Directions: For each question in this section, please select the best answer from among the choices given.
1. It is_____ that a man in such a powerful position could act so unwisely.
A.invincible B.inconclusive
C.inconceivable D.unsustainable
2. The unfurnished room has no furniture, no decorations, just the four_____ walls.
A.bare B.hollow
C.vacant D.empty
3. Would you care to_____ on your proposals at the meeting this afternoon?
A.emancipate B.embark
C.elaborate D.eliminate
4. In a conversation too little eye contact may be looked at negatively because it_____ lack of interest, inattention, or even mistrust.
A.includes B.transfers
C.conveys D.holds
5. For a particular reason, he wanted the information to be treated as_____.
A.assured B.reserved
C.intimate D.confidential
6. His power was seriously_____ by a succession of crises, and when he died, a bitter power struggle ensued.
A.eroded B.downplayed
C.rotten D.dwarfed
7. Home construction might be_____, but industrial construction—office buildings, schools,airports, bridges—is poised for growth.
A.flagging B.taking off
C.soaring D.lagging
8. The minister delivered his farewell address in an appealing and humorous_____.
A.vain B.vein
C.vine D.vane
9. I don’t think Freddy had it_____ him to be a football star.
A.with B.out of
C.for D.in
10. Her fingers were numb_____ cold.
A.with B.through
C.above D.of
11. If you want to succeed, you’ ve got to_____ it?
A.come to B.see to
C.stick to D.amount to
12. The roof_____ under heavy snow.
A.cleared the way B.had a way
C.gave way D.went out of its way
13. This TV series will surely_____ readers into thinking about the issue seriously.
A.cause B.expect
C.provoke D.entail
14. Taiwan is an_____ part of our territory.
A.integrating B.integrated
C.integral D.integrity
15. His remarks were_____ annoy everybody at the meeting.
A.so as to B.such as to
C.such to D.as much as to
16. Since establishing the Children’s Defense Fund in 1973, Marian Wright Edelman has been an_____ advocate, steadfast and constant.
A.unswerving B.inhibiting
C.elusive D.antagonistic
17. The nonsmoker’s blood contains_____ amounts of carbon monoxide; on the other hand, the smoker’s blood contains_____amounts.
A.definite… moderate B.minute… excessive
C.bland… adequate D.moderate… frequent
18. Scientists in fact now say that we should stop tampering_____ nature before it is too late.
A.at B.over
C.on D.with
19. It suddenly dawned_____ me that there was another thing that contributed to their economic success.
A.on B.over
C.with D.in
20. To use force with Security Council authority would_____ the crime of aggression.
A.come to B.see to
C.take to D.amount to
21. Seeing I falled to understand, he gave me a_____ look.
A.contemptuous B.contemptible
C.contemptful D.contempted
22. The agreement is designed to remove impediments_____ trade between the two countries.
A.on B.to
C.about D.with
23. He_____ the salad with oil and vinegar.
A.gave B.dressed
C.polished D.put
24. Please_____ from smoking until the aeroplane is airborne.
A.refrain B.prevent
C.resist D.restrain
25. We must resign ourselves_____ fate, seeing that we can do nothing to help ourselves.
A.to B.for
C.with D.at
26. He approached the job with missionary zeal . The underlined word probably means_____.
A.vanity B.prejudice
C.enthusiasm D.belief
27. There were heavy losses of property in the_____of the flood.
A.rise B.end
C.result D.wake
28. The output amounts to ten thousand dollars_____ eight thousand dollars last year.
A.as against B.as to
C.as for D.as such
29. He is quite worn out from years of hard work. He is not the man_____ he was twenty years ago.
A.which B.that
C.who D.whom
30. I never go past my old school,_____ I think of Mrs. Smith, the headmaster.
A.but B.however
C.which D.that
Directions: In this section, there are five passages followed by questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D.Choose the one that you think is the best answer.
Turkeys (the birds) are originally from the Americas. The Europeans knew a similar looking and tasting bird, known nowadays as Guinea fowl, originally from Africa but introduced through the Ottoman Empire, who was called the turkey-cock or turkey-ben. When the Europeans arrived to the Americas and found the bird we now know as turkey, they called it turkey by association.
Ben Franklin preferred them to bald eagles. While Ben Franklin never actually endorsed them for the position of national bird (as some believe), he did praise them as being “a much more respectable bird” in general than the bird of prey bald eagle. He also added, “He is besides, though a little vain &silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on.”
Wild turkeys feed on the ground, which may have something to do with the myth that they can’t fly. They have to fly, however, because they roost in trees at night. Some accounts say they can soar up to 55 mph for short bursts.
A gobbler’s droppings usually take the shape of a “J” or sometimes a question mark. A hen leaves droppings that more closely resemble a spiral that is all in one pile.
Americans particularly love to eat turkey breast meat, so turkeys have been selectively bred over the years to have bigger and bigger breasts. Artificial insemination is a required part of turkey breeding as the modern bird is too heavy and misshapen with its massive breast area to procreate the oldfashioned way.
Turkeys’ heads actually change colors from red to pink, white, blue, or gray depending on its mood.So you could say that they blush!
Turkeys have a 270-degree field of vision (360 when they rotate their heads), can see in color, and see three times more clearly than 20/20.
Turkeys climb up into trees when it’ s time to go to steep, and throughout the night they keep watch over one another to make sure no predators are lurking. In the morning, they gobble softly to each other as a form of headcount to make sure everyone made it through the night.
Turkeys do a lot more than gobble. Their loudest sounds can be heard from more than a mile away.Each turkey sounds slightly different than the next, this is how they tell each other apart.
Turkeys can form a visual map of their territory, remembering tiny details of an area exceeding 1,000 acres even after more than a year.
The heaviest turkey ever recorded reportedly clocked in at a whopping 86 pounds. Nearly 50 million turkeys are expected to be eaten on Thanksgivimg this year.
1. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.Turkeys are in fast Guinea fowls in Europe.
B.Turkeys came originally from Africa.
C.Turkery are native American birds.
D.Turkeys came from Africa and have now become American birds.
2. According to Benjamin Franklin,______.
A.turkeys are preferable to bald eagles
B.he proposed to make the turkey the US’ national bird
C.turkeys are more courageous than bald eagles
D.turkeys are in fact not vain and silly at all
3. What does the word “gobblier” in the text (Paragraph 4) mean?
A.The one who gobbles.
B.A bird which drops like a “J” to the ground.
C.A hen.
D.A turkey-cock.
4. Which of the following statements about their weight are NOT true according to the text?
A.They are so heavy that they can’t reproduce as the wild birds do.
B.They are so heavy that they can weigh as much as 86 pounds.
C.They are so heavy because modern turkeys are bred as a main source of meat.
D.They are so heavy that they can hardly fly.
5. Which of the following statements is true?
A.Both wild and raised turkeys can fly.
B.Turkeys can literally blush when embarrassed.
C.Turkeys, like many animals, are colorblind.
D.Turkeys gobble to distinguish from each other.
6. Why do turkeys gobble?
A.They gobble to herald the break of day.
B.They gobble to show who is louder.
C.They gobble to see who is not around anymore.
D.Only male ones gobble.
This second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary ( OED ) amalgamates the text of the first edition, published in twelve volumes in 1933. The Supplement . Published in four volumns between 1972 and 1986, and approximately five thousand new words, or new senses of existing words, which have gained currency since the relevant volume of the Supplement was published. The editorial policies which informed each of the constituent parts of this edition are detailed in the Introduction, which also includes information on the way in which the task of bringing the parts together was accomplished.
The University of Oxford has the honour, with Her Majesty’s gracious permission, of dedicating this edition of the Dictionary to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second. In 1897 “this historical dictionary of the English language” was dutifully dedicated by the University to Her Majesty Queen Victoria, and on the completion of the first edition in 1928 it was presented to His Majesty King George the Fifth.
The aim of this Dictionary is to present in alphabetical series the words that have formed the English vocabulary from the time of the eartiest records down to the present day, with all the relevant facts concerning their form, sense-history, pronunciation, and etymology. It embraces not only the standard language of literature and conversation, whether current at the moment, or obsolete, or archaic,but also the main technical vocabulary, and a large measure of dialectal usage and slang. Its basis is a collection of several millions of excerpts from literature of every period amassed by an army of readers and the editorial staff. Such a collection of evidence—it is represented by a selection of about 2,400,000 quotations actually printed—could form the only possible foundation for the historical treatment of every word and idiom which is the raison detre of the work. It is generally recognized that the consistent pursuit of this method has worked a revolution in the art of lexicography. In 1891 a great English philologist wrote of the “debt” which “English grammar will some day owe to the New English Dictionary” ; and the debt has been mounting up ever since. There is no aspect of English linguistic history that the Dictionary has not illuminated; its findings have called for the revision of many philological statements and the reconsideration of many judgements on textual matters. So wide is its scope and so intensive its treatment that it has served for students, both native and foreign, as a lexicon of many languages, and, though it deals primarily with words, it is virtually an encyclopaedic treasury of information about things. It has provided a ready quarry of material for may authors of treatises and dissertations. Abridgements and adaptations of it in several forms have been produced by the Oxford University Press: the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary , the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English , the pocket Oxford Dictionary , the Little Oxford Dictionary , and numerous dictionaries for the use of students, chiidren, and foreign learners.
In preparing this new edition of the Oxford English Dictionary , we have received help and support from a wide range of individuals and organizations. Foremost among these were IBM United Kingdom Limited, which donated the equipment on which the text was held and manipulated, made available to us proprietary software, seconded three computer experts to assist in the development of the computer system, and maintained throughout a close involvement in the managenment of the project; the University of Waterloo, in Canada, which provided valuable help in the structuring of the text and was an ever-ready source of technical advice; and the Department of Trade and Industry, which provided a grant—from its Support for Innovation Fund—to help cover the cost of lexicographical research. The very professional service provided by International Computaprint Corporation in converting the text of the Oxford English Dictionary and Supplement into machine-readable form was of crucial importance.
The successful completion of the project is attributable in very large measure to the application and dedication of all those who were involved: lexicographers, computer staff, consultants, readers, library researchers, keyboarders, and proof-readers; and to the support and encouragement of the Advisory Council and Editorial Board (listed below), and of the Delegates and senjor management of the Oxford University Press.
7. Which of the following statements is true about the Supplements ?
A.The first supplement included about 5,000 new words.
B.The 1986 supplement contained 5,000 new words and new meanings.
C.These supplements did not include the 5,000 new words and meanings mentioned in the text.
D.The Supplements included 5,000 new words and meanings that came into use.
8. This second edition of the OED is NOT focused on the collection of_____.
A.the standard language of literature and conversation
B.the main technical vocabulary
C.dialectal usage and slang
D.excerpts from literature of every period
9. What does the phrase “historical treatment” (Paragraph 3) mean?
A.Every word and idiom is treated according to the historical record.
B.Every word and idiom is treated the way it is treated in history.
C.The meanings and use of every word and idiom in history are recorded.
D.The meanings that have been used in history are recorded in chronological order.
10. What does the quote “‘debt’ which ‘English grammar will some day owe to the New English Dictionary’” (Paragraph 3) mean?
A.There is a debt that the English grammar has to pay back to the New English Dictionary .
B.English grammar is also part of the New English Dictionary .
C.The New English Dictionary laid the foundation for the English language.
D.The New English Dictionary is crucial to the formation of what is known as the English grammar.11. What did IBM NOT do to this edition of OED ?
A.It held and manipulated the text with technological equipment.
B.It transformed its printed version into an electronic version.
C.It developed a specially designed computer system for it.
D.It helped manage the preparation of the new edition.
12. Which of the following statements is NOT true about this second edition?
A.It was produced in 2009.
B.It received a govermment fund.
C.It received technological support from University of Waterloo, Canada
D.The OED revolutionized the art of lexicography by making it electronically available.
A new era is upon us. Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society. It all transiates into a fundamental change in the way we work. Already we’ re partly there. The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more in many of these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the workforce than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breadth of the economic transformation can’t be measured by numbers alone, because it is also giving rise to a radical new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held notions about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers—all these are being challenged.
We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years could possibly have foreseen the ways in which a single invention, the chip, would transform our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots.Tomorrow’s achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more vital, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to solve problems by applying informatlon instead of performing routine tasks will be valued above all else. If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information services will be predominant. It will be the way you do your job.
13. What does “transiate into” (Line 2, Paragraph 1) here mean?
A.Change words into another language.
B.Mean the same as.
C.Bring about something as a result.
D.Adapt to something new.
14. A characteristic of the information age is that_____.
A.the service industry is relying more and more on the female workforce
B.manufacturing industries are steadily increasing
C.people find it harder and harder to earn a living by working in factories
D.most of the job opportunities can now be found in the service industry
15. One of the greatest changes brought about by the knowledge society is that_____.
A.the difference berween the employee and the employer has become insignificant
B.people’s traditional concepts about work no longer hold true
C.most people have to take part-time jobs
D.people have to change their jobs from time to time
16. By referring to computers and other inventions, the author means to say that_____.
A.people should be able to respond quickly to the advancement of technology
B.future achievements in technology will bring about inconceivable dramatic changes
C.the importance of high technology has been overlooked
D.computer science will play a leading role in the future information services
17. The future will probably belong to those who_____.
A.possess and know how to make use of information
B.give full play to their brain potential
C.involve themselves in service industries
D.cast their minds ahead instead of looking back
18. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Computers and the Knowledge Society.
B.Service Industries in Modern Society.
C.Features and Implications of the New Era.
D.Rapid Advancement of Information Technology
Translation is generally regarded as either an elementary or an overly complex exercise. Too often it is regarded as merely a matter of individual preference, hence warranting little general discussion,unless one engages in professional translation, new technology for it, applied linguistics, or the like.Having read recent publications in several fields and talked with colleagues, I beg to differ.
Before raising the issues, let us agree on the obvious. Decisions on the mode of translation often involve several dimensions. First, the choice of style: should the translation be literal, permissibly free,rendered quite lyrical, given an extended nuance for clarity or emphasis, stretched somewhat to go along with a certain interpretation, and so on? Another aspect is that of cross-cultural perspective: how to indicate something in one culture by a counterpart in another, across the barriers of respective cultural contexts? (E.g., should the old Chinese elite be called “the gentry”?) A third and related dimension may appear: how to adjust a translated term to fit a given discipline? (E.g., can “training” in an carlier translation now read “socialization,” in the interest of mid-twentieth century sociology or even political science?) A fouth dimension is whether or not to make a temporal adjustment? (E.g., should a piece in classical Japanese be translated in old English or current English?) A fifth dimeason is something like the Heisenbeng Principle of Uncertainry in physics. When one particular meaning of a word gets pinned down, this imparts other connotations or implications.
There are yet other dimensions, but enough said. Let us agree that choosing one way to transiate does not necessarily imply rejecting others. We know all about that; we ponder over the dimensions; we struggle with the options, and we make hard decisions. But that is not the point!
How often do we spell out this thinking process, enabling our readers to quickly fathom whether we are headed? Or rather, do we leave them to figure out, if they wish, not only what we do but how we have done it? This falls short of effective communication, not to mention the time wastefully spent retracing one’s footsteps without a map.
The questions that need to be raised are these: Can we try to encourage more authors who publish considerable amounts of translation to add some brief explanation of their thinking process behind it,either as a whole or on particular passages? Would it be desirable to stress the same in graduate training?Antention to these matters will help.
19. Which of the following would the author of the text very probably agree to?
A.Translation is a matter of personal preference.
B.In most cases, the matter of translation needs little discussion.
C.Professional translation merits most attention.
D.Applied linguistics can be very useful in translation studies.
20. When we translate the Chinese term “君子” in the Confucian classic Analects (《论语》)as “gentleman,”the translation technique we use fall into the_____ of the five dimensions?
A.1st B.2rd
C.3rd D.4th
21. When we translate the Chinese expression “吃大锅饭” as “equalitarianism, literally, eating from the same big pot,” the technique used here can be best regarded as an instance in the _____dimension as described by the author.
A.1st B.3rd
C.4th D.5th
22. When we translate the Chinese word “龙” into “dragon,” the technique used can very the possibly be regarded as an instance in the_____ dimension as described by the author.
A.1st B.3rd
C.4th D.5th
23. The author of the text could very possibly be a_____.
A.writer B.transiator
C.professor D.news reporter.
24. Which of the following can best sarve as the title of the passage?
A.Some Thoughts about Translation B.Dilemmas of Transiation
C.Transilation and its Challenges D.Translation, a Work of Art
The Camegie Foundation report says that many colleges have tried to be “all things to all people.”In doing so, they have increasingly catered to a narrow-minded careerism while failing to cultivate a global vision among their students. The current crisis, it contends, does not derive from a legitimate desire to put learning to productive ends. The problem is that in too many academic fields, the work has no context; skills, rather than being means, have become ends. Students are offered a variety of options and allowed to pick their way to a degree, In short, driven by careerism,“the nation’s colleges and universities are more successful in providing credentials than in providing a quality education for their students. ” The report concludes that the special challenge confronting the undergraduate college is one of shaping an “integrated core” of common learning. Such a core would introduce students “to essential knowledge, to connections across the disciplines, and in the end, to application of knowledge to life beyond the campus. ”
Although the key to a good college is a high-quality faculty, the Carnegie study found that most colleges do very little to encourage good teaching. In fact, they do much to undermine it. As one professor observed: “Teaching is important, we are told, and yet faculty know that research and publication matter most. ” Not surprisingly, over the last twenty years colleges and universities have failed to graduate half of their four-year degree candidates. Faculty members who dedicated themselves to teaching soon discover that they will not be granted tenure, promotion, or substantial salary increases.Yet 70 percent of all faculty say their interests lie more in teaching than in research. Additionally,a frequent complaint among young scholars is that “There is pressure to publish, although there is virtually no interest among administrators or colleagues in the content of the publications. ”
25. When a college tries to be “all things to all people” (Lines 1–2, Paragraph 1), it aims to_____.
A.satisty the needs of all kinds of students simultaneously
B.focus on training students in various skills
C.encourage all sorts of people to attend college
D.make learning serve academic rather than productive ends
26. One reason for the current crisis in American colleges and universities is that_____ .
A.a narrow vocationalism has come to dominate many colleges
B.students don’t have enough freedom in choosing what they want to learn
C.skills are being taught as a means to an end
D.students are only interested in obtaining credentials
27. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.The nation’s colleges and universities are better at providing diplomas than in providing a quality education for their students.
B.The nation’s colleges and universities only focus on an integrated core of common learning.
C.The nation’s colleges and universities give priority to the cultivation of a global vision among students.
D.The nation’s colleges and universities base their education on the right perspective.
28. What does “observe” (Line 3, Paragraph 2) here probably mean?
A.See and notice something.
B.Watch something or someone carefully.
C.Say or write what one has noticed about a situation.
D.Do what one is supposed to do according to a law or an agreement.
29. American colleges and universities failed to graduate half of their four-year degree candidates because_____.
A.most of them lack high-quality faculties
B.the interests of most faculty members lie in research
C.there are not enough incentives for students to study hard
D.they attach greater importance to research and publication than to teaching
30. It can be inferred from the passage that high-quality college education calls for_____.
A.more incentives for the faculty to conduct more research
B.a commitment to students and effective teaching
C.the practice of puting learning to productive ends
D.dedication to research in frontier areas of knowledge
Directions: Please ansswer the following questions according to their corresponding passages you have read.
1. Do you think turkeys are a silly and clumsy bird? Why? (This question is based on Passage 1 )
2. In what way did OED revolutionize the art of lexicography? (This question is based on Passage 2 )
3. How has the information age influenced your personal life? (This question is based on Passage 3 )
4. Do you think classical Chinese poetry, e. g. that of DU Fu (杜甫 ), can be translated in modern English verses? Why? (This question is based on Passage 4 )
5. What does the author mean by “in too many academic fields, the work has no context” (Lines 5–6,Paragraph 1 )? (This question is based on Passage 5 )
Directions: Please comment on the following quote in no fewer than 300 words: 没有翻译家,世界文学就是句空话。——莫言