SectionⅠUse of English
Directions:
Read the following text. Choose the best word(s)for each numbered blank and
mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1(10 points)
The human nose is an underrated tool. Humans are often thought to be
insensitive smellers compared with animals, 1 this is largely because, 2 animals,
we stand upright. This means that our noses are 3 to perceiving those smells which
float through the air, 4 the majority of smells which stick to surfaces. In fact 5,
we are extremely sensitive to smells, 6 we do not generally realize it. Our noses
are capable of 7 human smells even when these are 8 to far below one part in one
million.
Strangely, some people find that they can smell one type of flower but not
another, 9 others are sensitive to the smells of both flowers. This may be because
some people do not have the genes necessary to generate 10 smell receptors in the
nose. These receptors are the cells which sense smells and send 11 to the brain.
However, it has been found that even people insensitive to a certain smell 12 can
suddenly become sensitive to it when 13 to it often enough.
The explanation for insensitivity to smell seems to be that brain finds it 14
to keep all smell receptors working all the time but can 15 new receptors if
necessary. This may 16 explain why we are not usually sensitive to our own smells
we simply do not need to be. We are not 17 of the usual smell of our own house but
we 18 new smells when we visit someone else‘s. The brain finds it best to keep
smell receptors 19 for unfamiliar and emergency signals 20 the smell of smoke,
which might indicate the danger of fire.
1.[A]although[B]as[C]but[D]while
2.[A]above[B]unlike[C]excluding[D]besides
3.[A]limited[B]committed[C]dedicated[D]confined
4.[A]catching[B]ignoring[C]missing[D]tracking
5.[A]anyway[B]though[C]instead[D]therefore
6.[A]even if[B]if only[C]only if[D]as if
7.[A]distinguishing[B]discovering[C]determining[D]detecting
8.[A]diluted[B]dissolved[C]determining[D]diffused
9.[A]when[B]since[C]for[D]whereas
10.[A]unusual[B]particular[C]unique[D]typical
11.[A]signs[B]stimuli[C]messages[D]impulses
12.[A]at first[B]at all[C]at large[D]at times
13.[A]subjected[B]left[C]drawn[D]exposed
14.[A]ineffective[B]incompetent[C]inefficient[D]insufficient
15.[A]introduce[B]summon[C]trigger[D]create
16.[A]still[B]also[C]otherwise[D]nevertheless
17.[A]sure[B]sick[C]aware[D]tired
18.[A]tolerate[B]repel[C]neglect[D]notice
19.[A]availabe[B]reliable[C]identifiable[D]suitable
20.[A]similar to[B]such as[C]along with[D]aside from
SectionⅡReading Comprehension
Part A
Directions:
Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing
A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1(40 points)
Text 1
Everybody loves a fat pay rise. Yet pleasure at your own can vanish if you
learn that a colleague has been given a bigger one. Indeed, if he has a reputation
for slacking, you might even be outraged. Such behaviour is regarded as“all too
human”, with the underlying assumption that other animals would not be capable of
this finely developed sense of grievance. But a study by Sarah Brosnan and Frans de
Waal of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, which has just been published in
Nature, suggests that it all too monkey, as well.
The researchers studied the behaviour of female brown capuchin monkeys. They
look cute. They are good-natured, co-operative creatures, and they share their food
tardily. Above all, like their female human counterparts, they tend to pay much
closer attention to the value of“goods and services”than males. Such
characteristics make them perfect candidates for Dr. Brosnan‘s and Dr. de waal‘s;
study. The researchers spent two years teaching their monkeys to exchange tokens
for food. Normally, the monkeys were happy enough to exchange pieces of rock for
slices of cucumber. However, when two monkeys were placed in separate but adjoining
chambers, so that each could observe what the other was getting in return for its
rock, their became markedly different.
In the world of capuchins grapes are luxury goods(and much preferable to
cucumbers)So when one monkey was handed a grape in exchange for her token, the
second was reluctant to hand hers over for a mere piece of cucumber. And if one
received a grape without having to provide her token in exchange at all, the other
either tossed her own token at the researcher or out of the chamber, or refused to
;accept the slice of cucumber Indeed, the mere presence of a grape in the other
chamber(without an actual monkey to eat it)was enough to reduce resentment in a
female capuchin.
The researches suggest that capuchin monkeys, like humans, are guided by social
emotions, in the wild, they are a co-operative, groupliving species, Such co-
operation is likely to be stable only when each animal feels it is not being
cheated. Feelings of righteous indignation, it seems, are not the preserve of
people alone, Refusing a lesser reward completely makes these feelings abundantly
clear to other members of the group. However, whether such a sense of fairness
evolved independently in capuchins and humans, or whether it stems form the common
ancestor that the species had 35 million years ago, is, as yet, an unanswered
question.
21. In the opening paragraph, the author introduces his topic by
A. posing a contrast. B. justifying an assumption.
C. making a comparison. D. explaining a phenomenon.
22. The statement“it is all too monkey”(Last line, paragraph l)implies that
A. monkeys are also outraged by slack rivals.
B. resenting unfairness is also monkeys‘nature.
C. monkeys, like humans, tend to be jealous of each other.
D. no animals other than monkeys can develop such emotions.
23.Female capuchin monkeys were chosen for the research most probably because
they are
A. more inclined to weigh what they get.
B. attentive to researchers‘instructions.
C. nice in both appearance and temperament.
D. more generous than their male companions
24.Dr. Brosnan and Dr. de Waal have eventually found in their study that the monkeys
A. prefer grapes to cucumbers.
B. can be taught to exchange things.
C. will not be co-operative if feeling cheated.
D. are unhappy when separated from others.
25. What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A. Monkeys can be trained to develop social emotions.
B. Human indignation evolved from an uncertain source.
C. Animals usually show their feelings openly as humans do.
D. Cooperation among monkeys remains stable only in the wild.
Text 2
Do you remember all those years when scientists argued that smoking would kill
us but the doubters insisted that we didn‘t know for sure?That the evidence was
inconclusive, the science uncertain?That the antismoking lobby was out to destroy
our way of life and the government should stay out of the way?Lots of Americans
bought that nonsense, and over three decades, some 10 million smokers went to early
graves.
There are upsetting parallels today, as scientists in one wave after another
try to awaken us to the growing threat of global warming. The latest was a panel
from the National Academy of Sciences, enlisted by the White House, to tell us that
the Earth‘s atmosphere is definitely warming and that the problem is largely man-
made. The clear message is that we should get moving to protect ourselves. The
president of the National Academy, Bruce Alberts, added this keypoint in te preface
to the panel‘s repor“Science never h all the answers But science does provide us
with the best available guide to the future, and it is critical that out nation
and the world base important policies on the best judgments that science can
provide concerning the future consequences of present actions.”
Just as on smoking voices now come from many quarters insisting that the
science about global warming is incomplete, that it‘s Ok to keep pouring fumes
into the air until we know for sure. this is a dangerous game:by the 100 percent
of the evidence is in, it may be too late. With the risks obvious and growing, a
prudent people would take out an insurance policy now.
Fortunately, the White House is starting to pay attention. But it‘s obvious
that a majority of the president‘s advisers still don‘t take global warming
seriously. Instead of a plan of action, they continue to press for more research-a
classic case of“paralysis by analysis”.
To serve as responsible stewards of the planet, we must press forward on deeper
atmospheric and oceanic research But research alone is inadequate. If the
Administration won‘t take the legislative initiative, Congress should help to
begin fashioning conservation measures A bill by Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of
West Virginia, which would offer financial incentives for private industry is a
promising start Many see that the country is getting ready to build lots of new
power plants to meet our energy needs. If we are ever going to protect the
atmosphere, it is crucial that those new plants be environmentally sound.
26. An argument made by supporters of smoking was that
A. there was no scientific evidence of the correlation between smoking and death.
B. the number of early deaths of smokers in the past decades was insignificant.
C. people had the freedom to choose their own way of life.
D. antismoking people were usually talking nonsense.
27. According to Bruce Alberts, science can serve as
A. a protector. B. a judge. C. a critic. D. a guide.
28. What does the author mean by“paralysis by analysis”(Last line, paragraph 4)
A. Endless studies kill action.
B. Careful investigation reveals truth.
C. prudent planning hinders.
D. Extensive research helps decision-making.
29. According to the author, what should the Administration do about
A. Offer aid to build cleaner power plants.
B. Raise public awareness of conservation.
C. Press for further scientific research.
D. Take some legislative measures.
30. The author associates the issue of global warming with that of smoking
because
A. they both suffered from the government‘s negligence.
B. a lesson from the latter is applicable to the former.
C. the outcome of the latter aggravates the former.
D. both of them have turned from bad to worse.
Text 3
Of all the components of a good night‘s sleep, dreams seem to be least within
our control. In dreams, a window opens into a world where logic is suspended and
dead people speak. A century ago, Freud formulated his revolutionary theory that
dreams were the disguised shadows of our unconscious desires and rears, by the late
1970s. neurologists had switched to thinking of them as just“mental noise”the
random byproducts of the neural-repair work that goes on during sleep. Now
researchers suspect that dreams are part of the mind‘s emotional thermostat,
regulating moods while the brain is“off-line”And one leading authority says that
these intensely powerful mental events can be not only harnessed but actually
brought under conscious control, to help us sleep and feel better, “It‘s your
dream”says Rosalind Cartwright, chair of psychology at Chicago‘s Medical Center.
“If you don‘t like it, change it.”
Evidence from brain imaging supports this view. The brain is as active during
REM(rapid eye movement)sleep-when most vivid dreams occur-as it is when fully
awake, says Dr, Eric Nofzinger at the University of Pittsburgh. But not all parts
of the brain are equally involved, the limbic system(the“emotional brain”)is
especially active, while the prefrontal cortex(the center of intellect and
reasoning)is relatively quiet.“We wake up from dreams happy of depressed, and
those feelings can stay with us all day”says Stanford sleep researcher Dr, William
Dement.
And this process need not be left to the unconscious. Cartwright believes one
can exercise conscious control over recurring bad dreams As soon as you awaken,
identify what is upsetting about the dream. Visualize how you would like it to end
instead, the next time is occurs, try to wake up just enough to control its course.
With much practice people can learn to, literally, do it in their sleep.
At the end of the day, there‘s probably little reason to pay attention to our
dreams at all unless they keep us from sleeping of“we wake u in a panic, ”
Cartwright says Terrorism, economic uncertainties and general feelings of
insecurity have increased people‘s anxiety. Those suffering from persistent
nightmares should seek help from a therapist For the rest of us, the brain has its
ways of working through bad feelings. Sleep-or rather dream-on it and you‘ll feel
better in the morning.
31. Researchers have come to believe that dreams
A. can be modified in their courses.
B. are susceptible to emotional changes.
C. reflect our innermost desires and fears.
D. are a random outcome of neural repairs.
32. By referring to the limbic system, the author intends to show
A. its function in our dreams. B. the mechanism of REM sleep.
C. the relation of dreams to emotions.
D. its difference from the prefrontal cortex.
33. The negative feelings generated during the day tend to
A. aggravate in our unconscious mind. B. develop into happy dreams.
C. persist till the time we fall asleep. D. show up in dreams early at night.
34.Cartwright seems to suggest that
A. waking up in time is essential to the ridding of bad dreams.
B. visualizing bad dreams helps bring them under con troll.
C. dreams should be left to their natural progression.
D. dreaming may not entirely belong to the unconscious.
35. What advice might Cartwright give to those who sometimes have had dreams?
A. lead your life as usual. B. Seek professional help.
C. Exercise conscious control. D. Avoid anxiety in the daytime.
Text 4
American no longer expect public figures, whether in speech or in writing, to
command the English language with skill and gift. Nor do they aspire to such
command themselves. In his latest book, Doing Our Own Thing. The Degradation of
language and Music and why we should like, care, John McWhorter, a linguist and
controversialist of mixed liberal and conservative views, sees the triumph of 1960s
counter-culture as responsible for the decline of formal English.
But the cult of the authentic and the personal, “doing our own thing”, has
spelt the death of formal speech, writing, poetry and music. While even the
modestly educated sought an elevated tone when they put pen to paper before the
1960s, even the most well regarded writing since then has sought to capture spoken
English on the page. Equally, in poetry, the highly personal, performative genre is
the only form that could claim real liveliness. In both oral and written English,
talking is triumphing over speaking, spontaneity over craft.
Illustrated with an entertaining array of examples from both high and low
culture, the trend that Mr. McWhorter documents is unmistakable. But it is less
clear, to take the question of his subtitle, why we should, like care. As a
linguist, he acknowledges that all varieties of human language, including non-
standard ones like Black English, can be powerfully expressive-there exists no
language or dialect in the world that cannot convey complex ideas He is not
arguing, as many do, that we can no longer think straight because we do not talk
proper.
Russians have a deep love for their own language and carry large chunks of
memorized poetry in their heads, while Italian politicians tend to elaborate speech
that would seem old-fashioned to most English-speakers. Mr. McWhorter acknowledges
that formal language is not strictly necessary, and proposes no radical education
reforms-he is really grieving over the loss of something beautiful more than
useful. We now take our English “on paper plates instead of china”. A shame,
perhaps, but probably an inevitable one.
36. According to Mc Whorter, the decline of formal English
A. is inevitable in radical education reforms.
B. is but all too natural in language development.
C. has caused the controversy over the counter-culture.
D. brought about changes in public attitudes in the 1960s.
37. The word “talking” (Linge6, paragraph3) denotes
A. modesty. B. personality. C. liveliness. D. informality.
38. To which of the following statements would Mc Whorter most likely agree?
A. Logical thinking is not necessarily related to the way we talk.
B. Black English can be more expressive than standard English.
C. Non-standard varieties of human language are just as entertaining.
D. Of all the varieties, standard English Can best convey complex ideas.
39. The description of Russians‘ love of memorizing poetry shows the author‘s
A. interest in their language. B. appreciation of their efforts.
C. admiration for their memory. D. contempt for their old-fashionedness.
40. According to the last paragraph, “paper plates” is to “china” as
A. “temporary” is to “permanent”.
B. “radical” is to “conservative”. C. “functional” is to “artistic”.
D. “humble” is to “noble”.
Part B
Directions:
In the following text, some sentences have removed. For Questions 41-45, choose
the most suitable one from the list A-G to fit into of the numbered blank there are
two extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps. Mark your answers on
ANSWER SHEET1. (10 points)
Canada‘s premiers (the leaders of provincial governments), if they have any
breath left after complaining about Ottawa at their late July annual meeting, might
spare a moment to do something, to reduce health-care costs.
They‘re all groaning about soaring health budgets, the fastest-growing
component of which are pharmaceutical costs.
41.
What to do? Both the Romanow commission and the Kirby committee on health care-
to say nothing of reports from other experts recommended the creation of a national
drug agency. Instead of each province having its own list of approved drugs ,
bureaucracy, procedures and limited bargaining power, all would pool resources ,
work with Ottawa, and create a national institution.