2023年专八英语阅读题模拟练习及答案
专业英语八级(阅读)模拟试卷72(题后含答案及解析)
专业英语八级（阅读）模拟试卷72(题后含答案及解析) 题型有： 2. READING COMPREHENSIONPART II READING COMPREHENSIONSECTION A MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONSIn this section there are several passages followed by fourteen multiple-choice questions. For each multiple-choice question, there are four suggested answers marked [A] , [B], [C] and [D]. Choose the one that you think is the best answer.In last week’s Tribune, there was an interesting letter from Mr. J. Stewart Cook, in which he suggested that the best way of avoiding the danger of a” scientific hierarchy” would be to see to it that every member of the general public was, as far as possible, scientifically educated. At the same time, scientists should be brought out of their isolation and encouraged to take a greater part in politics and administration. As a general statement, I think most of us would agree with this, but I notice that, as usual, Mr. Cook does not define science, and merely implies in passing that it means certain exact sciences whose experiments can be made under laboratory conditions. Thus, adult education tends”to neglect scientific studies in favor of literary, economic and social subjects”,economics and sociology not being regarded as branches of science, apparently. This point is of great importance. For the word science is at present used in at least two meanings, but the whole question of scientific education is obscured by the current tendency to dodge from one meaning to the other. Science is generally taken as meaning either(a) the exact sciences, such as chemistry, physics, etc. ,or(b) a method of thought which obtains verifiable results by reasoning logically from observed fact. If you ask any scientist, or indeed almost any educated person, “What is science?”you are likely to get an answer approximating to(b). In everyday life, however, both in speaking and in writing, when people say “science”they mean(a). Science means something that happens in a laboratory: test-tubes, balances, Bunsen burners, microscopes. A biologist, an astronomer, perhaps a psychologist or a mathematician, is described as a “man of science”: no one would think of applying this term to a statesman, a poet, a journalist or even a philosopher. And those who tell us that the young must be scientifically educated mean, almost invariably, that they should be taught more about radioactivity, or the stars, or the physiology of their own bodies, rather than that they should be taught to think more exactly. This confusion of meaning, which is partly deliberate, has in it a great danger. Implied in the demand for more scientific education is the claim that if one has been scientifically trained one’s approach to all subjects will be more intelligent than if one had had no such training. A scientist’s political opinions, it is assumed, his opinions on sociological questions, on morals, on philosophy, perhaps even on the arts, will be more valuable than those of a layman. But a” scientist”, as we have just seen, means in practice a specialist in one of the exact sciences. It followsthat a chemist or physicist, as such, is politically more intelligent than a poet or a lawyer. And, in fact, there are already millions of people who do believe this. But is it really true that a “scientist”,in this narrower sense, is any likelier than other people to approach non-scientific problems in an objective way? There is not much reason for flunking so. Take one simple test—the ability to withstand nationalism. It is often loosely said that “Science is international”, but in practice the scientific workers of all countries line up behind their own governments with fewer scruples than are felt by the writers and the artists. The German scientific community, as a whole, made no resistance to Hitler. There were plenty of gifted men to do the necessary research on such things as synthetic oil, jet planes, rocket projectiles and the atomic bomb. On the other hand, what happened to German literature when the Nazis came to power? I believe no exhaustive lists have been published, but I imagine that the number of German scientists—Jew apart—who voluntarily exiled themselves or were persecuted by the regime was much smaller than the number of writers and journalists. More sinister than this, a number of German scientists swallowed the monstrosity of “racial science”. But does this mean that the general public should not be more scientifically educated? On the contrary! All it means is that scientific education for the masses will do little good, and probably a lot of harm, if it simply boils down to more physics, more chemistry, more biology, etc. to the detriment of literature and history. Its probable effect on the average human being would be to narrow the range of his thoughts and make him more than ever contemptuous of such knowledge as he did not possess: and his political reactions would probably be somewhat less intelligent than those of an illiterate peasant who retained a few historical memories and a fairly sound aesthetic sense. Clearly, scientific education ought to mean the implanting of a rational, skeptical, experimental habit of mind. It ought to mean acquiring a method—a method that can be used on any problem that one meets—and not simply piling up a lot of facts. Put it in those words, and the apologist of scientific education will usually agree. Press him further, ask him to particularize, and somehow it always turns out that scientific education means more attention to the exact sciences, in other words—more facts. The idea that science means a way of looking at the world, and not simply a body of knowledge, is in practice strongly resisted. I think sheer professional jealousy is part of the reason for this.1．We know from the second paragraph that the author considers the present definition of the word “science”______.A．ambiguousB．ambivalentC．questionableD．inappropriate正确答案：A解析：推断题。
专业英语八级(阅读)模拟试卷150含答案和解析
专业英语八级（阅读）模拟试卷150讲座会话听力大题型(1)So Roger Chillingworth—a deformed old figure, with a face that haunted men's memories longer than they liked—took leave of Hester Prynne, and went stooping away along the earth. He gathered here and there an herb, or grubbed up a root, and put it into the basket on his arm. His grey beard almost touched the ground, as he crept onward. Hester gazed after him a little while, looking with a half fantastic curiosity to see whether the tender grass of early spring would not be blighted beneath him, and show the wavering track of his footsteps, sere and brown, across its cheerful verdure. She wondered what sort of herbs they were, which the old man was so sedulous to gather. Would not the earth, quickened to by the sympathy of his eye, greet him with poisonous shrubs, of species hitherto unknown, that would start up under his fingers? Or might it suffice him, that every wholesome growth should be converted into something deleterious and malignant at his touch? Did the sun, which shone so brightly everywhere else, really fall upon him? Or was there, as it rather seemed, a circle of ominous shadow moving along with his deformity, whichever way he turned himself? And whitherwas he now going? Would he not suddenly sink into the earth, leaving a barren and blasted spot, where, in due course of time, would be seen deadly nightshade(颠茄), dogwood(山茱萸), henbane(天仙子), and whatever else of vegetable wickedness the climate could produce, all flourishing with hideous luxuriance? Or would he spread bat's wings and flee away, looking so much the uglier, the higher he rose towards heaven?(2)\1.According to Para. 1, people are most impressed by ChilUngworth’s______.(A)A. spiritB. figureC. ageD. appearance解析：推断题。
2024年英语专八练习阅读测试题及答案
[D] it’s desirable for good men to keep away from evil
[D] 好人应该远离邪恶
2. According to the author, if a person is found guilty of a crime,_____________.
[B]小城镇的人坚守老的纪律和标准
[C] today’s society lacks sympathy for people in difficulty
[C]现代社会缺少对于困境中的人的同情
[D] people in disadvantaged circumstances are engaged in criminal activities
[C] 罪犯本人应该为此负责
[D] the standards of living should be improved
[D] 生活水平应该提高
3. Compared with those in small towns, people in large cities have________.
3. 和小城镇相比，大城市的人________。
[C] 对人们的行为应该加以更多控制
[D] more people should accept the value of accountability
[D] 更多人应该接受“责任感”这一价值观
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[A] 学校和家庭中应该保持更严格的纪律
[B] more good examples should be set for people to follow
[B] 应该为人们树立更多学习榜样
专八阅读训练10篇(含答案)
精读原文：Passage 1 The Law to Keep the Oil Industry under ControlThe Norwegian Government is doing its best to keep the oil industry under control.A new law limits exploration to an area south of the southern end of the long coastline; production limits have been laid down (though these have already been raised); and oil companies have not been allowed to employ more than a limited number of foreign workers.But the oil industry has a way of getting over such problems, and few people believe that the Government will be able to hold things back for long.As on Norwegian politician said last week: "We will soon be changed beyond all recognition."Ever since the war, the Government has been carrying out a programme of development in the area north of the Arctic Circle. During the past few years this programme has had a great deal of success: Tromso has been built up into a local capital with a university, a large hospital and a healthy industry.But the oil industry has already started to draw people south, and within a few years the whole northern policy could be in ruins.The effects of the oil industry would not be limited to the north, however. With nearly 100 percent employment, everyone can see a situation developing in which the service industries and the tourist industry will lose more of their workers to the oil industry. Some smaller industries might even disappear altogether when it becomes cheaper to buy goods from abroad.The real argument over oil is its threat to the Norwegian way of life. Farmers andfishermen do not make up most of the population, but they are an important part of it, because Norwegians see in them many of the qualities that they regard with pride as essentially Norwegian.And it is the farmers and the fishermen who are most critical of the oil industry because of the damage that it might cause to the countryside and to the sea.【阅读练习题】1.The Norwegian Government would prefer the oil industry to[A] provide more jobs for foreign workers.[B]slow down the rate of its development.[C] sell the off it is producing abroad.[D] develop more quickly than at present.2.The Norwegian Government has tried to[A] encourage the off companies to discover new off sources.[B]prevent oil companies employing people from northern Norway.[C] help the oil companies solve many of their problems.[D] keep the off industry to something near its present size.3.According to the passage, the off industry might lead northern Norway to[A] the development of industry.[B]a growth in population.[C] the failure of the development programme.[D] the development of new towns.4.In the south, one effect to the development of the oil industry might be[A] a large reduction on unemployment.[B]a growth in the tourist industry.[C] a reduction in the number of existing industries.[D] the development of a number of service industries.5.Norwegian farmers and fishermen have an important influence because[A] they form such a large part of Norwegian ideal.[B]their lives and values represent the Norwegian ideal.[C] their work is so useful to the rest of Norwegian society.[D] they regard off as a threat to the Norwegian way of life.1-5BDCCBPassage 2 TV's HarmfulnessYes, but what did we use to do before there was television? How often we hear statements like this!Television hasn't been with us all that long, but we are already beginning to forget what the world was like without it. Before we admitted the one-eyed monster into our homes, we never fond it difficult to occupy our spare time. We used to enjoy civilized pleasures. For instance, we used to have hobbies, we used to entertain our friends and be entertained by them, we used to go outside for our amusements to theatres, cinemas, restaurants and sporting events.We even used to read books and listen to music and broadcast talks occasionally. All that belongs to the past. Now all our free time is regulated by the goggle box. We rush home or gulp down our meals to be in time for this or that programme.We have even given up sitting at table and having a leisurely evening meal, exchanging the news of the day. A sandwich and a glass of beer will do一anything, providing it down't interfere with the programme. The monster demands and obtains absolute silence and attention.If any member of the family dares to open his mouth during a programme, he is quickly silenced.Whole generations are growing up addicted to the telly. Food is left uneaten, homework undone and sleep is lost.The telly is a universal pacifier. It is now standard practice for mother to keep the children quiet by putting them in the living-room and turning on the set.It doesn't matter that the children will watch rubbishy commercials or spectaclesof sadism and violence一so long as they are quiet.There is a limit to the amount of creative talent available in the world. Every day, television consumes vast quantities of creative work. That is why most of the programmes are so bad: it is impossible to keep pace with the demand and maintain high standards as well.When millions watch the same programmes, the whole world becomes a village, and society is reduced to the conditions which obtain in preliterate communities. We become utterly dependent on the two most primitive media of communication: pictures and the spoken word.Television encourages passive enjoyment. We become content with second-hand experiences. It is so easy to sit in our armchairs watching others working. Little by little, television cuts us off from the real world.We get so lazy, we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness, glued to our sets, rather than go out into the world itself. Television may be s splendid medium of communication, but it prevents us from communicating with each other.We only become aware how totally irrelevant television is to real living when we spend a holiday by the sea or in the mountains, far away from civilization. In quiet, natural surroundings, we quickly discover how little we miss the hypnotic tyranny of King Telly.【阅读词汇学习】1.What is the biggest harm of TV?[A] It deprives people of communication with the real world.[B]People become lazy.[C] People become dependent on second-hand experience.[D] TV consumes a large part of one' s life.2.In what way can people forget TV?[A] Far away from civilization.[B]To a mountain.[C] By the sea.[D] In quiet natural surroundings.3.What does a mother usually do to keep her children quiet?[A] Let them watch the set.[B]Put them in the living room.[C]Let them watch the rubbish.[D]Let them alone.4.What does the first sentence in the first paragraph mean?[A] We found it difficult to occupy our spare time.[B]We become addicted to TV[C] What we used to do is different from now.[D] We used to enjoy civilized pleasures.1-4ADABPassage 3 Strictly Ban smokingIf you smoke and you still don't believe that there's a definite link between smoking and bronchial troubles, heart disease and lung cancer, then you are certainly deceiving yourself. No one will accuse you of hypocrisy. Let us just say that you are suffering from a bad case of wishful thinking.This needn't make you too uncomfortable because you are in good company. Whenever the subject of smoking and health is raised, the governments of most countries hear no evil, see no evil and smell no evil. Admittedly, a few governments have taken timid measures.In Britain for instance, cigarette advertising has been banned on television. The conscience of the nation is appeased, while the population continues to puff its way to smoky, cancerous death.You don' t have to look very far to find out why the official reactions to medical findings have been so lukewarm. The answer is simply money. Tobacco is a wonderful commodity to tax. It' s almost like a tax on our daily bread.In tax revenue alone, the government of Britain collects enough from smokers to pay for its entire educational facilities. So while the authorities point out ever so discreetly that smoking may, conceivable, be harmful, it down't do to shout too loudly about it.This is surely the most short-sighted policy you could imagine. While money is eagerly collected in vast sums with one hand, it is paid out in increasingly vaster sums with the other. Enormous amounts are spent on cancer research and on efforts to cure people suffering from the disease.Countless valuable lives are lost. In the long run, there is no doubt that everybodywould be much better-off if smoking were banned altogether.Of course, we are not ready for such a drastic action. But if the governments of the world were honestly concerned about the welfare of their peoples, you'd think they'd conduct aggressive anti-smoking campaigns. Far from it! The tobacco industry is allowed to spend staggering sums on advertising.Its advertising is as insidious as it is dishonest. We are never shown pictures of real smokers coughing up their lungs early in the morning. That would never do. The advertisement always depict virile, clean-shaven young men. They suggest it is manly to smoke, even positively healthy!Smoking is associated with the great open-air life, with beautiful girls, true love and togetherness. What utter nonsense!For a start, governments could begin by banning all cigarette and tobacco advertising and should then conduct anti-smoking advertising campaigns of their own. Smoking should be banned in all public places like theatres, cinemas and restaurants. Great efforts should be made to inform young people especially of the dire consequences of taking up the habit. A horrific warning say, a picture of a death's head should be included in every packet of cigarettes that is sold. As individuals, we are、certainly weak, but if governments acted honestly and courageously, they could protect us from ourselves.【阅读练习题】1.Why do a few governments take timid measures toward smoking?[A] because they are afraid of people.[B]Because diseases cost a lot.[C] Because they are afraid of the cutting down of their revenue.[D] Because they are afraid of manufacturers.2.The tone of this passage is[A] critical.[B]ironical.[C]distaste.[D]amusm3.What does the sentence "because you are in good company" mean?[A] you are backed by the government.[B]You are not alone.[C] You have good colleagues.[D] Governments are blind to evils of smoking too.4.What is the best title of this passage?[A] World Governments should conduct serious campaigns against smoking.[B]World governments take timid measures against smoking.[C] smoking is the most important source of income to many countries.[D] tobacco industry spends a large sum of money on medical research. 1-4 CBDAPassage 4 On the President's ProgramPresident Arling has put his long awaited economic restructuring program before the Congress. It provides a coordinated program of investment credits, research grants, education reforms, and changes designed to make American industry more competitive. This is necessary to reverse economic slide into unemployment, lack of growth, and trade deficits that have plagued the economy for the past six years.The most liberal wing of the President' s party has called for stronger and more direct action.They want an incomes policy to check inflation while federal financing helps rebuild industry behind a wall of protective tariffs.The Republicans, however, decry even the modest, graduated tax increases in the President' s program.They want tax cuts and more open market. They say if federal money has to be injected into the economy, let it through defence spending.Both these alternatives ignore the unique nature of the economic problem before us. It is not simply a matter of markets or financing. The new technology allows vastly increased production for those able to master it.But it also threatens those who fail to adopt it with permanent second-class citizenship in the world economy. If an industry cannot lever itself up to the leading stage of technological advances, then it will not be able to compete effectively. If it cannot do this, no amount of government protectionism or access to foreign markets can keep it profitable for long.Without the profits and experience of technological excellence to reinvest, that industry can only fall still further behind its foreign competitors.So the crux is the technology and that is where the President' s program focused. The danger is not that a plan will not be passed, it is that the ideologues of right and left will distort the bill with amendments that will blur its focus on technology. The economic restructuring plan should be passed intact.If we fail to restructure our economy now, we may not get a second chance.【阅读练习题】1.The focus of the President' s program is on[A]investment.[B]economy.[C] technology.}D} tax.2.What is the requirement of the most liberal wing of the Democratic-party?[A] They want a more direct action.[B]They want an incomes policy to check inflation.[C]They want to rebuild industry.[D]They want a wall of protective tariffs.3.What is the editor' s attitude?[A] support.[B]distaste.[C] Disapproval.[D] Compromise.4.The danger to the plan lies in[A] the two parties'objection.[B]different idea of the two parties about the plan.[C] its passage.[D1 distortion.5.The passage is[A] a review.[B]a preface.[C] a advertisement.[D1 an editorial.1-5 CAADDPassage 5 MulesAlthough the top men in smuggling business must work together, most of a syndicate's small fry, especially the mules, know only their immediate contacts. If caught there is little they can give away.A mule probably will not even know the name of the person who gives him his instructions, nor how to get in touch with him. Usually he even does not know the person to whom he has to make delivery.He will be told just to sit tight in a certain hotel or bar until someone contacts him. In this way if he is blown, coming through airport customs he cannot unwittingly lead agents to the next link in the chain.All the persons at the receiving end do is to hang around the airport among the waiting crowd, and see that the mule comes through safely. If he does not, he is dimply written off as a loss.To make identification of mules easier, several syndicates have devised their own "club ties" so that a mule wearing one can immediately be picked out.Mules often receive careful training before embarking on their first journey. One Beirut organization, for example, uses a room with three airline seats in it. There the trainee mules sit for hours on end wearing weighted smuggling vests beneath their clothes, so that they become accustomed to standing up after a long flight in a natural way, and without revealing what they are carrying.An outfit in Brussels maintained a comfortable apartment where the mules could relax and get a firm grip on themselves on the night before their first journey; they were helped to dress before setting out for the airport in the morning. More often than not a courier will not know precisely where he is going or what flight number isuntil he is actually handed his tickets at the airport.This prevents the careless boast in some bar or to a girl friend the night before.Mules occasionally run off with the goods to keep the profit themselves. As insurance against this, a syndicate often sends a high-up on the same plane to keep a wary eye on couriers, particularly new ones. Even then things can go badly wrong. One international currency smuggler who was having trouble getting money out of Britain was offered help by a group of men who said they were in a position to "fix thing"一for a fee of course. Foolishly, the smuggler agreed to accept their help.When he got to London's Heathrow Airport, he handed over to one of the men a black suitcase containing nearly $90,000 in cash, destined for Frankfurt. Just to keep an eye on things, the smuggler went along on the same plane. When they landed at Frankfurt he was handed back his suitcase.He beat a straight path to the men's toilet, opened the case, and found only old clothes. The courier had switched suitcase en route, but the smuggler could hardly run to the police and complain that "the man who was smuggling money out of England for me has stolen it."【阅读练习题】1.What is a "mule"?[A] A person who sends smuggling goods for a syndicate is called mule.[B]A person in charge of smuggling goods is called mule.[C] A person who makes delivery for a syndicate is called mule.[D] A person who receives instructions from a smuggler is called mule.2.The sentence "if he is blown" in line (6) is closest in meaning to[A] if he is arrested.[B]if he is recognized, but not necessarily arrested.[C] if he is recognized and arrested.[D] if he runs away.3.Why does the author give an example in the last paragraph?[A] To show how a smuggler is caught.[B]To show a smuggler is afraid of the police.[C] To show to keep a wary eye on couriers is useless.[D] To show mules may keep the profit for themselves.4.how does a mule work?[A] Jointly.[B]Independently.[C] consciously.[D] Separately.1-4 CBDDPassage 6 Contribution of CoeducationImagining being asked to spend twelve or so years of your life in a society which consisted only of members of own sex. How would you react? Unless there was something definitely wrong with you, you wouldn't be too happy about it, to say the least. It is all the more surprising therefore that so many parents in the world choose to impose such abnormal conditions on their children conditions which they themselves wouldn't put up with for one minute!Any discussion of this topic is bound to question the aims of education. Stuffing children's heads full of knowledge is far from being foremost among them. One of the chief aims of educations is to equip future citizens with all they require to take their place in adult society.Now adult society is made up of men and women, so how can a segregated school possibly offer the right sort of preparation for it?Anyone entering adult society after years of segregation can only be in for a shock.A co-educational school offers children nothing less than a true version of society in miniature. Boys and girls are given the opportunity to get to know each other, to learn to live together from their earliest years.They are put in a position where they can compare themselves with each other in terms of academic ability, athletic achievement and many of the extra-curricular activities which are part of school life.What a practical advantage it is(to give just a small example)to be able to put on a school play in which the male parts will be taken by boys and the female parts by girls! What nonsense co-education makes of the argument that boys are cleverer than girl or vice-versa.When segregated, boys and girls are made to feel that they are a race apart. Rivalry between the sexes is fostered.In a coeducational school, everything falls into its proper place. But perhaps the greatest contribution of co-education is the healthy attitude to life it encourages.Boys don't grow up believing that women are mysterious creatures一airy goddesses, more like book-illustrations to a fairy-tale, than human beings. Girls don't grow up imagining that men are romantic heroes.Years of living together at school dispel illusions of this kind. There are no goddesses with freckles, pigtails, piercing voices and inky fingers. There are no romantic heroes with knobbly knees, dirty fingernails and unkempt hair. The awkward stage of adolescence brings into sharp focus some of the physical and emotional problems involved in growing up. These can better be overcome in a co-educational environment.Segregated schools sometimes provide the right conditions for sexual deviation. This is hardly possible under a co-educational system. When the time comes for the pupils to leave school, they are fully prepared to enter society as well-adjusted adults.They have already had years of experience in coping with many of the problems that face men and women.【阅读练习题】1.What is the best title for this passage?[A] only co-education can be in harmony with society.[B]people are in great need of co-education.[C] any form of education other than co-education is simply unthinkable.[D] co-education has many features.2.what does co-education offer to children?[A] A society.[B]A true small model of society.[C] A real life.[D] 1}ue version of social condition.3.According to the passage, what is one of the chief aims of education?[A] It is for students to acquire knowledge.[B]It is to equip future citizens with scientific technology.[C] It is to equip future citizens with what is required in getting a position in society.[D] It is for students to get academic achievements.4.Why do boys and girls in co-education have no illusion about each other?[A] They live together and know each other too well.[B]Years of living together at school dismiss such illusion.[C] co-education encourage them to have an healthy attitude toward life.[D] They are familiar with each other' s problems.CBCBPassage 7 Antarctica and EnvironmentAntarctica has actually become a kind of space station a unique observation post for detecting important changes in the world' s environment. Remote from major sources of pollution and the complex geological and ecological systems that prevail elsewhere, Antarctica makes possible scientific measurements that are often sharper and easier to interpret than those made in other parts of the world.Growing numbers of scientists therefore see Antarctica as a distant-early-warning sensor, where potentially dangerous global trends may be spotted before they show up to the north. One promising field of investigation is glaciology. Scholars from the United States, Switzerland, and France are pursuing seven separate but related projects that reflect their concern for the health of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet 一a concern they believe the world at large should share.The Transantarctic Mountain, some of them more than 14,000 feet high, divide the continent into two very different regions. The part of the continent to the "east" of the mountains is a high plateau covered by an ice sheet nearly two miles thick. "West" of the mountain, the half of the continent south of the Americas is also covered by an ice sheet, but there the ice rests on rock that is mostly well below sea level. If the West Antarctic Ice Sheet disappeared, the western part of the continent would be reduced to a sparse cluster of island.While ice and snow are obviously central to many environmental experiments, others focus on the mysterious "dry valley" of Antarctica, valleys that contain little ice or snow even in the depths of winter. Slashed through the mountains of southern Victoria Land, these valleys once held enormous glaciers that descended 9,000 feet from the polar plateau to the Ross Sea.Now the glaciers are gone,perhaps a casualty of the global warming trend during the 10,000 years since the ice age. Even the snow that falls in the dry valleys is blasted out by vicious winds that roars down from the polar plateau to the sea. Left bare are spectacular gorges, rippled fields of sand dunes, clusters of boulderssculptured into fantastic shapes by 100-mile-an-hour winds, and an aura of extraterrestrial desolation.Despite the unearthly aspect of the dry valleys, some scientists believe they may carry a message of hope of the verdant parts of the earth. Some scientists believe that in some cases the dry valleys may soak up pollutants faster than pollutants enter them.【阅读练习题】1.What is the best title for this passage?[A] Antarctica and environmental Problems.[B]Antarctica: Earth' s Early-Warning station.[C] Antarctica: a Unique Observation Post.[D] Antarctica: a Mysterious Place.2.What would the result be if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet disappeared?[A] The western part of the continent would be disappeared.[B]The western part of the continent would be reduced.[C] The western part of the continent would become scattered Islands.[D] The western part of the continent would be reduced to a cluster of Islands.3.Why are the Dry Valleys left bare?[A] Vicious wind blasts the snow away.[B]It rarely snows.[C] Because of the global warming trend and fierce wind.[D] Sand dunes.4.Which of the following is true?[A]The "Dry Valleys" have nothing left inside.[B]The "Dry Valleys" never held glaciers.[C]The "Dry Valleys"may carry a message of hope for the verdant.[D]The "Dry Valleys"are useless to scientists.ADCCPassage 8 The Neutrality of American in the Early World War IIThe establishment of the Third Reich influenced events in American history by starting a chain of events which culminated in war between Germany and the United States. The compete destruction of democracy, the persecution of Jews, the war on religion, the cruelty and barbarism of the Nazis, and especially the plans of Germany and her allies, Italy and Japan, for world conquest caused great indignation in this country and brought on fear of another world war.While speaking out against Hitler' s atrocities, the American people generally favored isolationist policies and neutrality.The Neutrality Acts of 1935 and 1936 prohibited trade with any belligerents or loans to them. In 1937 the President was empowered to declare an arms embargo in wars between nations at his discretion.American opinion began to change somewhat after President Roosevelt' s "quarantine the aggressor" speech at Chicago (1937) in which he severely criticized Hitler' s policies. Germany's seizure of Austria and the Munich Pact for the partition of Czechoslovakia (1938) also aroused the American people.The conquest of Czechoslovakia in March, 1939 was another rude awakening to the menace of the Third Reich. In August,1939 came the shock of the Nazi-soviet Pact and in September the attack on Poland and the outbreak of European war.The United States attempted to maintain neutrality in spite of sympathy for the democracies arrayed against the Third Reich. The Neutrality Act of 1939 repealed the arms embargo and permitted "cash and carry" exports of arms to belligerent nations. A strong national defense program was begun.A draft act was passed (1940) to strengthen the military services. A Lend Act (1941)authorized the President to sell, exchange, or lend materials to any country deemed necessary by him for the defense of the United States. Help was given to Britain by exchanging certain overage destroyers for the right to establish American bases in British territory in the Western Hemisphere. In August, 1940 President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill met and issued the Atlantic Charter which proclaimed the kind of a world which should be established after the war.In December, 1941, Japan launched the unprovoked attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor.Immediately thereafter, Germany declared war on the United States.【阅读练习题】l.One item occurring before 1937 that the author does not mention in his list of actions that alienatedthe American public was[A] the burning of the Reichstag.[B]German plans for conquest.[D] Nazi barbarism.[D] the persecution of religious groups.2.The Lend-Lease Act was designed to[A] help the British.[B]strengthen the national defense of the United States.[C] promote the Atlantic Charter.[D] avenge Pearl Harbor.。
2023年英语专八考试全真试卷及参考答案
2023年英语专八考试全真试卷及参考答案(完整版)TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (2023)-GRADE EIGHT-PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION (35 MIN)SECTION A MINI-LECTUREIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture. When the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Use the blank sheet for note-taking. Complete the gap-filling task. Some of the gaps below may require a maximum of THREE words. Make sure the word(s) you fill in is (are) both grammatically & semantically acceptable. You may refer to your notes.Paralinguistic Features of LanguageIn face-to-face communication speakers often alter their tomes of voice or change their physical postures in order to convey messages. These means are called paralinguistic features of language, which fall into two categories.First category: vocal paralinguistic features(1)__________: to express attitude or intention (1)__________Examples1. whispering: need for secrecy2. breathiness: deep emotion3. (2)_________: unimportance (2)__________4. nasality: anxiety5. extra lip-rounding: greater intimacySecond category: physical paralinguistic featuresfacial expressions(3)_______ (3)__________----- smiling: signal of pleasure or welcomeless common expressions----- eye brow raising: surprise or interest----- lip biting: (4)________ (4)_________gesturegestures are related to culture.British culture----- shrugging shoulders: (5) ________ (5)__________----- scratching head: puzzlementother cultures----- placing hand upon heart:(6)_______ (6)__________----- pointing at nose: secretproximity, posture and echoingproximity: physical distance between speakers----- closeness: intimacy or threat----- (7)_______: formality or absence of interest (7)_________Proximity is person-, culture- and (8)________ -specific. (8)_________posture----- hunched shoulders or a hanging head: to indicate(9)_____ (9)________----- direct level eye contact: to express an open or challenging attitudeechoing----- definition: imitation of similar posture----- (10)______: aid in communication (10)___________----- conscious imitation: mockerySECTION B INTERVIEWIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO.Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions.Now listen to the interview.1. According to Dr Johnson, diversity meansA. merging of different cultural identities.B. more emphasis on homogeneity.C. embracing of more ethnic differences.D. acceptance of more branches of Christianity.2. According to the interview, which of the following statements in CORRECT?A. Some places are more diverse than others.B. Towns are less diverse than large cities.C. Diversity can be seen everywhere.D. American is a truly diverse country.3. According to Dr Johnson, which place will witness a radical change in its racial makeup by 2025?A. MaineB. SelinsgroveC. PhiladelphiaD. California4. During the interview Dr Johnson indicates thatA. greater racial diversity exists among younger populations.B. both older and younger populations are racially diverse.C. age diversity could lead to pension problems.D. older populations are more racially diverse.5. According to the interview, religious diversityA. was most evident between 1990 and 2023.B. exists among Muslim immigrants.C. is restricted to certain places in the US.D. is spreading to more parts of the country.SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTIn this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheet.Question 6 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the question.Now listen to the news.6. What is the main idea of the news item?A. Sony developed a computer chip for cell phones.B. Japan will market its wallet phone abroad.C. The wallet phone is one of the wireless innovations.D. Reader devices are available at stores and stations.Question 7 and 8 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.Now listen to the news.7. Which of the following is mentioned as the government’s measure to control inflation?A. Foreign investment.B. Donor support.C. Price control.D. Bank prediction.8. According to Kingdom Bank, what is the current inflation rate in Zimbabwe?A. 20 million percent.B. 2.2 million percent.C. 11.2 million percent.D. Over 11.2 million percent.Question 9 and 10 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the question.Now listen to the news.9. Which of the following is CORRECT?A. A big fire erupted on the Nile River.B. Helicopters were used to evacuate people.C. Five people were taken to hospital for burns.D. A big fire took place on two floors.10. The likely cause of the big fire isA. electrical short-cut.B. lack of fire-satefy measures.C. terrorism.D. not known.参考答案：1 tones of voice2 huskiness3 universal signal;4 thought or uncertainty5 indifference6 honesty7 distance;8 situation;9 mood; 10 unconsciously same postureSECTION B INTERVIEW1. C2. A3. D4. A5. C6. B7.C8. D9. D 10. APART VI WRITING (45 MIN)Recently newspapers have reported that officials in a little-known mountainous area near Guiyang, Guizhou Province wanted to turn the area into a “central business district” for Guiyang and invited a foreign design company to give it a n entirely new look. The design company came up with a blueprint for unconventional, super-futuristic buildings. Tis triggered off different responses. Some appreciated the bold innovation of the design, but others held that it failed to reflect regional characteristics or local cultural heritage. What is your view on this? Write an essay of about 400 words. You should supply an appropriate title for your essay.In the first part of your writing you should state clearly your main argument, and in the second part you should support your argument with appropriate details. In the last part you should bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or make a summary.Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar and appropriateness. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.Write your essay on ANSWER SHEET FOUR.—THE END –PART VI WRITINGThe important role of a city’s local conditions in the urban designRecently there is a hot debate on a report that a foreign design company invited by a little-known mountainous area in Guiyang provided a design without paying too much attention to the city’s unique characteristics. Some people appreciate the bold innovation of the design but others do not like it. In my opinion, any urban design should take the city’s original cultural heritage into account. The designers should suit their design to local conditions and try to take advantage of the local resources.First, a city’s regional characteristics or local cultural heritage are its symbol, its identity. In a mountainous area, too many unconventional, super-futuristic buildings will not be compatible with the city’s landscapes. Without these landscapes, it is just another so called modern city composed of concrete and steel. Take Beijing for example. In the past few years, Beijing has been removing a large number of such alleys traditionally calledhutong, in order to make it become a real international city. But without these hutongs can this city still be called Beijing, an ancient capital? The disappearance of hutongs means the disappearance of a period of history, a cordial lifestyle, and even the disappearance of Beijing itself. Then Beijing will lose its uniqueness.Second, it can help a city save a lot of money by suiting the design to local conditions and try to take advantage of the local resources. This is especially important to small cities, like this one in a mountainous area near Guiyang. We all know Guiyang is a developing city, not very rich. Unconventional, super-futuristic buildings mean large need of money input. Then more burdens may be added to this city, which will run counter to the city’s original purpose of developing itself. Instead, if connections be tween a city’s culture and the various urban sectors, including housing, infrastructure and governance, are well made, the maximum economic benefits will be achieved.Besides, the modernization should be a gradual process. More haste, less speed. Nonetheless, it should not be overlooked that the shortcomings of futuristic-style constructing outweigh its advantages brought.In conclusion, any urban design should take the city’s original cultural heritage into account. The designers should suit their design to local conditions and try to take advantage of the local resources. A scientific city design should be dependent on the city’s regional characteristics, on a case-by-case basis.。
专业英语八级(阅读)模拟试卷40(题后含答案及解析)
专业英语八级（阅读）模拟试卷40(题后含答案及解析) 题型有： 2. READING COMPREHENSIONPART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)Directions: In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of 20 multiple-choice questions. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice.Fair Fares Railways: Cheaper Tickets Will Not Solve Rail’s Problems Most of the time, parliamentary committee reports embody every foreign stereotype of the British—dry, reserved and slightly dull, with only the occasional flash of sarcasm to lighten the mood. Not so those of the transport committee. Its latest report, on rail fares, accuses the rail industry of “holding passengers to ransom “with “extravagant”fares and an “impenetrable jungle”of ticket types. Some of these criticisms are fair. Ticketing arrangements, especially for long distance journeys, are Byzantine: the National Fares Manual describes over 70 ticket types within its 102 pages. Stung by public criticism, several big train companies, including Virgin, GNER and First Great Western, promise to simplify things. The MPS are on shakier ground with their complaints They point to the amount of state money given out to the railways—￡4.4 billion this year, with ￡5.3 billion planned for next year—and argue that train firms should be forced to cut prices. Costly tickets, they claim, are “ pricing many passengers out of the market”. That is a tough argument to sustain at a time when more people than ever are using the railways. On some parts of the network, overcrowding, not under-use, is the biggest problem, with commuter routes into big cities such as London, Leeds and Manchester especially jammed. Fares on these routes are already capped. That’s unwise, says Stephen Glaister of Imperial College. “If there is traffic jams in the system, then the economically correct solution is higher prices,” he says. “Otherwise you just end up with shortages and queues.” Giving railway firms greater freedom to set their own prices would let them spread demand around peak times, cutting traffic jams. The only way to reduce traffic jams and prices together is to do things like lengthening platforms and upgrading signals,. which would mean more people could be carried in the busiest areas. That would require tough decisions. A big improvement to the railway network would be expensive, and the government has shown little enthusiasm for increasing subsidies still further. Extra cash could be found by closing little-used (and heavily subsidised) rural lines, but that would be unpopular with fans of rail transport, who argue that branch lines provide a vital service to the poor and the earless. The report occasionally hints at such dilemmas, only to shy away from discussing them in a satisfactory way. The transport committee plans a broader look at rail policy next year. Perhaps then it will do a more thorough job.1．Parliamentary committee reports are mentioned in the first paragraph to highlight______.A．typical characteristics of British peopleB．general features of government reportsC．the peculiarity of the transport committee’s reportsD．wrong opinions about the rail industry正确答案：C解析：本题考查写作目的。
2023届高考英语阅读理解专练(8)历史文化类
（8）历史文化类一、Professional courses, such as Masters in International Business or MIB, have been taken by many students in the last two decades. They are choosing new- age unconventional courses that guarantee a better future. MIB is a specialized course that teaches the international business. There are solid reasons for so much popularity of MIB course.The course content and teaching methods of MIB differ from a normal MBA or Master of Business Administration. It has been designed with the objective of developing professionals with an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the international trade. The course offers various advantages over the conventional MBA degree course.The massive increase in the international business and foreign trade gives excellent job prospects to the new generation. Acquiring a degree of MIB offers outstanding growth of job opportunities. Those who want to pursue in the field of marketing also have a good future after completing the degree from a MIB college with a good reputation. Big multinational organizations look for talented people who can handle the job of International Marketing Manage, and people with MIB degrees are preferred. The job needs an in- depth understanding of the overseas markets, because it is the strategic post from the aspect of company's international business growth.Since business finance and economics are covered at length in the courses of MIB, students have great job offers in the field of finance as well. Typically, organizations offer the position of international finance controllers to those who complete MIB with the specialization of finance. The specialization covers aspects of international taxes, accounts, budgeting and so on. People in this field are well-paid, and growth prospects are unlimited. After completing degree course from a reputed MIB college, there is a good opportunity in the banking and finance field as well. International banks appoint people who have an excellent grasp over the international banking policies, currency exchange, and international policies. Thus, MIB is the golden key to success with brilliant job opportunities in national and multinational areas.1.How is the second paragraph mainly developed?A.By analyzing causes.B. By proving definition.C.By making comparisons.D. By providing examples.2.Why do more and more people intend to acquire a degree of MIB?A. It is required in the colleges.B. It contributes to great job offers.C. It appeals to most of the graduates.D. It helps to start up one's own business.3.What can we learn from the last paragraph?A. People earn more in business field than in finance field.B. The international finance controller is a high-quality job.C. MIB holders are more promising in all careers than others.D. International banks only accept employees from MIB colleges.4.What's the writer's purpose of writing this article?A. To predict the future trend of the MIB course.B. To describe the development of the MIB course.C. To promote the professional MIB course worldwide.D.To explain why the MIB course is gaining popularity.二、Anthony Doerr's new bestseller, All the Light We Cannot See, holds special appeal for me. That's how I would describe it. From the poetic language, to the realization of what the tile actually means: that underneath the surface of history, there is light that has not been seen, and stories that have gone untold.I'm going to be honest-love for this book didn't hit me straight away. In fact, my first attempt to read it last month ended with me putting it aside and going to find something easier, lighter and less descriptive to read. But this book is built on beautiful imagery. Both in the literal sense—the physical world of 1940s Paris and Germany, and the metaphorical(隐喻性的) sense—scientific and philosophical references to light, to seeing and not seeing, and the differences between the two. It's a beautiful work of genius, but it does get a little complicated at times.However, when we get into the meat of this World War II novel, it's also an upsetting story of a childhood torn apart by war. It's about Parisian Marie Laure who has been blind since she was six, and a German orphan called Werner who finds himself at the center of the Hitler Youth. Both of their stories are told with sensitivity and sympathy, each one forced down a path by their personal circumstances and by that destructive monster-war.I think this is the kind of book you will never appreciate if you stop too soon-I learned that lesson. From the first to last page, there is a theme of invisible linesrunning parallel (平行的) to one another and sometimes, just sometimes, crossing in the strangest way. These two lives we are introduced to seem to be worlds apart, and yet they come together and influence one another. It was this, more than the predictably awful tale of war, that made me feel quite emotional.5.What does the writer think of the book?A. Light and easy to read.B. Rich in philosophical ideas.C. Fascinating but too descriptive.D. Too complicated for its theme.6.What can we learn about Marie Laure and Werner?A. The war leads to their sensitivity.B. They know each other at an early age.C. The Hitler Youth pushes them to grow.D. They both have a miserable childhood.7.What particularly stirred the writer's emotions?A. The book's dramatic ending.B. The book's beautiful imagery.C. The characters' interconnected destiny.D. The suffering brought by World War II.8.What is the purpose of this text?A. To share the writer's feelings of a book.B. To recommend a delightful bestseller.C. To tell readers a heartbreaking story.D. To analyze the structure of a book.三、Some events have been added to the 2024 Olympias, with breakdancing, surfing, and sport climbing among the recent additions. A group of terms come with them that are foreign to the French language. Some French-language purists point out it's too much to bear to rely on English to praise surfers on their "nose riding”-standing on the front of the board. They've decided they need a French solution.The French government has created a team of language experts devoted to promoting the national language. They will meet periodically over the next couple of years to identify and define new sports terms. The French battle against the influence of other languages isn't new. In 1994,the Toubon law was passed, forcing the use of French in all government publications，contracts and advertisements. Yet it contained several loopholes（漏洞），which allow brands and companies to extensively useEnglish. As a result, anglicisms-words from the English language used in another language-are becoming more obvious.Julie Neveux, linguistics professor at Sorbonne University in Paris, said anglicisms are “sometimes estimated at just under 5% of the present vocabulary, butother than our own.” They are particularly present in sports competitions and events, during which athletes from around the world are used to communicating in English. “Sport was one of the first areas to be globalized, “said sports historian Michael Attali.Despite their best efforts, no committee has successfully prevented English from influencing everyday language. “Similar committees have been put in place in the past, but nothing has changed so far," said Attali."There are far fewer anglicisms in French than there are French words in English." said Neveux, adding these exchanges should not be seen as a threat. “All living languages exist by borrowing from each other. Languages only exist thanks to their impurity.”9.What goal will the team of language experts try to achieve according to Paragraph 2?A. To speed up the spread of French in the world.B. To make French influence other languages.C. To promote national brands and companies.D. To decide on some new French sports terms.10.What does the underlined word "they" in Paragraph 3 refer to?A. English words.B. Anglicisms.C. French expressions.D. Newly created phrases.11.What's the result of the previous efforts to stop English from influencing other languages?A. Fruitless.B. Remarkable.C. Important.D. Unmentioned.12.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?A. English is the most popular of all.B. All languages should stay pure.C. Neveux welcomes the impurity of language.D. The exchanges between languages should be avoided.四、Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, this year's winners of the most famous award in architecture, are as surprised as anyone else. "Of course, we are very pleased,” Lacaton said. She and her partner smiled broadly.Putting aside their wearing eyeglasses, Lacaton and Vassal could not be more different from an earlier generation of “architects". Lacaton and Vassal apply a belief—never destroy, never remove or replace, always add, transform, and reuse - to their work on old urban buildings. Designs by Lacaton and Vassal have focused on perfecting low-income housing complexes, beautifully and functionally, while respecting — rather than displacing- the people who live there.“Buildings are beautiful when people feel well in them," Lacaton explained. “When the light inside is beautiful and the air is pleasant, when the exchange with the outside seems easy and gentle, and when uses and sensations are unexpected." Vassal added, "There's a lot of violence in architecture. We try to be accurate. We try to work with kindness."perfecting low-income housing complexes, beautifully and functionally, while respecting — rather than displacing- the people who live there.When Lacaton and Vassal were asked to redesign a particularly large and ugly public housing building in Bordeaux in 2017, the residents told them they did not want to move, even temporarily, but that they wanted bigger units. The solution was to surround the building with large outdoor terraces (露天平台), adding sliding glass doors to each unit, and remaking the exterior from concrete to something gleaming(闪光的), modern and alive. Suddenly, everyone had roomy outdoor space, some of which was enclosed to be used during the winter as "winter gardens".“Their approach of cost-effective, creative readaption could be a model for urban planning in the U.S., where destruction's been seen as a method of solving the worsening public housing in such cities as Chicago and S t.Louis,” architecture professor Mabel 0. Wilson says. “And granted, there's a host of other issues as to why that happened. It's not the building. It's the absence of social services and lack of repair to buildings that made living in public housing impossible for residents.13.What does the second paragraph mainly talk about Lacaton and Vassal?A. Their housing standard.B. Their working principle.C. Their living conditions.D. Their wearing style.14.What do Lacaton and Vassal seek to do in their architecture work?A. Rebuild old houses precisely.B. Displace the settlers with great kindness.C. Improve rather than knock down old buildings.D. Extend space for people as much as possible.15.Why does the author mention the public housing building in Bordeaux?A. To stress the importance of winter gardens.tB. To show the violence in tearing down buildings.C. To reflect the cost of readapting houses.D. To prove the possibility of improving old houses.16.Why do people tend to knock down the worsening public housing, according to Wilson?A. It saves the cost effectively.B. It makes room for new creative buildings.C. They lack awareness of social services.D. There is no need to repair these buildings.五、By drawing patterns on the surface of a cup of tea, chabaixi, an ancient Chinese tea trick displayed in a recent TV drama, has gone viral for its apparent similarity with modern latte art (咖啡拉花艺术). However, ten years ago, this distinctive technique was close to disappearing completely. Zhang Zhifeng, a practitioner of chabaixi, found scenes of chabaixi in the drama aroused great interest among ordinary people. Chabaixi can create endless patterns such as bamboos and mountains or even calligraphy. There are over a dozen steps, from grinding (碾碎) tea for fine powder to pouring boiled water, stirring the mixture for thick froth, and finally drawing the patterns. It is different from making latte because people use clear water as the object to put into the cup instead of milk. But when the water touches the surface of whipped (搅打起泡沫的) tea, it turns into a white color and disappears in 20 minutes. The process before the drawing is known as the tea-making technique, diancha, the quality of which is crucial to whether patterns can be successfully produced later. “Chabaixi is one of the countless forms of tea-making techniques in China. The importance of chabaixi is that not only this technique is unique in the world, but also it gives us a window into people’s lifestyle in the Song Dynasty, a per iod of time when leisure activities in some ways resemble what we have now,” Zhang said.Before chabaixi was discovered by TV audiences, the technique was listed as part of China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2017, after it was recovered by Zhang Zhifeng, who spent nearly 30 years studying and researching the origins and making of tea, but for him it was all worth-while.“This technique is key to the tea culture of the Song Dynasty, and it would be a shame to let it fade. This technique must be passed on to the next generations so they can understand its history,” Zhang said.17.What do the underlined words “gone viral” in paragraph 1 probably mean?A.Received good protection.B.Become popular quickly.C.Started declining gradually.D.Maintained highly competitive.18.What do we know about chabaixi?A.It is painted with whipped milk.B.It develops based on latte art.C.It mainly describes beautiful scenery.D.It involves complicated tea-making skills.19.What is the third paragraph mainly about?A.The origin of chabaixi.B.The uniqueness of chabaixi.C.The significance of chabaixi.D.The development of chabaixi.20.What can we infer about Zhang Zhifeng?A.He teaches people the tea culture of the Song Dynasty.B.He is leading young generations to innovate chabaixi.C.He encourages people to pass on the technique of chabaixi.D.He is committed to developing chabaixi through media.六、Pieter Bruegel’s 1565 realistic painting The Harvesters hangs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “The work describ es farmers cutting wheat nearly as tall as they are,” Ghent University biologist Ive De Smet says. “Nowadays, if you walk through a wheat field, you basically see wheat is about knee-high, which is a consequence of selective breeding (培育) from the second h alf of the 20th century.” De Smet says he’s teaming up with art historian David Vergauwen of Amarant to look at things where they can spot differences in shape, in color, and in size. Wheat is just one example of how historical artwork can help track the transformation of food crops over time.Friends since childhood, they took interest in plants in artwork and began with a visit to the Hermitage Museum in Russia—where they noticed an odd-looking watermelon in an early-17th-century painting by Flemish artist Frans Snyders.“So if you think of a watermelon, you cut it through, it should be dark red on the inside. But that one appeared to be pale and white.” De Smet assumed the painter had done a poor job. But Vergauwen said, “This is one of the best painters ever from that era. So if he paints it like that, that’s the way it must have been.” Other paintings showed that both red and white watermelons were raised during the 17th century.The team hopes to set up an online research database of historical plant artwork. They create a social media hashtag (主题标签) for it. Anyone could send pictures of relevant artwork and details of plants when they visit a museum or exhibit through the hashtag. But, they add, the sources need to be realistic. “If you’re g oing to use, for example, Picasso to understand how a pear looked, you might be misled.”21.What can we learn from De Smet’s words in paragraph 1?A. Humans have mainly fed on wheat since 1565.B. Selective breeding affects agricultural structure.C. Wheat has gone through great changes in height.D. The scene in The Harvesters may be unbelievable.22.What is Vergauwen’s attitude to the watermelon painted by Frans Snyders?A. Curious.B. Disapproving.C. Doubtful.D. Favorable.23.Why is the social media hashtag created?A. To collect more paintings for their database.B. To encourage people to focus on art.C. To advertise their research database.D. To share some historical plant artwork.24.What is the text mainly about?A. Ancient paintings focused on food crops.B. Old art reveals agricultural information.C. Two men create a database of plant artwork.D. Plants today are different from their ancestors.七、In the 17th century, the Netherlands experienced a period of artistic prosperity known as the Dutch Golden Age. During this period, artists found inspiration inNorthern Renaissance painting techniques, contributing to masterpieces like Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer. Known as the “Mona Lisa of the North”, this painting represents the best of Dutch art and it has become one of art history’s most beloved paintings.Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer is famous for his paintings of contemporary Delft, a city in Holland where the artist was born, lived and died. Girl with a Pearl Earring is Vermeer’s most well-known work of art. However, it did not attain international fame at its time of completion. That came about at the end of the 20th century, when it was featured in a special exhibition in Washington, D. C.Girl with a Pearl Earring does not show a specific person. Instead, it shows an unknown girl dressed in grand clothing who, “like a vision coming from the darkness,” art historian Arthur K. Wheelock explained in the Johannes Vermeer catalogue, “belongs to no specific time or place.”Vermeer is known for his ability to create shapes and forms using light rather than line. This characteristic approach to modeling is particularly evident in Girl with a Pearl Earring. First, he would “invent”, or create an initial drawing on t he canvas. Then, he made a single colored underpainting. Next, he added color. And, finally, in order to make the piece extraordinarily bright, he would apply a thin layer of glaze to certain parts of the painting.In addition to its fascinating context and appealing beauty, the piece is celebrated for the mystery that surrounds it. “When you think about the Mona Lisa, she is also looking at us, but she isn’t engaging—she’s sitting back in the painting, self-contained,” Tracy Chevalier, the author of t he New York Times bestselling historical novel, Girl with a Pearl Earring, points out. “While Girl with a Pearl Earring is right there—there is nothing between her and us. She has this magical quality of being incredibly open and yet mysterious at the same time—and that is what makes her so appealing.”25.What inspired the creation of Girl with a Pearl Earring?A. Previous artists’ skills.B. The appearance of the girl.C. Vermeer’s international fame.D. Encouragement from other artists.26.What do we know about Girl with a Pearl Earring?A. It is set in the artist’s birthplace.B. It makes the artist famous overnight.C. It describes a particular and exact girl.D. It is regarded as a match for Mona Lisa.27.What is the purpose of paragraph 4?A. To introduce the subject of the painting.B. To show techniques used in the painting.C. To explain the artistic value of the painting.D. To uncover the mystery behind the painting.28.How does Tracy comment on Girl with a Pearl Earring?A. By citing a theory.B. By giving a definition.C. By offering an example.D. By making a comparison.八、To complete the great map of the world was a strong passion for the people of early civilizations. Marco Polo’s tales inspired European explorers to search for sea routes from west to east. However, merchants search for sea routes from west to east. However, merchants and explorers from the East set sail from east to west many years before Columbus first did.In ancient times, silk from China found its way overland to India, the Middle East, and Rome, along what became known as the Silk Road. A trading route across the sea was also extended along the coasts of the Indian Ocean, centred around Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Here, merchants from China and many other places met to negotiate trade deals, which also led to more awareness of each other’s cultures. Over the centuries, further trading allowed more exploration of the regions to the west China.Later, the Ming Dynasty further developed relations with these regions. Between 1405 and 1433, seven large fleets sailed west on voyages of trade and exploration. These fleets were a sight to behold and were in a league of their own at that time. Under the command of Zheng He, they set sail from the South China Sea across the Indian Ocean to the mouth of the Red Sea, and then to the east coast of Africa. African royal families sent gifts such as giraffes as gestures of friendship in return for gold, silk, and spices. Although China withdrew from further expeditions after 1433, these land and sea routes remained active channels between other cultures for centuries.To reach out across the sea remains a strong desire today. The ancient sea routes travelled by Zheng He are being revisited with the 2lst Century Maritime Silk Road, which is part of the Belt and Road Initiative. The aim of this initiative is to encouragecooperation and trade across the historic Silk Road areas, and strengthen the bonds between China and the rest of the world. Trading has grown greatly in recent years, and will continue to do so in years to come.29.How is the passage developed?A. Cause and effect.B. Time sequence.C. Problem and solution.D. Compare and contrast.30.Which word can be used to describe Zheng He’s fleets?A. Impressive.B. Worrisome.C. Aggressive.D. Fearful.31.Which is Not the purpose of the Belt and Road Initiative?A. To expand China’s territorial area on the ocean.B. To promote communication with other countries.C. To strengthen further cooperation with other countriesD. To encourage trade across the historic Silk Road areas.32.Which is the best title of the text?A. The Maritime Silk RoadB. The great map of the worldC. Reaching out across the seaD. The Belt and Road Initiative答案以及解析一、1.答案：C解析：推理判断题。
2023年英语专八考试真题及答案
QUESTION BOOKLETTEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (2023)-GRADE EIGHT-TIME LIMIT: 150 MIN PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION [25 MIN] SECTION A MINI-LECTUREIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the mini-lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening to the mini-lecture, please complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE and write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap. Make sure the word(s) you fill in is (are) both grammatically and semantically acceptable. You may use the blank sheet for note-taking.You have THIRTY seconds to preview the gap-filling task.Now listen to the mini-lecture. When it is over, you will be given THREE minutes to checkyour work.SECTION B INTERVIEWIn this section you will hear ONE interview. The interview will be divided into TWO parts. At the end of each part, five questions will be asked about what was said. Both the interview and the questions will be spoken ONCE ONLY. After each question there will be a ten-second pause. During the pause, you should read the four choices of A, B, C and D, and mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO.You have THIRTY seconds to preview the questions.Now, listen to the Part One of the interview. Questions 1 to 5 are based on Part One of the interview.1. A. Maggie’s university life.2. B. Her mom’s life at Harvard.3. C. Maggie’s view on studying with Mom.4. D. Maggie’s opinion on her mom’s major.5. A. They take exams in the same weeks.6. B. They have similar lecture notes.7. C. They apply for the same internship.8. D. They follow the same fashion.9.10. A. Having roommates.11. B. Practicing court trails.12. C. Studying together.13. D. Taking notes by hand.14.15. A. Protection.16. B. Imagination.17. C. Excitement.18. D. Encouragement.19.20. A. Thinking of ways to comfort Mom.21. B. Occasional interference from Mom.22. C. Ultimately calls when Maggie is busy.23. D. Frequent check on Maggie’s grades.Now, listen to the Part Two of the interview. Questions 6 to 10 are based on Part Two of the interview.24. A. Because parents need to be ready for new jobs.25. B. Because parents love to return to college.26. C. Because kids require their parents to do so.27. D. Because kids find it hard to adapt to college life.28.29. A. Real estate agent.30. B. Financier.31. C. Lawyer.32. D. Teacher.33.34. A. Delighted.35. B. Excited.36. C. Bored.37. D. Frustrated.38. A. How to make a cake.39. B. How to make omelets.40. C. To accept what is taught.41. D. To plan a future career.42.43. A. Unsuccessful.44. B. Gradual.45. C. Frustrating.46. D. Passionate.PART II READING COMPREHENSION [45 MIN] SECTION A MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONSIn this section there are three passages followed by fourteen multiple choice questions. For each multiple choice question, there are four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer and mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET TWO. PASSAGE ONE(1)There was music from my neighbor’s house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars. At high tide in the afternoon I watched his guests diving from the tower of his raft or taking the sun on the hot sand of his beach while his two motor-boats slit the waters of the Sound, drawing aquaplanes（滑水板）over cataracts of foam. On weekends Mr. Gatsby’s Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city between nine in the morning and long past midnight, while his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains. And on Mondays eight servants, including an extra gardener, toiled all day with scrubbing-brushes and hammer and garden-shears, repairing the ravages of the night before.(2)Every Friday five crates of oranges and lemons arrived from a fruiterer in New York –every Monday these same oranges and lemons left his back door in a pyramid of pulpless halves. There was a machine in the kitchen which could extract the juice of two hundred oranges in half an hour, if a little button was pressed two hundred times by a butler’s thumb.(3)At least once a fortnight a corps of caterers came down with several hundred feet of canvas and enough colored lights to make a Christmas tree of Gatsby’s enormous garden. On buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors-d’oeuvre（冷盘）, spiced baked hams crowdedagainst salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold. In the main hall a bar with a real brass rail was set up, and stocked with gins and liquors and with cordials（加香甜酒）so long forgotten that most of his female guests were too young to know one from another.(4)By seven o’clock the orchestra has arrived– no thin five-piece affair but a whole pitful of oboes and trombones and saxophones and viols and cornets and piccolos and low and high drums. The last swimmers have come in from the beach now and are dressing upstairs; the cars from New York are parked five deep in the drive, and already the halls and salons and verandas are gaudy with primary colors and hair shorn in strange new ways, and shawls beyond the dreams of Castile. The bar is in full swing, and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside until the air is alive with chatter and laughter and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot and enthusiastic meetings between women who never knew each other’s names.(5)The lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun and now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music and the opera of voices pitches a key higher. Laughter is easier, minute by minute, spilled with prodigality, tipped out at a cheerful word.(6)The groups change more swiftly, swell with new arrivals, dissolve and form in the same breath –already there are wanderers, confident girls who weave here and there among the stouter and more stable, become for a sharp, joyous moment the center of a group and then excited with triumph glide on through the sea-change of faces and voices and color under the constantly changing light.(7)Suddenly one of these gypsies in trembling opal, seizes a cocktail out of the air, dumps it down for courage and moving her hands like Frisco dances out alone on the canvas platform. A momentary hush; the orchestra leader varies his rhythm obligingly for her and there is a burst of chatter as the erroneous news goes around that she is Gilda Gray’s understudy from the Folies. The party has begun.(8)I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby’s house I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited. People were not invited – they went there. They got into automobiles which bore them out to Long Island and somehow they ended up at Gatsby’s door. Once there they were introduced by somebody who knew Gatsby, and after that they conducted themselves according to the rules of behavior associated with amusement parks. Sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby at all, came for the party with a simplicity of heart that was itsown ticket of admission.(9)I had been actually invited. A chauffeur in a uniform crossed my lawn early that Saturday morning with a surprisingly formal note from his employer –the honor would be entirely Gatsby’s, it said, if I would attend his “little party” that night. He had seen me several times and had intended to call on me long before but a peculiar combination of circumstances had prevented it – signed Jay Gatsby in a majestic hand.(10)Dressed up in white flannels I went over to his lawn a little after seven and wandered around rather ill-at-ease among swirls and eddies of people I didn’t know –though here and there was a face I had noticed on the commuting train. I was immediately struck by the number of young Englishmen dotted about; all well dressed, all looking a little hungry and all talking in low earnest voices to solid and prosperous Americans. I was sure that they were selling something: bonds or insurance or automobiles. They were, at least, agonizingly aware of the easy money in the vicinity and convinced that it was theirs for a few words in the right key.(11)As soon as I arrived I made an attempt to find my host but the two or three people of whom I asked his whereabouts stared at me in such an amazed way and denied so vehemently any knowledge of his movements that I slunk off in the direction of the cocktail table – the onlyplace in the garden where a single man could linger without looking purposeless and alone.47.It can be inferred form Para. 1 that Mr. Gatsby ______ through the summer.A.entertained guests from everywhere every weekendB.invited his guests to ride in his Rolls-Royce at weekendsC.liked to show off by letting guests ride in his vehiclesD.indulged himself in parties with people from everywhereE.48.In Para.4, the word “permeate” probably means ______.A.perishB.pushC.penetrateD.perpetrateE.49.It can be inferred form Para. 8 that ______.A.guests need to know Gatsby in order to attend his partiesB.people somehow ended up in Gatsby’s house as guestsC.Gatsby usually held garden parties for invited guestsD.guests behaved themselves in a rather formal mannerE.50.According to Para. 10, the author felt ______ at Gatsby’s party.A.dizzyB.dreadfulC.furiousD.awkward51.What can be concluded from Para.11 about Gatsby?A.He was not expected to be present at the parties.B.He was busy receiving and entertaining guests.C.He was usually out of the house at the weekend.D.He was unwilling to meet some of the guests.PASSAGE TWO(1)The Term “CYBERSPACE” was coined by William Gibson, a science-fiction writer. Hefirst used it in a short story in 1982, and expanded on it a couple of years later in a novel, “Neuromancer”, whose main character, Henry Dorsett Case, is a troubled computer hacker and drug addict. In the book Mr Gibson describes cyberspace as “a consensua l hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators” and “a graphic representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system.”(2)His literary creation turned out to be remarkably prescient（有先见之明旳）. Cyberspace has become shorthand for the computing devices, networks, fibre-optic cables, wireless links and other infrastructure that bring the internet to billions of people around the world. The myriad connections forged by these technologies have brought tremendous benefits to everyone who uses the web to tap into humanity’s collective store of knowledge every day.(3)But there is a darker side to this extraordinary invention. Data breaches are becoming ever bigger and more common. Last year over 800m records were lost, mainly through such attacks. Among the most prominent recent victims has been Target, whose chief executive, Gregg Steinhafel, stood down from his job in May, a few months after the giant American retailer revealed that online intruders had stolen millions of digital records about its customers, including credit- and debit-card details. Other well-known firms such as Adobe, a tech company,and eBay, an online marketplace, have also been hit.(4) The potential damage, though, extends well beyond such commercial incursions. Wider concerns have been raised by the revelations about the mass surveillance carried out by Western intelligence agencies made by Edward Snowden, a contractor to America’s National Security Agency (NSA), as well as by the growing numbers of cyber-warriors being recruited by countries that see cyberspace as a new domain of warfare. America’s president, Barack Obama, said in a White House press release earlier this year that cyber-threats “pose one of the gravest national-security da ngers” the country is facing.(5)Securing cyberspace is hard because the architecture of the internet was designed to promote connectivity, not security. Its founders focused on getting it to work and did not worry much about threats because the network wa s affiliated with America’s military. As hackers turned up, layers of security, from antivirus programs to firewalls, were added to try to keep them at bay. Gartner, a research firm, reckons that last year organizations around the globe spent $67 billion on information security.(6)On the whole, these defenses have worked reasonably well. For all the talk about the risk of a “cyber 9/11”, the internet has proved remarkably resilient. Hundreds of millions of peopleturn on their computers every day and bank online, shop at virtual stores, swap gossip and photos with their friends on social networks and send all kinds of sensitive data over the web without ill effect. Companies and governments are shifting ever more services online.(7)But the task is becoming harder. Cyber-security, which involves protecting both data and people, is facing multiple threats, notably cybercrime and online industrial espionage, both of which are growing rapidly. A recent estimate by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), puts the annual global cost of digital crime and intellectual-property theft at $445 billion – a sum roughly equivalent to the GDP of a smallish rich European country such as Austria.(8)To add to the worries, there is also the risk of cyber-sabotage. Terrorists or agents of hostile powers could mount attacks on companies and systems that control vital parts of an economy, including power stations, electrical grids and communications networks. Such attacks are hard to pull off, but not impossible. One precedent is the destruction in 2023 of centrifuges （离心机）at a nuclear facility in Iran by a computer program known as Stuxnet.(9)But such events are rare. The biggest day-to-day threats faced by companies and government agencies come from crooks and spooks hoping to steal financial data and tradesecrets. For example, smarter, better-organized hackers are making life tougher for the cyber-defenders, but the report will argue that even so a number of things can be done to keep everyone safer than they are now.(10)One is to ensure that organizations get the basics of cyber-security right. All too often breaches are caused by simple blunders, such as failing to separate systems containing sensitive data from those that do not need access to them. Companies also need to get better at anticipating where attacks may be coming from and at adapting their defences swiftly in response to new threats. Technology can help, as can industry initiatives that allow firms to share intelligence about risks with each other.(11)There is also a need to provide incentives to improve cyber-security, be they carrots or sticks. One idea is to encourage internet-service providers, or the companies that manage internet connections, to shoulder more responsibility for identifying and helping to clean up computers infected with malicious software. Another is to find ways to ensure that software developers produce code with fewer flaws in it so that hackers have fewer security holes to exploit.(12)An additional reason for getting tech companies to give a higher priority to security isthat cyberspace is about to undergo another massive change. Over the next few years billions of new devices, from cars to household appliances and medical equipment, will be fitted with tiny computer s that connect them to the web and make them more useful. Dubbed “the internet of things”, this is already making it possible, for example, to control home appliances using smartphone apps and to monitor medical devices remotely.(13)But unless these systems have adequate security protection, the internet of things could easily become the internet of new things to be hacked. Plenty of people are eager to take advantage of any weaknesses they may spot. Hacking used to be about geeky college kids tapping away in their bedrooms to annoy their elders. It has grown up with a vengeance.52.Cyberspace is described by William Gibson as ______.A. a function only legitimate computer operators haveB. a representation of data from the human systemC.an important element stored in the human systemD.an illusion held by the common computer usersE.53.Which of the following statements BEST summarizes the meaning of the first fourparagraphs?A.Cyberspace has more benefits than defects.B.Cyberspace is like a double-edged sword.C.Cyberspace symbolizes technological advance.D.Cyberspace still remains a sci-fi notion.E.54.According to Para. 5, the designing principles of the internet and cyberspace security are______.A.controversialplimentaryC.contradictoryD.congruentE.55.What could be the most appropriate title for the passage?A.Cyber Crime and Its Prevention.B.The Origin of Cyber Crime.C.How to Deal with Cyber Crime.D.The Definition of Cyber Crime.PASSAGE THREE(1)You should treat skeptically the loud cries now coming from colleges and universities that the last bastion of excellence in American education is being gutted by state budget cuts and mounting costs. Whatever else it is, higher education is not a bastion of excellence. It is shot through with waste, lax academic standards and mediocre teaching and scholarship.(2)True, the economic pressures – from the Ivy League to state systems – are intense. Last year, nearly two-thirds of schools had to make midyear spending cuts to stay within their budgets. It is also true (as university presidents and deans argue) that relieving those pressures merely by raising tuitions and cutting courses will make matters worse. Students will pay more and get less. The university presidents and deans want to be spared from further government budget cuts. Their case is weak.(3)Higher education is a bloated enterprise. Too many professors do too little teaching to too many ill-prepared students. Costs can be cut and quality improved without reducing thenumber of graduates. Many colleges and universities should shrink. Some should go out of business. Consider:●Except for elite schools, admissions standards are low. About 70 percent of freshmen atfour-year colleges and universities attend their first-choice schools. Roughly 20 percent go to their second choices. Most schools have eagerly boosted enrollments to maximize revenues (tuition and state subsidies).●Dropout rates are high. Half or more of freshmen don’t get degrees. A recent study ofPhD programs at 10 major universities also found high dropout rates for doctoral candidates.●The attrition among undergraduates is particularly surprising because college standardshave apparently fallen. One study of seven top schools found widespread grade inflation.In 1963, half of the students in introductory philosophy courses got a B – or worse. By 1986, only 21 percent did. If elite schools have relaxed standards, the practice is almost surely widespread.●Faculty teaching loads have fallen steadily since the 1960s. In major universities, seniorfaculty members often do less than two hours a day of teaching. Professors are“socialized to publish, teach graduate students and spend as little time teaching (undergraduates) as possible,” concludes James Fairweather of Penn State University in a new study. Faculty pay consistently rises as undergraduate teaching loads drop.Universities have encouraged an almost mindless explosion of graduate degrees. Since 1960, the number of masters’ degrees awarded annually has risen more than fourfold to 337,000. Between 1965 and 1989, the annual number of MBAs (masters in business administration) jumped from 7,600 to 73,100.(4)Even so, our system has strengths. It boasts many top-notch schools and allows almost anyone to go to college. But mediocrity is pervasive. We push as many freshmen as possible through the door, regardless of qualifications. Because bachelors’ degrees are so common, we create more graduate degrees of dubious worth. Does anyone believe the MBA explosion has improved management?(5)You won’t hear much about this from college deans or university presidents. They created this mess and are its biggest beneficiaries. Large enrollments support large faculties. More graduate students liberate tenured faculty from undergraduate teaching to concentrate on writing and research: the source of status. Richard Huber, a former college dean, writesknowingly in a new book (“How Professors Play the Cat Guarding the Cream: Why We’re Paying More and Getting Less in Higher Education”): Presidents, deans and trustees ... call for more recognition of good teaching with prizes and salary incentives.(6)The reality is closer to the experience of Harvard University’s distinguished pal eontologist Stephen Jay Gould: “To be perfectly honest, though lip service is given to teaching, I have never seriously heard teaching considered in any meeting for promotion... Writing is the currency of prestige and promotion.”(7)About four-fifths of all students attend state-subsidized systems, from community colleges to prestige universities. How governors and state legislatures deal with their budget pressures will be decisive. Private schools will, for better or worse, be influenced by state actions. The states need to do three things.(8)First, create genuine entrance requirements. Today’s low standards tell high school students: You don’t have to work hard to go to college. States should change the message by raising tuitions sharply and coupling the increase with generous scholarships based on merit and income. To get scholarships, students would have to pass meaningful entrance exams. Ideally, the scholarships should be available for use at in-state private schools. All schools would thencompete for students on the basis of academic quality and costs. Today’s system of general tuition subsidies provides aid to well-to-do families that don’t need it or to unqualified students who don’t deserve it.(8)Next, states should raise faculty teaching loads, mainly at four-year schools. (Teaching loads at community colleges are already high.) This would cut costs and reemphasize the primacy of teaching at most schools. What we need are teachers who know their fields and can communicate enthusiasm to students. Not all professors can be path-breaking scholars. The excessive emphasis on scholarship generates many unread books and mediocre articles in academic journals. “You can’t do more of one (research) without less of the other (teaching),”says Fairweather. “People are working hard – it’s just where they’re working.”(10)Finally, states should reduce or eliminate the least useful graduate programs. Journalism (now dubbed “communications”), business and education are prime candidates. A lot of what they teach can – and should – be learned on the job. If colleges and universities did a better job of teaching undergraduates, there would be less need for graduate degrees.(11)Our colleges and universities need to provide a better education to deserving students. This may mean smaller enrollments, but given today’s attrition rates, the number of graduatesneed not drop. Higher education could become a bastion of excellence, if we would only try.56.It can be concluded from Para.3 that the author was ______ towards the education.A.indifferentB.neutralC.positiveD.negativeE.57.The following are current problems facing all American universities EXCEPT ______.A.high dropout ratesB.low admission standardsC.low undergraduate teaching loadsD.explosion of graduate degreesE.58.In order to ensure teaching quality, the author suggests that the states do all the followingEXCEPT ______.A.set entrance requirementsB.raise faculty teaching loadsC.increase undergraduate programsD.reduce useless graduate programsE.59.“Prime candidates” in Para. 10 is used as ________.A.euphemismB.metaphorC.analogyD.personificationE.60.What is the author’s main argument in the passage?A.American education can remain excellent by ensuring state budget.B.Professors should teach more undergraduates than postgraduates.C.Academic standard are the main means to ensure educational quality.D.American education can remain excellent only by raising teaching quality.SECTION B SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONSIn this section there are eight short answer questions based on the passages in Section A. Answer each question in NO more than 10 words in the space provided on ANSWER SHEET TWO. PASSAGE ONE61.From the description of the party preparation, what words can you see to depict Gatby’sparty?62.How do you summarize the party scene in Para. 6?PASSAGE TWO63.What do the cases of Target, Adobe and eBay in Para. 3 show?64.Why does the author say the task is becoming harder in Para. 7?65.What is the conclusion of the whole passage?PASSAGE THREE66.What does the author mean by saying “Their case is weak” in Para. 2?67.What does “grade inflation” in Para. 3 mean?68.What does the author mean when he quotes Richard Huber in Para. 5?PART III LANGUAGE USAGE [15 MIN] The passage contains TEN errors. Each indicated line contains a maximum of ONE error. In each case, only ONE word is involved. Y ou should proof-read the passage and correct it in the following way:For a wrong word, underline the wrong word and write the correct one in the blankprovided at the end of the line.For a missing word, mark the position of the missing word with a “∧” sign and write theword you believe to be missing in the blank provided at the end ofthe line.For an unnecessary word, cross the unnecessary word with a slash “/” and put the word in theblank provided at the end of the line.ExampleWhen∧art museum wants a new exhibit, (1) anit never buys things in finished form and hangs (2) neverthem on the wall. When a natural history museumwants an exhibition, it must often build it. (3) exhibitProofread the given passage on ANSWER SHEET THREE as instructed.PART IV TRANSLATION [20 MIN] Translate the underlined part of the following text from Chinese into English. Write your translation on ANSWER SHEET THREE.流逝，体现了南国人对时间最早旳感觉。
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2023年专八英语阅读题模拟练习及答案
2023年专八英语阅读题模拟练习及答案
The increase in the margin rate from 50% to 70%
was not an attempt to stem any rant speculation on the part of the publicactually the market seemed
technically quite strong, with public participation essentially dignifiedbut rather an attempt by the Federal Reserve Board to preserve the sound underpinnings that existed in the market.Naturally, such a move had a momentarily chilling effect upon prices but if the FRB had been preoccupied with undue speculation, the increase might have been to the 80%
or even 90% level.Such an increases in the margin rate is a confirmation of a strong stock market and since 19...,such increases have resulted in interim market highs over twelve months later.Obviously, there could be no guarantee that this would once again be the case, but if history is any guidelineand if business and corporate earnings were to continue on the same
coursecontinued optimism over the outlook for the stock market would seem more prudent than pessimism.
1.The title that best expresses the ideas of this passage is ___________
[A]A Time to Sell Stock.
[B]A Strong Stock Market
[C]Raising the Margin Rate
[C]Price/earnings Ratio in Steel
2.When investors are pessimistic what do they do?
[A]They look to the FRB for help.
[B]They buy steel
[C]They buy automobile stocks.
[D]They look for high yields.
3.Why does the writer believe that speciality stocks could outperform the general market?
[A]Because analysis have difficulty in deciding upon a fixed price/earnings ratio.
[B]Because the activity had been limited to blue chips.
[C]Because the rise was conservative.
[D]Because of the FRB action.
4.When investors are optimistic, what do they do?
[A]They look for accelerated growth.
[B]They buy speciality stocks.
[C]They look for high yields.
[C]They are more prudent.
Vocabulary
1. margin rate 保证金率，边际比率
2. rant无约束力，猖獗的，蔓延的
3. stem遏制
4. stem from滋长，自
5. underpin 加强......根底，支持
6. underpinning支持物，根底(建筑物下的)
7. preoccupy先占，使专心于，吸引住
8. undue 过分的.，非法的，不适当的
9. interim间歇;暂时的，间歇的
10.guideline方针，指导道路
11.underscore 在......下面划线，强调
12.point up 加强，强调
13.bluechip 兰筹股票
14.blue-chip兰筹的
15.outperform在使用上胜过
16.overprice将......标价过高
17.numerical ratio 数率，数字比率
18.earnings收益，利润，收入
20.premium佣金，酬金
难句译注
1.The increase in the margin rate from 50% to 70% was not an attempt to stem any rant speculation on the part of the publicactually the market seemed technically quite strong, with public participation essentially dignifiedbut rather an attempt by the Federal Reserve Board to preserve the sound underpinnings that existed in the market.
[构造简析] 是not...but句型，两个破折号中间是插入成分;中插入一个带with+N+participle 短语
[参考译文] 保证金率从50%增长到70%，并不是想要遏制群众方面猖獗的投机，而是联邦储藏委员会想要保持现存于股市强劲根底事实上股市由于群众非常庄严的参与在技术上看起来相当强劲。
2.Obviously, there could be no guarantee that this would once again be the case, but if history is any guidelineand if business and corporate earnings were
to continue on the same coursecontinued optimism over the outlook for the stock market would seem more prudent than pessimism.
[构造简析] 复合句。
中间有插入语if clause, 进一步说明条件。
[参考译文] 显然，不可能保证这种情况再次出现(情况再是这样)。
可是，假如历史具有指导方针的话假如商业和公司的利润仍然保持在同样轨道上那么对股市前景乐观似乎要比悲观更准确些。
3.The margin increase underscored the good rise that stocks had enjoyed for the previous yearand the fact that a 50% rate was maintained as long as it was pointed up the fact that the rise was mainly conservative in that it was concentrated in the blue chips for the most part.
[构造简析] 这句句子内有四个that clause：第一个that是good rise的定语从句。
第二个和第三个that都是the fact that句型。
但第二个the fact that中，as long as it was, 指头一年，pointed up是谓语。
第四个是in that连词，义：因为。
写作方法与文章大意
文章阐述“强劲证券市场”的种种情况。
首先是联邦储藏委员会为保持强股市根底要求保证金率增长。
这种增长过去，如今，将来都能稳固强市。
其次由于绝大局部集中在兰筹股上，使股市看好上升趋于保守，引出行业股比普通股吃香。
最后是投资者心情和股市强弱有关。