Part I Listening Comprehension (30 questions, 20 points)Section A (20 questions, 10 points)Directions: In this part, you will hear short conversations between two people. After each conversation, you will hear a question about the conversation. The conversation and questions will not be repeated. After you hear a question, read the four possible answers in your testbook and choose the best answer. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and draw a line crossing the letter that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen.Example: You will hear:You will read: A) 2 hoursB) 3 hoursC) 4 hoursD) 5 hours1.A) He will be in the line for a long time.B) He has had experience coming to a line and waiting for a long time.C) He will not line up and wait.D) He doesn’t mind getting up early because lines don’t bother him.2.A) She isn’t knowledgeable about where things are on campus.B) The people outside are very good to ask.C) The man should not ask the registration office.D) The registration is outside of the building.3.A) Do a better job of guessing what she is expecting.B) Go talk to the professor and find out what her expectations are.C) Keep trying to work harder.D) Complain to the dean about professor Merrington’s str ict marking.4.A) He didn’t pay for it as expected.B) He bought a Horizon.C) He paid a lot for it.D) He didn’t pay that much although you might think he had..5.A) Come to the cafeteria early to get a place.B) Start cooking instead of eating out.C) Move out of the campus housing.D) Stop complaining.6.A) She is a great outdoor type.B) It is unusual for her to go mountain climbing.C) Shania prefers mountain climbing.D) Shania doesn’t really like the outdoor.7.A) Go in a couple of weeks later.B) Come as soon as he finished his case.C) Not go and work on his assignment.D) Come as soon as he is not so far behind.8.A) Who is begging the professor for money.B) What is bothering the professor.C) Why the professor is so upset.D) Who is giving the professor trouble.9.A) She doesn’t want to play here.B) He should decide where to play.C) He should call someone else.D) She would have to be there to decide.10.A) She is late for something.B) She was bored.C) She thinks they shouldn’t wa it.D) She thinks more should be achieved.11.A) He is too busy to go.B) He is late for her assignment.C) He would like to go but is afraid she cannot play well.D) He will go as soon as the assignment is finished.12.A) She thinks there is no chance of it happening.B) She thinks it’s quite possible under the circumstancesC) She is ambivalent.D) She would rather just help nurses.13.A) The man’s hand will get cold.B) The man needs to wear gloves.C) The man should hold the skis himself.D) The man should wear thinner gloves.14.A) Marge’s proofreading costs a lot.B) It will take one day for Marge to get back.C) Marge could do it but it will mean more delay.D) Marge may or may not do it.15.A) He thinks the woman should practice more.B) He think s she hasn’t practiced enough.C) He thinks the woman is now perfect at the new program.D) He thinks she practiced a lot so it’s now paying off.16.A) Look after if she is paid.B) Call Maggie to look after the dog.C) Not look after the dog.D) Look after the dog.17.A) The location of the computer.B) The new schedule.C) How to find a new home.D) The address of the website.18.A) She can go any day, but Friday is the best time.B) She can’t go any day.C) She can only go on Friday.D) She can go any day except Friday.19.A) Go to the Reeds Hotel pool.B) Arrange for a party at Reeds Hotel.C) Remind her to get things ready quickly.D) Confirm bookings at Reeds Hotel.20.A) Bill’s email is on the internet.B) Bill’s number is listed on the internet.C) Bill’s number might be on the listing on the internet.D) Bill may have moved.Section B (10 questions, 10 points)Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the question will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from 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.Passage 1Questions 21 to 23 are based on the passage you’ve just heard.21. A) In ancient China.B) In ancient Egypt.C) In ancient Greece.D) In ancient Rome.22. A) In ancient Egypt only members of the royal family were allowed to useumbrellas.B) By the late 16th century the English people began to use umbrellas.C) The umbrella changed much in style in the 18th century.D) The umbrella was initially used as a sunshade.23. A) When and how the umbrella was invented.B) The making of the umbrella.C) The history of the use of the umbrella.D) The different uses of the umbrella.Passage 2Questions 24 to 27 are based on the passage you’ve just heard.24. A) Both the players and the spectators are protected.B) The players have to catch beetles in their cars.C) The ball is extremely big.D) The players have to catch the ball while driving.25. A) Dangerous.B) Exciting but dangerous.C) Protective.D) Popular.26. A) He thinks the game will be as popular as football.B) He thinks the game will be more popular than football.C) He doesn’t think the game will be more popular than football.D) He doesn’t think the game will be popular at all.27. A) Americans are only interested in new things.B) The game is popular both in America and Europe.C) Football is no longer very popular in America.D) The game can be dangerous for both the players and the spectators.Passage 3Questions 28 to 30 are based on t he passage you’ve just heard.28. A) Scientists and comets.B) The origin of comets.C) Place of comets in the solar system.D) Man’s study of comets.29. A) In 1760 B.C.B) In 1770 B.C.C) In 1780B.C.D) In 1750 B.C.30. A) The wor d ‘comet’ comes form Greek.B) People used to think that comets brought bad news as well as good news.C) Edward Halley died in 1758.D) Halley’s Comet will reappear in 2062.Part II. Vocabulary (25 questions, 25 points)Section ADirections: There 15 incomplete sentences in this section. For each sentence there are four choices marked A, B,C and D. Choose the one that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter in theAnswer Sheet with a single line through the center.31. The first thing to do in seeking a position is to determine exactly what you want to do, not ______ a vagueobjective but with a definite goal.A) in any term B) in terms of C) in high terms D) in set terms32. Energy shortage, soaring inflation, rampant unemployment and threat of war have made adults Americansnervous, and that sense of pervasive worry has been ______ the nations’ youth.A)went on to D) keep up with C) passed on to D) hold on to33. The idea of trying to cheat the income tax authorities ______ his principles, he had a strong sense of civicresponsibility.A)went against B) fought against C) leaned against D) over against34. If anyone can think of a better course of action, I ______ suggestions.A) would like to B) am delighted to C) am in open D) am open to35. With technological developments, some labor-intensive industries have ______ high-tech industries.A) given up B) stepped aside C) stood along D) yielded to36. You are looking bit ______ this morning; you must have had too much alcohol last night.A)blank B) fragile C) blue D) dizzy37. As she is ______ to eggs, she cannot eat one without breaking into a rash.A) partial B) accustomed C) allergic D) relevant38. She still looks weak though her fever ______ after she took some medicine.A) educed B) caught C) got off D) came down39. Relations between the two countries began to ______ in 1965.A) deteriorate B) cease C) accelerate D) stimulate40. Economic activity has been organized on the ______ of cheap and abundant oil from the beginning of the 20thcentury until early the 21st century.A)gist B) notion C) rationale D) premise41. Owing to a/an ______ lack of lower-income housing, the municipal government is embarrassed by theimpressing housing issue.A)acute B) stressful C) demanding D) urgent42. The idea that machines could be made to fly seemed ______ two hundred years ago.A) original B) eccentric C) terrific D) splendid43. The policy ______ it necessary for the town’s safety to arrest mo st speeders.A) narrated B) elaborated C) deemed D) commended44. If you do something on _____, you do it because you suddenly want to, although you haven’t planned to.A)impulse B) pulse C) impromptu D) imminence45. If ______ numbers provide any pro of, America’s universities and colleges are the envy of the world, for theUnited States’ 3,500 institutions were flooded with 407,530 students from 193 different countries last year.A)definite B) strong C) fundamental D) sheerSection BDirections: Choose the one word or phrase that best keeps the meaning of the sentence if it is substituted for the underlined word or phrase.46. Shortage of land and funding are blamed for the city’s inadequate green space.A) complained about B) are liable for C) accused of D) are damned as47. The hostess didn’t know what to do, as she hadn’t got enough food to go round so many people.A)give service to B) cater for C) be enough for D) sate oneself with48. The government stressed that high production rate should not be achieved at the expense of work quality.A)at any expense B) at the cost of C) at any cost D) to the extension of49. The idea that we cannot leave everything to free market forces seems to gain groundA)be acknowledged B) be accepted C) stand still D) get the ground of50. It is reported that the country’s national debt amounts in aggregate to four thousand million dollars.A)as a whole B) on the whole C) total to D) sum up51. At its last meeting, the Council endorsed changes intended to modernize the building.A)modified B) approved C) signed D) donated52. The United States committed a breach of international practice.A) violation B) concession C) offence D) compromise53. From the start, the plan was doomed to failure, so all his effort was in vain.A) expected B) supposed C) condemned D) promised54. In feudal society where there existed a rigid hierarchy of power, the poor had no chance of advancementexcept that they could pass many different levels of examinations.A) criteria B) layer C) degree D) rank55. You shouldn’t have criticized her so harshly. You have hurt her ego.A) self esteem B) self image C) image D) esteem.Part III. Reading Comprehension (20 questions, 40 points)Directions: Read the following passages and answer the multiple-choice questions after each passage.Passage 1Too Many Science Ph. D.’s?Something is wrong when a lot of young scientists, after achieving Ph.D.'s. are feeling like losers.Its a given that the job market for science positions in academe is bleak. A doctorate is supposed to be a ticket to a dream job, but many Ph.D.'s aren't even landing their third or fourth choices.But with reliable statistics hard to come by, the scientific community is at odds over whether it is producing too many Ph.D.'s. Some scientists believe that doctoral programs should be practicing "birth control," cutting back the number of graduate students they admit. Most., however, say the answer lies in changing doctoral education which they say has been too focused on producing university scientists."It's really destructive to the profession to have the sense that Ph.D.'s aren't valued," says Ronald Breslow, a chemist at Columbia University and president of the American Chemical Society.Young scientists in the post-Cold War era are facing two major difficulties: many have had to work in postdoctoral or temporary research positions for four years orlonger, because they can't find jobs. Others, like Kathryn S. Jones, have found jobs but can't find financing for their research. Ms. Jones, a retrovirologist, got a non-tenure-track position as a research assistant professor at the University of Maryland at Baltimore, but is about to lose the job because she hasn't landed a major grant."I have a Ph.D.," says Ms. Jones, who earned it at the Albert Einstein College of'' Medicine, "I've given my data at international meetings. But because of the small percentage of success in this field, I walk around feeling like a failure."By the end of this month, the start-up money that Ms. Jones received three years ago, when she was hired by the university and the Veterans Administration medical Center on the campus, will be gone. She can keep her laboratory and her titles for up to a year, and could be back in business if she g ets a grant. But she’s not hopeful. In fact, she’s thinking about getting certified to teach high-school biology. “I have to wonder if I want to be the last rat leaving a sinking ship,” she says.A report published last spring, called “Reshaping the Graduate Education of Scientists and Engineers,” has sparked a national debate about doctoral education. Written by scholars and policy makers, it was sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.According to the report, the proportion of science and engineering Ph.D.'s employed by academe fell to 43 per cent in 1991. the most recent year for which statistics were available, from 5 I per cent in 1977. The 1993 unemployment rate was only 2 per cent for recent Ph.D. recipients and 1.6 per cent for all scientists and engineers, it said. Those figures seem low, but they include Ph.D.'s in temporary or post-doctoral positions."There is an oversupply of recent graduates for research positions in academic laboratories and federal and industrial labs," says Phillip A. Griffiths, director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J., and chairman of the panel that wrote the report. "Beyond that, it becomes quite a bit more murky. There certainly is an oversupply of unmet expectations."Since the job market varies by field, the report said it would be unwise to set across-the-board limits on graduate enrollment. Instead, it suggested broadening Ph.D. programs for students who aren't planning standard academic careers.Scientific societies provide a more up-to-date picture of the job-market, and it is grim. In December, the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics announced an unemployment rate of 14.7 per cent for the 1,226 Ph.D.'s awarded in the field in 1994——1995——the highest rate ever reported. An additional 4.2 percent of the Ph.D.'s were in part-time jobs, and of those employed in academe, 61 per cent were not in positions eligible for tenure.Anne C. Petersen, deputy director of the National Science Foundation, acknowledges that the N.S.F. was late in recognizing the job-market woes. “The anxiety some young people have is really obvious,” she says.Foundation officials are uncertain what exactly is happening, she says, because of gaps in the data collected on Ph.D's. But the N.S.F. is committed to improving its data collection, so that better information on where Ph.D.send up is available. In the next few years, she says, the foundation will also direct money to new models of doctoral education, other than the standard one presuming that a Ph.D. will become a professor."The Ph.D. should be construed in our society more like the law degree," she says. "A lot of people go to law school with no plans to practice law."But Mark S Wrighton, president of Washington University in St. Louis and a noted chemist, believes that the Ph.D. experience should continue to be "research-intensive." He says more federal money should be put directly into the hands of graduate students, allowing them to work on their own research ideas ——and to make themselves more remarkable —and less given to the research projects of professors who hire graduate students as research assistants.56. After achieving Ph.D's, a lot of young scientists are feeling like losers, because _______.A) they have no faith in the academeB) they can only choose from three or four positionsC) it is very difficult for them to find a desirable jobD) it is impossible for them to carry out scientific work57. As we all know, the job market for science position in academe is _______.A) tight B) challenging C) small D) exclusive58. Which of the following is true according to the article?A)A) Some scientists believe that there are too many doctoral programs.B)B) Reliable statistics suggest that there are not enough Ph.D's for science positions.C)C) Most scientists argue that doctoral education should produce more competent Ph.D's.D)D) Scholars hope that the job market will be open to more Ph.D's.59. What can we learn from the experience of Ms. Jones?A)The start-up money can last three years.B)Every Ph.D has financial problems.C)Postdoctoral position is a good choice.D)Grant, jobs, and title are interrelated.60. In order to reshape the Graduate Education of Scientists and Engineers, which of thefollowing suggestions is mentioned?A)To set limits on graduate enrollment in all fields.B)To direct money to new models of doctoral education.C)To broaden Ph. D programs for students who are to be professors.D)To hire graduate students as research assistants.Passage TwoOur Love-Hate Affair with TechnologyThe entertainment we enjoy is a measure of who we are. Two recent movies ——last summers Star Wars and November's Close Encounters of the Third Kind—suggest that Americans are both fascinated with and horrified by the technological world we have shaped.Neither movie pretends to great seriousness. Star Wars is a light confection about another galaxy and era and a young man named Luke Skywalker who, thanks to an improbable series of coincidences, is drawn into a death battle against the galaxy's wicked emperor. En route to victory, he encounters a fair princess and wins her heart, if not her hand. (This is the age of liberation.)Close Encounters of the Third Kind concerns Roy Neary, an ordinary American who has an encounter with a UFO and becomes obsessed with his search for an explanation. His mission is impeded by those who do not believe in the existence of UFOs; by those who would prefer to wish the perplexing UFOs out of existence; and by those in power who, to prevent panic, deny the existence of UFOs. Luke Skywalker and every adventurer-hero since Odysseus, Neary finds an available pretty girl to accompany him on his lonely mission. In the last frame, though, he achieves a goal more lofty than marriage ——he strides into a UFO and, the ultimate American pioneer, flies away with the strange Visitors to destinations unknown.From the popularity of Star Wars, the likely success of Close Encounters, and the increasing respectability ofthe whole genre of science fiction, it is clear that our age, more than its predecessors, needs whatever consolation or reassurance science fiction affords. If all art is to some extent escapist, one might ask what it is that we are escaping from.An answer, I think, is hidden in the films' imagery. In StarWars, Luke Skywalker ekes out a living as a "moisture farmer" (whatever that may be) in a bleak desert on the remote planet of Tatooine. Apparently, the reason he lives in such an unfruitful place rather than in galactic Palm Springs is that there is no galactic Palm Springs: Evil technology has reduced the universe to wind and sand. If the technocrats (技术专家治国论者) were not so vicious and self-serving, the land would be more fruitful. Luke's mission is to replace the Bad technocrats with the Good, which he does. In a closing ceremony disturbingly reminiscent of Nuremberg Nazi rallies, Luke is rewarded with a medal (and a wink) by the princess, who represents the new, benevolent ruling class.Similarly, in Close Encounters, the world in which Roy Neary lives is corrupted by bad technology. Director Stephen Spielberg focuses his camera critically on all the mechanical paraphernalia (器材) ——toy trains, hair dryers, TV's ——with which we surround ourselves. The way the Visitors from the other planet make their presence known is by wreaking havoc on technology; turning on toys, stereos. TVs, in the dead of night; turning off the telephones and the electricity; and bewildering the air traffic scanners. The vision that obsesses Roy Neary, though, is not one of a Thoreauvian cabin in the woods, where evil technology may never trespass, but rather one of a technologically perfect world, where all the circuits enhance man's happiness.Like Neary and Skywalke, Americans are perplexed by the failure of technology to supply us with a meaningful life or a decent environment to live in. For every wonderful achievement, technology seems to deal us an equivalent kick in the shins. Travel has become more efficient and less civilized. Television has helped to raise a generation of unprecedentedly educated six-year-olds and increasingly illiterate high school seniors. We can enjoy completely enclosed and comfortable environments hundreds of feet above the sidewalk until, as witness the NewYork City blackout last summer, someone pulls the plug and the environments become inaccessible and uninhabitable. Only the most naive believe we can escape our increasingly technological environment. Recognizing that the technologizing trend is irreversible, we fantasize, with Skywalker and Neary, about a world where all the machines work with us, rather than against us, where the computer does not obstinately mis-bill, and where jets disgorge (卸下) our luggage intact at correct destinations.Regrettably, as both these films imply, the "perfect" technocracy is one over which ordinary mortals can exercise no influence. The enormity and complexity of the system preclude nonexpert involvement. Our only options in such a world would be to replace the bad technocrats, as Skywalker does, evade them, as Neary does, or trust that in their loving-kindness they will make the machines produce what we desire. Our democratic methods of trying to control our exploding technology may be less than "perfect," but they do leave man some room in which to manage his destiny.61. What is Roy Neary's mission?A) To find a pretty girl.B) To look for an explanation about UFOs.C) To fly away to destinations unknown.D) To be a member of the world of UFOs.62. What can we learn from the increasing popularity of the whole genre of science fiction according to theauthor?A) Bad technology has caused serious problems.B) Science fiction is an art of escapism.C) We need more reassurance than our ancestors.D) Science fiction offers us more entertainment than any other art63. We can infer from the passage that the author thinks that __________.A) humans are more vicious and self-serving than any other creatureB) there does not exist a Palm Springs in the universeC) farmers can only eke out a livingD) our world has been seriously damaged by evil technology64. According to the author; every technological achievementA)has changed our living styleB)has made the environment more inhabitableC)has brought us more harm than benefitD)has enhanced people’s happiness65. What is the attitude of the author toward technology?A) Supportive.B) Negative.C) Tolerant.E)Cautious.Passage ThreeComputers BugYear 2,000 Bug Unstoppable for Some ComputersWith 500 days left until the year 2,000, experts said last week, that it may already be too late for many companies to defuse the millennium computer time bomb.According to the Gartner Group, a US high-technology consultant agency, nearly a quarter of all worldwide companies have not yet started work on plans to solve the year 2,000 problems.This means most of these organizations will effectively be unable to fix their system in time.The Gartner group, which said last year that the millennium bomb rehabilitation would cost between US$300 billion and US$ 600 billion worldwide, also said in the repot published this month that only 50 percent of companies that had projects to eliminate the bug planned to test their corrected systems.Dangerous PolicyExperts said this was a dangerous policy, because correcting computer programmes often introduced new flaws. Testing was essential.The millennium computer bomb is a legacy from shortcuts by software writers, who in the name of economy expressed years with just the final two digits rather than four.When clocks tick past midnight on December 31, 1999, many unrectified computers and chips will interpret the double zero as 1900.This will turn many computer programmes to mush. Unchecked, many public utilities, assembly lines, bank teller machines, traffic lights and lifts may shut down.Some experts say the problem has been grossly exaggerated by software companies seeking to scare customers into buying the latest, bug-free products.But Graham Titterington, consultant at London consultancy Ovum, does not share this optimistic view.“The situation is pretty critical. Most companies are doing something, but are they doing enough?” he said in an interview.Titterington also said that for the vast majority of business there was no extemal check on the effectiveness of their remedial work.Running out of TimeMitul Mehta, senior European research manager at Frost & Sullivan in London, said time was running out for many companies.Companies now could only pinpoint vital computer systems for fixing. Less crucial systems would just have to run the risk of crashing and be fixed later, Mehta said.“Some crucial areas apart from computers are not getting enough attention. I don’t think networking companies have their act together – meaning manufacturers of routers, switches and network equipment like Bay (network company) and Cisco (Systems company), these kinds of companies,” Mehta said.He sa id: “ Anybody looking at their system now is probably too late anyway.”Critical SituationIn his report, Gartner Group millennium research director, Lou Marcoccio, said that of the 15,000 companies and government agencies surveyed, 23 percent had not started millennium bomb projects. Of these, 86 percent were small companies which would not have a chance to correct their systems unless they began immediately. The Gartmer report said most Western European companies and the United States had made good progress. Germany was a notable laggard.“:Eastern Europe, Russia, India, pakistan, Southeast Asia, Japan, most of South America, most of middle east and Central Africa all lag the United States by more than 21 months.“Most of Western Europe is six mo nths behind the United States, except for Germany which is 21 months behind, and France, which is eight to 10 months behind.“The US government had the lead on all other national governments by an even wider margin than the companies in those countries. Most government agencies are significantly behind the United States.” The report。
