1、2007年湖北大学考博英语真题试卷及答案与解析 一、 Reading Comprehension 0 The domestic economy in the United States expanded in a remarkably vigorous and steady fashion. The revival in consumer confidence was reflected in the higher proportion of incomes spent for goods and services and the marked increase in consumer wil
2、lingness to take on installment debt. A parallel strengthening in business psychology was manifested in a stepped-up rate of plant and equipment spending and a gradual pickup in expenses for inventory. Confidence in the economy was also reflected in the strength of the stock market and in the stabil
3、ity of the bond market. For the years as a whole, consumer and business sentiment benefited from the ease in East-West tensions. The bases of the business expansion were to be found mainly in the stimulative monetary and fiscal policies that had been pursued. Moreover, the restoration of sounder liq
4、uidity positions and tighter management control of production efficiency had also helped lay the groundwork for a strong expansion. In addition, the economic policy moves made by the President had served to renew optimism on the business outlook while boosting hopes that inflation would be brought u
5、nder more effective control. Finaly, of course, the economy was able to grow as vigorously as it did because sufficient leeway existed in terms of idle men and machines. The United States balance of payments deficit declined sharply. Nevertheless, by any other test, the deficit remained very large,
6、and there was actually a substantial deterioration in our trade account to a sizable deficit, almost two-thirds of which was with Japan. While the overall trade performance proved disappointing, there are still good reasons for expecting the delayed impact of devaluation to produce in time a signifi
7、cant strengthening in our trade picture. Given the size of the Japanese component of our trade deficit, however, the outcome will depend importantly on the extent of the corrective measures undertaken by Japan. Also important will be our own efforts in the United States to fashion internal policies
8、consistent with an improvement in our external balance. The underlying task of public policy for the year ahead-and indeed for the longer run-remained a familiar one: to strike the right balance between encouraging healthy economic growth and avoiding inflationary pressures. With the economy showing
9、 sustained and vigorous growth, and with the currency crisis highlighting the need to improve our competitive posture internationally, the emphasis seemed to be shifting to the problem of inflation. The Phase Three Program of wage and price restraint can contribute to reducing inflation. Unless prod
10、uctivity growth is unexpectedly large; however, the expansion of real output must eventually begin to slow down to the economys larger run growth potential if generalized demand pressures on prices are to be avoided. 1 The author mentions increased installment debt in the first paragraph in order to
11、 show _. （ A） the continuing expansion of the economy （ B） the growth of consumer purchasing power （ C） the consumers confidence in the economy （ D） the soaring consumer incomes for spending 2 Paragraph 2 mainly deals with _. （ A） economic policy measures suggested by the President （ B） the causes o
12、f business development for the period （ C） the stimulative monetary and fiscal polices （ D） the revival of stronger liquidity positions 3 It can be inferred from the third paragraph that the authors attitude toward the reduction of the international payments deficit seems _. （ A） bitter-sweet （ B） p
13、essimistic （ C） sympathetic （ D） doubtful 4 Part of the public policy task, as outlined in the text, is to _. （ A） prevent payments deficit （ B） devalue the American dollar （ C） avoid inflationary pressures （ D） increase the balance of trade 5 It can be learned from the last paragraph that the Phase
14、 Three Program contained _. （ A） devaluation of the dollar （ B） productivity measures （ C） reduced government spending （ D） wage and price controls 5 Education is one of the key words of our time. A man, without an education, many of us believe, is an unfortunate victim of adverse circumstances depr
15、ived of one of the greatest twentieth-century opportunities. Convinced of the importance of education, modern states “invest“ in institutions of learning to get back “interest“ in the form of a large group of enlightened young men and women who are potential leaders. Education, with its cycles of in
16、struction so carefully worked out, is punctuated by textbooks-those purchasable wells of wisdom-what would civilization be like without its benefits? So much is certain: that we would have doctors and preachers, lawyers and defendants, marriages and births; but our spiritual outlook would be differe
17、nt. We would lay less stress on “facts and figures“ and more on a good memory, on applied psychology, and on the capacity of a man to get along with his fellow citizens. If our educational system were fashioned after its bookless past we would have the most democratic form of “college“ imaginable. A
18、mong the people whom we like to call savages all knowledge inherited by tradition is shared by all; it is taught to every member of the tribe so that in this respect everybody is equally equipped for life. It is the ideal condition of the “equal start“ which only our most progressive forms of modem
19、education try to regain. In primitive cultures the obligation to seek and to receive the traditional instruction is binding to all. There are no “illiterates“-if the term can be applied to people without a script-while our own compulsory school attendance became law in Germany in 1642, in France in
20、1806, and in England 1876, and is still non-existent in a number of “civilized“ nations. This shows how long it was before we deemed it necessary to make sure that all our children could share in the knowledge accumulated by the “happy few“ during the past centuries. Education in the wilderness is n
21、ot a matter of monetary means. All are entitled to an equal start. There is none of the hurry which, in our society, often hampers the full development of a growing personality. There, a child grows up under the ever-present attention of his parents, therefore the jungles and the grasslands know of
22、no “juvenile delinquency“. No necessity of making a living away from home results in neglect of children and no father is confronted with his inability to “buy“ an education for his child. 6 The word “interest“ in the first paragraph most probably means _. （ A） pleasure （ B） returns （ C） share （ D）
23、knowledge 7 According to the passage, the author seems to be _. （ A） against the education in the very early historic times （ B） in favor of the educational practice in primitive cultures （ C） quite happy to see an equal start for everyone （ D） positive about our present educational instruction 8 It
24、 can be inferred from the passage that _. （ A） the aim of “equal start“ has already been reached among savages （ B） savages in ancient times are more civilized than modern people （ C） the modem education system is more democratic than before （ D） there are no illiterates in civilized nations in toda
25、ys society 9 According to the passage, which of the following statements is true? （ A） Education cant work without the benefits of textbooks. （ B） We have not yet decided on our educational models. （ C） Compulsory schooling is not existent in all nations. （ D） Our spiritual outlook is better now tha
26、n before. 10 The best title for this passage is _. （ A） Education and Modern Civilization （ B） The Significance of Modern Education （ C） Educational Investment and the Profit It Brings （ D） Education: A Comparison between Past and Present 10 All cultures have some system of measuring duration, or ke
27、eping time, but in Western industrialized societies, we keep track of time in what seems to other peoples almost an obsessive fashion. We view time as motion on a space, a kind of linear progression measured by the clock and the calendar. This perception contributes to our sense of history and the k
28、eeping of records, which are typical aspects of Western cultures. Although our perceptions of time seem natural to us, we must not assume that other cultures operate on the same time system. For instance, why should we assume that a Hopi raised in the Hopi culture would have the same intuitions abou
29、t time that we have? In Hopi history, if records had been written, we would find a different set of cultural and environmental influences working together. The Hopi people are a peaceful agricultural society isolated by geographic feature and nomad enemies in a land of little rainfall. Their agricul
30、ture is successful only by the greatest perseverance. Extensive preparations are needed to ensure crop growth. Thus the Hopi value persistence and repetition in activity. They have a sense of the cumulative value of numerous, small, repeated movements, for to them such movements are not wasted but a
31、re stored up to make changes in later events. The Hopi have no intuition of time as motion, as a smooth flowing line on which everything in the universe proceeds at an equal rate away from a past, through a present, into a foreseeable future. Long and careful study of the Hopi language has revealed
32、that it contains no words, grammatical forms, constructions, or expressions that refer to what we call time-the past, present, or future-or to the duration or lasting aspect of time. To the Hopi, “time“ is a “getting later“ of everything that has been done, so that past and present merge together. T
33、he Hopi do not speak, as we do in English, of a “new day“ or “another day“ coming every twenty-four hours; among the Hopi, the return of the day is like the return of a person, a little older but with all the characteristics of yesterday. This Hopi conception, with its emphasis on the repetitive asp
34、ect of time rather than its onward flow, may be clearly seen in their ritual dances for rain and good crops, in which the basic step is a short, quick stamping of the foot repeated thousands of times, hour after hour. Of course, the American conception of time is significantly different from that of
35、 the Hopi. Americans understanding of time is typical of Western cultures in general and industrialized societies in particular. Americans view time as a commodity, as a “thing“ that can be saved, spent, or wasted. We budget our time as we budget our money. We even say, “Time is money“, We are conce
36、rned in America with being “on time“; We dont like to “waste“ time by waiting for someone who is late or by repeating information; and we like to “spend“ time wisely by keeping busy. These statements all sound natural to a North American. In fact, we think, how could it be otherwise? It is difficult
37、 for us not to be irritated by the apparent carelessness about time in other cultures. For example, individuals in other countries frequently turn up an hour or more late for an appointment-although “being late“ is at least within our cultural framework. For instance, how can we begin to enter the c
38、ultural world of the Sioux, in which there is no word for “late“ or “waiting“. Of course, the fact is that we have not had to enter the Sioux culture; the Sioux have had to enter ours. It is only when we participate in other cultures on their terms that we can begin to see the cultural patterning of
39、 time. 11 From the passage, the Hopi have no intuition of time as motion because _. （ A） their way of living depends greatly on perseverance and repetition （ B） they think it necessary to invent their own perception of time （ C） their language does not contain words referring to motion （ D） they thi
40、nk everything should proceed in a linear way 12 What is the Hopis conception of time? （ A） Repeating footsteps is the way they count time. （ B） The line between past and present is clear. （ C） When a person returns, the day returns. （ D） Today is the repetition of yesterday. 13 The concept of time a
41、s a commodity in the third paragraph means that _. （ A） time can be used and spent like consumer goods （ B） people who work long hours will be paid handsomely （ C） people can buy time just like they buy a product （ D） time is considered priceless that people cant afford 14 If you were to visit a Sio
42、ux festival, it would probably be necessary that _. （ A） you call in advance if you are going to be late （ B） you arrange for transportation well in advance （ C） you have a delayed schedule of all the activities （ D） you have an exact schedule of the various events 15 Which of the following views se
43、ems most opposite to the Western perception of time? （ A） Make a hay while the sun shines. （ B） Procrastination is necessary. （ C） Punctuality is the soul of business. （ D） A young idler, an old beggar. 15 In the past, American colleges and universities were created to serve a dual purpose to advanc
44、e learning and to offer a chance to become familiar with bodies of knowledge already discovered to those who wished it. To create and to impart, these were the distinctive features of American higher education prior to the most recent, disorderly decades of the twentieth century. The successful inst
45、itution of higher learning had never been one whose mission could be defined in terms of providing vocational skills or as a strategy for resolving societal problems. In a subtle way Americans believed higher education to be useful, but not necessarily of immediate use. Another purpose has now been
46、assigned to the mission of American colleges and universities. Institutions of higher learning-public or private-commonly face the challenge of defining their programs in such a way as to contribute to the service of the community. This service role has various applications. Most common are programs
47、 to meet the demands of regional employment markets, to provide opportunities for upward social and economic mobility, to achieve racial, ethnic, or social integration, or more generally to produce “productive“ as compared to “educated“ graduates. Regardless of its precise definition, the idea of a
48、service-university has won acceptance within the academic community. One need only be reminded of the change in language describing the two-year college to appreciate the new value currently being attached to the concept of a service-related university. The traditional two-year college has shed its
49、pejorative “junior“ college label and is generally called a “community“ college, a clearly value-laden expression representing the latest commitment in higher education. Even the doctoral degree, long recognized as a required “union card“ in the academic world, has come under severe criticism as the pursuit of learning for its own sake and the accumulation of knowledge without immediate application to a professors classroom duties. The idea of a college or university that performs a triple function- communic
