2011专八真题
PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION SECTION A MINI-LECTURE
In this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture. When the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Some of the gaps may require a maximum of THREE words. Make sure the word(s) you fill in is (are) both grammatically and semantically acceptable. You may refer to your notes while completing the task. Use the blank sheet for note-taking. Classifications of Cultures
According to Edward Hall, different cultures result in different ideas about the world. Hall is an anthropologist. He is interested in relations between cultures. I. High-context culture A. feature
- context: more important than the message - meaning: (1)__________
i.e. more attention paid to (2) ___________ than to the message itself B. examples - personal space
- preference for (3)__________ - less respect for privacy / personal space - attention to (4)___________ - concept of time
- belief in (5)____________ interpretation of time - no concern for punctuality - no control over time II. Low-context culture A. feature
- message: separate from context - meaning: (6)___________ B. examples - personal space
- desire / respect for individuality / privacy - less attention to body language - more concern for (7)___________ - attitude toward time
- concept of time: (8)____________ - dislike of (9)_____________ - time seen as commodity III. Conclusion
Awareness of different cultural assumptions - relevance in work and life e.g. business, negotiation, etc.
- (10)_____________ in successful communication 参考答案：
(1) context of message(2) what's happening / the context(3) closeness to people(4) body language(5) poly-chronic (6) message itself(7) the message(8) mono-chronic(9) lateness(10) great influence / significance TIPS：
(1) 根据原文中一句“A high-context culture is a culture in which the context of the message, or the action, or an event carries a large part of its meaning and significance.”可知答案。
(2) 根据原文“What this means is that in a high-context culture, more attention is paid to what's happening in and around the message than to the message itself.”可知答案。
(3) 根据原文“Generally speaking, in a high-context culture, because this greater dependency on group thinking, people lean towards heavier sense of involvement or closeness to people.”可得出答案。
(4) 根据原文“And also people from a high-context culture pay attention to body language.”可得出答案。
(5) 根据原文“People in high-context cultures, are considered to have, what is called a poly-chronic attitude toward time.”可得出答案。 (6) 根据原文“A low-context culture is one in which the message, the event or the action is a separate entity, having meaning onto itself, regardless of the surroundings or the context.”可得出答案。
(7) 根据原文“And you'll also see that people might pay less attention to body language, because as I said, the message is, the message is everything.”可得出答案。
(8) 原文提到在low-context culture中，人们对时间的态度可称为mono-chronic。
(9) 根据原文“People in a low-context culture would be much more upset with lateness, because they feel that everyone should follow the same time.”可得出答案。
(10) 根据文章末尾部分“If you're in business, negotiations, interpersonal relations, if you're dealing with people from different cultures in any way, it's going to affect every part of your life. In any multi-cultural situation, these assumptions need to be taken into account for successful interactions.”可知，在商务活动、谈判、人际交往中，与来自不同文化的人打交道时，这些想法对成功的交际起着非常重要的作用。 script:
Classifications of Cultures
Good morning, everyone! Today, we'll look at culture or rather classifications of cultures. Usually, when we deal with different people, we deal with them as if we were all members of the same culture. However, it's possible that people from different cultures have different assumptions about the world. We got in such important and basic ideas as time, personal space. And this is the view of Edward Hall. And Edward Hall is an anthropologist who spent a large part of his life studying American Indians, their culture, their language. But he was different from a lot of other anthropologists who just study one culture. He was interested in the relations between cultures, how cultures interact. What Hall believes is that cultures can be classified by placing them on a continuum, ranging from what he called high-context to low-context.
OK, what is a high-context culture? A high-context culture is a culture in which the context of the message, or the action, or an event carries a large part of its meaning and significance. What this means is that in a high-context culture, more attention is paid to what's happening in and around the message than to the message itself.
Now, let me give you examples. First, in terms of personal space. Generally speaking, in a high-context culture, because this greater dependency on group thinking, people lean towards heavier sense of involvement or closeness to people. And they have less respect for privacy, for personal space. If you go into that culture, people might stand closer when they're talking to you. They might touch more. And if they're jostled in a crowd, they won't feel violated. And also people from a high-context culture pay attention to body language. Because remember what I said, the definition of a high-context culture is that more attention is paid to the context of the message than to the message itself. And part of the context is body language.
Second, in terms of time. People in high-context cultures, are considered to have, what is called a poly-chronic attitude toward time. Here, \"poly\" means multiple and \"chronic\" means time. What this means is that they believe people, things, events have their own time. And there can't be a standard system of time for everything. What this leads them to believe is that you can't emphasize punctuality. Things happen when they are supposed to happen. So, there's a different attitude toward time; there's no set standard of time; you can't
control time; everything has its own sense of time. So it's a culture that pays little attention to time, to clock time.
Now, let's move on to low-context culture. A low-context culture is just the opposite. A low-context culture is one in which the message, the event or the action is a separate entity, having meaning onto itself, regardless of the surroundings or the context. That the message, the event, the action has meaning in itself. So what this means in a low-context culture, is that people pay more attention to the event itself rather than to the context which surrounds the event or the message. For example, in terms of personal space again, there's more emphasis on individuality. So the concept of privacy is very, very important. Whereas before, as I said, in a high-context culture, they might not even be concerned with privacy or personal space. But in a low-context culture, there's a feeling that we each have our own personal space. If you get too close, if you don't knock on doors before entering, that's an invasion of privacy. People feel violated. There's a respect and a desire for privacy. And you'll also see that people might pay less attention to body language, because as I said, the message is, the message is everything. They are not going to worry about all the details around it. What you say is the important thing, or what you do is the important thing.
Another example of a low-context culture is people's attitude towards time. In terms of time, I said before, there was a poly-chronic sense of time in a high-context culture. What do you think there would be in a low-context culture? Mono-chronic? Right! A mono-chronic sense of time and by that we mean that there's one time. And that concept means that people in a low-context culture believe that there's one standard of time. And that should be for everything. And so I am not willing to hear \"Oh, the traffic was heavy. That's why I'm late\" or \"Oh, I slept late\". People in a low-context culture would be much more upset with lateness, because they feel that everyone should follow the same time. There shouldn't be all this flexibility with time and they expect punctuality. And they look at time as almost a commodity that they use expressions like \"use time, to waste time, to spend time or time is money\". All of these expressions reinforce the concept that time is actually something you can hold on to.
So, what this is all about is that, Hall stresses that people need to be aware of these different assumptions or concepts about reality. And he thinks that this has all kinds of relevance no matter what you're doing. If you're in business, negotiations, interpersonal relations, if you're dealing with people from different cultures in any way, it's going to affect every part of your life. In any multi-cultural situation, these assumptions need to be taken into account for successful interactions.
OK, today we've taken a brief look at Edward Hall's view of culture, mainly his classification of high- or low-context culture with some examples. Next week, we'll look at some more examples of cultures on a continuum between high-context and low-context cultures.
SECTION B INTERVIEW/CONVERSATION
In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO.
Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions.
1. According to Dr. Harley, what makes language learning more difficult after a certain age? A. Differences between two languages. B. Declining capacity to learn syntax. C. Lack of time available. D. Absence of motivation. 参考答案： B
TIP：答案选B。Harley博士提到有研究表明，语言特别是句法方面的学习在12岁以后更难。 2. What does the example of Czech speakers show? A. It's natural for language learners to make errors. B. Differences between languages cause difficulty. C. There exist differences between English and Czech. D. Difficulty stems from either difference or similarity. 参考答案： D
TIP：答案选D。Harley博士提到有研究发现学习英语的捷克人会在相同的捷克语和英语句法上犯错，因此证明了语言学习者的困难也可能来自相似性。
3. Which of the following methods does NOT advocate speaking? A. The traditional method. B. The audiolingual method. C. The immersion method. D. The direct method. 参考答案： A
TIP：答案选A。因为其他三种方法都要求或强调口语，而传统方法强调语法教学。 4. Which hypothesis deals with the role of language knowledge in the learning process? A. The acquisition and learning distinction hypothesis. B. The comprehensible input hypothesis. C. The monitor hypothesis. D. The active filter hypothesis. 参考答案： C
TIP：答案选C。当Harley博士在解释monitor hypothesis时，他提到monitor会使用语法规则，电台主持人向他确认是否这意味着学习者运用语言知识确保所说和所写的正确无误，Harley博士的回答是肯定的。 5. Which of the following topics is NOT discussed during the interview? A. Causes of language learning difficulties.
B. Differences between mother tongue and a second language. C. Theoretical conceptualization of second language learning. D. Pedagogical implementation of second language teaching. 参考答案： B
TIP：答案选B。其他三项在对话中均有提及，D项没有提及。 script:
Woman: Good morning, Dr. Harley! Thank you very much for coming on our radio talk. We know that you're an applied linguist specializing in second language acquisition. Dr. Harley: Right!
Woman: So, today, um, we'll look at this issue. Now, first, Dr. Harley, could you please tell us what is second language acquisition? Dr. Harley: Well, second language acquisition is ... happens when a child or adult has already become competent at a language. And then, um, they attempt to learn another.
Woman: OK, most people think, including me, it is difficult to learn another language. What are the reasons? Why is it so?
Dr. Harley: Well, there are a number of reasons for this. Huh, first, there have been research studies. They have shown that some aspects of language learning especially syntax are more difficult beyond a certain age, say, after around 12 years of age.
Woman: So, age plays an important role in language learning? Dr. Harley: Yes. But that's not the only reason. Woman: Oh, is that so?
Dr. Harley: Yes, for example, huh, time and interest. All children and adults often have less time and motivation to learn a second language. Woman: Mm …
Dr. Harley: Another is related to the similarities and differences between one's mother tongue and a second language. We find the learners will experience difficulty when their mother tongue and the second language they're learning differ. In general, the more idiosyncratic a feature is in a particular language relative to other languages, the more difficult it will be to acquire.
Woman: Perhaps this is the key issue. Differences between languages cause language learning problems.
Dr. Harley: Well, this may be one of the issues here. But this cannot be the whole story, as not all differences between languages cause difficulty. Let me give you an example. Woman: OK.
Dr. Harley: Research has found that many errors by Czech speakers learning English were made on syntactic constructions in which the two languages do not differ.
Woman: Oh, really? The picture is more complicated than we've imagined.
Dr. Harley: Definitely yes. Each language learning situation is different. So reasons vary a lot from case to case.
Woman: Now, Dr. Harley, since learning a second language is a difficult process, you know, in one way or another, are there any methods so far, effective methods to teach a second language?
Dr. Harley: There again, no method is absolutely effective in all situations. Some may prove effective, others may not. I mean all depending on specific conditions. But generally speaking, there are a number of methods that have been used to teach a second language. Woman: Could you mention a few?
Dr. Harley: For instance, there's the traditional method. This method is based on translation from one language to another. And it emphasizes grammar teaching. And then you have direct methods which focuses on conversational skills and all teaching must be carried out in the second language.
Woman: Oh, I see. Any other methods?
Dr. Harley: Yes, for example, the audio-lingual method. This method emphasizes speaking and listening before reading and writing. Woman: How interesting!
Dr. Harley: Then you have the immersion method. This method teaches learners exclusively through the medium of the second language. Woman: How?
Dr. Harley: Well, it simply means that you cannot speak mother tongue. Everything must be done in the language you're learning. To me, the most natural method of learning a new language is what I call submersion. That is, to go to that country and be surrounded exclusively by speakers of that language.
Woman: Thank you very much Dr. Harley for introducing some of the language teaching methods. Now let's move on to something a bit theoretical. Since second language acquisition and teaching are a fascinating area for researchers, are there any theories to explain second language acquisition?
Dr. Harley: Yes, many theories and models have been put forward by researchers so far. Today, I'd like to mention the five hypotheses proposed by Steven Krashen. Woman: OK.
Dr. Harley: The five hypotheses form what he calls the Monitor Model of second language learning. Woman: What does it mean?
Dr. Harley: OK, the first hypothesis is the Acquisition and Learning Distinction Hypothesis. According to Krashen, children acquire their first language largely unconsciously and automatically. But adults could only learn a second language consciously and effortfully. And adults could indeed acquire the second language, at least in part. Woman: Right. Then what's his second hypothesis?
Dr. Harley: His second hypothesis is the Natural Order in Acquisition Hypothesis. Basically, he means that the ordering which learners acquire syntactic rules is the same in both languages. Woman: Oh, that's something really new to me.
Dr. Harley: The third hypothesis is the Monitor Hypothesis, which is central to his theory. Here again, we come across the distinction between acquisition and learning. According to this hypothesis, the acquisition processes create sentences in the second language, right? But learning enables the development of a monitoring process to check and edit this output. The monitor uses knowledge of the rules. That's why, as I said just now, learning is a conscious process.
Woman: This means in learning you use knowledge of the language to make sure what you say or write is correct. Is that so?
Dr. Harley: Yes. His fourth hypothesis is the Comprehensible Input Hypothesis. In order to move form one stage to the next, the learner must understand the meaning and the form of the input. This emphasizes the role of comprehension. And finally, the Active Filter Hypothesis. This suggests attitude and emotional factors are also important in second language acquisition. Woman: I guess Krashen's model has provided a useful framework for second language learning.
Dr. Harley: Yes, it indeed has. And it has also proved to be one of the most influential theoretical approaches to teaching a second language.
Woman: OK, Dr. Harley, thank you once again for talking to us about second language acquisition. Dr. Harley: Pleasure.
SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO.
Question 6 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the question. 6. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT? A. Greyhound is Britain's largest bus and train operator. B. Currently Greyhound routes in Britain are limited. C. The coach starts from London every hour. D. Passengers are offered a variety of services. 参考答案： A
TIP：选A。新闻中提到First Groups是英国最大的汽车和火车运营商，而Greyhound是其下的美国品牌。 script:
The 95-year old iconic American brand — Greyhound is taking to the British roads. First Group, Britain's largest bus and train operator, and owner of the Greyhound coach brand in the U.S., said the buses would start running from London Victoria to Portsmouth and Southampton on Sept. 14. Tickets will cost as little as £1 with the average journey costing £7. It plans to roll out more routes next year. The hourly bus service will take just under two hours non-stop and will offer free Wi-Fi, power sockets for each passenger, air-conditioning, complimentary newspapers and leather seats.
Questions 7 and 8 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions. Now, listen to the news.
7. What does the news item say about the fires in Greece? A. Fires only occurred near the Greek capital. B. Fires near the capital caused casualties. C. Fires near the capital were the biggest. D. Fires near the capital were soon under control. 参考答案： D
TIP：答案选D。由“Authorities reported 75 fires across the country.”可排除A。由“No injuries were reported.”可排除B项。C项未提及。
8. According to the news, what measure did authorities take to fight the fires? A. Residents were asked to vacate their homes. B. Troops were brought in to help the firefighters. C. Air operations and water drops continued overnight. D. Another six fire engines joined the firefighting operation. 参考答案： B
TIP：选B。新闻提到政府当局调动空军、海军协助灭火，故B项正确。 script:
Greek firefighters planned to continue to work through the night to contain dozens of wild fires, including a massive blaze outside Athens, authority said. Greek Prime Minister, Kostas Karamanlis, called for calm on Saturday and said ground forces will continue their superhuman efforts until dawn, when air operations and water drops will resume. Authorities reported 75 fires across the country. The fires began late Friday in Grammatiko 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of the capital. Wind whipped a single blaze into three fires, which joined again Saturday. No injuries were reported. Authorities mobilized units from the navy, air force and marines to assist the firefighters in Grammatiko, the State Fire Department said. \"The fire is particularly complex, given the weather, the large quantity of fuel, the terrain and the proximity of residential areas,\" a statement from the Fire Department said. The cause of the original fire which belched clouds of heavy dark smoke was unknown, and officials were investigating. Forest and bush fires are common during Greece's hot, dry summers. Six firefighting aircraft were helping firefighters, according to the Athens's news agency.
Questions 9 and 10 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions. Now, listen to the news.
9. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a cause of the current decline in the Mexican economy? A. Fewer job opportunities in Mexico. B. Strong ties with the U.S. economy. C. Decline in tourism. D. Decline in tax revenues. 参考答案： A
TIP：选A。新闻提到墨西哥经济衰退的主要原因是其与美国经济联系甚密。另外，导致墨西哥经济衰退的原因还包括旅游业下滑和石油、税收的减少，只有A项不是原因。
10. Drop in remittances from abroad is mainly due to _________. A. declining oil production B. the outbreak of the H1N1 flu C. the declining GDP in Mexico D. the economic downturn in the U.S. 参考答案： D
TIP：选D。新闻提到“Remittances from Mexicans working abroad, most of them in the United States, also have fallen victim to the economic downturn.”，故D项正确。 script:
The Mexican economy went off a cliff in the second three months of 2009, with the gross domestic product dropping 10.3% from the same period last year, according to government figures. Analysts say the main cause of Mexico's nosedive is that the nation's economy is tied strongly to that of the United States, which is mired in the deepest economic downturn since the 1930s. Other factors dragging the Mexican economy down include a tourism decline caused by the H1N1 flu outbreak, declining oil and tax revenues and fewer Mexicans abroad sending money back home. Oil revenues, long Mexico's main source of money, have been hurt by lower global prices and declining production. Remittances from Mexicans working abroad, most of them in the United States, also have fallen victim to the economic downturn. Fewer jobs in the United States means fewer opportunities for Mexicans to find work and send money home. Remittances rank after oil in terms of revenue for the country. That revenue fell from $26 billion in 2007 to $25 billion in 2008, Mexico's Central Bank said, and is expect to decrease even more this year. Tourism, Mexican's third largest source of revenue, has declined steadily since an outbreak of the H1N1 flue was first discovered in Mexico in April.
PART II READING COMPREHENSION
In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of 20 multiple-choice questions. Read the passages and then mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO. TEXT A
Whenever we could, Joan and I took refuge in the streets of Gibraltar. The Englishman's home is his castle because he has not
much choice. There is nowhere to sit in the streets of England, not even, after twilight, in the public gardens. The climate, very often, does not even permit him to walk outside. Naturally, he stays indoors and creates a cocoon of comfort. That was the way we lived in Leeds. These southern people, on the other hand, look outwards. The Gibraltarian home is, typically, a small and crowded apartment up several flights of dark and dirty stairs. In it, one, two or even three old people share a few ill-lit rooms with the young family. Once he has eaten, changed his clothes, embraced his wife, kissed his children and his parents, there is nothing to keep the southern man at home. He hurries out, taking even his breakfast coffee at his local bar. He comes home late for his afternoon meal after an appetitive hour at his café. He sleeps for an hour, dresses, goes out again and stays out until late at night. His wife does not miss him, for she is out, too — at the market in the morning and in the afternoon sitting with other mothers, baby-minding in the sun.
The usual Gibraltarian home has no sitting-room, living-room or lounge. The parlour of our working-class houses would be an intolerable waste of space. Easy-chairs, sofas and such-like furniture are unknown. There are no bookshelves, because there are no books. Talking and drinking, as well as eating, are done on hard chairs round the dining-table, between a sideboard decorated with the best glasses and an inevitable display cabinet full of family treasures, photographs and souvenirs. The elaborate chandelier over this table proclaims it as the hub of the household and of the family. \"Hearth and home\" makes very little sense in Gibraltar. One's home is one's town or village, and one's hearth is the sunshine.
Our northern towns are dormitories with cubicles, by comparison. When we congregate — in the churches it used to be, now in the cinema, say, impersonally, or at public meetings, formally — we are scarcely ever man to man. Only in our pubs can you find the truly gregarious and communal spirit surviving, and in England even the pubs are divided along class lines.
Along this Mediterranean coast, home is only a refuge and a retreat. The people live together in the open air — in the street, market-place. Down here, there is a far stronger feeling of community than we had ever known. In crowded and circumscribed Gibraltar, with its complicated inter-marriages, its identity of interests, its surviving sense of siege, one can see and feel an integrated society. To live in a tiny town with all the organization of a state, with Viceroy (总督), Premier, Parliament, Press and Pentagon, all in miniature, all within arm's reach, is an intensive course in civics. In such an environment, nothing can be hidden, for better or for worse. One's successes are seen and recognized; one's failures are immediately exposed. Social consciousness is at its strongest, with the result that there is a constant and firm pressure towards good social behaviour, towards courtesy and kindness. Gibraltar, with all its faults, is the friendliest and most tolerant of places. Straight from the cynical anonymity of a big city, we luxuriated in its happy personalism. We look back on it, like all its exiled sons and daughters, with true affection.
11. Which of the following best explains the differences in ways of living between the English and the Gibraltarians? A. The family structure. B. Religious belief. C. The climate. D. Eating habit. 参考答案： A
TIP：选A。文章对英国人和直布罗陀的居民的不同生活方式进行描写，对比了两种迥异的社会习俗和社会结构。 12. The italicized part in the third paragraph implies that ____________. A. English working-class homes are similar to Gibraltarian ones B. English working-class homes have spacious sitting-rooms C. English working-class homes waste a lot of space
D. the English working-class parlour is intolerable in Gibraltar 参考答案： C
TIP：选C。斜体字部分的含义是“英国工人阶级的会客厅对直布罗陀的居民来说是一种不能容忍的对空间的浪费”。 13. We learn from the description of the Gibraltarian home that it is _________. A. Modern B. Luxurious C. Stark D. simple 参考答案： D
TIP：选D。文章提到直布罗陀的居民家里没有安乐椅、沙发、书柜等类似的家具，因此很简朴。 14. There is a much stronger sense of _______ among the Gibraltarians. A. Togetherness B. Survival C. Identity D. leisure 参考答案： A
TIP：选A。文章好几处的用词如congregate、gregarious、communal spirit等都体现了直布罗陀人彼此之间较亲密。 15. According to the passage people in Gibraltar tend to be well-behaved because of the following EXCEPT _______. A. the entirety of the state structure B. constant pressure from the state C. the small size of the town D. transparency of occurrences 参考答案： B
TIP：选B。A、C、D在文章中均有提及，只有B错误，直布罗陀只是一个小城镇，不是一个state。 TEXT B
For office innovators, the unrealized dream of the \"paperless\" office is a classic example of high-tech hubris (傲慢). Today's office drone is drowning in more paper than ever before.
But after decades of hype, American offices may finally be losing their paper obsession. The demand for paper used to outstrip the growth of the US economy, but the past two or three years have seen a marked slowdown in sales — despite a healthy economic scene. Analysts attribute the decline to such factors as advances in digital databases and communication systems. Escaping our craving for paper, however, will be anything but an easy affair.
\"Old habits are hard to break,\" says Merilyn Dunn, a communications supplies director. \"There are some functions that paper serves where a screen display doesn't work. Those functions are both its strength and its weakness.\"
In the early to mid-1990s, a booming economy and improved desktop printers helped boost paper sales by 6 to 7 percent each year. The convenience of desktop printing allowed office workers to indulge in printing anything and everything at very little effort or cost. But now, the growth rate of paper sales in the United States is flattening by about half a percent each year. Between 2004 and 2005, Ms. Dunn says, plain white office paper will see less than a 4 percent growth rate, despite the strong overall economy. A primary reason for the change, says Dunn, is that for the first time ever, some 47 percent of the workforce entered the job market after computers had already been introduced to offices.
\"We're finally seeing a reduction in the amount of paper being used per worker in the workplace,\" says John Maine, vice president of a pulp and paper economic consulting firm. \"More information is being transmitted electronically, and more and more people are comfortable with the information residing only in electronic form without printing multiple backups.\"
In addition, Mr. Maine points to the lackluster employment market for white-collar workers — the primary driver of office paper consumption for the shift in paper usage.
The real paradigm shift may be in the way paper is used. Since the advent of advanced and reliable office-network systems, data storage has moved away from paper archives. The secretarial art of \"filing\" is disappearing from job descriptions. Much of today's data may never leave its original digital format.
The changing attitudes toward paper have finally caught the attention of paper companies, says Richard Harper, a researcher at Microsoft. \"All of a sudden, the paper industry has started thinking, 'We need to learn more about the behavioural aspects of paper use,'\" he says. \"They had never asked, they'd just assumed that 70 million sheets would be bought per year as a literal function of economic growth.\"
To reduce paper use, some companies are working to combine digital and paper capabilities. For example, Xerox Corp. is developing electronic paper: thin digital displays that respond to a stylus, like a pen on paper. Notations can be erased or saved digitally. Another idea, intelligent paper, comes from Anoto Group. It would allow notations made with a stylus on a page printed with a special magnetic ink to simultaneously appear on a computer screen.
Even with such technological advances, the improved capabilities of digital storage continue to act against \"paperlessness,\" argues Paul Saffo, a technology forecaster. In his prophetic and metaphorical 1989 essay, \"The Electronic Piñata (彩罐),\" he suggests that the increasing amounts of electronic data necessarily require more paper.
The information industry today is like a huge electronic piñata, composed of a thin paper crust surrounding an electronic core,\" Mr. Saffo wrote. The growing paper crust \"is most noticeable, but the hidden electronic core that produces the crust is far larger — and growing more rapidly. The result is that we are becoming paperless, but we hardly notice at all.\"
In the same way that digital innovations have increased paper consumption, Saffo says, so has video conferencing — with its promise of fewer in-person meetings — boosting business travel.
\"That's one of the great ironies of the information age,\" Saffo says. \"It's just common sense that the more you talk to someone by phone or computer, it inevitably leads to a face-to-face meeting. The best thing for the aviation industry was the Internet.\" 16. What function does the second sentence in the first paragraph serve? A. It further explains high-tech hubris. B. It confirms the effect of high-tech hubris. C. It offers a cause for high-tech hubris. D. It offers a contrast to high-tech hubris. 参考答案： B
TIP：选B。文章第一句话“对办公室的创新者来说，„无纸‟办公室这一尚未实现的梦想是一种典型的高科技傲慢表现”，第二句话接着说“今天的办公室正逐渐被有史以来最多的纸淹没”，这正是傲慢的表现和后果，因此是证实了high-tech hubris。 17. Which of the following is NOT a reason for the slowdown in paper sales?
A. Workforce with better computer skills. B. Slow growth of the US economy. C. Changing patterns in paper use. D. Changing employment trends. 参考答案： B
TIP：选B。文章第二段第二句提到“过去，人们对纸的需求增长超过美国经济的增长速度，但在近两三年里，尽管有健康的经济局面，纸张销售却产生了明显下降”，因此B项正确。
18. The two innovations by Xerox Corp. and Anoto Group feature ________.
A. integrated use of paper and digital form B. a shift from paper to digital form C. the use of computer screen D. a new style of writing 参考答案： A
TIP：选A。文章第十一段提到，为了减少用纸，一些公司致力于将数字和纸的性能相结合，接着以Xerox Corp.和Anoto Group为例进行了说明，因此A项正确。
19. What does the author mean by ''irony of the information age\"? A. The dream of the \"paperless\" office will be realized. B. People usually prefer to have face-to-face meetings. C. More digital data use leads to greater paper use. D. Some people are opposed to video-conferencing. 参考答案： C
TIP：选C。文章倒数第二段中论述道“数字化的革新实际上增加了纸的消耗”，因此选C。 20. What is the author's attitude towards \"paperlessness\"? A. He reviews the situation from different perspectives. B. He agrees with some of the people quoted in the passage. C. He has a preference for digital innovations. D. He thinks airlines benefit most from the digital age. 参考答案： B
TIP：选B。文章第三段第二句话，作者认为不能忽略人们对纸的渴求，并在接下来的段落里引用Merilyn Dunn的话加以证明。在文章结尾的四段中，作者也多处引用Paul Saffo的话，认为更多的靠科技手段没有减少反而增加了人们对纸的使用。 TEXT C
When George Orwell wrote in 1941 that England was \"the most class-ridden country under the sun\Societies have always had their hierarchies, with some group perched at the top. In the Indian state of Bihar the Ranveer Sena, an upper-caste private army, even killed to stay there.
By that measure class in Britain hardly seems entrenched (根深蒂固的). But in another way Orwell was right, and continues to be. As a new YouGov poll shows, Britons are surprisingly alert to class — both their own and that of others. And they still think class is sticky. According to the poll, 48% of people aged 30 or over say they expect to end up better off than their parents. But only 28% expect to end up in a different class. More than two-thirds think neither they nor their children will leave the class they were born into.
What does this thing that people cannot escape consist of these days? And what do people look at when decoding which class someone belongs to? The most useful identifying markers, according to the poll, are occupation, address, accent and income, in that order. The fact that income comes fourth is revealing: though some of the habits and attitudes that class used to define are more widely spread than they were, class still indicates something less blunt than mere wealth.
Occupation is the most trusted guide to class, but changes in the labour market have made that harder to read than when Orwell was writing. Manual workers have shrunk along with farming and heavy industry as a proportion of the workforce, while the number of people in white-collar jobs has surged. Despite this striking change, when they were asked to place themselves in a class, Brits in 2006 huddled in much the same categories as they did when they were asked in 1949. So, jobs, which were once a fairly reliable guide to class, have become misleading.
A survey conducted earlier this year by Expertian shows how this convergence on similar types of work has blurred class boundaries. Expertian asked people in a number of different jobs to place themselves in the working class or the middle class. Secretaries, waiters and journalists were significantly more likely to think themselves middle-class than accountants, computer programmers or civil servants. Many new white-collar jobs offer no more autonomy or better prospects than old blue-collar ones. Yet despite the muddle over what the markers of class are these days, 71% of those polled by YouGov still said they found it very or fairly easy to figure out which class others belong to.
In addition to changes in the labour market, two other things have smudged the borders on the class map. First, since 1945 Britain has received large numbers of immigrants who do not fit easily into existing notions of class and may have their own pyramids to scramble up. The flow of new arrivals has increased since the late 1990s, multiplying this effect.
Second, barriers to fame have been lowered. Britain's fast-growing ranks of celebrities — like David Beckham and his wife Victoria — form a kind of parallel aristocracy open to talent, or at least to those who are uninhibited enough to meet the requests of television producers. This too has made definitions more complicated.
But many Brits, given the choice, still prefer to identify with the class they were born into rather than that which their jobs or income would suggest. This often entails pretending to be more humble than is actually the case: 22% of white-collar workers told YouGov that they consider themselves working class. Likewise, the Expertian survey found that one in ten adults who call themselves working class are among the richest asset-owners, and that over half a million households which earn more than $191,000 a year say they are working class. Pretending to be grander than income and occupation suggest is rarer, though it happens too.
If class no longer describes a clear social, economic or even political status, is it worth paying any attention to? Possibly, yes. It is still in most cases closely correlated with educational attainment and career expectations. 21. Why does the author say \"...Orwell was right, and continues to be\" (Paragraph Two)? A. Because there was stronger class consciousness in India. B. Because more people hope to end up in a higher class. C. Because people expect to gain more wealth than their parents. D. Because Britons are still conscious of their class status. 参考答案： D
TIP：选D。George Orwell说英国是“世界上阶级划分最明显的国家”，而后文也提到英国人对阶级很敏感，因此D项正确。 22. ''...class still indicates something less blunt than mere wealth\" (Paragraph Three) means that ________. A. class is still defined by its own habits and attitudes B. class would refer to something more subtle than money
C. people from different classes may have the same habits or attitudes D. income is unimportant in determining which class one belongs to
参考答案： B
TIP：选B。该句话的含义是“阶级不仅仅意味着财富的多少，它还体现着一些不那么直接的东西”，因此B项表述正确。 23. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?
A. White-collar workers would place themselves in a different class. B. People with different jobs may place themselves in the same class. C. Occupation and class are no longer related with each other. D. Changes in the workforce have made it difficult to define class. 参考答案： C
TIP：选C。文章第三段提到，在判定某人所属的阶级时，英国人常常用到几个标准，其中第一个便是职业，可见职业和阶级是紧密联系的。
24. Which of the following is NOT a cause to blur class distinction?
A. Notions of class by immigrants. B. Changing trends of employment. C. Easy access to fame. D. Fewer types of work. 参考答案： D
TIP：选D。其他三项在第六、四、七段中均有提及。
25. When some successful white-collar workers choose to stay in the working class, it implies that they are _________. A. showing modesty B. showing self-respect C. expressing boastfulness D. making an understatement 参考答案： A
TIP：选A。文章倒数第二段中提到，很多英国人倾向于将自己归属于出生时的阶级，而不是与自己的职业和收入相匹配的阶级，他们常常表现出更谦逊的一面，因此A项正确。 TEXT D
The train was whirling onward with such dignity of motion that a glance from the window seemed simply to prove that plains of Texas were pouring eastward. Vast flats of green grass, dull-hued spaces of mesquite and cactus, little groups of frame houses, woods of light and tender trees, all were sweeping into the east, sweeping over the horizon, a precipice.
A newly married pair had boarded this coach at San Antonio. The man's face was reddened from many days in the wind and sun, and a direct result of his new black clothes was that his brick-coloured hands were constantly performing in a most conscious fashion. From time to time he looked down respectfully at his attire. He sat with a hand on each knee, like a man waiting in a barber's shop. The glances he devoted to other passengers were furtive and shy.
The bride was not pretty, nor was she very young. She wore a dress of blue cashmere, with small reservations of velvet here and there, and with steel buttons abounding. She continually twisted her head to regard her puff sleeves, very stiff, and high. They embarrassed her. It was quite apparent that she had cooked, and that she expected to cook, dutifully. The blushes caused by the careless scrutiny of some passengers as she had entered the car were strange to see upon this plain, under-class countenance, which was drawn in placid, almost emotionless lines.
They were evidently very happy. \"Ever been in a parlor-car before?\" he asked, smiling with delight. \"No,\" she answered; \"I never was. It's fine, ain't it?\"
\"Great! And then after a while we'll go forward to the dinner, and get a big lay-out. Fresh meal in the world. Charge a dollar.\" \"Oh, do they?\" cried the bride. \"Charge a dollar? Why, that's too much — for us — ain't it, Jack?\" \"Nor this trip, anyhow,\" he answered bravely. \"We're going to go the whole thing.\"
Later he explained to her about the trains. \"You see, it's a thousand miles from one end of Texas to the other; and this runs right across it, and never stops but four times.” He had the pride of an owner. He pointed out to her the dazzling fittings of the coach; and in truth her eyes opened wider and she contemplated the sea-green figured velvet, the shining brass, silver, and glass, the wood that gleamed as darkly brilliant as the surface of a pool of oil. At one end a bronze figure sturdily held a support for a separated chamber, and at
convenient places on the ceiling were frescos in olive and silver.
To the minds of the pair, their surroundings reflected the glory of their marriage that morning in San Antonio; this was the environment of their new estate; and the man's face in particular beamed with an elation that made him appear ridiculous to the Negro porter. This individual at times surveyed them from afar with an amused and superior grin. On other occasions he bullied them with skill in ways that did not make it exactly plain to them that they were being bullied. He subtly used all the manners of the most unconquerable kind of snobbery. He oppressed them. But of this oppression they had small knowledge, and they speedily forgot that infrequently a number of travelers covered them with stares of derisive enjoyment. Historically there was supposed to be something infinitely humorous in their situation.
\"We are due in Yellow Sky at 3:42,\" he said, looking tenderly into her eyes.
\"Oh, are we?\" she said, as if she had not been aware of it. To evince (表现出) surprise at her husband's statement was part of her wifely amiability. She took from a pocket a little silver watch; and as she held it before her, and stared at it with a frown of attention, the new husband's face shone.
\"I bought it in San Anton' from a friend of mine,\" he told her gleefully.
\"It's seventeen minutes past twelve,\" she said, looking up at him with a kind of shy and clumsy coquetry (调情；卖俏). A passenger, noting this play, grew excessively sardonic, and winked at himself in one of the numerous mirrors.
At last they went to the dining-car. Two rows of Negro waiters, in glowing white suits, surveyed their entrance with the interest, and also the equanimity (平静), of men who had been forewarned. The pair fell to the lot of a waiter who happened to feel pleasure in steering them through their meal. He viewed them with the manner of a fatherly pilot, his countenance radiant with benevolence. The patronage, entwined with the ordinary deference, was not plain to them. And yet, as they returned to their coach, they showed in their faces a sense of escape.
26. The description of the couple's clothes and behaviour at the beginning of the passage seems to indicate that they had a sense of __________.
A. Secrecy B. Elation C. Superiority D. awkwardness 参考答案： D
TIP：选D。文章第二、三段几处的用词如furtive、shy、embarrass、blushes等都说明这对夫妇在火车上表现出的笨拙和不自在。 27. Which of the following adjectives best depicts the interior of the coach?
A. Modern. B. Luxurious. C. Practical. D. Complex. 参考答案： B
TIP：选B。文章对火车内部的描述使用了几个词组如dazzling fitting、sea-green figured velvet、shining brass、silver等都说明火车装饰华丽。
28. Which of the following best describes the attitude of other people on the train towards the couple? A. They regarded the couple as an object of fun. B. They expressed indifference towards the couple. C. They were very curious about the couple. D. They showed friendliness towards the couple. 参考答案： A
TIP：选A。文章第十段描述到那个黑人列车服务员“时不时地从远处打量他们，嘴角带着消遣和高人一等的笑容”，有时还以一种不易察觉的方式欺负他们，“他处处表现出不可一世的势利”，这些都说明A项表述正确。 29. Which of the following contains a metaphor? A. ... like a man waiting in a barber's shop. B. ... his countenance radiant with benevolence. C. ... sweeping over the horizon, a precipice. D. ... as darkly brilliant as the surface of a pool of oil. 参考答案： C
TIP：选C。这里是用precipice来比喻horizon，是暗喻。
30. We can infer from the last paragraph that in the dining-car ________. A. the waiters were snobbish B. the couple felt ill at ease C. the service was satisfactory D. the couple enjoyed their dinner 参考答案： B
TIP：选B。文章结尾一句“他们回到车厢，脸上有一种解脱的神情”，说明他们在餐车“过得并不自在”。
PART III GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
There are ten multiple-choice questions in this section. Mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO. 31. The northernmost part of Great Britain is _______.
A. Northern Ireland B. Wales C. England D. Scotland 参考答案： D
TIP：选D。英国最北端是苏格兰。
32. It is generally agreed that _______ were the first Europeans to reach Australia's shores. A. the French B. the Germans C. the British D. the Dutch 参考答案： D
TIP：选D。1606年，荷兰航海家Willem Janszoon在约克角西岸登陆澳洲。1770年，英国人库克船长登上澳洲大陆并宣布它为英国领土。
33. Which country is known as the Land of Maple Leaf?
A. Canada. B. New Zealand. C. Great Britain .D. The United States of America. 参考答案： A
TIP：选A。加拿大被誉为“枫叶之国”。
34. Who wrote the famous pamphlet, The Common Sense, before the American Revolution?
A. Thomas Jefferson. B. Thomas Paine. C. John Adams. D. Benjamin Franklin. 参考答案： B
TIP：选B。《常识》是托马斯•潘恩在美国革命之前撰写的。
35. Virginia Woolf was an important female ________ in the 20th-century England.
A. Poet B. Biographer C. Playwright D. novelist 参考答案： D
TIP：选D。弗吉尼亚•伍尔芙是英国著名小说家，第二次世界大战期间，她是伦敦文学界的核心人物。 36. ______ refers to a long narrative poem that records the adventures of a hero in a nation's history. A. Ballad B. Romance C. Epic D. Elegy 参考答案： C
TIP：选C。epic是“史诗、叙事诗”的意思。
37. Which of the following best explores American myth in the 20th century?
A. The Great Gatsby. B. The Sun Also Rises. C. The Sound and the Fury. D. Beyond the Horizon. 参考答案： A
TIP：选A。《天边外》是尤金•奥尼尔的著名戏剧作品，《太阳照常升起》是海明威的代表作，《喧哗与骚动》则是福克纳的代表作。《了不起的盖茨比》的作者是菲茨杰拉德的作品，反映了美国20世纪20年代到30年代的社会现实，对美国神话进行了另类诠释和解读。
38. _______ is defined as the study of the relationship between language and mind.
A. Semantics B. Pragmatics C. Cognitive linguistics D. Sociolinguistics 参考答案： C
TIP：选C。认知语言学认为，语言的创建、学习及运用，基本上都必须能够通过人类的认知而加以解释，因为认知能力是人类
知识的根本
39. A vowel is different from a consonant in English because of ________.
A. absence of obstruction B. presence of obstruction C. manner of articulation D. place of articulation 参考答案： A
TIP：选A。辅音主要是从肺部呼出的气流在通过口腔或鼻腔时遇到阻碍而发出的音，元音的发音与之最大的区别就是不受阻碍，不产生摩擦。
40. The definition \"the act of using or promoting the use of several languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers\" refers to _________.
A. Pidgin B. Creole C. Multilingualism D. Bilingualism 参考答案： C
TIP：选C。Multilingualism的意思是“多语现象、多语制”。
PART IV PROOFREADING & ERROR CORRECTION
The passage contains TEN errors. Each indicated line contains a maximum of ONE error. In each case, only ONE word is involved. You should proofread the passage and correct it in the following way:
To correct these mistakes, you may need to change, delete or add a word. If you need to change a word, click the left mouse button to select the word, choose \"change\" on the menu and write the correct word in the blank. If you need to delete a word, click the left mouse button to select the word and choose \"delete\" on the menu. If you need to add a word, click the left mouse button to select the space in between the two words where you think there is a word missing, choose \"add\" on the menu and write the missing word in the blank. And you may use \"cancel\" on the menu to cancel the choice of the correction way you've just made.
参考答案：
(1) grew ∧ up — 加入up。up。grow作“成长”解时，是不及物动词，与副词up搭配。
(2) conscience — 改成consciousness。根据原文，此处表达的意思应该是“但我这样做的同时，却清楚地知道我在背叛自己的天性”，conscience意为“良心”，不符合句意。
(3) soon — 改成sooner。sooner or later是固定搭配，意为“迟早”。
(4) on — 删去on后的the。on either side表示“在两边”，前面不应再用定冠词the。(5) disagreeing — 改成disagreeable。此处表达的意思应为“我很快养成了乖戾的习性，使我在学生时代很不受欢迎”，disagreeable意为“不友善的、难相处的”。 (6) imaginative — 改成imaginary。imaginative意为“有想像力的”，imaginary意为“想像的、虚构的”，此处意思应为“我养成了孤独的孩子们带有的编造故事的习惯，并与想像中的人说话”，因此改为imaginary。
(7) literal — 改成literary。此处的意思应为“文学抱负”，所以应将literal（文字的）改为literary（文学的）。 (8) in — 删去in。face表示“面对”，可直接跟宾语，应去掉介词in。
(9) world ∧ in — 加入in。这里由which引导的定语从句修饰world，介词in不能省略。 (10) Therefore — 改成Nevertheless。从上下文的含义来看，应用表达转折的连词nevertheless。
PART V TRANSLATIONSECTION A CHINESE TO ENGLISH
Translate the underlined part of the following text into English. Write your translation on ANSWER SHEET THREE.
现代社会无论价值观的持有还是生活方式的选择都充满了矛盾。而最让现代人感到尴尬的是，面对重重矛盾，许多时候你却别无选择。匆忙与休闲是截然不同的两种生活方式。但在现实生活中，人们却在这两种生活方式间频繁穿梭，有时也说不清自己到底是“休闲着”还是“匆忙着”。譬如说，当我们正在旅游胜地享受假期，却忽然接到老板的电话，告诉我们客户或工作方面出了麻烦——现代便捷先进工具在此刻显示出了它狰狞、阴郁的面容——搞得人一下子兴趣全无，接下来的休闲只是徒有其表，因为心里已是火烧火燎了。 参考答案：
Being in haste and at leisure are two distinct lifestyles. But in real life, people have to shuttle between these two lifestyles frequently, without knowing whether they are \"at leisure\" or \"in haste\". For instance, when we are enjoying our holidays in a tourist attraction, a phone call from the boss tells us contingencies have happened with our clients or work. The hideous and gloomy side of the convenient modern high-tech device drives away all the interest. The following leisure time can only be reduced to the pure form, because we are already in a restless and anxious state of mind. SECTION B ENGLISH TO CHINESE
Translate the following text into Chinese. Write your translation on ANSWER SHEET THREE.
When flying over Nepal, it's easy to soar in your imagination and pretend you're tiny — a butterfly — and drifting above one of those three-dimensional topographical maps architects use, the circling contour lines replaced by the terraced rice paddies that surround each high ridge.
Nepal is a small country, and from the windows of our plane floating eastward at 12,000 feet, one can see clearly the brilliant white mirage of the high Himalayas thirty miles off the left window.
Out the right window, the view is of three or four high terraced ridges giving sudden way to the plains of India beyond.
There were few roads visible below, most transportation in Nepal being by foot along ancient trails that connect and bind the country together. There is also a network of dirt airstrips, which was fortunate for me, as I had no time for the two-and-a-half week trek to my destination. I was on a flight to the local airport. 参考答案：
在尼泊尔上空飞行，你的想象力很容易开始翱翔，仿佛你很渺小——就像一只小蝴蝶——飞在一幅三维的建筑地形图上，那些环绕着每个高脊的梯田就像图中环形的等高线。
尼泊尔是一个小国。我们的飞机在一万两千英尺的高空向东平稳飞行，透过左侧的窗户，可以清楚看见下方三十英里处雄伟的喜马拉雅山呈现出的白色蜃景。
转向右侧的窗口，看到的是三、四座高高的布有梯田的山脊，很快它们就被印度境内的广阔平原所代替了。
飞机下方只能看见极少的几条路。在尼泊尔，最主要的出行方式是沿着古老的小路步行，这些小路联系着全国各地。除此以外，这个国家还有一个空中网络，虽然机场尘土飞扬，但对我来说，也算是幸运，因为我没时间进行两个半星期的徒步旅行到达目的地。我当时是在去当地机场的航班上。
PART VI WRITING
According to a recent newspaper report, many famous sites of historical interest in China have begun or are considering charging tourists higher entry fees during peak travel seasons. This has aroused a lot of public attention and also public debate. What is your opinion? Should famous Chinese sites of historical interest charge higher fees during peak travel seasons? Write an essay of about 400 words. In the first part of your essay you should state clearly your main argument, and in the second part you should support your argument with appropriate details. In the last part you should bring what you have written to a natural conclusion or make a summary.
You should supply an appropriate title for your essay.
Marks will be awarded for content, organization language and appropriateness. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks.
Write your essay on ANSWER SHEET FOUR. 参考答案：
Higher Entry Fees During Peak Travel Season
In recent years, people in China have more time and money to visit famous sites of historical interest, owing to longer holidays and higher incomes. These visits, on the one hand, can enrich their own life and bring the sites substantial incomes. On the other hand, too many visits, especially during travel peaks when there are more visitors, have caused huge problems in several aspects. In my opinion, one effective solution to this problem is to charge higher fees during peak travel seasons.
For one reason, those who oppose higher fees have ignored the unique features of famous sites of historical interest. Different from the common parks, the historical spots normally imply ample historical and cultural values. The relics in these spots are so precious and fragile that they usually need special and professional preservation and administration, which obviously costs large amounts of money. During peak travel seasons, even more tourists pay visits to the historical spots. Such huge amount of people arriving at one historical spot may probably lead to some unexpected damages. Facing this situation, there is no better measure than raising the entry fees to reduce the number of tourists in peak seasons. The only purpose of charging higher entry fees is to stop some people's visits during special seasons so as to achieve a better protection of the valuable relics. With higher entry fees, some people may change their plans and give up their visits. Here economic means are applied to conserve precious things at the sites of historical interest in an appropriate and sustainable way.
For another reason, higher fees charged may effectively reduce the number of tourists visiting historical spots in peak seasons, which is also good to the safety of the tourists. Reports on the accidents happening to tourists are not new to us. Especially during peak seasons, heavy traffic of passengers poses potential threats to the life of tourists. Furthermore, relaxation is always an ultimate goal for tourists. It is almost impossible for anyone to appreciate anything in an overcrowded spot with a sea of people around. An ideal holiday may even be ruined by the hustle and bustle and endless waiting.
In short, we need to control the number of visitors especially during the peak travel seasons, to guarantee a sound protection of historical spots as well as the safety of tourists. Among others, higher entry fees may be a simple and effective economic means of regulation, which should be taken into account by the authorities. As for the tourists, this may not be so bad as it sounds.
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