学位英语考试试题

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Part I??Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)

Directions: There are 10 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage.

My formula for staying young is simple: concentrate on the part of you that’s young and growing your brain. Keep your mind awake and you’ll stay young all over. These are exciting times. Take an interest in the world around you, and make a point of learning at least one new thing every day.

Regardless of your age, it’s not too late to make your life more interesting. I know a housewife wi th no previous knowledge who made herself into an outstanding industrial designer; I know a retired electrical engineer who has become a highly paid ceramic artist.

Get over the notion that you are ever too old to go back to school. I know a man who entered medical college at 70. He got his degree with honors and became an eminent physician. Another man went to law school at 71 and is now an active lawyer.

In spite of years, staying young is easy for those who live in the future. You can do it if you care enough to try. Keep your mind awake and active; that’s the only youth elixir (万灵药) guaranteed to work.

1. The statement that our brain remains young and growing regardless of age is ________.

A) an impossibility C) a supposition

B) a scientific fact D) a ridiculous conclusion

2. It is wrong to ________.

A) think oneself too old to go back to school

B) keep one’s mind awake

C) try to stay young

D) get one’s degree with honors

3. The passage states that a man who entered college at 70 became ________.

A) an active lawyer C) a distinguished doctor

B) an electric engineer D) a highly paid ceramic artist

4. The only youth elixir is to ________.

A) go back to school C) keep in touch with young people

B) forget one’s own age D) keep one’s mind awake and active

5. All of the following statements are true EXCEPT that ________.

A) human brain never gets old with age

B) every person should take up a new occupation when he becomes old

C) staying young is not difficult if one is willing to try

D) there is always something to learn if you have an interest in what’s going on around you

Passage Two

Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage.

All the useful energy at the surface of the earth comes from the activity of the sun. The sun heats and feeds mankind. Each year it provides men with two hundred million tons of grain and nearly ten million tons of wood.

Coal, oil, natural gas, and all other fuels are stored-up energy from the sun. Some was collected by this season’s plants as carbon compounds. Some was stored by plants and trees ages ago.

Even waterpower derives from the sun. Water turned into vapor by the sun falls as rain. It courses down the mountains and is converted to electric power.

Light transmits only the energy that comes from the sun’s outer layers, and much of this energy that is directed toward the earth never arrives. About nine-tenths of it is absorbed by the atmosphere of the earth. In fact, the earth itself gets only one half-billionth of the sun’s entire output of radiant energy.

6. The sun is the source of all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A) gasoline B) natural gas C) atomic energy D) green plants

7. Radiant energy is stored as carbon compounds by _______.

A) plants B) rain C) rock D) wind

8. The sun’s energy directly provides us with _________.

A) rain B) vapor C) light D) food

9. The largest part of the radiant energy directed toward the earth is _________.

A) stored by the current season’s plants

B) absorbed by the earth’s atmosphere

C) turned into fuel

D) used for electric power

10. Of the sun’s entire output of radiant energy, the earth receives ________.

A) one tenth

B) nine tenths

C) all that comes from the sun’s outer layers

D) a very small portion

Passage Three

Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage.

Twenty-three disabled workers were named technical experts on Saturday by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, one of the highest honors China awards to its outstanding laborers.

Saturday’s ceremony marked the first time that the honors have been given to disabled laborers.

“We were highly impressed by the skills of these disabled workers and are convinced that they are contributors to the prosperity of the country,” said Labor and Social Security Vice Minister Zhang Xiaojian on Saturday a t the closing ceremony of the Second National Occupational Skills Contest for Disabled People. Of the country’s 60 million plus disabled citizens, 82 percent were employed by the end of last year.

All 23 recipients of Saturday’s honors were national ch ampions in the 22 events of the contest. Altogether 600 disabled people, winners of earlier grass-roots selective trials which attracted over 4,000 people, took part in the contest this month.

The victory of Ding Baoming from Beijing, who won the championship for garment cutting, might have been the least surprising result, since Ding is already much respected in her field. After starting to learn garment making in 1985, Ding now owns her own garment company.

In contrast with Ding, 39-year-old Han Ling has surprised many people by winning the national championship for Zharan, a traditional Chinese skill to dye special patterns on various materials by binding the materials in various ways.

In light of the success of the contest, as well as its significance in encouraging more disabled people to learn a skill for self-sufficiency, Chinese Disabled Persons’ Federation President Deng Pufang announced on Saturday that the contest will be held once every four years from now on.

11. How many disabled people got the job by the end of last year?

A) 82. B) 60,000. C) More than 8/10. D) Less than 1/3.

12. How many contestants joined in the contest for disabled people?

A) 23. B) More than 4,000. C) 600. D) 39.

13. Which of the following is NOT true about Ding Baoming?

A) She has been well established in her field.

B) She keeps a company of her own.

C) She is well known in her field.

D) Her success in garment cutting gives a big surprise to people.

14. What is NOT encouraged for disabled people to pursue?

A) To be self-sufficient.

B) To be skillful in one area.

C) To make contribution to the country.

D) Not worth getting high honors.

15. What is suggested by citing two examples?

A) There is no difficulty whatsoever as long as you set your mind to.

B) Zharan, a traditional Chinese skill is more eye-catching than garment cutting.

C) To win in the contest is the criterion for measuring whether you are winner or loser in life.

D) More and more attention has been paid to disabled people.

Passage Four

Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage.

The translator must have an excellent, up-to-date knowledge of his source languages, full facility in the handling of his target language, which will be his mother tongue or language of habitual use, and a knowledge and understanding of the latest subject matter in his field of specialization. This is, as it were, his professional equipment. In addition to this, it is desirable that he should have an inquiring mind, wide interests, a good memory and the ability to grasp quickly the basic principles of new developments. He should be willing to work on his own, often at high speeds, but should be humble enough to consult others should his own knowledge not always prove adequate to the task in hand. He should be able to type fairly quickly and accurately and, if he is working mainly for publication, should have more than a nodding acquaintance with printing techniques and proofreading. If he is working basically as an information translator, let us say, for an industrial firm, he should have the flexibility of mind to enable him to switch rapidly from one source language to another, as well as from one subject matter to another, since this ability is frequently required of him in such work. Bearing in mind the nature of the translator’s work, i.e., the proces sing of the written word, it is, strictly speaking, unnecessary that he should be able to speak the languages he is dealing with. If he does speak them, it is an advantage rather than a hindrance, but this skill is in many ways a luxury that he can dispense with. It is, however, desirable that he should have an approximate idea about the pronunciation of his source languages, even if this is restricted to knowing how proper names are pronounced. The same applies to the ability to write his source languages. If he can, well and good; if he cannot, it does not matter. There are many other skills and qualities that are desirable in a translator.

16. The target language should be _____.

A) the translator’s second foreign language

B) a language the translator is proficient in

C) the language in his field of specialization

D) the translator’s source language

17. A good translator should be independent, efficient and ________.

A) pay attention to others’ opinions C) have an acquaintance with others

B) grasp knowledge quickly D) prove the task in hand

18. If he is working for an industrial firm, it is necessary for the translator to _____.

A) get informed

B) get acquainted with the firm

C) type quickly and accurately

D) get well acquainted with his subject

19. Why don’t some translators speak and write the languages they translate?

A) They never have the chance to speak and write them.

B) This enables them to work more efficiently.

C) This saves them a lot of time.

D) They are only concerned with the written words.

20. What is not essential in a translator?

A) Up-to-date knowledge of his source language.

B) Understanding of the latest subject.

C) The ability to speak the languages he translates.

D) An approximate idea about the pronunciation of his source languages.

Passage Five

Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage.

People have wondered for a long time how their personalities and behavior are formed. It is not easy to explain why one person is intelligent and another is not, or why one is cooperative and another is competitive.

Social scientists are, of course, extremely interested in these types of questions. They want to explain why we

possess certain characteristics and exhibit certain behavior. There are no clear answers yet, but two distinct schools of thought on the matter have developed. As one might expect, the two approaches are very different from one another, and there is a great deal of debate between proponents of each theory. The controversy is often referred to as “nature/nurture”.

Those who support the “nature” side of the conflict believe th at our personalities and behavior patterns are largely determined by biological and genetic factors. That our environment has little, if anything, to do with our abilities, characteristics, and behavior is central to this theory. Taken to an extreme, this theory maintains that our behavior is predetermined to such a degree that we are almost completely governed by our instincts.

Proponents of the “nurture” theory, or as they are often called, behaviorists, claimed that our environment is more important than our biologically based instincts in determining how we will act. A behaviorist, B.F. Skinner, sees humans as beings whose behavior is almost completely shaped by their surroundings. The behaviorists’ view of the human being is quite mechanistic; they maintain that, like machines, humans respond to environmental stimuli as the basis of their behavior.

Neither of these theories can yet fully explain human behavior. In fact, it is quite likely that the key to our behavior lies somewhere between these two extremes. That the controversy will continue for a long time is certain.

21. Which of the following statements would supporters of the “nature” theory agree with?

A) A person’s instincts have little effect on his actions.

B) Environment i s important in determining a person’s behavior and personality.

C) Biological reasons have a strong influence on how we act.

D) The behaviorists’ view correctly explains how we act.

22. Which of the following statements would proponents of the “nurture” theory agree with?

A) Environment has little to do with behavior.

B) Behaviorist theory is not correct.

C) Biologically based instincts are important in how we act.

D) A person’s character is greatly influenced by his environment.

23. B.F.Skinner ______.

A) supports the nature theory

B) thinks the environment plays an important role in determining character

C) believes instincts govern behavior

D) believes in the importance of genes in determining personality

24. Concerning the “nature/nurture” controversy, the writer of this article ____.

A) supports the nature theory

B) supports the nurture theory

C) believes both are completely wrong

D) thinks that the correct explanation of human behavior will take ideas from both theories

25. In the US, black people often score below white people on intelligence tests. With this in mind, which one of the

following statements is NOT true?

A) ”Nature” theory proponents would say that whites are genetically superior to blacks.

B) ”Nurture” theory proponents would disagree that blacks are biologically inferior to whites.

C) Supporters of the “nature” theory would say that whites score well because they have a superior environment.

D) Behaviorists would say that blacks often lack the educational and environmental advantages that whites enjoy.

Passage Six

Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.

The White House is the home of the President of the United States and his family. It wasn’t called the White House until Teddy Roosevelt named it in 1901.

James Hoban designed the White House in 1792. He was awarded the job because he had won a contest sponsored by the government. His design had been selected as the best.

President John Adams was the first to live in the White House. When he and his wife, Abigail moved in, it was a huge mansion in the middle of a swamp. Many of the rooms were unfinished. Abigail used the famous East Room as a drying room for laundry. More rooms were decorated every year. Rare shrubs and trees were planted on the grounds.

Yet, all this work was for nothing. In the War of 1812, the British burned the mansion to the ground. The White House was rebuilt in 1817. The beauty of its decorations and furnishings has been growing ever since.

26. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A) President John Adams and the White House

B) White House Today

C) A House Full of History

D) White House before 1812

27. The contest was sponsored by the government. This means that the government ________.

A) received the prize C) did the designing

B) held the contest D) was against having a contest

28. James Hoban won the job of building the White House because ________.

A) his plan of the house seemed better than the others’??

B) he was the best-known architect of his time

C) he organized the contest

D) he applied for the job to the government

29. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A) The present building of the White House has been standing for almost two centuries.

B) It was James Hoban who first got the idea of building the White House.

C) The number of the rooms in the White House has been growing ever since it was built.

D) The White House got its name at the turn of the century.

30. We can infer from the passage that the White House was first built ________.

A) on a low and damp site C) on a small island

B) among trees and flowers D) on a small hill

Passage Seven

Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.

In Europe, where people seem to improve their trains as fast as we in the United States retire ours, we have living proof that railroads can compete with, and often outstrip, airlines and cars. “ If the distance is seven hundred miles or more, people i n Europe might prefer to fly,” says an official of the French National Railroads, “ but when you get down to four or five hundred miles the train is convenient.” In France, a businessman says to his secretary, “What’s the next train to Lyons? “ --- not the next plane. Taking the train is a way of life. As the fleet of European trains continues to cut the time between major cities in the bid to hit the magic 125 miles per hour mark, airlines are halting or diminishing short-haul service and concentrating on the longer runs.

31. In the U.S. people seem to be ________.

A) improving their trains C) putting their trains out of service

B) modernizing their trains D) destroying all their trains

32. In what case can railroads outrun airlines and cars?

A) The longer runs.

B) Short-haul service.

C) When the distance is 700 miles or more.

D) When the train leaves for Lyons.

33. In Europe the railroads ________.

A) try to slow down their fleet of trains

B) keep speeding up their trains

C) try to apply magic to their fleet of trains

D) are halting or diminishing short-haul service

34. In Europe a businessman ________.

A) seldom takes the train

B) often takes the train

C) takes the train only when it is automatic

D) never takes an airplane

35. In the U.S. the railroads ________.

A) can compete with airlines and cars

B) can hardly compete with airlines and cars

C) can sometimes outstrip airlines and cars

D) is concentrating on the longer runs

Passage Eight

Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.

The state of Kansas is called the “Basket of America” because it ranks first in wheat growing and flour milling. In addition, there are hundreds of cattle ranches (牧场) in western Kansas, some of which cover 50,000 acres. The state is larger than most states, but rather sparsely populated.

In pioneer days, many settlers passed through Kansas seeking rich land and gold farther west. Looking upon Kansas as a “useless waste of land”, they refused to settle there. However, when Kansas joined the Union in 1861 as a free state opposed to slave labor, the population began to increase. Finally, the railroads helped to attract settlers by selling them inexpensive land.

36. The state of Kansas is known chiefly for its _______.

A) rich land and gold C) cheap slave labor

B) railroads and highways D) wheat and meat

37. How can Kansas best be described?

A) The population is small, but the state is large.

B) It is a large state with a large population.

C) The state is small and it has few people.

D) Its sparse population inhabits 50,000 acres.

38. What did early pioneers think about Kansas?

A) They thought there was gold in western Kansas.

B) They found slave labor too expensive.

C) They considered the land unproductive.

D) They liked the rich soil.

39. How did the railroads attract settlers?

A) By giving away gold. C) By opposing slave labor.

B) By constructing flour mills. D) By offering cheap land.

40. The chief occupation of most people in Kansas is _______.

A) running railroads B) mining C) farming D) manufacturing

Passage Nine

Questions 41 to 45 are based on the following passage.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa has defied (违背) the laws of gravity for seven and a half centuries. Every year, on June 19th, a professor from the University of Pisa climbs to the bell tower and measures the increase in the slant with special instruments. And every year the professor makes the same report: the tower has leaned a fraction of an inch more. Last summer, the 125-foot-high tower was leaning an incredible 15 feet out of line. Scientists say that unless a way is found to stop the tilt, the tower will collapse in less than 80 years.

The tower is leaning because the soft subsoil of Pisa will not support it. Its foundation is sinking into the soil at an angle, causing the tower to lean. Since a tremor could shake the foundation loose, the ringing of the tower’s bells was forbidden in 1959. Trucks are not allowed to pass in the neighborhood of the tower for this same reason.

41. The statement which best expresses the main idea of this passage is that ________.

A) the Leaning Tower of Pisa is in increasing danger of collapsing

B) every year a professor measures the increase in the tower’s slant

C) the tower is leaning because the subsoil of Pisa will not support it

D) there is only one way to save the Leaning Tower of Pisa

42. It can be inferred from the passage that last summer the tower was found tilted further by _____.

A) 15 feet C) a fraction of an inch

B) more than one inch D) several inches

43. The tower tilts more and more because ________.

A) the ringing of the bells causes a tremor

B) there are passing trucks nearby

C) it is built on soft soil

D) its foundation has been shaken loose

44. Why is the tower described as defying the laws of gravity?

A) It had resisted shaking tremors for hundreds of years.

B) It was built on soft ground.

C) It leans a fraction of an inch more every year.

D) Scientists think that it should have collapsed long ago.

45. Truck traffic has been forbidden in the neighborhood of the tower ______.

A) to protect the drivers

B) to prevent accidents

C) as a precaution against shaking tremors

D) because trucks damage the foundation

Passage Ten

Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.

Instead of a boost to productivity, many firms are discovering that the Internet is having the opposite effect in the workplace. Employees are surfing the web, checking their stocks, tuning in to web-broadcasts, all while being paid to work. A recent study suggests that German companies lose almost $50 billion each year through employees’ personal workplace web surfing. It’s been estimated that as many as 60% of all employees with desktop Internet a ccess go online at least once daily for non-business activities. On average they spend some 3.2 hours a week of company time online.

The German government, always eager for new sources of tax revenue, has announced that it is investigating ways to tax Internet access by employees for personal use, the theory being that free surf time is a taxable employee benefit -- like a company car.

Imposing such a tax would be difficult, but the threat helps to highlight employers’ need to keep employees’ noses to the grindstone. Of course, one company’s problem can be another company’s opportunity. Filtering and monitoring software is a booming business -- and the future looks bright. The Internet access control software business will likely generate over $500 million in annual sales by 2004. That means more firms will be installing software like Super Scout by Surf Control, which not only knows where you surfed, but can block access to nonessential sites. So, if the next time you go surfing your board seems a little bit smaller, it could be because Big Brother is going along for the ride.

46. What is the headache to many firms?

A) Employees’ surf time is increasing.

B) The difficulty of imposing tax on Internet access by employees for personal use.

C) The increasing money paid for employees’ personal use online.

D) Business is slow with the coming of the Internet.

47. The opposite effect of the Internet, in the eyes of many firms, is that ________.

A) employees are surfing without realizing the passage of time

B) employees have an access to the Internet for their own benefit free of charge

C) employees pay less attention to their work while they have to pay for the undesirable

D) the fluctuation in stock market can affect employees’ incentives

48. ”to keep employees’ noses to the grindstone” ( Paragraph 3) means ________.

A) to make employees continue to work hard without interruption

B) to prevent employees from going surfing online

C) to encourage employees to go surfing while working

D) to punish employees for wrongdoing

49. Who will benefit from this issue?

A) The German government. C) The software company.

B) The firms. D) The company collecting taxes.

50. What can be concluded from the last paragraph?

A) There will be a boost to productivity with the help of Surf Control.

B) The German government will sooner or later find a new way of increasing tax revenue.

C) You are likely to be watched and controlled while online in workplace.

D) Your employer is likely present while you go surfing.

?????Name:_______ Class:_______

Student?No.:_______ Score:_______

Answer Sheet

Part I??Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)

1. ______

2. ______

3. ______

4. ______

5. ______

6. ______

7. ______

8. ______

9. ______ 10. ______

11. ______ 12. ______ 13. ______ 14. ______ 15. ______

16. ______ 17. ______ 18. ______ 19. ______ 20. ______

21. ______ 22. ______ 23. ______ 24. ______ 25. ______

26. ______ 27. ______ 28. ______ 29. ______ 30. ______

31. ______ 32. ______ 33. ______ 34. ______ 35. ______

36. ______ 37. ______ 38. ______ 39. ______ 40. ______

41. ______ 42. ______ 43. ______ 44. ______ 45. ______

46. ______ 47. ______ 48. ______ 49. ______ 50. ______

试验2（参考答案）

Key

Part I??Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)

1. B

2. A

3. C

4. D

5. B

6. C

7. A

8. C

9. B 10. D 11. C 12. B 13. D 14. D 15. A 16. B 17. A 18. D 19. D 20. C 21. C 22. D 23. B 24. D 25. C 26. C 27. B 28. A 29. D 30. A 31. C 32. B 33. B 34. B 35. B 36. D 37. A 38. C 39. D 40. C 41. A 42. C 43. C 44. D 45. C 46. C 47. C 48. A 49. C 50. C