英语修辞学2004-试卷

1、英语修辞学2004 试卷 自己标了答案，部分翻书确认过，并标了书页I. Fill in each blank with an appropriate word or phrase.(10%)1. When we say Jim look like his brother Billy we are making an ordinary literal comparison but when we say Jim and Billy are as like as two peas we are using a _simile_2. Metonymy is a very useful and eff

2、ective rhetorical device, for it compresses much into a single word or short noun phrase, e.g.She sets a good table. (Meaning: She provides good _delicious dishes_.)3.In the sentence Clothes are fit the man and the times, “Fit the man is used in a literal sense, whereas fit the times is a figurative

3、 expression, meaning to be_fashion_.4. When the instructor says This thesis leaves much to be desired, he expresses his dissatisfaction with quiet understatement, meaning:the thesis is very _imperfect_.5. The advertisement Quality breeds success can be regarded as a brilliant parody of the proverb F

4、amiliarity breeds _contempt_.6. Parody, Reverse, and Regression are all open figures of speech, i.e. _they_ can be created when necessary. On the other hand, however,misuse or oversue should always be guarded against.7.We must all hang together, or we shall hang separately is a famouse pun by Benjam

5、in Franklin, in which the word hang has double meanings.8. Rhetoric originated in Speaking, Aristotle, in the 4th century BC, first defined rhetoiic as _art_ of persuasion, by means of argumentation. P19. Grammar maps out the possible; rhetoric narrows the possible down to the desirable and effectiv

6、e.10. Apart from the huge number, the English words are characterized by their creativeness in formation and flexibility in meaning and usage, which cause difficulties iin word choice.II. Determine whether the following statements are correct or not by marking in each bracket with T of F (10%)1. Cre

7、ativity refers mainly to producing original ideas, which constitutes the essence of an essay. Original ideas cannot come off-hand; they are result of extensive and thoroughgoing studies and careful consideration. New forms may have a sense of creativity, too but they must sever the need of the expre

8、ssion of ideas. (T) Same as 05test2. Most students really do recognize the need to improve their writing skills. Their attitude is usually a kind of resigned willingness, for they must already know and agree with Samuel Johnsons words: what is written effort is in general read without pleasure. (F)

9、P194(“没有经过努力写出的文章，阅读起来一点也不会觉得愉快” - Samuel Johnson“What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.” - Samuel Johnson3. The beginning, the body and the ending are the three organic parts of an essay. As the saying goes,” Well begun is half done, the first paragraph should be long e

10、nough ( P182 should be “good”) to grab the readers attention. Proper beginnings, no matter what its length is, can not only arouse the readers interest in the subject but also tell the reader what the whole piece of writing will be about. (F)4. The most significant assumption of the traditional view

11、 of figurative language is that such language is deviant and requires special cognitive processes to be understood. Whereas literal language can be understood via normal cognitive mechanisms, listeners must recognize the deviant nature of a figurative utterance before determining its no literal mean

12、ing. (T) Same as 05 test5. Coherece is an essential virtue in expository writing, in which everything is tied together clearly and logically so as to help your reader to follow your ideas. These four points are necessary to achieve coherence: a) use some logical method of organization; b) structure

13、your sentences in such a way that the sequence in which they are arranged links them to each other; c) use transitional devices to connect sentences and paragraphs; and d) never repeat a word or phrase (P163 repeat a key word or phrase) to remind your reader of the important points of your essay. (F

14、)6. In many cases, words may fail to communicate clearly for reasons other than that they are difficult or specialized. Sometimes we fail to use words accurately, select not the proper one but one somewhat like it. The trick in avoiding errors of this sort is not to submit a paper until you have che

15、cked every word whose meaning you have doubt about. (T) P1477. The first quality of good writing is economy. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and machine no unnecessary parts. Thi

16、s requires not that the writer make all his sentences short or that he avoid all details, but that every word tell. (T) P1218. When a writer must summarize a large body of facts within a limited space, he has to write in a general way because the writers primary concern is to survey briefly the avai

17、lable facts and explain their significance. The important thing in such cases is to choose specific (general) expressions that accurately summarize the specific details examined, giving the reader some basic idea. (F) P1139. Good writing does not belabor the obvious, does not use six words where fou

18、r will do. And no phoniness either - we like the writer who is blunt, who comes right to the point and (rather than) talks on and on most fluently like a witness at a Senate hearing. (F) P12210. It would be strange if someone said to you, I have used arithmetic to prove my opinion, or I have faith t

19、hat two plus two equals four. Equally strange would be the claim that someone is open-minded and fair but prejudiced. To be successful as a critical thinker and convincing writer, one must understand opinion, belief, faith, and prejudice. (T)III. Multple Choices (10%)1. This famous novel has _C_ in

20、its wonderful description of the heroine. I mention this without fear of offending the author, for obviously no writer is _. (C) P49A. mistakes/infallible B. the flaw/without blundersC. a flaw/free from faults D. some problems/never wrong2. With the development of the modern printing industry in the

21、 19th century, rhetoric came to be understood as _. (A) P1A. the ability to write or speak well usually in an ornate,showy mannerB. the art of speaking with propriety, elegance, and forceC. the choice of words and phrases, the seletion of sentence patterns, organizing paragraphs and whole pieces of

22、writing in such a way that ideas are expressed most clearly, most accurately and most appropiately so as to achieve the best results in communicationD. the three traditional aesthetic criteria - logos.pathos, and ethos in practice today.3.A good speaker varies his speed of delivery to match the sign

23、ificance of his oratory. Slow speed is appropriate for the important ideas, but the less weighty materical should be disposed of rather speedily. It is important that with variety of material there should be variety of _. ( D)A. volume B. pitchC.timbre D. tempo4.Which of the following should NOT be

24、used to fill in the blank of the statement? (B)The rhetorical question is a question _B_.A. to which no real answer is expected because only one obvious reply can be made - and that reply will either support or restate the writers point P75B.that does not require the reader to answer but it used for

25、 certain rhetorical purposesC. which appears at the beginning of a paragraph marking the topic, and then transitional devices are employed to lead the reader to the answer P71D. fairly common in persuasive writing and in argumentation because they offer a way to writers to emphasize the validity of

26、their viewpoint P755.One of the following statements is NOT appropriate for filling the blank.As an attribute of language, vagueness is originated in peoples understanding and interpretation of the objective world, which may be used _. (B)A.when words or expressions that have fuzzy boundaries find t

27、heir way in ones speech or writing, e.g. adjectives like strong and weak, adverbs like fast and slowB. when vagues terms are employed to avoid emphasisC. when one is suddenly at a loss about expressing something in an exact wayD. when one finds it unnecessary of unwise to be very accurateIV. Rewrite

28、 each of the following statements as required. (20%)1. Smith is an elected official and some elected officials are bribe-takers.Make a complete syllogism on the basis of the above statementMajor premise: Some elected officials are bribe-takers.Minor premise: Smith is an elected official.Conclusion:

29、Smith might be a bribe-taker.2. My daugher is also old and she cant work as a maid any more.Avoid using the terms old: and maid (佣人maid/servant-domestic help/day help/live-in help;) with the help of Euphemism:My daughter is also elderly and she cant work as a domestic help any more.3. A hundred and

30、fifty years ago, even the educated young men and women could only make a living through knowledge in four professions including clergyman and teacher.Turn the specific expressions into vagues ones:A century ago, even the educated young people could only make a living through knowledge in a few profe

31、ssions. P1504. On hearing that may close friend had kicked the bucket, I wrote a letter to his family to express my sorrows and sympathies and promise to help their stupid son.Change the vulgar terms kick the bucker(meaning: die) and the stupid into some polite ones:On hearing that may close friend

32、had passed away, I wrote a letter to his family to express my sorrow and sympathies and promise to help their mentally retarded/mental deficiency son.5.The campaign was successful and costly, and the victory was sweet.Make the statement more coherent and more economical:The campaign was costly, but

33、the victory was sweet.6. There are more than half a million shareholders who have invested in the project. It is they and the bank that expect to profit.Rewrite the sentences without useing THERE and IT patterns:More than half shareholders have invested in the project.They and the bank expect to pro

34、fit.7. The tunnel, which was drilled for twenty-three miles, runs through a bed of solid chalk under the English Channel.Change the WHICH clause into a phraseThe twenty-three miles tunnel runs through a bed of solid chalk under the English Channel.8. I enjoy listening to music, which makes me feel r

35、elaxed and brightens my mood.Add a few more sentences in order to start an exposition:I find music more and more important in my daily life. In the morning, music helps brighten me up and at night, music makes me feel still energetic.Once I was very much depressed as a result of my failure in the mi

36、d-term test. I was wondering what to do. Then I turned to Beethovens Fifth Symphony and felt greatly encouraged. “I must take my destiny into my own hands, too,” I though.9. The weather here was bad last weekend.Make the statement more impressive with some details:It was stormy/rainy last weekend10.

37、 David has been called back to teach at the high school after ten year retirement due to a colleagues illness.Change the position of the misplaced modifier so as to achieve accuracy:Due to colleagues illness, David has been called back to teach at the high school after ten year retirement.V. Improve

38、 each of the following statements by making any changes necessary.(20%)1. Many institutions of higher education recognize the need for youth at the threshold of maturity to confront the choices of lifes endeavor and thus require students to select a field of concentration.2. John is of the opinion t

39、hat the romance and beauty of the river will return back one pollution of the water is got rid of altogether.John thinks that the romance and beauty of the river will return once they get rid of the water pollution.3. When a letter starts with My dear Frank, awfully nice to get your note yesterday,

40、it usually ends with Yours respectfully/Respectfully yours; and if a letter begins with Dear Sir, it is an informal letter, and in consequence of this, the ending should be My regards to your wife, of Yours affectionately.When a letter begins with “My dear Frank, awfully nice to get you known”, it u

41、sually ends with “Cheerio for now!/Your friends with love”; as if a letter begins with “Dear Sir”, it is a formal letter, and in consequence of this, the ending should be “Yours Sincerely!”.4. I got up early at the request of my mother in spite of the fact that it was a fine Monday morning. Mother t

42、old me that there was always traffic jam Monday morning. Our car was a bit old and could hardly run fast, so we need to buy a new one. Slow birds should fly ahead, as the saying goes.I got up early Monday morning, Mom told me that there was always heavy traffic on Mondays, and as our car was a bit o

43、ld and couldnt run fast, wed better start earlier than usual.5. At last the hard-working housewife was ready to watch her favorite television program, and before fifteen minutes were up she was sould asleep in her chair and before she realized what the matter was the 6:30 A.M. alarm was going off an

44、d it was time for her to start another day of hard workAt last the hard-working housewife was ready to watch her favorite television program, but within fifteen minutes/in a matter of 15 minutes she is sound asleep in her chair and before she realizes it the 6:30 A.M. alarm is going off. It is time

45、to start another day.VI. Answer the following questions. (30%)1. Can you write three sentences about an old female to express favorable, unfavorable and neutral meanings repectively?Favorable: Shes a dear old soul.Unfavorable: Shes an old witch.Neutral: Shes an old woman.2. What are the following labels stand for?fml-formalAm EAmerican Englishfig-figurativeesp.- especiallytech Technical3. Explain how the following sentences is amb