英语翻译高级口译-高级阅读(三)及答案解析.doc

1、英语翻译高级口译-高级阅读(三)及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、BSECTION 1 READI(总题数：4，分数：50.00)Directions: In this section you will read several passages. Each one is followed by several questions about it. You are to choose ONE best answer, A. B. C. or D. to each question.Valentines Day is tomorrow, and we are all t

2、hinking about true love and heart-shaped chocolate candy. Well, maybe not all of us. Some of us, actually, are considering the quantifiable aspects of divorce. In America today, some 50 percent of marriages are predicted to end in divorce. And at the University of Washington in Seattle they say they

3、 can tell you exactlywell, almost exactlywhich ones those will be.A psychologist, a mathematician, and a pathologist have devised what they call a proven mathematical formula for detecting which relationships will go sourthereby holding out hope that such couples can overcome their problems, and avo

4、id divorce. “We have been able to predict that divorce will happen before it does. Thats old news,“ says John Gottman, emeritus professor of psychology. “But what we have now is a scientific model for understanding why we can predict it with such accuracy.“The work marks the first time a mathematic

5、model is being used to understand such deep personal human interactions, adds James Murray, professor of applied mathematics. “It is totally objective. And our prediction of which couples would divorce within a four-year period was 94 percent accurate.“ This is how it works. Couples face each other

6、and discusseach speaking in turna subject over which they have disagreed more than once in the past. They are wired to detect various physiological data, such as pulse rates, and theyre also videotaped. A session lasts a mere 15 minutes. The research team watches and analyzes the tapes and data, awa

7、rding plus or minus points depending on the type of interactions and according to a standard scoring system. Everything is then translated into equations and plotted on a graph, which the researchers have dubbed the “Dow- Jones Industrial Average for marital conversation“. Once this is done, differe

8、nt situations are simulated and analyzed from the equations and graphs, and predictions are made.Over the past 16 years more than 700 couples (at different stages of their marriages) took part in the research. But lets go back a moment. It all starts, say, with a chat about mothers-in-lawapparently

9、one of the hot topics of contention among couples, along with money and sex, according to Dr. Murray. “The husband might say to his wife, Your mother really is a pain in the neck. Well, thats a minus two points. A shrug, thats a no-noso minus one. And rolled eyesvery negative, thats minus two.“ If h

10、owever, the husband were to say, “Your mother is a pain in the neck . but she is sometimes funny,“ then, according to the researchers, you would take away two points and then give one back. If the husband cracked a smile, he would get another point. At the end of all the additions and subtractions,

11、a stable marriage is indicated by having five more positive points than negative ones. Otherwise, warns the team, the marriage is in trouble.In troublebut not doomed. The whole point of the model, says Dr. Gottman, is that it gives therapists new understanding with which they can help couples overco

12、me patterns of interaction and prevent divorce. “What we are suggesting,“ says Murray, “is that couples who take this experiment then be told the prediction and realize they are going to have to both change their behavior and repair what is wrong.“Not everyone buys into this model. Bonnie Jacobson,

13、a clinical psychologist and processor at New York University, says it is “absolutely impossible“ to understand the workings of a relationship via a one-size-fits-all model. “For mostly every couple I have seen, its hard to see how they got together in the first place,“ she says. “So unless you reall

14、y get to know the nuanced dynamics, you will never get it or be able to help.“Christine Fasano was married for only 14 months before getting a divorce last year. She agrees the dynamics of a relationship are nuanced and complexbut also sees merit in the University of Washington studys basic assumpti

15、on that if one looks starkly at interaction between a couple, it is possible to ascertain whether the relationship is headed toward demise. “Im not surprised the model works,“ she says. “Its actually not that profound. My basic observation of couples that are happily married is that they treat each

16、other well. That is basically what they are saying, and that is hard to argue with.“So, any final advice for Valentines Day from the divorce research team out in Washington? “I would never give advice on matters of the heart,“ says Murray, who, incidentally, has been married 45 years. “But I suppose

17、 the bottom line is, yes, communication. And being good to one another. That is nice to quantify.“（分数：12.50）(1).The mathematical model is designed by these scientists _. A. to figure out the probability of divorce B. to predict and help avoid divorce C. for the newly-married young couples D. on the

18、basis of physiological data（分数：2.50）A.B.C.D.(2).Which of the following CANNOT be found about the mathematical formula? A. It is quite popular and has been widely accepted. B. It has been experimented with over 700 couples. C. It has been invented by a number of scientists from related fields. D. It

19、is proved useful as more marriages end in divorce.（分数：2.50）A.B.C.D.(3).In the sentence “Not everyone buys into this model“ (para. 6), the expression “buys into“ can be interpreted as _. A. pays to acquire B. supports fully C. have confidence in D. understands and accepts（分数：2.50）A.B.C.D.(4).Christin

20、e Fasano is introduced in the passage because _. A. her divorce was predicted and avoided by the formula B. her divorce proved the effectiveness of the mathematical model C. she thought the rationale behind the formula is understandable D. she argued that divorce could be prevented by frequent commu

21、nication（分数：2.50）A.B.C.D.(5).The love equation employs all of the following methods EXCEPT _. A. it is based on the analysis of recordings of marital conversation B. it uses an addition and subtraction system to record the data C. it makes predictions from analysis of equations and graphs D. it uses

22、 the interviews of each of the spouses separately（分数：2.50）A.B.C.D.A Black comedy by a first-time novelist with a past as colorful as his book has defied the bookies to win the 50,000 Man Booker prize, the most important honour in the British literary world. Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre, the nom d

23、e plume of 42-year-old Mexican-Australian Peter Finlay, was the unanimous choice of the Booker judges, chaired by John Carey, who took less than an hour to decide. The novel tells the story of Vernon Gregory, a Texan teenager who is put on trial accused of a massacre at his high school.At the awards

24、 ceremony at the British Museum in London last night, Professor Carey described it as a “coruscating black comedy reflecting our alarm but also our fascination with modern America“. Accepting the prize, the novelist said: “My mum is in the audience. I want to say she and the rest of my family plante

25、d the idea that I could do anything and I would just like to apologise for taking it literally.“ It beat a shortlist including Brick Lane, the first novel by Monica Ali which was the bookmakers favourite and has been the biggest seller in the shops, and Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, the only es

26、tablished author to make it to the final round of judging.Martyn Goff, the director of the Man Booker prize, said he was “absolutely amazed“ at the swiftness of the decision which was made after the second shortest debate in the prizes 35-year history. “Four of them jumped as one, and the fifth memb

27、er of the jury was not unhappy,“ he said. The judges were particularly convinced by the way the author was able to create such a strong sense of America. “There was a feeling that it could only have been written by an American whereas we all know it wasnt,“ he said.DBC Pierrethe initials stand for D

28、irty But Cleanis a reformed drug addict and gambler who was born into a wealthy family but lost virtually everything when the banks were nationalised in Mexico in 1982. Without his family money to fall back on, Finlay has admitted selling his best friends home and keeping the proceeds as well as wor

29、king up hundreds of thousands of dollars of debts in a scheme to find gold in Mexico. Revealing how his life was often stranger than fiction, he said in a recent interview. “For nine years I was in a drug haze, on a rampage of cocaine, heroin, any shit I could get. I am not proud of what I have done

30、 and I now want to put it right.“A publishing deal for the book was sealed just one hour before the first plane hit New Yorks World Trade Centre on 11 September, 2001. “Ever since, I feel like theres some dark destiny swirling around the book,“ he said. His financial problems are likely to become a

31、thing of the past. A filmmaker has bought an option to make a movie of the book and as well as the 50,000 prize cheque, the writer, who currently lives in Ireland, is guaranteed a significant increase in sales. Sales of last years winner, Yann Martels Life of Pi, have exceeded 1 million copies. Mart

32、in Higgs, literary editor of Waterstones, said. “The storyline for this book is one that you would as much see played out today on the six oclock news as read in a novel and has for this reason struck a chord with book lovers.“Finlay was second favourite to win, behind Monica Ali, 35, who created a

33、flurry of interest even before her debut novel was published when she was named one of Grantas best young British novelists. The other shortlisted books were The Good Doctor, by Damon Galgut, Astonishing Splashes of Colour by Clare Morrall, and Notes on a Scandal by the former Independent on Sunday

34、journalist Zoe Heller, 38.（分数：12.50）(1).The novelist Peter Finlay said that, when accepting the prize, he “would just like to apologise for taking it literally“ (para. 2) The word “it“ refers to the idea of _. A. selling his friends home and using up the money B. publishing the novel Vernon God Litt

35、le C. owing huge amounts of debts to others D. doing whatever he liked（分数：2.50）A.B.C.D.(2).We can learn from the shortlisted books of this years Man Booker prize that _. A. most of them are from established authors B. some of them are from first-time novelists C. all of them are biggest sellers in t

36、he shops D. half of them were written by former journalists（分数：2.50）A.B.C.D.(3).According to the passage, the director of the Man Booker prize was “absolutely amazed“ because _. A. the debate over the prize winner was so hot and fierce B. the plot of Vernon God Little was so fascinating C. the Booke

37、r judges were almost unanimous in their decision D. the fifth member of the jury refused to change his mind（分数：2.50）A.B.C.D.(4).The author mentions in the passage the sales of last years winner Yann Martels Life of Pi to imply that _. A. the success of Vernon God Little will bring the author a lot o

38、f money B. Peter Finlay will become as rich as a world famous movie star C. the sales of Vernon God Little will exceed that of Life of Pi D. the Booker prize winning novels will become world classics（分数：2.50）A.B.C.D.(5).Which of the following CANNOT be concluded from the passage about the novelist P

39、eter Finlay? A. He had once been a drug addict and gambler. B. He almost lost everything because of the nationalization of banks in Mexico. C. He was quite worried before the publication of his first novel. D. He knew his best-selling book would win the national literary prize.（分数：2.50）A.B.C.D.Concr

40、ete is probably used more widely than any other substance except water, yet it remains largely unappreciated. “Some people view the 20th century as the atomic age, the space age, the computer agebut an argument can be made that it was the concrete age,“ says cement specialist Hendrik van Oss. “Its a

41、 miracle material.“ Indeed, more than a ton of concrete is produced each year for every man, woman and child on Earth. Yet concrete is generally ignored outside the engineering world, a victim of its own ubiquity and the industrys conservative pace of development. Now, thanks to environmental pressu

42、res and entrepreneurial innovation, a new generation of concretes is emerging. This high-tech assortment of concrete confections promises to be stronger, lighter, and more environmentally friendly than ever before.The concretes they will replace are, for the most part, strong and durable, but with l

43、imitations. Concrete is sound under compression but weak under tension. Steel rebars are used as reinforcement, but make recycling difficult when concrete breaks downand break down it inevitably will. Cracks caused by stress grow larger over time, with water forcing them open and corroding the rebar

44、s within. “When you put enough stress on it, concrete doesnt work like we want it to. Were asking too much of it now,“ says Mr. van Oss. Concrete is also a climate-change villain. It is made by mixing water with an aggregate, such as sand or gravel, and cement. Cement is usually made by heating lime

45、stone and clay to over 2,500 degrees F. The resulting chemical reaction, along with fuel burned to heat the kiln, produces between 7 and 10 percent of global carbon-dioxide emissions.“When we have to repeatedly regenerate these materials because theyre not durable, we release more emissions,“ says V

46、ictor Li, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the University of Michigan. Dr. Li has created a concrete suffused by synthetic fibers that make it stronger, more durable, and able to bend like a metal. Lis creation does not require reinforcement, a property shared by other concretes th

47、at use chemical additives called plasticizers to reduce the amount of water in their composition. Using less water makes concrete stronger, but until the development of plasticizers, it also made concrete sticky, dry, and hard to handle, says Christian Meyer, a civil engineering professor at Columbi

48、a University.“The engineer would specify a certain strength, a certain amount of waterand as soon as a supervisor turned his back, in would go a bucket of water,“ says Dr. Meyer of the time before plasticizers. Making stronger concretes, says Li, allows less to be used, reducing waste and giving arc

49、hitects more freedom. “You can have such futuristic designs if you dont have to put rebar in there, or structural beams,“ says van Oss. “You can have things shooting off into space at odd angles. Many possibilities are opened up.“ A more directly “green“ concrete has been developed by the Australian company TecEco. They add magnesium to their cement, forming a porous concrete that actually scrubs carbon dioxide fr