年湖北省博士研究生入学考试英语联考试题

2007年湖北省博士研究生入学考试英语联考试题

Part I　Reading Comprehension(30%)

Directions: There are4 reading passages in this part．Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements．For each of them there are four choices marked A，B，C and D．You should decide on the best choice and mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET by blackening the corresponding letter in the brackets．

Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:

The domestic economy in the United States expanded in a remarkably vigorous and steady fashion．The revival in consumer confidence was reflected in the higher proportion of incomes spent for goods and services and the marked increase in consumer willingness to take on installment debt．A parallel strengthening in business psychology was manifested in a stepped-up rate of plant and equipment spending and a gradual pickup in expenses for inventory．Confidence in the economy was also reflected in the strength of the stock market and in the stability of the bond market．For the years as a whole，consumer and business sentiment benefited from the ease in East-West tensions．

The bases of the business expansion were to be found mainly in the stimulative monetary and fiscal policies that had been pursued．Moreover，the restoration of sounder liquidity positions and tighter management control of production efficiency had also helped lay the groundwork for a strong expansion．In addition，the economic policy moves made by the President had served to renew optimism on the business outlook while boosting hopes that inflation would be brought under more effective control．Finally，of course，the economy was able to grow as vigorously as it did because sufficient leeway existed in terms of idle men and machines．

The United States balance of payments deficit declined sharply．Nevertheless，by any other test，the deficit remained very large，and there was actually a substantial deterioration in our trade account to a sizable deficit，almost two thirds of which was with Japan．While the overall trade performance proved disappointing，there are still good reasons for expecting the delayed impact of devaluation to produce in time a significant strengthening in our trade picture．Given the size of the Japanese component of our trade deficit，however，the outcome will depend importantly on the extent of the corrective measures undertaken by Japan．Also important will be our own efforts in the United States to fashion internal policies consistent with an improvement in our external balance．

The underlying task of public policy for the year ahead—and indeed for the longer run—remained a familiar one: to strike the right balance between encouraging healthy economic growth and avoiding inflationary pressures．With the economy showing sustained and vigorous growth，and with the currency crisis highlighting the need to improve our competitive posture internationally，the emphasis seemed to be shifting to the problem of inflation．The Phase Three Program of wage and price restraint can contribute to reducing inflation．Unless productivity growth is unexpectedly large; however，the expansion of real output must eventually begin to slow down to the economy's larger run growth potential if generalized demand pressures on prices are to be avoided．

1．The author mentions increased installment debt in the first paragraph in order to show ________．

A．the continuing expansion of the economy

B．the growth of consumer purchasing power

C．the consumers' confidence in the economy

D．the soaring consumer incomes for spending

2．Paragraph 2 mainly deals with_______．

A．economic policy measures suggested by the President

B．the causes of business development for the period

C．the stimulative monetary and fiscal polices

D．the revival of stronger liquidity positions

3．It can be inferred from the third paragraph the author's attitude toward the reduction of the international payments deficit seems_______．

A．bitter-sweet

B．pessimistic

C．sympathetic

D．doubtful

4．Part of the public policy task，as outlined in the text，is to_______．

A．prevent payments deficit

B．devalue the American dollar

C．avoid inflationary pressures

D．increase the balance of trade

5．It can be learned from the last paragraph that the Phase Three Program contained________．

A．devaluation of the dollar

B．productivity measures

C．reduced government spending

D．wage and price controls

Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage:

Education is one of the key words of our time．A man，without an education，many of us believe，is an unfortunate victim of adverse circumstances deprived of one of the greatest twentieth century opportunities．Convinced of the importance of education，modern states“invest”in institutions of learning to get back“interest”in the form of a large group of enlightened young men and women who are potential leaders．Education，with its cycles of instruction so carefully worked out，is punctuated by textbooks—those purchasable wells of wisdom—what would civilization be like without its benefits?

So much is certain: that we would have doctors and preachers，lawyers and defendants，marriages and births; but our spiritual outlook would be different．We would lay less stress on“facts and figures”and more on a good memory，on applied psychology，and on the capacity of a man to get along with his fellow-citizens．If our educational system were fashioned after its book less past we would have the most democratic form of“college”imaginable．Among the people whom we like to call savages all knowledge inherited by tradition is shared by all; it is taught to every member of the tribe so that in this respect everybody is equally equipped for life．

It is the ideal condition of the“equal start”which only our most progressive forms of modern education try to regain．In primitive cultures the obligation to seek and to receive the traditional instruction is binding to all．There are no“illiterates”—if the term can be applied to people without a script—while our own compulsory school attendance became law in Germany in 1642，in France in 1806，and in England 1876，and is still non-existent in a number of“civilized”nations．This shows how long it was before we deemed it necessary to make sure that all our children could share in the knowledge accumulated by the“happy few”during the past centuries．

Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means．All are entitled to an equal start．There is none of the hurry which，in our society，often hampers the full development of a growing personality．There，a child grows up under the ever-present attention of his parents，therefore the jungles and the grasslands know of no“juvenile delinquency．”No necessity of making a living away from home results in neglect of children and no father is confronted with his inability to“buy”an education for his child．

6．The word“interest”in the first paragraph most probably means_______．

A．pleasure

B．returns

C．share

D．knowledge

7．According to the passage，the author seems to be________．

A．against the education in the very early historic times

B．in favor of the educational practice in primitive cultures

C．quite happy to see an equal stat for everyone

D．positive about our present educational instruction

8．It can be inferred from the passage that________．

A．the aim of“equal start”has already been reached among savages

B．savages in ancient times are more civilized than modern people

C．the modern education system is more democratic than before

D．there are no illiterates in civilized nations in today's society

9．According to the passage，which of the following statements is true?

A．Education can't work without the benefits of textbooks．

B．We have not yet decided on our educational models．

C．Compulsory schooling is not existent in all nations．

D．Our spiritual outlook is better now than before．

10．The best title for this passage is________．

A．Education and Modern Civilization

B．The Significance of Modern Education

C．Educational Investment and the Profit It Brings

D．Education: A Comparison between Past and Present

Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage:

All cultures have some system of measuring duration，or keeping time，but in western industrialized societies，we keep track of time in what seems to other peoples almost an obsessive fashion．We view time as motion on a space，a kind of linear progression measured by the clock and the calendar．This perception contributes to our sense of history and the keeping of records，which are typical aspects of western cultures．

Although our perceptions of time seem natural to us，we must not assume that other cultures operate on the same time system．For instance，why should we assume that a Hopi raised in the Hopi culture would have the same intuitions about time that we have? In Hopi history，if records had been written，we would find a different set of cultural and environmental influences working together．The Hopi people are a peaceful agricultural society isolated by geographic features and nomad enemies in a land of little rainfall．Their agriculture is successful only by the greatest perseverance．Extensive preparations are needed to ensure crop growth．Thus the Hopi value persistence and repetition in activity．They have a sense of the cumulative value of numerous，small，repeated movements，for to them such movements are not wasted but are stored up to make changes in later events．The Hopi have no intuition of time as motion，as a smooth flowing line on which everything in the universe proceeds at an equal rate away from a past，through a present， into a foreseeable future．

Long and careful study of the Hopi language has revealed that it contains no words，grammatical forms，constructions，or expressions that refer to what we call time—the past，present，or future—or to the duration or lasting aspect of time．To the Hopi，“time”is a“getting later”of everything that has been done，so that past and present merge together．The Hopi do not speak，as we do in English，of a“new day”or“another day”coming every twenty-four hours; among the Hopi，the return of the day is like the return of a person，a little older but with all the characteristics of yesterday．This Hopi conception，with its emphasis on the repetitive aspect of time rather than its onward flow，may be clearly seen in their ritual dances for rain and good crops，in which the basic step is a short，quick stamping of the foot repeated thousands of times，hour after hour．

Of course，the American conception of time is significantly different from that of the Hopi．Americans' understanding of time is typical of Western cultures in general and industrialized societies in particular．Americans view time as a commodity，as a“thing”that can be saved，spent，or wasted．We budget our time as we budget our money．We even say，“Time is money．”We are concerned in America with being“on time”; we don't like to“waste”time by waiting for someone who is late or by repeating information; and we like to“spend”time wisely by keeping busy．These statements all sound natural to a North American．In fact，we think，how could it be otherwise? It is difficult for us not to be irritated by the apparent carelessness about time in other cultures．For example，individuals in other countries frequently turn up an hour or more late for an appointment—although“being late”is at least within our cultural framework．For instance，how can we begin to enter the cultural world of the Sioux，in which there is no word for“late”or “waiting．”Of course，the fact is that we have not had to enter the Sioux culture; the Sioux have had to enter ours．It is only when we participate in other cultures on their terms that we can begin to see the cultural patterning of time．

11．From the passage，the Hopi have no intuition of time as motion because________．

A．their way of living depends greatly on perseverance and repetition

B．they think it necessary to invent their own perception of time

C．their language does not contain words referring to motion

D．they think everything should proceed in a linear way

12．What is the Hopi's conception of time?

A．Repeating footsteps is the way they count time．

B．The line between past and present is clear．

C．When a person returns，the day returns．

D．Today is the repetition of yesterday．

13．The concept of time as a commodity in the 4th paragraph means that________．

A．time can be used and spent like consumer goods

B．people who work long hours will be paid handsomely

C．people can buy time just like they buy a product

D．time is considered priceless that people can't afford

14．If you were to visit a Sioux festival，it would probably be necessary that________．

A．you call in advance if you are going to be late

B．you arrange for transportation well in advance

C．you have a delayed schedule of all the activities

D．you have an exact schedule of the various events

15．Which of the following views seems most opposite to the western perception of time?

A．Make hay while the sun shines．

B．Procrastination is necessary．

C．Punctuality is the soul of business．

D．A young idler，an old beggar．

Questions l6 to 20 are based on the following passage:

In the past，American colleges and universities were created to serve a dual purpose to advance learning and to offer a chance to become familiar with bodies of know ledge already discovered to those who wished it．To create and to impart，these were the distinctive features of American higher education prior to the most recent，disorderly decades of the twentieth century．The successful institution of higher learning had never been one whose mission could be defined in terms of providing vocational skills or as a strategy for resolving societal problems．In a subtle way Americans believed higher education to be useful，but not necessarily of immediate use．

Another purpose has now been assigned to the mission of American colleges and universities．Institutions of higher learning—public or private—commonly face the challenge of defining their programs in such a way as to contribute to the service of the community．

This service role has various applications．Most common are programs to meet the demands of regional employment markets，to provide opportunities for upward social and economic mobility，to achieve racial，ethnic，or social integration，or more generally to produce“productive”as compared to“educated”graduates．Regardless of its precise definition，the idea of a service-university has won acceptance within the academic community．

One need only be reminded of the change in language describing the two-year college to appreciate the new value currently being attached to the concept of a service-related university．The traditional two-year college has shed its pejorative“junior”college label and is generally called a “community”college，a clearly value-laden expression representing the latest commitment in higher education．Even the doctoral degree，long recognized as a required“union card”in the academic world，has come under severe criticism as the pursuit of learning for its own sake and the accumulation of knowledge without immediate application to a professor's classroom duties．The idea of a college or university that performs a triple function—communicating knowledge to students，expanding the content of various disciplines，and interacting in a direct relationship with society—has been the most important change in higher education in recent years．

The novel development，however，is often overlooked．Educators have always been familiar with those parts of the two-year college curriculum that have a“service”or vocational orientation．It is important to know this．But some commentaries on American postsecondary education tend to underplay the impact of the attempt of colleges and universities to relate to，if not resolve，the problems of society．What's worse，they obscure a fundamental question posed by the service-university—what is higher education supposed to do?

16．The opening paragraph is written in order to state________．

A．the future usefulness of the knowledge obtained in college

B．the missions of different educational institutions in America

C．the purpose of American postsecondary education in the past

D．the history of the development of American higher education

17．One of the recent，important changes in higher education relates to________．

A．curriculum updates

B．service-education concepts

C．imparting knowledge to students

D．combining education with production

18．The service role of colleges specifically aims to________．

A．improve services

B．serve the community

C．provide skills for future use

D．make graduates employable

19．It can be inferred from the passage that there exists a tendency to________．

A．play down the service-university

B．highlight service-education functions

C．alter the mission of primary education

D．exaggerate the change in higher education

20．The author's attitude toward the service-education concept is________．

A．radical

B．impartial

C．optimistic

D．supportive

Part II Vocabulary(15%)

Directions: There are30 incomplete sentences in this part．For each sentence there are four choices marked A，B，C and D．Choose the ONE that best completes the sentence．Then mark your answer on the ANSWER SHEET by blackening the corresponding letter in the brackets．

21．The simplest animals are those whose bodies are simplest in structure and which do the things done by all living animals，such as eating，breathing，moving and feeling，in the most _______ way．

A．bizarre

B．primitive

C．advantageous

D．unique

22．The book contained a large________ of information．

A．deal

B．amount

C．number

D．sum

23．After the music had________ there was a storm of applause．

A．died out

B．died hard

C．died off

D．died away

24．They are working________ time to fulfill the task according to the schedule．

A．against

B．over

C．ahead of

D．before

25．I couldn't________ the lecture at all．It was too difficult for me．

A．take on

B．take in

C．take over

D．take upon

26．She is very_______ about her appearance．Half of her salary goes to clothes．

A．particular

B．peculiar

C．special

D．unusual

27．The colors of that coat and hat don't________．

A．suit

B．mix

C．match

D．compare

28．When we watch a play or a film，we all realize that the characters are sometimes________．

A．imaginative

B．imaginable

C．imagined

D．imaginary

29．Although Is poke to him many times，he never took any________ of what Is aid．

A．notice

B．remark

C．observation

D．attention

30．I don't really know how to________ the problem．

A．draw

B．deal

C．cope

D．tackle

31．Many students find_______ jobs during their summer holidays．

A．contemptible

B．temperate

C．temporary

D．contemporary

32．You will find the scenery is so beautiful if you view from the________ of the hill．

A．ceiling

B．summit

C．mantle

D．roof

33．Everybody likes him．He is very_______ with all his colleagues．

A．popular

B．familiar

C．close

D．vulgar

34．The hall was supported by six thick________．

A．torches

B．posts

C．fringes

D．pillars

35．Father does not like________ meat．

A．lean

B．slim

C．skinny

D．slender

36．He was fired because of his________ refusal to follow orders．

A．obstinate

B．obedient

C．obsolete

D．obstructive

37．In this factory，suggestions often have to wait for months before they are fully________．

A．admitted

B．acknowledged

C．absorbed

D．considered

38．The boy slipped out of the room and headed for the swimming pool without his parents' _______．

A．command

B．conviction

C．consent

D．compromise

39．He was a young man of barely eighteen years，evidently county________，and now，as it seemed，on his first visit to town．

A．brought up

B．bred

C．grown up

D．raised

40．The town was________ after fifty years．

A．exclusive

B．subsequent

C．invariable

D．resolute

41．More than one-third of the Chinese in the United States live in California，_______in San Francisco．

A．previously

B．predominantly

C．practically

D．permanently

42．The new secretary has written a remarkably________ report only in a few pages but with all the details．

A．concise

B．clear

C．precise

D．elaborate

43．What things in life are you most desirous_______ attaining?

A．to

B．for

C．with

D．of

44．When the engine did not start，the mechanic inspected all the parts to find what was at _______．

A．wrong

B．trouble

C．fault

D．difficulty

45．The police carded out an________ investigation，but the missing woman was not yet found．

A．exhausting

B．exhaustible

C．exhaustive

D．exhausted

46．Jack is good，kind，hard-working and intelligent．________，I can't speak too highly of him．

A．As a result

B．By the way

C．In a word

D．On the contrary

47．Our research has focused on a drug which is so________as to be able to change brain chemistry．

A．powerful

B．influential

C．monstrous

D．vigorous

48．She was afraid that unless the train speeded up she would lose her_______ to Scotland．

A．ticket

B．place

C．seat

D．connection

49．The ship was________ in a storm off Jamaica．

A．drowned

B．immerged

C．wrecked

D．submitted

50．A man who could________ such treatment was a man of remarkable physical courage and moral strength．

A．bear up on

B．stand up to

C．insist on

D．persist in

Part III　Cloze(10%)

Directions: For each numbered bracket in the following passage，fill in a suitable word in the blank on the ANSWER SHEET．

One of the features of London is the number of big stores，most of which are to be found in or near the West End．They are vast buildings，many stories 51; in them one may buy almost anything one wants，52 a box of matches to a suite of furniture．Most of 53 are very modern and are equipped with speedy lifts and escalators，and have well-planned lighting，54 and heating．You can spend hours wandering 55 one of these stores，and you will probably lose your 56 while you are doing so，in spite of the public notices pointing the way57 the lifts and entrances．58 you have been in the store so long 59 you feel hungry，you will 60 need to leave the building，for nearly all the big store shave cafes，snack 61 or restaurants．You can ring up a friend from a telephone-box and you may 62 at the theater agency to book a seat 63 an evening show; or you may drop 64 a travel department and arrange for a 65in Wales or Western Australia．If you 66 homesick，you will be able to get a newspaper or magazine 67 your own country at the newspaper counter;and in book department you will 68 able to buy the complete 69 of William Shakespeare and the latest thriller．You can inspect the goods on sale 70 your leisure，and you will not be pestered to buy，though occasionally an assistant may ask whether he can be of help to you．

Part IV English-Chinese Translation(15%)

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and then translate the underlined sentences into Chinese on the ANSWER SHEET．

71．A recent phenomenon in present-day science and technology is the increasing trend toward“directed”or“programmed”research; i．e．research whose scope and objectives are predetermined by private or government organizations rather than researchers themselves．Any scientist working for such organizations and investigating in a given field therefore tends to do so in accordance with a plan or program designed beforehand．

At the beginning of the century，however，the situation was quite different．At that time there were no industrial research organizations in the modern sense; the laboratory unit consisted of a few scientists at the most，assisted by one or two technicians．Nevertheless，the scientist，often working with inadequate equipment in unsuitable rooms，was free to choose any subject for investigation he liked，since there was no predetermined program to which he had to conform．

72．As the century developed，the increasing magnitude and complexity of the problems to be solved made it impossible，in many cases，for the individual scientist to deal with the huge mass of new data，techniques and equipment that were required for carrying out research accurately and efficiently．The increasing scale and scope of the experiments needed to test new hypotheses and develop new techniques and industrial processes led to the setting up of research groups or teams using highly-complicated equipment in elaborately-designed laboratories．Owing to the large sum of money involved，it was then felt essential to direct these human and material resources into specific channels with clearly-defined objectives．In this way it was considered that the quickest and most practical results could be obtained．This，then，was programmed(programmatic) research．

One of the effects of this organized and standardized investigation is to cause the scientist to become increasingly involved in applied research(development)，especially in the branches of science which seem most likely to have industrial applications．Private industry and even govern-ment departments tend to concentrate on immediate results and show comparatively little interest in long-range investigations．73．In consequence，there is a steady shift of scientists from the pure to the applied field，where there are more jobs available，frequently more highly-paid and with better technical facilities than jobs connected with pure research in a university．

Owing to the interdependence between pure and applied science，it is easy to see that this system，if extended too far，carries considerable dangers for the future of science—not only pure science，but applied science as well．

Part V Chinese-English Translation(15%)

Directions: Translate the following paragraph into English and write your translation on the ANSWER SHEET．

随着经济的发展和物质生活的丰富，广告在日常生活中变得越来越重要了。广告提供产品的最新信息。没有广告，消费者就不能尽快地了解附近的商店里都有什么新商品。广告有助于市场的发展，因为货卖得越多，价格就越便宜。广告还为报纸、杂志、广播电台和电视台等单位带来经济效益。

Part VI　Writing(15%)

Directions: In this part，you are required to write an essay of no less than 200 words on University Tuition System in China．The essay should be based on the Outline below:

Title: University Tuition System in China

Outline:

1) A brief introduction to tuition system in universities in China．

2) Viewpoints for it．

3) Viewpoints against it．

4) Your comments．