SECTION A TALK
Good morning, everyone. Today we’re going to talk about acid rain. You may wonder what is acid rain. Well, it is almost impossible to describe the mathematical relationship between what goes up as pollutant emissions and what comes down as acid rain. But we do know the primary source of acid rain is the power station smoke stack. The pollutants combine with moisture in the atmosphere and they fall as an acid mixture raising the rain. Do you know what the Germans call this acid rain?
The royal water, I mean the acid rain, falls in rain or snow on the romantic Black Forest ,and attacks the soil. Micro-organisms within the soil collapse and metals harmful to trees like aluminum are leaked out. At the same time, the acid rain attacks the leaves and dissolve their waxy coating. The leaves then shrivel and die. About one in every ten trees in the Black Forest is a fir. 76 percent of all firs are dying. The first symptoms of death by pollution in a fir is the yellowing of the needles. At the back of the fir needle, you can see the pores through which the plant breathes. The acid rain destroys those pores, and prevent them from closing. So on a warm day, the plant loses all of its moisture through those open pores. The needles, as a result, turn yellow and die.
The statistics that are available now are horrifying. Of these trees in the Black Forest, 41% of all spruce are diseased, 43% of all pine are diseased, 26% of beech trees, 76% of all fir trees and 16% of all others are dying. Environmental groups like Green Peace campaign around Europe are trying to stop the acid rain.
Germany is now leading the way in attacking part of the problem. Motor vehicles are thought to contribute significantly to the pollution of the atmosphere. The by-products of motor vehicle emissions are considered dangerous to plants, and humans as well.
In order to clean up motor vehicle emissions, all new cars in Germany must meet emission standards and be fitted with a device called “catalytic converter”.
Use of the converters requires people to switch to lead-free petrol. This might explain why the Europeans are reluctant to follow Germany’s lead in cleaning up its motor vehicle emission. It’s unlikely that Germany will force her European neighbours to change to lead-free petrol. The reason is that though her neighbours may be slow in cleaning up their smoke stacks, they will have to comply with the new motor vehicle requirements if they want the wealthy German tourists driving across their borders.
Certainly, the menace of acid rain knows no borders because it gathers in the rain clouds and goes with the prevailing winds. So Canada’s lakes die from America’s pollution. Germany’s trees die from her next-door neighbors. Sweden’s lakes fall victim to Britain’s industry. And there are many similar examples. And I won’t go into them because of time constraint.
Like Germany, the United States also introduced strict clean air-controls on motor vehicle emissions in the mid-70s as part of their efforts to reduce acid rain. But throughout the northern hemisphere it’s agreed that such measures, though important, will be of minimal effect. If we are to save what’s left of forests and lakes in the world, a strict international emission standard must be uniformly imposed on industry. However, its unlikely that will be agreed upon before many more acres of precious forests are destroyed.
SECTION B INTERVIEW
Interviewer: Good morning Mr. Pitt. Do sit down.
Pitt: Thank you.
Interviewer: First of all, Mr. Pitt. I’d like you to tell me a bit about what you’ve been doing.
Pitt: Well, I left school after I’d done my A levels.
Interviewer: Ah, yes, A levels. What subjects did you take?
Pitt: I took four subjects, French, German, chemistry and art. Chemistry wasn’t my cup of tea, but art has always been.
Interviewer: Art?
Pitt: Well, I really wanted to study art. It didn’t turn out like that, because a friend of my fathers offered me a job. It’s an accountant in London. A quite big firm, you know.
Interviewer: I see. A firm of accountants. Interesting. In your application, you say that you only spent nine months with this firm of accountants. Why was that?
Pitt: It was nearly a year actually. Well, to be quite honest, I didn’t like it.
I just couldn’t seem to get interested in the job although there were fairly good prospects. So I got a place at the art college to do a three-year diploma course.
Interviewer: I see. Now Mr. Pitt, what about hobbies and interests? Er, what do you do in your spare time?
Pitt: I like jazz, traditional and folk music. I don’t play of course, but I go to quite a lot of concerts and I go to the theater occasionally and act a bit myself. I’m in the local Germanic society. I read quite a lot and I’ve done a bit of photography. Also, I’ve traveled a lot. Hitchhike a dolly for Europe. Last year that was.
Interviewer: Very interesting. Mr. Pitt. I think, that’s all I wanted to ask about your background. Now let’s talk about the management trainee scheme. What exactly do you think a manager does?
Pitt: I don’t know a great deal about the work.
Interviewer: But you have got any ideas about it. You must have thought about it.
Pitt: Well, I... Suppose he has a lot of... a... what is called policy making to do. And... he has to know how to work with people, and all about the company.
Interviewer: Mm.
Pitt: Yes, I... should think a manager must know something about all aspects of the work.Interviewer: Yes, that’s right. We like our executive staff to undergo a thorough training. Young men on our trainee scheme have to work through every branch in the company.
Pitt: Oh.
Interviewer: And one of them is accountancy. Presumably you wouldn’t like that.
Pitt: Well, if I had to do it, I suppose... But I was thinking that my French and German would mean that I could specialize in overseas work. I’d like to be some sort of an export salesman and travel abroad.
Interviewer: You know, the glamour of traveling abroad disappears when you’ve got a hard job of work to do. It’s not all fun and game.
Pitt: Oh yes, I realize that. It’s just that my knowledge of languages would be useful.
Interviewer: Now, Mr. Pitt, is there anything you want to ask me?
Pitt: Well, there is one or two things. I’d like to know if I have to sign a contract and what the salary and prospects are.
Interviewer: With our scheme, Mr. Pitt, there is no contract involved. Your progress is kept under constant review. If we at any time decide we don’t like you, then that’s that. We reserve the right to dismiss you.
Pitt: I see.
Interviewer: Of course. You have the same choice about us.
Pitt: Fair enough. And what about the salary?
Interviewer: As for salary, you’ll be on our fixed scales, starting at 870 pounds. For the successful trainee, the prospects are very good.
Pitt: I see. Thank you very much.
Interviewer: That’s all, Mr. Pitt. You should hear from us in a couple of weeks. One way or the other, or we may ask you to come back for another chat. Thank you.
Pitt: Goodbye, Mrs. Williams.
SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
News Item 1(For Question 11)
Russian authorities are questioning five men suspected of taking about a dozen school children hostage and commandeering a helicopter for a ten million dollar ransom. The alleged gunmen were captured early Monday in southern Russia ending a four-day drama. The kidnappers initially demanded to be flown to Iran. A police now believes their only aim was ten million dollars paid by the government most of which has now been recovered.
News Item 2 ( For Question 12 )
The United States has announced that it’s to send one thousand more troops to Panama to increase security at Cuban refugee camps where riots broke out last week. Officials in Washington said that the troops will be added to the two thousand who are already in Panama. More than 200 American soldiers were injured when the Cubans, angry at delays in moving them out of Panama, attacked their guards and broke out of the camps. The refugees have been in Panama since September.
News Item 3 ( For Question 13 )
U.S. lawmakers have criticized- the recent US-North Korean deal calling for freeing Pyongyang’s nuclear program in return for US diplomatic and economic concessions. They express concern that the North may take the concessions and break the accord. Other lawmakers noted that inspection of Pyongyang’s nuclear site is not required for at least five years. The U. S. chief negotiator defended the accord, saying he had made no compromises that would damage U. S. national security.
News Item 4 ( For Questions 14-15 )
Italy, a major producer of landmines, has joined the campaign to ban the weapons which kill and maim many thousands of people every year. The Chamber of Deputies, the Lower House of Parliament voted 402 to 2 with four abstentions to ratify a 1980 convention that will commit Italy to drastically limit the use of landmines and help to clear mined areas. Parliament also pledged Italy’s support for efforts led by the Secretary General of the United Nations, the International Red Cross and the Swedish Government to promote a total international ban on the production and export of the mines. The Italian Parliament acted at the request of Defense Minister.
SECTION D NOTE-TAKING AND GAP-FILLING
Good morning everyone. First about your second assignment. I’d like to remind you that your second assignment should be handed in by next Friday, You can either put it in my pigeon hole or leave it with the department secretary. Now, let’s get down to the lecture.
Today the lecture is on credit or, to be more specific, on credit cards. I’m sure you must have heard of some credit cards like the Visa card, which is an internationally used card or the Great Wall card issued by the Bank of China.
In order to give a better understanding we’ll discuss it in sonic detail. Many businesses, such as department stores, restaurants, hotels and airline companies use a credit system for selling their products and services. In a credit system the seller agrees to sell something to the buyer without immediately receiving cash. He receives the goods or services immediately and promises to pay for them later. This buy-now-pay-later credit system is quite old. There are two types of credit cards. One type is issued directly by a store to a customer. Many large department stores issue credit cards to their customers. The store credit card can be used to make purchases only at a particular store. For example, if you have a credit card from Store A, then you can only buy things in that store. Other stores would not accept it.
The other kind of credit cards is issued by a credit company. Credit cards from credit companies can be used to buy things almost anywhere. If you have a major credit card, you can buy air plane tickets, stay in hotels and eat in restaurants with it. Most large credit companies are connected to large banks. So if you want a credit card from a credit company, you generally have to make an application at a bank. After an applicant receives a credit card, he or she can make purchases using the card. The credit company sends the customer a statement of purchases at the end of each month. Generally the Customer has to pay 25 to 50 percent of their (his) credit bill every month. The customer pays directly to the credit company and the credit company pays to the store or hotel or restaurant.
There are some advantages and some disadvantages to using credit cards. The biggest advantage for the consumer is expressed by the phrase “Buy now, pay later”. This means that the consumer can purchase what he wants when he wants it. There is no need to save up money in advance. Another advantage of having a credit card is that it protects the owner, if a credit card is lost or stolen, the owner only has to call the credit company, and the credit company will stop the credit
card number, No one else can use it. So the owner doesn’t have to worry about losing the card.
Another advantage of the credit card system is that the consumer receives a record of his or her purchases. Every month the credit customer receives a bill. The bill has a list of all purchases from that month. This makes it easier to remember when and where purchases are made. And another advantage is that credit cards can be used when something unexpected happens. Many kinds of professional people - plumbers, taxi drivers, doctors and dentists will accept credit cards in an emergency. This is very important if you don’t have any cash with you.
However, having said all that, using credit cards has one major advantage, that is consumers tend to overspend their money. They spend more than they make. If a consumer buys a lot of things on credit, he or she has to make large payments each month. Sometimes it becomes impossible to keep up with the payments. As a result, the consumer’s life becomes more and more difficult. If the consumer cannot make the payments, his card will be taken away. It will be very difficult for him to get another credit card in the future.
To sum up briefly, we can see a credit buying system has both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand it gives people convenience in life and on the other hand it tends to encourage overspending.
1997年英语专业八级考试试卷真题
试卷一 (95 min)
PartⅠ Listening Comprehension (40 min)
In Sections A, B and C you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your Colored Answer Sheet.
SECTION A TALK
Questions 1 to 5 refer to the talk in this section .At the end of the talk you will be given 15 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the talk.
1. In the Black Forest, the acid rain is said to attack all EXCEPT ___.
A. firs B. metals C. leaves D. soil
2. The percentage of firs dying in the Black Forest is ___.
A.41% B.43% C.26% D.76%
3. Germany is tackling part of the problem by introducing ___.
A. new car designing schemes
B. new car production lines
C. a new type of smoke stacks
D. new car safety standards
4. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?
A. Germany is likely to succeed in persuading her neighbors to reduce acid rain.
B. The disastrous effects of acid rain are not confined to one area.
C. German tourists are allowed to drive across their neighbors’ borders.
D. Germany’s neighbors are in favor of the use of lead-free petrol.
5. On the issue of future solution of acid rain, the speaker’s tone is that of ___.
A. warning B. pessimism C. indifference D. optimism
SECTION B INTERVIEW
Questions 6 to 10 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 15 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the interview.
6. What subject is Mr. Pitt good at_____ ?
A. Art. B. French. C. German. D. Chemistry.
7. What does Mr. Pitt NOT do in his spare time?
A. Doing a bit of acting and photography.
B. Going to concerts frequently.
C. Playing traditional jazz and folk music.
D. Traveling in Europe by hitch-hiking.
8. When asked what a manager’s role is Mr. Pitt sounds ___.
A. confident B. hesitant C. resolute D. doubtful
9. What does Mr. Pitt say he would like to be?
A. An export salesman working overseas.
B. An accountant working in the company.
C. A production manager in a branch.
D. A policy maker in the company.
10. Which of the following statements about the management trainee scheme is TRUE?
A. Trainees are required to sign contracts initially.
B. Trainees’ performance is evaluated when necessary.
C. Trainees’ starting salary is 870 pounds.
D. Trainees cannot quit the management scheme
SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
Question 11 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 15 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.
11. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Five gunmen were flown to Iran in a helicopter.
B. Most of the ransom was retrieved in the end.
C. The children were held for five days.
D. The authorities have passed sentence on the gunmen.
Question 12 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 15 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.
12. According to the news, American troops in Panama ___.
A. were attacked at refugee camps
B. were angry at delays in departure
C. attacked Cuban refugee camps last week
D. will be increased to 2,000
Question 13 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 15 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.
13. Which of the following statements is CORRECT? U.S. lawmakers ___.
A. challenged the accord for freezing Pyongyang’s nuclear program
B. required the inspection of Pyongyang’ s nuclear site for at least five years
C. were worried that North Korea may take advantage of the concessions
D. blamed the U. S. negotiator for making no compromises with North Korea
Questions 14 & 15 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 30 seconds to answer the two questions. Now listen to the news.
14. According to the news, the Italian Parliament was asked to act by ___.
A. the U.N.
B. the Red Cross
C. the Defense Minister
D. the Swedish Government
15. On the issue of limited use of landmines, the Italian Parliament is ___.
A. noncommittal B. resolute C. unsupportive D. wavering
SECTION D NOTE-TAKING AND GAP-FILLING
In this section you will hear a mini-lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening to the lecture, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a 15-minute gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE after the mini-lecture. Use the blank paper for note-taking. Fill in each of the gaps with one word. You may refer to your notes. Make sure the word you fill in is both grammatically and semantically acceptable.
In business, many, places adopt a credit system, which dates back to ancient times. At present, purchases can be made by using credit cards. They fall into two categories: one has (1)______ use, while the other is accepted almost everywhere. The application for the use of the latter one must be made at a (2) ______.
Once the customer starts using the card, he will be provided with a monthly statement of (3)______ by the credit company. He is required to pay one quarter to half of his credit (4)______ every month.
Advantages. 1. With a card, it is not (5)______ to save up money before an actual purchase. 2. If the card is lost, its owner is protected. 3. A (6)______ and complete list of purchase received from the credit company helps the owner to remember the time and (7)______ of his purchase. 4. the cards axe accepted in a (n) (8)______ by professional people like dentists, etc.
Major disadvantage. The card owner is tempted to (9)______ his money. If this is the case, it will become increasingly difficult for the user to keep up with the required (10)______, which will result in the credit card being cancelled by the credit company.
(1) ______ (2) ______ (3) ______ (4) ______ ( 5 ) ______
(6) ______ (7) ______ (8) ______ (9) ______ (10) ______
PART II PROOFREADING AND ERROR CORRECTION (15 MIN)
The following passage contains TEN errors. Each line contains a maximum of one error and three are free from error. In each case, only one word is involved. You should proofread the passage and correct it in the following way.
For a wrong word, underline the wrong word and write the correct one in the blank provided at the end of the line.
For a missing word, mark the position of the missing word with a “∧” sign and write the word you believe to be missing in the blank provided at the end of the line.
For an unnecessary word, cross out the unnecessary word with a slash “／” and put the word in the blank provided at the end of the line.
If the line is correct, place a V in the blank provided at the end of the line. Example
When ^ art museum wants a new exhibit, (1) an
It never buys things in finished form and bangs (2) never
them on the wall. When a natural history museum (3) v
wants an exhibition, it must often build it. (4) exhibit
Classic Intention Movement
In social situations, the classic Intention Movement is ‘the
chair-grasp’. Host and guest have been talking for some time,
but now the host has an appointment to keep and can get away. 1.___
His urge to go is held in cheek by his desire not be rude to his 2.___
guest, if he did not care of his guest’ s feelings he would simply 3.___
get up out of his chair and to announce his departure. This is 4.___
what his body wants to do, therefore his politeness glues his body 5.___
to the chair and refuses to let him raise. It is at this point that he 6.___
performs the chair-grasp Intention Movement. He continues to
talk to the guest and listen to him, but leans forward and grasps
the arms of the chair as about to push himself upwards. This is 7.___
the first act he would make if he were rising . If he were not 8.___
hesitating, it would only last a fraction of the second. He would 9.___
lean, push, rise, and be up. But now, instead, it lasts much longer.
He holds his ‘readiness-to-rise’ post and keeps on holding it. It is 10.___
as if his body had frozen at the get-ready moment.
Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (40 min)
SECTION A READING COMPREHENSION (30 min)
In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of fifteen multiple-choice questions. Read the passages and then mark your answers on your Colored Answer Sheet.
TEXT A
A magazine’s design is more than decoration, more than simple packaging. It expresses the magazine’s very character. The Atlantic Monthly has long attempted to provide a design environment in which two disparate traditions—literary and journalistic—can co-exist in pleasurable dignity. The redesign that we introduce with this issue—the work of our art director, Judy Garlan—represents, we think, a notable enhancement of that environment.
Garlan explains some of what was in her mind as she began to create the new design: “I saw this as an opportunity to bring the look closer to matching the elegance and power of the writing which the magazine is known for. The overall design has to be able to encompass a great diversity of styles and subjects—urgent pieces of reporting, serious essays, lighter pieces, lifestyle-oriented pieces, short stories, poetry. We don’t want lighter pieces to seem too heavy, and we don’t want heavier pieces to seem too petty. We also use a broad range of art and photography, and the design has to work well with that, too. At the same time, the magazine needs to have a consistent feel, needs to underscore the sense that everything in it is part of one Atlantic World.
The primary typefaces Garlan chose for this task are Times Roman, for a more readable body type, and Bauer Bodoni, for a more stylish and flexible display type(article titles, large initials, and so on). Other aspects of the new design are structural. The articles in the front of the magazine, which once flowed into one another, now stand on their own, to gain prominence. The Travel column, now featured in every issue, has been moved from the back to the front. As noted in this space last month, the word “Monthly” rejoins “The Atlantic” on the cover, after a decade long absence.
Judy Garlan came to the Atlantic in 1981 after having served as the art director of several other magazines. During her tenure here The Atlantic has won more than 300 awards for visual excellence, from the Society of illustrators, the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Art Directors Club, Communication Arts, and elsewhere. Garlan was in various ways assisted in the redesign by the entire art-department staff: Robin Gilmore, Barnes, Betsy Urrico, Gillian Kahn, and Is a Manning.
The artist Nicholas Gaetano contributed as well: he redrew our colophon (the figure of Neptune that appears on the contents page)and created the symbols that will appear regularly on this page(a rendition of our building) ,on the Puzzler page, above the opening of letters, and on the masthead. Gaetano, whose work manages to combine stylish clarity and breezy strength, is the cover artist for this issue.
16. Part of the new design is to be concerned with the following EXCEPT ___.
A. variation in the typefaces
B. reorganization of articles in the front
C. creation of the travel column
D. reinstatement of its former name
17. According to the passage, the new design work involves ___.
A. other artists as well
B. other writers as well
C. only the cover artist
D. only the art director
18. This article aims to ___.
A. emphasize the importance of a magazine’s design
B. introduce the magazine’s art director
C. persuade the reader to subscribe to the magazine
D. inform the reader of its new design and features
TEXT B
WHY SHOULD anyone buy the latest volume in the ever-expanding Dictionary of National Biography? I do not mean that it is bad, as the reviewers will agree. But it will cost you 65 pounds. And have you got the rest of volumes? You need the basic 22 plus the largely decennial supplements to bring the total to 31. Of course, it will be answered, public and academic libraries will want the new volume. After all, it adds 1,068 lives of people who escaped the net of the original compilers. Yet in 10 year’s time a revised version of the whole caboodle, called the New Dictionary of National Biography, will be published. Its editor, Profssor Colin Matthew, tells me that he will have room for about 50,000 lives, some 13,000 more than in the current DNB. This rather puts the 1,068 in Missing Persons in the shade.
When Dr. Nicholls wrote to The Spectator in 1989 asking for name of people whom readers had looked up in the DNB and had been disappointed not to find, she says that she received some 100,000 suggestions. (Well, she had written to ‘other quality newspapers’ too. )As soon as her committee had whittled the numbers down, the professional problems of an editor began. Contributors didn’t file copy on time; some who did sent too much: 50,000 words instead of 500 is a record, according to Dr. Nicholls.
There remains the dinner-party game of who’s in, who’s out. That is a game that the reviewers have played and will continue to play. Criminals were my initial worry. After all, the original edition of the DNB boasted: Malefactors whose crimes excite a permanent interest have received hardly less attention than benefactors. Mr. John Gross clearly had similar anxieties, for he complains that, while the murderer Christie is in, Crippen is out. One might say in reply that the injustice of the hanging of Evans instead of Christie was a force in the repeal of capital punishment in Britain, as Ludovie Kennedy (the author of Christies entry in Missing Persons ) notes. But then Crippen was reputed as the first murderer to be caught by telegraphy(he had tried to escape by ship to America).
It is surprising to find Max Miller excluded when really not very memorable names get in. There has been a conscious effort to put in artists and architects from the Middle Ages. About their lives not much is always known.
Of Hugo of Bury St Edmunds, a 12th-century illuminator whose dates of birth and death are not recorded, his biographer comments: ‘Whether or not Hugo was a wall-painter, the records of his activities as carver and manuscript painter attest to his versatility’. Then there had to be more women, too( 12 percent, against the original DBN’ s 3), such as Roy Strong’ s subject, the Tudor painter Levina Teerlinc, of whom he remarks: ‘Her most characteristic feature is a head attached to a too small, spindly body. Her technique remained awkward, thin and often cursory’. Doesn’t seem to qualify her as a memorable artist. Yet it may be better than the record of the original DNB, which included lives of people who never existed(such as Merlin) and even managed to give thanks to J. W. Clerke as a contributor, though, as a later edition admits in a shamefaced footnote, ‘except for the entry in the List of Contributors there is no trace of J. W. Clerke’.
19. The writer suggests that there is no sense in buying the latest volume ___.
A. because it is not worth the price
B. because it has fewer entries than before
C. unless one has all the volumes in the collection
D. unless an expanded DNB will come out shortly
20. On the issue of who should be included in the DNB, the writer seems to suggest that ___.
A. the editors had clear roles to follow
B. there were too many criminals in the entries
C. the editors clearly favored benefactors
D. the editors were irrational in their choices
21. Crippen was absent from the DNB ___.
A. because he escaped to the U.S.
B. because death sentence had been abolished
C. for reasons not clarified
D. because of the editors’ mistake
22. The author quoted a few entries in the last paragraph to ___.
A. illustrate some features of the DNB
B. give emphasis to his argument
C. impress the reader with its content
D. highlight the people in the Middle Ages
23. Throughout the passage, the writer’s tone towards the DNB was ___.
A. complimentary B. supportive C. sarcastic D. bitter
TEXT C
Medical consumerism——like all sorts of consumerism, only more menacingly——is designed to be unsatisfying. The prolongation of life and the search for perfect health (beauty, youth, happiness)are inherently self-defeating. The law of diminishing returns necessarily applies. You can make higher percentages of people survive into their eighties and nineties. But, as any geriatric ward shows, that is not the same as to confer enduring mobility, awareness and autonomy. Extending life grows medically feasible, but it is often a life deprived of every thing, and one exposed to degrading neglect as resources grow over-stretched and politics turn mean.
What an ignoramus destiny for medicine if its future turned into one of bestowing meager increments of unenjoyed life! It would mirror the fate of athletes, in which disproportionate energies and resources—not least medical ones, like illegal steroids—are now invested to shave records by milliseconds. And, it goes without saying, the logical extension of longevism—the “ abolition” of death — would not be a solution but only an exacerbation. To air these predicaments is not anti-medical spleen—a churlish reprisal against medicine for its victories — but simply to face the growing reality of medical power not exactly without responsibility but with dissolving goals.
Hence medicine’s finest hour becomes the dawn of its dilemmas. For centuries, medicine was impotent and hence uNPRoblematic. From the Greeks to the Great War, its job was simple: to struggle with lethal diseases and gross disabilities, to ensure live births, and to manage pain. It performed these uncontroversial tasks by and large with meager success. Today, with mission accomplished, medicines triumphs are dissolving in disorientation. Medicine has led to vastly inflated expectations, which the public has eagerly swallowed. Yet as these expectations grow unlimited, they become unfulfillable. The task facing medicine in the twenty-first century will be to redefine its limits even as it extends its capacities.
24. In the author’s opinion, the prolongation of life is equal to ___.
A. mobility B. deprivation C. autonomy D. awareness
25. In the second paragraph a comparison is drawn between ___.
A. medicine and life
B. resources and energies
C. predicaments and solutions
D. athletics and longevism
TEXT D
The biggest problem facing Chile as it promotes itself as a tourist destination to be reckoned with, is that it is at the end of the earth. It is too far south to be a convenient stop on the way to anywhere else and is much farther than a relatively cheap half-day’s flight away from the big tourist markets, unlike Mexico, for example. Chile, therefore, is having to fight hard to attract tourists, to convince travelers that it is worth coming halfway round the world to visit. But it is
succeeding, not only in existing markets like the USA and Western Europe but in new territories, in particular the Far East. Markets closer to home, however, are not being forgotten. More than 50% of visitors to Chile still come from its nearest neighbor, Argentina, where the cost of living is much higher.
Like all South American countries, Chile sees tourism as a valuable earner of foreign currency, although it has been far more serious than most in promoting its image abroad. Relatively stable politically within the region, it has benefited from the problems suffered in other areas. In Peru, guerrilla warfare in recent years has dealt a heavy blow to the tourist industry and fear of street crime in Brazil has reduced the attraction of Rio de Janeiro as a dream destination for foreigners.
More than 150,000 people are directly involved in Chile’s tourist sector, an industry which earns the country more than US $ 950 million each year. The state-run National Tourism Service, in partnership with a number of private companies, is currently running a worldwide campaign, taking part in trade fairs and international events to attract visitors to Chile.
Chile’s great strength as a tourist destination is its geographical diversity. From the parched Atacama Desert in the north to the Antarctic snowfields of the south, it is more than 5,000km long. With the Pacific on one side and the Andean mountains on the other, Chile boasts natural attractions. Its beaches are not up to Caribbean standards but resorts such as Vina del Mar are generally clean and unspoilt and have a high standard of services.
But the trump card is the Andes mountain range. There are a number of excellent ski resorts within one hour’s drive of the capital, Santiago, and the national parks in the south are home to rare animal and plant species. The parks already attract specialist visitors, including mountaineers, who come to climb the technically difficult peaks, and fishermen, lured by the salmon and trout in the region’s rivers.
However, infrastructural development in these areas is limited. The ski resorts do not have as many lifts as their European counterparts and the poor quality of roads in the south means that only the most determined travelers see the best of the national parks.
Air links between Chile and the rest of the world are, at present, relatively poor. While Chile’s two largest airlines have extensive networks within South America, they operate only a small number of routes to the United States and Europe, while services to Asia are almost non-existent.
Internal transport links are being improved and luxury hotels are being built in one of its national parks. Nor is development being restricted to the Andes. Easter Island and Chile’s Antarctic Territory axe also on the list of areas where the Government believes it can create tourist markets.
But the rush to open hitherto inaccessible areas to mass tourism is not being welcomed by everyone. Indigenous and environmental groups, including Greenpeace, say that many parts of the Andes will suffer if they become over-developed.
There is a genuine fear that areas of Chile will suffer the cultural destruction witnessed in Mexico and European resorts.
The policy of opening up Antarctica to tourism is also politically sensitive. Chile already has permanent settlements on the ice and many people see the decision to allow tourists there as a political move, enhancing Santiago’ s territorial claim over part of Antarctica.
The Chilean Government has promised to respect the environment as it seeks to bring tourism to these areas. But there are immense commercial pressures to exploit the country’s tourism potential. The Government will have to monitor developments closely if it is genuinely concerned in creating a balanced, controlled industry and if the price of an increasingly lucrative tourist market is not going to mean the loss of many of Chile’s natural riches.
26. Chile is disadvantaged in the promotion of its tourism by ___.
A. geographical location
B. guerrilla warfare
C. political instability
D. street crime
27. Many of Chile’s tourists used to come from EXCEPT ___.
A.U.S.A
B. the Far East
C. western Europe
D. her neighbors
28. According to the author, Chile’s greatest attraction is ___.
A. the unspoilt beaches
B. the dry and hot desert
C. the famous mountain range
D. the high standard of services
29. According to the passage, in WHICH area improvement is already under way?
A. Facilities in the ski resorts.
B. Domestic transport system.
C. Air services to Asia.
D. Road network in the south.
30. The objection to the development of Chile’s tourism might be all EXCEPT that it ___.
A. is ambitions and unrealistic
B. is politically sensitive
C. will bring harm to culture
D. will cause pollution in the area
SECTION B SKIMMING AND SCANNING (10 min)
In this section there are seven passages followed by ten multiple-Choice questions. Skim or scan them as required and then mark your answers on your Colored Answer sheet.
TEXT E
First read the question.
31. The main purpose of the passage is to ___.
A. illustrate the features of willpower
B. introduce ways to build up willpower
C. explain the advantages of willpower
D. define the essence of willpower
Read the text quickly and then answer question 31.
Willpower isn’t immutable trait we’re either born with or not. It is a skill that can be developed, strengthened and targeted to help us achieve our goals.
“Fundamental among man’s inner powers is the tremendous unrealized potency of man’s own will,” wrote Italian psychologist Roberto Assagioli 25 years ago. The trained will is a masterful weapon, ”added Man Marlatt of the University of Washington, a psychologist who is studying how willpower helps people break habits and change their lives.“ The dictionary defines will power as control of one‘s impulses and actions. The key words are power and control. The power is there, but you have to control it.” Here, from Marlatt and other experts, is how to do that:
Be positive. Don’t confuse willpower with self-denial. Willpower is most dynamic when applied to positive, uplifting purposes. Positive willpower helps us overcome inertia and focus on the future. When the going gets tough, visualize yourself happily and busily engaged in your goal
, and you’ ll keep working toward it.
Make up your mind. James Prochaska, professor of psychology at the University of Rhode Island, has identified four stages in making a change. He calls them precontemplation (resisting the change), contemplation (weighing the pros and cons of the change), action ( exercising willpower to make the change), and maintenance (using willpower to sustain the change).
Some people are “chronic contemplators,” Prochaska says. They know they should reduce their drinking but will have one mere cocktail while they consider the matter. They may never put contemplation into action.
To focus and mobilize your efforts, set a deadline.
Sharpen your will. In 1915, psychologist Boyd Barrett suggested a list of repetitive will-training activities-stepping up and down from a chair 30 times, spilling a box of matches and carefully replacing them one by one. These exercises, he maintained, strengthen the will so it can confront more consequential and difficult challenges.
New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley was a basketball star with the champion New York Knicks. On top of regular practice, he always went to the gym early and practiced foul shots alone. He was determined to be among the best form of the foul line. True to his goal, he developed the highest percentage of successful free throws on his team.
Expect trouble. The saying“ Where there’s a will, there’s a way” is not the whole truth. Given the will, you still have to anticipate obstacles and plan how to deal with them.
When professor of psychology Saul Shiffman of the University of Pittsburgh worked with reformed smokers who’s gone back to cigarettes, he found that many of them hadn’t considered how they’ d cope with the urge to smoke. They had summoned the strength to quit, but couldn’t remain disciplined. The first time they were offered a cigarette, they went back to smoking.
If you’ve given up alcohol, rehearse your answer for when you’re offered a drink. If you’re expecting to jog but wake up to a storm, have an indoor workout program ready.
Be realistic. The strongest will may falter when the goal is to lose 50 pounds in three months or to exercise three hours a day. Add failure undercuts your desire to try again. Sometimes it’s best to set a series of small goals instead of a single big one. As in the Alcohohes Anonymous slogan “One day at a time, ” divide your objective into one-day segments, then renew your resolve the next day. At the end of a week, you’ll have a series of triumphs to look back on.
Be patient. A strong will doesn’t develop overnight. It takes shape in increments, and there can be setbacks. Figure out what caused you to backslide, and redouble your efforts. When a friend of ours tried to give up cigarettes the first time, she failed. Analyzing her relapse, she realized she needed to do something with her hands.
On her second try, she took up knitting and brought out needles and yam every time she was tempted to light up. Within months she had knitted a sweater for her husband-and seemed to be off cigarettes for good.
Keep it up. A strong will becomes stronger each time it succeeds. If you’ve successfully mustered the willpower to kick a bad habit or leave a dead-end job, you gain confidence to confront other challenges.
A record of success fosters an inner voice of confidence that, in the words of Assagioli, gives you “a firm foot on the edge of the precipice.” You may face more difficult tasks, but you’ve conquered before, and you can conquer again.
TEXT F
First read the question.
32. The message of the passage is that shares can now be sold
A. through the computer B. in the shop C. at the bank D. through the mail
Read the text quickly and then answer question 32.
Investors seeking a cheap, no-frills way to sell privatization shares need look no further than the post box.
Most stockbrokers offer bargain-basement deals on postal trades. They are ideal for selling a small holding for the lowest possible commission.
But the arrangements leave investors at the mercy of the Royal Mail and a seller will not know in advance how much a sale will produce.
Data processing engineer Mark Stanistreet of Bradford sold by post after buying a few National Power and Power Gen shares when they were privatized.
He says. “I didn’t really know where to go to for help. An information slip with the shares gave details of Yorkshire Building Society’s share shop service, which offered to sell for a flat fee of $ 5.”
“It was an ideal first step that showed me how easy and cheap it is to sell shares, l have been investing in a small way since then.
“I use Yorkshire’s telephone service, which has a $ 9 minimum fee.” Many stockbrokers offer postal deals as part of their usual dealing services, but clients may normally sell only big company or privatization shares this way.
Share Hnk’s minimum postal commission is $ 7.50, Skipton Building Socie’s is $ 9 and Nat Weat’s is $ 9.95.
TEXT G
First read the question.
33. In the passage the author’ attitude towards the subject under discussion is ___.
A. factual B. critical C. favorable D. ambiguous
Read the text quickly and then answer question 33.
With increasing prosperity, Western European youth is having a fling that is creating distinctive consumer and cultural patterns.
The result has been the increasing emergence in Europe of that phenomenon well known in America as the “youth market. ”This is a market in which enterprising businesses cater to the demands of teenagers and older youths in all their rock mania and pop-art forms.
In Western Europe, the youth market may appropriately be said to be in its infancy. In some countries such as Britain, West Germany and France, it is more advanced than in others. Some manifestations of the market, chiefly sociological, have been recorded, but it is only just beginning to be the subject of organized consumer research and promotion.
Characteristics of the evolving European youth market indicate dissimilarities as well as similarities to the American youth market.
The similarities:
The market’s basis is essentially the same-more spending power and freedom to use it in the hands of teenagers and older youth. Young consumers also make up an increasingly high proportion of the population.
As in the United States, youthful tastes in Europe extend over a similar range of products-records and record players, transistor radios, leather jackets and “way out,” extravagantly styled clothing, cosmetics and soft drinks. Generally it now is difficult to tell in which direction trans-Atlantic teenage influences are flowing.
Also, a pattern of conformity dominates European youth as in this country, though in Britain the object is to wear clothes that “make the wearer stand out,” but also make him “in”, such as tight trousers and precisely tailored jackets.
Worship and emulation of “idols” in the entertainment field, especially the “ pop” singers and other performers is pervasive. There is also the same exuberance and uNPRedictability in sudden fad switches. In Paris, buyers of stores catering to the youth market carefully watch what dress is being worn by a popular television teenage singer to be ready for a sudden demand for copies. In Stockholm other followers of teenage fads call the youth market “attractive but irrational.”
The most obvious differences between the youth market in Europe and that in the United States is in size. In terms of volume and variety of sales, the market in Europe is only a shadow of its American counterpart, but it is a growing shadow.
But there are also these important dissimilarities generally with the American youth market:
In the European youth market, unlike that of the United States, it is the working youth who provides the bulk of purchasing power.
On the average, the school-finishing age still tends to be 14 years. This is the maximum age to which compulsory education extends, and with Europe’s industrial manpower shortage, thousands of teenage youths may soon attain incomes equal in many cases to that of their fathers.
Although, because of general prosperity, European youths are beginning to continue school studies beyond the compulsory maximum age, they do not receive anything like the pocket money or “allowances” of American teenagers. The Europe an average is about $ 5 to $ 10 a month.
Working youth, consequently, are the big spenders in the European youth market, but they also have less leisure than those staying on at school, who in mm have less buying power.
TEXT H
First read the question.
34. The passage mainly ___.
A. discusses patterns in company car use
B. advertises famous British company cars
C. recommends inexpensive company cars
D. introduces different models of cars
Read the text quickly and then answer question 34.
Motorists would rather pay more tax than lose the place in the corporate pecking order conferred on them by their company cars.
And it is the company car—which accounts for half of all new motor sales each year—which continues to be the key method of measuring your progress up the greasy pole.
Although a Roll-Royce or Bentley is the ultimate success symbol, a Jaguar is still desired by most top directors, according to the survey by top people’s pay and perks experts at the Monks Partnership.
About 40 percent of company cars are perks rather than necessities for the job, even though the average company car driver with a 1500cc engine is paying more than three times as much in tax compared to a decade ago.
Average cash allowances for a company car rise from 1,500 for those whose job requires them to have four wheels, to ￡ 4,000 for chief executives.
For company chairmen, the BMW 7 series and Jaguar’s Daimler Double Six top the list of favored cars , with upper range Mercedes-Benz models close behind.
The chief executive’s tastes follow a similar pattern with Jaguar’s Sovereign 4.0 litre and XJ 63.2, Mercedes-Benz’s 320/300 and the BMW 7-series proving most popular.
For other directors, the BMW 5 series is tops, followed by the Mercedes-Benz 200 series, Jaguar’s XJ 63.2 and the Rover 800 series.
Senior managers favor the BMW 3 and 5 series, depending on their rank and company size.
Sales representatives drive the 1.8 and 1.6 litre Ford Mondeos, Rover 200 and 400 series and Peugeot’s 405.
Top of the prohibited list are sports cars and convertibles. But British policies are being relaxed, with 64 per cent of companies offering Japanese cars. The practice of employees trading up by making cash contribution to the value of the car they want is becoming more common, with some from reporting take-up rates in excess of 70 per cent.
TEXT I
First read the questions.
35. ___ deals with Marx’s intellectual impact.
A. Chapter Ⅰ B. Chapter ⅡC. Chapter Ⅲ D. Chapter Ⅳ
36. The chapter that discusses an important source of learning in high-technology industries is ___.
A. Chapter Ⅲ B. Chapter Ⅳ C. Chapter Ⅴ D. Chapter Ⅵ
37. The role of market forces in innovative activities is addressed in ___.
A. Part Ⅰ B. Part Ⅱ C. Part Ⅲ D. Part Ⅴ
Read the text quickly and then answer question 35，36 and 37.
The book opens with a broad survey, in Part Ⅰ, of the historical literature on technical change. It attempts to provide a guide to a wide range of writings that illuminate technological change as a historical phenomenon. The first chapter discusses aspects of the conceptualization of technological change and then goes on to consider what the literature has had to say on(l) the rate of technological change, (2) the forces influencing its direction, (3) the speed with which new technologies have diffused, and (4) the impact of technological change on the growth in productivity.
A separate chapter is devoted to Marx. Marx’s intellectual impact has been so pervasive as to rank him as a major social force in history, as well as an armchair interpreter of history. Part II is, in important respects, the core of the book. Each of its chapters advances an argument about some significant characteristics of industrial technologies. Chapter 3 explores a variety of less visible forms in which technological improvements enter the economy. Chapter 4 explicitly considers some significant characteristics of different energy forms. It examines some of the complexities of the long-term interactions between technological change and energy resources. Chapter 5, “On Technological Expectations,” addresses an issue that is simultaneously relevant to a wide range of industries—indeed, to all industries that are experiencing, or are expected to experience, substantial rates of technical improvement.
The last two chapters of PartⅡare primarily concerned with issues of greatest relevance to high-technology industries. Chapter 6, “Learning by Using,” identifies an important source of learning that grows out of actual experience in using products characterized by a high degree of system complexity. In contrast to learning by doing, which deals with skill improvements that grow out of the productive process, learning by using involves an experience that begins where
learning by doing ends.
The final chapter in Part Ⅱ, “How Exogenous Is Science?” looks explicitly at the nature of science technology interactions in high-technology industries. It examines some of the specific ways in which these industries have been drawing upon the expanding pool of scientific knowledge and techniques.
The three chapters constituting Part Ⅲ share a common concern with the role of market forces in shaping both the rate and direction of innovative activities, They attempt to look into the composition of forces constituting the demand and the supply for new products and processes, especially in high-technology industries.
Chapter 8 examines the history of technical change in the commercial aircraft industry over a fifty-year period 1925 - 1975. Finally, the two chapters of Part Ⅳ place the discussion of technological change in an international context, with the first chapter oriented toward its
long history and second toward the present and the future. Chapter 11 pays primary attention to the transfer of industrial technology from Britain to the world-wide industrialization, because nineteenth-century industrialization was, in considerable measure, the story of the overseas transfer of the technologies already developed by the first industrial society. The last chapter speculates about the prospects for the future from an American perspective, a perspective that is often dominated by apprehension over the loss of American technological leadership, especially in high-technology industries. By drawing upon some of the distinctive characteristics of high-technology industries, an attempt is made to identify possible elements of a future scenario.
TEXT J
First read the questions.
38. Who can enter the contest?
A. Postgraduates. B. Undergraduates. C. Journalists.D. Teachers.
39. Which of the following entry rules is NOT correct?
A. Submissions had been published within a specified period.
B. No limits are set on content or length of the submission.
C. Each entrant can submit no more than one entry.
D. A cover letter by the entrant is required.
Read the text quickly and then answer question 38 and 39.
THE FIFTH ANNUAL
NATION/I.F. STONE AWARD
FOR STUDENT JOURNALISM
ENTRY DEADLINE:JUNE 29,1994
PURPOSE: The Nation Institute/I. F. Stone Award recognizes excellence in student journalism. Entries should exhibit the uniquely independent journalistic tradition of I. F. Stone. A self-described “Jeffersonian Marxist, ”Stone combined progressive polities, investigative zeal and a compulsion to tell the truth with a commitment to human rights and the exposure of injustice. As Washington edit or of the Nation magazine and founder of the legendary I. F. Stone’s Weekly, he
specialized in publishing information ignored by the mainstream media (which he often found in The Congressional Record and other public documents overlooked by the big-circulation dailies).
ELIGIBILITY: The contest is open to all undergraduate students enrolled in a U. S. college. Articles may be submitted by the writers themselves or nominated by editors of student publications or faculty members. While entries originally published in student publications are preferred, all articles will be considered provided they were not written as part of a student’s regular course work.
THE PRIZE: The article that, in the opinion of the judges, represents the most outstanding example of student journalism in the tradition of I. F. Stone will be published in a fall issue of The Nation. The winner will receive a cash award of $ 1,000. The Nation reserves the right to edit the winning article to conform to the space limitations of the magazine. Announcement of the winning article will be made in The Nation in the fall of 1994.
DEADLINE: All entries must be postmarked by June 29,1994.
ENTRY RULES: All entries must have been written or published between June 30, 1993 and June 29, 1994. Please send 2 photocopies.
Each writer may submit up to three separate entries. A series of related articles will be considered as a single entry. Investigative articles are particularly encouraged. There are no restrictions as to scope, content or length.
Accompanying material in support of entries is not required, but entrants are encouraged to submit a cover letter explaining the context of the submitted story, along with a brief biographical note about the author. Elaborate presentations are neither required nor desired. Entries will not be returned.
Judges reserve the right to authenticate, accept or disallow entries at their discretion. The decision of the judges is final.
All entries must include the writer’s school, home address and telephone number.
ALL ENTRIES SHOULD BE SENT TO:
NATION/STONE AWARD, C/O THE NATION INSTITUTE,
72 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10011
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ,PLEASE
CAI J.(212) 463 - 9270
A PROJECT OF THE NATION INSTITUTE
TEXT K
First read the question.
40.According to the holiday advertisement, $ 939 is for a ___.
A. two-week holiday in October
B. two-week holiday in November
C. three-week holiday in November
D. three-week holiday in October
Read the text quickly and then answer question 40.
HAWAII
What price paradise?
Less than you could possibly imagine on this incredible value holiday with Page & Moy, the UK’s No 1 tour operator to Hawaii.
You can enjoy three weeks for the price of two at the Outrigger Village Hotel for just $ 899 during November or $ 939 in October.
