2012年10月真题SECTION 1Time -25 minutesPrompt 1Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.The idea of caring about only the people of one's own country seems outdated. Some people still defend this attitude, claiming that if we are going to expend resources to help people, we should help those of our own country first. But national boundaries are meaningless lines that shift over time. There is no reason why a citizen of one country should not feel just as responsible for thewell-being of people in other countries as for the well-being of those in his or her own country.Assignment: Should we care just as much about people in other countries as we do about people in our own country? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from yourreading, studies, experience, or observations.Prompt 2Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.Some say that high achievers—people who reach their ambitious goals because of their determination and skills—always get ahead at the expense of others. When one political candidate is elected, others are defeated; when someone wins in any kind of competitive event, others lose. But this view of achievers is too negative. By improving the world around them and providing an example for all to follow, achievers benefit others as well as themselves.Assignment: Do the actions of high achievers benefit all people? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.Prompt 3Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.People tend to consider the past unimportant. After all, why waste time dwelling on what has already happened? There is no way to go back and change events or their outcomes. But this way of thinking is wrong. People are too focused on the present; they should pay more and closer attention to past events. The lessons learned from examining the past are much more valuable than any lessons that people can learn from the present.Assignment: Do people learn more from examining events in the past than from focusing only on the present? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.Prompt 4Studies of creativity often focus primarily on writers, artists, composers, and scientists. Political leaders are not usually considered to be very creative. Indeed, it is sometimes said that it is a good thing that leaders in general are not very creative, since an excess of creativity, especially in leaders who have to enforce rules,would only lead to trouble. Yet surely some degree of creativity is desirable in all walks of life.Adapted from Thomas G. West, In the Mind's EyeAssignment: Do all people need to be creative? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.SECTION 4Time -25 minutes35 Questions1. William Dalrymple's book is not only a gripping tale of politics and power and also evidence of the complexity of cross-cultural relation ships.(A) and also(B) but also(C) as well as(D) in addition(E) and2. Walking out of the theater, it was agreed by my sister and me that the movie was vastly overrated(A) it was agreed by my sister and me(B) it was agreed by my sister and I(C) my sister and me, we agreed(D) my sister and me agreed(E) my sister and I agreed3. When packing for a trip you should follow the advice offered in many magazine articles: choose wrinkle- free clothing in black and in neutral colors.(A) you should follow the advice offered in many magazine articles(B) you would follow the advice offered from many magazine article(C) follow the advice with many magazine articles(D) the advice in many magazine articles is offered and one should follow it(E) many magazine articles would offer advice to be followed4. Home fuel cells, already avail able in Japan, which is a compact, pollution-free device that produce electricity at a fraction of the regular cost.(A) which is a compact, pollution-free device(B) a compact, pollution-free device(C) these devices are compact, pollution-free.(D) is a compact, pollution-free device(E) are compact, pollution-free devices5. Because writers in colonial America had to pay their own printing costs, authorship was largely a profession with those who were relatively wealthy.(A) authorship was largely a profession with those who were(B) authorship was largely a profession of the(C) authorship, largely a profession of the(D) authorship having largely been a profession for those who were(E) therefore authorship was largely a profession for the6. The program is one of many projects included in the ambitious Copenhagen Climate Plan, it aims to make the Danish capital carbon neutral by 2025.(A) it aims(B) its aim is(C) where they aim(D) which aims(E) which is aimed7. In a Zen rock garden, stones are positioned to represent islands, and the sounding gravel is raked to form patterns that suggests ocean waves.(A) patterns that suggests(B) patters suggesting(C) patterns, they suggest(D) patters; which suggest(E) patterns; this suggesting8. Until relatively recently humans were thought to be uniquelyself-aware, scientists now know that most chimpanzees and orangutans can recognize their own reflections.(A) scientists now know(B) but scientists now know(C) but scientists who now know(D) however, scientists now know(E) but with scientists now knowing9. Evidence of the prehistoric hunter-gatherers who once occupied the Grand Canyon includes animal figurines made out of split and woven twigs as well as rock-art panels and stone tools.(A) who once occupied the Grand Canyon includes(B) that once occupied the Grand Canyon include(C) when they occupied the Grand Canyon include(D) once occupying the Grand Canyon including(E) who at one time occupied the Grand Canyon including10. After scheduling it for demolition, the hundred-year-old building was instead moved to a new location.(A) After scheduling it for demolition, the hundred- year-old building was instead moved(B) After scheduling the hundred-year-old building for demolition, it was instead moved(C) After being scheduled for demolition, they instead moved the hundred-year-old building(D) Having been scheduled for demolition, they instead moved the hundred-year-old building(E) Having been scheduled for demolition, the hundred-year-old-building was instead moved11. Because Earth's gravity is greater than the Moon's, the energy expended in traveling from Earth to the Moon is greater than the opposite direction.(A) the oppositeB) traveling in the opposite(C) if one travels in the opposite(D) that of traveling in the opposite(E) that expended in traveling in the opposite12. A passion fruit, which is (A) about the size(B) of an egg, has(C)a brittle outer shell that became(D) slightly wrinkled when the fruitis ripe. No error (E)13. Across the street (A) from the new bookstore and coffee shop were (B) an old, dilapidated playground whose(C) broken equipment and overgrown weeds attested to long neglect (D). No error (E) 14. Because perspiration does not (A) evaporate efficient (B) at high humidity, humid air often feels warmer(C) to us(D) than would dry air at the same temperature. No error (E)15. Hull House was founded by(A) Jane Addams as a community project in which(B) people of the neighborhood joined trained social workers to provide(C) day care, schooling, meals and they offer many(D) other services. No error (E)16. Although Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit was far from being(A) the only(B) eighteenth-century scientist to propose(C) a temperature scale, but his(D) was one of the few that were widely used. No error(E)17. Often used interchangeable (A) in recipes, the nectarine and the peach share (B) many characteristics, but the skin of a nectarine is smoother(C) than that of a peach (D). No error (E)18. Speed-reading was once promoted mainly (A) to people who were eager (B) to catch up on recreational reading, but now themethod appeals to(C) busy executives coping about (D) information overload. No error (E)19. Like former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who(A) studied chemistry in college. German chancellor Angela Merkel was initially (B) drawn to(C) the sciences, earning (D) a doctorate in physics before entering politics. No error (E)20. When the first department stores opened in the late nineteenth century, they (A) were cavernous, no-frills storerooms that stock(B) a hodgepodge of items previously available(C) only from(D) specialty merchants. No error (E)21. Although the author has presented (A) her book to he publisher as a (B) fact -based memoir, she later confessed that it had been entirely(C) fabricated (D). No error (E)22. Because oysters eat by filtering (A) nutrients through their gills, their health is affected by(B) the quality of the water passing(C) through it(D). No error (E)23. All morning long (A) my friend and 1 waited patiently (B) in the courtroom to hear(C) whether we would be selected as a juror (D) in the upcoming trial. No error (E)24. Researchers recognize that(A) the cuttlefish has an extraordinary ability(B) to camouflage itself, but they(C) have only a rough understanding of how(D) it does so. No error (E)25. The plunging cost of genome-sequencing technologies are (A) expected to give people unprecedented (B) opportunities to examine(C) their own (D) genetic profiles. No error (E)26. It was not until 1982, the year two major supermarket chains began(A) replacing paper bags with(B) plastic ones, when(C) the use of plastic shopping bags became(D) widespread. No error(E)27. Because (A) the high-altitude regions where it lives (B) have(C) cold temperature, dry soil, and growing seasons are short (D), the bristlecone pine grows very slowly. No error (E)28. Country-and- western musicians, who (A) in the past were thought to lack (B) market consciousnesses, are(C) now seen as one of (D) the most commercially savvy performers in show business. No error (E)29. New Jersey's Atlantic City still uses wooden planks for their(A) boardwalk, even though(B) other towns have begun using(C) plastic planks, which last far longer(D). No error(E)Questions 30-35 refer to the following passage.(1)In 1902 an engineer named Willis Carrier designed anair-cooling system for a Brooklyn printing company. (2) Little did Carrier suspect that his "Apparatus for ―Treating A ir,‖ the first modern air conditioner, had changed the way people in the United States worked and lived.(3) At first, they used such devices exclusively in private industry. (4)Their ability to cool indoor environments improved worker productivity and protected products as various as chocolate, film and leather from heat damage. (5) Likewise, starting in the 1920s, air-conditioning increasingly appeared in public settings –most dramatically in the modern movie house, which it transformed.(6) Before air-conditioning，theater owners typically lost money in the summer, when the heat and poor ventilation made theaters unappealing. (7) In 1925 Carrier persuaded Adolph Zukor of Paramount Pictures to install air-conditioning in the Rivoli Theater in Manhattan. (8) The experiment was an enormous success. (9) Crowds flocked to the Rivoli. (10) Over the next five years, more than 300 movie theaters in the United States would follow the Rivoli's example.(11) Movie theaters were just the beginning. (12) The introduction of air-conditioning into public areas, such as stores and restaurants not only made those areas more comfortable but also created a demand for the same level of comfort in the home. (13) As the cost of the new technology came down, air-conditioned houses became a fixture of modern American life. (14) For example, porches became less common as the need to take advantage of breezes disappeared, a trend that prompted some social critics to voice concerns about the loss of contact with nature and neighbors.(15) Still, Zukor was right when he said of air-conditioning. "The people are going to like it."30. Where in the passage would the following sentence best be placed?Air-conditioning even altered the way those houses were designed.(A)Immediately before sentence 3(B)Immediately before sentence 6(C)Immediately before sentence 9(D)Immediately before sentence 12(E)Immediately before sentence 1431. In context which of the following revisions to sentence 2 (reproduced below) is most needed?Little did Carrier suspect that his "Apparatus for Treating Air." the first modern air conditioner had changed the way people in the United States worked and lived.(A)Change "Little did Carrier suspect" to ―Carrier did not suspect‖(B)Change "his" to ―this‖(C)Insert "which was" before ―the first modern air conditioner‖(D)Change "had changed" to ―would change‖(E)Change ―people‖ to ―individuals‖32. In context, which is the best way to revise and combine the underlined portion of sentences 3 and 4(reproduced below)?At first, they used such devices exclusively in private industry. Their ability to cool indoor environments improved worker productivity and protected products as various as chocolate, film and leather from heat damage.(A)they used such devices exclusively in private industry, andtheir(B)they used Carrier’s device exclusively in private indus try, asits(C)these devices were used exclusively in private industrybecause their(D)when these devices were used exclusively in private industry,their(E)Carrier’s device was used exclusively in private industry,where its33. In context, which of the following expressions would best be inserted at the beginning of sentence 7(reproduced below)?In 1925 Carrier persuaded Adolph Zukor of Paramount Pictures to install air-conditioning in the Rivoli Theater in Manhattan.(A)Nevertheless(B)Similarly(C)More importantly(D)Rejecting this argument(E)Responding to this problem34. In context, which revision of the underlined portion of sentence 9(reproduced below) adds information that is most relevant? Crowds flocked to the Rivoli.(A)Rivoli, eager to be present at the theater’s w idely advertisedreopening(B)Rivoli, which was named after a famous street in Paris(C)Rivoli, as much to escape the heat as to see the movies(D)Rivoli, which was a Greek Revival building designed byThomas W. Lamb(E)Rivoli, which previously had not had air-conditioning35. Which sentence is best placed after sentence 15 to conclude the passage?(A) The price of air-conditioning units, however, has held steady, even though they are now globally produced.(B) Of course, the popularity of something is no guarantee that its creator will benefit financially from it.(C) Nowadays, air-conditioning is so common in the United States that most people don’t give it a second thought—except when it’s not working.(D) Zukor himself progressed from exhibiting movies to producing them, eventually becoming the head of the Paramount Pictures Corporation.(E) On the contrary, air-conditioning id sure to be supplanted by more efficient cooling systems that have less of an impact on the environment.SECTION 5Time -25 minutes23 Questions1.John Hope Franklin’s From Slavery to Freedom was ------bookbecause it permanently altered how United States history was studied.(A)an influential(B) a comfortable(C) a plodding(D) a confusing(E)an outrageous2.Students already confused by difficult college-admissionprocedures will be further------by the university’s complex new online process.(A)cheered(B)frustrated(C)encouraged(D)fascinated(E)soothed3.Cherokee women traditionally exercised------authority: theymanaged agriculture, determined clan membership, and wielded considerable economic power.(A)extensive(B)temporary(C)limited(D)passive(E)unjust4.The------that met the novella upon publication was so------itsmodest achievement that even the author wondered whether the response was truly deserved.(A)indifference..inconsistent with(B)mensurate with(C)exaltation..essential to(D)incredulity..indicative of(E)acclamation..disproportionate to5.The participants in the study considered themselves------, but inyielding to the wishes of the group, they wereassuming------values(A)autonomous..collective(B)expedient..egotistical(C)munal(D)munificent..narcissistic(E)egalitarian..reciprocal6.Basset hounds tend to be-------breed of dog: most are not easilyaroused into action.(A) a perspicacious(B) a phlegmatic(C)an estimable(D)an overbearing(E) a resolute7.Mary Somerville’s career was that of a true------: she wrote onastronomy, mathematics, physics, and geography, among other subjects.(A)philistine(B)amateur(C)charlatan(D)polymath(E)ideologue8.Eager to appear sophisticated and learned, Vincent cultivated apersona that was both------and------.(A)benevolent..pedantic(B)morose..gregarious(C)cosmopolitan..cavalier(D)urbane..erudite(E)mordant..unequivocalQuestions 9-12 are based on the following passages.Passage 1Since long before the invention of university programs in creative writing, authors have mastered their craft in four main ways-first, by paying a certain sort of attention to the experience of life as well as merely undergoing it; second by paying a certain sort of attention to the works of their great and less great predecessors in the medium of written language. as well as merely reading them; third by practicing that medium themselves; and fourth, by offering their apprentice work for discussion and criticism by their impassioned peers, or by some more experienced hand, or by both. None of this, obviously, implies a degree-granting program in creative writing.Passage 2Can creative writing be taught? The answer I give to people is that a workshop can be useful. A good teacher can show you how to edit your work. The right class can encourage you and form the basis of a community that will help and sustain you. But the creative writing classroom, as helpful as it was to me, is not where I learned to write. Like most—maybe all—writers，I learned to write by writing and，by example，from reading books. Long before the idea of a writer's class was a glimmer in anyone's eye writers learned by reading the work of their predecessors.9. Passage 1 differs from Passage 2 in that Passage 1 notes the importance of(A) learning to read at an early age(B) studying works from the past(C) reflecting upon one 's life experiences(D) obtaining literary rather than commercial success(E) seeking advice from fellow writing students10. Both authors agree that aspiring writers should(A) read the works of previous writers to gain insights (B) teach basic writing in order to master their craft(C) avoid writing about things they have not yet(D) organize workshops where novices can meet published authors.(E) spend more time crafting their writing than reading great works11. The authors of the two passages would most likely agree that classes in creative writing(A) are best avoided entirely(B) may be useful but are not essential(C) tend not to attract the most talented young writers(D) are especially helpful for those with some experience outside the classroom(E) are valuable primarily because of the feedback from fellow students12. In their discussion of creative writing both authors point out that(A) creative writing classes tend to minimize the importance of reading great works from the past(B) there is no consensus among creative writing teachers on the best approach to teaching writing(C) very few people who take creative writing classes go on to become successful writers(D) learning the craft of writing predates the advent of creative writing programs(E) creative writing classes benefit from having a diverse student populationQuestions 13-23 are based on the following passage.This passage is adapted from a 1995 essay by a paleontologist and science historian.1 was a dinosaur nut as kid growing up in New York during the late forties and early fifties. Hardly anyone knew or cared about these creatures and I was viewed as a nerd and misfit on that ultimate field of vocational decision---the school playground at recess. 1 was called "Fossil Face"; the only other like-minded kid in the school became "Dino" (I am pleased to report that he also became a professional natural historian). The names weren't funny, and they hurt.During the last twenty years, however, dinosaurs have vaulted to a steady level of culturally pervasive popularity---from gentle Barney, who teaches proper values to young children on a television series, to ferocious monsters who can promote films from "G" to "R" ratings. This dinosaurian flooding of popular consciousness guarantees that no paleontologist can ever face a journalist and avoid what seems to be the most pressing question of the nineties: why are children so fascinated with dinosaurs?The question may be a commonplace, but it conflates two quite separate issues. The first relates to an archetypal theme and seeks the universal reason that stirs the soul of childhood. 1 know no better response than one proposed by a psychologist colleague: big, fierce, and extinct---in other words, alluring scary but sufficient safe.But the archetypal theme cannot touch the heart of current dinomania, culminating in the extraordinary response to Jurassic Park, for an obvious but oddly disregarded reason: dinosaurs were just as big, as fierce and as extinct forty years ago, but only a few kid, and even fewer professional paleontologists, cared about them. We must therefore pose a second question: why now and not before?As a practicing paleontologist would love to believe that current dinomania arose as a direct product of our research, and allthe fascinating new ideas that our profession has generated about dinosaurs. The slow, lumbering, stupid, robotic, virtually behaviorless behemoths of my childhood have been replaced by lithe behaviorally complex creatures. The giant sauropods were mired in ponds during my youth, for many paleontologists rebadged them as too heavy to hold up their own bodies on land. Now they stride across the plains, necked and tails outstretched. When I was a child, ornithopods laid their eggs and then walked away forever. Today, these same creatures are the very model of maternal, caring, politically correct dinosaurs. They watch over their nests, care for their young, form cooperative herds, and bear such lovely, peaceful names as Maiasaura, the "earth mother lizard" (in contrast with such earlier monikers as Pachycephalosaurus, the "thick boneheaded lizard"). Even their extinction now appears in a much more interesting light. They succumbed to vaguely specified types of "climatic change" in my youth; now we have firm evidence for extraterrestrial impact as the trigger for their final removal.But how can this greening of dinosaurs be the major reason for present faddishness---for if we credit the archetypal theme at all, then the underlying fascination has always been present, even in the bad old days of stupid and lumbering dinosaurs. What transforms this underlying fascination into overt and pervasive dinomania? Onequintessentially American source usually supplies a solution --- recognition and exploitation of commercial possibilities.When I was growing up in the streets of New York City, yo- yo crazes would sweep through kiddie culture every year or two, usually lasting for a month or so. These crazes were not provoked by any technological improvement in the design of yo-yos (just as more-competent dinosaurs do not engender dinomania). Similarly, a universal fascination with contained circular motion will not explain why every kid needed a yo-yo in July 1951 but not in June 1950(just as dinosaurs are always available but only sometimes exploited)The answer, in short must lie in commercialization. Every few years, someone figured out how to make yo-yos sell. At some point about twenty years ago, some set of profits from a plethora of products. You just need a little push to kick the positive feedback machine of human herding and copying behavior into its upward spiral.*a film featuring dinosaurs in a modem setting13. The primary purpose of the passage is to(A) explain a scientific enterprise(B) portray a recreational trend(C) account for a puzzling phenomenon(D) remember a childhood interest(E) forewarn of a disturbing development14. In lines 5-8 ("1 was . . . hurt") the author indicates that his classmates(A) belittled him for his interest in dinosaurs(B) were jealous of his academic accomplishments(C) were offended by his arrogant behavior(D) idolized him, but they could not express it appropriately(E) were joking, but he misunderstood their motives15. The traits discussed in lines 22-23 ("big...safe")(A) Small children sometimes confuse fantasy with reality(B) Most children are interested in science. whether they know it or not.(C) The question of why children are fascinated by dinosaurs is fundamentally uninteresting.(D) Children enjoy being alarmed by things they know cannot harm them.(E) The psychological explanation of children's fascination wit h dinosaurs is the most persuasive one.16. The passage as a whole indicates that the explanation the author "would love to believe" (line 32) is(A) widely accepted by professional paleontologists(B) incapable of accounting for t he current dinomania(C) directly challenged by late-twentieth-century discoveries(D) seriously compromised by errors in methodology(E) eagerly welcomed by commercial concerns17. Lines 32-50 ("As a . . . lizard'") suggest that earlier paleontologists viewed dinosaurs in terms best described as(A) celebratory(B) cynical(C) ambivalent(D) unflattering(E) objective18. The author views the "research" mentioned in line 34 with(A) nostalgic regret(B) open contempt(C) undisguised envy(D) scholarly enthusiasm(E) cheerful optimism19. In line 40, "mired" most nearly means(A) degraded(B) delayed(C) embroiled(D) stuck(E) muddied20. Why does the author use the present tense when describing dinosaurs in lines 42-50 ("Now . . . lizard")?(A) To convey a personal sense of excitement(B) To create a tone of journalistic detachment(C) To underscore a contrast with earlier concepts(D) To emphasize the immediacy of an impression(E) To discredit the outdated work of incompetent scientists21. In lines 61-62, the phrase "usually supplies a solution" suggests that(A) commercial exploitation is a readily available explanation for many things(B) finding answers to complicated questions is an essentially American trait(C) dinomania has influenced many other American cultural phenomena。
