200803中级口译试题

SECTION 1: LISTENING TEST(45 minutes)Part A: Spot Dictation ONLY ONCEHow did the Olympic Games start? In ancient Greece athletic festivals were very important and had strong _______(1). Originally the Festival was held in honour of .Zeus, the supreme god in Greek Mythology. Eventually the Olympian athletic festival had lost its _______(2) and became an international event. No one knows exactly ________ (3) the Olympic Games go, but some scholars recorded date from 776 B.C. According to some scholars, at first the only Olympic event was _______(4), called a stadium and that was the only event until 724 B.C. After that, other _______(5) were added and sixteen years later in _______ (6) the pentathlon was added and wrestling became part of the games. This pentathlon was a five-event match which ________ (7) running, wrestling, leaping, throwing the discus, and hurling the javelin.The games were held _______(8) and after an uninterrupted history of 1170 years, the games _______(9) in A.D. 394, the Christian era, because of their pagan origin.It was over ________ (10) before there was another such international athletics gathering. In 1896, the first of the modern ________ (11) opened in Athens, Greece.Nowadays, the Games are held in different countries___(12). The host country provides vast facilities such as stadiums and____(13).Many more sports are represented, including the very celebrated event:___ (14). The Olympics start with the arrival in the stadium of a torch, ______ (15) on Mount Olympus by the sun's rays. The torch is carried by ______(16) to the stadium. The Olympic flame symbolizes the _____(17) of the ancient Greek athletic ideals, and it burns throughout the Games until _____(18). The well-known Olympic flag, however, is _____(19): the five interlocking rings symbolize the uniting of all five continents _____(20).Part B: Listening Comprehension1. Statements ONLY ONCE1.(A) Diana is fond of outdoor activities. (B) Diana is well-paid for her hard work.(C) Diana dislikes her job because it is tough. (D) Diana considers her income to be mediocre.2.(A) I'm not sure if you are responsible. (B) I'm not content with the result of the meeting.(C) I know the delay is not your fault. (D) I think the flame of that fire is too high.3.(A) The refrigerator was repaired by an old man.(B) The refrigerator will be fixed if it is under warranty.(C) Mrs. Green had her refrigerator fixed for nothing.(D) Mrs. Green would have had the refrigerator repaired if she had warranty.4.(A) George always tells the truth. (B) George lives too far to visit us.(C) It is kind of George to assist me in the filling station. (D) It is worthwhile to make friends with George.5.(A) The company's budget must be reduced reasonably next year.(B) The company's production cost is expected to rise next year.(C) The company has to stabilize its production cost.(D) The company is likely to go bankrupt because of its limited budget.6.(A) Prompt delivery of the goods before Christmas is the most important.(B) Top priority should be given to the competitive and reasonable price of the goods(C) During Christmas, there will be a shopping craze for goods with good quality.(D) Nothing is more important than the quality and price of the goods for Christmas.7.(A) Let's continue the talk over dinner at 9 o'clock tonight.(B) We have to work something out before 9 o'clock tomorrow.(C) I propose a break until 9 o'clock tomorrow morning.(D) I'm sure we'll all calm down before 9 o'clock tomorrow morning.8.(A) Our products cannot compete on the international market because of their higher prices.(B) Our products exhibit greater competitiveness even though they lack advanced technology.(C) Advanced technology will increase our expense to compete on the international market.(D) Advanced technology contributes to the excellence and competitiveness of our products.9.(A) Mr Parkinson never gives free investment consultations.(B) Don't consult Mr Parkinson if your problem is about finance or investment(C) The advice Mr Parkinson offers is often of great importance to our investment.(D) We should not invest in the company where Mr Parkinson is the CEO.10.(A) Aging population is expected to double within decades.(B) By 2020, 45% of the people in the country will be over sixty-five.(C) Old people in this country can expect to live a longer life.(D) In less than 20 years, 23 million more people will have to retire.2. Talks and Conversations ONLY ONCE.Questions 11-1411.(A) 400. (B) 450. (C) 500. (D) 600.12.(A) It is very near his working place. (B) It is a rather crowded residential area.(C) It is convenient for transportation and shopping. (D) It is the only good position he has in mind.13.(A) He has a big family. (B) He has to work at home.(C) His mother-in-law likes to have parties. (D) His children are rather naughty.14.(A) Its bedrooms are specious. (B) Its rent is quite reasonable.(C) It is located in a good position. (D) It is well furnished.Questions 15-1815.(A) The orange juice can help treat indigestion. (B) The orange in a supermarket is much cheaper.(C) The orange is more nutritious than any other fruits. (D) The orange is an essential part of a healthy diet16.(A) Orange. (B) Chocolate. (C) Vanilla. (D) Sugar.17.(A) It can keep your immune system strong. (B) It can assist in your effort to reduce weight.(C) It can easily replace the nutrition of a daily meal. (D) It can help control the rising blood sugar levels.18.(A)The fruit sugar in oranges. (B)The fibre in oranges. (C)Vitamin C in oranges. (D)Calcium in oranges. Questions 19-2219.(A) He is applying to a university in England. (B) He is consulting a female professor.(C) He is studying in a British university. (D) He is helping the woman cook some food.20.(A) It is awful. (B) It is one of his favorite kinds.(C) It is of a much greater variety. (D) It is better than he expected.21.(A) He is fond of English dishes. (B) He is tired of puddings and pies.(C) He enjoys English strawberry yogurt. (D) He seldom has breakfast at home.22.(A) Because it is properly cooked at home. (B) Because it is a kind of Yorkshire pudding.(C) Because he has never tasted it before. (D) Because he has made it all by himself.Questions 23-2623.(A) We should pay more attention to our history class.(B) We generally fail to remember anything that was said.(C) Sharks are necessary in the training of active listeners.(D) Good listening skills are essential in our life.24.(A) They tolerate distractions. (B) They often find themselves in hot water.(C) They are generally lazy. (D) They are critical to family life.25.(A) By taking notes. (B) By remembering what was said.(C) By getting up to shut the door. (D) By asking questions.26.(A) Seas. (B) Sharks. (C) Sponges. (D) Students.Questions 27-3027.(A) He writes comic stories. (B) He draws pictures for comic books.(C) He teaches painting in an art school. (D) He compiles comic books with other writers.28.(A) Give his drawings a more graphic look. (B) Add variations to his works.(C) Employ a chunky brush style. (D) Move along a linear way.29.(A) They are very popular. (B) They are of the same style.(C) They are fairly eclectic. (D) They are influenced by other artists.30.(A) It is a new one with only 2 editors. (B) It takes him on the permanent staff.(C) It controls the final look of his works. (D) It has a nurturing environment.Part C: Listening and TranslationI. Sentence Translation ONLY ONCE. translate it into Chinese(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)II. Passage Translation 2 passages in English. ONLY ONCE. translate it into Chinese(1)(2)SECTION 2: STUDY SKILLS(45 minutes)Questions 1-5Last month, upon hearing that a neighbor had been burgled, my husband voiced a desire to beef up our home security. I was largely unresponsive. The previous owners of our house installed a burglar alarm system, but we never got it switched on, because, quoting Ed, I apparently care more about the $29 monthly fee than I do about our home security. In the end, I gave in.The alarm company sent over a sales representative, a well-coiffed professional in a suit and heels. She recommended adding some infrared motion sensors. I was not wild about this. I like to keep things simple. My idea of home security is to hire cheap, disreputable painters who can be counted upon to paint the windows shut. "Besides, can't the motion sensors be set off by a pet?" I said.Ed leaned in close to the sales rep. "We don't have any pets," he whispered. "We don't have a pet now'' I said." But we might someday." I knew this to be a lie. Ed is a dog person, and I'm a cat person. We cancel each other out.I pointed out that every now and then, the neighbors' cat, Sprinkles, will sneak into the house when the back door is open. The alarm woman started talking about "pet resistance." This was a feature of the motion sensor whereby it was set to cover the room from the waist up only. "Though of course...," she hesitated, "the cat would have to stay on the ground at all times."We got the sensors, and we got the system switched on. We never got a pet, each of us practicing his or her own particular brand of pet resistance, but we did, after many years of cost-based bickering, get a housecleaner. Every other month, Natalia can be seen making her way through the filth and cobwebs. I gave her the alarm code but promised to leave the alarm off the day she came.Naturally, I forgot. Later that morning, my work phone rang. It was Natalia, yelling in harmony with the shrieking of the alarm. She couldn't find the code. On top of all this, my cell phone started ringing. This was the alarm company, responding to the alarm and calling me to get the secret password-which was different from the shutoff code-required for them to shut off the system and prevent the police from rushing over to arrest Natalia for breaking and entering.Some weeks back, Ed and I had spent 15 minutes arguing over the secret password for the alarm. Ed is a fan of the complicated, hacker-proof, identity-theft-foiling password, the kind that involves alternating capital and lowercase letters with obscure foreign accent marks, whereas I'll use my name. I had no recollection of what we'd settled on. "Ummmm." The alarm, and Natalia, continued to go off. This went on for some time. Meanwhile, Natalia had dug through her bag, found the piece of paper I'd given her with the shutoff code and quieted the screaming alarm. I don't know how effective these alarms are against burglars, but Sprinkles hasn't been seen on the property in weeks.1.Why didn't the writer get the burglar alarm system switched on?(A) Because she didn't like its design.(B) Because the burglar alarm system had broken down.(C) Because she considered monthly fee unnecessary.(D) Because she thought their home security was not a problem.2.The family didn't have a pet because _______.(A) they didn't like pets (B) they didn't like each other's favorite animal(C) they took their neighbors' pet as their own. (D) it cost a lot to have a pet.3.According to the sales representative, the motion sensor _______.(A) is pet resistant (B) is set to cover the room floor(C) could be set off by a pet if it was near (D) could be set off by a pet if it jumped high enough4.The word "bickering" in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to _______.(A) arguing (B) considering (C) persuading (D) consulting5.Ed preferred their password for the alarm to be _______.(A) complicated (B) interesting (C) easy to remember (D) his own nameQuestions 6-10An article published recently in the prestigious scientific journal Nature is shedding new light on an important, but hitherto little has been appreciated, aspect of human evolution. In this article, Professors Dennis Bramble and Daniel Lieberman suggest that the ability to run was a crucial factor in the development of our species. According to the two scientists, humans possess a number of anatomical features that make them surprisingly good runners. 'We are very confident that strong selection for running-which came at the expense of the historical ability to live in trees-was instrumental in the origin of the modern human body form,' says Bramble, a biology professor at the University of Utah.Traditional thinking up to now has been that the distinctive, upright body form of modern humans has come about as a result of the ability to walk, and that running is simply a by-product of walking. Furthermore, humans have usually been regarded as poor runners compared to such animals as dogs, horses or antelopes. However, this is only true if we consider fast running, or sprinting, over short distances. Even an Olympic athlete can hardly run as fast as a horse can gallop, and can only keep up a top speed for fifteen seconds or so. Horses, antelopes and greyhounds, on the other hand, can run at top speed for several minutes, clearly outperforming us in this respect. But when it comes to long-distance running, humans do astonishingly well. They can maintain a steady pace for miles, and their overall speed compares favourably with that of horses or dogs.Bramble and Lieberman examined twenty-six anatomical features found in humans. One of the most interesting of these is the nuchal ligament, a band of tissue that extends from a ridge on the base of the skull to the spine. When we run, it is this ligament that prevents our head from pitching back and forth or from side to side. Therefore, we are able to run with steady heads, held high. The nuchal ligament is not found in any other surviving primates, although the fossil record shows that Homo erectus, an early human species that walked upright, much as we do, also had one. Then there are our Achilles tendons at the backs of our legs, which connect our calf muscles to our heel bones-and which have nothing to do with walking. When we run, these tendons behave like springs, helping to propel us forward. Furthermore, we have low, wide shoulders, virtually disconnected from our skulls, another anatomical adaptation which allows us to run more efficiently. Add to this our light forearms, which swing out of phase with the movement of our legs to assist balance, and one begins to appreciate the point that Bramble and Lieberman are trying to make.But what evolutionary advantage is gained from being good long-distance runners? One hypothesis is that this ability may have permitted early humans to obtain food more effectively. 'What these features and fossil facts appear to be telling us is that running evolved in order for our direct ancestors to compete with other carnivores for access to the protein needed to grow the big brains that we enjoy today,' says Lieberman.6.The human ability to run ______.(A) was only recently described in a scientific journal(B) played an important part in human evolution(C) is now regarded as more important than the ability to climb trees(D) is surprising when we consider evolutionary trends7.According to the passage, humans ______.(A) are better runners than most other animals (B) are not good at running short distances(C) compare unfavorably with horses and dogs (D) cannot run at top speed over long distances8.It appears that the nuchal ligament _______.(A) is found only in modern primates (B) enables us to run with steady heads(C) prevents the head from moving (D) is a unique anatomical feature among all species9.The passage suggests that _______.(A) we do not need calf muscles in order to walk (B) without shoulders we could not run very fast(C) the movement of our forearms is out of phase (D) our Achilles tendons are an adaptation for running10.According to the passage, early humans _______.(A) killed animals by exhausting them (B) may have evolved big brains for running(C) competed with other animals for food (D) could probably run before they could walkQuestions 11-15People value money desperately because they value one another desperately; thus the cause of panic in the stock-market plunge is not that people will lose their dollars but that they will lose their sense of community. For the past couple of weeks, the nation has watched itself roll toward ruin because people were losing their money in bales. If one were tasteless enough to ask a big loser what exactly he was losing, he would sputter, "What am I losing? My car! My beautiful home! My children's educations! My clothes! My dinner! My dollars!" They are all true. People have been mourning the passing of their money for all the things that money can do, and what money can do is impressive. Money can build cities, cure diseases, and win wars. The sudden acquisition of the stuff can toss our spirits into the air like a hat.Money can do considerably more. It offers power, an almost unique form of power, not simply because it allows us to acquire and possess things but because it is we who determine its worth; we who say a ruby costs more than an apple; we who decide that a tennis court is more valuable than a book. Paradoxically, money creates a deep sense of powerlessness as well, since technically we cannot provide money for ourselves; someone or something else must do that for us-our employers or, until recently, our stocks. All that, money can do: and when such essential, familiar functions are snatched from one's life, small wonder that people may grow wild, frantic, and even murderous.What money can do, however, is not the same as what money is. Let's return for a moment to the theory: people value money because they value one another. In other words, the usefulness of money is directly related to and established by continuous mutual need. People work for money to buy things that other people make or do, things that they cannot or will not make or do for themselves but that they deem necessary for some definition of self-improvement.Abstractly, money is one of the ways, indeed a universally accepted way, by which we make connections. Cash is cold. So the connections may feel cold, but real blood flows through them. These connections constitute one of the central means by which societies cohere; by which they sustain and characterize themselves.When the coin begins to wobble, as it has in the past weeks, a fear seizes the mind that is disorienting. The fear is not merely that of the loss of possessions but of self-possession, which in some sense is bought and sold from person to person in infinite daily bargains. To lose money is frightening. To lose touch with others is more frightening still. Losing touch may cause the panic of the times.11.This passage mainly discusses _______.(A) the functions of money (B) the stock-market plunge(C) a new theory of investment (D) a cold characteristic of cash12.According to the author, what can be a regular source of money provided for us?(A) Possessions. (B) Bargains. (C) Stocks. (D) Employers.13.According to the passage, money can do all the following EXCEPT _______.(A) build cities and cure diseases (B) enhance relationships among people(C) create a sense of powerlessness (D) prove the morality of people14.Under what circumstances are connections related to cash said to be cold in the passage?(A) When they are not established for societies to cohere.(B) When they are not compared to "real blood".(C) When their functions are snatched from people's life.(D) When their worth is hard to determine and not valued.15.It can be learned from the passage that ______.(A) people worry about the dollars they have more than the sense of community(B) money can lubricate the social machine but it cannot prove the value of people(C) in daily transactions one's self-possession is gained or lost(D) losing money is more frightening than losing touch with othersQuestions 16-20At first glance, why anyone would want to save California condors is not entirely clear. Unlike the closely related Andean condors with their white neck fluff or king vultures with their brilliant black-and-white colour, California condors are not much to see. Their dull black colour-even when contrasted with white underwings-featherless head and neck, oversized feet and blunt talons are hardly signs of beauty or strength. Their appeal begins to become evident when they take flights. California condors can soar almost effortlessly for hours, often covering hundreds of miles a day-far more than other creatures of the air. Only occasionally do they need to flap their wings-to take off, change direction or find a band of warm air known as thermal to carry them higher.When it was discovered that the condor population was becoming dangerously small, scientists and zookeepers sought to increase condor numbers quickly to preserve as much of the species' genetic diversity as possible. From studying wild condors, they already knew that if a pair lost an egg, the birds would often produce another. So the first and sometimes second eggs laid by each female in captivity were removed, artificially incubated, and the chicks raised using hand-held puppets made to look like adult condors. Such techniques quickly proved effective.Despite these successes, the effort to save California condors continues to have problems, evoke criticisms and generate controversy. Captive-hatched condors released to the wild have died at what to some peopleare alarmingly high rates. Others have had to be recaptured after they acted foolishly or became ill. As a result, the scientists, zookeepers and conservationists who are concerned about condors have bickered among themselves over the best ways to rear and release the birds.Some of the odd behavior on the part of these re-released birds is hard to explain. At times they landed on people's houses and garages, walked across roads and airport runways, sauntered into park visitor centers and fast food restaurants, and took food offered by picnickers and fishermen. None are known to have died by doing so, though. Most recently, some of the first chicks hatched in the wild died after their parents fed them bottle caps, glass shards, pieces of plastic and other man-made objects that fatally perforated or blocked their intestines. These deaths may be due to the chicks' parents mistaking man-made objects for bone chips eaten for their calcium content.Mike Wallace, a wildlife specialist at the San Diego Zoo, has suggested that some of the condors' problems represent natural behavior that helps them survive as carrion eaters. The real key to successful condor reintroduction, he believes, lies in properly socializing young condors as members of a group that follow and learn from older, preferably adult birds. That, he argues, was missing from earlier condor releases to the wild. Typically, condors hatched in the spring were released to the wild that autumn or winter, when they were still less than a year old. Now, condor chicks at several zoos are raised in cave-like nest boxes. The chicks can see older condors in a large flight pen outside their box but cannot interact with them until they are about five months old. Then the chicks are gradually released into the pen and the company of the social group. The group includes adult and older juvenile condors that act as mentors for younger ones.16.According to the passage, the most impressive feature of the California condor is _______.(A) its resemblance to Andean condor (B) its ability to glide(C) its colorful plumage (D) its blunt talons17.In the first stage of the conservation program _______.(A) eggs were removed from the nests of wild condors(B) female condors were captured and studied carefully(C) scientists and zookeepers tried to create genetic diversity(D) condors were induced to lay more than one egg18.Which of the following is true about the attempts to save these birds from extinction?(A) There is disagreement about the methods employed.(B) The majority of condors released into the wild became ill.(C) Attempts to breed condors in captivity have failed,(D) Condors reintroduced into the wild are unable to hunt.19.Some chicks hatched by re-released condors died because _______.(A) they fell into pools of water (B) they fell prey to other animals(C) they had odd drinking habits (D) they swallowed dangerous objects20.According to Mike Wallace, there will be fewer problems _______.(A) if young condors are taught not to eat so much carrion(B) if the chicks are kept in cave-like nest boxes for five months(C) if young condors can learn appropriate behavior from older birds(D) if the chicks can have older birds for company when they hatchQuestions 21-25We are not who we think we are.The American self-image is suffused with the golden glow of opportunity. We think of the United States as a land of unlimited possibility, not so much a classless society but as a place where class is mutable-a place where brains, energy and ambition are what counts, not the circumstances of one's birth.The Economic Mobility Project, an ambitious research initiative led by Pew Charitable Trusts, looked at the economic fortunes of a large group of families over time, comparing the income of parents in the late 1960s with the income of their children in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Here is the finding: "The 'rags to riches'story is much more common in Hollywood than on Main Street. Only 6 percent of children born to parents with family income at the very bottom move to the top.That is right, just 6 percent of children born to parents who ranked in the bottom fifth of the study sample, in terms of income, were able to bootstrap their way into the top fifth. Meanwhile, an incredible 42 percent of children born into that lowest quintile are still stuck at the bottom, having been unable to climb a single rung of the income ladder.It is noted that even in Britain-a nation we think of as burdened with a hidebound class system-children who are born poor have a better chance of moving up. When the three studies were released, most reporters focused on the finding that African-Americans born to middle-class or upper middle-class families are earning slightly less, in inflation-adjusted dollars, than did their parents.One of the studies indicates, in fact, that most of the financial gains white families have made in the past three decades can be attributed to the entry of white women into the labor force. This is much less true for African-Americans.The picture that emerges from all the quintiles, correlations and percentages is of a nation in which, overall, "the current generation of adults is better off than the previous one", as one of the studies notes.The median income of the families in the sample group was $55,600 in the late 1960s; their children's median family income was measured at $71,900. However, this rising tide has not lifted all boats equally. The rich have seen far greater income gains than have the poor.Even more troubling is that our notion of America as the land of opportunity gets little support from the data. Americans move fairly easily up and down the middle rungs of the ladder, but there is "stickiness at the ends" - four out of ten children who are born poor will remain poor, and four out often who are born rich will stay rich.21.What did the Economic Mobility Project find in its research?(A) Children from low-income families are unable to bootstrap their way to the top.(B) Hollywood actors and actresses are upwardly mobile from rags to riches.(C) The rags to riches story is more fiction than reality.(D)The rags to riches story is only true for a small minority of whites.22.The word "quintile" (para.4) refers to _______ in the passage.(A) the bottom fifth (B) the study data (C) the sample group (D) the lowest family income23.It can be inferred from the undertone of the writer that America, as a classless society, should__(A) perfect its self-image as a land of opportunity(B) have a higher level of upward mobility than Britain(C) enable African-Americans to have exclusive access to well-paid employment(D) encourage the current generation to work as hard as the previous generation24.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?(A) The US is a land where brains, energy and ambition are what counts.(B) Inequality persists between whites and blacks in financial gains.(C) Middle-class families earn slightly less with inflation considered.(D) Children in lowest-income families manage to climb a single rung of the ladder.25.What might be the best title for this passage?(A) Social Upward Mobility. (B) Incredible Income Gains.(C) Inequality in Wealth. (D) America Not Land of Opportunity.Questions 26-30I am always a little puzzled when I hear people complain about the difficulties of finding a good job. Young people in their 20s express dissatisfaction that all the good jobs have been taken by those in their 40s. People in their 40s, trapped in the middle groups of the workforce, complain about waiting for their elders to make room for them at the top. Older employees worry about being forced out of the job market prematurely by younger people willing to work at entry-level wages. It is not a pretty picture.。