1、2008年大学生英语竞赛（ NECCS） A类（研究生）初赛真题试卷（精选）及答案与解析 一、 Part Vocabulary and Structure 1 He cant _ ignorance as his excuse; he should have known what was happening in his own department. （ A） insist （ B） refer （ C） plead （ D） defend 2 His father came home to dinner every night, and _ in his life Jack felt th
2、at they were a real family. （ A） for the first time （ B） firstly （ C） at first time （ D） at first 3 After the robbery, the shop installed a sophisticated alarm system as an insurance _ further losses. （ A） towards （ B） for （ C） from （ D） against 4 The bones, tendons and cartilages require a small am
3、ount of blood, _ such organs as the kidneys and brain need large amounts of blood. （ A） as （ B） while （ C） because （ D） so that 5 Although they usually did their own painting and papering, on this occasion they brought in a firm of _ decorators. （ A） inside （ B） inward （ C） interior （ D） internal 6
4、_ the neighboring street, it would have had to pass through the station barriers, where a collector is always standing. （ A） Had it not been pulled down （ B） But for bringing it up （ C） Should it not have been carried down from （ D） Had it not been carried down from 7 The people around him kept sayi
5、ng _ the drowned man but he went on doing artificial respiration. （ A） it was useless reviving （ B） there was no use reviving （ C） there was no use to try to revive （ D） it was no use trying to revive 8 Although they had only been invited for lunch they _ till suppertime. （ A） stayed out （ B） stayed
6、 on （ C） stayed up （ D） stayed off 9 When he heard how well the new company was doing, he took a calculated _ and invested all his money in it. （ A） risk （ B） opportunity （ C） danger （ D） venture 10 More and more people are signing up for yoga classes nowadays, _ advantage of the health and relaxati
7、on benefits. （ A） taking （ B） to have taken （ C） having taken （ D） having been taken 11 In the same area _, with a circular church-so that the devil couldnt find a corner to conceal himself in, or so the locals say. （ A） a village of Bowmore is （ B） there is a village of Bowmore （ C） is the village
8、of Bowmore （ D） the Bowmores village is 12 There are no trips that will make it possible for the tourists to stop everywhere and see _ they want. （ A） all what （ B） everything that （ C） everything what （ D） all which 13 More and more people are becoming aware of the dangers facing our planet. _, we
9、still have a lot of work to do before our environment is safe again. （ A） Consequently （ B） In spite of the fact that （ C） Because of that （ D） Despite that 14 Ray: Have you met the new boss yet? David: No, tell me-whats he like? Ray: Well, I met him this morning and my first impression was very pos
10、itive. _. and I hear hes got a great sense of humor. David : Thats great! （ A） He came across as very pleasant （ B） He has a large office （ C） He seems very unfriendly （ D） Hes not very sharp 15 Customer: I think Ill have the tomato soup to start. _. Waiter: Right. And would you like croutons in you
11、r soup? Customer: No, thank you. Waiter: How would you like your steak? Rare, medium or well done? （ A） And Id like some tea. （ B） And Id also like a steak. （ C） And perhaps some orange juice. （ D） And Id like to order now. 二、 Part Reading Comperhension 15 Auctions are public sales of goods, conduct
12、ed by an officially approved auctioneer. He asks the crowd assembled in the auction room to make offers, or “bids“, for the various items on sale. He encourages buyers to bid higher figures, and finally names the highest bidder as the buyer of the goods. This is called “knocking down“ the goods, for
13、 the bidding ends when the auctioneer bangs a small hammer on a table at which he stands. This is often set on a raised platform called a rostrum. The ancient Romans probably invented sales by auction, and the English word comes from the Latin auctio, meaning “increase“. The Romans usually sold in t
14、his way the spoils taken in war; these sales were called sub hasta, meaning “under the spear“, a spear being stuck in the ground as a signal for a crowd to gather. In England in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries goods were often sold “by the candle“: a short candle was lit by the auctioneer, a
15、nd bids could be made while it stayed alight. Practically all goods whose qualities vary are sold by auction. Among these are coffee, hides, skins, wool, tea, cocoa, furs, spices, fruit and vegetables and wines. Auction sales are also usual for land and property, antique furniture, pictures, rare bo
16、oks, old china and similar works of art. The auction rooms at Christies and Sothebys in London and New York are world-famous. An auction is usually advertised beforehand with full particulars of the articles to be sold and where and when they can be viewed by prospective buyers. If the advertisement
17、 cannot give full details, catalogues are printed, and each group of goods to be sold together, called a “lot“, is usually given a number. The auctioneer need not begin with Lot 1 and continue in numerical order; he may wait until he registers the fact that certain dealers are in the room and then p
18、roduce the lots they are likely to be interested in. The auctioneers services are paid for in the form of a percentage of the price the goods are sold for. The auctioneer therefore has a direct interest in pushing up the bidding as high as possible. The auctioneer must know fairly accurately the cur
19、rent market values of the goods he is selling, and he should be acquainted with regular buyers of such goods. He will not waste time by starting the bidding too low. He will also play on the rivalries among his buyers and succeed in getting a high price by encouraging two business competitors to bid
20、 against each other. It is largely on his advice that a seller will fix a “reserve“ price, that is, a price below which the goods cannot be sold. Even the best auctioneers, however, find it difficult to stop a “knock-out“, whereby dealers illegally arrange beforehand not to bid against each other, b
21、ut nominate one of themselves as the only bidder, in the hope of buying goods at extremely low prices. If such a “knock-out“ comes off, the real auction sale takes place privately afterwards among the dealers. 16 The end of the bidding is called “knocking down“ because _. （ A） the auctioneer knocks
22、the price down （ B） the rostrum is knocked down （ C） the goods are knocked down （ D） the auctioneer bangs the table with a hammer 17 The Romans used to sell by auction _. （ A） spoilt goods （ B） old worn-out weapons （ C） property taken from the enemy （ D） spears 18 The auctioneer may decide to sell t
23、he “lots“ out of order because _. （ A） he sometimes wants to confuse the buyers （ B） he knows from experience who will want what （ C） he wants to keep certain people waiting （ D） he wants to increase the number of buyers 19 A clever auctioneer encourages _. （ A） knock-out deals （ B） rivals to compet
24、e for higher prices （ C） the seller to mark the prices of their goods reasonably （ D） buyers to be careful in bidding 20 “Knock-outs“ are illegal agreements _. （ A） among the dealers only （ B） between the seller and the auctioneer （ C） between the auctioneers and dealers （ D） among the sellers only
25、20 The idea of a fish being able to generate electricity strong enough to light lamp bulbs-or even to run a small electric motor-is almost unbelievable, but several kinds of fish are able to do this. Even more strangely, this curious power has been acquired in different ways by fish belonging to ver
26、y different families. Perhaps the best known are the electric rays, or torpedoes, of which several kinds live in warm seas. They possess on each side of the head, behind the eyes, a large organ consisting of a number of hexagonal shaped cells rather like a honeycomb. The cells are filled with a jell
27、y-like substance, and contain a series of fiat electric plates. One side, the negative side, of each plate, is supplied with very fine nerves, connected with a main nerve coming from a special part of the brain. Current passes from the upper, positive side of the organ downwards to the negative, low
28、er side. Generally it is necessary to touch the fish in two places, completing the circuit, in order to receive a shock. The strength of this shock depends on the size of the fish, but newly born ones only about 5 centimetres across can be made to light the bulb of a pocket flashlight for a few mome
29、nts, while a fully grown torpedo gives a shock capable of knocking a man down, and, if suitable wires are connected, will operate a small electric motor for several minutes. Another famous example is the electric eel. This fish gives an even more powerful shock. The system is different from that of
30、the torpedo in that the electric plates run longitudinally and are supplied with nerves from the spinal cord. Consequently, the current passes along the fish from head to tail. The electric organs of these fish are really altered muscles and like all muscles are apt to tire, so they are not able to
31、produce electricity for very long. The electric catfish of the Nile and of other African fresh waters has a different system again, by which current passes over the whole body from the tail to the head. The shock given by this arrangement is not so strong as the other two, but is none the less unple
32、asant. The electric catfish is a slow, lazy fish, fond of gloomy places and grows to about 1 metre long; it is eaten by the Arabs in some areas. The power of producing electricity may serve these fish both for defence and attack. If a large enemy attacks, the shock will drive it away; but it appears
33、 that the catfish and the electric eel use their current most often against smaller fish, stunning them so that they can easily be overpowered. For answers 51-55, mark Y(for YES) if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage; N (for NO) if the statement contradicts the informatio
34、n, given in the passage; NG(for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 21 Some fish produce enough electricity to drive electric motors. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 22 Usually you will not get a shock by touching the electric ray in one place only. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 23 The electric
35、 plates on the electric eel are supplied with nerves from its brain. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 24 The shock of the electric catfish is more unpleasant than that of the torpedo or electric eel. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 25 Nowadays people are making full use of these electric fish to light lamp bulbs. （ A） Y
36、 （ B） N （ C） NG 26 For answers 56 - 60, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage in a maximum of 4 words. 27 The fish that produce electricity belong to _. 28 A torpedos hexagonal shaped cells contain a number of _. 29 A fully grown torpedo can give a _ than a young one. 30 T
37、he catfishs electric current passes from the _. 31 The electric fish produce electricity mainly for _. 31 We love them so much that some of us sleep with them under the pillow, yet we are increasingly concerned that we cannot escape their electronic reach. We use them to convey our most intimate sec
38、rets, yet we worry that they are a threat to our privacy. We rey on them more than the Interact to cope with modern life, yet many of us dont believe advertisements saying we need more advanced services. Sweeping aside the doubts that many people feel about the benefits of new third generation phone
39、s and fears over the health effects of phone masts, a recent report claims that the long-term effects of new mobile technologies will be entirely positive, so long as the public can be convinced to make use of them. Research about users of mobile phones reveals that the mobile has already moved beyo
40、nd being a mere practical communications tool to become the backbone of modern social life, from love affairs to friendship to work. One female teacher, 32, told the researchers, “I love my phone. Its my friend. “ The close relationship between user and phone is most pronounced among teenagers, the
41、report says, who regard their mobiles as an expression of their identity. This is partly because mobiles are seen as being beyond the control of parents. But the researchers suggest that another reason may be that mobiles, especially text messaging, were seen as a way of overcoming shyness. “Texting
42、 is often used for apologies, to excuse lateness or to communicate other things that make us uncomfortable,“ the report says. The impact of phones, however, has been local rather than global, supporting existing friendships and networks, rather than opening users to a new broader community. Even the
43、 language of texting in one area can be incomprehensible to anybody from another area. Among the most important benefits of using mobile phones, the report claims, will be a vastly improved mobile infrastructure, providing gains throughout the economy, and the provision of more sophisticated locatio
44、n-based services for users. The report calls on government to put more effort into the delivery of services by mobile phone, with suggestions including public transport and traffic information and doctors text messages, to remind patients of appointments. “I love that idea,“ one user said in an inte
45、rview. “It would mean I wouldnt have to write a hundred messages to myself. “ There are many other possibilities. At a recent trade fair in Sweden, a mobile navigation product was launched. When the user enters a destination, a route is automatically downloaded to their mobile and presented by voice
46、, pictures and maps as they drive. In future, these devices will also be able to plan around congestion and road works in real time. Third generation phones will also allow for remote monitoring of patients by doctors. In Britain, scientists are developing an asthma management solution, using mobile
47、s to detect early signs of an attack. Mobile phones can be used in education. A group of teachers in Britain use third generation phones to provide fast, internet service to children who live beyond the reach of terrestrial broadband services and have no access to online information. “As the new gen
48、eration of mobile technologies takes off, the social potential of the mobile will vastly increase,“ the report argues. 32 What feelings does the writer suggest in the first paragraph about our attitudes to mobile phones? 33 What have mobile phones become according to research about their users? 34 W
49、hy do teenagers have such a close relationship with their mobile phones? 35 What can doctors use third generation mobile phones for in future? 36 What does a recent report claim about the long-term effects of mobile phones? 36 Few would deny that what we see in the media affects the way we think and act. Advertisers, knowing this better than anyone else, pay millions of dollars every year to sell their products. For prime time televisio
