1、1998年专业英语八级真题试卷及答案与解析 SECTION A MINI-LECTURE Directions: In this section you sill hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture
2、. When the lecture is over, you will be given two minutes to check your notes, and another ten minutes to complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Use the blank sheet for note-taking. 1 The Rise of RP Historical reasons Received pronunciation was originally associated with a 【 L1】 _ spoken
3、 in the region between central England and London, including Oxford and Cambridge. Its survival was due to its use by the 【 L2】 _ in the 14th century and by university students in the 【 L3】 _ Ages. Its rise in importance resulted from its application in government and official documents. The prestig
4、e of its 【 L4】 _ pattern of pronunciation came about with its use in 【 L5】_ schools in the 19th century. As a result, its 【 L6】 _ is accepted by television and the radio, the professions and teaching English as a foreign language. Three characteristics of RP 1) its speakers dont regard themselves as
5、 connected with any geographical region; 2) RP is largely used in England; 3) RP is a “class“ accent, associated with 【 L7】 _ social classes. Its present status Decline in the prestige of RP is the result of a) loss of monopoly of education by the privileged; b) 【 L8】 _ of high education in the post
6、-war period. However, it still retains its eminence among certain professional people. There is a rise in the status of all 【 L9】 _ accents. We are moving towards the 【 L10】 _ position: general acceptance of all regional accents and absence of a class accent that transcends all regions. 1 【 L1】 2 【
7、L2】 3 【 L3】 4 【 L4】 5 【 L5】 6 【 L6】 7 【 L7】 8 【 L8】 9 【 L9】 10 【 L10】 SECTION B INTERVIEW Directions: In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be gi
8、ven 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the interview. 11 According to the talk, compulsive gambling and alcoholic addiction share similarities because （ A） no actual figure of addicts has been reported. （ B） no scientific studies have yielded effective solutions
9、. （ C） both affect all sectors of society. （ D） both cause serious mental health problems. 12 The development of the gambling compulsion can be described as being （ A） gradual. （ B） slow. （ C） periodic. （ D） radical. 13 G. A. mentioned in the talk is believed to be a(n) （ A） anonymous group. （ B） ch
10、arity organization. （ C） gamblers club. （ D） treatment centre. 14 At the end of the talk, the speakers attitude towards the cure of gambling addiction is （ A） unclear. （ B） uncertain. （ C） optimistic. （ D） pessimistic. 15 Throughout the talk, the speaker examines the issue of gambling in a _ way. （
11、A） balanced （ B） biased （ C） detached （ D） lengthy 16 What strikes the woman most about the male robber is his （ A） clothes. （ B） age. （ C） physique. （ D） appearance. 17 The most detailed information about the woman robber is her （ A） manners. （ B） talkativeness. （ C） height. （ D） jewelry. 18 The in
12、terviewee is believed to be a bank （ A） receptionist. （ B） manager. （ C） customer. （ D） cashier. 19 Which of the following about the two robbers is NOT true? （ A） Both were wearing dark sweaters. （ B） Neither was wearing glasses. （ C） Both were about the same age. （ D） One of them was marked by a sc
13、ar. 20 After the incident the interviewee sounded （ A） calm and quiet. （ B） nervous and numb. （ C） timid and confused. （ D） shocked and angry. SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST Directions: In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. At the e
14、nd of each news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions. 21 According to the news, the enormous food shortage in Iraq has the most damaging effect on its （ A） national economy. （ B） adult population. （ C） young children. （ D） national currency. 22 The WFP is appealing to donor nat
15、ions to （ A） double last years food-aid. （ B） raise $ 122 million for Iraqi people. （ C） provide each Iraqi family with $ 26 a month. （ D） help Iraqs 12 million population. 23 As a result of the agreement, the two countries arsenals are to be （ A） upgraded in reliability and safety. （ B） reduced in
16、size and number. （ C） dismantled partly later this year. （ D） maintained in their present conditions. 24 We can infer from the news that _ of teenagers under survey in 1993 were drug users. （ A） 28%. （ B） 22%. （ C） 25%. （ D） 21%. 25 Which of the following statements is INCORRECT? （ A） Parents are as
17、ked to join in the anti-drug efforts. （ B） The use of both cocaine and LSD are on the increase. （ C） Teenagers hold a different view of drugs today. （ D） Marijuana is as powerful as it used to be. 26 On Society 1 Low self-esteem pops up regularly in academic reports as an explanation for all sorts o
18、f violence, from hate crimes and street crimes to terrorism. But despite the popularity of the explanation, not much evidence backs it up. In a recent issue of Psychological Review, three researchers examine this literature at length and conclude that a much stronger link connects high self-esteem t
19、o violence. “It is difficult to maintain belief in the low self-esteem view after seeing that the more violent groups are generally the ones with higher self-esteem,“ write Roy Baumeister of Case Western Reserve University and Laura Smart and Joseph Boden of the University of Virginia. 2 The convent
20、ional view is that people without self-esteem try to gain it by hurting others. The researchers find that violence is much more often the work of people with unrealistically high self-esteem attacking others who challenge their self-image. Under this umbrella come bullies, rapists, racists, psychopa
21、ths and members of street gangs and organized crime. 3 The study concludes, “Certain forms of high self-esteem seem to increase ones proneness to violence. An uncritical endorsement of the cultural value of self-esteem may therefore be counterproductive and even dangerous. The societal pursuit of hi
22、gh self-esteem for everyone may literally end up doing considerable harm. “ 4 As for prison programs intended to make violent convicts feel better about themselves, “perhaps it would be better to try instilling modesty and humility,“ the researchers write. 5 In an interview with the Boston Globe, Ba
23、umeister said he believes the “self-promoting establishment is starting to crumble. “What would work better for the country is to forget about self-esteem and concentrate on self-control, he said. 6 In the schools, this would mean turning away from psychic boosterism and emphasizing self-esteem as a
24、 by-product of real achievement, not as an end in itself. The self-esteem movement, still entrenched in schools of education, is deeply implicated in the dumbing down of our schools, and in the spurious equality behind the idea that it is a terrible psychic blow if one student does any better or any
25、 worse than another. Lets hope it is indeed crumbling. 26 The researchers find that there are stronger connections between （ A） low self-esteem and violence. （ B） low self-cotrol and violence. （ C） high self-image and violence. （ D） high self-control and violence. 27 The researchers would most proba
26、bly agree with the following EXCEPT （ A） self-esteem should be promoted and encouraged. （ B） schools should change their concept of self-esteem. （ C） the traditional view is beginning to lose ground. （ D） prisons should change their present practice. 28 1 Social change is more likely to occur in het
27、erogeneous societies than in homogeneous ones, simply because there are more diverse points of view available in the former. There are more ideas, more conflicts of interest, and more groups and organizations of different persuasions. In addition, there is usually a greater worldly interest and tole
28、rance in heterogeneous societies. All these factors tend to promote social change by opening more areas of life to decision rather than subjecting them to authority. In a quite homogeneous society, there are fewer occasions for people to perceive the need or the opportunity for change, because every
29、thing seems to be the same and, if not satisfactory, at least customary and undisputed. 2 Within a society, social change is also likely to occur more frequently and more readily (1) in the material aspects of the culture than in the non-material, for example, in technology rather than in values; (2
30、) in what has been learned later in life rather than what was learned early; (3) in the less basic, less emotional, or less sacred aspects of society than in their opposites, like religion or a system of prestige; (4) in the simple elements rather than in the complex ones; (5) in form rather than in
31、 substance; and (6) in elements congenial to the culture rather than in strange elements. 3 Furthermore, social change is easier if it is gradual. For example, it comes more readily in human relations on a continuous scale rather than one with sharp dichotomies. This is one reason why change has not
32、 come more quickly to Black Americans as compared to other American minorities, because of the sharp difference in appearance between them and their white counterparts. 28 According to the passage, the main difference between a homogeneous society and a heterogeneous one lies in （ A） the number of o
33、pportunities offered. （ B） the nature of conflicts of interest. （ C） the awareness of the need for change. （ D） the role of social organizations. 29 The author would most probably agree that changes are more likely to be successful in （ A） production methods. （ B） ideological concepts. （ C） religiou
34、s beliefs. （ D） social behaviour. 30 1 One argument used to support the idea that employment will continue to be the dominant form of work, and that employment will eventually become available for all who want it, is that working time will continue to fall. People in jobs will work fewer hours in th
35、e day, fewer days in the week, fewer weeks in the year, and fewer years in a lifetime, than they do now. This will mean that more jobs will be available for more people. This, it is said, is the way we should set about restoring full employment. 2 There is no doubt that something of this kind will h
36、appen. The shorter working week, longer holidays, earlier retirement, job-sharing these and other ways of reducing the amount of time people spend on their jobs are certainly likely to spread. A mix of parttime paid work and part-time unpaid work is likely to become a much more common work pattern t
37、han today, and a flexi-life pattern of work involving paid employment at certain stages of life, but not at others will become widespread. But it is surely unrealistic to assume that this will make it possible to restore full employment as the dominant form of work. 3 In the first place, so long as
38、employment remains the overwhelmingly important form of work and source of income for most people, it is very difficult to see how reductions in employees working time can take place on a scale sufficiently large and at a pace sufficiently fast to make it possible to share out the available paid emp
39、loyment to everyone who wants it. Such negotiations as there have recently been, for example in Britain and Germany, about the possibility of introducing a 35-hour working week, have highlighted some of the difficulties. But, secondly, if changes of this kind were to take place at a pace and on a sc
40、ale sufficient to make it possible to share employment among all who wanted it, the resulting situation in which most people would not be working in their jobs for more than two or three short days a week could hardly continue to be one in which employment was still regarded as the only truly valid
41、form of work. There would be so many people spending so much of their time on other activities, including other forms of useful work, that the primacy of employment would be bound to be called into question, at least to some extent. 30 The author uses the negotiations in Britain and Germany as an ex
42、ample to （ A） support reductions in employees working time. （ B） indicate employees are unwilling to share jobs. （ C） prove the possibility of sharing paid employment. （ D） how that employment will lose its dominance. 31 At the end of the passage the author seems to imply that as a result of shorter
43、 working time （ A） employment may not retain its usual importance. （ B） employment may not be regarded as valid work. （ C） people can be engaged in far less unpaid work. （ D） people can be engaged in far more unpaid work. 32 The authors attitude towards future full employment is generally （ A） suppo
44、rtive. （ B） wavering. （ C） skeptical. （ D） unclear. 33 1 During the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, advertising was a relatively straightforward means of announcement and communication and was used mainly to promote novelties and fringe products. But when factory production got into full
45、swing and new products, e. g. processed foods, came onto the market, national advertising campaigns and brandnaming of products became necessary. Before large-scale factory production, the typical manufacturing unit had been small and adaptable and the task of distributing and selling goods had larg
46、ely been undertaken by wholesalers. The small non-specialized factory which did not rely on massive investment in machinery had been flexible enough to adapt its production according to changes in public demands. 2 But the economic depression which lasted from 1873 to 1894 marked a turning point bet
47、ween the old method of industrial organization and distribution and the new. From the beginning of the nineteenth century until the 1870s, production had steadily expanded and there had been a corresponding growth in retail outlets. But the depression brought on a crisis of over-production and under
48、-consumption manufactured goods piled up unsold and prices and profits fell. Towards the end of the century many of the small industrial firms realized that they would be in a better position to weather economic depressions and slumps if they combined with other small businesses and widened the rang
49、e of goods they produced so that all their eggs were not in one basket. They also realized that they would have to take steps to ensure that once their goods had been produced there was a market for them. This period ushered in the first phase of what economists now call “monopoly capitalism“, which, roughly speaking, refers to the control of the market by a small number of giant, conglomerate enterprises. Whereas previously competitiv
