1、专业英语八级模拟试卷 202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. 0 Did Marco Polo Tell the Truth? There is a controversy about Marco Polos trip to China. Did Marco Polo tel
3、l the truth? If you ask his 13%century contemporaries, the answer would be a resounding no. As Polos 1298 book, The Travels of Marco Polo, told Europeans something they【 1】 _ to believe, 【 1】 _ Westerners just regard Polos account as a romantic fantasy. According to some critics, Polo never even【 2】
4、 _foot in 【 2】 _ China. Had he been there, he would have reported important aspects of 13th-century Chinese life that were【 3】 _ such as tea drinking, 【 3】 _ calligraphy, the binding of womens feet to keep them small, and, most glaring, the Great Wall of China. Frances Wood, head of the British Libr
5、arys Chinese department, in her 1995 book Did Marco Polo Go to China, argues that Polo probably never got beyond【 4】 _. His China stay was 【 4】 _ 【 5】 _ with the help of Arabs and Persians who had visited China【 5】 _ . But a century after he was ridiculed as “the man of a million lies“, a Renaissanc
6、e geographer hailed him as “the most diligent investigator of 【 6】 _ shores“. 【 6】 _ Today, reference books state flatly that Polo went to China, even though flaws in his story have been known for centuries. Polos supporters explain Polos omissions like this: Tea drinking was popular in 【 7】 _China
7、in Polos time, Lamer says, but was not yet so 【 7】 _ popular in the north and central regions, where Polo resided. Foot binding was limited to【 8】 _ ladies confined to their houses. Only 【 8】 _ rarely would anyone see them except kin. While Polo said nothing about calligraphy, he did tell the West a
8、bout【 9】 _ money, which 【 9】 _ China had used for centuries. Anyhow, from Polo, the West learned many things about China. Polo probably told quite a few lies. But even Polos No. 1 critic, Wood, deems him a useful “【 10】 _ of information“. Whether 【 10】 _ he told only half of what he saw, or saw mere
9、ly half of what he told, the fact remains: He made history happen. 1 【 1】 2 【 2】 3 【 3】 4 【 4】 5 【 5】 6 【 6】 7 【 7】 8 【 8】 9 【 9】 10 【 10】 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
10、are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the interview. 11 What does this interview mainly talk about? （ A） Similarities in Eastern and Western education systems. （ B） Differences in Eastern and
11、Western education systems. （ C） Sexual morality in Eastern and Western education systems. （ D） Teaching method in Eastern and Western education systems. 12 From where could boys and girls learn about sexual problems in America? （ A） From parents. （ B） From PE classes. （ C） From health classes. （ D）
12、All of the above. 13 Which of the lblowing statements is in accordance with what the interviewee says about the exams for entering college in the United States? （ A） Neither of the two national exams is compulsory. （ B） Either of the two national exams is compulsory. （ C） Both of the two national ex
13、ams are compulsory. （ D） They are not required by any school in the United States. 14 According to the interview, Asian students usually _. （ A） can not score high marks in math and science （ B） have excellent academic performance but do not do equally well in their laboratory work （ C） can score hi
14、gh marks and can do an equally good job in their laboratories （ D） dont have excellent academic performance because too much emphasis has been placed on test result 15 Which of the following is NOT mentioned by the interviewee as the ways to make children more creative and innovative? （ A） To take t
15、he time to make students be interested in the world around them. （ B） To organize more discussion classes. （ C） To encourage students seek their own truth. （ D） To make students spend more time doing laboratory work and scientific research. SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST Directions: In this section you wi
16、ll hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. At the end of each news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions. 16 The tornadoes had made _ customers out of electric power. （ A） 18,000 （ B） 180,000 （ C） 188,000 （ D） 1800 17 How many peopl
17、e died in the plane crash? （ A） 182 （ B） 189 （ C） 196 （ D） 203 18 Which of the following is NOT included among Zimbabwe governments explanation of the mass demolitions? （ A） They are meant to clean up towns and cities. （ B） They are meant to tackle black market trading. （ C） They are meant to punish
18、 urban voters. （ D） They are meant to enforce building regulations. 19 Who will represent the US government and visit Singapore to lobby on behalf of New Yorks bid? （ A） President Bush. （ B） Secretary of State Ms. Rice. （ C） Former US Olympic medalists. （ D） New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. 20 Acco
19、rding to the report, the centerpiece of New Yorks original presentation, a new stadium, will be replaced by _. （ A） an existing baseball stadium （ B） a new baseball stadium （ C） an existing football stadium （ D） a new football stadium 20 Divorce and out-of-wedlock childbirth are transforming the liv
20、es of American children. In the postwar generation more than 80 percent of children grew up in family with two biological parents who were married to each other. By 1980 only 50 percent could expect to spend their entire childhood in an intact family. If current minds continue, less than haft of all
21、 children born today will live continuously with their own mother and father throughout childhood. Most American children will spend several years in a single mother family. Some will eventually live in step-parent families, but because step-families are more likely to break up than intact (by which
22、 I mean two-biological parent) families, an increasing number of children will experience family breakup two or even three times during childhood. According to a growing body of social-scientific evidence, children in families disrupted by divorce and out-of wedlock birth do worse than children in i
23、ntact families on several measures of well-being. Children in single-parent families are six times as likely to be poor. They are also likely to stay poor longer. Twenty-two percent of children in one parent families will experience poverty during childhood for seven years or more, as compared with
24、only two percent (children in two-parent families. A 1988 survey by the National Center for Health Statistics found that children in single-parent families are two to three times as likely as children in two-parent families to have emotional and behavioral problems. They are also more likely drop ou
25、t of high school, to get pregnant as teenagers, to abuse drugs, and to be in trouble with the law. Compared with children in intact families, children from disrupted families are at a much higher risk for physical or sexual abuse. Contrary to popular belief, many children do not “bounce back“ after
26、divorce or remarriage. Difficulties that are associated with family breakup often persist into adulthood. Children who grow up in single-parent or step-parent families are less successful as adults, particularly in file two domains of lifelove and workthat are most essential to happiness. Needless t
27、o say, not all children experience such negative effects. However, research shows that many children from disrupted families have a harder time achieving intimacy in a relationship, forming a stable marriage, or even holding a steady job. Despite this growing body of evidence, it is nearly impossibl
28、e to discuses in family structure without giving rise to angry protest. Many people see the discussion as no more than an attack on struggling single mothers and their children: Why blame single mothers when they are doing the very best they can? After all, few parent are indifferent to the painful
29、burden their decision to end a marriage or a relationship imposes on their children. Many take the hazardous step toward single parenthood, as a last resort, after their best efforts to hold a marriage together have failed. Consequently, it can seen particularly cruel and unfeeling to remind parents
30、 of the hardships their children might suffer as a result of family breakup. Other people believe that the dramatic changes in family structure, though regrettable, are impossible to reverse. Family breakup is an inevitable feature of American life, and anyone who thinks otherwise is yielding to nos
31、talgia or trying to turn back to the clock. Since these new family forms are here to stay, the reasoning goes, we must give respect to single parents, not criticize them. Typical is the view expressed by a Brooklyn woman in a recent letter to The New York Times: “Lets stop moralizing or blaming sing
32、le parents and unwed mothers, and give them the respect they have earned and the support they deserve.“ Such views are not to be dismissed. Indeed, they help W explain why family structure is such an explosive issue for Americans. The debate about it is not simply about the social-scientific evidenc
33、e, although that is surely an important part of the discussion. It is also a debate over deeply held and often conflicting values. How do we begin to reconcile our long-standing belief in equality and diversity with m impressive body of evidence that suggests that not all family structures produce o
34、utcomes for children? How can we square traditional ideas of public support for dependent women and children with a belief in womens right to pursue freedom and independence in child-bearing and child-rearing? How do we support the freedom of adults to pursue individual happiness in their private re
35、lationships and at the same respond to the needs of children for stability, security, and permanence in their family lives? What do we do when the interests of adults and children conflict? These are difficult issues at stake in the debate over family structure. If we fail to come to m with the rela
36、tionship between family structure and child wellbeing, then it win be increasingly difficult to improve childrens life prospects, no matter how many new programs the federal government funds. Nor will we be able to make progress in bettering school performance or reducing crime or improving the qual
37、ity of the nations future work forceall domestic problems closely connected to family breakup. Worse, we may contribute to the problem by pursuing policies that actually increase family instability and breakup. (867 words) 21 Children from disrupted families are less likely to _. （ A） be thrown into
38、 prison （ B） commit suicide （ C） get divorced latex in their lives （ D） be on intimate terms with people 22 The article probably appeals to _. （ A） anyone who regards the debate over family structure as an attack on single mothers and their children （ B） anyone who believes in evidence of social-sci
39、ence （ C） people who ignore the issue of changing family structure （ D） people who respect womens right to pursue freedom and independence in children-bearing and children-rearing 23 The point of the debate over family structure lies in _. （ A） whether we should believe in equality and diversity （ B
40、） how parents should pursue their individual happiness （ C） why we should meet the needs of children for a happy family （ D） how the breakup of the families threatens the well being of children 24 It can be inferred from the authors view that _. （ A） correct policies should be based on a deep insigh
41、t into the relationship between family structure and declining child well-being （ B） the break-up of the family is bad but the situation cannot be changed （ C） the funding of new programs by the government may help improve overall child well-being （ D） it is best to stop criticizing unwed mothers an
42、d give them respect 24 The 10th launch of the space shuttle Challenger was scheduled as the 25th space shuttle mission. Francis R. (Dick) Scobee was the mission commander. The crew included Christa McAuliffe, a high-school teacher from New Hampshire. The five other crew members were Gregory B. Jarvi
43、s, Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith A. Resnik, and Michael J. Smith. After several launch delays, NASA officials overruled the concerns of engineers and ordered a liftoff on a cold morning, Jan. 28, 1986. The mission ended in tragedy. Challenger disintegrated into a ball of fire. The acc
44、ident occurred 73 seconds into flight, at an altitude of 14020 meters and at about twice the speed of sound. Strictly speaking, Challenger did not explode. Instead, various structural failures caused the spacecraft to break apart. Although Challenger disintegrated almost without warning, the crew ma
45、y have briefly been aware that something was wrong. The crew cabin tore loose from the rest of the shuttle and soared through the air. It took almost three minutes for the cabin to fall to the Atlantic Ocean, where it smashed on impact, killing the seven crew members. All shuttle missions were halte
46、d while a special commission appointed by President Reagan determined the cause of the accident and what could be done to prevent such disasters from happening again. In June I986, the commission reported that the accident was caused by a failure of O rings in the shuttles right solid rocket booster
47、. These rubber rings sealed the joint between the two lower segments of the booster. Design flaws in the joint and unusually cold weather during launch caused the O rings to allow hot gases to leak out of the booster through the joint. Flames from within the booster streamed past the failed seal and
48、 quickly expanded the small hole. The flaming gases then burned a hole in the shuttles external fuel tank. The flames also cut away one of the supporting beams that held the booster to the side of the external tank. The booster tore loose and ruptured the tank. The propellants (火箭燃料 ) from the tank
49、formed a giant fireball as structural failures tore the vehicle apart. The commission said NASAs decision to launch the shuttle was flawed. Top-level decision makers had not been informed of problems with the joints and O rings or of the possible damaging effects of cold weather. Shuttle designers made several technical modifications, including an improved O-ring design and the addition o
