [B] locals' turnout for the voting. [C] powers of the legislative body. [D] status of the national language.
[参考答案] D [您的答案] [得分] 0
[详细解答]
细节题。

第三段首句提到威尔士人对权力下放没什么热情。

然后用Whereas话锋一转，指出苏格兰人对权力下放的不同反响，可见[A]是两者之间的区别。

第二句指出：苏格兰人以压倒性的多数投票选举议会，而威尔士人对议会进行选举时，其投票人数低于25％，仅以超过法定票数不到l％的票数勉强通过。

可见两者投票选举的出席人数也不同，[B]符合文意。

第i 句指出威尔士人不热衷选举的结果：权力受到限制。

第五句明确指出其与苏格兰的不同：没有立法权。

[C]符合文意。

只有[D]未提及，故为答案。

24.
Which of the following is NOT cited as an example of the resurgence of Welsh national identity? [A] Welsh has witnessed a revival as a national language. [B] Poverty-relief funds have come from the European Union. [C] A Welsh national airline is currently in operation. [D] The national symbol has become a familiar sight.
[参考答案] B
[详细解答]
细节题。

第二段首句明确指出：The revival of the language…is part 0f a resuI'gence of national identity sweeping through this small，proud nation．[A]是威尔士复兴的一个例证。

第四段提到威尔士复兴的其他例证，第四句中的"a national airline"表明[C]是例证之一。

最后一句提到到处都印有威尔士的国家标志：红色的龙。

[D]是对该部分内容的概括。

虽然第三段倒数第二句提到"威尔士从欧盟得到近200万美元解决贫困问题"，但该部分内容是对威尔士情况的介绍，并非国家地位复兴的例证，故[B]为答案。

25.
According to Dyfan Jones what has changed is ________.
[A] people's mentality. [B] pop culture. [C] town's appearance. [D] possibilities for the people.
[参考答案] A
[详细解答]
推断题。

最后两段提到Dyfan Jones的看法，末段首句指出Dyfan Jones认为威尔士人生来缺乏信心。

接着提到像他这一代的年轻人的信心逐渐增加，最后引用Dyfan Jones的话加以说明。

由此可见，Dyfan Jones认为威尔士人的心态发生了变化，故[A]为答案。

末段倒数第二句提到"a sense 0f possibility"，这里是指威尔士人逐渐认为有些事情是可以做到的，说明他们的信心在加强，并非[D]"威尔士人的机会增多"，排除。

题26 - 29
Text B
Getting to the heart of Kuwaiti democracy seems hilariously easy. Armed only with a dog-eared NEWSWEEK ID, I ambled through the gates of the National Assembly last week. Unscanned, unsearched, my satchel could easily have held the odd grenade or an anthrax-stuffed lunchbox. The only person who stopped me was a guard who grinned and invited me to take a swig of orange juice from his plastic bottle.
Were I a Kuwaiti woman wielding a ballot, I would have been a clearer and more present danger. That very day Parliament blocked a bill giving women the vote; 29 M.P.s voted in favour and 29 against, with two abstentions. Unable to decide whether the bill had passed or not, the
government scheduled another vote in two weeks- too late for women to register for June's municipal elections. The next such elections aren't until 2009. Inside the elegant, marbled Parliament itself, a sea of mustachioed men in white robes sat in green seats, debating furiously. The ruling emir has pushed for women's political rights for years. Ironically, the democratically elected legislature has thwarted him. Traditionalists and tribal leaders are opposed. Liberals fret, too, that Islamists will let their multiple wives vote, swelling conservative ranks. "When I came to Parliament today, people who voted yes didn't even shake hands with me," said one Shia cleric. "Why can't we respect each other and work together?"
Why not indeed? By Gulf standards, Kuwait is a democratic superstar. Its citizens enjoy free speech (as long as they don't insult their emir, naturally) and boast a Parliament that can actually pass laws. Unlike their Saudi sisters, Kuwaiti women drive, work and travel freely. They run multibillion-dollar businesses and serve as ambassadors. Their academic success is such that colleges have actually lowered the grades required for make students to get into medical and engineering courses. Even then, 70 percent of university students are females.
In Kuwait, the Western obsession with the higab finds its equivalent. At a fancy party for NEWSWEEK's Arabic edition, some Kuwaiti women wore them. Others opted for tight, spangled, sheer little numbers in peacock blue or parrot orange. For the party's entertainment, Nancy Ajram, the Arab world's answer to Britney Spears, sang passionate songs of love in a white mini-dress. She couldn't dance for us, alas, since shaking one's body onstage is illegal in Kuwait. That didn't stop whole tables of men from raising their camera-enabled mobile phones and clicking her picture.
You'd think not being able to vote or dance in public would anger Kuwait's younger generation of women. To find out, I headed to the malls--Kuwait's archipelago of civic freedom. Eager to duck strict parents and the social taboos of dating in public, young Kuwaitis have taken to cafes, beaming flirtatious infrared e-mails to one another on their cell photos. At Starbucks in the glittering Al Sharq Mall, I found only tables of men, puffing cigarettes and grumbling about the service. At Pizza Hut, I thought I'd got an answer after encountering a young woman who looked every inch the modern suffragette--drainpipe jeans, strappy sliver high-heeled sandals and a higab studded with purple rhinestones. But, no, Miriam Al-Enizi, 20, studying business administration at Kuwait University, doesn't think women need the vote." Men are better at politics than women,"she explained, adding that women in Kuwait already have everything they need. Welcome to democracy, Kuwait style.
26.
According to the passage, which of the following groups of people might be viewed as being dangerous by the guards?
[A] Foreign tourists. [B] Women protestors. [C] Foreign journalists. [D] Members of the National Assembly.
[参考答案] B
[详细解答]
细节题。

第二段首句使用了虚拟语气，表明对警卫来说，危险人物是那些挥舞着选票的科威特妇女，从后面内容可知赋予女性选举权这一法案没有通过，那么手里举着选票的女性应该是那些抗议者．故[B]为答案。

27.
The bill giving women the vote did not manage to pass because ________.
[A] Different interest groups held different concerns. [B] Liberals did not reach consensus among themselves. [C] Parliament was controlled by traditionalists. [D] Parliament members were all conservatives.
[参考答案] A。