2016年四川大學(xué)考博英語真題

I Reading Comprehension （30%; one mark each）

Directions: Read the following six passages. Answer the questions below each passage by choosing A，B, C, or D. Write your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.

Passage 1

When a person begins a mediated or immediate encounter, he already stands in some kind of social relationship to the others concerned, and expects to stand in a given relationship to them after the particular encounter ends. This, of course, is one of the ways in which social contacts are geared into the wider society. Much of the activity occurring during an encounter can be understood as an effort on everyone’s part to get through the occasion and all the unanticipated and unintentional events that can cast participants in an undesirable light, without disrupting the relationships of the participants. And if relationships are in the process of change, the object will be to bring the encounter to a satisfactory close

without altering the expected course of development. The perspective nicely accounts, for example, for the little ceremonies of greeting and farewell which occur when people begin a conversational encounter or depart from one. Greetings provide a way of showing that a relationship is still what it was at the termination of the previous co-participation, and, typically, that this relationship involves sufficient suppression of hostility for the participants temporarily to drop their guards and talk. Farewells sum up the effect of the encounter upon the relationship and show what the participants may expect of one another when they next meet. The enthusiasm of greetings compensates for the weakening of the relationship caused by the absence just terminated, while the enthusiasm of farewells compensates the relationship for the harm that is about to be done to it by separation.

It seems to be a characteristic obligation of many social relationships that each of the members guarantees to support a given face for the other members in given situations. To prevent disruption of these relationships, it is therefore necessary for each member to avoid destroying the others’ face. At the same time, it is often the person’s social relationship with others that leads him to participate in certain encounters with them, where incidentally he will be dependent upon them for supporting his face.

Furthermore, in many relationships, the members come to share a face, so that in the presence of third parties an improper act on the part of one member becomes a source of acute embarrassment to the other members. A social relationship, then, can be seen as a way in which the person is more than ordinarily forced to trust his self-image and face to the tact and good conduct of others.

1. The last word of the first sentence, namely “ends”，is most likely .

A. a noun, meaning “purposes” or “objectives”

B. a verb, meaning “comes to a finish”

C. a postpositional adjective, meaning “finishing”

D. an adjective, meaning “purposeful”

2. According to the author, if any unexpected difficulties occur in a social contact

A. the relationships between the participants break up

B. those who participate will be in an unintentional event

C. all participants would try to maintain their relationships

D. the participants will certainly get through an activity

3. Which of following is NOT an idea of the author?

A. The participants hope their relationship would be the same as they met last.

B. Greetings are just as important as farewells in a social encounter.

C. Before every greeting there is always sufficient hostility to suppress.

D. If their relationship changes，the participants want it to change as they hoped.

4. The last sentence of the second paragraph means that .

A. one’s self-image is dependent on how others behave

B. face and self-image are two different kinds of relationships

C. social relationship is something that is forced on all participants

D. to get along well with others is a process of giving each other face

5. The best title for this passage may well be .

A. Face and Social Relationship B. How to Conduct Socially

C. Greetings and Farewells D. Conversation Sociology

Passage 2

The poet William Blake wrote in the early nineteenth century: “ Great things are done when men and mountains meet. ” Great things indeed were done on Mount Everest in May of 1996. Also poignant things, foolish things, deadly things: Hundreds of climbers from eleven different expeditions were on the mountain — thirty-one near the summit — when a freakish and fierce-some storm blew in. Eight climbers perished, the highest one-day death toll since the first expedition tried to reach the top of the world’s tallest peak in 1921.

Adventurers have always sought challenges: deeper jungles, wider oceans, newer worlds. But mountains have been special. Perhaps it’s their size, their power, their resistance to conquest. In Patrick Meyers’s play K2, a marooned climber on the Himalaya peak that gives the play its name delivers this line: “Mountains are metaphors. ” And so they are. Climbers search not just for summits but also for themselves. They reach up to reach in.

That helps explain why Everest has been enveloped by “Mountain Madness”，the name of a Seattle company that offers guided tours of the peak for about $ 65,000 ( plus airfare to Nepal). New technology and equipment have also helped: lighter gear, warmer clothing, better radios and telephones, And the adventure can be shared, practically in real time, with Internet browsers around the world. But the community of high-mountain explorers now is gripped by soul-searching and second- guessing. Everest, after all, is not a theme peak. Some of the dead were experienced guides who lost their lives trying to save less agile amateurs. Said Mark Bryant, editor of Outside Magazine: Some of us have been asking: “Is it right that an average climber can order an ascent of Everest out of a catalog?”

An Australian mountaineer, Tim McCartney-Snape, told the Associated Press: “Some things should remain sacred, and Everest is one of them. Even the strongest and toughest have found it can be extremely difficult just existing at that altitude, without other people depending on you. ” On Everest, dependency can lead to heroism and to tragedy, One frostbitten amateur, Seaborne Weathers of Dallas, was plucked from a rocky ledge at 22, 000 feet by a Nepalese army helicopter — an act of incredible bravery. And Rob Hall, a guide who had climbed Everest several times, stayed on its slops with a dying customer. After learning they were hopelessly trapped, Hall managed to place a satellite telephone call to his pregnant wife, Jan, in New Zealand. “Hey, look,” he told her, “don’t worry about me. ” At that moment, Hall remembered Harold, the character in K2 who muses:

“Understanding has no meaning, Holding on, just holding on, that has meaning. ” Like Harold, he knew the mountain was still a mountain. Still a goal. Still a dream. And he couldn’t hold on. Rob Hall died before rescuers could reach him.

6. Which of the following statements best describes the author’s point of view?

A. Amateurs should not be encouraged to climb Mount Everest.

B. Guided tours of Mount Everest have become a source of enormous profits.

C. In the past, Mount Everest has made heroes out of ordinary men and women.

D. Mount Everest should remain a metaphor to be talked about.

7. The sentence “They reach up to reach in” may be best paraphrased by “ ”.

A. To know the inherent meaning of a mountain, one needs to climb up to the top

B. In conquering the mountain, one finds a proof of oneself

C. Mountaineers must climb upward in order to climb inside it

D. One needs to climb up to the top to see why a mountain is metaphorical

8. All of the following statements are true EXCEPT .

A. Mountain climbing can have a live report simultaneously

B. Mountaineers can be located instantly during their climbing

C. New technology significantly reduces risks and dangers in mountain climbing

D. It is more dangerous to have someone depending on you during mountain climbing

9. In the last paragraph, Harold’s saying uUnderstanding has no meaning” means ?

A. determination is more vital than thinking

B. persistence and action require reasoning

C. one should avoid misunderstanding the situation

D. it is meaningless to think in mountaineering

10. Most likely, the author of this passage is .

A. a historian B. a mountaineer C. a tourist guide D. a reporter

The Hertz, Corporation, the U. S. Air Force, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, the City of Dallas, and the Neiman-Marcus Group, Inc. , have one thing in common — all have purchased the services of Feedback Plus. Feedback Plus is an agency that dispatches professional shoppers who pose as

customers. These “mystery” shoppers visit the client’s business, purchase products or services and report back to the client on the quality of service they receive. The City of Dallas hired Feedback Plus to see how car-pound employees treat citizens picking up their cars. The Air Force is using professional shoppers to assess customer service at their on-base supply stores. Banks, hospitals, and public utilities are also hiring mystery shoppers. Vickie Henry, chief executive of Feedback Plus, notes that many similar firms compete for client’s business, and service really differentiates one firm from another.

Although Henry has a database of 8, 800 people who serve as professional shoppers, she sometimes assumes the role of mystery shopper herself. During a recent visit to an upscale women’s apparel store, she observed the type of customer service most companies attempt to avoid. None of the many salespeople on the sales floor said hello when she entered the store. When she removed a skirt from a clothing rack, none of the salespeople approached her. Finally, several minutes after entering the store, Henry approached a salesperson and asked to use the dressing room. Needless to say, service at this firm did not receive high marks from Feedback Plus.

As organizations experience increased competition for clients，patients, and customers, awareness of the importance of public contact increases. They are giving new attention to the old adage “ First impressions are lasting impressions”. Research indicates that initial impressions do indeed tend to linger. Therefore, a positive first impression can set the stage for a long-term relationship. We are indebted to Susan Bixler, president of Professional Image, Inc. , and author of Professional Presence, for giving us a better understanding of what it means to possess professional presence. Professional presence is a dynamic blend of poise, self-confidence, control and style that empowers us to be able to command respect in any situation. Once acquired, it permits us to be perceived as self-assured and thoroughly competent. We project a confidence that others can quickly perceive the first time they meet us.

Bixler points out that, in most cases, the credentials we present during a job interview or when we are being considered for a promotion are not very different from those of other persons being considered. It is our professional presence that permits us to rise above the crowd. Debra Benton, a career consultant, says, “Any boss with a choice of two people with equal qualifications will choose the one with style as well as substance. ” Learning to create a professional presence is one of the most valuable skills we can acquire.

The development of professional presence begins with a full appreciation of the power of first impressions. The tendency to form impressions quickly at the time of an initial meeting illustrates what social psychologists call a primacy effect in the way people perceive one another. The general principle is that first impressions establish the mental framework within which a person is viewed, and later evidence is either ignored or reinterpreted to coincide with this framework.

11. For all of the following walks of life EXCEPT the the professional presence has been discussed in this passage.

A. economic B. military C. academic D. medical

12. The underlined word “apparel” in the first paragraph means

A. apparatus B. cosmetics C. clothing D. specialty

13. Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?

A. No first impressions would ever change in the later contacts.

B. How one composes oneself determines how one is evaluated by others.

C. Social psychology is a science that stipulates the principles for social behaviors.

D. Opportunities in jobs or promotions are for those who differ from their competitors.

14. The underlined word “poise” in the third paragraph means .

A. proper comportment B. desirable position

C. careful pause D. positive assurance

15. Which of the following is likely to be the title of this article?

A. The Power of First Impression. B. The Primacy Effect in Marketing.

C. Social Psychology in Business. D. The Importance of Feedback.

You can’t drive if you’re blind, or blind drunk, but an alarming number of Americans find themselves, at least occasionally, driving in a blind rage. “It’s a major social issue，” says Dr. Ricardo Martinez, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “A3, 000-pound car in the hands of rude, hostile person is a lethal weapon. ’’

A report on road rage ” to be released this week by the American Automobile Association concluded that “motorists...are increasingly being shot, stabbed, and run over for inane reasons. ” And inanity is not confined to young louts in “Baywatch” T-shirt; young men are by far the most common perpetrators, but middle-aged men and women can be equally big jerks. The most common manifestation of road rage was aggressive tailgating, followed by headlight flashing, “ obscene gestures”，blocking other vehicles, and verbal abuse. Drivers have been assaulted with weapons ranging from partially eaten burritos to canes ( “a favorite with the elderly and disabled”)to golf clubs — and other vehicles, including buses, bulldozers, forklifts, and military tanks. “In terms of fatal crashes, drunks are a much bigger menace,” says David Willis, president of the AAA Foundation of Traffic Safety. “But the average motorist doesn’t encounter a drunk very often, while in a place like

Washington, D. C. , at least once a week you’ll have an encounter with some crazy guy on the road. ” Naturally, the phenomenon has given rise to its own therapeutic movement, whose leading practitioner is a Whittier, California, psychologist named Arnold Nerenburg, who calls himself “America’s Road Rage Therapist”，has identified four stimuli that provoked road rage. The most common is feeling endangered by someone else’s driving — for example, when another driver cuts you off or follows too closely. Others are resentment at being forced to slow down, righteous indignation at someone who breaks traffic rules or steals your parking space and — perhaps the most dangerous, because it opens the door to an escalating exchange of hostilities — anger at another driver who takes his own road rage out on you.

The fact that most drivers are mutual strangers contributes to the volatility of highway confrontations. “There’s a deep psychological urge to release aggression against an anonymous other, ” Nerenburg says.

Road-rage therapy tends toward the common-sensical — “Take a deep breath and just let it go. " Nerenburg recommends. But it might help to consider that you might not be all that anonymous to the other driver. One of his patients realized the depth of his problem after he yelled an obscenity at the woman in the next car — who turned out to be his boss’s wife.

16. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A. More and more Americans are using their cars to express their anger.

B. Old people and women are milder in temperament during driving.

C. Common sense might be the basis for overcoming road rage.

D. If people know each other, road rage would not happen.

17. According to American Automobile Association, the people are more likely than all the others to be road-angered.

A. young B. middle-aged C. old D. handicapped

18. Which of the following is a justifiable cause for road rage, according to Dr. Nerenburg?

A. Another driver fails to observe a traffic law.

B. The parking space is occupied by another car.

C. The lane is taken by a slowly-moving car.

D. Another driver flashes the head-light.

19. The underlined word “l(fā)ethal” in the first paragraph means .

A. powerful B. illegal C. dangerous D. deadly

20. What might be the deep problem that one of Nerenburg’s patients had realized?

A. He faces a lawsuit of sex harassment. B. He is in danger of being fired.

C. He will be fined by traffic police. D. He falls ill and has to see a doctor.

Passage 5

Most people, asked if they can think without speech, would probably answer, “Yes，but it is not easy for me to do so. Still I know it can be done. n Language is but a garment! But what if language is not so much a garment as a prepared road or groove? It is, indeed, in the highest degree likely that language is an instrument originally put to uses lower than conceptual plane and that thought arises as a refined interpretation of its content. The product grows，in other words, with the instrument and the thought may be no more conceivable, in its genesis and daily practice, without speech than is mathematical reasoning practicable without the lever of an appropriate mathematically symbolism. No one believes that even the most difficult mathematical proposition is inherently dependent on an arbitrary set of symbols, but it is impossible to suppose that the human mind is capable of arriving at or holding such a proposition without the symbolism.

The writer, for one, is strongly of the opinion that the feeling entertained by so many that they can think, or even reason, without language is an illusion. The illusion seems to be due to a number of factors. The simplest of these is the failure to distinguish between imagery and thought. As a matter of fact, no sooner do we try to put an image into conscious relation with another than we find ourselves slipping into a silent flow of words. Thought may be a natural domain apart from the artificial one of speech, but speech would seem to the only road we know of that leads to it.

21. In the first line, the underlined phrase can best be replaced by .

A. most of the people B. more people

C. more than one people D. many people

22. In Line 3，the word “groove” is probably closest in meaning to .

A. later growth B. designated slot

C. particular path D. ready-made viaduct

23. Which of the following statements would the author of the passage agree?

A. Thought came into being earlier than language.

B. It is language that makes conceptual thought possible.

C. Thought is no different from mathematics because it depends on symbolism.

D. Both thought and language are the interpretation of propositions.

24. Which of the following statements is true according to the author?

A. The imagery is the precondition of thought.

B. Thought has to be bom in words.

C. Imagery is an explanation of words.

D. Once we use words, we make mistakes.

25. The idea of this passage is held by ?

A. some people including the writer B. the writer himself alone

C. most people but the writer D. one of the people other than the writer

Strikes and strikebreaking, lockouts and boycotts, all pit one side against the other in labor disputes. Ultimately, the negative effects of such actions 一 including resentment, fear, and distrust 一 linger for months or years after a dispute has been resolved. Increasingly, more productive techniques such as mediation and arbitration are being used to settle disagreements between labor and management. Either one may come into play before a labor contract expires or after some other strategy, such as a strike, has proven ineffective. Mediation is the use of a neutral third party to assist management and the union during their negotiations. This third party (the mediator) listens to both sides, trying to find common ground for agreement. The mediator also tries to encourage communication between the two sides to promote compromise, and generally keep the negotiation moving. Initially, the mediator may meet privately with each side. Eventually, however, the goal is to get the two sides to settle their differences at the bargaining table.

Unlike mediation, the arbitration step involves a formal hearing. Just as it may be the final step in a grievance procedure, it may also be used in contract negotiations when the two sides cannot agree on one or more issues. At this point, the arbitrator hears the formal positions of both parties on outstanding, unresolved issues. The arbitrator then analyzes these positions and makes a decision on the possible resolution of the issues. If both sides have agreed in advance that the arbitration will be binding, that means they must accept the arbitrator’s decision. If mediation and arbitration are unsuccessful, then according to the Taft-Hartley Act, the president of the United States can obtain a temporary injunction to prevent or to stop a strike if it would endanger national health or security.

26. According to the author，with the solution of a labor crisis .

A. the tension between labor and management can continue

B. labor and management do not trust each other any more

C. the negative effect of actions like strike would be resolved

D. a long time is needed to bring the dispute to an end

27. To resolve a labor dispute，one should .

A. resort to mediation or arbitration from the start

B. make sure that the labor contract expires

C. take other steps before going to mediation or arbitration

D. strike first and then accept mediation or arbitration

28. Which of the following is true of mediation?

A. The mediator makes final decisions after meeting with both sides.

B. To avoid bias, the mediator cannot meet either side in advance.

C. The primary task is to help both sides bargain with each other.

D. The mediator can be a representative from either the labor or the management.

29. The pre-condition for an arbitration to be authoritative is that ?

A. both sides agree in advance to abide by the decision made

B. a formal hearing must be conducted just like in a court trial

C. the decision is focused on the most outstanding and unresolved issues

D. there is no bargaining allowed by arbitration, unlike mediation

30. In the last sentence, the underlined word “ injunction” most likely refers to .

A. a formal declaration B. a subpoena

C. a lawsuit protocol D. an official order

II Vocabulary (10% ; 0.5 mark each)

31. Dr. Norman Bethune came from Canada to help the Chinese people in their war against Japanese aggression.

A. in the way B. all the way C. along the way D. by the way

32. Throughout history, he who knows the art of war uses force only as the last .

A. resort B. rescue C. refrain D. recant

33. After a careful investigation and evaluation, the city hall decided to the old house.

A. dismantle B. destroy C. demolish D. delineate

34. The monument was so small that it appears to be more for than for memorial.

A. significance B. indifference C. oblivion D. memory

35. Millions of years ago the Vesuvian volcano destroyed Pompeii, but today is ?

A. dormant B. pacifying C. ignited D. ruptured

36. Because humans have to talk about the limitless world by means of limited language sounds, there is a great between the world and language.

A. apathy B. anomaly C. asymmetry D. agnosticism

37. If an organism is quite successful in getting used with the environment that is new to it, we say that the organism is very .

A. agile B. adjustable C. adoptive D. adaptive

38. When we do planning, we should take all relevant factors into consideration in order to , as much as possible the difficult cases or even failures.

A. forestall B. forerun C. foretell D. forecast

39. is the practice of putting yourself in the position of another person in order to understand his/her feelings.

A. Affectation B. Empathy C. Pathology D. Affiliation

40. In schools and universities, some courses are compulsory, which one has to take, while the other are , either freely or as required.

A. optimal B. opaque C. optical D. optional

41. When one applies for a job position, one needs to one’s resume, describing one’s educational as well as working experiences.

A. submit B. subject C. submerge D. subside

42. As industry grew, so did the need for more and more skilled industrial workers.

A. much B. as to C. too D. as for

43. The rescue team worked hard to search for the missing mountaineers, the heavy and icy snowstorm.

A. in spite B. despite C. although D. disregard

44. Breaking Bad is the most thrilling TV drama series I have watched in several years.

A. as B. what C. which D. that

45. The revised feasibility report handed in by the draft team is good enough, a few spelling errors on some pages.

A. except for B. except that C. excepting D. except

46. It is mandatory that the engineering project accomplished by the end of this year.

A. is B. has been C. be D. will be

47. the advice from the councilor, we would not have finished the task so smoothly.

A. Out of B. What with C. But for D. Instead of

48. The traffic accident has claimed 5 lives, the cause of which is still investigation.

A. under B. beyond C. for D. beneath

49. Even though the bell for dismissing class has rung, the teacher is still talking .

A. over B. forward C. off D. away

50. Since the negotiation with the management has come to a deadlock, the worker’s union decides to take the street.

A. to B. over C. down D. away with

HI Cloze (10% ; 0.5 mark each)

In the last decade, giving birth at home has become an increasingly popular option for some couples. Assisted by a physician or a nurse-midwife, many women have successfully given birth at home (51) healthy babies. In fact, some studies indicate that 一 for (52) pregnancies — home delivery is as safe as hospital delivery. (53) of home birth argue that the atmosphere in a hospital — with all its forbidding machines, rules, regulations, and general lack of ‘‘homeyness” 一 is stressful. (54) , giving birth in a hospital detracts from what should be a joyous, natural human experience. Supporters of home birth further argue that hospitals are (55) to deal with illness and that the delivery of a baby should not be viewed as an illness.

On the other side of the argument, critics of home birth argue that if emergency medical (56) are necessary, giving birth at home may be (57) dangerous. Furthermore, hospital practices in labor and delivery have changed (58) in the last decade, particularly with the increased popularity of the Lamaze method. Thus hospitals are not the strange, forbidding environments they once were. (59) hospitals, for example, allow fathers to be present (60) the entire labor and delivery, and many allow the father to be present (61) the operating room during the cesarean deliveries. Many hospitals have (62) created birth centers, homelike rooms with comfortable beds and armchairs, that allow labor and delivery to (63 ) in a relaxed atmosphere, while (64) only a few minutes (65 ) emergency equipment.

For a woman who wants to have a home birth, careful medical screening is (66). (67) women with normal pregnancies and anticipated normal deliveries (68) attempt a home birth. A qualified hysician or nurse-midwife must be part of the planning. Finally, there must be access (69) a hospital (70) an unanticipated emergency.

51. A. to B. by C. with D. for

52. A. unconventional B. abnormal C. uncomplicated D. hazardous

53. A. Adversaries B. Advocates C. Advertisers D. Amateurs

54. A. Nevertheless B. Therefore C. However D. Furthermore

55. A. worked B. favored C. meant D. taken

56. A. procedures B. products C. precedes D. pronouns

57. A. upright B. downright C. overall D. underside

58. A. redundantly B. laboriously C. apparently D. radically

59. A. Most B. Most of the C. Few D. Few of the

60. A. at B. for C. in D. with

61. A. in B. over C. upon D. outside

62. A. beside B. likewise C. also D. altogether

63. A. incur B. concur C. occur D. recur

64. A. to be B. having been C. to be had D. being

65. A. away from B. out of C. in for D. within to

66. A. satisfactory B. verifiable C. orderly D. essential

67. A. Ideally B. Only C. Merely D. Obviously

68. A. should B. would C. could D. might

69. A. for B. with C. in D. to

70. A. at the sight of B. in keeping with C. for the sake of D. in case of

IV Translation (30%)

Part A (20%)

Translate the following passage into Chinese.

Psychologically, there are two dangers to be guarded against in old age. One of these is undue absorption in the past. It does not do to live in memories, in regrets for good old days, or in sadness about friends who are dead. One’s thoughts must be directed to the future, and to things about which there is something to be done. This is not always easy; one’s own past is a gradual increasing weight. It is easy to think to oneself that one’s emotions used to be more vivid than they are, and one’s mind keener. If this is true it should be forgotten, and if it is forgotten it will probably not be true. The other thing to be avoided is clinging to youth in the hope of sucking vigor from its vitality.

When your children are grown up they want to live their own lives and if you continue to be as interested in them as you were when they were young, you are likely to become a burden to them, unless they are unusually callous. I do not mean that one should be without interest in them, but one’s interest should be contemplative and, if possible, philanthropic, but not unduly emotional. Animals become indifferent to their young as soon as their young can look after themselves, but human beings, owing to the length of infancy, find this difficult.

Part B (10%)

Translate the following sentences into English.

71. 從解決實際問題的角度講，哲學(xué)是沒有用的;但是哲學(xué)的價值在于啟發(fā)人們的問題意識和邏輯思辨能力;這是其他學(xué)科無法替代的。

72. 我不同意你的觀點，但我會誓死捍衛(wèi)你發(fā)表那些觀點的權(quán)力。如果我們每個人都能做到這一點，我們這個社會將會是一個和諧的、充滿活力的社會。

73. 原子內(nèi)部超過99%的空間空無一物。若將這些空間全壓縮掉，那么全球人類可以被塞進一粒方糖。

74. 語言學(xué)家王力認為西方語言是法治的語言，漢語則是人治的語言;這話用來描述中西語言在句法形式上的差別是非常貼切的。

75. 人生沒有彩排，每天都是實況直播，不僅收視率低，而且工資不高。

Writing (20%)

Directions: Family cars have become a major reason yvhy the city roads are jammed，but the automobile industry needs development which in turn requires the increased use of family cars. Please write a composition to discuss this dilemma and give your own opinion on how it can be resolved. Your composition should be about 150 English words. Write your composition on the ANSWER SHEET.