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2009年专八真题及答案

2009年专八真题及答案
2009年专八真题及答案

TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS

(2009)

-GRADE EIGHT-

TIME LIMIT: 195 MIN

PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION (35 MIN)

SECTION A MINI-LECTURE

In this section you will hear a mini-lecture. Y ou will hear the lecture ONCE ONL Y While listening, take notes on the important points. Y our 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.

Writing Experimental Reports

I.Content of an experimental report, e.g.

--- study subject/ area

--- study purpose

--- ____1____

II.Presentation of an experimental report

--- providing details

--- regarding readers as _____2_____

III.Structure of an experimental report

--- feature: highly structured and ____3____

--- sections and their content:

INTRODUCTION ____4____; why you did it

METHOD how you did it

RESULT what you found out

____5____ what you think it shows

IV. Sense of readership

--- ____6____: reader is the marker

--- ____7____: reader is an idealized, hypothetical, intelligent person with little knowledge of your study

--- tasks to fulfill in an experimental report:

introduction to relevant area

necessary background information

development of clear arguments

definition of technical terms

precise description of data ____8____

V. Demands and expectations in report writing

--- early stage:

understanding of study subject/area and its implications

basic grasp of the report’s format

--- later stage:

____9____ on research significance

--- things to avoid in writing INTRODUCTION:

inadequate material

____10____ of research justification for the study

SECTION B INTERVIEW

In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONL Y. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheet. 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. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A. Toastmasters was originally set up to train speaking skills.

B. Toastmasters only accepts prospective professional speakers.

C. Toastmasters accepts members from the general public.

D. Toastmasters is an exclusive club for professional speakers.

2. The following are job benefits by joining Toastmasters EXCEPT

A. becoming familiar with various means of communication.

B. learning how to deliver messages in an organized way.

C. becoming aware of audience expectations.

D. learning how to get along with friends.

3. Toastmasters' general approach to training can be summarized as

A. practice plus overall training.

B. practice plus lectures.

C. practice plus voice training.

D. practice plus speech writing.

4. Toastmasters aims to train people to be all the following EXCEPT

A. public speakers.

B. grammar teachers.

C. masters of ceremonies.

D. evaluators.

5. The interview mainly focuses on

A. the background information.

B. the description of training courses.

C. the requirements of public speaking.

D. the overall personal growth.

SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST

In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONL Y. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheet. Questions 6 and 7 are'based on the foUowing news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.

Now listen to the news.

6. Which of the following is the main cause of global warming?

A. Fossil fuel.

B. Greenhouse gases.

C. Increased dryness.

D. Violent storm patterns.

7. The news item implies that ______ in the last report.

A. there were fewer studies done

B. there were fewer policy proposals

C. there was less agreement

D. there were fewer objectives

Questions 8 and 9 are 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.

8. The cause of the Indian train accident was

A. terrorist sabotage.

B. yet to be determined.

C. lack of communications.

D. bad weather.

9. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A. The accident occurred on a bridge.

B. The accident occurred in New Delhi.

C. There were about 600 casualties.

D. Victims were rescued immediately.

Question 10 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.

10. What is the main message of the news item?

A. Y oung people should seek careers advice.

B. Careers service needs to be improved.

C. Businesses are not getting talented people.

D. Careers advice is not offered on the Intemet.

PART II READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN)

In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of 20 multiple-choice questions. Read the passages and then mark your answers on your coloured answer sheet.

TEXT A

We had been wanting to expand our children's horizons by taking them to a place that was unlike anything we'd been exposed to during our travels in Europe and the United States. In thinking about what was possible from Geneva, where we are based, we decided on a trip to Istanbul, a two-hour plane ride from Zurich.

We envisioned the trip as a prelude to more exotic ones, perhaps to New Delhi or Bangkok later this year, but thought our 11- and 13-year-olds needed a first step away from manicured boulevards and pristine monuments.

What we didn't foresee was the reaction of friends, who warned that we were putting our children "in danger," referring vaguely, and most incorrectly, to disease, terrorism or jus t the unknown. To help us get acquainted with the peculiarities of Istanbul and to give our children a chance to choose what they were particularly interested in seeing, we bought an excellent guidebook and read it thoroughly before leaving.

Friendly warnings didn't change our planning, although we might have more prudently checked with the U.S. State Department's list of troublespots. We didn't see a lot of children among the foreign visitors during our six-day stay in Istanbul, but we found the tourist areas quite safe, very interesting and varied enough even to suit our son, whose oft-repeated request is that we not see "every single" church and museum in a given city.

V accinations weren't needed for the city, but we were concemed about adapting to the water for a short stay. So we used bottled water for drinking and brushing our teeth, a precaution that may seem excessive, but we all stayed healthy.

Taking the advice of a friend, we booked a hotel a 20-minute walk from most of Istanbul's

major tourist sites. This not only got us some morning exercise, strolling over the Karakoy Bridge, but took us past a colorful assortment of fishermen, vendors and shoe shiners.

From a teenager and pre-teen's view, Istanbul street life is fascinating since almost everything can be bought outdoors. They were at a good age to spend time wandering the labyrinth of the Spice Bazaar, where shops display mounds of pungent herbs in sacks. Doing this with younger children would be harder simply because the streets are so packed with people; it would be easy to get lost.

For our two, whose buying experience consisted of department stores and shopping mall boutiques, it was amazing to discover that you could bargain over price and perhaps end up with two of something for the price of one. They also learned to figure out the relative value of the Turkish lira, not a small matter with its many zeros.

Being exposed to Islam was an important part of our trip. Visiting the mosques, especially the enormous Blue Mosque, was our first glimpse into how this major religion is practiced. Our children's curiosity already had been piqued by the five daily calls to prayer over loudspeakers

in every corner of the city, and the scarves covering the heads of many women.

Navigating meals can be troublesome with children, but a kebab, bought on the street or in restaurants, was unfailingly popular. Since we had decided this trip was not for gourmets, kebabs spared us the agony of trying to find a restaurant each day that would suit the adults' desire to try something new amid children's insistence that the food be served immediately. Gradually, we branched out to try some other Turkish specialties.

Although our son had studied Islam briefly, it is impossible to be prepared for every awkward question that might come up, such as during our visits to the Topkapi Sarayi, the Ottoman Sultans' palace. No guides were available so it was do-it-yourself, using our guidebook, which cheated us of a lot of interesting history and anecdotes that a professional guide could provide. Next time, we resolved to make such arrangements in advance.

On this trip, we wandered through the magnificent complex, with its imperial treasures, its courtyards and its harem. The last required a bit of explanation that we would have happily lef~

to a learned third party.

11. The couple chose Istanbul as their holiday destination mainly because

A. the city is not too far away from where they lived.

B. the city is not on the list of the U.S. State Department.

C. the city is between the familiar and the exotic.

D. the city is more familiar than exotic.

12. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?

A. The family found the city was exactly what they had expected.

B. Their friends were opposed to their holiday plan.

C. They could have been more cautious about bringing kids along.

D. They were a bit cautious about the quality of water in the city.

13. We learn from the couple's shopping experience back home that

A. they were used to bargaining over price.

B. they preferred to buy things outdoors.

C. street markets were their favourite.

D. they preferred fashion and brand names.

14. The last two paragraphs suggest that to visit places of interest in Istanbul

A. guidebooks are very useful.

B. a professional guide is a must.

C. one has to be prepared for questions.

D. one has to make arrangements in advance.

15. The family have seen or visited all the following in Istanbul EXCEPT

A. religious prayers.

B. historical buildings.

C. local-style markets.

D. shopping mall boutiques.

TEXT B

Last month the first baby-boomers turned 60. The bulky generation born between 1946 and 1964 is heading towards retirement. The looming "demographic cliff" will see vast numbers of skilled workers dispatched from the labour force.

The workforce is ageing across the rich world. Within the EU the number of workers aged between 50 and 64 will increase by 25% over the next two decades, while those aged 20-29 will decrease by 20%. In Japan almost 20% of the population is already over 65, the highest share in the world. And in the United States the number of workers aged 55-64 will have increased by more than half in this decade, at the same time as the 35- to 44-year-olds decline by 10%.

Given that most societies are geared to retirement at around 65, companies have a looming problem of knowledge management, of making sure that the boomers do not leave before they have handed over their expertise along with the office keys and their e-mail address. A survey of human-resources directors by IBM last year concluded: "When the baby-boomer generation retires, many companies will find out too late that a career's worth of experience has walked out the door, leaving insufficient talent to fill in the void."

Some also face a shortage of expertise. In aerospace and defence, for example, as much as 40% of the workforce in some companies will be eligible to retire within the next five years. At the same time, the number of engineering graduates in developed countries is in steep decline.

A few companies are so squeezed that they are already taking exceptional measures. Earlier this year the Los Angeles Times interviewed an enterprising Australian who was staying in Beverly Hills while he tried to persuade locals to emigrate to Toowoomba, Queensland, to work for his engineering company there. Toowoomba today; the rest of the developed world tomorrow?

If you look hard enough, you can find companies that have begun to adapt the workplace to older workers. The AARP, an American association for the over-50s, produces an annual list of the best employers of its members. Health-care firms invariably come near the top because they are one of the industries most in need of skilled labour. Other sectors similarly affected, says the Conference Board, include oil, gas, energy and government.

Near the top of the AARP's latest list comes Deere & Company, a no-nonsense industrial-equipment manufacturer based in Illinois; about 35% of Deere's 46,000 employees are over 50 and a number of them are in their 70s. The tools it uses to achieve that - flexible working, telecommuting, and so forth - also coincidentaUy help older workers to extend their working lives. The company spends "a lot of time" on the ergonomics of its factories, making jobs there less tiring, which enables older workers to stay at them for longer.

Likewise, for more than a decade, Toyota, arguably the world's most advanced manufacturer, has adapted its workstations to older workers. The shortage of skilled labour available to the automotive industry has made it unusually keen to recruit older workers. BMW recently set up a factory in Leipzig that expressly set out to employ people over the age of 45. Needs must when the devil drives.

Other firms are polishing their alumni networks. IBM uses its network to recruit retired people for particular projects. Ernst & Y oung, a professional-services firm, has about 30,000 registered alumni, and about 25% of its "experienced" new recruits are former employees who return after an absence.

But such examples are unusual. A survey in America last month by Ernst & Y oung found that "although corporate America foresees a significant workforce shortage as boomers retire, it is not dealing with the issue." Almost three-quarters of the 1,400 global companies questioned by Deloitte last year said they expected a shortage of salaried staff over the next three to five years. Y et few of them are looking to older workers to fill that shortage; and even fewer are looking to them to fill another gap that has already appeared. Many firms in Europe and America complain that they struggle to find qualified directors for their boards - this when the pool of retired talent from those very same firms is growing by leaps and bounds.

Why are firms not working harder to keep old employees? Part of the reason is that the crunch has been beyond the horizon of most managers. Nor is hanging on to older workers the only way to cope with a falling supply of labour. The participation of developing countries in the world economy has increased the overall supply - whatever the local effect of demographics in the rich countries. A vast amount of work is being sent offshore to such places as China and India and more will go in future. Some countries, such as Australia, are relaxing their immigration policies to allow much needed skills to come in from abroad. Others will avoid the need for workers by spending money on machinery and automation.

16. According to the passage, the most serious consequence of baby-boomers approaching

retirement would be

A. a loss of knowledge and experience to many companies.

B. a decrease in the number of 35- to 44- year-olds.

C. a continuous increase in the number of 50-to 64-year-olds.

D. its impact on the developed world whose workforce is ageing.

17. The following are all the measures that companies have adopted to cope with the ageing

workforce EXCEPT

A. making places of work accommodate the needs of older workers.

B. using alumni networks to hire retired former employees.

C. encouraging former employees to work overseas.

D. granting more convenience in working hours to older workers.

18. "The company spends 'a lot of time' on the ergonomics of its factories" (Paragraph Seven)

means that

A. the company attaches great importance to the layout of its factories.

B. the company improves the working conditions in its factories.

C. the company attempts to reduce production costs of its factories.

D. the company intends to renovate its factories and update equipment.

19. In the author's opinion American firms are not doing anything to deal with the issue of the

ageing workforce mainly because

A. they have not been aware of the problem.

B. they are reluctant to hire older workers.

C. they are not sure of what they should do.

D. they have other options to consider.

20. Which of the following best describes the author's development of argument?

A. introducing the issue---citing ways to deal with the issue---~describing the actual

status---offering reasons.

B. describing the actual status--- introducing the issue---citing ways to deal with the

issue---offering reasons.

C. citing ways to deal with the issue---introducing the issue----describing the actual

status---offering reasons.

D. describing the actual status--offering reasons---introducing the issue---citing ways to

deal with the issue.

TEXT C

(1) The other problem that arises from the employment of women is that of the working wife.

It has two aspects: that of the wife who is more of a success than her husband and that of the wife who must rely heavily on her husband for help with domestic tasks. There are various ways in which the impact of the first difficulty can be reduced. Provided that husband and wife are not in the same or directly comparable lines of work, the harsh fact of her greater success can be obscured by a genial conspiracy to reject a purely monetary measure of achievement as intolerably crude. Where there are ranks, it is best if the couple work in different fields so that the husband can find some special reason for the superiority of the lowest figure in his to the most elevated in his wife's.

(2) A problem that affects a much larger number of working wives is the need to re-allocate domestic tasks if there are children. In The Road to Wigan Pier George Orwell wrote of the unemployed of the Lancashire coalfields: "Practically never ... in a working-class home, will you see the man doing a stroke of the housework. Unemployment has not changed this convention, which on the face of it seems a little unfair. The man is idle from morning to night but the woman is as busy as ever - more so, indeed, because she has to manage with less money. Y et so far as my experience goes the women do not protest. They feel that a man would lose his manhood if, merely because he was out of work, he developed in a 'Mary Ann'."

(3) It is over the care of young children that this re-allocation of duties becomes really significant. For this, unlike the cooking of fish fingers or the making of beds, is an inescapably

time-consuming occupation, and time is what the fully employed wife has no more to spare of than her husband.

(4) The male initiative in courtship is a pretty indiscriminate affair, something that is tried on with any remotely plausible woman who comes within range and, of course, with all degrees of tentativeness. What decides the issue of whether a genuine courtship is going to get under way is the woman's response. If she shows interest the engines of persuasion are set in movement. The truth is that in courtship society gives women the real power while pretending to give it to men.

(5) What does seem clear is that the more men and women are together, at work and away from it, the more the comprehensive amorousness of men towards women will have to go, despite all its past evolutionary services. For it is this that makes inferiority at work abrasive and, more indirectly, makes domestic work seem unmanly, if there is to be an equalizing redistribution of economic and domestic tasks between men and women there must be a compensating redistribution of the erotic initiative. If women will no longer let us beat them they must allow us to join them as the blushing recipients of flowers and chocolates.

21. Paragraph One advises the working wife who is more successful than her husband to

A. work in the same sort of job as her husband.

B. play down her success, making it sound unimportant.

C. stress how much the family gains from her high salary.

D. introduce more labour-saving machinery into the home.

22. Orwell's picture of relations between man and wife in Wigan Pier (Paragraph Two) describes a

relationship which the author of the passage

A. thinks is the natural one.

B. wishes to see preserved.

C. believes is fair.

D. is sure must change.

23. Which of the following words is used literally, NOT metaphorically?

A. Abrasive (Paragraph Five).

B. Engines (Paragraph Four).

C. Convention (Paragraph Two).

D. Heavily (Paragraph One).

24. The last paragraph stresses that if women are to hold important jobs, then they must

A. sometimes make the first advances in love.

B. allow men to flirt with many women.

C. stop accepting presents of flowers and chocolates.

D. avoid making their husbands look like "Mary Anns".

25. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT about the present form of courtship?

A. Men are equally serious about courtship.

B. Each man "makes passes" at many women.

C. The woman's reaction decides the fate of courtship.

D. The man leaves himself the opportunity to give up the chase quickly.

TEXT D

From Namche Bazaar, the Sherpa capital at 12,000 feet, the long line threaded south, dropping 2,000 feet to the valley floor, then trudged down the huge Sola-Khumbu canyon until it opened out to the lush but still daunting foothills of Central Nepal.

It was here at Namche that one man broke rank and leaned north, slowly and arduously climbing the steep walls of the natural amphitheater behind the scatter of stone huts, then past Kunde and Khumjong.

Despite wearing a balaclava on his head, he had been frequently recognized by the Tibetans, and treated with the gravest deference and respect. Even among those who knew nothing about him, expressions of surprise lit up their dark, liquid eyes. He was a man not expected to be there.

Not only was his stature substantially greater than that of the diminutive Tibetans, but it was also obvious from his bearing - and his new broadcloak, which covered a much-too-tight army uniform - that he came from a markedly loftier station in life than did the average Tibetan. Among a people virtually bereft of possessions, he had fewer still, consisting solely of a rounded bundle about a foot in diameter slung securely by a cord over his shoulder. The material the bundle was wrapped in was of a rough Tibetan weave, which did not augur that the content was

of any greater value - except for the importance he seemed to ascribe to it, never for a moment releasing his grip.

His objective was a tiny huddle of buildings perched halfway up an enormous valley wall across from him, atop a great wooded spur jutting out from the lower lap of the 22,493-foot Ama Dablum, one of the most majestic mountains on earth. There was situated Tengboche, the most famous Buddhist monastery in the Himalayas, its setting unsurpassed for magnificence anywhere on the planet.

From the top of the spur, one's eyes sweep 12 miles up the stupendous Dudh Kosi canyon to the six-mile-long granite wall of cliff of Nuptse at its head. If Ama Dablum is the Gatekeeper, then the sheer cliff of Nuptse, never less than four miles high, is the Final Protector of the

highest and mightiest of them all: Chomolongma, the Mother Goddess of the World, to the Tibetans; Sagarmatha, the Head of the Seas, to the Nepalese; and Everest to the rest of us. And over the great barrier of Nuptse She demurely peaks.

It was late in the afternoon - when the great shadows cast by the colossal mountains were descending into the deep valley floors - before he reached the crest of the spur and shuffled to a stop just past Tengboche's entrance gompa. His chest heaving in the rarefied air, he removed his hand from the bundle--the first time he had done so - and wiped grimy rivulets of sweat from around his eyes with the fingers of his mitted hand.

His narrowed eyes took in the open sweep of the quiet grounds, the pagoda-like monastery itself, and the stone buildings that tumbled down around it like a protective skirt. In the distance the magic light of the magic hour lit up the plume flying off Chomolongma's 29,029-foot-high crest like a bright, welcoming banner.

His breathing calmed, he slowly, stiffly struggled forward and up the rough stone steps to the monastery entrance. There he was greeted with a respectful nameste -"I recognize the divine in you" - from a tall, slim monk of about 35 years, who hastily set aside a twig broom he had been using to sweep the flagstones of the inner courtyard. While he did so, the visitor noticed that the monk was missing the small finger on his left hand. The stranger spoke a few formal words in Tibetan, and then the two disappeared inside.

Early the next morning the emissary - lightened of his load - appeared at the monastery entrance, accompanied by the same monk and the elderly abbot. After a bow of his head, which was returned much more deeply by the two ocher-robed residents, he took his leave. The two solemn monks watched, motionless, until he dipped over the ridge on which the monastery sat, and out of sight.

Then, without a word, they turned and went back inside the monastery.

26. Which of the following words in Paragraph One implies difficulty in walking?

A. "threaded".

B. "dropping".

C. "trudged".

D. "daunting".

27. In the passage the contrast between the Tibetans and the man is indicated in all the following

aspects EXCEPT

A. clothing.

B. height.

C. social status.

D. personal belongings.

28. It can be inferred from the passage that one can get ______ of the region from the

monastery.

A. a narrow view

B. a hazy view

C. a distant view

D. a panoramic view

29. Which of the following details shows that the man became relaxed after he reached the

monastery?

A. "...he reached the crest of the spur and shuffled to a stop..."

B. "...he removed his hand from the bundle..."

C. "His narrowed eyes took in the open sweep of the quiet grounds..."

D. "...he slowly, stiffly struggled forward and up the rough stone steps..."

30. From how it is described in the passage the monastery seems to evoke

A. a sense of awe.

B. a sense of piety.

C. a sense of fear.

D. a sense of mystery.

PART III GENERAL KNOWLEDGE (10 MIN)

There are ten multiple-choice questions in this section. Choose the best answer to each question. Mark your answers on your coloured answer sheet.

31. The Head of State of New Zealand is

A. the governor-general.

B. the Prime Minister.

C. the high commissioner.

D. the monarch of the United Kingdom.

32. The capital of Scotland is

A. Glasgow.

B. Edinburgh.

C. Manchester.

D. London.

33. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence and later became the U.S. Preside nt?

A. Thomas Jefferson.

B. George Washington.

C. Thomas Paine.

D. John Adams.

34. Which of the following cities is located on the eastern coast of Australia?

A. Perth.

B. Adelaide.

C. Sydney.

D. Melbourne.

35. Ode to the West Windwas written by

A. William Blake.

B. William Wordsworth.

C. Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

D. Percy B. Shelley.

36. Who among the following is a poet of free verse?

A. Ralph Waldo Emerson.

B. Walt Whitman.

C. Herman Melville

D. Theodore Dreiser.

37. The novel Sons andLovers was written by

A. Thomas Hardy.

B. John Galsworthy.

C. D.H. Lawrence.

D. James Joyce.

38. The study of the mental processes of language comprehension and production is

A. corpus linguistics.

B. sociolinguistics.

C. theoretical linguistics.

D. psycholinguistics.

39. A special language variety that mixes languages and is used by speakers of different languages

for purposes of trading is called

A. dialect.

B. idiolect.

C. pidgin.

D. register.

40. When a speaker expresses his intention of speaking, such as asking someone to open the

window, he is performing

A. an illocutionary act.

B. a perlocutionary act.

C. a locutionary act.

D. none of the above.

PART IV PROOFREADING & ERROR CORRECTION (15 MIN)

Proofread the given passage on ANSWER SHEET TWO as instructed.

When ∧art museum wants a new exhibit, (1)_______

it never buys things in finished form and hangs (2)_______

them on the wall. When a natural history museum

wants an exhibition, it must often build i. (3)_______

The previous section has shown how quickly a rhyme passes

from one schoolchild to the next and illustrates the further difference ____1____

between school lore and nursery lore. In nursery lore a verse, learnt

in early childhood, is not usually passed on again when the little listener ____2____

has grown up, and has children of their own, or even grandchildren. ____3_____

The period between learning a nursery rhyme and transmitting

it may be something from 20 to 70 years. With the playground ____4____

lore, therefore, a rhyme may be excitedly passed on within the very hour ____5____

it is learnt; and, in the general, it passes between children of the ____6____

same age, or nearly so, since it is uncommon for the differnce in age

between playmates to be more than five years. If, therefore, a playground

rhyme can be shown to have been currently for a hundred years, or ____7____

even just for fifty, it follows that it has been retransmitted over

and over, very possibly it has passed along a chain of two or three ____8____

hundred young hearers and tellers, and the wonder is that it remains live ____9____

after so much handling, to let alone that it bears resemblance to the ____10____

original wording.

PART V TRANSLATION (60 MIN)

SECTION A CHINESE TO ENGLISH

Translate the underlined part of the following text into English. Write your translation on ANSWER SHEET THREE.

我想不起来哪一个熟人没有手机。今天没有手机的人是奇怪的,这种人才需要解释。我们的所有社会关系都储存在手机的电话本里,可以随时调出使用。古代只有巫师才能拥有这种法宝。

手机刷新了人与人的关系。会议室门口通常贴着一条通告:请与会者关闭手机。可是会议室里的手机铃声仍然响成一片。我们都是普通人,并没有多少重要的事情。尽管如此,我们也不会轻易关掉手机。打开手机象征我们与这个世界的联系。手机反映出我们的“社交饥渴症”。最为常见的是,一个人走着走着突然停下来,眼睛盯着手机屏幕发短信。他不在乎停在马路中央还是厕所旁边。

为什么对于手机来电和短信这么在乎?因为我们迫切渴望与社会保持联系。

SECTION B ENGLISH TO CHINESE

Translate the following text into Chinese. Write your translation on ANSWER SHEET THREE. We, the human species, are confronting a planetary emergency - a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential even as we gather here. But there

is hopeful news as well: we have the ability to solve this crisis and avoid the worst - though not

all - of its consequences, if we act boldly, decisively and quickly.

However, too many of the world's leaders are still best described in the words of Winston Churchill applied to those who ignored Adolf Hitler's threat: "They go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, all powerful to be impotent."

So today, we dumped another 70 million tons of global-warming pollution into the thin shell

of atmosphere surrounding our planet, as if it were an open sewer. And tomorrow, we will dump

a slightly larger amount, with the cumulative concentrations now trapping more and more heat from the sun.

PART Vl WRITING (45 MIN)

Mandarin, or putonghua, is the standard service sector language in our country. But recently, employees at a big city's subway station have been busy learning dialects of other parts of the country. Proponents say that using dialects in the subway is a way to provide better service. But opponents think that encouraging the use of dialects in public counters the national policy to promote putonghua. What is your opinion? Write an essay of about 400 words on the following topic:

Are Dialects Just as Acceptable in Public Places?

In the first part of your essay 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.

参考答案(2009)

PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION

SECTION A MINI-LECTURE

(1)study result (2).literacy (3).disciplinary report (4).what you did (5).DISCUSSION (6).assuming (7).in reality (8).obtained (9).focus (10).unable

SECTION B&C

1.C

2.B

3.A

4.B

5.A

6.B

7.C

8.B

9.A 10.B

PART II READING COMPREHENSION

11.C 12.A 13.D 14.B 15.D

16.D 17.C 18.B 19.D 20.B

21.B 22.D 23.C 24.A 25.D

26.D 27.D 28.D 29.D 30.A

PART III GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

31.D 32.B 33.A 34.C 35.D

36.B 37.C 38.D 39.C 40.A

PART IV PROOFREADING AND ERROR CORRECTION

1.illustrate改为illustrated

2.the改为a

3.their改为his

4.something改为anything

5.therefore改为however

6.the general改为general

7.currently改为current

8.passed改为been passed

9.live改为alive 10.to let改为let

PART V TRANSLATION

SECTION A CHINESE TO ENGLISH

Cell phone has altered human relations. There is usually a note on the door of conference room, which reads "close your handset|." However, the rings are still resounding in the room. We are all common people and has few urgencies to do. Still, we are reluctant to turn off the phone. Cell phone symbolizes our connection with the world and reflects our "thirst for socialization." We are familiar with the scene when a person stops his steps to edit short messages with eyes glued at his phone, disregard of his location, whether in road center or beside restroom.

SECTION B ENGLISH TO CHINESE

我们人类,正面临全球性的危机,我们的生存和文明受到威胁。尽管我们聚在一起共商对策,而灾难却在扩大,形式不容乐观。但也有令人欣喜的消息:如果行动大胆果断,反应迅速,我们有能力解决这场危机,避免其向最坏的方向发展。

但是,时下世界上的许多国家领导人可以用当年温斯顿?丘吉尔批评欧洲诸政要忽视阿道夫?

希特勒的名言来形容,“它们在奇怪的悖论中前行,仅仅为一个决定而犹豫不决,有了决心却拖泥带水,信心犹疑不定,见解随波逐流,掌权者虚弱无力。”

而如今我们向这个星球脆弱的大气层倾倒超过七千万吨温室气体,把其当作天然排污口。明天我们还会变本加厉,堆积的温室气体吸纳了越来越多的太阳热度。

PART VI WRITING

Are Dialects Just as Acceptable in Public Places

China's State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) recently issued a notice banning domestic radio and TV stations from translating foreign radio and TV programmes into any local dialect. The notice said that such dialect translation contradicts the national initiative to promote Putonghua, or Mandarin, around the country. Foreign programmes that have been translated into dialects must be removed from television and radio immediately. The notice evoked a mixed response from experts and audio and video producers, as well as the general public. Many voiced their concerns that local dialects would be forbidden in public p laces. Mandarin, which means "common language", is the country's predominant language and is widely used by more than 70 percent of the population. However, local dialects still enjoy popularity for relatively less-educated people in some occasions. The dialects do make unique role and should be tolerated for existence in public places.

Though promoted widely in public places, dialects are acceptable in public places. First, it is more than a mere tool for communication. It is, most importantly, the messenger of its respective culture. If the dialect was eliminated from daily use, the culture will be broken. Second, Mandarin can absorb the elit part of local dialect to enrich its vocabulary and usage. This is the perfection of Mandarin from thousands of years blend and contact. The dialects can also be popular in the public. Along with the famous short play by comic actors in NE China, the local dialect came into the spotlight, and enjoyed more popularity throughout China. Such a cultural phenomenon represents the audience an attitude to local dialects which cater to the taste of the majority. Third, dialect is the only mean of communication to some undereducated local people. If local dialects are forbidden in the public places, they can not communicate.

To sum up, local dialects should be tolerated in public places for its unique role which Mandarin can not substitute. We should guarantee its survival because dialects stand for our spiritual land. From a long-term perspective, dialects should not and would not be wiped out. There is no need for any purposeful and deliberate attempt to protect dialects. Just let dialects take their natural course. The best way to protect a dialect is to use it in daily life and pass it down from generation to generation.

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