1、中国科学院硕士英语-8 及答案解析(总分：90.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Part Cloze Test(总题数：1，分数：15.00)There are so many new books about dying that there are now special shelves set aside for them in bookshops, along with the health-diet and home-repair paperbacks. Some of them are so 21 with detailed information and step-by-step
2、instructions for performing the function, that you“d think this was a new sort of 22 which all of us are now required to learn. The strongest impression the casual reader gets is that proper dying has become an extraordinary, 23 an exotic experience, something only the specially trained can do. 24 ,
3、 you could be led to believe that we are the only 25 capable of being aware of death, and that when the rest of nature is experiencing the life cycle and dying, one generation after 26 , it is a different kind of process, done automatically and trivially, or more “natural“, as we say. An elm in our
4、backyard 27 the blight (枯萎病) this summer and dropped stone dead, leafless, almost overnight. One weekend 28 was a normal-looking elm, maybe a little bare in spots but 29 alarming, and the next weekend it was gone, passed over, departed, taken. Taken is right, for the tree surgeon came by yesterday w
5、ith his 30 of young helpers and their cherry picker, and took it down branch by branch and carted it off in the back of a red truck, everyone 31 . The dying 32 a field mouse, at the jaws of an amiable household cat, is a spectacle I have beheld many times. It 33 to make me wince. However, early in l
6、ife I gave up throwing sticks 34 the cat to make him drop the mouse, 35 the dropped mouse regularly went ahead and died anyway.（分数：15.00）A.containedB.embracedC.packedD.litteredA.abilityB.skillC.qualityD.technologyA.andB.evenC.yetD.butA.FurthermoreB.HoweverC.Even soD.Since thenA.racesB.creaturesC.peo
7、pleD.humanA.the otherB.anotherC.the nextD.the followingA.caughtB.heldC.tookD.pickedA.thatB.whichC.itD.thisA.somethingB.anythingC.nothingD.everythingA.crewB.membersC.corpsD.fellowsA.singsB.sangC.sungD.singingA.toB.inC.forD.ofA.wasB.was usedC.usedD.was aboutA.intoB.onC.atD.offA.butB.becauseC.whileD.in
8、 order that二、Part Reading Compr(总题数：0，分数：0.00)三、Section A(总题数：0，分数：0.00)四、Passage 1(总题数：1，分数：6.00)Writing about music is like dancing about architecture, or so the saying goes. Sometimes attributed to Frank Zappa, other times to Elvis Costello, this quote is usually intended to convey the futility o
9、f such an endeavor, if not the complete silliness of even attempting it. But Glenn Kurtz“s graceful memoir, Practicing- A Musician“s Return to Music, turns the expression on its head, giving it a different meaning by creating a lovely, unique book. Kurtz picked up the guitar as a kid in a music-lovi
10、ng family, attended the Long Island music school, and went on to play on Merv Griffin“s TV show before graduating from Tufts University. Motivating the young Kurtz was the dream of reinventing classical guitar, as if by his great ambition alone he could push it from the margins of popular interest t
11、o center stage-something not even accomplished by the late Spanish guitarist Andres Segovia, perhaps the only artist of the form ever to reach anything resembling widespread celebrity. This book reads like a love story of sorts: Boy meets guitar. Boy loves guitar. Guitar breaks boy“s heart or, more
12、precisely, the ordinariness of a working musician“s life does so. “I“d just imagined the artist“s life naively, childishly, with too much longing, too much poetry and innocence and purity,“ Kurtz writes. “The guitar had been the instrument of my dreams. Now the dream was over.“ Boy leaves guitar. We
13、re the story to end here, this book would be a tragedy, but after nearly a decade the boy returns to guitar, and although he has lost the enthusiasm he had in his youth, he finds his love of the guitar again in a way he never could have appreciated before. Although Kurtz is writing about a unique mu
14、sical path, his journey speaks eloquently to the heart of anyone who has ever desperately yearned to achieve something and felt the sting of disappointment. “Everyone who gives up a serious childhood dream-of becoming an artist, a doctor, an engineer, an athlete-lives the rest of their life with a s
15、ense of loss, with nagging what ifs, “he writes. “Is that time and effort, that talent and ambition, truly wasted?“（分数：6.00）(1).The quotation mentioned in Paragraph I implies that writing about music is_（分数：1.00）A.an ambitious attemptB.a modem form of artC.an impossible taskD.a rewarding experience(
16、2).As a young man Glenn Kurtz wanted to_（分数：1.00）A.surpass Andres Segovia“s achievementB.Transform classical guitarC.become a TV music starD.live on arts(3).What does the passage say about classical guitar?（分数：1.00）A.It is not popular with the public.B.It is not an easy skill to master.C.It is a fav
17、orite of many young people.D.It is a craze in some countries like Spain.(4).According to the passage, Andres Segovia_（分数：1.00）A.helped Glenn Kurtz to become a good guitaristB.made classical guitar become a popular formC.was a well-known classical guitaristD.was Glenn Kurtz“s role model(5).Paragraph
18、3 suggests that what “the ordinariness of a working musician“s life“ does to the boy is_（分数：1.00）A.keep him in great excitementB.bring him great disappointmentC.help him create great musicD.tell him a great musician“s duty(6).The book Practicing: A Musician“s Return to Music mainly tells that_（分数：1.
19、00）A.one will be made bitter by his frustrationB.reliving old dreams can be rewardingC.without dreams life is incompleteD.it“s inevitable for a musician to experience setbacks五、Passage 2(总题数：1，分数：6.00)As with any work of art, the merit of Chapman Kelley“s “Wildflower Works I“ was in the eye of the b
20、eholder. Kelley, who normally works with paint and canvas, considered the twin oval gardens planted in 1984 at Daley Bicentennial Park his most important piece. The Chicago Park District considered it a patch of raggedy vegetation on public property that could be dug up and replanted at will like th
21、e flower boxes along Michigan Avenue. And that“s what happened in June 2004, when the district decided to create a more orderly vista for pedestrians crossing from Millennium Park via the new Frank Gehry footbridge. If you“re looking for evidence that the rubes who run the Park District don“t know a
22、rt when they see it, all you have to do is visit what“s left of Kelley“s masterpiece. The exuberant 1.5-acre tangle of leggy wildflowers is now confined to a tidy rectangle, restrained on all sides by a knee-high hedge and surrounded by a closely cropped lawn. White hydrangeas and pink shrub roses c
23、omplete the look. We don“t know who“s responsible for the redesign, but we“ll bet the carpet in his home doesn“t go with the furniture. Still, you“d think the Park District was within its rights to plow under the prairie. Wrong. Kelley just won at lawsuit in which he argued that the garden was publi
24、c are and therefore protected by the federal Visual Artists Rights Act. Under that law, the district should have given him 90 days“ notice that it intended to mess with his artwork instead of rushing headlong into the demolition, a la Meigs Field. That way Kelley could have mounted a legal challenge
25、, or at least removed the plants. Park District officials said they never considered the garden a work of art, even though it was installed by an established artist and not, say, Joe“s Sod and Landscaping. We can understand their confusion. Just recently, we figured out that the caged greenery direc
26、tly south of Pritzker Pavilion is supposed to be an architectural statement and not a Christmas tree lot. All that“s left is for the district to compensate Kelley for his loss. Whatever price the parties settle on, let“s hope the agreement also provides for the removal of the rest of “Wildflower Wor
27、ks I“. If it wash“t an eyesore before-and plenty of people thought it was.it sure is now.（分数：6.00）(1).It is implied in the first Paragraph that the public_（分数：1.00）A.paid little attention to “Wildflower Works I“B.appreciated the value of“Wildflower Works I“C.tolerated the ugliness of“Wildflower Work
28、s I“D.had their own views on “Wildflower Works I“(2).The boldfaced word “rubes“ in Paragraph 4 most likely means_（分数：1.00）A.expertsB.laymenC.foolsD.artists(3).According to the passage, the one who redesigned the Park must_（分数：1.00）A.know Kelly“s work wellB.have a terrible taste in artC.like conventi
29、onal layoutsD.always put the public“s need first(4).Which of the following was NOT true about“ Wildflower Works I“ ?（分数：1.00）A.It was designed by the famous artist Chapman Kelley.B.There are two oval gardens at Daley Bicentennial Park.C.The public voted for demolishing the gardens.D.The Chicago Park
30、 District did not deem it a piece of art.(5).Why did Kelly win the lawsuit?（分数：1.00）A.Kelly had a very capable lawyer.B.The Park District had no right to demolish it.C.The Park District should take the public“s opinion first.D.The Park District should have informed Kelly of the demolition.(6).What“s
31、 the author“s attitude towards the present “Wildflower Works I“ ?（分数：1.00）A.He takes a neutral position.B.He believes in the long arm of the law.C.He regards it a masterpiece of public art.D.He is in favor of demolishing the ugly garden.六、Passage 3(总题数：1，分数：6.00)A few years ago, in their search for
32、ways to sell more goods, advertising men hit on a new and controversial gimmick. It is a silent, invisible commercial that, the ad men claim, can be rushed past the consumer“s conscious mind and planted in his subconscious- and without the consumer“s knowledge. Developed by James Vicary, a research
33、man who studies what makes people buy, this technique relies on the psychological principle of subliminal perception. Scientists tell us that many of the sights coming to or eyes are not consciously “seen“. We select only a few for conscious “seeing“ and ignore the rest. Actually the discarded impre
34、ssions are recorded in the brain though they are below the threshold of consciousness. There“s little doubt in Vicary“s mind as to the subliminal ad“s effectiveness. His proof can be summed up in just two words: sales increase. In an unidentified movie house not so long ago, unknown audiences saw a
35、curious film program. At the same time, on the same screen on which the film hero was courting the heroine a subliminal projector was flashing its invisible commercials. “Get popcorn“, ordered the commercial for a reported one three-thousandths of a second every five seconds. It announced “Coca-Cola
36、“ at the same speed and frequency to other audiences. At the end of a six weeks trial, popcorn sales had gone up 57 percent, Coke sales 18 percent. Experimental Films. Inc, says the technique is not new. It began research on subliminal perception in 1954. Experimental Films stresses that its equipme
37、nt was designed for helping problematic students and treating the mentally ill. At NYU two doctors showed twenty women the projected image of an expressionless face. They told the subjects to watch the face for some change of expression. Then they flashed the word angry on the screen at subliminal s
38、peeds. Now the women thought the face looked unpleasant. When the word happy was flashed on the screen instead, the subjects thought the woman“s facial expression looked much more pleasant. Subliminal techniques, its promoters believe, are good for more than selling popcorn. Perhaps the process can
39、even be used to sell political candidates, by leaving a favorable impression of the candidate in the minds of the electorates subliminally. How convincing are these invisible commercials? Skeptical psychologists answer that they aren“t anywhere near as effective as the ad men would like to think the
40、y are. Nothing has been proven yet scientifically, says a prominent research man.（分数：6.00）(1).Subliminal perception is when one_（分数：1.00）A.has an attempt to buy with a good reasonB.recalls some past events and activitiesC.enjoys seeing some images in his mindD.gets a mental picture without conscious
41、ness(2).To advertising sponsors, the true test of subliminal projection is whether it_（分数：1.00）A.proves worth the money spentB.call create a mental impressionC.helps sell more of their productsD.can arouse anger in the audience(3).Subliminal ads are invisible because they are shown very_（分数：1.00）A.f
42、astB.naturallyC.oftenD.vaguely(4).Subliminal techniques have NOT been used for_（分数：1.00）A.promoting salesB.making commercialsC.curing mental illnessD.selling political candidates(5).Some psychologists seem to believe that subliminal projection_（分数：1.00）A.needs a cautious applicationB.has no effect o
43、n salesC.benefits the customersD.causes a mental confusion(6).What is the author“s position on subliminal projection in ads?（分数：1.00）A.He reveals none in the passage.B.He advocates its prohibition.C.He considers it an exaggeration.D.He acclaims its effectiveness.七、passage 4(总题数：1，分数：6.00)Walking thr
44、ough my train yesterday, staggering from my seat to the buffet and back, I counted five people reading Harry Potter novels. Not children- these were real grown-ups reading children“s books, Maybe that would have been understandable. If these people had jumped whole-heartedly into a second childhood
45、it would have made more sense. But they were card-carrying grown-ups with laptops and spreadsheets returning from sales meetings and seminars. Yet they chose to read a children“s book. I don“t imagine you“ll find this headcount exceptional. You can no longer get on the London Tube and not see a Harr
46、y Potter book. Nor is it just the film; these throwback readers were out there in droves long before the movie campaign opened. So who are these adult readers who have made J.K. Rowling the second-biggest female earner in Britain (after Madonna)? As I have tramped along streets knee-deep in Harry Po
47、tter paperbacks, I“ve mentally slotted them into three groups. First come the Never-Readers, whom Harry has enticed into opening a book. Is this a bad thing? Probably not. Writing has many advantages over film, but it can never compete with its magnetic punch. If these books can re-establish the nov
48、el as a thrilling experience for some people, then this can only be for the better. If it takes obsession-level hype to lure them into a bookshop. that“s fine by me. But will they go on to read anything else? Again, we can only hope. The second group are the Occasional Readers. These people claim th
49、at tiredness, work and children allow them to read only a few books a year. Yet now-to be part of the crowd, to say they“ve read it- they put Harry Potter on their oh-so-select reading list. It“s infuriating, and maddening. Yes, I“m a writer myself, currently writing difficult, unreadable, hopefully unsettling novels, but there are so many other good books out there, so much rewarding, enlightening, enlarging works of fiction for adults; and yet these sad cases are swept along by the hype, the faddism, into reading a chi
