专业八级-414及答案解析.doc

1、专业八级-414 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、READING COMPREHENSIO(总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、Passage 1(总题数：1，分数：20.00)For nearly two years, Marisela Escobedo Ortiz led a one-woman campaign to bring the murderer of her 16-year-old daughter to justice. Ms. Escobedo was outraged after a three-judge panel ignored overwhe

2、lming evidence pointing to her daughter“s then boyfriend, a member of a criminal gangs Sergio Barraza, as the killer. The judges“ decision was eventually overturnedbut not before Barraza was released and Escobedo herself murdered this past December, while protesting in front of the Chihuahua state g

3、overnor“s office. Escobedo“s death was recorded by a security camera and broadcast throughout the country, outraging the Mexican public and leading to the suspension of the three judges involved in the original trial. Her case is not only representative of the impunity with which activists are silen

4、ced in Mexico, but also highlights the marked increase in violence toward women as the country has been drawn deeper into its battle with organised crime. Since President Calderon began to take on Mexico“s crime in 2006, the country“s drug war has taken a total of 34,612 lives, nearly half of which

5、were claimed solely in 2010. Unbeknown to many, the deaths resulting from organized crime have also coincided with the murder of over 4,000 women since 2006 from causes unrelated to the nation“s drug war. While violence toward women is not new to Mexico, the estimated number of female deaths suggest

6、s a callous disregard by Mexico“s government of this growing phenomenon. The authorities“ negligence is especially evident in Escobedo“s native state of Chihuahua, home to the notorious Ciudad Juarez, where according to human rights organizations, femicides rose by 130% between 2009 and 2010, result

7、ing in a total of 446 murdered women only last year. This worsening epidemic has led local authorities throughout the country to downplay the mounting violence by misclassifying murders, attributing deaths to drug violence, or simply under-report the figures. This national campaign of misinformation

8、 seems to be primarily motivated by electoral politics, as was recently demonstrated by Mexico state governorand leading presidential candidate for the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)Enrique Pefia Nieto. Earlier this month, authorities in Mexico state clashed with NGOs seeking to declare a “

9、gender emergency“ in the locality after federal prosecutors announced that over 900 women had been murdered in the state during the past five years. This figure would make Mexico state one of the most violent in the nation, and likely damage the closely guarded image of governor Pefia Nieto. The gov

10、ernment of Pefia Nieto succeeded in lobbying national authorities to avoid applying the “gender emergency“ designation to his state, prompting the condemnation of domestic and international NGOs. While Mexico“s authorities might continue to successfully obscure the extent of the country“s increasing

11、 violence toward women, the rising death toll and public outrage make this task increasingly, difficult. Ms. Escobedo“s death, along with that of activist Susana Chavez earlier this month, have already sparked protests throughout Mexico and at Mexican embassies around the world, as well as bringing

12、mounting international criticism. As Mexico enters its fifth year of conflict and escalating militarisation, the country“s ability to ensure basic protections for its citizensand, in particular, for those most at riskhas never been less certain. If Mexico“s political class is intent on improving its

13、 reputation for governance, it should focus less on muddling with the figures and more on resolving the nation“s problems.（分数：20.00）(1).What happened to the three judges?（分数：4.00）A.They were detained by the judicial department.B.They were prevented from their positions.C.They were threatened by the

14、criminal gangs.D.They justly judged Ms. Escobedo“s daughter“s case.(2).Which of the following statements is INCORRECT about the mounting femicides?（分数：4.00）A.Violence toward women is a common phenomenon occurring in Mexico.B.Mexico“s government kept an indifferent attitude to the violence toward wom

15、en.C.Mexico“s government has exerted itself to tackle crimes against females.D.The statistics about women victim cases is usually distorted by the government.(3).Which of the following statements contains a metaphor?（分数：4.00）A.Female deaths suggest a callous disregard by Mexico“s government.B.It sho

16、uld focus less on muddling with the figures.C.This epidemic has led authorities of the country to downplay the mounting violence.D.Ms Escobedo“s death has already sparked protests throughout Mexico.(4).The authorities“ misdeclaration about violence against women was due to all the following EXCEPT（分

17、数：4.00）A.international criticism.B.maintenance of governor“s reputation.C.political system.D.establishment of state image.(5).The sentence in the last paragraph “it should focus less on muddling with the figures.“ suggests（分数：4.00）A.it is wrong and unacceptable to distort the statistics of femicides

18、.B.there are more and more women involved in the drug violence in Mexico.C.the government should pay less attention to the figure of female victims.D.it is no good trying to conceal the serious state of violence against women.三、Passage 2(总题数：1，分数：20.00)One school night this month I sidled up to Alex

19、ander, my 15-year-old son, and stroked his cheek in a manner I hoped would seem casual. Alex knew better, sensing by my touch, which lingered just a moment too long, that I was sneaking a touch of the stubble that had begun to sprout near his ears. A year ago he would have ignored this intrusion and

20、 returned my gesture with a squeeze. But now he recoiled, retreating stormily to his computer screen. That, and a peevish roll of his eyes, told me more forcefully than words, Morn, you are so busted! I had committed the ultimate folly: invading my teenager“s personal space. “The average teenager ha

21、s pretty strong feelings about his privacy.“ Lara Fox, a recent young acquaintance, told me with an assurance that brooked no debate. Her friend Hilary Frankel chimed in: “What Alex is saying is: “This is my body changing. It“s not yours.“ Intruding, however discreetly, risked making him feel babied

22、 “at a time when feeling like an adult is very important to him,“ she added. O.K., score one for the two of you. These young women, after all, are experts. Ms. Frankel and Ms. Fox, both 17, are the authors of Breaking the Code (New American Library), a new book that seeks to bridge the generational

23、divide between parents and adolescents. It is being promoted by its publisher as the first self-help guide by teenagers for their parents, a kind of Kids Are From Mars, Parents Are From Venus that demystifies the language and actions of teenagers. The girls tackled issues including curfews, money, s

24、chool pressures, smoking and sibling rivalry. Personally, I welcomed insights into teenagers from any qualified experts, and that included the authors. The most common missteps in interacting with teenagers, they instructed me, stem from the turf war between parents asserting their right to know wha

25、t goes on under their roof and teenagers zealously guarding their privacy. When a child is younger, they write, every decision revolves around the parents. But now, as Ms. Fox told me, “often your teenager is in this bubble that doesn“t include you.“ Ms. Fox and Ms. Frankel acknowledge that they and

26、 their peers can be quick to interpret their parents“ remarks as dismissive or condescending and respond with a hostility that masks their vulnerability. “What we want above all is your approval,“ they write. “Don“t forget, no matter how much we act as if we don“t care what you say, we believe the t

27、hings you say about us.“ Nancy Samalin, a New York child-rearing expert and the author of Loving Without Spoiling (McGraw-Hill, 2003), said she didn“t agree with everything the authors suggested but found their arguments reasonable. “When your kids are saying,“ You don“t get it, and you never will,“

28、 there are lots of ways to respond so that they will listen,“ she said, “ and that“s what the writers point out.“ As for my teenager, Alex, Ms. Fox and Ms. Frankel told me I would have done better to back off or to have asked “Is your skin feeling rougher these days?“ A more successful approach, the

29、 authors suggest in their book, would have been for the mother to offer, as Ms. Fox“s own parents did, a later curfew once a month, along with an explanation of her concerns. “My parents helped me see,“ Ms. Fox told me, “that even though they used to stay out late and ride their bicycles to school,

30、times have changed. These days there is a major fear factor in bringing up kids. Parents worry about their child crossing the street.“ The writers said they hoped simply to shed light on teenage thinking. For their parents it did. Reminded by Ms. Fox that teenagers can be quite territorial, her fath

31、er, Steven Fox, a dentist, said, “These days I“m better about knocking on the door when I want to come into Lara“s room.“ “I try to talk to her in a more respectful way more as an adultish tone of teenager rather than a childish type of teenager,“ he added.（分数：20.00）(1).The book Kids Are From Mars,

32、Parents Are From Venus is mentioned in the third paragraph because（分数：4.00）A.it has the same theme of the book written by the two girls.B.it has the opposite opinion to the book written by the two girls.C.it has ranked first on the list of best sellers for several times.D.it is another book that the

33、 two girls have ever written.(2).Which of the following is NOT true about the teenagers“ attitude towards their parents?（分数：4.00）A.They yearn for the respect and approval from their parents.B.They want a private space without being invaded by their parents.C.They usually have a conversation with the

34、ir parents in unequal positions.D.They resist parents“ remarks due to their disbelief of parents“ judgments.(3).The sentence in the sixth paragraph “You don“t get it, and you never will“ implies that（分数：4.00）A.the teenagers think that their parents will never understand them.B.the parents do not nec

35、essarily force into the world of their children.C.the generation gap can not be shortened despite their parents“ efforts.D.it“s teenagers“ excuse to disguise their vulnerability of being under custody.(4).As to the views mentioned in the two gins“ book, the author believes that（分数：4.00）A.they provid

36、e some approaches to her child-rearing.B.they revealed thought patterns of teenagers and parents.C.they have obtained unanimous support from the public.D.they have overestimated the rights of teenagers.(5).Which of the following words best describes teenagers as seen by the two gins?（分数：4.00）A.Indep

37、endent.B.Arrogant.C.Sensitive.D.Isolated.四、Passage 3(总题数：1，分数：20.00)Whom can you trust these days? It is a question posed by David Halpern of Cambridge University, and the researchers at the Downing Street Strategy Unit who take an interest in “social capital“. At intervals they go around asking peo

38、ple in assorted nations the question: “Generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted?“ The results are fascinating. The conclusion that leaps from the figures and into sensational headlines is that social dislocation, religious decline, pubic scandals, family fragmentation and th

39、e fear of crime have made us less trusting. Comparative surveys over 40 years suggest that British trustfulness has halved: in the 1950s 60 percent of us answered “yes, most people can be trusted“, in the 1980s 44 percent, today only 29 percent. Trust levels also continue to fall in Ireland and the

40、USmeanwhile, the Norwegians, Swedes, Danes and Dutch express tremendous confidence in one another“s probity: levels are actually rising. And the Palme d“Orr for paranoid mutual suspicion goes to the Brazilianswith less than 3 percent replying “yes“and the Turks with 6.5 percent. The French, apparent

41、ly, never trusted one another and still don“t. So we become less Scandinavian and more French (or Turkish) every year. Regarding Britain, the obvious conclusions are being drawn. Mr. Halpern and others cite reasons why we appear less trustful: the demise of the job-for-culture life, rising divorce,

42、physical mobility, higher immigration, an aggressive commercial ethic and the new isolation of mass media. This is useful research, but there are a few caveats. The trouble is that you may not get a very thoughtful answer if you merely askas they did last yearwhether “generally speaking, most people

43、 can be trusted“. For the British like to think of themselves as canny, savvy, nobody“s fools, we have a powerful culture of satire and a hypercritical media which gleefully splash news of every private and public betrayal, however trivial. In our fantasy life we court paranoia, lapping up crime thr

44、illers and spy novels. We are fascinated by rogues, from Chaucer“s Pardoner to Del Boy. We are bad at risk-assessment, and repeated surveys show that we fear crime far more than is justified. So we are conditioned to claim that we don“t trust people much. A Scandinavian or Dutchman is proud to expre

45、ss trust and affection for his fellow-man. Our national preference is to purse the lips, shake the head and affect an air of judicious canniness. But if you look at the actual daily workings of British society there is an astonishing degree of unquestioning trust of strategies, simply because we are

46、 a technological society. These respondents who tell the researchers that “generally speaking, people cannot be trusted“ are in fact blithely trusting distant strangers all day long. For example, every time you get on a train or plane you put your life into the hands of unseen engineers and designer

47、s, drivers, pilots and traffic controllers. The list of our trustful ways goes on and on. Twenty minutes“ contemplation of the simple scams un covered by the BBC Watchdog should suggest that rather than living in a state of constant suspicion, in many areas of life we are relaxed to the point of gul

48、libility. But ask the bald question, and we think immediately about those who publicly let us down: politicians who broke election promises, pension funds that jeopardized our future while their directors swanned off with bonuses, stars who turned sleazy. This is not entirely healthy. What we say wi

49、ll, in the end, become what we think. US evidence is denser than ours, but broadly speaking it is clear that trust is linked to “social capital“networks, alliances, local societies, anything that takes people out into common places. Mr. Halpern“s book will come to more informed conclusions than I can; but my own instinct, from the research and from observation, is to draw only two. Firstly, we“re not quite as cynical as we say we are, and nothing like as cynical as our media. Secondly, the worst crisis of trust is not actually between citizens, but between citizens and their govern