博士入学英语考试试卷

1、博士生入学考试英语试卷(2007)1 I. Reading Comprehension (40%)Read each passage carefully, and then do the questions that follow. Choose the best answer from the four choices given:Passage 1Through the years, our view of what leadership is and who can exercise it has changed considerably. Leadership competencies

2、 have remained constant, but our understanding of what it is, how it works, and the ways in which people learn to apply it has shifted. We do have the beginnings of a genera) theory of leadership, from history and social research and above all from the thoughts of reflective practitioners such as Mo

3、ses, Julius Caesar, and James Madison, and in our own time from such disparate sources of wisdom as Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Mao Tse-tung, and Henry Kissinger, who have very little in common except that they have not only been there but tried with some fairness to speculate on paper about i【But ta

4、les and reflective observation arc not enough except to convince us that leaders are physically strong and abnormally hard workers. Today we are a little closer to understanding how and who people lead, but it wasn't easy getting there Decades of academic analysis have given us more than 350 def

5、initions of leadership. Literally thousands of empirical investigations of leaders have been conducted in the last seventy-five years alone, but no clear understanding exists as to what distinguishes leaders from non-leaders, and perhaps more important, what distinguishes effective leaders from inef

6、fective leaders and effective organizations from ineffective orga nizalicns Never have so many labored so long to say so little. Multiple interpretations of leadership exist, each providing a fragment of insight but each remaining an incomplete and wholly inadequate explanation. Most of these defini

7、tions don't agree with each other, and many of them would seem quite remote to the leaders whose skills are being examined Definitions reflect fashions, political tides and academictrends. They don't always reflect reality and sometimes they just represent nonsense Its as if what Braque once

8、 said about art is alsomatters in art is the part thatcannot be explained.11Many theories of leadership have come and gone Some looked at the leader. Some looked at the situation. None has stood the test of time. With such a track record, it is understandable why leadership research and theory have

9、been so frustrating as to deserve the label Mthc La Brea Tar Pits" of organizational inquiry. Located in Los Angeles these asphalt pits house the remains of a long sequence of prehistoric animals that came to investigate but never left the ared.1. In regard of leadership competencies, the autho

10、r suggests thatpeople have A. believed in their existenceB. learned to apply them extensivelyC. found it very difficult to acquire themD. been unable to realize their importance2. Several big names are mentioned in the first paragraph mainly toshow theirA. different styles of leadershipB effective e

11、xercise of leadershipC contributions to the theory of leadershipD. wisdom in applying the theory of leadership3. According to the author, people's opinions of leadership are on thewhole quiteA. dividedB. originalC misleadingD. sophisticated4. The author thinks that .A. many people have labored t

12、o be leadersB. 1 eaders are beyond our understandingC. the essencc of leadership has not been graspedD. the definitions of leadership should vary5. "The La Brea Tar Pits” probably signifies things that.A can be traced back to the prehistoric ageB. are traps for those who want to inquireC. are l

13、ocated in one place foreverD don't deserve full investigationPassage 2It is a well-documented fact that women still live longer than men. A 1998 study by Harvard Medical School geriatrician Thomas Peris offers two reasons: one is the evolutionary drive to pass on her genes; the other is the need

14、 to stay healthy enough to rear as many children as possible. A man's purpose is simply to carry genes that ensure longevity and pass them on to his childre n.Okay, so that*s the legacy of our cave-dweller past. But what is it about a manl lifestyle that reduces his longevity? As action moviemak

15、ers know all too well, men are supercharged with testosterone Aside from forcing us to watch frenzied movies like The Matrix Reloaded, the testes-produced hormone also triggers riskier behavior and aggression, and increases levels of harmful cholesterol, raising the risk of heart disease or stroke.

16、Meanwhile, the female hormone chops harmful cholesterol and raises "good” cholesterol.As Peris's study points out: "Between ages 15 and 24, men 、are four to five times more likely to die than women. This time frame coincides with the onset of puberty and an increase in reckless and vio

17、lent behavior in males Researchers refer to it as a "testosterone storm.Most deaths in this male group come from motor vehicle accidents, followed by homicide, suicideand drownings.,fWhile all this jumping from tall buildings may result in some accidental death, it still doesnl account for the

18、onset of fatal illnesses at an earlier age. Statistically, men are crippled more quickly by illnesses like heart disease, stroke and cancer. A Singapore study found that while men were diagnosed with chronic illness two years earlier than women, women were also disabled by their illnesses four” year

19、s later. Men more often engage in riskier habits like drinking alcohol and using recreational drugs, as well as eating to excess. And the stereotype about men being adverse to seeing a doctor on a regular basis? Studies have shown its trueIf your goal is to become the first 100-year-cld man on your

20、4family tree, there are some things you can do to boost your odds One is to examine what centenarians are doing right. According to the ongoing New England Centenarian Study, the largest comprehensive study of centenarians in the world, they can fend off or even escape age-associated diseases like h

21、eart attack, stroke, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's Ninety percent of those studied were functionally independent for the vast majority of their lives up until the age of 92, and 75% were just as autonomous at an average age of 95. "Centenarians disprove the perception that "the olde

22、r you get, the sicker you get. Centenarians teach us that the older you get, the healthier you've been."6. This passage mainly discusses.A. why women lead a healthier life than menB. how women can live longer and stay healthyC what keeps men from enjoying a longer life spanD whether men'

23、;s life style leads to their early death7. According to Thomas Peris, which of the following is a major factor contributing to the relative longevity of women over men?A. Their natural urge to remain healthy.B Their greater natural drive to pass on genes.C Their need to bear healthy offspringD. Thei

24、r desire to have more children.8. The author mentions Hthe legacy of our cave-dweller past11 toA support the argument about women's role in rearing childrenB. summarize a possible cause of different life expectanciesC. challenge the theory about our ancestors1 behavior patternsD. illustrate the

25、history of human evolution process9. Compared with women, men as a whole.A. suffer from depression more oftenB. suffer from diseases later than womenC. are reluctant to have physical checkupsD. are not affected by violent movies10 Centenarians refer to people who.A. live longer than femalesB live at

26、 the turn of the centuryC are extremely independentD. are a hundred years or olderPassage 3Clearly if we are to participate in the society in which we live, we must communicate with other people A great deal of communicating is performed on a person-to-person basis by the simple means of speech If w

27、e travel in buses, buy things in shops, or eat in restaurants, we are likely to have conversations where we give information or opinions, receive news or comment, and very likely have our views challenged by other members of society.Faceioface contact is by no means the only form of communication, a

28、nd during the last two hundred years the art* of mass communication has become one of the dominating factors of contemporary society Two things, above others, have caused the enormous growth of the communication industry. Firstly, inventiveness has led to advances in printing, telecommunications, ph

29、otography, radio and television. Secondly, -speed has revolutionised the transmission and reception of communications so that local news often takes a back seat to national news, which itself is often almost eclipsed by international news.No longer is the possession of information confined to a priv

30、ileged minority. In the last century, the wealthy man with his own library was indeed fortunate, but today there are public libraries Forty years ago, people used to flock to the cinema, but now far more people sit at home and turn on the TV to watch a programme that is being channelled into million

31、s of homes.Communication is no longer merely concerned with the transmission of information. The modern communication industry influences the way people live in society and broadens their horizons by allowing access to information, education and entertainment. The printing, broadcast! ng and adverti

32、sing industries are all involved with informing, educating and entertaining.Although a great deal of the material communicated by the mass media is very valuable to the individual and to the society of which he is a part, the vast modem network of communications is open to abuse However, the mass me

33、dia are with us for better, for worse, and there is no turning back.1 L It is implied in the passage that.A. 1 ocal news used to be the only source of informationB local news still takes a significant place C national news is becoming more popular D intemaiional news is the fastest transmitted news1

34、2. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?A. To possess information used to be a privilege. B Public libraries have replaced private libraries. C Communication means more than transmission D. Information in fluences ways of life and thinking.13. From the last paragraph wc can infer that the

35、writer isA. indifferent to the harmful influence of the mass mediaB. happy about the drastic changes in the mass media C pessimistic about the future of the mass mediaD. concerned about the wrong use of the mass media-Passage 4Since the early 1930s, Swiss banks had prided themselves on their system

36、of banking secrecy and numbered accounts. Over the years, they had successfully withstood every challenge to this system by their own government who, in turn, had been frequently urged by foreign governments to reveal information about the financial affairs of certain account holders The result of t

37、his policy of secrecy was that a kind of mystique had grown up around Swiss banking There was a widely-held belief that Switzerland was irresistible to wealthy foreigners, mainly because of its numbered accounts and bankers* reluctance to ask awkward questions of depositors Contributing to the mysti

38、que was the view, carefully propagated by the banks themselves, that if this secrecy was ever given up. foreigners would fall over themselves in the rush to withdraw money, and the Swiss banking system would virtually collapse overnight.To many, therefore, it came like a bolt out of the blue, when,

39、in 1977, the Swiss banks announced they had signed a pact with the Swiss National Bank (the Central Bank). The aim of the agreement was to prevent the improper use of the country*s bank secrecy laws, and its effect was to curb severely the system of secrecy.The rules which the banks had agreed to ob

40、serve made the opening of numbered accounts subject to much closer scrutiny than before. The banks would be required, if necessary, to identify the origin of foreign funds going into numbered and other accounts. The idea was to stop such accounts being used for dubious purposes. Also, they agreed no

41、t to accept funds resulting fiom tax evasion or from crime.The pact represented essentially a tightening up of banking rules. Although the banks agreed to end relations with clients whose identities were unclear or who were performing improper acts, they were still not obliged to inform on a client

42、to any one, including the Swiss government. To some extern, therefore, the principle of secrecy had been maintained.14. Swiss banks took pride in.A. the number of their accountsB. withholding client informationC. being mysterious to the outsidersD. attracting wealthy foreign clients15. According to

43、the passage, the widely-held belief that Switzerland was irresistible to wealthy foreigners wasby banks themselvesA. deniedB. criticizedC. reviewedD. defended16. 】n the last paragraph, the writer thinks thatA. complete changes had been introduced into Swiss banksB. Swiss banks could no longer keep c

44、lient informationC. changes in the bank policies had been somewhat superficialD. more changes need to be considered and madePassage 5I am one of the many city people who are always saying that given the choice, we would prefer to live in the country away from the dirt and noise of a large city. I ha

45、ve managed to convince myself that if it weren't for my job I would immediately head out for the open spaces and go back to nature in some sleepy village buried in the country. But how realistic is the dream?Cities can be frightening places The majority of the population live in massive tower bl

46、ocks, noisy, dirty and impersonal. The sense of belonging to a community tends to disappear when you live fifteen floors up. All you can see from your window is sky, or other blocks of flats. Children become aggressive and nervouscooped up at home ail day, with nowhere to play; their mothers feel is

47、olated from the rest of the world. Strangely enough, whereas in the past the inhabitants of one street all knew each other, nowadays people on the same floor in tower blocks don't even say hello to each other.Country life, on the other hand, differs from this kind of isolated existence in that a

48、 sense of community generally binds the inhabitants of small villages together. People have the advantage of knowing that there is always someone to turn to when they need help. But country life has disadvantages too. While it is true that you may be among friends in a village, it is also true that

49、you are cut off from the exciting and important events that take place in cities. There's little possibility of going to a new show or the latest movie Shopping becomes a major problem, and for anything slightly out of the ordinary you have to go on an expedition to the nearest large town. The c

50、itydweller who leaves for the country is often oppressed by a sense of unbearable stillness and quiet.What, then, is the answer? The country has the advantage of peace and quiet, but suffers from the disadvantage of being cut off; the city breeds a feeling of isolation, and constant noise batters th

51、e senses But one of its main advantages is that you are at the centre of things, and that life doesnS come to an end at half-past nine at night. Some people have found (or rather bought) a compromise between the two. they have expressed their preference for the "quiet life0 by moving to village

52、s within commuting distance of large cities They generally have about as 9much sensitivity as the plastic flowers they leave behind they are polluted with strange ideas about change and improvement which they force on to the unwilling original inhabitants of the villages.What then of my dreams of le

53、aning on a cottage gate and murmuring "morning” to the locals as they pass by. I'm keen on the idea, but you see there's my cat, Toby. I'm not at all sure that he would take to all that fresh air and exercise in the long grass. I mean, can you see him mixing with all those hearty ma

54、les down the farm? No, he would rather have the electric imitation-coal fire any evening.17. We get the impression from the first paragraph that the authorA. used to live in the countryB. used to work in the cityC works in the cityD lives in the country18. In the author's opinion, the following

55、may cause city peopleto be unhappy EXCEPTA. a strong sense of fearB. lack of communicationC. housing conditionsD. a sense of isolation19. The passage implies that it is easy to buy the following thingsin the country EXCEPTA. daily necessitiesB. fresh fruitsC. designer clothesD. fresh vegetables20. A

56、ccording to the passage, which of the following adjectives best describes those people who work in large cities and live in villages?A. OriginalB. Quiet.C Arrogant.D. Insensitive.IL Translation (40%)Section A. Translate the following passage from English into Chinese (20%):Intellectual property scar

57、cely existed in the vocabularies of U.S. academic researchers and administrators even 15 years ago. Now it is an ever-present part of discussions on research policies and directions This new importance of intellectual property in academia reflects a changing view of the relationships of research universities to the surrounding society. Until recently, research at universities has been relatively isolated from dem