博士入学考试2011

English Test March, 2011 Part I Reading Comprehension (40%) (55 minutes) Directions: There are five reading passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four suggested answers marked A), B), C) and D). Choose the best answer to each question. Passage One Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and the unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair. I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy - ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness - that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what - at least - I have found. With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A little of this, but not much, I have achieved. Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always pity brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a hated burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate the evil, but I cant, and I too suffer. This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me. 1. What rhetorical device does the author use in the first paragraph? A) Hyperbole and simile. B) personification and hyperbole. C) parallelism, simile and metaphor. D) All of the above. 2. For how many reasons has the author sought love? A) 1. B) 2. C) 3. D) 4. 3. The reason why the author mentions Pythagorean power is _. A) to substantiate his viewpoint B) that he is a mathematician C) to show his talent in mathematics D) that this essay is based on Pythagorean theory 4. Why does the author say he suffers too? A) Because he is homeless. B) Because he is ill. C) Because he cannot alleviate all the evil that he hates. D) Because he does not have enough money to support the poor. Passage Two Since Tiger was so fortunate with the game of golf, he decided to start a foundation called: The Tiger Woods Foundation which starts schools in urban American cities that provided an education for less fortunate kids. Tiger also supports and donates money to The First Tee program. The First Tee programs goal is to provide learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life enhancing values through the game of golf. Tiger himself has also been an idol or hero for many kids around the world because of his dominance and records throughout his golfing career. Because of this many kids have started learning the game of golf. Tigers real first name is Eldrick. He was born on December 30, 1975 and grew up in Cypress California. He began taking an interest in golf when he was just six months old. He would watch his dad, Earl, hit golf balls into a net and would try to copy his swing. He was given the nickname Tiger after a Vietnamese soldier and friend of his father. Tiger Woods appeared on TV practicing his swing at the age of two and by the time he was three, he had already shot a 48 on a nine-hole course. When he was five, the golf world began to take notice of Tiger and he was featured on the cover of Golf Digest. Tiger Woods was just 16 and still in high school when he played in his first professional golf tournament - the Nissan Los Angeles Open. Two years later, he went to college at Stanford University where he won ten collegiate events and the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) title. While he appeared in only a handful of professional tournaments during his years in college, it wasnt long before Tiger Woods would be winning pro events at a ridiculous rate. Tiger Woods, who is now 28 years old, has had an amazing career since becoming a pro golfer in 1996. He has won 53 worldwide tournaments, 40 of those wins were on the PGA TOUR, including eight major championships: the 1997, 2001, and 2002 Masters, the 1999 and 2000 PGA Championships, the 2000 and 2002 U.S. Open Championship and the 2000 British Open. Tiger has now won an incredible 9 out of 16 World Golf Championship events he has played in. Tiger relates to the book because he is a hero to others near and far. People around the world notice his dedication, time spent working to perfect his game, his fitness routines and since he is young, all the kids like that. Even if you didnt play golf, you would know who Tiger is and he has influenced many people to take up the game and learn more than just how to play: to learn the integrity and rules which also help you in life. To wrap things up, Tiger Woods started the game at a young age and set many records that may never be broken and has changed the game forever. Hes a hero, incredible golfer, and a generous giving man. He works hard at everything he does and gives back whenever he can. That is why I chose Tiger to be my hero. 5. Which of the following statements about Tiger is TRUE? A) He played in his first professional golf contest in 1992. B) He got the name Tiger from his father. C) He became a professional golfer when he was 16 years old. D) He drew the attention of other golf players in 1983. 6. When did the author write the passage? A) 2002. B) 2003. C) 2005 D) Unknown. 7. Why does the author adore Tiger Woods? A) He is young. B) He dedicates himself to golf. C) He donates money to others. D) B and C. 8. In which way did the author write the passage? A) Ironic. B) Objective. C) Subjective. D) Exaggerated. Passage Three Today, people all over the world are moving out of small villages in the country to go and live in big, noisy cities. They are moving from the peaceful hills, mountains, fields, rivers and streams of the countryside to the busy world of streets, buildings, traffic and crowds. This movement from rural areas to urban areas has been going on for over two hundred years. In many countries, the main reason why people come to live in towns and cities is work. After one or two large factories have been built in or near a town, people come to find work, and soon an industrial area begins to grow. There is usually a residential area nearby where the factory workers can live. The families of these workers need schools, hospitals and shops, so many people come to live in the area to provide these services and a city grows. In every major city in the world, there is a business district where the big companies have their main offices. In the United States, this area is usually in the city center downtown. It is here that you can see the huge skyscraper office blocks. The people who work here often travel a long way to work each day. Many of them live in the suburbs of the city, far away from the industrial area and the city center. Some suburbs are very pleasant, with nice houses and big gardens. There are usually parks for children to play in and large department stores where you can buy all you need. But what is the future of the big cities? Will they continue to get bigger and bigger? Perhaps not. Some major cities have actually become smaller in the last ten years, and it is quite possible that one day we will see people moving out of the major cities and back into smaller towns and villages. 9. Why do people move to live in cities or towns? A) Because they can live more comfortably there. B) Because they prefer noisy life to peaceful life. C) They do so mainly to find work. D) Because they are sure of having a better life there. 10. In a residential area you can see _. A) rows of flats and houses B) tall office buildings C) large vegetable farms D) factories with tall chimneys 11. In the United States, many people work in the center of a big city _. A) while living on the far away edge of the city B) and live there C) but live in another city D) but live far away out of the city 12. We can infer that this movement from rural to urban areas _. A) has been going on for more than 2,000 years B) will continue in the future C) may not continue in the future D) is sure to stop Passage Four Hawaiis native minority is demanding a greater degree of sovereignty over its own affairs. But much of the archipelagos political establishment, which includes the White Americans who dominated until the Second World War and people of Japanese, Chinese and Filipino origins, is opposed to the idea. The islands were annexed by the US in 1898 and since then Hawaiis native peoples have fared worse than any of its other ethnic groups. They make up over 60 per cent of the states homeless, suffer higher levels of unemployment and their life span is five years less than average Hawaiians. They are the only major Hawaiian native group without any degree of autonomy. But a sovereignty advisory committee set up by Hawaiis first native governor, John Waihee, has given the natives cause a major boost by recommending that the Hawaiian natives decide by themselves whether to re-establish a sovereign Hawaiian nation. However, the Hawaiian natives are not united in their demands. Some just want greater autonomy within the state - as enjoyed by many American Indian natives over matters such as education. This is a position supported by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), a state agency set up in 1978 to represent the natives interests and which has now become the moderate face of the native sovereignty movement. More ambitious is the Ka Lahui group, which declared itself a new nation in 1987 and wants full, official independence from the US. But if Hawaiian natives are given greater autonomy, it is far from clear how many people this will apply to. The state authorities only count as native those people with more than 50 per cent Hawaiian blood. Native demands are not just based on political grievances, though. They also want their claim on 660,000 hectares of Hawaiian crown land to be accepted. It is on this issue that native groups are facing most opposition from the state authorities. In 1933, the state government paid the OHA US $136 million in back rent on the crown land and many officials say that by accepting this payment the agency has given up its claims to legally own the land. The OHA has vigorously disputed this. 13. Hawaiis native people refers to _. A) Hawaiis ethnic groups B) people of Filipino origin C) the Ka Lahui group D) people with 50% Hawaiian blood 14. Which of the following statements is true of the Hawaiian natives? A) Sixty percent of them are homeless or unemployed. B) Their Life span is 5 years shorter than average Americans. C) Their life is worse than that of other ethnic groups in Hawaii. D) They are the only native group without sovereignty. 15. Which of the following is NOT true of John Waihee? A) He is Hawaiis first native governor. B) He has set up a sovereignty advisory committee. C) He suggested the native people decide for themselves. D) He is leading the local independence movement. 16. Which of the following groups holds a less radical attitude on the matter of sovereignty? A) American Indian natives. B) Office of Hawaiian Affairs. C) The Ka Lahui group. D) The Hawaiian natives. Passage Five The availability of occupations depends also on shifts in the national economy and increasingly on economic developments worldwide. There are several ways to measure these effects, including the rate of unemployment, the international balance of trade, and the productivity of American workers. The unemployment rate is a standard measure of joblessness in a community, state, or nation as a whole. Computed by standards set by the United States Department of Labor, the measure is made by taking a random sample of households in an area. It is an estimate of the percentage of people who are not working but are looking for work. The unemployment rate has been said to underrepresent the actual unemployed because those who have stopped looking for work are not counted. It is a comparable statistic from state to state, however, because it is computed in the same manner. Traditionally an unemployment rate of 4 percent is considered full employment because people quit, change jobs, or are fired regardless of the relative health of the economy. In contrast the national unemployment rate reached as high as 25 percent during the Great Depression of the 1930s. When unemployment is low, people work and receive payment. They in turn buy goods and services that keep the work force employed and growing. This is an expanding economy. When unemployment is high, there is less money to purchase goods and services because fewer people are working. Fewer goods are sold, and business lose money and reduce the number of workers. This is a contracting economy. The United States government has many safeguards for the economy. It cannot, however, prevent dislocations due to technological change. A manufacturing process can suddenly become obsolete when a new technology is developed. Economic hardship may occur in a region even though the same goods are still being produced. An example is the industrial Mid-west in the early 1980s. Increasingly manufacturers, both in the United States and abroad, were using foreign steel to make products. More finished products were also being imported, replacing American-made goods. Many workers were laid off, causing disruption of normal economic activities. Meanwhile high-tech manufacturing processes were developing elsewhere. Californias so-called Silicon Valley, south of San Francisco, became famous for its computer-related goods and computer-assisted design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) process. This was of little benefit to workers displaced by the obsolescence of traditional manufacturing. Because of a lack of transferable skills, many could not make the change. Some workers were furloughed indefinitely, forcing them to accept jobs that paid less or imposing upon them essentially permanent unemployment. Leaders in American business and education are sensitive to these issues. Increasingly concerned with the productivity of the individual worker, business people and educators have formed alliances to save local jobs by improving the work force and by redesigning the curricula of schools and training centers to encourage the development of useful skills. 17. According to the passage, unemployment rate _. A) by no means represents the actual unemployment B) somewhat represents the relative health of the economy C) is usually 4 percent regardless of the relative health of the economy D) is an estimate of the percentage of people without a job 18. Which of the following will happen in a contracting economy? A) Employment rate will be high. B) More goods and services will be sold. C) Business will reduce the number of workers. D) People will buy real estate to avoid depreciation of their saving. 19. The development of high-tech manufacturing processes _. A) contributes a lot to the rapid development of the national economy B) may not be beneficial to workers C) will inevitably impose upon workers permanent unemployment D) generally results in a low unemployment rate 20. Business people and educators in the United States _. A) are mainly responsible for the health of the national economy B) are concerned more with the productivity of the individual worker than with the development of the national economy C) are concerned with the development of useful skills rather than with the productivity of the individual worker D) are eager to save local jobs by taking various effective measure Part II Cloze (10%) (20 minutes) Directions: In this part there are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four alternative choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should choose the one that best fits into the passage. Then write your answer in the corresponding place on your Answer Sheet. U.S. employers cut a fewer-than-expected 216,000 jobs in August, while the unemployment rate rose to a 26-year high, the government said on Friday in a report showing a still fragile labor market. The Labor Department said the unemployment 21 rose to 9.7 percent after dipping to 9.4 percent in July and the _22_ in payrolls was the smallest in a year. The department _23_ job losses for June and July to show 49,000 more jobs lost than _24_ reported. Analysts had expected non-farm payrolls to drop 225,000 in August and the unemployment rate to _25_ to 9.5 percent. The labor force increased by 73,000 in August, indicating the return of some _ 26 _ workers who had given up looking _27_ work accounting for part of the rise in the unemployment rate. Since the start of the recession in December 2007, the economy has shed 6.9 million job