1、共11页 第 1页 电子科技大学 2015年攻读硕士学位研究生入学考试试题 考试科目：244 英语(二外 仅日语方向) 注：无机读卡，所有答案必须写在答题纸上，写在试卷或草稿纸上均无效。 Part I Reading Comprehension (40%) Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B),
2、C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and then write the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet Passage One Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage. People in California love to talk about “zero-emissions vehicles,” but people in California seem to be clueless about where ele
3、ctricity comes from. Power plants most all use fire to make it. Aside from the few folks who have their roofs covered with solar cells, we get our electricity from generators. Generators are fueled by something usually coal, oil, but also by heat generated in nuclear power plants. There are a few wi
4、nd farms and geothermal plants as well, but by far we get electricity mainly by burning something. In other words, those “zero-emissions” cars are likely coal-burning cars. Its just the coal is burned somewhere else so it looks clean. It is not. Its as if the California Greens are covering their eye
5、s “If I cant see it, its not happening.” Gasoline is an incredibly efficient way to power a vehicle; a gallon of gas has a lot of energy in it. But when you take that gas (or another fuel) and first use it to make electricity, you waste a nice part of that energy, mostly in the form of wasted heat a
6、t the generator, through the transmission lines, etc. A gallon of gas may propel your car 25 miles. But the electricity you get from that gallon of gas wont get you nearly as far so electric cars burn more fuel than gas-powered ones. If our electricity came mostly from nukes, or geothermal, or hydro
7、, or solar, or wind, then an electric car truly would be clean. But for political, technical, and economic reasons, we dont use much of those energy sources. In addition, electric cars batteries which are poisonous for a long time will eventually end up in a landfill（垃圾填埋场）. And finally, when cars a
8、re the polluters, the pollution is spread across all the roads. When its a power plant, though, all the junk is in one place. Nature is very good at cleaning up when things are not too concentrated, but it takes a lot longer when all the garbage is in one spot. 共11页 第 2页 1. What does “clueless” mean
9、 in paragraph 1? A) The California Greens are covering their eyes. B) People in California love to talk about zero-emissions vehicles C) People in California love to have their roofs covered with solar cells D) People there have no idea that so far electricity mainly comes from burning coal, oil, et
10、c. 2. According to the passage, why the California Greens hold the idea “If I cant see it, its not happening.”? A) They prefer not to realize the fact those clean cars are likely coal-burning cars. B) They do believe that the coal is burned somewhere else so it looks clean. C) They tend to hold that
11、 electricity is a nice part of energy. D) They tend to maintain that gasoline is a good way to run a vehicle. 3. The electricity we get from a gallon of gas may make our car run _. A) not less than 25 miles. B) more than 25 miles. C) no less than 25 miles. D) not more than 25 miles. 4. Compared with
12、 cars using gas, electric cars _ A) do not burn fuel and more environmental. B) are toxic and it is difficult for nature to clean it up when their batteries are buried in one spot. C) are very good at cleaning up when things are not too concentrated D) are poisonous for a long time and will eventual
13、ly end up in a landfill. 5. It can be inferred from the passage that _. A) Being green is good and should be encouraged in communications B) Electric cars are not clean in that we get electricity mainly by burning something. C) Zero-emissions vehicles should be chosen to protect our environment. D)
14、Electric cars are now the dominant vehicle compared with gasoline-powered cousins. Passage Two Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage. German Chancellor ( 首相 ) Otto Von Bismarck may be most famous for his military and diplomatic talent, but his legacy ( 遗产 ) includes many of todays soc
15、ial insurance programs. During the middle of the 19th century, Germany, along with other European nations, experienced an unprecedented rash of workplace deaths and accidents as a result of growing industrialization. Motivated in part by Christian compassion ( 怜悯 ) for the helpless as well as a prac
16、tical political impulse to undercut the support of the socialist labor movement, Chancellor Bismarck created the worlds first worker s compensation law in 1884. 共11页 第 3页 By 1908, the United States was the only industrial nation in the world that lacked workers compensation insurance. Americas injur
17、ed workers could sue for damages in a court of law, but they still faced a number of tough legal barriers. For example, employees had to prove that their injuries directly resulted from employer negligence and that they themselves were ignorant about potential hazards in the workplace. The first sta
18、te workers compensation law in this country passed in 1911, and the program soon spread throughout the nation. After World War II, benefit payments to American workers did not keep up with the cost of living. In fact, real benefit levels were lower in the 1970s than they were in the 1940s, and in mo
19、st states the maximum benefit was below the poverty level for a family of four. In 1970, President Richard Nixon set up a national commission to study the problems of workers compensation. Two years later, the commission issued 19 key recommendations, including one that called for increasing compens
20、ation benefit levels to 100 percent of the states average weekly wages. In fact, the average compensation benefit in America has climbed from 55 percent of the states average weekly wages in 1972 to 97 percent today. But, as most studies show, every 10 percent increase in compensation benefits resul
21、ts in a 5 percent increase in the numbers of workers who file for claims. And with so much more money floating in the workers compensation system, its not surprising that doctors, and lawyers have helped themselves to a large slice of the growing pie. 6. The worlds first workers compensation law was
22、 introduced by Bismarck _. A. for fear of losing the support of the socialist labor movement B. out of religious and political considerations C. to speed up the pace of industrialization D. to make industrial production safer 7. We learn from the passage that the process of industrialization in Euro
23、pe _. A. met growing resistance from laborers working at machines B. resulted in the development of popular social insurance programs C. was accompanied by an increased number of workshop accidents D. required workers to be aware of the potential dangers at the workplace 8. One of the problems the A
24、merican injured workers faced in getting compensation in the early 19th century was that _. A. they had to produce evidence that their employers were responsible for the accident B. Americas average compensation benefit was much lower than the cost of living C. different states in the U. S. had tota
25、lly different compensation programs D. they had to have the courage to sue for damages in a court of law 9. After 1972, workers compensation insurance in the U. S. became more favorable to workers so that _. A. the poverty level for a family of four went up drastically B. more money was allocated to
26、 their compensation system 共11页 第 4页 C. there were fewer legal barriers when they filed for claims D. the number of workers suing for damages increased 10. The author ends the passage with the implication that _. A. compensation benefits in America are soaring to new heights B. people from all walks
27、 of life can benefit from the compensations system C. the workers are not the only ones to benefit from the compensation system D. money floating in the compensation system is a huge drain on the U. S. economy Passage Three Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage. Imagine waking up and
28、 finding the value of your assets has been halved. No, youre not an investor in one of those hedge funds that failed completely. With the dollar slumping to a 26-year low against the pound, already-expensive London has become quite unaffordable. A coffee at Starbucks, just as unavoidable in England
29、as it is in the United States, runs about $8. The once all-powerful dollar isnt doing a Titanic against just the pound. It is sitting at a record low against the euro and at a 30-year low against the Canadian dollar. Even the Argentine peso and Brazilian real are thriving against the dollar. The wea
30、k dollar is a source of humiliation (屈辱), for a nations self-esteem rests in part on the strength of its currency. Its also a potential economic problem, since a declining dollar makes imported food more expensive and exerts upward pressure on interest rates. And yet there are substantial sectors of
31、 the vast U.S. economy-from giant companies like Coca-Cola to morn-and-pop restaurant operators in Miami-for which the weak dollar is most excellent news. Many Europeans may view the U.S. as an arrogant superpower that has become hostile to foreigners. But nothing makes people think more warmly of t
32、he U.S. than a weak dollar. Through April, the total number of visitors from abroad was up 6.8 percent from last year. Should the trend continue, the number of tourists this year will finally top the 2000 peak. Many Europeans now apparently view the U.S. the way many Americans view Mexico-as a cheap
33、 place to vacation, shop and party, all while ignoring the fact that the poorer locals cant afford to join the merrymaking. The money tourists spend helps decrease our chronic trade deficit. So do exports, which, thanks in part to the weak dollar, soared 11 percent between May 2006 and May 2007. For
34、 the first five months of 2007, the trade deficit actually fell 7 percent from 2006. If you own shares in large American corporations, youre a winner in the weak-dollsr gamble. Last week Coca-Colas stock bubbled to a five-year high after it reported a fantastic quarter. Foreign sales accounted for 6
35、5 percent of Cokes beverage (饮料) business. Other American companies profiting from this trend include McDonalds and IBM. American tourists, however, shouldnt expect any relief soon. The dollar lost strength the way many marriages break up-slowly, and then all at once. And currencies dont turn on a d
36、ime. So if you want to avoid the pain inflicted by the increasingly pathetic dollar, cancel that summer vacation to England and look to New England. There, the dollar is still treated with a little respect. 共11页 第 5页 11. Why do Americans feel humiliated? A. Their economy is plunging. B. Their curren
37、cy has slumped. C. They cant afford trips to Europe. D. They have lost half of their assets. 12. How does the current dollar affect the life of ordinary Americans? A. They have to cancel their vacations in New England. B. They find it unaffordable to dine in morn-and-pop restaurants. C. They have to
38、 spend more money when buying imported goods. D. They might lose their jobs due to potential economic problems. 13. How do many Europeans feel about the U.S. with the devalued dollar?. A. They feel contemptuous of it. B. They are sympathetic with it. C. They regard it as a superpower on the decline.
39、 D. They think of it as a good tourist destination. 14. What is the authors advice to Americans? A. They treat the dollar with a little respect. B. They try to win in the weak-dollar gamble. C. They vacation at home rather than abroad. D. They treasure their marriages all the more. 15. What does the
40、 author imply by saying “currencies dont turn on a dime“ (Line 2, Pare. 7)? A. The dollars value will not increase in the short term. B. The value of a dollar will not be reduced to a dime. C. The dollars value will drop, but within a small margin. D. Few Americans will change dollars into other cur
41、rencies. Passage Four Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage. The unique human habit of taking in and employing animals-even competitors like wolves-spurred on human tool-making and language, which have both driven humanitys success, Pat Shipman says, paleoanthropologist of Penn State
42、 University. “Wherever you go in the world, whatever ecosystem (生态系统), whatever culture, people live with animals,“ Shipman said. For early humans, taking in and caring for animals would seem like a poor strategy for survival. “On the face of it, you are wasting your resources. So this is a very wei
43、rd behavior,“ Shipman said. But its not so weird in the context something else humans were doing about 2.6 million years ago: switching from a mostly vegetarian diet to one rich in meat. This happened because humans invented 共11页 第 6页 stone hunting tools that enabled them to compete with other top p
44、redators. Quite a rapid and bizarre switch for any animal. So we invented the equipment, learned how to track and kill, and eventually took in animals who also knew how to hunt-like wolves and other canines. Others, like goats, cows and horses, provided milk, hair and, finally, hides and meat. Manag
45、ing all of these animals-or just tracking them-requires technology, knowledge and ways to preserve and convey information. So languages had to develop and evolve to meet the challenges. Tracking game has even been argued to be the origin of scientific inquiry, said Peter Richerson, professor emeritu
46、s (名誉退休的) in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at the University of California, Davis. One of the signs that this happened is in petroglyphs (史前岩画) and other rock art left by ancient peoples. At first they were abstract, geometric patterns that are impossible to decipher (破译). Then
47、they converge on one subject: animals. There have also been genetic changes in both humans and our animals. For the animals those changes developed because human bred them for specific traits, like a cow that gives more mill or a hen that lays more eggs. But this evolutionary influence works both wa
48、ys. Dogs, for instance, might have been selectively taken in by humans who shared genes for more compassion, Those humans then prospered with the dogs help in hunting and securing their homes. 16. What do we learn from the first paragraph about animals? A. Animals have driven humanitys success. B. T
49、ool-making and language are uniquely human habits. C. Employing wolves is uniquely human habit. D. People live with animals everywhere. 17. Why did Shipman say taking in animal is a poor strategy for survival? A. Early humans were poor in survival resources. B. Taking in animal was a very weird behavior. C. Early humans didnt know how to track and kill. D. Early humans switched from a vegetarian diet to meat. 18. Why did languages have to develop and evolve to meet the ch
