专八真题
英语专八考试试题及参考答案
英语专八考试试题及参考答案英语专八考试试题及参考答案试卷是接受考试者学习情况而设定的并规定在一定时间内必须完成的试题。
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英语专八考试试题及参考答案篇1第一部分听力测试（共25分）一、听句子选择图片。
共5小题，计5分。
A B CD E F 1， 2， 3， 4， 5，二、听对话回答问题。
共10小题，计10分。
请听第一段对话，回答第6小题。
6，How does the man keep in touch with（保持联系）his old friends?A. By sending e-mailsB. By meeting each other.C. By talking on the Internet. 请听第二段对话，回答第7小题。
7，What’s the man going to do this weekend?A.Chat online.B. Buy a computer.C. T ake classes.请听第三段对话，回答第8小题。
8，When did the boy use to play soccer?A. In the morning.B.At noon.C.After school.请听第四段对话，回答第9和10小题。
9，What’s Tom’s problem?A. His parents fought last night.B. He fought with his father last night.C. He fought with his brother last night.10,What’s Linda’s advice for Tom?A.Talking with his teacher.B.Talking with his friend.C.Talking with his parents. 请听第五段对话，回答第11和12小题。
2023年英语专八真题
2023年英语专八真题一、阅读理解题目一阅读下面的短文，并根据短文后的问题选择正确答案。
One of the most fascinating aspects of human nature is our ability to communicate through language. Language is not only a means of transmitting information, but it also reflects our culture and identity. English, as a global language, plays an important role in international communication.In the future, the demand for English proficiency will continue to grow. As technology advances and the world becomes more interconnected, English will be the common language used in various domains, such as business, travel, and education. Therefore, it is crucial for individuals to develop excellent English skills in order to be competitive in the job market.To improve English proficiency, individuals can take advantage of various resources and strategies. First of all, it is important to expose oneself to authentic English materials, such as books, movies, and news. This will help individuals get familiar with the natural rhythms and expressions of the language. Additionally, interactive language-learning platforms, such as language exchange programs and online courses, can provide a supportive environment for practicing English skills.Moreover, communication plays a vital role in language development. Engaging in conversations with native English speakers or participating in English-speaking activities can greatly enhance one’s oral communication skills. It is also beneficial to join English clubs or communities, where individuals can interact with like-minded people and exchange ideas in English.In conclusion, English proficiency is becoming increasingly important in the globalized world. By utilizing various resources, strategies, and opportunities for practice, individuals can enhance their English skills and become proficient in the language.根据短文内容，回答以下问题：1.What is one of the most fascinating aspects ofhuman nature?(A)Our ability to communicate through language.(B)Our ability to adapt to new environments.(C)Our ability to solve complex mathematical problems.(D)Our ability to predict the future.答案：A2.Why is it crucial for individuals to develop excellentEnglish skills?(A)English is the most widely spoken language in the world.(B)English is the official language of most countries.(C)English proficiency is necessary for success in the job market.(D)English is the language of science and technology.答案：C3.What is one strategy mentioned in the passage to improve English proficiency?(A)Learning from textbooks.(B)Watching movies in English.(C)Memorizing grammar rules.(D)Writing essays in English.答案：B4.How can individuals enhance their oral communication skills?(A)Joining English clubs or communities.(B)Reading English literature.(C)Studying English vocabulary.(D)Taking online courses.答案：A题目二阅读下面的短文，并根据短文后的问题选择正确答案。
专八真题及选择题
（1）Part I Medieval English (试题)1. Which of the following is considered as the most monumental work in English history of the early Anglo-Saxon period, existed in oral form as early as the 6th century A.D. and was not written down till the 7th or 8th century?A. BeowulfB. The Anglo-Saxon ChronicleC. The Canterbury TalesD. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight2. In Anglo-Saxon poetry, Beowulf represents the ____ history.A. religiousB. romanticC. paganD. sentimental3. The most outstanding romance on Arthurian legend was the anonymous ______.A. BeowulfB. The Vision of Piers the PlowmanC. The Canterbury TalesD. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight4. Who is the “Father of English Poetry”?A. Geoffrey ChaucerB. William ShakespeareC. Venerable BedeD. Alfred the Great5. Which of the following is Chaucer’s masterpiece, containing a general prologue and twenty-four tales?A. The Legend of Good WomenB. The Canterbury TalesC. Troilus and CriseydeD. The House of Fame6. How many tales does The Canterbury Tales contain besides a prologue?A. 128B. 64C. 44D. 24A C D AB D（2+3）Part II+III 文艺复兴时期，17th文学(试题)1. At the beginning of the 16th century, the outstanding humanist ____ wrote Utopia in which he not only revealed truthfully the social evils but also presented an ideal society.A. Ben JohnsonB. Christopher MarloweC. Thomas MoreD. Francis Bacon2. The Essays is written by _____.A. Thomas MoreB. Francis BaconC. John LylyD. William Shakespeare3. ______ is crowned with the title “the poets’ poet” due to his achievement in poetic form.A. Philip SidneyB. William ShakespeareC. William WordsworthD. Edmund Spenser4. The play _____ was NOT written by Christopher Marlowe.A. The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Dr. FaustusB. TamburlaineC. Edward IID. Henry IV5. It was _____ who made blank verse the principle vehicle of expression in English drama, and who was also the greatest of the English dramatists before Shakespeare.A. Ben JohnsonB. Christopher MarloweC. Thomas KydD. Thomas More6. _____ belongs to Shakesp eare’s non-dramatic poetry?A. Venus and AdonisB. Julius CaesarC. As You Like ItD. Much Ado About Nothing7. Shylock, a Jewish usurer, appears in the play called______.A. The Merchant of VeniceB. HamletC. Romeo and JulietD. A Midsummer Night’s Dream8. All of the following are the most outstanding dramatists in the Renaissance England EXCEPT _______.A. William ShakespeareB. Ben JohnsonC. Thomas MoreD. Christopher Marlowe9. Which of the following is NOT right about Shakespeare?A. Shakespeare only wrote tragedies.B. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets.C. Shakespeare wrote 2 long dramatic poems.D. Shakespeare wrote altogether 38 plays.10. The image of “ghost” appeared in the play ______of Shakespeare.A. Romeo and JulietB. King LearC. HamletD. Othello11. The famous soliloquy “To be or not to be” comes from _____.A. MacbethB. King LearC. HamletD. Othello12. Which of the following does not belong to Shakespeare’s four great tragedies?A. Romeo and JulietB. King LearC. HamletD. Othello13. In Revolution period, ______ towers over his age as William Shakespeare towers over the Elizabethan Age.A. John MiltonB. John BunyanC. John DonneD. Francis Bacon14. Which of the following work is NOT written by Milton?A. Paradise LostB. Paradise RegainedC. Samson AgonistesD. The Pilgrim’s Progress1-5: C B D D B 6-10: A A C A C 11-14: C A A D（4）Part IV Neoclassicism (试题)1. Defoe wrote his first novel _____ in his sixties, which became extremely popular.A. Moll FlandersB. Tom JonesC. Robinson CrusoeD. Pamela2. In the 18th century England, _____ is the most remarkable satirist whose masterpiece Gulliver’s Travels was published anonymously in 1726.A. Daniel DefoeB. Jonathan SwiftC. Alexander PopeD. Henry Fielding3. The novel _____ is considered as Henry Fielding’s masterpiece, which gives a vivid panoramic picture of English society in mid-18th century.A. A Tale of a TubB. Gulliver’s TravelsC. Tom JonesD. A Modest Proposal4. In the last twenty years of the 18th century, England produced two well-known romantic poets _____ and Robert Burns.A. William BlakeB. Oliver GoldsmithC. Alexander PopeD. Thomas Gray5. The poem ____ was NOT written by William Blake.A. The TigerB. LondonC. The Chimney-SweeperD. A Red Red Rose6. William Blake should be chiefly remembered for his ______ in which he bitterly utters his social criticism towards the reality of his day, such as one of his greatest poem London.A. Songs of InnocenceB. Songs of ExperienceC. The Deserted VillageD. Poems chiefly in the Scottish dialect7. Who is the greatest poet Scotland has ever produced? Whose poems chiefly written in Scottish dialect are among the best?A. Alexander PopeB. William BlakeC. Edward YoungD. Robert Burns1-5: C B C A D 6-7: B D（5）Part V Romantic Period (试题)1. The publication of _____marks the beginning of Romantic Age.A. The PreludeB. Kubla KhanC. The Lyrical BalladsD. Don Juan2. The Romantic Age comes to end with the death of last well-known romantic writer______.A. Walter ScottB. Jane AustenC. George ByronD. William Wordsworth3. Which of the following romantic writers belong to the “Lake Poets”?A. George Byron; Percy Bysshe ShelleyB. John Keats; Samuel Taylor ColeridgeC. William Wordsworth; Samuel Taylor ColeridgeD. Walter Scott; William Wordsworth4. In 1805，William Wordsworth completed a long autobiographical poem entitled______.A. The Lyrical BalladsB. The PreludeC. Lucy PoemsD. Biographia Literaria5. The poem _____is written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.A. The PreludeB. To a SkylarkC. Kubla KhanD. Ode to a Grecian Urn6. Coleridge is one of the greatest romantic ______ and literary critic, who is among the “Lake Poet”.A. novelistB. poetC. essayistD. playwright7. In 1824, the Revolutionary Romantic poet _____ went to Greece to help that country in its struggle for liberty against Turks. Not long, he died of fever there at the age of 36.A. Percy Bysshe ShelleyB. George ByronC. John KeatsD. William Wordsworth8. Choose the poem which is considered as Byron’s most important and also longest poem, base on a traditional Spanish legend of a great lover and seducer of women.A. CainB. The Vision of JudgmentC. The Age of BronzeD. Don Juan9. In ______’s poem _____ does the line “If winter comes, can Spring be far behind” belong to.A. George Byron, Don JuanB. Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West WindC. William Wordsworth, The Lyrical BalladesD. John Keats, Ode to a Nightingale10. Which of the following is based on ancient Greek mythology and reveals Shelley’s intense hatred for tyranny and his big admiration for revolution fighters for freedom?A. Prometheus BoundB. Prometheus UnboundC. Queen MabD. Ode to the West Wind11. Which of the following Odes does NOT belong to John Keats?A. Ode to a NightingaleB. Ode on a Grecian UrnC. Ode to the West WindD. Ode on Melancholy12. “Beauty is truth, truth beauty” comes from which of the following poet?A. KeatsB. ByronC. ShellyD. Wordsworth13. Who is a great master of historical novels in Romantic tradition?A. Walter ScottB. Jane AustenC. Charles DickensD. Thomas Hardy14. “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” is the opening sentence of which of Jane Austen’s novel?A. Sense and SensibilityB. EmmaC. Pride and PrejudiceD. Persuasion15. Jane Austin is the only well-known woman _____ of the 18th century English literature.A. NovelistB. PoetC. EssayistD. playwright16. ______ was NOT written by Jane Austen?A. Sense and SensibilityB. EmmaC. Pride and PrejudiceD. Jane Eyre1-5：C A C B C 6-10: B B D B B 11-16: C A A C A D（6）Part VI Victorian Age试题1. In the 19th century English literature, a new literary trend _____, mainly flourishing in the forties and fifties, appeared.A. neoclassicismB. romanticismC. critical realismD. realism2. All of the following writers belong to the critical realism tradition, EXCEPT______.A. Charles DickensB. William Makepeace ThackerayC. Charlotte BronteD. Oscar Wilde3. In English Literature, the greater critical realists should be_____, who criticizes the injustice and cruelty of the bourgeois society and shows his deep sympathy towards the miserable common people.A. Charles DickensB. Emily BronteC. George EliotD. Thomas Hardy4. ______belongs to a work of critical realism.A. Idylls of the KingB. Robinson CrusoeC. The picture of Dorian GrayD. Hard Times5. Which of the following Dickens’ novels contains the autobiographical element?A. Oliver TwistB. The Old Curiosity ShopC. Dombey and SonD. David Copperfield6. Which of the following Dickens’ novels has a French Revolution background?A. Hard TimesB. Little DorritC. A Tale of Two CitiesD. Great Expectations7. Which of the following writers is one of the famous Bronte Sisters, whose masterpiece is Jane Eyre?A. Charlotte BronteB. Emily BronteC. Anne BronteD. Mary Bronte8. The novelist _____ establishes her fame as one of the greatest writers in English literature on her only novel Wuthering Heights?A. Emily BronteB. Charlotte BronteC. Anne BronteD. George Eliot9. Though the major literary trend of the Victorian age is not poetry, yet _____ and Alfred Tennyson are two great poets.A. George EliotB. William WordsworthC. Robert BrowningD. Charlotte Bronte10. The short elegy “Break, Break, Break,” which reveals the poignant grief of a young poet over the loss of his dearest friend is written by ______.A. Robert BrowningB. Percy Bysshe ShellyC. Oscar WildeD. Alfred Tennyson11. There is distinctive note of pessimism in the work of ______.A. Charles DickensB. George EliotC. Emily BronteD. Thomas Hardy12. Thomas Hardy is not only a novelist but also a well-known _______.A. dramatistB. poetC. essayistD. pamphleteers13. The author of Tess of the D’Urbervilles is _____.A. Charles DickensB. Charlotte BronteC. George EliotD. Thomas Hardy14. Oscar Wild is the representative among the writers of _____.A. Critical RealismB. RomanticismC. NaturalismD. Aestheticism１－５：ＣＤＡＤＤ６－１０：ＣＡＡＣＤ１１－１４：ＤＢＤＤ（7）Part Ⅶ Modern Age试题1. John Galsworthy is best known for_________.A. The Forsyte SagaB. Mrs. DallowayC. UlyssesD. A Room With a View2. The writer ______ owes much to Ibsen, who takes a critical attitude towards the hypocritical moral, political and economic truth of the capitalist society. Widower’s Houses and Mrs. Warren’s Professions are his two important works of social criticism.A. E. M FosterB. George OrwellC. D. H Lawrence D. Bernard Shaw3. The play _______ is written by a modern playwrights.A. HamletB. The School for ScandalC. Mrs. Warren’s ProfessionD. The Merchant of Venice4. William Butler Yeats is a great _______ in the first few decades of the 20th century.A. novelistB. poetC. playwrightD. essayist5. The theme of _______ is the decay and fragmentation of the western culture, and in T. S Eliot, the author’s view, the title stands for the West after war.A. The Hollow ManB. The Waste LandC. Four QuartersD. Murder in the Cathedral6. T. S Eliot is considered to be the most important _______ in the 20th century English Literature.A. essayistB. novelistC. poetD. playwright7. Which of the following is often recognized as D. H Lawrence’s semi-autobiographic work?A. Lady Chatterley’s LoverB. Sons and loversC. The RainbowD. Women in love8. The Rainbow and Women in Love are two distinguished novels written by _____, the son of a miner.A. Virginia WoolfB. D. H LawrenceC. Joseph ConradD. James Joyce9. Which of the following is NOT a modernist writer?A. James JoyceB. Virginia WoolfC. T. S EliotD. William Somerset Maugham10. In ______ , Maugham tells a story based on the life of the French painter Paul Gauguin.A. Human BondageB. The Moon and SixpenceC. The Razor’s EdgeD. The Heart of Darkness11. Which of the following writer was born in Poland and began to learn English at the age of 18 years old, and his The Heart of Darkness is a masterpiece ofsymbolism______.A. George OrwellB. Joseph ConradC. David Herbert LawrenceD.E.M Foster12. All of the following are written by Joseph Conrad, EXCEPT _______.A. A Passage to IndiaB. The Nigger of the NarcissusC. Lord JimD. Heart of Darkness13. Stream- of – consciousness is borrowed from modern psychologist _____ and _____ first transfer this mental phenomenon to English literature and exploit it as a literary technique.A. Virginia Woolf, George OrwellB. Joseph Conrad, D. H LawrenceC. James Joyce, Virginia WoolfD. James Joyce, Joseph Conrad14. Which of the following is a collection of James Joyce’s short stories? _____.A. DublinersB. A Portrait of the Artist as a YoungManC. UlyssesD. Finnegans Wake15. The novel _____ is a modernist work.A. The Man of PropertyB. In ChanceryC. To LetD. To the Lighthouse16. In Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf experiments a writing technique called ______, in which the whole story was presented with the inner thought of the characters.A. modernismB. stream-of-consciousnessC. symbolismD. asetheticism１－５：AＤC B B６－１０：ＣB B D B１１－１6：ＢA C AＤB（8）Part Ⅷ General Exercises 试题1. The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury is an important poetic work by ______.A. William LanglandB. Geoffrey ChaucerC. William ShakespeareD. Alfred Tennyson2. Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare’s early______.A. comedyB. tragedyC. poemD. tragic-comedy3. Francis Bacon is a well-known ______.A. novelistB. poetC. essayistD. playwright4. Which of the following writers is a poet of the 20th century?A. T. S. EliotB. D. H. LawrenceC. Theodore DreiserD. James Joyce5. Paradise Lost is written by______?A. Edmund SpenserB. John BunyanC. John MiltonD. Ben Johnson6. Which of the following is NOT a romantic poet?A. William WordsworthB. George ElliotC. George G. ByronD. Percy B. Shelley7. The novel Emma is written by ______.A. Mary ShelleyB. Charlotte BronteC. Anne BronteD. Jane Austen8. The writer ______ is the founder of “Metaphysical School” and has laid a great influence on the 20th century English and American poets.A. William ShakespeareB. Philip SidneyC. Edmund SpenserD. John Donne9. ______ is defined as an expression of human emotion which is condensed into fourteen lines.A. Free verseB. SonnetC. OdeD. Epigram10. A distinctive achievement of Elizabethan literature is poetry. Which of the following writer did not contribute to English poetry during this period?A. William ShakespeareB. Philip SidneyC. Edmund SpenserD. Francis Bacon11. Which literary form flourished more than anyone in Elizabethan age?A. PoetryB. DramaC. EssayD. Novel12. Alexander Pope is a leading ______ of Neo-classicism in English literature.A. dramatistB. essayistC. poetD. pamphleteers13. Gulliver’s Travels is the masterpiece of ______.A. Johnathan SwiftB. Henry FieldingC. Richard SheridanD. Richard Steele14. Samuel Richardson is a pioneer novelist in the 18th century English Literature, which of the following is usually considered as his masterpiece?A. Gulliver’ TravelsB. Tom JonesC. Robinson CrusoeD. Clarissa15. Tom Jones is the masterpiece of ______, who is chiefly known as a novelist and next as a playwrightA. Daniel DefoeB. Johnathan SwiftC. Alexander PopeD. Henry Fielding16. Laurence Sterne speaks for sentimentalism, whose masterpiece is ______.A. The School for ScandalB. Gulliver’s TravelsC. Tristram ShandyD. Tom Jones17. The Deserted Village is a long poem written by_______.A. William BlakeB. Oliver GoldsmithC. AlexanderD. Thomas Gray18. The poem Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, which generally belongs to the so-called graveyard poetry, helps to establish the poetic fame of its writer ______.A. Edward YoungB. Thomas GrayC. Edmund SpenserD. James Thomson19. Robert Burns is a well-known Scottish ______, whose works such as A Red, Red Rose and A uld Lang Syne are still remembered today.A. novelistB. essayistC. poetD. short story writer20. ______ criticized industrial capitalism by advocating the return to the patriarchal society of the past, while _____ attacked the tyranny and exploitation of both feudalism and capitalism and called on the oppressed people to rise against their earthy tyrants.A. Byron and Shelly, the Lake PoetsB. the Lake Poets, Walter ScottC. the Lake Poets, Byron and ShellyD. Walter Scott, Byron and Shelly21. Which of the following novels was written by Emily Bronte?A. Oliver TwistB. MiddlemarchC. Jane EyreD. Wuthering Heights22. All of the following poets belong to the “Lake Poet”, EXCEPT _______.A. WordsworthB. ColeridgeC. SoutheyD. Byron23. I Wonder Lonely as a Cloud is written by_______.A. ShellyB. KeatsC. ByronD. Wordsworth24. Though Don Juan left unfinished, yet it is still considered to be the best worksof______.A. ShellyB. KeatsC. ByronD. Shakespeare25. ______ is good at writing poetic dramas, among which Prometheus Unbound and The Cenci are considered the greatest?A. ShakespeareB. ByronC. ShellyD. Ben Johnson26. Shelly is well-known for his lyrics, among which ______ is one of the best known lyrics on nature.A. Odes to AutumnB. Ode to a NightinggaleC. To a ButterflyD. Ode to the West Wind27. John Keats is a _______ poet, whose poetic fame generally rest on his odes.A. realisticB. romanticC. sentimentalistD. modernist28. Pride and Prejudice is written by_______.A. Emily BronteB. Charlotte BronteC. Jane AustinD. Thomas Hardy29. Emma is considered the a mature work of ______.A. Emily BronteB. Charlotte BronteC. Jane AustinD. Thomas Hardy30. Jane Austin is considered the first female_____ of importance.A. poetB. novelistC. essayistD. playwright31. Ivanhoe is a well-known historical novel written by ______.A. Henry FieldingB. Daniel DefoeC. Walter ScottD. Jane Austin32. Oliver Twist is written by ______, which shows the writer’s concern and sympathy towards the miseries of the poor and oppressed.A. Charles DickensB. Emily BronteC. William Makepeace ThackerayD. Thomas Hardy33. Vanity Fair is the masterpiece of ______.A. Charlotte BronteB. Emily BronteC. William Makepeace ThackerayD. Thomas Hardy34. Which of the following novel does NOT belong to the Bronte Sisters?A. Jane EyreB. Wuthering HeightsC. Agnes GreyD. Emma35. William Butler Yeats was a(n) ______ poet and playwright.A. AmericanB. CanadianC. IrishD. Australian36. Jane Eyre is written by ______.A. Charlotte BronteB. Emily BronteC. Alexander PopeD. Henry Fielding37. Which of the following is considered the greatest work of George Eliot?A. Wuthering HeightsB. Pride and PrejudiceC. Tale of Two CitiesD. MiddleMarch38. Alfred Tennyson is one of the greatest _______ of the Victorian age.A. poetB. novelistC. short story writerD. playwright39. Tess of the D’ Urbervilles is well-known novel of _______.A. George EliotB. Oscar WildeC. William Makepeace ThackerayD. Thomas Hardy40. All of the following novels belong to Hardy, EXCEPT _______.A. Tess of the D’ UrbervillesB. Jude the ObscureC. The Return of the NativeD. MiddleMarch41. The Picture of Dorian Gray, is a well-known novel written by ______, who speaks for A estheticism.A. Oscar WildeB. Walter PaterC. Thomas HardyD. James Joyce42. Which of the following play is written by a Victorian playwright?A. HamletB. The School for ScandalC. An Ideal HusbandD. Widowers’ Houses43. Mrs. Warren’s Professions is a ______ written by George Bernard Shaw.A. poemB. novelC. playD. short story44. A Room With a View is written by_______.A. Virginia WoolfB. E. M FosterC. Joseph ConradD. James Joyce45. All of the following are well-known female writers in the 20th century Britain EXCEPT ____A. George EliotB. Irish Jean MurdochC. Doris LessingD. Muriel Spatk46. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is somewhat an autobiography of its author ______, just like Sons and Lovers, autobiography of D. H. Laurence.A. James JoyceB. Oscar WildC. Thomas HardyD. Charles Dickens47. To the Lighthouse is a typical novel of stream of consciousness, written by _____.A. James JoyceB. D. H LawerenceC. Virginia WoolfD. George Orwell48. Bernard Shaw is a ______ of the 20th century English literature, who took a critical attitude towards the hypocritical moral, political and economic truth of the capitalist society.A. poetB. playwrightC. short story writerD. novelist49. James Joyce is a(n) _____ of the 20th century English Literature, whose Ulysses is considered as the greatest work of stream of consciousness.A. essayistB. playwrightC. novelistD. critic50. Virginia Woolf is a a(n) _____ of the 20th century English Literature, whose fame mainly rests on those outstanding works of stream of consciousness.A. poetB. playwrightC. novelistD. essayist１－５：B B C A C６－１０：B D D B D１１－１5：B C A D D 16-20 : C B B C C 21-25 : D D D C C 26-30 : D B C C B31-35 : C A C D C 36-40 : A D A D D 41-45 : A C C B A 46-50 : A C B C C。
专业英语八级真题附答案详解
专业英语八级真题附答案详解TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (1999)—GRADE EIGHTPAPER ONEPART ⅠLISTENING COMPREHENSION (40 MIN. )In Sections A, B and C you will hear everything once only. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow.SECTION A TALKQuestions 1 to 5 refer to the talk in this section. At the end of the talk you will be given 15 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the talk.1. The technology to make machines quieterA. has been in use since the 1930's.B. has accelerated industrial production.C. has just been in commercial use.D. has been invented to remove all noises.2. The modern electronic anti-noise devicesA. are an update version of the traditional methods.B. share similarities with the traditional methods.C. are as inefficient as the traditional methods.D. are based on an entirely new working principle.3. The French company is working on anti-noise techniques to be used in all EXCEPTA. streets.B. factories.C. aircraft.D. cars.4. According to the talk, workers in "zones of quiet" canA. be more affected by noise.B. hear talk from outside the zone.C. work more efficiently.D. be heard outside the zone.5. The main theme of the talk is aboutA. noise-control technology.B. noise in factories.C. noise-control regulations.D. noise-related effects.SECTION B INTERVIEWQuestions 6 to 10 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 15 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the interview.6. Employees in the US are paid for their time. This means that they are supposed toA. work hard while their boss is around.B. come to work when there is work to be done.C. work with initiative and willingness.D. work through their lunch break.7. One of the advantages of flexible working hours is thatA. pressure from work can be reduced.B. working women can have more time at home.C. traffic and commuting problems can be solved.D. personal relationships in offices can be improved.8. On the issue of working contracts in the US, which statement is NOT correct?A. Performance at work matters more than anything else.B. There are laws protecting employees' working rights.C. Good reasons must be provided in order to fire workers.D. Working contracts in the US are mostly short-term ones.9. It can be assumed from the interview that an informalatmosphere might be found inA. small firms.B. major banks.C. big corporations.D. law offices.10. The interview is mainly about __________ in the USA.A. office hierarchiesB. office conditionsC. office rules.D. office life.SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTQuestion 11 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given15 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.11. Senator Bob Dole's attitude towards Clinton's anti-crime policy is that ofA. opposition.B. support.C. ambiguity.D. indifference.Questions 12 and 13 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.12. Japan and the United States are nowA. negotiating about photographic material.B. negotiating an automobile agreement.C. facing serious problems in trade.D. on the verge of a large-scale trade war.13. The news item seems to indicate that the agreementA. will end all other related trade conflicts.B. is unlikely to solve the dispute once and for all.C. is linked to other trade agreements.D. is the last of its kind to be reached.Question 14 and 15 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.14. According to the news, the ice from Greenland provides information aboutA. oxygen.B. ancient weather.C. carbon dioxide.D. temperature.15. Which of the following statement is CORRECT?A. Drastic changes in the weather have been common since ancient times.B. The change in weather from very cold to very hot lasted over a century.C. The scientists have been studying ice to forecast weather in the future.D. The past 10,000 years have seen minor changes in the weather.SECTION D NOTE-TAKING AND GAP-FILLINGIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture once only. While listening to the lecture, take notes on the important points. Y our notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a 15-minute gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET after the mini-lecture. Use the blank sheet for note-taking ANSWER SHEETAt present companies and industries like to sponsor sports events. Two reasons are put forward to explain this phenomenon.The first reason is that they get (1) throughout the world.The second reason is that companies and industries (2) money as they get reductions in the tax they owe if they sponsor sports or arts activities.As sponsorship is (3) careful thinking is required in deciding which events to sponsor.It is important that the event to be sponsored (4) the product(s) to be promoted. That is, the right (5) and maximum product coverage must be guaranteed in the event.Points to be considered in sports sponsorship.Popularity of the eventInternational sports events are big (6) events, which get extensive coverage on TV and in press.Smaller events attract fewer people.Identification of the potential audienceAiming at the right audience is most important for smaller events.The right audience would attract manufacturers of related products like (7) , etc.Advantages of sponsorshipAdvantages are longer-term.People are expected to respond 8 to the products promoted and be more likely to buy them.Advertising is 9 the mind.Sponsorship is better than straight advertising:a) less 10b) tax-freePART ⅡPROOFREADING AND ERROR CORRECTION (15 MIN. )Proofread the given passage on ANSWER SHEET asinstructed.The hunter-gatherer tribes that today live as our prehistoric (1) __________human ancestors consume primarily a vegetable diet supplementing (2) __________with animal foods. An analysis of 58 societies of modern hunter-gatherers, including the Kung of southern Africa, revealed thatone-half emphasize gathering plant foods, one-third concentrate onfishing, and only one-sixth are primarily hunters. Overall, two-thirds and (3) __________more of the hunter-gatherer's calories come from plants. Detailed studiesof the Kung by the food scientists at the University of London, showedthat gathering is a more productive source of food than is hunting. Anhour of hunting yields in average about 100 edible calories, (4) __________as an hour of gathering produces 240. (5) __________ Plant foods provide for 60 percent to 80 percent of the Kung diet, (6) __________and no one goes hungry when the hunt fails, interestingly, if they escapefatal infections or accidents, these contemporary aborigines live to oldages despite of the absence of medical care. They experience no obesity, (7) __________and no middle-aged spread, little dental decay, no high blood pressure, noheart disease, and their blood cholesterol level are very low (about half of (8) __________the average American adult. ) If no one is suggesting that we return to (9) __________an aboriginal life, we certainly could use their eating habits as a model for healthier diet. (10) __________ PART ⅢREADING COMPREHENSION (40 MIN. )SECTION A READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN. )In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of fifteen multiple- choice questions. Read the passages carefully and then answer the questions.TEXT ARicci's "Operation Columbus"1 Ricci, 45, is now striking out on perhaps his boldest venture yet. He plans to market an English-language edition of his elegant monthly art magazine, FMR, in the United States. Once again the skeptics are murmuring that the successful Ricci has headed for a big fall. And once again Ricci intends to prove them wrong.2 Ricci is so confident that he has christen quest "Operation Columbus" and has set his sights on discovering an American readership of 300,000. That goal may not be too far- fetched. The Italian edition of FMR —the initials, of course, stand for Franco Maria Ricci— is only 18 months old. But it is already the second largest artmagazine in the world, with a circulation of 65,000 and a profit margin of US $ 500,000. The American edition will be patterned after the Italian version, with each 160-page issuecarrying only 40 pages of ads and no more than five articles. But the contents will often differ. The English-language edition will include more American works, Ricci says, to help Americans get over "an inferiority complex about their art". He also hopes that the magazine will become a vehicle for a two-way cultural exchange —what he likes to think of as a marriage of brains, culture and taste from both sides of the Atlantic.3 To realize this version, Ricci is mounting one of the most lavish, enterprising — and expensive promotional campaigns in magazine-publishing history. Between November and January, eight jumbo jets will fly 8 million copies of a sample 16-page edition of FMR across the Atlantic. From a warehouse in Michigan, 6.5 million copies will be mailed to American subscribers of various cultural, art and business magazines. Some of the remaining copies will circulate as a special Sunday supplement in the New York Times. The cost of launching Operation Columbus is a staggering US $ 5 million, but Ricci is hoping that 600% of the price tag will be financed by Italian corporations. "To land in America Columbus had to use Spanish sponsors," reads one sentence in his promotional pamphlet. "We would like Italians."4 Like Columbus, Ricci cannot know what his reception, will be on foreign shores. In Italy he gambled —and won —on a simple concept: it is more important to show art than to write about it. Hence, one issue of FMR might feature 32 full-colour pages of 17th-century tapestries, followed by 14 pages of outrageous eyeglasses. He is gambling that the concept is exportable. "I don't expect that more than 30% of my readers.., will actually read FMR," he says. "The magazine is such a visual delight that they don't have to. "Still, he is lining up an impressive stable of writers and professors for the American edition,including Noam Chomsky, Anthony Burgess, Eric Jong and Norman Mailer. In addition, he seems to be pursuing his own eclectic vision without giving a moment's thought to such established competitors as Connosisseur and Horizon. "The Americans can do almost everything better than we can, "says Ricci," But we (the Italians) have a 2,000 year edge on them in art."16. Ricci intends his American edition of FMR to carry more American art works in order toA. boost Americans' confidence in their art.B. follow the pattern set by his Italian edition.C. help Italians understand American art better.D. expand the readership of his magazine.17. Ricci is compared to Columbus in the passage mainly becauseA. they both benefited from Italian sponsors.B. they were explorers in their own ways.C. they obtained overseas sponsorship.D. they got a warm reception in America.18. We get the impression that the American edition of FMR will probablyA. carry many academic articles of high standard.B. follow the style of some famous existing magazines.C. be read by one third of American magazine readers.D. pursue a distinctive editorial style of its own.TEXT BUncle Geoff1 My mother's relations were very different form the Mitfords. Her brother, Uncle Geoff, who often came to stay at Swinbrook, was a small, spare man with thoughtful blue eyes and a rathersilent manner. Compared to Uncle T ommy, he was an intellectual of the highest order, and indeed his satirical pen belied his mild demeanor. He spent most of his waking hours composing letters to The Times and other publications in which he outlined his own particular theory of the development of English history. In Uncle Geoff's view, the greatness of England had risen and waned over the centuries in direct proportion to the use of natural manure in fertilizing the soil. TheBlack Death of 1348 was caused by gradual loss of the humus fertility found under forest trees. The rise of the Elizabethans two centuries later was attributable to the widespread use of sheep manure.2 Many of Uncle Geoff's letters-to-the-editor have fortunately been preserved in a privately printed volume called Writings of A Rebel. Of the collection, one letter best sums up his views on the relationship between manure and freedom. He wrote:3 Collating old records shows that our greatness rises and falls with the living fertility of our soil. And now, many years of exhausted and chemically murdered soil, and of devitalized food from it, has softened our bodies and still worse, softened our national character. It is an actual fact that character is largely a product of the soil. Many years of murdered food from deadened soil has made us too tame. Chemicals have had their poisonous day. It is now the worm's turn to reform the manhood of England. The only way to regain our punch, our character, our lost virtues, and with them the freedom natural to islanders, is to compost our land so as to allow moulds, bacteria and earthworms to remake living soil to nourish Englishmen's bodies and spirits.4 The law requiring pasteurization of milk in England was aparticular target of Uncle Geoff's. Fond of alliteration, he dubbed it "Murdered Milk Measure," and established the Liberty Restoration League, with headquarters at his house in London, for the specific purpose of organizing a counteroffensive. "Freedom not Doctordom" was the League's proud slogan. A subsidiary, but nevertheless important, activity of the League was advocacy of a return to the " unsplit, slowly smoked fish" and bread made with "English stone-ground flour, yeast, milk, sea salt and raw cane-sugar."19. According to Uncle Geoff, national strength could only be regained byA. reforming the manhood of England.B. using natural manure as fertilizer.C. eating more bacteria-free food.D. granting more freedom to Englishmen.20. The tone of the passage can most probably be described asA. facetious.B. serious.C. nostalgic.D. factual.TEXT CInterview1 So what have they taught you at college about interviews? Some courses go to town on it, others do very little. You may get conflicting advice. Only one thing is certain: the key to success is preparation.2 There follow some useful suggestions from a teacher training course co-ordinator, a head of department anda headteacher. As they appear to be in complete harmonywith one another despite never having met, we may take their advice seriously.3 Oxford Brookes University's approach to the business of application and interview focuses on research and rehearsal. Training course co-ordinator Brenda Stevens speaks of the value of getting students "to deconstruct the advertisement, see what they can offer to that school, and that situation, and then write the letter, do their CVs and criticize each other's ". Finally, they role play interviewer and interviewee.4 This is sterling stuff, and Brookes students spend a couple of weeks on it. "The better prepared students won't be thrown by nerves on the day," says Ms. Stevens. "They'll have their strategies and questions worked out. "She also says, a trifle disconcertingly, "the better the student, the worse the interviewee. ' She believes the most capable students are less able to put themselves forward. Even if this were true, says Ms. Stevens, you must still make your own case.5 "Beware of informality," she advises. One aspirant teacher, now a head of department at a smart secondary school, failed his first job interview because he took his jacket off while waiting for his appointment. It was hot and everyone in the staffroom was in shirtsleeves but at the end of the day they criticized his casual attitude, which they had deduced from the fact that he took his jacket off in the staffroom, even though he put it back on for the interview.6 Incidentally, men really do have to wear a suit to the interview and women really cannot wear jeans, even if men never wear the suit again and women teach most days in jeans. Panels respond instantly to these indicators. But beware: it will not please them any better if you are too smart.7 Find out about the peope who will talk to you. In the early meetings they are likely to be heads of departments or heads of year. Often they may be concerned with pastoral matters. It makes sense to know their priorities and let them hear the things about you that they want to hear.8 During preliminary meetings you may be seen in groups with two or three other applicants and you must demonstrate that you know your stuff without putting your companions down. The interviewers will be watching how you work with a team.9 But remember the warning about informality: however friendly and co-operative the other participants are, do not give way to the idea that you are there just to be friends.10 Routine questions can be rehearsed, but "don't go on too long", advises the department head. They may well ask: "what have been your worst/best moments when teaching?" , or want you to "talk about some good teaching you have done". The experts agree you should recognize your weaknesses and offer a strategy for overcoming them. "I know I've got to work on classroom management. I would hope for some help," perhaps. No one expects a new teacher to know it all, but they hope for an objective appraisal of capabilities.11 Be warned against inexpert questioning. You may be asked questions in such a way that it seems impossible to present your best features. Some questions may be plain silly, asked perhaps by people on the panel who are from outside the situation. Do not be thrown, have ways of circumnavigating it, and never, ever let them see that you think they have said something foolish.12 You will almost certainly be asked how you see the future and it is important to have a good answer prepared. Some peopleare put off by being asked what they expect to be doing in five or ten year's time. On your preliminary visit, says the department head, be sure to give them a bit of an interview of your own, to see the direction the department is going and what you could contribute to it.13 The headteacher offers his thoughts in a eight-point plan.1. Iron the application form! Then it stands out from everyone else's, which have been folded and battered in the post. It gives an initial impression which may get your application to the top of the pile.2. Ensure that your application is tailored to the particular school. Make the head feel you are writing directly to him or her.3. Put yourself at ease before you meet the interviewing panel, if you are nervous, you will talk too quickly. Before you enter the room remember that the people are human beings too; take away the mystique of their roles.4. Listen. There is danger of not hearing accurately what is being said. Make eye contact with the speakers, and with everyone in the room.5. Allow your warmth and humanity to be seen. A sense of humour is very important.6. Have a portfolio of your work that can link theory to practice. Many schools want you to show work. Fora primary appointment, give examples from the range of the curriculum, not just art. (For this reason, taking pictures on your teaching practice is important. )7. Prepare yourself in case you are asked to give a talk. Have prompt cards ready, and don't waffle.8. Your speech must be clear and articulate, with correct grammar. This is important: they want to hear you and they wantto hear how well you can communicate with children. Believe in yourself and have confidence. Some of the people asking the questions don't know much about what you do. Be ready to help them.14 Thus armed, you should have no difficulty at all. Good luck, and keep your jacket on!21. Ms Brenda Stevens suggests that before applying job applicants shouldA. go through each other's CVs.B. rehearse their answers to questions.C. understand thoroughly the situations.D. go to town to attend training courses.22. Is it wise to admit some of your weaknesses relating to work?A. Yes, but you should have ideas for improvement in the future.B. Yes, because it is natural to be weak in certain aspects.C. No, admitting weaknesses may put you at a disadvantage.D. No, it will only prompt the interviewers to reject you.23. The best way to deal with odd questions from the interviewers is toA. remain smiling and kindly point out the inaccuracies.B. keep calm and try to be tactful in your answers.C. say frankly what you think about the issues raised.D. suggest something else to get over your nervousness.24. The suggestions offered by the head teacher areA. original.B. ambiguous.C. practical.D. controversial.TEXT DFamily Matters1 This month Singapore passed a bill that would give legal teeth to the moral obligation to support one's parents. Called the Maintenance of Parents Bill, it received the backing of the Singapore Government.2 That does not mean it hasn't generated discussion. Several members of the Parliament opposed the measure as un-Asian. Others who acknowledged the problem of the elderly poor believed it a disproportionate response. Still others believe it will subvert relations within the family: cynics dubbed it the "Sue Your Son" law.3 Those who say that the bill does not promote filial responsibility, of course, are right. It has nothing to do with filial responsibility. It kicks in where filial responsibility fails. The law cannot legislate filial responsibility any more than it can legislate love. All the law can do is to provide a safety net where this morality provide insufficient. Singapore needs this bill not to replace morality, but to provide incentives to shore it up.4 Like many other developed nations, Singapore faces the problems of an increasing proportion of people over 60 years of age. Demography is inexorable. In 1980, 7.2% of the population was in this bracket. By the turn of the century, that figure will grow to 11%. By 2030, the proportion is projected to be 260%. The problem is not old age per se. It is that the ratio of economically active people to economically inactive people will decline.5 But no amount of government exhortation or paternalism will completely eliminate the problem of old people who have insufficient means to make ends meet. Some people will fallthrough the holes in any safety net.6 Traditionally, a person's insurance against poverty in his old age was his family. This is not a revolutionary concept. Nor is it uniquely Asian. Care and support for one's parents is a universal value shared by all civilized societies.7 The problem in Singapore is that the moral obligation to look after one's parents is unenforceable. A father can be compelled by law to maintain his children. A husband can be forced to support his wife. But, until now, a son or daughter had no legal obligation to support his or her parents.8 In 1989, an Advisory Council was set up to look into the problems of the aged. Its report stated with a tinge of complacency that 95% of those who did not have their own income were receiving cash contributions from relations. But what about the 5% who aren't getting relatives' support? They have several options: (a) get a job and work until they die; (b) apply for public assistance (you have to be destitute to apply); or (c) starve quietly.None of these options is socially acceptable. And what if this 5% figure grows, as it is likely to do, as society ages?9 The Maintenance of Parents Bill was put forth to encourage the traditional virtues that have so far kept Asian nations from some of the breakdowns encountered in other affluent societies. This legislation will allow a person to apply to the court for maintenance from any or all of his children. The court would have the discretion to refuse to make an order if it is unjust.10 Those who deride the proposal for opening up the courts to family lawsuits miss the point. Only in extreme cases would any parent take his child to court. If it does indeed become law, the bill's effect would be far more subtle.11 First, it will reaffirm the notion that it is each individual's —not society's —responsibility to look after his parents. Singapore is still conservative enough that most people will not object to this idea. It reinforces the traditional values and it doesn't hurt a society now and then to remind itself of its core values.12 Second, and more important, it will make those who are inclined to shirk their responsibilities think twice. Until now, if a person asked family elders, clergymen or the Ministry of Community Development to help get financial support from his children, the most they could do was to mediate. But mediators have no teeth, and a child could simply ignore their pleas.13 But to be sued by one's parents would be a massive loss of face. It would be a public disgrace. Few people would be so thick-skinned as to say." Sue and be damned. "The hand of the conciliator would be immeasurably strengthened. It is far more likely that some sort of amicable settlement would be reached if the recalcitrant Son or daughter knows that the alternative is a public trial.14 It would be nice to think that Singapore doesn't need this kind of law. But that belief ignores the clear demographic trends and the effect of affluence itself on traditional bonds. Those of us who pushed for the bill will consider ourselves most successful if it acts as an incentive not to have it invoked in the first place.25. The Maintenance of Parents BillA. received unanimous support in the Singapore Parliament.B. was believed to solve all the problems of the elderly poor.C. was intended to substitute for traditional values in Singapore.D. was passed to make the young more responsible to theold.26. By quoting the growing percentage points of the aged in the population, the author seems to imply thatA. the country will face mounting problems of the old in future.B. the social welfare system would be under great pressure.C. young people should be given more moral education.D. the old should be provided with means of livelihood.27. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?A. Filial responsibility in Singapore is enforced by law.B. Fathers have legal obligations to look after their children.C. It is an acceptable practice for the old to continue working.D. The Advisory Council was dissatisfied with the problems of the old.28. The author seems to suggest that traditional valuesA. play an insignificant role in solving social problems.B. are helpful to the elderly when they sue their children.C. are very important in preserving Asian uniqueness.D. are significant in helping the Bill get approved.29. The author thinks that if the Bill becomes law, its effect would beA. indirect.B. unnoticed.C. apparent.D. straightforward.30. At the end of the passage, the author seems to imply that success of the Bill depends uponA. strict enforcement.B. public support.C. government assurance.。
2023年英语专八TEM8真题及答案
TEST 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 lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening to the mini-lecture, complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE and write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap. Make sure what you fill in is 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 check your 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 choices.Now, listen to Part One of the interview. Questions 1 to 5 are based on Part One of the interview.1. A. Projects available for taking a gap year. B. Necessary preparations for a gap year.C. Personal experience on a gap year.D. Issues related to gap-year planning.2. A. To boost one’s future resume. B. To undergo a life changing process.C. To prepare for a better life at university.D. To win a competitive edge in employment.3. A. Having exposure to exotic cultures. B. Accumulating adventure experience.C. Making constant self-improvement.D. Conducting research on others’ traditions.4. A. Researching into the benefits of a gap year. B. Listening to friends with gap year experience.C. Browsing online forums for idea exchange.D. Preparing independently for a suitable plan.5. A. V olunteering in major-related work. B. Working overseas on different projects.C. Having sufficient cultural knowledge.D. Experiencing a prolonged gap year.Now, listen to Part Two of the interview. Questions 6 to 10 are based on Part Two of the interview.6. A. It is for everybody old and young. B. It is typically 12 months in length.C. It varies for different age groups.D. It involves primarily travelling.7. A. It makes indirect differences to more people. B. It helps one to get acquainted with local people.C. It enables one to travel in more local places.D. It offers chances to know more about cultures.8. A. Hitch-hiking across America. B. Climbing Mount Qomolangma.C. Cage diving with white sharks.D. Touring overland in Africa.9. A. His childhood experience. B. His mixed parentage.C. His upbringing and schooling.D. His innate love for adventure.10. A. Gaining more social experience. B. Communicating with more local people.C. Developing critical thinking ability.D. Acquiring new knowledge.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) New calls for Australia to introduce a sugar-sweetened beverages tax have sparked an outcry from the food and beverage industry and provoked resistance from politicians. But why do health experts keep calling for a sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) tax, and why are politicians and industry resisting it?(2) Sugar taxes vary in design around the world in 26 countries. In Mexico, a 10% tax on sugary drinks was introduced in 2014. When the tax starts in the UK in April, there will be two bands—one for sugar content above 5g per 100ml and a second, higher tax on drinks containing more than 8g of sugar per 100ml.(3) In a 2018 statement on nutrition the Australian Medical Association (AMA) urged the government to introduce an SSB tax. This is significant because AMA is generally conservative when it comes to health policy and often avoids controversial debates. But it now wants a sugar tax “as a matter of priority”.(4) The health minister has made it clear the government will not support it, saying food labelling laws and voluntary codes of conduct to restrict food marketing to children are adequate. A Labor MP also stopped short of supporting a tax, saying other strategies are needed to promote a healthy lifestyle. The Greens, led by former doctor Richard Di Natale, support the tax and have previously proposed a 20% increase to the price of sugary drinks.(5) According to Prof. Tim Gill, from the Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise & Eating Dis orders in Sydney, the strength of an SSB tax is that it targets an easily defined product. “It’s easy to identify sugary drinks and their manufacturers, and can tax them at their production,”he said. “There are a limited number of sugary drinks producers in Australia. A problem for governments collecting taxes can be how complicated it can be. If you were to try to tax every sugary food for example, that would be very complicated to do.”(6) The government has previously used complexity as an argument against an SS B tax. “But now with the UK jumping on the bandwagon, which has a similar consumption culture to ours but with a larger population and more producers, that complexity argument doesn’t hold weight anymore,” Gill said.(7) Bureau of Statistics data shows Australia is one of the 10 highest soft drink-consuming countries per capita. The World Health Organisation recommends adults consume no more than six teaspoons of sugar per day, but the average Australian consumes more than double that. A 330ml bottle of Coke contains nine teaspoons of sugar.(8) A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found sales of softdrinks in Melbourne’s Alfred hospital dropped 27.6% during a 17-week trial when the price of sugary drinks was increased by 20%. Bottled water sales increased by almost the same amount.(9) An analysis of sugary-drink purchases in Mexico conducted two years after the tax was introduced found a 5.5% drop in the first year, followed by a 9.7% decline in the second. While two years is not enough to determine the long-term impact on health, the study found: “These reductions in consumption could have positive impacts on health outcomes and reductions in healthcare expenses."(10) Sugar-sweetened drinks and sugar generally have been associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, tooth decay and bone density problems. The Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association says obesity is the leading cause of preventable death or illness in Australia—above smoking But it will take longer term analysis to see clear evidence of any impact of a tax on obesity levels.(11) Lobby groups from the food and beverage industry are powerful. The Australian Beverages Council, the industry’s lobby group, has been fighting against a tax for years. It says there is no evidence a tax will do anything to reduce obesity, and it will cost jobs, which is a frightening message for politicians. The Australasian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) described the introduction of an SSB tax in the UK as lazy,”“flawed,”“discriminatory” and “irrational”. It has ramped up its campaign to prevent such a tax in Australia.(12) Would introducing a sugar tax make Australia a nanny-state? It depends on whether you believe the food and beverage industry has too much power. Health experts argue that through advertising, product placement and political influence, the food and beverage industry has an unfair and non-transparent influence over consumer purchasing habits, and that children especially are sometimes powerless to recognise or resist it. They say an SSB tax would hold the industry to account. Others argue people need to take personal responsibility.(13) A Deakin University study used economic modelling to show the increase in annual spending on sugar-sweetened drinks under a 20% tax would average $30 a person, but those in the lowest socioeconomic groups would pay $5 a year more than those in the wealthiest groups.(14) Researchers concluded this was a modest price to pay given the benefits—and that Australia’s lowest socioeconomic group would receive the greatest health benefits. Health experts and advocacy groups say governments could reduce the financial burden on disadvantaged people by using revenue from a tax to fund health initiatives.11. What is the Australian government’s response to the SSB tax?A. It says the tax is inadequate for food marketing.B. It argues that there is no such necessity.C. It regards the tax as one of the top priorities.D. It accepts medical professionals’ advice.12. Which of the following organisations is opposed to the SSB tax?A. The Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association.B. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.C. The Australian Beverages Council.D. The Australian Medical Association.13. What is the author’s attitude towards the SSB tax according to Para. 12?A. Neutral and objective.B. Partially supportive.C. Biased and worried.D. Completely doubtful.14. What is argued about the SSB tax in Paras. 13 and 14?A. Widening the gap between socioeconomic groups.B. Imposing financial burden on common families.C. Promoting economy in a satisfactory way.D. Offsetting financial burden by funding healthcare.PASSAGE TWO(1) I’d been living in Los Angeles just under a year when, in the spring of 1983, I answered an ad in the Hollywood Reporter for a receptionist and got the job. The pay wasn’t much, but the work was in “the Business”—an apt Los Angeles euphemism for the entertainment industry. The location was within bicycling distance of my home, and they only wanted someone to work mornings. I’d get off by 1 p. m, which I thought would leave me plenty of time to do my own writing. I was wrong about that. The place was so frantic I’d come out wired and need the rest of the day to simply calm down. When, after about two weeks, I realized my afternoons were being spent in activities equivalent to running around the block twenty or thirty times, I asked to be put on full-time. Since I wasn’t getting anything else, why not,I figured, jump in for the total experience.(2) The (still thriving) company I found myself a part of possessed the unlikely name of Breakdown Services, Ltd. During the six months I worked there, I learned to savor all of that phrase’s more cynical reverberations, but in terms of the job it dealt with the dismantling or breakdown of television and film scripts. Scripts gathered from producers or studios would be regurgitated (回流) by Breakdown in the form of plot summaries, character descriptions, number of scenes per character, and the number of dialogue lines each speaks. These compilations were then xeroxed and distributed to hundreds of subscribing actors’ agents who proceeded to submit their clients for likely parts. It was a process, as I was to discover by way of angry phone calls when “breakdowns”arrived late or not at all, that the agents regarded with a reverence others might reserve for morning prayer.(3) Breakdown Services, Ltd. was the brainchild of a young man named Gary Marsh. Gary was twenty-eight when I met him, but he’d founded Breakdown when he was eighteen and was considered something of an entrepreneurial prodigy. His mother was an agent and he’d observed the piles of scripts she and her agent pals had to plow through in order to match a given role with the talent they represented. He’d also observed how much they hated the reading part of their jobs and had cleverly devised breakdowns as a way of extracting the material they needed.(4) By the time I arrived, five full-time breakdown writers worked in a desk-lined back room overlooking a parking lot. I’ve heard the current crew has now advanced to computers, but when I was there typewriters were the norm. When they weren’t typing, the writers would curl up or ne office’s worn stuffed couch and, with a script propped against one arm, fill legal-sized yellow pads with dialogue line numbers and comments which they’d then type up. It could be a complex job. For example, the breakdown for a film originally called Teenage Gambler lists over forty characters, ranging from the teenaged gambling leader to five waiters who sing “Happy Birthday” at a surprise party.(5) Perhaps because of the patience involved in this sort of extraction, women seemed to dominate the ranks of the break downers (during my tenure the ratio was four to one). Although Gary knew I’d done a bit of writing, I was relegated to the front office and never received an invitation to try my hand at breakdowns. It wasn’t something I really wanted to do. For one thing, the writers were a youthful bunch. The back room senior was in her early thirties, but none of the others had hit twenty-five. And I think Gary rightly surmised I’d be too openly cynical for the job or try to embellish too much. Breakdowns were produced anonymously and offered no artistic evaluations of the scripts. The writers might talkamong themselves about a piece they felt was particularly good or bad, but such editorializing was not allowed to make its way into the final product. That this restriction was frustrating is indicated by the fact that two of the writers began venting opinions as moonlighting theater critics for small local papers.(6) For Gary, the most problematical aspect of the breakdown business was its limited market. This had nothing to do with his operating methodology; he did what he could to exploit the possibilities. Each weekday a hardy crew made predawn deliveries of breakdowns to agents’homes or offices, while a post-dawn quartet of pager-equipped Breakdown field workers haunted the big studios ready to pounce on an available script. For these studio prowlers speed was of the essence, not only because Hollywood tends to be crisis-prone and wants everything done quickly, but because a rival, spawned by the success of Breakdown Services, Ltd. And infuriatingly named Break Through Productions, Ltd, was also on the hunt.(7) Breakdown Services unquestionably dominated the field, but the field itself had immutable perimeters. Breakdown’s subscribers had to be accredited agents, though there were some exceptions to this rule. For instance, specialized media organizations, such as the competitive, vulture-like companies that insured movie productions, could keep tabs on the industry by subscribing to the weekly Breakdown summaries. But the whole Breakdown operation was hard to monitor. When I was there, a Breakdown subscription was expensive, something like $500 a year. And though breakdowns were copyrighted and unauthorized reproduction was clearly prohibited, xerox machines are notoriously bad at picking up such distinctions and among the larger agencies breakdowns were undoubtedly duplicated and passed around.(8) Gary’s response to these built-in economic dilemmas was to diversify. A separate department for commercials, for example, appeared as apart of the Breakdown menu. Although Breakdown staffers were supposed to refrain from giving tips to potential talent, I did once tell a friend—who hoped to finance the college educations of her five-year-old identical twins by getting them on a commercial—that a juice company had put out a call for identical twin girls. Their agent submitted them, but they didn’t get the job. The nightly Breakdown delivery system expanded to an all-day messenger service. Gary also made available an assortment of directories and mailing labels listing casting directors, talent agents, and literary agents in Los Angeles and New York. The current Breakdown brochure adds yet another Breakdown amenity; for fifteen dollars you can receive an “actors’ relaxation” cassette tape “designed to maximize your abilities and stimulate your creative senses”.15. Which of the following is NOT a reason for the author to take the job?A. Convenient location.B. Decent income.C. Ideal work time.D. Reputable career image.16. What is the agents’ attitude towards “breakdowns”?A. They are patient for their late arrivals.B. They sometimes ignore their arrivals.C. They care less about breakdowns.D. They view breakdowns as essential.17. What does “such editorializing” in Para. 5 mean according to the context?A. Making comments.B. Writing editorials.C. Reproducing scripts.D. Typing scripts.18. What problem does the author mainly talk about in Para. 7?A. Market competition.B. Breakdown restrictions.C. Copyright violations.D. Lack of subscribers.19. What is the author’s tone throughout the passage?A. Infuriated.B. Ironic.C. Frustrated.D. Indifferent.PASSAGE THREE(1) It was delightful to be in such a place, after long weeks of daily and nightly familiarity with miners’ cabins—with all which this implies of dirt floor, never-made beds, tin plates and cups, bacon and beans and black coffee, and nothing of ornament but war pictures from the Eastern illustrated papers tacked to the log walls. That was all hard, cheerless, materialistic desolation, but here was a nest which had aspects to rest the tired eye and refresh that something in one’s nature which, after long fasting, recognizes, when confronted by the belongings of art, howsoever cheap and modest they may be, that it has unconsciously been famishing and now has found nourishment.(2) I could not have believed that a rag carpet could feast me so, and so content me; or that there could be such solace to the soul in wall-paper and framed lithographs (平版印刷画), and bright-colored tidies and lamp-mats, and Windsor chairs, and vanished whatnots (陈设架) with sea-shells and books and china vases on them, and the score of little unclassifiable tricks and touches that a woman’s hand distributes about a home, which one sees without knowing he sees them, yet would miss in a moment if they were taken away. The delight that was in my heart showed in my face, and the man saw it and was pleased; saw it so plainly that he answered it as if it had been spoken.(3) “All her work,” he said, caressingly; “she did it all herself—every bit,” and he took the room in with a glance which was full of affectionate worship. One of those soft Japanese fabrics with which women drape with careful negligence the upper part of a picture-frame was out of adjustment, He noticed it, and rearranged it with cautious pains, stepping back several times to gauge the effect before he got it to suit him. Then he gave it a light fi nishing pat or two with his hand, and said: “She always does that. You can’t tell just what it lacks, but it does lack something until you’ve done that—you can see it yourself after it’s done, but that is all you know; you can’t find out the law of it. It’s like the finishing pats a mother gives the child’s hair after she’s got it combed and brushed, I reckon. I’ve seen her fix all these things so much that I can do them all just her way, though I don’t know the law of any of them. But she knows the law. She knows the why and the how both; but I don’t know the why; I only know the how.”(4) He took me into a bedroom so that I might wash my hands; such a bedroom as I had not seen for years: white counterpane, white pillows, carpeted floor, papered walls, pictures, dressing-table, with mirror and pin-cushion and dainty toilet things; and in the corner a wash-stand, with real china-ware bowl and pitcher, and with soap in a china dish, and on a rack more than a dozen towels—towels too clean and white for one out of practice to use without some vague sense of profanation. So my face spoke again, and he answered with gratified words: “All her work; she did it all herself—every bit. Nothing here that hasn’t felt the touch of her hand. Now you would think—But I mustn’t talk so much.”(5) By this time I was wiping my hands and glancing from detail to detail of the room’s belongings, as one is apt to do when he is in a new place, where everything he sees is a comfort to his eye and his spirit; and I became conscious, in one of those unaccountable ways, you know, that there was something there somewhere that the man wanted me to discover for myself. I knew it perfectly, and I knew he was trying to help me by furtive indications with his eye, so I tried hard to get on the right track, being eager to gratify him. I failed several times, as I could see out of the corner of my eyes without being told; but at last I knew I must be looking straight at the thing—knew it from the pleasure issuing in invisible waves from him. He broke into a happy laugh, and rubbed his hands together, and cried out: “That’s it! You’ve found it. I knew you would. It’s her picture.”(6) I went to the little black walnut bracket on the farther wall, and did find there what I had not yet noticed—a picture case. It contained the sweetest girlish face, and the most beautiful, as it seemed to me, that I had ever seen. The man drank the admiration from my face, and was fully satisfied.(7) “Nineteen her last birthday,” h e said, as he put the picture back; “and that was the day we were married. When you see her—ah, just wait till you see her!”(8) “Where is she? When will she be in?”(9) “Oh, she’s away now. She’s gone to see her people. They live forty or fifty miles from here. She’s been gone two weeks today.”(10) “When do you expect her back?”(11) “This is Wednesday. She’ll be back Saturday, in the evening—about nine o’clock, likely.”(12) I felt a sharp sense of disappointment.(13) “I’m sorry, because I’ll be gone then,” I said, regretfully.(14) “Gone? No—why should you go? Don’t go. She’ll be disappointed.”(15) She would be disappointed—that beautiful creature! If she had said the words herself, they could hardly have blessed me more. I was feeling a deep, strong longing to see her—a longing so supplicating, so insistent, that it made me af raid. I said to myself: “I will go straight away from this place, for my peace of mind’s sake.”(16) “You see, she likes to have people come and stop with us—people who know things, and can talk—people like you. She delights in it; for she knows—oh, she knows nearly everything herself, and can talk, oh, like a bird—and the books she reads, why, you would be astonished. Don’t go; it’s only a little while, you know, and she’ll be so disappointed.”(17) I heard the words, but hardly noticed them, I was so deep in my thinkings and strugglings. He left me, but I didn’t know. Presently he was back, with the picture case in his hand, and he held it open before me and said: “There, now, tell her to her face you could have stayed to see her, and you wouldn’t.”20. The author makes the impression in Paras. 1 and 2 by means of __________.A. personificationB. contrastC. metaphorizationD. exaggeration21. Which of the following words BEST describes the man’s feelings about his wife?A. Despicable.B. Sentimental.C. Worshipping.D. Concerned.22. From the description of the man readjusting the fabric over the picture-frame, we can learn that he __.A. cares about detailsB. habitually assists his wifeC. knows why something is doneD. likes to do home decoration23. What made the author feel afraid in Para. 15?A. The weird interior atmosphere.B. The man’s insistence to see his wifeC. The man’s strange words and behavior.D. The deep desire for seeing the man’s wife.24. From the man’s narration, we know that his wife is all of the following EXCEPT __________.A. sociableB. shrewdC. beautifulD. intelligent 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 WORDS in the space provided on ANSWER SHEET TWO. PASSAGE ONE25. What does Prof. Tim Gill think of an SSB tax according to Para. 5?26. What can be summarized from the study results in Para. 8?27. Summarize the AACS’s comments on the SSB tax (Para. 11) in your own words.PASSAGE TWO28. What does the italicized part in Para. 1 imply about the author’s work?29. Which word or phrase in Para. 7 has the same meaning as “limited market” in Para. 6?30. Use THREE adjectives to describe Gary Marsh as a businessman.PASSAGE THREE31. What does the italicized part in Para. 4 imply about the man’s wife?32. What does the italicized phrase “get on the right track” in Para. 5 mean?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. You should proofread the passage and correct it in the following way: For a wrong word, underline the wrong word and write the correct onein the blank provided at the end of the line.For a missing word, mark the position of the missing word with a “∧”sign and write the word you believe to be missingin the blank provided at the end of the line.For an unnecessary word, cross the unnecessary word with a slash “ / ” and putthe word in the blank 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) never them on the wall. When a natural history museumwants an exhibition, it must often build it. (3) exhibit Proofread 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.中国传统文化是我们先辈传承下来的丰厚遗产。
英语专八试卷真题及答案
英语专八试卷真题及答案 Revised final draft November 26, 20202004年英语专八试卷真题及答案PART Ⅰ LISTENING COMPREHENSIONSECTION A TALKLanguage is used for doing things. People use it in everyday conversation for transacting business, planning meals and vacations, debating politics, and gossiping. Teachers use it for instructing students, and comedians use it for amusing audiences. All these are instances of language use - that is activities in which people do things with language. As we can see, language use is really a form of joint action.What is joint action I think it is an action that is carried out by a group of people doing things in coordination with each other. As simple examples, think of two people waltzing, or playing a piano duet. When two dancers waltz, they each move around the ballroom in a special way. But waltzing is different from the sum of their individual actions. Can you imagine these two dancers doing the same steps, but in separate rooms, or at separate times So waltzing is, in fact, the joint action that emerges as the two dancers do their individual steps in coordination, as a couple.Similarly, doing things with language is also different from the sum of the speaker speaking and the listener listening. It is the joint action that emerges when speakers and listeners, or writers and readers, perform their individual actions in coordination, as ensembles. Therefore, we can say that language use incorporates bothindividual and social processes. Speakers and listeners, writers and readers, must carry out actions as individuals, if they are to succeed in their use of language. But they must also work together as participants in the social units I have called ensembles. In the example I mentioned just now, the two dancers perform both individual actions, moving their bodies, arms, and legs, and joint actions, coordinating these movements, as they create the waltz. In the past, language use has been studied as if it were entirely an individual process. And it has also been studied as if it were entirely a social process. For me, I suggest that it belongs to both. We cannot hope to understand language use without viewing it as joint actions built on individual actions. In order to explain how all these actions work,I'd like to review briefly settings of language use. By settings, I mean the scene in which language use takes place, plus the medium - which refers to whether language use is spoken or written. And inthis talk, I'll focus on spoken settings.The spoken setting mentioned most often is conversation - either face to face, or on the telephone. Conversations may be devoted to gossip, business transactions or scientific matters, but they're all characterized by the free exchange of terms among the two participants. I'll call these personal settings. Then we have what I would call nonpersonal settings. A typical example is the monologue.In monologues, one person speaks with little or no opportunity for interruption, or turns by members of the audience. Monologues come in many varieties too, as a professor lectures to a class, or a student giving a presentation to a seminar. These people speak for themselves, uttering words they formulated themselves for the audience before them, and the audience isn't expected to interrupt. In another kindof setting which are called institutional settings, the participantsengage in speech exchanges that look like ordinary conversation, but they are limited by institutional rules. As examples, we can think of a government official holding a news conference, a lawyercross questioning a witness in court, or a professor directing a seminar discussion. In these settings, what is said is more or less spontaneous, even though turns at speaking are allocated by a leader, or are restricted in other ways.The person speaking isn't always the one whose intentions are being expressed. We have the clearest examples in fictional settings. Vivian Leigh plays Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind", Frank Sinatra sings a love song in front of a live audience, the speakers are each vocalizing words composed by someone else - for instance a playwright or a composer - and are openly pretending to be expressing opinions that aren't necessarily their own. Finally there are private settings when people speak for themselves without actually addressing anyone else, for example, I might explain silently to myself, or talk to myself about solving a research problem, or rehearsing what I'm about to say in a seminar tomorrow. What I say isn't intended to be recognized by other people, it is only of use to myself. These are the features of private settings.SECTION B TALKW: Good evening, I'm Nancy Johnson. The guest on our radio talk this evening is Professor Wang Gongwu. Hello, Professor Wang.M: Hello.W: Professor Wang, you're now professor emeritus of Australia National University, and in your long academic career, you've wornmany hats as tutor, lecturer, department head, dean, professor, and vice chancellor. However, as I know, you're still very fond of your university days as a student.M: That's right. That was in 1949. The university that I went to was a brand new university then, and the only one in the country at that time. When I look back, it was an amazingly small university, and we knew everybody.W: How did the students like you, for example, study thenM: We didn't study very hard, because we didn't have to. We didn't have all this fantastic competition that you have today. Mmm. We were always made to feel that getting a first degree in the Arts faculty was not preparation for a profession. It was a general education. We were not under any pressure to decide on our careers, and we had such a good time. We were left very much on our own, and we were encouraged to make things happen.W: What do you see as the most striking difference in university education since thenM: University education has changed dramatically since those days. Things are very specialized today.W: Yes, definitely so. And, in your subsequent career experience as an educator and later administrator in various institutions of higher education in Asia and elsewhere, Professor Wang, you have repeatedlynoted that one has to look at the development of education in one particular country in a broad context. What do you mean by thatM: Well, the whole world has moved away from elite education in universities to meet the needs of mass education, and entering universities is no longer a privilege for the few. And universities today are more concerned with providing jobs for their graduates in a way that universities in our time never had to be bothered about. Therefore, the emphasis of university programs today is now on the practical and the utilitarian, rather than on a general education or on personal development.W: Do you think that is a welcome developmentM: Well, I personally regret this development. But the basicbachelor's education now has to cater to people who really need a piece of paper to find a decent job.W: So you're concerned about this development.M: Yes, I'm very concerned. With technical changes, many of the things that you learn are technical skills, which don't require you to become very well educated. Yet, if you can master those skills, you can get very good jobs. So the technical institutions are going to be increasingly popular at the expense of traditional universitites.W: Professor Wang, let's look at a different issue. How do you comment on the current phenomenon because of the fees they payM: Well, once you accept students on financial grounds, one wonders whether you have to pass them as well. But this is the development in education that we have to contend with. Yet, if we are concerned about maintaining standards, what we can do is to concentrate on improving the quality of education.W: Yes, you're right. A university is judged by the quality of education it offers. Professor Wang, let's turn to the future. What type of graduates, in your view, to universities of the future need to produce, if they are to remain relevantM: I think their graduates must be able to shift from one profession to another, because they are trained in a very independent way. If you can do that, you raise the level of the flexibility of the mind. Today's rapid changes in technology demand this adaptability. And you see the best universities in the world are already trying to guarantee that their students will not only be technically trained, but will be the kind of people that can adapt to any changing situation.W: I guess many people would agree with you on that point. University education should focus on both personal and professional development of students. But still some might believe there is a definite place for education in a broader sense - that is, in personal intellectual development.M: No doubt about that. We need people who will think about the future, about the past, and also people who will think about society.If a society doesn't have philosophers, or people who think about the value of life, it's a very sad society indeed.W: Professor Wang, my last question: do you see any common ground in education between your generation and the young generation nowM: Adapting to new challenges is perhaps the true cornerstone of our generation's legacy to education. And the future of education in a country rests not so much on the construction of better buildings, labs, etc., but in the development of an ever adaptable mind.W:That's true. The essence of education is the education of the mind. Okay, thank you very much, Professor Wang, for talking to us on the show about the changing trends in education.M: You're welcomeSECTION CA new data shows that the global AIDS pandemic will cause a sharp drop in life expectancy in dozens of countries, in some cases, declines of three decades. Several nations are losing a century's progress in extending the length of life. Nations in every part of the world, 51 in all, are suffering declining life expectancies because of an increasing prevalence of HIV infection. The increase is occurring in Asia, Latin America, and the Carribbean, but is greatest in sub Saharan Africa, a region with only 10% of the world's population but 70% of the world's HIV infections. Seven African countries have life expectancies of less than 40 years. For example, in Botswana, where 39% of the adult population is infected with HIV,life expectancy is 39 years. But by 2010, it will be less than 27 years. Without AIDS, it would have been 44 years. Life expectancy throughout the Carribbean and some Central American nations will drop into the 60's by 2010, when they would otherwise have been in the70's without AIDS. In Cambodia and Burma, they are predicted to decline to around 60 years old, to what otherwise would have been in the mid 60's. Even in countries where the number of new infections is dropping, such as Thailand, Uganda, and Senegal, small life expectancy drop is forecast. Back in the early 1990's, we never would have suspected that population growth would have turned negative because of AIDS mortality. In less than 10 years, we expect that 5 countries will be experiencing negative population growth because of AIDS mortality, including South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland.Questions 14 and 15 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.The European Union has drafted alist of US products to be hit with import taxes in retaliation for tariffs the United States has imposed on European steel. EU member governments will review the list before the EU submits it to the World Trade Organization, which arbitrates international trade disputes. EU officials will not say which American products will be hit by the EU sanctions. But diplomats monitoring the most recent trans Atlantic trade dispute say they include textiles and steel products.Earlier this month, the Bush administration imposed tariffs of up to 30 percent on some steel imports, including European products.The EU has appealed to the World Trade Organization to get those duties overturned. But a WTO decision on the matter could take up to a year or more. EU officials say that, under WTO rules, the EU has the right to impose retaliatory measures in June. But they saythe United States can avoid the EU's possible countermeasures if it pays more than two billion dollars in compensation to the EU for imposing the steel tariffs in the first place. The officials say Washington could also escape retaliation by lowering U.S. import duties on other EU products. The Bush administration says it will not pay compensation.SECTION D TALKGood morning. Today's lecture will focus on how to make people feel at ease in conversations. I guessall of you sitting here can recall certain people who just seem to make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you've known them half your life. These people who have that certain something that makes us feel comfortable have something in common, and once we know what that is, we can go about getting some of that something for ourselves. How is it done Here are some of the skills that good talkers have. If you follow the skills, they will help you put people at their ease, make them feel secure, and comfortable, and turn acquaintances into friends. First of all, good talkers ask questions. Almost anyone, no matter how shy, will answer a question. In fact, according to my observation, very shy persons are often more willing to answer questions than extroverts. They are more concerned that someone will think them impolite if they don't respond to the questions. So most skillful conversationalists recommend starting with a question that is personal, but not harmful. For example, once a famous American TV presenter got a long and fascinating interview from a notoriously private billionaire by asking him about his first job. Another example, one prominent woman executive confesses that at business lunches, "I always ask people what they did that morning. It's a dull question, but it gets things going." From there, you can move on to other matters, sometimes to really personal questions. Moreover, howyour responder answers will let you know how far you can go. A few simple catchwords like "Really" "Yes" are clear invitations to continue talking. Second, once good talkers have asked questions,they listen for answers. This point seems obvious, but it isn't in fact. Making people feel comfortable isn't simply a matter of making idle conversation. Your questions have a point. You're really asking, "What sort of person are you" and to find out, you have to really listen. There are at least three components of real listening. Forone thing, real listening means not changing the subject. If someone sticks to one topic, you can assume that he or she is reallyinterested in it. Another component of real listening is listeningnot just to words but to tones of voice. I once mentioned D.H. Lawrence to a friend. To my astonishment, she launched into an academic discussion of the imagery in Lawrence's works. Midway through, I listened to her voice. It was, to put it mildly, unanimated, and it seemed obvious that the imagery monologue was intended solely for my benefit, and I quickly changed the subject. At last, real listening means using your eyes as well as your ears. When your gaze wanders, it makes people think they're boring your, or what they are saying is not interesting. Of course, you don't have to stare, or glare at them. Simply looking attentive will make most people think that you think they're fascinating. Next, good talkers are not afraid to laugh. If you think of all the people you know who make you feel comfortable, you may notice that all of them laugh a lot. Laughter is not only warming and friendly, it's also a good wayto ease other people's discomfort. I have a friend who might enjoy watching at gathering of other people who do not know each other well. The first few minutes of talk are a bit uneasy and hesitant, for the people involved do not yet have a sense of each other. Invariably, alight comment or joke is made, and my friend's easy laughter appears like sunshine in the conversation. There is always then a visible softening that takes place. Other people smile, and loosen in response to her laughter, and the conversation goes on with more warmth and ease.Finally, good talkers are onces who cement a parting. That is, they know how to make use of parting as a way to leave adeep impression on others. Last impressions are just as important as first impressions in determining how a new acquaintance will remember you. People who make others really feel comfortable take advantage of that parting moment to close the deal. Men have had it easier. They have done it with a smile, and a good firm handshake. What about women then Over the last several years, women have started to take over that custom well between themselves or with men. If you'resaying goodbye, you might want to give him or her a second extra hand squeeze. It's a way to say, I really enjoyed meeting you. But it'snot all done with body language. If you've enjoyed being with someone, if you want to see that person again, don't keep it a secret. Let people know how you feel, and they may walk away feeling as ifthey've known you half their life. Okay, just to sum up. Today, we've talked about four ways to make people feel at ease in conversations. These skills are important in keeping conversations going, and in forming friendships later on. Of course, these skills are by no means the only ones we can use. the list is much longer. I hope you willuse these four skills, and discover more on your own in your conversations with other people. Now you have two minutes to check your notes, and then please complete the 15 minute gap filling taskon Answer Sheet One.This is the end of listening comprehension.试题Part Ⅰ Listening Comprehension (40 min)In Sections A,B and C you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your colored answer sheet.SECTION A TALKQuestions 1 to 5 refer to the talk in this section. At the end of the talk you will be given 75 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the talk.1. The parallel between waltzing and language use lies in ____.A. the coordination based on individual actionsB. the number of individual participantsC. the necessity of individual actionsD. the requirements for participants2. In the talk the speaker thinks that language use is a(n) ____ process.A. individualB. combinedC. distinctD. social3. The main difference between personal and non-personal settings is in ____.A. the manner of language useB. the topic and content of speechC. the interactions between speaker and audienceD. the relationship between speaker and audience4. In fictional settings, speakers ____.A. hide their real intentionsB. voice others' intentionsC. play double roles on and off stageD. only imitate other people in life5. Compared with other types of settings, the main feature of private setting is ____.A. the absence of spontaneityB. the presence of individual actionsC. the lack of real intentionsD. the absence of audienceSECTION B INTERVIEWQuestions 6 to 10 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 75 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the interview.6. What was education like in Professor Wang's daysA. Students worked very hard.B. Students felt they needed a second degree.C. Education was not career－oriented.D. There were many specialized subjects.7. According to Professor Wang, what is the purpose of the present－day educationA. To turn out an adequate number of elite for the society.B. To prepare students for their future career.C. To offer practical and utilitarian courses in each programme.D. To set up as many technical institutions as possible.8. In Professor Wang's opinion, technical skills ____.A. require good educationB. are secondary to educationC. don't call for good educationD. don't conflict with education9. What does Professor Wang suggest to cope with the situation caused by increasing numbers of fee-paying studentsA. Shifting from one programme to another.B. Working out ways to reduce student number.C. Emphasizing better quality of education.D. Setting up stricter examination standards.10. Future education needs to produce graduates of all the following categories EXCEPT ____.A. those who can adapt to different professionsB. those who have a high flexibility of mindC. those who are thinkers, historians and philosophersD. those who possess only highly specialized skillsSECTION C NEWS BROADCASTQuestions 11 to 13 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 45 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.11. Which of the following regions in the world will witness the sharpest drop in life expectancyA. Latin America.B. Sub Saharan Africa.C. Asia.D. The Caribbean.12. According to the news, which country will experience small life expectancy dropA. Burma.B. Botswana.C. Cambodia.D. Thailand.13. The countries that are predicted to experience negative population growth are mainly in ____ .A. Asia.B. Africa.C. Latin America.D. The Caribbean.Questions 14 and 15 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.14. The trade dispute between the European Union and the US was caused by ____. refusal to accept arbitration by WTO imposing tariffs on European steel refusal to pay compensation to EU refusal to lower import duties on EU products15. Who will be consulted first before the EU list is submitted to WTOA. EU member states.B. The United States.C. WTO.D. The steel corporations.SECTION D NOTE-TAKING AND GAP-FILLINGIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening to the lecture, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a 15-minute gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE after the mini-lecture. Use the blank paper for note-taking. Fill in each of the gaps with one word. You may refer to your notes. Make sure the word you fill in is both grammatically and semantically acceptable.Conversation SkillsPeople who usually make us feel comfortable in conversations are good talkers. And they have something in common, i.e. skills to put people at ease.1. Skill to ask question1) be aware of the human nature: readiness to answer other's questions regardless of (1)____2) start a conversation with some personal but unharmful questions about one's (2)____ job.questions about one's activities in the (3)____3) be able to spot signals for further talk2. Skill to (4)____for answers1) don't shift from subject to subject-sticking to the same subject: signs of (5)____in conversation.2) listen to (6)____of voice - If people sound unenthusiastic, then change subject.3) use eyes and ears - steady your gaze while listening3. Skill to laughEffects of laughter:- ease people's (7)____- help start (8)____4. Skill to part1) importance: open up possibilities for future friendship or contact2) ways:- men: a smile, a (9)____- women: same as (10)____ now- how to express pleasure in meeting someone.(1) ______ (2) ______ (3) ______ (4) ______ ( 5 ) ______(6) ______ (7) ______ (8) ______ (9) ______ (10) ______PART II PROOFREADING AND ERROR CORRECTION (15 MIN)The following passage contains TEN errors. Each line contains a maximum of one error and three are free from error. In each case, only one word is involved. You should proofread the passage and correct it in the following way.For a wrong word, underline the wrong word and write the correct one in the blank provided at the end of the line.For a missing word, mark the position of the missing word with a “∧” sign and write the word you believe to be missing in the b lank provided at the end of the line.For an unnecessary word, cross out the unnecessary word with a slash “／” and put the word in the blank provided at the end of the line.If the line is correct, place a V in the blank provided at the end of the lineExampleWhen ^ art museum wants a new exhibit, (1) anIt never buys things in finished form and bangs (2) neverthem on the wall. When a natural history museum (3) vwants an exhibition, it must often build it. (4) exhibitProofread the given passage on ANSWER SHEET TWO as instructed.One of the most important non-legislative functions of the U.S Congressis the power to investigate. This power is usually delegated to committees - eitherstanding committees, special committees set for a specific(1)____purpose, or joint committees consisted of members of both houses. (2)____Investigations are held to gather information on the need forfuture legislation, to test the effectiveness of laws already passed,to inquire into the qualifications and performance of members andofficials of the other branches, and in rare occasions, to lay the (3)____groundwork for impeachment proceedings. Frequently, committeesrely outside experts to assist in conducting investigative hearings (4)____and to make out detailed studies of issues. (5)____There are important corollaries to the investigative power. Oneis the power to publicize investigations and its results. Most (6)____committee hearings are open to public and are reported (7)____widely in the mass media. Congressional investigationsnevertheless represent one important tool available to lawmakers (8)____to inform the citizenry and to arouse public interests in national issues. (9)____Congressional committees also have the power to compeltestimony from unwilling witnesses, and to cite for contemptof Congress witnesses who refuse to testify and for perjurythese who give false testimony. (10)____Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (30 min)In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of fifteen multiple-choice questions. Read the passages and then mark your answers on your colored answer sheet.TEXT AFarmers in the developing world hate price fluctuations. It makes it hard to plan ahead. But most of them have little choice: they sell at the price the market sets. Farmers in Europe, the U.S. and Japan are luckier: they receive massive government subsidies in the form of guaranteed prices or direct handouts. Last month U.S. President Bush signed a new farm bill that gives American farmers $190 billion over the next 10 years, or $83 billion more than they had been scheduled to get, and pushes U.S. agricultural support close to crazy European levels. Bush said the step was necessary to "promote farmer independence and preserve the farm way of life for generations". It is also designed to help the Republican Party win control of the Senate in November's mid term elections.Agricultural production in most poor countries accounts for up to 50% of GDP, compared to only 3% in rich countries. But most farmers in poor countries grow just enough for themselves and their families. Those who try exporting to the West find their goods whacked with huge tariffs or competing against cheaper subsidized goods. In 1999 the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development concluded that。
英语专业八级考试真题2023年
英语专业八级考试真题2023年2023年英语专业八级考试真题Part I Listening Comprehension (15 minutes)Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 10 short conversations. At the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the question will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the center.1. A) She has already booked a table for dinner.B) She will not attend the party tonight.C) She is still unsure about going out tonight.D) She will be late for the dinner appointment.2. A) The woman is determined to become a scientist.B) The woman still feels uncertain about her future career.C) The man is encouraging the woman to apply for a job.D) The woman must work diligently to achieve her goals.3. A) A black dress.B) A blue bag.C) A green umbrella.D) A red jacket.4. A) In a store.B) In a cafe.C) In a hotel.D) In a park.5. A) The man prefers to go by bus.B) The man has no interest in going to a party.C) The woman is willing to give the man a ride.D) The woman advises the man to take a taxi.6. A) The man does not believe the manager.B) The man thinks the manager is right.C) The man agrees with the woman.D) The man misunderstands the woman.7. A) The man enjoyed the movie.B) The man did not like the movie.C) The man only watched part of the movie.D) The man left the movie halfway through.8. A) A refund.B) A replacement.C) A discount.D) An upgrade.9. A) A cleaner's.B) A bookstore.C) A library.D) An office.10. A) At 4:30.B) At 4:45.C) At 5:00.D) At 5:15.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C), and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the center.Passage One11. A) He got a better job offer.B) The company refused to renew his contract.C) He wants to retire early.D) He decided to focus on his writing career.12. A) Freelance writer.B) Full-time reporter.C) Newspaper editor.D) College lecturer.13. A) He enjoys the flexibility of his jobs.B) He pays his bills with the money from his job.C) He writes articles for the local newspaper.D) He struggles to make a living as a freelancer.Passage TwoQuestions 14-17 are based on the passage you have just heard.14. A) Educators should not assign summer homework.B) Students should focus on reading during the summer.C) Students need a long break from their studies.D) Educators should encourage students to do voluntary work.15. A) The majority of students do not like reading.B) Teachers should encourage students to read more.C) Reading improves students' academic performance.D) Students hate being assigned compulsory reading.16. A) Read novels by contemporary authors.B) Share their reading experiences with classmates.C) Ask their teachers for book recommendations.D) Visit the library regularly during the summer break.17. A) To improve students' reading skills.B) To keep students occupied during the summer.C) To prepare students for the upcoming school year.D) To provide students with intellectual challenges.Passage ThreeQuestions 18-20 are based on the passage you have just heard.18. A) He is curious about the woman's cooking skills.B) He wants to know the woman's favorite recipe.C) He suggests the woman try a new cuisine.D) He hopes the woman will share her recipe with him.19. A) She dislikes cooking.B) She run a restaurant.C) She follows a strict diet.D) She enjoys experimenting with recipes.20. A) To try out the woman's recipe.B) To watch a cooking show on TV.C) To cook his favorite dish for the woman.D) To learn how to cook from the woman.Part II Reading Comprehension (35 minutes)Directions: There are 4 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 the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the center.Passage OneQuestions 21-25A weather forecast is a prediction of future weather conditions, such as rain, snow, temperatures, and wind. Meteorologists use complex computer models and historical data to help them forecast the weather.One of the most important tools meteorologists use is radar, which is a device that can detect precipitation, like rain or snow, in the atmosphere. By tracking the movement of precipitation, meteorologists can predict where and when it will rain or snow. Another important tool is a weather satellite, which orbits the Earth and provides images of clouds and weather patterns.Meteorologists also use weather stations to collect data, such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, and air pressure. Thisdata is used to create weather maps and forecasts. Meteorologists might also use weather balloons or drones to collect data in the atmosphere.Some weather phenomena, like hurricanes and tornadoes, are particularly difficult to forecast. Meteorologists use satellite data, radar, and computer models to predict the path and intensity of these storms.Meteorologists have made significant advancements in weather forecasting in recent decades. Improved technology and data collection methods have led to more accurate forecasts and faster warning times for severe weather events.21. What is the main topic of the passage?A) The tools meteorologists use to predict the weather.B) The history of weather forecasting.C) The impact of climate change on weather patterns.D) The difficulty of forecasting severe weather events.22. How do meteorologists predict where and when it will rain or snow?A) By tracking the movement of precipitation.C) By analyzing past weather patterns.D) By relying on historical data.23. What do weather satellites provide images of?A) Temperature and humidity.B) Weather balloons.C) Clouds and weather patterns.D) Air pressure and wind speed.24. What are some of the challenges meteorologists face when forecasting the weather?A) Collecting data from weather stations.B) Predicting the path and intensity of hurricanes.C) Using complex computer models.D) Increasing warning times for severe weather events.25. What has led to more accurate weather forecasts in recent years?A) Improved technology and data collection methods.B) A decrease in severe weather events.D) Satellite data.Passage TwoQuestions 26-30The concept of time is a fundamental aspect of human existence. Time governs our daily routines, decisions, and interactions with others. However, the way we perceive and measure time can vary across cultures.In Western cultures, time is often viewed as linear and precise. People are expected to arrive at appointments on time and adhere to schedules. Time is seen as a valuable resource that should not be wasted.In contrast, some cultures have a more fluid and flexible view of time. For example, in many African and Latin American cultures, time is seen as circular rather than linear. Meetings and events may start late or last longer than scheduled.The perception of time can also vary within a single culture. For example, different generations or social groups may have different views on punctuality and time management. Younger generations might prioritize efficiency and timeliness, while older generations might value tradition and patience.The impact of technology on our perception of time is also significant. Digital devices and social media have created a culture of instant gratification and constant connectivity. People are expected to respond to messages and emails quickly, blurring the boundaries between work and personal time.26. What is the main focus of the passage?A) The concept of time in Western cultures.B) The influence of technology on our perception of time.C) The variations in how time is perceived across cultures.D) The importance of punctuality in different cultures.27. How is time viewed in many African and Latin American cultures?A) As a linear and valuable resource.B) As circular and flexible.C) As a social construct.D) As an abstract concept.28. How might different social groups within a single culture perceive time differently?A) Younger generations prioritize tradition and patience.B) Older generations value efficiency and timeliness.C) Different social groups have the same view on punctuality.D) Younger generations might prioritize efficiency and timeliness.29. What impact has technology had on our perception of time?A) It has created a culture of instant gratification.B) It has made people less connected.C) It has increased the importance of tradition.D) It has made people less reliant on schedules.30. Which of the following best summarizes the passage?A) Different cultures have different views on time, and technology has influenced our perception of time.B) Time is an abstract concept that varies across cultures and social groups.C) Punctuality is valued in all cultures, regardless of their perception of time.D) Digital devices have made people more focused on personal time and less on work.Passage ThreeQuestions 31-35The modern workplace is undergoing significant changes due to technological advancements, globalization, and shifting demographics. Employers must adapt to these changes in order to attract and retain top talent.One major trend in the workplace is the rise of remote work. Advances in technology have made it easier for employees to work from anywhere, leading to a growing number of remote workers. This trend has benefits for both employees and employers, such as increased flexibility and reduced overhead costs.Another important trend is the emphasis on diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Companies are recognizing the importance of creating a diverse workforce that reflects the perspectives and backgrounds of their customers. Diversity and inclusion initiatives can lead to greater innovation, better decision-making, and improved employee engagement.The gig economy is also reshaping the way people work. More workers are choosing to work on a freelance or contract basis, rather than traditional full-time employment. This trend provides workers with flexibility and autonomy, but it also presents challenges, such as income instability and lack of benefits.Automation and artificial intelligence are transforming the nature of work by replacing manual tasks and augmenting human capabilities. While this can lead to increased efficiency and productivity, it also raises concerns about job displacement and the future of work.31. What is one major trend in the modern workplace?A) The rise of outsourcing.B) The emphasis on traditional full-time employment.C) The increase in remote work.D) The decline of diversity and inclusion initiatives.32. What are some benefits of remote work for employees and employers?A) Increased oversight and micromanagement.B) Flexible work hours and reduced costs.C) Limited communication and collaboration.D) Strict enforcement of office dress codes.33. Why are companies emphasizing diversity and inclusion in the workplace?A) To reduce innovation and decision-making.B) To reflect the perspectives and backgrounds of their customers.C) To limit employee engagement.D) To promote traditional workforce initiatives.34. What is the gig economy?A) A term used to describe the decline of contract work.B) A trend in traditional full-time employment.C) The emphasis on automation and artificial intelligence.D) More workers choosing freelance or contract work.35. What impact has automation and artificial intelligence had on the nature of work?A) Increased manual tasks and reduced human capabilities.B) Improved job stability and decreased income instability.C) Concerns about job displacement and the future of work.D) A decline in productivity and efficiency.Passage FourQuestions 36-40The hospitality industry plays a vital role in the global economy by providing services such as accommodation, food and beverage, and entertainment. The industry encompasses a wide range of businesses, from hotels and restaurants to airlines and cruise ships.One of the key drivers of growth in the hospitality industry is the rise of international tourism. Travelers from around the world are increasingly seeking unique and personalized experiences, driving demand for high-quality hospitality services.Technological innovation is also transforming the hospitality industry by enhancing customer experiences and improving operational efficiency. For example, hotels are using mobile check-in apps and keyless entry systems to provide convenience and security for guests.Sustainability is another important trend in the hospitality industry. Consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious and are seeking eco-friendly options when traveling.Hotels and restaurants are implementing green practices, such as energy-efficient lighting and waste reduction initiatives, to appeal to environmentally conscious guests.The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the hospitality industry, with travel restrictions and safety concerns leading to a decline in tourism. Hotels and restaurants have had to adapt to new health and safety protocols to ensure thewell-being of guests and employees.36. What services does the hospitality industry provide?A) Entertainment and transportation.B) Accommodation, food and beverage, and entertainment.C) Transportation and energy.D) Food and beverage and accommodation.37. What is driving growth in the hospitality industry?A) A decline in international tourism.B) Increased focus on traditional customer experiences.C) Enhanced operational efficiency.D) Demand for personalized experiences.38. How is technological innovation changing the hospitality industry?A) By eliminating the need for personalized experiences.B) By reducing operational efficiency.C) By enhancing customer experiences.D) By decreasing security for guests.39. Why is sustainability an important trend in the hospitality industry?A) Consumers are seeking more environmentally conscious options.B) Hotels and restaurants want to increase waste production.C) It has no impact on the industry.D) It does not appeal to guests.40. How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the hospitality industry?A) It has led to an increase in tourism.B) It has had no impact on the industry.C) It has resulted in new health and safety protocols.D) It has not affected the well-being of guests and employees.Part III Translation (30 minutes)41. Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.42. Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from English to Chinese. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.Part IV Writing (30 minutes)43. Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic Technology and Human Relationships. You should write at least 150 words and base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below:假设你是一名大学生，针对科技时代人际关系的变化，请谈谈你的看法。
英语专八真题附答案
英语专八真题附答案2010英语专八真题TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (2010)-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 featuresA.(1)__________: to express attitude or intention (1)__________B.Examples1. whispering: need for secrecy2. breathiness: deep emotion3. (2)_________: unimportance (2)__________4. nasality: anxiety5. extra lip-rounding: greater intimacySecond category: physical paralinguistic featuresA.facial expressions1.(3)_______ (3)__________----- smiling: signal of pleasure or welcome2.less common expressions----- eye brow raising: surprise or interest----- lip biting: (4)________ (4)_________B.gesturegestures are related to culture.1.British culture----- shrugging shoulders: (5) ________ (5)__________----- scratching head: puzzlement2.other cultures----- placing hand upon heart:(6)_______ (6)__________----- pointing at nose: secretC.proximity, posture and echoing1.proximity: physical distance between speakers----- closeness: intimacy or threat----- (7)_______: formality or absence of interest (7)_________ Proximity is person-, culture- and (8)________ -specific.(8)_________2.posture----- hunched shoulders or a hanging head: to indicate(9)_____ (9)________----- direct level eye contact: to express an open or challenging attitude3.echoing----- 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 2000.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.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 AStill, the image of any city has a half-life of many years. (So does its name, officially changed in 2001 from Calcutta to Kolkata, which is closer to what the word sounds like in Bengali. Conversing in English, I never heard anyone call the city anything but Calcutta.) To Westerners, the conveyance most identified with Kolkata is not its modern subway—a facility whose spacious stations have art on the walls and cricket matches on televisionmonitors—but the hand-pulled rickshaw. Stories and films celebrate a primitive-looking cart with high wooden wheels, pulled by someone who looks close to needing the succor of Mother Teresa. For years the government has been talking about eliminating hand-pulled rickshaws on what it calls humanitarian grounds—principally on the ground that, as the ma yor of Kolkata has often said, it is offensive to see “one man sweating and straining to pull another man.” But these days politicians also lament the impact of 6,000 hand-pulled rickshaws on a modern city’s traffic and, particularly, on its image. “Wester ners try to associate beggars and these rickshaws with the Calcutta landscape, but this is not what Calcutta stands for,” the chief minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, said in a press conference in 2006. “Our city stands for prosperity and de velopment.” The chief minister—theequivalent of a state governor—went on to announce that hand-pulled rickshaws soon would be banned from the streets of Kolkata.Rickshaws are not there to haul around tourists. (Actually, I saw almost no tourists in Kolkata, apart from the young backpackers on Sudder Street, in what used to be a red-light district and is now said to be the single place in the city where the services a rickshaw puller offers may include providing female company to a gentleman for the evenin g.) It’s the people in the lanes who most regularly use rickshaws—not the poor but people who are just a notch above the poor. They are people who tend to travel short distances, through lanes that are sometimes inaccessible to even the most daring taxi driver. An older woman with marketing to do, for instance, can arrive in a rickshaw, have the rickshaw puller wait until she comes back fromvarious stalls to load her purchases, and then be taken home. People in the lanes use rickshaws as a 24-hour ambulance service. Proprietors of cafés or corner stores send rickshaws to collect their supplies. (One morning I saw a rickshaw puller take on a load of live chickens—tied in pairs by the feet so they could be draped over the shafts and the folded back canopy and even the axle. By the time he trotted off, he was carrying about a hundred upside-down chickens.) The rickshaw pullers told me their steadiest customers are schoolchildren. Middle-class families contract with a puller to take a child to school and pick him up; the puller essentially becomes a family retainer.From June to September Kolkata can get torrential rains, and its drainage system doesn’t need torrential rain to begin backing up. Residents who favor a touch of hyperbole say that in Kolkata “if a stray cat pees, there’s a flood.” During my stay it once rained for about 48 hours. Entire neighborhoods couldn’t be reached by motorized vehicles, and the newspapers showed pictures of rickshaws being pulled through water that was up to the pullers’ waists. When it’s raining, the normal customer base for rickshaw pullers expands greatly, as does the price of a journey. A writer in Kolkata told me, “When it rains, even the governor takes rickshaws.”While I was in Kolkata, a magazine called India Today published its annual ranking of Indian states, according to such measurements as prosperity and infrastructure. Among India’s 20 largest states, Bihar finished dead last, as it has for four of the past five years. Bihar, a couple hundred miles north of Kolkata, is where the vast majority of rickshaw pullers come from. Once in Kolkata, they sleep on the street or in their rickshaws or in a dera—a combination garage and repair shop and dormitorymanaged by someone called a sardar. For sleeping privileges in a dera, pullers pay 100 rupees (about $2.50) a month, which sounds like a pretty good deal until you’ve visited a dera. They gross between 100 and 150 rupees a day, out of which they have to pay 20 rupees for the use of the rickshaw and an occasional 75 or more for a payoff if a policeman stops them for, say, crossing a street where rickshaws are prohibited. A 2003 study found that rickshaw pullers are near the bottom of Kolkata occupations in income, doing better than only the ragpickers and the beggars. For someone without land or education, that still beats trying to make a living in Bihar.There are people in Kolkata, particularly educated and politically aware people, who will not ride in a rickshaw, because they are offended by the idea of being pulled by another human being or because they consider it not the sort of thing people of their station do or because they regard the hand-pulled rickshaw as a relic of colonialism. Ironically, some of those people are not enthusiastic about banning rickshaws. The editor of the editorial pages of Kolkata’s Telegraph—Rudrangshu Mukherjee, a former academic who still writes history books—told me, for instance, that he sees humanitarian considerations as coming down on the side of keeping hand-pulled rickshaws on the road. “I refuse to be carried by another human being myself,” he said, “but I question whether we have the right to take away their livelihood.” Rickshaw supporters point out that when it comes to demeaning occupations, rickshaw pullers are hardly unique in Kolkata.When I asked one rickshaw puller if he thought the government’s plan to rid the city of rickshaws was based on a genuine interest in his welfare, he smiled, with a quick shake ofhis head—a gesture I interpreted to mean, “Ifyou are so naive as to as k such a question, I will answer it, but it is not worth wasting words on.” Some rickshaw pullers I met were resigned to the imminent end of their livelihood and pin their hopes on being offered something in its place. As migrant workers, they don’t have the political clout enjoyed by, say, Kolkata’s sidewalk hawkers, who, after supposedly being scaled back at the beginning of the modernization drive, still clog the sidewalks, selling absolutely everything—or, as I found during the 48 hours of rain, absolut ely everything but umbrellas. “The government was the government of the poor people,” one sardar told me. “Now they shake hands with the capitalists and try to get rid of poor people.”But others in Kolkata believe that rickshaws will simply be confined more strictly to certain neighborhoods, out of the view of World Bank traffic consultants and California investment delegations—or that they will be allowed to die out naturally as they’re supplanted by more modern conveyances. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, after all, is not the first high West Bengal official to say that rickshaws would be off the streets of Kolkata in a matter of months. Similar statements have been made as far back as 1976. The ban decreed by Bhattacharjee has been delayed by a court case and by a widely held belief that some retraining or social security settlement ought to be offered to rickshaw drivers. It may also have been delayed by a quiet reluctance to give up something that has been part of the fabric of the city for more than a cent ury. Kolkata, a resident told me, “has difficulty letting go.” One day a city official handed me a report from the municipal government laying out options for how rickshaw pullers might be rehabilitated.“Which option has been chosen?” I asked, noting that th e report was dated almost exactly a year before my visit.“That hasn’t been decided,” he said.“When will it be decided?”“That hasn’t been decided,” he said.11. According to the passage, rickshaws are used in Kolkata mainly for the following EXCEPTA. taking foreign tourists around the city.B. providing transport to school children.C. carrying store supplies and purchasesD. carrying people over short distances.12. Which of the following statements best describes the rickshaw pullers from Bihar?A. They come from a relatively poor area.B. They are provided with decent accommodation.C. Their living standards are very low in Kolkata.D. They are often caught by policemen in the streets.13. That “For someone without land or education, that still bea ts trying to make a living in Bihar” (4 paragraph) means that even so,A. the poor prefer to work and live in Bihar.B. the poor from Bihar fare better than back home.C. the poor never try to make a living in Bihar.D. the poor never seem to resent their life in Kolkata.14. We can infer from the passage that some educated and politically aware peopleA. hold mixed feelings towards rickshaws.B. strongly support the ban on rickshaws.C. call for humanitarian actions fro rickshaw pullers.D. keep quiet on the issue of banning rickshaws.15. Which of the following statements conveys the author’s sense of humor?A. “…not the poor but people who are just a notch above the poor.” (2 paragraph)B. “…,.which sounds like a pretty good deal until you’ve visited a de ra.” (4 paragraph)C. Kolkata, a resident told me, “ has difficulty letting go.”(7 paragraph).D.“…or, as I found during the 48 hours of rain, absolutely everything but umbrellas.” (6 paragraph)16. The dialogue between the author and the city official at the end of the passage seems to suggestA. the uncertainty of the court’s decision.B. the inefficiency of the municipal government.C. the difficulty of finding a good solution.D. the slowness in processing options.TEXT BDepending on whom you believe, the average American will, over a lifetime, wait in lines for two years (says National Public Radio) or five years (according to customer-loyalty experts).The crucial word is average, as wealthy Americans routinely avoid lines altogether. Once the most democratic of institutions, lines are rapidly becoming the exclusive province of suckers(people who still believe in and practice waiting in lines). Poor suckers, mostly.Airports resemble France before the Revolution: first-class passengers enjoy "élite" s ecurity lines and priority boarding, and disembark before the unwashed in coach, held at bay by a flight attendant, are allowed to foul the Jetway.At amusement parks, too, you can now buy your way out ofline. This summer I haplessly watched kids use a $52 Gold Flash Pass to jump the lines at Six Flags New England, and similar systems are in use in most major American theme parks, from Universal Orlando to Walt Disney World, where the haves get to watch the have-mores breeze past on their way to their seats.Flash Pass teaches children a valuable lesson in real-world economics: that the rich are more important than you, especially when it comes to waiting. An NBA player once said to me, with a bemused chuckle of disbelief, that when playing in Canada--get this--"we have to wait in the same customs line as everybody else."Almost every line can be breached for a price. In several U.S. cities this summer, early arrivers among the early adopters waiting to buy iPhones offered to sell their spots in the lines. On Craigslist, prospective iPhone purchasers offered to pay "waiters" or "placeholders" to wait in line for them outside Apple stores.Inevitably, some semi-populist politicians have seen the value of sort-of waiting in lines with the ordinary people. This summer Philadelphia mayor John Street waited outside an AT&T store from 3:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. before a stand-in from his office literally stood in for the mayor while he conducted official business. And billionaire New York mayor Michael Bloomberg often waits for the subway with his fellow citizens, though he's first driven by motorcade past the stop nearest his house to a station 22 blocks away, where the wait, or at least the ride, is shorter.As early as elementary school, we're told that jumping the line is an unethical act, which is why so many U.S. lawmakers have framed the immigration debate as a kind of fundamental sin of the school lunch line. Alabama Senator Richard Shelby, to citejust one legislator, said amnesty would allow illegal immigrants "to cut in line ahead of millions of people."Nothing annoys a national lawmaker more than a person who will not wait in line, unless that line is in front of an elevator at the U.S. Capitol, where Senators and Representatives use private elevators, lest they have to queue with their constituents.But compromising the integrity of the line is not just antidemocratic, it's out-of-date. There was something about the orderly boarding of Noah's Ark, two by two, that seemed to restore not just civilization but civility during the Great Flood.How civil was your last flight? Southwest Airlines has first-come, first-served festival seating. But for $5 per flight, an unaffiliated company called /doc/78e08b2aac51f01dc281e53a580216f c710a5328.html will secure you a coveted "A" boarding pass when that airline opens for online check-in 24 hours before departure. Thus, the savvy traveler doesn't even wait in line when he or she is online.Some cultures are not renowned for lining up. Then again, some cultures are too adept at lining up: a citizen of the former Soviet Union would join a queue just so he could get to the head of that queue and see what everyone was queuing for.And then there is the U.S., where society seems to be cleaving into two groups: Very Important Persons, who don't wait, and Very Impatient Persons, who do--unhappily.For those of us in the latter group-- consigned to coach, bereft of Flash Pass, too poor or proper to pay a placeholder --what do we do? We do what Vladimir and Estragon did in Waiting for Godot: "We wait. We are bored."17. What does the following sentence mean? “Once themost democratic of institutions, lines are rapidlybecoming the exclusive province of suckers…Poor suckers, mostly.” (2 paragraph)A. Lines are symbol ic of America’s democracy.B. Lines still give Americans equal opportunities.C. Lines are now for ordinary Americans only.D. Lines are for people with democratic spirit only.18. Which of the following is NOT cited as an example of breaching the line?A. Going through the customs at a Canadian airport.B. Using Gold Flash Passes in amusement parks.C. First-class passenger status at airports.D. Purchase of a place in a line from a placeholder.19. We can infer from the passage that politicians (including mayors and Congressmen)A. prefer to stand in lines with ordinary people.B. advocate the value of waiting in lines.C. believe in and practice waiting in lines.D. exploit waiting in lines for their own good.20. What is the tone of the passage?A. Instructive.B. Humorous.C. Serious.D. Teasing.TEXT CA bus took him to the West End, where, among the crazy coloured fountains of illumination, shattering the blue dusk with green and crimson fire, he found the café of his choice, a tea-shop that had gone mad and turned. Bbylonian, a while palace with ten thousand lights. It towered above the other building likea citadel, which indeed it was, the outpost of a new age, perhaps a new civilization, perhaps a new barbarism; and behind the thin marble front were concrete and steel, just as behind the careless profusion of luxury were millions of pence, balanced to the last halfpenny. Somewhere in the background, hidden away, behind the ten thousand llights and acres of white napery and bewildering glittering rows of teapots, behind the thousand waitresses and cash-box girls and black-coated floor managers and temperamental long-haired violinists, behind the mounds of cauldrons of stewed steak, the vanloads of ices, were a few men who went to work juggling with fractions of a farming, who knew how many units of electricity it took to finish a steak-and-kidney pudding and how many minutes and seconds a waitress( five feet four in height and in average health) would need to carry a tray of given weight from the kitchen life to the table in the far corner. In short, there was a warm, sensuous, vulgar life flowering in the upper storeys, and a cold science working in the basement. Such as the gigantic tea-shop into which Turgis marched, in search not of mere refreshment but of all the enchantment of unfamiliar luxury. Perhaps he knew in his heart that men have conquered half the known world, looted whole kingdoms, and never arrived in such luxury. The place was built for him.It was built for a great many other people too, and, as usual, they were al there. It seemed with humanity. The marble entrance hall, piled dizzily with bonbons and cakes, was as crowded and bustling as a railway station. The gloom and grime of the streets, the raw air, all November, were at once left behind, forgotten: the atmosphere inside was golden, tropical, belonging to some high mid-summer of confectionery. Disdaining the lifts, Turgis, once more excited by the sight, sound, and smell of it all, climbed thewide staircase until he reached his favourite floor, whre an orchestra, led by a young Jewish violinist with wandering lustrous eyes and a passion for tremolo effects, acted as a magnet to a thousand girls, scented air, the sensuous clamour of the strings; and, as he stood hesitating a moment, half dazed, there came, bowing, s sleek grave man, older than he was and far more distinguished than he could ever hope to be, who murmured deferentially: “ For one, sir? This way, please,” Shyly, yet proudly, Turgis followed him.21. That “behind the thi n marble front were concrete and steel” suggests thatA. modern realistic commercialism existed behind the luxurious appearance.B. there was a fundamental falseness in the style and the appeal of the café..C. the architect had made a sensible blend of old and new building materials.D. the café was based on physical foundations and real economic strength.22. The following words or phrases are somewhat critical of the tea-shop EXCEPTA. “…turned Babylonian”.B. “perhaps a new barbarism’.C. “acres of white napery”.D. “balanced to the last halfpenny”.23. In its context the statement that “ the place was built for him” means that the café was intended toA. please simple people in a simple way.B. exploit gullible people like him.C. satisfy a demand that already existed.D. provide relaxation for tired young men.24. Which of the following statements about the second paragraph is NOT true?A. The café appealed to most senses simultaneously.B. The café was both full of people and full of warmth.C. The inside of the café was contrasted with the weather outside.D. It stressed the commercial determination of the café owners.25. The following are comparisons made by the author in the second paragraph EXCEPT thatA. the entrance hall is compared to a railway station.B. the orchestra is compared to a magnet.C. Turgis welcomed the lift like a conquering soldier.D. the interior of the café is compared to warm countries.26. The author’s attitude to the café isA. fundamentally critical.B. slightly admiring.C. quite undecided.D. completely neutral.TEXT DI Now elsewhere in the world, Iceland may be spoken of, somewhat breathlessly, as western Europe’s last pristine wilderness. But the environmental awareness that is sweeping the world had bypassed the majority of Icelanders. Certainly they were connected to their land, the way one is complicatedly connected to, or encumbered by, family one can’t do anything about. But the truth is, once you’re off the beat-en paths of the low-lying coastal areas where everyone lives, the roads are few, and they’re all bad, so Iceland’s natural wonders have beenout of reach and unknown even to its own inhab-itants. For them the land has always just been there, something that had to be dealt with and, if possible, exploited—the mind-set being one of land as commodity rather than land as, well, priceless art on the scale of the “Mona Lisa.”When the opportunity arose in 2003 for the national power company to enter into a 40-year contract with the American aluminum company Alcoa to supply hydroelectric power for a new smelter, those who had been dreaming of some-thing like this for decades jumped at it and never looked back. Iceland may at the moment be one of the world’s richest countries, with a 99 percent literacy rate and long life expectancy. But the proj-ect’s advocates, some of them getting on in years, were more emotionally attuned to the country’s century upon century of want, hardship, and colonial servitude to Denmark, which officially had ended only in 1944 and whose psychological imprint remained relatively fresh. For the longest time, life here had meant little more than a sod hut, dark all winter, cold, no hope, children dying left and right, earthquakes, plagues, starvation, volcanoes erupting and destroying all vegeta-tion and livestock, all spirit—a world revolving almost entirely around the welfare of one’s sheep and, later, on how good the cod catch was. In the outlying regions, it still largely does.Ostensibly, the Alcoa project was intended to save one of these dying regions—the remote and sparsely populated east—where the way of life had steadily declined to a point of desperation and gloom. After fishing quotas were imposed in the early 1980s to protect fish stocks, many indi-vidual boat owners sold their allotments or gave them away, fishing rights ended up mostly in the hands of a few companies, and small fishermen。
(完整word版)年英语专八真题及其答案
TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (2010)-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 featuresA.(1)__________: to express attitude or intention (1)__________B.Examples1. whispering: need for secrecy2. breathiness: deep emotion3. (2)_________: unimportance (2)__________4. nasality: anxiety5. extra lip-rounding: greater intimacySecond category: physical paralinguistic featuresA.facial expressions1.(3)_______ (3)__________----- smiling: signal of pleasure or welcome2.less common expressions----- eye brow raising: surprise or interest----- lip biting: (4)________ (4)_________B.gesturegestures are related to culture.1.British culture----- shrugging shoulders: (5) ________ (5)__________----- scratching head: puzzlement2.other cultures----- placing hand upon heart:(6)_______ (6)__________----- pointing at nose: secretC.proximity, posture and echoing1.proximity: physical distance between speakers----- closeness: intimacy or threat----- (7)_______: formality or absence of interest (7)_________Proximity is person-, culture- and (8)________ -specific. (8)_________2.posture----- hunched shoulders or a hanging head: to indeicate(9)_____ (9)________----- direct level eye contact: to express an open or challenging attitude3.echoing----- 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 racialmakeup 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 2000.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 controlinflation?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.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 AStill, the image of any city has a half-life of many years. (So does its name, officially changed in 2001 from Calcutta to Kolkata, which is closer to what the word sounds like in Bengali. Conversing in English, I never heard anyone call the city anything but Calcutta.) To Westerners, the conveyance most identified with Kolkata is not its modern subway—a facility whose spacious stations have art on the walls and cricket matches on television monitors—but the hand-pulled rickshaw. Stories and films celebrate a primitive-looking cart with high wooden wheels, pulled by someone who looks close to needing the succor of Mother Teresa. For years the government has been talking about eliminating hand-pulled rickshaws on what it calls humanitarian grounds—principally on the ground that, as the mayor of Kolkata has often said, it is offensive to see “one man sweating and straining to pull another man.” But these days politicians also lament the impact of 6,000 hand-pulled rickshaws on a modern city’s traffic and, particularly, on its image. “Westerners try to associate beggars and these rickshaws with the Calcutta landscape, but this is not what Calcutta stands for,” the chief minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, said in a press conference in 2006. “Our city stands for prosperity and develo pment.” The chief minister—the equivalent of a state governor—went on to announce that hand-pulled rickshaws soon would be banned from the streets of Kolkata.Rickshaws are not there to haul around tourists. (Actually, I saw almost no tourists in Kolkata, apart from the young backpackers on Sudder Street, in what used to be a red-light district and is now said to be the single place in the city where the services a rickshaw puller offers may include providing female company to a gentleman for the evening.) It’s the people in the lanes who most regularly use rickshaws—not the poor but people who are just a notch above the poor. They are people who tend to travel short distances, through lanes that are sometimes inaccessible to even the most daring taxi driver. An older woman with marketing to do, for instance, can arrive in a rickshaw, have the rickshaw puller wait until she comes back from various stalls to load herpurchases, and then be taken home. People in the lanes use rickshaws as a 24-hour ambulance se rvice. Proprietors of cafés or corner stores send rickshaws to collect their supplies. (One morning I saw a rickshaw puller take on a load of live chickens—tied in pairs by the feet so they could be draped over the shafts and the folded back canopy and even the axle. By the time he trotted off, he was carrying about a hundred upside-down chickens.) The rickshaw pullers told me their steadiest customers are schoolchildren. Middle-class families contract with a puller to take a child to school and pick him up; the puller essentially becomes a family retainer.From June to September Kolkata can get torrential rains, and its drainage system doesn’t need torrential rain to begin backing up. Residents who favor a touch of hyperbole say that in Kolkata “if a stray cat pees, there’s a flood.” During my stay it once rained for about 48 hours. Entire neighborhoods couldn’t be reached by motorized vehicles, and the newspapers showed pictures of rickshaws being pulled through water that was up to the pullers’ waists. When it’s raining, the normal customer base for rickshaw pullers expands greatly, as does the price of a journey. A writer in Kolkata told me, “When it rains, even the governor takes rickshaws.”While I was in Kolkata, a magazine called India Today published its annual ranking of Indian states, according to such measurements as prosperity and infrastructure. Among India’s 20 largest states, Bihar finished dead last, as it has for four of the past five years. Bihar, a couple hundred miles north of Kolkata, is where the vast majority of rickshaw pullers come from. Once in Kolkata, they sleep on the street or in their rickshaws or in a dera—a combination garage and repair shop and dormitory managed by someone called a sardar. For sleeping privileges in a dera, pullers pay 100 rupees (about $2.50) a month, which sounds like a pretty good deal until you’ve visited a dera （防护评估和研究机构）. They gross between 100 and 150 rupees a day, out of which they have to pay 20 rupees for the use of the rickshaw and an occasional 75 or more for a payoff if a policeman stops them for, say, crossing a street where rickshaws are prohibited. A 2003 study found that rickshaw pullers are near the bottom of Kolkata occupations in income, doing better than only the ragpickers（拾破烂的人）and the beggars. For someone without land or education, that still beats trying to make a living in Bihar.There are people in Kolkata, particularly educated and politically aware people,who will not ride in a rickshaw, because they are offended by the idea of being pulled by another human being or because they consider it not the sort of thing people of their station do or because they regard the hand-pulled rickshaw as a relic of colonialism. Ironically, some of those people are not enthusiastic about banning ricks haws. The editor of the editorial pages of Kolkata’s Telegraph—Rudrangshu Mukherjee, a former academic who still writes history books—told me, for instance, that he sees humanitarian considerations as coming down on the side of keeping hand-pulled rickshaw s on the road. “I refuse to be carried by another human being myself,” he said, “but I question whether we have the right to take away their livelihood.” Rickshaw supporters point out that when it comes to demeaning occupations, rickshaw pullers are hardly unique in Kolkata.When I asked one rickshaw puller if he thought the government’s plan to rid the city of rickshaws was based on a genuine interest in his welfare, he smiled, with a quick shake of his head—a gesture I interpreted to mean, “If you are so naive as to ask such a question, I will answer it, but it is not worth wasting words on.” Some rickshaw pullers I met were resigned to the imminent end of their livelihood and pin their hopes on being offered something in its place. As migrant workers, the y don’t have the political clout enjoyed by, say, Kolkata’s sidewalk hawkers, who, after supposedly being scaled back at the beginning of the modernization drive, still clog the sidewalks, selling absolutely everything—or, as I found during the 48 hours of rain, absolutely everything but umbrellas. “The government was the government of the poor people,” one sardar（司令官）told me. “Now they shake hands with the capitalists and try to get rid of poor people.”But others in Kolkata believe that rickshaws will simply be confined more strictly to certain neighborhoods, out of the view of World Bank traffic consultants and California investment delegations—or that they will be allowed to die out naturally as they’re supplanted by more modern conveyances. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, after all, is not the first high West Bengal official to say that rickshaws would be off the streets of Kolkata in a matter of months. Similar statements have been made as far back as 1976. The ban decreed by Bhattacharjee has been delayed by a court case and by a widely held belief that some retraining or social security settlement ought to be offered to rickshaw drivers. It may also have been delayed by a quiet reluctance to give upsomething that has been part of the fabric of the city for more than a century. Kolkata, a resident told me, “has difficulty letting go.” One day a city official handed me a report from the municipal government laying out options for how rickshaw pullers might be rehabilitated.“Which option has been chosen?” I a sked, noting that the report was dated almost exactly a year before my visit.“That hasn’t been decided,” he said.“When will it be decided?”“That hasn’t been decided,” he said.11. According to the passage, rickshaws are used in Kolkata mainly for the followingEXCEPTA. taking foreign tourists around the city.B. providing transport to school children.C. carrying store supplies and purchasesD. carrying people over short distances.12. Which of the following statements best describes the rickshaw pullers from Bihar?A. They come from a relatively poor area.B. They are provided with decent accommodation.C. Their living standards are very low in Kolkata.D. They are often caught by policemen in the streets.13. That “For someone without land or educat ion, that still beats trying to make aliving in Bihar” (4 paragraph) means that even so,A. the poor prefer to work and live in Bihar.B. the poor from Bihar fare better than back home.C. the poor never try to make a living in Bihar.D. the poor never seem to resent their life in Kolkata.14. We can infer from the passage that some educated and politically aware peopleA. hold mixed feelings towards rickshaws.B. strongly support the ban on rickshaws.C. call for humanitarian actions fro rickshaw pullers.D. keep quiet on the issue of banning rickshaws.15. Which of the following statements conveys the author’s sense of humor?A. “…not the poor but people who are just a notch above the poor.” (2 paragraph)B. “…,.which sounds like a pretty good deal until you’ve visited a dera.” (4paragraph)C. Kolkata, a resident told me, “ has difficulty letting go.” (7 paragraph).D.“…or, as I found during the 48 hours of rain, absolutely ever ything butumbrellas.” (6 paragraph)16. The dialogue between the author and the city official at the end of the passageseems to suggestA. the uncertainty of the court’s decision.B. the inefficiency of the municipal government.C. the difficulty of finding a good solution.D. the slowness in processing options.TEXT BDepending on whom you believe, the average American will, over a lifetime, wait in lines for two years (says National Public Radio) or five years (according to customer-loyalty experts).The crucial word is average, as wealthy Americans routinely avoid lines altogether. Once the most democratic of institutions, lines are rapidly becoming the exclusive province of suckers(people who still believe in and practice waiting in lines). Poor suckers, mostly.Airports resemble France before the Revolution: first-class passen gers enjoy "élite" security lines and priority boarding, and disembark before the unwashed in coach, held at bay by a flight attendant, are allowed to foul the Jetway.At amusement parks, too, you can now buy your way out of line. This summer I haplessly watched kids use a $52 Gold Flash Pass to jump the lines at Six Flags New England, and similar systems are in use in most major American theme parks, from Universal Orlando to Walt Disney World, where the haves get to watch the have-mores breeze past on their way to their seats.Flash Pass teaches children a valuable lesson in real-world economics: that the rich are more important than you, especially when it comes to waiting. An NBA player once said to me, with a bemused chuckle of disbelief, that when playing in Canada--getthis--"we have to wait in the same customs line as everybody else."Almost every line can be breached for a price. In several U.S. cities this summer, early arrivers among the early adopters waiting to buy iPhones offered to sell their spots in the lines. On Craigslist, prospective iPhone purchasers offered to pay "waiters" or "placeholders" to wait in line for them outside Apple stores.Inevitably, some semi-populist politicians have seen the value of sort-of waiting in lines with the ordinary people. This summer Philadelphia mayor John Street waited outside an AT&T store from 3:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. before a stand-in from his office literally stood in for the mayor while he conducted official business. And billionaire New York mayor Michael Bloomberg often waits for the subway with his fellow citizens, though he's first driven by motorcade past the stop nearest his house to a station 22 blocks away, where the wait, or at least the ride, is shorter.As early as elementary school, we're told that jumping the line is an unethical act, which is why so many U.S. lawmakers have framed the immigration debate as a kind of fundamental sin of the school lunch line. Alabama Senator Richard Shelby, to cite just one legislator, said amnesty would allow illegal immigrants "to cut in line ahead of millions of people."Nothing annoys a national lawmaker more than a person who will not wait in line, unless that line is in front of an elevator at the U.S. Capitol, where Senators and Representatives use private elevators, lest they have to queue with their constituents.But compromising the integrity of the line is not just antidemocratic, it's out-of-date. There was something about the orderly boarding of Noah's Ark, two by two, that seemed to restore not just civilization but civility during the Great Flood.How civil was your last flight? Southwest Airlines has first-come, first-served festival seating. But for $5 per flight, an unaffiliated company called will secure you a coveted "A" boarding pass when that airline opens for online check-in 24 hours before departure. Thus, the savvy traveler doesn't even wait in line when he or she is online.Some cultures are not renowned for lining up. Then again, some cultures are too adept at lining up: a citizen of the former Soviet Union would join a queue just so he could get to the head of that queue and see what everyone was queuing for.And then there is the U.S., where society seems to be cleaving into two groups:Very Important Persons, who don't wait, and Very Impatient Persons, who do--unhappily.For those of us in the latter group-- consigned to coach, bereft of Flash Pass, too poor or proper to pay a placeholder --what do we do? We do what Vladimir and Estragon did in Waiting for Godot: "We wait. We are bored."17. What does the following sentence mean? “Once the most democratic ofinstitutions, lines are rapidly becoming the exclusive province of suckers…Poor suckers, mostly.” (2 paragraph)A. Lines are symbolic of America’s democracy.B. Lines still give Americans equal opportunities.C. Lines are now for ordinary Americans only.D. Lines are for people with democratic spirit only.18. Which of the following is NOT cited as an example of breaching the line?A. Going through the customs at a Canadian airport.B. Using Gold Flash Passes in amusement parks.C. First-class passenger status at airports.D. Purchase of a place in a line from a placeholder.19. We can infer from the passage that politicians (including mayors andCongressmen)A. prefer to stand in lines with ordinary people.B. advocate the value of waiting in lines.C. believe in and practice waiting in lines.D. exploit waiting in lines for their own good.20. What is the tone of the passage?A. Instructive.B. Humorous.C. Serious.D. Teasing.TEXT CA bus took him to the West End, where, among the crazy coloured fountains of illumination, shattering the blue dusk with green and crimson fire, he found the café ofhis choice, a tea-shop that had gone mad and turned. Bbylonian, a while palace with ten thousand lights. It towered above the other building like a citadel, which indeed it was, the outpost of a new age, perhaps a new civilization, perhaps a new barbarism; and behind the thin marble front were concrete and steel, just as behind the careless profusion of luxury were millions of pence, balanced to the last halfpenny. Somewhere in the background, hidden away, behind the ten thousand llights and acres of white napery and bewildering glittering rows of teapots, behind the thousand waitresses and cash-box girls and black-coated floor managers and temperamental long-haired violinists, behind the mounds of cauldrons of stewed steak, the vanloads of ices, were a few men who went to work juggling with fractions of a farming, who knew how many units of electricity it took to finish a steak-and-kidney pudding and how many minutes and seconds a waitress( five feet four in height and in average health) would need to carry a tray of given weight from the kitchen life to the table in the far corner. In short, there was a warm, sensuous, vulgar life flowering in the upper storeys, and a cold science working in the basement. Such as the gigantic tea-shop into which Turgis marched, in search not of mere refreshment but of all the enchantment of unfamiliar luxury. Perhaps he knew in his heart that men have conquered half the known world, looted whole kingdoms, and never arrived in such luxury. The place was built for him.It was built for a great many other people too, and, as usual, they were al there. It seemed with humanity. The marble entrance hall, piled dizzily with bonbons and cakes, was as crowded and bustling as a railway station. The gloom and grime of the streets, the raw air, all November, were at once left behind, forgotten: the atmosphere inside was golden, tropical, belonging to some high mid-summer of confectionery. Disdaining the lifts, Turgis, once more excited by the sight, sound, and smell of it all, climbed the wide staircase until he reached his favourite floor, whre an orchestra, led by a young Jewish violinist with wandering lustrous eyes and a passion for tremolo effects, acted as a magnet to a thousand girls, scented air, the sensuous clamour of the strings; and, as he stood hesitating a moment, half dazed, there came, bowing, s sleek grave man, older than he was and far more distinguished than he could ever hope to be, who murmured deferentially: “ For one, sir? This way, please,” Shyly, yet proudly, Turgis followed him.21. That “behind the thin marble front were concrete and steel” suggests thatA. modern realistic commercialism existed behind the luxurious appearance.B. there was a fundamental falseness in the style and the appeal of the café..C. the architect had made a sensible blend of old and new building materials.D. the café was based on physical foundations and real economic strength.22. The following words or phrases are somewhat critical of the tea-shop EXCEPTA. “…turned Babylonian”.B. “perhaps a new barbarism’.C. “acres of white napery”.D. “balanced to the last halfpenny”.23. In its context the statement that “ the place was built for him” means that thecafé was intended toA. please simple people in a simple way.B. exploit gullible people like him.C. satisfy a demand that already existed.D. provide relaxation for tired young men.24. Which of the following statements about the second paragraph is NOT true?A. The café appealed to most senses simultaneously.B. The café was both full of people and full of warmth.C. The inside of the café was contrasted wi th the weather outside.D. It stressed the commercial determination of the café owners.25. The following are comparisons made by the author in the second paragraphEXCEPT thatA. the entrance hall is compared to a railway station.B. the orchestra is compared to a magnet.C. Turgis welcomed the lift like a conquering soldier.D. the interior of the café is compared to warm countries.26. The author’s attitude to the café isA. fundamentally critical.B. slightly admiring.C. quite undecided.D. completely neutral.TEXT DI Now elsewhere in the world, Iceland may be spoken of, somewhat breathlessly, as western Europe’s last pristine wilderness. But the environmental awareness that is sweeping the world had bypassed the majority of Icelanders. Certainly they were connected to their land, the way one is complicatedly connected to, or encumbered by, family one can’t do anything about. But the truth is, once you’re off the beat-en paths of the low-lying coastal areas where everyone lives, the roads are few, and they’re all bad, so Iceland’s natural wonders have been out of reach and unknown even to its own inhab-itants. For them the land has always just been there, something that had to be dealt with and, if possible, exploited—the mind-set being one of land as commodity rather than land as, well, priceless art on the scale of the “Mona Lisa.”When the opportunity arose in 2003 for the national power company to enter into a 40-year contract with the American aluminum company Alcoa to supply hydroelectric power for a new smelter, those who had been dreaming of some-thing like this for decades jumped at it and never looked back. Iceland may at the moment be one of the world’s richest countries, with a 99 percent literacy rate and long life expectancy. But the proj-ect’s advocates, some of them getting on in years, were more emotionally attuned to the country’s century upon century of want, hardship, and colonial servitude to Denmark, which officially had ended only in 1944 and whose psychological imprint remained relatively fresh. For the longest time, life here had meant little more than a sod hut, dark all winter, cold, no hope, children dying left and right, earthquakes, plagues, starvation, volcanoes erupting and destroying all vegeta-tion and livestock, all spirit—a world revolving almost entirely around the welfare of one’s sheep and, later, on how good the cod catch was. In the outlying regions, it still largely does.Ostensibly, the Alcoa project was intended to save one of these dying regions—the remote and sparsely populated east—where the way of life had steadily declined to a point of desperation and gloom. After fishing quotas were imposed in the early 1980s to protect fish stocks, many indi-vidual boat owners sold their allotments or gave them away, fishing rights ended up mostly in the hands of a few companies, and small fishermen were virtually wiped out. Technological advances drained away even more jobs previously done by human hands, and the people were seeing every-thing they had worked for all their lives turn up worthless and their children move away. With the old way of life doomed, aluminum projects like this one had come to be perceived,。
2023英语专业八级真题及答案
Section B interviewin this section you will hear everything once only. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the conect answer to each question on your colored 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 following five questions.Now listen lo the interview1. According to Nigel, most problems of air travel are caused byA.Unfavorable weather conditions.B.Airports handling capacity.C.Inadequate ticketing service.D. Overbooking.2.Which of the following is not mentioned as compensation for volunteers for the next fight out?A. Free ticket.BFree phone callC. Cash rewardD. Scat reservationWhy does Nigel suggest that business travelers avoid big airports?A Because all flights in and out of there are full.B.Because the volume of traffic is heavy.C.Because there are more popular flights.D.Because there are more delays and cancellations.3.According to Nigel, inexperience travelers are likely to make the following mistakes except.A Booking on less popular flights.B.buying tickets at full price.C.carrying excessive luggage.D.planning long business trips.5. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?A.The possibility of discounts depends on a travel agent's volume of business.B.Longer flights to the same destination maybe cheaper.C.It is advisable to plan every detail of a trip in advance.D.arranging for stopovers can avoid overnight travel.SECTION C NEWS BROACASTIn 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 bepeople's outlook on lift.A.people's life styles.B.people's living standardpeople's social values.28.Changes in pension schemes were also part ofthe corporate lay-offs.A.the government cuts in welfare spending.B.the economic restructuring.C.the warning power of labors unions.29.Thousands of employees chose Enron as their sole investment option mainly becauseThe 401 (k) made them responsible for their own future.A.Enron offered to add company stock to their investment.B.their employers intended to cut back on pension spending.C.Enron's offer was similar to a defined-benefit plan.30.Which is NOT seen as a lesson drawn from the Enron disaster?A.401(k) assets should be placed in more than one investment option.B.Employees have to take up responsibilities for themselves.C.Such events could happen again as it is not easy to change people's mind.D.Economic security won't be taken for granted by future young workers.PART HI GENERAL KNOWLEDGE (1() MIN)The majority of the current population in the UK are decedents of all the following tribes respectively EXCEPTA.the Anglosthe CeltsB.the Jutesthe Saxons31.The Head of State of Canada is represented bythe MonarchA.the Presidentthe Prime MinisterB.the Governor-generalThe Declaration of Independence was written byA.Thomas JeffersonGeorge WashingtonB.Alexander HamiltonJames Madison32.The original inhabitants of Australia werethe Red IndiansA.the Eskimosthe AboriginesB.the MaorisWhich of the following novels was written by Emily Bronte?A.Oliver TwistMiddlemarchB.Jane EyreWuthering Heights33.William Butler Yeats was a(n)poet and playwright.A.AmericanCanadianB.IrishAustralian34.Death of a Salesman was written byArthur MillerA.Ernest HemingwayRalph EllisonB.James Baldwin38.refers to the study of the internal structure of words and the rules of word formation.A.PhonologyMorphologyB.SemanticsSociolinguistics39.The distinctive features of a speech variety may be all the following EXCEPTlexicalA.syntacticphonologicalB.psycholinguisticThe word tail once referred to “the tail of a horse” , but now it is use d to mean “the tail of any animal.This is an example ofA.widening of meaningnarrowing of meaningB.meaning shiftloss of meaning英译中Scientific and technological advances are enabling us to comprehend the furthest reaches of the cosmos, the most basic constituents of matter, and the miracle of life.At the same lime, today, the actions, and inaction, of human beings imperil not only life on the planet, but the very life of the planet.Globalization is making the world smaller, faster and richer. Still, 9/11, avian flu, and Iran remind us that a smaller, faster world is not necessarily a safer world.Our world is bursting with knowledge - but desperately in need of wisdom. Now, when sound bites are getting shorter, when instant messages crowd out essays, and when individual lives grow more frenzied, college graduates capable of deep reflection are what our world needs.For all these reasons I believed - and I believe even more strongly today - in the unique and irreplaceable mission of universities.科技进步正在使我们能够探索宇宙的边陲、物质最根本的成分及生命的奇迹.与此同时，今天，人类所做的及没能做到的事情，不仅危害到这个星球上的生命，也危害到该星球的寿命。
专业英语八级真题附答案详解
专业英语八级真题附答案详解TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (1999)—GRADE EIGHTPAPER ONEPART ⅠLISTENING COMPREHENSION (40 MIN. )In Sections A, B and C you will hear everything once only. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow.SECTION A TALKQuestions 1 to 5 refer to the talk in this section. At the end of the talk you will be given 15 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the talk.1. The technology to make machines quieterA. has been in use since the 1930's.B. has accelerated industrial production.C. has just been in commercial use.D. has been invented to remove all noises.2. The modern electronic anti-noise devicesA. are an update version of the traditional methods.B. share similarities with the traditional methods.C. are as inefficient as the traditional methods.D. are based on an entirely new working principle.3. The French company is working on anti-noise techniques to be used in all EXCEPTA. streets.B. factories.C. aircraft.D. cars.4. According to the talk, workers in "zones of quiet" canA. be more affected by noise.B. hear talk from outside the zone.C. work more efficiently.D. be heard outside the zone.5. The main theme of the talk is aboutA. noise-control technology.B. noise in factories.C. noise-control regulations.D. noise-related effects.SECTION B INTERVIEWQuestions 6 to 10 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 15 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the interview.6. Employees in the US are paid for their time. This means that they are supposed toA. work hard while their boss is around.B. come to work when there is work to be done.C. work with initiative and willingness.D. work through their lunch break.7. One of the advantages of flexible working hours is thatA. pressure from work can be reduced.B. working women can have more time at home.C. traffic and commuting problems can be solved.D. personal relationships in offices can be improved.8. On the issue of working contracts in the US, which statement is NOT correct?A. Performance at work matters more than anything else.B. There are laws protecting employees' working rights.C. Good reasons must be provided in order to fire workers.D. Working contracts in the US are mostly short-term ones.9. It can be assumed from the interview that an informalatmosphere might be found inA. small firms.B. major banks.C. big corporations.D. law offices.10. The interview is mainly about __________ in the USA.A. office hierarchiesB. office conditionsC. office rules.D. office life.SECTION C NEWS BROADCASTQuestion 11 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given15 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.11. Senator Bob Dole's attitude towards Clinton's anti-crime policy is that ofA. opposition.B. support.C. ambiguity.D. indifference.Questions 12 and 13 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.12. Japan and the United States are nowA. negotiating about photographic material.B. negotiating an automobile agreement.C. facing serious problems in trade.D. on the verge of a large-scale trade war.13. The news item seems to indicate that the agreementA. will end all other related trade conflicts.B. is unlikely to solve the dispute once and for all.C. is linked to other trade agreements.D. is the last of its kind to be reached.Question 14 and 15 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.14. According to the news, the ice from Greenland provides information aboutA. oxygen.B. ancient weather.C. carbon dioxide.D. temperature.15. Which of the following statement is CORRECT?A. Drastic changes in the weather have been common since ancient times.B. The change in weather from very cold to very hot lasted over a century.C. The scientists have been studying ice to forecast weather in the future.D. The past 10,000 years have seen minor changes in the weather.SECTION D NOTE-TAKING AND GAP-FILLINGIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture once only. While listening to the lecture, take notes on the important points. Y our notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a 15-minute gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET after the mini-lecture. Use the blank sheet for note-taking ANSWER SHEETAt present companies and industries like to sponsor sports events. Two reasons are put forward to explain this phenomenon.The first reason is that they get (1) throughout the world.The second reason is that companies and industries (2) money as they get reductions in the tax they owe if they sponsor sports or arts activities.As sponsorship is (3) careful thinking is required in deciding which events to sponsor.It is important that the event to be sponsored (4) the product(s) to be promoted. That is, the right (5) and maximum product coverage must be guaranteed in the event.Points to be considered in sports sponsorship.Popularity of the eventInternational sports events are big (6) events, which get extensive coverage on TV and in press.Smaller events attract fewer people.Identification of the potential audienceAiming at the right audience is most important for smaller events.The right audience would attract manufacturers of related products like (7) , etc.Advantages of sponsorshipAdvantages are longer-term.People are expected to respond 8 to the products promoted and be more likely to buy them.Advertising is 9 the mind.Sponsorship is better than straight advertising:a) less 10b) tax-freePART ⅡPROOFREADING AND ERROR CORRECTION (15 MIN. )Proofread the given passage on ANSWER SHEET asinstructed.The hunter-gatherer tribes that today live as our prehistoric (1) __________human ancestors consume primarily a vegetable diet supplementing (2) __________with animal foods. An analysis of 58 societies of modern hunter-gatherers, including the Kung of southern Africa, revealed thatone-half emphasize gathering plant foods, one-third concentrate onfishing, and only one-sixth are primarily hunters. Overall, two-thirds and (3) __________more of the hunter-gatherer's calories come from plants. Detailed studiesof the Kung by the food scientists at the University of London, showedthat gathering is a more productive source of food than is hunting. Anhour of hunting yields in average about 100 edible calories, (4) __________as an hour of gathering produces 240. (5) __________ Plant foods provide for 60 percent to 80 percent of the Kung diet, (6) __________and no one goes hungry when the hunt fails, interestingly, if they escapefatal infections or accidents, these contemporary aborigines live to oldages despite of the absence of medical care. They experience no obesity, (7) __________and no middle-aged spread, little dental decay, no high blood pressure, noheart disease, and their blood cholesterol level are very low (about half of (8) __________the average American adult. ) If no one is suggesting that we return to (9) __________an aboriginal life, we certainly could use their eating habits as a model for healthier diet. (10) __________ PART ⅢREADING COMPREHENSION (40 MIN. )SECTION A READING COMPREHENSION (30 MIN. )In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of fifteen multiple- choice questions. Read the passages carefully and then answer the questions.TEXT ARicci's "Operation Columbus"1 Ricci, 45, is now striking out on perhaps his boldest venture yet. He plans to market an English-language edition of his elegant monthly art magazine, FMR, in the United States. Once again the skeptics are murmuring that the successful Ricci has headed for a big fall. And once again Ricci intends to prove them wrong.2 Ricci is so confident that he has christen quest "Operation Columbus" and has set his sights on discovering an American readership of 300,000. That goal may not be too far- fetched. The Italian edition of FMR —the initials, of course, stand for Franco Maria Ricci— is only 18 months old. But it is already the second largest artmagazine in the world, with a circulation of 65,000 and a profit margin of US $ 500,000. The American edition will be patterned after the Italian version, with each 160-page issuecarrying only 40 pages of ads and no more than five articles. But the contents will often differ. The English-language edition will include more American works, Ricci says, to help Americans get over "an inferiority complex about their art". He also hopes that the magazine will become a vehicle for a two-way cultural exchange —what he likes to think of as a marriage of brains, culture and taste from both sides of the Atlantic.3 To realize this version, Ricci is mounting one of the most lavish, enterprising — and expensive promotional campaigns in magazine-publishing history. Between November and January, eight jumbo jets will fly 8 million copies of a sample 16-page edition of FMR across the Atlantic. From a warehouse in Michigan, 6.5 million copies will be mailed to American subscribers of various cultural, art and business magazines. Some of the remaining copies will circulate as a special Sunday supplement in the New York Times. The cost of launching Operation Columbus is a staggering US $ 5 million, but Ricci is hoping that 600% of the price tag will be financed by Italian corporations. "To land in America Columbus had to use Spanish sponsors," reads one sentence in his promotional pamphlet. "We would like Italians."4 Like Columbus, Ricci cannot know what his reception, will be on foreign shores. In Italy he gambled —and won —on a simple concept: it is more important to show art than to write about it. Hence, one issue of FMR might feature 32 full-colour pages of 17th-century tapestries, followed by 14 pages of outrageous eyeglasses. He is gambling that the concept is exportable. "I don't expect that more than 30% of my readers.., will actually read FMR," he says. "The magazine is such a visual delight that they don't have to. "Still, he is lining up an impressive stable of writers and professors for the American edition,including Noam Chomsky, Anthony Burgess, Eric Jong and Norman Mailer. In addition, he seems to be pursuing his own eclectic vision without giving a moment's thought to such established competitors as Connosisseur and Horizon. "The Americans can do almost everything better than we can, "says Ricci," But we (the Italians) have a 2,000 year edge on them in art."16. Ricci intends his American edition of FMR to carry more American art works in order toA. boost Americans' confidence in their art.B. follow the pattern set by his Italian edition.C. help Italians understand American art better.D. expand the readership of his magazine.17. Ricci is compared to Columbus in the passage mainly becauseA. they both benefited from Italian sponsors.B. they were explorers in their own ways.C. they obtained overseas sponsorship.D. they got a warm reception in America.18. We get the impression that the American edition of FMR will probablyA. carry many academic articles of high standard.B. follow the style of some famous existing magazines.C. be read by one third of American magazine readers.D. pursue a distinctive editorial style of its own.TEXT BUncle Geoff1 My mother's relations were very different form the Mitfords. Her brother, Uncle Geoff, who often came to stay at Swinbrook, was a small, spare man with thoughtful blue eyes and a rathersilent manner. Compared to Uncle T ommy, he was an intellectual of the highest order, and indeed his satirical pen belied his mild demeanor. He spent most of his waking hours composing letters to The Times and other publications in which he outlined his own particular theory of the development of English history. In Uncle Geoff's view, the greatness of England had risen and waned over the centuries in direct proportion to the use of natural manure in fertilizing the soil. TheBlack Death of 1348 was caused by gradual loss of the humus fertility found under forest trees. The rise of the Elizabethans two centuries later was attributable to the widespread use of sheep manure.2 Many of Uncle Geoff's letters-to-the-editor have fortunately been preserved in a privately printed volume called Writings of A Rebel. Of the collection, one letter best sums up his views on the relationship between manure and freedom. He wrote:3 Collating old records shows that our greatness rises and falls with the living fertility of our soil. And now, many years of exhausted and chemically murdered soil, and of devitalized food from it, has softened our bodies and still worse, softened our national character. It is an actual fact that character is largely a product of the soil. Many years of murdered food from deadened soil has made us too tame. Chemicals have had their poisonous day. It is now the worm's turn to reform the manhood of England. The only way to regain our punch, our character, our lost virtues, and with them the freedom natural to islanders, is to compost our land so as to allow moulds, bacteria and earthworms to remake living soil to nourish Englishmen's bodies and spirits.4 The law requiring pasteurization of milk in England was aparticular target of Uncle Geoff's. Fond of alliteration, he dubbed it "Murdered Milk Measure," and established the Liberty Restoration League, with headquarters at his house in London, for the specific purpose of organizing a counteroffensive. "Freedom not Doctordom" was the League's proud slogan. A subsidiary, but nevertheless important, activity of the League was advocacy of a return to the " unsplit, slowly smoked fish" and bread made with "English stone-ground flour, yeast, milk, sea salt and raw cane-sugar."19. According to Uncle Geoff, national strength could only be regained byA. reforming the manhood of England.B. using natural manure as fertilizer.C. eating more bacteria-free food.D. granting more freedom to Englishmen.20. The tone of the passage can most probably be described asA. facetious.B. serious.C. nostalgic.D. factual.TEXT CInterview1 So what have they taught you at college about interviews? Some courses go to town on it, others do very little. You may get conflicting advice. Only one thing is certain: the key to success is preparation.2 There follow some useful suggestions from a teacher training course co-ordinator, a head of department anda headteacher. As they appear to be in complete harmonywith one another despite never having met, we may take their advice seriously.3 Oxford Brookes University's approach to the business of application and interview focuses on research and rehearsal. Training course co-ordinator Brenda Stevens speaks of the value of getting students "to deconstruct the advertisement, see what they can offer to that school, and that situation, and then write the letter, do their CVs and criticize each other's ". Finally, they role play interviewer and interviewee.4 This is sterling stuff, and Brookes students spend a couple of weeks on it. "The better prepared students won't be thrown by nerves on the day," says Ms. Stevens. "They'll have their strategies and questions worked out. "She also says, a trifle disconcertingly, "the better the student, the worse the interviewee. ' She believes the most capable students are less able to put themselves forward. Even if this were true, says Ms. Stevens, you must still make your own case.5 "Beware of informality," she advises. One aspirant teacher, now a head of department at a smart secondary school, failed his first job interview because he took his jacket off while waiting for his appointment. It was hot and everyone in the staffroom was in shirtsleeves but at the end of the day they criticized his casual attitude, which they had deduced from the fact that he took his jacket off in the staffroom, even though he put it back on for the interview.6 Incidentally, men really do have to wear a suit to the interview and women really cannot wear jeans, even if men never wear the suit again and women teach most days in jeans. Panels respond instantly to these indicators. But beware: it will not please them any better if you are too smart.7 Find out about the peope who will talk to you. In the early meetings they are likely to be heads of departments or heads of year. Often they may be concerned with pastoral matters. It makes sense to know their priorities and let them hear the things about you that they want to hear.8 During preliminary meetings you may be seen in groups with two or three other applicants and you must demonstrate that you know your stuff without putting your companions down. The interviewers will be watching how you work with a team.9 But remember the warning about informality: however friendly and co-operative the other participants are, do not give way to the idea that you are there just to be friends.10 Routine questions can be rehearsed, but "don't go on too long", advises the department head. They may well ask: "what have been your worst/best moments when teaching?" , or want you to "talk about some good teaching you have done". The experts agree you should recognize your weaknesses and offer a strategy for overcoming them. "I know I've got to work on classroom management. I would hope for some help," perhaps. No one expects a new teacher to know it all, but they hope for an objective appraisal of capabilities.11 Be warned against inexpert questioning. You may be asked questions in such a way that it seems impossible to present your best features. Some questions may be plain silly, asked perhaps by people on the panel who are from outside the situation. Do not be thrown, have ways of circumnavigating it, and never, ever let them see that you think they have said something foolish.12 You will almost certainly be asked how you see the future and it is important to have a good answer prepared. Some peopleare put off by being asked what they expect to be doing in five or ten year's time. On your preliminary visit, says the department head, be sure to give them a bit of an interview of your own, to see the direction the department is going and what you could contribute to it.13 The headteacher offers his thoughts in a eight-point plan.1. Iron the application form! Then it stands out from everyone else's, which have been folded and battered in the post. It gives an initial impression which may get your application to the top of the pile.2. Ensure that your application is tailored to the particular school. Make the head feel you are writing directly to him or her.3. Put yourself at ease before you meet the interviewing panel, if you are nervous, you will talk too quickly. Before you enter the room remember that the people are human beings too; take away the mystique of their roles.4. Listen. There is danger of not hearing accurately what is being said. Make eye contact with the speakers, and with everyone in the room.5. Allow your warmth and humanity to be seen. A sense of humour is very important.6. Have a portfolio of your work that can link theory to practice. Many schools want you to show work. Fora primary appointment, give examples from the range of the curriculum, not just art. (For this reason, taking pictures on your teaching practice is important. )7. Prepare yourself in case you are asked to give a talk. Have prompt cards ready, and don't waffle.8. Your speech must be clear and articulate, with correct grammar. This is important: they want to hear you and they wantto hear how well you can communicate with children. Believe in yourself and have confidence. Some of the people asking the questions don't know much about what you do. Be ready to help them.14 Thus armed, you should have no difficulty at all. Good luck, and keep your jacket on!21. Ms Brenda Stevens suggests that before applying job applicants shouldA. go through each other's CVs.B. rehearse their answers to questions.C. understand thoroughly the situations.D. go to town to attend training courses.22. Is it wise to admit some of your weaknesses relating to work?A. Yes, but you should have ideas for improvement in the future.B. Yes, because it is natural to be weak in certain aspects.C. No, admitting weaknesses may put you at a disadvantage.D. No, it will only prompt the interviewers to reject you.23. The best way to deal with odd questions from the interviewers is toA. remain smiling and kindly point out the inaccuracies.B. keep calm and try to be tactful in your answers.C. say frankly what you think about the issues raised.D. suggest something else to get over your nervousness.24. The suggestions offered by the head teacher areA. original.B. ambiguous.C. practical.D. controversial.TEXT DFamily Matters1 This month Singapore passed a bill that would give legal teeth to the moral obligation to support one's parents. Called the Maintenance of Parents Bill, it received the backing of the Singapore Government.2 That does not mean it hasn't generated discussion. Several members of the Parliament opposed the measure as un-Asian. Others who acknowledged the problem of the elderly poor believed it a disproportionate response. Still others believe it will subvert relations within the family: cynics dubbed it the "Sue Your Son" law.3 Those who say that the bill does not promote filial responsibility, of course, are right. It has nothing to do with filial responsibility. It kicks in where filial responsibility fails. The law cannot legislate filial responsibility any more than it can legislate love. All the law can do is to provide a safety net where this morality provide insufficient. Singapore needs this bill not to replace morality, but to provide incentives to shore it up.4 Like many other developed nations, Singapore faces the problems of an increasing proportion of people over 60 years of age. Demography is inexorable. In 1980, 7.2% of the population was in this bracket. By the turn of the century, that figure will grow to 11%. By 2030, the proportion is projected to be 260%. The problem is not old age per se. It is that the ratio of economically active people to economically inactive people will decline.5 But no amount of government exhortation or paternalism will completely eliminate the problem of old people who have insufficient means to make ends meet. Some people will fallthrough the holes in any safety net.6 Traditionally, a person's insurance against poverty in his old age was his family. This is not a revolutionary concept. Nor is it uniquely Asian. Care and support for one's parents is a universal value shared by all civilized societies.7 The problem in Singapore is that the moral obligation to look after one's parents is unenforceable. A father can be compelled by law to maintain his children. A husband can be forced to support his wife. But, until now, a son or daughter had no legal obligation to support his or her parents.8 In 1989, an Advisory Council was set up to look into the problems of the aged. Its report stated with a tinge of complacency that 95% of those who did not have their own income were receiving cash contributions from relations. But what about the 5% who aren't getting relatives' support? They have several options: (a) get a job and work until they die; (b) apply for public assistance (you have to be destitute to apply); or (c) starve quietly.None of these options is socially acceptable. And what if this 5% figure grows, as it is likely to do, as society ages?9 The Maintenance of Parents Bill was put forth to encourage the traditional virtues that have so far kept Asian nations from some of the breakdowns encountered in other affluent societies. This legislation will allow a person to apply to the court for maintenance from any or all of his children. The court would have the discretion to refuse to make an order if it is unjust.10 Those who deride the proposal for opening up the courts to family lawsuits miss the point. Only in extreme cases would any parent take his child to court. If it does indeed become law, the bill's effect would be far more subtle.11 First, it will reaffirm the notion that it is each individual's —not society's —responsibility to look after his parents. Singapore is still conservative enough that most people will not object to this idea. It reinforces the traditional values and it doesn't hurt a society now and then to remind itself of its core values.12 Second, and more important, it will make those who are inclined to shirk their responsibilities think twice. Until now, if a person asked family elders, clergymen or the Ministry of Community Development to help get financial support from his children, the most they could do was to mediate. But mediators have no teeth, and a child could simply ignore their pleas.13 But to be sued by one's parents would be a massive loss of face. It would be a public disgrace. Few people would be so thick-skinned as to say." Sue and be damned. "The hand of the conciliator would be immeasurably strengthened. It is far more likely that some sort of amicable settlement would be reached if the recalcitrant Son or daughter knows that the alternative is a public trial.14 It would be nice to think that Singapore doesn't need this kind of law. But that belief ignores the clear demographic trends and the effect of affluence itself on traditional bonds. Those of us who pushed for the bill will consider ourselves most successful if it acts as an incentive not to have it invoked in the first place.25. The Maintenance of Parents BillA. received unanimous support in the Singapore Parliament.B. was believed to solve all the problems of the elderly poor.C. was intended to substitute for traditional values in Singapore.D. was passed to make the young more responsible to theold.26. By quoting the growing percentage points of the aged in the population, the author seems to imply thatA. the country will face mounting problems of the old in future.B. the social welfare system would be under great pressure.C. young people should be given more moral education.D. the old should be provided with means of livelihood.27. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?A. Filial responsibility in Singapore is enforced by law.B. Fathers have legal obligations to look after their children.C. It is an acceptable practice for the old to continue working.D. The Advisory Council was dissatisfied with the problems of the old.28. The author seems to suggest that traditional valuesA. play an insignificant role in solving social problems.B. are helpful to the elderly when they sue their children.C. are very important in preserving Asian uniqueness.D. are significant in helping the Bill get approved.29. The author thinks that if the Bill becomes law, its effect would beA. indirect.B. unnoticed.C. apparent.D. straightforward.30. At the end of the passage, the author seems to imply that success of the Bill depends uponA. strict enforcement.B. public support.C. government assurance.。
英语专八完整试题及答案
英语专八完整试题及答案一、听力理解（Part I Listening Comprehension）Section A: Mini-Lecture1. The speaker mentioned several benefits of learning a second language. What are they?- A. Improved cognitive abilities- B. Enhanced job prospects- C. Increased cultural understanding- D. All of the above2. According to the lecture, what is the most challenging aspect of learning a new language?- A. Vocabulary acquisition- B. Grammar rules- C. Pronunciation- D. Cultural nuancesSection B: Interview3. What is the main topic of the interview?- A. The impact of technology on education- B. The role of arts in society- C. The importance of environmental conservation- D. The future of space exploration4. What does the interviewee suggest as a solution to thediscussed issue?- A. Government intervention- B. Public awareness campaigns- C. International collaboration- D. Technological innovation二、阅读理解（Part II Reading Comprehension）Passage 15. What is the main idea of the passage?- A. The history of the English language- B. The evolution of English literature- C. The influence of English on global communication- D. The development of English as a global lingua franca6. The author uses which of the following to support their argument?- A. Historical events- B. Personal anecdotes- C. Scientific studies- D. Survey resultsPassage 27. What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?- A. To persuade readers to adopt a healthier lifestyle- B. To inform readers about the latest health trends- C. To critique the current state of healthcare- D. To provide a comprehensive review of a health-related topic8. What is the author's stance on the topic discussed?- A. Skeptical- B. Supportive- C. Neutral- D. Critical三、语言知识（Part III Language Knowledge）9. Which of the following is the correct form of the verb "to be" in the past tense for the third person singular?- A. am- B. is- C. are- D. was10. The word "irrespective" is closest in meaning to:- A. regardless- B. respective- C. perspective- D. prospective四、翻译（Part IV Translation）Section A: English to Chinese11. Translate the following sentence into Chinese:- "The rapid development of technology has brought about significant changes in our daily lives."Section B: Chinese to English12. Translate the following sentence into English:- "随着全球化的不断深入，跨文化交流变得越来越重要。
专八英语试题及答案
专八英语试题及答案一、听力理解1. What is the main topic of the conversation?A. The importance of environmental protection.B. The benefits of a healthy lifestyle.C. The challenges of urbanization.D. The impact of technology on society.Answer: B2. According to the lecture, what is the primary reason for the decline in bird populations?A. Loss of habitat.B. Climate change.C. Pesticide use.D. Urban expansion.Answer: A二、阅读理解3. In the passage, the author argues that the best way to understand a culture is by:A. Studying its history.B. Visiting its museums.C. Engaging with its people.D. Learning its language.Answer: C4. What is the author's main concern regarding the use of social media?A. It can lead to addiction.B. It may affect mental health.C. It can cause privacy issues.D. It may lead to misinformation.Answer: B三、语言知识5. The correct usage of the word "affect" in the sentence is:A. The weather will affect our plans.B. The weather will effect our plans.C. The weather will infect our plans.D. The weather will perfect our plans.Answer: A6. Which of the following sentences contains a grammatical error?A. She has been studying English for three years.B. He has lived in this city since he was born.C. The book is written by a famous author.D. I have seen the movie twice already.Answer: B四、翻译7. Translate the following sentence into English:"随着经济的发展，越来越多的人开始关注环境保护。
2024年英语专业八级考试真题
2024年英语专业八级考试真题全文共10篇示例，供读者参考篇1Hello everyone! Today I want to talk to you about the 2024 English major Grade 8 exam. It was soooo hard but I tried my best!First, the reading part was tough. There were like, three long passages about really boring stuff like ancient history and economics. I had to read really carefully to answer the questions. But I think I did okay because I remembered to underline the important parts.Next, the listening part was super tricky. They played this recording really fast and I had to write down all the information. I missed a few details but I think I got the main ideas. My handwriting was a bit messy but I hope the examiner can read it!Then, the writing section was a bit easier. I had to write an essay about why learning English is important. I wrote about how it helps us make friends from all over the world and travel to cool places. I also talked about how it can help us get better jobs in the future.Lastly, the speaking part was nerve-wracking. I had to talk about my favorite book and answer some questions. I was so scared that I would forget what to say but I managed to keep talking. I hope I sounded confident!Overall, the exam was tough but I think I did my best. I studied really hard and I hope it pays off. I can't wait to see my results! Bye for now!篇2Title: The 2024 English Major Grade Eight ExamHey guys! So, today I wanna talk about the super important English exam that we all gotta take in 2024. It's called the English Major Grade Eight Exam, and it's like a big deal 'cause it tests all our English skills. But hey, don't worry, I'm here to help you get ready for it!So, the exam has a bunch of different parts. There's a listening section where we gotta listen to some English stuff and answer questions about it. Then there's a reading section where we gotta read some articles and answer questions about them. And of course, there's a writing section where we gotta write an essay or something.But wait, there's more! We also gotta do a speaking section where we gotta talk about some topics in English. And there's a grammar section where we gotta show off our grammar skills. Oh, and there's even a vocabulary section where we gotta know a bunch of fancy words.Now, I know it sounds like a lot, but don't worry, we can totally do this! Just make sure to practice listening to English stuff, reading English articles, writing in English, speaking in English, and studying grammar and vocabulary. And hey, if you need help, don't be afraid to ask your teachers or friends for help.I know we can all ace this English Major Grade Eight Exam in 2024! Let's do this, guys! Go English!篇3Hey guys! Guess what? I just took the English major Grade 8 exam in 2024, and I can't wait to tell you all about it! The exam was super challenging, but I think I did pretty well.The first part of the exam was all about grammar and vocabulary. We had to fill in the blanks with the correct words, and let me tell you, some of those words were tricky! There werealso questions about tense, prepositions, and conjunctions. I had to really pay attention to get those right.Next, we had a listening section. The speakers talked really fast, so it was hard to keep up sometimes. They asked us questions about what we heard, and we had to choose the right answers from multiple choices. I did my best to focus and listen carefully.After that, there was a reading comprehension section. We had to read a few passages and answer questions about them. Some of the questions were about the main idea of the passage, while others were about specific details. I had to read carefully to make sure I understood everything.The last part of the exam was the writing section. We had to write a short essay on a given topic. I wrote about my favorite book and why I love it so much. I tried to use as many big words as I could to impress the examiners.Overall, the exam was tough, but I think I did alright. I can't wait to get my results back and see how I did. Fingers crossed that I passed with flying colors!Well, that's all for now. I'm off to celebrate finishing the exam. Wish me luck!篇4Title: My Experience Taking the English Major Eight-Level Exam in 2024Hey everyone! Today I want to tell you all about my experience taking the English Major Eight-Level Exam in 2024. It was such a big deal for me because I've been studying English for so long and I really wanted to pass this exam.First off, the exam was super hard! There were listening, reading, writing, and speaking sections, and each one had really tough questions. I had to listen to conversations and answer questions about them, read long passages and answer questions, write essays on different topics, and even have a conversation with the examiner in English! It was a lot to handle, but I tried my best.One thing that really helped me was practicing a lot before the exam. I did tons of listening exercises, read a bunch of articles and books, wrote essays every day, and even practiced talking in English with my friends. It took a lot of time and effort, but I knew it would pay off in the end.On the day of the exam, I was so nervous! But once it started, I just focused on each section one at a time. I tried my best toconcentrate and not get overwhelmed by the difficulty of the questions. When it was finally over, I felt a huge sense of relief.After a few weeks, the results came out and I was so happy to see that I had passed the exam! I was over the moon and so proud of myself. All my hard work had paid off and I felt like I had really accomplished something amazing.So that's my experience taking the English Major Eight-Level Exam in 2024. It was a tough journey, but it was totally worth it in the end. If you're thinking about taking the exam in the future, just remember to study hard, practice a lot, and stay positive. You can do it too!篇5Title: My experience taking the 2024 English MajorEight-Level ExamHey guys! Today I want to tell you all about my experience taking the 2024 English Major Eight-Level Exam. It was super cool but also kinda scary!First up, the exam had so many questions! There were listening, reading, writing, and speaking parts. I had to listen to a bunch of audio clips and answer questions, read long passagesand answer questions, write essays, and even do a speaking test with a teacher. It was a lot of work, but I tried my best!The listening part was my favorite because I love listening to English songs and watching English movies. The questions were easy for me because I practice listening to English every day. The reading part was a bit harder because some of the passages were super long and I had to read them really carefully. But I managed to answer most of the questions correctly.The writing part was tough! I had to write three essays on different topics. I wrote about my favorite book, my dream job, and the importance of learning English. I tried to use good grammar and vocabulary, but I'm not sure if I did a good job. The speaking test was the scariest part for me. I had to talk about random topics with the teacher and I got so nervous. But I tried to speak clearly and confidently.After the exam, I felt so relieved! I hope I did well and can pass the exam. It was a fun experience and I learned a lot. I can't wait to find out my results! Wish me luck, guys! Thanks for listening to my story about the 2024 English Major Eight-Level Exam. Bye!篇6Hey guys! Today I'm going to talk about the 2024 English major level 8 exam. Woohoo! It was soooooo hard, but I think I nailed it. Let me tell you all about it.First, there was a listening section where we had to listen to different conversations and answer questions about them. It was tricky because the speakers talked really fast, but I tried my best to catch all the details. Then, there was a reading section with passages on all kinds of topics like history, science, and literature.I had to answer questions about the main ideas and details of the passages. It was tough, but I managed to get through it.Next up was the writing section. I had to write an essay on a topic they gave us. I chose to write about the importance of education in today's society. I talked about how education helps us learn new things, think critically, and achieve our goals. I even added some examples from my own life to support my points. I think it turned out pretty good.Finally, there was a speaking section where I had to talk about a topic for a few minutes. I talked about my dream of becoming a writer and how I plan to achieve it. I was a bit nervous at first, but once I started talking, I couldn't stop. I think I did a great job!Overall, the exam was really challenging, but I think I did pretty well. I can't wait to find out my results. I'm so excited to see if I passed the English major level 8 exam. Fingers crossed!篇72024 English Major Level 8 ExamHey guys! So today I wanna talk about the English Major Level 8 Exam in 2024. It's like this super big test that all the English majors have to take to prove how good they are at English. So like, let's dive right into it!The first part of the exam is all about listening. They play this recording and you gotta listen super carefully and answer questions about what you hear. It's kinda like a detective game, trying to figure out all the details in the audio. You gotta stay focused and not get distracted by any outside noises.Next up is the reading part. They give you all these passages to read and then ask you questions about them. Some of the questions are easy, but some are super tricky and you really gotta think hard to get the right answer. Make sure to read each passage carefully and pay attention to the details.After that, it's time for writing. You gotta write like essays and stuff. They give you a topic and you gotta organize your thoughts and write a really good essay. Remember to use good grammar and spelling, and also make sure your ideas flow smoothly. Don't forget to check your work for any mistakes before you hand it in.The last part of the exam is speaking. You gotta talk about different topics and have a conversation with the examiner. It's kinda nerve-wracking because you gotta think on your feet and try to sound confident. Just be yourself and try to relax, and you'll do great.So that's basically the English Major Level 8 Exam in 2024. It's a bit tough, but if you study hard and practice a lot, you'll totally ace it. Good luck to all the English majors taking the exam! You got this!篇8Wow, can you believe it's already 2024? Time sure flies by! And guess what, it's time for the English Major Level 8 Exam! This is a super important test for all of us English enthusiasts, so let's get ready to rock it!First of all, let's talk about the exam format. The exam consists of four parts: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Each part is designed to test our English skills in different ways. In the reading section, we'll be given a passage to read and then answer some questions about it. The writing part will require us to write an essay on a given topic. The listening section will test our ability to understand spoken English, and the speaking section will require us to speak about a given topic.Now, let's talk about how we can prepare for the exam. First and foremost, we need to practice, practice, practice! We should read as much as we can in English, listen to English songs and watch English movies to improve our listening skills, and speak with our friends in English to improve our speaking skills. We should also work on expanding our vocabulary and mastering grammar rules.During the exam, it's important to stay calm and focused. We should carefully read and understand the instructions for each part of the exam and manage our time wisely. If we come across a question that we don't know the answer to, we shouldn't panic. We should skip it and come back to it later if we have time.In conclusion, the English Major Level 8 Exam is a big challenge, but with the right preparation and mindset, we can definitely ace it! So let's study hard, believe in ourselves, and show off our English skills on exam day. Good luck, everyone! Let's do our best!篇9Hey guys, guess what? I just took the English MajorEight-Level Exam in 2024! It was super tough but also kinda fun. Let me tell you all about it!First off, the listening section was crazy. They played all kinds of accents from around the world, like British, Australian, and even Indian! I had to really listen carefully to catch all the details. Then, the reading section was all about some pretty deep stuff, like advanced literary analysis and philosophical texts. I felt like I was in a college class!Next up was the writing section. They gave us prompts about current events and cultural topics, and we had to write essays about them. I wrote about the importance of environmental sustainability and how we can all do our part to save the planet. I hope the examiners liked my ideas!Finally, the speaking section was nerve-wracking. I had to give a presentation about a famous English poet and then have a conversation with the examiner about my favorite book. I was so glad when it was over!Overall, the exam was a real challenge, but I’m proud that I made it through. I can’t wait to find out my results and see how I did. Maybe I’ll be a certified English pro soon!A lright, that’s all for now. Wish me luck, guys! And remember, always keep studying and improving your English skills. You never know when you might need them!篇10Hello everyone! Today I'm going to talk about the English major Grade 8 exam in 2024. I know it sounds super hard and scary, but don't worry, I'll break it down for you in a fun and easy way.So, in the Grade 8 exam, you will have to write an essay on a given topic. It could be about anything, like your favorite book or a movie you love. And don't forget to use lots of fancy words and expressions to show off your English skills!You will also have to read a passage and answer questions about it. Make sure to read carefully and underline any important information. And remember, there might be some tricky questions, so take your time and think before you answer.Next, you will have a speaking test where you have to talk about a topic for a few minutes. Practice speaking English with your friends or family to get ready for this part. And remember, speak clearly and confidently!And finally, there will be a listening test where you have to listen to some recordings and answer questions. Pay close attention to the details and take notes if you need to. And don't be afraid to ask the teacher to repeat if you didn't catch something.So, that's a quick overview of the Grade 8 English major exam in 2024. Just remember to study hard, practice your English every day, and believe in yourself. You've got this! Good luck, everyone!。
2024年英语专八真题及参考答案
TEST FOR ENGLISH MAJORS(2024)-GRADE EIGHT-TIME LIMIT: 150MINLISTENING COMPREHENSION PART ISECTION A (25MIN)MINI-LECTUREIn this section you will hear a mini-lecture.You will hear the mini-lecture ONCE ONLY.While listening to the mini-lecture,complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE and write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap. Make sure what you fill in is 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 check your work.SECTION B INTERVIEWIn this section you will hear TWO interviews.At the end of each interview,five questions will be asked about what was said.Both the interviews and the questions will be read 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 choices.Now,listen to the first interview.Questions1to5are based on the first interview1. A.It is more demanding.C.It is too theoretical.2. A.It is more memorable.C.It is limited to the time of writing.3. A.Readership. B.It is quite relaxing.D.It is more aesthetic.B.It focuses on aesthetic issues.D.It has different themes and subjects.B.Viewpoint.D.Theme.B.Minor novels.D.Novels of CentralC.Purpose.4. A.Gothic novels.Europe.C.Science fiction.5. A.There will still be a few options.B.Confusion will continue among readers.C.Novels will certainly become a rarity.D.People will go on buying literary books.Now,listen to the second interview.Questions6to10are based on the second interview.6. A.Three feet.C.Six inches.7. A.Number of satellites. B.Eight inches.D.Six feetB.Height of ice surface.D.Gravity in Antarctica.B.Changes in height. D.Increase inC.Amount of snowfall.8. A.Decrease in ice sheet.snowfall.C.Changes in gravitational pull.9. A.Eliminating carbon in the atmosphere.B.Reducing climate pollution emissions.C.Continuing height measurement.D.Producing more accurate predictions.10.A.Climate change and its consequences.B.Effects of climate change on coastal areas.C.New findings from satellite data.D.Proposals to slow down climate change.PART II READING COMPREHENSION(45MIN) 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)If the properties of human language make it such a unique communication system,quite different from the communication systems of other creatures,then it would seem extremely unlikely that other creatures would be able to understand it.Some humans,however,do not behave as if this is the case.There is,after all,a lot of spoken language directed by humans to animals,apparently under the impression that the animal follows what is being said. Riders can say Whoa to horses and they stop.Should we treat these examples as evidence that non-humans can understand human language?Probably not.The standard explanation is that the animal produces a particular behavior in response to a particular sound-stimulus or noise,but does not actually“understand”what the words in the noise mean.(2)In an early attempt to teach a chimpanzee to use human language,in the1930s,two scientists(Luella and Winthrop Kellogg)raised an infant chimpanzee together with their baby son.The chimpanzee,called Gua,was reported to be able to understand about a hundred words,but did not“say”any of them.In the1940s,a chimpanzee named Viki was reared by another scientist couple(Catherine and Keith Hayes)in their own home,exactly as if she were a human child.These foster parents spent five years attempting to get Viki to“say”English words by trying to shape her mouth as she produced sounds.Viki eventually managed to produce some words,rather poorly articulated versions of“mama”,“papa”and“cup”.In retrospect,this was a remarkable achievement since it has become clear that non-human primates do not actually have a physically structured vocal tract which is suitable for articulating the sounds used in speech.(3)Recognizing that a chimpanzee was a poor candidate for spoken language learning,another scientist couple (Beatrix and Allen Gardner)set out to teach a female chimpanzee called Washoe to use a version of American Sign Language.This sign language has all the essential properties of human language and is learned by many congenitally deaf children as their natural first language.From the beginning,the Gardner’s and their research assistants raised Washoe like a human child in a comfortable domestic environment.Sign language was always used when Washoe was around and she was encouraged to use signs.In a period of three and a half years,Washoe came to use signs for more than a hundred words.Even more impressive was Washoe’s ability to take these forms and combine them to produce“sentences”of the type“gimme tickle”,“more fruit”and“open food drink”.Some of the forms appear to have been inventions by Washoe,as in her novel sign for“bib”and in the combination“water bird”(referring to a swan),which would seem to indicate that her communication system had the potential for productivity.(4)At the same time as Washoe was learning sign language,another chimpanzee named Sarah was being taught (by Ann and David Premack)to use a set of plastic shapes for the purpose of communicating with humans.These plastic shapes represented“words”that could be arranged in sequence to build“sentences”.The basic approach was quite different from that of the Gardner’s.Sarah was systematically trained to associate these shapes with objects or actions.She remained an animal in a cage,being trained with food rewards to manipulate a set of symbols.Once she had learned to use a large number of these plastic shapes,Sarah was capable of getting an apple by selecting the correct plastic shape(a blue triangle)from a large array.Sarah was also capable of producing“sentences”such as “Mary give chocolate Sarah”and had the impressive capacity to understand complex structures such as“If Sarah put red on green,Mary give Sarah chocolate”.(5)A psychologist Herbert Terrace argued that chimpanzees simply produce signs in response to the demands of people and tend to repeat signs those people use,yet they are treated as if they are taking part in a“conversation”.As in many critical studies of animal learning,the chimpanzees’behavior is viewed as a type of conditioned response to cues provided by human trainers.(6)Important lessons have been learned from attempts to teach chimpanzees how to use forms of language.We have answered some questions.Were Washoe and Sarah capable of taking part in interaction with humans by using asymbol system chosen by humans and not chimpanzees?The answer is clearly“Yes.”Could Washoe and Sarah go on to perform linguistically on a level comparable to a two-year-old child?The answer is just as clearly“No.”In arriving at these answers,we have also had to face the fact that,even with our list of key properties,we still don’t seem to have a non-controversial definition of what counts as“using language”.It has to be fair to say that,in both cases,we observe the participants“using language”.However,there is a difference.Underlying the two-year-old’s communicative activity is the capacity to develop a highly complex system of sounds and structures,plus a set of computational procedures,which will allow the child to produce extended discourse containing a potentially infinite number of novel utterances.No other creature has been observed“using language”in this sense.It is in this more fundamental or abstract sense that we say that language is uniquely human.11.What can we learn from the two attempts in Para.2?A.Being raised with a human child is essential.B.Mouth shaping is crucial in language learning.C.Time length is an important factor in experiments.D.Non-human creatures are different in vocal tracts.12.Which of the following statements about Washoe and Sarah is INCORRECT?A.They were taught in different approaches.B.They were raised in similar environments.C.They were somewhat innovative in expression.D.They were non-human primates for experiments.13.Which of the following is a conditioned response to human cues?A.“Mama”and“cup”(Viki).C.“Water bird”(Washoe).14.What is the topic of the B.“Open food drink”(Washoe).D.“Mary give chocolate Sarah”(Sarah).passage?A.Animal behavior and language.C.Animals and human language.B.Animal communication system.D.Animals and human behavior. PASSAGE TWO(1)It was well past midnight this past July and the round-the-clock Arctic sun was shining on Mercy Bay. Exhausted Parks Canada archaeologist Ryan Harris was experiencing a rare moment of rest on the rocky beach, looking out over the bay’s dark,ice-studded water.Around him,a dozen red-and-yellow tents lined the shoreline—the only signs of life.Every day for the previous two weeks,work had started by mid-morning and continued nonstop for16hours.Night and day had little relevance in the murky,near-freezing waters.Along with Parks Canada’s chief of underwater archaeology,Marc-Andre Bernier,Harris has overseen more than100dives at this remote inlet of Banks Island in Aulavik National Park,exploring the wreck of HMS Investigator,a British vessel that has sat on the bottom of the bay for more than160years.(2)Harris and a small team of archaeologists had discovered Investigator in2010and returned in2011with a larger team to dive,study,and document the wreck,which holds a critical place in the history of Arctic exploration. Twenty-five feet below the surface,Investigator sits upright,intact,and remarkably well preserved.Silt covers everything below the main deck,entombing the officers’cabins,the ship’s galley,and a full library.The archaeologists had intended to leave the wreck and its artifacts where they had lain since the polar ship was abandoned, trapped in ice,on June3,1853.Artifact recovery was not part of their original plan,but that plan changed after their first few dives.(3)The team was instantly surprised by the number of artifacts they saw—muskets(火枪),shoes,and hunks of copper sheathing rested on Investigator’s upper deck,dangled off the hull,or lay haphazardly on the sediment. Leaving these artifacts behind in Mercy Bay would have made them vulnerable to the icebergs that regularly scour the bay’s floor,including the ones the six-man dive team had been dodging since their arrival.(4)Each piece fished from the water was a clue to life at sea aboard a ship during a period of British fervor for Arctic exploration.The captain of Investigator,Robert McClure,was originally sent to find and rescue two ships, HIMS Erebus and HMS Terror,that Sir John Franklin had led into the Arctic in1845to discover the long-sought Northwest Passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.Investigator’s voyage ended,without sight or word of Franklin’s ships or crew,when it was set upon by ice in Mercy Bay.After39months at sea,the listing ship sat,slowly being crushed on all sides,for three frigid years—with no Inuit encounters,no British search parties,and no relief. For much of that time,McClure and his crew of60were desperate and under constant threat of starvation,until a surprising rescue in the spring of1853.Fifty-five men survived the ordeal.(5)In July2010,after months of study to pinpoint Investigator’s resting place,the actual discovery of the wreck took just a few minutes.Harris was in the bay in an inflatable boat testing sonar equipment when the wreck came into range.The four hours of video gathered on that trip showed that the ship was,in essence,frozen in time,protected by the cold water and opaque,light-blocking ice cover.It would be a year before they could return with cold-water diving equipment to have a closer,more detailed look.Over that year,the Parks Canada team pored over photographs and examined glowing gold ultrasound images that showed timber from the wreck scattered across the upper deck like matchsticks.They sought and received the blessing for a more intensive exploration of the wreck site from the136 residents of Sachs Harbour,an Inuvialuit(Inuit from the western Arctic)community on the southwestern tip of Banks Island,the closest permanent community,some125miles away.In addition to the underwater work to document the wreck,archaeologist Henry Cary led a land-based survey and excavation team of Inuvialuit archaeologists, conservation officers,and park staff.It fell upon Cary to shuttle the8,820pounds of equipment up to the74th parallel, including tents,a three-week supply of food,two boats,diving gear,compressors,recording equipment,surveying tools,and20barrels for collecting fresh drinking water.(6)The archaeologists came prepared for delays,nasty weather,and polar bears—but they weren’t prepared for the number of artifacts that needed recovery.Harris,Bernier,Cary,and their crews had packed cameras,lasers,and measuring tapes to document the sites but fewer items to help them retrieve,excavate,or transfer artifacts.Recovering the wreck’s finds quickly used up their small toolkit for stabilizing artifacts:foam padding,tongue depressors,and gauze bandages.(7)“We had not really envisioned the number of artifacts that were visible and exposed on the deck.So,basically, we had to improvise,”says Bernier.(8)Someone ripped the lid of a large black storage case off its hinges to use as a cradle to lift a bent and corroded musket from the frigid waters.A large food cooler was loaded with a shredded,twisted,oxidized sample of the copper sheathing used by the British navy to reinforce their Arctic fleet for contact with icebergs.To protect a fragile rectangle of encrusted felt—a novel addition to Investigator that was intended to keep the ship watertight—Harris fashioned a cover out of absorbent chamois(鹿皮),ripped up an old black T-shirt to place underneath it,and sandwiched the artifact between floorboards taken from the boat that had shuttled them between land and the wreck. The artifacts then made a more than4,000-mile journey,by helicopter and commercial airliner,to the Parks Canada conservation lab in Ottawa,where they are being conserved and studied today.15.Which of the following details about the underwater exploration is CORRECT?A.Work started on the ship wreck during the team’s second trip.B.The original plan was to explore the ship and retrieve the artifacts.C.The team spent their nights near a local residents’community.D.The team began exploring the ship wreck soon after its discovery.16.What can we learn about Investigator?A.It was sent to discover a new sea passage.B.Its actual discovery was time-consuming.C.It got in touch with Erebus and Terror.D.It got stuck in ice and was later abandoned.17.Why did Bernier say that they had to improvise(Para.7)?A.They had to fight against the treacherous weather.B.They had little time to pack and stabilize those artifacts.C.They did not have proper tools to excavate so many artifacts.D.They had no idea what those artifacts were used for on board.18.Which of the following words best describes the archaeologists’way of protecting the retrieved artifacts?A.Incredible.B.Innovative.C.Imaginable.D.Inefficient.19.The last paragraph mentions all the following EXCEPT______A.who made the artifacts.C.what artifacts were recovered.B.where the artifacts were sent.D.how the artifacts were protected. PASSAGE THREE(1)My father was,I am sure,intended by nature to be a cheerful,kindly man.Until he was thirty-four years oldhe worked as a farmhand for a man named Thomas Butterworth whose place lay near the town of Bidwell.He had then a horse of his own and on Saturday evenings drove into town to spend a few hours in social intercourse with other farmhands.In town he drank several glasses of beer and stood about in Ben Head’s saloon—crowded on Saturday evenings with visiting farmhands.Songs were sung and glasses thumped on the bar.At ten o’clock father drove home along a lonely country road,made his horse comfortable for the night and himself went to bed,quite happy in his position in life.He had at that time no notion of trying to rise in the world.(2)It was in the spring of his thirty-fifth year that father married my mother,then a country school teacher,and inthe following spring I came wriggling and crying into the world.Something happened to the two people.They became ambitious.The passion for getting up in the world took possession of them.(3)It may have been that mother was responsible.Being a school teacher she had no doubt read books andmagazines.She had,I presume,read of how some people rose from poverty to fame and greatness and as I lay beside her—in the days of her lying-in—she may have dreamed that I would someday rule men and cities.At any rate she induced father to give up his place as a farmhand,sell his horse and embark on an independent enterprise of his own.She was a tall silent woman with a long nose and troubled grey eyes.For herself she wanted nothing.For father and myself she was incurably ambitious.(4)The first venture into which the two people went turned out badly.They rented ten acres of poor stony landon Griggs’s Road,eight miles from Bidwell,and launched into chicken raising.I grew into boyhood on the place and got my first impressions of life there.From the beginning they were impressions of disaster and if,in my turn,I am a gloomy man inclined to see the darker side of life,I attribute it to the fact that what should have been for me the happy joyous days of childhood were spent on a chicken farm.(5)One unversed in such matters can have no notion of the many and tragic things that can happen to a chicken.It is born out of an egg,lives for a few weeks as a tiny fluffy thing such as you will see pictured on Easter cards,then becomes hideously naked,eats quantities of corn and meal bought by the sweat of your father’s brow,gets diseases called pip,cholera,and other names,stands looking with stupid eyes at the sun,becomes sick and dies.A few hens and now and then a rooster,intended to serve God’s mysterious ends,struggle through to maturity.The hens lay eggs out of which come other chickens and the dreadful cycle is thus made complete.It is all unbelievably complex.Most philosophers must have been raised on chicken farms.One hopes for so much from a chicken and is so dreadfully disillusioned.Small chickens,just setting out on the journey of life,look so bright and alert and they are in fact so dreadfully stupid.They are so much like people they mix one up in one’s judgments of life.If disease does not kill them they wait until your expectations are thoroughly aroused and then walk under the wheels of a wagon—to go squashed and dead back to their maker.Vermin infest their youth,and fortunes must be spent for curative powders.(6)For ten years my father and mother struggled to make our chicken farm pay and then they gave up thatstruggle and began another.They decided to move into the town of Bidwell,and embarked in the restaurant business. 5After ten years of worry with incubators that did not hatch,and with tiny—and in their own way lovely—balls of fluff that passed on into semi-naked pullethood and from that into dead henhood,we threw all aside,packed our belongings on a wagon and drove down Griggs’s Road toward Bidwell,a tiny caravan of hope looking for a new place from which to start on our upward journey through life.(7)We must have been a sad looking lot,not,I fancy,unlike refugees fleeing from a battlefield.Mother and I walked in the road.The wagon that contained our goods had been borrowed for the day from Mr.Albert Griggs,a neighbor.Out of its sides stuck the legs of cheap chairs and at the back of the pile of beds,tables,and boxes filled with kitchen utensils was a crate of live chickens,and on top of that the baby carriage in which I had been wheeled about in my infancy.Why we stuck to the baby carriage I don’t know.It was unlikely other children would be born and the wheels were broken.People who have few possessions cling tightly to those they have.That is one of the facts that make life so discouraging.(8)Father rode on top of the wagon.He was then a bald-headed man of forty-five,a little fat and from long association with mother and the chickens he had become habitually silent and discouraged.All during our ten years on the chicken farm he had worked as a laborer on neighboring farms and most of the money he had earned had been spent for remedies to cure chicken diseases.There were two little patches of hair on father’s head just above his ears.I remember that as a child I used to sit looking at him when he had gone to sleep in a chair before the stove on Sunday afternoons in the winter.I had at that time already begun to read books and have notions of my own and the bald path that led over the top of his head was,I fancied,something like a broad road,such a road as Caesar might have made on which to lead his legions out of Rome and into the wonders of an unknown world.(9)One might write a book concerning our flight from the chicken farm into town.Mother and I walked the entire eight miles—she to be sure that nothing fell from the wagon and I to see the wonders of the world.20.The author describes his mother as______A.knowledgeable.B.responsible.C.imaginative.D.aspiring.21.What is Para.5intended to show?A.The specific steps of chicken raising.B.The difficulties of chicken raising.C.The excitement of the family.D.The expectations of the family.22.What does“our upward journey”in Para.6indicate?A.Their worries.B.Their struggle.C.Their ambition.D.Their resourcefulness.23.What is the relation between the two italicized sentences in Para.7?A.Temporal.B.Causal.C.Illustrative.D.Additive.24.Which of the following sentences in Paras.8and9indicates the author’s sense of hope?A.“...I to see the wonders of the world”.B.“I had at that time already begun to read books...”.C.“I walked the entire eight miles...”.D.“...a book concerning our flight from the chicken farm into town”.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 TEN WORDS in the space provided on ANSWER SHEET TWO.PASSAGE ONE25.What does“this”in Para.1refer to?26.How did Washoe demonstrate the potential of productivity(Para.3)?PASSAGE TWO27.What does the word “ones”in Para.3refer to?28.What was Sir John Franklin’s mission?29.List two preparations the team made for their trip (Para.5). PASSAGE THREE30.Describe in your own words the personality of the author’s father before marriage (Para.1).31.Describe in your own words the author’s childhood on a chicken farm (Para.4).32.What does the chickens’fate imply about the author’s family?PART IIILANGUAGE USAGE (15MIN) The passage contains TEN errors.Each indicated line contains a maximum of ONE error.In each cas e,onlyONE word is involved.You shouldproofread the passage and correct it in thefollowing way:For a wrong word,underline the wrong word and write the correct one in the blank provided at the end of the line. mark the position of the missing word with a “/\”sign and write the word you believe to be missing in the blank provided at the end ofthe For a missingword,line.For an unnecessary word, cross the unnecessary word with a slash “/”and put the wordin the blank provided at the end of the line.EXAMPLE When /\art museum wants a new exhibit, (1)it never an buys things in finished form and hangs (2)neverthem on the wall.When a natural history museum wants an exhibition,it must often build it. (3)exhibitProofread the given passage on ANSWER SHEET THREE as instructed.PART IV TRANSLATION(20MIN) Translate the underlined part of the following text from Chinese into English.Write your translation onANSWER SHEET THREE.中国科幻小说在国际上越来越受欢迎，已成为一种新的国际交流方式。
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专八备考，首选做历年真题。
做完之后看得分率，哪个题型答对率不高，就专门做这个题型的专项训练，这样备考效率就比较高了。
真题建议看看华研外语那本《英语专业8级历年真题集训》，配置齐全，解释得比较好懂。
专项训练，如果离考试所剩时间不多，就专挑分值高、提高快的题型来练：人文、改错、阅读。
人文知识：建议看中文版，更容易看入脑。
每天翻一点，有时正着看，有时又反过来看，完全就是怎么记得牢就怎么看。
能看多少就多少，能记多少就多少。
要有自己的整理的方法，自己动手以后，更能加深印象。
比如国家概况部分，就是把几个国家的各个部分进行对比，政治，经济，国家组成，地理等等。
文学，按时间的顺序，从中古时期下来，分成几个部分，各个部分代表人物，代表作品。
英美国家概括：主要掌握国家标志（国旗、国歌、国徽、政体等等）、地理人文环境特征（位置、气候、个别省份的别称等等）、历史、经济等。
英美文学：需要特别注意的有：历年获得诺贝尔文学奖的作家、作品、风格、年代、国籍；主要作家的作品、风格、年代、国籍；著名作品的主要内容、名句、现实意义等。
多注意女作家，黑人作家。
语言学：这主要是对各种概念的理解和运用。
改错：主要的考点可能涉及：名词单复数问题、所有格问题；冠词运用；及物与不及物动词、动词分词形式、动词词组；形容词、副词滥用、带-ly的形容词、系动词后跟形容词（非副词）、动词+宾语+形容词做宾补（非副词）；独立主格结构；连词滥用；逻辑关系错误；并列结构；主谓一致等。
这部分有时间先看看语法书籍，然后就是练习。
要养成把非粗心造成的错误用笔记本记下来。
每过一段时间就拿出来看看，这样反复，错误将不会再次出现。
专八阅读：钻研专八真题为主，再做一本阅读训练书来练速度。
做专八真题的阅读，首先拿一份做好，然后对答案，再一句一句翻译，把不会的单词弄懂，等整篇文章弄懂以后，带着题目在文章里找答案。
分析考的是哪一段，哪一句，是在文章开头还是结尾，是在每段的开头还是结尾。
文章整体上是什么风格，作者有没有正话反说等等。
做得多了，就会找到方法，觉得越来越顺手。
然后做专八阅读训练书，主要是练答题速度。
专八考试的阅读量很大，阅读题订成册子发下来的，根本没时间犹豫，速度一定要提高。