2025年英语专八真题

TESTFORENGLISHMAJORS(2025)

-GRADEEIGHT-

TIMELIMIT:150MIN

PARTILISTENINGCOMPREHENSION(25MIN)

SECTIONAMINI-LECTURE

Inthissectionyouwillhearamini-lecture.Youwillhearthemini-lectureONCEONLY.Whilelisteningtothe

mini-lecture,completethegap-fillingtaskonANSWERSHEETONEandwriteNOMORETHANTHREEWORDSfor

eachgap.Makesurewhatyoufillinisbothgrammaticallyandsemanticallyacceptable.Youmayusetheblanksheetfor

note-taking.

YouhaveTHIRTYsecondstopreviewthegap-fillingtask.

Now,listentothemini-lecture.Whenitisover,youwillbegivenTHREEminutestocheckyourwork.

SECTIONBINTERVIEW

InthissectionyouwillhearONEinterviews.TheinterviewwillbedividedintoTWOparts.Attheendofeachpart,

fivequestionswillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.BoththeinterviewandthequestionswillbereadONCEONLY.After

eachquestiontherewillbeaten-secondpause.Duringthepause,youshouldreadthefourchoicesofA,B,CandD,

andmarkthebestanswertoeachquestiononANSWERSHEETTWO.

YouhaveTHIRTYsecondstopreviewthechoices.

Now,listentoPartOneoftheinterview.Questions1to5arebasedonPartOneoftheinterview.

1.A.Heisaprofessionaladvisor.B.Heisafamouswriter.

C.Heisaveteranprogrammer.D.Heisaprojectmanager.

2.A.Classiceffectsofburnout.B.Decisiontoworkmuchharder.

C.Plantostriveformoreproductivity.D.Newexperiencefromhissabbatical.

3.A.Itleadstomoreproductivity.B.Itleadstomoreproblems.

C.Itleadstosustainability.D.Itleadstodetachmentfromwork.

4.A.Theyshouldbeembraced.B.Theyshouldbemademoreautomatic.

C.Theyshouldbereconsidered.D.Theyshouldbeusedaslittleaspossible.

5.A.Supportive.B.Pessimistic.C.Ambivalent.D.Indifferent.

Now,listentoPartTwooftheinterview.Questions6to10arebasedonPartTwooftheinterview.

6.A.Absencefromwork.B.Beingrestorativeandactive.

C.Beingseriousandengaging.D.Occasionforreflection.

7.A.Mountainclimbing.B.Sittingonthecouch.

C.Watchingtelevision.D.Playingvideogames.

8.A.Helpingbodydevelopment.B.Helpingrelievesufferings.

C.Helpingbrainmaintenance.D.Helpingfindsolutions.

9.A.Creativityisirrational.B.Creativityisshort-lived.

C.Inspirationcomesbeforeyoustartworking.D.Inspirationcomesafteryoustartworking.

10.A.Culturedifferences.B.Leisureandsleep.

C.Scienceandtechnology.D.Restandproductivity.

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PARTIIREADINGCOMPREHENSION(45MIN)

SECTIONAMULTIPLECHOICEQUESTIONS

Inthissectiontherearethreepassagesfollowedbyfourteenmultiplechoicequestions.Foreachmultiplechoice

question,therearefoursuggestedanswersmarkedA,B,CandD.Choosetheonethatyouthinkisthebestanswerand

markyouranswersonANSWERSHEETTWO.

PASSAGEONE

(1)Anewstudyfromresearchersuncoversthekindsofinfrastructureimprovementsthatwouldmakethe

biggestdifferenceinincreasingthenumberofelectriccarsontheroad,akeysteptowardreducinggreenhousegas

emissionsfromtransportation.

(2)Theresearchersfoundthatinstallingchargingstationsonresidentialstreets,ratherthanjustincentral

locationssuchasshoppingmalls,couldhaveanoutsizedbenefit.Theyalsofoundthataddingonhigh-speed

chargingstationsalonghighwaysandmakingsupplementaryvehiclesmoreeasilyavailabletopeoplewhoneedto

travelbeyondthesingle-chargerangeoftheirelectricvehiclescouldgreatlyincreasethevehicleelectrification

potential.

(3)ThefindingsarereportedinNatureEnergy,inapaperbyassociateprofessorofenergystudiesJessika

Trancik,graduatestudentWeiWei,etc.

(4)Theresearchersdevelopedanewmethodologytoidentifychargingsolutionsthatwouldconvenientlyfit

intopeople’sdailyactivities.TheyuseddatacollectedfromGPStrackingdevicesincars,aswellassurveyresults

aboutpeople’sdailydrivinghabitsandneeds,includingdetaileddatafromlocalareasandmoregeneraldatafrom

thecountryasawhole.Greatlyincreasingthepenetrationofelectriccarsintothepersonalvehiclefleetisacentral

featureofclimatemitigationpoliciesatlocalandnationallevels,Tranciksays.Agoalofthisstudywas“tobetter

understandhowtomaketheseplansforrapidvehicleelectrificationareality,”sheadds.

(5)Indecidinghowtoprioritizedifferentkindsofimprovementsinvehiclecharginginfrastructure,shesays,

“theapproachthatwetookmethodologicallywastoemphasizebuildingabetterunderstandingofpeople’s

detailedenergyconsumingbehavior,throughoutthedayandyear.”

(6)Todothat,“weexaminehowdifferentpeoplearemovingfromlocationtolocationthroughouttheday,

andwheretheyarestopping,”shesays.“Andfromtherewe’reabletolookatwhenandwheretheywouldbeable

tochargewithoutinterruptingtheirdailytravelactivities.”

(7)Theteamlookedatbothregulardailyactivitiesandthevariationsthatoccuroverthecourseofayear.

“Thelongitudinalviewisimportantforcapturingthedifferentkindsoftripsthatadrivermakesovertime,sothat

wecandeterminethekindsofcharginginfrastructureneededtosupportvehicleelectrification,”Weisays.

(8)Whilethevastmajorityofpeople’sdailydrivingneedscanbemetbytherangeprovidedbyexisting

lower-costelectriccars,asTrancikandhercolleagueshavereported,therearetypicallyafewtimeswhenpeople

needtodrivemuchfarther.Or,theymayneedtomakemoreshorttripsthanusualinaday,withlittletimetostop

andrecharge.These“high-energydays,”astheresearcherscallthem,whendriversareconsumingmorethanthe

usualamountofenergyfortheirtransportationneeds,mayonlyhappenahandfuloftimesperyear,buttheycan

bethedecidingfactorinpeople’sdecisionmakingaboutwhethertogoelectric.

(9)Eventhoughbatterytechnologyissteadilyimprovingandextendingthemaximumrangeofelectriccars,

thatalonewillnotbeenoughtomeetalldrivers’needsandachieverapidemissionsreductions.So,addressingthe

rangeissuethroughinfrastructureisessential,Weisays.Thehighest-capacitybatteriestendtobethemost

expensive,andarenotaffordabletomany,hepointsout,sogettinginfrastructurerightisalsoimportantfroman

equityperspective.

(10)“Therearevariouswaystoincentivizetheexpansionofsuchcharginginfrastructures,”hesays.“There’s

aroleforpolicymakersatthenationallevel,forexample,forincentivestoencourageprivatesectorcompetitionin

thisspace,anddemonstrationsitesfortestingout,throughpublic-privatepartnerships,therapidexpansionofthe

charginginfrastructure.”Governmentsatdifferentlevelscanalsoplayanimportantpartindrivinginnovationby

businesses,hesays,andanumberofthemhavealreadysignaledtheirsupportforvehicleelectrification.

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(11)Providingeasyaccesstoalternativetransportationforthosehigh-energydayscouldalsoplayarole,the

studyfound.Vehiclecompaniesmayevenfinditadvantageoustoprovideorpartnerwithconvenientrental

servicestohelpdrivetheirelectriccarsales.

(12)Intheiranalysisofdrivinghabits,forexample,theteamfoundthattheimpactofeitheraddinghighway

fast-chargingstationsorincreasingavailabilityofsupplementarylong-rangevehiclesforuptofourdaysayear

meantthatthenumberofhomesthatcouldmeettheirdrivingneedswithalowercostelectricvehicleincreased

from10percentto40percent.Thisnumberrosetoabove90percentofhouseholdswhenfast-chargingstations,

workplacecharging,overnightpubliccharging,andupto10daysofaccesstosupplementaryvehicleswereall

available.Importantly,chargingoptionsatresidentiallocations(onoroff-street)iskeyacrossallofthese

scenarios.

(13)Thestudy’sfindingshighlighttheimportanceofmakingovernightchargingcapabilitiesavailableto

morepeople.Whilethosewhohavetheirowngaragesoroff-streetparkingcanoftenalreadyeasilychargetheir

carsathome,manypeopledonothavethatoptionandusepublicparking.“It’sreallyimportanttoprovideaccess

—reliable,predictableaccess—tochargingforpeople,wherevertheyparkforlongerperiodsoftimenearhome,

oftenovernight,”Tranciksays.

(14)Thatincludeslocationssuchashotelsaswellasresidentialneighborhoods,shesays.“Ithinkit’sso

criticaltoemphasizethesehigh-impactapproaches,suchasfiguringoutwaystodothatonpublicstreets,rather

thanhaphazardlyputtingachargeratthegrocerystoreoratthemalloranyotherpubliclocation.”

(15)Thestudyshouldhelptoprovidesomeguidancetopolicymakersatalllevelswhoarelookingforways

tofacilitatethereductionofgreenhousegasemissions,sincethetransportationsectoraccountsforaboutathirdof

thoseemissionsoverall.“Ifyouhavelimitedfunds,whichyoutypicallyalwaysdo,thenit’sjustreallyimportant

toprioritize,”Tranciksays,notingthatthisstudycouldindicatetheareasthatcouldprovidethegreatestreturnfor

thoseinvestments.

11.Theteam’ssurveyinvolvesallthefollowingEXCEPT______

A.people’severydaymovements.B.dailychargingvenues.

C.greenhousegasemissions.D.people’sdrivingneeds.

12.Duringhigh-energydays,peopletendto______

A.drivefasterthantheyusuallydo.B.rechargetheircarsmorefrequently.

C.planmoreroutestotheirworkplaces.D.usemorelower-costelectriccars.

13.Highest-capacitybatteriesareNOTthebestsolutiontogoingelectricbecausethey______

A.failtotacklethedistanceissue.B.arestillatthetrialstage.

C.areavailableinfewstores.D.resultinincreasingcost.

14.WhatdoesPara.10mainlydiscuss?

A.Agenciesresponsibleforbuildingcharginginfrastructure.

B.Waystopromotetheexpansionofcharginginfrastructure.

C.Sitesfordemonstrationofcharginginfrastructure.

D.Rolesofprivatebusinessesinimprovingcharginginfrastructure.

15.Whichofthefollowingisthemostadvisableforgoingelectric?

A.Providingeasilyaccessiblecarrentalservices.

B.Buildingchargingstationsinresidentialareas.

C.Installingfast-chargingstationsalonghighways.

D.Settingupchargingstationsatshoppingmalls.

PASSAGETWO

(1)Ihadbeenhangingaroundforafewyearswithaveryparty-timecrowd,andmylifewasonadownward

slide.IhadgottenaPh.D.andadivorcesimultaneously.Thefancyacademicjobnevermaterialized.SoonIwas

playingfluteinastreetband,eatingdonatedsandwiches,andspendingeverynightinclubsdancingthenight

away.InafewyearsIwaslivinginthemountainsinashack,andnoneofmyfriendsworked.

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(2)WhenIsawtheadintheSundaypaper—BRAKEMENWANTED—Ithoughtofitasachancetoclean

upmyactandtogetaway.Ifeltthatbydoingworkthisdangerous,Iwouldhavetomakeadecisiontolive,to

protectmyself.Iwouldhavetochoosetostayaliveeveryday,tohangontothesidesofthosefreightcarsfordear

life.Therailroadtransformedthemetaphorofmylife.Ninethousandtonsmovingatsixtymilesanhourintothe

fearfulnight.Inowwouldridethatimage,tryingtostayalivewithinit.Iknowthatlater,whenIsatbehindthe

movingtraininthedarknessofthecaboose(供列车员休息的车厢),windowopenandtheunknownfragrancesof

thelandfillingthespace,theblacknessofthenightwasmyfriend.Itfeltgoodtobepowerlessandcarriedalong

bythedestinyofthatmotion.Ifelthappyandatpeace.IwaswhereIbelonged.

(3)Therailroaddidn’tbelieveinlengthyformaltraining.Theyofferedatwo-weekclasswhichcoveredthe

bookofrules,athree-hundreddocumentwithadualpurpose—tokeeptrainsfromrunningintooneanother

andtopreventanysituationinwhichthecompanymightgetsued.Rulesoftheroadwhichyouhadtolearnwere

mixedinwithruleswhichyouhadtoignoreinordertogettheworkdone.Butyouhadtoknowthatyouwere

ignoringarulesothatinthewinter,whencompanyofficialshadtimetosneakaroundtesting,youcouldworkby

thebook.

(4)Therulebookwasalsoinacontinuousstateofrevision.Revisionsappearedinthetimetablewhichyou

carriedwithyouatalltimes.Furtherrevisionsappearedinregulartimetablebulletinswhichwerepostedatwork.

Soonyourrulebookresembledascrapbook,withparagraphscrossedout,pagespastedin,andnotesonchanges

whichwerethencrossedoutandchangedweekslater.Itdroveyoucrazy.Youalwayshadtobeonthelookoutfor

acompanyofficialhidinginthebusheswhileyoudidyourwork.Thisindividualwouldpopoutandaskyou

questionsaboutthelatestrulerevisions.Anotationoffailurewouldthenappearinyourpersonalfile.These

notationswerereferredtoas“Brownies,”namedaftertheofficialwhodevisedtherailroaddemeritsystem.As

trainmenwerefondofpointingout,however,therewasnomeritsystemtogowithit.

(5)Outofseventeenstudentbrakementhreeofuswerewomen.Thiswasalargepercentage,comparatively.

Thefirstwomenhadbeenhiredtwoyearsbefore,andtheywerearoundtogiveusadvice.Thepointwastoget

throughtheclass,andgetovertheprobationaryperiodknownasthe“derail.”Thenyouwereintheunionanda

railroaderforlife.Gettingoverthederailtooksixtydays,andifeitherthecrewsyouworkedwithorthecompany

officershadacomplaint,youwereout.Attheendoftwoweeksofclassroominstruction,youboughtarailroad

watch,theygaveyouswitchkeysandatwo-dollarlantern,andyoumarkedupasextraboardbrakemen.

(6)Onthelastdayofclass,theytookusdowntothefreightyardtograpplewiththeequipment.Wepracticed

gettingonandoffmovingcars,climbingtheladdersandcrankingdownthehandbrakes,changingtheeighty-five-

poundknucklesthatjoinedthecarstogether,andhandandlanternsignals.Thesesignalswerethewaymembers

ofthecrewtalkedtoeachother,andtheywereanartform.Anoldheadcouldpracticallyorderapizzafromahalf

mileaway.Youwouldseelights,arcsandcircles,stabsoflight.Itwouldrepeat.Youwouldstandthereconfused.

Finallyyouwouldwalkdownthetrackandfindtheforemaninadeepstateofdisgust.

(7)“Itoldyoutohangthreecars,lettwogototherunaround,onetothemain,gothroughthecrossovers,and

linebehind.Nowcan’tyoureadasignal,dummy?”

(8)Thedayafterourpracticesession,Igotintomycarandtriedtorollthewindowdown.Myarmsdidn’t

work.Thiswasmyfirstmomentofdoubtaboutbeingabletodothejob.Itwashardtogettheupper-body

strengthrequiredtohangonandrideforlongdistancesonthesideofcars.Terroratfallingbeneaththewheels

wasabigmotivator,however.Terrorandridicule.Therewasalotofbothduringtheprobationaryperiodandthe

studenttrips.Onstudenttripswetaggedalongwitharegularcrewandtriedtolearnsomething.Tome,whatwe

weredoingmadenosensewhatsoever.JustgettingusedtotheequipmenthadmesodisorientatedthatIhadno

ideawherewehadgoneorhowthecrewdidanything.OneofthecrewsuggestedtomethatIgotoatoystore

andlookatthemodeltrains,toseehowswitcheswork.Theysay,though,thatwhateveryoustartoutdoing

railroading,itgetsimprinted,andthat’swhatyouaremostcomfortabledoingfromthenon.Icouldn’thavepicked

abetterplacetobreakinthanWatsonvilleJunction.Itwasold-time,local-freight,full-crewswitching.Kicking

carsandpassingsigns.Thebasicstuffthatyouhavetolearnatfirstoryounevergetnomatterhowlongyou’re

outhere.

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16.Whydidtheauthorwanttobecomeabrakeman?

A.Shewasfascinatedbythejob.B.Shewantedtomakeafreshstart.

C.Shelovedtobeonnightshifts.D.Shehadlikedtrainsallalong.

17.Accordingtotheauthor,whichofthefollowingwordsbestdescribesthebookofrules?

A.Portable.B.Practical.

C.Multi-purpose.D.Self-contradictory.

18.Theauthor’stoneinthelastsentenceofPara.3is______

A.critical.B.ironical.C.serious.D.angry.

19.WhichofthefollowingstatementsisCORRECTaccordingtoParas.4&5?

A.Theprobationaryperiodwascrucialforgettingthejob.

B.Revisionsandfurtherrevisionsappearedinthetimetable.

C.Therailroadcompanyhadbothdemeritandmeritsystems.

D.Studentbrakemenwouldbeaskedaboutthelatestrulerevisions.

20.Theauthorfelt______onherstudenttrips.

A.confidentofherskillsB.calmandbrave

C.confusedaboutwhattodoD.disappointedinherself

PASSAGETHREE

(1)Thestormcameonslowlyoneafternoon.Thecloudslookedasiftheywerestumblingalongbeforethe

wind,frightened.Theseatookitscue.Itstartedrisingandfallinginamannerthatmademyheartsink.Itookin

thenet.Oh,youshouldhaveseenthatlandscape!WhatIhadseenuptillnowweremerehillocksofwater.These

swellsweretrulymountains.Thevalleyswefoundourselvesinweresodeeptheyweregloomy.Theirsideswere

sosteepthelifeboatstartedslidingdownthem,nearlysurfing.Theraftwasgettingexceptionallyroughtreatment,

beingpulledoutofthewateranddraggedalongbouncing.Ideployedbothseaanchorsfully,atdifferentlengths

sothattheywouldnotinterferewitheachother.

(2)Climbingthegiantswells,theboatclungtotheseaanchorslikeamountainclimbertoarope.Wewould

rushupuntilwereachedasnow-whitecrestinaburstoflightandfoamandatippingforwardofthelifeboat.The

viewwouldbeclearformilesaround.Butthemountainwouldshift,andthegroundbeneathuswouldstart

sinkinginamoststomach-sickeningway.Innotimewewouldbesittingonceagainatthebottomofadarkvalley,

differentfromthelastbutthesame,withthousandsoftonsofwaterhoveringaboveusandwithonlyourflimsy

lightnesstosaveus.Thelandwouldmoveoncemore,thesea-anchorropeswouldsnaptotautness,andtheroller

coasterwouldstartagain.

(3)Theseaanchorsdidtheirjobwell—infact,nearlytoowell.Everyswellatitscrestwantedtotakeusfor

atumble,buttheanchors,beyondthecrest,heavedmightilyandpulledusthrough,butattheexpenseofpulling

thefrontoftheboatdown.Theresultwasanexplosionoffoamandsprayatthebow.Iwassoakedthroughand

througheachtime.

(4)Thenaswellcameupthatwasparticularlyintentontakingusalong.Thistimethebowvanished

underwater.Iwasshockedandchilledandscaredwitless.Ibarelymanagedtoholdon.Theboatwasswamped.I

heardRichardParkerroar.Ifeltdeathwasuponus.Theonlychoicelefttomewasdeathbywaterordeathby

animal.Ichosedeathbyanimal.

(5)Whilewesankdownthebackoftheswell,Ijumpedontothetarpaulin(防水布)andunrolledittowards

thestern,closinginRichardParker.Ifheprotested,Ididnothearhim.Fasterthanasewingmachineworkinga

pieceofcloth,Ihookeddownthetarpaulinonbothsidesoftheboat.Wewereclimbingagain.Theboatwas

lurchingupwardssteadily.Itwashardtokeepmybalance.Thelifeboatwasnowcoveredandthetarpaulin

battened(用压条固定)down,exceptatmyend.Isqueezedinbetweenthesidebenchandthetarpaulinandpulled

theremainingtarpaulinovermyhead.Ididnothavemuchspace.Betweenbenchandgunnel(船舷边缘)there

wastwelveinches,andthesidebencheswereonlyoneandahalffeetwide.ButIwasnotsofoolhardy,evenin

thefaceofdeath,astomoveontotheflooroftheboat.Therewerefourhookslefttocatch.Islippedahand

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throughtheopeningandworkedtherope.Witheachhookdone,itwasgettinghardertogetthenext.Imanaged

two.Twohooksleft.Theboatwasrushingupwardsinasmoothandunceasingmotion.Theinclinewasover

thirtydegrees.Icouldfeelmyselfbeingpulleddowntowardsthestern.Twistingmyhandfrantically,Isucceeded

incatchingonemorehookwiththerope.ItwasthebestIcoulddo.Thiswasnotajobmeanttobedonefromthe

insideofthelifeboatbutfromtheoutside.Ipulledhardontherope,somethingmadeeasierbythefactthat

holdingontoitwaspreventingmefromslidingdownthelengthoftheboat.Theboatswiftlypassedaforty-five-

degreeincline.

(6)Wemusthavebeenatasixty-degreeinclinewhenwereachedthesummitoftheswellandbrokethrough

itscrestontotheotherside.Thesmallestportionoftheswell’ssupplyofwatercrasheddownonus.IfeltasifI

werebeingpummelled(反复猛击)byagreatfist.Thelifeboatabrupt