1、专业英语四级-75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、TEXT A(总题数：2，分数：25.00)Early humans were very interested in birds and attributed magic and religious powers to them. The connection between birds and death that humans have imagined since prehistoric times still persists stron
2、gly in some modern folklore. There are also early hints of humans forming an association between birds and human reproduction. Somewhat later birds were regarded as weather changers and forecasters. Birds symbolized the mysterious powers that pervaded the wilderness in which humans hungered, hunted,
3、 and dreamed. Thus it is not surprising that many mythological creatures, such as thunderbird, phoenix, and roc, take the form of birds. In the legends of native North Americans, the thunderbird is a powerful spirit in the form of a bird. Through the work of this bird, it is said, the Earth is water
4、ed and vegetation grows. Lightning is believed to flash from its beak, and the beating of its wings is thought to result in the rolling of thunder. It is often portrayed with an extra head on its abdomen. The majestic thunderbird is often accompanied by lesser bird spirits, frequently in the form of
5、 eagles or falcons. Evidence of similar figures has been found throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe. In ancient Egypt and in classical antiquity, the phoenix was a fabulous bird associated with the worship of the sun. The phoenix was said to be as large as an eagle, with brilliant scarlet and gold pl
6、umage and a melodious cry. Only one phoenix existed at any one time, and it was very long-lived; an ancient writer gave it a life span of less than 500 years. As its death approached, the phoenix fashioned a nest of aromatic boughs and spices, set it on fire, and was consumed in the flames. From the
7、 burning firewood miraculously sprang a new phoenix, which, after preserving its predecessors ashes in an egg of myrrh, flew with the ashes to the City of the Sun, in Egypt, where it deposited them in the altar in the temple of the Egyptian god of the sun. The phoenix was understandably thus associa
8、ted with immortality and the allegory of resurrection and life after death. The phoenix was compared to undying Rome, and it appears on the coinage of the late Roman Empire as a symbol of the Eternal City. In Arabic legends, the roc, or rukh, was a gigantic bird with two horns on its head and fur hu
9、mps on its back and was said to be able to carry off elephants and other large beasts for food.（分数：12.50）(1).Prehistoric people related birds to their _.（分数：2.50）A.longevityB.daily lifeC.working conditionsD.living environment(2).Thunderbirds are among the mythological birds that are believed to mast
10、er _.（分数：2.50）A.all the other animalsB.the climatic changesC.humans life and deathD.the quality of our living(3).What makes the phoenix associated with immortality and resurrection?（分数：2.50）A.That a phoenix is born in its predecessors ashes.B.That a phoenix flies with its predecessors ashes to Egypt
11、.C.That a phoenix knows when it dies and how to come back to life.D.That a phoenix buries its predecessors ashes in the temple of the sun god.(4).In the ancient inscriptions of the Roman Empire, the form of a phoenix refers to _.（分数：2.50）A.the Empire itselfB.the city of RomeC.the power of the Roman
12、EmperorD.the afterlife of the Roman Emperor(5).The Arabic legends tend to describe the roc as _.（分数：2.50）A.formidableB.ill-lookingC.legendaryD.admirableClimbing to the top of my nearest hill in San Francisco, my purpose is not to enjoy the view but to experience a bit of fresh air and nature. Some b
13、irds dwell in these urban islands of trees, bushes and soil. So few people are there, but they are happy, relaxed and friendly (unless insane and out to rob). I find the view of San Francisco Bay and the metropolis most disturbing, seeing in all directions the industrial activity and oil-fueled trad
14、e of questionable imported products. Massive port facilities dwarf the human scale of sustainable import/export. A very small number of sailboats for pleasure cant quite offer a Vision of renewable-energy travel and exchange. Passenger planes take off, military jets show off their ear-splitting capa
15、bilities, all against the backdrop of polluted air that is warming in general thanks to commercial activity and the mindless consumption by the individual. The hills are full of roads and energy-wasting houses. Its not like this everywhere; the hills around Kyoto are pitch black at night, for they c
16、onsist of forest, trails and small, outdoor temples. Seven million people surround me in this metropolitan area. Those among them who really care whether Barry Bonds used steroids to hit baseballs, or what pregnant celebrity has checked into a drug rehabilitation facility, are not likely to be tryin
17、g to live lightly on the planet. Normal citizens under the spell of mass media want to consume, and be given answers and easy fixes. They may get what they want tonight, and again, and again, but it will come to an abrupt end, and will people pick up a shovel to plant food or pick up the gun to take
18、 others food? That depends on the area affected, the culture (urban U.S. or otherwise), and population size. Why should I be disturbed by what I see now, when all is basically calm? Or feel uneasy as I stroll about in the safety of my comfortable home? Is not San Francisco and the surrounding area a
19、 great city, with many wonderful people and activities to appreciate? What about the noble struggles of valiant, compromised hard-working people, or the dysfunctional and disabled folk who are really kind? The social injustice that is still pervasive, in our boastful age of scientific and technologi
20、cal power, is outrageous and occupies many of the best hearts and minds in the world who live in our very midst. Much of what ails people, it is thought, is that they do not have enough cheap, affordable energy or material things that are supposed to both satisfy and uplift. More public funds for he
21、alth care, through an end to costly, imperialist wars, would be the ticket to a healthy society, in the eyes of more and more. Except, that selfless aspiration is becoming clouded with the uncertainty and fright growing around our awakening to climate change. In the buzzing Bay Area and every other
22、large and small city, we are behaving as if there is no threat to the climate and thus our future survival as a species. Just looking around at the unceasing traffic, it is clear that basic, radical but easy solutions are being kept on the shelf or buried. Tiny changes, usually just initiatives that
23、 dont threaten the current life style (e.g., different engines), are called green. Green this and green that. But the big greening will be the rediscovery of community and working with others as if our survival depends on our collaboration as equals. Our bosses and political leaders have been as use
24、ful in the needed transition asto borrow an expression from my late fathertits on a bull.（分数：12.50）(1).What do the few people do on top of the hill?（分数：2.50）A.They are the rich residents of the city.B.They are there to enjoy the natural beauty.C.They are attracted by the view of San Francisco Bay.D.
25、They attack the tourists and rob them.(2).In the aspect of sustainable energy, the author favors _ most.（分数：2.50）A.oil-fueled tradeB.massive port facilitiesC.sailboatsD.passenger planes(3).What does the author feel about the hills around Kyoto?（分数：2.50）A.They are worth appreciating.B.They are not we
26、ll-lit at night.C.They provide us with the best living environment.D.They have scenes different from all the other hills.(4).According to the author, the people who care whether Barry Bonds used steroids to hit baseballs are likely to _.（分数：2.50）A.look at others with a critical eyeB.live a comparati
27、vely lavish lifeC.value environmental protectionD.disregard their health conditions(5).According to the third paragraph, the author was most disturbed by _.（分数：2.50）A.the struggles of the hard-working peopleB.the public funds for health careC.the lack of affordable energy or materialsD.the outrageou
28、s social injustice三、TEXT B(总题数：2，分数：25.00)Self-Portrait with Straw Hat (1887) , a Van Gogh self-portrait done in Paris, is one of his most intriguing yet most neglected works. The artists gloomy eyes stare out from his face in half-profile, facing to the left, and the world-weary expression initiall
29、y appears to support the view of critics such as James Risser, who explains Van Goghs self-portraits as a sustained search for identity. Self-Portrait with Straw Hat (1887) initially appears to comply with Rissers evaluation. In this work, the painter depicted himself wearing a jumper of intense blu
30、e before a background done almost entirely in gray but with noticeable blurs of bluemost notably in the top right corner. Overall the painting appears to be unfinished, a hastily done portrait that the painter abandoned to create more lasting works. In its incomplete state we can precisely read an u
31、nfinished life, and in the wild strokes of casual blue in the background and splashed across the artists garments we are instantly confronted with the sense of growing more and more out of control. But is this an accurate evaluation? On the one hand, Risser seems to have legitimate cause for envisio
32、ning Van Goghs self-portrait as psychological self-analysis, a painting that reveals an emotional intensity hiding beneath the surface. But is the chaotic surface effect of the blue in this painting actually a form of self-criticism, the artists own intense and emotional despair over his loss of con
33、trolor is it representative of an underlying aesthetic whose focus is not the painter himself? An intriguing alternative exists: Van Gogh may not have painted the self-portraits as psychoanalytical evaluations of himself, but instead merely as experiments in technique. The artist often stated that h
34、e painted himself only because he lacked other models, a view found in the critical work of both Richard Kendall and T.J. Shackelford. Perhaps, then, Van Gogh was not trying to learn about himself but about art as a whole while painting these portraits and hence we ought to read the self-portraits a
35、s a series of statements about art itself. The key to this analysis may be a careful exploration of the special color symbolism Van Gogh attached to the color blue. Unlike our everyday association of blue with melancholy or boredom, the artist imagined blue as a symbol for the infinite or the limitl
36、ess. Such a view calls into question the idea that self-portraits such as Van Goghs Self-Portrait with Straw Hat (1887) were a psychological profile of the artists melancholy or despair. Instead, when we consider blues special symbolic role as the infinite in Van Goghs Paris self-portraits, we disco
37、ver a new narrative describing the painters own aesthetic: his insistence that the future of art lay in expressive rather than realistic methods.（分数：12.50）(1).What does James Risser think of Van Goghs self-portraits?（分数：2.50）A.Different self-portraits represent Van Goghs different attitude towards l
38、ife.B.Many of his self-portraits have been neglected by critics.C.Van Gogh sought for identity through all his self-portraits.D.Van Gogh expressed his weariness of the world in most of his self-portraits.(2).Which description is mentioned in the second paragraph about Van Goghs Self-portrait with a
39、Straw Hat?（分数：2.50）A.The painting is not well done.B.The painting mainly used gray.C.The painter used blue but erased it later.D.The portrait showed a depressed emotion.(3).Who felt that the self-portrait showed an unfinished life?（分数：2.50）A.Van Gogh himself.B.Rissers opponents.C.The author.D.James
40、Risser.(4).According to Richard Kendall and T.J. Shackelford, the Self-portrait with a Straw Hat may not have anything to do with _.（分数：2.50）A.Van Goghs painting techniqueB.the symbolism of colorC.the psychological analysis of the painterD.the painters aesthetic(5).According to Van Gogh himself, his
41、 self-portraits were intended to be _.（分数：2.50）A.narrativeB.expressiveC.analyticD.artisticGrowing up as an Asian in Britain is much more than a question of facing discrimination and trying to find a decent job-especially for a girl. She has to keep a delicate balance between two cultures: her own (I
42、ndian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, etc.) and the British. Seetha Crishna has written a booklet called Girls of Asian Origin in Britain . In it the girls she is most concerned with are those who are definitely different because they have gone through the British educational system and have therefore emer
43、ged with an identity which is distinct from that of their parents. They speak English with regional English accents, they look comfortable in Western clothes, and they do not necessarily choose to work in a factory. But they are unmistakably Asian and they are still held by their Asian cultural root
44、s. At home, an Asian girl may find herself conforming to the traditions and values of her parents, while at school she develops the attitudes and appetites of her British contemporaries. As a result, Seetha Crishna found girls existing at two levelsand inclined to question both. But unless they can
45、successfully accept both, they will swing constantly from one level to the other, feeling trapped between the twoat considerable cost to their own confidence and happiness. For teenage girls, the main difficulty is to match the social life which their parents expect them to live with that enjoyed by
46、 their schoolmates. If an Asian girls is invited out to a party or to a film by someone her mother has not met, that person must come and meet her mother before permission is givenor refused. If a group of girls plan to go to the cinema, parents want them to be accompanied by brothers or male cousin
47、s, or even by an older relative or a trusted adult friend of the family. Friends are girl friends. Friends of the opposite sex simply do not exist, except for a brothers male friends, who fall into the category of brothers. In South Asia, all this is taken for granted and all gifts are subject to th
48、e same rule. But in Britain an Asian girl can immediately see the difference between her own life and that of her English schoolmates, and this makes it seem unjust and unfair. Some parents are aware that this puts a strain on their daughters and are therefore prepared to turn a blind eye if the code is sometimes broken. But above all they are anxious to protect the girls.（分数：12.50）(1).Seetha Crishna is most concerned about girls of _.（分数：2.50）A.East Asian originB.South Asian originC.British originD.non-British origin
