希腊语翻译-唇印
99年英语专业八级考试真题
Part Ⅰ Listening Comprehension (40 min)
In Sections A, B and C you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer
the questions that follow. Mark the correct response to each question on your Coloured Answer
Sheet.
SECTION A TALK
Questions 1 to 5 refer to the talk in this section. At the end of the talk you w ill be given 15
seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now list en to the talk.
1. The technology to make machines quieter ___.
A. has been in use since the 1930’s
B. has accelerated industrial production
C. has just been in commercial use
D. has been invented to remove all noises
2. The modern electronic anti-noise devices ___.
A. are an update version of the traditional methods
B. share similarities with the traditional methods
C. are as inefficient as the traditional methods
D. are based on an entirely new working principle
3. The French company is working on anti-noise techniques to be used in a ll EXCEPT ___.
A. streets B. factories C. aircraft D. cars
4. According to the talk, workers in “zones of quiet” can ___.
A. be more affected by noise
B. hear talk from outside the zone
C. work more efficiently
D. be heard outside the zone
5. The main theme of the talk is about ___.
A. noise-control technology
B. noise in factories
C. noise-control regulations
D. noise-related effects
SECTION B INTERVIEW
Questions 6 to 10 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you wil l be given 15
seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the interview.
6. Employees in the US are paid for their time. This means that they are supposed to ___.
A. work hard while their boss is around
B. come to work when there is work to be done
C. work with initiative and willingness
D. work through their lunch break
7. One of the advantages of flexible working hours is that ___.
A. pressure from work can be reduced
B. working women can have more time at home
C. traffic and commuting problems can be solved
D. personal relationships in offices can be improved
8. On the issue of working contracts in the US, which statement is NOT co rrect?
A. Performance at work matters more than anything else.
B. There are laws protecting employees’ working rights.
C. Good reasons must be provided in order to fire workers.
D. Working contracts in the US are mostly short-term ones.
9. We can be assumed from the interview that an informal atmosphere might be found in ___.
A. small firms B. major banks C. big corporations D. law offices
10. The interview is mainly about ___ in the USA.
A. office hierarchies B. office conditions C. office roles D. office life
SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
Question 11 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you wil l be given 15
seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.
11. Senator Bob Dole’s attitude towards Clinton’s anti-crime policy is that of ___.
A. opposition B. support C. ambiguity D . indifference
Questions 12 and 13 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item , you will be
given 30 seconds to answer the questions . Now listen to the news.
12. Japan and the United States are now ___.
A. negotiating about photographic material
B. negotiating an automobile agreement
C. facing serious problems in trade
D. on the verge of a large-scale trade war
13. The news item seems to indicate that the agreement ___.
A. will end all other related trade conflicts
B. is unlikely to solve the dispute once and for all
C. is linked to other trade agreements
D. is the last of its kind to be reached
Questions 14 and 15 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be
given 30 seconds to answer the questions . Now listen to the news.
14. According to the news, the ice from Greenland provides information ab out ___.
A. oxygen B. ancient weather C. carbon dioxide D. temperature
15. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?
A. Drastic changes in the weather have been common since ancient times.
B. The change in weather from very cold to very hot lasted over a century.
C. The scientists have been studying ice to forecast weather in the future.
D. The past 10,000 years have seen minor changes in the weather.
SECTION D NOTE-TAKING AND GAP-FILLING
Fill in each of the gaps with ONE word. You may refer to your notes. Make sure the word you fill
in is both grammatically and semantically acceptable.
At present companies and industries like to sponsor sports events. Two reasons are put forward to
explain this phenomenon. The first reason is that they get (1)___ throughout the world. 1.___
The second reason is that companies and industries(2)___ money, 2.___ as they get reductions
in the tax they owe if they sponsor sports or arts activities.
As sponsorship is (3)___, careful thinking is required in deciding 3.___ which events to
sponsor.
It is important that the event to be sponsored(4)___ the product(s) 4.___ to be promoted. That
is, the right(5)___ and maximum product coverage 5.___ must be guaranteed in the event.
Points to be considered in sports sponsorship. Popularity of the event
International sports events are big(6)___ events, which get extensive 6.___ coverage on TV
and in the press.
Smaller events attract fewer people. Identification of the potential audience
Aiming at the right audience is most important for smaller events.
The right audience would attract manufacturers of other related products like(7)___ , etc. 7.___
Advantages of sponsorship
Advantages are longer-term.
People are expected to respond (8)___ to the products promoted. 8.___ And be more likely to
buy them.
Advertising is (9)___ the mind. 9.___
Sponsorship is better than straight advertising: a)less(10) ___ 10.___
b)tax-free
改错
Part Ⅱ Proofreading and Error Correction (15 min)
The following passage contains TEN errors. Each line contains a maximum of ONE error. In each
case, only ONE word is involved. You should proofread the passage and correct it in the following
way. For a wrong word, underline the wrong word and wri te the correct one in the blank
provided at the end of the line. For a missing word, mark the position of the missing word with
a “∧” sign and write the word you believe to be missing in the blank provided at the end of the
line. For an unnecessary word cross out the unnecessary word with a slash “/’ and put the word
in the blank provided at the end of the line.
Example
When∧art museum wants a new exhibit, (1) an
it never／ buys things in finished form and hangs (2) never
them on the wall. When a natural history museum
wants an exhibition, it must often build it. (3) exhibit
The hunter-gatherer tribes that today live as our prehistoric 1.___
human ancestors consume primarily a vegetable diet supplementing 2.___
with animal foods. An analysis of 58 societies of modem hunter-
gatherers, including the Kung of southern Africa, revealed that one
half emphasize gathering plant foods, one-third concentrate on fishing
and only one-sixth are primarily hunters. Overall, two-thirds
and more of the hunter-gatherer’s calories come from plants. Detailed 3.___
studies of the Kung by the food scientists at the University of
London, showed that gathering is a more productive source of food
than is hunting. An hour of hunting yields in average about 100 4.___
edible calories, as an hour of gathering produces 240. 5.___
Plant foods provide for 60 percent to 80 percent of the Kung 6.___
diet, and no one goes hungry when the hunt fails. Interestingly, if
they escape fatal infections or accidents, these contemporary
aborigines live to old ages despite of the absence of medical care. 7.___
They experience no obesity, no middle-aged spread, little dental
decay, no high blood pressure, on heart disease, and their blood
cholesterol levels are very low( about half of the average American 8.___
adult), if no one is suggesting what we return to an aboriginal life 9.___
style, we certainly could use their eating habits as a model for 10.___
healthier diet.
阅读 A
Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (40 min)
SECTION A READING COMPREHENSION (30 min )
In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of fifteen m ultiple- choice
questions. Read the passages carefully and then mark your answers on your Coloured Answer
Sheet.
TEXT A
Ricci’s “Operation Columbus”
Ricci, 45, is now striking out on perhaps his boldest venture yet. He plan s to market an English
language edition of his elegant monthly art magazine, FMR , in the United States. Once again the
skeptice are murmuring that the successfu l Ricci has headed for a big fall. And once again Ricci
intends to prove them wr ong.
Ricci is so confident that he has christened his quest “Operation Columbu s ” and has set his sights
on discovering an American readership of 300,000. That goal may not be too far-fetched. The
Italian edition of FMR — the initials, of course, stand for Franco Maria Ricci-is only 18 months
old. But it is already the second largest art magazine in the world, with a circulation of 65,000 and
a profit margin of US $$ 500,000. The American edition will be patterned after th e Italian version,
with each 160-page issue carrying only 40 pages of ads and no more than five articles. But the
contents will often differ. The English-langua ge edition will include more American works, Ricci
says, to help Americans get o ver “an inferiority complex about their art.” He also hopes that the
magazine will become a vehicle for a two -way cultural exchange — what he likes to think of as a
marriage of brains, culture and taste from both sides of the Atlantic.
To realize this vision, Ricci is mounting one of the most lavish, enterpris ing — and
expensive-promotional campaigns in magazine — publishing history. Between November and
January, eight jumbo jets will fly 8 million copies of a sample 16-page edition of FMR across the
Atlantic. From a warehouse in Michigan, 6.5 million copies will be mailed to American
subscribers of various cultural, art and business magazines. Some of the remaining copies will
circulate as a spe cial Sunday supplement in the New York Times. The cost of launching Operation
Co lumbus is a staggering US $$ 5 million, but Ricci is hoping that 60% of the price tag will be
financed by Italian corporations.“ To land in America Columbus had to use Spanish sponsors,”
reads one sentence in his promotional pamphlet. “We would like Italians.”
Like Columbus, Ricci cannot know what his reception will be on foreign shor es. In Italy he
gambled — and won — on a simple concept: it is more important to show art than to write about it.
Hence, one issue of FMR might feature 32 fu ll-colour pages of 17th-century tapestries, followed
by 14 pages of outrageous e yeglasses. He is gambling that the concept is exportable. “I don’t
expect that more than 30% of my reader... will actually read FMR,” he says. “The magazine is
such a visual delight that they don’t have to.” Still, he is lining up an impr es sive stable of writers
and professors for the American edition , including Noam Chomsky, Anthony Burgess, Eric Jong
and Norman Mailer. In addition, he seems to be pursuing his won eclectic vision without giving a
moment’s thought to such e s tablished competitors as Connosisseur and Horizon. “The
Americans can do almost everything better than we can,” says Rieci, “But we(the Italians)have
a 2,000 year edge on them in art.”
16. Ricci intends his American edition of FMR to carry more American art works in order to___.
A. boost Americans’ confidence in their art
B. follow the pattern set by his Italian edition
C. help Italians understand American art better
D. expand the readership of his magazine
17. Ricci is compared to Columbus in the passage mainly because___.
A. they both benefited from Italian sponsors
B. they were explorers in their own ways
C. they obtained overseas sponsorship
D. they got a warm reception in America
18. We get the impression that the American edition of FMR will probably ___.
A. carry many academic articles of high standard
B. follow the style of some famous existing magazines
C. be mad by one third of American magazine readers
D. pursue a distinctive editorial style of its own
TEXT B
My mother’s relations were very different from the Mitfords. Her brother, Uncle Geoff, who
often came to stay at Swimbrook, was a small spare man with th oughtful blue eyes and a rather
silent manner. Compared to Uncle Tommy, he was a n intellectual of the highest order, and indeed
his satirical pen belied his mil d demeanor. He spent most of his waking hours composing letters
to The Times and other publications in which he outlined his own particular theory of the develo
pment of English history. In Uncle Geoff’s view, the greatness of England had r isen and waned
over the centuries in direct proportion to the use of natural man ure in fertilizing the soil. The
Black Death of 1348 was caused by gradual loss of the humus fertility found under forest trees.
The rise of the Elizabethans tw o centuries later was attributable to the widespread use of sheep
manure.
Many of Uncle Geoff’s letters-to-the-editor have fortunately been preserv ed in a privately printed
volume called Writings of a Rebel. Of the collection, one letter best sums up his views on the
relationship between manure and freedom
. He wrote:
Collating old records shows that our greatness rises and falls with the li ving fertility of our soil.
And now, many years of exhausted and chemically murd ered soil, and of devitalized food from it,
has softened our bodies and still wo rse, softened our national character. It is an actual fact that
character is lar gely a product of the soil. Many years of murdered food from deadened soil has m
ade us too tame. Chemicals have had their poisonous day. It is now the worm’s t urn to reform the
manhood of England. The only way to regain our punch, our char acter, our lost virtues, and with
them the freedom natural to islanders, is to c o mpost our land so as to allow moulds, bacteria and
earthworms to remake living s oil to nourish Englishmen’s bodies and spirits.
The law requiring pasteurization of milk in England was a particular targe t of Uncle Geoff’s.
Fond of alliteration, he dubbed it “Murdered Milk Measure ”, and established the Liberty
Restoration League, with headquarters at his house i n London, for the specific purpose of
organizing a counteroffensive. “Freedom n o t Doctordom” was the League’s proud slogan. A
subsidiary, but nevertheless imp or tant, activity of the League was advocacy of a return to the
“unsplit, slowly s m oked fish” and bread made with “English stone-ground flour, yeast, milk, sea
s alt and raw cane-sugar.”
19. According to Uncle Geoff, national strength could only be regained by ___.
A. reforming the manhood of England
B. using natural manure as fertilizer
C. eating more bacteria-free food
D. granting more freedom to Englishmen
20. The tone of the passage can most probably be described as___.
A. facetious B. serious C. nostal gic D. factual
TEXT C
Interview
So what have they taught you at college about interviews? Some courses go t o town on it, others
do very little. You may get conflicting advice. Only one th ing is certain: the key to success is
preparation.
There follow some useful suggestions from a teacher training course co-ordi nator, a head of
department and a headteacher. As they appear to be in complete harmony with one another despite
never having met, we may take their advice seri ously.
Oxford Brookes University’s approach to the business of application and in t erview focuses on
research and rehearsal. Training course co-ordinator Brenda St evens speaks of the value of getting
students “to deconstruct the advertisement , see what they can offer to that school, and that
situation, and then write the letter, do their CVs and criticize each other’s.” Finally, they role play
inte rviewer and interviewee.
This is sterling stuff, and Brookes students spend a couple of weeks on it. “The better prepared
students won’t be thrown by nerves on the day, ”says Ms St evens. “They’ll have their strategies
and questions worked out. ” She also sa ys, a trifle disconcertingly, “the better the student, the
worse the interviewee. ” She believes the most capable students are less able to put themselves
forward. Even if this were tree, says Ms Stevens, you must still make your own case.
“Beware of infernality,” she advises. One aspirant teacher, now a head of d epartment at a smart
secondary school, failed his first job interview because he took his jacket off while waiting for his
appointment. It was hot and everyone in the staffroom was in shirtsleeves but at the end of the day
they criticized h is casual attitude, which they had deduced from the fact that he took his jacket off
in the staffroom, even though he put it back on for the interview.
Incidentally, men really do have to wear a suit to the interview and women really cannot wear
jeans, even if men never wear the suit again and women teach most days in jeans. Panels respond
instantly to these indicators. But beware: it will not please them any better if you are too smart.
Find out about the people who will talk to you. In the early meetings they are likely to be heads of
departments or heads of year. Often they may be concer ned with pastoral matters. It makes sense
to know their priorities and let them hear the things about you that they want to hear.
During preliminary meetings you may be seen in groups with two or three oth er applicants and
you must demonstrate that you know your stuff without putting your companions down. The
interviewers will be watching how you work with a team
. But remember the warning about informality: however friendly and co-operat ive the other
participants are, do not give way to the idea that you are there j ust to be friends.
Routine questions can be rehearsed, but “don’t go on too long,” advises th e department head.
They may well ask: “What have been your worst/best moments w h en teaching?”, or want you to
“talk about some good teaching you have done. ” The experts agree you should recognize your
weaknesses and offer a strategy for over coming them. “I know I’ve got to work on classroom
management — I would hope fo r some help,” perhaps. No one expects a new teacher to know it
all, but they ho pe for an objective appraisal of capabilities.
Be warned against inexpert questioning. You may be asked questions in such a way that it seems
impossible to present your best features. Some questions may be plain silly, asked perhaps by
people on the panel who are from outside the s ituation. Do not be thrown, have ways of
circumnavigating it, and never, ever le t them see that you think they have said something foolish.
You will almost certainly be asked how you see the future and it is import ant to have a good
answer prepared. Some people are put off by being asked what they expect to be doing in five or
ten years’ time. On your preliminary visit, s ays the department head, be sure to give them a bit of
an interview of your own, to see the direction the department is going and what you could
contribute to i t.
The headteacher offers his thoughts in a nine-point plan. Iron the application form! Then it stands
out from everyone else’s, which have been folded and battered in the post. It gives an initial
impression which may get your application to the top of the pile. Ensure that your application
is tailored to the particular school. Make the hea d feel you are writing directly to him or her. Put
yourself at ease before you meet the interviewing panel: if you are nervous , you will talk too
quickly. Before you enter the room remember that the people are human beings too; take away the
mystique of their roles. Listen. There is a danger of not hearing accurately what is being said.
Make ey e contact with the speakers, and with everyone in the room. Allow your warmth and
humanity to be seen. A sense of humour is very important.
Have a portfolio of your work that can link theory to practice. Many schools wa nt you to
show work. For a primary appointment, give examples from the range of the curriculum, not just
art. (For this reason, taking pictures on your teaching practice is important. ) Prepare yourself
in case you are asked to give a talk. Have prompt cards ready, and don’t waffle.
Your speech must be clear and articulate, with correct grammar. This is importa nt: they want to
hear you and they want to hear how well you can communicate wit h children. Believe in yourself
and have confidence.
Some of the people asking the questions don’t know much about what you do. B e ready to help
them.
Thus armed, you should have no difficulty at all. Good luck and keep your jac ket on!
21. Ms. Brenda Stevens suggests that before applying job applicants shoul d ___.
A. go through each other’s CVs
B. rehearse their answers to questions
C. understand thoroughly the situations
D. go to town to attend training course
22. Is it wise to admit some of your weaknesses relating to work?
A. Yes, but you should have ideas for improvement in the future.
B. Yes, because it is natural to be weak in certain aspects.
C. No, admitting weaknesses may put you at a disadvantage.
D. No, it will only prompt the interviewees to reject you.
23. The best way to deal with odd questions from the interviewers is to ___.
A. remain smiling and kindly point out the inaccuracies
B. keep calm and try to be tactful in your answers
C. say frankly what you think about the issues raised
D. suggest something else to get over your nervousness
24. The suggestions offered by the headteacher are ___.
A. original B. ambiguousC. practical D. co ntroversial
TEXT D
Family Matters
This month Singapore passed a bill that would give legal teeth to the moral obligation to support
one’s parents. Called the Maintenance of Parents Bill, i t received the backing of the Singapore
Government.
That does not mean it hasn’t generated discussion. Several members of the P arliament opposed
the measure as un-Asian. Others who acknowledged the problem o f the elderly poor believed it a
disproportionate response. Still others believe it will subvert relations within the family: cynics
dubbed it the “Sue Your So n” law.
Those who say that the bill does not promote filial responsibility, of cour se, are right. It has
nothing to do with filial responsibility. It kicks in wher e filial responsibility fails. The law cannot
legislate filial responsibility an y more than it can legislate love. All the law can do is to provide a
safety net where this morality proves insufficient. Singapore needs this bill not to repla ce morality,
but to provide incentives to shore it up.
Like many other developed nations, Singapore faces the problems of an incre asing proportion of
people over 60 years of age. Demography is inexorable. In 19 80, 7.2% of the population was in
this bracket. By the end of the century that fi gure will grow to 11%. By 2030, the proportion is
projected to be 26%. The probl em is not old age per se. It is that the ratio of economically active
people to economically inactive people will decline.
But no amount of government exhortation or paternalism will completely elim inate the problem
of old people who have insufficient means to make ends meet. S ome people will fall through the
holes in any safety net.
Traditionally, a person’s insurance against poverty in his old age was his family, lifts is not a
revolutionary concept. Nor is it uniquely Asian. Care an d support for one’s parents is a universal
value shared by all civilized societ ies.
The problem in Singapore is that the moral obligation to look after one’s parents is unenforceable.
A father can be compelled by law to maintain his child ren. A husband can be forced to support his
wife. But, until now, a son or daugh ter had no legal obligation to support his or her parents.
In 1989, an Advisory Council was set up to look into the problems of the ag ed. Its report stated
with a tinge of complacency that 95% of those who did not have their own income were receiving
cash contributions from relations. But what about the 5% who aren’t getting relatives’ support?
They have several options : (a) get a job and work until they die; (b) apply for public
assistance(you hav e to be destitute to apply); or(c) starve quietly. None of these options is soci
ally acceptable. And what if this 5% figure grows, as it is likely to do, as soc iety ages?
The Maintenance of Parents Bill was put forth to encourage the traditional virtues that have so far
kept Asian nations from some of the breakdowns encounte red in other affluent societies. This
legislation will allow a person to apply t o the court for maintenance from any or all of his
children. The court would hav e the discretion to refuse to make an order if it is unjust.
Those who deride the proposal for opening up the courts to family lawsuits miss the point. Only in
extreme cases would any parent take his child to court. If it does indeed become law, the bill’s
effect would be far more subtle.
First, it will reaffirm the notion that it is each individual’s—not soci ety’s—responsibility to look
after his parents. Singapore is still conservativ e enough that most people will not object to this
idea. It reinforces the tradit ional values and it doesn’t hurt a society now and then to remind itself
of its core values.
Second, and more important, it will make those who are inclined to shirk th eir responsibilities
think twice. Until now, if a person asked family elders, cl ergymen or the Ministry of Community
Development to help get financial support f rom his children, the most they could do was to
mediate. But mediators have no t eeth, and a child could simply ignore their pleas.
But to be sued by one’s parents would be a massive loss of face. It would be a public disgrace.
Few people would be so thick-skinned as to say, “Sue and be damned”. The hand of the conciliator
would be immeasurably strengthened. It is far more likely that some sort of amicable settlement
would be reached if th e recalcitrant son or daughter knows that the alternative is a public trial.
It would be nice to think Singapore doesn’t need this kind of law. But th at belief ignores the clear
demographic trends and the effect of affluence itsel f on traditional bends. Those of us who pushed
for the bill will consider ourselv es most successful if it acts as an incentive not to have it invoked
in the firs t place.
25. The Maintenance of Parents Bill ___.
A. received unanimous support in the Singapore Parliament
B. was believed to solve all the problems of the elderly poor
C. was intended to substitute for traditional values in Singapore
D. was passed to make the young more responsible to the old
26. By quoting the growing percentage points of the aged in the populatio n, the author seems to
imply that ___.
A. the country will face mounting problems of the old in future
B. the social welfare system would be under great pressure
C. young people should be given more moral education
D. the old should be provided with means of livelihood
27. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?
A. Filial responsibility in Singapore is enforced by law.
B. Fathers have legal obligations to look after their children.
C. It is an acceptable practice for the old to continue working.
D. The Advisory Council was dissatisfied with the problems of the old.
28. The author seems to suggest that traditional values ___.
A. play an insignificant role in solving social problems
B. are helpful to the elderly when they sue their children
C. are very important in preserving Asian uniqueness
D. are significant in helping the Bill get approved
29. The author thinks that if the Bill becomes law, its effect would be ___.
A. indirect B. unnoticed C. apparent D. straightforward
30. At the end of the passage, the author seems to imply that success of the Bill depends upon ___.
A. strict enforcement B. public support C. government assurance D. filial awareness
阅读 B
SECTION B SKIMMING AND SCANNING (10 min)
In this section there are seven passages with ten multiple-choice questions. Ski m or scan them as
required and then mark your answers on your Coloured Answer Sheet.
TEXT E
First read the question.
31. The primary purpose of the letter is to ___.
A. illustrate the World Bank’s efforts in poverty-relief programmes
B. call for further efforts by nations in sustainable development
C. provide evidence for the World Bank’s aid to the private sectors
D. clear up some misunderstanding about the World Bank
Now go through TEXT E quickly to answer question 31.
August 18th 199
Dear Sir,
In your July 28th article you noted that the Bank’s own internal analysis r ated one third of the
projects completed in 1991 as unsatisfactory. But that sta tement fails to take account of the
Bank’s criteria for ‘success’, which are exc eptionally strict. For instance, before a project can be
considered successful, it must have at least a 10% rate of return. This rate is far higher than the
min imum demanded by many bilateral aid donors, many of which require a return of on ly 5% or
6%. Thus, projects rated unsatisfactory under the Bank’s standards sti ll yield many benefits.
You imply that, because it deals mainly with governments, the Bank does not sufficiently support
private sector development. Here are the facts. The World
Bank has:
supported reforms in mere than 80 countries aimed at opening up trade, making p rices realistic
and dismantling state monopolies which stifle individual enterpr ise nvested in infrastructure to
facilitate business activity; assisted and advised over 200 privatization-related operations
involving nearly US $$ 25 billion in loans; provided mere than US $$ 12 billion through an
affiliate, the International Fina nce Corp. over the last 30 years to mere than 1,000 private
companies in the dev eloping world; and through another affiliate, the Multi lateral Investment
Guara ntee Agency, offered insurance against non- commercial risk to encourage foreign
investment in poor countries.
The record shows that, over the past generation, more progress has been mad e in reducing
poverty and raising living standards than during any other compara ble period in history. In the
developing countries: life expectancy has been increased from 40 to 63 years; infant
mortality has been reduced by 50% and per capita income has doubled.
The World Bank consistently stresses that most of the credit for these adva nces should go to the
countries themselves. Nevertheless, the Bank and organizat ions with which it
collaborates-bilateral and international agencies and non-gov ernmental organizations-have played
a valuable role in this progress. In the fut ure the Bank will continue to do its utmost to support its
member countries in t heir efforts to achieve sustainable development.
(LEANDRO V. CORONEL
Public Affairs
The Worm Bank
Washington)
TEXT F
First read the question.
32. The author’s main argument is that ___.
A. most farmers in developing countries face unemployment
B. developing countries need agricultural aid to boost economy
C. agricultural aid hints the economy in developing countries
D. a well-developed agricultural sector provides a domestic market
Now go through TEXT F quickly to answer question 32.
Ours is an agrarian economy. We must become serf-sufficient in food to feed a rapidly growing
population at an annual growth rate of more than 3 million pe ople. A well-developed agricultural
sector would offset the need for food import and play an important role in the development
process by providing a home marke t for the products of the industrial sector. This implies that the
rate of indus trialization itself depends upon how fast agricultural incomes are rising. Devel
opment in the agricultural sector in our country means a rise in the income leve l of 70 percent of
the population who are related to this sector. Their increase d income in turn will give us mere
voluntary savings and investment and thus a s ource of revenue through taxation and potential
capital formation by the governm ent plus reduction in income inequalities between the urban
population and rural masses. In this sense, aid received in the form of agricultural commodities
hur ts the developing countries and benefits developed countries mere than proportio nately.
Because most of the farmers in developing countries are already at a mer e subsistence level with
a high rate of unemployment, disguised-unemployment and underemployment.
The Chinese experience with rural development has demonstrated that agricu ltural modernization
via labour- intensive techniques is a highly promising way t o create extra jobs without extensive
geographic displacement of the farmers. Re garding the impact of transfer of agricultural
commodities on the long-term grow th rate in the recipient country, it can be said that transfer of
agricultural c ommodities under confessional terms may resuit in an ultimate lowering of the re
cipient countries long-term growth rate.
TEXT G
First read the question.
33. The passage is most probably from ___.
A. a review of a book on cowboys
B. a study of cowboy work culture
C. a novel about cowboy life and culture
D. a school textbook on the cowboy history
Now go through TEXT G quickly to answer question 33.
A cowboy is defined by the work that he does. Any man can lay claim to that name if he lives on a
ranch and works—— drives, brands, castrates, or murmurs ——a cattleman’s herd. In addition,
working accounts for ways in which cowboy s portray themselves in their art: in 19th-century
poems that they orally compose d and sang on the ranch, in 20th-century poems that they write, in
books that th ey publish, and in art objects that they fashion, cowboys always represent thems
elves as engaging in some form of labour. This book’s three fold purpose is, fi r st, to look at art
that cowboys produce——art, that has never been studied befo re——and, second, to demonstrate
that cowboy art values historically document l abour routines that cowboys have traditionally
acted out in their work culture.
I use the term work culture not only to suggest that cowboys are defined b y the work that they do,
but also to argue that they are serf- represented in cul ture by poems, prose, and art that ail reveal
cowboys to be men who are cultural ly unified by engaging in labour routines that they think of as
cowboy work. Art deals with cowboy work, as well as with concerns about economics, gender,
relig ion, and literature, even though these thoughts sometimes express themselves as concerns
about cattle branding, livestock castration, and other tasks. The book ’ s third and most important
function is, therefore, to show that artistic self-re presentations of labour also formulate systems of
thought which cowboys use as a metaphor for discussing economies, gender, religion, and
literature, sometimes equating branding with religious salvation, at other t imes defining spur
making as freedom, and so on.
TEXT H
First read the question.
34. The writer of this letter attempts to ___ the views in the editorial.
A. refute B. illustrate C. support D. substantiate
Now go through TEXT H quickly to answer question 34.
October 3rd 199
Dear Sir,
In your editorial on August 31st, there seems to be some confused thinking in attempting to
establish a direct relationship between the desire of the OAA airlines to negotiate more equitable
agreements with the United States for air-t raffic rights and the cost of air travel for the public.
It is simply untrue that the Asian carriers are not looking for increased access to the U.S. market,
including its domestic market; they are, as part of b alanced agreements that provide equality of
opportunity. So long as the U. S. ta kes the inequitable arrangements enshrined in current
agreements as a starting p oint for negotiation, however, there is no chance that U.S. carriers will
be gra nted more regional rights which further unbalance the economic opportunities ava ilable to
each side. Most importantly from the consumer viewpoint, it has yet to be demonstrated that in
those regional sectors where U.S. carriers currently op erate-such as Hong Kong/Tokyo-they have
added anything in terms of price, qualit y of service, innovation or seat availability in peak seasons.
Turning to cost, I am not sure to which Merrill Larrych study you are referri ng, but it would be
simplistic to compare seat-mile costs of narrow-body operati on over U. S. domestic sectors with
wide-body operation over international secto rs; comparative studies of seat-mile costs are valid
only if they compare simila r aircraft operating over identical sectors. On this basis, International
Civil Aviation Organization figures show that Asian carriers are highly competitive. O f course,
given its operating environment Japan Air Lines will have high seat-mi le costs, while a carrier
based in Southeast Asia, such as Singapore Airlines, w ill have relatively low costs. But it is a
fallacy to assume this means ‘higher ticket prices or higher taxes’ for the ‘hapless Asian air
traveller’ if he travels on JAL.
The Japanese carriers have to compete in the Asian marketplace with others, and costs cannot
simply be passed on to the consumer or taxpayer. The people wh o really pay the price or reap the
reward of differing cost levels are the share holders.
(RICHARD. T. STIRLAND
Director General
Orient Airlines Association
TEXT I
First read the questions.
35. Today’s computers can process data ___ times faster than the 1952 model, ILLIAC.
A. 4 B. 100 C. 200 D. 4, 000
36. NCSA aims to develop ___.
A. a new Internet browser
B. a more powerful national system
C. human- computer intelligence interaction
D. a new global network
Now go through TEXT I quickly to answer questions 35 and 36.
URBANA, Illinois. Welcome to Cyber City, USA, where scientists are developi ng the
next- generation Internet and leading ground-breaking research in artifici al intelligence. The
University of Illinois at Urbana, which has a student body of 36,100, has a proud computing
tradition. In 1952, it became the first educational institution to build and own its own computer.
That computer, ILLIAC, was four metres tall, four metres long and sixty cen timetres deep. Its
processing speed was about 50 kilohertz compared with 200 meg ahertz-that’s 200,000 kilohertz
for today’s computers.
At the state-of-the-art Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technolo gy, researchers from
disciplines as far-ranging as psychology, computer science and biochemistry are focusing on
biological intelligence and human-computer inte lligence interaction.
Beckman also houses the National Centre for Supercomputing Application (NCS A), which played
a key role in the development of the Internet global network. I t was NCSA that developed Mosaic,
the graphically driven programme that first ma de surfing on the Internet possible.
Mosaic, introduced in 1992, has been replaced by much more powerful Interne t browsers such as
its successor Netscape or Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
NCSA officials say they are now trying to bring more advanced computing and communication to
research scientists, engineers and ultimately the public.
“What we’re looking for is a national system in which the networks are 10 0 times greater than
the Internet today, and the supercomputers are 100 times more powerful,” said NCSA Director
Larry Smart.
A proposed joint project would develop a prototype or demonstration model f or the “21st century
national information infrastructure” in line with an init iative announced by President Bill Clinton
last October.
If funded by the National Science Foundation, the new structure would take effect on October 1st.
NCSA, one of the four operational federal supercomputer centres in the coun try, is awaiting a
decision from the Foundation’s board late this month on a co mpetition for US $$ 16 million in
continued annual federal funding.
NCSA, which employs 200 people and has a yearly budget of US $$ 31 million, is expected to be
one of two winners along with its counterpart in San Diego.
“The University has put a great deal of effort into this competition. We r emain hopeful about the
outcome, but we will have no comment until the National Science Foundation Board’s decision,”
Smart said.
TEXT J
First read the questions.
37. In Japanese the work depato refers to ___.
A. traditional Japanese stores
B. modern stores in cities
C. special clothing stores
D. railway stores
38. During the Meiji era depato was regarded by Japanese customers as a(n ) ___ shopping place.
A. cheap B. traditional C. fashionable D. attractive
Now go through TEXT J quickly to answer questions 37 and 38.
The Japanese have two words for the modern department stores that abound in large urban areas.
The older word, hyakkaten, which is seldom used in daily spee ch, can usually be found engraved
in ideographs in a building cornerstone, and i t is part of a store’s official rifle. Literally “a store
with one hundred ite ms ,” this word was coined during the late Meiji era( 1868 - 1912), when
clothing s tores began to expand their product lines and railroads began to build shops at major
train crossings. The more recent and more commonly used word is depato (fr om the English
‘department store’ ).
These words reflect the dual nature of Japanese department stores. Words wr itten in ideographs
can impart an aura of antiquity and tradition. Frequently, a s in the case of the word hyakkaten,
they suggest indigenous origin. In contrast , foreign borrowed words often give a feeling of
modernity and foreignness. Many Japanese department stores actually originated in Japan several
hundred years a go as dry goods stores that later patterned themselves after foreign department
stores. Even the trendiest and most avant- garde of these stores practise pattern s of merchandising
and retain forms of prepaid credit, customer service, and spe cial relationships with suppliers
characteristic of merchandising during the Tok ygawa era (1600 — 1868). To many Japanese these
large urban stores may seem lik e a direct import from the West, but like the word depato, they
have undergone a transformation in the process of becoming Japanese.
Throughout the Tokygawa era, Japan was closed by decree to foreign influen ces. During the Meiji
era, however, Japan reopened to the western world; concurr ently, depato emerged as large-scale
merchandisers in Japan. The Meiji depato we re soon perceived by Japanese customers as
glamorous places to shop because of t heir Western imports, which the Japanese were eager to see
and buy. Depato also sold Japanese goods but often followed practices that people of the time
conside red foreign, such as letting customers wear their shoes while shopping in the st ore.
A representative of the Japan Department Store Association told me that th roughout their history
depato have played on the Japanese interest in foreign pl aces, cultures and objects, and that to a
great extent these were introduced to Japan through department stores. I suggest that in addition to
this role of cult ural importer depato have also been involved in the creation of domestic cultura l
meanings. They have made foreign customs, ideas and merchandise familiar by gi ving them
meanings consistent with Japanese cultural practice.
TEXT K
First read the questions.
39. The Agency for International Development is a ___ organization.
A. new B. regional C. UN D. US
40. According to NDS’s statistics, the number of babies the average Phil ipino woman bears
dropped by ___ between 1960 and 1993.
A.4.1 B.6.4 C.2.3 D.2.9
Now go through TEXT K quickly to answer questions 39 and 40.
When representatives from 170 nations gather in Cairo next month for the th ird International
Conference on Population and Development, they will vote on th e largest population-control plan
in history. It is ambitious. Not only does it call for a host of “reproductive fights” and aim to
freeze world population at 7 2 billion people by 2050; it also calls for billions of dollars in new
governme nt spending on the issue-US $$ 13.2 billion by the end of the century.
Some of the plan’s provisions have already aroused opposition, most notabl y from Pope John
Paul II. All this has been gleefully covered by the newspapers. Yet scant attention has been paid to
many of the dubious social and economic ass umptions that underlie the plan. In particular, it is
interesting to see how the se programmes are being sold in places like the Philippines, on the front
lines of the population debate. For the way the proponents of population control have gone about
pushing their programmes raises serious doubts about the integrity of their studies, their ultimate
value to development, and the role of foreign- aid groups.
Although population-control measures in the Philippines never reached the coercive levels they
did in India, they were not popular. This time, proponents have learned their lesson. For the past
few years, they have been quietly laying the groundwork for Cairo. Rather than attack the issue
head-on, it has been red efined in terms of a host of new“reproductive rights”to which the solution
is invariably a government-funded initiative.
We have just had a good taste of this in the Philippines. The National Sta tistics Office recently
published the results of the 1993 National Demographic S urvey(NDS),which happens to have
been funded by the U.S. Agency for Internationa l Development. It is probably mere coincidence,
but the NDS report, published on the eve of the Cairo meeting, nicely supports the thrust of the
Cairo Declarati on. That is, it has found a connection between mothers’ and children’s health an d
fertility behaviour. The implication is that large-scale government family-pla nning programmes
are essential if health issues are to be addressed.
But the demographic survey seems to have been selective about what facts i t would report and
connections it would make. Take the health issue. The documen t concludes that the high risk of
infant, child and maternal mortality is associ ated with pregnancies where mothers are too young,
too old, or have already had several children. But a discussion of poverty is missing from the list
of factor s related to health. It would be difficult to deny that poverty, lack of access to safe water,
poor housing, poor hygiene and unsanitary conditions all have a s trong bearing on the health of
the mother and child. Although the NDS collected data on housing characteristics, it did not
include any data on income.
A closer look at the fertility behaviour of the poor is important because of the extensive literature
on the “replacement effect” of high infant mortali ty . Statistical studies in various countries show
high fertility among the poor as a rational desire to have children who will survive into adulthood
to help take care of them. This helps to explain why many poor women have babies at such sho rt
intervals. The 1993 NDS would have been a good opportunity to verify the vali dity of this
behaviour in the Philippines.
The NDS avoided collecting data on socio-economic variables that would have a serious effect on
these health issues. But, in one area, it made painstaking efforts to quantify fertility preference to
derive figures for planned and unpla nned pregnancies. It concluded that “if all unwanted births
were avoided, the t o tal fertility rate would be 2.9 children, which is almost 30% less than the
obse rved rate. ”This, too, was used to establish an “unmet” need requiring a gove rnment
programme.
Yet the NDS’s own numbers suggest that Filipinos are aware of their option s . The total fertility
rote——the number of babies the average woman bears over her lifetime——has dropped to 4.1
in 1993 from 6.4 in 1960. Some 61% used contr aceptives, just a few percentage points short of
the 65-80% rate prevailing in E urope, North America and most of East Asia. The delay of
marriage by Filipinos t o the age of 23 years represents a reduction of the risk of pregnancy by
19% giv en the 35 years of their reproductive life.
In short, the Philippines has its problems but its people are not as ignor ant as the
population-control lobby would suppose. Unfortunately, this lobby has development dollars,
organizational muscle and support of the media. “We’ve b ui lt a consensus about population as a
global issue and family planning as a healt h issue,” says the UN’s Naris Sadik, host of the
conference. Yes, they have. A nd now we know how.
翻译
Section A原 文：
加拿大的温哥华1986年刚刚度过百岁生日，但城市的发展 令世界瞩目。以港立市，以港兴
市，是许多港口城市生存发展的道路。经过百年开发建设，有着天然不冻 良港的温哥华，成
为举世闻名的港口城市，同亚洲、大洋洲、欧洲、拉丁美洲均有定期班轮，年货物吞吐 量达
到8，000万吨，全市就业人口中有三分之一从事贸易与运输行业。
温哥华（Van couver）的辉煌是温哥华人智慧和勤奋的结晶，其中包括多民族的贡献。加拿
大地广人稀，国土面 积比中国还大，人口却不足3000万。吸收外来移民，是加拿大长期奉
行的国策。可以说，加拿大除了 印第安人外，无一不是外来移民，不同的只是时间长短而已。
温哥华则更是世界上屈指可数的多民族城市 。现今180万温哥华居民中，有一半不是在本地
出生的，每4个居民中就有一个是亚洲人。而25万华 人对温哥华的经济转型起着决定性的
作用。他们其中有一半是近5年才来到温哥华地区的，使温哥华成为 亚洲以外最大的中国人
聚居地。
Section B原 文：
In some societies people want children for what might be called familial reasons: to extend the
family line or the family name, to propitiate the ancestors; to enable the proper functioning of
religious rituals involving the family. Such reasons may seem thin in the modern, secularized
society but they have been and are powerful indeed in other places.
In addition, one class of family reasons shares a border with the following category, namely,
having children in order to maintain or improve a marriage: to hold the husband or occupy the
wife; to repair or rejuvenate the marriage; to increase the number of children on the assumption
that family happiness lies that way. The point is underlined by its converse: in some societies the
failure to bear children (or males) is a threat to the marriage and a ready cause for divorce.
Beyond all that is the profound significance of children to the very institution of the family
itself. To many people, husband and wife alone do not seem a proper family —they need children
to enrich the circle, to validate its family character, to gather the redemptive influence of offspring.
Children need the family, but the family seems also to need children, as the social institution
uniquely available, at least in principle, for security, comfort, assurance, and direction in a
changing, often hostile, world. To most people, such a home base, in the literal sense, needs more
than one person for sustenance and in generational extension.
2000年英语专业八级考试试卷真题
听力
Part Ⅰ Listening Comprehension (40 min)
In Sections A, B and C you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer
the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each ques tion on your Coloured Answer
Sheet.
SECTION A TALK
Questions 1 to 5 refer to the talk in this section .At the end of the talk you w ill be given 15
seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now list en to the talk.
1. The rules for the first private library in the US were drawn up by ___.
A. the legislature B. the librarian C. John Harvard D. the faculty members
2. The earliest public library was also called a subscription library bec ause books ___.
A. could be lent to everyone
B. could be lent by book stores
C. were lent to students and the faculty
D. were lent on a membership basis
3. Which of the following is NOT stated as one of the purposes of free pu blic libraries?
A. To provide readers with comfortable reading rooms.
B. To provide adults with opportunities of further education.
C. To serve the community’s cultural and recreational needs.
D. To supply technical literature on specialized subjects.
4. The major difference between modem private and public libraries lies i n ___.
A. readership B. content C. service on
5. The main purpose of the talk is ___.
A. to introduce categories of books in US libraries
B. to demonstrate the importance of US libraries
C. to explain the roles of different US libraries
D. to define the circulation system of US libraries
SECTION B INTERVIEW
Questions 6 to 10 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you wil l be given 15
seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the interview.
6. Nancy became a taxi driver because ___.
A. she owned a car
B. she drove well
C. she liked drivers’ uniforms
D. it was her childhood dream
7. According to her, what was the most difficult about becoming a taxi dr iver?
A. The right sense of direction.
B. The sense of judgment.
C. The skill of maneuvering.
D. The size of vehicles.
8. What does Nancy like best about her job?
A. Seeing interesting buildings in the city.
B. Being able to enjoy the world of nature.
C. Driving in unsettled weather.
D. Taking long drives outside the city.
9. It can be inferred from the interview that Nancy in a(n) ___ moth er.
A. uncaring B. strict C. affectionate D. perm issive
10. The people Nancy meets are
A. rather difficult to please
B. rude to women drivers
C. talkative and generous with tips
D. different in personality
SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
Question 11 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you wil l be given 15
seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.
11. The primary purpose of the US anti-smoking legislation is ___.
A. to tighten control on tobacco advertising
B. to impose penalties on tobacco companies
C. to start a national anti-smoking campaign
D. to ensure the health of American children
Questions 12 and 13 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item , you will be
given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.
12. The French President’s visit to Japan aims at ___.
A. making more investments in Japan
B. stimulating Japanese businesses in France
C. helping boost the Japanese economy
D. launching a film festival in Japan
13. This is Jacques Chirac’s ___ visit to Japan.
A. second B. fourteenth C. fortieth D. forty- first
Questions 14 and 15 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item , you will be
given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.
14. Afghan people are suffering from starvation because ___.
A. melting snow begins to block the mountain paths
B. the Taliban have destroyed existing food stocks
C. the Taliban are hindering food deliveries
D. an emergency air-lift of food was cancelled
15. people in Afghanistan are facing starvation.
A. 160,000 B. 16,000 C. 1,000,000 D. 100 ,000
SECTION D NOTE-TAKING AND GAP-FILLING
Fill each of gaps with ONE word. You may refer to your notes. Make sure the word you fill in is
both grammatically and semantically acceptable.
On Public Speaking
When people are asked to give a speech in public for the first time, they usually feel terrified
no matter how well they speak in informal situations. In fact, public speaking is the same as
any other form of (1)___ 1.___ that people are usually engaged in. Public speaking is a way for
a speaker to (2)___ his thoughts with the audience. Moreover, the speaker is free 2.___ to
decide on the (3)___ of his speech. 3.___ Two key points to achieve success in public speaking:
—(4)___ of the subject matter. 4.___ —good preparation of the speech. To facilitate
their understanding, inform your audience beforehand of the (5)___ of your speech, and end it
with a summary. 5.___ Other key points to bear in mind: —be aware of your audience
through eye contact. —vary the speed of (6)___ 6.___ —use the microphone skillfully to
(7)___ yourself in speech. 7.___ —be brief in speech; always try to make your message (8)___
8.___ Example: the best remembered inaugural speeches of the US presidents are the
(9)___ ones. 9.___ Therefore, brevity is essential to the (10)___ of a speech. 10.___
改错
Part Ⅱ Proofreading and Error Correction (15 min)
The following passage contains TEN errors. Each line contains a maximum of ONE error. In each
case, only ONE word is involved. You should proofread the passage and correct it in the following
way. For a wrong word, underline the wrong word and wri te the correct one in the blank
provided at the end of the line. For a missing word, mark the position of the missing word with
a “∧” sign and write the word you believe to be missing in the blank provided at the end of the
line. For an unnecessary word cross out the unnecessary word with a slash “/’ and put the word
in the blank provided at the end of the line.
Example
When∧art museum wants a new exhibit, (1) an
it never／ buys things in finished form and hangs (2) never
them on the wall. When a natural history museum
wants an exhibition, it must often build it. (3) exhibit
The grammatical words which play so large a part in English
grammar are for the most part sharply and obviously different 1.___
from the lexical words. A rough and ready difference which may
seem the most obvious is that grammatical words have“ less
meaning”, but in fact some grammarians have called them 2.___
“empty” words as opposed in the “full” words of vocabulary. 3.___
But this is a rather misled way of expressing the distinction. 4.___
Although a word like the is not the name of something as man is,
it is very far away from being meaningless; there is a sharp 5.___
difference in meaning between “man is vile and” “the man is
vile”, yet the is the single vehicle of this difference in meaning. 6.___
Moreover, grammatical words differ considerably among
themselves as the amount of meaning they have, even in the 7.___
lexical sense. Another name for the grammatical words has been
“little words”. But size is by no mean a good criterion for 8.___
distinguishing the grammatical words of English, when we
consider that we have lexical words as go, man, say, car. Apart 9.___
from this, however, there is a good deal of truth in what some
people say: we certainly do create a great number of obscurity 10.___
when we omit them. This is illustrated not only in the poetry of
Robert Browning but in the prose of telegrams and newspaper headlines.
阅读理解 A
Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (40 min)
SECTION A READING COMPREHENSION (30 min)
In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of fifteen multiple-choice
questions. Read the passages and then mark your answers on your Coloured Answer Sheet.
TEXT A
Despite Denmark’s manifest virtues, Danes never talk about how proud they a re to be Danes. This
would sound weird in Danish. When Danes talk to foreigners about Denmark, they always begin
by commenting on its tininess, its unimportance , the difficulty of its language, the general
small- mindedness and self-indulgen ce of their countrymen and the high taxes. No Dane would
look you in the eye and say, “Denmark is a great country.” You’re supposed to figure this out for
yo urself.
It is the land of the silk safety net, where almost half the national budg et goes toward smoothing
out life’s inequalities, and there is plenty of money f or schools, day care, retraining programmes,
job seminars-Danes love seminars: t hree days at a study centre hearing about waste management
is almost as good as a ski trip. It is a culture bombarded by English, in advertising, pop music, the
Internet, and despite all the English that Danish absorbs—there is no Danish Academy to defend
against it —old dialects persist in Jutland that can barel y be understood by Copenhageners. It is
the land where, as the saying goes,“ Fe w have too much and fewer have too little, ”and a
foreigner is struck by the swe e t egalitarianism that prevails, where the lowliest clerk gives you a
level gaze, where Sir and Madame have disappeared from common usage, even Mr. and Mrs. It’ s
a nation of recyclers—about 55 % of Danish garbage gets made into something new— and no
nuclear power plants. It’s a nation of tireless planner. Trains run on time. Things operate well in
general.
Such a nation of overachievers — a brochure from the Ministry of Busines s and Industry says,
“Denmark is one of the world’s cleanest and most organize d countries, with virtually no pollution,
crime, or poverty. Denmark is the most c orruption-free society in the Northern Hemisphere. ”So,
of course, one’s heart l ifts at any sighting of Danish sleaze: skinhead graffiti on
buildings(“Foreigne r s Out of Denmark! ”), broken beer bottles in the gutters, drunken teenagers
slu mped in the park.
Nonetheless, it is an orderly land. You drive through a Danish town, it co mes to an end at a stone
wall, and on the other side is a field of barley, a nic e clean line: town here, country there. It is not
a nation of jay-walkers. Peopl e stand on the curb and wait for the red light to change, even if it’s 2
a.m. a n d there’s not a car in sight. However, Danes don’ t think of themselves as a w ai
nting- at-2-a.m.-for-the-green-light people——that’s how they see Swedes and Ge r mans. Danes
see themselves as jazzy people, improvisers, more free spirited than Swedes, but the truth
is( though one should not say it)that Danes are very much like Germans and Swedes. Orderliness
is a main selling point. Denmark has few n atural resources, limited manufacturing capability; its
future in Europe will be as a broker, banker, and distributor of goods. You send your goods by
container ship to Copenhagen, and these bright, young, English-speaking, utterly honest, highly
disciplined people will get your goods around to Scandinavia, the Baltic States, and Russia.
Airports, seaports, highways, and rail lines are ultramodern and well-maintained.
The orderliness of the society doesn’t mean that Danish lives are less me s sy or lonely than yours
or mine, and no Dane would tell you so. You can hear ple nty about bitter family feuds and the
sorrows of alcoholism and about perfectly sensible people who went off one day and killed
themselves. An orderly society c an not exempt its members from the hazards of life.
But there is a sense of entitlement and security that Danes grow up with. Certain things are yours
by virtue of citizenship, and you shouldn’t feel bad f o r taking what you’re entitled to, you’re as
good as anyone else. The rules of th e welfare system are clear to everyone, the benefits you get if
you lose your jo b, the steps you take to get a new one; and the orderliness of the system makes it
possible for the country to weather high unemployment and social unrest witho ut a sense of crisis.
16. The author thinks that Danes adopt a ___ attitude towards their country.
A. boastful B. modest C. deprecating D. mysterious
17. Which of the following is NOT a Danish characteristic cited in the pa ssage?
A. Fondness of foreign culture. B. Equality in society. C. Linguistic tolerance. D. Persistent
planning.
18. The author’s reaction to the statement by the Ministry of Business a nd Industry is ___.
A. disapproving B. approving C. noncommittal D. doubtful
19. According to the passage, Danish orderliness ___.
A. sets the people apart from Germans and Swedes
B. spares Danes social troubles besetting other people
C. is considered economically essential to the country
D. prevents Danes from acknowledging existing troubles
20. At the end of the passage the author states all the following EXCEPT that ___.
A. Danes are clearly informed of their social benefits
B. Danes take for granted what is given to them
C. the open system helps to tide the country over
D. orderliness has alleviated unemployment
TEXT B
But if language habits do not represent classes, a social stratification in to something as bygone as
“aristocracy” and “commons”, they do still of cour se s erve to identify social groups. This is
something that seems fundamental in the use of language. As we see in relation to political and
national movements, lang uage is used as a badge or a barrier depending on which way we look at
it. The n ew boy at school feels out of it at first because he does not know the fight wor ds for
things, and awe-inspiring pundits of six or seven look down on him for no t being aware that
racksy means “dilapidated”, or hairy “out first ball”. Th e mi ner takes a certain pride in being
“one up on the visitor or novice who calls t h e cage a “lift” or who thinks that men working in a
warm seam are in their “u nde rpants” when anyone ought to know that the garments are called
hoggers. The “i ns ider” is seldom displeased that his language distinguishes him from the
“outsi der”.
Quite apart from specialized terms of this kind in groups, trades and profe ssions, there are all
kinds of standards of correctness at which mast of us feel more or less obliged to aim, because we
know that certain kinds of English invi te irritation or downright condemnation. On the other hand,
we know that other k inds convey some kind of prestige and bear a welcome cachet.
In relation to the social aspects of language, it may well be suggested tha t English speakers fall
into three categories: the assured, the anxious and the in different. At one end of this scale, we
have the people who have “position” an d “status”, and who therefore do not feel they need worry
much about their use o f English. Their education and occupation make them confident of
speaking an uni mpeachable form of English: no fear of being criticized or corrected is likely t o
cross their minds, and this gives their speech that characteristically unself c onscious and easy
flow which is often envied.
At the other end of the scale, we have an equally imperturbable band, speak ing with a similar
degree of careless ease, because even if they are aware that their English is condemned by others,
they are supremely indifferent to the fact . The Mrs Mops of this world have active and efficient
tongues in their heads, a nd if we happened not to like the/r ways of saying things, well, we “can
lump i t ”. That is their attitude. Curiously enough, writers are inclined to represent t he speech of
both these extreme parties with -in’ for ing. On the one hand, “w e’re goin’ huntin’, my dear
sir”; on the other, “we’re goin’ racin’ , ma te.”
In between, according to this view, we have a far less fortunate group, th e anxious. These actively
try to suppress what they believe to be bad English an d assiduously cultivate what they hope to be
good English. They live their lives in some degree of nervousness over their grammar, their
pronunciation, and thei r choice of words: sensitive, and fearful of betraying themselves. Keeping
up wi th the Joneses is measured not only in houses, furniture, refrigerators, cars, a nd clothes, but
also in speech.
And the misfortune of the “anxious” does not end with their inner anxiet y. Their lot is also the
open or veiled contempt of the “assured” on one side of them and of the “indifferent” on the
other.
It is all too easy to raise an unworthy laugh at the anxious. The people t hus uncomfortably stilted
on linguistic high heels so often form part of what is, in many ways, the most admirable section of
any society: the ambitious, tense, inner-driven people, who are bent on“ going places and doing
things”. The grea te r the pity, then, if a disproportionate amount of their energy goes into what Mr
Sharpless called“ this shabby obsession” with variant forms of English— espe ci ally if the net
result is(as so often)merely to sound affected and ridiculous. “ Here”, according to Bacon, “is the
first distemper of learning, when men study w ords and not matter …. It seems to me that
Pygmalion’ s frenzy is a good emble m …of this vanity: for words axe but the images of matter;
and except they have l ife of reason and invention, to fall in love with them is to fall in love with a
picture.”
21. The attitude held by the assured towards language is ___.
A. critical B. anxious C. self-conscious D. nonchalant
22. The anxious are considered a less fortunate group because ___.
A. they feel they are socially looked down upon
B. they suffer from internal anxiety and external attack
C. they are inherently nervous and anxious people
D. they are unable to meet standards of correctness
23. The author thinks that the efforts made by the anxious to cultivate w hat they believe is good
English are ___.
A. worthwhile B. meaningless C. praiseworthy D. irrational
TEXT C
Fred Cooke of Salford turned 90 two days ago and the world has been beating a path to his door. If
you haven’t noticed, the backstreet boy educated at Bla c kpool grammar styles himself more
grandly as Alastair Cooke, broadcaster extraor dinaire. An honorable KBE, he would be Sir
Alastair if he had not taken American citizenship more than half a century ago.
If it sounds snobbish to draw attention to his humble origins, it should be reflected that the real
snob is Cooke himself, who has spent a lifetime disguis ing them. But the fact that he opted to
renounce his British passport in 1941 — just when his country needed all the wartime help it
could get-is hardly a ma tter for congratulation.
Cooke has made a fortune out of his love affair with America, entrancing l isteners with a weekly
monologue that has won Radio 4 many devoted adherents. Pa rt of the pull is the developed drawl.
This is the man who gave the world “mida tlantic”, the language of the disc jockey and public
relations man.
He sounds American to us and English to them, while in reality he has for decades belonged to
neither. Cooke’s world is an America that exists largely in the imagination. He took ages to
acknowledge the disaster that was Vietnam and e ven longer to wake up to Watergate. His politics
have drifted to the right with age, and most of his opinions have been acquired on the golf course
with fellow celebrities.
He chased after stars on arrival in America, Fixing up an interview with Ch arlie Chaplin and
briefly becoming his friend. He told Cooke he could turn him i nto a fine light comedian; instead
he is an impressionist’s dream.
Cooke liked the sound of his first wife’s name almost as much as he admir e d her good looks.
But he found bringing up baby difficult and left her for the w ife of his landlord. Women
listeners were unimpressed when, in 1996, he declared on air that th e fact that 4% of women in
the American armed forces were raped showed remarkabl e self-restraint on the part of Uncle
Sam’s soldiers. His arrogance in not allo w ing BBC editors to see his script in advance worked,
not for the first time, to his detriment. His defenders said he could not help living with the 1930s
values he had acquired and somewhat dubiously went on to cite “gallantry” as chief a mo ng them.
Cooke’s raconteur style encouraged a whole generation of BBC men to th i nk of themselves as
more important than the story. His treacly tones were the mo del for the regular World Service
reports From Our Own Correspondent, known as F OOCs in the business. They may yet be his
epitaph.
24. At the beginning of the passage the writer sounds critical of ___.
A. Cooke’s obscure origins
B. Cooke’s broadcasting style
C. Cooke’s American citizenship
D. Cooke’s fondness of America
25. The following adjectives can be suitably applied to Cooke EXCEPT ___.
A. old- fashioned B. sincere C. arrogant D. popular 26. The writer comments on Cooke’s
life and career in a slightly ___ tone.
A. ironic B. detached C. scathing D. indifferent
TEXT D
Mr Duffy raised his eyes from the paper and gazed out of his window on the cheerless evening
landscape. The river lay quiet beside the empty distillery and from time to time a light appeared in
some house on Lucan Road. What an end! Th e whole narrative of her death revolted him and it
revolted him to think that he had ever spoken to her of what he held sacred. The cautious words of
a reporter won over to conceal the details of a commonplace vulgar death attacked his stom ach.
Not merely had she degraded herself, she had degraded him. His soul’s comp a nion! He thought
of the hobbling wretches whom he had seen carrying cans and bot tles to be filled by the barman.
Just God, what an end! Evidently she had been u nfit to live, without any strength of purpose, an
easy prey to habits, one of th e wrecks on which civilization has been reared. But that she could
have sunk so low! Was it possible he had deceived himself so utterly about her? He remembered
her outburst of that night and interpreted it in a harsher sense than he had ev er done. He had no
difficulty now in approving of the course he had taken.
As the light failed and his memory began to wander he thought her hand tou ched his. The shock
which had first attacked his stomach was now attacking his n erves. He put on his overcoat and hat
quickly and went out. The cold air met him on the threshold; it crept into the sleeves of his coat.
When he came to the pu blic house at Chapel Bridge he went in and ordered a hot punch.
The proprietor served him obsequiously but did not venture to talk. There were five or six
working-men in the shop discussing the value of a gentleman’s e state in County Kildare. They
drank at intervals from their huge pint tumblers, and smoked, spitting often on the floor and
sometimes dragging the sawdust over their heavy boots. Mr Duffy sat on his stool and gazed at
them, without seeing o r hearing them. After a while they went out and he called for another punch.
He sat a long time over it. The shop was very quiet. The proprietor sprawled on the counter
reading the newspaper and yawning. Now and again a tram was heard swish ing along the lonely
road outside.
As he sat there, living over his life with her and evoking alternately the two images on which he
now conceived her, he realized that she was dead, that s he had ceased to exist, that she had
become a memory. He began to feel ill at ea se. He asked himself what else could he have done.
He could not have lived with her openly. He had done what seemed to him best. How was he to
blame? Now that s he was gone he understood how lonely her life must have been, sitting night
afte r night alone in that room. His life would be lonely too until he, too, died, ce ased to exist,
became a memory-if anyone remembered him.
27. Mr Duffy’s immediate reaction to the report of the woman’s death wa s that of ___.
A. disgust B. guilt C. grief D. compassion
28. It can be inferred from the passage that the reporter wrote about the woman’s death in a ___
manner.
A. detailed B. provocative C. discreet D. sens ational
29. We can infer from the last paragraph that Mr Duffy was in a(n) ___ mood.
A. angry B. fretful C. irritable D. remorseful
30. According to the passage , which of the following statements is NOT t rue?
A. Mr Duffy once confided in the woman.
B. Mr Duffy felt an intense sense of shame.
C. The woman wanted to end the relationship.
D. They became estranged probably after a quarrel.
阅读理解 B
SECTION B SKIMMING AND SCANNING ( 10 min)
In this section there are seven passages followed by ten multiple -choice q uestions. Skim or scan
them as required and then mark your answers on the Colour ed Answer Sheet.
TEXT E
First read the following question.
31. In the passage Bill Gates mainly discusses ___.
A. a person’s opportunity of a lifetime
B. the success of the computer industry
C. the importance of education
D. high school education in the US
Now go through TEXT E quickly and answer question 31.
Hundreds of students send me e-mail each year asking for advice about educa tion. They want to
know what to study, or whether it’s OK to drop out of colleg e since that’s what I did.
My basic advice is simple and heartfelt.“ Get the best education you can. Take advantage of high
school and college. Learn how to learn.”
It’s true that I dropped out of college to start Microsoft, but I was at H a rvard for three years
before dropping out-and I’d love to have the time to go b a ck. As I’ve said before, nobody should
drop out of college unless they believe they face the opportunity of a lifetime. And even then they
should reconsider.
The computer industry has lots of people who didn’t finish college, but I ’m not aware of any
success stories that began with somebody dropping out of high school. I actually don’t know any
high school dropouts, let alone any successfu l ones.
In my company’s early years we had a bright part-time programmer who threa tened to drop out
of high school to work full-time. We told him no.
Quite a few of our people didn’t finish college, but we discourage droppin g out.
College isn’t the only place where information exist. You can learn in a l i brary. But somebody
handing you a book doesn’t automatically foster learning. Y o u want to learn with other people,
ask questions, try out ideas and have a way t o test your ability. It usually takes more than just a
book.
Education should be broad, although it’s fine to have deep interests, too.
In high school there were periods when I was highly focused on writing soft ware, but for most
of my high school years I had wide-ranging academic interests . My parents encouraged this, and
I’m grateful that they did.
One parent wrote me that her 15-year old son “lost himself in the hole of t he computer. ”He got
an A in Web site design, but other grades were sinking, sh e said.
This boy is making a mistake. High school and college offer you the best ch ance to learn
broadly- math, history, various sciences-and to do projects with ot her kids that teach you firsthand
about group dynamics. It’s fine to take a dee p interest in computers, dance, language or any other
discipline, but not if it j eopardizes breadth.
In college it’s appropriate to think about specialization. Getting real e x pertise in an area of
interest can lead to success. Graduate school is one way t o get specialized knowledge. Choosing a
specialty isn’t something high school s t udents should worry about. They should worry about
getting a strong academic sta rt.
There’s not a perfect correlation between attitudes in high school and su c cess in later life, of
course. But it’s a real mistake not to take the opportun i ty to learn a huge range of subjects, to
learn to work with people in high schoo l, and to get the grades that will help you get into a good
college.
TEXT F
First read the following question.
32. The passage focuses on ___.
A. the history and future of London
B. London’s manufacturing skills
C. London’s status as a financial centrer
D. the past and present roles of London
Now go through Text F quickly and answer question 32.
What is London for? To put the question another way, why was London, by 190 0, incomparably
the largest city in the world, which it remained until the bomba rdments of the Luftwaffe? There
could be many answers to this question, but any history of London will rehearse three broad
explanations. One is the importance of its life as a port. When the Thames turned to ice in
February 1855,50,000 men were put out of work, and there were bread riots from those whose
liveliboods h ad been frozen with the river. Today, the Thames could be frozen for a year with out
endangering the livelihoods of any but a few pleasure-boatmen.
The second major cause of London’s wealth and success was that it was easi l y the biggest
manufacturing centre in Europe. At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, Dutch looms and
the stocking knitting frame were first pioneered in London. The vast range of London’s
manufacturing skills is another fact; almos t any item you can name was manufactured in London
during the days of its prosper ity. In 1851, 13.75 percent of the manufacturing work-force of Great
Britain was based in London. By 1961, this had dramatically reduced. By 1993, there were a mere
328,000 Londoners engaged in manufacturing. In other words, by our own time s, two of the chief
reasons for London’s very existence-its life as a pert and as a centre of manufacture-had dwindled
out of existence.
London’s third great function, since the seventeenth century, has been tha t of national and
international bourse: the exchange of stocks and shares, bankin g, commerce and, increasingly,
insurance. Both In wood and Francis Sheppard, in London: A history, manage to make these
potentially dry matters vivid to the gen eral reader, and both authors assure us that “The City” in
the financial sense i s still as important as ever it was. Both, however, record the diminution of the
City as an architectural and demographic entity, with the emptying of many city offices (since the
advent of the computer much of the work can be done anywhere ) and the removal of many
distinctive landmarks.
TEXT G
First read the following question.
33. The primary purpose of the passage is to ___.
A. discuss the impact of the internet
B. forecast the future roles of the bookstore
C. compare the publisher with the editor
D. evaluate the limitations of the printed page
Now go through TEXT G quickly and answer question 33.
Since the advent of television people have been prophesying the death of the book. Now the rise
of the World Wide Web seems to have revived this smolderi ng controversy from the ashes. The
very existence of paper copy has been brought into question once more. It might be the
bookstore, rather than the book itself, that is on the br ink of extinction. Many of you will have
noted tom of bookseller websites poppin g up. They provide lists of books and let you read sample
chapters, reviews from other customers and interviews with authors.
What does all this mean? Browsing a virtual bookstore may not afford you the same dusty
pleasure as browsing round a real shop, but as far as service, pr ice and convenience are concerned
there is really no competition. This may chang e before long, as publishers’ websites begin to
offer direct access to new publ ications.
Perhaps it is actually the publisher who is endangered by the relentless advance of the Internet.
There are a remarkable number of sites republishing tex ts online--an extensive virtual library of
materials that used to be handled pri marily by publishing companies.
From the profusion of electronic-text sites available, it looks as if thi s virtual library is here to
stay unless a proposed revision to copyright law ta kes many publications out of the public domain.
However, can electronic texts st ill be considered books?
Then again, it might be the editor at risk, in danger of being cut out of the publishing process. The
Web not only makes it possible for just about anyon e to publish whatever they like whenever they
like-there are virtually no costs involved. The editors would then be the millions of Internet users.
And there is little censor ship, either.
So possibly it is the printed page, with its many limitations, that is pe rishing as the implications of
new technologies begin to be fully realized. Last year Stanford University published the
equivalent of a 6,000 page Business Engl ish dictionary, online. There seem to be quite obvious
benefits to housing these multi-volume reference sets on the Web. The perceived benefits for other
books, such as the novel, are perhaps less obvious.
TEXT H
First read the following question.
34. The reviewer’s attitude towards the books is ___.
A. ambiguous B. objective C. doubtful D. ho stile
Now go through TEXT H quickly and answer question 34.
The 1990s have witnessed a striking revival of the idea that liberal democr atic political system are
the best basis for international peace. Western states men and scholars have witnessed worldwide
process of democratization, and tend t o see it as a sounder basis for peace than anything we have
had in the past.
Central to the vision of a peaceful democratic world bas been the proposit ion that liberal
democracies do not fight each other; that they may and frequent ly do get into fights with illiberal
states, but not with other countries that a re basically similar in their political systems. The
proposition appeals to poli tical leaders and scholars as well.
Yet it is doubtful whether the proposition is strong enough to bear the va st weight of
generalization that has been placed on it. Among the many difficult ies it poses, two stand out:
first there are many possible exceptions to the rul e that democracies do not fight each other; and
second, there is much uncertaint y about why democracies have, for the most part, not fought each
other.
Liberal Peace, Liberal War: American politics and international security b y John M. Owen is an
attempt to explain the twin phenomena of liberal peace (why democracies do not fight each other)
and liberal war (why they fight other sta tes, sometimes with the intent of making them liberal).
Owen’s analysis in the book strongly suggests that political leaders on a l l sides judged a given
foreign country largely on the basis of its political sys tem; and this heavily influenced decisions
on whether or not to wage war against it. However, be also shows that military factors, including
calculations of the cost of going to war, were often influential in tipping the balance against war .
In other words, democratic peace does not mean the end of power politics.
Owen hints at, but never addresses directly, a sinister aspect of democrat ic peace theory: its
assumption that there would be peace if only everybody else was like us. This can lead only too
easily to attempts to impose the favoured s ystem on benighted foreigners by force- regardless of
the circumstances and sensi bilities that make the undertaking hazardous, Owen’s central argument
is not st r engthened by the occasional repetition nor by the remorselessly academic tone of the
more theoretical chapters. However, most of the writing is succinct; the hi storical accounts are
clear and to the point; and the investigation of the causa l links between liberalism and war is
admirably thorough.
There are several grounds on which the book’s thesis might be criticized. The most obvious is that
some twentieth-century experience goes against the argu ment that liberal states ally with others,
above all, because they perceive them as fellow liberals. In our own time, several liberal
democracies have maintaine d long and close relations with autocracies. However, Owen’s
argument for a deg r ee of solidarity between liberal states provides at least part of the explanatio n
for the continuation and even expansion of NATO in the post-Cold War era.
TEXT I
First read the following questions.
35. In ___, the table of contents of the magazine was placed on its back cover.
A. 1922 B. 1948 C. the 1930s D. the 1960s
36. The magazine was criticized for failing to ___.
A. appeal to the young B. attract old people C. interest readers aged 47 D. captivate rea ders in
their 50s
Now go through TEXT I quickly and answer questions 35 and 36.
New York-Reader’s Digest, the most widely read magazine in the world, will get a new look in a
bid to attract younger readers, Reader’ Digest Association Inc. announced on March 29. Beginning
with the May issue, the world’s largest- circulation magazine will move its table of contents off
the front cover to mode rnize its look and make it easier for readers to navigate, editor in chief
Chris top her Willcox said. “When you have the table of contents on the cover, it limits w hat you
can say about what’s in the magazine, ”Willcox said. The magazine’s f ami liar table of contents
will be replaced with a photograph. The small size and fo cus of the editorial content will be
unchanged, publisher Gregory Coleman said. “It will be a much more visual magazine, with more
photography and less illustr ation,” he said in an interview.
Reader’s digest was first published in 1922, with line drawings on the c o vers, and in the 1930s
began listing the contents on the front. For a couple of years in the 1960s, Willcox said,the table of
contents was shifted to the back c over. The May issue will feature a cover photo of a woman
firefighter in San Fra ncisco for an except from a new book,“ Fighting Fire. ”The names of a few
arti cl es are listed on the cover, but the full table of contents will be on papes 2 an d 3. The issue
began reaching subscribers on April 10 and will be on newsstands two weeks later. All 48 of the
Digest’s worldwide editions—27 million copies in 19 languages—are making the change.
Publisher Gregory Coleman said he expe cted the redesign to boost advertising sales. “We’ve done
a lot of research, a nd have tested the concept in the US, Sweden, and New Zealand,” Coleman
said.
The move comes as Reader’s Digest Association Inc. has struggled to boost profits. But industry
analysts said its problems stretch beyond changes that wer e needed at the magazine. Publishing
industry executives and Wall Street analyst s have criticized the magazine for failing to attract the
next generation of rea ders. The company says its average reader is about 47,the same as the age
for th e weekly new magazines, “They’ve been looking for ways to make the magazine a li ttle bit
more the ’90s than the ’50s,” said Doug Arthur at Morgan Stanley Dea n W itter & Co. “The
company has to be addressing the response rate on its direct m a rketing campaign, ”where its
main problems lie. The company earned USD 133.5 mi l lion on sales of USD 2.8 billion in the
year which ended last June. But it said, when it reported results, that profits would fall in the
current year.
In answer to a question, Coleman said the redesign was not done because of advertisers, although
they were enthusiastic about the changes. “This is being done from a reader-driven standpoint, ”
he said.
TEXT J
First read the following questions.
37. Words in both the OWF and Longman Activator are ___.
A. listed according to alphabetical order
B. listed according to use frequency
C. grouped according to similarities only
D. grouped according to differences only
38. To know the correct word for “boiling with a low heat”, you will pr obably turn to first ___.
A. page 10 B. page 99 C. page 100 D. page 448
Now go through TEXT J quickly and answer questions 37 and 38.
The Oxford Wordfinder (OWF)is a “production dictionary” designed for learn er s of English at
Intermediate level and above, It is a useful tool with which to discover and encode (produce)
meaning, rather than just to simply check the mean ing, grammar and pronunciation of words. The
OWF encourages a reversal of the tr aditional role of the language learners’ dictionary, which is
normally to help decode and explain aspects of words that appear in a text.
The OWF is based upon similar lines to the ground breaking Longman Activato r in that words in
each dictionary are not simply listed in alphabetical order. Instead, they are grouped according to
their similarities and differences in bot h meaning and use. Twenty-three main groups of 630
“keywords” (concepts) in al ph abetical order, assist the learner in exploring semantic areas such
as: “People ” , “Food and drink”, and “Language and Communication”. Each of these rather l arge
areas contains cross- referencing in order to provide further helpful lexical in formation. Some of
the keywords helpfully direct the learner to another keyword. Most keywords, however, have an
index that shows how lexical items and their re lated terms are organized. Other keywords point to
smaller sub-section headings whilst a few contain sections labeled “More”, which deal with less
frequently occurring vocabulary.
The majority of words in the OWF are grouped together because they are clea rly related in
meaning. Examples include: rucksack, “suitcase”, trunk and hol d- all, on page 28, under the
keyword “Bag”. Other words are grouped together bec au se statistically they tend to “collocate”,
i.e. appear in English very near, i f not next to each other. The reader would, more often than not,
find them in the same sentence or phrase. Examples include those for “butter”, “spread” and
“melt ”, and those for Television on page 448: “watching”, “turn on/off” and “pr ogramme”.
The OWF is an ideal supplementary resource for learners to engage in word-b uilding activities
during topic based lessons. How is it best used? Let’s say t h e learner wishes to know the correct
word for “boiling with a low heat”. The i nt ermediate learner, who will probably begin her search
under “Cook” on page 99, l ocates the sub-section: “heating food in order to cook it” on page
100,then th e further sub- section “cooking food in water” and finally finds the definition f ol
lowed by the word:—to boil slowly and gently: simmer. With the help of the OWF teachers could
design a variety of such vocabulary exercises for a class, or eve n go on to designing a
vocabulary-based syllabus.
Definitions in the OWF are, as with all good dictionaries, concise but cle ar. They are obviously
written according to a controlled defining vocabulary. Li nguistic varieties are also taken into
consideration: formal/in formal labels ar e provided and, where it occurs, American English (AmE)
is pointed out, e. g. fo r alcohol, liquor in AmE on page 10. The OWF also contains many
drawings that ou tline meaning where words could not possibly do so or would require too much
spa ce. Items chosen for inclusion in the OWF, along with example phrases outlining meaning are,
it is assumed, based on evidence of frequency from a carefully cons tructed linguistic corpus,
although this is not made clear.
TEXT K
First read the following questions.
39. Students who wish to take courses in Dutch or French ___.
A. should pass the TOEFL test first
B. must speak Dutch or French fluently
C. may receive language training
D. must have a good command of English
40. Belgian universities do NOT offer courses on ___.
A. medical sciences
B. computer science
C. political and social sciences
D. archaeology and art sciences
Now go through TEXT K quickly and answer questions 39 and 40.
To qualify to study in Belgium, it is essential to meet relevant requireme nts in (1) academic
credentials, (2)linguistic skills, (3) academic objectives and (4) financial resources. Let us review
these four points:
1. Academic credentials
Equivalence and admissibility of degrees will be assessed according to Belgian l aw and
individual university regulations. Please submit a copy of your degree wi th a translation to the
chosen university’s admission board.
2. Language skills
Chinese students who wish to follow courses in Dutch or French must realize that a superficial
knowledge of the language will not do. The ability to speak Dutch or French is imperative in order
to follow lectures and to pass examinations. A preparatory year of language instruction is available
in some universities for already enrolled students. Please apply for information at the university of
you r choice. Students who wish to attend lectures in English (post-academic trainin g
international courses)must of course have a good command of that language. Uni versities will
inform you about their individual TOEFL requirements.
3. Programmes
Belgian universities offer basic academic courses, advance academic training cou rses, doctoral
programmes, post-academic training and various international stud y programmes (Master’s) in
the field of technology, law, economics and applied e conomics, political and social sciences,
dentistry, pharmaceutical sciences, lan guage and literature/history, archaeology and art sciences,
psychology and educa tional sciences, medical sciences, engineering and applied biological
sciences.
4. Financing
Although precise determination of study and living expenses depends on individua l life style, one
can assess that about 350,000 Belgian Francs (BEF)( about 88,0 00 RMB) is necessary for one
year’s study. This amount should include books, ho u sing, food, transport, and health insurance. It
does not include registration fe es which can vary from about 25,000 BEF for a student under
scholarship to 290,0 00 BEF for a self-financing student, according to the chosen study program.
翻译
试卷二 (120 min)
Part Ⅳ Translation (60 min)
SECTION A CHINESE TO ENGLISH
Translate the following underlined part of the text into English. Write your tra nslation on
ANSWER SHEET THREE.
中国科技馆的诞生来之不易。与国际著名科技馆和其他博物馆相比，它先天有些不足， 后
天也常缺乏营养，但是它成长的步伐却是坚实而有力的。它在国际上已被公认为后起之秀 。
世界上第一代博物馆属于自然博物馆，它是通过化石、标本等向人们介绍地球和各种生 物
的演化历史。第二代属于工业技术博物馆，它所展示的是工业文明带来的各种阶段性结果 。
这两代博物馆虽然起到了传播科学知识的作用，但是，它们把参观者当成了被动的旁观者 。
世界上第三代博物馆是充满全新理念的博物馆。在这里，观众可以自己去动手操作，自 己
细心体察。这样，他们可以更贴近先进的科学技术，去探索科学技术的奥妙。
中国科技馆正是这样的博物馆!它汲取了国际上一些著名博物馆的长处，设计制作了力 学、
光学、电学、热学、声学、生物学等展品，展示了科学的原理和先进的科技成果。
SECTION B ENGLISH TO CHINESE
Translate the following text into Chinese. Write your translation on ANSWER SH EET THREE.
If people mean anything at all by the expression “untimely death”, they m us t believe that some
deaths nm on a better schedule than others. Death in old age is rarely called untimely—a long life
is thought to be a full one. But with th e passing of a young person, one assumes that the best
years lay ahead and the m easure of that life was still to be taken.
History denies this, of course. Among prominent summer deaths, one recalls those of MariLarry
Monroe and James Deans, whose lives seemed equally brief and co mplete. Writers cannot bear
the fact that poet John Keats died at 26, and only h alf playfully judge their own lives as failures
when they pass that year. The id ea that the life cut short is unfulfilled is illogical because lives are
measure d by the impressions they leave on the world and by their intensity and virtue.
写作
Part Ⅴ Writing (60 min)
Some people simply see education as going to schools or colleges, or as a m eans to secure good
jobs; most people view education as a lifelong process. In y our opinion, how important is
education to modem man?
Write a composition of about 300 words on the following topic:
EDUCATION AS A LIFELONG PROCESS
In the first part of your writing you should present your thesis statement, and in the second part
you should support the thesis statement with appropriate deta ils. In the last part you should bring
what you have written to a natural conclu sion or a summary.
Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar and appropriacy. Failur e to follow the
above instructions may result in a loss of marks.
Write your composition on ANSWER SHEET FOUR.
2001年英语专业八级考试全真试卷
Part Ⅰ Listening Comprehension (40 min)
In Sections A, B and C you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully a nd then
answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct response to each ques tion on your Coloured
Answer Sheet.
SECTION A TALK
Questions 1 to 5 refer to the talk in this section. At the end of the talk you w ill be given 15
seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now list en to the talk.
1. Changes in the size of the World Bank’ s operations refer to ___.
A. the expansion of its loan programme
B. the inclusion of its hard loans
C. the inclusion of its soft loans
D. the previous lending policies
2. What actually made the Bank change its overall lending strategy?
A. Reluctance of people in poor countries to have small families.
B. Lack of basic health services and inequality in income distribution.
C. The discovery that a low fertility rate would lead to economic development.
D. Poor nutrition and low literacy in many poor countries of the world.
3. The change in emphasis of the Bank’s lending policies meant that the Bank would ___.
A. be more involved in big infrastructure projects
B. adopt similar investment strategies in poor and rich countries
C. embark upon a review of the investment in huge dams and steel mills
in projects that would benefit the low-income sector of society
4. Which of the following is NOT a criticism of the bank?
A. Colossal travel expenses of its staff.
B. Fixed annual loans to certain countries.
C. Limited impact of the Bank’s projects.
D. Role as a financial deal maker.
5. Throughout the talk, the speaker is ___ while introducing the Wor ld Bank.
A. biased B. unfriendly C. objective D. sensational
SECTION B CONVERSATION
Questions 6 to 10 are based on a conversation. At the end of the conversation yo u will be given
15 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the conversatio n.
6. The man sounds surprised at the fact that ___.
A. many Australians are taking time off to travel
B. the woman worked for some time in New Zealand
C. the woman raised enough money for travel
D. Australians prefer to work in New Zealand
7. We learn that the woman liked Singapore mainly because of its ___.
A. cleanness B. multi-ethnicity C. modern characteristics D.
shopping opportunities
8. From the conversation we can infer that Kaifeng and Yinchuan impressed the woman with their
___.
A. respective locations B. historic interests C. ancient tombs
D. Jewish descendants
9. Which of the following words can best describe the woman’s feelings a bout Tibet?
A. Amusement. B. Disbelief. C. Ecstasy. D. Delig ht
10. According to the conversation, it was that made the woman ready to stop traveling.
A. the unsettledness of travel
B. the difficulties of trekking
C. the loneliness of travel
D. the unfamiliar environment
SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
Questions 11 and 12 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item , you will be
given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.
11. Mike Tyson was put in prison last August because he ___.
A. violated the traffic law
B. illegally attacked a boxer
C. attacked sb. after a traffic accident
D. failed to finish his contract
12. The license granted to Tyson to fight will be terminated ___.
A. by the end of the year B. in over a year C. in August
D. in a few weeks
Question 13 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you wil l be given 15
seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.
13. The Russian documents are expected to draw great attention because ___.
A. they cover the whole story of the former US president
B. the assassin used to live in the former Soviet Union
C. they are the only official documents released about Kennedy
D. they solved the mystery surrounding Kennedy’s assassination
Question 14 and 15 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item,
you will be given 30 seconds to answer the questions. New listen to the news.
14. In the recent three months, Hong Kong’s unemployment rate has ___.
A. increased slowly B. decreased gradually C. stayed steady
D. become unpredictable
15. According to the news, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Business conditions have worsened in the past three months.
B. The past three months have seen a declining trend in job offers.
C. The rise of unemployment rate in some sectors equals the fall in others.
D. The unemployment rate in all sectors of the economy remains unchanged.
SECTION D NOTE-TAKING AND GAP-FILLING
Fill each of gaps with ONE word. You may refer to your notes. Make sure the word you fill in is
both grammatically and semantically acceptable.
The Press Conference
The press conference has certain advantages. The first advantage lies with the
(1)___ nature of the event itself; public officials are supposed to 1.___
submit to scrutiny by responding to various questions at a press conference.
Secondly, statements previously made at a press conference can be used as a
(2)___ in judging following statements or policies. Moreover, in case 2.___
of important events, press conferences are an effective way to break the news
to groups of reporters.
However, from the point of view of (3)___, the press conference 3.___
possesses some disadvantages, mainly in its(4)___ and news source. 4.___
The provider virtually determines the manner in which a press conference
proceeds. This, sometimes, puts news reporters at a(n)(5)___ , as can 5.___
be seen on live broadcasts of news conferences.
Factors in getting valuable information preparation: a need to keep up to date on journalistic
subject matter;
—(6)___ of the news source: 6.___
1 ) news source’ s (7)___ to 7.___
provide information;
2)news-gathering methods.
Conditions under which news reporters cannot trust the information
provided by a news source
— not knowing the required information;
— knowing and willing to share the information, but without
(8)___ skills; 8.___
— knowing the information, but unwilling to share;
— willing to share, but unable to recall.
(9)___ of questions asked 9.___
Ways of improving the questions:
no words with double meanings;
no long questions;
— specific time, place, etc.;
— (10) questions; 10.___
— clear alternatives, or no alternatives in answers.
改错
Part Ⅱ Proofreading and Error Correction (15 min)
The following passage contains TEN errors. Each line contains a maximum of ONE error. In
each case, only ONE word is involved. You should proofread the passage and correct it in the
following way. For a wrong word, underline the wrong word and wri te the correct one
in the blank provided at the end of the line. For a missing word, mark the position of
the missing word with a “∧” sign and write the word you believe to be missing in the blank
provided at the end of the line. For an unnecessary word cross out the unnecessary word
with a slash “/’ and put the word in the blank provided at the end of the line.
Example
When∧art museum wants a new exhibit, (1) an it never／ buys things in
finished form and hangs (2) never them on the wall. When a natural history museum
wants an exhibition, it must often build it. (3) exhibit
During the early years of this century, wheat was seen as the
very lifeblood of Western Canada. People on city streets watched
the yields and the price of wheat in almost as much feeling as if 1.___
they were growers. The marketing of wheat became an increasing 2.___
favorite topic of conversation.
War set the stage for the most dramatic events in marketing
the western crop. For years, farmers mistrusted speculative grain
selling as carried on through the Winnipeg Grain Exchange.
Wheat prices were generally low in the autumn, so farmers could 3.___
not wait for markets to improve. It had happened too often that
they sold their wheat soon shortly after harvest when farm debts 4.___
were coming due, just to see prices rising and speculators getting rich. 5.___
On various occasions, producer groups, asked firmer control, 6.___
but the government had no wish to become involving, at 7.___
least not until wartime when wheat prices threatened to run
wild.
Anxious to check inflation and rising life costs, the federal 8.___
government appointed a board of grain supervisors to deal with
deliveries from the crops of 1917 and 1918. Grain Exchange
trading was suspended, and farmers sold at prices fixed by the
board. To handle with the crop of 1919, the government 9.___
appointed the first Canadian Wheat Board, with total authority to 10.___
buy, sell, and set prices.
阅读理解 A
Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (40 min)
SECTION A READING COMPREHENSION (30 min)
In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of fifteen multiple- choice
questions. Read the passages and then mark answers on your Coloured Answer Sheet.
TEXT A
“Twenty years ago, Blackpool turned its back on the sea and tried to make i tself into an
entertainment centre. ” say Robin Wood, a local official. “Now t he thinking is that we should try,
to refocus on the sea and make Blackpool a fami ly destination again.” To say that Blackpool
neglected the sea is to put it mil d ly. In 1976 the European Community, as it then was called,
instructed member nati ons to make their beaches conform to certain minimum standards of
cleanliness wi thin ten years. Britain, rather than complying, took the novel strategy of conte nding
that many of its most popular beaches were not swimming beaches at all. Be cause of Britain’s
climate the sea- bathing season is short, and most people don ’ t go in above their knees
anyway-and hence can’t really be said to be swimming. By averaging out the number of people
actually swimming across 365 days of the y ear, the government was able to persuade itself, if no
one else, that Britain ha d hardly any real swimming beaches.
As one environmentalist put it to me: “You had the ludicrous situation in w hich
Luxembourg had mere listed public bathing beaches than the whole of the Uni ted Kingdom. It
was preposterous.”
Meanwhile, Blackpool continued to discharge raw sewage straight into the se a. Finally
after much pressure from both environmental groups and the European U nion, the local water
authority built a new waste- treatment facility for the who le of Blackpool and neighbouring
communities. The facility came online in June 1 996. For the first time since the industrial
revolution Blackpool’s waters are safe to swim in.
That done, the town is now turning its attention to making the sea-front me re visually
attractive. The promenade, once a rather elegant place to stroll, ha d become increasingly tatty and
neglected. “It was built in Victorian times and needed a thorough overhaul anyway, ”says Wood,
“so we decided to make aestheti c improvements at the same time, to try to draw people back to
it.” Blackpool rec e ntly spent about .4 million building new kiosks for vendors and improving
seat ing around the Central Pier and plans to spend a further $$ 15 million on various amenity
projects.
The most striking thing about Blackpool these days compared with 20 years a go is how
empty its beaches are. When the tide is out, Blackpool’s beaches are a vast plain of beckoning
sand. They look spacious enough to accommodate comforta bly the entire populace of northern
England. Ken Welsby remembers days when, as he puts it,“ you couldn’t lay down a
handkerchief on this beach, it was that c rowded.”
Welsby comes from Preston, 20 miles down the road, and has been visiting Bl ackpool all
his life. Now retired, he had come for the day with his wife, Kitty, and their three young
grandchildren who were gravely absorbed in building a san dcastle. “Two hundred thousand
people they’d have on this beach sometimes.” W elsby said. “You can’t imagine it now, can
you?”
Indeed I could not. Though it was a bright sunny day in the middle of summe r. I counted
just 13 people scattered along a half mile or so of open sand. Exce pt for those rare times when hot
weather and a public holiday coincide, it is li ke this nearly always now.
“You can’t imagine how exciting it was to come here for the day when we w er e young.”
Kitty said. “Even from Preston, it was a big treat. Now children don ’t want the beach. They
want arcade games and rides in helicopters and goodness kn ows what else.” She stared out over
the glittery water. “We’ll never see thos e days again. It’s sad really.”
“But your grandchildren seem to be enjoying it,” I pointed out.
“For the moment, ”Ken said. “For the moment.”
Afterward I went for a long walk along the empty beach, then went back to th e town centre
and treated myself to a large portion of fish-and-chips wrapped in paper. The way they cook it in
Blackpool, it isn’t so much a meal as an invita t ion to a heart attack, but it was delicious. Far out
over the sea the sun was se tting with such splendor that I would almost have sworn I could hear
the water h iss where it touched.
Behind me the lights of Blackpool Tower were just twinkling on, and the str eets were
beginning to fill with happy evening throngs. In the purply light of d usk the town looked peaceful
and happy — enchanting even — and there was an engaging air of expectancy, of fun about to
happen. Somewhat to my surprise, I r ealized that this place was beginning to grow on me.
16. At the beginning, the passage seems to suggest that Blackpool ___.
A. will continue to remain as an entertainment centre
B. complied with EC’s standards of clearliness
C. had no swimming beaches all along
D. is planning to revive its former attraction
17. We can learn from the passage that Blackpool used to ___.
A. have as many beaches as Luxumbourg
B. have seriously polluted drinking water
C. boast some imposing seafront sights
D. attract few domestic holiday makers
18. What Blackpool’s beaches strike visitors most is their ___.
A. emptiness B. cleanliness C. modernity D. monotony
TEXT B
Pundits who want to sound judicious are fond of warning against generalizin g. Each
country is different, they say, and no one story fits all of Asia. This is, of course, silly: all of these
economies plunged into economic crisis within a few months of each other, so they must have had
something in common.
In fact, the logic of catastrophe was pretty much the same in Thailand, Mal aysia, Indonesia
and South Korea. (Japan is a very different story. ) In each ca se investors——mainly, but not
entirely, foreign banks who had made short-term loans——all tried to pull their money out at the
same time. The result was a co mbined banking and currency crisis: a banking crisis because no
bank can convert all its assets into cash on short notice; a currency crisis because panicked in
vestors were trying not only to convert long-term assets into cash, but to conve rt baht or rupiah
into dollars. In the face of the stampede, governments had no good options. If they let their
currencies plunge inflation would soar and compa nies that had borrowed in dollars would go
bankrupt; if they tried to support th eir currencies by pushing up interest rates, the same firms
would probably go bu st from the combination of debt burden and recession. In practice,
countries’ s plit the difference—— and paid a heavy price regardless.
Was the crisis a punishment for bad economic management? Like most cliches, the
catchphrase“ crony capitalism” has prospered because it gets at something r eal: excessively cozy
relationships between government and business really did l ead to a lot of bad investments. The
still primitive financial structure of Asia n business also made the economies peculiarly vulnerable
to a loss of confidence . But the punishment was surely disproportionate to the crime, and many
investme nts that look foolish in retrospect seemed sensible at the time.
Given that there were no good policy options, was the policy response mainl y on the fight
track? There was frantic blame-shifting when everything in Asia s eemed to be going wrong: now
there is a race to claim credit when some things ha ve started to go right. The international
Monetary Fund points to Korea’s recov e ry—— and more generally to the fact that the sky didn’t
fall after all —— a s proof that its policy recommendations were right. Never mind that other
IMF cli ents have done far worse, and that the economy of Malaysia —— which refused IM F
help, and horrified respectable opinion by imposing capital controls ——also seems to be on the
mend. Malaysia’s prime Minister, by contrast, claims full cr e dit for any good news——even
though neighbouring economies also seem to have bo ttomed out.
The truth is that an observer without any ax to grind would probably concl ude that none of
the policies adopted either on or in defiance of the IMF’s adv i ce made much difference either
way. Budget policies, interest rate policies, ban king reform —— whatever countries tried, just
about all the capital that could flee, did. And when there was no mere money to run, the natural
recuperative po wers of the economies finally began to prevail. At best, the money doctors who p
urported to offer cures provided a helpful bedside manner; at worst, they were l ike medieval
physicians who prescribed bleeding as a remedy for all ills.
Will the patients stage a full recovery? It depends on exactly what you me an by “full”.
South Korea’s industrial production is already above its pre-cr isi s level; but in the spring of 1997
anyone who had predicted zero growth in Korea n industry over the next two years would have
been regarded as a reckless doomsa yer. So if by recovery you mean not just a return to growth,
but one that brings the region’s performance back to something like what people used to regard as
the Asian norm, they have a long way to go.
19. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the writer’s opinion?
A. Countries paid a heavy price for whichever measure taken.
B. Countries all found themselves in an economic dilemma.
C. Withdrawal of foreign capital resulted in the crisis.
D. Most governments chose one of the two options.
20. The writer thinks that those Asian countries ___.
A. well deserved the punishment
B. invested in a senseless way at the time
C. were unduly punished in the crisis
D. had bad relationships between government and business
21. It can be inferred from the passage that IMF policy recommendations ___.
A. were far from a panacea in all cases
B. were feasible in their recipient countries
C. failed to work in their recipient countries
D. were rejected unanimously by Asian countries
22. At the end of the passage, the writer seems to think that a full reco very of the Asian economy
is ___.
A. due B. remote C. imaginative D. unpredictable
TEXT C
Human migration: the term is vague. What people usually think of is the per manent
movement of people from one home to another. More broadly, though, migrat ion means all the
ways——from the seasonal drift of agricultural workers within a country to the relocation of
refugees from one country to another.
Migration is big, dangerous, compelling. It is 60 million Europeans leaving home from the
16th to the 20th centuries. It is some 15 million Hindus, Skihs, and Muslims swept up in a
tumultuous shuffle of citizens between India and Pakis tan after the partition of the subcontinent in
1947.
Migration is the dynamic undertow of population change: everyone’s solutio n , everyone’s
conflict. As the century turns, migration, with its inevitable eco n omic and political turmoil, has
been called“ one of the greatest challenges of the coming century.”
But it is much more than that. It is, as has always been, the great adventu re of human life.
Migration helped create humans, drove us to conquer the planet , shaped our societies, and
promises to reshape them again.
“You have a history book written in your genes, ”said Spencer Wells. The bo ok he’s
trying to read goes back to long before even the first word was written , and it is a story of
migration.
Wells, a tall, blond geneticist at Stanford University, spent the summer of 1998 exploring
remote parts of Transcaucasia and Central Asia with three collea gues in a Land Rover, looking for
drops of blood. In the blood, donated by the p eople he met, he will search for the story that
genetic markers can tell of the long paths human life has taken across the Earth. Genetic studies
are the latest technique in a long effort of modern humans t o find out where they have come from.
But however the paths are traced, the basi c story is simple: people have been moving since they
were people. If early huma ns hadn’t moved and intermingled as much as they did, they probably
would have c ontinued to evolve into different species. From beginnings in Africa, most resea
rchers agree, groups of hunter-gatherers spread out, driven to the ends of the E arth.
To demographer Kingsley Davis, two things made migration happen. First, hum an beings,
with their tools and language, could adapt to different conditions wi thout having to wait for
evolution to make them suitable for a new niche. Second , as populations grew, cultures began to
differ, and inequalities developed betw een groups. The first factor gave us the keys to the door of
any room on the pla net; the other gave us reasons to use them.
Over the centuries, as agriculture spread across the planet, people moved t oward places
where metal was found and worked and to centres of commerce that th en became cities. Those
places were, in turn, invaded and overrun by people later generations called barbarians.
In between these storm surges were steadier but similarly profound fides in which people
moved out to colonize or were captured and brought in as slaves. F or a while the population of
Athens, that city of legendary enlightenment was as much as 35 percent slaves.
“What strikes me is how important migration is as a cause and effect in th e great world
events. ”Mark Miller, co-author of The Age of Migration and a prof essor of political science at
the University of Delaware, told me recently.
It is difficult to think of any great events that did not involve migration . Religions spawned
pilgrims or settlers; wars drove refugees before them and ma de new land available for the
conquerors; political upheavals displaced thousand s or millions; economic innovations drew
workers and entrepreneurs like magnets; environmental disasters like famine or disease pushed
their bedraggled survivor s anywhere they could replant hope. “It’s part of our nature, this
movement,” Miller said, “It’s just a fact of the human condition.”
23. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?
A. Migration exerts a great impact on population change.
B. Migration contributes to Mankind’s progress.
C. Migration brings about desirable and undesirable effects.
D. Migration may not be accompanied by human conflicts.
24. According to Kingsley Davis, migration occurs as a result of the foll owing reasons EXCEPF
___.
A. human adaptability B. human evolution C. cultural differences
D. inter-group inequalities
25. Which of the following groups is NOT mentioned as migrants in the pas sage?
A. Farmers. B. Workers. C. Settlers. D. Colon izers.
26. There seems to be a(n) ___ relationship between great events an d migration.
A. loose B. indefinite C. causal D. rem ote
TEXT D
How is communication actually achieved? It depends, of course, either on a common
language or on known conventions, or at least on the beginnings of these. If the common
language and the conventions exist, the contributor, for example, the creative artist, the performer,
or the reporter, tries to use them as well as he can. But often, especially with original artists and
thinkers, the problem is in one way that of creating a language, or creating a convention, or at leas
t of developing the language and conventions to the point where they are capable of bearing his
precise meaning. In literature, in music, in the visual arts, in the sciences, in social thinking, in
philosophy, this kind of development has o ccurred again and again. It often takes a long time to
get through, and for many people it will remain difficult. But we need never think that it is
impossible; creative energy is much more powerful than we sometimes suppose. While a man is
engaged in this struggle to say new things in new ways, he is usually more than ever concentrated
on the actual work, and not on its possible audience. Many ar tists and scientists share this
fundamental unconcern about the ways in which th eir work will be received. They may be glad if
it is understood and appreciated, hurt if it is not, but while the work is being done there can be
no argument. T he thing has to come out as the man himself sees it.
In this sense it is true that it is the duty of society to create condition s in which such men
can live. For whatever the value of any individual contribut ion, the general body of work is of
immense value to everyone. But of course thi ngs are not so formal, in reality. There is not society
on the one hand and thes e individuals on the other. In ordinary living, and in his work, the
contributor shares in the life of his society, which often affects him both in minor ways a nd in
ways sometimes so deep that he is not even aware of them. His ability to m ake his work public
depends on the actual communication system: the language its elf, or certain visual or musical or
scientific conventions, and the institution s through which the communication will be passed. The
effect of these on his act ual work can be almost infinitely variable. For it is not only a
communication s ystem outside him; it is also, however original he may be, a communication
syste m which is in fact part of himself. Many contributors make active use of this ki nd of internal
communication system. It is to themselves, in a way, that they fi rst show their conceptions, play
their music, present their arguments. Not only as a way of getting these clear, in the process of
almost endless testing that a ctive composition involves. But also, whether consciously or not, as a
way of pu tting the experience into a communicable form. If one mind has grasped it, then it may
be open to other minds.
In this deep sense, the society is in some ways already present in the act of composition.
This is always very difficult to understand, but often, when we have the advantage of looking
back at a period, we can see, even if we cannot e xplain, how this was so. We can see how much
even highly original individuals ha d in common, in their actual work, and in what is called their
“structure of fe e ling”, with other individual workers of the time, and with the society of that t
ime to which they belonged. The historian is also continually struck by the fact that men of this
kind felt isolated at the very time when in reality they were beginning to get through. This can also
be noticed in our own time, when some of the most deeply influential men feel isolated and even
rejected. The society an d the communication are there, but it is difficult to recognize them,
difficult to be sure.
27. Creative artists and thinkers achieve communication by ___.
A. depending on shared conventions
B. fashioning their own conventions
C. adjusting their personal feelings
D. elaborating a common language
28. A common characteristic of artists and scientists involved in creativ e work is that ___.
A. they cave about the possible reaction to their work
B. public response is one of the primary conceits
C. they are keenly aware of public interest in their work
D. they are indifferent toward response to their work
29. According to the passage, which of the following statements is INCORR ECT?
A. Individual contributions combined possess great significance to the publ ic.
B. Good contributors don’t neglect the use of internal communication syste m.
C. Everyone except those original people comes under the influence of socie ty.
D. Knowing how to communicate is universal among human beings.
30. It is implied at the end of the passage that highly original individu als feel isolated because
they ___.
A. fail to acknowledge and use an acceptable form of communication
B. actually differ from other individuals in the same period
C. have little in common with the society of the time
D. refuse to admit parallels between themselves and the society
阅读理解 B
SECTION B
TEXT E
First read the question.
31. The purpose of the passage is to ___.
A. review some newly-published interior-design books
B. explore the potential market for interior-design books
C. persuade people to buy some good books
D. stress the importance of reading good books
Now go through TEXT E quickly to answer question 31.
Do your relationships keep failing? When you leave your home in the morning are you
already feeling stressed? Is there no time in your life for fun any mor e? Cancel your appointment
with the doctor. What you need is a good interior-des ign book. Publishers have created a new
genre of books for the home, titles that go beyond paint charts and superficial style and instead
show you how your home can be transformed and even heal your life.
Dawna Walter is one of the authors leading the way in Britain with her boo k Organized
Living that attempts to show how even a tidy sock drawer can improve the quality of your life.
Walter is the owner of the Holding Company, a shop on London’s Kings Road which sells
hundreds of storage ideas for the home. It has been such a hit that Walter is planning to open four
new outlets in the near fu ture. Born in America, Dawna Walter is a fast talker, a self-confessed
perfectio nist, and a tidiness fundamentalist. “If it takes 10 minutes for you to find a matching pair
of socks in the morning, then you are not in control and your outl ook just isn’t any good. Being
organized saves you a couple of hours every week and gives you more time to do the things you
enjoy, ”she explains.
Her book contains dozens of ideas for streamlining your life. In the kitch en she
recommends filing magazine recipes immediately, and organizing them by ty pes-of dishes or
particular cooks, and using ice-cube trays to freeze sauces in individual portions. Her ideas seem
common sense but nevertheless require you to be at least slightly obsessive. CDs are a case in
point: “How often do you wan t to find one particular CD and can’t? Now, how much easier it
would be if you p l aced them in alphabetical order? That will only take an hour. Then divide out
th e ones you listen to regularly into a separate section. ”
Another recent book in the British market was Sarah Shurety’s Chinese-ins p ired Feng
Shui For Your Home. Within 14 days of publication every copy had been sold. Shurety’s
room-by-room guide to creating a harmonious living space, based on the ancient Chinese tradition
Feng Shui, contains rules for how to create the best atmosphere and promote health, wealth and
happiness. Dinner party hosts ar e told to place quiet people at the head of the table and facing the
door so tha t they will feel more garrulous; those looking for romance learn to place pink f lowers
by their beds; and house- buyers are warned to beware of properties built on sloping foundations if
they want stability in their lives.
tangled-元宵节英文
adults-883
tabloid-合体
单独-压延
假装-1088
desperately-平面图形
brisk-重钙
pollen-皮手套
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