Part I Reading Comprehension (40 points)
Directions: There are 8 reading passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should choose the best one and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.
Passage 1
Electronics works as a slave on the sea-bed and in space; in marketing and on the moon; in hospitals and on the race track. And yet this revolution only began with the thermionic valve, developed after the Wright brothers first proved that heavier-than-air machines could fly. Radio was the first practical and commercial development, the second leap forward came in 1947 with the more mature semiconductor technology. Then came a new world of solid state devices on a miniature scale, offering unparalleled benefits of speed and cost.
Pre-transistor equipment is now viewed as crude and clumsy, yet it manages to produce such far-reaching techniques as radar. Computers made before the transistor were elementary, enormous and slow by modern standards. The revolution reached its peak in the late1950s, with the successful breakthrough into the world of micro-electronics. This is a new series of micro-miniature electronic devices in the solid state, offering almost limitless scope in designing and producing complete circuits on a tiny chip of silicon, not much bigger than a pin-head. However, the conventional technology of the day----based on the transistor----had been developed to quite a sophisticated level. Thus it was possible to fit essential electronics to earth satellites and space probes, to take the computer to a more advanced stage and to start an entirely new industry. Today micro-electronics stands as the foundation of the industry’s total fut ure, offering vast potentialities. The scene in the next century cannot be precisely predicted, but clearly the efforts of this industry will be aimed at making life easier. Advanced electronic control techniques will take the drudgery out of most work; the factory and office will largely be the arena of automation and even housework will be more a 112663904054.doc 第 1 页共 22
question of efficient programming, rather than of tedious chores.
This outlook poses some of the largest problems that this relatively young industry has had to face. Until recently, the electronics industry has been more concerned with developing the technology. Now many of the applications dictate the technology. Yesterday it was hard to imagine another breakthrough as important as the silicon integrated circuit----today we are entering a new world----the world of the microprocessor, just fifteen years after the industry came to adolescence.
1.How are the pre-transistor computers viewed now
a.Pre-transistor computers are now viewed as crude and clumsy.
b.Pre-transistor computers managed to produce far-reaching
techniques.
c.Pre-transistor computers are now viewed as elementary, enormous and
slow.
d.Pre-transistor computers are mow viewed as modern and advanced.
2.When did micro-electronics come into being
a.In1947.
b.In the late 1950s.
c.When a new world of solid state devices on a miniature scale came.
d.When computers were mad
e.
3.What are the different stages of the development of electronics
a.Thermionic valve----semicondutor ---- solid state
devices----microprocessor.
b.Solid state devices----micro-electronics----integrated circuit.
c.Thermionic valve----micro-electronics----integrated circuit.
d.Thermionic valve ----solid state devices----
micro-electronics----microprocessor.
4.What is the latest development of electronics
a.The world of the microprocessor.
b.The silicon integrated circuit.
c.The complete circuits on a tiny chip of silicon.
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d.Efficient programming.
5.What is the best title for the article
a.The Advanced Industry of Electronics.
b.The Role of the Electronics
c.Problems Posed by Electronics.
d.The Young Industry of Electronics.
Passage 2
Can a computer think Thai depends on what you mean by “think”. If solving a mathematical problem is “thinking”, then a computer can “think” and do so much faster than a man. Of course, most mathematical problems can be solved quite mechanically by repeating certain straightforward processes over and over again. Even the simple computers of today can be geared for that.
It is frequently said that computers solve problems only because they are “programmed” to do so. They can only do what men have them do. One must remember that human beings also can only do what they are “programmed” to do. Our genes “program” us the instant the fertilized ovum is formed, and our potentialities are limited by that “program”.
Our “program” is so much more enormously complex, though, that we might like to define “thinking” in terms of the creativity that goes into writing a great play or composing a great symphony, in conceiving a brilliant scientific theory or a profound ethical judgment. In that sense, computers certainly can’t think and neither can most humans.
Surely, though, if a computer can be made complex enough, it can be made as creative as we. If it could be as complex as a human brain, it could be the equivalent of a human brain and do whatever a human brain can do.
To suppose anything else is to suppose that there is more to the human brain than the matter that composes it. The brain is made up of cells in a certain arrangement and the cells are made up of atoms and molecules in certain arrangements. If anything else is there, no signs of it have ever been detected. To duplicate the material complexity of the brain is to duplicate everything about it.
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But how long will it take to build a computer complex enough to duplicate the human brain Perhaps not as long as some think. Long before we approach anything as complex as our brain, we will perhaps build a computer that is at least complex enough to design another computer more complex than itself. This more complex computer could design one still more complex and so on.
In other words, once we pass a certain critical point, the computers take over and there is a “complexity explosion”. In a very short time thereafter, computers may exist that not only duplicate the human brain----but far surpass it.
6.What is the best title for the passage
a.How to Duplicate Human Brains
b.Can a Computer Think
c.How Does a Computer Solve a Mathematical Problem
d.How Do Human Beings Think
7.What does the passage tell us about computers of today
a.Unlike human beings, they have to be programmed before they can do
anything.
b.They are as complex as humans.
c.They are the equivalents of human brains.
d.They can duplicate human brains.
8.In what sense does the writer think that humans are programmed
a.They are different from each other.
b.Our potentialities are limited by that “program”.
c.Their characteristics, powers, etc. are fixed before birth.
d.We should define “thinking” in terms of creativity.
9.What does the writer think about the human brain
a.It is a very complex arrangement of atoms and molecules in cells.
b.It is made up of cells in a certain arrangement.
c.It is more complex than computer, so it can do everything a computer
can do.
d.It is made up of atoms and molecules.
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10.As it is used in the second paragraph of the passage, what does the
word “ovum” mean
a. Cell
b. Molecules
c. Germ.
d. A female germ or sex cell.
Passage 3
In November 1965, New York was blacked out by an electricity failure. The authorities promised that it would not happen again. Pessimists were certain that it would occur within five years at the latest. In July 1977, there was a repeat performance which produced varying degrees of chaos throughout the city of eight million people. In 1965, the failure occurred in the cool autumn and at a time of comparative prosperity. In 1977, the disaster was much more serious because it came when unemployment was high and the city was suffering from one of its worst heat waves.
In 1965, there was little crime or looting during the darkness, and fewer than a hundred people were arrested. In 1977, hundreds of stores were broken into and looted. Looters smashed shop windows and helped themselves to jewelry, clothes or television sets. Nearly 4000 people were arrested but far more disappeared into the darkness of the night. The number of policemen available was quite inadequate and they wisely refrained from using their guns against mobs which far outnumbered them and included armed men.
Hospitals had to treat hundreds of people cut by glass from shop windows. Banks and most businesses remained closed the next day. The blackout started at 9:30 ., when lightning hit knocked out vital cables. Many stores were thus caught by surprise.
The vast majority of New Yorkers, however, were not involved in looting. They helped strangers, distributed candles and batteries, and tried to survive in a nightmare world without traffic lights, refrigerators, elevators, water and electrical power. For twenty-four hours, New York realized how helpless it was without electricity.
11.Look at the first paragraph, Who were right: the authorities or the
pessimists
552663904054.doc 第 5 页共 22
a. The authorities.
b. Both
c. The pessimists.
d.
Neither
12.In what way was the blackout of 1977 not really a repeat performance
a.There was much more disorder.
b.This time the electricity supply failed.
c.It was quite unexpecte
d.
d.It did not occur within five years of 1965.
13. What caused the blackout in July 1977
a.Excessive heat probably made people switch on too many electrical
appliances.
b.Because of unemployment, some machines were not in proper order.
c.During a storm, lighting damaged supply cables.
d.The passage does not mention the caus
e.
14. Why did many looters manage to escape
a.The police could not see them in the dark.
b.Many of the looters were armed with guns.
c.There were not enough policemen to catch them all.
d.They were hidden inside big buildings.
15. How long did the 1977 New York electricity failure last
a. A whole week.
b. Twenty-four hours.
c. Three days.
d. A whole night.
Passage 4
Petroleum products, such as gasoline, kerosene, home heating oil, residual fuel oil, and lubricating oils, come from one source----crude oil found below the earth’s surface, as well as under large bodes of water, from a few hundred feet below the surface to as deep as 25000 feet into the earth’s interior. Sometime crude oil is secured by drilling a hole through the earth, but more dry holes are drilled than those producing oil. Pressure at the source or pumping forces crude oil to the surface.
Crude oil wells flow at varying rates, from ten to thousands of barrels per hour. Petroleum products are always measured in 42-gallon barrels. 662663904054.doc 第 6 页共 22
Petroleum products vary greatly in physical appearance: thin or thick, transparent or opaque, but their chemical composition is made up of only two elements: carbon and hydrogen, which form compounds called hydrocarbons Other chemical elements found in union with the hydrocarbons are few and are classified as impurities. Trace elements are also found but these are of such minute quantities that they are disregarded. The combination of carbon and hydrogen forms many thousands of compounds which are possible because of the various positions and joinings of these two atoms in the hydrocarbon molecule.
The various petroleum products are refined from the crude oil by heating and condensing the vapors. These products are the so-called light oils, such as gasoline, kerosene, and distillate oil. The residue remaining after the light oils are distilled is known as heavy or residual fuel oil and is used mostly for burning under boilers. Additional complicated refining process rearrange the chemical structure of the hydrocarbons to produce other products, some of which are used to upgrade and increase the octane rating of various types of gasoline.
16. Which of the following is NOT true
a.Crude oil is found below land and water.
b.Crude oil is always found a few hundred feet below the surface.
c.Pumping and pressure force crude oil to the surface.
d. A variety of petroleum products is obtained from crude oil.
17. Many thousands of hydrocarbon compounds are possible because
a.the petroleum product vary greatly in physical appearance.
plicated refining processes rearrange the chemical structure.
c.the two atoms in the molecule assume many positions.
d.the pressure needed to force it to the surface causes molecular
transformation.
18. Which of the following is true
a.The various petroleum products are produced by filtration.
b.Heating and condensation produce the various products.
c.Chemical separation is used to produce the various products. 772663904054.doc 第 7 页共 22
d.Mechanical means such as the centrifuge are used to produce the various
products.
19. How is crude oil brought to surface
a.Expansion of the hydrocarbons.
b.Pressure and pumping.
c.Vacuum created in the drilling pipe.
d.Expa nsion and contraction of the earth’s surfac
e.
20. Which of the following is NOT listed as a light oil
a. Distillate oil.
b. Lubricating oil.
c. Gasoline.
d. Kerosen
e.
Passage 5
A new era is upon us. Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society. It translated to a fundamental change in the way we work. Already we’re partly there. The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more in many or these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breadth of the economic transformation can’t be measured by numbers alone, because it also is giving rise to a radical new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held notions about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers—all these are being changed.
We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the ways in which a single invention, the chip(集成电路), would transform our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots. Tomorrow’s achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes. But one thing is certain; information and knowledge will become even more vital, and the people who possess it, whether they work in 882663904054.doc 第 8 页共 22
manufacturing or services, will become even more vital, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to solve problems by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be above all else. If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information services will be predominant. It will be the way you do your job.
21. A characteristic of the information age is that ________.
a.the service industry is relying more and more on the female work force
b.manufacturing industries are steadily increasing
c.people find it harder to earn a living by working in factories
d.most of the job opportunities can now be found in service industry
22. One of the great changes brought about by the knowledge society is that
_______.
a.the difference between the employee and the employer has become
insignificant
b.people’s traditional concepts about work no longer hold true
c.most people have to take part-time jobs
d.people have to change their jobs from time to time
23. By referring to computers and other inventions, the author means to say
that _________.
a.people should be able to respond quickly to the advancement of
technology
b.future achievements in technology will bring about inconceivable
dramatic changes
c.the importance of high technology has been overlooked
puter science will play a leading role in the future information
services
24. The future will probably belong to those who ________.
a.possess and know how to make use of information
b.give full play to their brain potential
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c.involve themselves in service industries
d.cast their minds ahead instead of looking back
25. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage
puters and the Knowledge Society.
b.Service Industries in Modern Society.
c.Features and Implications of the New Era.
d.Rapid Advancement of Information Technology.
Passage 6
Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships. One strength of the human condition is our tendency to give and receive support from one another under stressful circumstances. Social support consists of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties. Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to cope with major life changes and daily hassles(困难). People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over a range of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, reveal that the presence of social support helps people fend off(挡开) illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely.
Social support cushions stress in a number of ways. First, friends, relatives, and co-workers may let us know that they value us. Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others despite our faults and difficulties. Second, other people often provide us with informational support. They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third, we typically find social companionship supportive. Engaging in leisure-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time to distract(转移……注意力) us from our worries and troubles. Finally, other people may give us instrumental support—financial aid, material resources, and needed services—that reduces stress by helping us resolve and cope with our problems.
26. Interpersonal relationships are important because ________. 10102663904054.doc 第 10 页共 22
a.they are indispensable to people’s social well-being
b.they awaken people’s desire to exchange resources
c.they help people to cope with life in the information era
d.they can cure a range of illnesses such as heart disease, etc.
27. Research shows that people’s physical and mental health _________.
a.relies on the social welfare systems which support them
b.has much to do with the amount of support they get from others
c.depends on their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles
d.is closely related to their strength for coping with major change sin
their lives
28. Which of the following is cl osest in meaning to the word “cushions”
a. Adds up to.
b. Does away with.
c. Lessens the effect of.
d. Lays the foundation for.
29. Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work is an example of ________.
a. instrumental support
b. informational support
c. social companionship
d. the strengthening of self-respect
30. Social companionship is beneficial in that _______.
a.it helps strengthen our ties with relatives
b.it enables us to eliminate our faults and mistakes
c.it make sour leisure-time activities more enjoyable
d.it draws our attention away from our worries and troubles
Passage 7
The temperature of the Sun is over 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface, but it rises to perhaps more than 16 million degrees at the center. The Sun is so much hotter than the Earth that matter can exist only as gas, except at the core. In the core of the Sun, the pressures are so great against the gases that, despite the high temperature, there may be a small solid core. However, no one really knows, since the center of the Sun can never be directly observed.
Solar astronomers do know that the Sun is divided into five layers or zones. Starting at the outside and going down into the Sun, the zones are the corona, 11112663904054.doc 第 11 页共 22
chromospheres, photosphere, convection zone, and finally the core. The first three zones are regarded as the Sun’s atmosphere. But since the Sun has no solid surface, it is hard to tell where the atmosphere ends and the main body of the Sun begins.
The Sun’s outermost layer be gins about 10,000 miles above the visible surface and goes outward for millions of miles. This is the only part of the Sun that can be seen during an eclipse such as the one in February 1979. At any other time, the corona can be seen only when special instruments are used on cameras and telescopes to shut out the glare of the Sun’s rays.
The corona is a brilliant, pearly white, filmy light, about as bright as the full Moon. Its beautiful rays are a sensational sight during an eclipse. The corona’s rays flas h out in a brilliant fan that has wispy spike like rays near the Sun’s north and south poles. The corona is thickest at the Sun’s equator.
The corona rays are made up of gases streaming outward at tremendous speeds and reaching a temperature of more than 2 million degrees Fahrenheit. The rays of gas thin out as they reach the space around the planets. By the time the Sun’s corona rays reach the Earth, they are weak and invisible.
31. All of the following are parts of the Sun’s atmosphere EXCEPT the
________.
a. corona
b. chromospheres
c. photosphere
d. core
32. It can be inferred from the passage that a clear view of the Sun’s outer
layer is usually prevented by ______.
a. the Sun’s rays
b. an eclipse
c. lack of light
d. the great distance
33. With what topic is the second paragraph mainly concerned
a.How the Sun evolves.
b.The structure of the Sun.
c.Why scientists study the Sun.
d.The distance of the Sun from the planets.
34. According to the passage, as the corona rays reach the planets, they become 12122663904054.doc 第 12 页共 22
________.
a. hotter
b. clearer
c. thinner
d. stronger
35. The paragraphs following the passage most likely discuss which of
the following
a.The remaining layers of the Sun.
b.The evolution of the Sun to its present form.
c.The eclipse of February 1979.
d.The scientists who study astronomy.
Passage 8
The concept of “environment” is certainly difficult and may even be misunderstood; but we have no handy substitute. It seems simple enough to distinguish between the organism and the surrounding environment and to separate forces acting on an organism into those that are internal and biological and those that are external and environmental. But in actual practice this system breaks down in may ways, because the organism and the environment are constantly interacting so that the environment is modified by the organism and vice versa(反之亦然).
In the case of man, the difficulties with the environmental concept are even more complicated because we have to deal with man as an animal and with man as a bearer(持有者) of culture. If we look at man as an animal and try to analyze the environmental forces that are acting on the organism, we find that we have to deal with things like climate, soil, plants, and such-like factors common to all biological situations; but we also find, always, very important environmental influences that we can only class as “cultural”, which modify the physical and biological factors. But man, as we know him, is always a bearer of culture; and if we study human culture, we find that it, in turn, is modified by the environmental factors of climate and geography. We thus easily get into great difficulties from the necessity of viewing culture, at one moment, as a part of the man and, at another moment, as a part of the environment.
36. Which of the following words can best describe the popular understanding 13132663904054.doc 第 13 页共 22
of “environment” as the author sees it
a. Elaborate.
b. Prejudiced.
c. Faultless.
d. Oversimplified.
37. According to the author the concept of “environment” is difficult to
explain because _______.
a.it doesn’t distinguish between the organism and the environment
b.it involves both internal and external forces
c.the organism and the environment influence each other
d.the relationship between the organism and environment is unclear
38. In analyzing the environmental forces acting on man the author suggests
that __________.
a.biological factors are less important to the organism than cultural
factors to man
b.man and other animals are modified equally by the environmental forces
c.man is modified by the cultural environment as well as by the natural
environment
d.physical and biological factors exert more influence on other organism
than on man
39. As for culture, the author points out that _______.
a.it develops side by side with environmental factors
b.it is also affected by environment
c.it is generally accepted to be part of the environment
d.it is a product of man’s biological instincts
40. In this passage, the author is primarily concerned with _________.
a.the interpretation of the term “environment”
b.the discussion of the organism and biological environment
c.the comparison between internal and external factors influencing man
d.the evaluation of man’s influence on culture
Part II Cloze (20 points )
Directions: There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should choose the One that best 14142663904054.doc 第 14 页共 22
fits into the passage. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
During recent years we have heard much about “race”: how this race does certain things and that race believes certain things and so on. Yet, the __41__ phenomenon of race consists of a few surface indications.
We judge race usually __42__ the coloring of the skin: a white race, a brown race, a yellow race and a black race. But __43__ you were to remove the skin you could not __44__ anything about the race to which the individual belonged. There is __45__ in physical structure. The brain or the internal organs to __46__ a difference.
There are four types of blood. __47__ types are found in every race, and n o type is distinct to any race. Human brains are the __48__. No scientists could examine a brain and told you the race to which the individual belonged. Brains will __49__ in size, but this occurs within every race. __50__ does size have anything to do with intelligence. The largest brain __51__ examined belonged to a person of weak __52__. On the other hand, some of our most distinguished people have had __53__ brains.
Mental tests which are reasonably __54__ show no differences in intelligence between races. High and low test results both can be recorded by different members of any race. __55__ equal educational advantages, there will be no difference in average standings, either on account of race or geographical location.
Individuals of every race __56__ civilization to go backward or forward. Training and education can change the response of a group of people, __57__ enable them to behave in a __58__ way.
The behavior and ideas of people change according to circumstances, but they can always go back or go on to something new __59__ is better and higher than anything __60__ the past.
41. a. complete b. full c. total d. whole
42. a. in b. from c. at d. on
43. a. since b. if c. as d. while 15152663904054.doc 第 15 页共 22。
