2012年西南政法大学外语学院211翻译硕士英语考研真题及详解【圣才出品】
翻译硕士(MTI)211翻译硕士英语阅读理解高分特训100篇-多项选择-◇文学传记类【圣才出品】
2.1 多项选择◇文学传记类Passage 1 题材:文学传记类字数:548Two hundred years ago the English poet William Wordsworth wrote “I wander’d lonely as a cloud”, a poem that expresses a basic spirit of the early English Romanticism. It was Thursday, 15th April 1802, William and Dorothy Wordsworth, the poet’s devoted, journal-writing sister, were walking home to Dove Cottage in the Lake District. The wind was fierce, but the Wordsworth siblings were used to striding long distances in foul weather. They were in the woods close to the water side when they first clapped eyes on a field of daffodils “fluttering and dancing in the bre eze”.What makes this poem an example of Romantic thinking? It isn’t just that Wordsworth chooses to write about a natural scene: it is the way he describes the scene as if it had human emotions. For him, nature is not merely a neutral mixture of scenery, colours, plants, rocks, soil, water and air. It is a driving force that feels joy and sadness, shares human pain and even tries to educate us human beings by showing us the beauty of life.Wordsworth’s home, Dove Cottage, is now one of the most popular destinations in the Lake District. You can go on a tour of the garden which William planted with wild flowers and which survived in his back yard even after theydisappeared from the area. “He always said that if he hadn’t been a poet, he would have been a te rrific landscape gardener,” says Allan King of the Wordsworth Trust, the organization that looks after the cottage and gardens.The Lake District in the north west of England becomes particularly crowded during the summer months with tourists and ramblers eager to enjoy the region’s majestic valleys, hills and sparkling lakes. Wordsworth himself was far from keen on tourists, which was quite apparent. He wanted outsiders to admire the local sights he enjoyed so much, but was afraid the district might be “damaged” by too many visitors. He opposed the coming of the trains, and campaigned in the 1840s against a plan to link the towns in the area—Kendal, Windermere and Keswick—by rail.The place near Ullswater, where Wordsworth saw the daffodils, is at the southernmost end of the lake. The lake is wide and calm at this turning point. There’s a bay where the trees have had their soil eroded by lake water so that their roots are shockingly exposed. You walk along from tree to tree, hardly daring to breathe, because you are walking in the footprints of William and Dorothy from two centuries ago. The first clumps of daffodils appear, but they aren’t tall yellow trumpets proudly swaying in the breeze. They’re tiny wild daffodils, most of them still green and unopened, in clumps of six or seven. They’re grouped around individual trees rather than collecting together.But as you look north, from beside a huge ancient oak, you realize this is what delighted the Wordsworths: clump after clump of the things, spread out to left and right but coming together in your vision so that they form a beautiful, pale-yellowcarpet. What you’re seeing at last is nature transformed by human sight and imagination. For a second, you share that revelation of Dorothy and William Wordsworth’s,the glimpse of pantheism, the central mystery of English Romanticism.1. According to the article, Wordsworth’s poem ______.[A] started the Romantic movement[B] was based on actual experience[C] was written while he was visiting his sister[D] was written after he had been lonely2. What was Wordsworth’s attitude to nature?[A] He believed nature had a character of its own.[B] He felt nature was human.[C] He thought nature could talk to people.[D] He believed that we could influence nature.3. We are told that Dove Cottage ______.[A] has gardens designed by a landscape gardener[B] has very old plants in the garden[C] gets a lot of visitors[D] has a large back yard4. What does the writer suggest by the words “hardly daring to breathe” in line 4, paragraph 5?[A] You have to walk carefully here.[B] You can’t breathe because the atmosphere is suffocating.[C] You might feel excited to be in this place.[D] You must concentrate to stay on the footpath.5. What does the writer think of Wordsworth as a poet?[A] He believes that Wordsworth was an important figure in English culture.[B] He is critical of Wordsworth.[C] He believes Wordsworth was a sentimental person.[D] He disagrees with Wordsworth’s opinion about nature.【答案与解析】1. B 根据第一段大意,可知Wordsworth的诗是根据他和姐妹步行回家所看到的风景写成的。
西南大学外国语学院《211翻译硕士英语》[专业硕士]历年考研真题及详解
his indecent behavior one day.
A. answer to
B. answer for
C. answer back
D. answer about
【答案】B
【解析】句意:有一天,他将会对他不得体的行为负责。answer for... 对……负责。answer to适应,符合。answer back 应答,回复。answer
13.The multinational corporation was making a take-over
for a
property company.
A. application
B. bid
C. proposal
D. suggestion
【答案】C
【解析】句意:这个跨国公司正在做兼并一个房地产公司的提案。
12.The head of the museum was ancient manuscripts.
and let us actually examine the
A. promising
B. agreeing
C. pleasing
D. obliging
【答案】D
【解析】句意:博物馆的负责人是热心的,还让我们真正检查古代的图 稿。obliging助人为乐的,与人方便的,体贴的。promising有前途的。 agree同意。agreeable和蔼可亲的,令人愉快的。pleasing令人愉快的。 因此,本题的正确答案为D。
事。因此,本题的正确答案为D。
17.His expenditure on holidays and luxuries is rather high in income.
to his
2012全国研究生英语试卷真题解析
▪ Justice Antonin Scalia, for example, appeared at political events. That kind of activity makes it less likely that the court’s decisions will be 4 as impartial judgments. Part of the problem is that the justices are not 5 by an ethics code. At the very least, the court should make itself 6 to the code of conduct that 7 to the rest of the federal judiciary.
第八页,共四十页。
▪ Section II Reading Comprehension ▪ Part A Directions: ▪ Read the following four texts. Answer the
questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points) ▪ Text 1 ▪ Come on –Everybody’s doing it. That whispered message, half invitation and half forcing, is what most of us think of when we hear the words peer pressure. It usually leads to no good-drinking, drugs and casual sex.
2012年考研英语翻译答案及解析
2012年考研英语(一)翻译部分答案及解析46)In physics, one approach takes this impulse for unification to its extreme, and seeks a theory of everything — a single generative equation for all we see.46. 物理学中,有一种方法将这种对统一性的紧迫需求发挥到了极致,追求一种具有普遍意义的理论,即为我们所见之物寻求一种单一的生成公式。
47)Here, Darwinism seems to offer justification, for if all humans share common origins, it seems reasonable to suppose that cultural diversity could also be traced to more constrained beginnings.47. 在此,达尔文似乎给出了合理化的解释,这是因为如果整个人类有相同的起源,那么我们就有理由认为,文化的多样性同样也可以追溯到更为具体的开端。
48)To filter out what is contingent and unique from what is shared might enable us to understand how complex cultural behaviour arose and what guides it in evolutionary or cognitive terms.48. 从共性中过滤出独特性,我们就可以明白文化行为起源的复杂性,以及文化行为在进化方面和认知方面的源动力。
49)The second, by Joshua Greenberg, takes a more empirical approach to universality, identifying traits (particularly in word order) shared by many languages, which are considered to represent biases that result from cognitive constraints.49. 第二个为此做出努力的人是约书亚·格林伯格,他采用经验主义的方法来研究普遍性,确认多种语言(尤其是语序方面的)共同特征,这些特征被认为是体现了由于认知局限性而带来的偏见。
2012年考研英语真题答案及详解
2012年考研英语真题答案及详解2012年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语(一)试题答案详解Section I Use of English1.【答案】B【解析】从空后信息可以看出,这句表达的是“_ _法官表现得像政治家”的情况下,法庭就不能保持其作为法律法规的合法卫士的形象,所以应该选C, maintain“维持,保持”,其他显然语义不通。
2.【答案】A【解析】从第三段可以看出,文章认为法院和政治之间应该是有界限的。
所以这里应该是当法官像政治家一样行事,模糊了二者之间的区别时,就失去了其作为法律卫士的合法性。
只有B,when表示这个意思。
3.【答案】B【解析】第二段给的具体事例说明,法官出现在政治活动中会使法官形象受损,影响他们独立、公正的名声。
只有B,weaken能表示这个意思。
4.【答案】D【解析】空前信息显示,法官出席政治活动会让法院的审判收到影响,人们就会认为其审判不公正,所以选D,be accepted as...“被认为是”。
5.【答案】C【解析】空所在的语境为:产生这样的问题,部分原因在于“法官没有_ _道德规范”。
后一句话说,至少法院应该遵守行为规范,这显然是进一步说明上一句话。
所以上一句是说法官没有受到道德规范的约束,选C,bound。
6.【答案】B【解析】根据解析5可以看出,这里应该是说遵守行为规范,subject与to连用,表示“服从某物,受…支配”。
故本题选B。
7.【答案】D【解析】分析句子结构可知,这里是由that引导的定语从句修饰说明前面的行为规范,是说法院也应当遵守适用于其他联邦司法部的行为规范。
apply to “适用于”符合题意。
resort to “求助于”;stick to “坚持(原则等)”语意不通。
8.【答案】B【解析】空所在的语境为,类似这样的案例提出了这样一个问题:法院和政治之间是否还存在着界限。
提出问题,产生问题用只能选raise。
9.【答案】A【解析】根据第8题可知,空内应填line,“界限”。
2012年考研英语真题答案与解析
2012年全国硕士研究生入学考试英语试题答案与解析Section Ⅰ Use of EnglishThe ethical judgments of the Supreme Court justices have become an important issue recently. The court cannot 1(B.maintain)its legitimacy as guardian of the rule of law 2(A.when) justices behave like politicians. Yet, in several instances, justices acted in ways that 3(B.weakened)the court’s reputation for being independent and impartial.Justice Antonin Scalia, for example, appeared at political events. That kind of activity makes it less likely that t he court’s decisions will be 4(D.accepted)as impartial judgments. Part of the problem is that the justices are not 5(C.bound)by an ethics code. At the very least, the court should make itself 6(B.subject)to the code of conduct that 7(D.applies)to the rest of the federal judiciary.This and other similar cases 8(B.raise) the question of whether there is still a 9(A.line)between the court and politics.The framers of the Constitution envisioned law 10(B.as) having authority apart from politics. They gave justices permanent positions 11(A.so) they would be free to12(C.upset) those in power and have no need to 13(C.cultivate) political support. Our legal system was designed to set law apart from politics precisely because they are so closely 14(D.tied).Constitutional law is political because it results from choices rooted in fundamental social 15(A.concepts) like liberty and property. When the court deals with social policy decisions, the law it 16(C.shapes)is inescapably political — which is why decisions split along ideological lines are so easily 17(A.dismissed) as unjust.The justices must 18(C.address) doubts about the court’s legitimacy by making themselves 19(D.accountable) to the code of conduct. That would make rulings more likely to be seen as separate from politics and, 20(D.as a result) convincing as law.最近,最高法院法官的道德判断成为了至关重要的事情。
2012年考研英语真题答案及解析
2012年全国硕士研究生招生考试英语(一)答案详解Section I Use of English一、文章题材结构分析本文摘自The New York Times(《纽约时报》)2011年6月30日一篇题为Ethics,Politics and the law(道德,政治与法律)的文章。
本文是一篇说明性的文章,介绍了法律、政治以及道德之间的关系。
第一、二段通过举例说明法官与政治活动紧密联系使法院作为法律守护者的公正性受到削弱。
第三段承上启下,提出法律和政治之间是否还存在界限。
第四、五段阐明政治和法律之间的紧密联系。
第六段提出维护法院公正性所要遵循的行为规范,从而使法院的裁决更具有信服力。
二、试题解析1.[A]emphasize重视[B]maintain维持[C]modify修改[D]recognize认出【答案】B【考点】动词辨析+上下文语境【解析】本句句意是:法官表现得像政客一样时,法院便不能_____其作为法律守护者的合法性。
由此可知,所选动词要与后面的its legitimacy构成动宾关系,根据具体语境判断应该是“法院便不能维持其作为法律守护者的合法性”。
因此,选项[B]是正确答案。
2.[A]when当……时候[B]lest以免[C]before在……之前[D]unless除非【答案】A【考点】句内逻辑+上下文语境【解析】本句主要考查空格前后两个分句的逻辑关系。
本句意思是:_____法官表现得像政客一样时,法院便不能_____其作为法律守护者的合法性。
根据本段最后一句和随后两段信息可知,作者主要对法官涉及政治事件这一问题展开讨论和批评。
由此可以判断,前一分句是后一分句的前提或条件。
因此,选项[A]是正确答案。
3.[A]restored恢复[B]weakened削弱,损害[C]established建立[D]eliminated剔除,淘汰【答案】B【考点】动词辨析+上下文语境【解析】本句句意是:然而,在一些情况下,法官所采取的这些行为方式_____法院独立、公正的声誉。
(NEW)西南政法大学外语学院211翻译硕士英语[专业硕士]历年考研真题及详解
目 录2011年西南政法大学外语学院211翻译硕士英语考研真题及详解2012年西南政法大学外语学院211翻译硕士英语考研真题及详解2013年西南政法大学外语学院211翻译硕士英语考研真题及详解2011年西南政法大学外语学院211翻译硕士英语考研真题及详解Part 1 Vocabulary and Structure (每小题0.5分,共10分)Direction: For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C and D .You should choose the one that best fits into the sentence.l. Tom _____ his new job with confidence.A. set outB. set offC. set upD. set about【答案】D【解析】句意:汤姆满怀信心地投入新的工作。
本题考查的是短语辨析。
set about意为“开始;着手”,符合题意,故为正确答案。
set out意为“开始”;set off意为“(使)做某事”;set up意为“开业,开始经商”。
2.The truck driver was fined for exceeding the speed _____.A. rangeB. limitC. ruleD. regulation【答案】B【解析】句意:卡车司机因超速而被罚款。
本题考查的是词义辨析,limit意为“限制;界限”,符合题意,故为正确答案。
range意为“(知识、知觉、听觉等的)范围”;regulation意为“规定,规则”;rule和regulation是近义词,意为“规定,规章”。
3.The crippled Jack proudly walked with a _____ to the platform to join the children.A. jumpB. limpC. hopD. jog【答案】B【解析】句意:跛腿的杰克一瘸一拐地走上舞台,加入到孩子们中间去。
2012年考研英语及答案解析1
2012年考研英语及答案解析12012年全国硕士研究生入学考试英语试题National Entrance Test of English for MA/MS Candidates (NETEM)跨考英语教研室—杨凤芝Section Ⅰ Use of EnglishDirections:Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark [A], [B], [C] or [D]on ANSWER SHEET 1. ( 10 points)The ethical judgments of the Supreme Court justices became an important issue recently. The court cannot_____ its legitimacy as guardian of the rule of law______ justices behave like politicians. Yet, in several instances, justices acted in ways that_____ the court’s reputation for being independent and impartial.Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito Jr., for example, appeared at political events. That kind of activity makes it less likely that the court’s decisions will be____ as im partial judgments. Part of the problem is that the justices are not _____ by an ethics code. At the very least, the court should make itself_______ to the code of conduct that ______to the rest of the federal judiciary.This and other cases ______the question of whether there is still a _____ between the court and politics.The framers of the Constitution envisioned law____ having authority apart from politics. They gave justices permanent positions ____ they would be free to ____those in power and have no need to_____ political support. Our legal system was designed to set law apart from politics precisely because they are so closely _____.Constitutional law is political because it results from choices rooted in fundamental social ______like liberty and property. When the court deals with social policy decisions, the law it _____is inescapably political — which is why decisions split along ideological lines are so easily _____ as unjust.The justices must _____doubts about the court’s legitimacy by maki ng themselves _____to the code of conduct. That would make their rulings more likely to be seen as separate from politics and, _____, convincing as law.1 A emphasize B maintain C modifyD recognize2 A when B best C beforeD unless3 A rendered B weakened C establishedD eliminated4 A challenged B compromised C suspectedD accepted5. A advanced B caught C boundD founded6. A resistant B subject C immuneD prone7. A resorts B sticks C leadsD applies8. A evade B raise C denyD settle9. A line B barrier C similarityD conflict10. A by B as C throughD towards11. A so B since C providedD though12. A serve B satisfy C upsetD replace13. A confirm B express C cultivateD offer14 A guarded B followed C studiedD tied15. A concepts B theories C divisionsD convenience16. A excludes B questions C shapesD controls17. A dismissed B released C rankedD distorted18. A suppress B exploit C addressD ignore19. A accessible B. amiable C agreeableD accountable20. A by all means B at all costs C in a wordD as a resultSection Ⅱ Reading ComprehensionPart ADirections:Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing [A], [B], [C] or [D]. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET1. (40 points)Text 2TEXT2Pretty in pink: adult women do not remember being so obsessed with the colour, yet it is pervasive i n our young girls’ lives. It is not that pink intrinsically bad, but it is a tiny slice of therainbow and, though it may celebrate girlhood in one way, it also repeatedly and firmly fused girls’ identity to appearance. Then it presents that connection, even among two-year-olds, between girls as not only innocent but as evidence of innocence. Looking around, despaired at the singular lack of imagination about girls’ lives and interests.Girls' attraction to pink may seem unavoidable, somehow encoded in their DNA, but according to Jo Paoletti, an associate professor of American Studies, it's not. Children were not colour-coded at all until the early 20th century: in the era before domestic washing machines all babies wore white as a practical matter, since the only way of getting clothes clean was to boil them. What's more, both boys and girls wore what were thought of as gender-neutral dresses. When nursery colours were introduced, pink was actually considered the more masculine colour, a pastel version of red, which was associated with strength. Blue, with its intimations of the Virgin Mary, constancy and faithfulness, symbolised femininity. It was not until the mid-1980s, when amplifying age and sex differences became a dominant children's marketing strategy, that pink fully came into its own, when it began to seem innately attractive to girls, part of what defined them as female, at least for the first few critical years.I had not realised how profoundly marketing trends dictated our perception of what is natural tokids, including our core beliefs about their psychological development. Take the toddler. I assumed that phase was something experts developed after years of research into children's behaviour: wrong. Turns out, according to Daniel Cook, a historian of childhood consumerism, it was popularised as a marketing gimmick by clothing manufacturers in the 1930s.Trade publications counselled department stores that, in order to increase sales, they should create a "third stepping stone" between infant wear and older kids' clothes. It was only after "toddler" became common shoppers' term that it evolved into a broadly accepted developmental stage. Splitting kids, or adults, into ever-tinier categories has proved a sure-fire way to boost profits. And one of the easiest ways to segment a market is to magnify gender differences – or invent them where they did not previously exist.26 By saying "it is ... The rainbow"(line 3, Para 1), the author means pink _______.A should not be the sole representation of girlhoodB should not be associated with girls' innocenceC cannot explain girls' lack of imaginationD cannot influence girls' lives and interests27 According to Paragraph 2, which of the following is true of colours?A Colors are encoded in girls' DNAB Blue used to be regarded as the color for girlsC Pink used to be a neutral color in symbolizing gendersD White is preferred by babies28 The author suggests that our perception of children's psychological devotement was much influenced by ________.[A] the marketing of products for children[B] the observation of children's nature[C] researches into children's behavior[D] studies of childhood consumption29. We may learn from Paragraph 4 that department stores were advised ________.A focuses on infant wear and older kids' clothesB attach equal importance to different gendersC classify consumers into smaller groupsD create some common shoppers' terms30. it can be concluded that girl's attraction to pink seems to be _____.A clearly explained by their inborn tendencyB fully understood by clothing manufacturersC mainly imposed by profit-driven businessmenD well interpreted by psychological expertsText 331.32.33.34.35.Text 436.37.38.39.40.Part BDirections:For questions 41-45, choose the most suitable paragraphs from the list A-G and fill them into the numbered boxes to form a coherent text. Paragraph E has been correctly placed. There is one paragraph which does not fit in with the text. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. ( 10 points)Part CDirections:Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written clearly on ANSWER SHEET 2. ( 10 points)Section Ⅲ WritingPart A51. Directions:。
2012考研英语二真题及答案解析
15.[A]ruined[B]commuted[C]patrolled[D]gained16.[A]paralleled[B]counteracted[C]duplicated[D]contradicted17.[A]neglected[B]avoided[C]emphasized[D]admired18.[A]stages[B]illusions[C]fragments[D]advances19.[A]With[B]To[C]Among[D]Beyond20.[A]on the contrary[B]by this means[C]from the outset[D]at that pointSectionⅡReading ComprehensionText1Homework has never been terribly popular with students and even many parents,but in recent years it has been particularly scorned.School districts across the country,most recently Los Angeles Unified,are revising their thinking on his educational ritual.Unfortunately,L.A.Unified has produced an inflexible policy which mandates that with the exception of some advanced courses,homework may no longer count for more than10%of a student’s academic grade.This rule is meant to address the difficulty that students from impoverished or chaotic homes might have in completing their homework.But the policy is unclear and contradictory.Certainly,no homework should be assigned that students cannot do without expensive equipment.But if the district is essentially giving a pass to students who do not do their homework because of complicated family lives,it is going riskily close to the implication that standards need to be lowered for poor children.District administrators say that homework will still be a pat of schooling:teachers are allowed to assign as much of it as they want.But with homework counting for no more than10%of their grades,students can easily skip half their homework and see vey little difference on their report cards.Some students might do well on state tests without completing their homework,but what about the students who performed well on the tests and did their homework?It is quite possible that the homework helped.Yet rather than empowering teachers to find what works best for their students,the policy imposes a flat,across-the-board rule.At the same time,the policy addresses none of the truly thorny questions about homework.If the district finds homework to be unimportant to its students’academic achievement,it should move to reduce or eliminate the assignments,not make them count for almost nothing.Conversely,if homework does nothing to ensure that the homework students are not assigning more than they are willing to review and correct.The homework rules should be put on hold while the school board,which is responsible for setting educational policy,looks into the matter and conducts public hearings.It is not too late for L.A.Unified to do homework right.21.It is implied in paragraph1that nowadays homework_____.[A]is receiving more criticism[B]is no longer an educational ritual[C]is not required for advanced courses[D]is gaining more preferences22.L.A.Unified has made the rule about homework mainly because poor students_____.[A]tend to have moderate expectations for their education[B]have asked for a different educational standard[C]may have problems finishing their homework[D]have voiced their complaints about homeworkB should not be associated with girls'innocenceC cannot explain girls'lack of imaginationD cannot influence girls'lives and interests27.According to Paragraph2,which of the following is true of colours?A Colors are encoded in girls'DNAB Blue used to be regarded as the color for girlsC Pink used to be a neutral color in symbolizing gendersD White is preferred by babies28.The author suggests that our perception of children's psychological devotement was much influenced by ________.[A]the marketing of products for children[B]the observation of children's nature[C]researches into children's behavior[D]studies of childhood consumption29.We may learn from Paragraph4that department stores were advised________.A focuses on infant wear and older kids'clothesB attach equal importance to different gendersC classify consumers into smaller groupsD create some common shoppers'terms30.It can be concluded that girl's attraction to pink seems to be_____.A clearly explained by their inborn tendencyB fully understood by clothing manufacturersC mainly imposed by profit-driven businessmenD well interpreted by psychological expertsText3In2010.a federal judge shook America's biotech industry to its panies had won patents for isolated DNA for decades-by2005some20%of human genes were patented.But in March2010a judge ruled that genes were unpatentable.Executives were violently agitated.The Biotechnology Industry Organisation(BIO),a trade group,assured members that this was just a“preliminary step”in a longer battle.On July29th they were relieved,at least temporarily.A federal appeals court overturned the prior decision, ruling that Myriad Genetics could indeed hold patents to two genes that help forecast a woman's risk of breast cancer.The chief executive of Myriad,a company in Utah,said the ruling was a blessing to firms and patients alike.But as companies continue their attempts at personalised medicine,the courts will remain rather busy.The Myriad case itself is probably not over.Critics make three main arguments against gene patents:a gene is a product of nature,so it may not be patented;gene patents suppress innovation rather than reward it;and patents'monopolies restrict access to genetic tests such as Myriad's.A growing number seem to st year a federal task-force urged reform for patents related to genetic tests.In October the Department of Justice filed a brief in the Myriad case,arguing that an isolated DNA molecule“is no less a product of nature...than are cotton fibres that have beenseparated from cotton seeds.”Despite the appeals court's decision,big questions remain unanswered.For example,it is unclear whether the sequencing of a whole genome violates the patents of individual genes within it.The case may yet reach the Supreme Court.AS the industry advances,however,other suits may have an even greater panies are unlikely to file many more patents for human DNA molecules-most are already patented or in the public domain.firms are now studying how genes interact,looking for correlations that might be used to determine the causes of disease or predict a drug’s panies are eager to win patents for‘connecting the dots’,explains Hans Sauer,a lawyer for the BIO.Their success may be determined by a suit related to this issue,brought by the Mayo Clinic,which the Supreme Court will hear in its next term.The BIO recently held a convention which included sessions to coach lawyers on the shifting landscape for patents.Each meeting was packed.31.It can be learned from paragraph I that the biotech companies would like______A.their executives to be activeB.judges to rule out gene patentingC.genes to be patentableD.the BIO to issue a warning32.Those who are against gene patents believe that_____A.genetic tests are not reliableB.only man-made products are patentableC.patents on genes depend much on innovationsD.courts should restrict access to genetic tests33.According to Hans Sauer,companies are eager to win patents for_____A.establishing disease correlationsB.discovering gene interactionsC.drawing pictures of genesD.identifying human DNA34.By saying“each meeting was packed”(line4,para6)the author means that_____A.the Supreme Court was authoritativeB.the BIO was a powerful organizationC.gene patenting was a great concernwyers were keen to attend conventions35.Generally speaking,the author’s attitude toward gene patenting is_____A.criticalB.supportiveC.scornfulD.objectiveText4The great recession may be over,but this era of high joblessness is probably beginning.Before it ends,It will likely change the life course and character of a generation of young adults.And ultimately,it is likely to reshape our politics,our culture,and the character of our society for years.No one tries harder than the jobless to find silver linings in this national economic disaster.Many said that unemployment,while extremely painful,had improved them in some ways;they had become less materialistic and more financially prudent;they were more aware of the struggles of others.In limited respects,perhaps the recession will leave society better off.At the very least,it has awoken us from our national fever dream of easy riches and bigger houses,and put a necessary end to an era of reckless personal spending.But for the most part,these benefits seem thin,uncertain,and far off.In The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth,the economic historian Benjamin Friedman argues that both inside and outside the U.S.,lengthy periods of economic stagnation or decline have almost always left society more mean-spirited and less inclusive,and have usually stopped or reversed the advance of rights and freedoms.Anti-immigrant sentiment typically increases,as does conflict between races and classes.Income inequality usually falls during a recession,but it has not shrunk in this one.Indeed,this period of economic weakness may reinforce class divides,and decrease opportunities to cross them---especially for young people.The research of Till Von Wachter,the economist in Columbia University,suggests that not all people graduating into a recession see their life chances dimmed:those with degrees from elite universities catch up fairly quickly to where they otherwise would have been if they had graduated in better times;it is the masses beneath them that are left behind.In the internet age,it is particularly easy to see the resentment that has always been hidden within American society.More difficult,in the moment,is discerning precisely how these lean times are affecting society’s character. In many respects,the U.S.was more socially tolerant entering this recession than at any time in its history,and a variety of national polls on social conflict since then have shown mixed results.We will have to wait and see exactly how these hard times will reshape our social fabric.But they certainly it,and all the more so the longer they extend.36.By saying“to find silver linings”(Line1,Para.2)the author suggest that the jobless try to___.[A]seek subsidies from the government[B]explore reasons for the unemployment[C]make profits from the troubled economy[D]look on the bright side of the recession37.According to Paragraph2,the recession has made people_____.[A]realize the national dream[B]struggle against each other[C]challenge their lifestyle[D]reconsider their lifestyle38.Benjamin Friedman believed that economic recession may_____.[A]impose a heavier burden on immigrants[B]bring out more evils of human nature[C]Promote the advance of rights and freedoms[D]ease conflicts between races and classes39.The research of Till Von Wachther suggests that in recession graduates from elite universities tend to_____.[A]lag behind the others due to decreased opportunities[B]catch up quickly with experienced employees[C]see their life chances as dimmed as the others’[D]recover more quickly than the others40.The author thinks that the influence of hard times on society is____.[A]certain[B]positive[C]trivial[D]destructivePart BDirections:Read the following text and answer the questions by finding information from the left column that corresponds to each of the marked details given in the right column.There are two extra choices in the right column.Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEERT1.(10points)Universal history,the history of what man has accomplished in this world,is at bottom the History of the Great Men who have worked here,”wrote the Victorian sage Thomas Carlyle.Well,not any more it is not.Suddenly,Britain looks to have fallen out with its favourite historical form.This could be no more than a passing literary craze,but it also points to a broader truth about how we now approach the past:less concerned with learning from forefathers and more interested in feeling their pain.Today,we want empathy,not inspiration.From the earliest days of the Renaissance,the writing of history meant recounting the exemplary lives of great men.In1337,Petrarch began work on his rambling writing De Viris Illustribus-On Famous Men, highlighting the virtus(or virtue)of classical heroes.Petrarch celebrated their greatness in conquering fortune and rising to the top.This was the biographical tradition which Niccolo Machiavelli turned on its head.In The Prince, the championed cunning,ruthlessness,and boldness,rather than virtue,mercy and justice,as the skills of successful leaders.Over time,the attributes of greatness shifted.The Romantics commemorated the leading painters and authors of their day,stressing the uniqueness of the artist's personal experience rather than public glory.By contrast,the Victorian author Samual Smiles wrote Self-Help as a catalogue of the worthy lives of engineers,industrialists and explores."The valuable examples which they furnish of the power of self-help,if patient purpose,resolute working and steadfast integrity,issuing in the formulation of truly noble and many character,exhibit,"wrote Smiles."what it is in the power of each to accomplish for himself."His biographies of James Walt,Richard Arkwright and Josiah Wedgwood were held up as beacons to guide the working man through his difficult life.This was all a bit bourgeois for Thomas Carlyle,who focused his biographies on the truly heroic lives of Martin Luther,Oliver Cromwell and Napoleon Bonaparte.These epochal figures represented lives hard to imitate,but to be acknowledged as possessing higher authority than mere mortals.47.DirectionsSuppose you have found something wrong with the electronic dictionary that you bought from an online store the other day,Write an email to the customer service center to1)Make a complaint and2)Demand a prompt solutionYou should write about100words on ANSERE SHEET2Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter,Use"zhang wei"instead.48、write an essay based on the following table.In your writing you should1)Describe the table,and2)Give your commentsYou should write at least150words(15points)2012年全国硕士研究生招生考试英语(二)答案详解SectionⅠUse of English文章分析本文是一篇以人物介绍为中心的说明文。
(NEW)西南政法大学外语学院211翻译硕士英语[专业硕士]历年考研真题及详解
目 录2011年西南政法大学外语学院211翻译硕士英语考研真题及详解2012年西南政法大学外语学院211翻译硕士英语考研真题及详解2013年西南政法大学外语学院211翻译硕士英语考研真题及详解2011年西南政法大学外语学院211翻译硕士英语考研真题及详解Part 1 Vocabulary and Structure (每小题0.5分,共10分)Direction: For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C and D .You should choose the one that best fits into the sentence.l. Tom _____ his new job with confidence.A. set outB. set offC. set upD. set about【答案】D【解析】句意:汤姆满怀信心地投入新的工作。
本题考查的是短语辨析。
set about意为“开始;着手”,符合题意,故为正确答案。
set out意为“开始”;set off意为“(使)做某事”;set up意为“开业,开始经商”。
2.The truck driver was fined for exceeding the speed _____.A. rangeB. limitC. ruleD. regulation【答案】B【解析】句意:卡车司机因超速而被罚款。
本题考查的是词义辨析,limit意为“限制;界限”,符合题意,故为正确答案。
range意为“(知识、知觉、听觉等的)范围”;regulation意为“规定,规则”;rule和regulation是近义词,意为“规定,规章”。
3.The crippled Jack proudly walked with a _____ to the platform to join the children.A. jumpB. limpC. hopD. jog【答案】B【解析】句意:跛腿的杰克一瘸一拐地走上舞台,加入到孩子们中间去。
2012年考研英语一真题及答案完整解析(1)
2012年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语(一)The ethical judgments of the Supreme Court justices have become an important issue recently。
The court cannot _1_ its legitimacy as guardian of the rule of law _2_ justices behave like politicians。
Yet,in several instances,justices acted in ways that _3_ the court’s reputation for being independent and impartial.Justice Antonin Scalia, for example, appeared at political events。
That kind of activity makes it less likely that the court’s decisions will be _4_ as impartial judgments。
Part of the problem is that the justices are not _5_by an ethics code. At the very least, the court should make itself _6_to the code of conduct that _7_to the rest of the federal judiciary.This and other similar cases _8_the question of whether there is still a_9_between the court and politics.The framers of the Constitution envisioned law _10_having authority apart from politics. They gave justices permanent positions _11_they would be free to _12_ those in power and have no need to _13_ political support. Our legal system was designed to set law apart from politics precisely because they are so closely _14_。
2012年考研英语二真题全文翻译答案超详解析
2012 年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语(二)试题答案与解析Section I Use of English一、文章题材结构分析本文是一篇关于人物介绍的说明性文章,主要讲述了G. I. Joe 由普通人成长为英雄,是美国特种兵敢死队的象征。
二、试题解析1.【答案】B【解析】本段开篇提出主题:G. I. Joe 这个名字对于参加过第二次世界大战的人来说意义非凡。
空格中需要填动词,在定语从句中做谓语,其主语是who(指代men and women),动作发生的地点是in World War II;空后的句子“the people they liberated”中 they也指代 men and women,他们有 liberate的动作,由此推断“the men and women”指的应该是参加了第二次大战的男人和女人,即服役的军人。
只有serve 有“服兵役”的意思,所以选 B。
A 项 perform 意为“表现;执行;表演”;C 项 rebel 意为“造反,反抗”;D 项 betray 意为”背叛,出卖”,皆不符合文意,为干扰项。
2.【答案】B【解析】空格处所指的人与下文的 the poor farm kid 和 the guy 在含义上呼应,同时与空格后的“grown intohero”逻辑含义应保持一致,因此空内信息应该是与hero“英雄”意思相对,后面的分句说他背井离乡,经历了很多苦难,显然这里应该是说由普通人平凡人(common man)成长为英雄,所以选 B。
A 项actual 意为“实际上,事实上的”;C 项special 意为“特殊的,专门的”;D 项normal 意为“正常的,常态的”;皆不符合上下文语意,为干扰项。
3.【答案】A【解析】本题考查的是词语的搭配关系,需要填入动词在定语从句中做谓语,先行词是who(the guy),宾语是all the burdens of battle,要表达“承担战争带来的负担,应该用动词bear 或shoulder,所以这里选 A,bore。
2012年考研英语一真题及答案完整解析(1)
2012年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语(一)The ethical judgments of the Supreme Court justices have become an important issue recently. The court cannot _1_ its legitimacy as guardian of the rule of law _2_ justices behave like politicians. Yet, in several instances, justices acted in ways that _3_ the court’s reputation for being independent and impartial.Justice Antonin Scalia, for example, appeared at political events. That kind of activity makes it less likely that the court’s decisions will be _4_ as impartial judgments. Part of the problem is that the justices are not _5_by an ethics code. At the very least, the court should make itself _6_to the code of conduct that _7_to the rest of the federal judiciary.This and other similar cases _8_the question of whether there is still a _9_between the court and politics.The framers of the Constitution envisioned law _10_having authority apart from politics. They gave justices permanent positions _11_they would be free to _12_ those in power and have no need to _13_ political support. Our legal system was designed to set law apart from politics precisely because they are so closely _14_.Constitutional law is political because it results from choices rooted in fundamental social _15_ like liberty and property. When the court deals with social policy decisions, the law it _16_ is inescapably political-which is why decisions split along ideological lines are so easily _17_ as unjust.The justices must _18_ doubts about the court’s legitimacy by making themselves _19_ to the code of conduct. That would make rulings more likely to be seen as separate from politics and, _20_, convincing as law.1. [A]emphasize [B]maintain [C]modify [D] recognize2. [A]when [B]lest [C]before [D] unless3. [A]restored [B]weakened [C]established [D] eliminated4. [A]challenged [B]compromised [C]suspected [D] accepted5. [A]advanced [B]caught [C]bound [D]founded6. [A]resistant [B]subject [C]immune [D]prone7. [A]resorts [B]sticks [C]loads [D]applies8. [A]evade [B]raise [C]deny [D]settle9. [A]line [B]barrier [C]similarity [D]conflict10. [A]by [B]as [C]though [D]towards11. [A]so [B]since [C]provided [D]though12. [A]serve [B]satisfy [C]upset [D]replace13. [A]confirm [B]express [C]cultivate [D]offer14. [A]guarded [B]followed [C]studied [D]tied15. [A]concepts [B]theories [C]divisions [D]conceptions16. [A]excludes [B]questions [C]shapes [D]controls17. [A]dismissed [B]released [C]ranked [D]distorted18. [A]suppress [B]exploit [C]address [D]ignore19. [A]accessible [B]amiable [C]agreeable [D]accountable20. [A]by all mesns [B]atall costs [C]in a word [D]as a resultCome on –Everybody’s doing it. That whispered message, half invitation and hal f forcing, is what most of us think of when we hear the words peer pressure. It usually leads to no good-drinking, drugs and casual sex. But in her new book Join the Club, Tina Rosenberg contends that peer pressure can also be a positive force through what she calls the social cure, in which organizations and officials use the power of group dynamics to help individuals improve their lives and possibly the word.Rosenberg, the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize, offers a host of example of the social cure in action: In South Carolina, a state-sponsored antismoking program called Rage Against the Haze sets out to make cigarettes uncool. In South Africa, an HIV-prevention initiative known as LoveLife recruits young people to promote safe sex among their peers.The idea seems promising,and Rosenberg is a perceptive observer. Her critique of the lameness of many pubic-health campaigns is spot-on: they fail to mobilize peer pressure for healthy habits, and they demonstrate a seriously flawed understanding of psychology.” Dare to be different, please don’t smoke!” pleads one billboard campaign aimed at reducing smoking among teenagers-teenagers, who desire nothing more than fitting in. Rosenberg argues convincingly that public-health advocates ought to take a page from advertisers, so skilled at applying peer pressure.But on the general effectiveness of the social cure, Rosenberg is less persuasive. Join the Club is filled with too much irrelevant detail and not enough exploration of the social and biological factors that make peer pressure so powerful. The most glaring flaw of the social cure as it’s presented here is that it doesn’t work very well for very long. Rage Against the Haze failed once state funding was cut. Evidence that the LoveLife program produces lasting changes is limited and mixed.There’s no doubt that our peer groups exert enormous influence on our behavior. An emerging body of research shows that positive health habits-as well as negative ones-spread through networks of friends via social communication. This is a subtle form of peer pressure: we unconsciously imitate the behavior we see every day.Far less certain, however, is how successfully experts and bureaucrats can select our peer groups and steer their activities in virtuous directions. It’s lik e the teacher who breaks up the troublemakers in the back row by pairing them with better-behaved classmates. The tactic never really works. And that’s the problem with a social cure engineered from the outside: in the real world, as in school, we insist on choosing our own friends.21. According to the first paragraph, peer pressure often emerges as[A] a supplement to the social cure[B] a stimulus to group dynamics[C] an obstacle to school progress[D] a cause of undesirable behaviors22. Rosenberg holds that public advocates should[A] recruit professional advertisers[B] learn from advertisers’ experience[C] stay away from commercial advertisers[D] recognize the limitations of advertisements23. In the author’s view, Rosenberg’s book fails to[A] adequately probe social and biological factors[B] effectively evade the flaws of the social cure[C] illustrate the functions of state funding[D]produce a long-lasting social effect24. Paragraph 5shows that our imitation of behaviors[A] is harmful to our networks of friends[B] will mislead behavioral studies[C] occurs without our realizing it[D] can produce negative health habits25. The author suggests in the last paragraph that the effect of peer pressure is[A] harmful[B] desirable[C] profound[D] questionableA deal is a deal-except, apparently ,when Entergy is involved. The company, a major energy supplier in New England, provoked justified outrage in Vermont last week when it announced it was reneging on a longstanding commitment to abide by the strict nuclear regulations.Instead, the company has done precisely what it had long promised it would not challenge the constitutionality of Vermont’s rules in the federal court, as part of a desperate effort to keep its Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant running. It’s a stunning move.The conflict has been surfacing since 2002, when the corporation bought Vermont’s only nuclear power plant, an aging reactor in Vernon. As a condition of receiving state approval for the sale, the company agreed to seek permission from state regulators to operate past 2012. In 2006, the state went a step further, requiring that any extension of the plant’s license be subject to Vermont legislature’s approval. Then, too, the company went along.Either Entergy never really intended to live by those commitments, or it simply didn’t foresee what would happen next. A string of accidents, including the partial collapse of a cooling tower in 207 and the discovery of an underground pipe system leakage, raised serious quest ions about both Vermont Yankee’s safety and Entergy’s management–especially after the company made misleading statements about the pipe. Enraged by Entergy’s behavior, the Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 last year against allowing an extension.Now the company is suddenly claiming that the 2002 agreement is invalid because of the 2006 legislation, and that only the federal government has regulatory power over nuclear issues. The legal issues in the case are obscure: whereasVermont case will offer a precedent-setting test of how far those powers extend. Certainly, there are valid concerns about the patchwork regulations that could result if every state sets its own rules. But had Entergy kept its word, that debate would be beside the point.The company seems to have concluded that its reputation in Vermont is already so damaged that it has noting left to lose by going to war with the state. But there should be consequences. Permission to run a nuclear plant is a poblic trust. Entergy runs 11 other reactors in the United States, including Pilgrim Nuclear station in Plymouth. Pledging to run Pilgrim safely, the company has applied for federal permission to keep it open for another 20 years. But as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviews the company’s application, it should keep it mind what promises from Entergy are worth.26. The phrase “reneging on”(Line 3.para.1) is closest in meaning t o[A] condemning.[B] reaffirming.[C] dishonoring.[D] securing.27. By entering into the 2002 agreement, Entergy intended to[A] obtain protection from Vermont regulators.[B] seek favor from the federal legislature.[C] acquire an extension of its business license .[D] get permission to purchase a power plant.28. According to Paragraph 4, Entergy seems to have problems with its[A] managerial practices. [B] technical innovativeness.[C] financial goals. [D] business vision29. In the auth or’s view, the Vermont case will test[A] Entergy’s capacity to fulfill all its promises.[B] the mature of states’ patchwork regulations.[C] the federal authority over nuclear issues .[D] the limits of states’ power over nuclear issues.30. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that[A] Entergy’s business elsewhere might be affected.[B] the authority of the NRC will be defied.[C] Entergy will withdraw its Plymouth application.[D] Vermont’s reputation might be damaged.In the idealized version of how science is done, facts about the world are waiting to be observed and collected by objective researchers who use the scientific method to carry out their work. But in the everyday practice of science, discovery frequently follows an ambiguous and complicated route. We aim to be objective, but we cannot escape the context of our unique life experience. Prior knowledge and interest influence what we experience, what we think our experiences mean, and the subsequent actions we take. Opportunities for misinterpretation, error, and self-deception abound.Consequently, discovery claims should be thought of as protoscience. Similar to newly staked mining claims, they are full of potential. But it takes collective scrutiny and acceptance to transform a discovery claim into a mature discovery. This is the credibility process, through which the individual researcher’s me, here, now becomes the community’s anyone, anywhere, anytime. Objective knowledge is the goal, not the starting point.Once a discovery claim becomes public, the discoverer receives intellectual credit. But, unlike with mining claims, the community takes control of what happens next. Within the complex social structure of the scientific community, researchers make discoveries; editors and reviewers act as gatekeepers by controlling the publication process; other scientists use the new finding to suit their own purposes; and finally, the public (including other scientists) receives the new discovery and possibly accompanying technology. As a discovery claim works it through the community, the interaction and confrontation between shared and competing beliefs about the science and the technology involved transforms an individual’s discovery claim into the community’s credible discovery.Two paradoxes exist throughout this credibility process. First, scientific work tends to focus on some aspect of prevailing Knowledge that is viewed as incomplete or incorrect. Little reward accompanies duplication and confirmation of what is already known and believed. The goal is new-search, not re-search. Not surprisingly, newly published discovery claims and credible discoveries that appear to be important and convincing will always be open to challenge and potential modification or refutation by future researchers. Second, novelty itself frequently provokes disbelief. Nobel Laureate and physiologist Albert Azent-Gyorgyi once described discovery as “seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” But thinking what nobody else has thought and telling others what they have missed may not change their views. Sometimes years are required for truly novel discovery claims to be accepted and appreciated.In the end, credibility “happens” to a discovery claim – a process that corresponds to what philosopher Annette Baier has described as the commons of the mind. “We reason together, challenge, revise, and complete each other’s reasoning and each other’s conceptions of reason.”31. According to the first paragraph, the process of discovery is characterized by its[A] uncertainty and complexity.[B] misconception and deceptiveness.[C] logicality and objectivity.[D] systematicness and regularity.32. It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that credibility process requires[A] strict inspection. [B]shared efforts.[C] individual wisdom. [D]persistent innovation.33.Paragraph 3 shows that a discovery claim becomes credible after it[A] has attracted the attention of the general public.[B]has been examined by the scientific community.[C] has received recognition from editors and reviewers.[D]has been frequently quoted by peer scientists.34. Albert Szent-Györgyi would most likely agree that[A] scientific claims will survive challenges.[B]discoveries today inspire future research.[D]scientific work calls for a critical mind.35.Which of the following would be the best title of the test?[A] Novelty as an Engine of Scientific Development.[B]Collective Scrutiny in Scientific Discovery.[C] Evolution of Credibility in Doing Science.[D]Challenge to Credibility at the Gate to Science.If the trade unionist Jimmy Hoffa were alive today, he would probably represent civil servant. When Hoffa’s Teamsters were in their prime in 1960, only one in ten American government workers belonged to a union; now 36% do. In 2009 the number of unionists in America’s public sector passed that of their fellow members in the private sector. In Britain, more than half of public-sector workers but only about 15% of private-sector ones are unionized.There are three reasons for the public-sector unions’ thriving. First, they can shut things down without suffering much in the way of consequences. Second, they are mostly bright and well-educated. A quarter of A merica’s public-sector workers have a university degree. Third, they now dominateleft-of-centre politics. Some of their ties go back a long way. Britain’s Labor Party, as its name implies, has long been associated with trade unionism. Its current leader, Ed Miliband, owes his position to votes from public-sector unions.At the state level their influence can be even more fearsome. Mark Baldassare of the Public Policy Institute of California points out that much of the state’s budget is patrolled by unions. The teachers’ unions keep an eye on schools, the CCPOA on prisons and a variety of labor groups on health care.In many rich countries average wages in the state sector are higher than in the private one. But the real gains come in benefits and work prac tices. Politicians have repeatedly “backloaded” public-sector pay deals, keeping the pay increases modest but adding to holidays and especially pensions that are already generous.Reform has been vigorously opposed, perhaps most egregiously in education, where charter schools, academies and merit pay all faced drawn-out battles. Even though there is plenty of evidence that the quality of the teachers is the most important variable, teachers’ unions have fought against getting rid of bad ones and promoting good ones.As the cost to everyone else has become clearer, politicians have begun to clamp down. In Wisconsin the unions have rallied thousands of supporters against Scott Walker, the hardline Republican governor. But many within the public sector suffer under the current system, too.John Donahue at Harvard’s Kennedy School points out that the norms of culture in Western civil services suit those who want to stay put but is bad for high achievers. The only American public-sector workers who earn well above $250,000 a year are university sports coaches and the president of the United States. Bankers’ fat pay packets have attracted much criticism, but a public-sector system that does not reward high achievers may be a much bigger problem for America.36. It can be learned from the first paragraph that[A] Teamsters still have a large body of members.[B] Jimmy Hoffa used to work as a civil servant.[D]the government has improved its relationship with unionists.37. Which of the following is true of Paragraph 2?[A] Public-sector unions are prudent in taking actions.[B] Education is required for public-sector union membership.[C] Labor Party has long been fighting against public-sector unions.[D]Public-sector unions seldom get in trouble for their actions.38. It can be learned from Paragraph 4 that the income in the state sector is[A] illegally secured. [B] indirectly augmented.[C] excessively increased. [D]fairly adjusted.39. The example of the unions in Wisconsin shows that unions[A]often run against the current political system.[B]can change people’s political attitudes.[C]may be a barrier to public-sector reforms.[D]are dominant in the government.40. John Donahue’s a ttitude towards the public-sector system is one of[A]disapproval.[B]appreciation.[C]tolerance.[D]indifference.Think of those fleeting moments when you look out of an aeroplane window and realise that you are flying, higher than a bird. Now think of your laptop, thinner than a brown-paper envelope, or your cellphone in the palm of your hand. Take a moment or two to wonder at those marvels. You are the lucky inheritor of a dream come true.The second half of the 20th century saw a collection of geniuses, warriors, entrepreneurs and visionaries labour to create a fabulous machine that could function as a typewriter and printing press, studio and theatre, paintbrush and gallery, piano and radio, the mail as well as the mail carrier. (41)The networked computer is an amazing device, the first media machine that serves as the mode of production, means of distribution, site of reception, and place of praise and critique. The computer is the 21st century's culture machine.But for all the reasons there are to celebrate the computer, we must also tread with caution. (42)I call it a secret war for two reasons. First, most people do not realise that there are strong commercial agendas at work to keep them in passive consumption mode. Second, the majority of people who use networked computers to upload are not even aware of the significance of what they are doing.All animals download, but only a few upload. Beavers build dams and birds make nests. Yet for the most part, the animal kingdom moves through the world downloading. Humans are unique in their capacity to not only make tools but then turn around and use them to create superfluous material goods - paintings, sculpture and architecture - and superfluous experiences - music, literature, religion and philosophy. (43)For all the possibilities of our new culture machines, most people are still stuck in download mode. Even after the advent of widespread social media, a pyramid of production remains, with a small number of people uploading material, a slightly larger group commenting on or modifying that content, and a huge percentage remaining content to just consume. (44)Television is a one-way tap flowing into our homes. The hardest task that television asks of anyone is to turn the power off after he has turned it on.What counts as meaningful uploading? My definition revolves around the concept of "stickiness" - creations and experiences to which others adhere.[A] Of course, it is precisely these superfluous things that define human culture and ultimately what it is to be human. Downloading and consuming culture requires great skills, but failing to move beyond downloading is to strip oneself of a defining constituent of humanity.[B] Applications like , which allow users to combine pictures, words and other media in creative ways and then share them, have the potential to add stickiness by amusing, entertaining and enlightening others.[C] Not only did they develop such a device but by the turn of the millennium they had also managed to embed it in a worldwide system accessed by billions of people every day.[D] This is because the networked computer has sparked a secret war between downloading and uploading - between passive consumption and active creation - whose outcome will shape our collective future in ways we can only begin to imagine.[E] The challenge the computer mounts to television thus bears little similarity to one format being replaced by another in the manner of record players being replaced by CD players.[F] One reason for the persistence of this pyramid of production is that for the past half-century, much of the world's media culture has been defined by a single medium - television - and television is defined by downloading.[G]The networked computer offers the first chance in 50 years to reverse the flow, to encourage thoughtful downloading and, even more importantly, meaningful uploading.Part CSince the days of Aristotle, a search for universal principles has characterized the scientific enterprise. In some ways, this quest for commonalities defines science. Newton’s laws of motion and Darwinian evolution each bind a host of different phenomena into a single explicatory frame work.(46)In physics, one approach takes this impulse for unification to its extreme, and seeks a theory of everything—a single generative equation for all we see.It is becoming less clear, however, that such a theory would be a simplification, given the dimensions and universes that it might entail, nonetheless, unification of sorts remains a major goal.This tendency in the natural sciences has long been evident in the social sciences too. (47)Here, Darwinism seems to offer justification for it all humans share common origins it seems reasonable to suppose that cultural diversity could also be traced to more constrained beginnings. Just as the bewildering variety of human courtship rituals might all be considered forms of sexual selection, perhaps the world’s languages, music, social and religious customs and even history are governed by universal features. (48)To filter out what is unique from what is shared might enable us to understand how complex cultural behavior arose and what guides it in evolutionary or cognitive terms.That, at least, is the hope. But a comparative study of linguistic traits published online today supplies a reality check. Russell Gray at the University of Auckland and his colleagues consider the evolution of grammars in the light of two previous attempts to find universality in language.The most famous of these efforts was initiated by Noam Chomsky, who suggested that humans are born with an innate language—acquisition capacity that dictates a universal grammar. A few generative rules are then sufficient to unfold the entire fundamental structure of a language, which is why children can learn it so quickly.(49)The second, by Joshua Greenberg, takes a more empirical approach to universality identifying traits (particularly in word order) shared by many language which are considered to represent biases that result from cognitive constraintsGray and his colleagues have put them to the test by examining four family trees that between them represent more than 2,000 languages.(50)Chomsky’s grammar should show patterns of language change that are independent of the family tree or the pathway tracked through it. Whereas Greenbergian universality predicts strong co-dependencies between particular types of word-order relations. Neither of these patterns is borne out by the analysis, suggesting that the structures of the languages are lireage-specific and not governed by universalsSection III WritingSome internationals students are coming to your university. Write them an email in the name of the Students’Union to1) extend your welcome and2) provide some suggestions for their campus life here.You should write about 100 words on ANSWER SHEET2.Do not sign your name at the end of the letter. Use “Li Ming”instead.Do not write the address(10 points)Part B52. Directions: write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following drawing. In your essay you should1) describe the drawing briefly2) explain its intended meaning, and3) give your commentsYou should write neatly on ANSWER SHEET2.(20 points)1.【答案】B【解析】从空后信息可以看出,这句表达的是“_ _法官表现得像政治家”的情况下,法庭就不能保持其作为法律法规的合法卫士的形象,所以应该选C,maintain“维持,保持”,其他显然语义不通。
2012年西北大学外国语学院211翻译硕士英语考研真题及详解【圣才出品】
2012年西北大学外国语学院211翻译硕士英语考研真题及详解Part I Vocabulary and Structure (60 minutes)Section A (10 points, 1 for each)Directions: In this section there are t0 sentences, each with one word or phrase underlined. Choose the one from the four choices marked A, B, C and D that best keeps the meaning of the sentence.1. Talks on climate change resumed in the German city of Bonn on July 16 to combat global warming.A. focus onB. settle downC. fight againstD. sum up【答案】C【解析】句意:7月16日,德国波恩举行了关于气候变化的会谈,以应对全球变暖问题。
combat战斗;应对。
fight against抵抗,对抗。
settle down定居;专心于。
2. The legislative provision has a great impact on the operations of the department.A. lawB. passageC. revisionD. clause【答案】D【解析】句意:法律条款对这个部门的运作有很大的影响。
provision规定;条款。
clause (章程、条约等的)条款。
revision校正,修订。
3. Romantic novels, as opposed to realistic ones, tend to present idealized versions of life often with a happy ending.A. in contrast toB. in regard toC. in terms ofD. in light of【答案】A【解析】句意:与现实主义小说截然相反,浪漫主义小说往往会呈现出理想化的生活方式,结局往往皆大欢喜。
2012年西南大学英语翻译基础真题试卷(题后含答案及解析)
2012年西南大学英语翻译基础真题试卷(题后含答案及解析) 题型有:1. 词语翻译 2. 英汉互译词语翻译英译汉1.complaint book正确答案:投诉书2.inheritance tax正确答案:遗产税3.value added tax正确答案:增值税4.summit meeting正确答案:首脑会议5.sweet milk正确答案:甜牛奶6.a good sailor正确答案:不晕船的人7.eurozone正确答案:欧元区8.emergency exit正确答案:紧急出口9.contact lenses正确答案:隐形眼镜10.European Central Bank正确答案:欧洲央行11.UN Security Council正确答案:联合国安理会12.ASEAN正确答案:东盟(东南亚国家联盟)(Association of Southeast Asian Nations)13.UNESCO正确答案:联合国教科文组织(United Nations Educational,Scientific,and Cultural Organization)14.IMF正确答案:国际货币基金组织(International Monetary Fund)15.ADB正确答案:亚洲开发银行(Asian Development Bank)汉译英16.零排放正确答案:zero emission17.油漆未干正确答案:wet paint18.部长级会议正确答案:ministerial conference19.公务员正确答案:civil servants20.居民消费价格指数正确答案:the consumer price index21.福利彩票正确答案:welfare lottery22.液晶显示屏正确答案:liquid crystal display23.医疗保险正确答案:medical insurance24.义务教育正确答案:compulsory education25.战略伙伴关系正确答案:strategic partnership26.智囊团正确答案:think-tank27.中央商务区正确答案:central business district28.国家发改委正确答案:National Development and Reform Commission 29.《红楼梦》正确答案:Dream of Red Mansions30.武术正确答案:martial arts英汉互译英译汉31.Our age is in many ways unique, full of events and phenomena which never occurred before and can never happen again. They distort our thinking, making us believe that what is true now will be true forever, though perhaps on a larger scale. Because we have annihilated distance on this planet, we imagine that we can do it once again. The facts are far otherwise, and we will see them clearly if we forget the present and turn our minds toward the past.To our ancestors, the vastness of the earth was a dominant fact controlling their thoughts and lives. In all earlier ages than ours, the world was wide indeed, and no man could ever see more than a tiny fraction of its immensity. A few hundred miles—a thousand, at the most—was infinity. Only a lifetime ago parents waved farewell to their emigrating children in the virtual certainty that they would never meet again.And now, within one incredible generation, all this has changed. Over the seas where Odysseus wandered for a decade, the Rome-Beiru comet whispers its way within the hour. And above that, the closer satellites span the distance between Troy and Ithaca in less than a minute.Psychologically as well as physically, there are no longer any remote places on Earth. When a friend leaves for what was once a far country, even if he has no intention of returning, we cannot feel that same sense of irrevocable separation that saddened our forefathers. We know that he is only hours away by jet liner, and that we have merely to reach for the telephone to hear his voice.In a few years, when the satellite communication network is established, we will be able to see friends on the far side of the earth as easily as we talk to them on the other side of the town. Then the world will shrink no more, for it will have become a dimensionless point.(From We’ll Never Conquer Space written by Arthur Clarke in 1960)正确答案:我们的时代在许多方面都是独一无二的。
2012年考研英语一真题及答案完整解析(1)
2012年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语(一)The ethical judgments of the Supreme Court justices have become an important issue recently. The court cannot _1_ its legitimacy as guardian of the rule of law _2_ justices behave like politicians. Yet, in several instances, justices acted in ways that _3_ the court’s reputation for being independent and impartial.Justice Antonin Scalia, for example, appeared at political events. That kind of activity makes it less likely that the court’s decisions will be _4_ as impartial judgments. Part of the problem is that the justices are not _5_by an ethics code. At the very least, the court should make itself _6_to the code of conduct that _7_to the rest of the federal judiciary.This and other similar cases _8_the question of whether there is still a_9_between the court and politics.The framers of the Constitution envisioned law _10_having authority apart from politics. They gave justices permanent positions _11_they would be free to _12_ those in power and have no need to _13_ political support. Our legal system was designed to set law apart from politics precisely because they are so closely _14_.Constitutional law is political because it results from choices rooted in fundamental social _15_ like liberty and property. When the court deals with social policy decisions, the law it _16_ is inescapably political-which is why decisions split along ideological lines are so easily _17_ as unjust.The justices must _18_ doubts about the court’s legitimacy by making themselves _19_ to the code of conduct. That would make rulings more likely to be seen as separate from politics and, _20_, convincing as law.1. [A]emphasize [B]maintain [C]modify [D] recognize2. [A]when [B]lest [C]before [D] unless3. [A]restored [B]weakened [C]established [D] eliminated4. [A]challenged [B]compromised [C]suspected [D] accepted5. [A]advanced [B]caught [C]bound [D]founded6. [A]resistant [B]subject [C]immune [D]prone7. [A]resorts [B]sticks [C]loads [D]applies8. [A]evade [B]raise [C]deny [D]settle9. [A]line [B]barrier [C]similarity [D]conflict10. [A]by [B]as [C]though [D]towards11. [A]so [B]since [C]provided [D]though12. [A]serve [B]satisfy [C]upset [D]replace13. [A]confirm [B]express [C]cultivate [D]offer14. [A]guarded [B]followed [C]studied [D]tied15. [A]concepts [B]theories [C]divisions [D]conceptions16. [A]excludes [B]questions [C]shapes [D]controls17. [A]dismissed [B]released [C]ranked [D]distorted18. [A]suppress [B]exploit [C]address [D]ignore19. [A]accessible [B]amiable [C]agreeable [D]accountable20. [A]by all mesns [B]atall costs [C]in a word [D]as a resultCome on –Everybody’s doing it. That whispered message, half invitation and hal f forcing, is what most of us think of when we hear the words peer pressure. It usually leads to no good-drinking, drugs and casual sex. But in her new book Join the Club, Tina Rosenberg contends that peer pressure can also be a positive force through what she calls the social cure, in which organizations and officials use the power of group dynamics to help individuals improve their lives and possibly the word.Rosenberg, the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize, offers a host of example of the social cure in action: In South Carolina, a state-sponsored antismoking program called Rage Against the Haze sets out to make cigarettes uncool. In South Africa, an HIV-prevention initiative known as LoveLife recruits young people to promote safe sex among their peers.The idea seems promising,and Rosenberg is a perceptive observer. Her critique of the lameness of many pubic-health campaigns is spot-on: they fail to mobilize peer pressure for healthy habits, and they demonstrate a seriously flawed understanding of psychology.” Dare to be different, please don’t smoke!” pleads one billboard campaign aimed at reducing smoking amongteenagers-teenagers, who desire nothing more than fitting in. Rosenberg arguesconvincingly that public-health advocates ought to take a page from advertisers, so skilled at applying peer pressure.But on the general effectiveness of the social cure, Rosenberg is less persuasive. Join the Club is filled with too much irrelevant detail and not enough exploration of the social and biological factors that make peer pressure so powerful. The most glaring flaw of the social cure as it’s presented here is that it doesn’t work very well for very long. Rage Against the Haze failed once state funding was cut. Evidence that the LoveLife program produces lasting changes is limited and mixed.There’s no doubt that our peer groups exert enormous influence on our behavior. An emerging body of research shows that positive health habits-as well as negative ones-spread through networks of friends via social communication. This is a subtle form of peer pressure: we unconsciously imitate the behavior we see every day.Far less certain, however, is how successfully experts and bureaucrats can select our peer groups and steer their activities in virtuous directions. It’s lik e the teacher who breaks up the troublemakers in the back row by pairing them with better-behaved classmates. The tactic never really works. And that’s the problem with a social cure engineered from the outside: in the real world, as in school, we insist on choosing our own friends.21. According to the first paragraph, peer pressure often emerges as[A] a supplement to the social cure[B] a stimulus to group dynamics[C] an obstacle to school progress[D] a cause of undesirable behaviors22. Rosenberg holds that public advocates should[A] recruit professional advertisers[B] learn from advertisers’ experience[C] stay away from commercial advertisers[D] recognize the limitations of advertisements23. In the author’s view, Rosenberg’s book fails to[A] adequately probe social and biological factors[B] effectively evade the flaws of the social cure[C] illustrate the functions of state funding[D]produce a long-lasting social effect24. Paragraph 5shows that our imitation of behaviors[A] is harmful to our networks of friends[B] will mislead behavioral studies[C] occurs without our realizing it[D] can produce negative health habits25. The author suggests in the last paragraph that the effect of peer pressure is[A] harmful[B] desirable[C] profound[D] questionableA deal is a deal-except, apparently ,when Entergy is involved. The company, a major energy supplier in New England, provoked justified outrage in Vermont last week when it announced it was reneging on a longstanding commitment to abide by the strict nuclear regulations.Instead, the company has done precisely what it had long promised it would not challenge the constitutionality of Vermont’s rules in the federal court, as part of a desperate effort to keep its Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant running. It’s a stunning move.The conflict has been surfacing since 2002, when the corporation bought Vermont’s only nuclear power plant, an aging reactor in Vernon. As a condition of receiving state approval for the sale, the company agreed to seek permission from state regulators to operate past 2012. In 2006, the state went a step further, requiring that any extension of the plant’s license be subject to Vermont legislature’s approval. Then, too, the company went along.Either Entergy never really intended to live by those commitments, or it simply didn’t foresee what would happen next. A string of accidents, including the partial collapse of a cooling tower in 207 and the discovery of an underground pipe system leakage, raised serious quest ions about both Vermont Yankee’s safety and Entergy’s management–especially after the company made misleading statements about the pipe. Enraged by Entergy’s behavior, the Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 last year against allowing an extension.Now the company is suddenly claiming that the 2002 agreement is invalid because of the 2006 legislation, and that only the federal government has regulatory power over nuclear issues. The legal issues in the case are obscure: whereas the Supreme Court has ruled that states do have some regulatory authority over nuclear power, legal scholars say that Vermont case will offer a precedent-setting test of how far those powers extend. Certainly, there are valid concerns about the patchwork regulations that could result if every state sets its own rules. But had Entergy kept its word, that debate would be beside the point.The company seems to have concluded that its reputation in Vermont is already so damaged that it has noting left to lose by going to war with the state. But there should be consequences. Permission to run a nuclear plant is a poblictrust. Entergy runs 11 other reactors in the United States, including Pilgrim Nuclear station in Plymouth. Pledging to run Pilgrim safely, the company has applied for federal permission to keep it open for another 20 years. But as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviews the company’s application, it should keep it mind what promises from Entergy are worth.26. The phrase “reneging on”(Line 3.para.1) is closest in meaning t o[A] condemning.[B] reaffirming.[C] dishonoring.[D] securing.27. By entering into the 2002 agreement, Entergy intended to[A] obtain protection from Vermont regulators.[B] seek favor from the federal legislature.[C] acquire an extension of its business license .[D] get permission to purchase a power plant.28. According to Paragraph 4, Entergy seems to have problems with its[A] managerial practices. [B] technical innovativeness.[C] financial goals. [D] business vision29. In the auth or’s view, the Vermont case will test[A] Entergy’s capacity to fulfill all its promises.[B] the mature of states’ patchwork regulations.[C] the federal authority over nuclear issues .[D] the limits of states’ power over nuclear issues.30. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that[A] Entergy’s business elsewhere might be affected.[B] the authority of the NRC will be defied.[C] Entergy will withdraw its Plymouth application.[D] Vermont’s reputation might be damaged.In the idealized version of how science is done, facts about the world are waiting to be observed and collected by objective researchers who use the scientific method to carry out their work. But in the everyday practice of science, discovery frequently follows an ambiguous and complicated route. We aim to be objective, but we cannot escape the context of our unique life experience. Prior knowledge and interest influence what we experience, what we think our experiences mean, and the subsequent actions we take. Opportunities for misinterpretation, error, and self-deception abound.Consequently, discovery claims should be thought of as protoscience. Similar to newly staked mining claims, they are full of potential. But it takes collective scrutiny and acceptance to transform a discovery claim into a mature discovery. This is the credibility process, through which the individual researcher’s me, here, now becomes the community’s anyone, anywhere, anytime. Objective knowledge is the goal, not the starting point.Once a discovery claim becomes public, the discoverer receives intellectual credit. But, unlike with mining claims, the community takes control of what happens next. Within the complex social structure of the scientific community, researchers make discoveries; editors and reviewers act as gatekeepers by controlling the publication process; other scientists use the new finding to suit their own purposes; and finally, the public (including other scientists) receives the new discovery and possibly accompanying technology. As a discovery claim works it through the community, the interaction and confrontation between shared and competing beliefs about the science and the technology involved transforms an individual’s discovery claim into the community’s credible discovery.Two paradoxes exist throughout this credibility process. First, scientific work tends to focus on some aspect of prevailing Knowledge that is viewed as incomplete or incorrect. Little reward accompanies duplication and confirmation of what is already known and believed. The goal is new-search, not re-search. Not surprisingly, newly published discovery claims and credible discoveries that appear to be important and convincing will always be open to challenge and potential modification or refutation by future researchers. Second, novelty itself frequently provokes disbelief. Nobel Laureate and physiologist AlbertAzent-Gyorgyi once described discovery as “seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” But thinking what nobody else has thought and telling others what they have missed may not change their views. Sometimes years are required for truly novel discovery claims to be accepted and appreciated.In the end, credibility “happens” to a discovery claim – a process that corresponds to what philosopher Annette Baier has described as the commons of the mind. “We reason together, challenge, revise, and complete each other’s reasoning and each other’s conceptions of reason.”31. According to the first paragraph, the process of discovery is characterized by its[A] uncertainty and complexity.[B] misconception and deceptiveness.[C] logicality and objectivity.[D] systematicness and regularity.32. It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that credibility process requires[A] strict inspection. [B]shared efforts.[C] individual wisdom. [D]persistent innovation.33.Paragraph 3 shows that a discovery claim becomes credible after it[A] has attracted the attention of the general public.[B]has been examined by the scientific community.[C] has received recognition from editors and reviewers.[D]has been frequently quoted by peer scientists.34. Albert Szent-Györgyi would most likely agree that[A] scientific claims will survive challenges.[B]discoveries today inspire future research.[C] efforts to make discoveries are justified.[D]scientific work calls for a critical mind.35.Which of the following would be the best title of the test?[A] Novelty as an Engine of Scientific Development.[B]Collective Scrutiny in Scientific Discovery.[C] Evolution of Credibility in Doing Science.[D]Challenge to Credibility at the Gate to Science.If the trade unionist Jimmy Hoffa were alive today, he would probably represent civil servant. When Hoffa’s Teamsters were in their prime in 1960, only one in ten American government workers belonged to a union; now 36% do. In 2009 the number of unionists in America’s public sector passed that of their fellow members in the private sector. In Britain, more than half of public-sector workers but only about 15% of private-sector ones are unionized.There are three reasons for the public-sector unions’ thriving. First, they can shut things down without suffering much in the way of consequences. Second, they are mostly bright and well-educated. A quarter of A merica’s public-sector workers have a university degree. Third, they now dominate left-of-centre politics. Some of their ties go back a long way. Britain’s Labor Party, as its name implies, has long been associated with trade unionism. Its current leader, Ed Miliband, owes his position to votes from public-sector unions.At the state level their influence can be even more fearsome. Mark Baldassare of the Public Policy Institute of California points out that much of the state’s budget is patrolled by unions. The teachers’ unions keep an eye on schools, the CCPOA on prisons and a variety of labor groups on health care.In many rich countries average wages in the state sector are higher than in the private one. But the real gains come in benefits and work practices.Politicians have repeatedly “backloaded” public-sector pay deals, keeping the pay increases modest but adding to holidays and especially pensions that are already generous.Reform has been vigorously opposed, perhaps most egregiously in education, where charter schools, academies and merit pay all faced drawn-out battles. Even though there is plenty of evidence that the quality of the teachers is the most important variable, teachers’ unions have fought against getting rid of bad ones and promoting good ones.As the cost to everyone else has become clearer, politicians have begun to clamp down. In Wisconsin the unions have rallied thousands of supporters against Scott Walker, the hardline Republican governor. But many within the public sector suffer under the current system, too.John Donahue at Harvard’s Kennedy School points out that the norms of culture in Western civil services suit those who want to stay put but is bad for high achievers. The only American public-sector workers who earn well above $250,000 a year are university sports coaches and the president of the United States. Bankers’ fat pay packets have attracted much criticism, but apublic-sector system that does not reward high achievers may be a much bigger problem for America.36. It can be learned from the first paragraph that[A] Teamsters still have a large body of members.[B] Jimmy Hoffa used to work as a civil servant.[C] unions have enlarged their public-sector membership.[D]the government has improved its relationship with unionists.37. Which of the following is true of Paragraph 2?[A] Public-sector unions are prudent in taking actions.[B] Education is required for public-sector union membership.[C] Labor Party has long been fighting against public-sector unions.[D]Public-sector unions seldom get in trouble for their actions.38. It can be learned from Paragraph 4 that the income in the state sector is[A] illegally secured. [B] indirectly augmented.[C] excessively increased. [D]fairly adjusted.39. The example of the unions in Wisconsin shows that unions[A]often run against the current political system.[B]can change people’s political attitudes.[C]may be a barrier to public-sector reforms.[D]are dominant in the government.40. John Donahue’s a ttitude towards the public-sector system is one of[A]disapproval.[B]appreciation.[C]tolerance.[D]indifference.Think of those fleeting moments when you look out of an aeroplane window and realise that you are flying, higher than a bird. Now think of your laptop, thinner than a brown-paper envelope, or your cellphone in the palm of your hand. Take a moment or two to wonder at those marvels. You are the lucky inheritor of a dream come true.The second half of the 20th century saw a collection of geniuses, warriors, entrepreneurs and visionaries labour to create a fabulous machine that could function as a typewriter and printing press, studio and theatre, paintbrush and gallery, piano and radio, the mail as well as the mail carrier. (41)The networked computer is an amazing device, the first media machine that serves as the mode of production, means of distribution, site of reception, and place of praise and critique. The computer is the 21st century's culture machine.But for all the reasons there are to celebrate the computer, we must also tread with caution. (42)I call it a secret war for two reasons. First, most people do not realise that there are strong commercial agendas at work to keep them in passive consumption mode. Second, the majority of people who use networked computers to upload are not even aware of the significance of what they are doing.All animals download, but only a few upload. Beavers build dams and birds make nests. Yet for the most part, the animal kingdom moves through the world downloading. Humans are unique in their capacity to not only make tools but then turn around and use them to create superfluous material goods - paintings, sculpture and architecture - and superfluous experiences - music, literature, religion and philosophy. (43)For all the possibilities of our new culture machines, most people are still stuck in download mode. Even after the advent of widespread social media, a pyramid of production remains, with a small number of people uploading material, a slightly larger group commenting on or modifying that content, and a huge percentage remaining content to just consume. (44)Television is a one-way tap flowing into our homes. The hardest task that television asks of anyone is to turn the power off after he has turned it on.(45)What counts as meaningful uploading? My definition revolves around the concept of "stickiness" - creations and experiences to which others adhere.[A] Of course, it is precisely these superfluous things that define human culture and ultimately what it is to be human. Downloading and consuming culturerequires great skills, but failing to move beyond downloading is to strip oneself of a defining constituent of humanity.[B] Applications like , which allow users to combine pictures, words and other media in creative ways and then share them, have the potential to add stickiness by amusing, entertaining and enlightening others.[C] Not only did they develop such a device but by the turn of the millennium they had also managed to embed it in a worldwide system accessed by billions of people every day.[D] This is because the networked computer has sparked a secret war between downloading and uploading - between passive consumption and active creation - whose outcome will shape our collective future in ways we can only begin to imagine.[E] The challenge the computer mounts to television thus bears little similarity to one format being replaced by another in the manner of record players being replaced by CD players. [F] One reason for the persistence of this pyramid of production is that for the pasthalf-century, much of the world's media culture has been defined by a single medium - television - and television is defined by downloading.[G]The networked computer offers the first chance in 50 years to reverse the flow, to encourage thoughtful downloading and, even more importantly, meaningful uploading.Part CSince the days of Aristotle, a search for universal principles has characterized the scientific enterprise. In some ways, this quest for commonalities defines science. Newton’s laws of motion and Darwinian evolution each bind a host of different phenomena into a single explicatory frame work.(46)In physics, one approach takes this impulse for unification to its extreme, and seeks a theory of everything—a single generative equation for all we see.It is becoming less clear, however, that such a theory would be a simplification, given the dimensions and universes that it might entail, nonetheless, unification of sorts remains a major goal.This tendency in the natural sciences has long been evident in the social sciences too. (47)Here, Darwinism seems to offer justification for it all humans share common origins it seems reasonable to suppose that cultural diversity could also be traced to more constrained beginnings. Just as the bewildering variety of human courtship rituals might all be considered forms of sexual selection, perhaps the world’s languages, music, social and religious customs and even history are governed by universal features. (48)To filter out what is unique from what is shared might enable us to understand how complex cultural behavior arose and what guides it in evolutionary or cognitive terms.That, at least, is the hope. But a comparative study of linguistic traits published online today supplies a reality check. Russell Gray at the University of Auckland and his colleagues consider the evolution of grammars in the light of two previous attempts to find universality in language.The most famous of these efforts was initiated by Noam Chomsky, who suggested that humans are born with an innate language—acquisition capacity that dictates a universal grammar. A few generative rules are then sufficient to unfold the entire fundamental structure of a language, which is why children can learn it so quickly.(49)The second, by Joshua Greenberg, takes a more empirical approach to universality identifying traits (particularly in word order) shared by many language which are considered to represent biases that result from cognitive constraintsGray and his colleagues have put them to the test by examining four family trees that between them represent more than 2,000 languages.(50)Chomsky’s grammar should show patterns of language change that are independent of the family tree or the pathway tracked through it. Whereas Greenbergian universality predicts strong co-dependencies between particular types of word-order relations. Neither of these patterns is borne out by the analysis, suggesting that the structures of the languages are lire age-specific and not governed by universalsSection III WritingSome internationals students are coming to your university. Write them an email in the name of the Students’Union to1) extend your welcome and2) provide some suggestions for their campus life here.You should write about 100 words on ANSWER SHEET2.Do not sign your name at the end of the letter. Use “Li Ming”instead.Do not write the address(10 points)Part B52. Directions: write an essay of 160-200 words based on the following drawing. In your essay you should1) describe the drawing briefly2) explain its intended meaning, and3) give your commentsYou should write neatly on ANSWER SHEET2.(20 points)1.【答案】B【解析】从空后信息可以看出,这句表达的是“_ _法官表现得像政治家”的情况下,法庭就不能保持其作为法律法规的合法卫士的形象,所以应该选C,maintain“维持,保持”,其他显然语义不通。
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2012年西南政法大学外语学院211翻译硕士英语考研真题及详解I. Reading Comprehension (Total 20 points, 1 point for each)Directions:There are 4 passages followed by some questions or unfinished statements, you should answer the questions or decide on the best choice on the Answer Sheet.Passage 1Although it is mankind’s inevitable fate to continually progress on the path of technology, there will always be the obstacle of resistance to overcome. Be it in the form of a protester who deplores implementation of the latest gadget or a dissenting scientist who disagrees with his colleagues’ methods of rese arch, it is an unavoidable fact that every step toward the future must be a hard-fought one. The latest battleground is one that has to do with the essence of nature itself: the bioengineering of certain plant species for human consumption.By learning about, isolating and finally manipulating the individual genes and strings of DNA that compose a plant species, geneticists are able to create new breeds of plants in the laboratory. These plants are able to live longer in harsher environments, provide better nutrition, and sustain themselves with a minimum of human care. By changing the composition of the plants at a cellular level and chemically combining elements of different plants that don’t normally cross-pollinate in nature, science is ushering in a wave of new food items that earthhas seen before. Many argue that they are achieving best of both worlds, the best that each individual species has to offer conveniently contained within one product. Some scientists even go so far as to argue that these foods are better for human than anything nature itself has ever created.The opposition has its own theories, however. Due to the relatively new nature of these experiments, it is questionable whether these items are truly safe for human consumption, despite government approval. Taking a broader view, they contend that by combining species that normally do not go together, we may be achieving the WORST of both worlds, meaning that diseases that normally contained within one species will combine as well. Thus, they may be made stringer by mutation, possibly endangering earth’s agricultural food supply if unleashed upon helpless natural species that have never had to deal with such enemies before.The possibilities that come with such a warning are frightening. A bio-engineered disease could wreak havoc on the delicate balance created by nature, possibly decimating the plant population of earth and depriving mankind of its food source. Clearly, the words of those opposed to progress must be considered on this issue, for the stakes are simply too high to be taken without an extreme degree of caution.1. The word “cross-pollinate” (paragraph2) in the context probably means _____.A. co-existB. thrive in the same environmentC. reproduce togetherD. survive under the same conditions2. Paragraph 2 and 3 are written to _____.A. be used in conjunction in order to dearly evaluate the current situationB. lead the reader to agree to with one side of the argumentC. complement one another by countering each other’s pointsD. present the respective arguments of each side on the issue3. Which of the following is definitely true according to the text?A. Biologically engineered foods are safe for human consumption.B. Genetically combining different plant species results in new developments,both good and bad.C. Genetically engineering foods are capable of unleashing destructive diseaseson the environment.D. science can execute the task of bio-engineering foods, but not fully evaluate itsresults at the present time.4. The author’s attitude toward the issue of genetically engineering foods is _____.A. impartialB. subjectiveC. biasedD. puzzling5. The last paragraph of the text is mainly utilized to _____.A. indicate the author’s opinion o f the issueB. present convincing arguments in favor of one sideC. warn about the possible outcome of one course of actionD. provide a previously unconsidered perspective on the situation【答案与解析】1. C 根据第二段第三句话“By changing the composition of the plants at a cellularlevel and chemica lly combining elements of different plants that don’t normally cross-pollinate in nature, science is ushering in a wave of new food items that earth has seen before.”科学家们能够改变植物的细胞组成,将不同植物的元素结合起来,创造出地球上没有的食物。
cross-pollinate,cross交叉的,pollinate对……授粉,plants th at don’t normally cross-pollinate in nature的意思就是两种植物的花粉不会自然地影响彼此,自然也就没法产生结合体,所以该题答案是C,一起繁殖。