General English Admission Test For Non-English MajorPh.D. program(Harbin Institute of Technology)Part I Reading Comprehension (40 points)Passage 1Questions 1----5 are bashed on the following passage.The planet’s last intact expanses of forest are under siege. Eight thousand years ago, forests covered more than 23 million square miles, or about 40 percent of Earth’s land surface. Today, almost half of those forests have fallen to the ax, the chain saw, the matchstick, or the bulldozer.A map unveiled in March by the Washington-based World Resources Institute not only shows the locations of former forests, but also assesses the condition of today’s forests worldwide. Institute researchers developed the map with the help of the World Conservation Monitoring Center, the World Wildlife Fund, and 90 forest experts at a variety of universities, government organizations, and environmental groups.Only one-fifth of the remaining forests are still “frontier forests,” defined as relatively undisturbed natural forests large enough to support all of their native species. Frontier forests offer a number of benefits: They generate and maintain biodiversity, protect watersheds, prevent flooding and soil erosion, and stabilize climate.Many large areas that hav e traditionally been classified as forest land don’t qualify as “frontier” because of human influences such as fire suppression and a patchwork of logging. “There’s surprisingly little intact forest left,” says research associate Dirk Bryant, the principal author of the report that accompanies the new map.In the report, Bryant, Daniel Nielsen, and Laura Tangley divide the world into four groups:76 countries that have lost all of their frontier forest; 11 nations that are “on the edge”; 28 countries with “not much time”; and only eight----including Canada, Russia, and Brazil-----that still have a “great opportunity” to keep most of their original forest. The United States is among the nations said to be running out of time: In the lower 48 states, says Bry ant, “great opportunity” to keep most of their original forest. The United States is among the nations said to be running out of time: In the lower48 states, says Bryant, “only 1 percent of the forest that was once there as frontier forest qualifies today.”Logging poses the biggest single threat to remaining frontier forests. “Our results suggest that 70 percent of frontier forests under threat are threatened by logging,” says Bryant. The practice of cutting timber also creates roads that cause erosion and open the forest to hunting, mining, firewood gathering, and land clearing for farms.What can protect frontier forests? The researchers recommend combiningpreservation with sustainable land use practices such as tourism and selective timber extractio n. “It’s possible to restore frontiers,” says Bryant, “but the cost and time required to do so would suggest that the smart approach is to husband the remaining frontier forest before it’s gone.”1. What is the main idea of the passage?A. The present situation of frontier forest on Earth.B. The history of ecology.C. The forest map in the past.D. Beautiful forests in different parts of the world.2. The word “unveiled” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to_.A. evaluatedB. decoratedC. designedD. made public3. Frontier forests have which of the following benefits?A. They keep climate stable.B. They enhance timber industry.C. They provide people with unique scenery.D. They are of various types.4. The phrase “on the edge” in Paragraph 5 probably means________.A surrounded by frontier forestB near frontier forestC about to lose their frontier forestD under pressure5. According to the passage, roads created by timber-cutting make it possible for people to________.A travel to other places through the short –cutB exploit more forest landC find directions easilyD protect former forestsPassage 2Questions 6----10 are based on the following passage.To get a chocolate out of a box requires a considerable amount of unpacking: the box has to be taken out of the paper bag in which it arrived the cellophane wrapper has to be torn off, the lip opened and removed; the lid opened and the paper removed; the chocolate itself then has to be unwrapped from its own piece of paper. But this insane amount of wrapping is not confined to luxuries: it is now becoming increasingly difficult to buy anything that is not done up in cellophane, polythene, or paper.The package itself is of no interest to the shopper, who usually throws it away immediately. Useless wrapping accounts for much of the refuse put our by the average London household each week. So why is it done? Some of it, like the cellophane on meat, is necessary, but most of the rest is simply competitive selling. This is absurd. Packaging is using up scarce energy and resources and messing up the environment. Little research is being carried out on the costs of alternative types of packaging.Just how possible is it, for instance, for local authorities to salvage paper, pulp it, and recycle it as egg-boxes? Would it be cheaper to plant another forest? Paper is the material most used for packaging-----20 million paper bags are apparently used in Great Britain each day -----but very little is salvaged.A machine has been developed that pulps paper, and then processes it into packaging, e.g. egg-boxes and cartons. This could be easily adapted for local authority use. It would mean that people would have to separate their refuse into paper and non-paper, with a different dustbin for each. Paper is, in fact, probably the material that can be most easily recycled; and now, with massive increases in paper prices, the time has come at which collection by local authorities could be profitable. Recycling of this kind is already happening with milk bottles, which are returned to the dairies, and it has been estimated that if all the milk bottles necessary were made of plastic, then British dairies would be producing the equivalent of enough plastic tubing to encircle the earth every five or six days!The trouble with plastic is that it does not rot. Some environmentalists argue that the only solution to the problem of ever growing mounds of plastic containers is to do away with plastic altogether in the shops, a suggestion unacceptable to many manufacturers who say there is no alternative to their handy plastic packs. It is evident that more research is needed into the recovery and reuse of various materials and into the cost of collecting and recycling containers as opposed to producing new ones. Unnecessary packaging, intended to be used just once, and making things look better so more people will buy them, is clearly becoming increasingly absurd. But it is not so much a question of doing away with packaging as resources for what is, after all, a relatively unimportant function.6. The sentence “This insane amount of wrapping is not confined to luxuries” means that________.A not enough wrapping is used for luxuriesB more wrapping is used for luxuries than for ordinary productsC it is not only for luxury products that too much wrapping is usedD the wrapping used for luxury products is unnecessary7. The local authorities are_________.A the Town CouncilB the policeC the paper manufacturersD the most influential citizens8 If paper is to be recycled,________.A more forests will have to be plantedB the use of paper bags will have to be restrictedC people will have to use different dustbins for their rubbishD the local authorities will have to reduce the price of paper9. British dairies are________.A producing enough plastic tubing to go round the world in less than a weekB giving up the use of glass bottlesC increasing the production of plastic bottlesD reusing their old glass bottles10. The environmentalists think that________.A more plastic packaging should be usedB plastic is the most convenient form of packagingC too much plastic is wastedD shops should stop using plastic containersPassage 3Questions11-----18 are based on the following passage.The tragic impact of the modern city on the human being has killed his sense of aesthetics, the material benefits of an affluent society have diverted his attention from aesthetics, the material benefits of an affluent society have diverted his attention from his city and its cultural potentials to the products of science and technology: washing machines, central heating, automatic cookers, television sets, computers and fitted carpets, He is, at the moment, drunk with democracy, well-to-do, a car driver, and has never had it so good.He is reluctant to walk. Statistics reveal that the distance he is prepared to walk from his parking place to his shopping center is very short. As there are no adequate off-street parking facilities, the cities are littered with kerb-parked cars and parking meters rear themselves everywhere. Congestion has become the predominant factor in his environment, and statistics suggest that two cars per household system may soon make matters worse.In the meantime, insult is added to injury by “land value”. The value of land results from its use: its income and its value increase. “Putting land to its highest and best use” becomes the principal economic standard in urban growth. Thi s speculative approach and the pressure of increasing population lead to the “vertical” growth of cities with the result that people are forced to adjust themselves to congestion in order to maintain these relatively artificial land values. Paradoxically the remedy for removing congestion is to create no re of it.Partial decentralization, or rather, pseudo-decentralization, in the form of large development units away from the traditional town centers, only shifts the disease round the anatomy of the town, if it is not combined with remodeling of the town’s transportation system, it does not cure it. Here the engineering solutions are strongly affected by the necessity for complicated intersections, which in turn, are frustrated by the extravagant cost of land.It is within our power to build better cities and revive the civic pride of their citizens, but we shall have to stop operating on the fringe of the problem. We shall have to radically to replan them to achieve a rational densities of population we have to provide in them what can be called minimum “psychological elbow room”. One of the ingredients of this will be proper transportation plans. These will have to be an integral part of the overall planning process which in itself is a scientific process where facts are essential. We must collect, in an organized manner, all and complete information about the city or the town, if we want to plan effectively.The principal unit in this process is “IM”(one man). We must not forget that cities are built by people, and that their form and shape should be subject to the will of the people. Scientific methods of data collection and analysis will indicate trends, but they will not direct action. Scientific methods are only an instrument. The “man-educated” ma n, the human, will have to set the target, and using the results obtained by science and his own engineering skill, take upon himself the final shaping of his environment. He will have to use his high moral sense of responsibility to the community and to future generations.11. The main concern of this passage is with_______.A city cultureBland value in citiesC city congestionD decentralization12.It can be inferred from the first paragraph that people in old times_______.A paid more attention to material benefitsB had a stronger sense of beautyC were more desirous about the development of science and technologyD enjoyed more freedom and democracy13.The highly-developed technology has made man________.A increasingly industriousB free from inconvenienceC excessively dependent on external aidsD able to save his physical strength14 The drastic increase of land value in the city________.A is the good result of economic developmentB offers more opportunities to land dealersC is annoyingly artificial and meaninglessD fortunately leads to the “vertical” growth of cities15. The expansion of big cities to the distant suburban areas may______.A solve the problem of city congestionB result in the remodeling of the town’s transportation sys temC bring the same congestion to the suburban areasD need less investment on land16 the main purpose of the author is to_______. .A point out a problem and criticize itB advocate that all cities need to be re-planned and remodeledC point out the significance of solving the problemD criticize a problem and try to find a solution to it17 the author suggests that the remodeling of cities must_______.A put priority to the benefit of the future generationsB be focused on people rather than on economy.C be economically profitable to land ownersD resort to scientific methods18 who will probably like to read articles of this kind/A businessmenB economistsC urban peopleD rural peoplePassage 4Questions 19----25 are based on the following passage.The two claws of the mature American lobster are decidedly different from each other. The crusher claw is short and stout: the cutter claw is long and slender. Such bilateral asymmetry, in which the right side of the body is, in all other respects, a mirror image of the left side, is not unlike handedness in humans. But where the majority of humans are right-handed, in lobsters the crusher claw appears with equal probability on either the right or left side of the body.Bilateral asymmetry of the claws comes about gradually. In the juvenile fourth and fifth stages of development, the paired claws are symmetrical and cutter-like. Asymmetry begins to appear in the juvenile sixth stage of development, and the paired claws further diverge toward well-defined cutter and crusher claws during succeeding stages. An intriguing aspect of this development was discovered by Victor Emmel. He found that if one of the paired claws is removed during the fourth of fifth stage, the intact claw invariably becomes a crusher, while the regenerated claw becomes a cutter. Removal of a claw during a later juvenile stage or during adulthood, when asymmetry is present, does not alter the asymmetry, the intact and the regenerated claws retain their original structures.These observations indicate that the conditions tat trigger differentiation must operate in a random manner when the paired claws are intact but in a nonrandom manner when one of the claws is lost. One possible explanation is that differential use of the claws determine their asymmetry. Perhaps the claw that is used more becomes the crusher. This would explain why, when one of the claws is missing during the fourth or fifth stage, the intact claw always becomes a crusher. With two intact claws, initial use of one claw might prompt the animal to use it more than the other throughout the juvenile fourth and fifth stages, causing it to become a crusher.To test this hypothesis, researchers raised lobsters in the juvenile fourth and fifth stages of development in a laboratory environment in which the lobsters could manipulate oyster chips. (Not coincidentally, at this stage of development lobsters typically change from a habitat where they drift passively to the ocean floor where they have the opportunity to be more active by burrowing in the substratum.) Under these conditions, the lobsters developed asymmetric slaws, half with crusher claws on the left, and half with crusher claws on the right. In contrast, when juvenile lobsters were reared in a smooth tank without the oyster chips, the majority developed two cutter claws. This unusual configuration of symmetrical cutter claws did not change when the lobsters were subsequently placed in a manipulatable environment or when they lost and regenerated one or both claws.19 the passage is primarily concerned with______.A drawing an analogy between asymmetry in lobsters and handedness in humansB developing a method for predicting whether crusher claws in lobsters will appear on the left or right sideC explai ning differences between lobsters’ crusher claws and cutter clawsD discussing a possible explanation for the bilateral asymmetry in lobsters20 each of the following statements about the development of a lobster’s crusher claw is supported by information in the passage except________.A It can be stopped on one side and begin on the other after the juvenile sixth stage.B It occurs gradually over a number of stages.C It is initially apparent in the juvenile sixth stage.D It can occur even when a prospective crusher claw is removed in the juvenile sixth stage.21 which of the following experimental results, if observed, would most clearly contradict the findings of Victor Emmel?A. A left cutter-like claw is removed in the fifth stage and a crusher claw develops on the right side.B. A left cutter-like claw is removed in the sixth stage and a crusher claw develops on the right side.C. A left cutter-like claws are removed in the fifth stage and a crusher claw develops on the lift side.D. Both cutter-like claws are removed in the fifth stage and a crusher claw develops on the left side.22 It can be inferred that of the two laboratory environments mentioned in the passage, the one with oyster ships was designed to_______.A prove that the presence of oyster chips was not necessary for the development of a crusher clawB prove that the relative length of time that the lobsters were exposed to the oyster-chip environment had little impact on the development of a crusher clawC eliminate the environment as a possible influence in the development of a crusher clawD simulate the conditions that lobsters encounter in their natural environment23 It can be inferred from the passage that one difference between lobsters in the earlier stages of development and those in the juvenile fourth and fifth stages is that lobsters in the early stages are________.A likely to be less activeB likely to be less symmetricalC more likely to lose a clawD more likely to regenerate a lost claw24 which of the following conditions does the passage suggest is a possible cause for the failure of a lobster to develop a crusher claw?A the loss of a claw during the third or earlier stage of developmentB the loss of a claw during the fourth or fifth stage of developmentC the loss of a claw during the sixth stage of developmentD Development in an environment short of material that can be manipulated25 the author regards the idea that differentiation is triggered randomly when paired claws remain intact as________.A irrefutable c onsidering the authoritative nature of Emmel’s observationsB likely in view of present evidenceC contradictory to conventional thinking on lobster-claw differentiationD purely speculative because it is based on scattered research and experimentation Passage 5Questions 26----33 are based on the following passage.It has always been difficult for the philosopher or scientist to fit time into his view of the universe. Prior to Einsteinian physics. However, even the Einsteinian formulation is not perhaps totally adequate to the job of fitting time into the proper relationship with the other dimensions, as they are called, of space. The primary problem arises in relationship to things which might be going faster than the speed of light ,or have other strange properties.Examination of the Lorenta-Fitzgerald formulas yields the interesting speculation that if something did actually exceed the speed of light it would have its mass expressed as an imaginary number and would seem to be going backward in time. The barrier to exceeding the speed of light is the apparent need to have an infinite quantity of mass moved at exactly the speed of light. If this situation could be leaped over in a large quantum jump----which seems highly unlikely for masses that are large in normal circumstances-----then the other side may be achievable.There have been, in fact, some observations of particle chambers which have led some scientists to speculate that a particle called the tachyon may exist with the trans-light properties we have just discussed.One difficulty of imagining and coping with these potential implications of our mathematical models points out the importance of studying alternative methods of notation for advanced physics. Professor Zuckerkandl, in his book “Sound and Symbol”, hypothesizes that it might be better to express the relationships found in quantum mechanics through the use of a notation derived from musical notations. To oversimplify greatly, he argues that music has always given time a special relationship to other factors or parameters or dimensions. Therefore, it might be a more useful language in which to express the relationships in physics where time again has a special role to play, and cannot be treated as just another dimension.The point of this, or any other alternative to the current methods of describing basic physical processes, is that time does not appear-----either by common experience or sophisticated scientific understanding----to be the same sort of dimension or parameter as physical dimensions, and is deserving of completely special treatment, in a system of notation designed to accomplish that goal.One approach would be to consider time to be a field effect governed by the application of energy to mass----that is to say, by the interaction of different forms of energy, if you wish to keep in mind the equivalence of mass and energy. The movement of any normal sort of mass is bound to produce a field effect that we call positive time. An imaginary mass would produce a negative time field. This is not at variance with Einstein’s theories, since the “faster’ a give mass moves the more the more energy was applied to it and the greater would be the field effect. The timeeffects predicted by Einstein and the greater would be the field effect. The time effects predicted by Einstein and confirmed by experience are, it seems, consonant with this concept.26 the “sound” in the title of professor Zukerkand1’s book probably refers to______.A the music of the spheresB music in the abstractC musical notationD the seemingly musical sounds produced by tachyons27 The passage supports the inference that_______.A. Einstein’s theory of relativity is wrongB the Lorenta-Fitzgerald formulas contradict Einstein’s theoriesC tachyons do not have the same sort of mass as any other particlesD it is impossible to travel at precisely the speed of light28. The tone of the passage is________.A critical but hopefulB hopeful but suspiciousC suspicious but speculativeD speculative but hopeful29 the central idea of the passage can be best described as which of the following?A. Irregularities in theoretical physics notation permit intriguing hypotheses and indicate the need for refined notation of time dimension.B. New observations require the development of new theories and new methods of describing the theories.C. Einsteinian physics can be much improved on in its treatment of tachyons.D. Zuckerkandl’s theories of tachyon formulation are preferable to Einstein’s.30 According to the author, it is too soon to_______.A adopt proposals such as Zuckerkand1’sB plan for time travelC study particle chambers for tachyon tracesD attempt to improve current notation31 it can be inferred that the author sees Zuckerkand1 as believing that mathematics is a_______.A languageB musical notationC great hindrance to full understanding of physicsD difficult field of study32 in the first sentence, the author refers to “philosopher” as well as to “scientist” because________.A he wants to show his respect for themB philosophers study all things in the worldC the study of the methods of any field is both a philosophical and scientific questionD the nature of time is a basic question in philosophy as well as physics33 when the passage says the “particle called the tachyon may exist”, the reader may infer that_________.A the tachyon was named before it existedB tachyons are imaginary in existence as well as massC the tachyon was probably named when its existence was predicted by theory but its existence was not yet known.D many scientific ideas may not exist in fact.Passage 6Questions 34-----40 are based on the following passage.The term “remote sensing’’ refers to the techniques of measurement and interpretation of phenomena from a distance. Prior to the mid-1960s the interpretation of film images was the primary means for remote sensing of the earth’s geologic features. With the development of the optomechanical scanner, scientists began to construct digital multispectral images using data beyond the sensitivity range of visible light photography. These images are constructed by mechanically aligning pictorial representations of such phenomena as the reflection of light waves outside the visible spectrum, the refraction of radio waves, and the daily changes in temperature in areas on the Earth’s surface. Digital multispectral imaging has now become the basic tool in geologic remote sensing from satellites.The advantage of digital over photographic imaging is evident: the resulting numerical data are precisely known, and digital data are not subject to the vagaries of difficult-to-control chemical processing. With digital processing, it is possible to combine a large number of spectral images. The acquisition of the first mutispectral digital dada set from the multispectral scanner(MSS)aboard the satellite Landsat in 1972 consequently attracted the attention of the entire geologic community. Landsat MSS data are now being applied to a variety of geologic problems that are difficult to solve by conventional methods alone. These include specific problems in mineral and energy resource exploration and the charting of glaciers and shallow seas.A more fundamental application of remote sensing is to augment conventional methods for geologic mapping of large areas. Regional maps present compositional, structural, and chronological information for reconstructing geologic revolution. Such reconstructions have important practical applications because the conditions under which rock units and other structural features are formed influence the occurrence of ore and petroleum deposits and affect the thickness and integrity of the geologic media in which the deposits are found.Geological maps incorporate a large, varied body of specific field and laboratory measurements, but the maps must be interpretative because field measurements are always limited by rock exposure, accessibility, and labor resources. With remote-sensing techniques, it is possible to obtain much geologic information more efficiently than it can be obtained on the ground. These techniques also facilitate overall interpretation. Since detailed geologic mapping is generally conducted in small areas, the continuity of regional features that had intermittent and variable expressions is often not recognized, but in the comprehensive views of Landsatimages these continuities are apparent. However, some critical information cannot be obtained through remote sensing, and several characteristics of the Landsat MSS impose limitations on the acquisition of diagnostic data. Some of these limitations can be overcome by designing satellite systems specially for geologic purposes; but, to be most effective, remote sensing data must still be combined with data from field surveys, laboratory tests, and the techniques of the earlier twentieth century.34 which of the following can be measured by the optomechanical scanner but not by visible light photography?A. The amount of visible light reflected from oceans.B. Daily temperature changes of areas on the Eart h’s surface.C. The degree of radioactivity emitted by exposed rocks on the earth’s surface.D. Atmospheric conditions over large landmasses.35 A major disadvantage of photographic imaging in geologic mapping is that such photography_________.A cannot be used at nightB cannot focus on the details of a geologic areaC must be chemically processedD is always enhanced by digital reconstruction36 Landsat images differ from conventional geologic maps in that the former_______.A reveal the exact size of petroleum deposits and ore depositsB indicate the continuity of features that might not otherwise be interpreted as continuousC predict the movements of glaciersD provide highly accurate data about the occurrence of mineral deposits37.the passage provides information about all of the following topics except.A the principle method of geologic remote sensing prior to the mid-1960sB some phenomena measured by digital multispectral images in remote sensingC some of the practical uses of regional geologic mapsD problems that are difficult to solve solely through conventional methods of geologic mapping38 what does the author mention about “the conventional methods”?A. They consist primarily of field surveys and laboratory measurements.B. They are not useful in providing information necessary for reconstructingC They have rarely been used by geologists since 1972D They are used primarily to gather compositional information about geologic.39 By using the word “interpretative” in Paragraph 4 , t he author indicates .A. some maps are based more on data from aerial photography than on data from field operations.B some maps are used almost exclusively on laboratory measurementsC some maps are based on incomplete data from field observationsD some maps show only large geologic features40 According to the author,________.A geologic mapping is basically an art and not a scienceB geologic mapping has not changed significantly since the early 1960s。
