1、2012年中山大学英语专业（基础英语）真题试卷及答案解析(总分：78.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、阅读理解(总题数：3，分数：40.00)Without some appreciation of common large numbers, it“s impossible to react with the proper skepticism to terrifying reports that more than a million American kids are kidnapped each year, or with the proper sobriety to a warhead
2、 carrying a megaton of explosive powerthe equivalent of a million tons(or two billion pounds)of TNT. And if you don“t have some feeling for probabilities, automobile accidents might seem a relatively minor problem of local travel, whereas being killed by terrorists might seem to be a major risk when
3、 going overseas. As often observed, however, the 45, 000 people killed annually on American roads are approximately equal in number to all Americans dead in the Vietnam War. On the other hand, the seventeen Americans killed by terrorists in 1985 were among the 28 million of us who traveled abroad th
4、at yearthat“s one chance in 1. 6 million of becoming a victim. Compare that with these annual rates in the United States; one chance in 68, 000 of choking to death; one chance in 75 , 000 of dying in a bicycle crash; one chance in 20, 000 of drowning; and one chance in only 5, 300 of dying in a car
5、crash. Confronted with these large numbers and with the correspondingly small probabilities associated with them, the innumerate will inevitably respond with the non sequitur, * “Yes, but what if you“re that one, “ and then nod knowingly, as if they“ve demolished your argument with penetrating insig
6、ht. This tendency to personalize is a characteristic of many who suffer from innumeracy. Equally typical is a tendency to equate the risk from some obscure and exotic malady with the chances of suffering from heart and circulatory disease, from which about 12, 000 Americans die each week. There“s a
7、joke I like that“s marginally relevant. An old married couple in their nineties contact a divorce lawyer, who pleads with them to stay together. “Why get divorced now after seventy years of marriage?“ The little old lady finally pipes up in a creaky voice: “We wanted to wait until the children were
8、dead. “ A feeling for what quantities or time spans are appropriate in various contexts is essential to getting the joke. Slipping between millions and billions or between billions and trillions should in this sense be equally funny, but it isn“t, because we too often lack an intuitive grasp for the
9、se numbers. A recent study by Drs. Kronlund and Phillips of the University of Washington showed that most doctors“ assessments of the risks of various operations, procedures, and medications(even in their own specialties)were way off the mark, often by several orders of magnitude. I once had a conve
10、rsation with a doctor who, within approximately 20 minutes, stated that a certain procedure he was contemplating(a)had a one-chance-in-a-million risk associated with it;(b)was 99 percent safe; and(c)usually went quite well. Given the fact that so many doctors seem to believe that there must be at le
11、ast eleven people in the waiting room if they“re to avoid being idle, I“m not surprised at this new evidence of their innumeracy. * A non sequitur is a statement that does not follow logically from previous statements.（分数：10.00）(1).Which of the following can be inferred to be the author“s view of th
12、e “ reports that more than a million American kids are kidnapped each year“(Paragraph 1)?（分数：2.00）A.They are typical examples of American journalism.B.They are evidence of a terrible problem that must be addressed.C.They are probably untrue.D.They demonstrate an American obsession with statistics.(2
13、).The list of probabilities cited in Paragraph 2 is intended to illustrate_.（分数：2.00）A.that probability can be used in many different ways in everyday lifeB.that terrorism is far less a threat to Americans than many other common dangersC.that the world is filled with many dangersD.that a knowledge o
14、f probability can help Americans decide where to travel most safely abroad(3).Which of the following is NOT an element of the discussion in this passage?（分数：2.00）A.A refutation of a scientific theory.B.A personal recollection.C.A reference to an authoritative study.D.A discussion of a common misconc
15、eption.(4).What is the author“s view of the “penetrating insight“ mentioned in Line 3 , Paragraph 3?（分数：2.00）A.It is the result of careful analysis.B.It is illogical.C.It demolishes a statistical argument.D.It does not sufficiently personalize the situation being discussed.(5).The author mentions th
16、e time span of “approximately 20 minutes“(Line 4, Paragraph 6)in order to emphasize_.（分数：2.00）A.the doctor“s inability to appreciate relevant time spansB.the comparison with the elderly couple in the preceding jokeC.the frequency with which the doctor contradicted himselfD.the common need to approxi
17、mate rather than use precise numbersThere is a canal two rods wide along the northerly and westerly sides of the pond, and wider still at the east end. A great field of ice has cracked off from the main body. I hear a song sparrow singing from the bushes on the shore. He too is helping to crack it.
18、How handsome the great sweeping curves in the edge of the ice, answering somewhat to those of the shore, but more regular! It is unusually hard, owing to the recent severe but transient cold, and all watered or waved like a palace floor. But the wind slides eastward over its opaque surface in vain,
19、till it reaches the living surface beyond. It is glorious to behold this ribbon of water sparkling in the sun, the bare face of the pond full of glee and youth, as if it spoke the joy of the fishes within it, and of the sands on its shore. The change from storm and winter to serene and mild weather,
20、 from dark and sluggish hours to bright and elastic ones, is a memorable crisis which all things proclaim. It is seemingly instantaneous at last. Suddenly an influx of light filled my house, though the evening was at hand, and the clouds of winter still overhung it, and the eaves were dripping with
21、sleety rain. I looked out the window, and look! Where yesterday was cold gray ice there lay the transparent pond already calm and full of hope as in a summer evening reflecting a summer evening sky in its bosom, though none was visible overhead. The pitch pines and shrub oaks about my house, which h
22、ad so long drooped suddenly resumed their several characters, looked brighter, greener, and more erect and alive, as if effectually cleansed and restored by the rain. I know that it would not rain any more. You may tell by looking at any twig of the forest, aye, at your very woodpile, whether its wi
23、nter is past or not. As it grew darker, I was startled by the honking of geese flying low over the woods, like weary travelers getting in late from southern lakes, and indulging at last in unrestrained complaint and mutual consolation. Standing at my door, I could hear the rush of their wings; when,
24、 driving toward my house, they suddenly spied my light, and with hushed clamor wheeled and settled in the pond. In the morning I watched the geese from the door through the mist, sailing in the middle of the pond, fifty rods off, large and tumultuous. But when I stood on the shore they at once rose
25、up with great flapping of wings at the signal of their commander, and when they had got into rank circled about over my head, twenty-nine of them, and then steered straight to Canada, with a regular honk from the leader at intervals. A plump of ducks rose at the same time and took the route to the n
26、orth in the wake of their noisier cousins. For a week I heard the circling groping clangor of some solitary goose in the foggy mornings, seeking its companion, and still peopling the woods with the sound of a larger life than they could sustain. In April the pigeons were seen again flying express in
27、 small flocks, and in due time I heard the martins twittering over my clearing, though it had not seemed that the township contained so many that it could afford me any, and I fancied that they were peculiarly of the ancient race that dwelt in hollow trees ere white men came. In almost all climes th
28、e tortoise and the frog are among the precursors and herald of this season, and birds fly with song and glancing plumage, and plants spring and bloom, and winds blow to correct this slight oscillation of the poles and preserve the equilibrium of Nature. As every season seems best to us in its turn,
29、so the coming in of spring is like creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden Age.（分数：14.00）(1).From the passage, one can infer that the_.（分数：2.00）A.geese are backB.martins are singingC.woodpile is well stockedD.pond is melting(2).The overall purpose of this passage seems to b
30、e the narrator“s_.（分数：2.00）A.desire to sound poeticB.delight to see the pond waterC.description of the bird life around himD.celebration of the oncoming season(3).What is the predominant literary device used throughout this passage?（分数：2.00）A.Personification.B.Restrained description.C.Bombastic narr
31、ation.D.Rhetorical question.(4).The tone of this passage can best be described as_.（分数：2.00）A.colloquialB.informativeC.unrestrainedD.poetic(5).The narrator describes the water as all of the following EXCEPT_.（分数：2.00）A.a canal two rods wideB.a reflection of the skyC.a mirror of his soulD.a transpare
32、nt pond(6).The geese are best characterized through a series of_.（分数：2.00）A.similes and metaphorsB.aural and visual imagesC.emotional reflectionsD.unrelated impressions(7).Which is a subject not treated in this passage?（分数：2.00）A.The connectedness of people to nature.B.The innocence of mankind.C.The
33、 cyclical certainty of nature.D.The glory of a long-awaited event.I received Everett“s Life of Washington which you sent me, and enjoyed its perusal. How his spirit would be grieved could he see the wreck of his mighty labors! I will not, however, permit myself to believe, until all ground of hope i
34、s gone, that the fruit of his noble deeds will be destroyed, and that his precious advice and virtuous example will so soon be forgotten by his countrymen. As far as I can judge by the papers, we are between a state of anarchy and civil war. May God avert both of these evils from us! I see that four
35、 states had declared themselves out of the Union; four more will apparently follow their example. Then, if the border states are brought into the gulf of revolution, one half of the country will be arrayed against the other. I must try and be patient and await the end, for I can do nothing to hasten
36、 or retard it. The South, in my opinion, has been aggrieved by the acts of the North, as you say. I feel the aggression and am willing to take every proper step for redress. It is the principle I contend for, not individual or private benefit. As an American citizen, I take great pride in my country
37、, her prosperity and institutions, and would defend any state if her rights were invaded. But I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than a dissolution of the Union. It would be an accumulation of all the evils we complain of, and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its
38、preservation. I hope, therefore, that all constitutional means will be exhausted before there is a resort to force. Secession is nothing but revolution. The framers of our Constitution never exhausted so much labor, wisdom, and forbearance in its formation, and surrounded it with so many guards and
39、securities, for it was intended to be broken by every member of the Confederacy at will. It was intended for “ perpetual union, “ so expressed in the preamble, and for the establishment of a government, not a compact, which can only be dissolved by revolution or the consent of all the people in conv
40、ention assembled. It is idle to talk of secession. Anarchy would have been established, and not a government, by Washington, Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison, and the other patriots of the Revolution . Still, a Union that can only be maintained by swords and bayonets, and in which strife and civil war a
41、re to take the place of brotherly love and kindness, has no charm for me. I shall mourn for my country and for the welfare and progress of mankind. If the Union is dissolved, I shall return to my native state and share the miseries of my people; and, save in defense, will draw my sword on none.（分数：1
42、6.00）(1).The “ he“ the speaker refers to in the opening paragraph is_.（分数：2.00）A.Everett, author of Life of WashingtonB.General Robert E.LeeC.George WashingtonD.the president in office when the selection was written, Abraham Lincoln(2).The narrator“s attitude toward George Washington is that he_.（分数
43、：2.00）A.admires Washington for his personal traits but recognizes that his style of leadership is ill-suited to the present conflictB.understands that Washington is aggrieved by the acts of the NorthC.praises Washington as a man of great actions, fine advice, and unshakable ethicsD.believes that Was
44、hington has contributed to the present state of anarchy and civil war(3).Based on his description of George Washington, we can infer that the narrator/speaker_.（分数：2.00）A.admires people of noble character and sought such greatness of spirit himselfB.has great inner strength but shies away from physi
45、cal confrontationC.is intolerant of anyone who does not meet his exacting standards of behaviorD.is humble in the face of adversity but fully believes that he will be as famous as Washington one day(4).From his remarks, we can infer that the speaker_.（分数：2.00）A.is a Northerner who strongly believes
46、that the South has been wronged by the North in the present conflictB.loves his country but not its leadersC.is loyal but only to the point of actual war; then he will lay down his arms and be a martyrD.is highly patriotic(5).What conclusion can you draw about the speaker“s character from the conclu
47、sion?（分数：2.00）A.He is devoted to his state, but hates war.B.He is a natural leader who has much experience with public service.C.He is judgmental and rigid.D.He is cowardly and faint-of-heart.(6).The thesis or main idea of the passage is that_.（分数：2.00）A.people must take up arms in defense of their
48、country; to do any less is cowardiceB.the Union is being tested by wrongs committed by both the North and the SouthC.the Union will always endure, no matter what happensD.anarchy is a healthy state because it leads to positive change(7).Based on its point of view, tone, form, and content, this passa
49、ge is most likely an excerpt from a_.（分数：2.00）A.public speechB.journal or diary entryC.short storyD.letter(8).The author“s diction can best be characterized as_.（分数：2.00）A.formal and preciseB.informal and relaxedC.mediocre but educatedD.colloquial and informal二、句子改错(总题数：10，分数：20.00)1.Correct the mistakes in the following sentences: underline the wrong parts and put the correct ones in the brackets. If there is no error, use a or write “No error“ on the ANSWER SHEET.(10 points)The lack of progress in international relatio
