1999年9月英语中级口译真题答案及听力原文

9月中级口译真题+参考答案(4)Questions 16-20We are moving inexorably into the age of automation. Our aim is not to devise a mechanism which can perform a thousand different actions of any individual man but, on the contrary, one which could by a single action replace a thousand men.Industrial automation has moved along three lines. First there is the conveyor belt system of continuous production whereby separate operations are linked into a single sequence. The goods produced by this well-established method are untouched by the worker, and the machine replaces both unskilled and semiskilled. Secondly, there is automation with feedback control of the quality of the product: here mechanisms are built into the system which can compare the output with a norm, that is, the actual product with what it is supposed to be, and then correct any shortcomings. The entire cycle of operations dispenses with human control except in so far as monitors are concerned. One or two examples of this type of automation will illustrate its immense possibilities. There is a factory in the U.S.A. which makes 1,000 million electric light bulbs a year, and the factory employs three hundred people. If the preautomation techniques were to be employed, the labour force required would leap to 25,000. A motor manufacturing company with 45,000 spare parts regulates their entire supply entirely by computer. Computers can be entrusted with most of the supervision of industrial installations, such as chemical plants or oil refineries. Thirdly, there is computer automation, for banks, accounting departments, insurance companies and the like. Here the essential features are the recording, storing, sorting and retrieval of information.The principal merit of modern computing machines is the achievement of theirvastly greater speed of operation by comparison with unaided human effort; a task which otherwise might take years, if attempted at all, now takes days or hours.One of the most urgent problems of industrial societies rapidly introducing automation is how to fill the time that will be made free by the machines which will take over the tasks of the workers. The question is not simply of filling empty time but also of utilizing the surplus human energy that will be released. We are already seeing straws in the wind: destructive outbursts on the part of youth whose work no longer demands muscular strength. While automation will undoubtedly do away with a large number of tedious jobs, are we sure that it will not put others which are equally tedious in their place? For an enormous amount of sheer monitoring will be required. A man in an automated plant may have to sit for hours on and watching dials and taking decisive action when some signal informs him that all is not well. What meaning will his occupation bear for the worker? How will he devote his free time after a four or five hour stint of labour? Moreover, what, indeed, will be the significance for him of his leisure? If industry of the future could be purged of its monotony and meaninglessness, man would then be better equipped to use his leisure time constructively.16. The main purpose of automation is _________.（A）to devise the machine which could replace the semi-skilled（B）to process information as fast as possible（C）to develop an efficient labor-saving mechanism（D）to make an individual man perform many different actions17. The chief benefit of computing machines is ________.（A）their greater speed of operation（B）their control of the product quality（C）their conveyor belt system of continuous production（D）their supervision of industrial installations18. One of the problems brought about by automation in industrial societies is _________.（A）plenty of information（B）surplus human energy（C）destructive outbursts（D）less leisure time19. Which of the following best explains the use of ‘stint’ （para.4）?（A）Effort.（B）Force.（C）Excess.（D）Period.20. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?（A）There is no automation with feedback control of the quality of the product.（B）Computers are reliable in any supervision of industrial installations.（C）The essential features for banks are the recording and sorting of information.（D）Automation will undoubtedly eliminate numerous tedious jobs.Questions 21-25The city water pipes in Rome were usually of baked clay or lead; copper was sometimes used and also hollowed stone. For the large supply conduits leading to the city the Romans used covered channels with free water surfaces, rather than pipes. Perhaps this choice was a matter of economics, for apparently they could make lead pipes up to 15 inches in diameter. While pipes can follow the profile of undulatingground, with the pressure increasing in the lower areas, channels cannot. They must slope continuously downwards, because water in channels does not normally flow uphill; and the grade must be flat, from 1 in 60 in small channels to perhaps 1 in 3,000 in large ones, to keep the water speed down to a few feet per second. Thus the main supply channels or aqueducts had long lengths of flat grade and where they crossed depressions or valleys they were carried on elevated stone bridges in the form of tiered arches. At the beginning of the Christian era there were over 30 miles of these raised aqueducts in the 250 miles of channels and tunnels bringing water to Rome. The channels were up to 6 feet wide and 5 to 8 feet high. Sometimes channels were later added on the tops of existing ones. The remains of some of these aqueducts still grace the skyline on the outskirts of Rome and elsewhere in Europe similar ruins are found.Brick and stone drains were constructed in various parts of Rome. The oldest existing one is the Cloaca Maxima which follows the course of an old stream. It dates back at least to the third century B.C. Later the drains were used for sewage, flushed by water from the public baths and fountains, as well as street storm run-off.The truly surprising aspect of the achievements of all the ancient hydraulic artisans is the lack of theoretical knowledge behind their designs. Apart from the hydrostatics of Archimedes, there was no sound understanding of the most elementary principles of fluid behaviour. Sextus Frontinus, Rome’s water commissioner around A.D. 100, did not fully realize that in order to calculate the volume rate of flow in a channel it is necessary to allow for the speed of the flow as well as the area of cross-section. The Romans’ flow standard was the rate at which water would flow through a bronze pipe roughly 4/3 inch in diameter and 9 inches long. When this pipe was connected to the side of a water-supply pipe or channel as a delivery outlet, it was assumed that theoutflow was at the standard rate. In fact, the amount of water delivered depended not only on the cross-sectional area of the outlet pipe but also on the speed of water flowing through it and this speed depended on the pressure in the supply pipe.21. The Romans used all of the following to make water pipes EXCEPT _________.（A）earth （B）wood （C）copper （D）stone22. Covered channels were used instead of pipes to supply large quantities of water probably because _________.（A）the Romans could build them more cheaply（B）these channels could follow uneven ground more easily（C）the Romans could not build large pipes（D）these channels avoided rapid changes of pressure23. The use of ‘grace’ in line 15 suggests that the aqueducts today are _________.（A）hideous （B）divine （C）useful （D）attractive24. In order to calculate the volume of water flowing through a pipe, it is important to know its speed and ________.（A）the area across the end of the pipe （B）the length of the pipe（C）the water pressure in the pipe （D）the level from which the water falls25. The main subject of the passage is concerned essentially with __________.（A）the classical scientific achievements（B）the theoretical Greek hydrostatics（C）the ancient Roman hydraulic system（D）the early European architectural designingQuestions 26-30Every day of our lives we are in danger of instant death from small high-speed missiles from space-the lumps of rocky or metallic debris which continuously bombard the Earth. The chances of anyone actually being hit, however, are very low, although there are recorded instances of ‘stones from the sky’ hurting people, and numerous accounts of damage to buildings and other objects. At night this extraterrestrial material can be seen as ‘fireballs’ or ‘shooting stars’, burning their way through our atmosphere. Most, on reaching our atmosphere, become completely vaporised.The height above ground at which these objects become sufficiently heated to be visible is estimated to be about 60-100 miles. Meteorites that have fallen on buildings have sometimes ended their long lonely space voyage incongruously under beds, inside flower pots or even, in the case of one that landed on a hotel in North Wales, within a chamber pot. Before the era of space exploration it was confidently predicted that neither men nor space vehicles would survive for long outside the protective blanket of the Earth’s atmosphere. It was thought that once in space they would be seriously damaged as a result of the incessant downpour of meteorites falling towards our planet at the rate of many millions every day. Even the first satellites showed that the danger from meteorites had been greatly overestimated by the pessimists, but although it has not happened yet, it is certain that one day a spacecraft will be badly damaged by a meteorite.The greatest single potential danger to life on Earth undoubtedly comes from outside our planet. Collision with another astronomical body of any size or with a ‘black hole’ could completely destroy the Earth almost instantly. Near misses of bodies larger than or comparable in size to our own planet could be equally disastrous tomankind as they might still result in total or partial disruption. If the velocity of impact were high, collision with even quite small extraterrestrial bodies might cause catastrophic damage to the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans and outer crust and thus produce results inimical to life as we know it. The probability of collision with a large astronomical body from outside our Solar System is extremely low, possibly less than once in the lifetime of an average star. We know, however, that our galaxy contains great interstellar dust clouds and some astronomers have suggested that there might also be immense streams of meteorite matter in space that the Solar system may occasionally encounter. Even if we disregard this possibility, our own Solar system itself contains a great number of small astronomical bodies, such as the minor planets or asteroids and the comets, some with eccentric orbits that occasionally bring them close to the Earth’s path.26. According to the writer, the Earth is being continuously bombarded by _________.（A）big bright stars from space（B）man-made space vehicles（C）great interstellar dust clouds（D）small high-speed pieces of rock from space27. The word “vaporised” （para.1）means _________.（A）turned from stones into missiles（B）turned from a fireball into black（C）turned from a solid into a gas（D）turned from meteors into shooting stars28. Why was it once thought that no spacecraft would survive for very long inspace?（A）People believed that spacecraft would be destroyed in a black hole.（B）People believed that spacecraft would be misguided by missiles.（C）People believed that spacecraft would be collided with a star.（D）People believed that spacecraft would be damaged by meteorites.29. What is the greatest danger to life on Earth?（A）Collision with small high-speed missiles.（B）Collision with an astronomical body.（C）Collision with stones from the sky.（D）Collision with spacecrafts.30. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?（A）Our galaxy contains great interstellar dust clouds.（B）Near misses of bodies smaller than our own planet could be disastrous.（C）The probability of collision with a large astronomical body is very high.（D）The chances of anyone actually being hit by missiles are very high.。

1998.9上海市英语中级口译资格证书第一阶段考试参考答案:SECTION1: LISTENING TESTPart A: Spot Dictation1. go on stage2. unkind thing3. restless and nervous4. superstitious people5. stage fright6. friends and colleagues7. wishing 8. it is hopes9. also consider 10. good luck11. from all directions 12. in the theatre13. at rehearsal 14. yellow15. traditional fears 16. 1artistic personality17. performing live 18. unstable profession19. lose his confidence 20. always expectPart B: Listening Comprehension1-5 C B D C D 6-10 C B C A C11-15 C C A D B 16-20 C D A B A21-25 C D B B A 26-30 C C A D APart C: Listening and TranslationⅠ.Sentence Translation1.公司正在考虑招聘额外工作人员以应付日益增长的需要。

2.那家超市经理，其背景我很熟悉，绝对/百分之百的诚实。

3.我承认/同意，它们很相似，但是假如你确实仔细观察的话，你会发现它们并不是一样的。

4.我认为应该迫使所有的教师到外部世界生活，而不是从教室走向大学，然后再回到教室。

5.社会学家发现很多妇女希望自己生来就是男人，据说这数字在发达国家高达百分之六十。

Ⅱ.Passage Translation1. “全包/一揽子/包办度假”越来越流行。

9月中级口译真题+参考答案(5)SECTION 3: TRANSLATION TEST （1）（30 minutes）Directions: Translate the following passage into Chinese and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.The culture of any society is usually thought to be of two kinds: material and nonmaterial. Material culture includes the man-made phenomena which have physical properties such as height, breadth, and weight. A boat, a machine, a house-all these objects are part of the material culture. The nonmaterial culture is that portion of the environment which surrounds man and which has an impact on his behavior but which lacks these material properties: values, beliefs, traditions, and all the other habits and ideas invented and acquired by man as a member of society.Contemporary sociological theory tends to assign primary importance to the nonmaterial culture in choosing problems for study. It assumes, for example, that boats, planes, automobiles, and so forth, are not nearly so important as the traditions we have developed which make their manufacture possible-indeed, which prescribe how we are to use them. The emphasis of contemporary sociology is to insist that the material culture would not exist had not the nonmaterial culture first been available to suggest the ideas which are embodied in the inventions of material culture.SECTION 4: TRANSLATION TEST （2）（30 minutes）Directions: Translate the following passage into English and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.进入耶鲁大学的校园，看到莘莘学子青春洋溢的脸庞，呼吸着书香浓郁的空气，我不由回想起40年前在北京清华大学度过的美好时光。

年9月中级口译考试真题,答案与解析Spot Dictation:We all have problems and barriers that block our progress or prevent us from moving into new areas. Our problems might include the fear of speaking in front of a group anxiety about math problemsor the reluctance to sound silly trying to speak a foreign language. It's natural to have problems and barriersbut sometimes they limit our experience so muchwe get bored with life. When that happensconsider the following three ways of dealing with the problem or barrier.One way is to pretend it doesn't exist. Avoid itdeny itand lie about it. It's like turning your head the other wayputting on a fake grinand saying"Seethere's really no problem at all. Everything is fine."In addition to looking foolishthis approach leaves the barrier intactand we keep bumping into it. Soa second approach is to fight the barrierto struggle against it. This usually makes the barrier grow. It increases the barrier's magnitude. A person who is obsessed with weight might constantly worry about being fat. He might struggle with it every daytrying diet after diet. And the more he strugglesthe bigger the problem gets.The third alternative is to love the barrier. Accept it. T otally experience it. Tell the truth about it. Describe it in detail.Applying this process is easier if you remember o ideas. First loving a problem is not necessarily the same as enjoying it. Love in this sense means total and unconditional acceptance. Secondunconditional acceptance is not the same as unconditional surrender. Accepting a problem is different than giving up or escaping from it. Ratherthis process involves escaping into the problemdiving into it headfirstand getting to know it in detail.Often the most effective solutions ewhen we face a problem squarelywith eyes wide openthen we can move through the probleminstead of around it. When you are willing to love your problemsyou drain them of much of their energy.【评析】本文选自Dave Ellis 的著作Being a Master Student其中的一个章节：Love your problems and experience your barriers，本文主要介绍了解决问题的三种办法，第一种是直接无视它，就当不存在；第二种是正视它，挑战它，第三种则是爱上困难，充分体验。

9月上海中级口译汉译英真题答案【原文】自古以来，我国各民族人民劳动、生息、繁衍在祖国的土地上，各民族组之间建立了紧密的政治经济文化联系，早在两千多年前就形成了幅员辽阔的统一国家。

悠久的中华文化，成为维系民族团结和国家统一的牢固纽带。

我们的先人历来把独立自主作为立国之本。

中国作为人类文明发祥地之一，在几千年的历史进程中，文化传统始终没有中断。

近代中国虽屡遭列强欺凌，国势衰败，但经过全民族的百年抗争，又以巨人的姿态重新站立起来。

【参考译文】From ancient times, our people of all ethnic groups have labored, lived, multiplied on this land, where closely-knitted political, economic and cultural links have been established. As early as two thousand years ago, we have built a unified nation with a vast territory. The long-standing Chinese cultures become a strong bond for ethnic harmony and national unity.Our ancestors were dedicated to the proposition of maintaining independence. As one of the cradles of human civilizations，China has all along maintained its cultural tradition without letup in the history of several thousand years. In modern times, the frequent bullying and humiliation by imperialist powers once weakened China. However, after a hundred year’s struggle of the entire Chinese nation, China has stood up again as a giant.。

9月中级口译考试答案解析(完整版)Spot DictationIn America there are no nobles or men of letters, and the common folk mistrust the wealthy; Consequently lawyers form the highest political class and the most cultivated circle of society. They have therefore nothing to gain by innovation, which adds a conservative interest to their natural taste for public order. If I were asked where I place the American aristocracy, I should reply without hesitation that it is not composed of the rich, who are united together by no common tie, but that it occupies the judicial bench and the bar.When I started researching this topic, I found an interesting website “Legal Reform Now”. As the name suggests, this website is devoted to legal reform and it is definitely concerned about the dominance of lawyers in American government. There I read an article by a political science professor from the university of Wisconsin. One observation the UW article confirms is that the legal profession is the dominant profession of the people re-elect to public office. For example, about half our representatives and two-thirds of our senators are lawyers. No other profession comes close to having the same the number of people in political office. Effectively, lawyers form our nation’s most powerful organized political constituency in America. Lawyers make our laws and lawyers interpret our laws. When judges are appointed, the American bar association is the only professional organization that is consulted to rate the fitness of potential judicial appointees. Our nation has been in existence for over 200 years and lawyers have been this nation’s aristocracy since its formation. Our system works, but do we really want to have a single profession in charge of our nation? Specifically, do we want to have the legal profession in charge? Next time youvote, that’s something to think about.评析：这篇文章是关于律师在美国的地位。

9月中级口译真题+参考答案(1)Part A: Spot DictationDirections: In this part of the test, you will hear a passage and read the same passage with blanks in it. Fill in each of the blanks with the word or words you have heard on the tape. Write your answer in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET. Remember you will hear the passage ONLY ONCE.British people are far more sophisticated about beverages than they were 50 years ago. Witness the Starbucks revolution and you’ll know where ___________ （1）goes. However, spurred on by recent studies suggesting that it can cut the risk of ___________ （2）and retard the aging process, tea is enjoying a ___________ （3）.Although tea is available in more places than ever, it remains to be _____________ （4）of a typical British family.If you are invited to an English home, _____________ （5）in the morning you get a cup of tea. It is either brought in by a heartily _____________ （6）or an almost malevolently silent maid. When you are _____________ （7）in your sweetest morning sleep you must not say: ‘Go away, you _____________ （8）.’ On the contrary, you have to declare with your best five o’clock smile: ‘Thank you very much. I _____________ （9）a cup of tea, especially in the morning.’ If they leave you alone with the liquid you may pour it _____________ （10）!Then you have ___________ （11）; then you have tea at 11 o’clock in the morning; _____________ （12）; then you have tea for tea; then after supper; and again at eleven o’clock _____________ （13）.You must not refuse any additional cups of tea under the _____________ （14）: if it is hot; if it is cold; if you are _____________ （15）; if you are nervous; if you arewatching TV; _____________ （16）; if you have just returned home; if you feel like it; if you do not feel like it; if you have had no tea ______________ （17）; if you have just had a cup.You definitely must not ______________ （18）. I sleep at five o’clock in the morning; I have coffee for breakfast; I drink innumerable _____________ （19）during the day; I have the _____________ （20）even at tea-time!Part B: Listening Comprehension1. StatementsDirections: In this part of the test, you will hear several short statements. These statements will be spoken ONLY ONCE, and you will not find them written on the paper; so you must listen carefully. When you hear a statement, read the answer choices and decide which one is closest in meaning to the statement you have heard. Then write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.1. （A）The program on Channel Eight reminds me of TV commercials.（B）The product advertised in the TV commercial cannot help cure my illness.（C）I don’t watch TV that much, because of the omnipresent advertis ements.（D）I have to sit on the sofa, because I am too sick to stand in front of the television.2. （A）The plane arrived at 7:30.（B）The plane arrived at 8:00.（C）The plane arrived at 9:00.（D）The plane arrived at 10:00.3. （A）I’ll ask someone else to read and check this agreement for errors.（B）I’ll think more about the agreement before making a decision.（C）It’s obvious that I’ll discuss the agreement with my assistant first.（D）It’s out of question that I shou ld get into any agreement with you.4. （A）The better members decided to cancel the meeting.（B）Less than half of the committee was away on business trips.（C）It’d be better if no one had attended this morning’s committee meeting……（D）The meeting was cancelled because of low attendance.5. （A）Supermarkets in the inner city and the suburbs are usually owned by the same company.（B）Products in grocery stores are more expensive than those in supermarkets.（C）There is a price difference for the same product even in shops run by the same company.（D）People prefer to shop in supermarkets, which are mostly located in the suburbs, with free parking space.6. （A）Many Americans cannot afford higher education because of the soaring college tuition fees and expenses.（B）Sending their children to college is no longer a bigger challenge for millions of Americans.（C）The American government has set the goal that it will eventually stop funding higher education institutions.（D）Nowadays, American parents have to pay more to send their children to college.7. （A）For many university graduates, the jobs they take will not be related to their academic achievements.（B）Because of economic recession, the number of university students majoring in liberal arts is declining.（C）University students who are interested in liberal arts will have more job opportunities upon graduation.（D）With high unemployment rate, many university students will have to opt for transferring to other majors.8. （A）Good business negotiators will never repeat what other people have already restated.（B）Restating by good business negotiators is not an effective way to check the information.（C）Good business negotiators are sometimes curious about other people’s restatements.（D）Restating what others have said is a good strategy for confirming understanding.9. （A）We cannot reach an agreement, let alone a spoken promise.（B）We’d better draft and then sign a written agreement.（C）We generally keep our promises in business transactions.（D）We hope you understand why we are unable to keep our promises.10. （A）I don’t think you have more to say on that topic.（B）I think we’d better talk about that in detail sometime later.（C）I am truly appreciative if you can elaborate on that topic after lunch.（D）I am busy right now, so we might as well discuss it over lunch today.2. Talks and ConversationsDirections: In this part of the test, you will hear several short talks andconversations After each of these, you will hear a few questions. Listen carefully because you will hear the talk or conversation and questions ONLY ONCE. When you hear a question, read the four choices and choose the best answer to that question. Then write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.Questions 11-1411. （A）Two （B）Three （C）Four （D）Five12. （A）A profit-making private school.（B）A non-profit-making independent school.（C）A state school that is funded by non-governmental sources.（D）A secondary school that is open to the majority of British students.13. （A）Many children are no longer placed in schools according to their academic abilities.（B）Many children can afford to study in private schools, as they become part of the state system.（C）Children from wealthy families no longer choose to go and study in public schools.（D）Cleverer children will be sent to the best private schools in the country for a better development.14. （A）Clever and less bright children will mix well with each other.（B）School authorities will receive more funds from the government.（C）Most students will do well in their entrance examination for the higher education.（D）Every child will have an equal opportunity to go on to higher education.。

年9月中级口译段落听译原文和答案Passage 1Man is closely connected to the environment. Our environment provides us with fresh air to breatheclean water to drinkand various vegetables to eat. Howeverour environment is faced with many dangers. It is seriously polluted by chemical wastes from factories and garbage in cities. Trees are being cut down. Large areas of forests are being destroyed. And various animals are being hunted and killed. As a resultmany kinds of plants and animals are disappearing from the earth.人与环境紧密相连。

我们的环境提供了新鲜的空气、干净的水和各种蔬菜，让我们呼吸、饮用。

但我们的环境却正在面临许多危险。

它被工厂的化学废物、城市里的垃圾所污染。

树木被砍伐、大片的森林被破坏、多种动物遭到猎杀。

由此，地球上许多种类的植物和动物，正在走向灭绝。

解析这一段难度较低，注意一下逻辑词，如Howeveras a result在笔记中迅速地使用符号记录下来。

出现了两次、占全文字数三分之一的并列平行结构也是文中的一大重点。

理解上不会造成障碍，关键是信息记录完整。

Passage 2In 1979trade beeen the United States and China stood at roughly $ 5 billion. Todayit tops over $ 400 billion each year. The merce affects our people’s life in so many ways. America imports from C hina many of the puter parts we usethe clothes we wear. And we export to China machinery that helps power your industry. This trade could create even more jobs on both sides of the Pacificwhile allowing our people to enjoy a better quality of life.1979年，美中贸易保持在50亿美元上下。

1999年答案与解析PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSIONSECTION A TALKAs we all know, when machines work they give off a lot of noise, and the no ise can sometimes be very unpleasant, or annoying. As a result, people have been trying to find ways to reduce noise. Although it may sound a bit strange to you all z one of the best ways to make machines quieter; in cars for example, may be to make them noisier. The source of this paradox is electronic ant卜noise which creates sound waves to can cel out unwan ted no ise, such as rattles, blare, etc. Now although the idea dates back to the 1930s, it's only recently that advances in computer tech no logy have made anti-noise a commercial possibility. Take Franc e for example. Here industry spends a fortune to get rid of noise. We all know how unpleasant it is. Both people working in factories and ordinary people at home enjoying their leisure can be affected by noise. Delicate machines are affected by noise as well・The government has passed a lot of regulations concerning acceptable levels of noise. Noise is costly to industry. In the first place, just following a single regulation can cost 1 to 2 billion US dollars in the textile industry, they say.Then secondly, of course, vibration can cause damage to machinery. Even very small vibrations can cause parts to wear out and equipment to fail. And naturally enoughy this gets added on to the price of the products. About $ to 15% of the price of a product comes from noise and vibration costs, it z s estimated.At present, methods used to dampen down noise and vibrations rely on techniques that are 30 or 40 years old. These usually involve wrapping the noisy or vibrati ng comp orient in anything from cott on to con crete. But this is ofte n expensive and inefficient.The moder n electronic anti・noise devices don't reduce sound. In stead, sound is used to attack sou nd. The trick is to hit these sound waves with other waves in a carefully con trolled way. It may not be possible to eliminate noise completely, but engineers can build systems to elimimate specific kinds of noise and vibration. The new systems can deal with repetitive noise. This unfortunately means that there is not much that can be done about one-off noise, like some one trying to lear n to play a trumpet. But they can handle fairly regular things like engine noise.A French company has developed a technique which uses a microphone and a microprocessor. The processor measures the sound and directs a speaker to broadcast sou nd waves that are out of phase with the engine no ise. The company claimed t hat it will make a car engine quieter, if not completely 100% silent. There are a number of other areas of application in the noisy, industrial environment of today. One system which the company is developing, aims to minimize the noise of aircraft engines and helicopter vibrations. Now anti・noise systems would be able to reduce noise in the cabin of an airplane to mere acceptable levels.Another area which affects ordinary households nowadays concerns the noise which electricity and gas suppliers create. The electricity companies spend a Io t of money each year, cutting the harm of transformers, trying to quiet the noise andmaintaining equipment that is constantly affected by vibration. If they can get rid of or eve n stop the vibrati ons, manufacturers can in crease product! on speeds・But, of course, people working in noisy workplaces are perhaps mere affected than anything by the effects of noise. Anti・noise can also create ''zones of quiet z, in noisy workplaces. To create such a zone，you do two things.First, microphones are suspended around the workplace. Then speakers that produce out-of-phase sound waves can then be put close to the worker under the desk o r the machine. A company working in this area has tested this system and says that it cuts noise levels enough for somebody in side the zone to hear a conversation from another part of the work place. Yet, this is only one-way; shouts from t he quiet zone could not be heard over the factory noise by those outside it, because the rest of the workplace remains noisy. This is one of the anti-noise measures experimented with today・If this proves to be feasible in many workplaces, rm sure it can con tribute to the reducti on of noise in factory workshops in the future.SECTION B INTERVIEWW: First of all z when do people start work in American offices?M: Right, well, the official work day starts at 9:00 am. This really means 9 o'clock -not ten past or half past nine.W: Would you say that people work very hard in offices in America?M: Well, I don't know about employees in your country. But some nations have a philosophy that you work when the ''boss" is around. And any time he's not there, one can relax by reading the newspaper or whatever one likes doing in a personel way.W: And things are different in the States, you're saying?M: Well, in America one is being paid for one's time. So employees are expected to find other work if their own desks are clear; or to help some one else with his or her work. But you n ever sit idle doing no thing.W: Yes, as the saying goes: 'Time is money.,zM: Exactly. Your employer u owns" your time while he is paying you for it. That is precisely what 'Time is money" means. And anyway the boss doesn't ask mo re of you than he is doing himself: he...he will probably work through the lunch hour himself and even take work home at night.W: Talking about lunch hours. What about them? Do you have to take them seriously? M: Oh, yes, sure, of course. An employee's lunch hour should he taken within t h e period allowed, unless you are officially discussing company business-say… en…on a business lunch. It's the same too with the end of the day. I mean, e r\ work until the day officially ends at five o'clock, unless you are in an off ice where "flextime" is the accepted practice.W: Oh, so you have the flextime system, do you? I wasn't sure about that.M: Oh yes, sure. Flexible working hours, that is, en•…starting or ending work earlier or later I... I know it z s still relatively new. However; there are mo r e and moreAmerica ns on the system today. Well, for the same reas ons as in Europe-to keep traffic and commuting problems down. And as more women now work it gives more family time.W: Er... could you say somethi ng about con tracts or hiring in America, please? M: Well, it's different in America from, say, European countries like Germany o r France, perhaps Japan, too. Pm not sure. I know that in some countries people relax once they have got a job, because they know that they will almost never be fired-unless they do something wrong.W: You mean that your employer can just fire you in America?M: No, no, no. There are, of course, legal protections in the US. So employees can not be unjustly fired without good reasons. Workers must do a good job, produce well, and get along with their colleagues-or they can be ''let go： as it is called. W: From one day to the next, you mean?M: Well, it z s rarely done without warning, but it is important to remember that in the US you are a member of a business firm and not a family. It makes a difference. W: I wonder; are the physical or external appearances of office life different from European offices?M: Well, I have heard people comme nt on the in formality found in America n offices. And this is certainly a little difficult for people who are more used to a hierarchical system, of course・ But there are some very formal offices, too, say, in... in big banks, law firms and major corporations. But in many establishment s with fewer employees the atmosphere is loose and easy with a lot of joking， and teasi ng, and wan dering in and out of offices among all levels of employees. W: Well, that sounds quite interesting. I think that's all I want to know really. Thank you very much. M: My pleasure.SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTNews Item l(For Question 11)President Clinton begins a 3-day campaign・styled trip to the western US later today to highlight his domestic agenda.White House spokesma n says crime, the most importa nt issue for America ns t his election year according to public opinion polls, will be a key theme of President Clinton's trips to California, Nevada and New Mexico. Mr. Clinton's presumptive Republican challenger; retiring Senator Bob Dole, has repeatedly disapproved of Mr. Clinton's record on fighti ng crime. The preside nt is expected to argue that his policies have helped make American communities safer places. Mr. Clint on will also attend a number of political fund-raising events during his visits to Califomia and Nevada.News Item 2(For Questions 12-13)Reports say Japan and the US have reached an agreement on their dispute over air-cargo transport rights in Asia.The agreement will mean that Washington and Tokyo will renegotiate a 1952Aviation Treaty which allowed American airlines to fly on from Tokyo to other pl aces in Asia but didn't allow Japanese airlines the same rights to fly on from America to other destinations. Tokyo has always said that the treaty was unfair and Japan has always wan ted it changed.According to the agreement，Japan will allow the American airline carrier Federal Express to fly on through Tokyo to 7 other destinations in Asia. Now Japan has always said it was happy to allow that, if the treaty was「enegotiated. It does seem very clear that Japan has come out of this one on top.This is certainly not the first dispute and it certainly won't be the last dispute, either. There are several outstanding areas of friction between Japan and the US. At the moment, they are negotiating about photographic film and photographic paper. It could take a year to resolve. But even where the two countries do reach agreement there is still room for argument. They reached this famous car agreement about a month ago. They are already bickering about it.News Item 3(For Questions 14-15)Scientists say they can tell what air and sea conditions were like hundreds of thousands of years ago. They say pieces of ice taken from Greenland provide such information.Scientists took the ice from more than one-and・a・half mile deep in huge masses of ice that float on the sea. That is the deepest scientists ever have drilled for ice. The ice represents 25,000 years of history. It provides one of the clearest records of ancient weather. European and American scientific teams have been studyi ng ice from the same area to con firm each other s findings. The scie ntists examine the ice that was formed each year. They measure the oxygen and carbon dioxide in the ice. These measurements tell about the year's temperature ・From these measurements, the scientific teams say that the past 10,000 years is the only period during which the weather has not changed very much. Before that time, they believe very large, sudden changes in the weather were comm on. The ice appears to show that at some periods, earth's weather changed from very hot to very cold in only ten years.SECTION D NOTE-TAKING AND GAP-FILLINGIt is common nowadays for companies and industries to sponsor big sports events. For example, many companies sponsored the 8th National Games held in Shanghai in 1997. Then, what exactly do companies and industries get out of spon sori ng big sports eve nts, such as in ter national games? And why n eed they do so?There is an obvious answer and a not so obvious one. The obvious answer is that they get known worldwide, particularly if they are the principal sponsor of an eve nt. This is especially importa nt when you con sider the number of coun tries around the world that might show the event on TV. The not so obvious answer is that sponsorship can help firms to save money.Then how can they save money in this way? Companies can claim expenditures on sponsorship or ''support to sport and the arts" against the amount of tax that they owe. So, if they are going to have to pay tax any way, why not spend the money on promoting their name or product?However, sponsorship is surely a very expensive business. So, how does one decide which events or activities to support? Companies spend a lot of time making sure that they have a perfect match between the products to be represented and the activity that needs sponsorship. Basically, companies have to make sure that the image is right and that the product gets maximum coverage through the event・ I mean, you wouldn't expect a company whose product has a young in ter national image to spon sor a sport that has a followi ng among older people. There are all sorts of reasons behind sponsorship. That's what the game's about for those who are trying to sell it.There are some important points to consider before agreeing to sponsor an eve nt. First and foremost, I suppose, is the popularity of the eve nt in go-betweer\ I mean. Events like the World Cup and the Olympics have businesses queuing up to offer sponsorship. There are the big media events: hours and hours of TV and satellite coverage guaranteed all over the world, as well as press coverage and the possibility of photographs that in some way advertise your product. Most eve nts are n't quite like that though. I suppose you've got the national games every four years in China. But most events appeal to only a limited proportion of the potential audience・tennis，for example. Most of the audienee there is young, so products for the young are the ones that you would associate with the event recently. Then how do you match up the product with the eve nt? The most important thing with the smaller eve nt is to identify the audienee it's going to appeal to in this instanee, tennis and young people. That should attract drinks manufactures, sports fashion designe「s, cosmetics producers, and so on. Then you look at the potential coverage in the media. It z s the sort of event that might attract Coca-Cola or Pepsi maybe even McDonalds.In sponsori ng sports events, it is not just the media coverage that matters. The importa nt questi on is whether the people who've either bee n to the eve nt or read about it in the press will be more likely to buy your product as a result. A lot of the advantages of investment in sponsorship are longer-term. People who have possibly read about or watched an eve nt on TV may not even be able to tell you who was spon sori ng the eve nt, yet will react favorably if asked to comme nt on products marketed by the spon sori ng compa ny. They have bee n conditioned in some way. Conditioning the mind is what advertising is about. Believe it or not, straight advertising is a far more expensive way of promoting your image than sponsorship, and what's more, sponsorship is mostly tax-free・ To sum up, today we have talked about sponsorship of sports events by companies: the reasons behind and a few related points. I hope this will help you gain some insight into the issue・PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSIONSECTION A TALK1.答案：C【问句译文】使机器噪咅小一些的技术如何？【试题分析】本题为细节区分题。

中级口译笔试试题及答案一、听力理解（共20分）1. 听下面一段对话，选择正确的答案。

A. 去图书馆B. 去电影院C. 去公园D. 去超市对话内容：（此处假设有一段对话内容）答案：C2. 听下面一段对话，选择正确的答案。

A. 他喜欢看书B. 他喜欢听音乐C. 他喜欢画画D. 他喜欢运动对话内容：（此处假设有一段对话内容）答案：A二、阅读理解（共30分）1. 阅读以下短文，选择正确的答案。

短文内容：（此处假设有一段短文内容）A. 短文主要讲述了...B. 短文主要讲述了...C. 短文主要讲述了...D. 短文主要讲述了...答案：B2. 阅读以下短文，选择正确的答案。

短文内容：（此处假设有一段短文内容）A. 短文主要讲述了...B. 短文主要讲述了...C. 短文主要讲述了...D. 短文主要讲述了...答案：D三、翻译（共30分）1. 将以下句子从英语翻译成中文。

英文：The weather is getting warmer, so I will take off my coat.中文：天气变暖了，所以我将脱掉我的外套。

答案：正确2. 将以下句子从中文翻译成英语。

中文：他每天早晨都会去公园跑步。

英文：He goes running in the park every morning.答案：正确四、写作（共20分）1. 根据以下提示写一篇短文。

提示：描述你最喜欢的季节，并解释为什么。

答案：（此处假设有一篇短文内容）评分标准：- 内容相关性：5分 - 语言准确性：5分 - 组织结构：5分 - 语法和拼写：5分总分：20分。