2015年北京师范大学考博英语真题

2015年北京师范大学考博英语真题

(总分68, 做题时间90分钟)

1. Reading Comprehension

The human ear contains the organ for hearing and the organ for balance. Both organs involve fluid-filled channels containing hair cells that produce electrochemical impulses when the hairs are stimulated by moving fluid. The ear can be divided into three regions: outer, middle, and inner. The outer ear collects sound waves and directs them to the eardrum separating the outer ear from the middle ear. The middle ear conducts sound vibrations through three small bones to the inner ear. The inner ear is a network of channels containing fluid that moves in response to sound or movement. To perform the function of hearing, the ear converts the energy of pressure waves moving through the air into nerve impulses that me brain perceives as sound. Vibrating objects, such as the vocal cords of a speaking person, create waves in me surrounding air. These waves cause the eardrum to vibrate with the same frequency. The three bones of the middle ear amplify and transmit the vibrations to the oval window, a membrane on the surface of the cochlea, the organ of hearing. Vibrations of me oval window produce pressure waves in the fluid inside me cochlea. Hair cells in the cochlea convert the energy of the vibrating fluid into impulses that travel along the auditory nerve to the brain. The organ for balance is also located in the inner ear. Sensations related to body position are generated much like sensations of sound. Hair cells in the inner ear respond to changes in head position with respect to gravity and movement. Gravity is always pulling down on the hairs, sending a constant series of impulses to the brain. When the position of the head changes—as when the head bends forward—the force on the hair cells changes its output of nerve impulses. The brain then interprets these changes to determine the head's new position.

1.

What can be inferred about the organs for hearing and balance?

A Both organs evolved in humans at the same time.

B Both organs send nerve impulses to the brain.

C Both organs contain the same amount of fluid.

D Both organs are located in me ear's middle region.

2.

Hearing involves all of the following EXCEPT______.

A motion of the vocal cords so that they vibrate

B stimulation of hair cells in fluid-filled channels

C amplification of sound vibrations

D conversion of wave energy into nerve impulses

3.

It can be inferred from Paragraphs 2 and 3 that the cochlea is a part of______.

A the outer ear

B me eardrum

C the middle ear

D the inner ear

4.

What can be inferred from Paragraph 4 about gravity?

A Gravity has an essential role in the sense of balance.

B The ear converts gravity into sound waves in the air.

C Gravity is a force that originates in the human ear.

D The organ for hearing is not subject to gravity.

5.

In this passage, the author mainly explains______.

A the organs of the human ear

B the function of the hearing

C the three regions of the ear

D how the ear organ performs the hearing and balance

The geology of the Earth's surface is dominated by the particular properties of water. Present on Earth in solid, liquid, and gaseous states, water is exceptionally reactive. It dissolves, transports, and precipitates many chemical compounds and

is constantly modifying the face of the Earth. Evaporated from the oceans, water vapor forms clouds, some of which are transported by wind over the continents. Condensation from the clouds provides the essential agent of continental erosion: rain. Precipitated onto the ground, the water trickles down to form brooks, streams, and rivers, constituting what is called the hydrographic network. This immense polarized network channels the water toward a single receptacle: an ocean. Gravity dominates this entire step in the cycle because water tends to minimize its potential energy by running from high altitudes toward the reference point that is sea level. The rate at which a molecule of water passes through the cycle is not random but

is a measure of the relative size of the various reservoirs. If we define residence time as the average time for a water molecule to pass through one of the three reservoirs—atmosphere, continent, and ocean—we see that the times are very different. A water molecule stays, on an average, eleven days in the atmosphere, one hundred years on a continent and forty thousand years in the ocean. This last figure shows the importance of the ocean as the principal reservoir of the hydrosphere but also the rapidity of water transport on the continents. A vast chemical separation process takes places during the flow of water over the continents. Soluble ions such as calcium, sodium, potassium, and some magnesium are dissolved and transported. Insoluble ions such as aluminum, iron, and silicon stay where they are and form the thin, fertile skin of soil on which vegetation can grow. Sometimes

soils are destroyed and transported mechanically during flooding. The erosion of the continents thus results from two closely linked and interdependent processes, chemical erosion and mechanical erosion. Their respective interactions and efficiency depend on different factors.

6.

According to the passage, clouds are primarily formed by water______.

A precipitating onto the ground

B changing from a solid to a liquid state

C evaporating from the oceans

D being carried by wind

7.

The passage suggests that the purpose of the "hydrographic network" is to______.

A determine the size of molecules of water

B prevent soil erosion caused by flooding

C move water from the Earth's surface to the oceans

D regulate the rate of water flow from streams and rivers

8.

What determines the rate at which a molecule of water moves through the cycle, as discussed in the third paragraph?

A The potential energy contained in water.

B The effects of atmospheric pressure on chemical compounds.

C The amounts of rainfall that fall on the continents.

D The relative size of the water storage areas.

9.

All of the following are examples of soluble ions EXCEPT______.

A magnesium

B iron

C potassium

D calcium

10.

The word "efficiency" in line 21 is closest in meaning to______.

A relationship

B growth

C influence

D effectiveness

Scientists have long understood that supermassive black holes weighing millions or billions of suns can tear apart stars that come too close. The black hotels gravity pulls harder on the nearest part of the star, an imbalance that pulls the star apart over a period of minutes or hours, once it gets close enough. Scientists say this uneven pulling is not the only hazard facing the star. The strain of these unbalanced forces can also trigger a nuclear explosion powerful enough to destroy the star from within. Matthieu Brassart and Jean-Pierre Luminet of the Observatoire de Paris in Meudon, France, carried out computer simulations of the final moments of such an

unfortunate star's life, as it veered towards a supermassive black hole. When the star gets close enough, the uneven forces flatten it into a pancake shape. Some previous studies had suggested this flattening would increase the density and temperature inside the star enough to trigger intense nuclear reactions that would tear it apart. But other studies had suggested that the picture would be complicated by shock waves generated during the flattening process and that no nuclear explosion should occur. The new simulations investigated the effects of shock waves in detail, and found that even when their effects are included, the conditions favor a nuclear explosion. " There will be an explosion of the star — it will be completely destroyed," Brassart says. Although the explosion obliterates the star, it saves some of the star's matter from being devoured by the black hole. The explosion is powerful enough to hurl much of the star's matter out of the black hole's reach, he says. The devouring of stars by black holes may already have been observed, although at a much later stage. It is thought mat several months after the event that rips the star apart, its matter starts swirling into the hole itself. It heats up as it does so, releasing ultraviolet light and X-rays. If stars disrupted near black holes really do explode, then they could in principle allow these events to be detected at a much earlier stage, says Jules Hatpern of Columbia University in New York, US2. "It may make it possible to see the disruption of that star immediately if it gets hot enough," he says. Brassart agrees. "Perhaps it can be observed in the X-rays and gamma rays, but it's something that needs to be more studied," he says. Supernova researcher Chris Fryer of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, US3, says the deaths of these stars are difficult to simulate, and he is not sure whether the researchers have proven their case that they explode in the process.

11.

Something destructive could happen to a star that gets too close to a black hole. Which of the following destructive statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A The black hole could tear apart the star.

B The black hole could trigger a nuclear explosion in the star.

C The black hole could dwindle its size considerably.

D The black hole could devour the star.

12.

According to the third paragraph, researchers differed from each other in the problem of ______.

A whether nuclear reaction would occur

B whether the stars would increase its density and temperature

C whether shock waves would occur

D whether the uneven forces would flatten the stars

13.

According to the fourth paragraph, which of the following is NOT true?

A No nuclear explosion would be triggered inside the star.

B The star would be destroyed completely.

C Much of the star's matter thrown by the explosion would be beyond the black hole's reach.

D The black hole would completely devour the star.

14.

What will happen several months after the explosion of the star?

A The star's matter will move further away from by the black hole.

B The black hole's matter will heat up.

C The torn star's matter will swirl into the black hole.

D The black hole's matter will release ultraviolet light and X-rays.

15.

According to the context, the word "disruption" in Paragraph 6 means______.

A confusion

B tearing apart

C interruption

D flattening

Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language is universal but that the gestures we use are understood by everyone. We do not realize that waving good-bye is the way to summon a person from the Philippines to one's side, or that in Italy and some Latin-American countries, curling the finger to oneself is a sign of farewell. Those private citizens who sent packages to our troops occupying Germany after World War II and marked them GIFT to escape duty payments did not bother to find out that " Gift" means poison in German. Moreover, we like to think of ourselves as friendly, yet we prefer to be at least 3 feet or an arm's length away from others. Latins and Middle Easterners like to come closer and touch, which makes Americans uncomfortable. Our linguistic and cultural blindness and the casualness with which we take notice of the developed tastes, gestures, customs and languages of other countries, are making us lose friends, business and respect in the world. Even here in the United States, we make few concessions to the needs of foreign visitors. There are no information signs in four languages on our public buildings or monuments; we do not have multilingual guided tours. Very few restaurant menus have translations, and multilingual waiters, bank clerks and policemen are rare. Our transportation systems have maps in English only and often we ourselves have difficulty understanding them. When we go abroad, we tend to cluster in hotels and restaurants where English is spoken. Then attitudes and information we pick up are conditioned by those natives—usually the richer —who speak English. Our business dealings, as well as the nation's diplomacy, are conducted through interpreters. For many years, America and Americans could get by with cultural blindness and linguistic ignorance. After all America is the most powerful country of the free world, the distributor needed funds and goods. But all that is past. American dollars no longer buy all good things, and we are slowly beginning to realize that our proper role in the world is changing. A 1979 Harris poll reported that 55 percent of Americans want this country to play a more

significant role in world affairs; we want to have a hand in the important decisions of the next century, even though it may not always be the upper hand.

16.

It can be inferred that Americans being approached too closely by Middle Easterners would most probably______.

A stand still

B jump aside

C step forward

D draw back

17.

The author gives many examples to criticize Americans for their______.

A cultural self-centeredness

B casual manners

C indifference towards foreign visitors

D arrogance towards other countries

18.

In countries other than their own most Americans______.

A are isolated by the local people

B are not well informed due to the language barrier

C tend to get along well with the natives

D need interpreters in hotels and restaurants

19.

According to the author, Americans' cultural blindness and linguistic ignorance will______.

A affect their image in the new era

B cut themselves off from the outside world

C limit their role in world affairs

D weaken the position of the US dollar

20.

The author's intention in writing this article is to make Americans realize

that______.

A it is dangerous to ignore their foreign friends

B it is important to maintain their leading role in world affairs

C it is necessary to use several languages in public places

D it is time to get acquainted with other cultures

Historians have only recently begun to note the increase in demand for luxury goods and services that took place in 18th-century England. McKendrick has explored the Wedgwood firm's remarkable success in marketing luxury pottery; Plumb has written about the proliferation of provincial theaters, musical festivals, and children's toys and books. While the fact of this consumer revolution is hardly in doubt, three key questions remain: Who were the consumers? What were their motives? And what were the effects of the new demand for luxuries? An answer to the first of these has

been difficult to obtain. Although it has been possible to infer from the goods and services actually produced what manufactures and servicing trades thought their customers wanted, only a study of relevant personal documents written by actual consumers will provide a precise picture of who wanted what. We still need to know how large this consumer market was and how far down the social scale the consumer demand for luxury goods penetrated. With regard to this last question, we might note in passing that Thompson, while rightly restoring laboring people to the stage of 18th-century English history, has probably exaggerated the opposition of these people to the inroads of capitalist consumerism in general; for example, laboring people in eighteenth-century England readily shifted from home-brewed beer to standardized beer produced by huge, heavily capitalized urban breweries. To answer the question of why consumers became so eager to buy, some historians have pointed to the ability of manufacturers to advertise in a relatively uncensored press. This, however, hardly seems a sufficient answer. McKendrick favors a Veblen model of conspicuous consumption stimulated by competition for status. The "middling sort" bought goods and services because they wanted to follow fashions set by the rich. Again, we may wonder whether this explanation is sufficient. Do not people enjoy buying things as a form of self-gratification? If so, consumerism could be seen as a product of the rise of new concepts of individualism and materialism(a preoccupation with or stress upon material rather than intellectual or spiritual things), but not necessarily of the frenzy for conspicuous competition. Finally, what were the consequences of this consumer demand for luxuries? McKendrick claims that it goes a long way toward explaining the coming of the Industrial Revolution. But does it? What, for example, does the production of high-quality pottery and toys have to do with the development of iron manufacture or textile mills? It is perfectly possible to have the psychology and reality of a consumer society without a heavy industrial sector. That future exploration of these key questions is undoubtedly necessary should not, however, diminish the force of the conclusion of recent studies: the insatiable demand in eighteenth-century England for frivolous as well as useful goods and services foreshadows our own world.

21.

In the first paragraph, the author mentions McKendrick and Plumb most probably in order to ______.

A contrast their views on the subject of luxury consumerism in 18th-century England

B indicate the inadequacy of historiographical approaches to 18th-century English history

C give examples of historians who have helped to establish the fact of growing consumerism in 18th-century England

D support the contention that key questions about 18th-century consumerism remain to be answered

22.

Which of the following items, if preserved from 18th-century England, would provide an example of the kind of documents mentioned in lines 3-4, Paragraph 2?

A A written agreement between a supplier of raw materials and a supplier of luxury goods.

B A diary that mentions luxury goods and services purchased by its author.

C A theater ticket stamped with the date and name of a particular play.

D A payroll record from a company that produced luxury goods such as pottery.

23.

According to the text, Thompson attributes to laboring people in 18th-century England which of the following attitudes toward capitalist consumerism?

A Enthusiasm.

B Curiosity.

C Ambivalence.

D Hostility.

24.

In the third paragraph, the author is primarily concerned with______.

A contrasting two theses and offering a compromise

B questioning two explanations and proposing a possible alternative to them

C paraphrasing the work of two historians and questioning their assumptions

D examining two theories and endorsing one over the other

25.

According to the text, 18th-century England and the contemporary world of the text readers are______.

A dissimilar in the extent to which luxury consumerism could be said to be widespread among the social classes

B dissimilar in their definitions of luxury goods and services

C dissimilar in the extent to which luxury goods could be said to be stimulant of industrial development

D similar in their strong demand for a variety of goods and services

Pity those who aspire to put the initials PhD after their names. After 16 years of closely supervised education, prospective doctors of philosophy are left more or less alone to write the equivalent of a large book. Most social-science postgraduates have still not completed their theses by the time their grant runs out after three years. They must then get a job and finish in their spare time, which can often take a further three years. By then, most new doctors are sick to death of the narrowly defined subject which has blighted their holidays and ruined their evenings. The Economic and Social Research Council, which gives grants to postgraduate social scientists, wants to get better value for money by cutting short this agony. It would like to see faster completion rates; until recently, only about 25% of PhD candidates were finishing within four years. The ESRC's response has been to stop PhD grants to all institutions where the proportion taking less than four years is below 10% ; in the first year of this policy the national average shot up to 39%. The ESRC feels vindicated in its toughness, and will progressively raise the threshold to 40% in two years. Unless completion rates improve further, this would exclude 55 out of 73 universities and polytechnics — including Oxford University, the London School

of Economics and the London Business School. Predictably, howls of protest have come from the universities, who view the blacklisting of whole institutions as arbitrary and negative. They point out that many of the best students go quickly into jobs where they can apply their research skills, but consequently take longer to finis their theses. Polytechnics with as few as two PhD candidates complain that they are penalized by random fluctuations in student performance. The colleges say there is no hard evidence to prove that faster completion rates result from greater efficiency rather than lower standards or less ambitious doctoral topics. The ESRC thinks it might not be a bad thing if PhD students were more modest in their aims. It would prefer to see more systematic teaching of research skills and fewer unrealistic expectations placed on young men and women who are undertaking their first piece of serious research. So in future its grants will be given only where it is convinced that students are being trained as researchers, rather than carrying out purely knowledge-based studies. The ESRC can not dictate the standard of thesis required by external examiners, or force departments to give graduates more teaching time. The most it can do is to try to persuade universities to change their ways. Recalcitrant professors should note that students want more research training and a less elaborate style of thesis, too.

26.

By time new doctors get a job and try to finish their theses in spare time, ______.

A most of them died of some sickness

B their holidays and evenings have been ruined by their jobs

C most of them are completely tired of the narrowly defined subject

D most of their grants run out

27.

Oxford University would be excluded out of those universities that receive PhD grants from ESRC, because the completion rate of its PhD students' theses within four years is lower than ______.

A 25%

B 40%

C 39%

D 10%

28.

All the following statements are the arguments against ESRC's policy EXCEPT______.

A all the institutions on the blacklist are arbitrary and negative

B there is no hard evidence to prove that faster completion rates result from greater efficiency rather than lower standards or less ambitious doctoral topics

C many of the best students go quickly into jobs where they can apply their research skills, but consequently take longer to finish their dieses

D some polytechnics are penalized by random fluctuations in student performance

29.

The ESRC would prefer______.

A that me students were carrying out purely knowledge-based studies rather than being trained as researchers

B to see higher standards of PhD students' theses and more ambitious doctoral topics

C more systematic teaching of research skills to fewer unrealistic expectations placed on inexperienced young Ph

D students

D that PhD students were less modest in their aims

30.

What the ESRC can do is to______.

A force departments to give graduates more teaching time

B try to persuade universities to change their ways

C dictate me standard of diesis required by external examiners

D note mat students want more research training and less elaborate style of thesis

2. English-Chinese Translation

1.

Washington Irving grasped this fact nearly a hundred years ago when he wrote: "The stranger who would form a correct opinion of English character must go forth into the country. He must sojourn in villages and hamlets; he must visit castles, villas, farmhouses, cottages; he must wander through parks and gardens, along hedges and green lanes; he must loiter about country churches, attend wakes and fairs and other rural festivals, and cope with me people in all their conditions and all their habits and humors. "

2.

The impact of decentralization trends, of course, extends well beyond cities. Sprawling development patterns are destabilizing many of the suburbs that surround America's cities. Older suburbs are experiencing the same challenges as cities: failing schools, persistent crime, and the loss of jobs and businesses to other, further out suburbs. Even suburban areas that are developing rapidly are finding that explosive growth has its drawbacks, especially in the form of overcrowded schools, but also in long commutes and the inability of local governments to pay for new roads, sewers, and other infrastructure.

3. Chinese-English Translation

1.

发展中国家的人们若为移民问题操心，往往是想到硅谷或发达国家的医院和大学去创造自己最辉煌的未来。英国、加拿大和澳大利亚等国给大学毕业生提供的优惠移民政策，就是为了吸引这部分人群。诸多研究表明，发展中国家受过良好教育的人才往往可能有移民倾向。2004年，曾针对印度家庭进行过一次大型调查，结果发现，近40％有移民倾向的人受过中学以上教育，而25岁以上的印度人只有约3．3％受过中学以上教育。“人才流失”问题长期以来一直让发展中国家的决策者很苦恼，他们担心这种情况会危及其经济发展，夺去他们紧缺的技术人才，而这些人才本该在他们自己的大学任教，在他们自己的医院工作，为他们自己的工厂研发新产品。

4. Writing

1.

Read the following passage carefully and then write a summary of it in English in about 150 words. Many of today's young people have a difficult time seeing any moral dimension to their actions. There are a number of reasons why that's true, but none more prominent than a failed system of education that eschews teaching children the traditional moral values that bind Americans together as a society and a culture. That failed approach, called "decision-making" , was introduced in schools 25 years ago. It tells children to decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. It replaced "character education". Character education didn't ask children to reinvent the moral wheel; instead, it encouraged them to practice habits of courage, justice and self-control. In the 1940s, when a character education approach prevailed, teachers worried about students chewing gum; today they worry about robbery and rape. Decision-making curriculums pose thorny ethical dilemmas to students, leaving them with the impression that all morality is problematic and that all questions of right and wrong are in dispute. Youngsters are forced to question values and virtues they've never acquired in the first place or upon which they have only a tenuous hold. The assumption behind this method is that students will arrive at good moral conclusions if only they are given the chance. But the actual result is moral confusion. For example, a recent national study of 1, 700 sixth- to ninth-graders revealed that a majority of boys considered rape to be acceptable under certain conditions. Astoundingly, many of the girls agreed. This kind of moral illiteracy is further encouraged by values-education programs that are little more than courses in self-esteem. These programs are based on the questionable assumption that a child who feels good about himself or herself won't want to do anything wrong. But it is just as reasonable to make an opposite assumption: namely, that a child who has uncritical self-regard will conclude that he or she can't do anything bad. Such naive self-acceptance results in large part from the non-directive, non-judgmental as-long-as-you-feel-comfortable-with-your-choices mentality that has pervaded public education for the last two and one-half decades. Many of today's drug education, sex education and values-education courses are based on the same 1960s philosophy that helped fuel the explosion in teen drug use and sexual activity in the first place. Meanwhile, while educators are still fiddling with outdated "feel-good" approaches, New York, Washington, and Los Angeles are burning. Youngsters are leaving school believing that matters of right and wrong are always merely subjective. If you pass a stranger on the street and decide to murder him because you need money—if it feels right—you go with that feeling. Clearly, murder is not taught in our schools, but such a conclusion—just about any conclusion—can be reached and justified using the decision-making method. It is time to consign the fads of "decision-making" and "non-judgmentalism" to the ash heap of failed policies, and return to a proved method. Character education provides

a much more realistic approach to moral formation. It is built on an understanding that we learn morality not by debating it but by practicing it.