浙江农林大学博士入学考试英语

浙江农林大学博士入学考

试英语

The following text is amended on 12 November 2020.

2014年博士学位研究生入学考试试题

考试科目: 英语满分：100分考试时间：180分钟

Part I Vocabulary and Structure (15 points, point each)

Directions: For each of the following sentences there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one answer that best completes the sentence.

1. The patient has been ____________ of the safety of the operation.

A. guaranteed

B. assured

C. entrusted

D.

confirmed

2. Some teenagers harbour a generalized resentment against society, which

_________ them the rights and privileges of adults, although

physically they are mature.

A. deprives

B. restricts

C. rejects

D. denies

3. When travelling, you are advised to take travellers’ checks, which

provide a secure ____________ to carrying your money in cash.

A. substitute

B. selection

C. preference

D. alternative

4. The manager gave one of the salesgirls an accusing look for her

___________ attitude toward customers.

A. impartial

B. mild

C. hostile

D. opposing

5. Christmas is a Christian holy day usually celebrated on December 25th

___________ the birth of Jesus Christ.

A. in accordance with

B. in terms of

B. in favor of D. in honor

of

6. No one imagined that the apparently _________ businessman was really a

criminal.

A. respective

B. respectable

C. respectful

D. receptacle

7. In some parts of the world the indigenous population has been

completely _______.

A. wiped up

B. wiped out

C. wiped away

D. wiped off

8. ___________ the invention of the steam engine, most forms of transport

were horse-drawn.

A. Akin to

B. Prior to

C. In addition to

D. With

reference to

9. Because his workplace was so busy and noisy, he longed most of all for

__________.

A. loneliness

B. association

C. solitude

D. irrelevancy

10. Because Mark needed to pass the exam, he made studying a _____________

over watching his favorite television show.

A. priority

B. conformity

C.

perplexity D. concept

11. The record of the past is always incomplete, and the historians who

write about it __________ reflect the preoccupations of their own time.

A. bound to

B. inevitably

C. indispensably

D. justifiably

12. Man is a ________ animal, and much more so in his mind than in his

body: he may like to go alone for a walk, but he hates to stand alone in his __________.

A. conceited ... vanity

B. solitary ...

thoughts

C. gregarious ... opinions

D. special ...

uniqueness

13. He says he would write an English course book if he could find a(n)

________ to deal with the less interesting parts.

A. accomplice

B. collaborator

C. spouse

D. kin

14. International travelers may have difficulties understanding the

adjustment problems that _________ them.

A. amaze

B. beset

C. humiliate

D. resurrect

15. The distinctive qualities of African music were not appreciated or even _________.

A. deplored

B. perceived

C. revered

D. ignored

16. The spokesperson knew he had made a ___________ error when he

prematurely announced that all of the victims had survived the

accident.

A. glaring

B. grievous

C. dazed

D. furtive

17. His _________ for wanting to stay on as manager is to see England as

the top team in the world.

A. measurement

B. motivation

C. requirement

18. Many of the villagers rely on fishing as their __________ source of

income.

19. She couldn’t imagine herself in any form of ___________ with her

employer, much as she liked him.

B. Fantasy

C. intimacy

20. The fall in the number of deaths from heart disease is generally

_________ to improvements in diet.

B. referred

21. Do you believe that he had killed a man with his __________ hands

22. It ___________ me as strange that the man didn’t introduce himself

before he spoke.

A. occurred

B. dawned

C. impressed

D.

struck

23. He definitely meant to be rude—it was quite _________.

A. spontaneous

B. deliberate

C. conscious

D.

expressive

24. The lawyer told the judge that his __________ did not have a criminal

record.

25. Attitudes learned at home __________ onto the playground.

out B. carry on C. carry forward over

26. I’m worried about washing that shirt in case it __________.

C. diminishes

27. After you’ve signed the contract, it will be impossible to _________. out up off down

28. Korean newspapers only have four pages, so stories have to be very

much ___________.

the core the effect the point be exact

29. She’s bought an exercise bike to keep _________.

A. in effect shape session health

30. The judge _________ most of the police evidence, saying it was

clearly fabricated.

A. disposed

B. declined

Part II Reading Comprehension (40 points, 2 points each)

Directions: There are four passages followed by questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer.

Text A

When we use a word in speech and writing, its most obvious purpose is to point to some thing or relation or property. This is the word’s “meaning.” We see a small four-footed animal on the road and call it a “dog,” indicating that it is a member of the class of four-footed animals we call dogs. The word “dog” as we have used it there has a plain, straight-forward, “objective” meaning. We have in no way gone beyond the requirements of exact scientific description.

Let us suppose also that one grandparent of the dog was a collie, another was an Irish terrier, another a fox terrier, and the fourth a bulldog. We can express these facts equally scientifically and objectively

by saying that he is a dog of mixed breed. Still we have in no way gone beyond the requirements of exact scientific description.

Suppose, however, that we had called that same animal a “mongrel.” The matter is more complicated. We have used a word which objectively means the same as “dog of mixed breed,” but which also arouses in our hearers an emotional attitude of disapproval toward that particular dog. A word, therefore, can not only indicate an object, but can also suggest an emotional attitude toward it. Such suggestion of an emotional attitude does go beyond exact and scientific discussion because our approvals and disapprovals are individual—they belong to ourselves and not to the objects we approve or disapprove of. An animal which to the mind of its master is a faithful and noble dog of mixed ancestry may be a “mongrel” to his neighbor whose chickens are chased by it.

Once we are on the lookout for this difference between “objective” and “emotional” meanings, we shall notice that words which carry more or less strong suggestions of emotional attitudes are very common and are ordinarily used in the discussion of such controversial questions as those of politics, morals, and religion. This is one reason why such controversies cannot yet be settled.

There is a well-known saying that the word “firm” can be declined as follows: I am firm, thou are obstinate, he is pigheaded. That is a simple illustration of what is meant. “Firm,” “obstinate,” and “pigheaded” all have the same objective meaning—that is, following one’s own course of action and refusing to be influenced by other people’s opinion. They have, however, different em otional meanings: “firm” has an emotional meaning of strong approval, “obstinate” of mild disapproval, “pigheaded” of strong disapproval.

In much the same way when, during the World War, thoughts were dominated by emotions, the newspapers contrasted the spirit of our heroic boys with ruthlessness of the Huns （[贬义] 德国兵）, and the heroism of our troops with the enemy’s savagery. Now, with the more objective attitude that has been brought by the lapse of time, we can look back and see that spirit and ruthlessness are objectively the same thing, only the one word has an emotional meaning of approval, the other of disapproval. We can see, too, that a soldier going forward under shellfire to probable death is doing the same thing whether he is a German or one of our countrymen, and that to distinguish between them by applying the word savagery to the action of the one and heroism to that of the other is to distort reality by using words to make an emotional distinction between two actions which are objectively identical.

31. The author’s point in the first three paragraphs is that ___________.

A. there is no real difference between calling a dog a mongrel or calling

it a dog of mixed breed

B. “a dog of mixed breed” is an emotional term

C. “mongrel” is an objec tive term

D. words may suggest emotional attitudes as well as objective meanings

32. The author maintains that _________.

A. in discussing scientific subjects, emotional words are often used to

make meanings clearer

B. in discussing controversial questions, objective terms are generally

used to help clarify meanings

C. in discussing scientific subjects, objective terms are generally used,

in order to avoid controversy

D. in discussing controversial questions, emotional terms are used very

often

33. The author believes that people have disagreements on many subjects

partially because _______.

A. people have not learned how to get along with each other without

conflict and argument

B. words used in discussing those subjects carry emotional overtones which

tend to antagonize people

C. words with objective meanings mean different things to different

persons, and must be used carefully

D. politics, morals, and religion cause controversies that cannot yet be

settled

34. Regarding war, the author believes that in World War I, _________.

A. our men showed spirit and heroism, while the Germans displayed

ruthlessness and savagery

B. although our men acted heroically, there were occasions when they were

almost as ruthless as the

Germans

C. there was no difference at all between the actions of our soldiers and

of the German ones

D. at the time of the war, most people thought that both sides had fought

equally bravely, but with the passage of time they began to realize how savage the Germans had really been

Text B

If Johnny can’t write, one of the reasons may be a conditioning based on speed rather than respect for the creative process. Speed is neither a valid test of nor a proper preparation for competence in writing. It makes for murkiness, glibness, disorganization. It takes the beauty out of the language. It rules out respect for the reflective thought that should precede expression. It runs counter to the word-by-word and line-by-line reworking that enables a piece to be finely knit.

This is not to minimize the value of genuine facility. With years of practice, a man may be able to put down words swiftly and expertly. But it is the same kind of swiftness that enables a cellist, after having invested years of efforts, to negotiate an intricate passage from Haydn. Speed writing is for stenographers and court reporters, not for anyone who wants to use language with precision and distinction.

Thomas Mann was not ashamed to admit that he would often take a full day to write 500 words, and another day to edit them, out of respect for the most difficult art in the world. Flaubert would ponder a paragraph for hours. Did it say what he wanted it to say—not approximately but exactly Did the words turn into one another with proper rhythm and grace Were they artistically and securely fitted together Were they briskly alive, or were they full of fuzz and ragged edges Were they likely to make things happen inside the mind of the reader, igniting the imagination and touching off all sorts of new anticipations These questions are relevant not only for the established novelist but for

anyone who attaches value to words as a medium of expression and communication.

E. B. White, whose respect for the environment of good writing is exceeded by no word-artist of our time, would rather have his fingers cut off than to be guilty of handling words lightly. No sculptor chipping away at a granite block in order to produce a delicate curve or feature has labored more painstakingly than White in fashioning a short paragraph. Obviously, we can’t expect our schools to make every Johnny into a White or a Flaubert or a Mann, but it is not unreasonable to expect more of them to provide the conditions that promote clear, careful, competent expression. Certainly the cumulative effort of the school experience should not have to be undone in later years.

35. According to the passage, competence in writing is ________.

A. an art that takes practice

B. a skill that requires dexterity

C. a technique that is easy to learn

D. a result of the spontaneous flow of words

36. The main purpose of the passage is to ________.

A. present an original idea

B. describe a new process

C. argue against an established practice

D. comment on a skill and its techniques

37. Our schools, according to the passage, ________.

A. are providing proper conditions for good writing

B. should not stress writing speed on a test

C. should give essay tests rather than multiple-choice tests

D. teach good writing primarily through reading

38. In describing White as a “word-artist,” the author means that White _________.

A. illustrated his stories

B. was colorful in his descriptions

C. was a great writer

D. had artistic background

39. It can be inferred from the passage that the author values good literature primarily for its ability

to ________.

A. relieve the boredom of everyday life

B. communicate ideas and experiences

C. accurately describe events as they occur

D. provide individuals with skills for success

Text C

The American university is a direct descendant from the ancient

universities in Europe. These are the oldest institutions, aside from the church itself, in Western civilization. They have survived many periods of trouble, of revolution, and of persecution. But the tradition of learning and of scholarly inquiry has lived on.

Yet there are shortsighted people today who are saying that the modern university has outlived its usefulness; that it must be overthrown and replaced by something else whose nature is unspecified.

Remember, however, that there have been many occasions during the last 700 years when people said that universities were irrelevant or that it was wrong for them to pursue long-term goals in the face of immediate and pressing problems. Fortunately, there have been stouthearted souls who insisted that the search for knowledge would never be outdated by current events and we can all be eternally thankful that the forces of ignorance were so often defeated. They must be defeated again.

Knowledge and the search for knowledge have persisted through the centuries to the enormous benefit of human beings. The world may be troubled and distressed today but think how much better off the people in this country are now than they were 50 years ago or 100 years ago and how much better off they are than the millions of people in countries which have not benefited from the progress of knowledge. We in the Western world have encouraged scientific discovery and its application intensively for 200 years to our vast material benefit. Today we are at a turning point. We can now use our stores of wealth and of knowledge as tools to solve the new problems which now beset our modern society.

What are those of us who have chosen careers in science and engineering able to do about meeting our current problems

First, we can help destroy the false impression that science and

engineering have caused the current world troubles. Quite the contrary, science and engineering have made vast contributions to better living for more people.

Second, we can identify the many areas in which science and technology, more considerably used, can be of greater service in the future than in the past to improve the quality of life. While we can make many speeches, and pass many laws, the quality of our environment will be improved only through better knowledge and better application of that knowledge.

Third, we can recognize that much of the dissatisfaction which we suffer today results from our very successes of former years. We have been so eminently successful in attaining material goals that we are deeply dissatisfied that we cannot attain other goals more rapidly. We have achieved a better life for most people but we are unhappy that we have not spread it to all people. We have illuminated many sources of environmental deterioration but we are unhappy that we have not conquered all of them. It is our rising expectations rather than our failures which now cause our distress.

Granted that many of our current problems must be cured more by social, political, and economic instruments than by science and technology, yet science and technology must still be the tools to make further advances in such things as clean air, clean water, better transportation, better housing, better medical care, more adequate welfare programs, purer foods, conservation of resources, and many other areas.

The discovery and use of knowledge have always been relevant to a humane future. They are equally relevant today.

40. The author is primarily concerned with the _________.

A. answers to current problems

B. defense of the search for scientific knowledge

C. problems of our nation’s universities

D. moral obligations of technology

41. According to the author, a belief exists that much of our national

dissatisfaction is due to the ______.

A. emphasis of science on material goals

B. irrelevancy of many of our modern universities

C. failures of scientists to solve modern day problems as quickly as

they solved problems of the past

D. improper use of past discoveries in science and technology

42. It is the feeling of the author that the place of science in solving

the problem of pollution will be ________.

A. on the same level as social and political influences

B. the only thing needed to solve the problem successfully

C. the frontrunner in developing new methods of approaching the problem

D. overshadowed by other areas of knowledge

43. It is suggested that science has been most successful in _________.

A. developing material benefits

B. solving problems of worldwide concern

C. preparing America for a humane future

D. controlling technology as a means of preventing serious problems

44. It is stated that science contributed to all of the following EXCEPT _________.

A. a better life

B. peace

C. health

D. a better environment

Text D

Suppose you go into a fruiterer’s shop, wanting an apple—you take up one, and, on biting it, you find it is sour; you look at it, and see that it is hard and green. You take up another one, and that too is hard, green, and sour. The shopman offers you a third; but, before biting it, you examine it, and find that it is hard and green, and you immediately say that you will not have it, as it must be sour, like those that you have already tried.

Nothing can be more simple than that, you think; but if you will take the trouble to analyse and trace out into its logical elements what has been done by the mind, you will be greatly surprised. In the first place you have performed the operation of induction. You found that, in two experiences, hardness and greenness in apples went together with sourness. It was so in the first case, and it was confirmed by the second. True, it is a very small basis, but still it is enough to make an induction from;

you generalize the facts, and you expect to find sourness in apples where you get hardness and greenness. You found upon that a general law, that all hard and green apples are sour; and that, as far as it goes, is a perfect induction. Well, having got your natural law in this way, when you are offered another apple which you find is hard and green, you say, “All hard and green apples are sour; this apple is hard and green, therefore this apple is sour.” That train of rea soning is what logicians call a syllogism, and has all its various parts and terms—its major premiss, its minor premiss, and its conclusion. And, by the help of further reasoning, which, if drawn out, would have to be exhibited in two or three other syllog isms, you arrive at your final determination, “I will not have that apple.” So that, you see, you have, in the first place, established a law by induction, and upon that you have founded a deduction, and reasoned out the special particular case. Well now, supposing, having got your conclusion of the law, that at some time afterwards, you are discussing the qualities of apples with a friend; you will say to him, “It is a very curious thing, but I find that all hard and green apples are sour!” Your friend says to you, “But how do you know that” You at once reply, “Oh, because I have tried them over and over again, and have always found to be so.” Well, if we were talking about science instead of common sense, we should call that an experimental verification. And, if still opposed, you go further and say, “I have heard from the people in Somersetshire and Devonshire, where a large number of apples are grown, that they have observed the same thing. It is also found to be the case in Normandy, and in North America. In short, I find it to be the universal experience of mankind wherever attention has been directed to the subject.” Whereupon, your friend, unless he is a very unreasonable man, agrees with you, and is convinced that you are quite right in the conclusion you have drawn. He believes, although perhaps he does not know he believes it, that the more extensive