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2013 National English Contest for College Students
(Level A – Preliminary)
(总分：150分 答题时间：120分钟)
Part I listening Comprehension (30 marks)
Section A (5 marks)
In this section, you will hear five short conversations. Each conversation will be read only once. At the end of each conversation, there will be a twenty-second pause. During the pause, read the question and the three choices marked A, B and C, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
1. Where does the dialogue probably take place?
A. On a train. B. In a restaurant. C. In a gym.
2. What are the speakers talking about?
A. Where to have their meal.
B. How to make people intelligent.
C. The disadvantage of watching TV.
3. What was the woman probably doing when she hurt herself?
A. She was cooking. B. She was bathing. C. She was reading.
4. What did the man mention about the briefcase?
A. The price. B. The shape. C. The color.
5. Why did the man get divorced according to the woman?
A. He was bad-tempered all the time.
B. He didn’t help take care of the baby.
C. He spent too much time in the pub.
Section B (10 marks)
In this section, you will hear two long conversations. Each conversation will be read only once. At the end of each conversation, there will be a one-minute pause. During the pause,
Www.englishdata.cn 大学英语教学站出品 - 2 - / 16 read the questions and the three choices marked A, Band C, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
Conversation One
6. Why is it very difficult for the woman to get the time off?
A. She is supposed to attend an important meeting.
B. She has been arranged for an interview.
C. There are not enough teachers in her school.
7. Why does the woman ask the man to get off at the golf course?
A. They are going to play golf together.
B. The pathway is too rough for the taxis to go.
C. It is nearest to her home.
8. Who will the man come with?
A. His dad. B. His friend. C. His child.
Conversation Two
9. What is this conversation about?
A. Travel agencies. B. Space tours. C. Holiday plans.
10. What is being planned for tourism in the beginning phase of the next ten years?
A. Trips to the moon.
B. Trips in the moon’s orbit.
C. Trips within the earth’s orbit.
11. What is said about the training?
A. It takes a couple of days.
B. Only children need some training.
C. It’s unnecessary.
12. Who will be the potential tourists?
A. The general public.
B. Those wanting rest and recreation.
C. Risk-takers.
13. Which statement below is correct?
A. A few minutes is enough for tourists because of weightlessness.
B. The cost for the trip is acceptable to the general public.
C. The duration of the trip is expected to be increased.
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14. What is said about moon tours?
A. They will be the first tours that get out of the earth’s orbit.
B. The number of tourists will be reduced.
C. They are less dangerous than traveling to Mars.
15. What does the man say people could do on the moon?
A. Build hotels.
B. Do space-walking.
C. Prepare for trips to Mars.
Section C (5 marks)
In this section, you will hear five short news items. After each item, which will be read only once, there will be a pause. During the pause, read the question and the three choices marked A, B and C, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
16. What measure is mentioned in the news?
A. Consolidating buildings.
B. Implementing a curfew in cities.
C. Storing food and water.
17. How did the police find the files?
A. The police found them after raiding the man’s home.
B. The man lost some of the files during the duplication.
C. The man handed them in.
18. How much did Google approximately earn in the same period last year?
A. $2bn B. $2.2bn C. $2.5bn
19. What is the purpose of the report?
A. To prepare for the construction of nuclear plants in Europe.
B. To deal with the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.
C. To test European nuclear power plants’ reaction to emergencies.
20. What’s the cause of demonstrations in cities and towns across Syria?
A. They are calling for more freedom.
B. Workers demand higher pay.
C. Some thirty people were killed by the police.
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Section D (10 marks)
In this section, you will hear a radio talk. The talk will be read only once. For questions 21-30, complete the notes which summarize what the speaker says. You will need to write a word or a short phrase. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet.
Speaker: chairman of the Carocan Group-a (21)______
Topic: How to achieve success
Obstacles for success:
● Fear of (22) ______ (the (23) ______ one to deal with)
Analysis: It can be both a (24) _____. In fact daring not to take opportunities discloses
your (25) ______ about your ability to succeed.
Suggestion: Admit your fear and meet it (26) _____
● Fear of (27) ______
Analysis: It is in fact the fear of (28) ______
Suggestion: (29) ______
Conclusion: In order to succeed, you need to (30) ______ opportunities.
Part II Vocabulary and Structure (15 marks)
There are fifteen incomplete sentences in this section. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
31. Katie’s parents never see her as the mothering type but when her son was born she took to it like a _____ to water.
A. shrimp B. horse C. duck D. dog
32. He has struggled for weeks inside his heart since the offer of a place at a good university is not to be ______ at.
A. coughed B. sneezed C. laughed D. rejected
33. When a professor gives students ______ instructions, the instructions are generally easily understood.
A. clear-cut B. blurry C. marginal D. ambiguous
34. After years of neglect there was a huge _______ programme to return the city to its former glory.
A. refurbishment B. restoration C. conservation D. preservation
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35. More recently, green tea has also been ______ added to the list of youth-promoting substances as it contains rich Vitamin.
A. coincidentally B. supposedly C. surprisingly D. tentatively
36. Our landlord tried to _____ all the cockroaches in our building, but they came back the next year.
A. remove B. deport C. expedite D. eradicate
37. Mariko believed everything she read on the Web, so she was ______ by the hoax the TV Station played on April Fool’s Day.
A. taken out B. taken in C. taken off D. taken on
38. There is a lobby of people who insist that it’s justifiable and necessary to carry out these animal experiments _______ science.
A. leading to B. relating with C. in touch with D. in the name of
39. A drum is a percussion instrument made by ______ a skin or other material over one or both ends of a hollow container.
A. compressing B. strengthening C. calculated at D. stretching
40. Britain’s gold and currency reserves ______ ￡15,977 million, and this year they have repaid foreign loans to the value of ￡3,500 million.
A. equal to B. amounted to C. calculated at D. targeted at
41. The film was initially a box-office disaster but quickly gained ______ status, and the actress has been well-known ever since.
A. cult B. humble C. vulgar D. feeble
42. ______, but seats are proffered, doors smilingly held open for pram-pushing mothers and tables miraculously appear in crowded restaurants.
A. Not only are they not shunned B. They are not only shunned
C. Though they are not shunned D. Despite they not being shunned
43. Selina: Do you think Tim takes after his dad?
Tom: Well, he does, in some ways.
Selina: How?
Tom: Well, I mean, they’re both very stubborn, aren’t they?
Selina: That’s for sure. ______
A. It’s not taken for granted. B. Nothing serious.
C. It runs in the family. D. It’s hard to say.
44. Assistant: Wadley’s Garage called this morning. They said your new car wasn’t ready.
Www.englishdata.cn 大学英语教学站出品 - 6 - / 16 Manager: Oh, no… ______
Assistant: They said there was a strike at the factory yesterday.
Manager: Again?
A. You sold it? B. why on earth not? C. I suppose not. D. I’ve been there.
45. Manager: What have you got?
Assistant: We’ve got the files up to 2010, but all those after 2010 have not been found. Manager: ______ It won’t take long to sort the rest out.
A. That’s a relief! B. Bad news! C. Who knows? D. Let it go. Part III Cloze (10 marks)
Read the following passage and fill in each blank with one word. Choose the correct word in one of the following three ways: according to the context, by using the correct form of the given word, or by using the given letter(s) of the word. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet.
A top racehorse was brought down at Royal Ascot with a shot from a high-tech sound gun, a court was told yesterday. The gun was built into a pair of binoculars and fired from the crowd as the horse was (46) ______ sight of certain victory. The “technically brilliant” ultra-sonic device-(47) ______ could not be heard by people-was devised by a back-street inventor. It was to be used with potentially devastating effect in a secret plan “to destroy the entire system of race-course betting and bookmaking in this country,” defence lawyer Jonathan Goldberg told Southwark Crown Court in London. He said it had the potential to make a fortune in bets
(48) ______ the favourite because it made sure that the horse would lose.
It was used last year to unseat the leading jockey Greville Starkey from Ile de Chypre just before the end of the King George V Handicap, which it (49) ______ (doubt) would have won, he said. The astonishing story was told by the defence during a trial in which the inventor of the (50) g______, James Laming, denies drug conspiracy charges. It came to light because of his alleged connections with a drug baron who wanted to use the gun to help him win large bets. The inventor is a 49-year-old grandfather and south London car dealer who lives with his mother-in-law in a terraced house. He told the court that he got all the (51) inf______ on ultra-sonics for the gun from the Encyclopedia Britannica and tested it on horses in fields. The gun was made from a pair of race binoculars. Showing them to the jury, Mr Goldberg said: “This device subjected a passing racehorse to a sudden and (52) ______ (deaf) noise which we human beings cannot hear at all. It is the equivalent in suddenness to letting a loud firework (53) exp ______ in its ears.”
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The noise would be “a horrible ear-piercing shriek” like the feedback from a microphone. Because racehorses were sensitive and temperamental it would have the (54) ef ______ of making the horse swerve and unseat the rider.
“It left no evidence of its use and no permanent disability for the animal,” he said.
The plan was to use the gun for horse races and possibly for greyhound races. Mr
Goldberg said: “He would fire it (55) ______ the favourite or second favourite in a race.”
“These criminals, of course, were in a unique position to ensure that the horse lost.” Part IV Reading Comprehension (40 marks)
Read the following passages. Each passage is followed by several questions. Respond to the questions using information from the passage. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet.
Section A (10 marks)
Questions 56—60 are based on the following passage.
I want to talk about the economy, not the
one we hear about endlessly in the news
each day and in politicians’ speeches, but
the one we live in day by day. It’s where
most of us live on a daily basis, earning our
living, paying our taxes, and purchasing the
necessities of life.
The term “economic expansion”
suggests something desirable and benevolent, but expansion simply means spending more money.
More spending doesn’t mean that life is getting better. More spending merely feeds our whole economic system, which is based on production and consumption. Unless money keeps circulating, the economy collapses. If we don’t keep consuming, then manufacturers and retailers go out of business.
As a leading economist put it, consumer societies are “in need of need”. We don’t need the things the economy produces as much as the economy needs our sense of need for things. Need is the miracle that keeps the engines of expansion turning relentlessly. In economics,
there is no concept of enough. It is a hunger that cannot be satisfied.
Www.englishdata.cn 大学英语教学站出品 - 8 - / 16 There is so much craziness in the world. There is a American company that manufactures a range of food with a high fat content. This causes obesity and high blood pressure. By coincidence, the same company also makes products that help people who are trying to diet. Not only that, it even produces pills for those with high blood pressure.
Nearly all of my mail consists of bills, banks trying to lend me money, catalogues trying to make me spend it, and charity appeals for the losers in this ecstasy of consumption-the
homeless, the refugees, the exploited, the starving. Why is it possible to buy strawberries from Ecuador and green beans from Kenya when these countries can hardly feed their own people? It is because there are cash crops, and the countries need the money to service their debts. Notice that servicing a debt does not mean paying it off. It means just paying the interest. Western banks make vast profits from third world debt.
We buy clothes that are manufactured in sweat shops by virtual slaves in poor parts of the world. We create mountains of waste. We demand cheap food, mindless of the fact that it is totally devoid of taste and is produced using chemicals that poison the land. We insist on our right to drive our own car wherever we want to go.
The evil of the consumption culture is the way it makes us oblivious to the impact of our own behavior. Our main problem is not that we don’t know what to do about it. It is mustering the desire to do it.
Questions 56—60
Complete the following sentences with information given in the passage, using a maximum of four words for each sentence.
56. At the beginning of the passage, the author states that there are ______ kinds of economy and he will talk about the one related to the majority of people.
57. According to the passage, ______ serve as the foundation of the whole economic system.
58. Economists believe that the economy struggles to keep people feel like they are always ______.
59. The reason poor countries like Ecuador and Kenya export their crops is to get money to ______.
60. The aim of this passage is to make people recognize the ______ and thus be free to make their own choices in the consumption culture.
Section B (10 marks)
Questions 61-65 are based on the following passage.
For more than a mile, the desert in southern Peru has a curious ruler-straight and tack-sharp design made by rocks. The wandering mule paths that cross it only emphasize its precision.
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Throughout hundreds of square miles of arid
plateau, other such markings around, most of them
concentrated between the towns of Nazca and Palpa.
Known as the Nazca Lines, they form a geometric
mélange of quardrangles, triangles, and trapezoids.
The markings also form spirals and flowers, narrow
lines that extend more than five miles, and a desert
zoo of giant creatures-birds, reptiles, whales, a
monkey, and a spider-all made by stones whose patterns can only be seen from the air.
Because some of the figures resemble the ones that decorate Nazca pottery, archaeologists attribute the lines to the Nazcas, a coastal people whose culture rose, flourished, and declined between 100 B. C. and A. D. 700.
Making the patterns must have been extremely time-consuming. The Nazcas must have cleared millions of rocks to expose the lighter ground beneath them, piled the rocks in rows, and created designs that, in this nearly rainless region, can last thousands of years.
But why did they construct them? Nobody really knows. There have been many guesses. Some say that they were prehistoric roads, or farms. Others say they were signals or offerings to celestial beings. It has also been suggested that they constitute a giant astronomical calendar, an almanac for farmers who wished to predict the return of water to valley streams. One study did ascertain that some of the lines point to solstice positions of the sun and moon in ancient times, as well as to the rising and setting points on the horizon of some of the bright stars. But none of the theories have proven to be correct.
And so the mystery remains, including the most tantalizing question of all: why did the Nazcas create immense designs that they themselves could never see, designs that people nowadays can only see from the air?
One person who worked to find out the answer was Maria Reiche. For over forty years she photographed and charted “las lineas”, striving to complete a map of the hundreds of designs and figures of this area, which is some thirty miles long and threaded by the Pan American highway.
This determined German-born mathematician slept on a camp cot behind her car on the rocky, grassless Peruvian “pampa”, and even when she was elderly, got up before daylight to
conduct her research.
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She scorned the suggestion that the markings may have been airfields for outer-space visitors to earth during prehistoric times. “Once you remove the stones, the ground is quite soft,” she said. “I’m afraid the spacemen would have gotten stuck.”
Although Maria Reiche was not able to find the answer, she crusaded to preserve the patterns so that others following her might have a chance to do so.
Questions 61 to 65
Answer the following questions with the information given in the passage in a maximum of fifteen words for each question.
61. Why do people name the patterns the Nazca Lines?
62. Are there any definite reasons for the construction of Nazca Lines? If not, what does the author offer?
63. Could those who built the Nazca Lines see the patterns? If not, how can people now see them?
64. Did Maria Reiche believe the Nazca Lines have something to do with outer-space visitors? What was her reason?
65. What’s Reiche’s contribution about the mystery of the Nazca Lines even though she had not solved it herself?
Section C (10 marks)
Questions 66 to 70 are based on the following passage.
In the past, most cities usually were the natural
outgrowth of villages and towns that happened to
prosper. Rome started out as a small village, as did
Athens, Paris, London and New York. Of course,
there were exceptions to this general rule. In ancient
times, Alexandria in Egypt, and Saint Petersburg,
were both planned cities. But for the most part, cities
throughout history were not the products of deliberate
thought.
Today the reverse is true. Many nations, alarmed by the urban sprawl that has been gobbling up farmland and open countryside, and appalled by the staggering urban problems in the central cities, have begun building new cities that are specifically designed to meet
modern needs.
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Britain has long been a pioneer in planning new cities. As the first nation to become industrialized and urbanized, it faced traffic, slums and pollution long before anyone else. In 1898 an Englishman, Sir Ebenezer Howard, published a book called To-morrow: a Peaceful Path to Real Reform, in which he advocated a new form of urban growth and organization: the “garden city”. Such a city combined the beauty of nature-trees, grass, sunshine and fresh air-with all the advantages of city living, including an abundance of jobs, social and cultural centres and good shopping facilities. The garden city was to be fairly small int size and the inhabitants would have easy access to the countryside, while at the same time they would be close to their work.
In 1899 Howard organized the Garden City Association and in 1903 and 1920 he built the first and the second garden city, Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City. These projects encountered many difficulties and failed to arouse widespread enthusiasm. Nevertheless, both Welwyn and Letchworth survived and grew, and in later years-particularly after World War II-British planners looked at them with renewed interest.
The war had given the British a painful lesson in the weakness of modern, heavily populated cities. Cities were not the places of refuge they had once been. One the contrary, the invention of the aeroplane had made them the most vulnerable targets for attack. Aerial warfare made it clear that people were far safer outside the great urban centres. It was better not to concentrate so much of the population and industrial resources in a few large cities, but to spread them out into many smaller towns and cities. Fast, modern transportation methods made such dispersal Questions 66 to 68
Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the passage.
66. In the past, most cities were not planned and they just grew up spontaneously.
67. Garden cities built by Howard never aroused widespread enthusiasm.
68. It can be inferred that the author believes the construction of big cities is a mistake. Questions 69—70
Translate the following sentences of the passage into Chinese. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet.
69. Many nations, alarmed by the urban sprawl that has been gobbling up farmland and open countryside, and appalled by the staggering urban problems in the central cities, have begun building new cities that are specifically designed to meet modern needs.
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70. Furthermore, these new towns-modeled on Howard’s garden cities-could also drain off the surplus population of the large cities, relieving the overcrowded conditions, housing shortages, alums and traffic jams that plagued them.
Section D (10 marks)
Questions 71—75 are based on the following passage.
Sport is ubiquitous. Sky TV has at least thirteen sports channels. Throughout the world there is a proliferation of newspapers and magazines totally dedicated to sport. Sports personalities have become cultural icons, worshipped like movie-stars and sought after by sponsors and advertisers alike. Where sport was once for fun and amateurs, it is now the stuff of serious investment.
Of course, sport has always mattered. But
the point is that in the past sport knew its place.
Now it invades areas of life where previously it
had no presence: fashion, showbiz, business. It
is a worldwide obsession.
What is it that makes sport so enjoyable
for so many? First, we seriously believe that
sport is something we can all do, however
badly or however well. Tens of thousands set off on the London and New York Marathons. Amateur football matches take place all over the world every weekend. Sport is a democratic activity.
Second, sports stars are self-made people. Sport is dominated by athletes from ordinary backgrounds. This is why it is a classic means by which those from the poorest backgrounds can seek fame and fortune.
Third, we enjoy watching sport because we like to see the supreme skill of those who act like gladiators in the modern arena. There is the excitement of not knowing who is going to win. No rock concert, no movie, no play can offer that kind of spontaneous uncertainty. This gut-wrenching experience can be shared with a crowd of fifty round a widescreen TV in a pub, or a thronging mass of 100,000 live in a stadium.
The rise of sport has been accompanied by the growing prominence of sports stars. They have become public figures, hence in great demand for TV commercials. The rise of the
sports star is mirrored by the rise of sports companies such as Nike and Adidas.
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“Sport probably does more to unify nations than any politician has ever been capable of”. So said Nelson Mandela. The only truly global occasions are the Olympics and World Cup, watched by thousands of millions across the world. These great sporting events bring together players and athletes from different races like no other. Not only that, but sport provides just about the only example of global democracy where the rich do not dominate on the contrary, Brazilians have long been supreme at football, the Kenyans at middle-distance running, and black Americans at boxing.
However, there are signs of disquiet in this vast, global industry. The sheer volume of sport is reaching the bursting point for all but the most besotted fan. Overpaid tennis players and golfers fly endlessly in personal jets from one meaningless tournament to the next. Sport risks kelling itself through greed and over-exposure. The danger is that we will all become satiated and ultimately disillusioned.
Questions 71 to 75
Complete the summary below with information from the passage, using no more than three words for each blank.
Sport is now enjoying popularity all over the world. Besides the entertaining quality, it has turned into a kind of (71) ______. Furthermore, the worldwide obsession to it leads to its (72) ______ in many fields. There are three points which can shed a light on its unique charm: it being a democratic activity, athletes from ordinary backgrounds, and audience enjoying (73) ______ that they can’t get from other kinds of entertainments. More importantly, sport is
playing a significant role in (74) ______ and offering global democracy. However, this global industry will probably be confronted with audiences’ (75) ______ due to its over-exposure. Part V Translation (10 marks)
Translate the following sentences into English by using the word or words given in brackets. Remember to write your answers on the answer sheet.
76. 请大家在座位上坐好，系紧安全带，待飞机停稳后从紧急出口离开。（until）
77. 情绪低落时，你渴望的也许不只是享用一口有营养的或者美味的失误。（yearn for）
78. 虽然鼓通常被用来为其他乐器伴奏，但鼓乐在很多文化的宗教仪式中发挥着重要作用。
(accompany)
79. 在丹麦，一辆过山车（roller coaster）意外地停了下来，24位乘客被头朝下地悬挂在了车
上。（unscheduled）
80. 职业拳击在社会各个阶层中激起了种种情绪，并引发了各种问题，其中主要是道德和医疗问
题。（a wide variety of）
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Part VI Error Correction (10 marks)
Proofread the passage as required. Each indicated line contains a maximum of one error. Correct the passage in the following way: for a right line, put the sign “√” in the corresponding blank; for a wrong word, underline the wrong word and write the correct one in the blank; for a missing word, mark the position of the missing word with the sign “∧” and write the word you believe to be missing in the blank; for an unnecessary word, cross the unnecessary word with the sign “\” and put the word with the sign “\” in the blank. Write the answers on the answer sheet.
your bed for a few days instead of struggling on? The reason, according to the
leading American health magazine the Prevention, is that a whole range of bodily 82. _____ functions begin to weak after as short a time as one day in bed. Muscle tissue 83. _____ starts to break down, rob the body of important minerals and leading to substantial 84. _____ weakness in just a few days; bones start to break down and lose calciums; the body 85. _____ is able to use food efficiently; heart and blood vessels get weak after a couple 86. _____ of days, which can lead to rise in pulse rate and a drop in blood volume; joint 87. _____ stiffness and constipation are also common. “Prolonged bed rest is not to be 88. _____ taken light,” says Dr Benjamin Natelson, professor of neurosciences at New 89. _____ Jersey Medical School. And that’s why doctors these days make every effort to
Getting patients up and moving as soon as possible after heart attacks and 90. _____ operations.
Part VII IQ Test (5 marks)
There are five IQ Test questions in this part. Write the answers on the answer sheet.
91. Rearrange the letters given and make one word that uses all of the letters.
AEDMNOORRSTT
92. Answer the question below with only one word.
What bird lifts heavy things?
93. Answer the question below.
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If the code for HIKE is IJLF, what is the code for TEAR?
94. Move one letter from the first word and add it to the second word to make two new words. Example: hunt sip hut snip
mouth food ______ ______
95. Use the given patterns and codes, select the code that matches the last pattern.
A. GX B. FZ C. HX D. EY E. GY
Part VIII Writing (30 marks)
I (10 marks)
The following e-mail is written in an inappropriate style and contains a lot of redundant language. Return Path
Sender Cecil Pratt
Date 10 Dec 2012 16:47
To
Subject phone enquiry
My dearest Mrs. da Silva,
With reference to your esteemed telephone enquiry which I received on 1 April last, I now have great pleasure in providing you with the information you requested from me on that occasion.
We are indeed very much in a position to supply your firm with the computer accessories that are required by your information systems department, namely optical disks, printer cartridges, mouse mats, screen filters plus various cables and leads at cetera. I am sending, for your perusal, our latest completely up-to-date catalogue which not only contains a full and complete description of all our products and equipment but also a precise and detailed breakdown of prices.
It goes without saying that these prices can be discounted if it should be decided by you that a bulk order can be placed.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the interest you have shown in our products and I very much look forward to doing business with you in the not-too-far-distant future.
I remain,
Yours very sincerely,
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messages need to be included.
II (20 marks)
Write about the following topic.
In contrast to the mass enthusiasm for returning home for family union during the Spring Festival, there are some, becoming known as the “home-fear group”, who have deep reservations about going back home.
What do you think the reasons are? And what may be the possible solutions? Write your article in about 160 words in an appropriate style on the answer sheet.
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2013 National English Contest for College Students
(Level A – Preliminary)
(总分：150分 答题时间：120分钟)
Part I listening Comprehension (30 marks)
Section A (5 marks)
In this section, you will hear five short conversations. Each conversation will be read only once. At the end of each conversation, there will be a twenty-second pause. During the pause, read the question and the three choices marked A, B and C, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
1. Where does the dialogue probably take place?
A. On a train. B. In a restaurant. C. In a gym.
2. What are the speakers talking about?
A. Where to have their meal.
B. How to make people intelligent.
C. The disadvantage of watching TV.
3. What was the woman probably doing when she hurt herself?
A. She was cooking. B. She was bathing. C. She was reading.
4. What did the man mention about the briefcase?
A. The price. B. The shape. C. The color.
5. Why did the man get divorced according to the woman?
A. He was bad-tempered all the time.
B. He didn’t help take care of the baby.
C. He spent too much time in the pub.
Section B (10 marks)
In this section, you will hear two long conversations. Each conversation will be read only once. At the end of each conversation, there will be a one-minute pause. During the pause,
Www.englishdata.cn 大学英语教学站出品 - 2 - / 16 read the questions and the three choices marked A, Band C, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
Conversation One
6. Why is it very difficult for the woman to get the time off?
A. She is supposed to attend an important meeting.
B. She has been arranged for an interview.
C. There are not enough teachers in her school.
7. Why does the woman ask the man to get off at the golf course?
A. They are going to play golf together.
B. The pathway is too rough for the taxis to go.
C. It is nearest to her home.
8. Who will the man come with?
A. His dad. B. His friend. C. His child.
Conversation Two
9. What is this conversation about?
A. Travel agencies. B. Space tours. C. Holiday plans.
10. What is being planned for tourism in the beginning phase of the next ten years?
A. Trips to the moon.
B. Trips in the moon’s orbit.
C. Trips within the earth’s orbit.
11. What is said about the training?
A. It takes a couple of days.
B. Only children need some training.
C. It’s unnecessary.
12. Who will be the potential tourists?
A. The general public.
B. Those wanting rest and recreation.
C. Risk-takers.
13. Which statement below is correct?
A. A few minutes is enough for tourists because of weightlessness.
B. The cost for the trip is acceptable to the general public.
C. The duration of the trip is expected to be increased.
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14. What is said about moon tours?
A. They will be the first tours that get out of the earth’s orbit.
B. The number of tourists will be reduced.
C. They are less dangerous than traveling to Mars.
15. What does the man say people could do on the moon?
A. Build hotels.
B. Do space-walking.
C. Prepare for trips to Mars.
Section C (5 marks)
In this section, you will hear five short news items. After each item, which will be read only once, there will be a pause. During the pause, read the question and the three choices marked A, B and C, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
16. What measure is mentioned in the news?
A. Consolidating buildings.
B. Implementing a curfew in cities.
C. Storing food and water.
17. How did the police find the files?
A. The police found them after raiding the man’s home.
B. The man lost some of the files during the duplication.
C. The man handed them in.
18. How much did Google approximately earn in the same period last year?
A. $2bn B. $2.2bn C. $2.5bn
19. What is the purpose of the report?
A. To prepare for the construction of nuclear plants in Europe.
B. To deal with the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.
C. To test European nuclear power plants’ reaction to emergencies.
20. What’s the cause of demonstrations in cities and towns across Syria?
A. They are calling for more freedom.
B. Workers demand higher pay.
C. Some thirty people were killed by the police.
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Section D (10 marks)
In this section, you will hear a radio talk. The talk will be read only once. For questions 21-30, complete the notes which summarize what the speaker says. You will need to write a word or a short phrase. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet.
Speaker: chairman of the Carocan Group-a (21)______
Topic: How to achieve success
Obstacles for success:
● Fear of (22) ______ (the (23) ______ one to deal with)
Analysis: It can be both a (24) _____. In fact daring not to take opportunities discloses
your (25) ______ about your ability to succeed.
Suggestion: Admit your fear and meet it (26) _____
● Fear of (27) ______
Analysis: It is in fact the fear of (28) ______
Suggestion: (29) ______
Conclusion: In order to succeed, you need to (30) ______ opportunities.
Part II Vocabulary and Structure (15 marks)
There are fifteen incomplete sentences in this section. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
31. Katie’s parents never see her as the mothering type but when her son was born she took to it like a _____ to water.
A. shrimp B. horse C. duck D. dog
32. He has struggled for weeks inside his heart since the offer of a place at a good university is not to be ______ at.
A. coughed B. sneezed C. laughed D. rejected
33. When a professor gives students ______ instructions, the instructions are generally easily understood.
A. clear-cut B. blurry C. marginal D. ambiguous
34. After years of neglect there was a huge _______ programme to return the city to its former glory.
A. refurbishment B. restoration C. conservation D. preservation
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35. More recently, green tea has also been ______ added to the list of youth-promoting substances as it contains rich Vitamin.
A. coincidentally B. supposedly C. surprisingly D. tentatively
36. Our landlord tried to _____ all the cockroaches in our building, but they came back the next year.
A. remove B. deport C. expedite D. eradicate
37. Mariko believed everything she read on the Web, so she was ______ by the hoax the TV Station played on April Fool’s Day.
A. taken out B. taken in C. taken off D. taken on
38. There is a lobby of people who insist that it’s justifiable and necessary to carry out these animal experiments _______ science.
A. leading to B. relating with C. in touch with D. in the name of
39. A drum is a percussion instrument made by ______ a skin or other material over one or both ends of a hollow container.
A. compressing B. strengthening C. calculated at D. stretching
40. Britain’s gold and currency reserves ______ ￡15,977 million, and this year they have repaid foreign loans to the value of ￡3,500 million.
A. equal to B. amounted to C. calculated at D. targeted at
41. The film was initially a box-office disaster but quickly gained ______ status, and the actress has been well-known ever since.
A. cult B. humble C. vulgar D. feeble
42. ______, but seats are proffered, doors smilingly held open for pram-pushing mothers and tables miraculously appear in crowded restaurants.
A. Not only are they not shunned B. They are not only shunned
C. Though they are not shunned D. Despite they not being shunned
43. Selina: Do you think Tim takes after his dad?
Tom: Well, he does, in some ways.
Selina: How?
Tom: Well, I mean, they’re both very stubborn, aren’t they?
Selina: That’s for sure. ______
A. It’s not taken for granted. B. Nothing serious.
C. It runs in the family. D. It’s hard to say.
44. Assistant: Wadley’s Garage called this morning. They said your new car wasn’t ready.
Www.englishdata.cn 大学英语教学站出品 - 6 - / 16 Manager: Oh, no… ______
Assistant: They said there was a strike at the factory yesterday.
Manager: Again?
A. You sold it? B. why on earth not? C. I suppose not. D. I’ve been there.
45. Manager: What have you got?
Assistant: We’ve got the files up to 2010, but all those after 2010 have not been found. Manager: ______ It won’t take long to sort the rest out.
A. That’s a relief! B. Bad news! C. Who knows? D. Let it go. Part III Cloze (10 marks)
Read the following passage and fill in each blank with one word. Choose the correct word in one of the following three ways: according to the context, by using the correct form of the given word, or by using the given letter(s) of the word. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet.
A top racehorse was brought down at Royal Ascot with a shot from a high-tech sound gun, a court was told yesterday. The gun was built into a pair of binoculars and fired from the crowd as the horse was (46) ______ sight of certain victory. The “technically brilliant” ultra-sonic device-(47) ______ could not be heard by people-was devised by a back-street inventor. It was to be used with potentially devastating effect in a secret plan “to destroy the entire system of race-course betting and bookmaking in this country,” defence lawyer Jonathan Goldberg told Southwark Crown Court in London. He said it had the potential to make a fortune in bets
(48) ______ the favourite because it made sure that the horse would lose.
It was used last year to unseat the leading jockey Greville Starkey from Ile de Chypre just before the end of the King George V Handicap, which it (49) ______ (doubt) would have won, he said. The astonishing story was told by the defence during a trial in which the inventor of the (50) g______, James Laming, denies drug conspiracy charges. It came to light because of his alleged connections with a drug baron who wanted to use the gun to help him win large bets. The inventor is a 49-year-old grandfather and south London car dealer who lives with his mother-in-law in a terraced house. He told the court that he got all the (51) inf______ on ultra-sonics for the gun from the Encyclopedia Britannica and tested it on horses in fields. The gun was made from a pair of race binoculars. Showing them to the jury, Mr Goldberg said: “This device subjected a passing racehorse to a sudden and (52) ______ (deaf) noise which we human beings cannot hear at all. It is the equivalent in suddenness to letting a loud firework (53) exp ______ in its ears.”
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The noise would be “a horrible ear-piercing shriek” like the feedback from a microphone. Because racehorses were sensitive and temperamental it would have the (54) ef ______ of making the horse swerve and unseat the rider.
“It left no evidence of its use and no permanent disability for the animal,” he said.
The plan was to use the gun for horse races and possibly for greyhound races. Mr
Goldberg said: “He would fire it (55) ______ the favourite or second favourite in a race.”
“These criminals, of course, were in a unique position to ensure that the horse lost.” Part IV Reading Comprehension (40 marks)
Read the following passages. Each passage is followed by several questions. Respond to the questions using information from the passage. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet.
Section A (10 marks)
Questions 56—60 are based on the following passage.
I want to talk about the economy, not the
one we hear about endlessly in the news
each day and in politicians’ speeches, but
the one we live in day by day. It’s where
most of us live on a daily basis, earning our
living, paying our taxes, and purchasing the
necessities of life.
The term “economic expansion”
suggests something desirable and benevolent, but expansion simply means spending more money.
More spending doesn’t mean that life is getting better. More spending merely feeds our whole economic system, which is based on production and consumption. Unless money keeps circulating, the economy collapses. If we don’t keep consuming, then manufacturers and retailers go out of business.
As a leading economist put it, consumer societies are “in need of need”. We don’t need the things the economy produces as much as the economy needs our sense of need for things. Need is the miracle that keeps the engines of expansion turning relentlessly. In economics,
there is no concept of enough. It is a hunger that cannot be satisfied.
Www.englishdata.cn 大学英语教学站出品 - 8 - / 16 There is so much craziness in the world. There is a American company that manufactures a range of food with a high fat content. This causes obesity and high blood pressure. By coincidence, the same company also makes products that help people who are trying to diet. Not only that, it even produces pills for those with high blood pressure.
Nearly all of my mail consists of bills, banks trying to lend me money, catalogues trying to make me spend it, and charity appeals for the losers in this ecstasy of consumption-the
homeless, the refugees, the exploited, the starving. Why is it possible to buy strawberries from Ecuador and green beans from Kenya when these countries can hardly feed their own people? It is because there are cash crops, and the countries need the money to service their debts. Notice that servicing a debt does not mean paying it off. It means just paying the interest. Western banks make vast profits from third world debt.
We buy clothes that are manufactured in sweat shops by virtual slaves in poor parts of the world. We create mountains of waste. We demand cheap food, mindless of the fact that it is totally devoid of taste and is produced using chemicals that poison the land. We insist on our right to drive our own car wherever we want to go.
The evil of the consumption culture is the way it makes us oblivious to the impact of our own behavior. Our main problem is not that we don’t know what to do about it. It is mustering the desire to do it.
Questions 56—60
Complete the following sentences with information given in the passage, using a maximum of four words for each sentence.
56. At the beginning of the passage, the author states that there are ______ kinds of economy and he will talk about the one related to the majority of people.
57. According to the passage, ______ serve as the foundation of the whole economic system.
58. Economists believe that the economy struggles to keep people feel like they are always ______.
59. The reason poor countries like Ecuador and Kenya export their crops is to get money to ______.
60. The aim of this passage is to make people recognize the ______ and thus be free to make their own choices in the consumption culture.
Section B (10 marks)
Questions 61-65 are based on the following passage.
For more than a mile, the desert in southern Peru has a curious ruler-straight and tack-sharp design made by rocks. The wandering mule paths that cross it only emphasize its precision.
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Throughout hundreds of square miles of arid
plateau, other such markings around, most of them
concentrated between the towns of Nazca and Palpa.
Known as the Nazca Lines, they form a geometric
mélange of quardrangles, triangles, and trapezoids.
The markings also form spirals and flowers, narrow
lines that extend more than five miles, and a desert
zoo of giant creatures-birds, reptiles, whales, a
monkey, and a spider-all made by stones whose patterns can only be seen from the air.
Because some of the figures resemble the ones that decorate Nazca pottery, archaeologists attribute the lines to the Nazcas, a coastal people whose culture rose, flourished, and declined between 100 B. C. and A. D. 700.
Making the patterns must have been extremely time-consuming. The Nazcas must have cleared millions of rocks to expose the lighter ground beneath them, piled the rocks in rows, and created designs that, in this nearly rainless region, can last thousands of years.
But why did they construct them? Nobody really knows. There have been many guesses. Some say that they were prehistoric roads, or farms. Others say they were signals or offerings to celestial beings. It has also been suggested that they constitute a giant astronomical calendar, an almanac for farmers who wished to predict the return of water to valley streams. One study did ascertain that some of the lines point to solstice positions of the sun and moon in ancient times, as well as to the rising and setting points on the horizon of some of the bright stars. But none of the theories have proven to be correct.
And so the mystery remains, including the most tantalizing question of all: why did the Nazcas create immense designs that they themselves could never see, designs that people nowadays can only see from the air?
One person who worked to find out the answer was Maria Reiche. For over forty years she photographed and charted “las lineas”, striving to complete a map of the hundreds of designs and figures of this area, which is some thirty miles long and threaded by the Pan American highway.
This determined German-born mathematician slept on a camp cot behind her car on the rocky, grassless Peruvian “pampa”, and even when she was elderly, got up before daylight to
conduct her research.
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She scorned the suggestion that the markings may have been airfields for outer-space visitors to earth during prehistoric times. “Once you remove the stones, the ground is quite soft,” she said. “I’m afraid the spacemen would have gotten stuck.”
Although Maria Reiche was not able to find the answer, she crusaded to preserve the patterns so that others following her might have a chance to do so.
Questions 61 to 65
Answer the following questions with the information given in the passage in a maximum of fifteen words for each question.
61. Why do people name the patterns the Nazca Lines?
62. Are there any definite reasons for the construction of Nazca Lines? If not, what does the author offer?
63. Could those who built the Nazca Lines see the patterns? If not, how can people now see them?
64. Did Maria Reiche believe the Nazca Lines have something to do with outer-space visitors? What was her reason?
65. What’s Reiche’s contribution about the mystery of the Nazca Lines even though she had not solved it herself?
Section C (10 marks)
Questions 66 to 70 are based on the following passage.
In the past, most cities usually were the natural
outgrowth of villages and towns that happened to
prosper. Rome started out as a small village, as did
Athens, Paris, London and New York. Of course,
there were exceptions to this general rule. In ancient
times, Alexandria in Egypt, and Saint Petersburg,
were both planned cities. But for the most part, cities
throughout history were not the products of deliberate
thought.
Today the reverse is true. Many nations, alarmed by the urban sprawl that has been gobbling up farmland and open countryside, and appalled by the staggering urban problems in the central cities, have begun building new cities that are specifically designed to meet
modern needs.
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Britain has long been a pioneer in planning new cities. As the first nation to become industrialized and urbanized, it faced traffic, slums and pollution long before anyone else. In 1898 an Englishman, Sir Ebenezer Howard, published a book called To-morrow: a Peaceful Path to Real Reform, in which he advocated a new form of urban growth and organization: the “garden city”. Such a city combined the beauty of nature-trees, grass, sunshine and fresh air-with all the advantages of city living, including an abundance of jobs, social and cultural centres and good shopping facilities. The garden city was to be fairly small int size and the inhabitants would have easy access to the countryside, while at the same time they would be close to their work.
In 1899 Howard organized the Garden City Association and in 1903 and 1920 he built the first and the second garden city, Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City. These projects encountered many difficulties and failed to arouse widespread enthusiasm. Nevertheless, both Welwyn and Letchworth survived and grew, and in later years-particularly after World War II-British planners looked at them with renewed interest.
The war had given the British a painful lesson in the weakness of modern, heavily populated cities. Cities were not the places of refuge they had once been. One the contrary, the invention of the aeroplane had made them the most vulnerable targets for attack. Aerial warfare made it clear that people were far safer outside the great urban centres. It was better not to concentrate so much of the population and industrial resources in a few large cities, but to spread them out into many smaller towns and cities. Fast, modern transportation methods made such dispersal Questions 66 to 68
Mark each statement as either true (T) or false (F) according to the passage.
66. In the past, most cities were not planned and they just grew up spontaneously.
67. Garden cities built by Howard never aroused widespread enthusiasm.
68. It can be inferred that the author believes the construction of big cities is a mistake. Questions 69—70
Translate the following sentences of the passage into Chinese. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet.
69. Many nations, alarmed by the urban sprawl that has been gobbling up farmland and open countryside, and appalled by the staggering urban problems in the central cities, have begun building new cities that are specifically designed to meet modern needs.
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70. Furthermore, these new towns-modeled on Howard’s garden cities-could also drain off the surplus population of the large cities, relieving the overcrowded conditions, housing shortages, alums and traffic jams that plagued them.
Section D (10 marks)
Questions 71—75 are based on the following passage.
Sport is ubiquitous. Sky TV has at least thirteen sports channels. Throughout the world there is a proliferation of newspapers and magazines totally dedicated to sport. Sports personalities have become cultural icons, worshipped like movie-stars and sought after by sponsors and advertisers alike. Where sport was once for fun and amateurs, it is now the stuff of serious investment.
Of course, sport has always mattered. But
the point is that in the past sport knew its place.
Now it invades areas of life where previously it
had no presence: fashion, showbiz, business. It
is a worldwide obsession.
What is it that makes sport so enjoyable
for so many? First, we seriously believe that
sport is something we can all do, however
badly or however well. Tens of thousands set off on the London and New York Marathons. Amateur football matches take place all over the world every weekend. Sport is a democratic activity.
Second, sports stars are self-made people. Sport is dominated by athletes from ordinary backgrounds. This is why it is a classic means by which those from the poorest backgrounds can seek fame and fortune.
Third, we enjoy watching sport because we like to see the supreme skill of those who act like gladiators in the modern arena. There is the excitement of not knowing who is going to win. No rock concert, no movie, no play can offer that kind of spontaneous uncertainty. This gut-wrenching experience can be shared with a crowd of fifty round a widescreen TV in a pub, or a thronging mass of 100,000 live in a stadium.
The rise of sport has been accompanied by the growing prominence of sports stars. They have become public figures, hence in great demand for TV commercials. The rise of the
sports star is mirrored by the rise of sports companies such as Nike and Adidas.
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“Sport probably does more to unify nations than any politician has ever been capable of”. So said Nelson Mandela. The only truly global occasions are the Olympics and World Cup, watched by thousands of millions across the world. These great sporting events bring together players and athletes from different races like no other. Not only that, but sport provides just about the only example of global democracy where the rich do not dominate on the contrary, Brazilians have long been supreme at football, the Kenyans at middle-distance running, and black Americans at boxing.
However, there are signs of disquiet in this vast, global industry. The sheer volume of sport is reaching the bursting point for all but the most besotted fan. Overpaid tennis players and golfers fly endlessly in personal jets from one meaningless tournament to the next. Sport risks kelling itself through greed and over-exposure. The danger is that we will all become satiated and ultimately disillusioned.
Questions 71 to 75
Complete the summary below with information from the passage, using no more than three words for each blank.
Sport is now enjoying popularity all over the world. Besides the entertaining quality, it has turned into a kind of (71) ______. Furthermore, the worldwide obsession to it leads to its (72) ______ in many fields. There are three points which can shed a light on its unique charm: it being a democratic activity, athletes from ordinary backgrounds, and audience enjoying (73) ______ that they can’t get from other kinds of entertainments. More importantly, sport is
playing a significant role in (74) ______ and offering global democracy. However, this global industry will probably be confronted with audiences’ (75) ______ due to its over-exposure. Part V Translation (10 marks)
Translate the following sentences into English by using the word or words given in brackets. Remember to write your answers on the answer sheet.
76. 请大家在座位上坐好，系紧安全带，待飞机停稳后从紧急出口离开。（until）
77. 情绪低落时，你渴望的也许不只是享用一口有营养的或者美味的失误。（yearn for）
78. 虽然鼓通常被用来为其他乐器伴奏，但鼓乐在很多文化的宗教仪式中发挥着重要作用。
(accompany)
79. 在丹麦，一辆过山车（roller coaster）意外地停了下来，24位乘客被头朝下地悬挂在了车
上。（unscheduled）
80. 职业拳击在社会各个阶层中激起了种种情绪，并引发了各种问题，其中主要是道德和医疗问
题。（a wide variety of）
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Part VI Error Correction (10 marks)
Proofread the passage as required. Each indicated line contains a maximum of one error. Correct the passage in the following way: for a right line, put the sign “√” in the corresponding blank; for a wrong word, underline the wrong word and write the correct one in the blank; for a missing word, mark the position of the missing word with the sign “∧” and write the word you believe to be missing in the blank; for an unnecessary word, cross the unnecessary word with the sign “\” and put the word with the sign “\” in the blank. Write the answers on the answer sheet.
your bed for a few days instead of struggling on? The reason, according to the
leading American health magazine the Prevention, is that a whole range of bodily 82. _____ functions begin to weak after as short a time as one day in bed. Muscle tissue 83. _____ starts to break down, rob the body of important minerals and leading to substantial 84. _____ weakness in just a few days; bones start to break down and lose calciums; the body 85. _____ is able to use food efficiently; heart and blood vessels get weak after a couple 86. _____ of days, which can lead to rise in pulse rate and a drop in blood volume; joint 87. _____ stiffness and constipation are also common. “Prolonged bed rest is not to be 88. _____ taken light,” says Dr Benjamin Natelson, professor of neurosciences at New 89. _____ Jersey Medical School. And that’s why doctors these days make every effort to
Getting patients up and moving as soon as possible after heart attacks and 90. _____ operations.
Part VII IQ Test (5 marks)
There are five IQ Test questions in this part. Write the answers on the answer sheet.
91. Rearrange the letters given and make one word that uses all of the letters.
AEDMNOORRSTT
92. Answer the question below with only one word.
What bird lifts heavy things?
93. Answer the question below.
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If the code for HIKE is IJLF, what is the code for TEAR?
94. Move one letter from the first word and add it to the second word to make two new words. Example: hunt sip hut snip
mouth food ______ ______
95. Use the given patterns and codes, select the code that matches the last pattern.
A. GX B. FZ C. HX D. EY E. GY
Part VIII Writing (30 marks)
I (10 marks)
The following e-mail is written in an inappropriate style and contains a lot of redundant language. Return Path
Sender Cecil Pratt
Date 10 Dec 2012 16:47
To
Subject phone enquiry
My dearest Mrs. da Silva,
With reference to your esteemed telephone enquiry which I received on 1 April last, I now have great pleasure in providing you with the information you requested from me on that occasion.
We are indeed very much in a position to supply your firm with the computer accessories that are required by your information systems department, namely optical disks, printer cartridges, mouse mats, screen filters plus various cables and leads at cetera. I am sending, for your perusal, our latest completely up-to-date catalogue which not only contains a full and complete description of all our products and equipment but also a precise and detailed breakdown of prices.
It goes without saying that these prices can be discounted if it should be decided by you that a bulk order can be placed.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the interest you have shown in our products and I very much look forward to doing business with you in the not-too-far-distant future.
I remain,
Yours very sincerely,
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messages need to be included.
II (20 marks)
Write about the following topic.
In contrast to the mass enthusiasm for returning home for family union during the Spring Festival, there are some, becoming known as the “home-fear group”, who have deep reservations about going back home.
What do you think the reasons are? And what may be the possible solutions? Write your article in about 160 words in an appropriate style on the answer sheet.