广东财经大学硕士研究生入学考试试卷考试年度：2017年　　　　　　　 考试科目代码及名称：613-英语水平考试适用专业：050201 英语语言文学［友情提醒：请在考点提供的专用答题纸上答题，答在本卷或草稿纸上无效！］I. Cloze 完形填空（30题，每题1分，共30分）Direction: There are 3 passages below. Read each of themand choose the proper word from the word list to fill in each of the blanks in the passages. Each word can be used only once. Passage 1Two of the most frustrating things about driving a car are getting lost and getting stuck in traffic. While the computer revolution is(1)_____to cure these problems, it will have a positiveimpact.Sensors in your car tuned to radio signals from (2)____satellites can locate your car (3)_____at any moment and warn of traffic jams. We already have twenty-fourNavstar satellites orbiting the earth, making up what is called the Global Positioning System.They make it possible to determine your (4)_______on the earth to within about a hundred feet. At any(5)______time, there are several GPS satellites orbiting overhead at a distance of about 11,000 miles. Each satellite contains four “atomic clocks,” which(6)_____ at a precise frequency, according to the laws of the quantum theory. As a satellite passes overhead, it sends out a radio(7)___that can be detected by a receiver inacar’s computer. The car’s computer canthen (8)___howfar the satellite is by(9)____how long it took for the signal to arrive. Since the speed of light is well known, any delay in receiving the satellite’s signal can be(10)_____into a distance. Passage 2More than30 million cars and trucks nationwide are (1) with dangerously (2)____air bags, congressional officials say, a number that raises questions about whether the US(3)____industry can handle what could become the largest recall in history. Federal safety(4)____have recalled only 7.8million vehiclesover the defect in a few states, a limited action that(5)____said Thursday was vastly insufficient to (6)____what they deemed “a public safety threat”.Two senators demanded a much(7)____recall that would cover every affected vehicle nationwide.(8)_____a recall of that magnitude ---- including best-selling models from Honda, Toyota,GM, Chryslerand six other companies (9)____ 2002 to 2007 ---- could prove far (10)_____than the industry has ever managed.

A. faulty	B.struggling	C. broader	D. auto	E. logistical
F. but	G.authorities	H. defective	I. lawmakers	J. address
K. overwhelmed	L. greater	M. equipped	N. replacement	O. spanning

Passage 3Britain is not just one country and one people; even if some of its inhabitants think so. Britain is, in fact, a nation which can be divided into several (1) __ parts, each part being an individual country with its own language, character and cultural (2) __. Thus Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales do not claim to (3) __ to "England" because their inhabitants are not (4) __ "English". They are Scottish, Irish or Welsh and many of them prefer to speak their own native tongue, which in turn is (5) __ to the others.These cultural minorities(少数民族) have been Britain’s original inhabitants. In varying degrees they have managed to (6) __ their national characteristics, and their particular customs and way of life. This is probably even more true of the (7) __ areas where traditional life has not been so affected by the (8)__ of industrialism as the border areas have been. The Celtic races are said to be more emotional by nature than the English. An Irish temper is legendary. The Scots could rather (9) __ about their reputation for excessive thrift and prefer to be remembered for their folk songs and dances, while the Welsh are famous for their singing. The Celtic (10)__ as a whole produces humorous writers and artists, such as the Irish Bernard Shaw, the Scottish Robert Burns, and the Welsh Dylan Thomas, to mention but a few.

A. incomprehensible B. temper C. remoteD. separate　E. understandable F. forget 　 G. generally H. temperament 　 I. preserveJ. strictly 　K. traditional　L. reserve 　M. growth 　N. applyO. belong

II. Proofreading and error correction 改错题 (15题，每题2分，共30分)Directions:The following passage contains 15 errors.Each indicated line contains a maximum of ONE error. In each case, only ONE word is involved. Correct the errors and write theanswers on your answer sheet. What is corporate culture? At its most basic, it’s described like (1) ____the personality of an organization, or simply as “how things are done around here.” It guides what employees think, act, and feel. (2)_____Corporate culture is a wide term used to define the unique (3) _____personality or character of a particular company or organization,and include such elements as core values and beliefs, corporate (4) _____ethics, and rules of behavior. Corporate culture can express(5) _____in the company’s mission statement and other communications, in the architectural style or interior decoration, by what people wearto work, by how people address to each other, and in the titles given(6) _____various employees. How do you uncover the corporate culture of (7) _____a potential employer? The truth is that you will never really knowthe corporate culture after you have worked at the company for a (8)______number of months, but you can get close to them through research (9)______and observation. Understanding culture is a two-stepsprocess, (10) _____starting with the research before the interview and ending (11)______with observation at the interview. The bottom line is that you are going to spend a lot of time on the work environment-(12)______and to be happy, success, and productive, you will want to (13)______be in a place where you fit for the culture, a place where you (14)______can have voice, be respected, and have opportunities for (15)______growth. III. Gap-filling 选词填空题（15题，每题2分，共30分）Directions: Fill in the following blanks with the correct words given according to the meanings of the sentences. 1. Environmentalists are doing everything within their power to ________ the impact of the oil spill.A. minimizeB. belittleC. rejectD. reclaim2. Topics for conversation should be ________ to the experiences and interests of the students.A. satisfiedB. relevantC. concernedD. concentrated3. They said the operation had been successful and they expected his wife to ________.A. bring aboutB. pull throughC. carry onD. put up4. We could tell that she was still ________ something and it was our job to find out what.A. cancelingB. shelteringC. concealingD. settling5. You are legally ________ to take faulty goods back to the store where you bought them.A. assignedB. entitledC. acclaimedD. remained6. His knowledge of English is ________ for the job, although he is not fluent in the language.A. justifiedB. reliableC. adequateD. assured7. The scientists have been ________ the necessary funds for their research program.A. desiredB. neglectedC. declinedD. denied8. There is always a ________ that the legal system is designed to suit lawyers rather than to protect the public.A. confidenceB. faithC. deceptionD. suspicion9. A spokesman of Ministry of Agriculture said that a series of policies would be implemented to________ the development of agriculture.A. demoteB. promoteC. decreaseD. increase10.A dark suit is ________ to a light one for evening wear.A. favorable B. suitableC. properD. preferable11.The foreign company has been ________ running this factory for decades.A. enormously B. effectively C. infinitelyD. extremely12.I’m not sick; ________, I’m in the peak of health. A. to be honest B. on the contrary C. to my delightD. on all sides13.By a ________ of good luck, Gene, who had been buried in the rubble for more than 26 hours, came out alive.A. strokeB. hitC. strikeD. blow14.Advertising is an intensely ________ business. A. competitive B. aggressive C. adventurous D. lucrative 15.She was_______ upset to find that she failed in the final examination. A. somehowB. someway C. somewhatD. somewhereIV. Reading Comprehension 阅读理解（30题，每题2分，共60分）Directions: In this section, there six reading passages followed by a total of thirty multiple-choice questions. Read thepassages carefully and then choose the correct answer. Passage 1The Birth of Photography【1】Perceptions of the visible world were greatly altered by the invention of photography in the middle of the nineteenth century. In particular, and quite logically, the art of painting was forever changed, though not always in the ways one might have expected. The realistic and naturalistic painters of the mid- and late-nineteenth century were all intently aware of photography—as a thing to use, to learn from, and react to.【2】Unlike most major inventions, photography had been long and impatiently awaited. The images produced by the camera obscura, a boxlike device that used a pinhole or lens to throw an image onto a ground-glass screen or a piece of white paper, were already familiar—the device had been much employed by topographical artists like the Italian painter Canaletto in his detailed views of the city of Venice. What was lacking was a way of giving such images permanent form. This was finally achieved by Louis Daguerre (1787-1851), who perfected a way of fixing them on a silvered copper plate. His discovery, the "daguerreotype," was announced in 1839.【3】A second and very different process was patented by the British inventor William Henry Talbot (1800-1877) in 1841. Talbot's "calotype" was the first negative-to-positive process and the direct ancestor of the modern photograph. The calotype was revolutionary in its use of chemically treated paper in which areas hit by light became dark in tone, producing a negative image. This "negative," as Talbot called it, could then be used to print multiple positive images on another piece of treated paper.【4】The two processes produced very different results. The daguerreotype was a unique image that reproduced what was in front of the camera lens in minute, unselective detail and could not be duplicated. The calotype could be made in series, and was thus the equivalent of an etching or an engraving. Its general effect was soft edged and tonal.【5】One of the things that most impressed the original audience for photography was the idea of authenticity. Nature now seemed able to speak for itself, with a minimum of interference. The title Talbot chose for his book, The Pencil of Nature (the first part of which was published in 1844), reflected this feeling. Artists were fascinated by photography because it offered a way of examining the world in much greater detail. They were also afraid of it, because it seemed likely to make their own efforts unnecessary.【6】Photography did indeed make certain kinds of painting obsolete—the daguerreotype virtually did away with the portrait miniature. It also made the whole business of making and owning images democratic. Portraiture, once a luxury for the privileged few, was suddenly well within the reach of many more people.【7】In the long term, photography's impact on the visual arts was far from simple. Because the medium was so prolific, in the sense that it was possible to produce a multitude of images very cheaply, it was soon treated as the poor relation of fine art, rather than its destined successor. Even those artists who were most dependent on photography became reluctant to admit that they made use of it, in case this compromised their professional standing.【8】The rapid technical development of photography—the introduction of lighter and simpler equipment, and of new emulsions that coated photographic plates, film, and paper and enabled images to be made at much faster speeds—had some unanticipated consequences. Scientific experiments made by photographers such as Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904) and Etienne-Jules Marey (1830-1904) demonstrated that the movements of both humans and animals differed widely from the way they had been traditionally represented in art. Artists, often reluctantly, were forced to accept the evidence provided by the camera. The new candid photography—unposed pictures that were made when the subjects were unaware that their pictures were being taken—confirmed these scientific results, and at the same time, thanks to the radical cropping (trimming) of images that the camera often imposed, suggested new compositional formats. The accidental effects obtained by candid photographers were soon being copied by artists such as the French painter Degas.1.What can be inferred from paragraphs 1 and 2 about the effect of photography on nineteenth-century painting?A. Photography did not significantly change the way people looked at reality.B. Most painters used the images of the camera obscura in preference to those of the daguerreotype.C. Painters who were concerned with realistic or naturalistic representation were particularly influenced by photography.D. Artists used the long-awaited invention of photography in just the ways they had expected to.2.According to paragraphs 2 and 3 which of the following did the daguerreotype and the calotype have in common?A. They were equally useful for artists.B. They could be reproduced.C. They produced a permanent imageD. They were produced on treated paper.3.The word "authenticity" in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning toA. improvement.B. practicality.C. genuineness.D. repetition.4.What point does the author make in paragraph 6?A. Paintings became less expensive because of competition with photography.B. Photography, unlike painting, was a type of portraiture that even ordinary people could afford.C. Every style of painting was influenced by the invention of photography.D. The daguerreotype was more popular than the calotype.5.It can be inferred from paragraph 8 that one effect that photography had on painting was that itA.provided painters with new insights into how humans and animals actually move.B.showed that representing movement could be as interesting as portrait art.C.increased the appeal of painted portraiture among the wealthy.D.influenced artists to improve techniques for painting faster.Passage 2Early Settlements in the Southwest Asia【1】The universal global warming at the end of the Ice Age had dramatic effects on temperate regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. Ice sheets retreated and sea levels rose. The climatic changes in southwestern Asia were more subtle, in that they involved shifts in mountain snow lines, rainfall patterns, and vegetation cover. However, these same cycles of change had momentous impacts on the sparse human populations of the region. At the end of the Ice Age, no more than a few thousand foragers lived along the eastern Mediterranean coast, in the Jordan and Euphrates valleys. Within 2,000 years, the human population of the region numbered in the tens of thousands, all as a result of village life and farming. Thanks to new environmental and archaeological discoveries, we now know something about this remarkable change in local life.【2】Pollen samples from freshwater lakes in Syria and elsewhere tell us forest cover expanded rapidly at the end of the Ice Age, for the southwestern Asian climate was still cooler and considerably wetter than today. Many areas were richer in animal and plant species than they are now, making them highly favorable for human occupation. About 9000 B.C., most human settlements lay in the area along the Mediterranean coast and in the Zagros Mountains of Iran and their foothills. Some local areas, like the Jordan River valley, the middle Euphrates valley, and some Zagros valleys, were more densely populated than elsewhere. Here more sedentary and more complex societies flourished. These people exploited the landscape intensively, foraging on hill slopes for wild cereal grasses and nuts, while hunting gazelle and other game on grassy lowlands and in river valleys. Their settlements contain exotic objects such as seashells, stone bowls, and artifacts made of obsidian (volcanic glass), all traded from afar. This considerable volume of intercommunity exchange brought a degree of social complexity in its wake.【3】Thanks to extremely fine-grained excavation and extensive use of flotation methods (through which seeds are recovered from soil samples), we know a great deal about the foraging practices of the inhabitants of Abu Hureyra in Syria's Euphrates valley. Abu Hureyra was founded about 9500B.C, a small village settlement of cramped pit dwellings (houses dug partially in the soil) with reed roofs supported by wooden uprights. For the next 1,500 years, its inhabitants enjoyed a somewhat warmer and damper climate than today, living in a well-wooded steppe area where wild cereal grasses were abundant. They subsisted off spring migrations of Persian gazelles from the south. With such a favorable location, about 300 to 400 people lived in a sizable, permanent settlement. They were no longer a series of small bands but lived in a large community with more elaborate social organization, probably grouped into clans of people of common descent.【4】The flotation samples from the excavations allowed botanists to study shifts in plant-collecting habits as if they were looking through a telescope at a changing landscape. Hundreds of tiny plant remains show how the inhabitants exploited nut harvests in nearby pistachio and oak forests. However, as the climate dried up, the forests retreated from the vicinity of the settlement. The inhabitants turned to wild cereal grasses instead, collecting them by the thousands, while the percentage of nuts in the diet fell. By 8200B.C., drought conditions were so severe that the people abandoned their long-established settlement, perhaps dispersing into smaller camps.【5】Five centuries later, about 7700B.C., a new village rose on the mound. At first the inhabitants still hunted gazelle intensively. Then, about 7000 B.C., within the space of a few generations, they switched abruptly to herding domesticated goats and sheep and to growing einkorn, pulses, and other cereal grasses. Abu Hureyra grew rapidly until it covered nearly 30 acres. It was a close-knit community of rectangular, one-story mud-brick houses, joined by narrow lanes and courtyards, finally abandoned about 5000 B.C.. Many complex factors led to the adoption of the new economies, not only at Abu Hureyra, but at many other locations such as 'Ain Ghazal, also in Syria, where goat toe bones showing the telltale marks of abrasion caused by foot tethering (binding) testify to early herding of domestic stock.6.The word "momentous" in the passage (paragraph 1) is closest in meaning toA.numerous.B.regular.C.very important.D.very positive.7.Major climatic changes occurred by the end of the Ice Age in all of the following geographic areas EXCEPTA.temperate regions of Asia.B.southwestern Asia.C.North America.D.Europe.8.Why does the author mention "seashells, stone bowls, and artifacts made of obsidian" in paragraph 2?A.To give examples of objects obtained through trade with other societies.B.To illustrate the kinds of objects that are preserved in a cool climate.C.To provide evidence that the organization of work was specialized.D.To give examples of the artistic ability of local populations.9.Paragraph 4 suggests that the people of Abu Hureyra abandoned their long-established settlement becauseA.the inhabitants had cleared all the trees from the forests.B.wild cereal grasses took over pistachio and oak forests.C.people wanted to explore new areas.D.lack of rain caused food shortages.10.According to paragraph 5, after 7000 B.C. the settlement of Abu Hureyra differed from earlier settlements at that location in all of the following EXCEPTA.the domestication of animals.B.the intensive hunting of gazelle.C.the size of the settlement.D.the design of the dwellings.Passage 3Children and Advertising【1】Young children are trustingof commercial advertisements in the media, and advertisers have sometimes beenaccused of taking advantage of this trusting outlook. The IndependentTelevision Commission, regulator of television advertising in the United Kingdom,has criticized advertisers for "misleadingness"—creating a wrongimpression either intentionally or unintentionally—in an effort to controladvertisers' use of techniques that make it difficult for children to judge thetrue size, action, performance, or construction of a toy.【2】General concern aboutmisleading tactics that advertisers employ is centered on the use ofexaggeration. Consumer protection groups and parents believe that children arelargely ill-equipped to recognize such techniques and that often exaggerationis used at the expense of product information. Claims such as "thebest" or "better than" can be subjective and misleading; evenadults may be unsure as to their meaning. They represent the advertiser'sopinions about the qualities of their products or brand and, as a consequence,are difficult to verify. Advertisers sometimes offset or counterbalance anexaggerated claim with a disclaimer—a qualification or condition on the claim.For example, the claim that breakfast cereal has a health benefit may beaccompanied by the disclaimer "when part of a nutritionally balancedbreakfast." However, research has shown that children often havedifficulty understanding disclaimers: children may interpret the phrase"when part of a nutritionally balanced breakfast" to mean that thecereal is required as a necessary part of a balanced breakfast. The authorGeorge Comstock suggested that less than a quarter of children between the agesof six and eight years old understood standard disclaimers used in many toyadvertisements and that disclaimers are more readily comprehended whenpresented in both audio and visual formats. Nevertheless, disclaimers aremainly presented in audio format only.【3】Fantasy is one of the morecommon techniques in advertising that could possibly mislead a young audience.Child-oriented advertisements are more likely to include magic and fantasy thanadvertisements aimed at adults. In a content analysis of Canadian television,the author Stephen Kline observed that nearly all commercials for charactertoys featured fantasy play. Children have strong imaginations and the use offantasy brings their ideas to life, but children may not be adept enough torealize that what they are viewing is unreal. Fantasy situations and settingsare frequently used to attract children's attention, particularly in foodadvertising. Advertisements for breakfast cereals have, for many years, beenfound to be especially fond of fantasy techniques, with almost nine out of ten includingsuch content. Generally, there is uncertainty as to whether very young childrencan distinguish between fantasy and reality in advertising. Certainly, rationalappeals in advertising aimed at children are limited, as most advertisementsuse emotional and indirect appeals to psychological states or associations.【4】The use of celebrities suchas singers and movie stars is common in advertising. The intention is for thepositively perceived attributes of the celebrity to be transferred to the advertisedproduct and for the two to become automatically linked in the audience's mind.In children's advertising, the "celebrities" are often animatedfigures from popular cartoons. In the recent past, the role of celebrities inadvertising to children has often been conflated with the concept of hostselling. Host selling involves blending advertisements with regular programmingin a way that makes it difficult todistinguish one from the other. Host selling occurs, for example, when achildren's show about a cartoon lion contains an ad in which the same lionpromotes a breakfast cereal. The psychologist Dale Kunkel showed that thepractice of host selling reduced children's ability to distinguish betweenadvertising and program material. It was also found that older childrenresponded more positively to products in host selling advertisements.【5】Regarding the appearance ofcelebrities in advertisements that do not involve host selling, the evidence ismixed. Researcher Charles Atkin found that children believe that the charactersused to advertise breakfast cereals are knowledgeable about cereals, andchildren accept such characters as credible sources of nutritional information.This finding was even more marked for heavy viewers of television. In addition,children feel validated in their choice of a product when a celebrity endorsesthat product. A study of children in Hong Kong, however, found that thepresence of celebrities in advertisements could negatively affect thechildren's perceptions of a product if the children did not like the celebrityin question.11.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 1 as being a difficult judgment for children to make about advertised toys?A.How big the toys are?B.How much the toys cost?C.What the toys can do?D.How the toys are made?12.The word “verify” in the passage is closest in meaning toA.establish the truth of.B.approve of.C.understand.D.criticize.13.Cereal advertisements that include the statement “when part of a nutritionally balanced breakfast” are trying to suggest thatA.the cereal is a desirable part of a healthful, balanced breakfast.B.the cereal contains equal amounts of all nutrients.C.cereal is a healthier breakfast than other foods are.D.the cereal is the most nutritious part of the breakfast meal.14.The word “adept”(Paragraph 3)in the passage is closest in meaning toA.responsible.B.skillful.C.patient.D.curious.15.In paragraph 4, why does the author mention a show about a cartoon lion in which an advertisement appears featuring the same lion character?A.To help explain what is meant by the term "host selling” and why it can be misleading to children.B.To explain why the role of celebrities in advertising aimed at children has often been confused with host selling.C.To compare the effectiveness of using animated figures with the effectiveness of using celebrities in advertisements aimed at children.D.To indicate how Kunkel first became interested in studying the effects of host selling on children.Passage 4Methods of Studying Infant PerceptionIn thestudy of perceptual abilities of infants, a number of techniques are used todetermine infants' responses to various stimuli. Because they cannot verbalizeor fill out questionnaires, indirect techniques of naturalistic observation areused as the primary means of determining what infants can see, hear, feel, andso forth. Each of these methods compares an infant's state prior to theintroduction of a stimulus with its state during or immediately following thestimulus. The difference between the two measures provides the researcher withan indication of the level and duration of the response to the stimulus. Forexample, if a uniformly moving pattern of some sort is passed across the visualfield of a neonate (newborn), repetitive following movements of the eye occur.The occurrence of these eye movements provides evidence that the moving patternis perceived at some level by the newborn. Similarly, changes in the infant'sgeneral level of motor activity —turning the head, blinking the eyes, crying, andso forth — have been used by researchers as visual indicators of the infant'sperceptual abilities.Suchtechniques, however, have limitations. First, the observation may be unreliablein that two or more observers may not agree that the particular responseoccurred, or to what degree it occurred. Second, responses are difficult toquantify. Often the rapid and diffuse movements of the infant make it difficultto get an accurate record of the number of responses. The third, and mostpotent, limitation is that it is not possible to be certain that the infant'sresponse was due to the stimulus presented or to a change from no stimulus to astimulus. The infant may be responding to aspects of the stimulus differentthan those identified by the investigator. Therefore, when observationalassessment is used as a technique for studying infant perceptual abilities,care must be taken not to over-generalize from the data or to rely on one or twostudies as conclusive evidence of a particular perceptual ability of theinfant.Observationalassessment techniques have become much more sophisticated, reducing thelimitations just presented. Film analysis of the infant's responses, heart andrespiration rate monitors, and nonnutritive sucking devices are used as effectivetools in understanding infant perception. Film analysis permits researchers tocarefully study the infant's responses over and over and in slow motion.Precise measurements can be made of the length and frequency of the infant'sattention between two stimuli. Heart and respiration monitors provide theinvestigator with the number of heartbeats or breaths taken when a new stimulusis presented. Numerical increases are used as quantifiable indicators ofheightened interest in the new stimulus. Increases in nonnutritive sucking werefirst used as an assessment measure by researchers in 1969. They devised anapparatus that connected a baby's pacifier to a counting device. As stimuliwere presented, changes in the infant's sucking behavior were recorded. Increasesin the number of sucks were used as an indicator of the infant's attention toor preference for a given visual display.Twoadditional techniques of studying infant perception have come into vogue. Thefirst is the habituation-dishabituation technique, in which a single stimulusis presented repeatedly to the infant until there is a measurable decline(habituation) in whatever attending behavior is being observed. At that point anew stimulus is presented, and any recovery (dishabituation) in responsivenessis recorded. If the infant fails to dishabituate and continues to showhabituation with the new stimulus, it is assumed that the baby is unable toperceive the new stimulus as different. The habituation-dishabituation paradigmhas been used most extensively with studies of auditory and olfactoryperception in infants. The second technique relies on evoked potentials, whichare electrical brain responses that maybe related to a particular stimulus because of where they originate. Changes inthe electrical pattern of the brain indicate that the stimulus is gettingthrough to the infant's central nervous system and eliciting some form ofresponse.Each ofthe preceding techniques provides the researcher with evidence that the infantcan detect or discriminate between stimuli. With these sophisticatedobservational assessment and electro-physiological measures, we know that theneonate of only a few days is far more perceptive than previously suspected.However, these measures are only "indirect" indicators of theinfant's perceptual abilities.16.Paragraph 1 indicates that researchers use indirect methods primarily to observe theA.range of motor activity in neonatesB.frequency and duration of various stimuliC.change in an infant's state following the introduction of a stimulusD.range of an infant's visual field17.The word uniformly in the passage (Paragraph 1)is closest in meaning toA.clearlyB.quicklyC.consistentlyD.occasionally18.The word potent in the passage(paragraph 2)is closest in meaning toA.artificialB.powerfulC.commonD.similar19.What is the author's primary purpose in paragraph 3?A.To explain why researchers must conduct more than one type of study when they are attempting to understand infant perceptionB.To describe new techniques for observing infant perception that overcome problems identified in the previous paragraphC.To present and evaluate the conclusions of various studies on infant perceptionD.To point out the strengths and weaknesses of three new methods for quantifying an infant's reaction to stimuli20.Paragraph 5 indicates that researchers who used the techniques described in the passage discovered thatA.infants find it difficult to perceive some types of stimuliB.neonates of only a few days cannot yet discriminate between stimuliC.observational assessment is less useful for studying infant perception than researchers previously believedD.a neonate is able to perceive stimuli better than researchers once thoughtPassage 5Transition to Sound in FilmThe shift from silent to sound film at the end of the 1920s marks, so far, the most important transformation in motion picture history. Despite all the highly visible technological developments in theatrical and home delivery of the moving image that have occurred over the decades since then, no single innovation has come close to being regarded as a similar kind of watershed. In nearly every language, however the words are phrased, the most basic division in cinema history lies between films that are mute and films that speak.Yet this most fundamental standard of historical periodization conceals a host of paradoxes. Nearly every movie theater, however modest, had a piano or organ to provide musical accompaniment to silent pictures. In many instances, spectators in the era before recorded sound experienced elaborate aural presentations alongside movies' visual images, from the Japanese benshi (narrators) crafting multivoiced dialogue narratives to original musical compositions performed by symphony-size orchestras in Europe and the United States. In Berlin, for the premiere performance outside the Soviet Union of The Battleship Potemkin, film director Sergei Eisenstein worked with Austrian composer Edmund Meisel (1874-1930) on a musical score matching sound to image; the Berlin screenings with live music helped to bring the film its wide international fame.Beyond that, the triumph of recorded sound has overshadowed the rich diversity of technological and aesthetic experiments with the visual image that were going forward simultaneously in the 1920s. New color processes, larger or differently shaped screen sizes, multiple-screen projections, even television, were among the developments invented or tried out during the period, sometimes with startling success. The high costs of converting to sound and the early limitations of sound technology were among the factors that suppressed innovations or retarded advancement in these other areas. The introduction of new screen formats was put off for a quarter century, and color, though utilized over the next two decades for special productions, also did not become a norm until the 1950s.Though it may be difficult to imagine from a later perspective, a strain of critical opinion in the 1920s predicted that sound film would be a technical novelty that would soon fade from sight, just as had many previous attempts, dating well back before the First World War, to link images with recorded sound. These critics were making a common assumption—that the technological inadequacies of earlier efforts (poor synchronization, weak sound amplification, fragile sound recordings) would invariably occur again. To be sure, their evaluation of the technical flaws in 1920s sound experiments was not so far off the mark, yet they neglected to take into account important new forces in the motion picture field that, in a sense, would not take no for an answer.These forces were the rapidly expanding electronics and telecommunications companies that were developing and linking telephone and wireless technologies in the 1920s. In the United States, they included such firms as American Telephone and Telegraph, General Electric, and Westinghouse. They were interested in all forms of sound technology and all potential avenues for commercial exploitation. Their competition and collaboration were creating the broadcasting industry in the United States, beginning with the introduction of commercial radio programming in the early 1920s. With financial assets considerably greater than those in the motion picture industry, and perhaps a wider vision of the relationships among entertainment and communications media, they revitalized research into recording sound for motion pictures.In 1929 the United States motion picture industry released more than 300 sound films—a rough figure, since a number were silent films with music tracks, or films prepared in dual versions, to take account of the many cinemas not yet wired for sound. At the production level, in the United States the conversion was virtually complete by 1930. In Europe it took a little longer, mainly because there were more small producers for whom the costs of sound were prohibitive, and in other parts of the world problems with rights or access to equipment delayed the shift to sound production for a few more years (though cinemas in major cities may have been wired in order to play foreign sound films). The triumph of sound cinema was swift, complete, and enormously popular.21.According to paragraph 1, which of the following is the most significant development in the history of film?A.The technological innovation of sound film during the 1920sB.The development of a technology for translating films into other languagesC.The invention of a method for delivering movies to people's homesD.The technological improvements allowing clearer images in films22.The word “paradoxes” in the passage（Paragraph 2）is closest in meaning toA.difficultiesB.accomplishmentsC.parallelsD.contradictions23.Paragraph 2 suggests which of the following about Eisenstein’s film The Battleship Potemkirf?A.The film was not accompanied by sound before its Berlin screening.B.The film was unpopular in the Soviet Union before it was screened in Berlin.C.Eisenstein’s film was the first instance of collaboration between a director and a composer.D.Eisenstein believed that the musical score in a film was as important as dialogue.24.The word “neglected” in the passage(Paragraph 4)is closest in meaning toA.failedB.neededC.startedD.expected25.According to paragraph 6, which of the following accounts for the delay in the conversion to sound films in Europe?A.European producers often lacked knowledge about the necessary equipment for the transition to sound films.B.Smaller European producers were often unable to afford to add sound to their films.C.It was often difficult to wire older cinemas in the major cities to play sound films.D.Smaller European producers believed that silent films with music accompaniment were aesthetically superior to sound filmsPassage 6The Early Civilizations【1】Evidence suggests that an important stimulus behind the rise of early civilizations was the development of settled agriculture, which unleashed a series of changes in the organization of human communities that culminated in the rise of large ancient empires.【2】The exact time and place that crops were first cultivated successfully is uncertain. Many prehistorians believe that farming may have emerged in dependently in several different areas of the world when small communities, driven by increasing population and a decline in available food resources, began to plant seeds in the ground in an effort to guarantee their survival. The first farmers, who may have lived as long as 10,000 years ago, undoubtedly used simple techniques and still relied primarily on other forms of food production, such as hunting, foraging, or pastoralism. The real breakthrough took place when farmers began to cultivate crops along the floodplains of river systems. The advantage was that crops grown in such areas were not as dependent on rainfall and therefore produced a more reliable harvest. An additional benefit was that the sediment carried by the river waters deposited nutrients in the soil, thus enabling the farmer to cultivate a single plot of ground for many years without movingto a new location. Thus, the first truly sedentary (that is, non-migratory) societies were born. As time went on, such communities gradually learned how to direct the flow of water to enhance the productive capacity of the land, while the introduction of the iron plow eventually led to the cultivation of heavy soils not previously susceptible to agriculture.【3】The spread of this river valley agriculture in various parts of Asia and Africa was the decisive factor in the rise of the first civilizations. The increase in food production in these regions led to a significant growth in population, while efforts to control the flow of water to maximize the irrigation of cultivated areas and to protect the local inhabitants from hostile forces outside the community provoked the first steps toward cooperative activities on a large scale. The need to oversee the entire process brought about the emergence of an elite that was eventually transformed into a government.【4】The first clear steps in the rise of the first civilizations took place in the fourth and third millennia B.C. in Mesopotamia, northern Africa, India, and China. How the first governments took shape in these areas is not certain, but anthropologists studying the evolution of human communities in various parts of the world have discovered that one common stage in the process is the emergence of what are called “big men” within a single village or a collection of villages. By means of their military prowess, dominant personalities, or political talents, these people gradually emerge as the leaders of that community. In time, the “big men” become formal symbols of authority and pass on that authority to others within their own family. As the communities continue to grow in size and material wealth, the “big men” assume hereditary status, and their allies and family members are transformed into a hereditary monarchy.【5】The appearance of these sedentary societies had a major impact on the social organizations, religious beliefs, and way of life of the peoples living within their boundaries. With the increase in population and the development of centralized authority came the emergence of the cities. While some of these urban centers were identified with a particular economic function, such as proximity to gold or iron deposits or a strategic location on a major trade route, others served primarily as administrative centers or the site of temples for the official cult or other ritual observances. Within these cities, new forms of livelihood appeared to satisfy the growing need for social services and consumer goods. Some people became artisans or merchants, while others became warriors, scholars, or priests. In some cases, the physical division within the first cities reflected the strict hierarchical character of the society as a whole, with a royal palace surrounded by an imposing wall and separate from the remainder of the urban population. In other instances, such as the Indus River Valley, the cities lacked a royal precinct and the ostentatious palaces that marked their contemporaries elsewhere.26.The phrase "culminated in" in the passage (paragraph 1) is closest in meaning toA.reached a high point with.B.logically followed from.C.partly contributed to.D.marked.27.According to paragraph 2, which of the following statements is true of early farmers?A.They used farming to supplement other food sources.B.They were driven out of small communities.C.They were victims of flooding.D.They farmed several plots of land at once.28.The word "provoked"(paragraph 3) in the passage is closest in meaning toA.secured.B.coordinated.C.modeled.D.brought about.29.According to paragraph 4, what is not known about the rise of the first civilizations?A.Where the first steps toward civilization took place.B.Who was allowed to replace "big men" after the "big men" died.C.Why some individuals became recognized as leaders.D.How governments emerged.30. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.A. Some cities were associated with economic activities, while others were government or religious centers.B. Emerging cities generally served strategic administrative, economic, and religious purposes.C. The creation of an economic or administrative activity led to the emergence of a city for its proper supervision.D. Some cities emerged as economic centers and later became the sites of administrative or religious activities.
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