08年考研英語考前三套題(一)

前言

2008年考研複習到了最後沖刺堦段，對於廣大考生來說，找準方曏、堅定信心、勝券在握是每個人的願望。

北京文都考研信息中心作爲長期從事考研命題研究的權威機搆，特組織全國考研輔導專家隆重推出考前必做題系列輔導資料。其中的《2008考研英語考前必做三套題》主要針對廣大考生普遍存在的弱點，依據《2008年全國碩士研究生入學統一考試英語考試大綱》，在縂結歷年真題的基礎上，認真分析和研究2008年考研命題方曏，精心設計編撰而成。本書能幫助廣大考生在較短時間內明確複習重點，對廣大考生的複習沖刺能起到很大作用。

本書主要是針對考試最後堦段的複習而設計出版的。它具有以下特點：

一、內容全麪。本書共有三套試題。完形填空和閲讀理解部分的全部試題都給出了蓡考譯文。全方位、多層次地給廣大考生提供了一次最爲系統的複習和指導，使你考研無憂，輕松過關。

二、緊貼大綱。三套試題都是嚴格按照2008年新大綱的要求設計而成，其中還特別設計了閲讀理解Part B部分的四種新題型，每套試卷都含有這四種新題型，供考生練習。這是市麪其他同類試卷所沒有的。

三、針對性強。本書主要針對臨考前的複習而作，可以使考生臨考不亂，在短時間內迅速準確地抓住考試要點，竝且盡快進入臨戰狀態，熟悉考試氛圍，適應考試狀態，進而大幅度提高考分。

相信通過本書的幫助，您的考研之路將暢通無阻！

最後，衷心地祝願廣大考生在2008年研究生入學考試中一擧成功！

北京文都考研信息中心

2007年11月

目錄

全國碩士研究生入學統一考試英語模擬試題（一）(1)

英語模擬試題（一）蓡考答案及解析(15)

全國碩士研究生入學統一考試英語模擬試題（二）(28)

英語模擬試題（二）蓡考答案及解析(41)

全國碩士研究生入學統一考試英語模擬試題（三）(51)

英語模擬試題（三）蓡考答案及解析(65)

2008考研英語考前必做三套題

2008考研英語考前必做三套題

全國碩士研究生入學統一考試

英語模擬試題（一）

Section Ⅰ Use of English

Directions:

Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark A, B, C or D on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

Most worthwhile careers require some kind of specialized training. Ideally, therefore, the choice of an1should be made even before the choice of a curriculum in high school. Actually,2, most people make several job choices during their working lives,3because of economic and industrial changes and partly to improve4position. The “one perfect job” does not exist. Young people should5enter into a broad flexible training program that will6them for a field of work rather than for a single7.

Unfortunately many young people have to make career plans8benefit of help from a competent vocational counselor or psychologist. Knowing9about the occupational world, or themselves for that matter, they choose their lifework on a hitormiss10. Some drift from job to job. Others11to work in which they are unhappy and for which they are not fitted.

One common mistake is choosing an occupation for12real or imagined prestige. Too many highschool students—or their parents for them—choose the professional field,13both the relatively small proportion of workers in the professions and the extremely high educational and personal14. The imagined or real prestige of a profession or a “white collar” job is15good reason for choosing it as life’s work.16, these occupations are not always well paid. Since a large proportion of jobs are in mechanical and manual work, the17of young people should give serious18to these fields.

Before making an occupational choice, a person should have a general idea of what he wants19life and how hard he is willing to work to get it. Some people desire social prestige, others intellectual satisfaction. Some want security, others are willing to take20for financial gain. Each occupational choice has its demands as well as its rewards.

1. [A]identification[B]entertainment[C]accommodation[D]occupation

2. [A]however[B]therefore[C]though[D]thereby

3. [A]entirely[B]mainly[C]partly[D]his

4. [A]its[B]his[C]our[D]their

5. [A]since[B]therefore[C]furthermore[D]forever

6. [A]make[B]fit[C]take[D]leave

7. [A]job[B]way[C]means[D]company

8. [A]to[B]for[C]without[D]with

9. [A]little[B]few[C]much[D]a lot

10. [A]chance[B]basis[C]purpose[D]opportunity

11. A]apply[B]appeal[C]stick[D]turn

12. [A]our[B]its[C]your[D]their

13. [A]concerning[B]following[C]considering[D]disregarding

14. [A]preference[B]requirements[C]tendencies[D]ambitions

15. [A]a[B]any[C]no[D]the

16. [A]Therefore [B]However [C]Nevertheless [D]Moreover

17. [A]majority[B]mass[C]minority[D]multitude

18. [A]proposal[B]suggestion[C]consideration[D]appraisal

19 [A]towards[B]against[C]out of[D]without

20. [A]turns[B]parts[C]choices[D]risks

Section ⅡReading Comprehension

Part A

Directions:

Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (40 points)

Text1

What our society suffers from most today is the absence of consensus about what it and life in it ought to be; such consensus cannot be gained from society’s present stage, or from fantasies about what it ought to be. For that the present is too close and too diversified, and the future too uncertain, to make believable claims about it. A consensus in the present hence can be achieved only through a shared understanding of the past, as Homer’s epics informed those who lived centuries later what it meant to be Greek, and by what images and ideals they were to live their lives and organize their societies.

Most societies derive consensus from a long history, a language all their own, a common religion, common ancestry. The myths by which they live are based on all of these. But the United States is a country of immigrants, coming from a great variety of nations. Lately, it has been emphasized that an asocial, narcissistic personality has become characteristic of Americans, and that it is this type of personality that makes for the lack of wellbeing, because it prevents us from achieving consensus that would counteract a tendency to withdraw into private worlds. In this study of narcissism, Christopher Lash says that modern man, “tortured by selfconsciousness, turns to new therapies not to free himself of his personal worries but to find meaning and purpose in life, to find something to live for”. There is widespread distress because national morale has declined, and we have lost an earlier sense of national vision and purpose.

Contrary to rigid religions or political beliefs, as are found in totalitarian societies, our culture is one of the great individual differences, at least in principle and in theory; but this leads to disunity, even chaos. Americans believe in the value of diversity, but just because our is a society based on individual diversity, it needs consensus about some dominating ideas more than societies based on uniform origin of their citizens. Hence, if we are to have consensus, it must be based on a myth—a vision about a common experience, a conquest that made us Americans, as the myth about the conquest of Troy formed the Greeks. Only a common myth can offer relief from the fear that life is without meaning or purpose. Myths permit us to examine our place in the world by comparing it to a shared idea. Myths are shared fantasies that form the tie that binds the individual to other members of his group. Such myths help to ward off feelings of isolations, guilt, anxiety, and purposelessness—in short, they combat isolation and the breakdown of social standards and values.

21.In the eyes of the author, the greatest trouble with the US society may lie in

[A] the nonexistence of consensus on the forms of the society should take

[B] the lack of divergence over the common organizations of social life

[C] the nonacceptance of a society based on individual diversity

[D] the pervasive distress caused by national morale decline

22.The asocial personality of Americans may stem from

[A] the absence of a common religion and ancestry

[B] the multiracial constituents of the US society

[C] the want of a shared myths they possess in life

[D] the counterbalance to narcissistic personality

23.Homer’s epics is mentioned in Paragraph 1 in order to

[A] exemplify the contributions made by ancient poets

[B] illustrate the role of shared fantasies about society

[C] show an ideal stage of eternal social progress

[D] make known myths of what a society ought to be

24.The author concludes that only shared myths can help Americans

[A] to bring about the uniformity of their culture

[B] to regain their consensus about a common experience

[C] to stay away from negative feelings in their life

[D] to counteract the effects of consensus about society

25.It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that Christopher Lash is most probably

[A] a reform advocate[B] a senior psychologist

[C] a reputed poet[D] a social historian

Text2

When a disease of epidemic proportions rips into the populace, scientists immediately get to work, trying to locate the source of the affliction and find ways to combat it. Oftentimes, success is achieved, as medical science is able to isolate the parasite, germ or cell that causes the problem and finds ways to effectively kill or contain it. In the most serious of cases, in which the entire population of a region or country may be at grave risk, it is deemed necessary to protect the entire population through vaccination, so as to safeguard lives and ensure that the disease will not spread.

The process of vaccination allows the patient’s body to develop immunity to the virus or disease so that, if it is encountered, one can ward it off naturally. To accomplish this, a small weak or dead strain of the disease is actually injected into the patient in a controlled environment, so that his body’s immune system can learn to fight the invader properly. Information on how to penetrate the disease’s defenses is transmitted to all elements of the patient’s immune system in a process that occurs naturally, in which genetic information is passed from cell to cell. This makes sure that, should the patient later come into contact with the real problem, his body is well equipped and trained to deal with it, having already done so before.

There are dangers inherent in the process, however. On occasion, even the weakened version of the disease contained in the vaccine proves too much for the body to handle, resulting in the immune system succumbing, and, therefore, the patient’s death. Such is the case of the smallpox vaccine, designed to eradicate the smallpox epidemic that nearly wiped out the entire Native American population and killed massive numbers of settlers. Approximately 1 in 10,000 people who receives the vaccine contract the smallpox disease from the vaccine itself and dies from it. Thus, if the entire population of the United States were to receive the Smallpox Vaccine today, 3000 Americans would be left dead.

Fortunately, the smallpox virus was considered eradicated in the early 1970s, ending the mandatory vaccination of all babies in America. In the event of a reintroduction of the disease, however, mandatory vaccinations may resume, resulting in more unexpected deaths from vaccination. The process, which is truly a mixed blessing, may indeed hide some hidden curses.

26.The best title for the text may be

[A] “Vaccinations: A Blessing or A Curse”

[B] “Principles of Vaccinations”

[C] “Vaccines: Methods and Implications”

[D] “A Miracle Cure Under Attack”

27.What does the example of the Smallpox Vaccine illustrate?

[A] The possible negative outcome of administering vaccines.

[B] The practical use of a vaccine to control an epidemic disease.

[C] The effectiveness of vaccines in eradicating certain disease.

[D] The method by which vaccines are employed against the disease.

28.The phrase “ward it off naturally” (Paragraph 2) most probably means

[A] dispose of it naturally [B] fight it off with ease

[C] see to it reluctantly [D] split it up properly

29.Which of the following is true according to the text?

[A] Saving the majority would necessarily justify the death of the minority.

[B] The immune system can be trained to fight weaker versions of a disease.

[C] Mandatory vaccinations are indispensable to the survival of the populace.

[D] The process of vaccination remains a mystery to be further resolved.

30.The purpose of the author in writing this passage is

[A] to comment and criticize [B] to demonstrate and argue

[C] to interest and entertain[D] to explain and inform

Text3

The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that it is trying to track down as many as 386 piglets that may have been genetically engineered and wrongfully sold into the U.S. food supply.

The focus of the FDA investigation is pigs raised by researchers at the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign. They engineered the animals with two genes: One is a cow gene that increases milk production in the sow. The other, a synthetic gene, makes the milk easier for piglets to digest. The goal was to raise bigger pigs faster.

There has been no evidence that either genetically altered plants or animals actually trigger human illness, but critics warn that potential side effects remain unknown. University officials say their tests showed the piglets were not born with the altered genes, but FDA rules require even the offspring of genetically engineered animals to be destroyed so they don’t get into the food supply.

The FDA, in a quickly arranged news conference Wednesday prompted by inquiries by USA TODAY, said the University of Illinois will face possible sanctions and fines for selling the piglets to a livestock broker, who in turn sells to processing plants.

Both the FDA and the university say the pigs that entered the market do not pose a risk to consumers. But the investigation follows action by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in December to fine a Texas company that contaminated 500,000 bushels of soybeans with corn that had been genetically altered to produce a vaccine for pigs.

Critics see such cases as evidence of the need for more government oversight of a burgeoning area of scientific research. “This is a small incident, but it’s incident like this that could destroy consumer confidence and export confidence, ”says Stephanie Childs of the Grocery Manufacturers of America. “We already have Europe shaky on biotech. The countries to whom we export are going to look at this.”

The University of Illinois says it tested the DNA of every piglet eight times to make sure that the animal hadn’t inherited the genetic engineering of its mother. Those piglets that did were put back into the study. Those that didn’t were sold to the pig broker. “Any pig who’s tested negative for the genes since 1999 has been sent off to market, ”says Charles Zukoski, vice chancellor for research.

But FDA deputy commissioner Lester Crawford says that under the terms of the university’s agreement with the FDA, the researchers were forbidden to remove the piglets without FDA approval. “The University of Illinois failed to check with FDA to see whether or not the animals could be sold on the open market. And they were not to be used under any circumstance for food.”

The FDA is responsible for regulating and overseeing transgenic animals because such genetic manipulation is considered an unapproved animal drug.

31. The 386 piglets wrongfully sold into food supply are from

［A］ Europe［B］ an American research organization

［C］ a meat processing plant［D］ an animal farm

32. The purpose of the transgenic engineering research is to

［A］ get pigs of larger size in a shorter time

［B］ make sows produce more milk

［C］ make cows produce more milk

［D］ make pigs grow more lean meat

33. The 4th paragraph shows that the University of Illinois 

［A］ was criticized by the FDA

［B］ is in great trouble

［C］ is required by the FDA to call back the sold piglets

［D］ may have to pay the penalty

34. The FDA declares that the wrongfully sold piglets

［A］ may have side effects on consumers ［B］ may be harmful to consumers

［C］ are safe to consumers［D］ may cause human illness

35. It can be inferred from this passage that

［A］ all the offspring have their mothers’ genetic engineering

［B］ part of the offspring have their mothers’ genetic engineering

［C］ none of the offspring have their mothers’ genetic engineering

［D］ half of the offspring have their mothers’ genetic engineering

Text 4

The United States is said to have a mixed economy because privately owned businesses and government both play important roles. Indeed, some of the most enduring debates of American economic history focus on the relative roles of the public and private sectors.

The American free enterprise system emphasizes private ownership. Private businesses produce most goods and services, and almost twothirds of the nation’s total economic output goes to individuals for personal use (the remaining onethird is bought by government and business). The consumer role is so great, in fact, that the nation is sometimes characterized as having a “consumer economy.”

This emphasis on private ownership arises, in part, from American beliefs about personal freedom. From the time the nation was created, Americans have feared excessive government power, and they have sought to limit government’s authority over individuals—including its role in the economic realm. In addition, Americans generally believe that an economy characterized by private ownership is likely to operate more efficiently than one with substantial government ownership.

When economic forces are unfettered, Americans believe, supply and demand determine the prices of goods and services. Prices, in turn, tell businesses what to produce; if people want more of a particular goods than the economy is producing, the price of the goods rises. That catches the attention of new or other companies that, sensing an opportunity to earn profits, start producing more of that goods. On the other hand, if people want less of the goods, prices fall and less competitive producers either go out of business or start producing different goods.

There are limits to free enterprise, however. Americans have always believed that some services are better performed by public rather than private enterprise. For instance, in the United States, government is primarily responsible for the administration of justice, education, the road system, and national defense.

In this mixed economy, individuals can help guide the economy not only through the choices they make as consumers but through the votes they cast for officials who shape economic policy. In recent years, consumers have voiced concerns about product safety, environmental threats posed by certain industrial practices, and potential health risks citizens may face; government has responded by creating agencies to protect consumer interests and promote the general public welfare.

36. In Line 1, Para. 4, the expression “economic forces are unfettered” means .

[A] prices are determined by consumers

[B] supply and demand are allowed to operate freely

[C] conomic regulations are not enforced

[D] the economy is growing

37. The last paragraph tells us that .

[A] a mixed economy is guided by both individual citizens and the government

[B] the role of the government in a mixed economy is more important than that of the consumer

[C] individual Americans can influence the economy in multiple ways

[D] the government does not regard the concerns of individual citizens

38. According to the text, the U.S. is sometimes called a “consumer economy” because .

[A] most goods and services are produced by consumers

[B] privately owned business plays a major role in the economy

[C] individual consumption plays a major role in the economy

[D] consumers’ rights are very important in the U.S.

39. This text is mainly about.

[A] how average Americans view their economic system

[B] the role of the government in the American economy

[C] how supply and demand determine prices in the American economy

[D] the roles of the public and private sectors in the American economy

40. From the first sentence of the third paragraph, we learn that .

[A] American political beliefs have influenced its economic system

[B]Americans fear excessive governmental control of the economy

[C] private ownership is important because of American beliefs in personal freedom

[D] personal freedom is the basis for private ownership in the U.S.

Part B

Sample One

Directions:

In the following text, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 4145, choose the most suitable one from the list AG to fit into each of the numbered blanks. There are two extra choices, which do not fit in any of the blanks. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

Here I want to try to give you an answer to the question: What personal qualities are desirable in a teacher? Probably no two people would draw up exactly the same lists. But I think the following would be generally accepted.

First,(41)But it does rule out such types as the overexcitable, melancholy, frigid, sarcastic, cynical, frustrated, and overbearing: I would say too, that it excludes all of dull or purely negative personality.

Secondly,(42）Closely related with this is the capacity to be tolerant-not, indeed, of what is wrong, but of the frailty and immaturity of human nature which induce people, and again especially children, to make mistakes.

Thirdly,(43）This does not mean being a saint. It means that he will be aware of his intellectual strengths, and limitations, and will have thought about and decided upon the moral principles by which his life shall be guided. There is no contradiction in my going on to say that a teacher should be a bit of an actor. That is part of the technique of teaching, which demands that every now and then a teacher should be able to put on an act—to enliven a lesson, correct a fault, or award praise. Children, especially young children, live in a world that is rather larger than life.

On the other hand,(44）He must be pretty resilient, teaching makes great demands on nervous energy. And he should be able to take in his stride the innumerable petty irritations any adult dealing with children has to endure.

Finally,(45）There are three principle objects of study: the subject, or subjects, which the teacher is teaching; the methods by which they can best be taught to the particular pupils in the classes he is teaching; and  by far the most important the children, young people, or adults to whom they are to be taught. The cardinal principle of British education is education of the whole person, and that it is best acquired through full and active cooperation between two persons, the teacher and the learner.

［A］it is not merely desirable but essential for a teacher to have a genuine capacity for sympathy—in the literal meaning of that word; a capacity to tune in to the minds and feelings of other people.

［B］a teacher must be capable of infinite patience. This, I may say, is largely a matter of selfdiscipline and selftraining, because none of us were born like that.

［C］the teacher’s personality should be pleasantly live and attractive. This does not rule out people who are physically plain, or even ugly, because many such have great personal charm.

［D］A teacher must remain mentally alert, He must be quick to adapt himself to any situation, however improbable (they happen!) and able to improvise, if necessary at less than a moment’s notice

［E］A teacher should be humorous sometimes like a best friend sitting down across from you in your living room having a chat about what’s going on in your life.

［F］I think a teacher should have the kind of mind, which always wants to go on learning. Teaching is a job at which one will never be perfect; there is always something more to learn about it.

［G］I hold it essential for a teacher to be both intellectually and morally honest.

Sample Two

Directions:

The following paragraphs are given in a wrong order. For Questions 4145,you are required to reorganize these paragraphs into a coherent text by choosing from the list AG to fill in each numbered box. The first and the last paragraphs have been placed for you in Boxes. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1.(10 points)

[A] See yourself as successful. If I could plug into the minds of my patients and listen to the statements they make to themselves, I am convinced that the majority of them would be negative:“I’m running late again as usual.”“My hair looks terrible this morning.”“That was a stupid remark I made—she probably thinks I’m a dummy.”Since thousands of these messages flash across our brains every day, it is small wonder that the result is a diminished selfimage.

[B] Author and editor Norman Cousins wrote: “People are never more insecure than when they become obsessed with their fears at the expense of their dreams.” There is no doubt that if we can envision beneficial things happening, they have a way of actually occurring.

[C] Stevens finally had a hearttoheart talk with herself:“I realized that I simply wasn’t a wit or an intellectual and that I could succeed only as myself. I began listening and asking questions at parties instead of trying to impress the guests. When I spoke, I tried to contribute, not to shine. Almost at once I started to feel a new warmth in my social contacts. They liked the real me better.” If we are true to our instincts, most of us will find that we naturally develop certain trademarks. The discovery and expression of that uniqueness is one reason we are on this planet. Resisting conformity and developing some small eccentricities are among the steps to independence and selfconfidence.

[D] Many of us get interested in a field, but then the going gets tough, we see that other people are more successful, and we become discouraged and quit. But it is of then the boring, repetitive sharpening of our skills that will ultimately enable us to reach our goal.

[E] Horace Bushnell, the great New England preacher, used to say, “Somewhere under the stars God has a job for you to do, and nobody else can do it.” Some of us must find our place by trial and error. It can take time, with dead ends along the way. But we should not get discouraged because others seem more skilled. Usually it is not raw talent but drive that makes the difference.

[F] One daily exercise for building selfconfidence is called “imaging” or “visualization”. In order to succeed, you must see yourself succeeding. Picture yourself approaching a difficult challenge with poise and confidence. Athletes often visualize a move over and over in their minds; they see themselves hitting the perfect golf or tennis shot. When we burn such positive images into our minds deeply enough, they become a part of the unconscious, and we begin to expect to succeed.

[G] Break away from other people’s expectations. It is a liberating step when we decide to stop being what other people want us to be. Although opera singer Rise Stevens performed onstage with great poise, the selfconfidence she felt before audiences evaporated in social situation. “My discomfort,” she says, “came from trying to be something I was nota state in the drawing room as well as onstage. If a clever person made a joke, I tried to top it and failed. I pretended to be familiar with subjects I knew nothing of.”

Order:

D→

41→

42→

43→

44→

45→

C

Sample Three

Direction:

You are going to read a text about the season for relief, followed by a list of examples. Choose the best example from the list AF for each numbered subheading (4145). There is one extra example which you do not need to use. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

Winter’s harsh weather, shorter hours of daylight and family demands can all aggravate feelings of stress. According to Dr. Paul Rosch, president of the American Institute of Stress, one Midwestern headache clinic reported that complaints of tension and migraine headaches increased 40 percent from Thanksgiving to Christmas, compared with other sixweek periods during the year.

Many physicians are now trained in techniques to relieve tension and stress. But which strategies do they themselves use? Here top health professionals reveal their favorite stressbusters. Six in all, they are:

(41) Soothe with food.

When nutritional biochemist Judith Wurtman is stressed out, she does what a lot of people do this time of year: she reaches for food. But in her case, it’s a healthy rice cake or two.

(42) Run from your problem.

Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper handles his own stress with a daily afterwork run.

(43) Check your perspective.

Driving in for a busy day as a MayoClinic stressmanagement expert, psychologist John Taylor saw the oilmaintenance light pop on in his minivan. He faced a nonstop schedule of patients and had to pick up his threeyearold after work. “I felt myself tense up,” recalls Taylor, who then tried his quick stressbusting strategy. He asked himself: Is this a matter of life or death? No. The oil could safely be changed the next week.

(44) Look to the light side.

On his way to the hospital where his father was to undergo surgery, author and educator Joel Goodman shared a hotel courtesy van with the anxious relatives of several patients. The driver began telling his stressedout passengers a few jokes. “Then he did some magic tricks that had my mother and me laughing,” Goodman says. “In that fiveminute ride he taught us that humor can relieve our stress.” The surgery was successful.

(45) Take a timeout.

A major cause of anxiety is an overloaded schedule. It’s one source of stress you can ward off by preparing ahead.

Say a little prayer. Psychologist and medical scientist Joan Bprysenko of Boulder, Colo., maintains that since most people spend too much time agonizing over the past or worrying about the future, the key to lessening stress is learning how to live emotionally in the present.

“It helps to have some ritual to do this,” says Borysenko. For her the most relaxing ritual is “each morning when I pray”. Prayer has been shown to reduce the impact of stress hormones such as noradrenaline and adrenaline.

But remember, says Borysenko, doctors can’t turn on their patient’ “internal healing system”. That inner clam is up to you. So you’re sick of stress, heal thyself.

[A] Williams counts himself among the 20 percent of adults whose susceptibility to anger is high enough to threaten their health. But everyone can try his approach to handling the stressors that set anger off—and it needn’t be in a work environment.

[B] “Aerobic exercise is the best way to dissipate stress and make the transition into family time,” says the expert. But, he cautions, don’t let exercise itself become a stress. Even moderate activity—such as a daily 30 minute walk can improve health and mood. “That’s why I tell my patients to be sure to walk their dog every day,” he says with a chuckle, “even if they don’t have one.”

[C] “My research suggests that carbohydrates raise levels of the moodregulating brain chemical serotonin, which exerts a calming effect on the entire body,” says the M.I.T research scientist. “So symptoms of stress—such as anger, tension, irritability and inability to concentrate—are eased.”

[D] He tells patients to do only those tasks that would have serious consequences if left undone. “Will you die if you don’t do the laundry?” he asks. Taking at least half an hour a day to do something you enjoy, he notes, lets you recharge you batteries. Especially around the holidays, skip some routine chores to make time for family and friends.

[E] When cardiologist Ray Rosenman was associate chief of medicine at San Francisco’s Mount Zion Hospital, he would block off half an hour a day on his schedule. “If an emergency came up, I moved patients into that slot,” says Rosenman, coauthor of Type A Behavior and Your Heart. “Or used that halfhour to return calls or go through my mail. You can’t control everything, but you can control your schedule to create some breathing space for yourself.”

[F] He was so moved by his experience that he researched laughter’s power. “A good laugh relaxes muscles, lowers blood pressure, suppresses stressrelated hormones and enhances the immune system,” he says. In his workshops he tells clients to ask themselves how their favorite comedian would see this stressful situation.

Sample Four

Directions:

You are going to read a list of headings and a text about employment in Japan. Choose the most suitable heading form the list AF for each numbered paragraph (4145). The first and last paragraphs of the text are not numbered. There is one extra heading which you do not need to use. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

[A] Women and Japanese companies

[B] Why men sometimes resign form Japanese companies

[C] Permanency in employment in Japan

[D] The social aspect of work

[E] The salary structure

[F] The recruitment strategy of foreign firms

Every autumn, when recruitment of new graduates and school leavers begins, major cities in Japan are flooded with students hunting for a job. Wearing suits for the first time, they run from one interview to another. The season is crucial for many students, as their whole lives may be determined during this period.

41

In Japan, lifetime employment is commonly practiced by large companies. While people working in small companies and those working for subcontractors do not in general enjoy the advantages conferred by the large companies, there is a general expectation that employees will in fact remain more or less permanently in the same job.

42

Wages are set according to educational background or initial field of employment, ordinary graduates being employed in administration, engineers in engineering and design departments and so on. Both promotions and wage increases tend to be tied to seniority, though some differences may arise later on as a result of ability and business performance. Wages are paid monthly, and the net sum, after the deduction of tax, is usually paid directly into a bank account. As well as salary, a bonus is usually paid twice a year.

43

Many female graduates complain that they are not given equal training and equal opportunity in comparison to male graduates. Japanese companies generally believe that female employees will eventually leave to get married and have children. It is also true that, as well as the stillexisting belief among women themselves that nothing should stand in the way of childrearing, the extended hours of work often do not allow women to continue their careers after marriage.

44

Disappointed careerminded female graduates often opt to work for foreign firms. Since most male graduates prefer to join Japanese firms with their guaranteed security, foreign firms are often keen to employ female graduates as their potential tends to be greater than that of male applicants.

45

Some men, however, do leave their companies in spite of future prospects, one reason being to take over the family business. The eldest sons in families that own family companies or businesses such as stores are normally expected to take over the business when their parents retire. It is therefore quite common to see a businessman, on succeeding to his parents’ business, completely change his professional direction by becoming, for example, a shopkeeper.

On the job, working relationships tend to be very close because of the long hours of work and years of service in common. Social life in fact is frequently based on the workplace. Restaurants and nomiya, “pubs”, are always crowded at night with people enjoying an evening out with their colleagues. Many companies organize trips and sports days for their employees. Senior staff often play the role of mentor. This may mean becoming involved in the lives of junior staff in such things as marriage and the children’s education.

Part C

Directions:

Read the following text carefully and then translate the underlined segments into Chinese. Your translation should be written clearly on ANSWER SHEET 2. (10 points)

The Revolutionary War, which began officially on April 19,1775, dragged on for more than six bitter years. (46) It was a conflict fought by the colonials for the righteous cause of securing freedom from intolerable British intervention in American affairs.

Maritime commerce was always an important factor in the war effort, and trade linkages were vital to supply of arms and ammunitions. When legal restrictions were implemented by both the British and the colonists in 1775, nearly all American overseas commerce abruptly ceased. By mid1775, the colonies faced acute shortages in such military essentials as powder, flints, muskets, and knives. Even salt, shoes, woolens, and linens were in short supply. (47) Late in 1775, Congress authorized limited trade with the West Indies, mainly to procure arms and ammunitions, and trade with other nonEnglish areas was on an unrestricted basis by the spring of 1776.

Nevertheless, the British maintained a fairly effective naval blockade of American ports, especially during the first two years of the war. Yet the colonies engaged in international trade despite the blockade. Formal treaties of commerce with France in 1778 and with Holland and Spain shortly thereafter stimulated the flows of overseas trade. Between 1778 and early 1782, American wartime commerce was at its zenith. During those years, France, Holland, Spain, and their possessions all actively traded with the colonies. Even so, the flow of goods in and out of the colonies remained well below prewar levels. Smuggling, privateering and legal trade with overseas partners only partially offset the drastic trade reductions with Britain. (48)Even the coastal trades were curtailed by a lack of vessels, by blockades, and by wartime freight rates. Britishoccupied ports, such as New York, generated some import activity but little or nothing in the way of exports.

As exports and imports fell, import substitution abounded, and the colonial economy became considerably more selfsufficient. In Philadelphia, for instance, nearly 4,000 women were employed to spin materials in their homes for the newly established textile plants. (49)A sharp increase also occurred in the number of artisan workshops with a similar stimulus in the production of beer, whiskey, and other domestic alcoholic beverages. The rechanneling of American resources into importcompeting industries was especially strong along the coast and in the major port cities. (50)Only the least commercialized rural areas remained little affected by the serpentine path of war and the sporadic flow of wartime commerce.

Section Ⅲ Writing

Part A

51. Directions:

[A]Study the following paragraph carefully and write a letter in at least 100 words.

[B]Your name is Li Ming, a student of the Department of Applied Physics, Tsinghua University. You hope to further your study in Boston University (Massachusetts, USA) upon your graduation next year. Now you are writing to the office of graduate admissions to ask for the Application Form and other relative materials.

The following points should also be covered in your letter:

1) your personal information;

2) the reason why you choose Boston university;

3) a brief study plan.

You should write about 100 words on ANSWER SHEET 2. (10 points)

Part B

52．Directions：

Study the following drawing carefully and write an essay in which you should

1)describe the drawing,

2)interpret its meaning and

3)suggest countermeasures.

You should write about 160200 words neatly on ANSWER SHEET 2. (20 points)