厦门大学2003年考研真题-阅读及英美文学、语言学

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厦门大学2003年招收攻读硕士学位研究生

入学考试试题

招生专业英语语言文学考试课程阅读及英美文学、语言学417

研究方向_________________

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Part One Reading Comprehension 70 points

Directions: Each passage is followed by questions based on its content. After reading the passage, choose the best answer to each question. Answer all questions following the passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage.

Passage 1

The place of the child in society has varied for thousands of years and has been affected by different cultures and religions. In ancient times unwanted children were occasionally abandoned, put to death, exploited, or offered for religious sacrifices, and in any event a large percentage of them didn’t survive their physically hazardous existence to achieve maturity.

In Western civilization within the last few hundred years, there have been many changes in attitude toward the young. In agricultural Europe, and later with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the children of the poor worked long hours for little or no pay, and there was no public concern for their safety or welfare. Punishment could be brutal and severe, and sometimes religious passions were expressed violently with a view toward saving the child's soul.

By the eighteenth century the harsh, deterministic, doctrinaire methods began to show some change. Society slowly accorded children a role of more importance. Books were written expressly for them and gradually laws were passed for their protection.

In the past few decades parents have become more attentive to the needs of their children. Better health care is available and education is no longer reserved for a limited few. With so many now able to go to college, many educators feel that we have too many students and too few competent scholars. Some say the pendulum in child rearing has swung so far toward permissiveness that many children are growing up alienated from society and with no respect for law or parental authority.

The tendency today is for teachers and parents to emphasize individual responsibility and to stress that educational goals for students should be tailored to their chosen vocations rather than provide a generalized higher education.

1. What does the article say about children?

A. They have always been the hope of mankind.

B. In certain periods of history no one cared about them.

C. In the mid-eighteenth century western attitudes toward children began to change.

D. There were laws barring child labor during the industrial revolution.

2. What does the article say about children in ancient times?

A. They were often cruelly beaten.

B. At times they were used as sacrificial offerings.

C. People who didn't want children usually murdered them.

D. Though they were abused or neglected by their parents, children survived to adulthood with little difficulty.

3. What changes have occurred in the past few decades with regard to the child's place in society?

A. Child raising has become more permissive.

B. Public health care has improved so much that children now need no particular health care.

C. Children are becoming more intelligent.

D. Children are becoming more respectful toward their parents.

4. What is the present trend in child discipline and education?

A. Giving as many young people as possible a popular generalized college education.

B. Creating more regimentation of the individual.

C. Teaching children to conform to rigorous rules.

D. Emphasizing individual responsibility.

Passage 2

Many experimental cars have been designed as one-of-a-kind models to be shown privately or presented in auto shows, but never produced for actual sale. One purpose of such cars is to test consumer reaction to the various features shown. They are also the results of inspired as well as innovative ideas developed in the automaker’s workshops. One experimental car, the Firebird by General Motors, had a single stick control system eliminating the conventional steering wheel, brake pedal and accelerator. Moving the stick to right steered the car in those directions. Pushing forward accelerated the car and pulling back applied the brakes. The control stick was in the center of the front compartment and either the driver or the passenger could operate it.

5. In this paragraph what is meant by an experimental car?

A) A display car that customers can have made to order

B) One that the company will produce in volume the following year

C) A car to suit the tastes of the very wealthy.

D) A car to test public reaction to new features.

6. What was said about the Firebird put out by General Motors?

A) It immediately proved to be immensely popular.

B) It was a car that could be maneuvered with the use of fewer knobs and pedals than conventional cars.

C) It was a new system that was practically foolproof.

D) It gave the driver a sense of security.

7. What do the manufacturers accomplish by making experimental cars?

A) They can test out new design ideas conceived in the engineering department.

B) They are used to deceive their competitors about the direction of their future designs.

C) They are displayed to show people how bizarre in design they may become.

D) They serve to occupy the spare time of design engineers during slack seasons.

Passage 3

One-room schools are part of the United States, and the mention of them makes people feel a vague longing for "the way things were." One-room schools are an endangered species, however. For more than a hundred years one-room schools have been systematically shut down and their students sent away to centralized schools. As recently as 1930 there were 149,000 one-room schools in the United States. By 1970 there were 1,800. Today, of the nearly 800 remaining one-room schools, more than 350 are in Nebraska. The rest are scattered through a few other states that have on their road maps wide-spaces between towns.

Now that there are hardly any left, educators are beginning to think that maybe there is something yet to be learned form one-room schools, something that served the pioneers that might serve as well today. Progressive educators have come up with progressive-sounding names like "peer-group teaching" and "multi-age grouping" for educational procedures that occur naturally in the one-room schools. In one-room schools, the children teach each other because the teacher is busy part of the Time teaching someone else. A fourth grader can work at a fifth-grade level in math and a third-grade level in English without the stigma associated with being left back or the pressures of being skipped ahead. A youngster with a learning disability can find his or her own level without being separated from the other pupils. In larger urban and suburban schools today, this is called "mainstreaming". A few hours is a small school that has only one classroom and it becomes clear why so many parents feel that one of the advantages of living in Nebraska in their children have to go to a one-room school.

8. What is the author’s main purpose in the passage?

A) To discuss present-day education in the United States.

B) To mention some advantages of one-room schools.

C) To persuade states to close down one-room schools.

D) To summarize the history of education in the United States.

9. The author implies that many educators and parents today feel that one-room schools

A) are too small B) put pressure on teachers

C) are too far apart D) provide a good education

10. According to the passage, why are one-room schools in danger of disappearing?

A) They all exist in one state.

B) There is no fourth-grade level in any of them.

C) There is a trend towards centralization.

D) They skip too many children ahead.

11. According to the passage, about how many one-room schools are there in the United States today?

A) 149,000 B) 1,800 C) 800 D) 350

12. In the second paragraph, what is mentioned as a major characteristic of the one-room school system?

A) It causes many children to be left back.

B) It must work in conjunction with an urban school.

C) It does not allow teachers to do any individual teaching.

D) It does not limited to one grade level at a time.

13. The attitude of the author toward one-room school is one of

A) humor B) indifference C) commendation D) anger

Passage 4

In the past, evolutionary biologists contemplating the absence of wheels in nature agreed that the explanation was not undesirability; wheels would be good for animals, just as they are for us. Animals were prevented from evolving wheels, the biologists reasoned, by the following dilemma: Living cells in an animal’s body are connected to the heart by blood vessels, and to the brain by nerves. Because a rotating joint is essential to a wheel, a wheel made of living cells would twist its artery, vein, and nerve connections at the first revolution, making living wheels impracticable.

However, there is a flaw in the argument that the evolution of wheeled animals was thwarted by the insoluble joint problem. The theory fails to explain why animals have not evolved wheels of dead tissue with no need for arteries and nerves. Countless animals, including us, bear external structures without blood supply or nerves – for example, our hair and fingernails, or the scales, claws, and horns of other animals. Why have rats not evolved bony wheels, similar to roller skates? Paws might be more useful than wheels in some situations, but cat’s claws are retractable; why not retractable wheels? We thus arrive at the serious biological paradox flippantly termed the RRR dilemma: nature’s failure to produce rats with retractable roller skates.

14. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

(A) Evolutionary Biology: New Research Methods

(B) How Do Living Joints Function?

(D) The Evolutionary History of The Wheel

15. The passage discusses the evolution of animals in terms of their ______

(A) genetic structures (B) reproductive cycles (C) anatomy (D) behavior

16. The structural material of the wheels discussed in the passage in would be similar to that of ______

(A) nerves (B) joints (C) arteries and veins (D) scales and horns

17. The concept of retractable roller skates, mentioned in the last sentence, would be best explained as ______

(A) an evolutionary variation of claws

(B) a complex structure of living tissue

(D) a new discovery by evolutionists

Passage 5

When the persuading and the planning for the western railroads had finally been completed, the really challenging task remained: the dangerous, sweaty, backbreaking, brawling business of actually building the lines. The men who took it on comprised the most cosmopolitan work crew in American history. They included Civil War veterans and freed slaves, Irish and German immigrants, Mormons and atheists, Shoshonis, Paiutes, Washos, and Chinese.

At the peak of their labors, the work crews laid two to five miles of track a day. The men filled ravines, ran spidery trestles across rivers and valleys, and punched holes through mountains. And they did all these jobs largely by their own muscle power.

Flatcars carried rails to within half a mile of the railhead; there the iron was loaded onto carts. An eyewitness described the procedure: “A light car, drawn by a single horse, gallops up to the front with its load rails. Two men seize the end of a rail and start forward, the rest of the gang taking holding by twos until it is clear of the car. They come forward at a run. At the word of command, the rail is dropped in its place, right side up. Less than thirty seconds to a rail for each gang, and so four rails to down to the minute.”

18. Which of the following is the most suitable title for the passage?

(A) An Eyewitness Report (B) A Difficult Task

19. According to the passage, in addition to laying railroad track, the work crew did which of the following?

(A) Climbed over mountain peaks. (B) Planned railroads.

20. In second paragraph, the word “they” refers to ______

(A) men (B) valleys (C) mountains (D) jobs

21. Which of the following phrases could be substituted for the phrased “clear of” (in the third paragraph) without changing the meaning of the sentence?

(A) put through (B) visible to (C) away from (D) open to

Passage 6

With the show Rodeo, Agnes de Mille had been an innovator in the world of ballet. But with the show Oklahoma!, she revolutionized the Broadway stage – brought to an end the dance line routine of high kicks and mechanized movement, and gave in its place dance and plot smoothly integrated, choreography reinforcing the action. Twenty-five years later, in March, 1968, a New York Times article by the theater critic Walter Kerr, headed “In the Beginning Was Oklahoma!”, stated, “Oklahoma! had a plot. It had to do with whether a boy would succeed in taking emotional implications had to be danced out at great length in what remains the most exhilarating dancing … ever devised for the United States musical comedy stage.”

The impact of Oklahoma! was instantaneous. The song “Beautiful Morning” sounded out via radios, in restaurants, from cars passing on the highways, in shoeshine parlors. Full skirts of gingham patterns, street shoes made to look like ballet slippers, the ponytail hairdo, were the rage. The play ran for five years and nine weeks in New York City. A traveling road company played it for nine and a half years. It also toured abroad for several years. In 1955 it became a movie. A newly assembled all-star company was sent abroad by the State Department as representative of a part of United States culture.

As for Agnes de Mille, her days of giving recitals and losing $300 to $1,000 each time were over. She became the most sought-after choreographer on Broadway.

22. What is the author’s main purpose in the passage?

(A) To explain the background of the song ““Beautiful Morning”

(B) To compare Rodeo and Oklahoma!

(D) To discuss the fashions made popular by Oklahoma!

23. The author cites Walter Kerr because he was ______

(A) the composer of the music for Oklahoma!

(B) a dancer who performed with Agnes de Mille

(D) the owner of The New York Times

24. In the second paragraph, the expression “were the rage” could best be replaced by ______

(A) created chaos (B) made people crazed

25. According to the passage, Oklahoma! was selected by the State Department to be performed abroad because it was ______

(A) considered rather revolutionary (B) representative of an aspect of American life

26. The passage implies that prior to Oklahoma! Agnes de Mille had given recitals that were ______

(A) popular comedy routines (B) financially unsuccessful

Passage 7

Lichens are a unique group of complex, flowerless plants growing on rocks and trees. There are thousands kinds of lichens, which come in a wide variety of colors. They are composed of algae and fungi, which unite to satisfy the needs the lichens.
The autotrophic green algae produce all their own food through a process called photosynthesis and provide the lichen with nutritional elements. On the other hand, the heterotrophic fungus, which on other elements to provide its food, not only absorbs and stores water for the plant, but also helps protect it. This union by which two dissimilar organisms live together is called "symbiosis".
This sharing enables lichens to resist the most adverse environmental conditions found on earth. They can be found in some very unlikely places such as polar ice caps as well as in tropical zones, in dry areas as well in wet ones, on mountain peaks and along coastal areas.
The lichen's strong resistance to its hostile environment and its ability to live in harmony with such environments is one example that humanity should consider in trying solve their own problems.

27. Which of the following is NOT true?

(A) Lichens are not simple plants

(B) The lichen habitat is limited to the polar ice caps

(D) Heterotrophic plants depend on their elements to supply their food.

28. What can be said about autotrophic plants and heterotrophic plants?

(A) They produce their food in the same manner.

(B) They produce their food in the same manner.

(D) Their methods of food production are completely different.

29. What of the following conclusions could be made about lichens?

(A) They are found worldwide and are complex plants made up of algae and fungi.

(B) They are found worldwide and are simple plants, symbiotic in nature.

(D) Although found worldwide, lichens are found mostly as a simple form in the tropics.

30. Which of the following directly relates to algae?

(A) It offers protection to lichens. (B) It supplies water for lichens.

Passage 8

Why save endangered species? For the general public, endangered species appear to be little more than biological oddities. A very different perception is gained from considering the issue of extinction in a wider context. The important pint is that many major social advances have been made on the basis of life forms whose worth would never have been perceived in advance. Consider the impact of rubber-producing plants on contemporary life and industry: approximately two-thirds of the world’s rubber supply comes from rubber-producing plants and is made into objects as diverse as rubber washers and rubber boots.

31. The author’s point is made chiefly by _______

(A) acknowledging the validity of two opposing points of view

(B) appealing to the emotions of the audience rather than to their intellects

(D) trying to discredit the view of an opponent without presenting an alternative hypothesis

32. All of the following facts could be used for as illustrative examples in addition to the example of rubber-producing plants except _________

(A) The discovery of the vaccine for smallpox resulted from observing the effect of the cowpox virus on the hands of dairy workers

(B) The major source of our pharmaceutical supplies is plants, some of them commonly thought of as weeds.

(D) Plastic is a unique product derived from petroleum and petroleum by products

Passage 9

According to a recent historical study, capital punishment deters murder only during weeks when well-publicized executions take place. During such weeks, homicides fail to a level below average. The yearly murder rate, however, is not affected by the number of well-publicized executions.

33. If the above passage is true, which of the following statements must also be true?

(A) In the period studied, the number of well-publicized executions remained virtually the same from year to year.

(B) For at least one week during any years in which there were well-publicized executions, murder rates were above average.

(D) In the past, newspapers considered capital punishment important news and devoted extensive coverage to all executions.

Passage 10

Jet fighters have recently been equipped with electronics improvements enabling the pilot to shoot down an enemy plane while still out of sight. There is, however, the following problem: there is no sure way of determining whether a plane that is out of sight is friend or foe.

34. Which of the following products suffers from a drawback that, in its logical features, is most like the problem described above?

(A) A fire alarm system with such a high heat and smoke threshold that it is likely to react too late to a developing fire

(B) An improved electronic ignition system whose superiority is limited to those rate times when it is perfectly adusted.

(C) A product marketed as a weedkiller that kills all plants to which it is applied before the resume active growth in the spring.

(D) A cold medicine that relieves most symptoms of the common cold but also causes spells of dizziness.

Passage 11

“On the whole,” Ms. Dennis remarked, “engineering students are lazier now than they used to be. I know because fewer and fewer of my students regularly do the work they are assigned.”

35. The conclusion drawn above depends on which of the following assumptions?

(A) Engineering students are working less because, in a booming market, they spending more and more time investigating different job opportunities.

(B) Whether or not students do the work they are assigned is a good indication of how lazy they are.

(D) Laziness is something most people do not outgrow.

36. Which of the following identifies a flaw in Ms. Dennis’ reasoning?

(A) Plenty of people besides engineering students do no work as hard as they should.

(B) Ms. Dennis does not consider the excuses her students may have for being lazy.

(D) The argument assumes that Ms. Dennis’ students are representative of engineering students in general.

Passage 12

Athletic director: “members of our sports teams included, for fall season, 80 football players and 40 cross-country runners; for the spring season, 20 wrestlers and 40 swimmers; for the spring season, 50 track-team members and 20 lacrosse players. Each team athlete participates in his or her sport five days a week for the whole three-month season, and no athlete is on two teams during any one season. Therefore, adding these figures, we find that our team sports program serves 250 different individual athletes.”

37. In drawing the conclusion above, the athletic director fails to consider the relevant possibility that

(A) athletes can be on more than one team in a single season

(B) athletes can be on teams in more than one season

(D) more athletes participate in team sports during one season than during another.

Passage 13

Popular culture in the United States has become Europeanized to an extent unimaginable twenty-five years ago. Not many people then drank wine with meals, and no one drank imported mineral water. No idea would have been more astonishing than that Americans would pay to watch soccer games. Such thoughts arise because of a report that the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials has just adopted a proposal to develop the country’s first comprehensive interstate system of routes for bicycles.

38. Which of the following inferences is best supported by the passage?

(A) Long-distance bicycle routes are used in Europe.

(B) Drinking imported mineral water is a greater luxury than drinking imported wine.

(D) Most Europeans make regular use bicycles.

Passage 14

Superficially, college graduates in 1982 resemble college graduates of 1964; they are fairly conservatives, well dressed, and interested in tradition; they respect their parents. But there is a deep-seated difference: a majority of the members of the class of 1982 who were surveyed in there freshman year stated that making a good income was an important reason for their decision to go to college.

39. The statements in the passage above, if true, best support which of the following conclusions?

(A) The concerns of college graduates of 1964 were superficial compared to the financial worries of college graduates of 1982.

(B) Fewer than half the students of the class of 1964 declared as freshmen that they entered college in order to increase their earning potential.

(D) A majority of the members of the class of 1964 revived their reasons for attending college between their freshman year and college education.

Passage 15

Many of those who advocate trimming hospital costs argue that the federal money saved by such cuts could be utilized for important social purposes: rebuilding the cities, reducing safety hazards in the workplace, preserving the environment, improving schooling, or developing better sources of energy. Their enthusiasm would be dampened if the savings were diverted to other objectives: expanding the military, balancing the budget, revitalizing the space program, or cutting capital gains taxes. One cannot be confident that any useful result would be obtained by diverting funds from the hospital system.

40. The author of the passage above assumes that ________

(A) those who favor government expenditure for some social purposes oppose government expenditure in other areas

(B) federal money should not be used for rebuilding the cities and other social purposes

(D) hospital costs should be trimmed after the projected savings have been allocated for specific purposes.

Passage 16

There is extraordinary exposure in the United States to the risks of injury and death from motor vehicle accidents. More than 70 percent of all households own passenger cars or light trucks and each of these is driven an average of more than 11,000 miles each year. Almost one-half of fatally injured drivers have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.1 percent or higher. For the average adult, over five ounces of 80 proof spirits would have to be consumed over a short period of time to attain these levels. A third of drivers, demonstrate these levels. Although less than 1 percent of drivers with BAC of 0.1 percent or more are involved in fatal crashes, the probability of their involvement is 27 times higher than for those without alcohol in their blood.
There are a number of different approaches to reducing injuries in which intoxication plays a role. Based on the observation that excessive consumption coorelates with the total alcohol consumption of a country’s population, it has been suggested that higher taxes on alcohol would reduce both. While the heaviest drinkers would be taxed the most, anyone who drinks at all would be penalized by this approach.
To make drinking and driving a criminal offense is an approach directed only at intoxicated drivers. In some states, the law empowers police to request breath tests of drivers cited for any traffic offense and elevated BAC can be basis for arrest. The national Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates, however, that even with increased arrests, there are about 700 violations for every arrest. At this level there is little evidence that laws serve as deterrents to drinking while intoxicated. In Britain, motor vehicle fatalities fell 25 percent immediately following implementation of the Road Safety Act in 1967. As the British increasingly recognized that they could drink and not be stopped, the effectiveness declined, although in the ensuring three years the fatality rate seldom reached that observed in the seven years prior to the Act.
Whether penalties for driving with high BAC or excessive taxation on consumption of alcoholic beverages will deter the excessive drinker responsible for most fatalities is unclear. In part, the answer depends on the extent to which those with high BACs involved in crashed are capable of controlling their intake in response to economic or penal threat. Therapeutic programs which range from individual and group counseling and psychotherapy to chemotherapy constitute another approach, but they have not diminished the proportion of accidents in which alcohol was a factor. In the few controlled trials that have been reported, there is little evidence that rehabilitation programs for those repeatedly arrested for drunken behavior have reduced either the recidivism or crash rates. Thus far, there is no firm evidence that Alcohol Safety Action Project supported programs, in which rehabilitation measures are requested by the court, have decreased recidivism or crash involvement for clients exposed to them, although knowledge and attitude have improved. One thing is clear, however, unless we deal with automobile and highway safety and reduce accidents in which alcoholic intoxication plays a role, many will continue to die.

41. The author is mainly concentrated with ______.
A. interpreting the result of surveys on traffic fatalities
B. reviewing the effectiveness of attempts to curb drunk driving
C. suggesting reasons for the prevalence of drunk driving in the United States
D. making an international comparison of U.S. and Britain

42. It can be inferred that the 1967 Road Safety Act in Britain ______.
A. changed an existing law to lower the BAC level which defined driving while intoxicated
B. made it illegal to drive while intoxicated
C. placed a tax on the sale of alcoholic drinks
D. required drivers convicted under the law to undergo rehabilitation therapy

43. The author implies that a BACs of 0.1 percent _______
A. is unreasonably high as a definition of intoxication for purpose of driving
B. penalizes the moderate drinker while allowing the heavy drinker to consume without limit
C. will operate as an effective deterrent to cover 90 percent of the people who might drink and drive
D. proves that a driver has consumed five ounces of 80 proof spirits over a short time

44. With which of the following statements about making driving while intoxicated a criminal offense versus increasing taxes on alcohol consumption would the author most likely agree?

A. Making driving while intoxicated a criminal offense is preferable to increased taxes on alcohol because the former is aimed only at those who abuse alcohol by driving while intoxicated

B. Increased taxation on alcohol consumption is likely to be more effective in reducing traffic fatalities because taxation covers all consumers and not just those who drive.

C. Since neither increased taxation nor enforcement of criminal laws against drunk drivers I likely to have any significant impact, neither measure is warranted.

D. Because arrests of intoxicated drivers have proved to be expensive and administratively cumbersome, increased taxation on alcohol is the most promising means of reducing traffic fatalities.

45. The author cites the British example in order to _______
A. show the problem of drunk driving is worse in Britain than in the U.S.
B. prove that stricter enforcement of law against intoxicated drivers would reduce traffic deaths
C. prove that a slight increase in the number arrests of intoxicated drivers will not deter drunk driving
D. demonstrate the need to lower BAC levels in State that have laws against drunk driving

46. Which of the following, if true, most weakens the author’s statement that the effectiveness of proposals to stop the intoxicated driver depends, in part, on the extent to which of the high BAC driver can control his or her intake?

A. Even if the heavy drinker cannot control intake, criminal laws against driving while intoxicated can deter hi or her from driving while intoxicated.

B. Rehabilitation programs aimed at drivers convicted of driving while intoxicated have not significantly reduced traffic fatalities.

C. Many traffic fatalities are caused by factors unrelated to the excessive consumption of alcohol by the driver involved.

D. Even though severe penalties may not deter the intoxicated driver, these laws will punish him or her for the harm caused by driving while intoxicated.

47. The author’s tone of the end of article can be described as _____
A. ironic B. indifferent C. admonitory D. indecisive

Passage 17

War has escaped the battlefield and now can, with modern guidance systems on missiles, touch virtually every square yard of the earth’s surface. War has also lost most of its utility in achieving the traditional goals of conflict. Control of territory carries with it the obligation to provide subject peoples certain administrative, health, educations, and other social services; such obligations far outweight the benefits of control. If the ruled population is ethnically of racially different from the rulers, tensions and chronic unrest often exist which further reduce the benefits and increase the costs of domination. Large populations no longer necessarily enhance state power and, in the absence of high levels of economic development, can impose severe burdens on food supply, jobs, and the broad range of services expected of modern governments. The benefits of forcing another nation to surrender its wealth are vastly outproduced by the benefits of persuading that nation to produce and exchange goods and services. In brief, imperialism no longer pays.

Making war has been one of the most persistent of human activities in the 80 centuries since men and women settled in cities and thereby became “civilized,” but the modernization of the past 80 years has fundamentally changed the role and function of war. In premodernized societies, successful warfare brought significant material rewards, the most obvious of which were the stored wealth of the defeated. Equally important was human labor, -- control over people as slaves or levies for the victor’s army, and there was the productive capacity – agricultural lands and mines. Successful warfare also produced psychic benefits. The removal or destruction of a threat brought a sense of security, and power gained over other s created pride and national self-esteem.

War was accepted in the premodernized society as a part of human condition, a mechanism of change, and an unavoidable, even noble, aspect of life. The excitement and drama of war made it a vital part of literature and legends.

48. According to the passage, leaders of premodernized society considered war to be

A. a valid tool of national policy

B. an immoral act of aggression

C. economically wasteful and socially unfeasible

D. restricted in scope to military participants

49. The author most likely places the word “civilized” in the second paragraph in order to

A. show dissatisfaction at not having found a better word

B. acknowledge that the word was borrowed from another source

C. express irony that war should be a part of civilization

D. impress upon the reader the tragedy of war

50. The author mentions all of the following as possible reasons for going to war in a premodernized society EXCEPT

A. possibility of material gain

B. total annihilation of the enemy and destruction of enemy territory

C. potential for increasing the security of the nation

D. desire to capture productive farming lands

51. Which of the following best describes the tone of the passage?

A. Scientific and detached B. Outraged and indignant

C. Humorous and wry D. Fearful and alarmed

Passage 18

Why should anyone want to set aside a day to honor a lowly little ground-hog？The answer to that question is not certain, but a group of people get together every February 2 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to watch Punxsutawney “Pete” leave his burrow. What "Pete "does next, many believe, will show whether spring is just around the corner or a long way off. You see, in Pennsylvania on this date there is usually a great deal of snow on the ground, and the little animal has been hibernating during the long, cold winter. He filled himself during the autumn months and then went into his burrow for a long sleep, his body fat helping keep him alive. But as he appears on February 2, he looks very thin. If the sun' is shining brightly and he sees his shadow, according to old stories, it frightens him back into his home where he will stay another six weeks. Should it be cloudy and gray, the little animal will supposedly walk around for food-a sure sign that spring is near. While many believe in the groundhog's information about future happening, it is unwise to accept them as a factual

52. According to this passage ,why do people gather every year to watch the groundhog?

A. Her s clever and playful, and children love to watch him.

B. Hers looking for food and the people want to help him find it in the snow.

C. Many people believe him to be a sign of the coming of spring.

D. The people want to be sure he is alive after such a long winter.

53. How does the groundhog manage to stay alive during the long winter?
A. People send out food for him.

B. He stores body fat before winter comes.

C. He wakes up on nice days and hunts for food.

D. It is something unknown to people.

54. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. Animals have a certain instinct which helps them predict the seasons.

B. According to the legend, the grounding leaves his burrow on February 2.

C. Groups of people in Pennsylvania wait for the groundhog’s predictions.

D. After his long period of hibernation, the groundhog looks very thin.

55. What prediction does the groundhog supposedly make?
A. If he sees his shadow, it will soon be spring.

B. If he sees his shadow, spring will not arrive for another six weeks.

C. If he does not see his shadow, spring will arrive in six weeks.

D. If he does not see his shadow, all the snow will disappear immediately.

Passage 19

When buying a house, you must be sure to have it checked for termites.A termite is much like an ant in its communal habits, although physically the two insects are distinct.

Like those of ants, termite colonies consist of different classes, with its own particular job. The most perfectly formed termites, both male and female, make up the reproductive class. They have eyes, hard body walls, and fully developed wings. A pair of reproductive termites founds the colony. When new reproductive termites develop, they leave to form another colony. They use their wings only this one time and then break them off.

The worker termites are small, blind, and wingless, with soft bodies, they make up the majority of the colony and do all the work. Soldiers are also wingless and blind but are larger than the workers and have hard heads and strong jaws and legs. They defend the colony and are cared for by the workers.

The male and female of the reproductive class remain inside a closed-in cell where the female lays thousands of eggs. The workers place the eggs in cells and care for them.

56．How are termites like ants?

A．They live in communities, and each class has a specific duty.

B．Their bodies are the same shape.

C．The king and queen are imprisoned.

D．The females’ reproductive capacities are the same.

57．Which of the following is NOT true?

A．All termites have eyes. B．Some termites cannot fly.

C．Workers are smaller than soldiers. D．Termites do not fly often.

58．Which of the following statements is probably true?

A．Thousands of termites may move together to develop a new colony.

B．The male and female reproductives do not go outdoors except to form a new colony.

C．There are more soldiers than workers.

D．A worker could easily kill a soldier.

Passage 20

In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness of the inadequacies of the judicial system in the United States. Costs are staggering both for the taxpayers and the litigants--and the litigants, or parties, have to concerning methods of ameliorating the situation, but as in most branches of government, changes come slowly. One suggestion that has been made in order to maximize the efficiency of the system is to allow districts that have an overabundance of pending cases to borrow judges from other districts that do not have such a backlog. Another suggestion is to use pretrial conferences, in which the judge meets in his chambers with the litigants and their attorneys in order to narrow the issues, limit the witnesses, and provide for a more orderly trial. The theory behind pretrial conferences is that judges will spend less time on each case and parties will more readily settle before trial when they realize the adequacy of their claims and their opponents' evidence. Unfortunately, at least one study has shown that pretrial conferences actually use more judicial time than they save, rarely result in pretrial settlements, and actually result in higher damage settlements. 

Many states have now established another method, small-claims, in which cases over small sums of money can be disposed of with considerable dispatch. Such proceedings cost the litigants almost nothing. In California, for example, the parties must appear before the judge without the assistance of counsel. The proceedings are quite informal and there is no pleading-the litigants need to make only a one-sentence statement of their claim. By going to this type of court, the plaintiff waives any right to a jury trial and the right to appeal the decision. 

In coming years,we can expect to see more and more innovations in the continuing effort to remedy a situation which must be remedied if the citizens who have valid claims are going to be able to their day in court.

59. The pretrial conference, in theory, is supposed to do all of the following EXCEPT

A. narrow the issues. B. cause early settlements.

C. save judicial time. D. increase settlement costs.

60. What is the main topic of the passage? 

A. All states should follow California's example in using small claims courts in order to free judges for other work. 

B. The legislature needs to formulate fewer laws so that judiciary can catch up on its older cases. 

C. Nobody seems to care enough to attempt to find methods for making the judicial system more efficient. 

D. While there are many problems with the court system, there are viable suggestions for improvement.

61. The word "litigants" means most nearly

A. jury members B. commentators C. parties in a lawsuit D. taxpayers

62. Which of the following is true about small claims courts? 

A. It is possible to have one's case heard by a jury if he or she is dissatisfied with the court's decision. 

B. The litigants must plead accurately and according to a strict form. 

C. The decision may not be appealed to a higher court. 

D. The parties may not present their cases without an attorney's help.

63. What can we assume from the passage? 

A. Most people who feel they have been wronged have a ready remedy in courts of law. 

B. Many people would like to bring a case to court, but are unable to because of the cost and time required. 

C. The judicial system in the United States is highly acclaimed for its efficiency. 

D. Pretrial conferences will someday probably have replaced trials completely.

Passage 21

In 1971, the great Persian Empire celebrated the 2500th anniversary of its founding. Its founder was Cyrus the Great, who proclaimed himself the King of Kings. His son Cambyses succeeded him, conquering Egypt and expanding the empire. Darius I followed Cambyses and was probably the most famous of this long line of kings. Under his rule, the empire stretched as far as India. Governors were placed in charge of the provinces. Extensive systems of roads and waterways improved communication throughout the realm. He was one of a few ancient rulers who permitted his subjects to worship as they wished. The magnificent city of Persepolis, founded under his direction in 518 B.C., was a ceremonial center then as well as in the 1970’s.

64. Who is considered the founder of the Persian Empire?

A. Persepolis B. Cyrus C. Darius I D. Cambyses

65. In what year was Persian Empire founded?

A. 2500 B.C B. 518 B.C C. 529 B.C D. 971 B.C

66. Who was the predecessor of Cambyses?

A. Egypt B. Darius I C. Persepolis D. Cyrus

67. Which of the following best describes the empire under Darius I?

A. ceremonial B. bellicose C. punitive D. progressive

Passage 22

Historians have only recently begun to note the increase in demand for luxury goods and services that took place in eighteenth-century England. McKendrick has explored the Wedgwood firm’s remarkable success in marketing luxury pottery; Plumb has written about the rapid increase of provincial theaters, musical festivals, and children’s toys and books. While the fact of this consumer revolution is hardly in doubt, three key questions remain: Who were the consumers? What were their motives? And what were the effects of the new demand for luxuries?
An answer to the first of these has been difficult to obtain. Although it has been possible to infer from the goods and services actually produced what manufacturers and servicing trades thought their customers wanted, only a study of relevant personal documents written by actual consumers will provide a precise picture of who wanted what. We still need to know how large this consumer market was and how far down the social scale the consumer demand for luxury goods penetrated. With regard to this last question, we might note in passing that Thompson, while rightly restoring laboring people to the stage of eighteenth-century English history, has probably exaggerated the opposition of these people to the sudden attacks of capitalist consumerism in general. For example, laboring people in eighteenth-century England readily shifted from home-brewed beer to standardized beer produced by huge, heavily capitalized urban breweries.
To answer the question of why consumers became so eager to buy, some historians have pointed to the ability of manufacturers to advertise in a relatively uncensored press. This, however, hardly seems a sufficient answer. Mckendrick favors a Velen model of conspicuous consumption stimulated by competition for status. The “middling sort” bought goods and services because they wanted to follow fashions set by the rich. Again, we may wonder whether this explanation is sufficient. Do not people enjoy buying things as a form of self-gratification? If so, consumerism could be seen as a product of the rise of new concepts of individualism and materialism, but not necessarily of the frenzy for conspicuous competition.
Finally, what were the consequences of this consumer demand for luxuries? McKendrick claims that it goes a long way toward explaining the coming of the Industrial Revolution. But does it? What, for example, does the production of high-quality pottery and toys have to do with the development of iron manufacture or textile mills? It is perfectly possible to have the psychology and reality of a consumer society without a heavy industrial sector.

The future exploration of these key questions is undoubtedly necessary. It should not, however, diminish the force of the conclusion of recent studies: the insatiable demand in eighteenth-century England for frivolous as well as useful goods and services foreshadows our own world.

68. In the first paragraph, the author mentions Mckendrick and Plumb most probably in order to
A. contrast their views on luxury consumerism in 18th-century England
B. confirm key questions about 18th-century England consumerism
C. exemplify historians who have proved the growing consumerism in 18th-century England
D. compare one historian’s interest in luxury goods to another historian’s interest in luxury services

69. Concerning the answer to who the consumers are, the writer seems to

A. doubt that laboring people were also involved in the consumer revolution.

B. exaggerate the extent of the demand for luxury goods

C. agree with Thompson on the scale of the market

D. prefer home-brewed beer to standardized beer produced by urban breweries.

70. According to the Velen model, the “middle sort” of customers bought luxury goods to

A. gratify themselves B. show individualism

C. keep up with Joneses D. boast of their wealth

Part Two Linguistics 30 points (Write down your answers to the questions in this part of the test in separate blank answer sheets provided at your test center.)

1. Please list the types of antonymy in language, and then try to account for the sense relations in each type of antonymy with examples. 10 points

2. How many types of morphemes are there in the English language? What are they? 5 points

3. What do you think are the basic requirements of a good language test? 5 points

4. What are the four maxims in the Cooperative Principle? Please use examples to show that conversational implicature can arise when the maxims are violated. 10 points

Part Three Literature 50 points (Write down your answers to the questions in this part of the test in separate blank answer sheets provided at your test center.)

I. Write down the names of the authors of the following literary works: (9 points)

1. Lady Chatterley’s Lover

2. The Heart of Darkness

3. The Last of Mohicans

4. The Sun Also Rises

5. I am the poet of the Body and I am the poet of the Soul.

6. Much Madness is divinest Sense -- / To a discerning eye –

7. I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference.

8. The Trumpet of a prophecy! O, Wind, / If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

9. Do I dare / Disturb the universe? / In a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.

10. Alone, alone, all, all alone, / Alone on a wide, wide sea!

II. Answer ONE of the two questions concerning American literature: (7 points)

1. How is the spiritual and moral state of the young people after the First World War as reflected in American fiction?

2. What do you think of American romantic writers who wrote between 1820 and 1861? What are their similarities and differences?

III. Answer ONE of the two questions concerning British literature: (7 points)

1. Give a brief account of the central theme and the significance of Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet.

2. State briefly the difference between the “Lake Poets” (Wordsworth and Coleridge) and the more socially- and historically- concerned romantic poets such as Byron and Shelly. Prove your points with specific evidence from their poems.

IV. Describe and make a comment on TWO of the following characters from English literature (1-4) and ANOTHER TWO from American literature (5-8): (16 points):

1. Beowulf 2. Gulliver 3. Mrs. Warren 4. Mr. Allworthy

5. Natty Bumppo 6. Daisy Buchanan 7. Tom Sawyer 8. Ma Joad (Grapes of Wrath)

V. Read the poem and answer the questions below: (10 points):

the sonnet-ballad

Oh mother, mother, where is happiness?
They took my lover's tallness off to war,
Left me lamenting. Now I cannot guess
What I can use an empty heart-cup for.
He won't be coming back here any more.
Some day the war will end, but, oh, I knew
When he went walking grandly out that door
That my sweet love would have to be untrue.
Would have to be untrue. Would have to court
Coquettish death, whose impudent and strange
Possessive arms and beauty (of a sort)
Can make a hard man hesitate--and change.
And he will be the one to stammer, "Yes."
Oh mother, mother, where is happiness?

Note:

1. An empty heart-cup: Her heart, like a cup, has been emptied.

2. Coquettish death: a personification of death as a coquette, a vamp, a seductress.

Questions:

1. What is the situation in the poem?

2. Discuss the metaphor used in the poem.

3. What kind of feeling is expressed through the poem?