硕士学位班英语考试卷5.doc

硕士学位班英语考试卷 (5)(Test of English for Non-English Major Postgraduate)Part I Reading Comprehension (30%)Directions: There are four passages in this part. Each passage is followed by five questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one best answer.Passage OneThis calming down is perhaps the main reason why I keep a diary. It is incredible how the written sentence can calm and tame a man. The sentence is always something different from the man writing it. It stands before him as something alien, a sudden solid wall which cannot be leaped over. One might walk around it, but before one even arrives on the other side, there is a new wall at a sharp angle to the first, a new sentence, no less alien, no less solid or high, and likewise beckoning one to walk around it. Gradually , a labyrinth (曲径，迷宫) arises, in which the builder just barely knows his way. He is calmed by its tangled paths.The people closest to a writer could not stand hearing everything that has excited him. Excitement is catching, and others hopefully have their own lives, which cannot consist only of someone elses excitement, otherwise they would suffocate. Then there are the things one cannot tell anybody, even the closest people, because one is too ashamed. It is not good if they are not articulated at all; it is not good if they pass into oblivion (忘却). The mechanisms one uses to make life easy are far too well developed . First a man says, somewhat timidly, “I really couldnt help it.” And then, in the twinkling of an eye, the matter is forgotten. To escape this unworthiness, one ought to write the thing down, and then much later, perhaps years later, when self-complacence is dripping out of all ones pores, when one least expects it, one is suddenly, and to ones horror, confronted with it. “I was capable of that, I did that.” Religion, absolving a man once and for all from such terrors, may be good for those people whose job is not to reach a full and waking consciousness of inner processes.The man who truly wants to know everything will learn best from his own example. But he must not spare himself, he must treat himself as though he were someone else, not less but more harshly.The bleakness of many diaries is due to the total lack of anything to be calmed down. One can hardly believe it, but some people are satisfied with everything around them, even with a world about to collapse. Others, despite all vicissitudes are satisfied with themselves. Thus, as we can see, calm as a function of a diary is no great shakes. It is a calming of the moment, of momentary weakness, which clears the day for work, and nothing more. In the long run, a diary has the reverse effect, it does not permit one to go to sleep, it interferes with the natural process of transfiguring a past which is left to itself, it keeps one awake and mordant (尖锐的，辛辣的，刻薄的).1. In his analogy, the author compares sentences to _. A. the man who wrote the sentences B. words and straight paths C. a builders labyrinth D. mechanisms used to make life easy2. We can infer that one virtue of a diary is its ability to _. A. reduce daily stress B. provide a fascinating maze of words C. record all that happens to the writer D. inject humility at times of great self-confidence3. According to the passage, the man who wants to learn will _. A. learn from his own example B. do so from his diary C. use his diary as a source of calm D. treat himself subjectively4. We can conclude that the author believes ones sins _. A. must be punished B. need to be revealed somewhere C. need open judgment D. suffer in oblivion5. For the author, a primary effect of any diary is that it _.A. allows man to become calm and relaxedB. serves as atonement for the pastC. acts as guide for future entriesD. ensures alertness and sensitivity to the pastPassage TwoA strange thing about humans is their capacity for blind rage. Rage is presumably an emotion induced by survival instinct, but the surprising thing about it is that we do not deploy it against other animals. If we encounter a dangerous wild animal - a poisonous snake or a wild cat - we do not fly into a temper. If we are unarmed, we show fear and attempt to back away; if we are suitably armed, we attack, but in a rational manner not in a rage. We reserve rage for our own species. It is hard to see any survival value in attacking ones own, but if we take account of the long competition which must have existed between our subspecies and others like Neanderthal man - indeed others still more remote from us than Neanderthal man - human rage becomes more comprehensible.In our everyday language and behavior there are many remainders of those early struggles. We are perpetually using the words “us and them”. “Our” side is perpetually trying to do down the “other” side. In games we artificially create other subspecies we can attack. The opposition of “us ” and “them” is the touchstone of the two-party system of “democratic” politics. Although there are no very serious consequences to many of those modern psychological representations of the “us and them” emotion, it is as well to remember that the original aim was not to beat other subspecies in a game but to exterminate it. The readiness with which humans allow themselves to be regimented has permitted large armies to be formed, which, taken together with the “us and them” blind rage, has led to destructive clashes within our subspecies itself. The First World War is an example in which Europe divided itself into two imaginary subspecies. And there is a similar extermination battle now in Northern Ireland. The idea that there is a religious basis for this clash is illusory, for not even the Pope has been able to control it. The clash is much more primitive than the Christian religion, much older in its emotional origin. The conflict in Ireland is likely to stop until a greater primitive fear is imposed from outside the community, or until the combatants become exhausted.6. The main purpose of the author in writing this passage is to explain _.A. why the conflict in Northern Ireland is likely to rage onB. why there always exists a competition between our own subspecies and othersC. how emotions are closely related to human survival instinctD. why humans are capable of irrational rage7. According to the author, the surprising aspect of human anger is _.A. its lengthy and complex developmentB. that it is a rational version of fearC. that it is not directed at wild animals very oftenD. that it is ironically directed at mankind8. The word “touchstone” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _. A. criterion B. keystone C. priority D. milestone9. The passage suggests that _.A. historically, we have created an “us” versus “them” societyB. humans have had a natural disinclination toward formal groupingC. our reminders of early struggles are responsible for clashes between peopleD. the emotional origin of the war in Ireland is lost in time10. From the passage we can infer that _.A. the “us and them” emotion will be replaced by a greater primitive fearB. games are psychologically unhealthyC. the conflict in Ireland will develop beyond control D. the real or imagined existence of an opposing subspecies is inherent in mans activitiesPassage ThreeThe octopus reputation as a human-killer isnt simply an exaggeration it is a total myth. The octopus can indeed be a deadly hunter, but only of its natural prey. Clams, mussels, crabs, lobsters and an occasional sick or unwary fish have reason to be frightened of this multi-armed predator, but a person is much too large to interest even the biggest octopus. Even a giant among octopi is much smaller than most people imagine. Far from being large enough to engulf a submarine, as monster octopi in movies have been known to do, the largest octopi, found on the Pacific coast, weigh around 110 pounds and grow to a diameter of no more than ten feet.The hard, parrot-like beak of an octopus is not used for attacking deep-sea divers, but for cutting open crabs and lobsters. Indeed, the octopus possesses such a tiny throat that it cannot swallow large pieces of meat. It feeds instead by pouring digestive juices into its victims, and then sucking up the soupy remains. A clam or scallop that finds itself in the grasp of an octopus has only a short time to live. But human beings are perfectly safe. Still, people rarely care to venture close enough to these timid creatures to get a good look at them.11. This passage is mainly about _.A. the horrors of the octopusB. the largest octopus in the worldC. octopi and their behaviorD. the octopuss deadly hunting method12. It is implied but not stated in the passage that _.A. people have groundless fears about the octopusB. the octopus is not interested in human beings because they are too large for itC. the octopus is afraid of human beingsD. the octopus is a very vicious sea animal13. Which of the following statements is true?A. The octopus usually uses its eight tentacles to tear its prey into pieces before eating it up.B. The octopus always catches sick and careless fish.C. The octopus never attacks people.D. The octopus can engulf submarines.14. The hard beak of the octopus is used for _.A. attacking deep-sea diversB. cutting up large pieces of meatC. cutting open its preyD. defending itself15. From the passage, we can conclude that _.A. the octopus is not dangerous to man, as many people believe it to beB. people often fear creatures that are not dangerous to themC. the octopus only hunts its natural preyD. things described in movies are not to be believedPassage FourPeople today all over the world are beginning to hear and learn more and more about the problem of pollution. Pollution is caused either by the release by man of completely new and often artificial substances into the environment, or by releasing greatly increased amounts of a natural substance, such as oil from oil tankers into the sea.The whole industrial process which makes many of the goods and machines we need and use in our daily lives, is bound to create a number of waste products which upset the environmental balance, or the ecological balance as it is also known. Many of these waste products can be prevented or disposed of sensibly, but clearly while more and more new goods are produced and made complex, there will be new, dangerous wastes to be disposed of, for example, the waste products from nuclear power stations. Many people, therefore, see pollution as only part of a larger and more complex problem, that is the whole process of industrial production and consumption of goods. Others again see the problem mainly in connection with agriculture, where new methods are helping farmers grow more and more on their land to feed our ever-increasing populations. However, the land itself is gradually becoming worn out as it is being used, in some cases, too heavily, and artificial fertilizers cannot restore the balance.Whatever its underlying reasons, there is no doubt that much of the pollution caused could be controlled if only companies, individuals and governments would make more efforts. In the home there is an obvious need to control litter and waste. Food comes wrapped up three or four times in packages that all have to be disposed of; drinks are increasingly sold in bottles or tins which cannot be reused. This not only causes a litter problem, but also is a great waste of resources, in terms of glass, metals and paper. Advertising has helped this process by persuading many of us not only to buy things we neither want nor need, but also to throw away much of what we do buy. Pollution and waste combine to be a problem everyone can help to solve by cutting out unnecessary buying, excess consumption and careless disposal of the products we use in our daily lives.16. The main cause of pollution is _.A. the release of artificial or natural substances into the environmentB. the production of new industrial goodsC. increased amounts of a natural substanceD. our ever-increasing population17. The release of oil from oil tankers into the sea is _.A. the only source of pollutionB. a kind of pollution caused by the release of natural substancesC. of worldwide consequenceD. most harmful to mankind18. What do you think will upset the environmental balance?A. Waste products.B. The whole industrial process.C. Many of the goods.D. Some machines we need and use in our daily life.19. In the writers view, the more new goods, _.A. the less pollution we haveB. the harder pollution can be done away withC. the more pollution there will beD. the more easily pollution can be controlled20. The waste products from nuclear power stations are _.A. new and complexB. new and dangerousC. hard to be disposed ofD. easy to be disposed ofPart II Vocabulary and Structure (15%)Section ADirections: In this section there are fifteen sentences, each with one word or phrase underlined. Choose the one from the four choices marked A, B, C, and D that best keeps the meaning of the sentence. 21. The most authentic restaurants in this country serve food similar to that in China; but they give no idea of the variety of Chinese cuisine, nor of its heights.A. culture B. cooking C. cultivate D. color22. On an average of six times a day, a doctor in Holland practices “active” euthanasia: intentionally administering a lethal drug to a terminally ill patient who asked to be relieved of suffering.A. harmful B. leather C. legal D. lethargy23. To succeed in the campus job interview, you have to know where the recruiter is coming from.A. recusant B. interviewer C. recuperate D. interviewee24. Bouchers bill alarmed many longtime Net users because it encourages the NREN computers to use private networks instead of the publicly subsidized ones.A. subversive B. supported C. sufficient D. submitted25. A tendency to depression is not a weakness or a self-indulgence.A. dismay B. degradation C. deletion D. dejection26. Those that showed undesirable traits were eliminated.A. evolved B. involved C. removed D. elected27. Globalization is an inexact term for a wild assortment of changes in politics, business, health, and entertainment.A. mixture B. arrangement C. requirement D. caravan28. This reflection should generate a certain caution.A. deplore B. produce C. deal D. correct29. Few understand the magnitude of the potential tragedy; fewer still have a good idea of what to do about it.A. milestone B. liquidation C. deficit D. importance 30. One cause of the Civil War was economic and political rivalry between the agrarian South and the industrial North.A. prosperous B. old-fashioned C. conservative D. agricultural31. If these bad weather conditions persist the game will be canceled.A. stay B. continue C. permit D. insist32. The time was barely 10 oclock at night, but chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain in them had well nigh depeopled the street. A. devoted B. deserted C. demolished D. declined33. The major problem encountered by tourists is the common cold, stronger in its Asian heartland than in the West.A. enlarged B. faced with C. indulge oneself in D. encouraged34. But a series of court cases over the past 15 years has made it clear that a competent physician who carries out euthanasia will not be persecuted.A. accused B. supported C. imposed D. fired35. He will figure you would probably slouch your way through your workdays.A. be pleased B. point C. imagine D. like Section BDirections: In this section, there are fifteen incomplete sentences. For each sentence there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one answer that best completes the sentence. 36. They were rather disappointed _ the result of the test.A. in B. on C. at D. for37. The prisoner insisted that he _ allowed to see his family, who did not yet know of his conviction. A. is B. was C. be D. could be38. Little _ a year ago that I would be studying here today in Britain.A. I thought B. thought I C. I did think D. did I think39. Suddenly _ fire broke out in the room and everything in it was soon on fire.A. / B. an C. the D. a40. The accident _ yesterday resulted from the drivers carelessness.A. happens B. happened C. was happened D. which happened41. The reason why they didnt get _ people to help them in the work is that they didnt want to trouble anyone.A. some B. the C. all D. no42. She told me that an earthquake _ in my hometown.A. occurred B. had occurred C. was occurred D. has occurred43. Are you used to _ in a totally strange country?A. live B. have lived C. living D. be living44. Theres much water in the bottle, _?A. isnt there B. is there C. hadnt there D. doesnt45. This factory has turned out _.A. twice more TV sets this year than last year B. TV sets this year twice as many as last year C. twice as many TV sets this year as last year D. TV sets twice more this year than last year 46. They _ stepped out of the house _ it collapsed.A. had not sooner.thanB. had no sooner . thanC. had not sooner .