英语试题-2007

ENGLISH EXAMINATION

FOR PHD CANDIDATES OF 2007

2007.5

Part I. Vocabulary and Structure

(1 point each)

20%

Section A

Directions: There are ten sentences in this section. Each sentence has something omitted. Choose the word or words from

the four choices given to best complete each sentence. Mark the corresponding letter with a single bar across

the square brackets on your Machine-scoring Answer Sheet.

1. Radiation from the sun is ________________

by the Earth’s atmosphere.

A. pricked

B. distended

C. attenuated

D. oxidized

2. If you describe a collection of objects, ideas as __________________, you mean that they are wide- ranging and come

from many different sources.

A. eccentric

B. eclectic

C. elastic

D. elective

3. Sit down, straighten your legs and

___________________ your feet.

A. suffocate

B. flex

C. inflate

D. affront

4. Silver

_____________ easily and turns black if not polished regularly.

A. snookers

B. stews

C. tarnishes

D. douse

5. The Grand ____________ in the USA is 1900 meters deep and 25 kilometers wide at its maximum.

A. Canyon

B. Ford

C. Abyss

D. Quarry

6. The statue of the dictator was _________________ over by the crowds.

A. toddled

B. toppled

C. aggrandized

D. aggregated

7. The governor was

_____________ for wrongful use of state money.

A. implanted

B. impended

C. imbued

D. impeached

8. The announcement will _____________ the rumors of a takeover that have plagued the company for the past 18

months.

A. append

B. scotch

C. exhort

D. exhale

9.

He thinks about nothing but playing chess. He’s completely

______________

to it.

A. addicted

B. ascribed

C. tempted

D. overcome

10. Shortly after the boat docked, the passengers

_

_______________________.

A. dismounted

B. disembarked

C. dispersed

D. disgruntled

Section B

Directions: There are ten sentences in this section. Each sentence has one word or a set of

words underlined. Below the sentence are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Choose the word or

phrase that is closet in meaning to the underlined one. Mark the corresponding letter with a single bar across

the square brackets on your Machine- scoring Answer Sheet.

11. Thus, if this process occurred, there might be a long-term oscillation in the amount of carbon dioxide present in the

atmosphere.

A. fluctuation

B. crisis

C. diminution

D. partition

12. The interests of the consumer should be paramount.

A. supreme

B. unbending

C. superfluous

D. tangible

13. Mark seems to have a very lenient teacher this year.

A. helpful

B. friendly

C. intelligent

D. permissive

14. There were intervals when the sun broke through the clouds, because the showers were intermittent.

A. slight

B. periodic

C. enduring

D. temporary

15. It is not improbable that some scrupulous people might be apt to censure such a practice as a little bordering upon cruelty.

A. meticulous

B. contemplative

C. imprudent

D. trifle

16. When he stays up all night to study for his test, he can be quite petulant.

A. tired

B. grouchy

C. amenable

D. exhausted

17. We tried to negotiate but they were adamant.

A. disagreeable

B. confident

C. hostile

D. unyielding

18. The Party always inculcates the duty of loyalty on the young people.

A. precludes from

B. imbues with

C. furnishes with

D. resorts to

policemen are perambulating the streets.

A. percolate

B. permute

C. perjure

D. patrol

20. The mouse that used to pilfer from our pantry was caught by a giant cat at last.

A. felicitate

B. filch

C. fray

D. flout

Part II. Reading Comprehension

(1.5 point each)

30%

Directions: In this part, there are four passages for you to read. Read each passage carefully and then do the

questions that follow. Choose the best answer A, B, C, or D and make the corresponding letter on

your answer sheet.

Text A

The beauty of Hopi painted pottery is known throughout the modern world; so also was it known and highly valued

in the aboriginal world of the North American West. Until approximately A.D. 1300 pottery in the Hopi country was simply

a regional variation on the wares of other parts of the Pueblo area. Then, with the advent of the fourteenth century, came

an artistic explosion. The black-on- white designs, beloved of archaeologists but relatively undistinguished, were

superseded by brilliant, black-on- orange designs and orange polychromes. These in turn were superseded by

black-on-yellow types quite different in design, layout, and execution from any other Pueblo ware. By the addition of red

to this, a polychrome was produced. Its modern counterpart is in constant demand in shops throughout the country. It is

called Sikyatki Polychrome after the first major archaeological excavation in the Hopi country.

In contrast to the almost exclusively geometric nature of other Pueblo wares, the late prehistoric Hopi yellows and

polychromes are characterized by startling, sweeping curvilinear motifs; bird, animal, floral, and human representations;

and religious masks and ceremonial scenes. Their freedom of rendition is completely at variance with the canons of all

other prehistoric Pueblo schools of pottery design, except for the contemporary Mimbres ware in western New Mexico,

which shared some, but far from all of the freedom from established tradition.

21. What does the passage mainly discuss?

A. The techniques used by the Hopi to market pottery.

B. The pottery artifacts found in an archaeological excavation at Sikyatki.

C. The diverse designs and colors used by the Hopi in painting pottery.

D. The relation of Hopi pottery to that designed by the Mimbres.

22. The word

“

it

”

in the first sentence refers to the

_< /p>

____________________________.

A. North American West

B. quality of a kind of pottery

C. Hopi culture

D. modern world

23. In the first paragraph, what is said about Hopi pottery made before A.D. 1300 ?

A. It was transported ail over the world.

B. Its high cost made it difficult to purchase.

C. Its black-on-white designs were uncommon.

D. It was very similar to other Pueblo pottery.

24. According to the passage, when did the greatest artistic advancement in Hopi pottery take place?

A. During the years just prior to the thirteenth century.

B. During the first few decades of the thirteenth century.

C. In the beginning of the fourteenth century.

D. In the middle of the fourteenth century.

25. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a design used for Hopi painted pottery?

A. Bird representations.

B. Common weapons.

C. Ceremonial scenes.

I). Human figures.

Text B

No woman can be too rich or too thin. This saying often attributed to the late Duchess of Windsor embodies much of

the odd spirit of our times. Being thin is deemed as such virtue.

The Problem with such a view is that some people actually attempt to live by it. I myself have fantasies of slipping

into narrow designer clothes. Consequently, I have been on a diet for the better

—

or worse

—

part of my life. Being rich

wouldn

’

t be bad either, but that won

’

t happen unless an unknown relative dies suddenly in some distant land, leaving me

millions of dollars.

Where did we go off the track? When did eating butter become a sin, and a little bit of extra flesh unappealing, if not

repellent? All religions have certain days when people refrain from eating, and excessive eating is one of Christianity

’

s

seven deadly sins. However until quite recently, most People had a problem getting enough to eat. In some religious

groups, Wealth was a symbol of probable salvation and nigh morals, and fatness a sign of wealth and well- being.

Today the Opposite is true. We have shifted to thinness as our new mark of virtue. The result is that being fat

—

or

even only somewhat overweight

—

is bad because it implies a lack of moral strength.

Our obsession with thinness is also fueled by health concerns. It is true that in this country we have more overweight

people than ever before, and that, in many cases, being over weight correlates with an increased risk of heart and blood

vessel disease. These diseases, however, may have as much to do with our way of life and our high-fat diets as with

excess weight. And the associated risk of cancer in the digestive system may be more of a dietary problem

—

too much

fat and a lack of fiber

—

than a weight problem.

The real concern, then, is not that we weigh too much, but that we neither exercise enough nor eat well. Exercise is

necessary for strong bones and both heart and lung health. A balanced diet without a lot of fat can also help the body

avoid many diseases. We should surely stop -paying so much attention to weight. Simply being thin is not enough. It is

actually hazardous if those who get (or already are) thin think they are automatically healthy and thus free from paying

attention to their overall life-style. Thinness can be pure vainglory

26. In the eyes of the author an odd phenomenon nowadays is that _________________

.

A. the Duchess of Windsor is regarded as a woman of virtue

B. looking slim is a symbol of having a large fortune

C. being thin is viewed as a much desired quality

D. religious people are not necessarily virtuous

27. Swept by the prevailing trend, the author ___________________.

A. had to go on a diet for the greater part of her life

B. could still prevent herself from going off the track

C. had to seek help from rich distant relatives

D. had to wear highly fashionable clothes

28.

In human history people’s views on body weight

___________________ .

A. were closely related to their religious beliefs

B. changed from time to time

C. varied between the poor and the rich

D. led to different moral standards

29. The author criticizes women

’

s obsession with thinness ____________________

.

A. from an economic and educational perspective

B. from sociological and medical points of view

C. from a historical and religious standpoint

D. in the light of moral principles

30. What

’s the author’s advice to women who are absorbed in the idea of thinness?

A. They should be more concerned with their overall lifestyle.

B. They should be more watchful for fatal diseases.

C. They should gain weight to look healthy.

D. They should rid themselves of fantasies about designer clothes.

Text C

The University in Transformation, edited by Australian futurists Sohail Inayatullah and Jennifer Gidley, presents

some 20 highly varied outlooks on tomorrow’s universities by writers representing both Western and non

-Western

perspectives. Their essays raise a broad range of issues, questioning nearly every key assumption we have about

higher education today.

The most widely discussed alternative to the traditional campus is the Internet University --- a voluntary community

scholars/teachers physically scattered throughout a country or around the world but all linked in cyberspace. A

computerized university could have any advantages, such as easy scheduling, efficient delivery of lectures to thousands

or even millions of students at once, and ready access for students everywhere to the resources of all the world’s great

libraries.

Yet the Internet University poses dangers too. For example, a line of franchised courseware, produced by a few

superstar teachers, marketed under the brand name of a famous institution, and heavily advertised, might eventually

come to dominate the global education market, warns sociology professor Peter Manicas of the University of Hawaii at

Manoa. Besides enforcing a rigidly standardized curriculum, such a “college education in a box” could undersell the

offerings of many traditional brick and mortar institutions, effectively driving them out of business and throwing

thousands of career academics out of work, note Australian communications professors David Rooney and Greg Hearn.

On the other hand, while global connectivity seems highly likely to play some significant role in future higher

education that does not mean greater uniformity in course content --- or other dangers--- will necessarily follow.

Counter-movements are at work.

Many in academia, including scholars contributing to this volume, are questioning the fundamental mission of

university education. What if, for instance, instead of receiving primarily technical training and building their individual

careers, university students and professors could focus their learning and research efforts on existing problems in their

local communities and the world? Feminist scholar Ivanailojevic dares to dream what a university might become “if we

believed that child-care workers and teachers in early childhood education should be one of the highest (rather than